Roy Shepard

Standard & Poor's Investment Advisory Services LLC (SPIAS) is investment research firm and registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPGI), formerly McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. SPIAS’ advisory services are generally offered to institutions (e.g., broker-dealers, investment advisers, investment companies and other financial institutions). SPIAS does not generally provide its advisory services directly to retail clients, but its services may be used by its clients in advising their own underlying clients, which may include retail clients. SPIAS also provides advisory consulting services to institutional clients and investment managers-of-investment funds, and investment sub-advisory services for registered investment companies, including open-end mutual funds and other institutions. S&P Global's operations consist of three reportable segments: S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Platts, and S&P Dow Jones Indices. S&P Global Ratings is an independent provider of credit ratings, research and analytics to investors, issuers and market participants. It includes the NRSRO and certain other ratings-related businesses. S&P Global Platts provides essential price data, analytics, and industry insight that enable commodities markets to perform with greater transparency and efficiency. S&P Dow Jones Indices is a global index provider that maintains a wide variety of indices to meet an array of investor needs. In 2016, CFRA acquired S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Equity and Fund Research business (formerly known as S&P Capital IQ and SNL) from S&P Global, Inc.

Founded by Len Zacks in 1978, Zacks Investment Research, Inc. is an SEC-registered broker/dealer and investment research firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with an office in Irvine, California. The firm is principally owned by The Greenwood Trust. Zacks makes both short-term and long-term investment recommendations using the following investment styles: aggressive growth, growth/income, momentum, value, technicals and options. Zack Investment Research employs the Zacks Rank, a 100% a peerless stock rating system that is based on a quantitative model that includes the use of four factors including as earnings estimate revisions and earnings surprises. Stocks are classified into five groups, ranging from 'Strong Buy' to 'Strong Sell.' Zacks Rank is completely mathematical and focuses only on the math and whether the math predicts that a stock's price will rise. It is a short-term indicator of stock performance that is effective for 1 to 3 months. The Zacks Recommendation process begins with a new quantitative model that employs the Zacks Rank. The firm then utilizes qualitative insights to develop a unique recommendation based on a 6 month time horizon. Zacks Investment Research provides coverage primarily on the following sectors: (1) manufacturers of electrical components (2) photo optics/lasers (3) HPC computing platforms (4) manufacturers and distributors of textiles (5) information technology (6) independent oil and gas companies involved in the exploration, development and acquisition of crude oil and natural gas (6) providers of docking, manipulator and wafer probing interface products for semiconductor and ATE manufacturers (7) companies that design and manufacture oscilloscopes, serial data analyzers and protocol analyzers to test, measure and analyze electronic signals (8) manufacturers of branded toys, collectibles, hobby or infant products and (9) financial services companies.

Thomcorp Holdings, Inc. provided information, news, and technology solutions to the financial community. The company was founded in 1980 and was headquartered in New York City, NY.

PGIM, Inc. is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. The firm was founded in 1984 and is a direct subsidiary of PGIM Holding Co. LLC, ultimately owned by Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU). PGIM provides institutional clients with investment solutions worldwide. It is comprised of autonomous asset management businesses each specializing in a particular asset class with a focused investment approach: PGIM Institutional Advisory & Solutions (provides advisory services to institutional clients located in the US and outside of the US), PGIM Fixed Income (an adviser primarily focused on public fixed income investments), PGIM Real Estate (a provider of real estate investment advisory services) and PGIM Capital Group (a private fixed income investment adviser, also known as Prudential Capital Group).

American Stock Exchange LLC operates as stock and securities exchange. It offers trading of equities, options, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and structured products. The exchange provides a floor-based auction market that focuses in stocks, bonds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). AMEX lists primarily small and midsized companies and newer issues. It also has a growing business in listing structured products and closed-end funds. The company was founded in 1842 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Based in New York City, Value Line Asset Management (VLAM) manages assets for individual, corporate, government and the Value Line family of mutual funds. VLAM is the asset management division of Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: VALU) Founded in 1931 by Arnold Bernhard, Value Line's products and services include print and electronic data and analyses, asset management and a family of mutual funds.

Edward D. Jones & Co. LP is a broker-dealer and registered investment advisor located in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm is a subsidiary of the Jones Financial Cos. LLLP. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors and businesses in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Edward Jones registered as a broker–dealer in 1941 and as an investment adviser in 1993. The firm offers a full array of investment services. They cover stocks that perform over the long-term, focusing on US, Canadian and Western European companies with long, stable, operating histories.