Robotic Revolution

These 3 Stocks Are Potential Buyout Targets

In a low interest rate environment, acquisition targets in growth markets are likely to attract bidders.

Tech Firm’s 2020 Rally Exceeds 100% With Deal for AI Startup

(Bloomberg) -- Software provider Kinaxis Inc. surged to a record high as it completed a deal for Rubikloud Technologies Inc. to boost its artificial intelligence capabilities.Ottawa-based Kinaxis, whose clients include Unilever NV and Lockheed Martin Corp., briefly passed $4 billion in market value for the first time Thursday amid a broad rally in Canadian technology stocks. The firm sells products that help companies manage supply chains, sales and operations.Its 103% rise this year makes it the fourth-best performing stock on the S&P/TSX Composite Index. The Covid-19 crisis has helped the business as global supply chains have been disrupted: Kinaxis has seen a 20% increase in user activity since January, Chief Executive Officer John Sicard said in an interview.“There’s never been a time where we’re more relevant, and especially under this particular crisis where all supply chains are experiencing a tremendous amount of volatility and disruption,” Sicard said, describing his company as “Canada’s best-kept secret.”The firm seized on Rubikloud to fill a gap in its product lineup. The target company, co-founded in 2013 by Kerry Liu, serves the enterprise retail industry, which Kinaxis did not.“Retail is not a vertical they’re currently in, but one that obviously, if you want to be a global leader in supply chain, you can’t ignore,” Liu said.Machine LearningThe Toronto startup has also made more advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning than Kinaxis has, Sicard said. These include helping clients predict the demand for an item so that they can determine appropriate pricing, according to Liu.The $60 million cash deal, announced June 15, had been in the making for a few months. Although the two companies had known each other for years, it was only earlier this year when talks started to heat up. At a dinner at Sicard’s home in Kanata, an Ottawa suburb, the two men found themselves “nearly finishing each other’s sentences,” Sicard said.Soon after, they decided to join forces.“In the world of acquisitions you usually find out it’s someone south of the border buying up Canadian technology. It’s not as common to see a Canadian company creating a union with another Canadian company,” he added.Liu will lead strategic innovation at the company. “I see myself continuing to be an evangelist in the space,” he said. “I think it’s as much about understanding and making sure that I’m a subject matter expert where available and then working closely on figuring out what do we need to do in the supply chain together now in this new world.”Rubikloud is Kinaxis’s second acquisition since going public in 2014. In February, it bought Indian firm Prana Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd. for an undisclosed sum.The stock is well-liked by analysts with 10 buy ratings, two hold recommendations and no sells, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.(Adds more CEO comments in tenth paragraph and analyst data in last paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Raytheon Wins $495M Deal to Support AMRAAM Weapon System

Raytheon Technologies (RTX) is set to offer non-warranty repairs, program support, contractor logistics support and service life prediction program analysis, supporting the AMRAAM weapon system

Medical Products Industry's Near-Term Outlook Lacks Spark

Medical Products Industry's Near-Term Outlook Lacks Spark

NZD and AUD On The Rise

Summer holidays combined with Independence Day in the United States can result in very low volatility and overall a boring session on the global indices.

NZD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Needs to Hold .6483 to Sustain Upside Momentum

The direction of the NZD/USD on Friday is likely to be determined by trader reaction to the minor 50% level at .6483.

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  AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Trader Reaction to .6933 Sets the Tone, but Beware of Low Holiday Volume

  FX Empire
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  USD/JPY Forex Technical Analysis – Main Trend Up, but Momentum Down as Headlines Drive Mixed Risk Sentiment

  FX Empire

Chip ETF (SMH) Posts Best Q2: 5 Stocks That Led the Way

VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) was up almost 30%, marking its best quarter since the fourth quarter of 2001.

How Trading Your Own Retirement Can Fleece Your Financial Future - July 02, 2020

Achieving your retirement goals takes a much different investing approach than regular stock trading, from smartly managing risk to keeping emotions in check.

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  Retirees Should Know These 3 Facts About Required Minimum Distributions - July 02, 2020

  Zacks
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  Powerful Proof Anyone Can Invest for an Early Retirement - July 02, 2020

  Zacks

Defense Stock Roundup: Contract Wins Dominate Headlines, RTX, HII Score Big

Over the past five trading sessions, the defense biggies put up a mixed show with Boeing and Lockheed Martin losing but Northrop and Textron recording gains.

ABB Divests 80.1% Stake in Power Grids Business to Hitachi

ABB's divestment of an 80.1% stake in the Power Grids business will help it concentrate on core operations. Also, net proceeds are likely to be used for rewarding shareholders through share buybacks.

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  ABB completes divestment of Power Grids to Hitachi

  Business Wire
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  ABB's Business Unit Unveils Distribution Center in Phoenix

  Zacks

Why iRobot Shares Rose 14% in June

What happened iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) shareholders beat the market last month as their stock rose 14% compared to a 1.8% boost in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

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  'He sucks at his job and I couldn’t be happier': Save $80 on the iRobot Roomba 860 today only

  Yahoo Life
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  The best robot vacuum we've ever tested is on sale for its lowest price ever

  USA TODAY

NZD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Trader Reaction to .6483 Sets the Tone on Thursday

The direction of the NZD/USD the rest of the session on Friday is likely to be determined by trader reaction to the pivot at .6483.

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  Dollar rises as risk appetite tempered by rising COVID-19 cases in U.S.

  Reuters
• FOREX-Dollar edges up; Aussie and Kiwi gain slightly on U.S. and China data

  Reuters

Nonfarm Payrolls to Put the Dollar in Focus as COVID-19 Angst Eases

Progress towards a COVID-19 vaccine and positive EU and U.S stats provided support early on. U.S Nonfarm payrolls and jobless claims are in focus later.

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  New Unemployment Numbers to be released Thursday morning

  WPTV News West Palm Beach
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  Economy Gained 4.8 Million Jobs in June as Unemployment Rate Declines for Second Straight Month

  National Review

Mid-Week Themes – Stats, Brexit, COVID-19 and Stimulus Keep the Markets Busy

There’s plenty to consider as we enter the 3rd quarter. Brexit, a labor market recovery, possible trade wars, and Trump are all there to influence…

Lockheed Martin (LMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

Lockheed Martin (LMT) closed the most recent trading day at $360.42, moving -1.23% from the previous trading session.

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  InMode (INMD) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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  Home Depot (HD) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

  Zacks

Peter Thiel-Backed Surveillance Startup Anduril Is Valued at $1.9 Billion

(Bloomberg) -- Anduril Industries Inc., a Southern California startup that builds technology for military agencies and border surveillance, said it raised a new funding round nearly doubling the company’s valuation to $1.9 billion.Silicon Valley money has rapidly propelled the three-year-old company. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led the latest financing, which totaled $200 million. The investment firm also participated in a deal about a year ago, along with Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and other VCs, that valued Anduril at about $1 billion. That was four times the valuation from a year earlier.The business is controversial. Anduril builds surveillance towers and drones, along with software to automatically monitor areas like international borders and the perimeter of military bases. “We founded Anduril because we believe there is value in Silicon Valley technology companies partnering with the Department of Defense,” Brian Schimpf, the chief executive officer of Anduril, said in a statement Wednesday.But it’s Anduril’s work with other agencies that draws the greatest criticism. The company’s first government contracts were with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where it put up towers along the U.S.-Mexican border. Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of the agency, told Congress in February that immigration authorities planned to have 200 autonomous surveillance towers in place this year. On Thursday, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that the tower system was a “program of record,” meaning it’s essential enough to have a dedicated line of funding from Congress, and that the towers would operate 24 hours a day, independent of the electrical grid. Few VC-backed startups have seriously pursued military contracts, mostly ceding the field to huge, politically connected defense contractors like Lockheed Martin Corp., Raytheon Technologies Corp., and Boeing Co. This is partially due to the impression that small companies will get too bogged down in government work to become profitable and partially because of political controversies surrounding high-tech surveillance and autonomous weapons.Anduril was founded in 2017 on the idea that such hesitation is an opportunity. Founders of the Irvine, California-based company include veterans of Thiel’s Palantir Technologies Inc.—a major contractor to government agencies including immigration officials—as well as Palmer Luckey, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump whose 2017 departure from Facebook Inc. became a flashpoint in an intramural political debate in Silicon Valley.Last year, Anduril expanded beyond surveillance, building a system of small drones that will automatically ram targets that enter contested airspace. Its initial pitch is to defend against small drones used to surveil or attack military bases, though Anduril has said the product could be expanded to combat larger targets in the future. Marc Andreessen described Anduril in a blog post last fall as part of a “new generation of Silicon Valley-style defense vendors.”Anduril now has more than 30 federal contracts which could be worth over $200 million, according to an analysis by Tech Inquiry, a research group. Anduril has said it works with U.S. allies, too, including the U.K. Ministry of Defense.(Updates with Customs and Border Protection statement in the fourth paragraph.  )For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Why iRobot (IRBT) Might be Well Poised for a Surge

iRobot (IRBT) shares have started gaining and might continue moving higher in the near term, as indicated by solid earnings estimate revisions.

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  Analysts Estimate Franklin Covey (FC) to Report a Decline in Earnings: What to Look Out for

  Zacks
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  Delta Air Lines (DAL) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: What to Know Ahead of Q2 Release

  Zacks

Lockheed (LMT) Wins $361M Deal for F-35C Carrier Variant

Lockheed's (LMT) F-35C carrier variant (CV) is the world's only 5th Generation, long-range stealth strike fighter designed and built explicitly for carrier operations.

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  Want to Fly an F-35 or F-22 Stealth Fighter? Countless Pilots Started With This.

  The National Interest
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  Is the Cost of F-35 Stealth Fighters Really Worth It?

  The National Interest

Northrop Wins $54M Navy Deal to Support E-2D AHE Program

Northrop Grumman (NOC) is supported by industry leaders, such as Lockheed Martin, L-3 Technologies, Raytheon Technologies and others, in the development of the E-2D AHE program.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Designer Brands, AbbVie, Microsoft and Lockheed Martin highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Designer Brands, AbbVie, Microsoft and Lockheed Martin highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

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  Lindsay (LNN) Q3 Earnings Beats Estimates, Revenues In Line

  Zacks
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  Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: What to Know Ahead of Q3 Release

  Zacks