Cramer's game plan: 'Get ready to ride through these troubled waters'

An inverted yield curve is not an automatic signal that a recession is around the corner, and investors should be aware that there are bargains on the market, even if the economy is slowing down, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday.

Three-month Treasury yields surpassed 10-year Treasury notes Friday and the major U.S. indexes stumbled as the S&P 500 finished its worst day since January. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, pushed by bank stocks, dropped 459 points and the S&P 500 lost 1.9 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.5 percent during the session .

Cramer blamed the selling in large part on computer algorithms because yield curve inversions in the past have preceded recessions, most recently in 2007. But he said the machines have no way of differentiating one stock from another.

"People act like this automatically signals that we're going into a recession, but it might signal nothing more than the fact that the Fed should never have tightened in December," the "Mad Money" host said. "We're headed into another week where I think the inverted yield curve will embolden the bears ... [but] the Fed just took us one rate hike too many and now we're all paying the price."

Cramer suggested that investors "stay the course," and concerned investors should stick with stocks that have the safest dividend yields "and get ready to ride through these troubled waters."

His game plan for next week is below:

Monday: Apple, Red Hat

Apple: The iPhone maker will reveal new products on Monday and Cramer said it's time for the tech giant to beef up its services. And he warned, given the stock's run as of late, that the Apple bears are itching for an announcement that's a let down.

"I want them to buy Dexcom and Tandem Diabetes so they can offer diabetics a blood sugar monitor-slash-insulin pump that can be controlled from you cell phone," he said. "I like this idea better than one more video channel, but if Apple's working on a multi-media bundle I could see why that's intriguing."

Red Hat: Red Hat, the software company that IBM is buying, reports earnings after the close.

"All I want to hear from them is how the business is doing across all clouds, not just IBM's since the merger was announced," he said.

Tuesday: Carnival, Cronos, KBHomes, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Adobe

Carnival Cruise Line: The cruise company delivers its latest earnings before the bell. Cramer said it will be tough for Carnival to top Norwegian Cruise Lines, but he suggested it's a buy highlighting the 3.54 percent yield.

"I would pick some up with the understanding that things can't be that bad for Carnival if Norwegian's doing that well," he said.

Cronos: Cronos also plans to give quarter results before the market opens. Altria paid $1.8 billion for 45 percent of the cannabis company.

"I love this cannabis theme. Larry Merlo from CVS is introducing cannabidiol-based products, that's CBD, and I wonder whether some of it will eventually come from Cronos," he said. "That said, I still favor Canopy."

KB Home: The homebuilder has an earnings call scheduled after the bell. The company gives a good look into California's real estate market, Cramer said.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet: Shareholders will hear from the retail chain after trading ends Tuesday.

"It's cheap. It's down 18 points from its high for no particular reason. It's go some short sellers saying something about it," he said.

Adobe: Adobe holds an analyst Q&A.

"I bet we'll start hearing a lot of good things to make you want to buy the stock regardless of the inverted yield curve," Cramer said. "If I'm right, the pin action could very quickly spread to the other cloud names."

Wednesday: Lennar, Paychex

Lennar: This homebuilder, which gives a better picture about the national market, reports Wednesday morning.

"I think that the last few months have untethered the housing market from anything except mortgage rates and right now mortgage rates are plummeting, so it might be a better time to buy yourself a home or stock," Cramer said.

Paychex: Pachex will report before the open and the giant payroll processor should give investors an idea how the economy is humming or cooling, Cramer said.

"Their last quarter was a fine one. I think this one will be, too," he said.

PVH: PVH holds a collection of recognizable brands such as Van Heusen, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein, among others. The company's earnings report comes after the market close. It's a stock with a good story, but there are detractors waiting for it to trip, Cramer said.

Lululemon: After the bell, Lululemon will reveal its latest quarter results.

"I think Lululemon has the best momentum in the [apparel] group," he said.

Thursday: Accenture, Footlocker

Accenture: Accenture is expected to report its last quarterly financials before trading opens Thursday.

"This information technology consulting company is terrific at helping clients trying [to] go digital. But, you know what, when it reports it tends to get hit. And then when it gets hit, you do some buying."

Foot Locker: The sports apparel chain hosts an analyst meeting Thursday. The company beat same-store sales and profit estimates in its earnings report earlier this month.

The meeting could give motivation to pick up shares of Nike, which also gave a good report but a tepid forecast, Cramer said.

"I thought Nike was simply under promising and certainly will over deliver," he said. "Apparently China has discovered jogging, which is the sweet spot for the company ... If Foot Locker tells a good story, Nike's stock can run. I would buy Nike ahead of the meeting."

Friday: Carmax, Lyft

Carmax: Carmax's earnings report will give more insight into a weak auto industry, the host said. The used-car dealer will reveal results before the open and could disappoint again, he added.

"I wish I could be more positive about this giant auto retailer that's run so well, but the numbers probably won't add up," Carmer said.

Lyft: Lyft will officially list under LYFT on the Nasdaq to close out the week, and Cramer said it will be "absurdly oversubscribed."

"If you can, I think if you can get in on a piece of the action, you should do it. If you're going to buy it in the after market, you have to use a limit or I'll never forgive you," he said.

WATCH: Cramer details his game plan for the March 25 trading week show chapters Cramer's game plan: 'Get ready to ride through these troubled waters'    1 Hour Ago | 11:32

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Apple.

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6 Monthly Dividend Stocks to Buy

[Editor’s note: This article was previously published in January 2019. It has been updated and republished.]

Most dividend stocks pay their shareholders quarterly, but a few dividend-yielding stocks offer monthly distributions. The group is small: less than 100, with many of the offerings being exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or closed-end actively managed funds. And so investors looking for monthly dividend stocks to buy are limiting their universe quite a bit.

And there are quite a few attractive dividend-yielding stocks that pay out monthly. Several offer compelling cases for both their upside and safe dividends, with attributes that go beyond simply the timing of their distributions.

These six stocks all fit that bill, offering not only monthly dividends but potential share price appreciation and reasonable payout ratios.

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Realty Income (O)

Realty Income (NYSE:O) is the best-known of the monthly dividend payers, to the point that it has trademarked the slogan “The Monthly Dividend Company.”

In terms of past performance, the monthly payouts have been just the cherry on top of a delicious sundae. O stock has returned — including dividends — an average of 15.8% annually since 1994, according to a recent investor presentation. It has been one of the best-performing real estate investment trusts in the market over that stretch.

O stock has become much more expensive over the past few months, bouncing more than 19% from February lows. But there’s still a nice bull case at the moment. O yields a bit over 3.7%,

The portfolio looks both safe and nicely diversified, with Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) and FedEx (NYSE:FDX) being its two largest tenants. Considering Realty Income’s track record, it’s worth staying long.

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Source: Shutterstock

LTC Properties (LTC)

Like Realty Income, senior housing and healthcare property REIT LTC Properties (NYSE:LTC) has bounced nicely off recent lows. And like with O stock, there’s still a solid bull case for LTC even after recent gains.

With the “baby boom” generation aging, demand should stay strong. Meanwhile, LTC still yields 5.06%, though growth has been below that of most dividend-yielding stocks (it has been held flat for about two years now).

There are some risks here: investors are concerned that changing healthcare insurance reimbursement policies will impact LTC’s tenants. The stock actually hit a five-year low earlier this year as a result. But sentiment has improved — and should continue to do so. With LTC still trading at a reasonable 11.56 P/E, the bounce could continue. Add to that a 5.o6% yield, paid monthly, and it’s definitely worth a look.

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Source: Shutterstock

Shaw Communications (SJR)

Canadian telecommunications company Shaw Communications (NYSE:SJR) hasn’t posted particularly strong performance over the past few years. SJR actually has declined nearly 10% over the past five years — and has lost about 10% of its value over the past year alone.

There are some concerns about the wireless industry in Canada, much as there are in the U.S. But Shaw is growing nicely, with revenue up so far this year. Margin expansion hasn’t followed yet, but as Shaw continues to take market share, profit growth may follow.

But with a 4.34% dividend yield and an 20.04x forward price-to-earnings multiple, SJR isn’t pricing in much improvement. With 5G a potential catalyst in the mid-term, there’s a nice case for SJR stock at current levels.

Dividends are announced in Canadian dollars, which can affect the payouts received by American investors. Still, a monthly dividend, a 4%-plus yield and a potential upside provide a nice combination here.

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Source: Marriott Select Service Hotels via Flickr (Modified)

Apple Hospitality REIT (APLE)

Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE:APLE) owns 241 hotels in the U.S. — 115 of the hotels operate under the Marriott (NASDAQ:MAR) banner, with the remaining 126 flying under the Hilton (NYSE:HLT) flag.

Those two strong brands underpin a strong portfolio. Geographic diversification limits downside risk as well. With an impressive 7.55% yield paid monthly, that makes APLE one of the best dividend-yielding stocks in terms of monthly income.

The story admittedly isn’t perfect. Growth has been relatively meager, and APLE’s dividend has stayed at 10 cents per share per month since a 2015 IPO. Investors would have been much better off buying either MAR or HLT, both of which have better than doubled from early 2016 lows.

But for income-focused investors, APLE looks like a strong pick.

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Source: Shutterstock

Pembina Pipeline (PBA)

Pembina Pipeline (NYSE:PBA) is the biggest company on this list and the riskiest. Pipeline companies generally are lower-risk plays in the oil and gas space, but Pembina does have some concerns. Canadian oil stocks have struggled of late, and Pembina levered up to acquire Veresen last year.

That said, there’s still a lot to like here. Earnings increased in the double-digits last year, largely due to the acquisition. PBA pays a solid 4.69% dividend. Valuation is relatively reasonable against U.S. rivals like Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) and Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE:PAA).

If Pembina can continue to grow once the Veresen acquisition is fully integrated, there should be nice upside on top of the 4%-plus yield.

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Source: Shutterstock

STAG Industrial (STAG)

STAG Industrial (NYSE:STAG) isn’t necessarily a spectacular stock, but it’s one that can drive steady long-term returns along with monthly payouts. The company leases industrial buildings to single tenants and has a nicely diversified portfolio from both a customer and geographic standpoint. The average lease length currently is nearly five years, which should keep recent dividend growth intact.

Longer-term, there are minor concerns. Valuation isn’t necessarily cheap, at over 15 forward P/E. An economic downturn could lead to lease cancellations or even customer bankruptcies. Investors focused on value might want to wait for a cheaper price than the current stock price of $28.71.

But investors looking for growing monthly dividend payouts don’t have a ton of options, and STAG very well might be the best one.

As of this writing, Vince Martin did not hold a position in any of the aforemen

Here are the biggest analyst calls of the day: Facebook, Dollar General

Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Monday:

Needham downgrading Facebook to 'hold' from 'buy'

"FB is within 2% of our price target and we are downgrading our rating to Hold (from Buy) as we worry about: a) the negative financial impact of FB's strategic pivot toward privacy and encrypted messages; b) growing risks of regulation; and c) horrific images uploaded to FB (like the recent New Zealand events) that are technologically difficult to block at the 100% level and which hurt FB's brand... Together, we believe these risks are causing a Negative Network Effect, as evidenced by senior management departures... Network Effects act as flywheel accelerator for both value creation and value destruction.... We make no changes to our estimates, which are below Wall Street consensus estimates..."

Read more about this here.

Bank of America lowering price target on Facebook to $187 from $205

"While we continue to think estimates have been de-risked in 2019, the revenue impact of a more privacy centric platform could raise questions on three-year growth... Highest usage growth areas for FB were noted as private messaging, ephemeral stories, and small groups, which have lower current monetization and raises the revenue risk from a potential ongoing usage transition... While FB still has big opportunities to improve the monetization of stories and messaging, the question is if usage will deteriorate on core news feed... We are staying constructive as we think news feed usage has stabilized after a summer trough, but would turn more cautious if usage data deteriorates...We are maintaining our estimates and lowering our PO to $187 based on a lower multiple of 20x 2020e GAAP EPS plus $13/share in cash to reflect monetization uncertainty (prior 24x)...Based on a more limited upside view for FB (stock up 27% YTD vs S&P up 13%) ,we are shifting to Google as top near -term FANG idea given potential for a valuation sentiment uptick on assets including Waymo and Cloud (April conference)..."

Barclays upgrading Dollar General to 'overweight' from 'equal weight'

"DG is doing what all best-in-class retailers do – investing from a position of strength to widen its competitive edge, even if it means NT guidance disappoints. It is critical to invest when times are good to be better positioned should the tide turn. We've seen this time and time again from other best-in-class retailers – in our universe, we would include COST and WMT; in other sectors, HD, ORLY, and MCD. Accordingly, while DG's investments led to disappointing FY19 guidance, DG should (and will) capitalize on the opportunity to widen its competitive moat as Fresh/Fast Track investments will lead to: 1) greater frequency of visits, 2) a more robust/efficient supply chain, 3) lower costs-to-serve, and 4) labor productivity gains. FY19 is an investment year – we acknowledge that – but DG is positioning itself to gain share LT..."

Wells Fargo upgrading Johnson Controls to 'outperform' from 'market perform'

"The gist of our thesis is the timing is now better for the story to play out – Expectations and sentiment are pretty low, even as fundamentals are picking up (backlog acceleration, peaking investment/cost headwinds, higher FCF yield etc.,)... Post the 06/19 Power sale close, JCI should be a more focused pure play buildings automation company and much of the noise and distraction should be behind them.... In our view the embedded earning for F'19/F'20 is $2.45/$2.80 (incld. Power sale proceeds deployed), indicating a PE of ~17x/15x (not far from where it is trading now), on our street high $42 price target..."

Wells Fargo downgrading Ingersoll-Rand to 'market perform' from 'outperform'

"At $106 (as of 03/15 close), the stock appears to be priced for superb execution in F'19, in our view... Our bull bear scenario indicates risk reward is skewed to the downside... We acknowledge our downgrade is valuation driven... The mgmt has remarkably steered through price-cost headwinds in 2018 and that has set performance expectations higher..Key points..1) Expectations are at cycle high - 70% of the street has a buy on IR – highest since 2012.. Buyside sentiment is trending at the high end of historical range as well... 2) C-HVAC growth expectations are above trend... This is fine given institutional acceleration outlooks but not much head room left, in our view... Climate revenue growth for 2019 is 6% vs normalized 5% growth averaged between 2013-2017. 2018 growth was a record 9% and as such is a tough comp... 3) Any missteps likely costly for IR. Given high expectations, any shortfall in resi would be considered share loss to the re-emerging peer LII.... 4) Industrial order growth moderated in 2018 vs expectations for a pickup in momentum... The trend could continue near term. ..5) NTM FCF yield is slightly below last 5 yr trend (5.6% now vs 6.5% average the last few years. NTM FCF yield is also lower vs peers like JCI (6% IR vs 8% JCI)..."

PiperJaffray raising price target on Chipotle to $725 from $661

"Chipotle remains our top recovery investment recommendation and we have a high degree of conviction that current strategic initiatives can continue to generate improving fundamentals... As the company progresses through its recovery process we believe the conversation (from a stock perspective) eventually shifts to one that focuses on identifying incremental strategies to maximize shareholder value... In that vein, we offer an initial examination of the potential behind transforming Chipotle's international store base (currently only ~14 company-owned units across the UK, France, and Germany) into a growing franchise business... Although hypothetical, such a future transformation could help to unlock incremental profitability (driving an estimated $2 to $5 in earnings power), drive upside to global growth, and potentially set up CMG shares for some measure of multiple expansion as the company becomes incrementally asset-light, over time... We reiterate our Overweight rating and are increasing our price target to $725 on CMG shares..."

Goldman Sachs upgrading Okta to 'buy' from 'neutral'

"Okta's strong results since its April 2017 IPO continue to demonstrate the growing role that identity is playing in the wider enterprise IT ecosystem, given its crucial positioning at the intersection of heightened concerns around security, increasingly complex multi-cloud environments, and the digital revolution of businesses in every sector... As digital transformations continue to drive discussion at the C-level, we believe that identity will play an important role in establishing more robust internal processes around access and authentication across increasingly complex enterprise IT topologies, while serving as an important tool in driving more secure experiences for users outside the organization...
In our view, Okta remains the leader in Identity and Access Management within the enterprise, and continues to benefit from its role as an independent, third party management platform for identity and user authentication that works across cloud environments to provide a unified platform to manage access to applications, devices, and third-party application programming interfaces..."

Citi downgrading PVH to 'neutral' from 'buy'

"We are assuming coverage with a Neutral rating (vs previous rating of Buy) and a $120 TP (vs previous TP of $140). While the company has two brands with good global growth potential in Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, PVH overall is still heavily dependent on the North America wholesale and outlet channels (we estimate these channels combined represent ~50% of sales)... Despite management typically beating guidance in the past, we are concerned that exposure to wholesale/outlet channels will weigh on sales and profits in the coming years, limiting upside..."

Credit Suisse downgrading Quest Diagnostics to 'neutral' from 'outperform'

"Despite multiple unexpected headwinds affecting DGX's 2018, including greater denials and higher-than-expected patient concessions, among other factors, we are optimistic that long-term growth drivers are intact, including greater in-network access, continuing innovation, consumer-centric initiatives, and capital deployment, where reimbursement pressures and recent payer contract shifts will likely spur industry consolidation... These drivers should support +3-5% top-line growth (+1-3% organic) and +4-6% earnings growth long term, dynamics that we view as adequately reflected in the consensus and our expectations, limiting more meaningful upside near term..."

Symrise (SY1) Given a €80.00 Price Target at Baader Bank

Symrise (FRA:SY1) has been given a €80.00 ($93.02) price objective by equities research analysts at Baader Bank in a report issued on Wednesday. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Baader Bank’s price target indicates a potential upside of 1.50% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a €56.00 ($65.12) price target on shares of Symrise and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Kepler Capital Markets set a €75.00 ($87.21) price target on shares of Symrise and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a €66.00 ($76.74) price target on shares of Symrise and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 17th. Goldman Sachs Group set a €56.00 ($65.12) price target on shares of Symrise and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 23rd. Finally, Independent Research set a €75.00 ($87.21) price target on shares of Symrise and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of €73.93 ($85.96).

Get Symrise alerts:

FRA:SY1 opened at €78.82 ($91.65) on Wednesday. Symrise has a 12 month low of €56.96 ($66.23) and a 12 month high of €73.48 ($85.44).

About Symrise

Symrise AG develops, produces, and sells fragrances, flavorings, and cosmetic ingredients. It operates through three segments: Scent & Care, Flavor, and Nutrition. The Scent & Care segment develops, produces, and sells fragrance ingredients and compositions, cosmetic ingredients, and mint flours, as well as specific application processes for such substances.

Featured Story: What is a Lock-Up Period?

HCL Tech falls 2% on a US firm acquisition; analysts mixed

Software company HCL Technologies shares fell 2 percent intraday Thursday after the company announced acquisition of a US firm to boost its digital business.

The stock was quoting at Rs 1,009.55, down Rs 18.65, or 1.81 percent, on the BSE, at 11:38 hours IST.

The global technology company, on March 13, announced the acquisition of Strong-Bridge Envision (SBE), a digital transformation consulting firm with offices in Seattle, Denver, Atlanta and New York City.

"SBE will enhance our digital consulting offerings with their strong capabilities in digital strategy development, agile program management, business transformation and organizational change management. These capabilities combined with our next generation Mode 2 offerings in experience design, app modernization & data analytics will help us deliver end-end digital journeys to our customers," Anand Birje, Corporate Vice President and Head of Digital and Analytics Practice at HCL Technologies said.

related news Rajesh Exports gains 2% on order win worth Rs 1,079cr Lupin rises 2% despite USFDA concerns for Mandideep unit; brokerages maintain buy

While maintaining 'outperform' with a price target at Rs 1,310, global brokerage house Credit Suisse said the size of SBE acquisition is small.

"The acquisition will add 50 bps to FY20 growth and help company enhance their Mode-2 offerings," it added.

However, Morgan Stanley, which is underweight on the software stock with a price target at Rs 931, also said acquisition will add 0.5 percent to consolidated revenue growth and will boost company's digital & analytics capabilities.

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 14, 2019 12:30 pm

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:XPO,IBM,WEN,PH,KSS, &l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image getty wp-image-598968774 size-large&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/598968774/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; alt=&q;&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; Photo: Getty Images.

In a recent article I took a look at &l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/roystonwild/2018/09/03/3-cheap-secret-growth-and-dividend-stocks-you-need-to-consider-buying-right-now/#e4f10d45e1a1&q;&g;two cut-price growth and dividend shares&l;/a&g; that are operating under the radar of much of the investment community.

I&a;rsquo;ve scoured the market since then for similarly-unknown shares that could make you a packet. Please read on&a;hellip;

&l;strong&g;Billington Holdings&l;/strong&g;

Earnings at Billington Holdings have sprinted higher by double-digit percentages over the past half a decade, but City analysts are expecting growth to cool markedly in the near term -- a rise of only 3% is forecast for 2018.

This reflects bumpier conditions for Britain&a;rsquo;s construction industry and therefore the expectations of more muted demand for Billington&a;rsquo;s structural steel. However, current profits projections leave the AIM company dealing on a forward P/E ratio of 9.1 times, a reading that more than bakes in the prospect of some near term turbulence.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Express-1 Expedited Solutions Inc.(XPO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  GATX (NYSE: XPO) and XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) are both transportation companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

• [By Rich Duprey, Nicholas Rossolillo, and Maxx Chatsko]

  Yet finding the best stocks to buy and hold isn't easy. So to help get you started, we asked three Foolish investors to pick a growth stock that they believe investors would be wise to buy now and hold for the long term. Read on to learn why they like SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR), salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM), and XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO).

• [By Neha Chamaria, Jason Hall, and Dan Caplinger]

  So, when we asked three of our Motley Fool contributors to each name a stock that has doubled and still has room to grow, they picked lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU), LGI Homes Inc (NASDAQ:LGIH), and XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO). Here's why.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The holiday season is typically a busy one for XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO). With the rise of e-commerce, it's more important than ever to have efficient ways of getting goods where they need to go, and XPO has played a key role in helping to facilitate that movement. However, XPO has been dealing with some issues affecting one of its major customers, and that could have long-lasting negative impacts on its growth potential.

• [By Rich Smith]

  XPO Logistics (NYSE:XPO) stock fell steeply in Friday trading after reporting a big "earnings miss" Thursday evening, closing the day down 13.2% 

  XPO said it earned $0.72 per share pro forma in the fourth quarter of 2018 and only $0.62 per share GAAP. Analysts, who usually give their estimates in pro forma form, had predicted the transportation and logistics company would earn $0.83 per share.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) is scheduled to release its most recent quarterly results after the markets close on Wednesday. The consensus estimates call for $3.04 in earnings per share (EPS) and $19.88 billion in revenue. The second quarter of last year reportedly had $2.94 in EPS and $19.29 billion in revenue.

• [By Anders Bylund, Timothy Green, and Brian Feroldi]

  Read on to see why our panelists can't keep their eyes off of Dentsply Sirona (NASDAQ:XRAY),  Party City (NYSE:PRTY), and International Business  Machines (NYSE:IBM) these days.

• [By Anders Bylund, Timothy Green, and Dan Caplinger]

  Anders Bylund (IBM): I know, IBM isn't supposed to get growth investors all excited. The technology veteran has seen nothing but shrinking revenues over the last five years alongside stable profits, at best. Over the same period, stock prices fell 29% lower and IBM investors missed out on a 70% growth spurt in the broader market.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc.(WEN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  The chart below shows how McDonald's compares with some of its closest peers based on its valuation and expected growth rate.

  Company P/E Ratio 2-Year Expected EPS Growth Rate McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) 26.2 23.6% Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) 26.2 27.3% Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) 21.8 58.1% Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) 21.4 41.9% Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) 23.2 29.7%

  Data source: Yahoo! Finance. EPS = earnings per share.

• [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 ]

  In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) , Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) , Dunkin Brands (DNKN) and Wendy's (WEN) .

  Cramer was bearish on Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and Univar (UNVR) .

• [By Mac Greer]

  He still has 29% of the company, he's still plastered on the pizza boxes and the marketing -- although, that's really been pulled back. Then, it's also come out this week that Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) and Papa John's, before all of this stuff came up over the past couple of months, they're actually in talks to have some sort of merger. Going forward, if you're the board of directors at Papa John's, I think you have to really consider that possibility. Maybe the best step forward for the company is to look for a merger or a sale, because, man, this seems like a train wreck that keeps accelerating. When you have Schnatter on the board, he would have to be in favor of a buyout or a merger for it to go through. 

• [By Max Byerly]

  Equities researchers at KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Wendys (NASDAQ:WEN) in a report released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The brokerage set a “sector weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Wendys (NASDAQ:WEN) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $20.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: S&P Smallcap 600(PH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Parker-Hannifin (PH)

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

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Here are some of the news headlines that may have impacted Accern’s analysis:

  Get Parker-Hannifin alerts: Zacks: Brokerages Anticipate Parker-Hannifin Corp (PH) Will Announce Quarterly Sales of $3.53 Billion (americanbankingnews.com) Brokerages Expect Parker-Hannifin Corp (PH) Will Announce Earnings of $2.49 Per Share (americanbankingnews.com) Parker-Hannifin Corp (PH) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts (americanbankingnews.com) Parker-Hannifin (PH) Stock Rating Upgraded by Evercore ISI (americanbankingnews.com) ASM International Announces Parker Hannifin as First Client Member of ASM's Materials Solutions Network (prweb.com)

  Several research firms recently issued reports on PH. ValuEngine raised Parker-Hannifin from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 7th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Parker-Hannifin from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 27th. Wells Fargo & Co reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a research note on Thursday, June 28th. MED lowered Parker-Hannifin from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $169.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, July 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Parker-Hannifin from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Parker-Hannifin presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.50.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Ardevora Asset Management LLP reduced its stake in shares of Parker Hannifin (NYSE:PH) by 0.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 154,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Parker Hannifin were worth $26,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Parker Hannifin (PH)

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

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by investment analysts at Cowen in a report issued on Friday. They presently have a $165.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Cowen’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 0.94% from the company’s current price.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy For 2019: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  It's a smart move. Instead of going more upscale to try and compete with the fancier boutiques, Macy's is now emulating the discount model that has served Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS) and TJX Cos. (NYSE:TJX) so well.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Bank of Hawaii boosted its stake in Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) by 32.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,922 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,415 shares during the period. Bank of Hawaii’s holdings in Kohl’s were worth $723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [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 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.

Trump Proposes To End Student Loan Forgiveness Program

&l;p&g;&l;img class=&q;dam-image ap size-large wp-image-d2aed30f36264a9c99520ee2ec57f5fa&q; src=&q;https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/dam/imageserve/d2aed30f36264a9c99520ee2ec57f5fa/960x0.jpg?fit=scale&q; data-height=&q;640&q; data-width=&q;960&q;&g; President Donald Trump Photo Credit: (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

President Trump plans some major changes to your student loans, &l;a href=&q;https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;according&l;/a&g; to his 2020 budget.

Here&s;s what you need to know and how it can affect you.

&l;strong&g;Trump Budget: Student Loans&l;/strong&g;

The White House released Trump&s;s 2020 budget proposal, which contains important implications for higher education and student loans. &l;span&g;The budget includes $64.0 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Education, a $7.1 &l;/span&g;&l;span&g;billion, or 10%, decrease compared to the 2019 funding. The budget, as it relates to student loans, is built on several stated goals, among others:&l;/span&g;

&l;/p&g;&l;ul&g;&l;li&g;strike balance between students&s; needs and taxpayer interests&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;&l;span&g;fiscal discipline in discretionary &l;/span&g;&l;span&g;spending &l;/span&g;&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;a reduced role for the federal government in education&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;reduce student debt&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;increased accountability for institutions of higher education&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;make higher education more affordable&l;/li&g; &l;li&g;investment in technical and career education&l;/li&g; &l;/ul&g;

Here are some specific proposals, among others, which could affect your ability to &l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/03/04/pay-off-student-loans-faster-in-2019/&q;&g;pay off student loans faster&l;/a&g;:

&l;hr&g;&l;strong&g;1. End Public Service Loan Forgiveness&l;/strong&g;

Under Trump&s;s proposed budget, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program would be eliminated.

The &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/student-loan-guide/public-service-loan-forgiveness-guide&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;Public Service Loan Forgiveness&l;/a&g; program is a federal program created by President George W. Bush that forgives federal student loans for borrowers who are employed full-time (more than 30 hours per week) in an eligible federal, state or local public service job or 501(c)(3) non-profit job who make 120 eligible on-time payments over ten years.

The proposal would impact borrowers who borrow a new student loan starting July 1, 2020, excluding borrowers who are completing their current course study. Therefore, if you borrow or have borrowed a student loan prior to that date, you would presumably still be eligible for this student loan forgiveness program.

&l;em&g;&l;strong&g;Potential Rationale:&l;/strong&g;&l;/em&g; Save the federal government money.

&l;em&g;&l;strong&g;Potential Impact:&l;/strong&g;&l;/em&g; While the federal government would save money, ending the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program could deter student loan borrowers from entering public service jobs, and could adversely impact public servants, including member of the U.S. Armed Forces, police officers, firefighters, first responders, prosecutors, public defenders and others.

&l;hr&g;&l;strong&g;2. Change Federal Student Loan Repayment&l;/strong&g;

According to the Trump administration, there are too many &l;a href=&q;https://www.makelemonade.co/student-loan-repayment-guide/&q; target=&q;_blank&q;&g;income-driven repayment plans&l;/a&g; for federal student loans, which causes confusion for student loan borrowers. Income-driven repayment plans such as PAYE and REPAYE enable borrowers to repay their federal student loans based on income, family size and other factors, and can result in student loan forgiveness.

Trump&s;s repayment plan would reduce the number of income-driven repayment plans to one, and offer student loan forgiveness for both undergraduate and graduate federal student loans.

&l;strong&g;Undergraduate student loans:&l;/strong&g; Monthly student loans payments would be capped at 12.5% of income. After 15 years of monthly payments, any remaining student loan debt would be forgiven. This is five years earlier than current income-driven repayment options for undergraduate student loans.

&l;strong&g;Graduate student loans:&l;/strong&g; Monthly student loans payments would be capped at 12.5% of income. After 30 years of monthly payments, any remaining student loan debt would be forgiven. This is five years later than current income-driven repayment options for graduate student loans.

&l;em&g;&l;strong&g;Potential Rationale:&l;/strong&g;&l;/em&g; Reduce confusion for borrowers and simplify choices.

&l;em&g;&l;strong&g;Potential Impact:&l;/strong&g;&l;/em&g; The proposal could save borrowers time and limit confusion. Undergraduate student loan borrowers can receive &l;a href=&q;https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/03/07/these-3-things-will-kill-your-chances-for-student-loan-forgiveness/&q;&g;student loan forgiveness&l;/a&g; sooner, while graduate student loan borrowers would wait longer for student loan forgiveness. This proposal particularly helps undergraduate borrowers, who typically earn less than graduate school student loan borrowers.

&l;hr&g;&l;strong&g;3. End Subsidized Student Loans&l;/strong&g;

The president&s;s budget also would eliminate subsidized student loans, which traditionally has meant that the federal government pays the interest costs on federal student loans while borrowers are enrolled in school.

&l;em&g;&l;strong&g;Potential Rationale:&l;/strong&g;&l;/em&g; Save the federal government money.

&l;em&g;&l;strong&g;Potential Impact: &l;/strong&g;&l;/em&g;The federal government would earn money by collecting additional interest. If subsidized loans are eliminated, the cost to attend college and graduate school for borrowers could become more expensive due to more interest costs.

&l;hr&g;&l;strong&g;Will this budget become law?&l;/strong&g;

The president&s;s budget will face legislative review and does not automatically become law. While the president proposes a budget, only Congress passes appropriation bills. The White House has introduced many of these proposals in prior budgets, but they were not implemented. Now that the Democrats control the U.S. House of Representatives, the White House may face further roadblocks. Stay tuned.

Is ONEOK's Ambitious Dividend Growth Plan at Risk?

When ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) acquired its MLP in 2017, the pipeline company promised investors that it would increase its dividend 21% upon closing the deal and at a 9% to 11% annual rate from 2018 through 2021. The company has made good on that promise so far -- it boosted its payout 21% in August 2017 and increased it 12% last year.

However, on ONEOK's fourth-quarter conference call, the company's management team hinted at the possibility that from here on out it might not grow the dividend as fast as initially promised. Here's what could drive the company to alter its current plans.

Image source: Getty Images.

Investor sentiment is changing

In discussing the dividend, CFO Walt Hulse had this to say:

Many positive things have happened to our earnings prospects since we initially guided to a 9% to 11% annual dividend growth rate when we announced the acquisition of ONEOK Partners. We are pleased to have the financial flexibility to return capital to shareholders at an attractive rate, fund our growth projects, and maintain a strong investment-grade balance sheet. We acknowledge that many investors and some research analysts have expressed the view that prudent capital allocation in the midstream space is more valuable. Accordingly, many investors do not require as high a dividend growth rate as they did in the past and that alternative approaches to returning capital may be appropriate at some point in the future. We have received quite a bit of feedback on both sides of this issue.

The CFO pointed out that while the company has the financial flexibility to return more cash to shareholders via higher dividends while still funding expansion projects, investors don't necessarily need a high dividend growth rate. Instead, some would prefer that the company allocate its free cash flow toward other alternatives, such as internally funding a greater percentage of its expansion projects or buying back shares. What midstream investors no longer want to see is the sector's former practice of selling stock to fund growth projects since that dilutes their investment.

Hulse continued:

Going forward, on a quarterly basis, our board will continue their practice to evaluate dividend growth and alternative ways to return capital to shareholders based on the strength of our business, the commodity price environment of our producer customers, the funding needs of our growth projects, investor sentiment, and our strategy to maintain a strong investment-grade balance sheet. We believe that investors continue to value our ability to return capital to shareholders while also funding our growth projects without expecting to issue equity to complete our announced capital projects.

While Hulse didn't specifically say that the company might not grow its dividend at a 9% to 11% annual rate going forward, his comments left that as a possibility.

Images source: Getty Images.

The thought process hasn't changed

Given the lack of clarity in Hulse's comments, an analyst on the call asked whether the market should "take this to mean that you're definitely signaling that you'll be lowering the growth rate going forward?" CEO Terry Spencer answered:

No, you should not. What we've done is, we've just reminded you the process that we've always used for making a determination on what we pay each quarter in terms of the dividend. The dividend growth guidance is still out there. We haven't changed it.

In other words, the company still plans to increase its dividend at the expected annual rate through 2021. What management wanted to point out, according to Hulse, was that its board of directors has "always considered whether alternatives to dividend growth or other ways to give back capital to the shareholders" would be better options for investors and that "at some point in the future, they may make some sense." For example, the company could opt to include share buybacks as part of its capital allocation strategy post-2021 or slow its pace and incorporate them sooner if that's what investors want. 

Not as bankable as it once was

While ONEOK has the growing stream of cash flow necessary to achieve its ambitious dividend growth plan, it's listening to shareholders who would rather see the company allocate that capital to other alternatives. That could lead management to adjust its strategy by growing its dividend at a lower rate and using some of the freed-up cash flow to buy back shares or invest in high-return expansions. Either way, the company's primary aim is to create as much value for investors as it can from its growing stream of cash flow, and this goal hasn't changed.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:ISRG,MED,TBI,JWN,BWLD,

On Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) announced that its subsidiary, Ethicon, had entered a definitive agreement to acquire Auris Health, a robotic technology firm, initially focused on lung cancer.

Management believes this acquisition will accelerate Johnson & Johnson’s entry into robotics, with potential for growth and expansion into other interventional applications.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ethicon is acquiring Auris for approximately $3.4 billion in cash. Additional contingent payments of up to $2.35 billion, in the aggregate, may be payable upon reaching certain predetermined milestones.

Johnson & Johnson is creating a connected digital ecosystem centered around using data to improve patient outcomes that leverages world-class robotic technology. This ecosystem will empower patients to take charge of their health, guide surgeons through procedures and help them advance their skills and enable health care systems to deliver more consistent procedures while also managing costs.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this segment from MarketFoolery, host Chris Hill and Motley Fool Asset Management's Bill Barker consider the case for healthcare innovator Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG), which has been on a tear for the past few years. Its pricey robots are growing ever more common and popular with hospitals and doctors, and based on the reaction of the market, investors must expect its current sales growth pace to continue.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) is best known for its da Vinci robotic surgical system. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) might be most famous for its consumer healthcare products. But there's a lot more to picking between these two stocks than just comparing robots and Band-Aids.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  That's because these three companies -- Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), and Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) -- share the three characteristics I value above all else in my portfolio: a wide and defendable moat, multiple ways of growing their businesses moving forward, and stellar balance sheets.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTVT) shares surged 115 percent to $2.56. Seadrill Limited (NYSE: SDRL) gained 77 percent to $0.3935. On Tuesday, a U.S. court approved the company's plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy that includes raising around $1 billion in new debt and equity through a rights offering which will be led by its biggest shareholder. DropCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCAR) shares climbed 21.4 percent to $2.3301 after the company issued a preliminary Q1 update on its enterprise automotive business. The company disclosed that Q1 B2B automotive volumes rose 163 percent year-over-year. Teligent, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLGT) shares jumped 19.7 percent to $3.615 following the FDA approval of Clobetasol Propionate Cream USP, 0.05%. IZEA, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA) surged 19.1 percent to $2.62. IZEA posted a Q4 net loss of $743,000 on sales of $6.8 million. SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) shares gained 15.2 percent to $9.6180. SunPower announced plans to acquire SolarWorld Americas. LexinFintech Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: LX) climbed 10.2 percent to $15.20. CounterPath Corporation (NASDAQ: CPAH) shares rose 8.8 percent to $3.0033. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (NYSE: SMI) gained 8.2 percent to $6.685 after falling 0.80 percent on Tuesday. Energy XXI Gulf Coast, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGC) shares climbed 7.2 percent to $5.93. Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) shares rose 6.7 percent to $63.96 after the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its first quarter. Sibanye Gold Limited (NYSE: SBGL) gained 6.5 percent to $3.59 after dropping 4.53 percent on Tuesday. Calithera Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CALA) rose 6.3 percent to $6.75 after the company disclosed that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation to CB-839 in combination with cabozantinib for treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX) gained 6.1 percent to $60.01 after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSPM) shares rose 35.8 percent to $3.00. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVGI) shares surged 32 percent to $8.94 after reporting upbeat Q1 earnings. Carbon Black, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLK) gained 29.6 percent to $24.62. Carbon Black priced its IPO at $19 per share. California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) shares rose 26.8 percent to $32.70 following upbeat Q1 earnings. Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) gained 25 percent to $7.185 after reporting strong quarterly results. Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares climbed 23.7 percent to $122.87 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) rose 23.2 percent to $8.4999 after reporting Q2 results. Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTLA) gained 22.2 percent to $41.27 after the FDA approved the company's Andexxa, the only antidote indicated for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban. Shake Shack Inc (NYSE: SHAK) rose 22.2 percent to $57.955 after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter and raised its FY18 guidance. Atomera Incorporated (NASDAQ: ATOM) jumped 19.7 percent to $6.12 after reporting Q1 results. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) rose 16.4 percent to $21.00 after reporting strong preliminary results for the third quarter. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) shares rose 16.4 percent to $12.21 following Q1 earnings. Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR) shares gained 14.9 percent to $63.75 following Q1 results. Control4 Corporation (NASDAQ: CTRL) shares climbed 14.5 percent to $23.98 folloiwng strong Q1 results. B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS) climbed 12.6 percent to $25.40 after reporting Q1 earnings. HMS Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: HMSY) shares gained 10 percent to $19.59 after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings. Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) rose 7 percent to $10.09 following Q3 r
• [By Sean Williams]

  Meanwhile, Medifast's (NYSE:MED) share price has tripled since the beginning of March. Medifast's second-quarter operating results showcased a 55% increase in sales and an 84% improvement in year-over-year adjusted earnings per share. A substantial increase in Optavia-branded products sold, along with a big jump in active earning coaches, drove results. The company also substantially lifted its full-year sales and profit guidance (close to 20% at the midpoint for both measures). 

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares were also up, gaining 20 percent to $119 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED) shares were also up, gaining 25 percent to $124.60 after the company reported strong Q1 results and raised its FY18 guidance.

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Trueblue Inc (NYSE:TBI) by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,550 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Trueblue were worth $823,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Trueblue (NYSE: TBI) is one of 23 public companies in the “Help supply services” industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Trueblue to similar businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and risk.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  ValuEngine downgraded shares of Trueblue (NYSE:TBI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

  Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on TBI. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Trueblue from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Trueblue from $26.00 to $24.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 11th. TheStreet cut shares of Trueblue from a b- rating to a c rating in a research report on Monday, December 31st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price objective on shares of Trueblue from $31.00 to $25.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. Trueblue presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $26.00.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Trueblue Inc (NYSE:TBI) by 24.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 95,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,680 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Trueblue worth $2,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Trueblue (TBI)

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

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Leo Sun]

  Nordstrom's (NYSE:JWN) shares tumbled 11% to a year-to-date low on May 18 after the high-end retailer reported its first quarter earnings. That drop was surprising, since the company beat expectations on the top and bottom lines.

• [By JJ Kinahan]

  Retail earnings take center stage the remainder of the week, but aside from that it’s a little hard right now to determine what sort of catalyst is out there that could give the market back some of the “giddy-up” it had last week. Unless the retail earnings really surpass expectations in a big way, it might be difficult to figure out what the next instigator to the upside might be. Thursday looks like a big day, with Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and J C Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP) scheduled to report before the open and Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) after the close. One question moving into these reports is whether the recent strong retail sales data might have helped the retail sector beyond M.

• [By ]

  Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN) has no intention of becoming an Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) . That is part of its strength, but it's also refreshing to hear.

  "We're not Amazon," Erik Nordstrom, a co-president of the Seattle-based retailer, told TheStreet at the opening of its first stand-alone men's store that opened on Thursday, April 12, in New York City.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Nordstrom (JWN)

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

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Now, here's a closer look at today's Money Morning insight, the most important market events, and stocks to watch.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Friday Bloomberg reported Thursday that the United States and China are getting closer to finalizing a trade deal that would eliminate tariffs and improve relations between the world's two largest economies. According to reports, the deal would be completed and signed by both U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping by mid-May. Trade officials have said that both countries are making steady progress on a deal and that more updates are coming soon. Money Morning Special Contributor Matt Piepenburg shows you how to trade the ongoing developments between the United States and China right here. The earnings season continued today with a wave of news in the retail sector. First, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) announced plans to split into two separate public companies. Its Old Navy brand will become a standalone company, while its Gap and Banana Republic brands remain under the same organization. GPS shares popped 21% on the news. Meanwhile, Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) added 1.5% after the firm released a 2019 outlook that topped Wall Street expectations. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is trying to save a deal with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN). According to CNBC, the governor is asking the e-commerce giant to reconsider its decision to abandon a plan to open a second headquarters in Long Island City. Last month, Amazon walked away from a plan to create 25,000 jobs (at an average salary of $150,000) after pushback from local public officials. The company was to receive $3 billion in tax incentives. The New York Times reported Thursday that Cuomo had numerous conversations with Amazon executives about reconsidering company plans. Money Morning Insight of the Day

  We just held a live event with former Speaker of the House John Boehner and the most powerful people in the cannabis world for one important rea

Hot Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  That's not to say it was a quiet day for every stock on the market. With earnings season ramping up, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) and restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) served as an exercise in contrast as investors reacted to their respective quarterly reports.

• [By Peter Graham]

  A long term performance chart shows Dave & Busters Entertainment tripling in value before falling back while small cap upscale gentlemen's clubs and restaurant owner RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: RICK) began taking off in 2016 and small cap Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) is being acquired by Arby's Restaurant Group:

Brokerage calls: Infosys is CLSA's top pick in IT pack, Credit Suisse gives 'outperform' to NTPC

We have collated a list of recommendations from various global brokerage firms for March 7.

Morgan Stanley on India Strategy

The market could begin pricing in stronger poll outcome in coming weeks, according to Morgan Stanley.

"Nifty could be looking to break its 10,500-11,000 range to the upside," the brokerage said.

related news Brokerage Calls: HCL Tech Credit Suisse's top pick in IT space; HSBC overweight on India Brokerage Calls: Deutsche Bank retains 'Hold' on Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors Is Karur Vysya Bank a value buy now?

Morgan Stanley said it likes GARP amongst banks, discretionary, consumption and industrials.

Infosys | Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 930

CLSA is positive on the company due to the improving growth outlook. The company is enjoying a better-than-expected demand environment.

Infosys is CLSA's top pick in the IT space.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises | Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 670

A management change in Zee Entertainment is unlikely after a stake sale, according to CLSA. Any stake sale will most likely be done at a premium.

"Recent rally will reduce the risk of further invocation of pledges by lenders," the brokerage added.

CLSA on IT sector

HCL Technologies and Infosys offer the maximum value, while TCS offers momentum, CLSA said in a research note.

"Overall there is gradual demand improvement for leading firms," the brokerage said.

Credit Suisse on Utilities

Credit Suisse has reiterated its Outperform call on Power Grid Corporation of India and NTPC.

There has been a "spike in dues of discoms towards utilities, probably driven by bank funding constraints," Credit Suisse said in a research note.

Disclaimer: The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. First Published on Mar 7, 2019 11:54 am

Kirby Co. (KEX) Director Sells $186,675.00 in Stock

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.67, for a total transaction of $186,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,480,780.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

KEX stock traded down $0.65 on Tuesday, hitting $73.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 113,188 shares, compared to its average volume of 490,674. Kirby Co. has a 1 year low of $60.63 and a 1 year high of $94.05. The company has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

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Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 31st. The shipping company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $721.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $698.14 million. Kirby had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 5.44%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KEX shares. ValuEngine raised shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 30th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Co set a $74.00 target price on shares of Kirby and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 2nd. TheStreet downgraded shares of Kirby from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 31st. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, January 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $67.40 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.28.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings in Kirby by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 7,688,593 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $517,904,000 after buying an additional 1,987,646 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,108,644 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $344,119,000 after purchasing an additional 45,084 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Kirby by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,718,116 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $388,066,000 after buying an additional 107,010 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc grew its position in shares of Kirby by 2.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 4,718,116 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $388,066,000 after buying an additional 107,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlanta Capital Management Co. L L C grew its position in shares of Kirby by 1.7% during the third quarter. Atlanta Capital Management Co. L L C now owns 4,441,618 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $365,323,000 after buying an additional 74,902 shares in the last quarter. 92.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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About Kirby

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. It operates in two segments, Marine Transportation and Distribution and Services. The Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation services and towing vessels transporting bulk liquid products, as well as operates tank barges throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.

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Seaport Global Securities Weighs in on Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure Inc’s Q1 2019 Earnings

Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure Inc (NYSE:SOI) – Research analysts at Seaport Global Securities increased their Q1 2019 earnings estimates for shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure in a report released on Thursday, February 28th. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Urban now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.43 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.42. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure’s Q2 2019 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.55 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q1 2020 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.66 EPS and Q4 2020 earnings at $0.60 EPS.

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Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure (NYSE:SOI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 27th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $57.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $53.47 million. Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure had a net margin of 19.18% and a return on equity of 25.81%. The company’s revenue was up 127.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Cowen set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Johnson Rice set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 28th. ValuEngine raised shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 13th. Imperial Capital reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down from $24.00) on shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure in a report on Thursday, January 3rd. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $17.50 price objective on shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure in a report on Thursday, January 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.75.

NYSE SOI opened at $16.84 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $754.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 1.81. Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure has a 52 week low of $10.50 and a 52 week high of $20.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.40, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new stake in shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure during the third quarter valued at about $28,517,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,912,000. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure by 145.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 773,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,350,000 after buying an additional 457,917 shares during the period. BlueMountain Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure during the third quarter valued at about $7,807,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure by 175.3% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 625,599 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,818,000 after buying an additional 398,370 shares during the period. 80.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure Company Profile

Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc manufactures and sells patented mobile proppant management systems to unload, store, and deliver proppant at oil and natural gas well sites in the United States. The company's systems are designed for transferring large quantities of proppant to the well sites.

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Top Insurance Stocks To Invest In 2019

tags:CAS,MOSY,MBFI,

Docusign (NASDAQ:DOCU) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Monday. The brokerage currently has a $64.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Investment Research‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 18.67% from the stock’s previous close.

According to Zacks, “DocuSign Inc. provides e-signature solutions. The Company offers services to mortgage, non-profit, government, real estate, insurance, technology and healthcare industries. Its product portfolio includes trial, single-user, multi-user, business pro, enterprise pro, standards-based signatures, ehanko, DocuSign transaction rooms for real estate, DocuSign payments and enotary. DocuSign Inc. is based in San Francisco, United States. “

Top Insurance Stocks To Invest In 2019: Castle (A.M.) & Co.(CAS)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Cascades Inc (TSE:CAS) – Analysts at National Bank Financial raised their Q4 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Cascades in a report issued on Thursday, August 9th. National Bank Financial analyst L. Aghazarian now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.28 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.26. National Bank Financial has a “Outperform” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Cashaa (CURRENCY:CAS) traded up 3% against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 23:00 PM E.T. on September 18th. During the last seven days, Cashaa has traded 2.5% lower against the US dollar. Cashaa has a market capitalization of $6.33 million and $110,922.00 worth of Cashaa was traded on exchanges in the last day. One Cashaa token can currently be purchased for approximately $0.0124 or 0.00000195 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including Exrates, TOPBTC, IDEX and HitBTC.

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  Cashaa (CURRENCY:CAS) traded 5.4% lower against the U.S. dollar during the 1-day period ending at 17:00 PM Eastern on June 26th. Cashaa has a total market capitalization of $14.70 million and $413,446.00 worth of Cashaa was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Cashaa token can now be bought for approximately $0.0354 or 0.00000572 BTC on popular exchanges including HitBTC and IDEX. During the last week, Cashaa has traded down 17.6% against the U.S. dollar.

Top Insurance Stocks To Invest In 2019: MoSys, Inc.(MOSY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  MoSys, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOSY) shares were also up, gaining 27 percent to $1.9265 after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 results and issued strong Q2 forecast.

• [By Max Byerly]

  MoSys Inc. (NASDAQ:MOSY)’s share price fell 5% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $0.18 and last traded at $0.19. 2,092,279 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 89% from the average session volume of 1,108,888 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.20.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  MoSys, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOSY) shares were also up, gaining 21 percent to $1.84 after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 results and issued strong Q2 forecast.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD) jumped 36.2 percent to $71.82 after the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter. The company also issued strong second-quarter and FY18 sales guidance. WideOpenWest, Inc. (NYSE: WOW) jumped 30.4 percent to $8.80 after the company reported Q1 results. MoSys, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOSY) shares surged 28.6 percent to $1.9541 after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 results and issued strong Q2 forecast. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 24 percent to $6.39. Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKCA) shares gained 19.1 percent to $24.60. Akcea Therapeutics, an affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IONS) announced that the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee, which met to discuss the safety and efficacy of subcutaneously injected volanesoren solution for patients with familial chylomicronemia syndrome, voted 12-8 to support its approval. Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: UEPS) shares rose 17 percent to $10.31 after reporting Q3 results. ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCB) gained 16.8 percent to $43.1457 after reporting upbeat quarterly earnings. Amtech Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASYS) rose 16.2 percent to $8.60. Amtech posted Q2 earnings of $0.19 per share on sales of $32.783 million. Identiv, Inc (NASDAQ: INVE) surged 14.4 percent to $3.8450 following Q1 results. Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER) shares rose 14.3 percent to $18.43 following Q1 results. VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ: VVPR) gained 11.5 percent to $2.71. Intersections Inc. (NASDAQ: INTX) gained 11.4 percent to $2.55 after reporting Q1 results. Noodles & Company (NASDAQ: NDLS) shares rose 10.9 percent to $8.65 following Q1 results. Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VYGR) climbed 10.6 percent to $18.54 following Q1 results. Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) rose 10.4 percent to $5.739. Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ: IMMR) gained 9.6 percent to $12.69
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Top Insurance Stocks To Invest In 2019: MB Financial Inc.(MBFI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in MB Financial Inc (NASDAQ:MBFI) by 16.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 190,203 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,319 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in MB Financial were worth $7,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  MB Financial (NASDAQ:MBFI) was downgraded by BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. NY increased its holdings in shares of MB Financial Inc (NASDAQ:MBFI) by 2.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,744 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. NY owned 0.06% of MB Financial worth $2,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  Shares of MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBFI) are up by roughly 13% as of 11:45 a.m. EDT after the company announced it would be acquired by Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB). Fifth Third shares were down by nearly 8% in active trading today, suggesting that its shareholders aren't as enthusiastic about the acquisition.

AtriCure Inc (ATRC) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference Call Transcript

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AtriCure Inc  (NASDAQ:ATRC)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 28, 2019, 4:30 p.m. ET

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

Operator

Good afternoon, and welcome to AtriCure's Fourth Quarter 2018 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. We will be facilitating a question-and-answer session toward the end of today's call. As a reminder, this call is being recorded for replay purposes.

I would now like to turn the call over to Lynn Lewis from Gilmartin Group for a few introductory comments.

Lynn Lewis -- Investor Relations

Thank you. By now you should have received a copy of the earnings press release. If you have not received a copy, please call 513-755-4136 to have one emailed to you.

Before we begin today, let me remind you that the Company's remarks include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond AtriCure's control, including risks and uncertainties described from time to time in AtriCure's SEC filings. AtriCure's results may differ materially from those projected. AtriCure undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements.

Additionally, we refer to non-GAAP financial measures, specifically revenue reported on a constant currency basis and adjusted EBITDA and adjusted loss per share. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures with the most directly comparable GAAP measures is included in our press release, which is available on our website.

With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Mike Carrel, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mike?

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Lynn. Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us everyone. We are pleased with our fourth quarter results and performance throughout 2018 and we continue our track record of strong consistent revenue growth. We achieved many milestones and accomplishments in 2018. We completed enrollment in the CONVERGE IDE trial, trained over 400 healthcare professionals worldwide, surpassed 170,000 atrial fib devices sold, launched the AtriClip FLEX V device, established a dedicated pain management team and raised over $80 million, strengthening our balance sheet and creating financial flexibility.

2018 was also a foundation building year. We are maturing as a team with more than 150 people in the field, robust training education programs and a leverageable infrastructure across our entire organization, so that we can efficiently scale. We believe the maturation of our teams is reflected in our performance this year, underpinned by our commitment to education, clinical science and innovation as the cornerstones of our success. With this and as previously announced, we expect full year 2019 revenue in the range of $220 million to $228 million.

Now turning to our fourth quarter performance. Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2018 was approximately $53 million, reflecting growth of 15% over the fourth quarter of 2017. This was highlighted by US revenue of $43 million and growth of 19% to Q4 of last year. Our top line performance was driven by strong sales across our key ablation and appendage management products.

Within our appendage management franchise, we believe we are seeing continued signs that the market opportunity remains strong. Surgeons and other conditions are increasingly recognizing the need to manage the appendage. Our AtriClip products work effectively as they work consistently becoming the go-to-choice for many surgeons. We are also receiving steady positive feedback on our innovative approach to advancing products in this franchise to meet clinical needs. Our approach in conjunction with evolving market dynamics is collectively driving our confidence in this platform and its potential. We are seeing everything from the AtriClip, FLEX V device being used in open cases enabling more CABG procedures to seeing greater uptake in convergent procedures. As a reminder, we originally thought the AtriClip attachment rate in convergent will be less than 5%. However, we are currently -- we currently believe it is over 30%.

Turning to our open platform. Evolving guidelines and emerging clinical data are driving changing behavior. Patients live longer and do better with surgical ablation, it is that simple. This fact is making an impact, driving steady demand for training and increasing adoption. Throughout 2018, our courses were full and we expect the same in 2019. As part of our commitment to developing clinical evidence, we are investing in the ICE-AFIB clinical trial. ICE-AFIB will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the cryoICE Ablation system for the treatment of persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation during concomitant cardiac surgery. The trial is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm study of up to 150 patients at up to 200 -- up to 20 centers in the United States enrolling patients with persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing cardiac surgery procedures for heart valve repair or replacement and/or coronary bypass procedures.

Primary effectiveness is defined as freedom from Afib, atrial flutter and/or atrial tachycardia lasting greater than 30 seconds and will be evaluated at 12 months after the procedure. Long-term effectiveness will be evaluated at three years post procedure. On that note, we are pleased to announce the first patient in the ICE-AFIB trial was enrolled in February this year.

We view the ICE-AFIB trial as unique opportunity to generate systematic clinical evidence on the safety and effectiveness of concomitant (ph) cryosurgery for the treatment of Afib patients undergoing structural heart surgery. Within our MIS business, we had solid performance in Q4. More than 200 sites have now done convergent procedures in the United States. As a reminder, the convergent procedure is a multi-disciplinary therapy in which a close chest upper cardioablation is performed by a surgeon, complemented by an endocardial catheter performed by an electrophysiologist.

The CONVERGE IDE trial is the first of its kind evaluating the convergent approach against catheter ablation for patients who suffer from the most serious forms of Afib. As a reminder, we completed enrollment in the CONVERGE IDE trial in August 2018. Our next milestone will be completion of one-year patient follow-up, which we expect in the second half of 2019, followed by a submission to the FDA for pre-market approval of the AtriClip EPi-Sense -- for Atricure EPi-Sense system for the treatment of persistent Afib using the convergent approach.

We expect to be in a position to disclose the data from the trial in 2020 in support of our anticipated FDA panel meeting as part of PMA process. We are also pleased to announce that we have received approval from the FDA in the fourth quarter to expand our deep AF IDE clinical trial to include an additional 40 patients. The DEEP AF trial provides another alternative for minimally invasive approaches and we look forward to providing updates as the trial advances throughout 2019.

Switching gears to pain management. We recently announced the launch of CryoICE CryoSPHERE probe in the United States. The cryoSPHERE Probe is the first device in the cryoICE platform solely dedicated to blocking pain by ablating peripheral nerves, temporarily blocking the nerves from transmitting pain signals. The block typically lasts several months during which time the nerve regenerates. Because of the nature of the therapy, physicians are adopting cryo nerve block or cryo NB therapy as a key part of their pain management strategies, offering a unique solution for patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. More than 80 cases have been performed with the cryoSPHERE probe, and surgeons are noting remarkable improvement in post-operative recovery times, post-operative pain levels and patient satisfaction. We believe that cryo nerve block therapy with the cryoSPHERE probe also has the potential to contribute to combating the opioid epidemic.

One recent study showed that 14% of patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer become persistent opioid users. The cryoSPHERE probe has the potential to reduce the need for long-term narcotic use postoperatively and thereby reduce the very real risk of addiction and abuse. Last year, we established a small dedicated thoracic team to support the cryo nerve block therapy in select markets. We are seeing the early impact of these efforts. And in 2019, we will expand this team as we move forward with commercial launch of the cryoSPHERE probe. Further, in support of this franchise, we are on track to complete enrollment in our FROST study in the near future.

There are also other clinical studies being done by independent clinicians who are committed to developing the evidence for this novel therapy. Looking ahead in 2019 and beyond, we are excited about the opportunities across our entire product portfolio and are committed to continuing innovation to deliver benefits to patients worldwide. Internationally, our revenues were up 1%, constant currency for the fourth quarter. Our overall growth rate outside the United States was impacted by the fact that we did not taken order from China in the fourth quarter. In Europe, we saw steady progress throughout the year, culminating in a top line of 18% growth in the fourth quarter with solid sales of the EPi-Sense device across the region.

We are very encouraged by the maturity and cohesion of the European team and look forward to maintaining this momentum in 2019. In Asia, we continue to experience strength in Japan, which we expect to transfer into 2019 with both the AtriClip and the cryoICE platforms established in the market. Our partnership with biopharmaceutical group in China is continuing to progress with several new sub-distributors on board.

Turning finally to our investments in training and education. In 2018, we conducted a record number of training sessions both in the US and Europe, training more than 400 healthcare professionals and providers worldwide. During the year, we also significantly increased our cadaver labs at the Maze IV courses to enable hands-on experiences. Through these courses, more than 100 cardiothoracic surgery fellows were trained, exceeding our expectations and target for the year.

In January 2019, at the 24th Annual International Afib symposium in Boston, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback. We also learned that our advanced ablation course has received endorsement from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. We are confident support from these from leading medical institutions and societies, coupled with education awareness, will lead to more patients getting access to care that extends and improves their lives.

With that, I will now turn the call over to Andy Wade, our Chief Financial Officer, and we'll turn for comments at the end.

Andrew Wade -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thanks, Mike. For the fourth quarter of 2018, worldwide revenue increased 14.8% on a GAAP basis to $52.9 million. On a constant currency basis, worldwide revenue increased 15.3%. Revenue from product sales in the US was $43.1 million, an increase of 19.1% from the fourth quarter of 2017. Revenue from open chest ablation related procedures in the US, increased by approximately $2 million to $18.6 million, representing growth of 11.9%, driven by increasing volume across all open chest ablation products were particularly strong results from the Cryoablation platform.

US sales of ablation products used in minimally invasive procedures were up 13% to $9.4 million, driven by a robust quarter for the AtriCure EPi-Sense system. US sales of appendage management products during the fourth quarter of 2018 were $14.5 million as compared to $10.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 36.3%. Growth was very strong for both the open and MIS AtriClip product platforms, we continue to be pleased with the performance of our AtriClip V products, especially the number of AtriClip FLEX.V devices used in open procedures.

International revenue totaled $9.8 million, down 0.9% on a GAAP basis and up 1.4% on a constant currency basis as compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. The fourth quarter results reflect no revenue from China, as we continue to transition to a new distributor -- distribution partner. We expect to have a more normal order pattern from China throughout 2019. In the rest of the international business, we saw strong growth throughout Europe, driven by the UK, Germany, and several of our larger distributor markets .

Gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2018 was 73% as compared with 71% for the fourth quarter of 2017. The primary driver of the improvement was the change in geographic mix. US sales represented a larger percentage of worldwide sales in the fourth quarter of 2018 than in Q4 2017. Pricing continues to remain steady across both our product lines and geographies with a small portion of overall favorability driven by our AtriClip V platform being sold in incrementally higher ASP. In the fourth quarter, we had positive adjusted EBITDA of approximately $300,000 compared to a $300,000 adjusted EBITDA loss for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Our operating loss for the quarter was $2.6 million compared to the operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2017 of $2.1 million. Our loss per share was $0.09 for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to an $0.08 loss per share for the fourth quarter of 2017. Note that this $4.1 million non-cash credit to operating expenses was recorded in Q4 2018 related to the change in contingent consideration liability. For Q4, 2017, we also recorded a $4.1 million non-cash credit related to this liability. Without these non-cash credits to operating expenses, our adjusted loss per share for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $0.21 compared to an adjusted loss per share of $0.20 for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Note that adjusted EBITDA results for 2018 and 2017 both exclude non-cash adjustments related to this contingent consideration liability. Operating expenses increased approximately $6.4 million from $38.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2017 to $45.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 excluding the impact of the non-cash adjustments to the contingent consideration liability. Research and development expenses, which include clinical and regulatory activities, were $8.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 or 16% of sales, an increase of $700,000 from the fourth quarter of 2017.

The increase was driven primarily by personnel-related costs and development efforts with the reduction in spending for clinical trials, partially offsetting this increase. SG&A expenses, excluding the non-cash adjustments previously described, increased approximately $5.7 million from the fourth quarter of 2017 to a total of $36.9 million or 70% of sales. The increase results from our continued investment in the commercial organization worldwide, an increase in share-based compensation and legal costs with some offset for lower costs related to marketing and training activities.

For the full year 2018, worldwide revenue was $201.6 million, an increase of 15.4% or $26.9 million over 2017. On a constant currency basis, growth was 14.9%. For the US, sales grew 17.2% to $162.1 million. US open chest ablation revenue grew 12% to $72.2 million. US sales of ablation products used in minimally invasive procedures increased 1.8% from 2017 to $35.1 million, driven by increased sales of EPi-Sense products, but offset by slightly lower revenue from other MIS products.

US sales of appendage management products grew 41.9% to $52.9 million, driven by strong performance of both open and MIS AtriClip products. International revenue grew 8.7% on a GAAP basis or 6.1% on a constant currency basis to $39.5 million. European growth was strong in 2018 balancing weaker results for Asia, driven by the China distributor transition. Gross margin was 73% for 2018 compared to 72.2% for 2017. Loss per share for 2018 was $0.62 compared to $0.83 for 2017 and the adjusted EBITDA loss was $2.7 million for 2018 compared to $5.3 million for 2017.

Our adjusted EBITDA loss for 2018 and 2017 both exclude non-cash adjustments related to the contingent consideration liability. Without these non-cash adjustments, the 2018 adjusted loss per share is $0.94 and the 2017 adjusted loss per share is $0.96. We ended the year with approximately $124 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. In addition to the offering that we completed in October that netted approximately $83 million in proceeds, we also recently amended our credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank, reducing our overall cost of debt.

We are planning to file an updated shelf registration with the SEC concurrent with our 10-K filing, as our current shelf is set to expire in June of this year.

Lastly, we are providing guidance for 2019. We anticipate top-line growth of approximately 9% to 13% year-over-year or worldwide revenues of approximately $220 million to $228 million on a GAAP basis. We anticipate gross margin to be approximately 73% to 74% for the year, as we progress toward our long-term goal of 75% gross margin.

The improvement will be driven by both mix changes and cost control efforts. We expect R&D expenses to be 17% to 19% of sales. Investment in this area include the ICE-AFIB and DEEP AF IDE trials, new and developing clinical science activity along with R&D pipeline development. We expect SG&A expenses to be approximately 66% to 69% of sales in 2019. The increase in SG&A expense is again driven by thoughtful expansion of our worldwide sales team as well as increasing investments in training and education with continued leverage in the general and administrative areas.

We expect adjusted EBITDA for 2019 to be positive with the range of $0 to $3 million, improving from the adjusted EBITDA loss reported for 2018. This translates into a loss per share between $0.68 and $0.78. As we reported quarterly for 2018 in years prior, we anticipate adjusted EBITDA results will improve as the year progresses. Therefore, while we expect full-year adjusted EBITDA to be positive, we typically experience heavy expenses earlier in the year and expect to generate an adjusted EBITDA loss in the first quarter of 2019 of approximately $1 million to $2 million. This adjusted EBITDA loss for the first quarter of 2019 translates to a loss per share in the range of $0.22 and $0.25. Again, we expect to deliver positive adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2019.

At this point, I would like to turn the call back to Mike for closing comments.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Andy. In closing, we remain confident that our fundamentals and business outlook remains strong. We're extremely pleased with our fourth quarter performance and our track record of sustained double-digit top-line growth. Looking ahead in 2019, we continue to focus on the three pillars critical to our mission, which are education, clinical science and innovation.

We have created a strong foundation and culture that fosters a patient-first mindset and positions us well for the long term. We are deeply committed to improving the lives of Afib patients globally and remain steadfast in our efforts and are confident the investments that we've made set us up for strong growth over the next decade.

With that, we'll now open up to questions. Operator?

Questions and Answers:

Operator

(Operator Instructions) Our first question comes from Rick Wise with Stifel.

Rick Wise -- Stifel -- Analyst

Hi guys. It's (inaudible) on for Rick tonight. But I just -- first, thanks for taking the question. But just to start on guidance. Can you just talk about the puts and takes for your 9% to 13%. It's a little bit wider than maybe your initial guidance was last year? Can you just maybe help us with some of the assumptions there that get us to the higher and lower end of the range?

Andrew Wade -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, I mean there's nothing specific (inaudible), we feel really good about the overall business, as it stands right now and we anticipate obviously strong clip as we've talked about before. The clip is on a great momentum path right now and the ablation business both open and MIS are solid as well in the United States. We do anticipate the China will come back in a good way and Europe will remain strong for the year.

So I mean we feel really confident with the overall guidance. It's not that much wider. I think it's a pretty close and similar percentage differential from last year. So I think we're pretty aligned with kind of the way we gave our guidance last year.

Rick Wise -- Stifel -- Analyst

Got it. And then just on the China order for the fourth quarter the absence (ph) it was, is there any way that you can quantify that?

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, it's really quite frankly not that material to the overall number. It did obviously have an impact on the international growth rate, because international represents only 20% of our business. So, it did have the impact on that, but we're not -- we don't give specifics by country, per se, but we do feel really good about how 2019 is going to come together. Baheal is doing a great job and we feel like we're in a really strong position there long-term.

Rick Wise -- Stifel -- Analyst

Got it and then just on the US MIS ablation business. You had a nice bounce back in the fourth quarter. I understand that you're hampered to some degree since you can go out and market CONVERGE or DEEP. But Mike. What are you focused on commercially in the MIS franchise in 2019, kind of what's your playbook ahead of the data for CONVERGE in 2020? Thank you.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

The focus for getting ready for CONVERGE and getting things in 2020 is really, number one, is as you are aware, we've got a robust clinical education team for the Maze IV program. It's world-class. I talked about in the call today how we just got the STS endorsement. Our team has just done a wonderful job. We are now making sure that we are ready to go with as robust if not want more robust plan. Once we get the PMA to begin to roll out that in a more aggressive way at that time. That's really the focus right now as to get ourselves ready and prepared and make sure that we're doing everything we can to have a safe and effective procedure long term there.

Rick Wise -- Stifel -- Analyst

Thanks so much.

Operator

Our next question comes from Jason Mills with Canaccord Genuity.

Jason Mills -- Canaccord Genuity. -- Analyst

Hi, Mike and Andy. Thanks for taking the question. Now, I am on the road, sorry about the background noise. Can you hear me OK?

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, you're good. Thanks, Jay.

Jason Mills -- Canaccord Genuity. -- Analyst

Great, thanks. So just a little bit about 2019, maybe we'll ask more broader target distant market question, Mike. In 2019, you're going to have a little bit easier comp of OUS. The small part of your business you have kind of coming back. So I'm wondering could you give us qualitatively some assumptions in terms of relative to your guidance, OUS you see it growing within that range, is that a faster growing in that range or slower growth in that range.

And then as I think about the US, tell me if I'm thinking about this wrong. The appendage management grow faster than the guidance range that you've given on an overall basis, it seems like the MIS, I think you've been cautious with respect to growth rates until you have a label. So I'm thinking about that perhaps at the lower end of the range if not a little lower in the lower end of the range -- that would be maybe a source of upside and then open. I suppose we think about it on the mid-to-high single digits but wondering -- and the second part of my question is pain management and what the opportunity is for incremental revenue for pain management -- correct me if I'm wrong, pain management is going to be recorded within open. So sorry about all the questions in there, but I think you can get them just.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

There is a lot packed in there. So I'll start with the first one getting the road things down here. So on the OUS side in terms of the growth rate, we anticipate that the growth rates both for OUS and US will be within the range. I mean, it will be consistent across that when you blend the various different companies and the puts and takes on all sides of things. We do anticipate that both will be at around that 9% to 13% range. So that's kind of how I would articulate that. As you look at the US, you are correct that on the clip side of things that is our primary -- I mean our fastest-growing franchise. We anticipate in 2019 that that will continue to be our fastest-growing franchise for the year. As we look at the other ablation pieces of it, I think we'll be solid for the year.

You mentioned it on the MIS side, you're right, it could be. It's a little bit more volatile overall on a quarterly basis, but I think as we look over the course of the whole year, I think open and MIS will be reasonably consistent. And then when you talk about pain management, we don't have a ton in their own pain management at this time. We're excited about the opportunity. It's really a big 2020 opportunity as we build out the team this year, maybe the back part of the year, as things begin to rollout, we just rolled out the new product. We've got the team in place now. That's beginning to go there. We're ramping up that team in the first half through the third quarter of this year and we anticipate probably one of a ton of impact on revenue this year, but for sure should have an impact on revenue in 2019 for us. And then I think the last thing you asked was around the -- where it's going to fall in terms of on an external reporting basis, we're actually still working through how that's going to come out whether it's going to be in the open or in the other bucket, but we'll make sure that we talk about that in the next call.

Jason Mills -- Canaccord Genuity. -- Analyst

Okay. And I was struck by the attachment rate in the CONVERGE, Mike, love your -- more color on your thoughts there, I'm guessing you're pleasantly surprised, but tell me if I am thinking about this incorrectly. Longer term, you've talked about the MIS opportunity is being the largest TAM (ph), and if the CONVERGE -- if the attachment rates for appendage management stay at this level, the TAM for appendage management is fairly low penetration as well even as it stands today after a big run.

Do you expect the attachment rate to moderate some over time, or as you get into '20, '21, '22 and you see hopefully the data are good and the business builds in MIS, you see appendage management growth continuing to be strong in large part because of its attachment rate to MIS. Thank you very much. And Congrats on a great quarter.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you. I mean, I think you're asking a real quick question around the -- for the clip and the clip has continued to be an incredibly strong performer for us, so we do anticipate that the attachment rate will continue to be strong and only grow more and more data is coming out. There is positive data about managing the appendage and that's obviously helping that franchise. We do know that our product works and it works incredibly well at closing off that appendage.

And so -- and we're looking for other types of advantages with the clip as well from a labeling standpoint as we look into the future years. So we're excited about the clip opportunity. You're absolutely correct that we anticipate attachment to continue to grow into that -- not only this year, but into 2020 and 2021. On top of that, we've continued to innovate and better manage. It's tough to really talk about exactly what dollar amount is related to really innovation that we do, but bringing out the V clips, the new handle base is really made it much easier for more surgeons to be able to use our products on a more regular basis during their other procedures. And that's really driven a lot of our growth as well, which is that consistent innovation, people know that we're dedicated to this area, this is what we do every single day and that focus is really paying dividends for us.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question comes from Mike Matson with Needham & Company.

Mike Matson -- Needham & Company -- Analyst

Hi, thanks for taking my questions. I guess I just want to ask about the penetration of the newer V versions of AtriClips. And I don't know if you give us a number, but just as you start to lap the launches there, I don't remember exact timing on that, but do you expect those to continue to contribute to favorable mix in that business?

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

And on both -- a great question. On both sides of it, we do see the Pro V, which was the one that we launched originally, that was the first one that is for the MIS side of things, we see more and more attachment to perfectly two different types of procedures. The conversion procedure for sure. So as convergent grows and as we gain attachment, the Pro V is really the preferred route that (inaudible). On top of that also for patients that are undergoing mitral valve surgery and it kind of goes through the transverse sinus from right side whey they are doing mini mitrals, that is another area where we see the V is the preferred method over the other ones, just because it's got a much smaller profile and easier to get through those tight spaces.

So that's really kind of getting new surgeons on board relative to that. On top of that, on the FLEX V, that product is just so easy to use. It's got an automatic release of the clip on -- where before you had to basically cut the sutures. It's made it a lot simpler, it's also ergonomically doesn't put as much pressure on the hand. So we're seeing that people just weren't willing or wanting to use the clip before because it was (inaudible) and more difficult to use, are now basically getting into that area, a lot of them are going into CABG patients. So we anticipate that that will continue to grow as well for the foreseeable future and be a big contributor to us long term.

Andrew Wade -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

So I guess the short answer is that the mix benefit you're getting from the higher prices on those products can carry on beyond just the, kind of, first 12 months of the product being on the market -- products being on the market.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

There's a little mix in the price. But I mean most of our growth quite frankly is volume based. I mean we have a volume-based convergent (ph) people.

Mike Matson -- Needham & Company -- Analyst

Okay. Alright.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

So that it's getting into new procedures. Yes, there are more procedures. But quite frankly, I mean, the other thing is that people that used to use the old product, they are still using the old product, we're not necessarily taking them out, because they're liking it. They're happy with the costs or happy with the results, because it's a wonderful, wonderful product. We still saw more of that product than anything else. And so -- and then the volume has to continue to go up for a long time, kind of the price is a really small portion of it, it's really -- we're getting new cases that we just didn't get before.

Mike Matson -- Needham & Company -- Analyst

Yeah. Okay, got it. And then there was a comment made about the CONVERGE data being released in advance of a panel in 2020. So does that mean that we're definitely not going to see it in 2019 or that's just where your best guess is right now for timing.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

I don't imagine, you'll see -- I mean just I'll walk through timeline. I think it is helpful for a pretty good just to make sure this complete clarity on timeline of this. So the last patient we treated was August 21st of 2018. Therefore, the last patient to be treated or to follow-up is going to be within 30 days of that give or take, both either before or after, so say sometime end of August, early September that patient will be treated. We'll then compile all of the data in the fourth quarter and then we'll be ready to go to the FDA. There's really two pass at the FDA. We might have to go to panel, or if we don't go to panel and you get the approval, you'll get the dates and time of the approval. If you go to panel and you have to -- obviously you're presenting the results of on that front, then you will release the data basically the day we're going to panel and that's typically how they've done it in the of space. If you look at all of the other catheter-based technologies that were approved for paroxysmal, that's exactly how they release the data and we will be consistent with that to make sure that we're in line with how the FDA wants to look at. And again, this is all estimated, but so what do I anticipate is, we anticipate sometime in 2020, not the end of this year for sake is will be compiling the data to send the information to the FDA.

Mike Matson -- Needham & Company -- Analyst

Okay, thanks. And then just finally wanted to see if you could talk a little bit more about the cryoSPHERE probe launch and the team that you've put together there maybe the size of that. If you want to disclose that, how many (inaudible) you are planning to add this year. Thanks.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

So, we've built out the small CryoSPHERE team last year -- cryo nerve block team last year. Obviously, the existing probe or the over probe. The professional probe which is rolled up 2.5 weeks ago with our sales team as we announced. And also we have -- we are extending that team. We had four reps last year. We anticipate at least doubling that this year with the potential going larger than that to make sure that we're covering all the cases and getting into those spaces. And so we're going to build out that team commercially, continue to invest in clinical data and getting more clinical data and that team is really focused on the thoracic market. And so we're pretty excited about it, but again we think it's going to take kind of the beginning part of this year to really kind of make sure we're getting that launch up and running and going, but we do think long-term it's going to have great results on patient number one and number two (inaudible) some good results for our financials.

Mike Matson -- Needham & Company -- Analyst

All right. Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from Matt O'Brien with Piper Jaffray.

Kevin -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Hi, Mike and Andy, this is Kevin on for Matt today. Thank you for your time. My first question is on the MIS side, as I look at some of the numbers, but I think it decelerated a little bit if you look at on a comp adjusted basis for 2018. Is there anything specific to point out there and then going into next year, as some of the clinicians are waiting for on-label, do you anticipate any kind of a slowdown as that dynamic plays out or just help us think through the growth rate currently and then kind of going into '19.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, I mean, as we talked about earlier. First of all trying to make it really clear and our products are on label today for cardiac ablation. So that's being used on label today. What we're doing is we're going for a more advanced label and that's really what allows us to get more aggressive in some of the training programs, et cetera we talked about. So that's really kind of what this data is going to help provide when we go to the FDA, et cetera. As it relates to the growth rates, we anticipate we've talked about it before because of that and we're not able to kind of go full throttle on things for obvious reasons. What we have to do is, it's a little bit more volatile on the MIS side, but we anticipate that the growth rates will be consistent with what the growth rates were in the -- with the open business overall and that the clip business will drive the upside overall for the range we gave on the 9% to 13%, but we're not going to give specifics by different category like that.

Kevin -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Okay, that still helpful directionally, thank you for that. My last question is, and most of mine have been asked, but I don't think that this is that big of a deal because you're so under-penetrated in CABG, but how do you think about the business in terms of surgical volumes, i.e., on the aortic side with the upcoming (inaudible) low-risk data. Is that something that you think about the company and just kind of walk us through that and how you think about it if you do at all?

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

I mean of course we think about it. Because obviously, I mean we have to be thinking about all the different procedures where patients have a 7 surgical AVRs or patients that have -- that we're going to basically have to figure out, obviously as they go into that area, but quite frankly, the markets are so big and we're so under-penetrated across the board. Still less than 30% of the patients that have Afib, they are on the operating table are not getting treated. Now the good news is that number is up considerably from five, six years ago when that number was closer to 15% and so we anticipate that we're going to continue to work with our education and training programs to get greater and greater attachment. Like you said, CABG is a big opportunity for us. Quite frankly even AVRs are big opportunity. Patients that have Afib, it's been shown that if you have Afib, you actually should get treated and should go down the AVR path and so more and more of the Afib patients are kind of getting sen to surgery as a result of that. And so a lot of the patients that are going in for the (inaudible) if they've got the Afib, they're typically not getting treated and again being pushed over to the (inaudible) side of things.

That's not the case in every institution. Sometimes, we'll do follow-up Afib procedures later on. And so the way we look at it is that there is a huge underpenetration issue here. We've talked about that for years and got next question. We still think it's under-penetrated and we still think there's lots of opportunity for growth on the open side of our business.

Kevin -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Okay, perfect. Thank you so much.

Operator

Our next question comes from Rebecca Wang with STB Leerink.

Rebecca Wang -- Leerink Partners -- Analyst

Hi guys. Thank you for taking my question. So I want to ask a high-level question on your ICE side of the business. So now you guys already have CONVERGE completely enrollment and then you make progress in the DEEP (ph) trial. So what is the role of the DEEP procedure in my eyes and how should we think about now you have to procedure in this business? Thank you.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Yeah, I mean, it's a great question. So we have philosophically -- the way that we're building the business is to be able to provide a lot of tools for the physicians to choose from. And so some physicians do like the DEEP procedure a lot better. There is a huge cohort of electrophysiologists and cardiologists that believe that that is the right procedure. So we're investing in a clinical trial to get the advance labeling on that side. It is a market in and of itself. And then for a little less invasive approach, convergent is really where that comes in and for EPs that kind of want to take out the backlog (ph) and deal with the substrate associated with that. So it comes down to EP preference, some sites actually offer both. So they can be able to offer that to their patients. I see that happening more and more today, because patients want choices and these hospitals want to be able to provide those choices, especially the larger institutions want to be able to be a full service to be able to say, you can get -- you can basically choose between these different items. That's why it's really important for us to have both and to get the data associated with both, so that they can make really concrete decisions relative to that.

Rebecca Wang -- Leerink Partners -- Analyst

All right, thank you, that's very helpful.

Operator

Our next question comes from Suraj Kalia with Northland Securities. Suraj, your line is open, you can ask your question. Your phone line is muted, could you please unmute the phone line. Okay, I'm not showing any further question at this time. I turn the call back over to Mike Carrel.

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Again, everyone thank you for joining. I look forward to seeing many of you as the year progresses at various different conferences and congresses. Thank you. And I look forward to great 2019.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's presentation. You may now disconnect and have a wonderful day.

Duration: 45 minutes

Call participants:

Lynn Lewis -- Investor Relations

Mike Carrel -- President and Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Wade -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Rick Wise -- Stifel -- Analyst

Jason Mills -- Canaccord Genuity. -- Analyst

Mike Matson -- Needham & Company -- Analyst

Kevin -- Piper Jaffray -- Analyst

Rebecca Wang -- Leerink Partners -- Analyst

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