Best US Corporate Citizens. And More. Articles covered include: “5 Renewable Energy Stocks To Watch In The Stock Market Today”; “100 Best Corporate Citizens”; “2 green stocks that I think are no-brainer buys for the future”; “A top fund manager has been buying these ASX tech shares after the market selloff”; and much, much, more

Podcast: Best US Corporate Citizens. And More

Transcript & Links, Episode 83, May 20, 2022

Hello, Ron Robins here. Welcome to my podcast episode 83 published on May 20, 2022, titled “Best US Corporate Citizens. And More” — and presented by Investing for the Soul. Investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing mentoring, news, commentary, information, and resources.

Remember that you can find a full transcript, and links to content – including stock symbols, quotes, and bonus material – at this episode’s podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts.

Now if any terms are unfamiliar to you, simply Google them.

Also, just a reminder. I do not evaluate any of the stocks or funds mentioned in these podcasts, nor do I receive any compensation from anyone covered in these podcasts. Furthermore, I will reveal to you any personal investments I have in the investments mentioned herein.

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5 Renewable Energy Stocks To Watch

Now first off again to our favorite industry with this article titled 5 Renewable Energy Stocks To Watch In The Stock Market Today. It’s by Brandon Michael and seen on stockmarket.com.

Here are some quotes from Mr. Michael.

“Investors keen on renewable energy stocks may be looking at the likes of Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ). The company yesterday made its first move in the battery energy storage space in the United Kingdom… Elsewhere, Algonquin Power’s (NYSE: AQN) Liberty unit is working with Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: FB) on a new wind power project in Michigan…

With that being said, check out these renewable energy stocks…

1) Blink Charging (NASDAQ: BLNK)

The company currently operates and maintains over 30,000 charging ports across 13 countries. Additionally, most of Blink’s charging stations are linked via its global network, allowing users to seamlessly charge at any of its locations worldwide…

The company announced record first-quarter results. Blink saw its total revenues soar to $9.8 million, a massive 339% increase year-over-year. The company attributes this massive growth in revenue to increased product sales and service revenues. Besides that, the company also sees 3,174 charging stations contracted or sold, a 99% year-over-year increase. With Blink expecting this momentum to persist through 2022, should you invest in Blink stock?

2) Ormat Technologies (NYSE: ORA)

Ormat is a geothermal industry leader that has supplied power-generating equipment for customers in over 30 countries. Apart from that, it also has expertise in energy storage solutions.

The renewable energy company reported its earnings for the first quarter of the year… Ormat generated revenues of $183.7 million, an increase of 10.4% year-over-year. The company owes this revenue growth to its Electricity segment performance as well as its strategic capacity additions. Next to that, its adjusted net income came in at $18.4 million, rising 20.8% from $15.3 million. Accordingly, diluted earnings per share were $0.33, growing 22.2%… The company also provided its guidance for the rest of the year. Ormat forecasts revenues to range between $710 million and $735 million… Is Ormat stock one to watch?

3) Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN)

It has pioneered home solar service plans to make local clean energy more accessible to everyone. The company’s innovative home battery solutions also bring more affordable and reliable solar energy… Sunrun reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2022. 

The company saw its revenue increase by 48% to $495.8 million. Besides that, it saw a 27% growth in its Solar Energy Capacity Installed in the first quarter, exceeding its guidance. Sunrun also grew its customer base by 20%, now totaling 689,774 customers as of March 31, 2022. For the rest of the year, the company expects its Solar Energy Capacity Installed Growth to be 25% or more, an increase from its prior guidance of 20%. Considering Sunrun’s performance, is Sunrun stock worth adding to your watchlist?

4) SolarEdge (NASDAQ: SEDG)

Its products include SolarEdge Power Optimizer, SolarEdge Inverter, SolarEdge Solutions, and SolarEdge Monitoring Software. It is noteworthy that the company’s power optimizers provide module-level maximum power point tracking and real-time adjustments of current and voltage to the optimal working point of each PV module…

SolarEdge announced its first-quarter financial results… It reported a record revenue of $655.1 million, up 62% from $405.5 million in the same quarter last year. Its solar segment, which makes up most of its revenue, brought in a record $608 million, an increase of 62% year-over-year… Net income came in at $68.8 million in the past quarter, rising 24% from $55.5 million. Diluted earnings per share were $1.20, up from $0.98 in the same quarter last year. All things considered, should you add SolarEdge stock to your portfolio?

5) Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH)

Enphase is a renewable energy company that designs and manufactures home energy solutions. It is a global energy technology company and also the world’s leading supplier of microinverters-based solar storage systems. With its smart and easy-to-use solutions, the company connects solar generation, storage, and energy management into one intelligent platform. Enphase’s semiconductor-based microinverters convert energy at the individual solar module level and bring a system-based approach to solar energy management…

The company reported better than expected results for its first quarter. Its revenue came in at $441.3 million, exceeding the $420 to $440 million the company forecasted last quarter. Additionally, this signals a revenue growth of 46.2% compared to the same period last year. Besides that, Enphase raked a net income of $51.8 million, up by 63.5%. Accordingly, diluted earnings per share were $0.37 compared to $0.24 in the year prior. For its second-quarter outlook, it foresees revenue to range between $490 million to $520 million. Given the solid quarter, should you buy Enphase stock?” End quotes.

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Best US Corporate Citizens

This next piece is from a press release by 3BL Media announcing their terrific annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking.

Here are some quotes from the release.

“Recognizing outstanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance among the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies.

For the fourth consecutive year, Owens Corning (OC) tops the ranking. PepsiCo (PEP), Apple (AAPL), HP (HPE) and Cisco (CSCO) round out the top five.

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking is based on 155 ESG factors in eight pillars: climate change, employee relations, environment, finance, governance, human rights, stakeholders and society, and ESG performance.

Using a methodology developed by 3BL Media, all Russell 1000 Index companies are researched by ISS ESG, the responsible investment research arm of Institutional Shareholder Services. There is no fee for companies to be included in 100 Best Corporate Citizens…

To ensure companies in the ranking were not lobbying against Paris Climate Agreement-aligned policies, in 2021 3BL Media partnered with InfluenceMap to assess a ‘red flag’ penalty to such oppositional companies. Taking it a step further, in 2022 a ‘green flag’ bonus was introduced to recognize firms using their political influence and spending in support of Paris aligned policies. PepsiCo, Apple, Microsoft, PSEG and Salesforce were the only companies to receive this ‘green flag.’

Click here to access the complete 100 Best Corporate Citizens of 2022 ranking and methodology.” End quotes.

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2 green UK stock picks

Now from the UK is this article 2 green stocks that I think are no-brainer buys for the future by Jon Smith. It’s found on fool.co.uk. So to some quotes from Jon Smith.

1)  ITM Power (LSE:ITM)

“The first green stock I like is ITM Power. The business designs, manufactures, and integrates electrolysers to produce green hydrogen. It has a range of commercial potential uses, including as fuel. The only waste is water and green hydrogen can be stored in tanks for long periods of time — it’s easy to see why people are excited…

ITM Power is really starting to get up and running. The stock won a project grant from the German government in January. It has secured investment from the UK government last November for the first phase of an ongoing project at the Whitelee Windfarm hydrogen facility.

The share price is down 11% over the past year, but up 50% over two years. I think that with momentum from the recent investments and the prospect of increased production in the next year or so, the share price could really start to take off.

There is some risk that the market finds issues with green hydrogen in practice, but for the moment I think it’s a viable form of clean energy for the future.

2) Greencoat Renewables (LSE:GRP)

Another company that fits the bill is Greencoat Renewables. I think this is a no-brainer buy not for share price growth, but rather for dividend income in my portfolio. The company invests in wind and other renewable energy projects in Europe, with the aim of distributing returns via dividends. Currently the dividend yield sits at 5.22%, with the share price up 1% over the past year…

I like the fact that Greencoat has projects in different countries in its portfolio. Although there is a lot of exposure in Ireland, it also has projects in France, Spain, Finland, and Sweden…

I do know that getting wind projects up and running can be very expensive. This might make it tough for Greencoat to step up to the next level as private investors might favour cheaper green energy options. However, I think there is enough funding already in this space to ensure the dividends stay generous and consistent.” End quotes.

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2 Australian tech stock picks

Now to an Australian article that could be of interest to global investors. It’s titled A top fund manager has been buying these ASX tech shares after the market selloff. It’s by James Mickleboro and appeared on fool.com.au.

Here are some quotes from Mr. Mickleboro. Note, Bigtincan is a tech company billing itself as a ‘sales enablement platform.’ Now the quotes.

“1) Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH)

According to a change of interests of substantial holder notice, Australian Ethical Investment Limited (ASX: AEF), has taken advantage of recent weakness in the Bigtincan share price to increase its stake.

The notice reveals that the fund manager has picked up over 8.5 million shares since its last notice. This has lifted its holding in the sales enablement platform provider to a total of ~55.8 million shares, which is the equivalent of a 10.15% stake.

With the Bigtincan share price down by almost 50% since the start of the year, it appears as though Australian Ethical sees this as a buying opportunity.

2) Nitro Software Ltd (ASX: NTO)

Another change of interests of substantial holder notice reveals that Australian Ethical has also been buying this document productivity software company’s shares.

The fund manager has increased its stake by ~2.5 million shares to a total of just over 17.7 million shares. This represents a stake of 7.29%…

Once again, with the Nitro share price down 46% in 2022, its analysts appear to believe this has created a buying opportunity.

The team at Goldman Sachs would agree with this. The broker recently reiterated its buy rating and $2.35 price target on the company’s shares.” End quotes.

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Articles for UK, Australian, and International Investors—again links on this podcast’s webpage

1. Title Best ESG funds from the UK Evening Standard. By Andrew Michael.

2. Title 3 top ASX growth shares I’d buy next week on fool.com.au. By Tristan Harrison.

3. Title AXA IM launches two new green investment funds from InvestorDaily, Australia. By Paul Hemsley.

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Ending Comment

Well, these are my top news stories with their stock and fund tips — for this podcast: “Best US Corporate Citizens. And More.”

To get all the links, and stock symbols, or to read the transcript of this podcast — and more — go to investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and scroll down to this episode.

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Talk to you next on June 3. Bye for now.

© 2022 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul