The S&P 500 has lost around 0.20% so far on Friday. With the majority of earnings reports released, investors have breathed a sign of relief that earnings have not deteriorated despite the weak global macroeconomic backdrop. Among the stocks trending today are Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (ADR) (NYSE:PBR), InterOil Corporation (USA) (NYSE:IOC), Concordia Healthcare Corp (NASDAQ:CXRX), and TerraForm Global Inc (NASDAQ:GLBL). Let’s take a closer look at the developments that put these stocks in the spotlight and see how the world’s greatest investors are positioned in each stock.
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Apple Makes a Big Investment
Although Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) just hit a 52-week low yesterday, the company has plenty of cash, and now apparently a new found willingness to deploy some of the cash. News broke that Apple recently invested $1 billion in China’s most popular ride sharing app, Didi Chuxing, which is substantially bigger than Uber in China. As the rationale for the investment, CEO Tim Cook said: “we are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market”. One big reason Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares have fallen is that its China sales have slowed and that the Chinese government has blocked some of Apple’s services in the country. If Apple can understand the market better and win more goodwill from the powers that be, its sales might recover. A total of 133 funds owned $17.72 billion worth of Apple stock at the end of December.
Follow Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Follow Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Petrobras Reports a Loss
To no one’s surprise, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (ADR) (NYSE:PBR) reported a loss for the first quarter of 2016, which amounted to 1.25 billion reais or $347.5 million, versus a profit of 5.3 billion reais a year ago. When factoring in Petrobras’ float, that translates to a negative EPS of $0.02. Sales dropped 30.7% year-over-year to $17.99 billion as weak oil prices weighed on revenue. In response, the company has vowed to sell assets and reduce debt. Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (ADR) (NYSE:PBR) shares have more than doubled from their 2016 lows due to the crude rally. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management held over 10.0 million shares of Petrobras at the end of March.
Follow Petroleo Brasileiro Sa Petrobras (NYSE:PBR)
Follow Petroleo Brasileiro Sa Petrobras (NYSE:PBR)
On the next page, we examine InterOil, Concordia Healthcare Corp and TerraForm Global Inc.
