Canadian Stocks For 2016: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Weekly CFO Sells Highlight

Best Performing Stocks To Own For 2014

According to GuruFocus Insider Data, the recent CFO sales were: Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, Covidien PLC, Carnival PLC, and Google Inc.

Chicago Bridge and Iron Company (CBI): Executive Vice President and CFO Ronald A Ballschmiede sold 18,471 Shares

On 02/24/2014, Executive Vice President and CFO Ronald A Ballschmiede sold 18,471 shares at an average price of $80.38. The price of the stock has increased by 5.82% since. Chicago Bridge and Iron Company has a market cap of $9.13 billion and its shares were traded at around $85.06. The company has a P/E ratio of 20.60 and P/S ratio of 0.82 with a dividend yield of 0.26%. Over the past 10 years, Chicago Bridge and Iron Company had an annual average earnings growth of 24.30%. GuruFocus rated Chicago Bridge & Iron Company the business predictability rank of 2.5-star.

Chicago Bridge and Iron Company announced their 2013 fourth quarter results with revenues of $3 billion and gross profit of $339.2 million; the net income was $196.78 million. The 2013 total revenue was $11.1 billion, a 1.02% increase from the 2012 total revenue. The 2013 gross profit was $1.2 billion, a 72% increase from the 2012 gross profit. The 2013 net income was $454.12 million.

On 03/03/2014, President and CEO Philip K Asherman sold 75,000 shares at an average price of $82.81. The price of the stock has increased by 2.71% since. On 03/27/2014, Director Marsha C Williams sold 6,500 shares at an average price of $82.99. The price of the stock has increased by 2.49% since. On 03/26/2014, Executive Vice President Edgar C Ray sold 102,068 shares at an average price of $84.36. The price of the stock has increased by 0.83% since.

Covidien PLC (COV): EVP and CFO Charles J Dockendorff sold 90,730 Shares

On 03/28/2014, EVP and CFO Charles J Dockendorff sold 90,730 shares at an average price of $72.5. Covidien PLC has a market cap of $32.68 billion and its shares were traded at around $72.50. The company has a P/E ratio of 21.10 and P/S ratio of 3.28 with a dividend yield of 1.60%. Over the past 10 years, Covidien Plc had an annual average earnings growth of 6.60%.

Covidien PLC announced their 2013 fourth quarter results with revenues of $2.6 billion and gross profit of $1.56 billion; the net income was $398 million. The 2013 total revenue was $10.2 billion, a 4% increase from the 2012 total revenue. The 2013 gross profit was $6.1 billion, a 3% increase from the 2012 gross profit. The 2013 net income was $1.7 billion.

On 02/28/2014, President and Chief Executive Jose E Almeida sold 50,000 shares at an average price of $72. The price of the stock has increased by 0.69% since. On 02/18/2014, Vice President Coleman N Lannum Iii sold 3,200 shares at an average price of $71.4. The price of the stock has increased by 1.54% since. On 02/13/2014, Vice President and Controller Richard G Jr. Brown sold 4,000 shares at an average price of $71. The price of the stock has increased by 2.11% since.

Carnival PLC (CUK): CFO David Bernstein sold 11,673 Shares

On 01/21/2014, CFO David Bernstein sold 11,673 shares at an average price of $40.80. The price of the stock has decreased by 6.94% since. Carnival PLC has a market cap of $30.68 billion and its shares were traded at around $37.97. The company has a P/E ratio of 27.40 and P/S ratio of 1.91 with a dividend yield of 2.63%. Over the past 10 years, Carnival Plc had an annual average earnings growth of 0.30%.

Carnival PLC announced their 2013 fourth quarter results with revenues of $3.66 billion and gross profit of $1.04 billion; the net income was $66 million. The 2013 total revenue of Carnival PLC was $15.46 billion and the gross profit was $4.8 billion; the net income was $1.08 billion.

On 01/21/2014, CEO Costa Crociere Michael Olaf Thamm sold 4,346 shares at an average price of $42.61. The price of the stock has decreased by 10.89% since. On 03/24/2014, See remarks 1994 B Shares Lp Ma sold 304,954 at an average price of $40.09. The price of the stock has decreased by 5.29% since. On 03/24/2014, Chairman of the Board and 10% Owner Micky Meir Arison sold 525,348 shares at an average price of $40.09. The price of the stock has decreased by 5.29% since.

Google Inc (GOOG): SVP and CFO Patrick Pichette sold 742 Shares

On 03/13/2014, SVP and CFO Patrick Pichette sold 742 shares at an average price of $1208.25. The price of the stock has decreased by 7.29% since. Google Inc has a market cap of $376.43 billion and its shares were traded at around $1120.15. The company has a P/E ratio of 29.10 and P/S ratio of 6.35. Over the past 10 years, Google Inc had an annual average earnings growth of 32.50%. GuruFocus rated Google Inc the business predictability rank of 2.5-star.

Google Inc announced their 2013 fourth quarter results with revenues of $16.86 billion and gross profit of $9.42 billion; the net income was $3.38 billion. The 2013 total revenue was $59.8 billion, a 19% increase from the 2012 total revenue. The 2013 gross profit was $33.97 billion, a 15% increase from the 2012 gross profit. The 2013 net income was $12.92 billion.

On 03/14/2014, CEO and 10% Owner Lawrence Page sold 16,670 shares at an average price of $1179.37. The price of the stock has decreased by 5.02% since. On 03/25/2014, Executive Chairman of Board Eric E Schmidt sold 26,204 shares at an average price of $1159.28. The price of the stock has decreased by 3.38% since.

Currently 0.00/512345

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

Subscribe via Email RSS Feeds

Subscribe RSS Comments Please leave your comment:
More GuruFocus Links

Latest Guru Picks	Value Strategies
Warren Buffett Portfolio	Ben Graham Net-Net
Real Time Picks	Buffett-Munger Screener
Aggregated Portfolio	Undervalued Predictable
ETFs, Options	Low P/S Companies
Insider Trends	10-Year Financials
52-Week Lows	Interactive Charts
Model Portfolios	DCF Calculator
RSS Feed	Monthly Newsletters
The All-In-One Screener	Portfolio Tracking Tool

Saturday, March 29, 2014

S&P downgrades Target for data breach

Last year's data breach keeps hurting Target. S&P downgraded it one notch.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Standard & Poor's downgraded Target's corporate debt rating by one notch Friday due to last year's data breach and continued losses in its Canadian division.

The breach compromised credit card numbers and personal information of tens of millions of customers during the 2013 holiday season. Target (TGT, Fortune 500) has said the hack cost the company as much as $61 million in the final months of 2013.

S&P expects the breach to have a "somewhat lingering effect" on traffic at the retailer's stores through at least August of this year. Sales slowed in the most recent quarter, which ended Feb. 1.

Target recently said its ongoing investigation of the breach could turn up "additional information that was accessed or stolen."

But the agency also said Target's outlook is stable. Although the retailer lost $723 million in Canada last year, S&P expects those losses to narrow in 2014. The agency also considers costs due to the data breach to be "significant but manageable."

Friday, March 28, 2014

Microsoft announces Office for iPad

See Microsoft's new Office for iPad NEW YORK (CNNMoney) After years of speculation, Microsoft Office is finally on the iPad.

In his first public appearance since being named Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) new CEO, Satya Nadella unveiled the next evolution of Office. The ubiquitous productivity suite, which includes apps such as Office and Excel, has been optimized for use with touch screens and fingers.

Microsoft had done some work on Office 2013 to make it more finger friendly, but with Office for iPad, it's a full-fledged step forward. The look of Office isn't radically changed, but many features have been subtly streamlined to make things less painful.

The biggest difference is that Microsoft isn't trying to push every formatting option in front of your face, instead identifying the most essential features, and using that screen space to make those icons bigger.

Microsoft Word, for example, closely resembles Word 2013, but the interface has been simplified to highlight just the most important formatting options. Text and images can easily be highlighted and manipulated with the finger--as is the case most iPad word processors.

Microsoft Excel is able to interpret what type of data you're working with and automatically suggest formatting options to save time digging through menus for a specific type of graph.

Powerpoint has been the most straightforward and tablet-ready product of the bunch, but on the iPad its as touch-optimized as you'd expect, allowing users to build presentations with a few taps and swipes.

Also notable is the more pronounced integration of Microsoft OneDrive into Office. All documents are automatically backed up and synced to Microsoft's Cloud, with an easy-to-use interface. Multi-user collaboration has also been integrated deeper into the experience.

That the tablet-optimized version of Office launched on Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPad first, and not a Windows or Android tablet, is a testament to the influence of the iPad in the tablet space.

But while all of what Microsoft showed off looks and sounds fine, it doesn't seem to solve the problem of productivity apps on touch devices as much as it just makes them more tolerable to use.

Of course, the larger question is whether it matters that Office is now available for the iPad. For years, there have been scores of productivity apps available! in the app store, including Google (GOOAV) Drive and Apple's own iWork suite, both of which are free. There have also been third-party apps, such as the word processor Writer Pro and the spreadsheet app Grid, which are helping to evolve or even reinvent the entire concept of what productivity software.

But do enough people care that much about productivity and file compatibility on a tablet to make the leap to Office for iPad? That's a big, unanswered question.

Office for iPad will be available in the iTunes App Store on Thursday afternoon for free. But only reading documents will be free. Those wanting to create and edit content will have to purchase an Office 365 subscription, starting at $70 a year.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

#Premarket Prep Technical Update - Sugar Futures Sharply Higher

Sugar futures are trading higher by $0.39 at $17.36 in Wednesday's session. After finding resistance at the $17.00 for three days in a row, Sugar cleared that level off the open and rallied to $17.53. This is the highest level for Sugar since it peaked at $17.71 on March 14.

Posted-In: Commodities Technicals Options Markets Trading Ideas

Most Popular The Hows And Whys Behind Microsoft Windows Vista's Tumble UPDATE: Facebook to Acquire Oculus VR for About $2B A Continued Look At Marijuana Stocks With Alan Brochstein A VIX Buy Signal Worth Watching What Happens in Vegas... Bank of America Meets with Gaming Management Walgreens To Close Stores After Dip In Second Quarter Profits Related Articles () Is Facebook's Oculus VR Purchase A 'Stretch' Without A Proven 'Path to Monetization'? How A Nadex Binary's Price Is Impacted By Time Until Expiration Facebook Set to Buy Oculus - Analyst Blog Beam Shareholders Approve Takeover by Suntory - Analyst Blog Teleflex Raised to Buy - Analyst Blog Aflac at an Inflection Point - Analyst Blog Around the Web, We're Loving...

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Economists See Fed Ending Bond Purchases Soon

Top Low Price Stocks To Own For 2014

Fed Chair Janet Yellen News Conference Following Federal Open Market Committee Meeting Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the pace of U.S. economic growth seen speeding up later this year and next, many business economists expect the Federal Reserve to end its bond purchases this fall or even earlier. The consensus of the 48 economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics is that bad weather cut first-quarter growth to a weak annual rate of 1.9 percent, but that growth could exceed 3 percent by year's end. NABE's report, released Monday, covered a survey period from Feb. 19 through March 5. Their forecast for average U.S. economic growth of 2.8 percent this year is better than the 2.5 percent rate they predicted in NABE's December survey. Those surveyed expect consumer spending to now increase 2.6 percent in 2014, not 2.4 percent, as hourly wage growth is forecast to rise faster than inflation. GDP is expected to grow an average 3.1 percent in 2015. "Conditions in a variety of areas -- including labor, consumer and housing markets -- are expected to improve over the next two years, while inflation remains tame," NABE President Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist of the National Retail Federation, said in a statement. Given the stronger growth forecast, 57 percent of the economists surveyed believe the Federal Reserve will end its bond purchases in the fourth quarter, as the central bank has signaled it plans to do. Another quarter think it will happen even before that, though 17 percent think the Fed will keep buying bonds into 2015. The Fed has been buying bonds for the past several years with the aim of driving down long-term interest rates to stimulate spending and economic growth. Now that the economy is slowly but steadily improving, it has been tapering those purchases. At each of its last three policy meetings, including last week's, the Fed cut bond purchases by $10 billion to the current pace of $55 billion a month. There are six meetings left in 2014. One-third of respondents said the Fed could even raise short-term interest rates this year, though more than half think it won't happen until next year. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday that with the job market still weak, the central bank intends to keep short-term rates near zero for a "considerable" time and would raise them only gradually. She also said the Fed wouldn't be dictated solely by the unemployment rate, which Yellen feels overstates the health of the job market and the economy. Yellen appeared to jolt investors last week when she tried to clarify the Fed's timetable for raising the short-term rate. She suggested that the Fed could start six months after it halts its monthly bond purchases. That would mean the rate could rise by mid-2015. A short-term rate increase would elevate borrowing costs and could hurt stock prices. Stocks fell after Yellen's mention of six months. The Dow Jones industrial average ended that day down more than 100 points.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Darden Leaves Investors Wondering

Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI ) reported quarterly results late last week, and the numbers were pretty much as expected, with lower profit and rough same-store sales figures. For investors, the focus should not be on these short-term trends but the long-term trajectory of the business. The sale of Red Lobster continues to generate controversy, both from existing shareholders and outside pundits. The company is spending big money on a revamp plan, trying to juice up its mature, slow-growing assets (mainly Olive Garden) while accelerating the expansion of its appetizing ones. There is so much potential here for the world's largest casual-service restaurant business, but management has not delivered in recent times. Is that about to change?

Quick recap
The last quarter's numbers were predictably sour, and the coming periods likely won't be much better. Due to a combination of intense winter weather and recurring weakness in the middle-market chains Olive Garden and Red Lobster, Darden's profit dropped roughly 20% to $0.82 per share. Sales declined marginally -- just 1% -- illuminating the expenses that the company has incurred in trying to get things on the right foot, including divestiture of more than 700 Red Lobsters.

Management did investors the favor of factoring out the winter weather effects, as they skew the numbers. On a same-store sales basis, Red Lobster predictably led the downward charge with a 6.2% drop, with Olive Garden dropping 2.8%. LongHorn Steakhouse and the Specialty Restaurant Group (The Capital Grille, Yard House, Eddie V's, among others) posted another round of positive comps, again adjusted for the weather. The former grew store-level sales 2.9%, while the latter posted a smaller 1.9% bump.

Darden's current conditions are pretty much the same as they have been for some time. With such a broad reach in restaurant concepts and at different stages of growth, management is trying to figure out what it takes to reenergize the middle-market properties and allow the higher-market ones to truly exhibit their strength. It's been an expensive process with little in the way of results. The biggest news came at the end of last year, when management announced its intentions to divest Red Lobster. At first glance, the move seemed a sound enough idea -- shed the weakest link. But considering how poorly the stores are performing, the sale likely won't reflect an appealing valuation. Some believe that the company should make a more concentrated effort to revitalize the brand or organize the business differently.

Best Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Out of focus
It's an old thesis at this point, but Darden simply lacks focus. It is such an enormous business with amazing ability to scale its fast-growing assets. Starboard Capital, one of the activist investor groups in the stock, basically seeks a three-way split for Darden's operations -- real estate, lousy restaurants, good restaurants. While it, too, is a simplistic cure for the company's problems, it would at least allow for the star assets to wow the market. A more focused management team could take over Red Lobster and Olive Garden, and then hopefully figure out what to do with it. Though, without the underlying real estate, continued poor performance at these two chains could spell big-time disaster and the ultimate destruction of shareholder value.

The company would be a potential buy at a lower price, but the market appears to maintain a good amount of faith in Darden's long-term prospects. At roughly 18 times forward earnings, the stock values the company as a grower. Management may be headed toward more activist investor headwinds, meaning expensive proxy battles at worst. Investors are best to let this one simmer for a bit, and perhaps drop in price, before buying into the long-term prospects.

Three stocks to own for the rest of your life
As every savvy investor knows, Warren Buffett didn't make billions by betting on half-baked stocks. He isolated his best few ideas, bet big, and rode them to riches, hardly ever selling. You deserve the same. That's why our CEO, legendary investor Tom Gardner, has permitted us to reveal "The Motley Fool's 3 Stocks to Own Forever." These picks are free today! Just click here now to uncover the three companies we love.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Is ViaSat, Inc the Best In-Flight Wifi and Satellite Communications Stock? VSAT, GOGO & IRDM

Jim Cramer, the host of CNBC's Mad Money, recently touted ViaSat, Inc (NASDAQ: VSAT) as an in-flight WiFi or satellite communications related play, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of small cap in-flight WiFi provider Gogo Inc (NASDAQ: GOGO) and small cap satellite communications firm Iridium Communications Inc (NASDAQ: IRDM). I should mention that I have written about Gogo Inc in the past (Small Cap Gogo Inc (GOGO): Is There Turbulence Ahead? IRDM and Is In-flight WiFi Stock Gogo, Inc. (GOGO) the Next Iridium?) and Cramer also touched on some of the differences between the in-flight wifi service offerings of both. Cramer also interviewed ViaSat, Inc's CEO who said they had been waiting for a new satellite to "disrupt" the market.

What is ViaSat, Inc?

ViaSat, Inc produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure and efficient communications to any location. Product offerings include satellite networks for fixed-site and mobile communications; satellite antenna systems; wireless datalinks and terminals for combat situational awareness; Cybersecurity and Information Assurance for military networking and encrypted data storage; mobile IP networking for soldiers; communication microprocessor chipsets; application and communication acceleration; satellite network and RF system design; and communication simulation and training systems while service offerings include global mobile satellite services for government and commercial aircraft, vehicles and seagoing vessels along with satellite internet access and other broadband services for consumers, business, and government customers in the US.

As for potential performance peers or competitors, small cap Gogo Inc's proprietary Air-To-Ground broadband network allows passengers with laptops and other WiFi enabled devices can get online on all domestic AirTran Airways and Virgin America flights and on select Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways flights plus on thousands of business aircraft while small cap Iridium Communications' predecessor was Iridium SSC which filed for bankruptcy after launching its satellite mobile service that was prohibitively expensive for most consumers at the time. The company eventual remerged as Iridium Communications which remains the only satellite communications company offering truly global voice and data communications coverage just about everywhere on the planet thanks to 66 low-Earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites.

What You Need to Know or Be Warned About ViaSat, Inc

ViaSat, Inc CEO's Mark Dankberg was also interviewed on CNBC in mid-February where said they had the following three goals for in-flight wifi:

Make sure everyone can use it at once rather than just 10 or 12 people. Deliver it at fast speeds (e.g. same on the ground experience). Make it affordable as its free for the first six months on Jetblue.

He commented that the system now has Netflix capability and the objective is to give users of mobile devices the same experience they would have on the ground.

A few days before the CNBC interview, ViaSat, Inc reported a fiscal third quarter 16% revenue increase to $332.6 million with the Satellite Services segment reporting a 37% revenue increase to $98.6 million, the Commercial Networks segment reporting a 34% revenue increase to $91.9 million and the Government Systems segment reporting a revenue decrease of $4 million to $142.0 million. The net loss came in at $6.0 million verses $20.8 million while the CEO commented:

"The launch of Exede® In The Air via JetBlue's Fly-Fi™ service is an exciting example of opportunities uniquely enabled by our satellite network assets and innovative technologies. We aim to create an opportunity for disproportionately strong growth by redefining the in-flight Wi-Fi experience - engaging up to 10 times the number of passengers per flight, with speeds 10 to 100 times faster than competing systems, at costs far lower than possible with conventional infrastructure. We are fortunate to have similar disruptive opportunities in several key markets."

For this fiscal year, it looks like ViaSat, Inc would be sitting on a net loss (so far). However, investors should keep in mind that ViaSat, Inc has reported revenues of $1,119.69M (12 months ending 2013-03-29), $863.63M (12 months ending 2012-03-30), $802.21M (12 months ending 2011-04-01) and $688.08M (12 months ending 2010-04-02) along with a net loss of $41.17M (12 months ending 2013-03-29) and net income of $7.50M (12 months ending 2012-03-30), $36.12M (12 months ending 2011-04-01) and $31.14M (12 months ending 2010-04-02).

Share Performance: ViaSat, Inc vs. GOGO & IRDM

On Thursday, ViaSat, Inc fell 0.73% to $69.19 (VSAT has a 52 week trading range of $45.18 to $73.43 a share) for a market cap of $3.19 billion plus the stock is up 47.9% over the past year and up 271% over the past five years. Here is a look at the performance of ViaSat, Inc verses that of Gogo Inc and Iridium Communications:

As you can see from the above performance chart, ViaSat, Inc has been a steady performer for investors while Iridium Communications has trended downward and Gogo Inc has been all over the place.

Finally, here is a look at the latest technical charts for all three stocks:

The Bottom Line. Given the opportunities presented by in-flight wifi, ViaSat, Inc's recent losses may not matter for the long haul – meaning this is an in-flight wifi or satellite communications stock that's worth a much closer look at by investors.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

The U.S. Domestic E-Cig Market Is About to Be Shaken Up

Imperial Tobacco (NASDAQOTH: ITYBY ) controls around 5% of the global tobacco market and, like all major tobacco companies, was slow to realize the disruptive potential of the e-cigarette. However, as soon as Imperial's management realized the opportunity that e-cigs offered, it made an acquisition that has turned out to be one of the smartest moves in the industry.

The acquisition
Imperial Tobacco's e-cig division is called Fontem Ventures and around the end of last year, Fontem acquired Dragonite International's e-cig unit for $75 million. Dragonite was founded by Hon Lik, who has remained executive director of the company. What's more, Mr. Lik is also credited with the invention of the e-cig and many of the technologies associated with it. As a result, Dragonite and Lik hold the rights and ownership over an "extensive portfolio" of global patents and pending patents covering e-cig technologies -- of course, Imperial Tobacco and Fontem Ventures now own these rights.

As it turns out, many e-cig start-ups and even tobacco industry giant Lorillard (NYSE: LO ) have infringed on these patents, possibly due to their rush getting e-cig products to market. So, six months on from closing the deal with Dragonite, Fontem Ventures, backed by Imperial Tobacco, has filed nine lawsuits in a federal court, asking the court to rule that the patents infringed were valid, and the defendants should pay as-of-yet unspecified damages. The companies Imperial is taking to court are Lorillard, NJOY, Vapor Corp., VMR Products LLC, Ballantyne Brands LLC, CB Distributors, Spark Industries LLC, Logic Technology Development LLC, FIN Branding Group LLC, Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (NASDAQOTH: ECIG ) , and DR Distributors LLC. So, it would seem as if Imperial is intending to kill off the majority of its competition before many of them can even get much of a foothold in the market.

The fighting continues
This sheath of lawsuits from Imperial is yet another chapter in what is becoming an aggressive war between tobacco companies to dominate the electronic cigarette market. However, it's not just the tobacco companies that are using underhanded tactics. GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) is also employing dirty tricks in an attempt to stop the rise of e-cigs as they are a threat to its business.

Glaxo is the leading marketer of nicotine-replacement therapy products within the United States. NRT includes such items as nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches. Obviously, if smokers who are in the process of quitting turn to e-cigs rather than NRT, Glaxo will lose revenue.

To help try to disrupt the potential of e-cigs, it would appear as if Glaxo is seeking help from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- in particular, the head of the FDA's tobacco enforcement division, Mitch Zeller, a former anti-tobacco lobbyist who was appointed head of the FDA's center for tobacco products earlier this year.

Now, Zeller should not be taking sides in this argument, but according to an article published in The Wall Street Journal back in 2009, Zeller disclosed that he "provides consulting support to GlaxoSmithKline consumer health through Pinney Associates on an exclusive basis on issues related to tobacco dependence treatment."

This pharmaceutical consultancy has regulatory authority over competing products, including e-cigs. I must stress that I'm only speculating a link between these two entities.

Foolish summary
Overall, if you've been following the rise of e-cigs, this move by Imperial will be no surprise as tobacco companies all try to outdo each other in an attempt to control the potentially huge juvenile e-cig market. For the likes of Lorillard, Imperial's request for unspecified damages is unlikely to close the company down; damages are unlikely to exceed Lorillard's e-cig sales, which only make up a faction of its overall revenue. However, smaller companies are likely to feel the pinch from these suits, which could reshape the market.

The kings of retail
To learn about two retailers with especially good prospects, take a look at The Motley Fool's special free report: "The Death of Wal-Mart: The Real Cash Kings Changing the Face of Retail." In it, you'll see how these two cash kings are able to consistently outperform and how they're planning to ride the waves of retail's changing tide. You can access it by clicking here.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

5 Best Casino Stocks To Watch For 2014

5 Best Casino Stocks To Watch For 2014: Boyd Gaming Corporation(BYD)

Boyd Gaming Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 1,042,787 square feet of casino space, containing approximately 25,973 slot machines, 655 table games, and 11,418 hotel rooms. It also owned and operated 16 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and New Jersey. In addition, the company owns and operates a pari-mutuel jai-alai facility located in Dania Beach, Florida, as well as a travel agency in Hawaii. Further, it holds a 50% controlling interest in the limited liability company that operates Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Boyd Gaming Corporation was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Tuesday’s session are American Eagle Outfitters Inc.(AEO), Boyd Gaming Corp.(BYD) and Dick's Sporting Goods Inc.(DKS)
[By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of Boyd Gaming Corp. (BYD) rose 8% to $12.75 on moderate volume after hedge fund Elliot Associates L.P. disclosed in a regulatory filing it had acquired a 4.99% stake in the casino operator.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-casino-stocks-to-watch-for-2014.html

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Bank of Canada Remains Dovish

Earlier today, in his first speech of the year, Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Stephen Poloz underscored his continuing dovishness toward future rate hikes with a somewhat downbeat assessment of global growth prospects.

In his remarks before the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Poloz noted that despite the fact that a recovery has been underway since 2009, economic growth still pales in comparison to the years prior to the Great Recession. In a similar manner, global growth has been occurring at a pace that's just two-thirds of what prevailed during the several-year period leading up to the downturn.

Despite the gloomy tone, the implications of his remarks are positive from a policymaking standpoint, as they signal the BoC is in no hurry to raise rates, a move that could choke off the country's sluggish growth.

The timing of this speech was important, as it came in the wake of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's (RBNZ) decision to raise its short-term cash rate to 2.75 percent, up 25 basis points from its all-time low. This was the RBNZ's first rate hike since July 2010, and it's one of the first developed-world central banks to embark upon a tightening cycle since the Global Financial Crisis.

Though tiny New Zealand is on the other side of the globe, it's considered one of Canada's developed-world peers, part of the so-called commodity bloc. And given Canada's recent uptick in inflation along with stronger-than-expected economic data, Mr. Poloz needed to quell any speculation that the BoC might follow the RBNZ's lead.

Although the economies of both Canada and New Zealand are forecast to expand over the next two years, New Zealand's growth trajectory is much stronger than Canada's. While Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 2.3 percent and 2.6 percent in 2014 and 2015, respectively, New Zealand's economy is projected to grow by 3.0 percent and 3! .5 percent, respectively, for those years.

In other words, Canada needs more of a push, not just from internal policymaking, but also from a US rebound that finally seems to be gaining traction. A rate hike at this juncture would jeopardize the BoC's hopes for the export sector to take over from debt-burdened consumers as the primary driver of the country's economy.

Fortunately, it seems like traders got the message. Following the speech, the Canadian dollar tumbled slightly more than 1 percent from the day's high and is fast approaching the loonie's four-year low, near USD0.891, which the currency hit in late January. The loonie currently trades near USD0.898, down about 15.3 percent from this cycle's high in mid-2011.

Beyond signaling the BoC's rate bias, Mr. Poloz offered additional analysis as to why boosting growth has proved so difficult. First, he acknowledged both the extraordinary nature of the downturn, the recovery from which the BoC has previously said was more akin to a period of post-war reconstruction than the usual rebound that follows a recession. He also noted that the several years of growth that preceded the downturn were similarly extraordinary, and that therefore it may not make sense to extrapolate the heady growth rates from that era into our expectations for future growth.

Mr. Poloz then turned to the underlying factors that drive an economy: productivity and the labor force. The good news is that the country's productivity growth over the next two years is expected to outpace its average over the past 30 years.

The bad news is that demographics may pose a considerable long-term challenge for sustaining a robust labor force, particularly as the baby-boom generation retires, and consequently the country's work force shrinks. Additionally, the bank also foresees problems arising from how baby boomers, which constitute the single largest cohort of Canada's population, store their wealth. Naturally, because interest rates are at histor! ic lows, ! a considerable portion of boomer wealth has been invested in real estate.

Top Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014

While housing is an important sector of the economy, Mr. Poloz, like other economists, believes that when assets are tied up in real estate, they're not being put to their most productive end and are therefore holding back economic growth.

Although demographics is destiny, as the saying goes, Mr. Poloz believes that trend could still be offset by countries working together to remove impediments to growth, such as by removing trade barriers.

Just last week, we wrote about how Canada's government is already aggressively pushing toward that end, with its hard-won free-trade agreement with South Korea an important step toward diversifying the country's export markets.

Subscribers to Canadian Edge get to read the full update, which includes our latest analysis of a Canadian energy producer whose shares currently yield nearly 7 percent. Analysts are overwhelmingly bullish on the company and believe the stock is poised to rise more than 17 percent over the next 12 months.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips

Popular Posts: 2 Top Travel Stocks Trading Under $102 Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy Today – QIHU, YYAMZN: Amazon Stock Price May Already Be in Its Prime Recent Posts: Under Armour Stock Split Heats Up UA Even More 13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips YHOO: Yahoo Stock Is More Than Just Alibaba Bounce View All Posts

Not again” is the sentiment I’m hearing from investors today.So if you’re feeling about the same, take heart that you’re not alone. Last Thursday marked the steepest drop in U.S. stocks in over a month, placing the S&P 500 in the red for 2014 so far.

The drops were driven by two primary factors: (1) Worries about Russia’s posturing over Ukraine and its Crimea region and (2) Weaker-than-forecast data from China for January and February. In both cases, Wall Street is simply reacting emotionally.

I know it can be worrisome (and even difficult) to experience a market day like that. If you’re feeling nervous, the best thing you can do is sit tight in your stocks. This is not the time to make a knee-jerk reaction, like selling out of your positions. That’s the fastest way to ensure you lose. Instead, here’s what you can do:

If you subscribe to any of my newsletters, you’re already on the right track. I test and retest all of my formulas and data daily in order to recommend only the top companies in anticipation that the market would begin to narrow and have emotional swings just like we experienced today.

I consider my Buy List stocks to be the best on the market, whether you’re looking to invest in blue chips, up-and-comers, or emerging market plays. If you’re not currently a subscriber or are invested in a stock that’s not on any of my Buy Lists, not to worry. My free Portfolio Grader stock screening tool rates some 5,000 stocks by fundamental health and quantitative strength and is a great resource during times of uncertainty.

Hot Specialty Retail Companies To Watch For 2015

So if you’re feeling nervous, run all of your positions through Portfolio Grader and take note of their letter grades. If one is an A-, B-, or C-rated stock, you should be in good shape to continue holding it. If it is a D- or F-rated stock, you should consider selling that position into strength. Like I said, I never advocate selling in a panic, but you can wait for the market to bounce back before taking profits.

If you’re more risk tolerant, a drop is a buying opportunity. What we saw was a kneejerk reaction to news that doesn’t really affect most top companies combined with profit taking. So I’m going to go out there and take this opportunity to pick up premium stocks on the cheap and I advise you do the same.

To get you started, here are 13 of the top-rated Portfolio Grader stocks that pulled back last week:

nav11 13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips

Monday, March 17, 2014

Best Cheapest Stocks To Own Right Now

Best Cheapest Stocks To Own Right Now: Valassis Communications Inc.(VCI)

Valassis Communications, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a media and marketing services company primarily in the United States and Europe. Its Shared Mail segment combines the individual print advertisements of various clients into a single shared mail package and distributes the shared mail advertising products to approximately 70 million U.S. households primarily on a weekly basis through the United States Postal Service (USPS). This segment also offers solo mail and other products and services, including list procurement, addressing, processing, and the distribution of brochures and circulars; ancillary services, such as list rentals; and direct mail advertising solutions for local neighborhood businesses. It primarily serves grocers, restaurants, drug stores, discount and department stores, home furnishing stores, and other retailers. The company?s Neighborhood Targeted segment is involved in the print and media placement of traditional free-standing solo insert formats and specialty print promotion products; offers newspaper-delivered or direct-to-door sampling products that give manufacturers the ability to cover approximately 60 million households; and helps clients to run their promotional advertising directly on the pages of newspapers by brokering advertising space. The company?s Free-standing Inserts segment prints and distributes four-color booklets containing promotions, primarily coupons from multiple clients through newspapers and shared mails. Its International, Digital Media, and Services segment provides coupon clearing, analytical promotion information management products, and marketing services for retailers and consumer-packaged goods manufacturers; and promotion security and consulting services, as well as produces direct-mail programs based on multiple data sources, including frequent shopper c! ard data. Valassis Communications, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lauren Pollock]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Valassis Communications Inc.(VCI) and Gogo Inc.(GOGO)

Valassis agreed to be acquired by Harland Clarke Holdings Corp. in a deal valuing the coupon publisher at roughly $1.31 billion that the companies expect will create a leading diversified payment and marketing-services company. Shares surged 21% to $34.29 premarket.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Valassis Communications (NYSE: VCI) shot up 22.16 percent to $34.57 after the company agreed to be acquired by Harland Clarke Holdings Corp for $34.04 per share in cash.
[By Alex Planes]
What: Shares of Valassis Communications (NYSE: VCI ) crashed by nearly 15% this morning but have since clawed their way back to a loss of about 8%, on a double whiff on first-quarter earnings and an underwhelming set of forward guidance.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-cheapest-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Best Undervalued Stocks To Watch For 2014

Best Undervalued Stocks To Watch For 2014< /a>: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integratio! n, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas .

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jim Jubak]

But it just doesn't seem to matter for Schlumberger (SLB). Schlumberger is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.

On January 17, the oil services and technology company reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.35 a share, beating Wall Street estimates by two cents a share. Earnings grew by 29.8% year over year.

[By Editor , DividendChannel.com]

ENB operates in the Oil & Gas Equipment & Services sector, among companies like Schlumberger (SLB), and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD).

[By Aaron Levitt]

With a variety of oil stocks reporting full-year 2013 earnings, unconventional assets are the gifts that keep on giving for the oil service trio of Halliburton (HAL), Baker Hughes (BHI) and Schlumberger (SLB).

[By Paul Ausick]

Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) saw short interest rise 12.5% to 14 million shares, about 1% of Schlumberger's float. The largest oilfield services company reported fourth-quarter results last week and posted higher EPS and revenues than it did a year ago.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-undervalued-stocks-to-watch-for-2014.html

Friday, March 14, 2014

Best Rising Stocks To Buy Right Now

Best Rising Stocks To Buy Right Now: Arch Capital Group Ltd.(ACGL)

Arch Capital Group Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers casualty; construction; executive assurance; healthcare; collateral protection, debt cancellation, and service contract reimbursement products; national accounts casualty; professional liability; programs; property, energy, marine, and aviation; surety; and travel and accident insurance products. It also provides other insurance products, such as excess workers compensation and employers' liability insurance coverages for qualified self-insured groups, associations, and trusts; captive insurance programs; and accident, disability, and medical plan insurance coverages for employer groups, medical plan members, students, and other participant groups. This segment markets its products through a network of licensed independent retail and wholesale brokers. The Reinsurance segment rei nsures third party liability and worker?s compensation exposures; individual property risks that include personal lines and commercial property exposures; other specialty lines, including surety, accident and health, workers' compensation catastrophe, multi-peril crop, trade credit, and political risk; catastrophic perils, such as hurricane, earthquake, flood, tornado, hail, and fire; marine business, which includes coverage for hull, cargo, and transit and offshore oil and gas operations, as well as aviation business that comprises coverage for airline and general aviation risks; and non-traditional business to provide insurers with risk management solutions. This segment markets its reinsurance products through brokers, as well as directly with the ceding companies. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:
[By Holly LaFon]
Arch Capital (ACGL)'s Dinos Iordanu recently described to our analysts how he met me in 2001. Before we invested in his business, we asked him all sorts of personal questions about how he came to America from Cyprus; whether or not his wife had a job; and how big was his house? He told our analysts that "Ron was trying to get a sense of me. He wanted to understand how I viewed risk. No one else asked us such questions. They were the right questions since you were investing in our business, which was assuming underwriting risk on your behalf. "We got it right with Dinos and have about quadrupled our money in the past twelve years, not exactly the most propitious time to invest in stocks! Of course, there can be no assurance that future investments will be as profitable…although you can be assured that we will continue to work hard to try to achieve similar results.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-rising-stocks-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Posted by Unknown at 5:00 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Top Performing Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Performing Stocks To Own Right Now: Newport Corporation(NEWP)

Newport Corporation and its subsidiaries provide technology products and systems to scientific research, microelectronics, aerospace and defense/security, life and health sciences, and industrial markets in the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. The company operates in three divisions: Photonics and Precision Technologies (PPT), Lasers, and Ophir. The PPT division provides photonics instruments and systems; vibration isolation systems and subsystems; precision positioning devices, systems, and subsystems; optics and optical hardware; opto-mechanical subassemblies and subsystems; and advanced manufacturing systems. It also offers automated systems for various applications in the manufacture of solar panels, and communications and electronic devices, including microwave, optical, radio frequency, and multi-chip modules. The Lasers division provides laser and laser-based system, such as ultrafast lasers and systems, diode-pumped solid state Q-switched lasers, diode-p umped solid state continuous wave (CW) and quasi-CW lasers, pulsed Nd:YAG and tunable lasers, and gas lasers. The Ophir division offers optics, photonics instruments, and three-dimensional non-contact measurement equipment and sensors. It also provides laser instrumentation, including laser power and energy meters, and laser beam profilers. This division serves the scientific research, microelectronics, aerospace, defense/security, life and health sciences, and industrial markets. The company offers its products under the ILX Lightwave, New Focus, Newport, Ophir, Optimet, Oriel Instruments, Richardson Gratings, Spiricon, and Spectra-Physics names. It sells its products to original equipment manufacturers and end-user customers through direct sales organizations, a network of independent distributors, and sales representatives, as well as through product catalogs and Web s! ites. Newport Corporation was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.
Advisors' Opinion:
[By Evan Niu, CFA]
What: Shares of Newport (NASDAQ: NEWP ) got crushed today, down by as much as 12% after the company reported earnings that fell short of expectations.

[By Brian Stoffel]
Rofin-Sinar (NASDAQ: RSTI ) , Coherent (NASDAQ: COHR ) , Newport (NASDAQ: NEWP ) , and JDS Uniphase (NASDAQ: JDSU ) all offer fiber-optic lasers as well.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-performing-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Posted by Unknown at 6:09 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Top 10 Sliver Stocks For 2014

Top 10 Sliver Stocks For 2014: Konared Corp (KRED)

KonaRed Corporation., formerly TeamUpSport Inc., incorporated on October 4, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is focused to develop and commercialize on its Website www.teamupsport.com. As of May 31, 2011, the Company had not generated revenue. On October 4, 2013, the Company acquired Sandwich Isles Trading Co. Inc. dba KonaRed.
The Company's Website will be designed to integrate into a single online offering people's interest in sports with the capabilities of online social networking. The Website will become a sports focused social networking Website.
Advisors' Opinion:
[By Tabitha Jean Naylor]
Konared (OTCQB: KRED)

Konared’s mission is to reintroduce the world to coffee. Unlike many other start-ups that focus on providing yet another way to enjoy traditional coffee, which is made from toasted and pulverized coffee beans, Konared actually makes use of the coffee berry in order to produce its beverage.

[By John Udovich]
Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), a mid cap marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages, has been a monster of a performer since the end of the financial crisis as the stock is up around 308% over the past five years, but could new or overlooked players like small cap beverage stocks Jones Soda Co (OTCMKTS: JSDA), Celsius Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: CELH) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) repeat that performance? A look strictly at the long term performance of all three small caps might have you thinking otherwise. After all, none of these small cap beverage stocks are profitable while the beverage industry can be a long hard expensive slog just to increase market share by one or two points when you are competing for shelf space with industry giants like Pepsi and Coke. But past performance is just that – the past and on! ly part of the story as there is much more to consider about these small cap beverage stocks which could also make them potential acquisition targets by larger beverage players seeking to expand their product line up with innovative products:

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-sliver-stocks-for-2014.html

Posted by Unknown at 6:46 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2015

Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2015: Aerosonic Corporation(AIM)

Aerosonic Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft instruments worldwide. It offers mechanical and digital altimeters, airspeed indicators, rate of climb indicators, microprocessor controlled air data test sets, and other flight instruments. The company also produces mechanical and electro-mechanical cockpit instruments, angle of attack stall warning systems, digital cockpit instruments, integrated flight display systems, aircraft sensors and monitoring systems, and integrated multifunction probes, such as integrated air data sensors. It markets its products to manufacturers of corporate and private jets, contractors of military jets, the United States government, and private aircraft owners. The company sells its products directly through its sales personnel, as well as through distributors and commissioned sales representatives who resell to aircraft operators. Aerosonic Corporation was founded in 1953 and is b ased in Clearwater, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:
[By Katia Dmitrieva]
Aimia (AIM) Inc.'s decision to move its Aeroplan reward-partnership to Toronto-Dominion (TD) Bank is a blow to Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which stands to lose customers and as much as C$3 billion ($2.9 billion) in credit-card balances.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-penny-companies-to-buy-for-2015-3.html

Posted by Unknown at 9:10 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Monday, March 10, 2014

Pot, guns, $40K among accidental charity donations

Talk about being generous to a fault.
Charitable donors have accidentally given away stacks of cash and valuable jewelry by simply not checking clothing pockets, shoe boxes and furniture drawers before handing off their goods.
Last week, $2,500 was found in a donation to a Glen Carbon, Ill., Goodwill store. About $40,000 turned up at a Goodwill in Monroe, Mich., in late January.
In just the last two years, about $20,000 in accidental donations came into the 42 stores and five separate sites in the MERS Goodwill system, which includes the Glen Carbon store and others in the St. Louis area.
Add in mistaken donations since 2008, and the figure rises to about $37,000, says the group.
Sugarcreek Borough, Pa., Police Chief Matt Carlson says that in addition to jewelry and money, his local Salvation Army has found guns and knives that were apparently donated by mistake. The store also had a very surprising discovery in February: a bag of marijuana.
"It was packaged for distribution," says Carlson, who doubts the owner will come forward to reclaim it.
Charity group workers say donors sometimes forget to check the inside of pockets and pocketbooks before they drop off goods. Some contributors inadvertently pick up valuables from their car trunks while scooping up other items to be donated.
Accidental offerings also arrive when someone brings in the belongings of a person who had died or moved away, says Michael Meyer, vice president of donated goods retail for Goodwill Industries International.
The approximately $40,000 that turned up in Monroe, Mich., belonged to an elderly man. He was moving to a nursing home and a relative who helped to clean out the man's belongings didn't realize there was cash tucked into the clothes.
"On a daily basis, we find change in a pocket or purse, maybe a couple dollars at most. But nothing even close to this amount," says Tyler Gedelian, a store manager who found the bulk of the money in the pocket of a robe. The res! t was found in suit jackets.
Among Gedelian's first thoughts: "This could be somebody's life savings or an important nest egg."
His next step: contacting local police, who used an identity card also found in the clothing to locate the owner and return the cash.
Police are still seeking the person who dropped off the $2,500 in Glen Carbon.
The stacks of bills found by workers going through donated clothing at the Monroe Goodwill store in Monroe, Mich.(Photo: The Monroe Evening News, Kim Brent/AP)
Both Goodwill and the Salvation Army say they do their best to return items that appear to have been donated by mistake.
Cissy Altevogt, store manager at the Goodwill who discovered the $2,500 last Monday, says this is the third time her store has gotten big bucks in an unintentional donation. In 2011, workers found $2,500, and in 2008 about $7,500 turned up.
"We found the rightful owner the last two times," says Altevogt, who offers this advice to the philanthropic: "Make sure you check your pockets and the drawers and inside books" prior to dropping off any goods.
Her tips are timely. "With spring cleaning right around the corner, donations will start to pick up," says Monroe, Mich., Goodwill store manager Gedelian.

Posted by Unknown at 2:22 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Friday, March 7, 2014

â€‹Huge Progress Being Made In RNAi Territory

RNA interference (RNAi) is a very new life science technology that is largely attributed to Andrew Fire and Craig Mello, the recipients of the 2006 Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Using RNAi, scientists can manipulate the expression of DNA by selectively disabling certain messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. If DNA can be considered a "book" of information, RNAi is the technology that allows scientists to edit the text before publication.

RNAi molecules are unstable, which is why delivery mechanisms for these agents matter – a lot. And since it's a cutting edge field, only a handful of companies and institutions have decent RNAi delivery platforms. Due to the huge commercial potential of RNAi, most biotech investors are (or should be) watching the development quite closely.

There are four early-mid stage RNAi companies we are actively following, and we feel that these companies can be considered first "generation" of RNA-focused biotech companies. It's easy to understand why all of these companies have done well in the last 6 months, but it gets more complicated when you try to evaluate the valuations of these companies and their pipelines.

We will now provide updated reviews on each of these companies.

Alnylam (ALNY)

Now trading at a $5.2 B valuation after a 2-year 550% rally, Alnylam is one of the most successful RNAi stories out there. Big pharma has also shown direct interest in Alnylam, evidenced by the $700 M investment made into the company by Sanofi (SNY).

The company's pipeline has grown, and there is a lot going on, but we are giving a lot of attention to ALN-TTR02 – an upcoming treatment for TTR-Mediated Amyloidosis. Note that the drug is now called Patisiran.

Amyloidosis is a disease where changes in protein structure cause massive buildups of these proteins in the body. These growths are known as amyloids, and can be very dangerous when they interfere with normal body function. It is incurable, and we see huge potential for Patisiran and the subcutaneous version of this drug after potential FDA approval.

The company provided a "Key 2014" goals update in January that explains what investors should expect this year, and when.

Since our last note on Alnylam, the stock has roughly doubled. The company seems to have decent momentum going into 2014 with a string of catalysts from the 5x15 program, but we see it as an expensive buy at $80+/share. ALNY might be a better bet after a double-digit correction, because we currently see a "neutral" risk/reward profile.

Best Trucking Companies To Watch In Right Now
Tekmira (TKMR)

Tekmira is a modestly-valued RNA company that is most famous for its lipid nanoparticle (LNP) RNAi delivery technology. Investors may remember that this LNP delivery technology was the subject of a heated legal debate between Tekmira and Alnylam, which was settled with a payment of $65 M. Tekmira is also well known for its Marqibo partnership with Spectrum, and its early-stage partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY).

But that's old news. Tekmira is now putting a lot of effort into developing its wholly-owned novel drug candidates. Of the seven programs listed on the site, TKM-PLK1 is the only one currently in clinical development.

TKM-PLK1 targets a protein known as PLK1, which has been implicated many times in certain types of cancers. The protein triggers certain cancer-propagating mechanisms that allow tumors to grow. According to the company's trial data, PLK1 inhibition demonstrated objective clinical efficacy in patients with Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors (GI-NET) or Adrenocortical Carcinoma (ACC). I don't really care for Phase I efficacy data, but a good sign is a good sign.

One of the really cool things about Tekmira is the fact that the company still generates a lot of revenue from the LNP platform. In Q3 2013, the Marqibo deal paid out $1 M due to an accelerated approval received by Spectrum. More recently, Tekmira confirmed the first $14.5 M of a $16.5 M IP licensing deal with Monsanto (MON).

As the company morphs into a drug developer, this revenue will be needed to offset higher cashburn. However, this strategy makes it possible for this company to become another Alnylam. To raise additional capital, Tekmira announced the registration of up to $150 M of TKMR common. While this is potentially dilutive, it is a smart move by Tekmira to introduce a flexible financing option that can take advantage of its 140% rally since the

Posted by Unknown at 6:03 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Strength of Yellen's Leadership Crucial to Success of Fed Taper

London - MahiFX Market View - Janet Yellen delivered a flawless performance in her first Humphrey Hawkins testimony as US Federal Reserve Chairwoman, but that performance may mask a weak leadership and that could have grave consequences for the tapering of the Fed's bond purchases.

At stake is the 'smooth' winding down of the Fed's quantitative easing programme – the biggest and boldest monetary stimulus in history. Emerging market wobbles aside, the exit hasn't been nearly as disruptive as it could have been, though it is still in the early stages

Botched communications and u-turns stemming from weak and indecisive leadership have all the potential to unleash intense volatility in the forex markets. Ironically that could be good for USD and US Treasuries as they are the safe havens of choice during periods of risk aversion. However, it would damage the US economy as decision makers would delay spending plans.

The changing of the guard at the Fed always creates some uncertainty. Even when continuity is emphasised, as Yellen rightly did on Tuesday, there can still be some subtle differences in style and delivery. That leaves open the prospect for misunderstandings by the market, especially at the start of the chairmanship.

Yellen's leadership will be important to EUR/USD direction

Potential to be upstaged

A bigger concern about Yellen is whether or not she will be a strong leader. She was US President Barack Obama's second choice to the much more famous Larry Summers, a former US Treasury Secretary under the Clinton administration. The implication of being second choice is to be potentially less respected and regarded by the administration.

The second hurdle she faces is having Stanley Fischer as Vice Chairman who is something of a 'rock star' in the world economics. That means he has the credentials to upstage Yellen, particularly if she turns out to be weak.

He headed the Bank of Israel and served at the IMF. As a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology he taught many prominent economists. These include former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi who heads the European Central Bank. He's also not a big fan of quantitative easing and is somewhat more hawkish than Yellen.

The taper will require very careful execution, strong leadership and clear communications with the markets and politicians. The last thing the Fed wants is to destabilise the markets by being indecisive, which could result in having to prolong QE longer than planned.

Over the next three to six months Yellen's grip on the Fed, her ability to drive consensus among the Fed's governors and communicate with the markets will become clearer. Hopefully, it will show her to be fully in control. More strong public performances like Tuesday's testimony should reinforce her leadership.

By Justin Pugsley, Markets Analyst MahiFX

Follow MahiFX on twitter @MahiFX

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

Posted-In: Economics Federal Reserve Markets
Most Popular 3 Reasons To Embrace The Double-Digit Drop In Exxon Mobil Earnings Scheduled For February 12, 2014 Will Creative Edge Nutrition Become The Jolly Green Giant Of Medical Marijuana? Whole Foods Market Earnings Preview: Double-Digit Revenue Growth Expected 5 Apple Headlines From Monday You Might Have Missed 3 Reasons To Trust Dividends More Than Analysts Related Articles () Time Warner Cable, Comcast May Soon Ink ~$44B Deal Some Highlights from Whole Foods' Q1 Earnings Conference Call Modern Portfolio Theory 2.0 – The Most Diversified Portfolio! Danger Zone: Callidus Software (CALD) Strength of Yellen's Leadership Crucial to Success of Fed Taper How the Trend Is Changing for Silver Around the Web, We're Loving... Create an Account With Options House and Get 150 Free Trades! Pope Francis Rips 'Trickle-Down' Economics Wynn, MGM, Other Casino Giants Vying For U.S. Turf What Should You Know About AMZN? View the discussion thread. adsonar_placementId=1587471;

Posted by Unknown at 8:15 PM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Tobacco Merger May Be Right For Your Money… and Dividends

Lorillard, Inc. (NYSE: LO) had an impressive Tuesday trading session on reports that Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) was interested in buying the company. The merger would consolidate the pure-play tobacco companies in America from three down to two. While we would consider this a rumor of sorts for now, there are some serious considerations here.

Reynolds is worth roughly $30 billion, versus about $20 billion for Lorillard. Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO), which is just the domestic side of the old Phillip Morris tobacco giant, is worth a whopping $73.3 billion. The real question is how the combined Reynolds-Lorillard would fare against Altria when competing for investor dollars and in selling to the public.

Altria generated $24.466 billion in 2013 revenue, with net income applicable to shareholders of $4.535 billion. Reynolds’ 2013 revenue was $8,236,000 and income applicable to shareholders of $1.718 billion. Lorillard’s 2013 revenue was $6.95 billion with income applicable to shareholders of $1.18 billion. So the combined companies, without any consideration on savings at all – would be $15.186 billion in revenue and net income of $2.898 billion – with a combined market value of close to $50 billion.

The dividends are all high, but Altria’s payout yield of 5.3% compares to 5.3% for Reynolds and 5.0% for Lorillard.

Lorillard shares closed up over 3% at $55.26 and shares hit a new high of $56.85 on the news, while Reynolds closed up 5.7% at $56.31 and it hit a new high of $56.48on the day. Even Altria rose by 1.7% to $37.07 against a recent high of $38.58.

Best Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now
With e-cigarettes coming on strong, traditional tobacco companies are going to have to be nimble. Perhaps that implies consolidation, but it also means that other bolt-on buyouts of e-cigarettes may be necessary. A Reynolds and Lorillard combination would likely (or conceivably) press more small bolt-on deals by Altria.

Sorry, but no reference to medical or recreational legal cannabis has been considered in this smoking merger outlook. At least not for now.

Posted by Unknown at 8:02 AM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Gap Moves Into China

Gap’s (NYSE: GPS) earnings in the fourth quarter and for the 2013 fiscal year were good enough to get modest applause from Wall Street. However, unlike other large American retailers, its revenue outside the U.S. is small — a touch more than 20% of sales. Gap has started to change that. It will open five Old Navy brand stores in China this year.

Of Gap’s $4.58 billion in revenue posted in the last quarter, $3.5 billion came from the United States. Europe and Canada were other large contributors. As part of the plan to change this:

Continuing to grow its Old Navy brand globally, the company was scheduled to open its first Old Navy store in China on Saturday — a store in Shanghai. It will begin franchising Old Navy stores internationally, starting with the Philippines in March.

Gap will press for the same advantages as other major American companies which have moved into the world largest nation by population. The theory these firms adopt is simple. China’s middle class, created by industrial jobs, has grown into the hundreds of millions. The wages earned by these people have risen steadily. Perhaps, as has been true in the U.S. for decades, consumer spending will eventually become the largest contributor to GDP in the People’s Republic,

However, doing business in China has drawbacks. Among them is local competition, plus competition from the large numbers of American, European, and Japanese companies which already have put beachheads in the country, trying to tap into a potentially rich consumer market.

But U.S. companies, which include Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), have faced challenges as they entered the market. China’s efforts to regulate the actions of these include protection of labor forces, which in many cases have a quasi-union status, and regulations which block companies from doing business as they do in the U.S. and Europe. Yum! recently found this out the hard way, as a small portion of the chicken its uses in its KFC franchises had food quality problems. The resulting hurricane of regulatory punishment and media attention nearly wrecked Yum!’s earnings.

The final problem Gap must overcome is if its Old Navy brand is the right one to enter China with. There is no guarantee that the Chinese consumer has American-like tastes. Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) discovered this because it was not prepared to satisfy the consumer preference in China for tea over coffee. Whether Old Navy is like coffee is something Gap will find out soon enough.

Posted by Unknown at 7:38 AM No comments:
Email This BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Blog Archive

► 2019 (35)

► March (16)

► February (19)

► 2018 (19)

► August (2)

► July (7)

► June (3)

► May (7)

► 2015 (116)

► July (4)

► June (15)

► May (20)

► April (14)

► March (24)

► February (19)

► January (20)

▼ 2014 (317)

► December (20)

► November (22)

► October (32)

► September (35)

► August (33)

► July (41)

► June (36)

► May (25)

► April (23)

▼ March (22)

Weekly CFO Sells Highlight

S&P downgrades Target for data breach

Microsoft announces Office for iPad

#Premarket Prep Technical Update - Sugar Futures S...

Economists See Fed Ending Bond Purchases Soon

Darden Leaves Investors Wondering

Is ViaSat, Inc the Best In-Flight Wifi and Satelli...

The U.S. Domestic E-Cig Market Is About to Be Shak...

5 Best Casino Stocks To Watch For 2014

The Bank of Canada Remains Dovish

13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips

Best Cheapest Stocks To Own Right Now

Best Undervalued Stocks To Watch For 2014

Best Rising Stocks To Buy Right Now

Top Performing Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 10 Sliver Stocks For 2014

Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2015

Pot, guns, $40K among accidental charity donations

â€‹Huge Progress Being Made In RNAi Territory

Strength of Yellen's Leadership Crucial to Success...

Tobacco Merger May Be Right For Your Money… and Di...

Gap Moves Into China

► February (9)

► January (19)

► 2013 (124)

► December (25)

► November (21)

► October (24)

► September (19)

► August (18)

► July (17)

About Me

Unknown

View my complete profile