Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018

tags:PH,RCII,IBM,GD,XPO,WEN,SIRI,UNH,KSS,USG,

ArcelorMittal (NYSE:MT) has recovered remarkably on the market despite announcing mixed results on November 8. Though the company was able to beat the bottom line estimate comfortably, it had missed Wall Street's revenue estimate by a huge figure of $670 million due to lower sales. At the same time, ArcelorMittal warned that steel prices in the U.S. could take a beating on account of lower demand, while higher coking coal costs will reduce profitability.

But, on the same day, after it was confirmed that the next government in the U.S. will be led by Donald Trump, ArcelorMittal shares started making a comeback. In fact, the stock has erased all the losses that it saw after a largely negative quarterly report, which is not surprising if we consider the possible improvements in the steel market in the U.S. under a Trump presidency. Let's take a look.

ArcelorMittal shouldn't be afraid of lower pricing

Under a Trump presidency, steel companies in the U.S. are anticipated to benefit from two factors - higher demand for steel due to aggressive infrastructure investments and less competition from cheap Chinese steel. As far as the first factor is concerned, Donald Trump has pledged to invest up to $1 trillion in infrastructure over the next decade, driven by an increase in public-private partnerships to speed up development.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: S&P Smallcap 600(PH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Barings LLC decreased its holdings in Parker Hannifin (NYSE:PH) by 36.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,064 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,937 shares during the period. Barings LLC’s holdings in Parker Hannifin were worth $4,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Barings LLC decreased its holdings in Parker Hannifin (NYSE:PH) by 36.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,064 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,937 shares during the period. Barings LLC’s holdings in Parker Hannifin were worth $4,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System reduced its position in Parker Hannifin (NYSE:PH) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,950 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,667 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System owned approximately 0.13% of Parker Hannifin worth $29,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $9.36, but opened at $9.43. Rent-A-Center shares last traded at $9.54, with a volume of 375675 shares changing hands.

• [By ]

  Engaged Capital maintained large positions in Rent-A-Center (RCII) , TiVo (TIVO) , Hain Celestial (HAIN) , SunOpta and Jamba Inc. (JMBA) , all companies that have either previously been targeted by Welling or currently are in his cross-hairs.

• [By Max Byerly]

  COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Q1 2018 EPS Estimates for Rent-A-Center Increased by KeyCorp (RCII)” was first reported by Ticker Report and is the sole property of of Ticker Report. If you are viewing this article on another publication, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of United States and international trademark & copyright laws. The legal version of this article can be read at https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/3350595/q1-2018-eps-estimates-for-rent-a-center-increased-by-keycorp-rcii.html.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  AerCap (NYSE: AER) and Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael A. Robinson]

  IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) has bet big on blockchain – and the company's leaders see it as vital to its future success.

  That said, IBM remains a poor investment. The company's legacy businesses are slowing down faster than its strategic initiatives are growing. Moreover, its leadership is unfocused and neglectful toward shareholders.

• [By ]

  Some of the larger companies that have begun incorporating blockchain into their industries include:

  Overstock.com (OSTK) , once a retail company, has become one of the biggest blockchain options on the stock market. The company has developed tZERO, a cryptocurrency and blockchain-based registry that complies with the regulations of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. IBM (IBM) has developed blockchain technology that they are using with a large variety of partners in a large variety of industries. One example is their partnership with food retailers, most notably Walmart, to help quickly, efficiently, and securely track the supply chain to help ensure ideal food safety. They have also partnered with Maersk to work on a blockchain platform for global trade. Hitachi (HTHIF) , the Japanese conglomerate that has worked on social infrastructure and IT systems, among other industries, has begun dabbling in blockchain. It has released reports about how it believes the technology can positively impact the financial sector, and how it could potentially be used to create new services for businesses.

  There are also ETFs that one can invest in that hold a number of stocks related to blockchain. For example, the Reality Shares Nasdaq NextGen Economy ETF (BLCN) holds stocks in all of the examples above, as well as Intel (INTC) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) .

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Earnings season is now in full swing, with today's key reports from�International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), and Intuitive Surgical Inc.�(Nasdaq: ISRG). Thanks to tax cuts, expectations are high. Analysts expect profit growth to top 18%, which would be the biggest jump in seven years. But there are a few bearish trends that are still lurking in the market. And if you're serious about making money, you need to know how to harness them and target individual stocks for life-changing gains.�Money Morning�Quantitative Specialist Chris Johnson explains.

• [By Keith Fitz-Gerald]

  International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) entered the personal microcomputer business in 1981 with the express intent of using an "open architecture" model – meaning other manufacturers could produce and sell related software and components without a license. The move was intended to bury arch-rival Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) which was, at that point, a $200 million-a-year company.

• [By ]

  Earnings will once again dominate the early portion of the trading day, with first quarter reports from Dow components in Action Alerts PLUS holding UnitedHealth (UNH) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)  , Goldman Sachs (GS) and IBM Corp. (IBM) . 

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  Code Pink takes issue with BlackRock's investments in aerospace and defense companies such as General Dynamics Corp.(NYSE: GD), Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC).

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $2.4 per share on revenue of $5.63 billion. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $37.16 billion. Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $605.26 million. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.59 per share on revenue of $22.75 billion. General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.52 per share on revenue of $7.6 billion. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.58 per share on revenue of $22.24 billion. Anthem, Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $4.91 per share on revenue of $22.52 billion. Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.79 per share on revenue of $3.04 billion. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.61 per share on revenue of $6.61 billion. Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.81 per share on revenue of $1.66 billion. Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $2.15 billion. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.46 per share on revenue of $3.82 billion. Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.97 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TROW) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.71 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion. Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (NYSE: DPS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.04 per share on revenue of $1.57 billion. Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SI
• [By Lee Jackson]

  This company, like other major defense prime contractors, had a very solid year and is also on the Merrill Lynch US 1 list.�General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) is engaged in business aviation, land and expeditionary combat vehicles and systems, armaments, munitions, shipbuilding and marine systems, and information systems and technologies.

• [By ]

  In addition to increasing the dividend, Action Alerts PLUS holding Raytheon announced in late March that under the Department of Defense's DARPA program, it was developing technology that could control swarms of both air-based, and ground-based drone vehicles that might be launched using a "drag and drop" visual interface. My price target: $245.

  General Dynamics (GD)

  This is one firm where we have already seen cash flows and margins improving. GD is also another defense name that increased their dividend in March. Think the Navy gets some love in the 2018 federal budget that earmarked $654 billion for the Pentagon? Me too. Know who runs the Virginia class submarine program? General Dynamics. In fact, the Navy just awarded a $696 million modification to that program for 2019.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Express-1 Expedited Solutions Inc.(XPO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  A�Recode article in December made waves when it asserted that Home Depot was considering acquiring�XPO Logistics�(NYSE:XPO), the U.S. leader in last-mile delivery of heavy goods like furniture and appliances. Home Depot already has a close relationship with XPO, naming it its Mid-Size Truckload Carrier of the year in 2015, and was reportedly interested in acquiring it in part to keep it out of the hands of Amazon, which has been ramping up efforts to sell products like furniture, and is also an XPO customer.

• [By ]

  But then there's the little-known trucking company JB Hunt (JBHT) , which popped 6.1% because the company saw some surprise growth that no one was expecting. That news was so strong, FedEx (FDX) and XPO Logistics (XPO) also rose 2.2% and 4.6%.

• [By ]

  TheStreet's founder and Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio Manager Jim Cramer said XPO Logistics (XPO) is a remarkable company.

  Cramer said UPS (UPS) has labor problems and people think FedEx (FDX) is expensive. "XPO has got a lot of things that they can do," Cramer said. "They're in M&A mode."

• [By ]

  For his final "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer also checked in with Brad Jacobs, chairman and CEO of XPO Logistics (XPO) , the transportation provider with shares up 16% in 2018.

• [By ]

  XPO Logistics (XPO) : "This stock just won't come down. "

  Over on Real Money, Cramer talks about how to trade the highly unlikely deal between Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) . Get more of his insights with a free trial subscription to Real Money.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Somebody's got to deliver all of those products that we're ordering online, and increasingly, that somebody is�XPO Logistics�(NYSE:XPO). The freight and logistics company has become the leader in last-mile delivery of heavy goods like furniture and appliances, making it a key partner of retailers like Amazon, IKEA,�Wayfair, and Home Depot.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc.(WEN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Hogan]

  Growth within the industry is a bit lumpy, with limited-service restaurants, such as Wendys Co (NASDAQ: WEN) and Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc (NYSE: CMG), growing at 5.3 percent in 2017 as compared to 3.5 percent for casual dining establishments according to the National Restaurant Industry.

• [By Lisa Levin]

   

  Companies Reporting After The Bell Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $1.22 per share on revenue of $5.72 billion. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $1.04 per share on revenue of $5.68 billion. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $1.68 per share on revenue of $14.05 billion. Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.62 per share on revenue of $441.73 million. Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: JAZZ) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $2.77 per share on revenue of $434.87 million. Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $6.38 billion. LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (NYSE: LTM) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $2.70 billion. Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ: LBTYA) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.02 per share on revenue of $4.05 billion. TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $362.11 million. The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ: WEN) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.1 per share on revenue of $379.98 million. A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRK) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $1.69 billion. Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) is estimated to post quarterly earnings at $0.4 per share on revenue of $849.38 million. Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.4 per share on revenue of $670.10 million. ScanSource, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCSC) is projected to post quarterly earnings at $0.7 per share on revenue of $875.91 million. KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE: KAR) is expected to post quarterly earnings at $0.76 per share on revenue of $923.13
• [By ]

  Throughout its history, Starbucks has mostly had a company-owned model for its retail locations, a strategy that is at odds with a trend of activist investors pushing fast food, restaurant and coffee companies to franchise locations out to raise cash for stock buybacks and debt reduction. In recent years, activists have targeted Jamba Juice (JMBA) , Potbelly (PBPB) , Jack in the Box (JACK) , Wendys Co. (WEN) , McDonald's (MCD) and elsewhere. In addition, Starbucks has a one-share, one-vote structure, which can make it vulnerable to an activist investor seeking to elect dissident director candidates as it pursued the strategy.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Sirius XM Radio Inc.(SIRI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Berkshire's biggest winners in the stock market so far this year are MasterCard Inc. (MA) , up 23%; Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI) , up 18%; Phillips 66 (PSX) , up 14%; Visa Inc. (V) , up 11%; and Moody's Corp. (MCO) , also up 11%, according to FactSet.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI)�is gearing up for a big earnings announcement this week. The satellite radio provider reports first-quarter results before Wednesday's market open, and a lot is riding on its financial performance. Sirius XM has been one of the market's biggest winners since bottoming out at $0.05 -- yes, a nickel -- in 2009. The stock is now a 127-bagger, and it hit a new 12-year high just last month.

• [By ]

  Remember, Apple (AAPL) had run because its service-revenue stream made the tech giant part of an elite group of companies. It joined Costco (COST) , Netflix (NFLX) , and SiriusXM (SIRI) , Spotify (SPOT) and Amazon (AMZN) (home of Amazon Prime) as companies that charge you recurring fees that you don't seem to notice or care about. So, Apple's stock no longer represents the tug to the group, and each company has to develop a separate power base away from Cupertino.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this segment from�MarketFoolery, host Chris Hill, Motley Fool One's Jason Moser, and Stock Advisor Canada's Taylor Muckerman consider an individual case of a common question for investors: When you have a stock that has become a big winner, should you hold on tight until you need the money, or sell to lock in some profits, and reinvest them elsewhere? There's certainly no single right answer, but the question is always a good one to ask. The response depends on the context of the individual company, so the Fools tailor their take this time to the outlook for Sirius XM�(NASDAQ:SIRI).

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  So, nothing about trade wars, tariffs, currency devaluations, wars in Syria, or North Korea, or Iran from the occupier of the Oval Office. Perhaps partly as a result, the major U.S. equity indexes rose strongly for a second day, fueled by better than expected earnings by Netflix (NFLX) and helped along by stalwart U.S. corporations including UnitedHealth (UNH) , General Electric (GE) and Cisco (CSCO) .

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Market fears of an escalating Middle Eastern conflict abated thanks to last week's military strikes against the Syrian government. On Friday, April 13, U.S. forces joined the United Kingdom and France in retaliation for a chemical gas attack carried out by the Syrian government. The military exercise came at a time that tensions are also rising in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Today, several members of the U.S. Federal Reserve will be speaking at events around the globe, including San Francisco Fed President John Williams and Chicago Fed Bank President Charles Evans. But no one will be more watched today than Fed Gov. Randal Quarles, who will testify before the U.S. House Financial Services Commission. Quarles will provide testimony on the central bank's plans to regulate and oversee the financial system. Expect a wealth of questions about the Fed's plans to raise interest rates and manage its massive balance sheet. Money Morning�Liquidity Specialist�Lee Adler offers you advice on how to play the Fed's problems, right here. Four Stocks to Watch Today: GS, NFLX, TSLA, and ROKU Shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) added 0.6% after the Wall Street bank easily topped Q1 earnings and revenue estimates. The firm reported�earnings per share (EPS) of $6.95 on top of more than $10 billion in revenue. Analysts projected EPS of $5.67 on top of $8.89 billion. The investment bank hiked its quarterly dividend and said that revenue from equity trading rallied thanks to an uptick in recent market volatility. Shares of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) are flat on the news that the firm will suspend production of its Model 3 vehicles. The firm said the temporary halt in production will aim to "improve automation" and address ongoing bottlenecks in its production process. Shares of Roku Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU) popped more than 8.2% on news that Steven Cohen's family office has taken a passive 5.1% stake in the company. The streaming device manufactur
• [By ]

  UnitedHealth Group's (UNH) $2.8 billion purchase of Chile-based health insurer Empresas Banm茅dica seems to be paying off, giving a boost to the company's full-year outlook.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Before the opening bell Tuesday, Dow Jones Industrial Average component UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) is expected to report another solid quarter. After all, the company has beat analysts’ earnings estimate for eight straight quarters and revenues in six of those eight.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By JJ Kinahan]

  Adding to positive sentiment, Kohl’s Corporatrion (NYSE: KSS) reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue, and same-store sales were up 3.6 percent. It’s interesting that the company was able to do this despite wintery weather, particularly in areas where Kohl’s stores are concentrated. The company’s  shares were up more than 5 percent in premarket trading. 

• [By ]

  Cramer and the AAP team say their favorite part of the Kohl's (KSS) story is its ties with Amazon (AMZN) . Find out what they're telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  On Monday, top department store stocks including Macy's (NYSE:M), Kohl's (NYSE:KSS), Dillard's (NYSE:DDS), and J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP) lost roughly 3% to 4%. The catalyst was a negative analyst report.

• [By Asit Sharma]

  To me, the introduction of delightful uncertainty is reminiscent of Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) gamification of shopping. Kohl's features a more stable, predictable, department-store-genre selection of goods. Yet it dangles layers of discounts and promotions, which can then be combined with "Kohl's Cash" (customer rewards generated by prior purchases) to serially reduce the list price of an item at checkout. Both TJX and Kohl's attempt to bolster value with fun, in order to maintain steady traffic into their respective stores.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Kohl��s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) reported first-quarter fiscal 2018 results before markets opened Tuesday. The department store retailer reported adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.64 on total revenues of $4.21 billion. In the first quarter of 2017, the company reported EPS of $0.39 on revenue of $4.01 billion. First-quarter results also compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.50 and $3.95 billion in revenue.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Markets have been under pressure once again by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Inflation levels are going through the roof… but the people in charge of managing it have been lying to Americans for years. Now it's time to get even.�Money Morning�Liquidity Specialist Lee Adler has the perfect way to make a lot of money when no one is looking.�Read it here.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Tuesday Despite all of the political noise, both China and the United States have agreed to take a step back and seriously pursue talks that may prevent further tariff impositions. The biggest development on the trade front is that the Trump administration is considering a plan to lift a sales ban on Chinese mobile giant ZTE. Shares of Micron Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) are pushing higher after the company announced a $10 billion plan to buy back stock. Micron reported earnings on Monday, and the Boise-based firm easily topped Wall Street expectations. Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) was pushing a bit higher on Tuesday as the firm prepared to address data privacy issues in Europe. The social media giant's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is set to speak before European lawmakers this morning. Zuckerberg will testify this morning, just three days after the European Union enforced more stringent laws on consumer data protection. Three Stocks to Watch Today: GM, KSS, TSLA Shares of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) were pushing higher after the auto giant reported that China will be lifting restrictions on U.S. automotive parts and cars. But GM isn't the only beneficiary. Look for shares of Ford Motor Co.�(NYSE: F) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV�(Nasdaq: FCAU) to also get a boost out of the Chinese economy. Shares of Kohl's Corp.�(NYSE: KSS) popped 5% after the firm beat earnings expectations and easily topped same-store sales during the first quarter. The company also raised its 2019 earnings numbers, which helped fuel investor sentiment. Shares of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) are in focus

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2018: USG Corporation(USG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  As USG Corporation (NYSE:USG) drags its feet on an offer to sell the company for $42 per share, Berkshire intends to use its 30.8% ownership stake to motivate its top brass to make a deal. Berkshire told Bloomberg it intends to vote its shares against USG's board members who are up for re-election at this year's annual meeting, a clear message that Buffett is ready to cash in, even if USG's management and board are not.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of USG (NYSE:USG) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday.

  A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of USG from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $35.00 to $24.00 in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Jefferies Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of USG in a research note on Monday, April 23rd. SunTrust Banks boosted their target price on shares of USG from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Buckingham Research boosted their target price on shares of USG from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 16th. Finally, Nomura boosted their target price on shares of USG from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.00.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Warren Buffett likes to hold his stock positions for the long run, and his experience with USG (NYSE:USG) has been typical of his other long-term investments. The Oracle of Omaha started buying shares of the manufacturer of Sheetrock drywall and other building materials back in 2000, accumulating a sizable stake that has ballooned to more than 30% of the company. USG ended up going through bankruptcy in order to get a handle on its asbestos liability claims, but thanks largely to Buffett's involvement, the building materials company not only survived bankruptcy but also saw share prices soar briefly on hopes that USG would once again fully participate in the then-strong housing boom.

• [By Jason Hall, George Budwell, and Chuck Saletta]

  And while it may not always work out well to simply copy the moves other investors make, it can pay off to use their buying and selling moves as jumping-off points in your own research. We asked three real-world investors for their insight, and they wrote about two recent Buffett buys of�Apple Inc.�(NASDAQ:AAPL) and�USG Corporation�(NYSE:USG), and a recent Baker Brothers buy of�Heron Therapeutics Inc�(NASDAQ:HRTX).�