Retail investors carry out extensive research to read up on the latest trends in the stock market, familiarize themselves with investing strategies, check out prominent moves of elite hedge funds and smart investors, and educate themselves about the macroeconomic environment, all of which is crucial if they want to compose a robust portfolio. Retail investors are a significant part of the investing community, and there are plenty of online resources available to help them navigate their way around the dynamic stock market.
According to a Reuters report on August 18, retail investors have been increasingly pouring into speculative options trading. Single stock options have had a 10-day average daily trading volume of roughly 25 million contracts, which is the highest level recorded in more than six months. Similarly, there has been a rally in meme stocks, with some of the biggest gainers being Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), and AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC). The latest rise in options trading is an indicator of improved risk appetite among retail investors. However, trading volumes are still down approximately 24% from the record highs of last November.
Despite the tumultuous stock market, retail investors have remained resilient in the face of mass sell-offs, high inflation, recession threats, and global supply disruptions. A July survey by eToro suggests that two-thirds of U.S. investors had unchanged portfolios during the market sell-off, with retail traders being focused on long-term financial gains. As per a BNY Mellon and World Economic Forum Global Retail Investing survey, three-quarters of present retail investors would be more active in the market if they had more avenues to educate themselves about investing, as well as customized and outcome-oriented stock advice. This is where reliable websites to research stocks would be extremely useful, such as Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, and Insider Monkey.
We chose the most popular finance websites which have been deemed reliable for stock research and accuracy of information over the years. We have also discussed some of the latest reports and trending stocks on each website.
Best Websites To Research Stocks
10. The Motley Fool
The Motley Fool is a Virginia-based private company that offers financial and investing advice to readers. The firm is chaired by brothers David Gardner and Tom Gardner, who employ more than 300 individuals. The Motley Fool operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong. The Motley Fool provides the Fool Stock Advisor, a flagship service that has outperformed the returns of the S&P 500 Index over the last 15 years. The company also sends out stock alert newsletters to potential investors, informing them about investing strategies with controlled risk in the current macro backdrop.
The Motley Fool has more than 1 million premium members, who are privy to new monthly stock picks, extensive company analysis, model portfolios and advanced investment tools, and live streaming during market open hours. The investment philosophy at The Motley Fool has six tenets, including a portfolio comprising over 25 companies, a holding period of more than 5 years, adding frequently to new savings, holding stocks through market volatility, letting winners rack up gains in the portfolio, and targeting long-term returns.
One of The Motley Fool’s top picks for 2022, dated August 1, is Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). After reports that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) will implement an incremental $0.35 per item fee on Fulfilled By Amazon items sold in the U.S. and Canada beginning in mid-October and lasting until mid-January, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak called the move a "positive signal" about Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s "confidence in the health of its U.S. seller offering and its consumer". He maintained an 'Overweight' rating and a $175 price target on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares on August 17.
According to Insider Monkey’s data, 252 hedge funds were bullish on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) at the end of June 2022, compared to 271 funds in the earlier quarter. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management is a significant position holder in the company, with 48.6 million shares worth over $5 billion.
In addition to the meme frenzy around Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), and AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC), retail investors also back solid plays like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) for a balanced portfolio.
Here is what Alphyn Capital had to say about Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its Q2 2022 investor letter:
“It is interesting to see how sentiment on Amazon went from positive to negative in one quarter, as it transpired that it too was not as immune to post-covid slowdowns as some, myself included, had expected. However, I feel confident that Amazon, as the apex predator in the e-commerce space, will navigate market softness better than most other retailers. Moreover, once it finishes with its current capex cycle, it will continue to improve margins. Andy Jassy is reportedly spending one-third of his time focused on capacity and supply issues in the retail division.”
9. Bloomberg
Bloomberg is a New York-based privately held company that operates in the technology, fintech, and mass media industries. The company offers financial software and applications for data analytics and equity trading to multiple organizations, in addition to providing tools specializing in electronic trading, hedge funds, portfolio management, private equity, research and analysis, and sales. Bloomberg.com also has a live stock market broadcast. Bloomberg articles are held in high regard, and are often cited by other publications due to the credibility of their sources.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, dated August 22, some of Asia’s biggest funds like Aspex Management (HK) Ltd. and Oasis Management Co. strengthened their positions in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA), among other names, in the second quarter of 2022. Deutsche Bank analyst Leo Chiang raised the price target on Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) to $160 from $155 on August 22 and kept a 'Buy' rating on the shares. The company's June quarter net income was above market consensus, and adjusted net margins also beat estimates, primarily due to a quicker than anticipated reduction in losses from new initiatives, the analyst told investors. The analyst sees the present valuation as "defensive," and said a rapid macro recovery could offer upside potential.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q2 data, 106 hedge funds were long Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) on June 30, compared to 100 funds in the prior quarter. Rajiv Jain’s GQG Partners is one of the leading stakeholders of the company, with roughly 12 million shares worth $1.3 billion.
Here is what Artisan Global Value Fund had to say about Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) in its Q2 2022 investor letter:
“Alibaba rose 4% during the quarter. We would love to say the share price performance was due to strong operational performance. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The most recent earnings results showed its core e-business still had not returned to growth, primarily due to the difficult retail environment caused by the government’s zero-COVID policy. Alibaba also appears to be losing market share due to its product mix tilted toward apparel and cosmetics, categories currently stalled in this environment. The share price performance this quarter was largely a function of exogenous items—specifically, government actions in the form of stimulus to support the economy and less regulations.
Despite the poor recent results, Alibaba remains a powerful economic engine. It is a global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing, both of which should grow nicely over time. Management has started taking actions to improve profitability, which has been burdened by significant investment in loss-making business ventures. The financial results should improve significantly when China’s economy starts to recover from COVID-19 outbreaks. The shares are incredibly cheap and have some of the highest upside potential in the portfolio. Even embedding significant losses from new ventures, we estimate they are trading at 11X-12X unlevered earnings. In our view, the shares could double, and they still would not be expensive.”
8. CNBC
CNBC provides real-time financial market coverage and business information. CNBC offers information on the U.S., China, Europe, Asia, and World markets, as well as currencies, cryptocurrency, futures and commodities, bonds, and ETFs. CNBC also has premium segments – CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer and CNBC Pro.
CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer offers exclusive trading advice from Jim Cramer, a former hedge fund manager and the host of Mad Money on CNBC, who has a large social media following and droves of retail investors who look to him for stock advice. Additionally, the Investing Club provides trade alerts, stock analysis, live market updates, and portfolio management. CNBC Pro discusses Street calls, investing trends, pro analysis and insights, and business day episodes.
CNBC’s latest article identified Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) as one of the biggest pre-market movers as of August 22, among others. Canaccord analyst George Gianarikas raised the price target on Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) to $881 from $815 on August 8 and reaffirmed a 'Buy' rating on the shares. The analyst said that although the macroeconomic backdrop and latest price increases could definitely affect order rates, he believes Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s EV momentum and competitive position in terms of manufacturing, materials procurement, and autonomy, is safe on the whole. He observed that given the additional offerings in solar and energy storage, Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) remains the biggest sustainability firm.
Among the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey, Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management is a notable position holder in Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), with 1.4 million shares worth more than $1 billion. Overall, 72 hedge funds were bullish on Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) at the conclusion of the second quarter of 2022, compared to 80 funds in the prior quarter.
Here is what GMO LLC had to say about Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) in its Q1 2022 investor letter:
“To put the demand growth for clean energy materials into perspective, let’s look at Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). At its Battery Day last year, Tesla projected three terawatt hours of lithium-ion battery capacity needed in 2030 for the EVs and storage they expect to produce. To reach this target, Tesla alone would gobble up approximately 75% of the world’s current nickel production and four times the world’s current lithium production. These numbers are astounding enough, but when one considers that EVs currently represent just 15% of global nickel demand and about 45% of lithium demand and that Tesla will likely be producing only a small proportion of the world’s EVs in 2030, the implications are staggering. Clean energy materials companies will make a lot more money in the decades to come than they ever have both because they will be selling a lot more metric tons of material and because there are certain to be shortages where supply can’t keep up with the rapidly growing demand.”
7. Morningstar
Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN), a Chicago-based financial services firm, offers investment research and investment management services. The company operates a website where it discusses advisor insights, personal finance, market volatility, retirement planning, savings, and best investments. The website also provides information on sustainable investing, funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, and markets. The Morningstar Legacy Portfolio Manager helps track investment portfolios and evaluate strategies, and offers watchlists of potential opportunities.
A Morningstar report on August 19 stated that Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) was one of the best performing stocks last week. On August 2, Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) reported its Q2 results, posting earnings per share of $3.16 and revenue of $10.7 billion, outperforming Wall Street's consensus estimates by $0.14 and $962 million, respectively. The company's Q2 revenue increased by 78.62% on a year-over-year basis.
According to Insider Monkey’s June quarter data, 66 hedge funds were bullish on Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), compared to 67 funds in the earlier quarter. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is the largest shareholder of the company, with 159 million shares worth $9.3 billion.
Like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), and AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) is one of the stocks trending on the stock market.
Here is how Smead Capital Management viewed Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) in its Q2 2022 investor letter:
“For the quarter, our best-performing stocks were Continental Resources (CLR), Merck (MRK) and Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY). Despite a steep sell-off in June in the oil and gas stocks, two of our oil stocks made the quarterly list.
If you are wondering how we are outperforming the S&P 500 Index in the first half of the year, look no further than our top three performers. Occidental Petroleum (OXY), Continental Resources (CLR) and ConocoPhillips (COP) soared in value and were barely represented in the S&P 500 Index. To quote Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, “We are in the first quarter on higher energy prices!””
6. The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American international daily business newspaper based in New York City. The Wall Street Journal, in its Markets section, discusses bonds, commercial real estate, commodities & futures, stocks, and personal finance. The WSJ website also has WSJ Money, Streetwise, and Intelligent Investor segments. WSJ Pro provides information on bankruptcy, central banking, private equity, and venture capital.
On August 16, The Wall Street Journal reported that Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) shares climbed higher despite liquidity concerns. Wedbush analyst Seth Basham downgraded Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) to 'Underperform' from 'Neutral' on August 18 with an unchanged price target of $5. A "key support leg" for the stock has been removed with activist investor Ryan Cohen indicating his intent to liquidate his entire 11.8% beneficial ownership in Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), the analyst told investors. The analyst said the company needs more financing to strengthen its balance sheet and regain supplier confidence due to its cash burn.
Among the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey, Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group is a notable stakeholder of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), with 2.30 million shares worth $11.5 million. Overall, 14 hedge funds were long Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) at the end of Q2, compared to 15 funds in the earlier quarter.
Here is what Miller Value Partners Income Strategy had to say about Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) in its Q2 2022 investor letter:
“Bed Bath & Beyond 5.165% 08/2044 declined 67.4% in the period. Bed Bath & Beyond reported 4Q21 sales of $2.05 billion, down 22% Y/Y, missing consensus of $2.08 billion. The company lost $0.92 per share in the quarter, down from 4Q20 adjusted EPS of $0.40, below analyst expectations for EPS of $0.03. Management noted supply chain disruptions and the Omicron variant led to inventory availability challenges, which had an estimated sales impact of $175 million, or 8.5% of 4Q21 net sales, and a 400 basis points (bps) Y/Y contraction in 4Q21 adjusted gross margin to 28.8%, driven by product cost increases and higher than anticipated freight and shipping costs. Additional headwinds in the quarter included general weakness in the retail segment, highlighted by big earnings misses from Walmart and Target, along with Moody’s downgrading Bed Bath’s corporate family rating from B1 to B2. The ratings agency cited increased execution risk of the company’s strategic turnaround initiatives and ongoing supply chain issues weighing on the company’s market share and profitability going forward as the main drivers for the downgrade. However, Moody’s maintained a stable outlook for the retailer due to the financial flexibility provided by the company’s liquidity position and low level of funded debt.”
5. Barron’s
Founded in 1921, Barron’s is an American weekly magazine published by Dow Jones & Company, covering financial news, in-depth stock analysis, and the movements of global markets. Barron’s website provides a Financial Advisor Directory, the Barron’s 400 List, Buy Issues, and Business Editorials. Barron’s Lists & Rankings offer a range of stocks from notable CEOs, influential businesspeople in the U.S., top market advisors, and the best-performing hedge funds.
On August 22, Barron’s reported that a large Canadian pension fund, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, reduced its positions in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), while adding to its Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) stake in the second quarter of 2022. On August 18, Morgan Stanley analyst Simeon Gutman raised the price target on Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) to $150 from $145 and reiterated an ‘Overweight’ rating on the shares. The analyst expects Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) to stabilize from the latest margin compression in the second half of the company’s FY23, with a solid opportunity in FY24 as top-line momentum prevails. He sees a strong chance to balance longer-term investments with short-term returns despite near-term challenges in a tough inventory and mix backdrop.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q2 data, 67 hedge funds were long Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) at the end of the quarter, compared to 60 funds in the prior quarter. Rajiv Jain’s GQG Partners is the largest stakeholder of the company, with 9.82 million shares worth $1.19 billion.
4. Reddit
Reddit is an internet platform that is often frequented by retail investors to discuss their latest trades, trending stocks, portfolio gains and losses, and the macroeconomic environment. Reddit’s most popular investing forum is WallStreetBets, a community of 12.5 million Redditors sharing their portfolio compositions and personal trade ideas. Other important subreddits for stock research include r/investing, r/stocks, r/biotech, and r/pennystocks. Reddit is one of the top websites for stock research.
WallStreetBets has created multiple meme stocks over the years, as Redditors are a strong community and can easily drive up prices and influence the stock market. One of the most popular meme stocks of 2021 was GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), and Redditors are still actively purchasing the shares. GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME) is a Texas-based provider of games and entertainment products. 21 hedge funds reported owning stakes in GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME) as of June 30, down from 31 funds a quarter earlier. Mason Capital Management held one of the leading positions in the company, comprising 518,445 shares worth over $19 million.
Here is what Bronte Capital Amalthea Fund had to say about GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME) in its Q1 2022 investor letter:
“Gamestop is a retailer of video games on DVD ROM trying hard (and maybe with some success) to reinvent itself as an alternative computer game distributor. The company raised enough money that bankruptcy is not an immediately likely outcome. (GME would have gone bankrupt except for the willingness of largely retail investors to provide them with much more cash.)
Both have bad financial results. Gamestop’s last financial results were terrible. And both stocks more than doubled very rapidly in March from market caps that were absurd to market caps that are more absurd. We are of course completely aware that they can double again and again after that. Their valuations are absurd but if you double the price they are not twice as absurd. They are just similarly disconnected from reality.
The reason we want to talk about them is that it is indicative of what is going on. Gamestop, the most meme of all stocks, announced a possible stock split and the stock, after market that day, traded up 17 percent. We could joke that every child knows that cutting a pizza into more slices yields more pizza. But in this market, not accepting that stock splits add value is a recipe for losing money.”
3. Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha is an Israel-based crowd-sourced company that provides financial commentary and analysis. Seeking Alpha is an equity research platform that publishes research and articles by industry experts on stocks, exchange traded funds, and investment strategies. The company was founded in 2004 by David Jackson, a former Wall Street analyst.
On August 22, Seeking Alpha reported that Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM) stock dropped about 8% as the company posted a third-quarter outlook that suggests its COVID-related exponential growth may be slowing down. Citi analyst Tyler Radke downgraded Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM) to ‘Sell’ from ‘Neutral’ with a $91 price target on August 16. He sees new hindrances in Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM) sustaining growth, including higher competition from Microsoft Teams and the macro backdrop impacting small to medium-sized firms. He made “significant cuts” to his estimates for Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM).
According to Insider Monkey’s data, 44 hedge funds were long Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM) at the end of Q2, compared to 43 funds in the prior quarter. ARK Investment Management is the largest stakeholder of the company, with 9.5 million shares worth over $1 billion.
Here is what Horos Asset Management had to say about Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM) in its Q1 2022 investor letter:
“What about the other asset class that has attracted the most attention from the investment community in recent times? Here we can distinguish three major groups. First, those companies without earnings that had convinced investors of their great future growth prospects, pushing up their valuations to irrational levels. A clear example of this, which we mentioned almost two years ago (see here) is Zoom Video Communications (“Zoom”), whose market cap exceeded that of companies such as IBM or came close to that of Cisco Systems. Well, from the time we wrote about this odd situation until today, Zoom shares have collapsed nearly 80%.
Therefore, if interest rates rise (or are expected to rise), company valuations are negatively impacted. This is especially true for those businesses that generate little cash today and the market expects them to generate a lot of cash in the future. Hence the severe losses in companies that promised a lot of cash generation in the future (such as Zoom).”
2. Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Finance is a news and entertainment website that is owned by the Yahoo! network. The website offers financial news, stock quotes, financial reports, stock and ETF screeners, personal finance tools, original financial content, and affiliate content from other websites. Yahoo! Finance also features cryptocurrency news and live market coverage. Yahoo! Finance is one of the top-rated websites to research stocks, and had 93.9 million monthly unique visitors in November 2020.
On August 23, Yahoo! Finance reported that ride-sharing company Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) posted a market-beating second quarter amid the rebound in the travel sector, despite the U.S. struggling with high inflation. Guggenheim analyst Ali Faghri reiterated a ‘Buy’ rating on Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) on August 15 but lowered the price target on the shares to $28 from $32 following the Q2 results. As per the analyst, important themes this quarter included improved wait times due to higher driver count, surge trips, and incentives dropping sequentially.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q2 data, 35 hedge funds were long Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT), compared to 47 funds in the preceding quarter. Alkeon Capital Management is a significant position holder in the company, with 5.5 million shares worth $74 million.
1. Insider Monkey
Insider Monkey is a finance website that provides insider trading and hedge fund data to investors. The website offers a premium newsletter that uses an exclusive strategy picking the best stock picks of top hedge funds and insiders. Insider Monkey presents the hottest market news, macroeconomic predictions, stock screeners, latest 13D and 13G filings, hedge fund analysis, dividend stocks, retirement options, and insider trading data. Insider Monkey ranks first on our list of the best websites to research stocks since it offers extensive stock picks from a select group of elite hedge funds, market movers and trending stocks throughout the week, dividend picks, analysts’ favorite stocks and downgraded securities, and more.
Insider Monkey’s article from August 22 reveals the 10 stocks that Warren Buffett is not giving up on despite their year-to-date losses. One of those stocks is Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a Connecticut-based broadband connectivity and cable operator company. In Q2, Warren Buffett owned 3.8 million shares of the company, worth about $1.8 billion. According to Insider Monkey’s data, 68 hedge funds were long Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) at the end of June, down from 73 funds in the prior quarter. John Overdeck and David Siegel’s Two Sigma Advisors is a prominent stakeholder of the company, with 790,325 shares worth $370 million.
Here is what Andvari Associates had to say about Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) in its Q2 2022 investor letter:
“Regarding Liberty Broadband, Andvari has owned it for the last 7+ years primarily because of its large stake in cable company Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR). Given that Liberty also traded at a wide discount to its own net asset value, Andvari saw this as an even cheaper way to own Charter. We sold Liberty because we saw (too slowly) a violation of one of the core parts to our investment thesis: pricing power at Charter was not as great as we imagined. Charter has not been able to raise prices in line with inflation. To add insult to injury, the trade association for the U.S. cable industry started proudly advertising about how internet price increases have remained far behind the rate of inflation.”
