josefkubes/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Pharmaceuticals and medical devices giant Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) delivered a surprisingly strong performance over the last couple of months and after having remained rangebound in the $160s since 2021. JNJ stock is currently trading at approximately $240, so is up 17% year-to-date. The performance over the last twelve months of more than...
josefkubes/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Pharmaceuticals and medical devices giant Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) delivered a surprisingly strong performance over the last couple of months and after having remained rangebound in the $160s since 2021. JNJ stock is currently trading at approximately $240, so is up 17% year-to-date. The performance over the last twelve months of more than 60% (not including dividends) make JNJ stock sound more like a hyper-growth tech stock than a mature blue-chip. I've covered Johnson & Johnson quite extensively here on Seeking Alpha (coverage overview here ). I was quite astonished, though, when I realized my last article was published back in July of 2024. Back then, I had taken a good look at JNJ's (surprisingly) consistent earnings and growth and rated the stock a "buy". In light of my last article, written almost two years ago (I still can't believe it), and because JNJ will report its first-quarter 2026 results on April 14 at 8:30 a.m. ET, it's time for an update. In this article, I'll examine what analysts currently expect from JNJ for next Tuesday, but more importantly, I'll provide an update on the company's drug pipeline and growth prospects. I'll also assess how I currently view the stock from a valuation perspective. Since JNJ is one of my largest holdings and currently accounts for nearly 6% of my stock portfolio's value, I'll also discuss whether I'm considering rebalancing my position. This is, of course, an aspect that must be carefully weighed: It's all too easy to "cut the flowers and water the weeds"... Johnson & Johnson: Q1 2026 Earnings Preview And A Fresh Look At Company Fundamentals The current consensus for JNJ's earnings per share (EPS) in the first quarter of 2026 is $2.68, based on the expectations of the 18 analysts tracked by Seeking Alpha. The low estimate ($2.14) and the high estimate ($2.89) translate to a rather broad range of 28%. If JNJ were to report earnings per share of $2.68, this wou...
LightStock/iStock via Getty Images ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( ANIP ) is a biopharmaceutical firm that manufactures generic medications and rare disease therapies. The rare disease business is becoming a larger and more strategically important segment. Management's 2026 guidance says this segment will account for 60% of their revenues. ANIP’s flagship drug is Cortrophin Gel, a therapy that is appr...
LightStock/iStock via Getty Images ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( ANIP ) is a biopharmaceutical firm that manufactures generic medications and rare disease therapies. The rare disease business is becoming a larger and more strategically important segment. Management's 2026 guidance says this segment will account for 60% of their revenues. ANIP’s flagship drug is Cortrophin Gel, a therapy that is approved across several areas, including ophthalmology, rheumatology, nephrology, neurology, and pulmonology. Cortrophin generated $348 million of ANIP’s 2025 revenues, and its 2026 guidance is $540-$575 million. Besides, ANIP intends to grow its adoption by offering a pre-filled syringe, as well as a Phase 4 trial in acute gouty arthritis flares. In my view, ANIP seems quite cheap relative to its long-term potential, which is why I rate the stock a “Buy” at these levels. Generic Medicines ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a commercial biopharmaceutical company that started manufacturing and commercializing branded and generic medicines. Since then, it has expanded into rare diseases as well. ANIP was formed back in 2001 and is currently headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. Additionally, ANIP owns three facilities, two in Baudette, Minnesota, and one in East Windsor, New Jersey. Its flagship asset is undoubtedly Cortrophin, but ANIP’s ILUVIEN is also another promising therapy with ophthalmic indications. In my view, ANIP is overall a pretty underrated stock, which is why I felt it was worthwhile covering it. Source: Corporate Presentation. March 2026. As a quick overview, ANIP’s generics generate revenue and cash flow that support its other investments in rare disease programs. In 2025, generics grew 28% YoY, reaching revenues of $384 million. The company attributes this growth to superior R&D and operational excellence in its manufacturing sites, which have been inspected by the FDA. Both Baudette sites obtained a status of Voluntary Action Indicated (VAI), which means that ther...
One of the coolest aspects of my job is keeping tabs on all of the stock market's most important growth names. Not all of them are always worth buying, or even holding. They're all always fun to watch, though. That said, there's one name in particular that's recently caught my eye as a new purchase prospect. That's Snapchat parent Snap (NYSE: SNAP) . Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
One of the coolest aspects of my job is keeping tabs on all of the stock market's most important growth names. Not all of them are always worth buying, or even holding. They're all always fun to watch, though. That said, there's one name in particular that's recently caught my eye as a new purchase prospect. That's Snapchat parent Snap (NYSE: SNAP) . Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
farres tariq/iStock via Getty Images The unemployment rate in Canada stood at 6.7% in March 2026, unchanged from the prior month and slightly below the expected 6.8%. More on Canada, FLCA: Warrants Broader Interest, But Wait For A Pullback Carney: Canada will defend allies “when it makes sense” in Iran conflict Canada’s inflation rate falls to 2.3% in January Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Frankl...
farres tariq/iStock via Getty Images The unemployment rate in Canada stood at 6.7% in March 2026, unchanged from the prior month and slightly below the expected 6.8%. More on Canada, FLCA: Warrants Broader Interest, But Wait For A Pullback Carney: Canada will defend allies “when it makes sense” in Iran conflict Canada’s inflation rate falls to 2.3% in January Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Franklin FTSE Canada ETF Dividend scorecard for Franklin FTSE Canada ETF
franckreporter/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis For the BDC sector, 2026 remains a turbulent year, accompanied by geopolitical risks in the Middle East, changing Fed monetary policy outlooks, increased private lending risks, etc. Given the systemic crisis of investor confidence, companies such as FS KKR Capital ( FSK ) and Morgan Stanley Direct Lending ( MSDL ) have become a particular ca...
franckreporter/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis For the BDC sector, 2026 remains a turbulent year, accompanied by geopolitical risks in the Middle East, changing Fed monetary policy outlooks, increased private lending risks, etc. Given the systemic crisis of investor confidence, companies such as FS KKR Capital ( FSK ) and Morgan Stanley Direct Lending ( MSDL ) have become a particular cause for concern. Final reporting for Q4 2025 showed a deterioration in all key indicators, which forced a radical reduction in base dividends by 30% and 10%. The portfolios of both companies are thus vulnerable to current risks, which is reflected in abnormally high P/NAV discounts of 49% and 30%. The valuation does not reflect an ideal entry point for these assets, given that NAV and NII trends suggest a potential reassessment of NAV during 2026. My decision regarding FSK and MSDL therefore is a firm "Sell" recommendation. But to justify your trust in my assessment, I'll walk you through the BDC forecast, fundamental analysis of each BDC individually, their comparison, plus a calculation of dividend sensitivity to interest rate changes. Outlook on BDCs There's a lot of bad news brewing around the BDC sector, causing investor confidence in these assets to wane, reflected in the overall market discount ( a median of 28% based on the P/NAV multiple ). Previously, when analyzing the attractiveness of sector ETFs—VanEck BDC Income ETF ( BIZD ) and Putnam BDC Income ETF ( PBDC )—I outlined these issues. Based on this, my recommendation was "Sell," since only a small number of BDC companies are currently worthy of your personal capital. Among other factors, Moody’s downgrade of FSK to "junk" Ba1 is exacerbating the situation. By April 2026, inflational risks had also come to the fore, with the potential to manifest themselves in the coming months because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In spite of the agreement between the U.S. and Iran on a two-week ceasefire , resum...
SunOpta Inc. ( STKL ) is cleared to be acquired by Refresco after landing the early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The early termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act satisfies one of the conditions to the closing. The acquisition is still subject to remaining regulatory clearance or approval, approval by SunOpta ( STKL )...
SunOpta Inc. ( STKL ) is cleared to be acquired by Refresco after landing the early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The early termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act satisfies one of the conditions to the closing. The acquisition is still subject to remaining regulatory clearance or approval, approval by SunOpta ( STKL ) shareholders and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. Refresco is acquiring SunOpta ( STKL ) in an all‑cash, go‑private transaction for $6.50 per share. The deal values SunOpta ( STKL ) at $1.1B on an enterprise value basis and is expected to close this quarter. More on SunOpta SunOpta: Gone Too Soon Kingdom Capital initiates AENT; exits multiple positions in Q1 2026 Small-cap consumer staples stocks: top and bottom quant picks post earnings Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on SunOpta Historical earnings data for SunOpta
Core CPI Prints Cooler Than Expected Despite Biggest Jump In Energy Prices Since 2005 While PCE showed some signs of higher energy prices leaking into inflation prints, it was still February data. As we previewed, today's CPI data is for March and will bear the full brunt of the Iran War's impact on energy costs after Core CPI fell to its lowest in four years in February . The headline CPI soared ...
Core CPI Prints Cooler Than Expected Despite Biggest Jump In Energy Prices Since 2005 While PCE showed some signs of higher energy prices leaking into inflation prints, it was still February data. As we previewed, today's CPI data is for March and will bear the full brunt of the Iran War's impact on energy costs after Core CPI fell to its lowest in four years in February . The headline CPI soared 0.9% MoM (as expected) and while it was a big MoM jump, Consumer Prices rose 3.3% YoY (up from +2.4% YoY in February), but below the 3.4% YoY exp... Source: Bloomberg This is the highest headline CPI YoY since April 2024 and biggest MoM jump since June 2022. Obviously, Energy dominated the rise in headline CPI... CPI Highlights: CPI rose 0.9% MoM in March, up from 0.3% in February; it rose 3.3% YoY, up from 2.4% in February. The index for energy rose 10.9% in March, led by a 21.2% increase in the index for gasoline which accounted for nearly three quarters of the monthly all items increase. The shelter index also increased in March, rising 0.3%. The index for food was unchanged over the month as the index for food away from home rose 0.2%, while the index for food at home fell 0.2%. Core CPI rose 0.2% in March: Indexes that increased over the month include airline fares, apparel, household furnishings and operations, education, and new vehicles. Conversely, the indexes for medical care, personal care, and used cars and trucks were among the major indexes that decreased in March. Core CPI rose 3.3% YoY for the 12 months ending March, after rising 2.4% in February. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.6% over the year, following a 2.5% increase over the 12 months ending February. The energy index increased 12.5% for the 12 months ending March. The food index increased 2.7% over the last year. Food: The index for food was unchanged in March after rising 0.4% in February. The food at home index declined 0.2% over the month. Four of the six major grocery store food gr...