Thursday, April 3, 2014

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, toy-maker Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Hasbro, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Hasbro facts

Headquarters (founded)

Pawtucket, R.I. (1923)

Market Cap

$6.2 billion

Industry

Leisure products

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: Lear Corp (LEA)

Lear Corporation, incorporated in 1987, is a tier 1 supplier to the global automotive industry. The Company supplies its products to automotive manufacturers with automotive seat systems and related components, as well as electrical distribution systems and related components. The Company has two segments: seating and electrical power management systems (EPMS). The seating segment includes seat systems and related components, such as seat frames, recliner mechanisms, seat tracks, seat trim covers, headrests and seat foam. The EPMS segment includes electrical distribution systems for traditional powertrain vehicles, as well as for hybrid and electric vehicles. As of December 31, 2011, it had 20 joint ventures located throughout Asia, as well as five in North America, two in Europe and Africa and one with operations in all three regions.

Seating Segment

The Seating Segment consists of the design, manufacture, assembly and supply of vehicle seating requirements. It produces seat systems for automobiles and light trucks that are assembled and ready for installation. In all cases, seat systems are designed and engineered for specific vehicle models or platforms. It has developed modular seat architectures for both front and rear seats. It produces components for seat assemblies, such as seat frames, recliner mechanisms, seat tracks, seat trim covers, headrests and seat foam.

The Company competes with Johnson Controls, Inc., Faurecia S.A., Toyota Boshoku Corporation, TS Tech Co., Ltd. and Magna International Inc.

EPMS Segment

The EPMS segment consists of the design, manufacture, assembly and supply of electrical distribution systems and components for traditional powertrain vehicles, as well as for hybrid and electric vehicles. Electrical distribution systems are comprised primarily of wire harness assemblies, terminals and connectors and control modules, including junction boxes and fuse boxes. Wire harness assemblies consist of a collection! of wiring and terminals and connectors that connect all of the various electrical and electronic devices within the vehicle to each other and/or to a power source.

Electrical distribution systems are networks of wiring and associated control devices that route electrical signals and manage electrical power within a vehicle. Wire harness assemblies consist of raw, coiled wire, which is cut to length and terminated. Individual circuits are assembled together on a jig or table, inserted into connectors and wrapped or taped to form wire harness assemblies.

Wireless products send and receive signals using radio frequency technology. The Company�� wireless systems include passive entry systems and dual range/dual function remote keyless entry systems. Passive entry systems allow the vehicle operator to unlock the door without using a physically activating a remote keyless fob. Dual range/dual function remote keyless entry systems allow a single transmitter to perform multiple functions. The lighting control module integrates electronic control logic and diagnostics with the headlamp switch. Entertainment products include radio amplifiers, sound systems, in-vehicle television tuner modules and floor-, seat- or center console-mounted Media Console with a flip-up screen that provides digital video disc (DVD) and video game viewing for back-seat passengers.

The Company competes with Yazaki Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, Delphi Automotive PLC, Leoni AG and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity, Ltd., Continental AG, Hella, Inc., Robert Bosch LLC, Magna E-Car Systems GmbH & Co OG and Hitachi, Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Lear Corp.'s(LEA) third-quarter profit fell 7.1% due to higher expenses that masked revenue and margin growth at the automotive-seating and electric-systems company. But results easily beat estimates, and the company raised its full-year revenue guidance, sending shares up.

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Earnings reports expected on Friday include:

    Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $1.06 on revenue of $21.09 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.06 on revenue of $20.74 billion. United Parcel Services (NYSE: UPS) is expected to report EPS of $1.15 on revenue of $13.60 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.06 on revenue of $13.07 billion. Moody�� Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.81 on revenue of $715.85 million, compared to last year�� EPS 0f $0.75 on revenue of $688.50 million billion. Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $1.33 on revenue of $3.84 billion, compared to last year�� EPS 0f $1.29 on revenue of $3.54 billion.

    Economics

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: USmart Mobile Device Inc (UMDI)

USmart Mobile Device Inc., formerly ACL Semiconductors Inc., incorporated on September 17, 2002, the Company is engaged primarily in the business of distributing memory products under the Samsung brand name, which consists of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Graphic Random Access Memory (Graphic RAM) and Flash for the Hong Kong and Southern China markets. The primary products the Company distributes and sells include Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAMs), DDRs (DDR1, DDR2 and DDR3), Flash memory, Graphic RAM and LCD panels. In September 2012, the Company acquired Jussey Investments Limited.

Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAMs), or mobile SDRAM, are used semiconductor memory component in computer peripherals, such as Hard Disk Drives (HDD), Digital Still Camera (DSC), Modems, ADSL Applications, DVD player, Set-top Box (STB), Digital TV, High Definition TV (HDTV) and Portable Multimedia Players (PMP). DDRs (DDR1, DDR2 and DDR3) are random access memory components that transfer data on both 0-1 and 1-0 clock transitions, theoretically yielding twice the data transfer rate of normal RAM or SDRAM.

Flash memory is a specialized type of memory component used to store user data and program code; it retains this information even when the power is off. Although Flash is predominantly used in mobile phones and tablets, it is commonly used in multi-media digital storage applications for products, such as moving picture experts group layer-3 audio (MP3) players, digital still camera DSC, Digital Voice Recorders, universal serial bus (USB) Disks and Flash Cards. Graphic RAM is a special purpose DDR (GDDR1, GDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4) that is used in graphic products which require high-speed 3-dimensional calculation performance and a memory size to be used as data storage buffer for digital versatile disc (DVD) and computer game displays. LCD panels are a component in consumer electronics, such as LCD TVs, tablets, smartphones, notebooks, digital phone frames and por! table game consoles.

The Company competes with Toshiba, Hynix, Nanya, PSC, Promos, ISSI and ESMT.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Last Friday, small cap stocks MedCAREERS Group Inc (OTCMKTS: MCGI), USmart Mobile Device Inc (OTCMKTS: UMDI) and Drinks Americas Holdings, Ltd (OTCMKTS: DKAM) were all over the place with the first two sinking 54% and 48.05%, respectively, while the last one rose 10.81%. It should be mentioned that all three small cap stocks have been the subject of paid promotions albeit none of these stocks have been over promoted. So where can investors and traders expect these stocks to head this week? Here is a quick look at what you might expect:

Top New Companies To Invest In Right Now: iShares MSCI Germany ETF (EWG)

iShares MSCI Germany Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the German market, as measured by the MSCI Germany Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the German equity market. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Component companies are adjusted for available float and must meet objective criteria for inclusion in the Index. The Index is reviewed quarterly.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matthew McCall]

    iShares MSCI Germany ETF (NYSE: EWG)

    The mess in the Ukraine has spread to Western Europe. Germany led the region lower with a three percent loss this morning. The German economy is the largest in Europe and with their trading ties to Eastern Europe, it is not surprising to see the country falling on the news. Many Western Europe ETFs have gotten ahead of themselves in the short-term and the pullback on the conflict could result in a great buying opportunity by the end of the week, depending on how the situation plays out.

  • [By Mary Anne & Pamela Aden]

    If you're a new buyer and concerned that it's too late to buy, consider buying on weakness. If you want to buy, and or, add to your positions, we'd stick with our strongest stocks, which are: the Powershares NASDAQ (QQQ), the MSCI Germany ETF (EWG), Microsoft (MSFT), and Market Vector Retail ETF (RTH).

  • [By Tom Aspray]

    A few weeks ago, I focused on some of the euro countries' debt levels, as well as the improvement in some of their manufacturing data. Their stock markets have continued to rally sharply as the iShares MSCI France (EWQ) is up over 13% since early July and is doing just slightly better than Germany (EWG).

  • [By Mark Salzinger]

    iShares MSCI Germany (EWG) and iShares MSCI Switzerland (EWL) continue to have relatively attractive valuations.

    EWG recently sported an average price/earnings (P/E) ratio on 2013's projected earnings of 12.6 and a price/book value (P/B) of just 1.4.

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: Federated Investors Inc. (FII)

Federated Investors, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to individuals, including high net worth individuals, banking or thrift institutions, investment companies, pension and profit sharing plans, pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities, and registered investment advisors. Through its subsidiaries, it manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and money market mutual funds and separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies. The firm makes its fixed income investments in ultra-short, short-term, and intermediate-term mortgage-backed, U.S. Government, U.S. Corporate, high yield, and municipal securities. It employs a fundamental and a quantitative analysis to make its equity investmen ts. The firm also makes sector-focused equity investments. Federated Investors was founded in 1955 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with an additional office in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Lately, though, T. Rowe Price hasn't benefited as much from share-price gains. Competitor Invesco (NYSE: IVZ  ) has managed to expand its margins and produce growth among its current lineup of funds, with exposure to a big range of markets that leaves it broadly placed to serve its customers' needs. But for T. Rowe Price and peer Federated Investors (NYSE: FII  ) , investors haven't been putting as much money to work in their funds as analysts had expected to see, and that has led to some growth shortfalls. Federated in particular missed its earnings estimates in its most recent quarter, and analysts see growth there slowing to just 3%. T. Rowe Price has better prospects, retaining its double-digit revenue growth, but after a substantial move upward at the beginning of the year, its stock has treaded water.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    For money market fund managers, the debt ceiling drama is just the latest in a long series of challenges. Low rates have forced Federated Investors (NYSE: FII  ) , Schwab (NYSE: SCHW  ) , and many other major money market fund managers to subsidize their funds, accepting reduced management fees just to keep their interest rates from going negative. As the graph below shows, fund levels have fallen sharply in response to those low rates as well, hurting fund managers' profitability.

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: AK Steel Holding Corp (AKS)

AK Steel Holding Corporation (AK Holding), incorporated on December 20, 1993, is an integrated producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steels and tubular products through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AK Steel Corporation (AK Steel and, together with AK Holding, the Company). The Company�� operations consist primarily of nine steelmaking and finishing plants and tubular production facilities located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Company�� operations produce flat-rolled value-added carbon steels, including coated, cold-rolled and hot-rolled carbon steel products, and specialty stainless and electrical steels that are sold in sheet and strip form, as well as carbon and stainless steel that is finished into welded steel tubing. In addition, the Company�� operations include European trading companies that buy and sell steel and steel products and other materials, AK Coal Resources, Inc. (AK Coal), which controls and is developing metallurgical coal reserves in Pennsylvania, and a 49.9% equity interest in Magnetation LLC (Magnetation), a joint venture that produces iron ore concentrate from previously-mined ore reserves.

The Company�� flat-rolled carbon steel products are sold primarily to automotive manufacturers and to customers in the infrastructure and manufacturing market. The infrastructure and manufacturing market includes electrical transmission, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and appliances. The Company also sells coated, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled carbon steel products to distributors, service centers and converters who may further process these products prior to reselling them. The Company sells its stainless steel products to manufacturers and their suppliers in the automotive industry, to manufacturers of food handling, chemical processing, pollution control, medical and health equipment, and to distributors and service centers.

The Company sells its electrical steel products in the infrastructure and m! anufacturing market. These products are sold primarily to manufacturers of power transmission and distribution transformers, both for new and replacement installation. The principal driver in the demand for new transformers is housing starts, while the demand for replacement transformers is driven more by age and obsolescence. The Company also sells electrical steel products for use in the manufacture of electrical motors and generators.

The Company owns its research building located in Middletown, Ohio. Steelmaking, finishing and tubing operations are conducted at nine facilities located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All of these facilities are owned by the Company, either directly or through wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Ashland Works is located in Ashland, Kentucky, and consists of a blast furnace, basic oxygen furnaces and continuous caster for the production of carbon steel. A coating line at Ashland also helps to complete the finishing operation of material processed at the Middletown plant.Butler Works is situated in Butler, Pennsylvania, and produces stainless, electrical and carbon steel. Melting takes place in a new, electric arc furnace that feeds an argon-oxygen decarburization unit for the specialty steels. A new ladle metallurgy furnace feeds two double-strand continuous casters. The Butler Works also includes a hot rolling mill, annealing and pickling units and two fully automated tandem cold rolling mills. It also has various intermediate and finishing operations for both stainless and electrical steels.

Coshocton Works is located in Coshocton, Ohio, and consists of a stainless steel finishing plant containing two Sendzimer mills and two Z-high mills for cold reduction, four annealing and pickling lines, nine bell annealing furnaces, four hydrogen annealing furnaces, two bright annealing lines and other processing equipment, including temper rolling, slitting and packaging facilities.Mansfield Works is located in Mansfield, Ohio, and pro! duces sta! inless steel. Operations include a melt shop with two electric arc furnaces, an argon-oxygen decarburization unit, a thin-slab continuous caster and a six-stand hot rolling mill.

Middletown Works is located in Middletown, Ohio, and consists of a coke facility, blast furnace, basic oxygen furnaces and continuous caster for the production of carbon steel. Also located at the Middletown site are a hot rolling mill, cold rolling mill, two pickling lines, four annealing facilities, two temper mills and three coating lines for finishing the product.Rockport Works is located near Rockport, Indiana, and consists of a continuous cold rolling mill, a continuous hot-dip galvanizing and galvannealing line, a continuous carbon and stainless steel pickling line, a continuous stainless steel annealing and pickling line, hydrogen annealing facilities and a temper mill.

Zanesville Works is located in Zanesville, Ohio, and consists of a finishing plant for some of the stainless and electrical steel produced at Butler Works and Mansfield Works and has a Sendzimer cold rolling mill, annealing and pickling lines, high temperature box anneal and other decarburization and coating units.AK Tube LLC (AK Tube), a Company subsidiary, has a plant in Walbridge, Ohio, which operates six electric resistance weld tube mills and a slitter. AK Tube also has a plant in Columbus, Indiana, which operates eight electric resistance weld and two laser weld tube mills.

The Company�� operations consist primarily of nine steelmaking and finishing plants and tubular production facilities located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Company sells its carbon products principally to domestic customers. The Company�� electrical and stainless steel products are sold both domestically and internationally. The Company also produces carbon and stainless steel that is finished into welded steel tubing used in the automotive, truck, industrial and construction markets.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Analysts tend to group steel makers into two groups–AK Steel (AKS) and US Steel (X), who are more reliant on higher steel prices, and Steel Dynamics (STLD) and Nucor (NUE), who have more flexibility in their businesses.

    Bloomberg

    At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. Today’s price action, however, suggests a different grouping after all four released earnings. Steel Dynamics, which met earnings forecasts, and Nucor, which beat, have gained 1% and 0.8%, respectively, suggesting that such a pairing makes sense, at least today. But AK Steel, which reported a profit, and US Steel, which lost money for the seventh time in nine quarters, have gone in very different directions. AK Steel has gained 19%, while US Steel has dropped 1.2%.

    Nomura’sCurt Woodworth and team explain why investors soured on U.S. Steel:

    We view X�� results as positive but disappointing in terms of guidance. Flatrolled costs showed significant sequential improvement, as costs per ton decreased about $16/ton, adjusted for maintenance spending, which drove adj. EPS to $0.27 compared to our estimate of a loss per share of -$0.25. However, management failed to provide measurable cost savings targets or
    other Project Carnegie-relate initiatives, which we believe investors were anticipating…

    Cowen’s Anthony Rizzuto and team were pleased with the results. They write:

    AK Steel reported adjusted EPS of $0.09, above its guidance of $0.02 to $0.06, our estimate of $0.03 and the consensus estimate of $0.02. The results exceeded our forecast primarily due to higher shipments, partially offset by a lower average selling price per ton of $1,031/st compared to our $1,085/st estimate. Average selling price per ton decreased 4% sequentially due to a lower proportion of value-added product shipments to the spot market.

    And the performance differential isn’t just for today. AK Steel has gained 98% during the p

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