Chase’s Mortgage Servicing Down, Assets Up

While there was little change in quarterly mortgage originations at JPMorgan Chase & Co., the residential servicing portfolio declined as mortgage assets grew.

Income before income tax expense at the bank-holding company came to $9.7 billion in the three months ended June 30, surging from $8.3 billion the prior quarter.

Those details, along with other operational and financial results, were presented by the New York-based organization in its second-quarter 2017 earnings report.


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From:: Financing

Baker Hughes data shows U.S. oil-rig count edged up this week

Baker Hughes on Friday reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil edged higher by two to 765 rigs this week. That follows a weekly rise of seven rigs. The total active U.S. rig count, which includes oil and natural-gas rigs, was unchanged at 952, according to Baker Hughes. August West Texas Intermediate crude rose 47 cents, or 1%, to $46.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, little changed from the $46.57 level it traded at before the data.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Nutanix shares soar as analyst calls it ‘a once-in-a-decade’ opportunity

Shares of Nutanix Inc. were soaring 9% Friday afternoon after Goldman Sachs added the stock to their conviction list, saying it has an estimated 53% return potential to their $31 price target. Goldman Sachs calls Nutanix, a hyperconverged infrastructure company, a “once-in-a-decade tech infrastructure story,” as they see strong adoption of the technology among chief information officers. According to their June survey, 18% of CIOs expected to move to hyperconverged systems in the next two years, with Nutanix as the leader in the field. Additionally, they see Nutanix on a path for long-term double-digit growth, high gross margins and large operating leverage. In the shorter-term, Nutanix should benefit from changed accounting rules that will move its software revenues, which are currently deferred, to its profit and loss statement. “We estimate that the new accounting methodology could increase FY18/FY19 revenues by 12%/13%,”wrote Simona Jankowski, the lead analyst on the note. There is also the possibility of Nutanix as an acquisition target, given its unique position in the space and its 17% year-to-date stock drop. The analysts have a buy rating and $31 price target on the stock. Shares of Nutanix have gained 26% in the past month, compared to the S&P 500’s gain of 1%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Wells Fargo’s Home Lending Jumps, Headed Higher

Quarterly residential loan originations accelerated at Wells Fargo & Co. and are likely headed even higher despite industry forecasts to the contrary.

The San Francisco-based bank-holding company revealed in its second-quarter 2017 earnings report $8.1 billion in income before income tax expense.

Earnings were stronger than $7.6 billion during the preceding three-month period. In the same three months last year, Wells Fargo earned $8.2 billion.


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From:: Financing

AMD’s stock bounces; options traders prep for volatile post-earnings move

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. rallied 1.5% in active Friday morning trade, as it bounced after the previous session’s 5.3% tumble. MKM Partners derivatives strategist Jim Strugger said in a note to clients that AMD was among the S&P 500 stocks with the largest implied one-day post-earnings moves, and more than the historical average. The options market is pricing the stock to move 11.7% in either direction the day after second-quarter results are released, compared with a historical average of 10.4%. AMD is scheduled to report results on July 25, after the closing bell. AMD’s stock has been rather volatile of late, without making much progress. The average one-day move for the stock over the past five months has been 2.8%, while the stock has gained 3.5%. In comparison, the PHLX Semiconductor Index has rallied 14% the past five months and the S&P 500 has gained 4.8%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Snap shares fall after a downgrade to market perform

Shares of Snap Inc. were falling 1.6% Friday morning after the stock was downgraded to market perform from outperform at Cowen Research. John Blackledge, lead analyst on the note, downgraded the stock based on increased competition for advertising dollars from Facebook Inc. as well as Pinterest. Snap’s advertising dollars are also hurt by seasonality in the business and a slower-than-expected ramp up of Snap’s direct response and self-serve products. Snap’s direct response and self-serve advertising products will likely not be meaningful until the second half of 2017 or early 2018, he wrote. This is the second downgrade of Snap this week, after Morgan Stanley analysts also reported delays in Snap’s ad products and increased competition from Instagram Stories. However, Snap also saw an upgrade from Stifel analysts who said competitive threats were not as bad as feared. Blackledge cut his price target to $17, which was Snap’s issue price at its initial public offering, from $21. Snap has a relatively large social audience and could expand its base and monetization efforts overseas, but as it stands Blackledge said its current strategy is “not a slam dunk.” Shares of Snap have lost 13.7% in past month, while the S&P 500 has gained 0.5%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Snap shares fall after a downgrade to market perform

Shares of Snap Inc. were falling 1.6% Friday morning after the stock was downgraded to market perform from outperform at Cowen Research. John Blackledge, lead analyst on the note, downgraded the stock based on increased competition for advertising dollars from Facebook Inc. as well as Pinterest. Snap’s advertising dollars are also hurt by seasonality in the business and a slower-than-expected ramp up of Snap’s direct response and self-serve products. Snap’s direct response and self-serve advertising products will likely not be meaningful until the second half of 2017 or early 2018, he wrote. This is the second downgrade of Snap this week, after Morgan Stanley analysts also reported delays in Snap’s ad products and increased competition from Instagram Stories. However, Snap also saw an upgrade from Stifel analysts who said competitive threats were not as bad as feared. Blackledge cut his price target to $17, which was Snap’s issue price at its initial public offering, from $21. Snap has a relatively large social audience and could expand its base and monetization efforts overseas, but as it stands Blackledge said its current strategy is “not a slam dunk.” Shares of Snap have lost 13.7% in past month, while the S&P 500 has gained 0.5%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News