FeedPosted Mar 10th 2011 12:00PM by Sheldon Liber (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and Services, Management, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), Wells Fargo (WFC), Chasing Value™, Comic Relief
When dealing with large companies, have you ever felt you were living through a scene from a Seinfeld episode?
In January Wells Fargo (WFC) completed a majority of its integration with Wachovia, and I fear it will take years working out the bugs in the system. I say this because I am a major client, shareholder and trader dealing with the company on numerous levels, and the past few weeks would be comedic if not so infuriating.
Continue reading Chasing Value: Wells Fargo, a Seinfeld Episode?
Posted Mar 10th 2011 11:40AM by Jason Raznick (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts
Quiksilver (
ZQK), Body Central (
BODY), and Aeropostale (
ARO) are stocks to watch today, as all three are scheduled to report earnings after the bell.
Street consensus for Quiksilver is a reported loss of 5 cents per share, on revenues of $414 million. Wall Street anticipates Body Central earnings of 26 cents per share, on revenues of $62.1 million. Aeropostale, by Street consensus, is expected to report quarterly earnings of 97 cents per share, on revenues of $834.6 million.
Investors who desire more exposure to the broader sectors of retail and apparel should take a look at the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (
XRT).
Jason is a cofounder of Benzinga.com. Follow Benzinga on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Benzinga
Posted Mar 10th 2011 11:20AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), Analyst Initiations, Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Analyst Upgrades
- Hyatt Hotels (H) and Hospitality Properties (HPT) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
- AB InBev (BUD) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
- Amerisafe (AMSF) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
- Northrop Grumman (NOC) to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital.
- China Lodging Group (HTHT) to buy from hold at Brean Murray and to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
Continue reading Analyst Calls: BUD, H, HPT, HTHT, ISRG, KFY, NOC, NTAP, THI ...
Posted Mar 10th 2011 11:00AM by Tom Taulli (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, H and R Block (HRB)
Over the past few years, the shareholders of H&R Block (HRB) have taken many hits. The recession slowed growth and the company's digital strategy has been lacking.
But there are some signs that things are improving. In fact, on news of H&R Block's fiscal third-quarter results, the stock is up about 5%.
Continue reading H&R Block Gets Less Taxing for Investors
Posted Mar 10th 2011 10:40AM by Steven Halpern (RSS feed)
Filed under: Newsletters, Stocks to Buy, Recession
"Our latest 'Stock of the Month' has one of the finest and most dependable dividend streaks you'll ever find," notes Nathan Slaughter.
The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "Realty Income (O) just recently announced its 488th consecutive monthly dividend, meaning it hasn't missed a payment since 1970.
"That tells me two things. One, the shareholder-friendly management team is committed to returning excess cash to shareholders. Two, it has consistently generated the profits to back up those payments through thick and thin.
Continue reading Realty Income (O): 488 Consecutive Monthly Dividends
Posted Mar 10th 2011 10:20AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Forecasts, Commodities
We have yet another food product to add to the inflation list. This time it's cattle. Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed at an all-time high of $1.1752 per pound, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
Beef is a in a special category. Unlike grains, which are harvested yearly, it takes about three years to raise cattle and bring them to market. High grain prices and high exports have shrunk the size of herds. They are at their lowest levels since the 1950s. With prices so high, some cattle ranchers choose to slaughter their cattle rather than let them mature to full term. These young cattle are called feeder cattle.
Continue reading Cattle Futures Are at a Record High
Posted Mar 10th 2011 10:00AM by Trefis (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron Corp (CVX), ConocoPhillips (COP), Oil
Exxon Mobil (
XOM) is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company; it competes with other major oil companies like Anadarko (
APC), BP (
BP), Chevron (
CVX) and ConocoPhillips (
COP).
The recent political turmoil in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, which is slowly spreading to other Middle Eastern and North African countries is likely to have an impact on Exxon Mobil's production capacity. This is because the company derives the majority of its revenues from production of crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs), and the Middle East and North Africa regions account for a sizable portion of its portfolio.
Continue reading Rising Costs and Political Tensions Could Weigh on Exxon Mobil
Posted Mar 10th 2011 9:30AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Products and Services, Industry, Competitive Strategy, Starbucks (SBUX)
The market for single cup roasters is estimated at $4 billion, according to Reuters. Single cup coffee roasters are growing in popularity, especially in business offices and waiting rooms. Naturally, coffee roasters like Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR) and Starbucks (SBUX) want a piece of the action.
The single cup roasters provide several advantages to having coffee in larger coffee pots. For one thing, coffee which sits for hours in a pot loses some of its fresh flavor or becomes bitter. Enter the single cup roaster. You simply pop a small container of coffee in the machine, and viola, you get a single cup of coffee with little or no mess, and always fresh.
Continue reading Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee End Battle for Single Cup Roasters
Posted Mar 10th 2011 8:50AM by Jason Raznick (RSS feed)
Filed under: Before the Bell, International Markets, Starbucks (SBUX), Chevron Corp (CVX), Valero Energy (VLO)
U.S. stock futures are lower this morning, after the drop in Asian and European markets, due to worse-than-expected Chinese trade data. Futures on the
Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 47 points to 12,127.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 7 points to 1,308.40. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 15 points to 2,295.50.
Overseas, negative sentiment ruled the European markets today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.69%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 1.10%.
Continue reading Stock Futures Lower Following Asia and Europe Declines
Posted Mar 9th 2011 7:30PM by Tobias Buckell (RSS feed)
Filed under: Starbucks (SBUX)
Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) has been a good holding for those who believed in the company at the 52-week low. Kudos to you if you bought in at $22.50, you certainly have my respect.
The 52-week high for the stock is currently set at $34.79. At the time of this writing, shares were exchanging hands for $34.34. Is now the time to sell? Or should investors bravely hold on for a further ride higher?
Continue reading Starbucks Near 52-Week High
Posted Mar 9th 2011 7:00PM by Paul Foster (RSS feed)
Filed under: NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Options
Ann Taylor (
ANN) March put option implied volatility is at 67, April is at 57, June is at 52. This is compared to its 26-week average of 53 according to Track Data, suggesting larger near term price movement into expected Q4 results on March 3.
Nike, Inc. (
NKE) March put option implied volatility is at 31, April is at 27, July is at 25. This is compared to its 26-week average of 24 according to Track Data, suggesting larger near term price movement into expected Q3 results on March 17.
Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.comPosted Mar 9th 2011 6:30PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Stocks to Buy
Last summer's swoon in Electronic marketplace
Inc.'s (
ICE) stock is ancient history, as ICE has powered
through $120 and is now testing $130. ICE, first discussed on June 2, 2009 at a price of $115.15, has the right business model -- futures contracts and more -- at the right time. ICE will likely post a 2011 revenue gain of 15-18% in 2011, followed by another double-digit increase in 2012.
Further, in 2011, the new, more-rigorous regulatory environment should create a trading environment for credit default swaps that's more fair and transparent, and these factors should help boost ICE's electronic trading, energy products trading, and clearing house function revenue streams. Demand for primary futures contracts products for Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude remain strong, and its deal to acquire Climate Exchange Plc., should be good for earnings in 2011.
Continue reading IntercontinentalExchange: Right Business Model at the Right Time
Posted Mar 9th 2011 6:00PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Bad News, Industry, Competitive Strategy, China
Warren Buffett invested $232 million in BYD (BYDDF), a Chinese auto maker during the financial crisis, as reported by Reuters. As of December 2010 Buffett's 225 million shares were worth $1.18 billion. In 2009, the shares were valued at just under $2 billion. So from 2009 to 2010, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) lost about 40% of his investment.
But that is just the beginning. Now there is criticism surrounding the new Chinese car, dubbed the hybrid car F3DM.They center around two major areas, authenticity of the design and the overall workmanship of the car itself.
Continue reading Will Buffett Back Away from His Deal with BYD, the Chinese Auto Maker?
Posted Mar 9th 2011 5:40PM by Jason Raznick (RSS feed)
Filed under: China
China's decision to invest nearly $200 billion into the building and renovation of 10 million low-cost homes is the latest in a series of measures designed to cool down China's housing market.
Continue reading Trading China's $200 Billion Home Building Plan
Posted Mar 9th 2011 5:20PM by David Fried (RSS feed)
Filed under: Industry, Stocks to Buy, Stock Picks
Our recommendations center on a collection of five stocks that we believe, as a group, will outperform the market this month. The Buyback Premium Portfolio is beating the S&P 500 by more than 67% since its inception (August 2, 2000)! This portfolio is up 60.00% since inception (August 2, 2000) vs. a decline of 7.70% in the S&P 500 over the same time frame. We hope that you are participating in these profits. For the month of February 2011, The Buyback Premium Portfolio gained 3.57% vs. a gain of 3.20% in the S&P 500.
New Premium Portfolio Recommendation: On March 2, we issued a sell recommendation on four stocks (AET, DLTR, FRX and RAFG) at market. We recommended you use the proceeds and available cash to buy equal dollar amounts of the following four stocks at market:
Continue reading Buyback Letter Newsletter: Mid Month - March 2011
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