Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:RCII,GD,UNH,WEN,IBM,EMR,PH,CMP,SIRI,USG,

Dividend investors are considered conservative folk. They eschew hypergrowth stocks because of their speculative nature, and instead focus on the security of a regular check that can be used for income or to harness the power of reinvested dividends.

At least that is what dividend investors want you to believe. 

In reality, they also have a speculative tendency in them; it's just that they indulge that tendency in the form of high-yield stocks trading for incredibly low valuations. Make no mistake, there is no such thing as a double-digit dividend yield that doesn't come with a healthy dose of speculation.

Three dividend companies -- oil and gas logistics company Buckeye Partners (NYSE:BPL), coal miner Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP), and fracking sand supplier Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE:HCLP) -- are all selling at gobsmackingly cheap prices, which likely has a few yield-chasing investors taking a look at them. But are any of these stocks actually worth buying today?

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ: RCII) shares made an incredible gain on Monday after the company announced that it would be taken private by Vintage Rodeo Parent, an affiliate of Vintage Capital Management.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  AerCap (NYSE: AER) and Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and valuation.

• [By ]

  Engaged Capital maintained large positions in Rent-A-Center (RCII) , TiVo (TIVO) , Hain Celestial (HAIN) , SunOpta and Jamba Inc. (JMBA) , all companies that have either previously been targeted by Welling or currently are in his cross-hairs.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

  A number of other research firms have also issued reports on RCII. TheStreet upgraded shares of Rent-A-Center from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Monday, July 9th. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Rent-A-Center from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 3rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Rent-A-Center from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $17.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of Rent-A-Center from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, June 18th. Finally, Northcoast Research lowered shares of Rent-A-Center from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Rent-A-Center presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $11.00.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ:RCII) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.75.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Rent-A-Center (RCII)

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

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: S&P GSCI(GD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Only 10% of the companies on the list had female CEOs at the helm, four of which -- Hewlett Packard (HP) , Lockheed Martin (LMT) , General Motors (GM) , and General Dynamics (GD) -- grew significant revenue in five years or less. 

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  Whiteman: It is. The big guns, so to speak, are the names you mentioned, Lockheed Martin being the biggest with an $85 billion market cap. Then, there's a handful of other companies that are focused mostly on weapons platforms -- your General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), Northrop Grumman, Raytheon. The Boeing defense business is only 20% of the company, but it's still a huge contractor. 

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Riverhead Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) by 223.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,328 shares during the period. Riverhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in General Dynamics were worth $2,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Five years ago, General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) was struck by disaster.

  Years of acquisitions in the IT space, designed to turn the defense giant best known for its battle tanks and nuclear submarines into a cybersecurity specialist, had failed to produce significant profit growth. Instead, realizing that it had overpaid for its new subsidiaries, General D acknowledged its mistake, took a $2.9 billion charge to earnings, fired its IT division head (or allowed him to retire "to pursue new professional opportunities"), and reported only its second full-year net loss in the last 30 years.

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  Two of the biggest laggards have been General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) and Huntington Ingalls (NYSE:HII), each down by more than 10% in the past three months. The similarities go well beyond stock performance. The companies have two of the more interesting outlooks for growth among defense players, but each seemed to catch investors off guard over how long it will take that increased business to materialize.

• [By Lou Whiteman]

  Scale matters in the government IT business, as larger companies are better able to manage the increasingly large and complex systems customers demand, and a broader cost basis helps in putting together low-cost, competitive bids. In recent years, a wave of mergers and acquisitions has left a clear top two in the market. Industry leader Leidos Holdings (NYSE:LDOS) in 2016 bought the IT business of Lockheed Martin, while General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) vaulted to No. 2 earlier this year via its acquisition of CSRA.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Monday was UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) which traded up 1.67% at $242.25. The stock’s 52-week range is $166.65 to $250.79. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 3.5 million shares. The company had no specific news.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) traded up 0.37% at $220.41. The stock’s 52-week range is $156.09 to $231.77. Volume was about a 65% below the daily average of around 3 million shares. The company had no specific news.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Market fears of an escalating Middle Eastern conflict abated thanks to last week's military strikes against the Syrian government. On Friday, April 13, U.S. forces joined the United Kingdom and France in retaliation for a chemical gas attack carried out by the Syrian government. The military exercise came at a time that tensions are also rising in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Today, several members of the U.S. Federal Reserve will be speaking at events around the globe, including San Francisco Fed President John Williams and Chicago Fed Bank President Charles Evans. But no one will be more watched today than Fed Gov. Randal Quarles, who will testify before the U.S. House Financial Services Commission. Quarles will provide testimony on the central bank's plans to regulate and oversee the financial system. Expect a wealth of questions about the Fed's plans to raise interest rates and manage its massive balance sheet. Money Morning Liquidity Specialist Lee Adler offers you advice on how to play the Fed's problems, right here. Four Stocks to Watch Today: GS, NFLX, TSLA, and ROKU Shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) added 0.6% after the Wall Street bank easily topped Q1 earnings and revenue estimates. The firm reported earnings per share (EPS) of $6.95 on top of more than $10 billion in revenue. Analysts projected EPS of $5.67 on top of $8.89 billion. The investment bank hiked its quarterly dividend and said that revenue from equity trading rallied thanks to an uptick in recent market volatility. Shares of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) are flat on the news that the firm will suspend production of its Model 3 vehicles. The firm said the temporary halt in production will aim to "improve automation" and address ongoing bottlenecks in its production process. Shares of Roku Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU) popped more than 8.2% on news that Steven Cohen's family office has taken a passive 5.1% stake in the company. The streaming device manufactur
• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy with a $288 price target (versus a $266.54 close) at Citigroup.

  Zscaler Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BTIG.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Here are some of the media headlines that may have impacted Accern Sentiment Analysis’s analysis:

  Get UnitedHealth Group alerts: UnitedHealth strikes two long-term deals with lab giants (bizjournals.com) LabCorp Extends UnitedHealthcare Pact, Lifts Diagnostics Arm (finance.yahoo.com) UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Director Sells $3,732,300.00 in Stock (americanbankingnews.com) Is UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Outpacing Its Medical Peers This Year? (nasdaq.com) Brief Overview on Stock’s Performances – UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH) (financerater.com)

  Several research analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, April 18th. Barclays started coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, March 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $265.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-six have given a buy rating to the stock. UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $254.66.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Heading into 2018, Avalere estimated that 41% of all U.S. counties were expected to have just one insurer offering a health plan. This comes after UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), the nation's largest insurer, pulled out of 31 of 34 states in 2017. After UnitedHealth Group lost $475 million from Obamacare in 2015 and predicted $650 million in ACA losses in 2016, it was no surprise to see the nation's largest health insurer critical of the ACA. 

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc.(WEN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Buyout speculation gained momentum last week after The Wall Street Journal -- citing anonymous "people familiar with the matter" -- said Nelson Peltz and his Trian Fund Management hedge fund were contemplating a takeover offer for Papa John's. Peltz also arranged a meeting between Schnatter and the management of burger joint Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) in late June to discuss a possible deal, according to WSJ. However, Wendy's backed away after the last Schnatter brouhaha.

• [By ]

  Throughout its history, Starbucks has mostly had a company-owned model for its retail locations, a strategy that is at odds with a trend of activist investors pushing fast food, restaurant and coffee companies to franchise locations out to raise cash for stock buybacks and debt reduction. In recent years, activists have targeted Jamba Juice (JMBA) , Potbelly (PBPB) , Jack in the Box (JACK) , Wendys Co. (WEN) , McDonald's (MCD) and elsewhere. In addition, Starbucks has a one-share, one-vote structure, which can make it vulnerable to an activist investor seeking to elect dissident director candidates as it pursued the strategy.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  The chart below shows how McDonald's compares with some of its closest peers based on its valuation and expected growth rate.

  Company P/E Ratio 2-Year Expected EPS Growth Rate McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) 26.2 23.6% Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) 26.2 27.3% Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) 21.8 58.1% Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) 21.4 41.9% Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) 23.2 29.7%

  Data source: Yahoo! Finance. EPS = earnings per share.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  If you're a burger lover who doesn't mind slumming it with the fast-food giants, this is going to be a great month for your pocketbook. McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) and now Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) are offering big markdowns on signature sandwiches through the end of September. 

• [By Leo Sun]

  However, the fast casual market became increasingly crowded with rival chains like Panera Bread and Chipotle, and Zoe's got squeezed between traditional dine-in restaurants like Darden's Olive Garden and evolving fast food players like Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) and McDonald's (NYSE:MCD).

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Feroldi, Keith Speights, and Maxx Chatsko]

  IBM (NYSE:IBM) used to be a tech titan that could be relied upon to deliver steady growth. Unfortunately, Big Blue has struggled in recent years to keep pace with the changing times. Investors have responded in kind by knocking down the company's valuation to historic lows.

• [By ]

  Pivotal's product line also covers the Spring Java app development platform and a distribution of the analytics-focused Greenplum database. The company has been focused on inking deals with large enterprises such as GE, Ford, Citi and FedEx, and claimed 319 clients as of the end of fiscal 2018 (ended on Feb. 2). Competition comes from alternative Cloud Foundry distributions from companies such as IBM (IBM) and SAP (SAP) , as well as from Red Hat's (RHT) OpenShift PaaS solution and -- though Pivotal partners with these firms as well -- the PaaS offerings of public cloud giants such as Amazon (AMZN) , Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet/Google (GOOGL) .

• [By Benzinga News Desk]

  Gold and diamond companies including Berkshire Hathaway’s Richline Group Inc joined with IBM (NYSE: IBM) to develop blockchain technology to track the origin of jewelry and ensure it is ethically sourced, the companies said on Thursday: Link

• [By Wayne Duggan]

  From an investing standpoint, Foresi said IT Services stocks such as IBM (NYSE: IBM), Accenture Plc (NYSE: ACN) and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (NASDAQ: CTSH) could benefit from a rise in blockchain projects.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,348 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,984 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $3,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Lee Samaha]

  However, analysts are right to question Rockwell's relative valuation, because peer Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) has outgrown Rockwell in the past three quarters. The difference is that Emerson is more of a process automation company and has more exposure to capital spending of energy and heavy industry-related companies, which are growing faster than Rockwell's end markets. The latter is more of a factory automation company and has more general industrial exposure, notably to the automotive industry.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Analysts at Berenberg upgraded Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) from Sell to Hold.

  Emerson Electric shares fell 0.43 percent to close at $69.90 on Monday.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: S&P Smallcap 600(PH)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Barings LLC decreased its holdings in Parker Hannifin (NYSE:PH) by 36.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,064 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,937 shares during the period. Barings LLC’s holdings in Parker Hannifin were worth $4,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Parker Hannifin (PH)

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

• [By Shane Hupp]

  ClariVest Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Parker Hannifin (NYSE:PH) by 3.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 122,268 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,773 shares during the period. ClariVest Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Parker Hannifin worth $20,913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Investment analysts at Barclays started coverage on shares of Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH) in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Barclays’ price target indicates a potential upside of 12.54% from the stock’s current price.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Parker-Hannifin (PH)

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

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: Compass Minerals Intl Inc(CMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Compcoin (CURRENCY:CMP) traded flat against the US dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 11:00 AM E.T. on October 13th. During the last seven days, Compcoin has traded up 12.6% against the US dollar. One Compcoin coin can currently be purchased for approximately $12.20 or 0.00130307 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges. Compcoin has a total market cap of $0.00 and approximately $0.00 worth of Compcoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) was downgraded by investment analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

• [By Jordan Wathen, Matthew Frankel, CFP, and Dan Caplinger]

  Here, three Fool.com contributors share why they believe Compass Minerals (NYSE:CMP), Chubb (NYSE:CB), and Realty Income (NYSE:O) exhibit the kind of traits found in many of Buffett's best investments.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) by 1.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 991 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.18% of Compass Minerals International worth $4,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: Sirius XM Radio Inc.(SIRI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Sirius XM Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:SIRI) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 196,142,023 shares, an increase of 1.7% from the August 15th total of 192,889,327 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 11,084,621 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 17.7 days. Approximately 14.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

• [By Chris Lange]

  It was announced on Monday that Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) would be acquired by Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI). While this deal might look good at first glance, one analyst believes that Pandora shareholders will shoot down any acquisition hopes.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Shares of Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI) hit another 12-year high on Monday. The country's lone satellite radio provider would go on to improve its fundamentals, announcing that it's laying to rest a pending legal matter by settling with SoundExchange.

• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $2.4 per share on revenue of $5.63 billion. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $37.16 billion. Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $605.26 million. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.59 per share on revenue of $22.75 billion. General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.52 per share on revenue of $7.6 billion. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.58 per share on revenue of $22.24 billion. Anthem, Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $4.91 per share on revenue of $22.52 billion. Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.79 per share on revenue of $3.04 billion. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $3.61 per share on revenue of $6.61 billion. Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.81 per share on revenue of $1.66 billion. Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.07 per share on revenue of $2.15 billion. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.46 per share on revenue of $3.82 billion. Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.97 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TROW) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.71 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion. Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (NYSE: DPS) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.04 per share on revenue of $1.57 billion. Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SI
• [By VantagePoint]

  Siriux XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) began trading higher on April 19 following a bullish crossover, but the real uptrend didn't begin until May 3. This is an example of how trends can sometimes take several days to take shape, as the upside wasn't immediately apparent. Nonetheless, the stock is trading at its highest levels since 2005. 

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Own For 2019: USG Corporation(USG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on USG (USG)

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

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of USG (NYSE:USG) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday.

  A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of USG from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $35.00 to $24.00 in a research note on Friday, April 27th. Jefferies Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of USG in a research note on Monday, April 23rd. SunTrust Banks boosted their target price on shares of USG from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 17th. Buckingham Research boosted their target price on shares of USG from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 16th. Finally, Nomura boosted their target price on shares of USG from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.00.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Warren Buffett likes to hold his stock positions for the long run, and his experience with USG (NYSE:USG) has been typical of his other long-term investments. The Oracle of Omaha started buying shares of the manufacturer of Sheetrock drywall and other building materials back in 2000, accumulating a sizable stake that has ballooned to more than 30% of the company. USG ended up going through bankruptcy in order to get a handle on its asbestos liability claims, but thanks largely to Buffett's involvement, the building materials company not only survived bankruptcy but also saw share prices soar briefly on hopes that USG would once again fully participate in the then-strong housing boom.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  USG Co. (NYSE:USG) – Equities research analysts at SunTrust Banks reduced their Q3 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of USG in a report issued on Monday, July 9th. SunTrust Banks analyst K. Hughes now forecasts that the construction company will post earnings of $0.57 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.61. SunTrust Banks currently has a “Hold” rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for USG’s FY2018 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.71 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $2.53 EPS.

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  As USG Corporation (NYSE:USG) drags its feet on an offer to sell the company for $42 per share, Berkshire intends to use its 30.8% ownership stake to motivate its top brass to make a deal. Berkshire told Bloomberg it intends to vote its shares against USG's board members who are up for re-election at this year's annual meeting, a clear message that Buffett is ready to cash in, even if USG's management and board are not.