Archives for November 10, 2019

Stadia hits Google’s Play Store ahead of its debut this month

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You can get your Pixel phone or Chrome OS tablet ready before the service goes live November 19th.

Google is set to flip the switch on its Stadia game streaming service this month. While you can play through Chrome or your TV (with Chromecast Ultra), you’ll also be able to run games like Destiny 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey on some Pixel devices. To help you get ready for the big day on November 19th, Google has added the Stadia app to the Google Play Store.

You’ll be able to use the app, which will eventually be available on iOS and other Android devices, to manage your account and controllers, buy titles and start games on Chromecast Ultra. Once you’ve signed in with a Google account, it’ll ask you for an invite code from the Stadia Founders or Premiere Edition package before you can go any further.

The Play Store listing notes that you can access your games library from the Home tab. An Explore tab, meanwhile, seems as though it’ll feature community posts as well as links to Stadia’s presence on YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and Discord. You’ll also be able to see which of your friends are online and what they’re playing.

Stadia will work with some Chrome OS tablets, Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a and Pixel 4 at launch, along with browsers and Chromecast Ultra. The service will be available more broadly next year.

Chevy’s electric hot rod truck mimics the sound of a V8

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The E-10 Concept is built using some parts from the Bolt EV.

Ford isn’t the only automaker who rolled into SEMA with an electrified version of a familiar car. Chevy has unveiled an E-10 Concept hot rod that looks like a slammed vintage pickup truck (the 1962 C-10), but packs thoroughly modern EV tech. It’s powered by a double stack of concept electric crate motors that provide an estimated 450HP, or enough to reach 60MPH in 5 seconds and obtain projected quarter mile times in the “high 13 second range.” There’s even a conventional automatic transmission. However, it’s the sound that really stands out — Chevy’s concept is built for hot rodders who’d be self-conscious about the lack of engine noise.

The truck has a three-speaker sound emulator that mimics the two banks of a V8 engine in the back, and induction in the front. It automatically adjusts to gear changes, and can even emulate different engines that include a generic V8 as well as two versions of the LS7 Z28 (tuned for touring and the track). You can also choose a “futuristic” sound or plain silence if you’re more comfortable with electric power.

This isn’t a completely from-scratch design. Chevy borrowed both the power electronics and two battery packs from the Bolt EV. That saved the automaker development time, of course, but the independent arrangement of the batteries promises both more power and longer range. The company won’t say what that range is, but it’s safe to presume you’d have enough range to get home after showing off your ride at the local meetup.

It won’t surprise you to hear that there’s no plans make a production E-10. What you see here was up and running in less than five months. This does, however, illustrate the potential future for both electric crate motor tech and hot rod trucks. And this early experimentation might be necessary. When numerous governments both in the US and abroad expect to ban sales of fossil fuel cars in the next two decades, it may become increasingly difficult to source gas engines for hot rods.

Google’s cybersecurity project ‘Chronicle’ is in trouble

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And part of it was because it was absorbed into Google.

Chronicle started as a project within X, the Alphabet-owned moonshot factory, until it became its own cybersecurity company under Google’s parent corporation. It was supposed to be an independent startup with its own contracts and policies — at least, that’s what CEO Stephen Gillett wrote when the business was launched. In June this year, though, Chronicle lost its status as an independent entity when it formally joined Google to become part of its Cloud security offerings. And according to a new report by Motherboard, that was one of the biggest reasons why Chronicle is “imploding.”

Apparently, a lot of Chronicle employees only found out about becoming part of Google at a meeting the day of the announcement. Some felt that the move betrayed the startup’s original vision. Employees’ compensation also became a sore point, because the tech giant reportedly didn’t adjust Chronicle staffers’ salaries and stock packages, which were lower than those for other Google employees.

But that’s not all: the employees Motherboard talked to said people have been leaving the company due to “a distant CEO” and “a lack of clarity about Chronicle’s future.” A former employee called Gillett a figurehead who didn’t care what everyone did outside of money matters. Sales and engineering people have apparently been finding other roles in Google or leaving the company entirely, because they have no product roadmap.

Gillett himself already left for another role inside Google, while co-founder and chief security Mike Wiacek exited the tech giant. “Chronicle had one of the most healthy and vibrant corporate cultures I could imagine. Things were never perfect, but that’s important,” Wiacek wrote in his farewell note. Motherboard says Will Robinson, the Chief Technology Officer, also announced internally that he’s leaving the company.

It’s not entirely clear where Chronicle will go from here. Before getting folded into Google, it announced its first commercial product, Backstory, which Gillett compared to Google Photos. Companies can dump data from, say, employees’ devices or servers into it, and it’ll analyze the information to automatically and quickly identify threats. Motherboard was able to talk to at least one employee who said they were happy working at Chronicle, though, and that the team is working on new products other than Backstory.

In response, Google engineering VP Sunil Potti told Engadget that Chronicle was “critical” to Google’s security business goals, and that the company was “investing aggressively” in the team. You can read the full statement below. This doesn’t necessarily represent a bleak end, then. However, the scoop suggests that bouncing back may involve addressing some substantial issues.

“Building a security business with world-class technology and helping our customers protect their data is our top priority. Chronicle is critical to that mission, and we are investing aggressively in the Chronicle business to deliver a compelling product roadmap for customers.”

Albemarle Corporation (ALB) Dips 4.78%

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Among the S&P 500’s biggest fallers on Friday November 08 was Albemarle Corporation (ALB). The stock experienced a 4.78% decline to $67.98 with 3.41 million shares changing hands.

Albemarle Corporation started at an opening price of 69.48 and hit a high of $69.58 and a low of $66.21. Ultimately, the stock took a hit and finished the day at $3.41 per share. Albemarle Corporation trades an average of n/a shares a day out of a total 105.99 million shares outstanding. The current moving averages are a 50-day SMA of $n/a and a 200-day SMA of $n/a. Albemarle Corporation hit a high of $107.00 and a low of $58.64 over the last year.

Albemarle is the world’s largest lithium producer. Our outlook for robust lithium demand is predicated upon increased demand for electric vehicle batteries. Albemarle produces lithium from its salt brine deposits in Chile and the U.S. and its hard rock joint venture mines in Australia. Albemarle is also a global leader in the production of bromine, used in flame retardants, and oil refining catalysts.

With its headquarters located in Charlotte, NC, Albemarle Corporation employs 5,900 people. After today’s trading, the company’s market cap has fallen to $7.2 billion, a P/S of n/a, a P/B of 1.9, and a P/FCF of n/a.

For all the attention paid to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), it’s the S&P 500 that’s relied on by insiders and institutional investors. It represents the industry standard for American large-cap indices.

The Dow is made up of just 30 stocks to the S&P 500’s 500, and it uses an unreliable and outdated price-weighting system where the S&P 500 relies on market cap in weighting its returns. This is why its long-term returns is a much more reliable gauge for the performance of large- and mega-cap stocks over time.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc (NYSE:ARE) Shares Sold by New England Research & Management Inc.

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Research & Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc (NYSE:ARE) by 6.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 210 shares during the period. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. CSat Investment Advisory L.P. increased its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 65.9% during the 2nd quarter. CSat Investment Advisory L.P. now owns 224 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 883.3% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 295 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 19.2% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 541 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $95,000. Institutional investors own 98.68% of the company’s stock.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. GMP Securities reissued an “average” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. TD Securities dropped their price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $152.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $105.73.

Shares of ARE traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $153.91. 571,263 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 717,806. The company has a market cap of $17.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.32, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc has a 52-week low of $109.04 and a 52-week high of $160.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.38.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.44) EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($2.19). The firm had revenue of $390.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $389.99 million. Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a return on equity of 1.63% and a net margin of 9.29%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc will post 6.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a — dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities’s payout ratio is currently 60.61%.

In other Alexandria Real Estate Equities news, EVP John H. Cunningham sold 6,000 shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.00, for a total value of $864,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,133,680. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joel S. Marcus sold 7,500 shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.49, for a total transaction of $1,158,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 438,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,737,994.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,183 shares of company stock valued at $4,409,057 over the last ninety days. 1.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Profile

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup>®</sup> company, is an urban office real estate investment trust (“REIT”) uniquely focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $21.8 billion and an asset base in North America of 33.7 million square feet (“SF”) as of March 31, 2019.

News Corporation (NWSA) Dips 3.15%

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Among the S&P 500’s biggest fallers on Friday November 08 was News Corporation (NWSA). The stock experienced a 3.15% decline to $12.90 with 6.65 million shares changing hands.

News Corporation started at an opening price of 13.26 and hit a high of $13.46 and a low of $12.62. Ultimately, the stock took a hit and finished the day at $0.42 per share. News Corporation trades an average of n/a shares a day out of a total 588.11 million shares outstanding. The current moving averages are a 50-day SMA of $n/a and a 200-day SMA of $n/a. News Corporation hit a high of $14.66 and a low of $10.65 over the last year.

News Corporation is a media conglomerate with large presence in the U.S, the U.K., and Australia. Key brands include The Wall Street Journal, Herald Sun, and The Times. The company also has a strong presence in the Australian pay-TV market through Fox Sports and Foxtel (both 65%-owned), while its 62%-owned REA Group is the dominant real estate classified business in Australia.

With its headquarters located in New York, NY, News Corporation employs 28,000 people. After today’s trading, the company’s market cap has fallen to $7.59 billion, a P/S of n/a, a P/B of 0.83, and a P/FCF of n/a.

For all the attention paid to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), it’s the S&P 500 that’s relied on by insiders and institutional investors. It represents the industry standard for American large-cap indices.

The Dow is made up of just 30 stocks to the S&P 500’s 500, and it uses an unreliable and outdated price-weighting system where the S&P 500 relies on market cap in weighting its returns. This is why its long-term returns is a much more reliable gauge for the performance of large- and mega-cap stocks over time.