The Fidelity High Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT:FDVV) seeks higher current income through a leaner portfolio, while the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEMKT:VIG) prioritizes consistent dividend growth and low management costs. Investors often face a choice between maximizing current income and prioritizing long-term dividend durability. This comparison examines how a strategy focused on maximizing ...
The Fidelity High Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT:FDVV) seeks higher current income through a leaner portfolio, while the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEMKT:VIG) prioritizes consistent dividend growth and low management costs. Investors often face a choice between maximizing current income and prioritizing long-term dividend durability. This comparison examines how a strategy focused on maximizing current yield via sector tilts interacts with a more conservative approach that prioritizes companies with a decade or more of consistent payout increases. Investors may choose one over the other based on their immediate income needs or long-term growth objectives. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield. Continue reading
halbergman/iStock via Getty Images Introduction I have been following Timberland Bancorp ( TSBK ) for in excess of five years now , and since that initial article, the bank's share price has doubled. A decent result, and although the total return of in excess of 100% isn't exactly hitting the ball out of the park in that time frame, I definitely like the risk/reward here. Mainly because the total ...
halbergman/iStock via Getty Images Introduction I have been following Timberland Bancorp ( TSBK ) for in excess of five years now , and since that initial article, the bank's share price has doubled. A decent result, and although the total return of in excess of 100% isn't exactly hitting the ball out of the park in that time frame, I definitely like the risk/reward here. Mainly because the total amount of loan loss provisions of this Washington state focused bank remains low. This allows it to rapidly increase its tangible book value per share, which also increased by approximately 50% in the past four years. Data by YCharts The results remain strong One of the key reasons why I continue to be interested in Timberland Bancorp is the bank’s strong financial results. This was once again confirmed in the December quarter (the bank hasn’t reported yet on its Q1 CY 2026 results) as the total amount of interest and dividend income increased by in excess of 7%, while the total amount of interest expenses decreased by 0.5%. This resulted in an increase of the net interest income by in excess of 10%, and that, of course, goes a long way to further boost the bottom line result. TSBK Investor Relations As the image above shows, the bank remains very capable of keeping its loan loss provisions exceptionally low, and in the December quarter of 2025, the total amount of loan loss provisions was just $35,000 (less than $0.1M indeed). That's a very negligible amount given the total loan book stands at almost $1.5B. That's important because the bank’s bottom line result mainly depends on its net interest income. The image above also shows that the total amount of non-interest income is just under $2.8M, while the total amount of non-interest expenses (shown below) came in at $11.4M. TSBK Investor Relations This meant that the total pre-tax income came in at $10.3M, which is an increase of approximately 15% compared to the same quarter a year before. This also resulted in a bottom l...
asbe/iStock via Getty Images By Kelvin Wong Precious metals, gold and silver, have failed to ignite a similar risk-on rally in terms of magnitude and duration as seen on the benchmark US stock indices and other major stock indices after the "fragile" ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran that has been put in place on April 8, 2026. Silver flipped to become an underperforming asset class Fig....
asbe/iStock via Getty Images By Kelvin Wong Precious metals, gold and silver, have failed to ignite a similar risk-on rally in terms of magnitude and duration as seen on the benchmark US stock indices and other major stock indices after the "fragile" ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran that has been put in place on April 8, 2026. Silver flipped to become an underperforming asset class Fig. 1: Silver and other major cross-assets' performances from Feb 27, 2026 to Apr 28, 2026 (Source: MacroMicro) Fig. 2: Silver and other major cross-assets' year-to-date performances as of Apr 28, 2026 (Source: MacroMicro) The US-Iran war started on February 28, 2026. Using the pre-war baseline of February 27, 2026 to Tuesday, April 28, 2026, spot silver (LBMA) was the worst performer among other key cross-assets, with a loss of 19% (see Fig. 1). On a year-to-date performance basis as of April 28, 2026, spot silver’s gain has been reduced miserably to 1.7% (see Fig. 2). Despite the geopolitical gridlock between the US and Iran, and any miscalculation from either side likely to trigger a rise in geopolitical risk premiums, we are not seeing any safe-haven demand push towards precious metals at this juncture. Hence, it is the momentum factor that is driving the direction of silver at this juncture and overrides fundamental elements. Let’s now focus on the technical factors to determine silver ( XAGUSD:CUR )’s potential short-term trajectory (1-3 days). Silver (XAG/USD) - End of corrective rebound from March 23, 2026 low Fig. 3: Silver (XAG/USD) minor trend as of Apr 29, 2026 (Source: TradingView) Fig. 4: Silver (XAG/USD) medium-term trend as of Apr 29, 2026 (Source: TradingView) Start of another minor bearish impulsive down move sequence with a multi-month medium-term corrective decline structure that is still intact since its current all-time high of $121.67 printed on January 29, 2026 Watch 75.90 key short-term pivotal resistance on silver for another potential down leg to exp...
In Huge Win For Republicans, Supreme Court Curbs Use Of Race In Drawing Voting Districts In a sweeping 6-3 decision issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map with a second majority-Black district is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais (No. 24-109) delivers a major victory for Republicans by sharply curtailing the Voting Rig...
In Huge Win For Republicans, Supreme Court Curbs Use Of Race In Drawing Voting Districts In a sweeping 6-3 decision issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map with a second majority-Black district is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais (No. 24-109) delivers a major victory for Republicans by sharply curtailing the Voting Rights Act’s ability to compel the creation of predominantly Black or Hispanic districts - a development that could help the GOP protect and expand its House majority in the 2026 midterms and beyond. Writing for the Court, Justice Samuel Alito held that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, properly interpreted, did not require Louisiana to draw the additional majority-Black district in Senate Bill 8 . Because the state’s use of race was not justified by a compelling interest, the map violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. A Major Reset of Voting Rights Law Huge victory for GOP with big implications for race for House https://t.co/QRTl01bxt2 — Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 29, 2026 The decision does far more than resolve one Louisiana map. It fundamentally updates the legal framework for Voting Rights Act challenges that has been in place since Thornburg v. Gingles (1986). The Court made three critical changes that will make it significantly harder for plaintiffs to force race-conscious districting: Illustrative maps must be race-neutral : Plaintiffs can no longer draw “demonstration maps” that deliberately maximize majority-minority districts. Any alternative map must fully comply with all of a state’s legitimate, non-racial districting goals - including traditional criteria and the state’s partisan political objectives . Race must be disentangled from party : To prove political cohesion and racial bloc voting, plaintiffs must now control for partisan affiliation. Simply showing that Black voters and white voters support different candidates is no longer ...
In the search for equity income, many investors turn to real estate dividend stocks . Just look at the Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF . The largest exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the category yields 3.66%, or more than triple the yield on the S&P 500 . With some homework, investors can boost their real estate equity income propositions. Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ: GLPI) confirms as ...
In the search for equity income, many investors turn to real estate dividend stocks . Just look at the Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF . The largest exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the category yields 3.66%, or more than triple the yield on the S&P 500 . With some homework, investors can boost their real estate equity income propositions. Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ: GLPI) confirms as much. This REIT, which yields an impressive 6.59%, isn't a casino stock in the traditional sense, but it counts some of the most recognizable gaming operators among its tenants. For dividend investors, there's a lot to like about this casino landlord. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Investing in a fast-growing business can be exciting, but it's important not to get too enamored with just a company's growth rate. An easy way for a company to expand its top line is to acquire other businesses. But what's ultimately most important for growth investors is how well the business is growing, organically, not just due to acquisitions. SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) is a voice artificia...
Investing in a fast-growing business can be exciting, but it's important not to get too enamored with just a company's growth rate. An easy way for a company to expand its top line is to acquire other businesses. But what's ultimately most important for growth investors is how well the business is growing, organically, not just due to acquisitions. SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) is a voice artificial intelligence (AI) company that has been relying on acquisitions to get bigger and more diversified. Investors, however, have been looking for more than just top-line growth from the business, which is indicative of its poor performance in recent months, as the stock is down around 64% from its 52-week high. On May 7, the company will report its first-quarter earnings for fiscal 2026, in what will inevitably be its latest test to show that it's going in the right direction. With its valuation relatively low, could now be a good time to buy SoundHound AI stock ? Continue reading
bernie_photo/E+ via Getty Images Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( REGN ) has just released its Q1 numbers . So, its revenue rose 19.1% YoY to $3.61 billion , which came in well above the consensus estimate by $130 million. And yes, its non-GAAP EPS of $9.47 was also higher than what Wall Street analysts expected, as in the past 4 quarters , but this time by 57 cents. Source: graph was made by Aut...
bernie_photo/E+ via Getty Images Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( REGN ) has just released its Q1 numbers . So, its revenue rose 19.1% YoY to $3.61 billion , which came in well above the consensus estimate by $130 million. And yes, its non-GAAP EPS of $9.47 was also higher than what Wall Street analysts expected, as in the past 4 quarters , but this time by 57 cents. Source: graph was made by Author based on Seeking Alpha I'll talk about the drugs behind this growth later. For now, I think it's more important to note that on April 23 , the FDA approved Otarmeni [lunsotogene parvec] for the treatment of OTOF-related hearing loss. The FDA's green light was based on the results of the Phase 1/2 CHORD study [ NCT05788536 ] in which 16 of 20 patients receiving this gene therapy experienced hearing improvements, assessed by the audiometric pure-tone audiometry average threshold of ≤70 dB HL at 24 weeks . Moreover, I was also shocked that of the 12 patients who completed 48 weeks of lunsotogene parvec treatment, 5 achieved normal hearing [≤25 dB HL]. Source: FDA And yes, Regeneron will provide Otarmeni for free only to clinically eligible U.S. patients. I think this is a smart strategic move by its CEO Leonard Schleifer . Since the market is extremely small, because congenital deafness affects 1.7 out of 1,000 newborns in the U.S. And hearing loss caused by mutations in the OTOF gene accounts for 1 to 3% of cases. By the way, Regeneron stated on the same day , April 23, that as part of a broad agreement with the White House, it will avoid future pricing mandates and also receive tariff relief for 3 years through a deal with the U.S. DOC. Regeneron and Sanofi once again demonstrated solid sales of Dupixent As I've mentioned many times, Regeneron has three FDA-approved drugs under its collaboration with Sanofi: Kevzara, Dupixent [dupilumab] and an anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody called Praluent [alirocumab], whose sales grew 17.7% year-on-year to €153 million in Q1. Source: ...
Abu Hanifah/iStock via Getty Images The Thesis: Reaffirm Prior Hold Rating With earnings season still in focus, one REIT that is reporting earnings next week on May 6th is LTC Properties ( LTC ), a senior-care REIT that is up around +6% since I recommended holding it in my Aug. 2025 article , when I was impressed with its diverse portfolio but also concerned about cost pressures in this niche. Thi...
Abu Hanifah/iStock via Getty Images The Thesis: Reaffirm Prior Hold Rating With earnings season still in focus, one REIT that is reporting earnings next week on May 6th is LTC Properties ( LTC ), a senior-care REIT that is up around +6% since I recommended holding it in my Aug. 2025 article , when I was impressed with its diverse portfolio but also concerned about cost pressures in this niche. This time around, I preview the stock again ahead of its upcoming earnings, and discuss the following 8 ratings categories: LTC - rating worksheet (author) Despite updated data points considered, my followup thesis argues for a hold again, taking a neutral position. Although key strengths may lie in macro demand for senior-care/skilled nursing properties, and this REIT has been on a portfolio growth spree which is respectable, some other factors could be a headwind to any bullish case. These include technical chart patterns, limited upside forecasts, a weak dividend growth story, and lack of steady FFO growth, for example. Macroeconomic Factors LTC - macro demand (author) In this first topic, I considered macro factors in my worksheet above and overall am bullish in this section. An ongoing macro factor I am coming across that is driving tailwind for this niche is an aging population driving demand for senior care. CNBC wrote last November, for example, that "the senior population is skyrocketing as baby boomers peak and nursing homes start to see more residents." Although many seniors may prefer remaining at home to get care rather than moving into a senior-living facility and having had relatives in that situation I totally understand the appeal, it is not without challenges. For instance, the Bloomberg School of Public Health wrote in a study last year that a key challenge is "insufficient numbers of trained and qualified health personnel to meet emerging needs." So, that continues putting the spotlight on actual facilities for seniors to move to, and hence why this niche o...
T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) received a fresh analyst upgrade this morning, with Oppenheimer’s Timothy Horan moving the carrier to Outperform from Perform and assigning a $260 price target. The thesis centers on a new angle: T-Mobile’s potential to use artificial intelligence (AI) to lift pricing, cut expenses, and seed new revenue lines. TMUS stock last traded ... Oppenheimer Upgrades T-Mobile to Ou...
T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) received a fresh analyst upgrade this morning, with Oppenheimer’s Timothy Horan moving the carrier to Outperform from Perform and assigning a $260 price target. The thesis centers on a new angle: T-Mobile’s potential to use artificial intelligence (AI) to lift pricing, cut expenses, and seed new revenue lines. TMUS stock last traded ... Oppenheimer Upgrades T-Mobile to Outperform With a $260 Price Target: Can AI Pricing Power Drive the Next Leg?
Fresh off a near $70-a-share drop Tuesday, shares of Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) bounced back on Wednesday -- and investors can thank Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX) for the bump. Seagate crushed analyst forecasts last night, earning $4.10 per share versus a $3.48 non-GAAP forecast. Sales of $3.1 billion likewise beat expectations for less than $3 billion. Investors are exuberant, and they're buying c...
Fresh off a near $70-a-share drop Tuesday, shares of Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) bounced back on Wednesday -- and investors can thank Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX) for the bump. Seagate crushed analyst forecasts last night, earning $4.10 per share versus a $3.48 non-GAAP forecast. Sales of $3.1 billion likewise beat expectations for less than $3 billion. Investors are exuberant, and they're buying computer memory stocks hand over fist this morning. Sandisk is up 8.5% through 10:25 a.m. ET. Continue reading
Gold is taking a sharp hit on Fed day, with the PHLX Gold/Silver Sector (^XAU) tracking nearly 2% lower. There has been a rotation out of safe havens ahead of the Federal Reserve’s afternoon decision even as the stock market takes a wait-and-see approach. The precious metal move snaps a quiet stretch and leaves bullion ... Real Yields Are Crushing Gold in Short Term but Long-Term Picture Remains I...
Gold is taking a sharp hit on Fed day, with the PHLX Gold/Silver Sector (^XAU) tracking nearly 2% lower. There has been a rotation out of safe havens ahead of the Federal Reserve’s afternoon decision even as the stock market takes a wait-and-see approach. The precious metal move snaps a quiet stretch and leaves bullion ... Real Yields Are Crushing Gold in Short Term but Long-Term Picture Remains Intact