1. Conservative Recommendation
McDonald’s Corporation (MCD)
McDonald’s soared 4.75% yesterday and hit a new all-time high. It now boasts a 100% buy recommendation, based on my proprietary momentum indicators.
The fast-food giant reported better-than-expected earnings on Tuesday, posting earnings per share of $1.70 on revenue of $6.05 billion. Driven by demand for the chain’s “signature-crafted” sandwiches, McDonald’s global and U.S. same-store sales also beat estimates.
2. Aggressive Recommendation
Markel Corporation (MKL)
After lagging the market for most of 2017, Markel broke through the $1,000 level for the first time.
As a diversified insurance company with Tom Gayner, one of the world’s best stock pickers, at its helm, Markel is hardly an “aggressive” recommendation.
But there is some short-term uncertainty around the stock price as Markel is announcing earnings today. The stock could trade sharply higher (or lower) depending on the results. Last quarter was a rare miss in earnings for the company.
Sincerely,
Nicholas A. Vardy