The first quarter of 2022 is underway and it is time to highlight some of the top companies that have been analyzed by our QuantStock Fundamental system so far. Topping the list are three well-known companies, one in technology and two from the financial services side of the market with all three companies paying out dividends to investors.
1. Seagate Technology
Information Technology, Medium Cap, 13.8 P/E, 2.50+ Percent Dividend, Our Grade = B.
Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX) has ascended our grading threshold to be included on the watchlist for the second consecutive quarter. STX is an information technology company headquartered in Ireland that specializes in technology hardware, storage devices and other cloud storage services.
Highlighting their fundamental case over the past two quarters has been a rising earning per share (beating expectations three quarters in a row) as well as a rising dividend that is currently above 2.50 percent.
On a technical basis, the STX price has been volatile since the beginning of the year like most other tech stocks. STX hit a low share price under $92.00 on January 25th but has rallied since to over $110.00 per share at time of writing.
2. Raymond James Financial
Financials, Medium Cap, 15.84 P/E, 1.15+ Percent Dividend, Our Grade = B-.
Raymond James Financial (NYSE:RJF) is next up and a well known financial company that has also made our watchlist for the second straight quarter. RJF, a medium-cap company ($28+ billion) is headquartered in Florida and provides financial services to investors and corporations throughout the US, Canada and Europe.
RJF currently trades at an approximate 15.5 PE-Ratio and has had higher earnings per share for three straight quarters, beating earnings per share expectations in all three quarters as well. The dividend has continued on a growth path with the current quarterly dividend at approximately 1.15 percent at time of writing.
Technically, the RJF share price has been surging higher recently and currently trading around the $115.00 price point at time of writing. In the short term, the stock is on the higher side of its trading range as evidenced by the ZScore of the 50-day moving average (2.38 standard deviations above the 50-day moving average currently).
3. Blackstone
Financials, Large Cap, 15.8 P/E, 3.80+ Percent Dividend, Our Grade = C.
Blackstone (NYSE:BX) was added to our watchlist for the first time in January and is a financial large cap company ($154+ billion) located in New York, New York. BX provides global asset management services to investors, pension funds and institutional clients across a broad range of markets including real estate, bonds, equities and various credits.
Blackstone's stock is currently trading at a 15.8 Price/Earnings Ratio and the company has had earnings per share growth each of the past three quarters, beating expectations each time. The dividend has been on an upward trajectory with the current yield surpassing the 3.80 percent threshold at current prices.
Technically, the BX share price has been on the rebound recently after dropping in late January to a low of $101.65. The stock has bounced back strong to a current price of above $130.00 per share and trading right above a support level.
Disclaimer: I currently own STX, RJF and BX stock at this time in ETFs and/or Closed-End Funds. I do not own direct shares of these companies at time of writing. This article and our system grading are for informational and educational purposes only, not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold shares of any particular stock, ETF, company or security. All investors are always strongly advised to conduct their own independent research into any stock, ETF, closed-end fund or any other financial instrument before making an investment decision. Investmacro.com authors are not registered investment advisors, do not make stock market recommendations, do not offer legal advice, do not offer tax advice and cannot be held liable for any losses occurred. All data is thought to be accurate as of time of writing but can and will change over time due to changes in the underlying securities price and data.