acquisition

Long-time readers know that we aim to keep you informed of important news about the stocks we cover. That means highlighting developments and plans that promise to bolster investor gains. These buys that stand out this month:






MERCK & CO....

Gen Digital and Warner Music soared during the pandemic but have now given up some of those gains. We still like their competitive prospects in their niche markets, and each stock is especially attractive for new buying right now.


GEN DIGITAL INC., $21.20, is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol GEN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (gendigital.com; Shares outstanding: 636.9 million; Market cap: $13.6 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) changed its name from NortonLifeLock (old symbol NLOK) following its September 2022 acquisition of European cybersecurity firm Avast plc for $8.1 billion


Gen is now the parent company for several security-related consumer brands, including Norton, LifeLock, and Avast, in addition to Avira, AVG, and CCleaner.


The company continues to attract new customers....

We think the healthcare industry will enjoy great success over the next decade. But due to the nature of the business, results will vary widely and unpredictably from one company to another. A volatile market like the one we expect for healthcare stocks will include winners and losers....

Travel + Leisure continues to make savvy acquisitions to expand its offerings and stay ahead of rivals.


TRAVEL + LEISURE CO., $40.62, is a buy. The company (New York symbol TNL; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (www.travelandleisureco.com; Shares outstanding: 72.4 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; Dividend yield: 4.4%) is now the world’s largest vacation ownership and exchange business....

Medical products giant Johnson & Johnson first sold shares in its consumer drug business, Kenvue, to the public in May 2023 at $22.00 a share. Johnson & Johnson later let its own shareholders exchange JNJ shares for Kenvue shares at a 7% discount. The company held onto 9.5% of Kenvue, which it will likely sell in the next few months.


So far, Johnson & Johnson shares are down 5%, while Kenvue is down 14%....

Shares of medical device maker Baxter have dropped 7% in the past six months. The decline reflects investor fears that new GLP-1 diabetes drugs, such as Ozempic, will hurt demand for Baxter’s kidney dialysis equipment (diabetes contributes to kidney disease)....

As we’ve often pointed out, IPOs (initial public offerings) tend to come to market when it’s a good time for the company or its insiders to sell. That may not be, and often isn’t, a good time for you to buy.

One common problem is that the IPO sales process drums up a temporary wave of buying that can push up the stock’s price....

Alimentation Couche-Tard is a buy due to its savvy acquisitions, which keep adding cash flows to existing strong businesses.

LIVERAMP HOLDINGS INC., $38.85, symbol RAMP on New York helps organizations better use customer data across different channels and devices to improve user experience.

As of September 30, 2023, the company had 895 subscription clients, with 99 of them generating more than $1 million in revenue annually....

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS INC., $198.98, is a buy. The company, symbol BR on New York, serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications, securities processing, and transaction clearing.

Broadridge is best known for processing and distributing proxies and regulatory filings for nearly every publicly traded U.S....