The stock market was mixed on Monday as traders continued to sell off major tech stocks. In contrast, oil and gas producers gained during the pay as oil prices rose.
The increasing Treasury yields have been the driver of the market selloff.
Overall, S&P 500 was up 0.2% to 5,836, while NASDAQ slid 0.4% to 19,088.
Tweet of the Day
Wow! There's a top of stuff here to unwrap on TransMedics. Lots of research — 342 pages worth. This story is so wild it could be a movie.
Note, I don't follow this stock and don't have an opinion on it:https://t.co/mceN1LTPCX https://t.co/WEzrJEFSZI
— David Sharek (@GrowthStockGuy) January 10, 2025
Chart of the Day
Here is the one-year chart of Ecolab (ECL) as of December 16, 2024, when the stock was at $248.
Ecolab’s management is targeting 12-15% annual profit growth in 2025 and beyond, which immediately makes us think that the stock might grow around that rate as well.
Last quarter, the chemical manufacturer delivered 19% profit growth on just 1% sales growth. Though sales are expected to climb only 4% in 2025, profits are growing faster than sales due to increasing profit margins.
Management has a target of 20% operating income margin. Last quarter, this figure rose to 26.1% from 14.3% last year, helping profits grow 19% on just a 1% increase in sales.
Ecolab expects to sustain profit growth by boosting productivity and sales volumes as raw material costs stabilize in 2025.
ECL is part of our Conservative Growth Portfolio.
