Industry Focus

Explaining the pros and cons so you can decide if they're right for you.  Thanks to Blooom for supporting Industry Focus.  Get a month free with blooom401k.com/fool and code fool

After several false starts and failed negotiations, the No. 3 and 4 wireless carriers officially unveiled their plans to merge over the weekend. The new T-Mobile will be a much stronger challenger to AT&T and Verizon, but the biggest priority right now is to win over regulators.

All things being equal, higher dividend yields are better. However, many dividend stocks’ high yields are signs of trouble. In this episode of Industry Focus: Financials, host Michael Douglass and Fool.com contributor Matt Frankel discuss what a yield trap is, how to detect one, and a few examples of stocks that have characteristics of yield traps.   

Facebook shareholders can breath a big sigh of relief! The company posted solid earnings that had the market forgetting all about the company's data issues. And Twitter posted its second GAAP profitable quarter, but Wall Street wasn't as thrilled.

This week a Virgin America plane took its last flight under the Virgin umbrella. With the unification of the two brands complete, and a rocky 2017 behind them, can the airline operator start to right the ship in 2018?

Promo: GW Pharmaceuticals scores a big thumbs up from a panel of FDA experts for its marijuana-based drug. Plus, Biogen pays a $1 billion dollars for expanded access to Ionis’ novel pipeline.

Whether you’re a first-time stock buyer or seasoned Fool with years of experience in the market, stock screens can be a powerful tool of discovery for any investor. We cover the basics of creating a stock screen, what metrics to employ, where to run them, and how to handle the end results. Free your mind, Fool!

Here’s a roundup of the past week’s news from Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and SunTrust.

Looking for some new stocks for your watch list? We talk about why we're excited about Paylocity, Hubspot, and AppFolio.

We tackle a host of news items in Oil and Gas including; British Columbia halts development of the TransMountain pipeline, consumers face high prices at the pumps, and China’s new intelligent highway will be able to charge electric vehicles as they drive. We also pitched two stocks we’re currently working.

Alkermes’ ALKS-5461 gets a do-over, Celldex's lead drug is a bust, and the good and bad of Johnson & Johnson's Q1 earnings report.  Thanks to Blooom for supporting Industry Focus. Get a month free with blooom401k.com/fool and code fool.

Down about 20% from its all-time highs, Ulta stock has seen dampened investor enthusiasm after an otherwise amazing 10-year run as a public company. Listener Joseph wants to know why Ulta stock has struggled as Estee Lauder, another major name in skincare and cosmetics, soars to new all-time highs.

Now that the “big four” U.S. banks have reported earnings, let’s take a look to see what investors need to know.

There have always been rumors of a paid version of Facebook. Recent comments from Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg prove its something management has been thinking about, but what would it actually look like? Slack: Where work happens. Go to slack.com to learn more.

NV5 and Pattern Energy Group have both been previously pitched on the show. And, both stocks have had a tumultuous time over the past few months. We discuss if recent events have changed the fundamental thesis for each.  

Biogen misses out on a huge deal that Novartis completed with AveXis. Plus, Incyte's phase 3 implosion, and what it means for immuno-oncology more broadly.

The $55 billion skincare and make-up giant has seen its shares gain nearly 80% in the past year as robust top and bottom line growth attract investors to the company. For the first time on Industry Focus, we look at Estee Lauder’s impressive brand portfolio, latest results, and management’s vision for the future.

We’re often told to focus on one thing and do it well – but in today’s episode, we cover three sectors (banks, REITs, and insurers) where businesses may be going in the opposite direction, preferring to try and own more of the value chain. Understanding the tradeoffs between specialization and diversification is key to investing smart in these sectors.

Shares of the music streamer are now on the market! With a ballpark on The Street's view of what the company is worth, we try a few different angles to put its valuation into context.

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia announced last week a plan to partner with Japanese-based SoftBank to fund a $200 billion solar farm in the desert. We discuss the project, the state of the U.S. solar industry, and solar stocks to buy (and avoid).