Zacks equity research analysts featured five stocks in their daily blog on September 18, 2026. Applied Materials benefits from AI-driven semiconductor demand with an Outperform rating. Philip Morris shows strong pricing power and smoke-free product growth despite declining cigarette volumes. Valero Energy outperforms...
Altria Group is focusing on its premium cigarette segment, which generates 85% of profitability, as consumers shift toward discount offerings. Marlboro maintained its 59.6% premium segment share but saw overall cigarette market share decline 1.5 points to 39.5%. The company is expanding its discount brand Basic to...
Altria Group has outperformed the S&P 500 in 2026 with 24% total returns, driven by better-than-expected earnings and renewed confidence in the tobacco industry's smokefree pivot. However, the stock has pulled back to the mid-$60s following Q2 earnings that showed slowing revenue growth and declining earnings. While...
The author reverses his 5-year bearish stance on Philip Morris International after the company successfully pivoted from declining cigarettes to higher-margin smoke-free products. Smoke-free products now represent 42% of revenue (up from 24% in 2020), with strong growth in IQOS heated tobacco and ZYN nicotine pouches....
Altria's on! PLUS nicotine pouch product is gaining early momentum with retail presence expanding to approximately 120,000 stores and encouraging repeat purchase rates. However, the company faces intensifying competition from Philip Morris's ZYN and Turning Point Brands's FRE and ALP products, which are also expanding...
The iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) emerges as the superior choice compared to First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (FTXG) for most investors seeking defensive equity exposure. IYK offers broader sector diversification across consumer staples, healthcare, and basic materials with a lower 0.38% expense ratio,...
Alphabet faces thousands of lawsuits alleging YouTube causes addictive behavior and harms users, particularly minors. However, historical precedent from major corporate legal battles (tobacco, antitrust cases) suggests the company's strong financial position should allow it to weather these challenges without...
The iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) outperforms the Invesco Food & Beverage ETF (PBJ) across multiple metrics, including a lower 0.38% expense ratio versus 0.61%, higher 2.6% dividend yield versus 1.3%, and superior 1-year returns of 8.9% versus -1.0%. With 53 diversified holdings across consumer staples,...
Turning Point Brands derives over 40% of its sales from fast-growing nicotine pouches through its Fre and ALP product lines. As the FDA makes regulatory decisions on nicotine pouches and major tobacco companies enter the market, upcoming earnings will reveal whether TPB can maintain its competitive position in this...
Fidelity's FSTA ETF offers a significantly lower expense ratio of 0.08% compared to iShares' IYK at 0.38%, while delivering stronger five-year returns ($1,401 vs $1,370 on $1,000 invested). FSTA holds 104 stocks with pure consumer staples focus, whereas IYK holds 53 stocks with broader diversification including...
The Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) is highlighted as an excellent choice for building passive income, offering a 2.6% dividend yield and 13.3% annualized returns since 2016. The fund combines high-yield blue-chip stocks like Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble with growth-oriented megacap tech holdings, while maintaining...
The article highlights three high-yield dividend stocks with strong track records: Altria Group (MO) with a 5.91% yield and 57 years of consecutive dividend increases, Realty Income (O) offering 5.12% monthly dividends with 32 years of growth since going public, and Pfizer (PFE) yielding 7.12% despite post-COVID...
The article compares two tobacco stocks with contrasting profiles: Altria, a legacy giant generating $9.1B in free cash flow with a 5.82% dividend yield but facing declining smoking rates, and Turning Point Brands, a smaller player experiencing 28% revenue growth driven by nicotine pouches and accessories. Despite...
The article compares Altria Group and Philip Morris International as investment options in 2026. Altria dominates the U.S. market with strong dividends (5.83% yield) and lower valuation (P/E 15.2x) but faces declining smoking rates and sluggish growth. Philip Morris International offers global diversification, higher...
The article advises against investing in SpaceX following its IPO at an expensive 113x revenue valuation while unprofitable. Instead, it recommends three dividend stocks: Realty Income (REIT with 5.2% yield and 135 consecutive dividend raises), Williams Companies (midstream pipeline operator with 3.5% yield and 10-year...
A comparison of two defensive equity ETFs reveals that iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) outperforms First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (FTXG) with lower expenses (0.38% vs 0.60%), higher 5-year returns ($1,364 vs $955 on $1,000 invested), and broader sector exposure. While FTXG offers a niche food and...
The article recommends three resilient blue-chip stocks to buy during market downturns: Walmart, a retail giant with 53 consecutive years of dividend increases; Realty Income, a REIT with 98.9% occupancy and monthly dividends; and Philip Morris International, a tobacco company transitioning to smoke-free products with...
The article recommends three dividend stocks positioned to become Dividend Kings: Mastercard benefits from global payment digitalization with 14 years of consecutive dividend growth averaging 10-15% annually; Microsoft has 24 years of dividend growth with over 10% annual increases and room to raise payouts further;...
BizClik has announced a Water Positivity Forum at Sustainability LIVE: The Leadership Summit during London Climate Action Week on 25 June 2026. The event will bring together over 250 senior sustainability executives to address water stewardship strategies, with speakers including Darshana Myronidis from Virgin and...
The article examines four high-yield consumer goods stocks suitable for long-term income portfolios. Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco offer strong dividend growth supported by smoke-free product transitions. Hormel Foods is a turnaround story with a 60-year dividend history but elevated payout...
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