Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now

tags:CNI,VTVT,CDZI,GOOD,CF,PRFT,GLUU,KIM,EPE,BAYRY,

Dividend growth investing can be a great way to boost your passive income over time. To do it right, though, you have to find stocks that can both grow their dividends faster than inflation and have sustainable free cash flows for the long haul.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD), a blue chip biotech stock, meets both of these critical criteria. Even so, this top biotech is rarely considered purely for its prospects as a dividend growth stock. The reason? Gilead only started doling out a dividend approximately three years ago this month. As a result, the company has yet to shed its well-earned image as a top growth stock within the broader investing community.�

Image Source: Getty Images.

However, I think this underappreciated dividend growth play is worth adding to your portfolio right now. Here's why.� � ��

Gilead's risks are overstated

There are two big knocks against Gilead as a dividend growth stock. First off, the company's hepatitis C franchise has literally imploded since hitting a high watermark in late 2015. Gilead has thus had to rely on its core HIV franchise to pick up the slack, and that strategy has so far failed to keep the company's top line moving in the right direction. Despite several new product launches in HIV, the biotech's top line remains on track to drop by a disastrous 20.3% this year.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Canadian National Railway Company(CNI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  In this segment, Brendan Mathews -- a member of the Stock Advisor research team, and the portfolio lead for Odyssey 2 and Supernova -- talks about the lessons one can learn from the tale of Canadian National�(NYSE:CNI), a Stock Advisor recommendation since 2008. One might expect a railroad company to be a steady, predictable performer, but its stock chart looks more like a roller coaster over that period. (And, as a bonus, they also chat a bit about the story of salesforce.com�(NYSE:CRM), so stick around to the end.)

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) is facing a unique problem: too much demand that it can't seem to handle. Severe capacity shortages and delay in deliveries last quarter proved costly for the railroad, as evidenced by its just released first-quarter earnings report.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  GE got some good news this past week with an order for 200 locomotives from Canadian National Railway Co. (NYSE: CNI). The locomotives will be built at GE’s plant in Fort Worth, Texas, and deliveries to the rail operator will begin next year. The balance of the locomotives will be delivered in 2019 and 2020.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Canadian National Railway (CNI)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp cut its position in Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) by 21.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,956,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 522,300 shares during the period. Canadian National Railway accounts for about 1.7% of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp owned 0.27% of Canadian National Railway worth $184,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: vTv Therapeutics Inc.(VTVT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTVT) dropped about 79% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $0.69. Shares closed at $3.26 on Monday and the stock’s 52-week high is $8.40. Volume was about 30 times the daily average of around 205,000 shares. The company’s Alzheimer drug failed to meet the goals of a phase 3 study.

• [By Chris Lange]

  vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTVT) shares saw a massive gain early on Thursday after the firm announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Newsoara Biopharma. This deal is for the rights to develop and commercialize vTv Therapeutics�� PDE4 Inhibitor program in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and other Pacific Rim countries.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDGL) shares surged 144.96 percent to close at $265.61 on Thursday in reaction to an encouraging Phase 2 clinical trial update. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said its liver-directed, thyroid hormone receptor called MGL-3196 showed a statistical significance in the primary endpoint of lowering liver fat at 12 weeks and also 36 weeks. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VKTX) shares rose 101.01 percent to close at $9.99 on Thursday after falling 4.42 percent on Wednesday. Akers Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKER) jumped 45.58 percent to close at $0.474. The developer of rapid health information technologies said Wednesday afternoon it was granted a 180-day extension from the Nasdaq Stock Market to meet the requirement of a minimum $1.00 per share closing bid price for 10 straight days. Kitov Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ: KTOV) gained 40.93 percent to close at $3.03 after the FDA approved Kitov's Consensi for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain and hypertension. China Customer Relations Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRC) rose 28.21 percent to close at $19.86. J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE: JILL) climbed 26.45 percent to close at $7.84 after the company posted upbeat quarterly earnings. Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) shares climbed 21.93 percent to close at $2.78 in reaction to an encouraging FDA update. The biotechnology company that focuses on therapies for the treatment of cancer said the FDA granted a Fast Track designation for fimepinostat (CUDC-907) in patients with relapsed or refractory. Boxlight Corporation (NASDAQ: BOXL) gained 21.23 percent to close at $7.48. Kirkland's, Inc. (NASDAQ: KIRK) rose 16.21 percent to close at $12.83 after reporting upbeat Q1 results. The Brink's Company (NYSE: BCO) jumped 16.2 percent to close at $79.25 as the company announced plans to acquire Dunbar Armored for $520 million in cash. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI) rose 15.14 percent to c

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cadiz, Inc.(CDZI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Middlesex Water (NASDAQ: MSEX) and Cadiz (NASDAQ:CDZI) are both small-cap utilities companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and risk.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Cadiz (NASDAQ: CDZI) is one of 15 publicly-traded companies in the “Water supply” industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Cadiz to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and dividends.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Cadiz (NASDAQ:CDZI) was upgraded by equities researchers at BidaskClub from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Gladstone Commercial Corporation(GOOD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Goodomy (GOOD) is a PoW/PoS token that uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm. Its genesis date was June 21st, 2017. Goodomy’s total supply is 888,000,000 tokens and its circulating supply is 620,508,777 tokens. Goodomy’s official Twitter account is @GoodKarmaCoin and its Facebook page is accessible here. Goodomy’s official website is goodomy.com.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: CF Industries Holdings, Inc.(CF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Byerly]

  Brookfield Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in CF Industries (NYSE:CF) by 137.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,247 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,747 shares during the quarter. Brookfield Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $1,745,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Canaccord Genuity Group Inc (TSE:CF) Director Dvaipayan Ghose sold 20,000 shares of Canaccord Genuity Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$7.17, for a total transaction of C$143,400.00.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Neuburgh Advisers LLC cut its stake in CF Industries (NYSE:CF) by 21.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,464 shares during the quarter. Neuburgh Advisers LLC’s holdings in CF Industries were worth $347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Canaccord Genuity (TSE:CF) had its price target raised by Cormark from C$8.25 to C$9.00 in a report released on Friday.

  Shares of Canaccord Genuity opened at C$6.77 on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. Canaccord Genuity has a 1-year low of C$4.08 and a 1-year high of C$7.49.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Perficient, Inc.(PRFT)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Perficient (NASDAQ:PRFT) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Glu Mobile Inc.(GLUU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Zoe's Kitchen�(NYSE:ZOES),�Sogou�(NYSE:SOGO), and Glu Mobile�(NASDAQ:GLUU) are three names currently trading on the wrong side of $10, but their prospects are brighter than their sticker prices. Let's go over why they may be among the top stocks under $10.�

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ:GLUU) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $4.96.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) insider Masi Niccolo De sold 134,785 shares of Glu Mobile stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.81, for a total value of $648,315.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 524,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,524,071.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ:GLUU) Director Greg Brandeau sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.53, for a total value of $138,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $138,250. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  One of last week's hottest stocks is also one of this year's top performers. Shares of�Glu Mobile�(NASDAQ:GLUU)�rose 14% last week, and are now up 76% so far in 2018. The mobile gaming specialist kicked things off with a well-received presentation at the Stifel 2018 Cross Sector Insight Conference on Monday afternoon; then Piper Jaffray stepped in on Friday with a bullish initiation of the stock.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Kimco Realty Corporation(KIM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Kimco Realty Corp. (NYSE: KIM) fell by about 3.5% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $13.69 after closing at 14.19 on Monday. The 52-week high is $23.03. Volume of around 4.2 million was about 25% below the daily average. The company had no specific news Tuesday.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Kimco Realty Corp. (NYSE: KIM) dropped about 2% Wednesday to post a 52-week low of $16.26 after closing at $16.60 on Tuesday. The 52-week high is $25.48. Volume was around 4 million, slightly lower than the daily average. The company had no specific news.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Kimco Realty (KIM)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: EP Energy Corporation(EPE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Money Morning News Team]

  And after taking a look at our 10 top penny stocks to watch, we'll show you a small-cap stock that just signed a deal with Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq:�FB)…

  Penny Stock Current Share Price Law Week's Gain Blink Charging Co. (Nasdaq: BLNK) $6.00 288.51% Enterprise GP Holdings LP (NYSE: EPE) $2.94 44.00% Opko Health Inc. (Nasdaq: OPK) $4.79 43.49% MYnd Analytics Inc. (Nasdaq: MYND) $3.15 38.84% Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: ARWR) $0.52 37.80% Mid-Con Energy Partners LP (Nasdaq: MCEP) $2.08 36.81% VAALCO Energy (NYSE: EGY) $1.49 36.04% Cel-Sci Corp. (NYSE: CVM) $3.16 35.04% WideOpenWest Inc. (NYSE: WOW) $8.41 34.52% Legacy Reserves LP (Nasdaq: LGCY) $8.43 33.61%

  While these gains are certainly exciting, it's important to recognize that investing in penny stocks is also a risky investment strategy.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  On Wednesday, the energy shares climbed 1.48 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included SeaDrill Limited (NYSE: SDRL), up 15 percent, and EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE), up 15 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRPA) shares jumped 31.6 percent to $12.18 following TripAdvisor Q1 earnings beat. ZAGG Inc (NASDAQ: ZAGG) rose 26.5 percent to $14.55 after the company posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings. OPKO Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPK) shares gained 25 percent to $4.0234 following Q1 beat. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAXN) jumped 23.5 percent to $55.12 following a big Q1 beat. The company raised its fiscal 2018 sales growth guidance from 16-18 percent to 18-20 percent. Penn Virginia Corporation (NASDAQ: PVAC) gained 23.3 percent to $59.00 after reporting Q1 results. TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) rose 22.5 percent to $47.51 after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Tuesday. Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) shares surged 21.7 percent to $3.36. Amazon.com's partnership with Sears started in 2017 with an agreement to sell Kenmore-branded appliances online. On Wednesday, the companies announced an extension of their relationship to now include tire delivery and installations. EP Energy Corporation (NYSE: EPE) jumped 21.3 percent to $2.68 following Q1 results. LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) surged 20.4 percent to $3.395 following better-than-expected Q1 earnings. Superior Industries International, Inc. (NYSE: SUP) gained 19 percent to $15.82 after reporting Q1 results. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLCM) shares rose 18.5 percent to $8.13 following Q1 results. Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO) rose 18.3 percent to $52.47 after the company posted strong quarterly results. Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ: CERS) shares jumped 18.3 percent to $6.47 following quarterly results. IEC Electronics Corp. (NYSE: IEC) shares climbed 17 percent to $4.68 after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings. New Relic, Inc. (NYSE: NEWR) rose 16.8 percent to $90.10 following Q4 results. Gulfport Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: GPOR)

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (BAYRY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Bayer AG (BAYRY) also rose 4.13% to ��97.29 on reports that its mega-merger with Monsanto Co. (MON) would likely be approved by the Department of Justice. The Wall Street Journal reported that the companies have agreed additional asset sales.

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Based on the company's results, Bayer AG (NASDAQOTH:BAYRY) licensed the rights to larotrectinib in a nine-figure deal that included $400 million up front and�up to $450 million in regulatory and first-sale milestones. The two companies will split profit in the United States. Outside the U.S.,�Loxo Oncology will get tiered double-digit royalties based on sales levels, as well as up to $475 million in sales-based milestones.

• [By ]

  Major competitive vendors that are developing treatments for pericarditis include:

  Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Abbvie, Inc. (ABBV) XBiotech Inc. (XBIT) Handok AstraZeneca (AZN) Bayer AG (OTCPK:BAYRY) Reckitt Benckiser Group plc. (RB) PerkinElmer, Inc. (PKI) FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (OTCPK:FUJIY) Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (MRK) ALLERGAN (AGN)

  Concerning competitive advantage, management of the company is not aware of any therapies currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of recurrent pericarditis, the firm��s lead indication for rilonacept.

• [By Cory Renauer]

  It looks like the benefit-to-risk ratio is off the charts for larotrectinib as well as LOXO-292, but the number of patients with TRK fusion cancers that fail multiple existing treatments is somewhere between 1,500 and 5,000 each year in the U.S. Investors also need to understand that Loxo Oncology licensed its candidates from Array Biopharma (NASDAQ:ARRY) and owes its partner substantial milestone payments and mid-single-digit royalties on any sales they might generate. Loxo has partnered with�Bayer AG (NASDAQOTH:BAYRY), and if approved, the German giant will share U.S. profits with Loxo and pay double-digit royalties on sales abroad.

• [By ]

  Both companies reported that the phase 3 trial known as IMblaze370 had failed. This study recruited a total of 363 patients with locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. One key thing to note first is that the patients that were recruited into the study, were those who had already been heavily pretreated with 2 or more prior regimens of chemotherapy. The trial was putting the combination of Tecentriq and Cotellic versus the control arm which was regorafenib (STIVARGA) from Bayer (OTCPK:BAYRY). Unfortunately, the treatment combination arm failed to improve overall survival versus the control arm. There was no actual results released yet. It was stated that full detailed results from this study will be released at an upcoming medical conference. The problem is that it doesn't matter what the results are, the bottom-line is that the primary endpoint was not met.

• [By ]

  The last week has been depressing for Exelixis' (EXEL) shareholders, as the stock dropped by around 13% and reached its 11-week low of $18.56 on May 10, 2018. The market was disappointed to see Exelixis' Cotellic and Roche Holdings' (OTCQX:RHHBY) Tecentriq failing to meet primary endpoint of improvement in overall survival as compared to Bayer's (OTCPK:BAYRY) Stivarga in 2/3 line locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer indication. This trial, if successful, would have been a major advancement for the cobimetinib franchise and would have also been a major advancement in improving the sensitivity of cold tumors to immunotherapy.