Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Video Energy Guru Boone Pickens - Redrawing the World Energy Map

Every modern economy runs on energy. The horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing boom in North America could be a game changer for the future of that energy.

The Milken Institute assembled a panel to discuss all of the current dynamics of the energy market including fracking, OPEC, Russia, nuclear and coal:

Also check out: T. Boone Pickens Undervalued Stocks T. Boone Pickens Top Growth Companies T. Boone Pickens High Yield stocks, and Stocks that T. Boone Pickens keeps buyingAbout the author:Canadian Valuehttp://valueinvestorcanada.blogspot.com/
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Monday, April 28, 2014

Here’s Why Jim Cramer Sees GE Going Higher

Jim Cramer is down on tech at the moment, but he sees big things in the cards for industrial heavyweights like General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Honeywell (NYSE:HON). In fact, the opinionated CNBC host told "Squawk Box" Friday he sees GE joining the slate of companies with growth on the way.

Cramer backed his boisterous take on GE's earnings report with references to growing profit margins in several GE divisions.

"One of the reasons why I like what I see from General Electric is that, in almost every business, the margins were improving," he said on Friday. "Their power, their water infrastructure, that had been…the really big disappointment. The margins were up there, too."

Cramer was also enthusiastic about Jeff Immelt's earlier comments. Immelt, the chief executive of GE, had projected a positive viewpoint following GE's earnings report. Cramer noted the contrast to what was happening among technology companies.

"It's almost as if these companies are doing everything right and tech seems to be doing everything wrong."

But Cramer mainly wanted to state his case why he saw GE stock headed for gains. Citing the aerospace sector, Cramer saw a major bull market, which would help Boeing (NYSE:BA) along with GE and Honeywell, all of whom are benefiting from an improved U.S. industrial business.

"You get the margins up, GE joins the crowd of companies that go higher here," he said on "Squawk Box." Cramer also believes GE shareholders will see better dividend payments in the coming quarters. "I think this company is going to be returning more capital, increasingly."

Cramer made it clear he didn't support those who say stagnant revenues are a warning sign for big industrial companies. "Those people have been so wrong, it's frightening." He said it all comes down to the margins, which are improving for GE and the other industry powerhouses.

GE's Friday earnings report was enough to boost the stock some 5 percent in afternoon trading, with analysts predicting good things ahead for the manufacturing sector across the world, which is usually boosted by the strength of companies like GE.

"It is encouraging to see customers willing to sign agreements for a new piece of capital equipment. That indicates a level of certainty in the economic situation," one Morningstar analyst told Reuters.

Don't Miss: Is Condensation to Blame for Boeing 787 Fire?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

3 Predictions for the New Week

I went out on a limb last week, and now it's time to see how that decision played out.

I predicted that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) would close higher on the week. The company behind the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and iEverything Else was out of favor heading into Tuesday afternoon's quarterly report, but that's the kind of pessimism that's rewarded after even a so-so quarter. It was a well-received report, as a surprising surge in iPhones overcame weakness nearly everywhere else. The stock moved 3.8% higher on the week. I was right. I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? Well, this was a good week for tech to bounce back. The Nasdaq moved 0.7% higher, and the Dow managed to close 0.1% higher. I was right. My final call was for RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD  ) to beat Wall Street's income estimates in its latest quarter. The chipmaker's been doing well given its presence in some of the world's hottest smartphones, and it's been posting blowout quarterly results over the past year. I was banking on seeing the trend continue. Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.07 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.09 a share. I was right.

Three out of three? Awesome!

Let me once again whip out my trusty, dusty, and occasionally accurate crystal ball to make three calls that may play out over the next few trading days.

1. SodaStream will close higher on the week
It's time for SodaStream (NASDAQ: SODA  ) to get busy with the fizzy. Shares of the Israeli company behind the popular beverage-making appliance soared earlier this summer when it became the subject of buyout chatter. The rumors have subsided, but now the stock is trading for less than it was when the frenzy began.

The good news for SodaStream is that it's expected to post healthy growth when it reports on Thursday. Posting carbonated financials is one way to win back thirsty bulls.

My first call is for SodaStream to close higher on the week.

2.The Nasdaq Composite will beat the Dow this week
Tech has been a big winner in recent years, so betting on tech over stodgy blue chips has been a good bet for me more often than not.

I'm going to stick with this pick. Most of the names in the composite are just too cheap at this point, and tech should be what carries us through the economic recovery.

Yes, earnings reports have been rough in some places this season, but the long-term outlook is still quite favorable. The market is ripe for the tech-stacked secondary stocks to continue to outpace the 30 megacaps that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

3. Multimedia Games will beat Wall Street's earnings estimates
Some stocks are just flat-out better than others.

Multimedia Games (NASDAQ: MGAM  ) is a provider of casino games, growing at a healthier rate than its larger rivals. Another thing it does is make analysts look like perpetual underachievers. If analysts say that the company posted a profit of $0.24 a share in its latest quarter, I'll argue that it held up better than that. History's on my side!

One of my best tricks to beating the market is finding stocks that perpetually land ahead of the prognosticators. Let's go over the past year of earnings reports.

 Quarter

EPS Estimate

EPS

Surprise

Q3 2012

$0.25

$0.39

39%

Q4 2012

$0.21

$0.30

43%

Q1 2013

$0.13

$0.24

85%

Q2 2013

$0.19

$0.31

63%

Source: Thomson Reuters.

Things can change, of course. The revenue-sharing arrangement with one of its largest partners recently turned against Multimedia Games' favor, and gambling as an addiction is being seen as a bigger problem than before.

However, it's hard to argue against the trend. Everything seems to be falling into place for another market-thumping quarter on the bottom line.

Three for the road
Well, there are three predictions right there. Let's see how I fare this week.

If you want three more ideas, The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of. Click here now to keep reading.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Goodwill proves to be a retail juggernaut

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — While many big merchants are struggling to sustain their sales, one of the fastest growing retailers in Minnesota is a nonprofit.

Sales at the thrift stores of Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota have been soaring thanks to a surge in the opening of new stores beyond the urban core. Goodwill even has a store next to a Maserati dealership in Minnetonka.

Consumers' growing frugality is also boosting sales.

In the past three years, Goodwill's retail sales have jumped about 75% to $67 million, a growth rate any business executive would be happy to brag about, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

In St. Louis Park, Goodwill's Second Debut, caters to people shopping for goods from upscale brands. Inside, chandeliers hang from the ceiling, the floors are wood laminate, and the feel is full-price retail.

Leona Adams of Chicago was in town recently for a conference when she walked into the store.

"I thought I was in a boutique," she said. "Very nice. I was impressed. Pricing is good. It's excellent quality."

Second Debut carries men's and women's clothing, shoes and jewelry from high-end designers.

"Ralph Lauren, Polo, Chico and Ann Taylor and then we go all the way up to the fashion houses in Paris and Italy," said Cynthia Courtney, who manages the shop.

Courtney said everything is inspected for any flaws or stains and mended as needed — then priced at a quarter or third of the original price.

We put out 200-300 units a day," she said. "So, it's new stuff every day. Within a month's time, if it's still here, it goes down 25%."

Still, Second Debut is the exception for Goodwill. Its typical outlet is like the 17,600-square-foot store off Highway 100 in St. Louis Park, with its fluorescent lights and vinyl tile flooring. The store offers the usual eclectic mix of clothing, furniture, small appliances, housewares and other goods.

Michael Wirth-Davis, CEO of Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota, said sales at Goodwill stores provide! about 85% of the charity's revenue.

"The goal is to sell things, yes," he said. "But it's why we're selling things. And that's to produce revenue to provide services and programs for a wide variety of folks who are trying get work, keep work and advance in their careers."

The demand for such services is growing. In 2013, the organization provided employment and job-training services to more than 30,000 people.

Most of the store merchandise is from public donations. Other retailers also donate or sell inventory to Goodwill at a deep discount. Women's clothing dominates most stores. And the typical customer is a woman between the ages of 35 and 54. But Wirth-Davis says customers these days include a good number of men and come from across the economic spectrum.

"People often think that our stores are only for poor people, whatever that means for them. And we're saying we have stuff for everyone," he said.

Wirth-Davis said the Great Recession provided Goodwill with challenges and opportunities. Although more people needed its employment services, more consumers were eager to shop Goodwill. The hit to the retail industry made it easier and cheaper to lease good locations.

More than half of the nonprofit's 35 stores have opened since 2008, in outer ring Twin Cities suburbs like Chanhassen, Blaine and Hudson, Wis.

"When you have more outlets and it's convenient to donate your goods and shop, sales go up," Wirth-Davis said. "Also the look of a store. We're not your grandma's Goodwill, the traditional old thrift shop feel. We want it to be customer friendly and for people to have a great shopping experience."

Nationally, the portion of U.S. consumers saying they shop for used goods has doubled in the last decade to about 30%, according to Britt Beemer, an analyst for America's Research Group. He said a thrift store like Goodwill provides a handy way to recycle goods and stretch dollars. "There's no longer a stigma about buying there for consumers," he said. "If i! t's a goo! d deal and value, they're not ashamed to buy it there."

Beemer says many young people today are proud to boast about the bargains they find in thrift shops.

For Kari Peterson, of Minneapolis, Goodwill is a way to manage college debt. She's a music teacher, who graduated from Bethel University about four years ago.

"I ended up with more loans than I expected and switched my major as well," she said. "So, I ended up staying in college longer than I intended. Moving out on my own, I wanted to be thrifty and smart about money, not buying everything brand new."

Price isn't the only attraction. Peterson likens Goodwill to a treasure chest full of surprises, like the rare classical vinyl LPs she has found for $1 or less a record.

"Pretty cool," she said.

Now, Peterson said, she just needs to find an inexpensive record player to play them on.

An AP Member Exchange feature story shared by Minnesota Public Radio

Friday, April 25, 2014

8 Fascinating Reads

There are more good news articles on the Web every week than anyone could read in a month. Here are eight fascinating pieces I read this week.

"Facts."

I'm of the belief that nobody has much clue what's going on with most things. Reports like this confirm that view: 

A reporter for the Ottawa Citizen wrote a plagiarized, completely incoherent paper about soils, cancer treatment, and Mars.

And eight scientific journals want to publish it.

Tom Spears' paper (the full title: "Acidity and aridity: Soil inorganic carbon storage exhibits complex relationship with low-pH soils and myeloablation followed by autologous PBSC infusion") was written as part of a sting operation to expose predatory science journals.

How not to invest

This chart, by StockTwits, is just brilliant: 

Fall from grace

America is no longer the richest middle-class country in the world: 

While the wealthiest Americans are outpacing many of their global peers, a New York Times analysis shows that across the lower- and middle-income tiers, citizens of other advanced countries have received considerably larger raises over the last three decades.

After-tax middle-class incomes in Canada — substantially behind in 2000 — now appear to be higher than in the United States. The poor in much of Europe earn more than poor Americans.

Life and death

This chart, via economist Justin Wolfers, is pretty shocking:

Aging

Japan has become the global equivalent of Boca Raton, Florida:

Japan's population slid for a third year with the proportion of people over the age of 65 at a global record, underscoring the challenge the world's most-indebted economy faces in financing its aging society.

The population declined by 0.17 percent to 127.3 million as of Oct. 1, as the country maintains one of the world's lowest birth rates. People age 65 or older made up one fourth of the total, the highest-ever percentage, as postwar baby boomers head into retirement, the Internal Affairs Ministry said on its website yesterday. That's the highest of any country in the world, according to the Population Reference Bureau.

Beyond room service

The luxury hotel industry just went into a whole new dimension:

Four Seasons has a new weapon in the luxury travel wars: its own Boeing 757.

The Toronto-based luxury resort company said Wednesday that it's launching the first Four Seasons-branded private jet. The plane will come with many of the amenities of a Four Seasons suite—from puffy duvets and chef-prepared meals—and will ferry passengers to Four Seasons resorts around the world on tours that cost more $100,000 per person.

Even playing field

David Einhorn sums up the problem with high-frequency trading, pointing to Michael Lewis's new book Flash Boys:

"These problems fall into the classic dilemma of concentrated benefit and diffuse harm ... Lots of investors lose pennies and as a result don't care too much about market structure; the firms who have based their business around picking up those pennies care a lot about shaping the structure. To overcome this imbalance of interests, the issue needs attention and discussion so that the many who are losing pennies can organize a response. In this regard, Flash Boys has provided a great service.

Commitment

Jeff Bezos shows how Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) keeps good employees around: 

Pay to Quit is pretty simple. Once a year, we offer to pay our associates to quit. The first year the offer is made, it's for $2,000. Then it goes up one thousand dollars a year until it reaches $5,000. The headline on the offer is "Please Don't Take This Offer." We hope they don't take the offer; we want them to stay. Why do we make this offer? The goal is to encourage folks to take a moment and think about what they really want. In the long-run, an employee staying somewhere they don't want to be isn't healthy for the employee or the company. 

Enjoy your weekend. 

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Friday's Top Upgrades (and Downgrades)

This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines include a pair of earnings-inspired downgrades for first Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD  )  and Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) .

On the plus side, though, one analyst is naming Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) a winner. Let's start the week's final trading day off on a bright note and begin with that one:

Under Armour could sprint
As next week's earnings report approaches, analysts are getting in line to line up behind Under Armour. Canaccord Genuity led off earlier this week with a reiterated buy rating and a price target raised to $70, arguing that "new product introductions/extensions in both apparel and footwear... the relaunch of bags in accessories... the impact of accelerated shop-in-shop openings at [Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS  ) and] sq. ft. growth... and improved planning" will all help to grow revenues, improve gross margins, and deliver more profit to the bottom line.

Initiating at outperform yesterday, banker Wedbush added that "women's, youth, footwear and international continuing to represent UA's most significant wholesale opportunities," while also looking forward to "continued growth of direct-to-consumer operations." And this morning, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey leapt aboard the Under Armour train, initiating coverage with a buy rating and a $71 price target.

Are they right? I don't know. Personally, I'm still leery of the more-than-53-times-earnings valuation at Under Armour. But it's undeniable that, at least in one respect, Under Armour is improving. Free cash flow at the company, which has historically vacillated between weak and negative, is now firmly in the green and even outpacing reported net income. While I don't think it's strong enough to support UA's lofty $6.4 billion valuation yet, the trend's clearly moving in the right direction. UA could surprise.

Retreating from Advanced Micro
Less happy news greets Advanced Micro Devices shareholders today. Yesterday, AMD beat estimates soundly, but only by losing less money ($0.09 per share) than expected ($0.13 per share). It seems that's not going to be good enough for Wall Street, however, as we watch both Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley downgrade to various flavors of sell.

I can't say I blame them for that. Beat or no, it's undeniable that AMD is losing money these days. It may or may not turn profitable next year, but even if it does, consensus estimates have the stock trading for a forward P/E ratio of 65 times earnings, which is quite a lot for a company that's only expected to grow earnings at about 11.5% per year over the next five years.

Top all this off with the fact that AMD carries a $1 billion net-debt load and has racked up $818 million in negative free cash flows over the past year, and I just don't see a whole lot to like about this stock right now.

Intuitive Surgical in the ICU
Intuitive Surgical? My, that one has been a disappointment this month, hasn't it? First, the company issued an earnings warning a couple of weeks ago. Then it followed that up by missing analyst earnings estimates yesterday. One analyst has already thrown in the towel on this one, with JMP Securities downgrading to market underperform this morning.

And yet, all the negative news has had one positive result: It's made the shares look (almost) cheap enough to own. Intuitive now sports a P/E ratio of less than 21. That's not quite cheap enough to make the stock a bargain if it hits consensus estimates of 16% earnings growth over the next five years, of course. The stock's probably even less of a bargain if growth stalls out below that level -- as seems to be becoming more and more likely with each negative announcement. And, of course, free cash flow remains a mystery as Intuitive wasn't able to put together a cash flow statement in time for yesterday's earnings release.

All that being said, if you liked Intuitive Surgical a few months ago, when the shares were selling for north of $580 a share, you kind of have to like the stock today at its new and improved price of less than $370.

My advice: Let's keep a sharp eye out for that 10-Q filing. If the free cash flow number looks better than the earnings number, this low-hanging stock could be ripe for the picking.

 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

U.S. Air Force Rethinks Its Drone Strategy

"There are those that see JSF as the last manned fighter. I'm one that's inclined to believe that." -- Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

When Admiral Mullen uttered those words a few years ago, it struck fear in the hearts of America's defense contractors -- well, those other than Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) , which builds the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. A world without manned fighter jets, after all, promises to be a world that won't need to buy Lockheed Martin F-16s fighters, Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) F/A-18 fighter bombers, or Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC  ) EA-6B electronic warfare jets.

A brave new world...
Earlier this week, that world came one step closer, when Northrop's new X-47B prototype -- an armed, pilotless drone combat aircraft -- conducted the first-ever unmanned landing on an aircraft carrier off the Virginia coast. It's starting to become apparent that we really will one day have entire squadrons of drone fighter jets patrolling the skies, without a pilot among them.


X-47B takes off from aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, Source: Wikimedia Commons

And yet, this poses a problem.

Pilotless combat aircraft, unless they're given full autonomy to conduct missions on their own, a la Skynet...


The Terminator, Source: Wikimedia Commons

...have a built-in Achilles' heel, in that to control them, one must maintain communication with them. This communications link, though, is vulnerable to hacking by bad guys. Presumably, the farther away the drone, the weaker the signal from "home" -- and the easier it will be for an enemy to disrupt our military's ability to control its drones.

...and how to survive in it
So, how does a military protect its unmanned aerial vehicles from hackers, and maintain control over pilotless drones in combat? The answer may be the solution to Lockheed's, Boeing's, and Northrop's problems.

"Most studies indicate that we are a little overly invested in [drone] capabilities for permissive environments and perhaps under-invested in capabilities for the high-end fight," laments one U.S. Air Force report. While General Atomics' Predators and Reapers may operate fine "droning" along uncontested airspace in Afghanistan, most UAVs today would be vulnerable when operating in an "anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) environment" such as Chinese or Russian airspace. They'd be equally incapable of defending themselves from hostile anti-aircraft fire, and from hostile hackers, who may attempt to jam communication with, or even take over control of pilotless drones.

According to a report on Flightglobal.com, USAF has been spending a lot of time lately thinking about how to run drones in such "contested environments".

One solution to this problem might be upgrading air defense systems on drones, and hardening their communications to resist jamming and hacking. Another might be to build "optionally manned" aircraft -- full-size fighter jets that could be piloted, or pilotless, depending on the theater in which they're called upon to operate. A third option might be to send a sort of piloted "mothership" along with a squadron of drones, to control and protect them from longer-distance jamming attempts.

And a fourth... might be to resign oneself to the possibility that drones may always be vulnerable to jamming -- and acknowledge that the world really hasn't changed all that much. Maintaining -- and building, and buying -- a mix of piloted, and pilotless aircraft may still be necessary.

Therein may lie salvation for the revenue streams of the piloted fighter jet manufacturers.

Although they may be the most obvious, defense contractors aren't the only companies struggling for world domination. In fact, the struggle for market share among consumer products companies may be just as fierce. But the good news is... we're winning here, too. If you want to know how (and who), then read The Motley Fool's free report on "3 American Companies Set to Dominate the World." Click here to get your free copy before it's gone.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Today's Best and Worst DJIA Stocks

Following a mixed pair of economic reports, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is up 0.49% to 15,300 points as of 1:25 p.m. EDT. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is up 0.72% to 1,652.

Here are today's U.S. economic reports:

Report

Period

Result

Previous

NFIB small-business optimism index

June

93.5

94.4

Job openings

May

3.8 million

3.8 million

The key report here is the National Federation of Independent Business' small-business optimism index, which fell by 0.9 points to 93.5. Chief economist Bill Dunkelberg wrote a downbeat note, saying: "After two months of incremental but solid gains, the Index gave up in June. This appears par for the course, given that there is no reason for small employers to be more optimistic and lots of things to worry about." However, it was not all bad news for the economy. The data showed that while business optimism dropped, a larger net percentage of businesses expect to increase employment going forward -- a positive sign for the employment situation in the U.S., where unemployment still sits at 7.6%.

Source: NFIB.

Small businesses have been hit hard since the downturn, with far less access to capital than large businesses as banks tighten lending standards. Small businesses are also far more challenged than large ones when it comes to complying with the ever-increasing number of government regulations. For the time being, small-business optimism is likely to stay depressed as conditions for small business remain tough.

Source: NFIB.

IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) is today's worst Dow stock, down 2%, single-handedly holding the Dow back. I've written before why I'm not a fan of how the Dow is structured. Due to the simplistic nature of the DJIA, its weightings are based solely on stock prices, and IBM is the largest component of the DJIA, making up nearly 10% of the index -- this, despite the fact that IBM is by no means the largest company in the index at just half the size of ExxonMobil.

IBM is down today after a Goldman Sachs analyst downgraded the stock from "buy" to "neutral" and lowered its price target from $220 to $200. The analyst wrote, "We believe IBM's long-term secular prospects remain sound, but the company appears to be going through a challenging period that may limit operational earnings upside and produce more quarterly volatility than investors have been accustomed to." While at first this may appear to be an analyst focusing too much on the short term, he also lowered his earnings expectations for the company for the next three years. At 13 times earnings, IBM could be a sound long-term buy if you can handle the volatility in earnings. Fool analyst Andrew Tonner took a look at IBM last month, and you can hear his take on whether IBM is a buy here.

Today's Dow leader is Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) , up 3% on no real news. Caterpillar is on the five most shorted stocks on the Dow with 3% of its shares outstanding sold short. As the mining industry around the world starts to be challenged by falling commodity prices, Caterpillar's business will not be as robust going forward. It's this worry that Caterpillar will get hurt by the boom-bust cycle of commodities that has investors pricing the shares at just 11 times earnings. That said, some investors still think Caterpillar is worth buying. Fool contributor Daniel Ferry recently laid out three reasons to buy Caterpillar.

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Monday, April 21, 2014

How To Calculate Profit And Loss On A Nadex Binary Option Contract

Nadex binaries are unique in that you can open or close all Nadex binaries before expiration.

But like other binaries, Nadex binaries can be held until expiration and will settle either in the money or out of the money. In addition, they do not just offer one at the market binary per expiration but offer binaries at multiple strike levels for each expiration.

These choices provide many opportunities for traders to take advantage of contracts available throughout the day and week. At the same time, it can confuse newcomers to Nadex binary options.

Related: Binary Options Trading Volume On Nadex On Track To Grow 400 Percent In 2014

To take advantage of these trading opportunities, it is important for a trader to be able to easily understand and calculate the profit and loss on a Nadex binary.

How is profit or loss calculated if the binary is closed before expiration?

First, remember a simple rule. You want to sell higher than you buy. If you sell to enter, you want to buy back lower than you sold. In the end, the rule is simple: buy low, sell high.

If you buy at $30 and sell at $60, then you will make $30. If you buy at $30 and sell at $15, you will lose $15.

If you sell at $70 and buy back at $40, you will make $30. If you sell at $70 and buy back at $85, you will lose $15.

How is profit or loss calculated if the binary is held to expiration?

A binary must expire in the money to be profitable. What does in the money (ITM) mean?

If you buy the binary, the settlement price of the underlying market at the expiration time must be greater than the strike that was bought.

For example, if you bought the US Tech 100(NQ) > 3620 @ 4:15 PM on 4/21/2014, then what does it take for it to settle in the money? By buying the binary, you're stating that this statement will be true at expiration, that NQ will be > 3620 at 4:15 PM ET.

The US Tech 100 follows the NQ CME NASDAQ 100 Emini Futures. The settlement price is calculated by taking the last 25 trades right before expiration and the average of the middle 15 of those 25 trades to reach the settlement price. In this case, since the binary expires at 4:15 PM ET, the settlement would look at the last 25 trades on NQ and average the middle 15 trade prices right before 4:15 PM ET.

So, if the settlement price was 3636 as of 4:15 PM ET on 4/21/2014, then you would be profitable on the trade. The settlement price (3636) is greater than the binary strike you bought which was 3620.

At settlement, since you were in the money, you would receive an email stating your payout is $100 per binary contract. Payout and profit are different. On Nadex all trades are fully collateralized. So, if you put up $50 to buy the binary and you received a payout of $100, then your profit would be $50.

If NQ had settled at or below your strike when you bought, then you would lose the $50 you put up to place the trade and there would be no further debit from your account.

If you sell the binary, the settlement price of the underlying market at the expiration time must be less than OR equal to the strike that was sold.

For example, if you sold the US Tech 100(NQ) > 3620 @ 4:15 PM on 4/21/2014, then what does it take for it to settle in the money? Since you sold the binary, you're saying the statement is false. That NQ will be < or = 3620 @ 4:15 PM ET.

So, if the settlement price was 3615 as of 4:15 PM ET on 4/21/2014, then you would be profitable on the trade. The settlement price (3615) is less than or equal to the binary strike you bought which was 3620.

At settlement since you were in the money, you would receive an email stating your payout is $100 per binary contract. Payout and profit are different. On Nadex all trades are fully collateralized. So if you put up $50 to sell the binary and you received a payout of $100 then your profit would be $50.

If NQ had settled above your strike when you sold, then you would lose the $50 you put up to place the trade and there would be no further debit from your account.

To simplify the process of calculating profit and loss, you can use the free live data binary scanner available at ApexInvesting.com. It will show you the profit and loss on a binary contract and the risk and reward as of expiration. It can also show you a simulation based on a move in the market to a specific price at that moment.

scanner.jpg

To view an enlarged image of the binary scanner follow this link HERE

What about fees?

Fees are an important part of trading. On Nadex there are no broker commissions. There is one simple fee for placing a trade. The cost is $0.90 a contract for entry and $0.90 a contract for exit. The fees are capped at 10 contracts.

This is a huge advantage over other option contracts and many other types of trading. Even if you trade 10 contracts in a single order, your fee will be $9.00. If you place 100 contracts in the same order without changing the price, the exchange fee will still only be $9.00.

The contracts may be partially filled or filled all at once. As long as you don't edit the order, you will not be billed additional fees to place the trade on subsequent fills of the original order past 10 contracts.

If the trade expires out of the money with no value, then there is no fee at settlement. If the trade expires in the money, then the fees are the same as if you had exited before expiration. The fees are $0.90 a contract for settlement and the fees again are capped at 10 contracts for a maximum of $9.00 for a single position on the same contract at settlement.

They keep things simple! The above examples do not include fees since the fee gets smaller as you exceed 10 contracts because the fee is capped at $9.00 for 10 or more contracts on a single order.

(This information is current as of 4/3/2014. Check Nadex.com for the current fee structure.)

But what about the broker who said he didn't Charge fees to trade binaries?

Some over-the-counter binary bucket shop brokers will claim they have no fees. However,

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Men’s Wearhouse Is a Better Prospect Than Jos. A. Bank

Jos. A. Bank (JOSB) and The Men's Wearhouse (MW) are two companies that have entered into a battle of one-upmanship through various unilateral proposals of buyout bids thrown at each other.

The apparel retail industry is challenged with various headwinds such as macroeconomic difficulties, bad weather conditions and volatile currency headwinds. Most of these companies were expecting lower results as the men's apparel market segment was projected to decline by 3.62% during the holiday season in the last quarter. In spite of these projections and other market dynamics, let's look for the companies that can be a better fix for your portfolio.

Jos. A. Bank's Performance

To start with, Jos. A. Bank looks like a better investment avenue as it progressed well in the third quarter. However, rival Men's Warehouse puts forward a proposal to buy the bargain-suit and menswear retailer for $55 per share. As a result, the stock advanced to $56.84 per share from $50.60 per share and thereafter held ground after the third-quarter earnings report.

Jos. A. Bank performed well and its results exceeded Wall Street's expectations on both EPS and revenue. The growth in sales was primarily driven by direct marketing sales and Omni-Channel sales strategies.

Jos also made concrete and strategic investments in search engine optimization that fueled the growth of Internet sales, consequently helping the company to gain around 8% in active customers for both stores and online. The company has more than 4 million active customers and the count is continuously increasing due to these strategic initiatives.

Jos. A. Bank sees huge potential in the international market. It ships to 90 countries worldwide as compared to 70 in the same quarter a year ago. Besides, the tuxedo rental program is also growing at a good pace since it started in 2010.

Fight with Men's Wearhouse

The battle between the two started as Jos. A. Bank abandoned the takeover bid from Men's Wearhouse and later, Men's Wearhouse strategically initiated a bid to acquire the former. As a result, Men's Wearhouse stock surged and is trading at 52-week highs.

Men's Wearhouse reported its 15th consecutive quarter of positive comparable-store sales growth. Its adjusted diluted earnings were in line with estimates as well.

In the future, the company significantly sees huge opportunity for 100 full-line Men's Wearhouse stores and 100 outlet stores. In addition, the company is also planning to open 50 stores by the end of 2016 and will monitor its results at various stages to ensure better yields from its strategies.

Conclusion

The ideal investor, who wishes to buy a cheap stock, can definitely include both Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, as both of these stocks trade at 52-week highs, but Men's Wearhouse is cheaper at a P/E of 27 while Jos. A. Bank trades at almost 29 times earnings. In addition, Men's Wearhouse also pays a dividend with a yield of 1.50% while Jos. A. Bank doesn't. Hence, investors looking for value in the men's apparel space will be better off looking at Men's Wearhouse as it is relatively cheap and pays a dividend.

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Saturday, April 19, 2014

Progress Software Selling Apama Solution

Believing it should have a single, cohesive platform for the development of cloud and mobile application development technologies, Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS  ) announced this morning it was selling its Apama complex event processing solution to Software AG for an undisclosed sum.

Apama is one of the leading platforms in capital markets for building high-frequency trading applications that allows business events to be correlated and analyzed across multiple data streams in real-time.

Progress said the Apama platform held significant differences from its own application development software, particularly in terms of the target market, deployment, and sales model. By divesting itself of the platform, the investment made by Apama's customers will be protected.

Progress's Chief Technology Officer and Apama Co-Founder Dr. John Bates said: "Progress and Software AG are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for our Apama customers and employees around the world and will provide customers with uninterrupted support and continued platform development."

Bates is expected to join Software AG to lead the Apama business unit. Progress expects the transaction to be completed in its fiscal 201 third quarter.

Pacific Crest Securities is serving as Progress's financial advisor, and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr is serving as Progress' legal counsel.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Wal-Mart offers lower-fee money transfer service

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart is offering another incentive to its customers to spend more time at its stores.

The world's largest retailer introduced a new money transfer service Thursday that it says will cut fees by up to 50% compared with similar services elsewhere. The Walmart-2-Walmart service is being rolled out in partnership with Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide.

Shares of MoneyGram and Western Union plunged almost immediately Thursday after the announcement.

The service, which will be available starting April 24, allows its customers to transfer up to $900 to and from more than 4,000 Wal-Mart stores in the U.S.

It's a huge footprint that could reshape that industry and is likely to set off a pricing battle.

Customers can transfer up to $50 for a $4.50 service fee and up to $900 for $9.50.

Comparable services elsewhere cost up to $70 when transferring less than $1,000, according to Wal-Mart.

Western Union on its website puts the price of transferring $900 in New York between $20, if using a bank account, to $85 if using a credit or debit card.

Wal-Mart is creating an expanding menu of financial offerings for customers, particularly for those with limited exposure to banks. Wal-Mart already offers prepaid debit cards and tax preparation services.

Shares of MoneyGram International, which could get hit the hardest, fell more than 16% to $15.11 in afternoon trading. MoneyGram is the company that currently provides money transfers to Wal-Mart. The stock of Western Union, its rival, fell about 4% to $15.37.

MoneyGram could not be reached immediately for comment. But in a statement emailed to The Associated Press, Western Union said, "Our retail product and service offerings today are already quite diverse. "

It noted that people have the flexibility to send money in minutes or next day from a retail agent location or online and they can also send money directly into a bank account.

"The company is well positio! ned in the U.S. domestic money transfer space, having offered a fee of $5 for $50 since 2009," it added.

Wal-Mart is aggressively trying to increase foot traffic in its stores after seeing comparable-store sales decline for four consecutive quarters.

The Walmart-2-Walmart service may help stem that trend, giving customers just one more reason to spend more time inside Wal-Mart.

Daniel Eckert, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of services, said that the move into the money transfer business gained momentum after company officials heard complaints from customers about high fees elsewhere. He acknowledged in a conference call Thursday that the program could bring more customers into stores, but he insisted that the goal is to offer shoppers more financial choices.

Eckert told reporters that it didn't alert MoneyGram that it was teaming up with Ria, but said that for more than a decade Wal-Mart has had a strong partnership with MoneyGram and that it renewed its contract in 2012. He pointed out that MoneyGram has no money transfer limits and customers can transfer funds outside the U.S. using its services.

"Walmart-2-Walmart brings new competition and transparent, everyday low prices to a market that has become complicated and costly for our customers," Eckert said.

Shares of Wal-Mart Stores, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, rose 38 cents to $77.60 in trading Thursday.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Saving for Retirement Advice From Around the Web

April is Financial Literacy Month, so it's a good reminder to review how much you know about managing your money. Chances are you might be making some mistakes. For example, a recent T.Rowe Price "Parents, Kids and Money Survey" found that more than half of the parents surveyed mistakenly think it's more important to save for their kids' college rather than their own retirement. Why is that a mistake? You won't get any grants, scholarships or federally guaranteed loans to support you in your old age, nor will you have the income or time to catch up once you retire. And by forgoing tax-favored retirement accounts, such as a 401(k), you not only miss out on any employer match but also lose the tax benefit and opportunity for long-term growth that these accounts offer.

SEE ALSO: Why You Need a Roth IRA

Take our Are You Saving Enough for Retirement? quiz to make sure you're on track to building a nest egg that's large enough to cover your expenses when you're no longer working. Then read on for advice on saving for retirement from some of our favorite personal finance bloggers.

5 Easy Investment Strategies That Build Wealth [Mint Life]
"Whether you're thinking of investing your tax refund or pushing your 401k or IRA to grow bigger, here are five ways to get more from your money immediately."

Financing Your Bucket List [Get Rich Slowly]
"The biggest mistake people make when thinking about retirement planning is treating it as a finish line instead of a starting point. There are four cornerstones that help you plan ahead so you can spend time on your own bucket list, and enjoy what's ahead."

Top 6 Mistakes That Will Screw Up Your Retirement [Good Financial Cents]
"I've been a financial advisor for over 12 years now and I've seen plenty of people screw themselves out of a successful retirement. The most frustrating aspect on my end is that many of it could have been avoided if those people took a little bit of time to review their situation."

Are You Forgetting to Include This Key Factor in Your Retirement Plan? [MoneyNing]
"Here's how you can protect your nest egg from the destructive power of inflation, both before and after you retire."



Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Intel weathers PC decline in earnings report

Chip-maker Intel saw trading rise slightly despite its report Tuesday that net income fell 5% in the first quarter, with spending on its data center and tablet processors buoying optimism.

Shares traded rose nearly 3% after Intel's earnings announcement; company stock closed Tuesday at $26.77, near its 52-week high of $27.12, with trading up slightly. Intel's first-quarter performance of earnings per share of 38 cents, came in one cent higher than analysts expectations; its revenue of $12.8 billion matched expectations.

Quarterly revenue was down 1% from last year, but down 8% from the previous quarter. The company expects second-quarter income of $13 billion, a slight increase over first-quarter earnings and full-year revenue to be flat.

After dominating the PC industry for decades, Intel is looking to advance its mobile and Net devices strategies. "In the first quarter we saw solid growth in the data center, signs of improvement in the PC business, and we shipped 5 million tablet processors, making strong progress on our goal of 40 million tablets for 2014," Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement.

The company is also looking to tap into the move towards a Big Data-cloud platform and the Internet of Things movement — the connection of all types of wearable devices and appliances to the Net. "We demonstrated our further commitment to grow in the enterprise with a strategic technology and business collaboration with Cloudera, we introduced our second-generation LTE platform with CAT6 and other advanced features, and we shipped our first Quark products for the Internet of Things," Krzanich said.

Global worldwide shipments of PCs have continued to fall, down about 1.7% in the first quarter of 2013, according to research firm Gartner. Still, chips for PCs continue to be the majority of Intel's business, accounting for $7.9 billion in revenue, down 8% from the previous quarter — and down 1% from last year.

Meanwhile, Data Center revenue of $3.1 billion, fell 5%! from last quarter, but rose 11% from the previous year. Internet of Things revenue accounted for $482 million, while mobile communications accounted for $156 million.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman found some good news in Intel's report in that the company made more on the chips they sell and sold 1% more PC processors despite a declining PC market. "So Intel must have gained market share or they sold processors ahead of market growth," he said.

As for the Internet of Things and mobile strategies, he said "they are nice and exciting, but they are just too small for a company Intel's size."

Recently at the Mobile World Congress, Intel did announce multiyear deals to supply chips for smartphones and tablets for makers including Asus, Dell, Foxconn and Lenovo. "The pace inside our company is accelerating," Krzanich said in a teleconference with analysts Tuesday afternoon. "We have made a lot of changes (but) we have more work to do."

In January, Intel announced plans to cut about 5,000 jobs globally and sold its Intel Media cloud TV technology to Verizon.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Top Rising Companies For 2015

The expectation for most banks this year has been that core growth will be challenging given low rates and competitive lending markets. Those banks that can wring out better credit and/or better fee income should do a little better, and that seems to be the case for JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM). An influx of deposits thumped the net interest margin and lending growth was iffy, but overall results were boosted by good credit outcomes and solid fee income results. All told, this remains an undervalued bank and one with solid earnings power in the coming years.

SEE: Bank Earnings In Focus

Q2 Results End Up Okay, But There Was Plenty Of Noise Along The Way
All of the large banks (a list including JPMorgan, Citigroup (NYSE:C), and Bank Of America (NYSE:BAC) report pretty messy and opaque financial reports, and this quarter was no exception for JPMorgan.

Overall revenue jumped by 13% from last year, though net interest income dropped 4% (and was down 2% sequentially). Earning assets grew more than expected, but the net interest margin fell a surprising 27bp from last year (and 17bp from the prior quarter), as the company found itself with a much larger amount of cash deposits than it expected.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: Richoux Group PLC (RIC)

Richoux Group plc is a United Kingdom-based company engaged in the operation of restaurants. The Company has three segments: Richoux, Villagio Zippers and Dean�� Diner. Richoux restaurants operate in the areas of central London. The restaurants are open all day for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The restaurants also offers patisserie. Zippers is a spacious, stylish and contemporary restaurant with a relaxed ambience. Dean's Diner offers a range of freshly prepared dishes. Villagio is a modern local Italian restaurant with a menu suitable for the whole family. The Company�� subsidiaries include Newultra Limited and Richoux Limited. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sally Jones]


    Richmont Mines Inc. (RIC)

    Down 70% over 12 months, Richmont Mines Inc. has a market cap of $56.23 billion, and trades with a P/B of 0.60.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Richmont Mines (RIC) engages in the mining, exploration and development of mining properties, principally gold in Canada. This stock closed up 2.4% to $1.68 in Tuesday's trading session.

    Tuesday's Range: $1.61-$1.68

    52-Week Range: $1.31-$5.50

    Tuesday's Volume: 76,000

    Three-Month Average Volume: 101,786

    From a technical perspective, RIC bounced higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $1.59 with decent upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $1.31 to its recent high of $1.71. During that move, shares of RIC have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of RIC within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if RIC manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $1.71 to $1.80 with high volume.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in RIC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $1.59 or above more near-term support levels at $1.50 to $1.44 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 101,786 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then RIC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.10 to $2.20. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give RIC a chance to tag its 200-day moving average at $2.48.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: FLIR Systems Inc (FLIR)

FLIR Systems, Inc. (FLIR), incorporated on March 8, 1978, is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of thermal imaging systems. The Company�� advanced sensors and integrated sensor systems enable the gathering and analysis of critical information through a range of applications in commercial, industrial, and government markets worldwide. Its business is organized into two divisions: Commercial Systems and Government Systems. Commercial Systems division includes Thermal Vision & Measurement and Raymarine. Government Systems division include Surveillance, Detection, and Integrated Systems. It offers a range of sensor products, including infrared imaging cameras and systems, detector cores, CBRNE threat detectors, test and measurement instruments, radars, maritime electronics, and related products and solutions. On December 20, 2012, the Company acquired Lorex Technology Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Traficon International NV. In August 2013, Tessera Technologies Inc announced that FLIR Systems, Inc. acquired a portion of the assets of Tessera's Micro-Optics business based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Thermal Vision & Measurement

Thermal Vision & Measurement (TVM) products are generally sold for applications where the customer need is to see at night or in adverse conditions or to image a scene while gathering valuable situational and temperature information. The Company�� infrared sensors business, which sells focal plane arrays and camera cores internally, as well as to third parties on an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) basis, is also part of TVM. Its thermal and visible light security products are used to protect critical infrastructure, ports, borders, commercial sites, and residential homes. The Company offers a night vision system for passenger automobiles that provides drivers with the ability to see at night and through obscurants, such as fog, at distances much further and wider than can be seen with traditional headlights. As of December 31, ! 2012, provide camera cores for certain Audi, BMW, and Rolls Royce models through its partnership with Autoliv Electronics, a supplier of automotive safety equipment. The Company offers an integrated suite of maritime electronics that utilizes multifunction displays, infrared cameras, depth sounders, GPS, auto pilots, and advanced command and control software.

The Company is engaged in providing advanced thermal imaging technology for consumer applications. It�� easy to use, affordable, and lightweight personal vision thermal cameras give people the ability to see at night. In the home, its cameras can be used for numerous household and security applications, such as locating heat leaks, evaluating insulation coverage, detecting water damage, identifying intruders, and locating pests. The Company supplies hand-held systems to the law enforcement market. The Company supplies cooled and uncooled camera cores, sensors, and readout integrated circuits on an OEM basis for a range of applications where customers require a product at a lower level of integration than a fully developed thermal imaging system.

In Thermal Measurement Markets thermal imaging systems are used for monitoring the condition of mechanical and electrical equipment. The company�� systems provide the ability to view thermal distribution in real time for products ranging in size from small hybrid integrated circuits to jet engines. Common applications include product development of microelectronics, cell phones, laptop computers, telecommunications equipment, consumer appliances, automotive components, and aircraft engines. Systems used in research and development applications require high imaging performance and measurement precision, coupled with extensive analysis and reporting software. Thermal imaging applications for manufacturing process control include applications where temperature consistency is critical, including monitoring the quality of metal, plastic and glass cast parts, which are highly depend! ent upon ! the temperature distribution in the mold; monitoring the quality of paper, which is dependent upon proper and even moisture distribution during the drying process; and monitoring the quality of products such as rubber gloves, which can be thermally examined to locate abnormally warm or cool spots, indicating non-uniform thickness that may result in a quality defect.

Infrared imagers can detect missing insulation, electrical faults, water intrusion and pest infiltration, can gauge energy efficiency, and can help detect the presence of moisture. Market segments include building diagnostics, energy auditing and home inspection, property and facility management, HVAC and plumbing, and moisture detection and restoration. Specially designed infrared systems can detect and image hydrocarbon gas emissions or leaks. It supplies trade professionals a range of test equipment to deliver high accuracy readings for the measurement of electricity, light, sound, temperature, humidity, airflow, revolutions per minute, and water quality. The Company offers fee-based training on the principles of thermography and the use of its products through ITC, its Infrared Training Center, which provides instruction, training, certification and applications engineering from several FLIR locations or at the customer�� site. It also licenses Infrared Training Centers to third parties in certain countries.

The Company competes with Danaher (Fluke), General Dynamics (Axsys), L-3 Communications, Sofradir (ULIS), Axis Communications, NEC and Testo.

Raymarine

Raymarine is a provider of marine electronics, and continues as a pioneer in the technologies that give boaters confidence on the water. The products that Raymarine develops and markets is intended to fulfill all of the marine electronic needs of recreational boaters and offer best-in-class integrated control solutions for all of their on-board instrumentation. Raymarine designs, develops, and markets electronics for the maritime market a! nd is a p! rovider of fully integrated stem to stern networked electronic systems for boats of many sizes. The business distributes its products through a network of independent distributors and retailers, as well as through its relationships with boat builders, providing both first fitment and aftermarket solutions.

The Company competes with Furuno, Garmin and Navico.

Surveillance

Surveillance focuses on providing enhanced vision and detection capabilities to a range of military, paramilitary, law enforcement, public safety, and other government customers. Its systems typically provide the capability to see over long distances, day or night, through adverse weather conditions, and from a range of vehicle, man portable, and fixed installation platforms. Typical applications include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), force protection, drug interdiction, search and rescue, special operations, and target designation. Surveillance products are sold off-the-shelf or can be customized for specific applications and frequently incorporate additional sensors, including visible light cameras, radars, low light cameras, laser rangefinders, laser illuminators, and laser designators.

Surveillance offers a range of products across multiple applications. For airborne applications, it has developed highly stabilized platforms, known as gimbals, which typically contain multiple payloads in addition to the infrared imaging system, as well as sophisticated software and analytic capabilities. For land applications, it manufactures three types of products: hand-held products, platform mounted products, and targeting products. Platform mounted surveillance systems include imaging and radar solutions, which are typically housed in a weather-tight enclosure and feature remote control capabilities and multi-sensor integration capability. Hand-held products are ruggedized and have optional lenses and target location capabilities. Ground-based targeting products are designed t! o attach ! to existing daylight sights to provide bore-sighted, nighttime capabilities. For maritime applications, it manufacture shipborne products which are similar to its airborne gimbals, but are inverted and customized for the marine environment.

In Search and Rescue market thermal imaging systems are used in airborne nd shipborne search and rescue missions to rescue individuals in danger or distress on boats or vehicles, or wounded or lost in adverse conditions. Such systems are in use by organizations such as the United States Army, United States Coast Guard, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air National Guard, and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense. In Border and Maritime Patrol market thermal imaging systems are used in airborne, shipborne, hand-held and fixed installation applications for border and maritime surveillance, particularly at night, to enforce borders and coastal waters, to monitor national fishing boundaries and to prevent smuggling. Its cameras are deployed along numerous borders worldwide, including in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. In Surveillance and Reconnaissance market Thermal imaging systems are used in surveillance and reconnaissance applications for the precise positioning of objects or people from substantial distances and for enhanced situational awareness, particularly at night or in conditions of reduced or obscured visibility. It also offers high-resolution frequency-modulated continuous wave radars that enable wide-area surveillance capable of detecting potential threats before they cross a perimeter. These systems can be installed on fixed platforms, manned mobile platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Company supplies airborne thermal imaging systems for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Agencies with this type of equipment have the ability to track suspects, locate lost persons, and provide situational awareness to officers on the ground. It offers several products that provide precise t! arget loc! ation and designation capabilities in applications ranging from clip-on rifle scope devices to high-precision, stabilized, airborne laser designator systems. Thermal imaging systems enable government agencies to expand their drug interdiction and support activities by allowing greater surveillance and detection capabilities. The Company�� systems are in use by the United States Customs Service, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as by foreign government agencies.

The Company competes with BAE Systems, DRS (a Finmeccanica company), Elbit Systems, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Sagem, Sofradir, and Thales.

Detection

The Company�� Detection segment provides capabilities in the development of advanced sensor technologies used to detect and identify CBRNE threats. The Detection segment is focused on developing technologies and products to penetrate a global market for advanced threat detection capabilities. Detection manufactures and markets the portable explosive detector, the smallest spectroscopic radiation detector, and the smallest hand-held Raman sensor.

The Company offer both indoor and outdoor biological air monitors that are used by various governmental agencies, including the United States Department of Defense, airport authorities, and the National Park Service, for layered security at facilities and events. Its explosives detection products are used to identify military-grade explosives and homemade explosive devices in a range of military and public safety applications, such as screening high-risk individuals at checkpoints, identifying improvised explosive device (IED) makers, and screening air passengers and baggage. Its radiation products protect the public by warning of radionuclide exposure and have been or are being used by the U.S. Department of Energy�� Nuclear Emergency Search Team, the New York Police Department, the Internat! ional Ato! mic Energy Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the United Kingdom�� Home Office Border and Immigration Agency.

The Company competes with Agilent Technologies, Canberra Industries, Idaho Technologies, NUCSAFE, SAIC, Smiths Detection, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and United Technologies.

Integrated Systems

Integrated Systems develops platform solutions for combating sophisticated security threats and incorporates multiple sensor systems in order to deliver actionable intelligence for wide area surveillance, intrusion detection, border security, and facility security. Integrated Systems incorporates advanced sensors from both the FLIR product suite and external vendors in order to design and manufacture adaptive and effective force protection, homeland security, and commercial solutions that are designed to save lives and protect critical assets. Integrated Systems utilizes an array of sensor technologies, such as radars, thermal imaging and visible light cameras, chemical detectors, radiation detectors, and command and control systems, provided by its other segments as well as from external parties, to create high value solutions for customers across the world.

Integrated Systems manufactures and markets several accurate mobile and fixed solutions for perimeter surveillance. The Cerberus mobile unmanned towers and manned SkyWatch towers are utilized for protecting borders, securing facilities, protecting forces, and safeguarding the public. These tower systems can be deployed in almost any environment and are fully networkable platform solutions that integrate various sensor suites, including infrared thermal or visible light cameras, ground surveillance radar, video motion detection, and unattended ground sensors. In addition, Integrated Systems offers open-source software that enables customers to command, control, and monitor their sensor networks. Cohesion is a flexible integration software enabling CBRNE sensors to be incorporated into standard command! and cont! rol software systems and is specifically designed to support or integrate with its or third-party advanced sensors and devices. Cameleon video integration software allows for advanced monitoring and control of video surveillance camera networks.

The Company competes with Boeing, Cobham, Honeywell, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon, SAIC, Telephonics, and Thales.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Wallace Witkowski]

    Some of the companies most dependent on government for revenue are Harris Corp. (HRS) �with 80% of revenue government-derived; Granite Construction Inc. (GVA) �with 58%; Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR) �with 54%; and Waste Management Inc. (WM) � and Republic Services Inc. (RSG) �both with 50%, according to Goldman Sachs.

  • [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

    Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR) rallied 9.7% following the release of several new products at CES, including a thermal imaging system for smartphones.

  • [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

    Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR) �shed 5.3%. The maker of imaging and observation sensors said Friday its fourth-quarter earnings came in at 20 cents a share, falling short of the average estimate of 23 cents a share.

  • [By Rich Smith]

    The Department of Defense issued 14 separate contract awards Tuesday, totaling just over $880 million in combined value. Among publicly traded U.S. defense contractors, a few of the notable winners were:

Top Oil Service Companies To Own In Right Now: Actavis Inc (ACT)

Actavis, Inc., formerly Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on February 1, 1985, is a integrated global specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing, sale and distribution of generic, branded generic, brand, biosimilar and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products. The Company also develops and out-licenses generic pharmaceutical products primarily in Europe through its Medis third-party business. The Company operates in three segments: Actavis Pharma, Actavis Specialty Brands and Anda Distribution. On January 23, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Uteron Pharma SA. On October 29, 2012, the Company sold its Rugby OTC pharmaceutical products and trademarks to The Harvard Drug Group, L.L.C. On January 24, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Ascent Pharmahealth Ltd.

Actavis Pharma Segment

Actavis Pharma Segment is engaged in the development, manufacturing and sale of generic, branded generic and OTC pharmaceutical products. The Company�� portfolio of generic products includes products it has developed internally and products licensed from and distributed for third parties. The Company sells its generic prescription products primarily under the Watson Laboratories, Watson Pharma and Actavis Pharma labels, and its over-the-counter generic products under private label.

Actavis Specialty Brands Segment

The Company markets a number of branded products to physicians, hospitals, and other markets that it serves. The Company classifies these trademarked products as its brand pharmaceutical products. In April 2012, it launched Gelnique 3% (oxybutynin), a clear, odorless topical gel. Gelnique 3% was obtained through an exclusive licensing agreement with Antares. The Company�� promoted products are Rapaflo, Gelnique, Trelstar, Androderm, Generess Fe and Crinone. The Company�� Actavis Specialty Brands segment also receives other revenues consisting of co-promotion revenue and royaltie! s.

Anda Distribution Segment

The Company Anda Distribution business primarily distributes generic and selected brand pharmaceutical products, vaccines, injectables and over-the-counter medicines to independent pharmacies, alternate care providers (hospitals, nursing homes and mail order pharmacies), pharmacy chains and physicians��offices. In addition, it sells to members of buying groups, which are independent pharmacies that join together to enhance their buying power. As of December 31, 2012, the Company distributes products from its facilities in Weston, Florida, Groveport, Ohio, and Olive Branch, Mississippi, as well as a small volume of product from Puerto Rico.

The Company competes with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Mylan Inc., Sandoz, Inc, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc.,

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Louis Navellier]

    We still have a few weeks until Actavis Plc (ACT) reports Q4 earnings, but already ACT shares are rising on strong preannouncement news. What’s up with the generics giant? Is it time to buy? Find out now.

  • [By Rebecca McClay]

    Finally, Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: AVNR) is up about 7% today after it settled with Actavis South Atlantic and Actavis Inc. (NYSE: ACT) to resolve pending patent litigation regarding ACT's seeking approval to market generic versions of AVNR's NUEDEXTA capsules. ACT is up about 1%.

  • [By Rich Smith]

    On Friday, shares of branded pharmaceutical manufacturer Warner Chilcott (NASDAQ: WCRX  ) jumped 20% in response to rumors that the company was in talks to sell itself to larger rival Actavis (NYSE: ACT  ) . Warner also reported steady earnings, where a decline had been expected, and reiterated full-year guidance.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading UP
    Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) shot up 30.07 percent to $92.86 after Actavis (NYSE: ACT) announced its plans to buy Forest Labs for $25 billion. Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Forest Labs from Equal-Weight to Overweight.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: RCM Technologies Inc.(RCMT)

RCM Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, and delivery of business and technology solutions for commercial and government sectors in North America. It operates through three segments: Information Technology (IT), Engineering, and Commercial Services. The IT segment provides enterprise business solutions, application services, infrastructure solutions, competitive advantage and productivity solutions, and life sciences solutions. The Engineering segment offers engineering and design, engineering analysis, engineer-procure-construct, configuration management, hardware/software validation and verification, quality assurance, technical writing and publications, manufacturing process planning and improvement, reliability centered maintenance, component and equipment testing, and risk management engineering services. The Commercial Services segment provides long-term and short-term staffing, executive search, and placement servic es in various fields, including rehabilitation, nursing, managed care, allied health care, health care management, and medical office support, as well as offers in-patient, outpatient, sub-acute and acute care, multilingual speech pathology, rehabilitation, geriatric, pediatric, and adult day care services to hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, sports medicine facilities, and private practices. This segment also offers contract and temporary services, and permanent placement services for full-time and part-time personnel in various functional areas, including office, clerical, data entry, secretarial, light industrial, shipping, receiving, and general warehousing. The company offers its services to aerospace/defense, energy, financial services, life sciences, manufacturing and distribution, public sector, and technology industries. RCM Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is based in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    RCM Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:RCMT) reported that primarily due to unexpected and extended client procedural delays in awarding certain engagements under an existing contract with a major North American utility, the Company’s second quarter revenues and operating income will fall short of its expectations.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: Golden Minerals Co (AUM)

Golden Minerals Company (Golden Minerals), incorporated March 6, 2009, is a mining company. The Company owns and operates the Velardena and Chicago precious metals mining operations (the Velardena Operations) in the State of Durango, Mexico, the El Quevar advanced exploration property in the province of Salta, Argentina, and a diversified portfolio of precious metals and other mineral exploration properties located in the regions of Mexico and South America.

Velardena Operations

The Velardena Operations consists of two underground mines and two processing plants within the Velardena mining district, which is located in the municipality of Cuencame, in the northeast quadrant of the State of Durango, Mexico, approximately 65 kilometers southwest of the city of Torreon, Coahuila and approximately 140 kilometers northeast of the city of Durango, the capital of the State of Durango. Of the two underground mines consisting the Velardena Operations, the Velardena mine includes three different vein systems, including the Santa Juana, San Juanes and San Mateo systems. The second mine, the Chicago mine, is a producing mine located on the Chicago property approximately two kilometers south of the Velardena property.

The Company owns a 300 ton-per-day flotation sulfide mill situated near the town of Velardena. The mill has fully operational lead, zinc, and pyrite flotation circuits which produce lead, zinc and pyrite concentrates from the sulfide ore. The Company also own a conventional 550 ton-per-day cyanide leach oxide mill with a Merrill Crowe precipitation circuit and new installed flotation circuit, which is located adjacent to its Chicago mine. The mill is used to process oxide and mixed sulfide/oxide material from the Velardena Operations.

El Quevar

The Company's El Quevar silver project is located in the San Antonio de los Cobres municipality, Salta Province, in the altiplano region of northwestern Argentina, approximately 300 kilometers by! road northwest of the city of Salta, the capital city of the province. The El Quevar project is located near Nevado Peak with altitudes at the concessions ranging from 3,800 to 6,130 meters above sea level. The El Quevar project is consists of 32 exploitation concessions. The Company holds 31 of the concessions directly, and the Company controls the Nevado I concession, located approximately four kilometers from the Yaxtche target.

Zacatecas (Mexico)

The Zacatecas Mining District is located in the central part of Mexico, in the Faja de Plata mineral belt. The Company's Zacatecas project surrounds the municipalities of Zacatecas, Veta Grande, Guadalupe, Panuco, and Morelos in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. The Company owns approximately 195 concessions totaling approximately 8,600 hectares in the Zacatecas project.

San Diego (Mexico)

The San Diego property, located in the State of Durango, Mexico, is situated approximately nine kilometers northeast of the Velardena property and contains the La Cruz-La Rata and El Trovador mines as well as a number of other shallower shafts which were sunk on narrower veins such as the Cantarranas, Montanez and El Jal. During the year ended December 31, 2012, a Phase VI drilling program was completed, which included five drill holes totaling 5,500 meters.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Joshi Madhavi]

    The company gets its revenues from two types of fees: management fees which are linked to the assets under management (AUM) and performance fees which can be quite volatile. Over the last five years AUM have increased by around 4% per annum from the low at the end of 2008. However, revenues have decreased by around 7% per annum. Performance fees have held up okay since 2008, but management fees have taken a big hit. Since revenues are dependent on the average AUM over the whole year, let�� look at revenues from 2009 ��they have grown by around 6.5% per annum in this case. Institutional clients are more sticky and stable compared to retail, but the company has not managed to increase AUM from this source substantially over the last five years.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: Intrepid Potash Inc (IPI)

Intrepid Potash, Inc.( Intrepid), incorporated on November 19, 2007, is a producer of muriate of potash (potassium chloride or potash) in the United States and are engaged the production and marketing of potash and langbeinite (sulfate of potash magnesia), another mineral containing potassium, magnesium, and sulfate, that is produced from langbeinite ore and as Trio when it refers to sales and marketing. Its Carlsbad assets consist of underground mining operations, which are supported by surface processing facilities. It is also operators of solar solution mining operations, as its Moab and Wendover facilities both utilize these techniques for recovering potash. Its revenues are generated from the sale of potash and Trio. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned five potash production facilities, three in New Mexico and two in Utah. Its two products are potash and langbeinite, which is marketed as Trio.

Potash

The Company derives revenues and gross margin are derived from the production and sales of potash. Its potash is marketed for sale into three primary markets: the agricultural market as a fertilizer, the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells, and the animal feed market as a nutrient. Its sales of potash tend to focus on agricultural areas and feed manufacturers in central and western United States, as well as oil and gas drilling areas in the Rocky Mountains and the greater Permian Basin area.

Trio

Trio is marketed into two primary markets, the agricultural market as a fertilizer and the animal feed market as a nutrient. It markets Trio internationally through an exclusive marketing agreement with PCS Sales (USA), Inc. (PCS Sales) for sales outside the United States and Canada and through a non-exclusive agreement for sales into Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Gains are being seen elsewhere as well, except in shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS). Agrium�Inc. (NYSE: AGU) was up almost 3% at $91.95 in late Monday trading, although this one held up much better in the destructive news phase when the alarming news roiled these stocks. The big winner is Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI), with a gain of 7% to $16.20 in late-Monday trading.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    We maintain our Cautious coverage view of Fertilizers, with 5% downside on average to our revised 12-month price targets. Despite recent signs of a price floor emerging, Potash (K) fundamentals remain challenged, in our view, given sustained global over-supply that lead our price forecasts to stay well below 2010-2012 over our forecast period…We downgrade shares of Mosaic to Sell, with 13% downside to our revised 12-month target, as we see an unfavorable risk/reward with shares only 8% below July 2013 levels despite a significantly less favorable K price outlook given our s/d forecasts. We also reiterate our Sell rating on [Intrepid Potash (IPI)], where we continue to see limited FCF generation in 2014- 2016 given our NA K price outlook, even giving [Intrepid Potash] credit for recent cost cutting.

  • [By CJ Capital Research]

    Potash is an abundant commodity with enough global deposits to last essentially forever. However, Potash deposits that are economically minable are concentrated in only a handful of countries and dominated by a handful of producers like Uralkali, Belaruskali, K+S, Potash Corp , Mosaic (MOS), Agrium (AGU), and Intrepid Potash (IPI).

  • [By Tomi Kilgore]

    Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan(POT) rose 0.5%, Mosaic(MOS) gained 0.1% and Intrepid Potash(IPI) climbed 0.7%. In addition, CF Industries Holdings(CF) tacked on 1.4% and Agrium(AGU.T) advanced 1.1%.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.(BONT)

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates department stores in the mid-size and metropolitan markets of the United States. Its stores offer brand-name fashion apparel and accessories for women, men, and children, as well as provide cosmetics, home furnishings, and footwear. As of November 1, 2011, the company operated 275 stores under various nameplates, including the Bon-Ton, Bergner?s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger?s, and Younkers in 23 northeastern, midwestern, and upper Great Plains states; and under the Parisian nameplate in Detroit, Michigan. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in York, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

    Bon-Ton Stores Inc.(BONT) said Chief Executive and President Brendan L. Hoffman won’t renew his deal to keep leading the retailer when his contract expires in February 2015. Mr. Hoffman, who took over as CEO in February 2012 when he was 43 years old, will also resign his role as a director on the company’s board. He cited personal reasons for his decision. Shares declined 8% to $10 premarket.

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Tuesday

    Earnings Expected: The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc (NASDAQ: BONT), American Eagle Outfitters, Inc (NYSE: AEO), Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), Verifone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY), Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) Economic Releases Expected: Indian trade balance, German trade balance, British industrial production, British manufacturing production

    Wednesday

Top Rising Companies For 2015: Altria Group(MO)

Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smokeless products, and wine in the United States and internationally. It offers cigarettes under the Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, and L&M brands; smokeless tobacco products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, Husky brands, and Marlboro snus brands; and machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco. The company also produces and sells blended table wines under the Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Crest names; and distributes Antinori and Villa Maria Estate wines and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte in the United States. In addition, it maintains a portfolio of leveraged and direct finance leases in rail and surface transport, aircraft, electric power, real estate, and manufacturing. The company sells its tobacco products to wholesalers, including distributors; large retail organizations, such as chain stores; and the armed services. Altria Group, Inc. markets its wine products to restaurants, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, wine shops, and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Maxx Chatsko]

    However, you would be hard-pressed to find any connection between falling smoking prevalence and share performance at Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) , Lorriland (NYSE: LO  ) , Phillip Morris (NYSE: PM  ) , and Altria (NYSE: MO  ) . These companies are some of the best performers in the past decade. In fact, Altria is the best-performing stock of the last half-century!

  • [By Dan Dzombak]

    Vector Group (NYSE: VGR  ) is the third-highest-yielding dividend stock in June with a trailing yield of 9.9%. The company has two main businesse: tobacco and real estate. The company manufactures and sells cigarettes through its Liggett Group and Vector Tobacco subsidiaries under the Pyramid, Grand Prix, Liggett Select, and Eve brands. The company is the fourth-largest cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. behind giants Altria (NYSE: MO  ) , Lorillard, and Reynolds American. There are some advantages to being small. Vector has a cost advantage stemming from the settlement between Vector and the U.S.: The company does not have to make annual payments unless its market share exceeds 1.65% of the U.S. market. As such, the company positions its brands as discount cigarettes to capitalize on its advantage.

  • [By Rich Smith]

    Philip Morris stock is at the bottom of the pack
    When you stack up Philip Morris stock against its rivals, it quickly becomes apparent that investors have been overpaying for an inferior company. Valued on its earnings, a share of Philip Morris stock will cost you 18.1 times earnings today, while a share of former parent Altria (NYSE: MO  ) costs only 17.2 times earnings, and a pack of Lorillard (NYSE: LO  ) shares sells for a P/E of just 14.1 -- 22% cheaper than Philip Morris.

Top Rising Companies For 2015: Aegon NV(AEG)

AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marketing. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Will Ashworth]

    Assuming it delivers on its outlook for 2014, its current free cash flow yield is a very enticing 20%. This isn�� a growth stock, but its brands still possess hidden value. As cheap stocks go, it�� very attractive.

    Cheap Stocks to Buy: Aegon (AEG)

    It�� not often that you can buy a $19 billion market cap for under 10 bucks. Aegon�� a Dutch insurance company that�� had a rough ride over the past few years, and its stock�� suffered as a result. In the late ’90s AEG stock traded around $60 — it hasn�� been anywhere close since. However, it�� got some good assets that should bear fruit in the years to come. Aegon has 12,000 employees in the Americas doing business primarily under the Transamerica brand, which has been a part of AEG since 1999.