On CNBC’s ‘Halftime Report Final Trades,’ financial experts shared their top picks for the day, revealing their insights on promising investment opportunities.
Brian Belski of BMO Capital Markets declared Chubb Limited (CB) as a ‘part of our high-quality basket,’ emphasizing its strong performance. Chubb recently reported impressive second-quarter earnings, exceeding analyst expectations. The company achieved earnings per share of $5.38, surpassing the estimated $5.15, while sales reached $11.780 billion, exceeding the projected $11.642 billion.
Jim Lebenthal of Cerity Partners favored BlackRock, Inc. (BLK), citing its growing assets under management (AUM). Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Bedell maintained a ‘Buy’ rating on BlackRock, increasing the price target from $912 to $937. BlackRock’s second-quarter revenue climbed 8% year-over-year to $4.805 billion, although it missed the consensus of $4.849 billion. However, the company’s investment advisory, administration fees, and securities lending revenues saw a positive increase, driven by organic base fee growth and market beta on average AUM.
Liz Young of SoFi recommended The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) as her final trade.
In terms of price action, Chubb shares rose 0.1% to close at $272.64 on Thursday. BlackRock shares gained 1.7% to settle at $872.06 during the same trading session. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund experienced a 1.2% increase on Thursday.
