The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

U.S. stocks are trading near record highs - but despite the strong performance, they are being bested by global emerging stocks. A leading industrialized global stock market index, the ETF EAFE (EFA), is up 6% year to date, while the leading emerging market ETF (EEM) has gained 17%. The S&P 500 is no slacker, up 6% year to date, but still below the global emerging stocks. With continued worries over the state of the U.S. economy and some talk of stagflation, global stocks, and especially those that pay dividends, are an option for investors. The lagging U.S. markets represent a change from the recent record. Over the past five years, the S&P 500 has advanced 70% compared to a 28% gain in EAFE and a 14% gain in EEM. But the underperformance has given global stocks a valuation advantage, particularly in the area of dividends. Consider that the EAFE dividend yield of 3.35% is roughly 225 basis points higher than the comparable S&P 500 dividend yield. We think global dividend stocks continue to offer opportunity. In our view, investing in international income stocks is one way to increase portfolio diversification while reducing sensitivity to volatile U.S interest rates. That said, investing in overseas stocks carries its own set of risks, including the impact of currency exchange and geopolitical turmoil. But there are also a number of positives in this asset class for U.S. investors, including a wide selection of companies that pay dividends, robust industry diversification, and, as we have mentioned, higher yields and lower valuations. We used the sort function in the Argus screening tool using these criteria: stocks must carry and Argus BUY rating, trading just below their 52-week high, and with a dividend yield. The following is the resultant list and offers diversity in sectors and countries.

Seagate Technology Holdings provides HDDs for the personal computer, enterprise server, storage, retail, and consumer device markets. In December 2011, Seagate completed the acquisition of Samsung Electronics Co.'s HDD business for $1.4 billion in cash and stock. In calendar 2014, Seagate acquired Xyratex Ltd. and LSI Corp.'s SSD assets.

The major indices are lower at midday on Wednesday. Oil prices are rising as the timing for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains murky. The Fed makes a call on rates this afternoon, the last such call with Chairman Powell as chairman. Four Mag7 report earnings after the close.