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☆ Wall Street analysts reveal their top ideas for the second half, including this red-hot solar name
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Wall Street analysts have rolled out a slew of top picks that they say investors must own as the second half of 2023 gets underway. They include First Solar, Torrid , Boston Beer, ServiceNow and Boston Scientific. ServiceNow Wells Fargo analyst Michael Turrin is expecting a big second half from the workflow software solutions company. First Solar There's no shortage of positive catalysts "brewing" as the second half kicks off, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Brian Lee. First Solar — Goldman Sachs, buy rating "Catalysts brewing into 2H23 set up well for more positive estimate revisions.

Persons: Roth, Bill Kirk, seltzer, Seltzer, Bud Light, Kirk, Boston Beer, Wells, Michael Turrin, We're, Turrin, ServiceNow, Goldman Sachs, Brian Lee, Lee, — Roth, … We're, Mgmt Organizations: CNBC, Boston Beer, Boston Scientific, Boston, Bank of America, 2Q, Scientific, Barclays, BSX Locations: Boston, Wells

June 27 (Reuters) - Private equity firm THL Partners is exploring a sale of Nextech Systems LLC that could value the provider of healthcare software at around $1.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. THL is working with investment bank William Blair on a sale process for Nextech that has attracted other private equity firms and is at an advanced stage, the sources said. THL Partners, Nextech and William Blair did not respond to requests for comment. Based in Tampa, Florida, Nextech provides software solutions for electronic medical record tracking, healthcare payments and practice management. THL acquired Nextech in 2019 from Francisco Partners, another buyout firm, for more than $500 million.

Persons: William Blair, THL, Milana Vinn, Matthew Lewis Organizations: THL Partners, Nextech Systems, Francisco Partners, Thomson Locations: Tampa , Florida, New York

☆ TipRanks reveals the top 10 Wall Street industrial sector analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Tipranks.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

TipRanks used its Experts Center tool to find the analysts sporting a high success rate. TipRanks' algorithms calculated the statistical significance of each rating, analysts' overall success rate, and the average return. Top 10 analysts from the consumer goods sectorThe image below shows the most successful Wall Street analysts from the industrial goods sector. The buy recommendation generated a return of 134.8% from May 14, 2020 to May 14, 2021. Christopher Glynn - OppenheimerChristopher Glynn has the 10th spot on the list, with a success rate of 60%.

Persons: CARR, Spencer Platt, TipRanks, Kenneth Herbert, Herbert, Leonardo, Stephen Volkmann, Jefferies Stephen Volkmann, Parker Hannifin, Seth Weber, Weber, Benoit Poirier – Desjardins Benoit Poirier, Keith Hughes, Stanley Elliott, Stifel Nicolaus, Andrew Kaplowitz, Julian Mitchell –, Julian Mitchell, Mitchell, Gautam Khanna —, Cowen Gautam Khanna, Christopher Glynn, Oppenheimer Christopher Glynn Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Getty, RBC, Leonardo DRS, DRS, Wells, Herc Holdings, TFI, Truist, Caterpillar, Citi Citigroup, Julian Mitchell – Barclays, Barclays, Carrier, Johnson Locations: New York City, Wells Fargo Wells, Symbotic, Generac

☆ How artificial intelligence could threaten major industries and business models
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Meanwhile, limits on applicable copyright rules make it simpler to train AI tools. Nevertheless, accuracy issues with AI tools, Redburn said, could boost the use case for Pearson. Copyright issues are another major obstacle for music companies. Some potential copyright violations include replicating an artist's likeness or voice, and that could weaken the catalog value for many music companies, analysts said. Similarly, Deutsche Bank analyst Matthew Niknam highlighted in a recent note AI presents more opportunities than risks and offers "underappreciated upside tailwinds" for Five9.

Persons: GOOGL, Goldman Sachs, Dan Rosensweig, Chegg, Brad Erickson, Hayden Brown, Brown, BTIG, Chegg's, Pearson, Redburn, Morgan Stanley, Brent Thill, Thill, Douglas Mitchelson, Rosenblatt, Barton Crockett, Morgan Stanley's Omar Sheikh, Ygal, Nat Schindler, Wix, Jefferies, Oppenheimer, Timothy Horan, Matthew Niknam, Meta Marshall, Marshall, Michael Bloom Organizations: Wall Street, Microsoft, Nvidia, Goldman, Chegg, Companies, Freelance, Upwork, RBC Capital, Pearson, Bank of America, UBS, Jefferies, Industry Music, Spotify, Credit, Warner, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Citi, NICE, Deutsche Bank Locations: Nice

☆ Check out the 8-slide pitch deck German health tech startup Patient21 used to raise $108 million in a mix of equity and debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup offers both in-person clinical services and software for healthcare providers. We got an exclusive look at the 8-slide deck it used to raise the fresh funds. A startup that combines brick-and-mortar clinical services with software for healthcare providers just raised $108 million in fresh funds despite a drop off in global healthtech funding. While the average dental clinic in Germany operates four to six different software solutions to manage a whole patient journey, Patient21 aims to stand out by consolidating these services into one. With the fresh funds, Patient21 will hone the development of its software platform, and expand from Germany into newer European markets.

☆ Rocket Software offers improved bid to acquire Germany's Software AG
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Rocket Software on Tuesday announced an improved offer for the acquisition of the entire share capital of Germany's Software AG (SOWGn.DE) at an initial offer price of 34 euros per share ($37.43). The non-binding offer from Rocket Software, which is backed by private equity firm Bain Capital, comes after a bidding war for the German software company emerged last week. Rocket Software said its latest offer "would be a more compelling opportunity for Software AG’s employees, customers, and other stakeholders, and will deliver a superior outcome for Software AG’s shareholders." The Boston, Massachusetts-based Rocket Software offers software solutions to enterprises across all industries, to help with IT challenges across infrastructure, data, and applications. German multinational software firm Software AG, which is listed in Frankfurt, develops enterprise software for business process management, integration, and big data analytics.

☆ GrubMarket: 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Despite the scale of industrial farming, the produce supply chain, in which wholesalers and distributors get their produce to customers via grocers, local markets or restaurants, has remained fragmented. The goal, according to CEO Mike Xu, is to digitally transform the American food supply chain industry, while reaching $100 billion in sales — it is nowhere near that today — along the way. The company works directly with farmers and growers, as well as buyers, with a suite of software solutions that include inventory, warehouse management, grower accounting and mobile apps for food wholesalers and distributors. GrubMarket is now one of the largest suppliers of South American produce in the U.S. Last year, it was in the top 10% of suppliers for meat, peppers, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and oranges in the country. It supplies 5% of all grapes and is the country's largest distributor of South American cherries.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Western Alliance, Berkshire Hathaway, Wix & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"We are initiating coverage of ZI with a BUY rating and a $30 target as a rare value investment within software. Citi upgrades Deutsche Bank to buy from neutral Citi said the global investment bank is at an "attractive entry point." " Deutsche Bank is one of the most de-rated banks YTD, yet the 1Q23 results demonstrated potential for further consensus earnings upgrades." Rosenblatt reiterates Apple as buy Rosenblatt said it's standing by its buy rating heading into earnings on Thursday after the bell. " CFRA reiterates Berkshire Hathaway as hold CFRA said it's standing by its "fairly valued" hold rating heading into Berkshire earnings on Saturday.

NEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - Cybersecurity firm Forcepoint is exploring a sale of its government security unit for more than $2 billion, five people familiar with the matter said. Forcepoint is looking to offload the unit as part of its strategy to focus on growing its commercial business, which caters to large corporations, the sources added. Austin, Texas-based Forcepoint develops and creates computer security software, data protection, and firewall solutions. Last year, Forcepoint won an $89 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to provide software solutions that would help monitor user activity. Forcepoint also counts the likes of International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N), CVS Health Corp (CVS.N), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) as customers.

Some are turning to startups who are pivoting to using powerful chips to run quantum-inspired software on regular computers as they bide their time. In the past 18 months, quantum software startups including SandBoxAQ - an Alphabet spinoff - raised about $1 billion, according to data firm PitchBook. Ultimately, the software inspired by quantum physics won't perform well on quantum computers without some changes, said William Hurley, boss of Austin-based quantum software startup Strangeworks. Still, he said companies that start using them will have engineers "learning about quantum and the phenomenon and the process, which will better prepare them to use quantum computers at the point that they do so." Strangeworks, which also operates a cloud with over 60 quantum computers on it, raised $24 million last month from investors including IBM (IBM.N).

☆ Piper Sandler calls generative A.I. the next $100 billion tech revolution, names stocks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"We see Generative AI as the next major revolution in technology that could have far reaching implications across both consumer and enterprise sectors," wrote analyst Brent Bracelin in a Friday note to clients, calling generative AI the "next $100B+ technology revolution." Amazon Web Services is also launching Bedrock , a generative AI service that's geared toward developers. Given this setup for the industry, Piper Sandler named some of its top picks to play the growing field. Microsoft seemed to win the first marketing battle, but Piper Sandler sees Alphabet as well-positioned for AI given its yearslong use of AI and machine learning in its search products. Despite the run up in shares, Piper Sandler expects nearly 7% downside for the stock from Thursday's close.

☆ Female leadership in tech is falling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | Kevin Travers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

With the backdrop of Women's History Month, Tacy Byham, chief executive officer of DDI, an international human resources and leadership development consultancy company, says it's no surprise the number of women in tech leadership roles is still low. Her company's research over the past 20 years shows that while the number of women in technology leadership roles has been rising, it's only ever reached 33%. But across the entire tech sector, the percentage of women in tech leadership roles is trending down, currently at 28%, according to DDI's 2023 Global Leadership Forecast, which surveyed 1,827 human resources professionals and 13,695 business leaders from over 1,500 companies around the world. Compounding the problem is the fact that on average, most companies don't offer leadership training to employees until nearly four years after they start their role. "These tasks don't always give them the points they need to help them move from a mid-level leader to an executive-level leader," she said.

☆ Taser maker Axon Enterprise shares are up for an eighth-straight year. Here's what's driving the gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

One stock that's bucking all macro concerns in 2023, and has been for years, is Taser maker Axon Enterprise . Axon shares are up nearly 30% this year, putting them on track for their eighth consecutive annual gain. While other smaller firms offer these products, Axon has been snatching up market share as it leverages its relationship with law enforcement. The Taser maker has a customer relationship with roughly 17,000 out 18,000 U.S. law enforcement agencies, according to a note this month from Goldman Sachs . The firm also has dedicated sales representatives for 1,200 for the largest agencies, which represent 70% of law enforcement patrol officers.

☆ 20 years of digital transformation, as seen by an IT expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Goto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Back then, the average person would hear the term "remote support" and probably think it meant getting help for their TV controller. Jaromi said he has seen teams increase their productivity between 20% to 50% by letting GoTo Resolve's efficiencies work for them. For SMBs, GoTo Resolve can often be their main IT presence. But Rescue and GoTo Resolve have constantly stayed a step ahead, building in the most secure layers possible. Looking to the futureOver his 18 years at GoTo, Jaromi has seen the company endure significant changes, from being an upstart innovator to an established industry leader.

☆ JPMorgan upgrades telecom stock Motorola Solutions, sees more than 15% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It's time to build a long-term position in Motorola Solutions , according to JPMorgan. Analyst Paul Chung upgraded Motorola Solutions to overweight from neutral, saying the telecommunications equipment firm that was spun off from telephone company Motorola Mobility Holdings is looking attractive. Motorola Solutions, the maker of video equipment and other software solutions, separated from Motorola Mobility Holdings in 2011. Since then, Motorola Solutions shares have had just two down years, most recently in 2022, when it fell just 5% while the S & P 500 dropped 19%. MSI 1D mountain Motorola Solutions shares 1-day Motorola has record backlog levels that are expected to remain robust on an upgrade cycle.

☆ 25 years later, the company that modernized the way we straighten our teeth is still revolutionizing dentistry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Align | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Align Technology, the company behind the Invisalign® system and iTero™ intraoral scanners, is celebrating 25 years of transforming smiles and changing lives. Align Technology transformed the orthodontic industry with the Invisalign® clear aligner system, a series of clear, removable aligners custom-made for each patient. On average, Invisalign treatment is five months shorter than braces treatment, and Invisalign patients report 30% fewer doctor visits than braces patients. Fast Facts: The Invisalign clear aligner system was introduced in 1999. Invisalign® Personalized Plan delivers Invisalign treatment plans by automating doctors' specific treatment preferences for efficiency and treatment planning consistency.

Here's an update on our energy, industrials and materials names in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use at the CNBC Investing Club. In 2022, by contrast, the priority was its variable dividend, which changed quarter by quarter depending on its financial results. The industrial company is one of our more recently added holdings. He also mentioned that Halliburton's top boss, Jeff Miller, has expressed notable conviction that the company's stock price is too cheap. The alternative would be consolidating our holdings to two oil-and-gas producers, along with Halliburton as our third energy stock.

☆ Stripe in advanced talks to raise $4 bln from investors - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Krystal Hu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Small toy figures are seen in front of Stripe logo in this illustration picture taken March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoFeb 24 (Reuters) - Digital payments processor Stripe Inc is close to raising $4 billion in fresh capital at a valuation of about $55 billion, people familiar with the matter said. The funding is expected to be completed by the end of March, the sources said, cautioning that the target number could still fall short. Goldman Sachs has also been setting up special purpose investment vehicles to offer wealth management clients opportunities to invest in Stripe, one of the sources said. It processed about $14.4 billion in gross revenue in 2022, compared to about $11.7 billion in 2021, the sources cited above said.

☆ Jobs of the Future: ChatGPT, AI Will Create Careers That Need Humans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Automation technology has ushered in a fleet of secret workers behind screens, machines, and smiling robot faces. On the AI side, tools like ChatGPT have been used to write real articles and take college exams. Truck drivers are still in high demand, and self-driving technology is nowhere near replacing human jobs. The human behind the curtainAmid the fear-mongering about a robot takeover, people often miss the degree to which machines still require human workers in order to function. Maja Hitij/Getty ImagesThese technologies are often deployed to de-skill work — jobs are broken down into more specific tasks and can be done with less training.

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Shares of solar-tracking business Nextracker Inc soared 26% in their U.S. market debut on Thursday, suggesting that the IPO market was showing signs of emerging from a prolonged freeze. "It's yet another sign that the 2023 IPO market is thawing. So it's a breath of fresh air," said Matthew Kennedy, senior IPO market strategist at Renaissance Capital. Nextracker raised $638 million from 26.6 million shares in its IPO on Wednesday, higher than its original plan of $534.9 million. Founded in 2013 by Chief Executive Officer Dan Shugar, Nextracker provides solar tracker and software solutions for solar power plants.

Feb 1 (Reuters) - QAD, a business software maker was taken private by buyout firm Thoma Bravo in 2021 for $2 billion, told Reuters on Wednesday it has agreed to acquire employee productivity platform Redzone for about $1 billion. Redzone, which was founded in 2013, offers enterprise software solutions primarily for the manufacturing industry. Founded in 1979, QAD provides cloud-based planning and resources solutions software to manufacturing companies. The deal will help QAD expand its footprint across different sectors within the manufacturing industry. Reporting Milana Vinn in San Francisco and Krystal Hu in New York Editing by Greg RoumeliotisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nesta's VC arm just launched a $60 million fund to back social and climate impact startups. We got an exclusive look at the 13-slide pitch deck it used to sway its board.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The VC arm of the UK's social innovation agency Nesta just launched a £50 million ($60 million) fund. We got an exclusive look at the 13-slide pitch deck used to convince Nesta's board to launch the fund. While UK-focused, Nesta Impact Investments can invest in any geography as long as the company could have a positive impact on the UK market. In this portfolio, Nesta Impact Investments is running at 71% from minoritized or disadvantaged groups, according to Barclay. We got an exclusive look at the 13-slide pitch deck Nesta Impact Investments used to sell Nesta's board on the new fund.

☆ Cramer: Why tech can't find a bottom as other parts of the market show signs of life
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The Carvana and Zillow calls aren't resonating because the autos and housing companies have already seen their stocks crushed. At the same time, these once-thriving tech companies that saw an ever-expanding funnel somehow didn't seem to see any of this coming. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade.

☆ Regulator Warns Hong Kong Companies About Auditor Resignations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong’s accounting regulator is sounding the alarm over a surge in auditor resignations a month before or after a company’s reporting period ends. So-called “late auditor resignations,” which increased to 107 during the nine months ended Aug. 31 from 71 in the same period a year earlier, can jeopardize audit quality, the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council said Thursday. Audit firm resignations, and changes in general, are rare in the U.S., where companies are not required to switch firms after a certain number of years. In March, Enterprise Development announced annual results for the period that ended in December audited by Hong Kong accounting firm BOFA CPA Ltd. “We are concerned that audit quality may be compromised by late auditor resignations because the incoming auditor will have limited time to plan and conduct a proper audit in order to meet the listed entity’s deadline to announce their audited results,” she added.

☆ Australia's ELMO Software agrees near-$A500m takeover offer from U.S. firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Australia's ELMO Software (ELO.AX) said on Wednesday it has agreed to a near-A$500 million ($319 million) takeover bid from Los Angeles-based K1 Investment Management. The offer is a 100.4% premium to the closing share price on Oct. 12, the day before ELMO announced it had received approaches expressing interest in a takeover. ELMO's shares on Wednesday shot 41% higher, erasing a 27% loss incurred so far in 2022 ahead of the takeover. Two of ELMO's biggest investors, JLAB Investments and the Garber Family Trust, have also backed the bid, ELMO's statement on Wednesday said. Since K1 is an overseas firm the takeover will require approval from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board.

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