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Cabot Prime Week Ending February 26, 2021

Cabot Prime Week Ending February 26, 2021

Stock Recommendation Tracker

The Stock Recommendation Tracker is a table that features all of the current recommendations in all of our portfolios. It’s a quick way for you to see what stocks are currently in our portfolios and will highlight new additions or any changes to our recommendations over the previous week. We include this table at the bottom of the Weekly Summary, and provide a link here at the top to the Stock Recommendations Tracker.

Cabot Weekly Review (Video)

In this week’s stock market video, Mike Cintolo is getting cautious, at least when it comes to growth stocks — he’s certainly not selling wholesale, but for the first time in four months he’s seeing some real breakdowns among leaders, so he’s pared back a bit. In the meantime, he’s scanning for names showing relative strength, while also running through some potential scenarios with the overall market. Take a listen for all of Mike’s latest thoughts. Stocks mentioned include ZS, ZI, DKNG, ONEM, SLQT, LPLA, FAN, SNAP, PINS, and WIX.

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Advisory Services

Cabot Growth Investor

Bi-weekly Issue February 25: Now, to be clear, much of the broad market is still in decent shape and has avoided this week’s wobbles. Our Cabot Tides are still clearly positive, and broader indexes like the NYSE Composite and S&P 400 MidCap haven’t even touched their 25-day lines during all of the commotion. Thus, at least among growth stocks, there’s little doubt that more and more names are cracking. To us, the wild action and myriad potholes among individual stocks in the past month have one clear interpretation: The environment is getting choppier and more challenging, with a few weeks of gains often given back in a few days and a good number of extended leaders succumbing to selling pressure. Mike has one portfolio change: NovoCure (NVCR) moves to a Sell.

Special Bulletin February 23: The overall market isn’t cracking yet, but growth stocks are beginning to flash lots of abnormal action. With our trend-following indicators still positive, we wouldn’t sell wholesale, especially if you came into this week with some cash (we had 20% in the Model Portfolio). But we are making some changes today—we’re selling CrowdStrike (CRWD) and taking a small profit, while placing NovoCure (NVCR), Twilio (TWLO) and Uber (UBER) on Hold. Our cash position will now be around 31%.

Bi-weekly Update February 18: The market took another hit this morning, but like yesterday, the major indexes have found support as the day has progressed—just after 3 pm EST, the Dow was down 70 points while the Nasdaq was off 66 points. Part of the reason for the recent selling is supposedly due to inflation fears and higher interest rates—indeed, the 10-year note reached north of 1.30%, which is low historically, but up 30 basis points (0.3%) since late January and 50 basis points (0.5%) from the start of December. Mike is restoring the Buy rating on Five Below (FIVE).

Bi-weekly Issue February 11: Two weeks ago, the major indexes and some individual stocks began to flash abnormal action, a couple of key leaders were threatening to break down and some late-in-the-advance type of action (heavily shorted stocks going nuts) was occurring. Importantly, though, the primary evidence—the big-picture price, volume and trend action from the market and leading stocks—never cracked. Thus, we trimmed a bit, but thankfully didn’t let go of much stock. And the action since then—really, it’s hard to have written a better script. Not only have the major indexes rebounded beautifully, but leading stocks have soared (many have exploded back to new highs), and even some of the aforementioned secondary evidence has wowed. Mike has two portfolio changes: Pinterest (PINS) and Twilio (TWLO) to Buy.

Cabot Top Ten Trader

Movers & Shakers February 26: From the start of this intermediate-term advance back in early November through most of January, there weren’t many bad things you could say—yes, sentiment was bubbly, and there was the occasional horrid day or severe bout of rotation, but the major indexes and most portfolios enjoyed a relatively smooth upmove. However, the past month has thrown up many yellow (and this week, red) flags, especially when it comes to growth titles. The sharp late-January downmove was a bit abnormal, and while the rebound from there was very encouraging (indeed, that type of shakeout-and-recovery pattern bodes well most of the time), we’ve now seen the Nasdaq and many leaders give up all of that rebound. Mike has three buy recommendations: Bill.com (BILL), Wix.com (WIX) and Zscaler (ZS).

Weekly Issue February 22: After a very strong rally from the late-January lows, the major indexes are again in the midst of a pullback—during the past week and a half we’ve seen a few days of churning and distribution as worries over inflation (and a less-loose Federal Reserve) cause some profit taking, and today saw a big rotation out of growth stocks. Mike’s Top Pick is Wix.com (WIX), which has a great story, accelerating growth and just staged a very powerful breakout.

Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor

Weekly Update February 24: In the current raging bull market that we have been dealt, holding stocks is easy. They all seem to go up. The hard part is knowing when to fold ‘em. Our process uses price targets to help guide our sell timing. Sometimes we get the timing right, and sometimes we’re plain wrong. Our process now tells us that it is time to fold ‘em on ViacomCBS (VIAC), so we moved our rating to Sell on Tuesday, February 23. The stock has been a huge winner. Recently we decided to fold ‘em with Terminix (TMX) shares – this was a small winner that we didn’t want to become a loser. Bruce has one portfolio change: JetBlue (JBLU) – moving from Buy to Hold.

Special Bulletin February 23: We are moving ViacomCBS (VIAC) to a Sell. With the shares continuing to surge past our recently raised 65 price target, and now being priced at a premium to even our upgraded valuation metrics, we are moving the shares to a Sell. ViacomCBS’ fundamentals look healthy, so our call is driven by the valuation. The shares are increasingly becoming a “growth story” and have moved beyond the “undervalued story” that is the focus of our strategy. The company reports earnings on Wednesday, February 24. VIAC shares have produced a total return of approximately 142% from our initial recommendation in the Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor on August 26, 2020 at 27.57.

Monthly Issue February 3: Investors and commentators seemed a bit troubled by the emerging power of the Reddit crowd, the trade-at-home “renegades” who drive highly-shorted stocks like GameStop (GME), AMC Entertainment (AMC), Koss Corporation (KOSS) and others to prices well beyond the orbit of their troubled underlying fundamentals. Yet, other than a few bruised hedge fund manager egos (and balance sheets), the effect on the broader stock market appears to be fleeting. Even last week’s slippage in the S&P 500 could easily be attributed to temporary and technical knock-on effects. Historically, bubbles don’t pop early. They gradually inflate for years, then tend to go parabolic, prior to bursting. Our current bubble could easily continue for many more years. Investors sense that the easy money will continue to flow, earnings will remain robust and few impediments will crop up. Bruce has no portfolio changes today.

Cabot Stock of the Week

Weekly Issue February 22: The market’s main trend remains up, and thus Tim continues to recommend that you be heavily invested. With this week’s recommendation, Tim is swinging back to the more conservative side with a solid technology company poised for big gains from the 5G communications rollout. Tim’s featured stock Broadcom (AVGO), is global infrastructure technology leader and an industry Goliath with $24 billion in annual net revenues. It’s an icon of the technology revolution with roots that trace back over 50 years to the old AT&T/Bell Labs. Tim has no portfolio changes.

Cabot Global Stocks Explorer

Bi-weekly Update February 25: You may have seen that a relatively new Explorer idea, Fisker (FSR), was up 38% yesterday. It turns out that Carl’s analogy of comparing the company to Apple’s relationship to Foxconn was truer than even he could imagine. The news yesterday was that Foxconn will be making a future Fisker model electric vehicle, and even better, it may be doing so in his home state of Wisconsin. Carl has multiple portfolio changes: Fisker (FSR) moves from Buy a Half to Hold a Half and NovoCure (NVCR) moves from Buy a Full to Hold a Full

Bi-weekly Issue February 18: Congress is intent on pumping significant cash and liquidity into the economy and an accommodative Federal Reserve is signaling to markets continued low interest rates in an attempt to boost a pandemic economy. Meanwhile, some investors are bracing for the possibility that all this will lead to a surge in the cruelest tax of all – inflation. Carl’s new recommendation Anglo American (NGLOY), is the largest producer of platinum with about 40% of the world’s output. It also engages in exploring, mining, and processing various other metals and minerals worldwide. Carl has one portfolio change: NeoGenomics (NEO) Moves from Hold to Sell.

Cabot Dividend Investor

Weekly Update February 24: Despite the S&P 500 still trading near the all-time high, the market is dramatically changing. It may look like the same old market when you glance at the indexes, but a look under the hood reveals a role reversal of winners and losers. The market recovery from last March until the end of last year was completely dominated by technology and growth stocks. People relied on technology more than ever during the lockdowns. And technology companies thrived. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index was up over 40% in 2020. Click here to listen to the podcast. Tom has three portfolio changes: STAG Industrial (STAG) moves from Hold to Buy, Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) moves from Buy to Hold and NextEra Energy (NEE) moves from Hold to Buy.

Monthly Issue February 10: The bull market keeps raging. All three major indexes just made still new all-time highs. The S&P 500 is up about 20% since the end of October and 78% since the low of last March. How long can this keep going? The short answer is that it will likely continue higher over the course of the year, albeit at a much slower rate. Of course, a pullback or correction would be entirely normal and healthy after such a steep run higher. And it wouldn’t be surprising in the coming weeks and months. But the year looks solid. In this issue, Tom highlights Chevron Corporation (CVX), which is one of the world’s largest fossil fuel pushers. The reason for the purchase is simple. Right now, it is a play on the vaccine and full recovery, which is a good bet. The stock has momentum and a long way to go to get to pre-pandemic prices. CVX has significant upside in just recovering from this pandemic.

Cabot Marijuana Investor

Monthly Issue February 24: Two weeks ago, just as the sector peaked, our Marijuana Portfolio was up 48% YTD while the Marijuana Index was up 91% (in part due to the Canadian stocks that had rebounded from an oversold position late last year). That’s when I advised selling, based mainly on the action of the charts—which were showing unsustainable parabolic action—but also on the elevated sentiment among investors. Today, the Index has given up nearly half of its gain, while our portfolio has lost far less, thanks to holding plenty of cash and just one Canadian stock. Tim has no portfolio changes.

Weekly Update February 10: So, today the portfolio will sell one-half of its positions in these stocks: Cresco Labs (CRLBF), Curaleaf (CURLF), Green Thumb (GTBIF), GrowGeneration (GRWG), TerrAscend (TRSSF). And the portfolio will sell one-third of its positions in these stocks: Canopy Growth (CGC), Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR), Trulieve (TCNNF), Turning Point Brands (TPB) and Village Farms (VFF). After these sales, the portfolio will be roughly 42% in cash.

Cabot Early Opportunities

Special Bulletin February 26: Updates on ACA, FTCH, ADPT, FSR, ALTR and HALO.

Special Bulletin February 24: Upwork (UPWK), Sprout Social (SPT) & Halozyme (HALO) Report. Fisker (FSR) announces major collaboration. Read the bulletin for a detailed breakdown.

Special Bulletin February 23: Last week wasn’t great for growth stocks and so far, this week is just plain awful. The primary culprits are known; risk of inflation and higher interest rates have pushed cyclical stocks up and growth stocks down (generally speaking). Big picture, we want some level of inflation and higher interest rates than what we’ve had. But timing, velocity, and scale matter. Tyler discusses earnings updates for FIVN, FRPT, KRNT, SEDG and TXG.

Monthly Issue February 17: This has been a phenomenal run for those of us that focus on early-stage companies. The IPO market is as strong as it has been at any point in six years. Even if all the companies that have been coming public aren’t great buys right now, collectively they are recharging the pipeline of potential opportunities. Tyler’s Top Pick is JFrog (FROG), is the hands-down leader in providing artifact repositories. It has been doing so since 2009 and the company’s core product, Artifactory, leads in a specialized market. That said, while the DevOps movement is gaining ground, many organizations still don’t fully understand how artifact repositories can help them. Over time they will, and in the meantime, JFrog’s growth should expand with clients that have already seen the light.

Cabot Profit Booster

Weekly Issue February 23: Your Cabot Profit Booster portfolio closed out three more positions that were assigned at expiration last week. Those were Alcoa (AA) earning profits of $255 per contract for a yield of 13.8%; Kohl’s (KSS) earning profits of $400 per contract, or a yield of 11.1%; and Snap Inc. (SNAP) with $500 in profits earned for a yield of 10%. Jacob’s new stock recommendation is The AZEK Company (AZEK).

Cabot Income Advisor

Monthly Issue February 24: This generally isn’t the best time to buy stocks. Shares in energy, finance and other cyclical sectors have just had a huge run higher and may be due for a consolidation. At the same time, much of the rest of the market is under increasing selling pressure and may be setting up for a more significant, and overdue, downturn. However, it is a very good time to write high-priced calls in stocks that have been soaring higher. That’s why this portfolio has recently written calls on high-flying positions Valero Energy (VLO) and Chevron (CVX). Tom’s featured stock NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE), is the world’s largest utility. It’s a monster with about $18 billion in annual revenue and a $147 billion market capitalization.

Weekly Update February 17: It’s another day and another new all-time high for the market. The big story on this latest leg higher is earnings. They’ve been terrific so far. Analysts had been expecting S&P 500 earnings to decline by -11% on average versus the same quarter last year, as pandemic restrictions persist. But so far, earnings have averaged a year-over-year increase of 2%. Corporate profits are rebounding much faster than expected. In last week’s issue, Tom wrote calls on recently high-flying Valero Energy (VLO). Be on the lookout for “Trade Alerts” in your email as there will likely be timely opportunities in the weeks ahead.

Cabot Turnaround Letter

Weekly Update February 26: The earnings calendar is thinning out, with Berkshire Hathaway (BRK/B)reporting tomorrow (Saturday), and Signet Jewelers (SIG) and Duluth Holdings (DLTH) reporting on March 18th. All ratings and price targets remain unchanged, except we are raising our price target on Macy’s (M) from 13 to 18. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Monthly Issue February 24: The energy industry has been through a remarkably difficult time in the past seven years. The collapse of oil prices in mid-2014, from over $110/barrel to less than $25/barrel in early 2020, exerted immense stress on energy companies, particularly those that were bloated with debt from their overzealous pursuit of growth. At the same time, capital markets curtailed their financing of energy companies, worn out by the chronic lack of free cash flow. Several of these companies slid into bankruptcy, yet now look like interesting investment opportunities. Bruce’s has one buy recommendation: Altria Group (MO) and one sell recommendation: Trinity Industries (TRN).

Special Bulletin February 23: We are moving ViacomCBS (VIAC) to a Sell. With the shares continuing to surge past our recently raised 65 price target and now being priced at a premium to even our upgraded valuation metrics, we are moving the shares to a SELL. ViacomCBS’ fundamentals look healthy, so our call is driven by the valuation. The shares are increasingly becoming a “growth story” and have moved beyond the “turnaround story” that is the focus of our strategy. The company reports earnings on Wednesday, February 24. VIAC shares have produced a total return of approximately 19% from our initial recommendation in the January 2017 Cabot Turnaround Letter at 59.57 (adjusted for the Viacom-CBS merger) and a 77% year-to-date gain for investors who purchased shares last year.

Ask the Experts

Cabot Profit Booster

Question: What do you think about some UVXY calls to protect for the downside?

Jacob: I never get involved with the VIX products as they tend to be too complicated and have weird quirks. If I’m looking to hedge or get short exposure, I always stick with SPY or QQQ puts. They give you downside exposure, plus the puts gain in value if the VIX rises. Essentially you win two ways.

Quarterly Cabot Analyst Meeting

The recording of the Cabot Prime Members Meeting with the Analysts from January 20, 2021 is now available for you to listen to at your convenience—click here for access. This private call with our analysts is one of your exclusive Cabot Prime member benefits.

Stock Recommendations Tracker

The table below lists all of the stocks held in any Cabot portfolio.
Updated or revised recommendations from the past week are in purple text.
Stocks added to a portfolio are highlighted in green text.
Closed stock positions in the past week are highlighted in red text.

StockCabot Global Stocks ExplorerCabot Growth InvestorCabot Marijuana InvestorCabot Stock of the WeekCabot Undervalued Stock AdvisorCabot Dividend Investor
ABBVHold 2/3
ACAHold
APT.AXHold 1/2
AVGOBuyBuy
BFTBuy 1/2
BIPBuyBuy 2/3
BMYStrong Buy
BSCL Buy 1/2
CGCSee Advisory
COLMSold
CRLBFSee Advisory
CRWDSellBuy
CSCOBuy
CURLFSee Advisory
CVXBuy
DLRBuy
DOWHold
EPDBuy
ESTCBuy
FIVEBuy
FSRHold 1/2
GMHoldHold
GRWGSee Advisory
GTBIFSee Advisory
HALOBuy Another 1/2
HTHTHold
IBMBuy
IIPRSee AdvisoryHold 2/3
JBLUHold
JUSHFSee AdvisoryHold 2/3
KOBuyBuy
LGIQBuy 1/2
LLYHold 2/3
MOBuy
MRKBuy
NEEHoldBuy
NEOSold
NETHold 1/2
NGLOYBuy
NUANHold
NVCRHoldSellBuy
OBuy
PGNY Buy
PGX Hold 1/2
PINSBuyHold
QCOMHold 2/3
ROKUHold 3/4
SEHold 1/2Hold
SOLOBuy 1/2Buy
SPCEHold A HalfTake Partial Profits
SPOTHold
SSOBuy
STBuy
STAGBuy
TAPHoldBuy
TCNNFSee AdvisoryHold
TPBSee Advisory
TRSSFSee Advisory
TSLAHold
TSMBuy 1/2
TSNBuy
TWLOHold
UBERHoldBuy
USBBuyBuy
VIACSell
VLOHold
VZHold
XELSoldBuy 2/3