It continued to be a rough week for the markets today, with the broad-based S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC ) being jerked lower because of continued weakness in Apple, as well as a slight rise in initial jobless claims.
Apple continued its swoon following news yesterday that one of its audio suppliers for the iPhone and iPad, Cirrus Logic, would fall short of Wall Street's revenue forecasts for the upcoming quarter, leading many to believe that Apple's sales are bound to slump, as well.
On the jobs front, initial jobless claims climbed 4,000, or 1.1%, to a seasonally adjusted rate of 352,000. While that's hardly a big rise, or a sign that the labor market is deteriorating, any upward movement in jobless claims in the same week that China reports weaker sequential GDP figures, and commodities tumble, is bound to put goose bumps on traders' backs.
For the day, the S&P 500 finished lower by 10.40 points (-0.67%), to close at 1,541.61. Despite the third big down day in the past four sessions, three stocks -- with a heavy emphasis on energy, chemicals, and transportation -- all bucked the trend following better-than-expected earnings reports.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch For 2015: Expedia Inc.(EXPE)
Expedia, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. It provides travel products and services to leisure and corporate travelers, offline retail travel agents, and travel service providers through a portfolio of brands, including Expedia.com, hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Expedia Affiliate Network, Classic Vacations, Expedia Local Expert, Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Egencia, eLong, Inc., and Venere Net SpA. The company?s travel offerings consist of airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, destination services, cruises, and package travel provided by various commercial airlines, lodging properties, car rental companies, destination service providers, cruise lines, and other travel product and service companies on a stand-alone and package basis. It also facilitates the booking of hotel rooms, airline seats, car rentals, and destination services from its travel suppliers; and acts as an agent in the transa ction, passing reservations booked by its travelers to the relevant travel provider. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lu Wang]
Expedia (EXPE) sank 27 percent to $47.20 for the biggest retreat in the S&P 500. The online travel agency posted second-quarter earnings, excluding some items, of 64 cents a share, falling short of the 81 cents analysts predicted on average.
- [By Nikolaj Gammeltoft]
Expedia Inc. (EXPE) sank 27 percent to $47.20 for the biggest retreat in the S&P 500 as the online travel agency missed sales and profit estimates amid increased competition. Netflix Inc. slumped 6.9 percent to $246.31 on slower-than-estimated subscriber gains.
- [By Ben Rooney]
Online travel companies Priceline (PCLN, Fortune 500) and Expedia (EXPE) are two of the biggest winners of the bull market. Priceline shares have surged 1,646% and Expedia has soared 1,182% during the past five years.
Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: Brady Corp (BRC)
Brady Corporation (Brady), incorporated in 1914, is an international manufacturer of identification solutions and specialty materials that identify and protect premises, products and people. Brady provides customers with a range of customized and diverse products for use in various applications. The Company is organized and managed on a geographic basis within three regions: Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific, which are the segments. Across these regions, the Company operates three primary business platforms: Identification Solutions (ID Solutions), Direct Marketing and Die-Cut. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company�� revenue included Americas 45%, EMEA 29% and Asia-Pacific 26% respectively. During fiscal 2012, the Company�� ID Solutions generated 56%, Direct Marketing 27% and Die-Cut 17% of revenue. In December 2012, Water Street Healthcare Partners sold Precision Dynamics Corporation (PDC) to the Company.
ID Solutions
Within the ID Solutions platform, Brady�� product categories include workplace safety and compliance, which includes facility identification, labeling systems, spill control, lockout/tagout, and software services; product identification, which includes materials and printing systems for product identification, brand protection labeling, work in process labeling, finished product identification, and bar coding that performs under a range of harsh or demanding conditions; wire identification, which includes handheld printers, wire markers, sleeves and tags, and people identification, which includes self-expiring name tags, badges, lanyards, and access control software and products. Approximately 75% of ID Solutions products are sold under the Brady brand.
Safety and facility identification products are also marketed under the Safety Signs Service brand, with some lockout/tagout products offered under the Scafftag brands. In the United States, identification products for the u! tility industry are marketed under the Electromark brand, and spill-control products are marketed under the Sorbent Products Company brand; security and identification badges and systems are included in the Temtec, B.I.G., Identicard/Identicam, STOPware, J.A.M. Plastics, PromoVision, and Brady People ID brands; wire identification products are marketed under the Modernotecnica brand in Italy and the Carroll brand in Australia; hand-held regulatory documentation systems are available under the Tiscor brand, and custom labels and nameplates are available under the Stickolor brand in Brazil.
The Company�� ID Solutions platform offers products with rapid response and superior service to provide solutions to customers. The business markets and sells products through multiple channels, including distributors, direct sales, mail-order-catalog marketing, and electronic access through e-commerce. The ID Solutions platform serves customers in many markets, which include industrial manufacturing, electronic manufacturing, chemical, oil, gas, food and beverage, aerospace, defense, mass transit, electrical contractors, and telecommunications, among others. The ID Solutions platform provides differentiated, products, many which have been internally developed and manufactured. These internally developed products include materials, printing systems, and software.
Direct Marketing
Within the Direct Marketing business platform, Brady�� product categories include workplace safety and compliance products, which include informational signs, tags, security and traffic related products, first aid supplies, material handling, asset identification, safety and facility identification, and regulatory products. Products within the Direct Marketing platform are sold under a range of brands, including safety and facility identification products offered under the Seton, Emedco, Signals, Safetyshop, Clement and Personnel Concepts brands; spill-control products under the D.A.W.G. brand, and ! first aid! supplies under the Accidental Health and Safety, Trafalgar, and Securimed brands. The Direct Marketing platform markets and sells products through multiple channels, which include catalog, telemarketing and e-commerce. The business serves customers in many markets, which include process industries, manufacturers, government, education, construction, and utilities. The Direct Marketing platform manufactures a range of stock and custom identification products, and also sells a range of related resale products.
Die-Cut
Within the Die-Cut business platform, the Company's products include customized precision die-cut products used to seal, dissipate heat, insulate, protect, shield, or provide other mechanical performance properties. Products within the Die-Cut platform are sold primarily under the Brady brand, with some European business marketed as Balkhausen products. The business sells through a technical direct sales force, and is supported by global strategic account management. The Die-Cut platform serves customers in many markets, which include mobile handset, hard disk drive, consumer electronics, other computing devices, as well as products for the automotive and medical equipment markets. The Die-Cut platform consists of engineered customized products, manufactured to specific customer requirements.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Shauna O'Brien]
Robert Baird announced on Friday that it has cut its rating on Brady Corp (BRC).
The firm has downgraded BRC from “Outperform” to “Neutral,” and has given the company a $33 price target. This price target suggests a 8% upside from the stock’s current price of $30.52.
Analysts see the company’s WPS segment growing faster than expected.
Brady shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Friday. The stock is down 9% YTD.
- [By Michael Flannelly]
Before the opening bell on Thursday, identification solutions provider Brady Corp (BRC) posted a loss in the fourth quarter, despite a rise in revenues, as it was negatively impacted by a number of charges. However, excluding these charges, the company was able to top Wall Street analysts’ earnings and sales estimates. Nonetheless, BRC shares are plummeting in Thursday’s trading.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company posted a loss from continuing operations of $176.2 million, or $3.41 per share, in the fourth quarter, versus last year’s fourth quarter earnings from continuing operations of $20.9 million, or 40 cents per share. Furthermore, Brady posted a net loss of $177.2 million, or $3.43 per share, compared to net earnings of $11.6 million, or 22 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.
The fourth quarter loss includes non-cash impairment charges of $204.4 million, $15.6 million in restructuring charges, and $4 million in acquisition-related charges. Excluding these charges, Brady Corp said earnings would have been 53 cents per share in the quarter. According to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, the company was expected to earn an adjusted 51 cents per share in the fourth quarter.
The company’s fourth quarter sales came in at $309.1 million, up 15% from $269.1 million in sales posted last year. On average, analysts were expecting the company to see $307.13 million in revenues for the quarter.
Looking ahead, Brady Corp. sees fiscal 2014 earnings coming in between $1.80 and $2.00 per share, below the analysts’ view of $2.30 per share.
Brady Corp shares were down $1.71, or 5.25%, during early morning trading on Thursday. The stock is up 7.93% year-to-date.
Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc.(HGR)
Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) patient care centers in the United States. The company provides orthotic and prosthetic patient care services. Its orthotics business include the design, fabrication, fitting, and maintenance of a range of standard and custom-made braces and other devices that provide external support to patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, such as ailments of the back, extremities or joints, and injuries from sports or other activities. The company?s prosthetics business comprise designing, fabricating, fitting, and maintaining custom-made artificial limbs for patients, who are without limbs as a result of traumatic injuries, vascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, or congenital disorders. It also distributes branded and private label O&P devices, as well as develops programs to manage various aspects of O&P patient care for insurance companies. In addition, the company manufac tures and distributes therapeutic footwear for diabetic patients in the podiatric market, as well as develops and provides specialized rehabilitation technologies and integrated clinical programs to rehabilitation providers. As of June 30, 2011, it operated approximately 675 patient-care centers in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The company, formerly known as Sequel Corporation, was founded in 1861 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Alamy There are plenty of stocks going up -- and down -- in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets. Let's go over some of last week's best and worst performers. Pike (PIKE) -- Up 49 percent last week The market's biggest winner of last week was Pike, a specialty construction and engineering firm that received a bid to be taken private. J. Eric Pike -- the firm's chairman and CEO -- is teaming up with private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners to buy out shareholders at $12 a share. It's a fair premium, pricing the buyout at a better than 50 percent premium to where the stock was trading when it was announced. A few attorneys are trying to smoke out investors who feel that the CEO-led privatization push isn't fair, but it's likely to stick at that kind of healthy markup. Pike shares may have traded in the low teens last summer, but that was before revenue and earnings began heading the wrong way. Most shareholders should be more than happy to take the money and run. RadNet (RDNT) -- Up 34 percent last week Operating a network of 251 facilities that perform outpatient diagnostic imaging services is looking good for RadNet. The stock moved sharply higher after a strong quarterly report. Revenue inched slighting higher as MRI and CT scan volume increased modestly during the period. However, the real star in the report was RadNet's bottom line. Its cost-cutting and debt-slashing efforts paid off with net income soaring to $0.12 a share after clocking in at a $0.07 a share a year earlier. Analysts were only holding out for $0.05 a share. RadNet also helped improve its standing by boosting its guidance for all of 2014. You don't need any of RadNet's fancy imaging equipment to see that that's a healthy sign. Trex (TREX) -- Up 25 percent last week It was a good week for a pair of home improvement specialists. Shares of CaesarStone (CSTE) moved 20
Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: SPDR S&P Russia ETF (RBL)
SPDR S&P Russia ETF (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P Russia Capped BMI Index (the Index). The Index is a float adjusted market cap index designed to define and measure the investable universe of publicly-traded companies domiciled in Russia. The Index component securities are a subset, based on region, of component securities included in the S&P Global BMI Equity Index. The Global BMI Equity Index is a comprehensive, float-weighted, rules-based benchmark that is readily divisible and customizable. The Fund generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index or in American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) based on securities comprising the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is SSgA Funds Management, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Charles Sizemore]
But what exactly are you buying when you buy Russian stocks? Let�� take a look under the hood at the ETFs that track the Russian market: the Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX), the iShares MSCI Russia Capped Index (ERUS) and the SPDR S&P Russia (RBL).
Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: Roma Financial Corporation(ROMA)
Roma Financial Corporation operates as a holding company for Roma Bank and RomAsia Bank that provide traditional retail banking services primarily in New Jersey. The company offers current deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, money market, certificates of deposit accounts, and individual retirement accounts. It also provides one-to four-family residential mortgage loans; multi-family and commercial mortgage loans; construction loans; commercial business loans; and consumer loans comprising home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, the company sells title insurance; performs title searches; and provides real estate settlement and closing services. It operates 23 branch offices in Mercer, Burlington, Camden, and Ocean Counties, New Jersey; and 2 branches in Monmouth Junction and Edison, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
He also pointed out that the approaching completion of Roma Financial (ROMA) and Investors Bancorp (ISBC) has some interesting implications for bank stock investors. Both are mutual holding companies, and the newly formed bank is expected to complete the process and do a second-step conversion offering. That will be a fairly large deal, much larger than most second-step offerings, as the combined banks should be somewhere around $3 billion in market cap. There will be larger investment banks involved, complete with road shows and institutional meetings to promote the deal. The attention could well cause a revaluation of the mutual holding company and converted thrift sector of the banking market.
Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: Camden Property Trust (CPT)
Camden Property Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is engaged in the ownership, management, development, acquisition, and construction of multi-family apartment communities. As each of its communities has similar economic characteristics, residents, amenities, and services, its operations have been aggregated into one segment.
In April 2011, it sold one of its land parcels to one of the Funds. In June 2011, it sold another land parcel to the Fund. In August 2011, the Company acquired 30.1 acres of land located in Atlanta, Georgia. In December 2011, it acquired 2.2 acres of land in Glendale, California. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it sold two properties consisting of 788 units located in Dallas, Texas. During 2011, the Funds acquired 18 multifamily properties totaling 6,076 units located in the Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Tampa and Atlanta. In January 2012, one of the Funds acquired one multifamily property consisted of 350 units located in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned interests in, operated, or were developing 206 multifamily properties comprising 69,794 apartment homes across the United States. Of these 206 properties, 10 properties were under development. In addition, it owns land parcels, which it focuses on developing into multifamily apartment communities.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Lewis]
Take Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT ) , for example. The stock is up around 16% over two years -- respectable, but incongruent with the industry trends. Since 2010, operating cash flow has increased more than 30%. The company pays a 3.5% dividend and trades at 16.5 times projected one-year earnings. For comparison, Lennar trades at 18 times earnings, while KB Homes trades at more than 20 times forward earnings.
Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Own In Right Now: Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc (ANW)
Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., incorporated on June 6, 2005, is an independent physical supplier and marketer of refined marine fuel from refineries, major oil producers and other sources and resell and deliver these fuels using its bunkering vessels to a broad base of end users, including oil tankers, container ships, drybulk carriers, cruise ships, reefers, LNG/LPG carriers, car carriers, ferries, marine fuel traders, brokers and other users. The Company serves Greece, Gibraltar, the United Arab Emirates, or UAE, Jamaica, Singapore, Northern Europe, Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (ARA), Portland, United Kingdom, West Africa, Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Morocco, Cape Verde and Panama. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of the United States East Coast bunkering business of Hess Corp.
The Company provides its customers with a service that requires sophisticated logistical operations designed to meet their strict fuel quality and delivery scheduling needs. The Company owns a double hull Aframax tanker, the Leader, with cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 84,000 deadweight ton (dwt), which operates as a floating storage facility in the United Arab Emirates. The Company also operates a barge, the Mediterranean, with a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 19,900 dwt, and one single hull bunkering barge, the Tapuit, with a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 2,500 dwt, which the Company uses as floating storage facilities in Greece and Northern Europe, respectively. In addition, the Company owns and operates one special purpose vessel, the Orion, a 550 dwt tanker, which is based in its Greek market. The Company operates land-based storage facilities in Panama, Tangiers, Las Palmas, and the United Kingdom, where it stores marine fuel in terminals with storage capacity of approximately 27,000, 218,000, 65,000 and 40,000 cubic meters, respectively.
The Company competes with World ! Fuel Services Corporation, Chemoil Corporation, BP Marine, Shell Marine Products, ExxonMobil Marine Fuel, CESPA (Gibraltar) Ltd., Eko Abee., Sekavin S.A., Seka S.A., Jet Oil S.A., Eteka S.A., Nova Bunkers S.A., Vemaoil Company Ltd., Bominflot of Gibraltar Ltd., and Peninsula Petroleum Ltd., ENOC Bunkering (Fujairah) LLC, Akron Trade and Transport, International Supply, and Oil Marketing & Trading Inc., Global Energy Trading Pte. Ltd., Alliance Oil Trading, Searights Maritime Services Pte. Ltd., Equatorial Marine Fuel, Sentek Marine & Trading, Brightoil Petroleum, OW Bunkering, Addax Bunkering Services, Stena Oil, S.K. Shipping, WFS (Falmouth), Marine Petrobulk Ltd., Shell Canada, and Petro Canada and Fujairah National Bunkering Co. LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of marine fueling company Aegean Marine Petroleum Network (NYSE: ANW ) jumped 12% today after the company was upgraded by an analyst.
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