The following video is from Thursday's�Motley Fool Money�roundtable discussion,�in which host Chris Hill and analysts Charly Travers, James Early, and Ron Gross discuss the top business and investing stories of the week.
Will Costco� (NASDAQ: COST ) continue to produce�big returns for shareholders? Should dividend lovers love Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) ? Will�Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM ) right the ship with its China operations? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts discuss Costco, Apple, and Yum! Brands.
Costco's low prices haven't just benefited customers -- shareholders have walloped the market, returning 11,000% over the past two decades. However, with prices near all-time highs, is the ride over for Costco investors? To answer that and more, The Motley Fool's compiled a premium research report with in-depth analysis on Costco.�Simply click here now to gain instant access to this valuable investor's resource.
Top Prefered Companies To Own For 2015: Halcon Resources Corp (HK)
Halcon Resources Corporation (Halcon Resources), incorporated on February 5, 2004, is an independent energy company focused on the acquisition, production, exploration and development of onshore liquids-rich oil and natural gas assets in the United States. The Company has oil and natural gas reserves located primarily in Texas, North Dakota, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Montana. On August 1, 2012, the Company acquired GeoResources by merger. On December 6, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of entities owning approximately 81,000 net acres prospective for the Bakken / Three Forks formations primarily located in Williams, Mountrail, McKenzie and Dunn Counties, North Dakota (the Williston Basin Assets), from Petro-Hunt, L.L.C. and Pillar Energy, LLC (the Petro-Hunt parties). As of December 31, 2012, the Company has working interests in approximately 128,000 net acres prospective for the Bakken / Three Forks formations in North Dakota and Montana.
The Company�� Woodbine / Eagle Ford acreage is prospective for the Woodbine, Eagle Ford and other formations, with targeted depths ranging anywhere from 7,000 feet to 10,400 feet. As of December 31, 2012, The Company has approximately 198,000 net acres leased or under contract primarily in Leon, Madison, Grimes, Brazos, and Polk Counties, Texas. The Company is the operator and has a 100% working interest in more than 12,000 net acres in Wichita and Wilbarger Counties, Texas that it is actively water flooding in shallow Cisco aged Pennsylvania sandstone and limestone reservoirs. As of December 31, 2012, the Company produced 484 million barrels of oil equivalent from approximately 700 active producing wells and approximately 230 active water injection wells.
The Company�� position in the La Copita Field covers 3,720 gross acres and 2,829 net acres in Starr County, Texas. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� average net daily production was 623 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The Company operates 100% of this production a! nd its working interest ranges from 75% to 100%. The Company has various other oil and natural gas properties with varying working interests located across the United States, including the Austin Chalk Trend and Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, the Fitts-Allen Fields in Central Oklahoma, and various other areas across South Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, and West Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt DiLallo]
2. Halcon (NYSE: HK )
Since the company's transformational recapitalization by former�Petrohawk�CEO Floyd Wilson, Halcon has been rapidly expanding its assets and oil production. Last year saw the company add�the Bakken and the Eagle Ford to its portfolio, which played a big role in its ability to grow oil production by an astounding 173.2% year over year.�Expect more of the same in 2013, as the company looks to spend about $1.2 billion to drill its oily acres in its portfolio, with an emphasis on its acreage in the Bakken.
Best Low Price Companies To Watch In Right Now: Phoenix New Media Ltd (FENG)
Phoenix New Media Limited (PNM), incorporated on November 22, 2007, is a new media company providing content on an integrated platform across Internet, mobile and television (TV) channels in China. PNM enables consumers to access professional news and other content and share user-generated content (UGC), on the Internet and through their mobile devices. The Company also transmits its UGC and in-house produced content to TV viewers primarily through Phoenix TV. Its platform includes its ifeng.com channel, consisting of its ifeng.com Website, its video channel, consisting of its dedicated video vertical and video services and applications, and its mobile channel, including its mobile Internet Website and mobile applications.
PNM offers a variety of paid services across all of its channels, including mobile Internet and value-added services (MIVAS), which includes its digital reading services, mobile game services and wireless value-added services (WVAS), such as messaging-based services (short message service and multi-media messaging services); video value-added services (video VAS), which consists of its online subscription and pay-per-view video services, its mobile subscription and pay-per-view video services, and video content sales, and Internet value-added services (Internet VAS). The Company primarily generates its paid service revenues from its WVAS, digital reading services and mobile video subscription and pay-per-view services by providing content to mobile device users and collecting revenue shares or fixed fees for its content services from the relevant mobile operator. The Company also earns paid service revenues in the form of fixed fees from China Mobile Communications Corporation (China Mobile), for its digital reading services.
Video Channel
The Company�� video channel is consists of its online video vertical at v.ifeng.com; mobile video subscription and pay-per-view services and mobile video application, video content sales business. The Compa! ny offers its video VAS paid services through its video channel, which include its online subscription and pay-per-view services, its mobile subscription and pay-per-view video services and video content sales. The Company�� v.ifeng.com vertical offers four categories of video products and services, namely free online video on demand (VOD), live Phoenix TV broadcasts, subscription online video service and pay-per-view online video service. It organizes and presents video content, supplemented by text, images, user surveys and comment postings on its v.ifeng.com vertical.
The VODs typically consist of short clips of up to five minutes of news programs, interviews, documentaries and other programs. Its VOD content is easily searchable on its Website and is organized into over 10 verticals of v.ifeng.com for easy browsing, including news, finance, culture, sports, history, entertainment, news commentary, military affairs, society, biographies history, entertainment, movies and TV, style, vblog, VIP channel, Phoenix TV, live broadcast, and original videos.It offers live streams of Phoenix TV's flagship channels, the Phoenix Chinese Channel and the Phoenix InfoNews Channel. Its online subscription video service enables users to watch advertisement-free premium content, such as feature-length documentaries and exclusive online Phoenix TV programming.
The Company�� online pay-per-view video service enables users to watch advertisement-free premium videos by purchasing access to particular videos on vip.v.ifeng.com. Like its online subscription videos, its pay-per-view videos include longer videos of up to 20 minutes in length. The Company offers video content through the mobile video platforms of telecom operators, primarily China Mobile and China Telecom. Mobile users who access its videos on China Mobile's platform either by subscription or on a pay-per-view basis pay a fixed fee.
Mobile Channel
The Company�� mobile channel consists of its 3g.ifeng! .com mobi! le Website and its MIVAS. The Company offers MIVAS paid services through its video channel, which include its digital reading services, mobile game services and WVAS. Users can access its mobile content and MIVAS directly from their mobile phones on its mobile Internet Website, 3g.ifeng.com; from a mobile operator's platform; by downloading its applications, and by opening a pre-installed application on their mobile devices. The Company provides and markets its MIVAS through cooperation with mobile operators, as well as various mobile device manufacturers, Internet sites, technology and media companies.
The Company�� 3g.ifeng.com Website is a modified version of its ifeng.com site reformatted for use on mobile devices and tailored to the preferences of its mobile users. 3g.ifeng.com allows its users to access ifeng.com and v.ifeng.com content. Similar to ifeng.com, its 3g.ifeng.com features an array of interest-based and interactive verticals, including news, stocks, micro-blog, user surveys, and digital reading, as well as a mobile video site for watching free mobile VOD.
The Company competes with NetEase.com, Inc., Sina Corporation, Sohu.com Inc., Tencent Technology Limited, Youku Tudou Inc., iqiyi.com, Sohu video, QQ video, PPlive.com, PPS.com, China Network Television, 3G Menhu, A8.com, and Kong Zhong Corporation, Wenxuecity.com, Duowei News and Yahoo!.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Phoenix New Media (NYSE: FENG ) reported earnings on May 14. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Phoenix New Media beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
Best Low Price Companies To Watch In Right Now: AvWorks Aviation Corp (SPLI)
AvWorks Aviation Corp., formerly Datamill Media Corp., incorporated on January 15, 1990, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Young Aviation, LLC (Young Aviation) operate as a diversified broker and supplier of parts and services to the worldwide aviation and aerospace markets. The Company services a broad range of clients such as aircraft leasing companies, major airlines, repair stations, fixed-base operators, leasing companies and aftermarket suppliers. The Company was a management consulting firm that planned to educate and assist small businesses to improve their management, corporate governance, regulatory compliance and other business processes, with a focus on capital market participation.
On October 3, 2011, the Company acquired 100% interests in Young Aviation. Young Aviation is a diversified broker and supplier of parts, components and products to the general aviation and aerospace markets of the United States, Europe and Asia. Young Aviation services a range of clients, such as aircraft leasing companies, major airlines, repair stations, fixed-base operators, leasing companies and after market suppliers.In December 2011, the Company announced the purchase and salvage of a Lear Jet 24 from a private owner. On June 22, 2011, Datamill Media Sub Corp. was organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Datamill Media Corp. The principal business of this subsidiary was to act as a merger vehicle for the pending merger with M3X Media, Inc. On August 12, 2011, the Company terminated the Merger Agreement with M3X Media, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
It's admittedly scary to try and catch a falling knife, but sometimes it's worth the risk. Case in point? AvWorks Aviation Corp. (OTCMKTS:SPLI) .... better known as Vapor Group. Without knowing more about the stock, the sheer fact that SPLI has fallen nearly 90% since March 26th - with about a third of that coming today alone - the stock would be best left avoided by nearly any trader. For the small group of savvy traders that know the tell-tale signs and know how the market really works, however, AvWorks Aviation, or Vapor Group, may be in a prime buying situation today.... yes, even in the midst of this bloodbath.
- [By James E. Brumley]
It's a rarity that I reiterate an idea I've previously opined... particularly one that I only published just a couple of days earlier. The fact that I'm going to do so with AvWorks Aviation Corp. (OTCMKTS:SPLI) - perhaps better known to some as Vapor Group - should tell you how important it is to re-convey the message. Here goes...
Best Low Price Companies To Watch In Right Now: VALE S.A.(VALE)
Vale S.A. engages in the exploration, production, and sale of basic metals in Brazil. The company also involves in fertilizers, logistics, and steel businesses. The Bulk Material segment consist of iron ore mining and pellet production, as well as its Brazilian Northern and Southern transportation systems, including railroads, ports, and terminals. This segment also includes manganese mining and ferroalloys. The Base Metals segment produces nonferrous minerals, including nickel, copper, and aluminum consisting of aluminum trading activities, alumina refining, aluminum metal smelting, and bauxite mining. The Fertilizers segment provides potash, phosphates, and nitrogen. The Logistic Services segment consists of transportation systems, including ships, ports, and railroads for third party cargos. This segment includes 10,179 kilometers of railroad infrastructure, 8 seaport terminals, 5 general cargo ports, and 2 iron ore export terminals. In addition, it generates energy thr ough hydroelectric power plants. The company was founded in 1942 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Cliffs Natural Resources have fallen 2.7% to $18.59 at today at 3:42 p.m., while Rio Tinto (RIO) has fallen 3.6% to $53.36, BHP Billiton (BHP) has dropped 2.2% to $66.64 and Vale (VALE) has plunged 5% to $13.05.
- [By kcpl]
Mining companies had a bad time last year. Due to the existing headwinds, many companies saw poor quarterly results, disappointing both analysts and investors. Vale (VALE) and Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) are two such companies whose shares have seen a steep fall in the last year. These companies are taking up asset sales and are reducing overheads to maintain liquidity and profitability. However, if we compare the two companies, there are certain reasons which give Vale an advantage over Cliffs.
Best Low Price Companies To Watch In Right Now: LTC Properties Inc (LTC)
LTC Properties, Inc., incorporated on May 12, 1992, a health care real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company invests primarily in senior housing and long term care properties through property lease transactions, mortgage loans and other investments. Its primary senior housing and long term healthcare property types include skilled nursing properties (SNF), assisted living properties (ALF), independent living properties (ILF) and combinations thereof. During 2011, it leased a private school property to a non-for-profit corporation providing therapeutic support and intensive home, school and center-based behavioral therapy for children, youth and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Company, during 2011, acquired a 196-bed skilled nursing property. It purchased a 140-bed skilled nursing property located in Texas during 2011. During December 31, 2011, it acquired a vacant parcel of land in Texas. The Company, on March 26, 2012, acquired a skilled nursing property with 144 licensed beds. In May 2012, the Company acquired a 3.16 acre vacant parcel of land in Colorado. In July 2012, the Company acquired a skilled nursing property with 90 licensed beds. In August 2012, it acquired two skilled nursing facilities with a total of 288 licensed beds. In January 2013, the Company purchased two parcels of land.
As of 2011, it has investments in 12 states that include mortgages to 14 different operators. Skilled nursing facilities provide restorative, rehabilitative and nursing care for people not requiring the more extensive and sophisticated treatment available at acute care hospitals. Many skilled nursing facilities provide ancillary services that include occupational, speech, physical, respiratory and IV therapies, as well as sub-acute care services which are paid either by the patient, the patient's family, private health insurance, or through the federal Medicare or state Medicaid programs.
Assisted living facilities serve elderly persons who require assistance w! ith activities of daily living, but do not require the constant supervision skilled nursing facilities provide. Services are usually available 24 hours a day and include personal supervision and assistance with eating, bathing, grooming and administering medication. The facilities provide a combination of housing, supportive services, personalized assistance and health care designed to respond to individual needs.
Independent living facilities, also known as retirement communities or senior apartments, offer a sense of community and numerous levels of service, such as laundry, housekeeping, dining options/meal plans, exercise and wellness programs, transportation, social, cultural and recreational activities, on-site security and emergency response programs. Many offer on-site conveniences like beauty/barber shops, fitness facilities, game rooms, libraries and activity centers.
One of the properties in the Company�� real estate investment portfolio is a charter school. Charter schools provide an alternative to the traditional public school. Charter schools are autonomous entities authorized by the state or locality to conduct operations independent from the surrounding public school district. Laws vary by state, but generally charters are granted by state boards of education either directly or in conjunction with local school districts or public universities. Operators are granted charters to establish and operate schools based on the goals and objectives set forth in the charter. Upon receipt of a charter, schools receive an annuity from the state for each student enrolled. The other school in the Company�� investment portfolio is a private school and is closed and classified as held-for-sale.
As of 2011, the Company had investments in 25 states leased to 30 different operators. The Company�� owned properties are leased pursuant to non-cancelable operating leases generally with an initial term of 10 to 15 years. Many of the leases contain renewal options and! one cont! ains limited period options that permit the operator to purchase the property. The leases provide for fixed minimum base rent during the initial and renewal periods. The majority of the Company�� leases contain provisions for specified annual increases over the rents.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Finally, you need to consider going where services you want are offered. For instance, health-care real-estate investment trusts Senior Housing Properties (NYSE: SNH ) , LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC ) , and Health Care REIT (NYSE: HCN ) , which recently acquired Sunrise Senior Living, all offer facilities in various places across the nation to provide for retirees who need health-care assistance in their living arrangements. But if your particular medical needs require specialists that are concentrated in particular cities, it's far more important for your health to be close to those specialists -- even if it means paying more in taxes.
Best Low Price Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ciber Inc (CBR)
CIBER, Inc. (CIBER) is a provider of information technology (IT), business consulting and outsourcing services. The Company is engaged in solving complex IT and business issues across industries, such as energy and utilities, telecommunications, retail, healthcare, financial services, entertainment and manufacturing. The Company operates in three segments: International, North America and IT Outsourcing. Its offerings are focused around a set of core competencies which include Application Development and Management (ADM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing, Managed Services, Testing and Quality Assurance, Mobility Services and Digital Marketing. On March 9, 2012, the Company sold its Federal division to CRGT, Inc.
International
The Company�� CIBER International division delivers a mix of ERP and custom ADM solutions. CIBER International offers a range of services covering the IT solution lifecycle to both commercial enterprises and public sector organizations. Key geographies for its International division include the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Scandinavian region consisting of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The International division's enterprise solutions focus primarily on providing services related to ERP and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software products, as well as managed services. It also provides SAP Industry Solutions, such as retail, automotive and chemicals, and it is a value-added reseller of SAP software in some international geographies. Th Company works with Microsoft to deliver ERP and CRM solutions in selected international geographies.
North America
The Company�� North America division was formed during the year ended December, 31, 2011, through the combination of its former Custom Solutions division and substantially all of its former U.S. ERP division. Its North America division is organized by and operates in a matrix! of geographies and practices. Its North America division provides ADM services, IT Strategy and Architecture, Business Intelligence/Data Warehousing, Collaborative Solutions, CRM and Supply Chain. The division also offers consulting services to support multi-package ERP solutions from vendors, including Oracle (including E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards), SAP and Lawson, as well as several education management products. It is focused on industry solutions for vertical markets, such as telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, technology, state and local governments, higher education and entertainment.
The Company designs and develops custom-tailored offerings to suit its client's business needs. Its custom solutions provide a range of application portfolio management support, including analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, outsourcing and maintenance of business applications. Its service-oriented architectures, including J2EE and .NET, as well as traditional client/server and mainframe development. The Company also offers portal development, wireless and mobility applications and content delivery. The North America division is an Oracle Platinum Partner, which is a partnership in the Oracle Partner Network Specialized Program and a strategic partner to Oracle in several key industries, such as the public sector, higher education and food and beverage. Its Oracle, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards solutions involve building, integrating and supporting mission critical systems for real-time enterprises.
The Company�� North America division also is an SAP-certified global provider of application management services. The division's SAP solutions support their customers throughout the life cycle and include implementations and upgrades, extensions, integrations and customizations. The North America division has organized its SAP Practice to serve multiple vertical markets. In its SAP Commercial Practice, the North America division foc! uses on c! ustomers in retail, apparel and footwear, mining, metals, manufacturing, financial services and aerospace and defense industries. In its SAP Public Sector Practice, the North America division focuses on delivering solutions to state and local governments.
The North America division is a Certified Lawson Consulting Partner, providing business transformation projects in Lawson's target vertical markets through business process, change management and functional and technical services around Lawson technology. These target markets are healthcare, public sector, food and beverage and general manufacturing, for which it offers budgeting, financial processing and analysis, human capital management, sales order processing and manufacturing systems solutions.
IT Outsourcing
The Company�� IT Outsourcing division is a global business with domestic headquarters in Edison, New Jersey, and international presence throughout Europe. The division offers outsourced enterprise infrastructure management solutions, including managed hosted infrastructure, end user service desk and desktop services, remote infrastructure management (RIM) and application operations support. The IT Outsourcing division's data centers, service desk centers and global operations are located in the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, India and Spain. The division's Technology Solutions Group Practice focuses on providing customers with the infrastructure products and architecture. Offerings include enterprise servers, storage, middleware, integration services, assessments and related products required to support critical business applications.
The Company competes with Accenture plc, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, Infosys Technologies Limited, Perficient, Inc., Sapient Corp and The Hackett Group, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Ciber (NYSE: CBR ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 30. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:
The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Ciber's revenues will drop -4.8% and EPS will grow from $0.00 per share the prior year.
Best Low Price Companies To Watch In Right Now: Panera Bread Company(PNRA)
Panera Bread Company, together with its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and franchises retail bakery-cafes in the United States and Canada. Its bakery-cafes offer fresh baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads, custom roasted coffees, and other complementary products, as well as provide catering services. The company also manufactures and supplies dough and other products to company-owned and franchise-operated bakery-cafes. As of March 29, 2011, it owned and franchised 1,467 bakery-cafes under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co., and Paradise Bakery & Cafe names. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Andrew Marder]
It seems like the best kind of problem to have, but Panera Bread� (NASDAQ: PNRA ) is still concerned that it may have gotten too popular.�The company feels like it's gotten to a point where its in-store ordering can feel a bit like a fight for survival. Customers have to line up and pick up food in a handful of different places, checking slips of paper to make sure they get the right orders, and picking those orders up while rubbing elbows with their fellow diners.
- [By Valuentum]
As we can see from the above chart, Potbelly not only performed worse than its peers during the Great Recession, but it also didn't recover as strongly. To us, this suggests that the firm doesn't have the same pricing power as Chipotle (CMG) or Panera (PNRA), nor do its individual restaurants have the same growth potential.
- [By Andrew Marder]
Competitors to watch out for
While Starbucks could be said to be in competition with every cafe, I'm looking out for Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA ) and Kraft (NASDAQ: KRFT ) . Panera is the cafe that has the best shot at making a dent in Starbucks' ironsides, with its extensive food menu and rapid growth. The company posted a comparable-sales increase of 3.3% last quarter, and the beginning of its current quarter was even stronger. If Starbucks makes a concerted push into food, Panera could be its biggest hurdle.
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