Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now

tags:PUK,SKT,DB,CBOE,TOP,TSBK,EBSB,DLR,VLY,KKR, Retirement is a period to look forward to for a countless number of working Americans, but it can be a financially stressful time, as well.

No matter when you choose to retire, here are a few money-related milestones you should aim to hit first.

1. Save enough to cover three months of living expenses

Ideally, you'll have a healthy amount of retirement savings stashed away in an IRA or 401(k) by the time you stop working. (More on that in a minute.) But aside from your nest egg, you should also have a fully loaded emergency fund in time for retirement with enough cash to cover a solid three months of living expenses.

Now, you may be thinking: "Why do I need emergency savings if I have money in a retirement account?" And here's the reason: The purpose of an emergency fund is to give you immediate access to cash to cover an unforeseen need.

The money in your IRA or 401(k), by contrast, might be invested, and it therefore might take some time to liquidate those investments and get your hands on that money. Plus, if you cash out investments at the wrong time, you might take a hit if you're forced to sell at a loss.

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Prudential Public Limited Company(PUK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ValuEngine lowered shares of Prudential (NYSE:PUK) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

  Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Prudential from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $57.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 27th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Prudential from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, March 29th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Prudential from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $57.00.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Prudential (NYSE: PUK) and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE:RGA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Prudential Public Limited (NYSE:PUK) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Here are some of the news headlines that may have effected Accern’s rankings:

  Get Prudential alerts: Zacks Investment Research Lowers Prudential (PUK) to Hold (americanbankingnews.com) Financial wellness program popularity rises among employers, up 63 percentage points in two years (markets.financialcontent.com) FY2018 EPS Estimates for Prudential (PUK) Reduced by Jefferies Group (americanbankingnews.com) Jefferies Group Weighs in on Prudential’s FY2020 Earnings (PUK) (americanbankingnews.com) ValuEngine Downgrades Prudential (PUK) to Hold (americanbankingnews.com)

  Shares of PUK stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $51.56. 141,455 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 198,097. The firm has a market cap of $66.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.79, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.03 and a current ratio of 0.03. Prudential has a 52-week low of $44.49 and a 52-week high of $55.36.

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc.(SKT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Finding cheap dividend stocks often means delving into companies that are working through some sort of problem. The hard part is figuring out if the problems are surmountable or, potentially, terminal. Investors have left Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) and VEREIT (NYSE:VER) in the bargain bin. But you could find good reasons to think these cheap dividend stocks are worth buying when you dig into the details just a little.

• [By Keith Noonan, Leo Sun, and Maxx Chatsko]

  We asked three Motley Fool contributors each to identify a top income-paying company that's primed to deliver strong returns for shareholders. Here's why WestRock (NYSE:WRK), Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT), and AT&T (NYSE:T) made their list of dividend stocks that in-the-know investors should add to their portfolios. 

• [By Motley Fool Transcribing]

  Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 14, 2019 8:30 a.m. ET

  Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

  Cyndi Holt -- Vice President of Investor Relations

• [By Matthew Frankel, CFP]

  Frankel: Mine is Tanger Factory Outlets (NYSE:SKT), ticker SKT. Since we already talked about Realty Income and the good kind of retail, I wanted to push that a little bit further. This is another one that I own, not quite to the magnitude that I own Realty Income. Tanger is a great dividend stock, pays about 6.3% right now. It's also a kind of retail that's not terribly vulnerable to e-commerce. The nature of outlet retail is very experiential. I don't know about you, but the reason that my wife and I go to the outlets from time to time is to find stuff that we can't find anywhere else. It's got the experiential component, it's got a discount component, which keeps people physically going to those properties instead of browsing online equivalents.

• [By Matthew Frankel]

  Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) has performed quite poorly lately. After a 7% drop following its first-quarter earnings release, the stock has now underperformed the S&P 500 by a staggering 69 percentage points over the past two years.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  These aren't exactly the golden days of brick-and-mortar retailing, but this doesn't mean that investors can't cash in on the trend while still betting on the side of the landlords. Deal-seeking shoppers and retailers looking to clear out excess merchandise are flocking to factory outlets, and that's where Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT) is making its mark.

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Deutsche Bank AG(DB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Get an exclusive invitation to meet Tim before everyone else right here.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Wednesday The U.S. markets are preparing for the eighth interest rate hike since 2015, and the Federal Reserve may not be done yet. Markets are weighing the possibility that the Fed may raise rates one more time this year (in December). The hikes come as the Fed is attempting to shrink its $4.5 trillion balance sheet. When Powell speaks this afternoon, expect a few questions about the impact of the trade war between the United States and China. Reporters will also likely want to know about geopolitical risks to the U.S. economy and how they might affect growth in a higher-interest-rate environment. Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a speech before the United Nations General Assembly. During his talk, Trump praised the U.S. economy and defended his administration's actions this year on trade. Trump said that the United States will no longer endure "abuse" from other trade partners. The U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer also said Tuesday that the U.S. is prepared to proceed on a new trade deal with Mexico without the participation of Canada. Oil prices are in focus after President Trump called out OPEC members before the U.N. on Tuesday. During his talk, Trump accused OPEC and non-OPEC participants in collusion efforts on production and prices of ripping off the rest of the world. Three Stocks to Watch Today: NKE, SVMK, DB Shares of Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) fell 3.5% after the sports apparel giant reported earnings after the bell. The company topped earnings expectations and reported profit growth of 15%. However, investors took some profits off the table. Shares of Nike stock are up more than 35% on the year. SVMK, the parent company of SurveyMonkey, has priced its upcoming IPO at $12 per share. That figure is above analysts' initial range expectation of $9 to $11 per share. The firm expects to reach a market capitalization of $1.46 bil
• [By Paul Ausick]

  Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) dropped about 6.9% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $11.99. Shares closed at $12.88 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $20.23. Volume of around 10 million shares was more than double the daily average.The bank is cutting thousands of jobs and some demands have been made to kick out the bank’s chairman.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Merger mania has been hitting Wall Street all month. Today, 21st Century Fox Inc. (Nasdaq: FOXA) has been urged by activist investor Chris Hohn to make a deal with Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) if that company's offer is better than the deal they could receive from The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS). Hohn's firm disclosed in an SEC filing that it has a 7.4% stake in FOXA. Four Stocks to Watch Today: BBY, DB, KR, APRN Best Buy Corp. (NYSE: BBY) leads a busy day of earnings reports in New York. The Big Box retailer easily topped Wall Street expectations, with earnings per share of $0.82 on $9.11 billion in revenue. The average analyst expectation came in at $0.75 on $8.78 billion. The largest bank in Europe is facing problems again. This morning, Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) announced plans to slash 7,000 jobs as the firm attempts to restore profitability to its balance sheet. The announcement comes as the company's chair faces a vote of no confidence at an annual general meeting taking place today. In other deal news, Kroger Inc. (NYSE: KR) has purchased Home Chef, the biggest privately owned meal kit delivery firm in the United States. The deal includes $200 million upfront and could be worth $700 million should Home Chef hit certain targets over its next five years. It is an interesting acquisition, given that rival Blue Apron Holdings Inc. (NYSE: APRN) has struggled since its IPO. Though APRN stock was up 3.8% this morning on news of the Home Chef deal, the stock is trading at just $3.07. It hit the market at $11.00 in June 2017. Look for additional earnings reports from Splunk Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLK), Deckers Outdoor Corp. (Nasdaq: DECK), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Ross Stores Inc. (Nasdaq: ROST), Autodesk Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), and Hormel Foods Corp. (NYSE: HRL).

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• [By Matthew Frankel]

  And finally, Deutsche Bank USA (NYSE:DB) was the only bank whose capital plan was rejected and is required to be resubmitted, due to "material weaknesses in the firm's data capabilities and controls supporting its capital planning process, as well as weaknesses in its approaches and assumptions used to forecast revenues and losses under stress."

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  Well, Money Morning Special Situation Strategist Tim Melvin has broken these secrets out of the vault of the Smart Money managers. And he's sharing the Max Wealth secrets for free right here.

  Two Stocks to Watch Today: XOM, DB Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) jumped more than 2.6% in pre-market hours after the energy giant reported earnings before the bell. The oil major reported earnings per share of $1.41, easily topping Wall Street forecasts of $1.08. Its $7.2 billion in quarterly profits were a 72% jump from the same period last year. However, the firm did fall a bit short on the revenue front. Investors liked the news that Exxon plans to restructure its upstream business to reduce costs and bolster operating cash flow by 2025. On the European front, shares of Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) were off another 3.72% after the German banking giant reported earnings. The embattled financial institution reported its first annual profit since 2014. However, broader uncertainty remains from investors. On Friday, look for earnings reports from Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), Cigna Holding Co. (NYSE: CI), Weatherford International Plc. (NYSE: WFT), Roper Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ROP), Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK), Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON), and Johnson Controls International Plc. (NYSE: JCI). These 3 Stocks Are the Key to 2019's Greatest Profits

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Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: CBOE Holdings Inc.(CBOE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This company is the beneficiary of volatility and options trading. Cboe Global Markets Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) was founded in 1973 as the first U.S. options exchange and went public in 2010. Its primary business is trading listed options contracts on equities, indexes (including several exclusively licensed and proprietary products) and ETFs through a hybrid model that combines electronic and open outcry trading.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $3.46 billion. Aon plc (NYSE: AON) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.8 per share on revenue of $2.93 billion. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AXL) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $1.75 billion. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.88 per share on revenue of $9.27 billion. LifePoint Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.13 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $2.90 billion. Newell Brands Inc. (NYSE: NWL) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.26 per share on revenue of $3.05 billion. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $407.27 million. Boise Cascade Company (NYSE: BCC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $1.09 billion. Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE: LNG) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.24 per share on revenue of $308.05 million. ITT Inc. (NYSE: ITT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $683.96 million. Fred's, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRED) is expected to report quarterly loss at $0.19 per share on revenue of $551.00 million. Virtu Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIRT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.52 per share on revenue of $288.31 million. Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CQP) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.57 per share on revenue of $1.38 billion. Genesis Energy, L.P
• [By Motley Fool Transcription]

  Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (NYSEMKT:CBOE)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 8, 2019, 8:30 a.m. ET

  Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks:

  Operator

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Clinton Group Inc. boosted its position in Cboe Global Markets Inc (NASDAQ:CBOE) by 64.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,970 shares during the quarter. Cboe Global Markets comprises 1.5% of Clinton Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Clinton Group Inc.’s holdings in Cboe Global Markets were worth $4,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Sean Williams]

  But times have changed, the virtual-currency market has matured a bit, and institutional investors have had a means to bet on the crypto market in a more traditional sense over the past couple of months. By this, I mean that both the CME Group and CBOE Global Markets (NASDAQ:CBOE) have offered bitcoin futures on their trading platforms since December, providing a more traditional avenue for Wall Street to place its bets.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Shares of Cboe Global Markets Inc (NASDAQ:CBOE) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $118.64.

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Topdanmark A/S (TOP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  TopCoin (CURRENCY:TOP) traded flat against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 7:00 AM E.T. on September 8th. In the last seven days, TopCoin has traded flat against the U.S. dollar. TopCoin has a total market capitalization of $0.00 and $0.00 worth of TopCoin was traded on exchanges in the last day. One TopCoin coin can now be bought for about $0.0008 or 0.00000010 BTC on major cryptocurrency exchanges.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  TopCoin (CURRENCY:TOP) traded down 15.4% against the dollar during the 1-day period ending at 7:00 AM E.T. on June 21st. During the last seven days, TopCoin has traded up 4% against the dollar. TopCoin has a market cap of $0.00 and approximately $123.00 worth of TopCoin was traded on exchanges in the last day. One TopCoin coin can currently be bought for about $0.0010 or 0.00000015 BTC on popular exchanges.

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Timberland Bancorp Inc.(TSBK)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Press coverage about Timberland Bancorp (NASDAQ:TSBK) has trended somewhat positive on Friday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. Accern ranks the sentiment of press coverage by analyzing more than twenty million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Timberland Bancorp earned a daily sentiment score of 0.01 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media coverage about the savings and loans company an impact score of 46.0053181885204 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Timberland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSBK) declared a None dividend on Tuesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of 0.23 per share by the savings and loans company on Friday, May 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 10th.

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Meridian Interstate Bancorp Inc.(EBSB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Meridian Bancorp (NASDAQ:EBSB) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BidaskClub from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  BidaskClub upgraded shares of Meridian Bancorp (NASDAQ:EBSB) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Meridian Bancorp (EBSB)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Digital Realty Trust Inc.(DLR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its stake in shares of DIGITAL RLTY TR/SH (NYSE:DLR) by 8.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 3,757 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in DIGITAL RLTY TR/SH were worth $4,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Jason Hall, Matthew Frankel, CFP, and Matthew DiLallo]

  Here's where the real opportunity to create wealth in stocks is: High-quality -- and real -- companies with solid long-term prospects. Three Motley Fool contributors put together three legitimate stocks for you to consider: high-growth (and higher-risk) NV5 Global Inc. (NASDAQ:NVEE), long-term dividend growth (and lower-risk) Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR), and a solid value investment in Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE:KMI). 

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of DIGITAL Rlty Tr/SH SH (NYSE:DLR) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.00.

• [By Matthew Frankel, CFP®]

  And to be clear, this quote doesn't just apply when the entire market is greedy or fearful. As a personal example, one data center real estate investment trust posted some troubling results, so investors became fearful of all data center REITs, driving down prices. In the midst of the selling, I decided to pick up some more shares of Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR), one of my favorite stocks. Since I bought them earlier this year, the market seems to have acknowledged the fears were overblown, and shares are up by more than 20% since then.

• [By Brian Feroldi, Matthew Frankel, and Dan Caplinger]

  So, which dividend stocks do we Fools like right now? We asked a team of investing experts to weigh in, and they picked Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY), Digital Realty (NYSE:DLR), and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP). 

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on DIGITAL RLTY TR/SH (DLR)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: Valley National Bancorp(VLY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Media headlines about Valley National Bancorp (NYSE:VLY) have been trending somewhat positive on Friday, Accern Sentiment reports. The research group scores the sentiment of press coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Valley National Bancorp earned a news sentiment score of 0.11 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news coverage about the financial services provider an impact score of 46.7359041169613 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near term.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Camden National (NASDAQ:CAC) and Valley National Bancorp (NYSE:VLY) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Trustmark (NASDAQ: TRMK) and Valley National Bank (NYSE:VLY) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, risk and earnings.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Valley National Bancorp (VLY)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Financial Stocks To Buy Right Now: KKR(KKR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on KKR & Co. L.P. Unit (KKR)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Max Byerly]

  Oppenheimer set a $35.00 target price on KKR & Co Inc (NYSE:KKR) in a report released on Wednesday morning. The firm currently has a buy rating on the asset manager’s stock.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  For nearly a decade, the stock market seemed to move nearly straight up. After a gut-wrenching downturn during the financial crisis, the market's rebound was just about the last thing that investors would have expected -- but it was extremely good news for private equity companies like KKR (NYSE:KKR), which sought to take advantage of long-term opportunities in distressed assets to produce substantial profits.