Charles De Vaulx of the IVA Funds reported his third quarter holdings this past week. In October the IVA Funds celebrated their fifth year in the business. The fund maintains a dual investment approach which is split into short- and long-term investments. IVA reports that their short-term (12 to 18 months) investments are in order to preserve capital while their longer term (5 to 10 years) they try to perform better that their equity benchmark. The fund also reported that over the past five years, they achieved both of these goals with their investments.
Over the past quarter Charles De Vaulx in his IVA Worldwide Fund bought nine new stocks bringing the total number of stocks to 102 valued at $4.858 billion. The following five companies are De Vaulx's largest holdings as of the close of the third quarter.
Nestle SA (XSWX:NESN)
De Vaulx's largest position over the past quarter was in Nestle SA where he holds on to 4,220,716 shares of the company's stocks. His holdings make up for 6.1% of his total portfolio and 0.13% of the company's shares outstanding.
During the third quarter De Vaulx upped his holdings 48.55% by purchasing a total of 1,379,455 shares of the company's stock. The guru bought these shares in the price range of CHF60.60 to CHF65.05, with an estimated average quarterly price of CHF62.58. Since then the price per share has increased approximately 5.9%.
Charles De Vaulx's historical holding history:
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Nestle SA manufactures and markets food products. The Company's product line includes milk, chocolate, confectionery, creamer, coffee, food seasoning, bottled water and pet foods among others.
Nestle's historical revenue and net income:
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The analysis on the company reports that the revenue has been in decline over the past five yea! rs, the company has issued CHF6.3 billion of debt over the past year, the operating margin is expanding and P/E and P/B ratios are nearing 1-year lows.
Top guru shareholders of Nestle:
1. David Herro: 7,209,000 shares, representing a 0.22% stake and 2.2% of his total portfolio.
2. Charles de Vaulx: 4,220,716 shares, representing a 0.13% stake and 6.1% of his total portfolio.
3. Tweedy Brown: 2,781,120 shares, representing a 0.09% stake and 3.4% of their total assets.
The Peter Lynch Chart suggests that the company is currently overvalued:
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Nestle SA has a market cap of CHF213.64 billion. Its shares are currently trading at around CHF66.25 with a P/E ratio of 20.10, a P/S ratio of 2.24 and a P/B ratio of 3.44. The company had an annual average earnings growth of 4.80%.
Astellas Pharma (TSE:4503)
The guru's second largest holding is in Astellas Pharma where he holds on to 5,095,800 shares of the company's stock. His holdings make up for 5.3% of his total portfolio and 1.16% of the company's shares outstanding.
De Vaulx did not alter his position in the company over the last quarter. The guru last sold shares in the second quarter of 2012 and since then the price per share is up about 11.1%.
De Vaulx's holding history as of the third quarter:
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Astellas Pharma Inc is engaged in the business of manufacturing, marketing and import/export of pharmaceuticals. The company's businesses are segmented into pharmaceutical and other.
Astellas Pharma's historical revenue and net income:
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The analysis on Astellas Pharma reports that the company's price is sitting near a 5-year high, its dividend yield is near a 5-year low and the company curre! ntly hold! s no debt.
The top guru shareholders of Astellas Pharma:
1. Vanguard Health: 14,365,700 shares, representing 3.26% of the company's shares outstanding and 2.5% of their total portfolio.
2. Charles de Vaulx: 5,095,800 shares, representing 1.16% of the company's shares outstanding and 5.3% of his total portfolio.
3. IVA International Fund: 1,986,500 shares, representing 0.45% of the company's shares outstanding and 5.6% of their total assets managed.
The Peter Lynch Chart suggests that the company is currently overvalued:
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Astellas Pharma has a market cap of ¥2623.45 billion. Its shares are currently trading at around ¥5960.00 with a P/E ratio of 52.80, a P/S ratio of 2.49 and a P/B ratio of 0.59. The company currently holds a dividend yield of around 2%.
Devon Energy (DVN)
De Vaulx's third largest position is in Devon Energy where he holds on to 4,088,040 shares of the company's stock. His holdings make up for 4.9% of his total portfolio and 1.01% of the company's shares outstanding.
De Vaulx did not alter his position in the company over the past quarter. From his last buy in the second quarter the price per share has gone up about 8.7%.
De Vaulx's historical holding history:
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Devon Energy is an independent energy company engaged mainly in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and NGLs. The company's operations are concentrated in various North American onshore areas in the U.S. and Canada.
Devon's historical revenue and earnings growth:
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The top guru shareholders of Devon Energy:
1. Jean-Marie Eveillard: 7,908,819 shares, representing 1.95% of the company's shares outstanding and 1.3% o! f his tot! al portfolio.
2. Tweedy Browne: 4,229,160 shares, representing 1.04% of the company's shares outstanding and 5.9% of his total portfolio.
3. Charles de Vaulx: 4,088,040 shares, representing 1.01% of the company's shares outstanding and 4.6% of his total portfolio.
The analysis on Devon Energy reports that the company's price is nearing a 1-year high, its revenue has been in decline for the past five years and it has issued $4.5 billion of debt over the past three years.
Devon Energy has a market cap of $24.59 billion. Its shares are currently trading at around $60.57 with a P/E ratio of 32.80, a P/S ratio of 2.40 and a P/B ratio of 1.20. The company has a 1.40% dividend yield.
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
The guru's fourth largest holding goes to Berkshire Hathaway where he maintains 1,339 shares of the company's stock. His position makes up for 4.7% of his total assets managed and 0.08% of the company's shares outstanding.
Over the duration of the last quarter De Vaulx cut his holdings -13.95% by selling a total of 217 shares of Berkshire stock. He sold these shares in the price range of $167,050 to $178,275, with an estimated average quarterly price of $173,021 per share. Since then the price per share has gone up a slight 0.9%.
De Vaulx's historical holding history:
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Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of business activities, including property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, finance, manufacturing, service and retailing.
Berkshire Hathaway's historical revenue and earnings growth:
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The analysis on Berksh! ire Hatha! way reports that the company's price is near a 10-year high, it has shown predictable revenue and earnings growth and its operating margin is expanding.
The top guru shareholders of BRK.A:
1. Chris Davis: 11,367 shares, representing 0.69% of the company's shares outstanding and 5% of his total portfolio.
2. Ruane Cunniff: 10,710 shares, representing 0.65% of the company's shares outstanding and 10.8% of his total portfolio.
3. Tom Russo: 4,953 shares, representing 0.3% of the company's shares outstanding and 9% of his total assets managed.
The Peter Lynch Chart suggests that the company is currently overvalued:
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Berkshire Hathaway has a market cap of $285.7 billion. Its shares are currently trading at around $174,625 with a P/E ratio of 14.60, a P/S ratio of 1.60 and a P/B ratio of 1.30. Berkshire Hathaway had an annual average earnings growth of 6.80% over the past ten years.
GuruFocus rated Berkshire Hathaway the business predictability rank of 2.5-star.
Oracle (ORCL)
The guru's fifth largest holding goes to Oracle where he maintains 5,687,640 shares of the company's stock. His position makes up for 3.9% of his total portfolio.
The guru did not alter his position in Oracle over the duration of the past quarter, but since his sell in the second quarter the price per share is up about 6.4%.
De Vaulx's holding history of Oracle as of the third quarter:
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Oracle provides technologies of cloud computing, including database and middleware as well as web-based applications, virtualization, clustering and systems management. It provides cloud services as well as software and hardware products to other cloud service providers, both public and private.
Oracle's historical revenue and net income:
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The analysis on Oracle reports that the company's revenue has slowed down over the past year, its price is near a 10-year high, its operating margin is expanding and its dividend yield is also near a 5-year high.
The top guru shareholders of Oracle:
1. Jeremy Grantham: 49,441,015 shares, representing 1.07% of the company's shares outstanding and 4.3% his total portfolio.
2. Jean-Marie Eveillard: 27,367,792 shares, representing 0.59% of the company's shares outstanding and 2.6% of his total portfolio.
3. Donald Yacktman: 24,416,925 shares, representing 0.53% of the company's shares outstanding and 3.6% of his total portfolio.
The Peter Lynch Chart suggests that the company is currently undervalued:
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Oracle Corporation has a market cap of $160.83 billion. Its shares are currently trading at around $35.29 with a P/E ratio of 15.30, a P/S ratio of 4.50 and a P/B ratio of 3.70. The company had an annual average earnings growth of 19.00% over the past ten years.
GuruFocus rated Oracle the business predictability rank of 4.5-star.
Check out Charles De Vaulx's full third quarter portfolio here.
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Some see signs of hope in a revival in state and local government spending, which after years of being dragged down by poor revenue collections, is showing some life. Indeed, an analysis by Lord, Abbett & Co. released Monday makes this case, arguing that a boost in spending and hiring should aid the economy.
While the analysis by economist Milton Ezrati shows that sources of revenue, including even property taxes, have finally reached the pace that historical trends would have put it at were it not for the housing and financial crises, it states an important caveat:
“Of course, some of these new monies will be directed away from new hiring and spending toward pension trust funds, where many states, towns and cities face huge funding gaps.”
That caveat is the subject of another (and totally separate) report by the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy Research, which, while acknowledging that the economy is growing and spending is rising, asserts that the increased revenues will necessarily be absorbed in the black hole of pension and health care costs of retired public employees.
In other words, taxpayers should expect to see no benefits in terms of improved government services from the current upswing in revenues, barring significant reforms.
Titled “Quantifying Crowd-Out,” the report by the libertarian think tank's senior fellow Stephen Eide shows through tables and charts how local government expenditures on current employees and services have declined as the share reserved for the benefits of former employees has grown.
So while local government revenues have grown 1.7% from 2008 to 2011, pension contributions have grown 8.9% during the same period. What is referred to as OPEB (“other post-employment benefits”) in budget parlance now accounts for 12% of the typical city’s budget.
But that figure actually understates the problem since it reflects what governments are spending on OPEB rather than what they should be spending. Large pension systems have been found to make just 80% of annual required pension contributions.
And even those that fully fund their pensions often make unrealistic investment return assumptions (such that in reality they remain underfunded). Another problem is that local governments may fund, even fully fund, their pensions with pension obligation bonds that become another budget line item for annual debt service.
Eide looks at the crowd-out phenomenon in five different cities, drawing some lessons from their experiences.
In Los Angeles, in the difficult years between the fiscal 2007 and 2014 budgets, overall spending increased 2% while health and retiree spending increased by 10 times that amount. In that time, the city has lost 5,000 employees — 1,000 of them in public works. The message is that budget math necessitates a reduction in current services.
Eide describes energy-rich Houston as the biggest boomtown in America over the past several years. While the metro area has added 300,000 jobs since the recession bottomed out, its city personnel numbers look much like they did two decades ago, while the city borrows from credit markets to pay for OPEB obligations that it is underfunding. This difficulty is a legacy from the big benefit increases Houston extended to city employees in the go-go '90s.
Boston is cited as a positive role model of a city that has successfully wrestled its heath-care costs down via co-pays and deductibles. As a result, health benefits percent of city revenue has actually been declining in each of the past three budget years.
Baltimore’s current trends don’t look good yet the city has undertaken a farsighted 10-year financial forecast. The report therefore describes the city as at an inflection point similar to where Boston and Detroit were in 1980, before the former got and the latter lost its grip on its finances.
The fifth city examined, Detroit, illustrates the thin line between crowd-out and insolvency. When emergency manager Kevyn Orr issued his restructuring proposal, he projected that the city was less than five years away from the point where two-thirds of its budget would be devoted to legacy costs. The report shows that Detroit would not be bankrupt but for its pension and retiree health care debt. For cities at this stage, the untenable choice is between police or promised benefits to former city workers.
While the problems of fixed contractual costs may seem beyond the control of city managers, Eide says there is a way out in managing crowd-out, and that is to reduce the principal rather than interest, so to speak.
Cities should resist taking on new hires; follow the example of governments that have exempted some portions of compensation from collective bargaining; shift more health care costs to copayments and deductibles as is standard in the private sector; adopt 401(k)-style retirement plans whose costs can be expensed precisely up front, as is done in the private sector, rather than defined benefit plans whose whose funding is costlier and less predictable; shift compensation more toward salaries rather than benefits.
More controversially, governments can shift employees onto Obamacare exchanges, as Detroit and Chicago have pledged to do.
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Check out Using Deferred Annuities to Build Pension Plans for the Next Generation by Robert Bloink and William Byrnes on ThinkAdvisor.
In the good old days, retirement was pretty simple. You worked 30 years. Got a pension. And put your money in bonds to make it last.
But this isn't your father's retirement. Back then, life expectancy was such that people only spent less than a decade in retirement.
Today is different. Boy, is it different!
After working for 30 years, it's not out of the question to spend another 30 years in retirement. And that, for lots of people, is the big worry.
People getting ready for retirement are worried that they won't be able to save enough to last. And people already in retirement worry they will outlive their nest eggs.
RETIREMENT LIVING: : 7 mistakes to avoid in retirement planning
In a poll by BlackRock more than half of those surveyed were worried about outliving their savings.
"People are living longer than ever before, dramatically altering the financial challenges in retirement," said Rob Kapito, BlackRock president. "Increased longevity is a blessing, but it's an expensive one, because that translates into the need for a bigger retirement nest egg and access to secure retirement-long income."
One key, financial planners say, is to set a budget in retirement, as you do in your working life. But it's even more important to stick to that budget in retirement since you're living on a fixed amount of money.
Stuart Ritter, vice president of T. Rowe Price Investment Services, says that early in retirement is usually hardest for people to stay on budget. They can start out with their 401(k) or pension in a lump sum, and for most, it's the most money they have ever had in their lives.
"The issue is that the money has to last for 30 years," he says. "That's why we encourage people to think of it more in terms of income (stream), and not as a balance. It can give you a more realistic understanding of what your spending can be like."
Ritter says two key things determine how long your money lasts: how much you save before you retire and how much yo! u spend after retirement.
"The other thing that substantially affects their ability to make their money last is when they actually retire — how long they work," Ritter says. "For those folks, one of the best things they can do to improve their life during retirement is delay (retirement). If working two or three years more means a higher degree of confidence for 30 years in retirement, it may be worth it."
RETHINKING RETIREMENT: Tips for older job searchers
Dana Anspach, founder of Sensible Money in Scottsdale, Ariz., and author of Control Your Retirement Destiny, says she uses three criteria to determine if a client is at risk for running out of money in retirement.
First is the length of retirement. If the client is young and healthy, they should prepare for a longer retirement. Second, she looks at if a client has the discipline to stick to a plan. "Whatever the plan is," she said, "If you can't stick with the plan, you are at greater risk." And third, she says, she looks at the ability to stay on a budget.
"You have to be able to know what you are going to spend," she says. "You can't be wildly off. You have to stick with a disciplined plan and you have to account for the potential length of your retirement, particularly if you are looking to retire early."
STRATEGIES TO MAKE THAT MONEY LAST
All the financial planners say sticking to that budget is key. But if it's clear that the nest egg will not last through retirement, there are other strategies, like working longer, taking Social Security later or even working a part-time job.
Anspach says people often forget to build key expenses into their budgets, things like dental care and eye care. And one of the biggest problems for retirees trying to stay on budget, she says: adult children, whether it's having to help them out after losing a job or getting a divorce.
And when a client is spending too much: "All we can do is say here are your choices," she says. "You have to get your spending down ! to this l! evel or you will run out of money. If a client wants to take more money out, I can't say no. All I can do is warn them."
And as a last resort, she says, she will recommend use of a reverse mortgage or downsizing. "I prefer to not use it as part of their plan," she says. "I use it as a reserve strategy. We need some kind of plan B. Maybe it's moving in with your sister."
Ross Badger, director at Satis Asset Management in London, says retirees must make sure they scrutinize all their expenses.
"There is often a significant savings to be made," he says. "People need to look at utility companies and subscriptions. Review those. Look at payments that automatically go out — insurance premiums. Many times they haven't reviewed it. When we do a detailed review of each expenditure, it's amazing when you hear that people didn't even know that was still coming out. It's also amazing how many people don't check their bank statements."
BENEFITS: At what age should you start claiming Social Security?
Badger says people in all income groups worry about their money lasting through retirement. But what amazes him is that they have done so little to work out the numbers.
Also, he says, watch the debt. "Despite interest rates being historically low, there is a lot of encouragement to increase the level of debt, buy bigger houses, take holidays," he says. "Keep the debt level manageable. Even when you think you can afford to pay the mortgage payments or loan payment, test what it would do to your finances if interest rates were to increase or double."
And finally, there's inflation to consider. It's a big concern, and it should be, Ritter says. And that's why it's important to make sure you continue to have stocks in your portfolio in retirement, he says.
"Years ago, they could put all their money in bonds," Ritter says. "Rates were higher. Peo! ple died ! after seven or eight years (in retirement). Inflation didn't have much time to increase the price of things they wanted to buy. Now we tell people to plan for 30 years of inflation.
"Inflation at 3% will double the rate of everything you buy in 23 years," he says. "To buy that same dinner out or buy that same cruise ticket or airline ticket. If it takes $40,000 for your lifestyle this year, it will take $80,000 (in 23 years). If your portfolio hasn't been growing, you won't have enough money in there to take out twice as much."
Here's the key to gaining confidence in your long-term savings: "Adjust as you go along," Ritter says. "Expect to have to adjust. Start with a plan. Start with guidance to know where you are going. That gives people confidence to enjoy retirement and confidence that they will have a plan in place to help manage. And they can concentrate on more fun things."
I love little-elves companies, and no, I�� not referring to anything like the technical analysts dubbed ��lves��by the late Louis Rukeyser on his classic PBS weekly show, Wall Street Week.
I�� referring instead to situations where you read or hear about a company�� business and blurt out something like: �� didn�� know that sort of thing was done by publicly-traded corporations. I thought it was done by little elves.��nbsp; Forbes Low Priced Stock Report�� Top 40-company Insignia Systems Insignia Systems, which makes retail store shelf labels and small product signs (communicating information about prices, often in the context of promotion) is just such a company.
Those of us who still go to brick-and-mortar stores, which is pretty much all of us on many if not all days, encounter such labels (whether made by ISIG or others) all the time. Admittedly, we don�� always pay close attention to them and often reflexively reach for what we usually buy.
Top 5 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Wave Systems Corp.(WAVX)
Wave Systems Corp. develops, produces, and markets products for hardware-based digital security. Its products are based on the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a hardware security chip that enables secure protection of files and other digital secrets, and performs critical security functions. The company offers EMBedded Application Security SYstem (EMBASSY) Trust Suite, a set of applications and services that are designed to bring functionality and user value to TPM enabled products. The EMBASSY Trust Suite includes the EMBASSY Security Center, Trusted Drive Manager, Document Manager, Private Information Manager, and Key Transfer Manager. It also offers middleware and tools, which include Trusted Computing Group (TCG) enabled toolkit that assists application developers in writing new applications or modifying existing ones to function on TCG-compliant platforms; and Wave TCG-Enabled Cryptographic Service Provider, which allows software developers to utilize the security of a TCG standards-based platform. In addition, the company offers EMBASSY Trust Server Applications comprising EMBASSY Key Management Server, a server application designed to provide corporate-level backup and transition of the TPM keys; EMBASSY Authentication Server that offers centralized management, provisioning, and enforcement of multifactor domain access policies; and EMBASSY Remote Administration Server, which provides centralized management and auditing of TPMs and self-encrypting drives. Further, it offers eSign Transaction Management Suite and broadband media distribution services. Wave Systems Corp. sells its products to chip original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), PC OEMs, enterprise customers, and systems integrators. The company was formerly known as Cryptologics International, Inc. and changed its name to Wave Systems Corp. in January 1993. Wave Systems Corp. was founded in 1988 and is based in Lee, Massachusetts.
Top 5 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Pulaski Financial Corp.(PULB)
Pulaski Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Pulaski Bank that provides a range of financial products and services for businesses and retail customers. The company offers savings deposits, certificates of deposits, commercial papers, short-term money market securities, and other corporate and government securities. Its loan portfolio includes residential mortgage loans; home equity lines of credit; one- to four-family residential construction loans; residential or commercial real estate loans; multi-family residential loans; commercial and industrial loans; and consumer and other loans. The company also provides title insurance products and services, including owner?s policies of insurance, lender?s policies of insurance, and miscellaneous title information products, such as letter reports for residential and commercial transactions; and insurance products and annuities. In addition, it offers appraisal services to mortgage loan customers. Pulaski Financia l Corp. serves customers throughout the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas and Wichita, Kansas. As of January 17, 2012, it operated 13 full-service branch offices and 6 loan production offices. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.
Northgate Minerals Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in exploring, developing, processing, and mining gold and copper deposits in Canada and Australia. Its principal producing assets include 100% interests in the Fosterville and Stawell Gold mines in Victoria, Australia; and the Kemess South mine located in north-central British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Northgate Exploration Limited and changed its name to Northgate Minerals Corporation in May 2004. Northgate Minerals Corporation was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Top 5 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Davide Campari(CPR.MI)
Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, operates in the beverage sector worldwide. The company offers spirits under the Campari, Carolans, SKYY Vodka, Wild Turkey, Aperol, Cabo Wabo, CampariSoda, Cynar, Frangelico, Glen Grant, Ouzo 12, X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, Zedda Piras, Dreher, Old Eight, and Drury's brands; sparkling and still wines, including aromatized wines, such as vermouth wines under the Cinzano, Liebfraumilch, Mondoro, Odessa, Riccadonna, Sella & Mosca, and Teruzzi & Puthod names; and soft drinks under the Crodino and Lemonsoda brands. It also provides semi-finished goods; and is involved in bottling activities. The company was founded in 1860 and is headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy. Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. is a subsidiary of Alicros S.p.A.
Top 5 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: New England Bancshares Inc.(NEBS)
New England Bancshares, Inc. operates as the holding company for New England Bank that provides various commercial banking products and services. The company generates various deposit products, including non interest-bearing demand accounts, such as checking accounts; interest-bearing demand accounts comprising NOW and money market accounts; passbook and savings accounts; and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises residential loans, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, construction loans for commercial and residential development projects, secured and unsecured consumer loans, and commercial lending products, such as term loans, revolving lines of credit, and small business administration guaranteed loans. As of November 10, 2010 it operated 15 banking centers servicing the communities of Bristol, Cheshire, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Manchester, Plymouth, Southington, Suffield, Wallingford, and Windsor Locks . The company is headquartered in Enfield, Connecticut.
Raymond James (RJF) said earlier this week that it recruited three from Wells Fargo (WFC) and Morgan Stanley (MS) with a total of about $1 billion in total client assets and $2.2 million in yearly fees and commissions.
Keith Morris moved to Raymond James’ independent channel in Conshohocken, Pa., with about $110 million in assets and annual production of more than $1 million. Morris began his career at Prudential Securities in 1994 and then moved to Legg Mason and Wachovia Securities, which later became part of Wells Fargo. While with Wells, he founded Morris Capital Management Group, an independent firm.
“We are pleased to welcome Keith to Raymond James’ independent channel,” said Tom Harrington, regional director of Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS), the firm’s independent broker-dealer, in a press release. “He is a talented advisor who shares the firm’s client-first mentality and recognizes the benefits of Raymond James’ advisor-centric culture. He is a great addition to our network of independent advisors.”
Advisors Richard B. Swift and Jeff A. Dakin left Morgan Stanley to join Raymond James’ traditional employee broker-dealer in Columbus, Ga., from Morgan Stanley.
The team, known as Swift Wealth Management Group, has managed more than $934 million in client assets and had $1.2 million in annual fees and commissions.
“It is an honor to welcome this talented pair to Raymond James,” said Jim Hamilton, Southern regional director for Raymond James & Associates Inc., the traditional employee broker-dealer. “These veteran advisors bring almost 40 years of combined experience to the firm.”
Swift began his financial services career with Robinson-Humphrey in Columbus, Ga., in 1998. He went on to work for Columbus Bank & Trust, Citigroup/Smith Barney and eventually Morgan Stanley.
Dakin started his work in the business in 1991 in Columbus with Synovus Securities, moving to Robinson Humphrey in 1996, where he later teamed up with Swift.
Private Client Group Results
On Wednesday, Raymond James said that it had total securities commissions and fees of $266 million in October, up 8.9% over the year-ago period and up 4.4% from the preceding month, as the Private Client Group benefited “from starting the month with a record level of fee-based assets, most of which are billed in advance based on the values at the beginning of each quarter,” the company says.
“October was a good start to our fiscal year, as the S&P 500 rose 4.5% and we experienced healthy activity levels in our Private Client Group and Equity Capital Markets businesses,” said Paul Reilly, CEO, in a press release.
Client assets under administration reached $436 billion, up 13.7% over last October and up 2.6% over the earlier month, while financial assets under management were $58 billion, up 35.4% over last year’s October and up 3 percent over the preceding month.
“With the integration of Morgan Keegan essentially completed, we are now completely focused on growing our business profitability and serving our clients and advisors,” said Reilly.
Women Recognized
In other news, the Raymond James Network for Women Advisors shared the names of 13 advisors who received a Woman of Distinction Award at the firm’s 2013 Women’s Symposium in October. The award recognizes those who are members of a recognition council, support the professional growth of other advisors and service associates and who are actively involved in their communities.
This year’s award recipients are:
“These 13 women are outstanding representatives of both our firm and their communities,” said Chet Helck, CEO, Global Private Client Group at Raymond James, in a statment. “I am proud to be associated with advisors of this caliber. I congratulate them for all they do for their clients and for all they give back to their profession and peers.”
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Check out 8 Overlooked Tips to Bond With, and Retain, Clients on ThinkAdvisor.
By John Whitefoot
October U.S. retail sector sales numbers are in, but are they worth getting excited about?
The Census Bureau announced on Wednesday that October retail sector sales increased 0.4% month-over-month and 3.9% year-over-year to $428.1 billion. From a shorter-term perspective, the 0.4% increase really isn’t anything to get excited about; that 3.9% year-over-year increase, though, looks pretty good. (Source: “Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services October 2013,” U.S. Census Bureau web site, November 20, 2013.)
Or does it? Take a step back, and you can see we’ve been in a downtrend for the last few years.
In October 2010, U.S. retail sector sales were up 6.9% month-over-month. This isn’t a big surprise when you consider the so-called economic recovery only began in mid-2009. In October 2011, U.S. retail sector sales were up 7.6% year-over-year, another strong gain on the back of ongoing optimism that the economy would rebound. (Source: “Retail and Food Services Sales,”Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Economic Research web site, November 20, 2013.)
But then we realized the economic recovery wasn’t much of a recovery at all. In 2012, October retail sector sales were up just 4.4%, almost half the gain of the previous year, and in October 2013, U.S. retail sector sales were up just 3.9%. Looking at it from a longer-term perspective, even the recent October year-over-year numbers aren’t anything to get worked up about.
Today, we’re more than 50 months and $3.0-plus trillion into the Federal Reserve-guided recovery, and we really don’t have much to show for it. In fact, you could argue that the economy might have done better without any intervention from the Federal Reserve—it certainly couldn’t look much worse.
Sadly, the October U.S. retail sector sales figures are a little skewed. They include automotive sales, which can account for about 20% of retail sector sales. They also include building supplies and gas, which tend to be volatile and can distort the underlying trend; for example, the bulk of third-quarter gains were driven by dealers of autos and other motor vehicles, which posted an impressive 11.9% year-over-year gain.
As a result, the core U.S. retail sector sales are considered to be a better gauge of spending trends—and that gauge is almost running on empty. Core U.S. retail sector sales increased just 0.2% month-over-month, topping weak projections of just 0.1%.
Yes, auto sales are up, but so, too, is auto loan debt. In fact, U.S. auto loan debt is currently sitting at $845 billion, the highest level since the Federal Reserve starting keeping track of car loans in 1999. (Source “Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York web site, November 2013.)
But it’s not all doom and gloom; U.S. car buyers are, for the most part, paying their loans off. The share of vehicle loans more than three months past due slipped to 3.4% in the third quarter. Mortgage delinquencies, on the other hand, stand at 4.3%, while student loans are at a detention-setting 11.8%.
When it comes to U.S. retail sector sales, the automotive industry might be one of the bright spots as we head into 2014. Two affordable automotive stocks for small investors to consider are Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and auto parts store The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY). At the other end of the scale, two major automotive stocks include Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) and auto parts store OReilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY).
If you’re looking for the underlying horsepower driving U.S. economic growth right now, you can’t help but thank the auto industry.
This article This Sector the Only Bright Spot in October Retail Sales was originally published at Daily Gains Letter
The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.
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As the politicians continue to debate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the healthcare sector has emerged as one of the stock markets biggest winners. As of the end of October, the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:XLV) –which tracks healthcare-related firms in the S&P 500- has returned more than 33% since the start of the year. The prevailing idea is that under the ACA, more individuals have access to insurance and care.
That means there will be plenty of profits for sector as the law rolls out.
And while the ACA has been the driving force in the short term, the healthcare sector still has plenty of longer term catalysts in the wings. From our aging population to rising middle class wealth in the emerging world, the prognosis for the healthcare sector is quite rosy. For investors, betting on the industry still makes plenty of portfolio sense.
A Mired Of Positive Factors
Despite its recent gains, investors may not want to give up on the healthcare sector just yet. That's because things could just really getting cooking for the industry.
First, the 800lb gorilla in the room is the ACA. According to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office, the law will greatly reduce the number of uninsured Americans significantly. By 2018, the ACA will add another 32 million Americans to insurance rolls. That includes expanded enrollments in Medicaid programs as Obamacare requires states to expand programs for the poor to everyone. While the bill may see revisions, it stands to reason that more people having access to healthcare solutions is a net-positive for stocks within the sector.
Then there is our quickly aging population to deal with. According to the US Census Bureau, roughly 14% of Americans are currently 65 years or older. However, that percentage expected to rise to 25% in about 10 years. Expanded further, t! hat equates to roughly 10,000 baby boomers a day turning 65 years-old, every day for the next 20 years. Similar demographic trends are underway in both developed Europe and Asia. Japan's 65 and older population now sits at more than a quarter of its population. As our population ages, more and better healthcare solutions will be required and demanded from that older populace.
In the emerging world, the opposite is true. Faster-growing and younger populations in places like Indonesia and China will require more healthcare solutions to prevent widespread epidemics. At the same time, rising incomes and middle class populations will help drive new drug and therapy demand as more people can now actually afford to visit a doctor.
All in all, these factors point to a rosy demand picture for the healthcare industry over the longer term.
Writing A Rx For Your Portfolio.
Given the long-term demographic shift as well as the floor created by Obamacare, investors may want to overweight healthcare stocks. While several have surged- such as Biogen's (Nasdaq:BIBB) 300% gain- many are still trading for peanuts given their long term potential.
A prime pick could be the Vanguard Health Care ETF (NYSE:VHT) remains one of the cheapest options for broad exposure. The fund tracks 291 different firms including heavyweights Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and device maker Medtronic, (NYSE:MDT). Year to date, the VHT is up nearly 30%. Overall, the fund is a great broad and cheap way to add the healthcare sector to a portfolio. Expenses for the ETF are just 0.14% Likewise, the iShares US Healthcare ETF (NYSE:IYH) is a good- albeit not as broad in terms of holdings- choice as well.
However, given the overall rise in healthcare stocks, investors may want to be more selective in their choices.
Some of the best plays lie within the wide moated pharmaceutical and biotech firms. After years of struggling many drug makers have vastly improved their development pipelines with higher-tech drugs. Last year, the 21 largest drug makers had 429 biotech products in development. Leading the way are major pharmas Roche (OTCBB:RHHBY) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK). Biotechs have allowed Glaxo to jump-over its "patent cliff" issues and finally realize increasing revenues and earnings per share are rising again. On the pure-biotech side, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) has been cited by analysts for its strong pipeline coming to market in the next few years. However, all of these firm's current share prices still don't into account for their newfound pipeline potential.
The Bottom Line
Despite the healthcare sectors recent torrid run, there's still plenty to like about stocks in the industry. Aside from tailwi! nds created by the Affordable Care Act, demographics is playing a huge future role in healthcare stock gains. For investors, adding a dose of the industry still seems prudent. The previous picks make ideal selections to the play the growth in healthcare.
Disclosure - At the time of writing, the author did not own shares of any company mentioned in this article.
“Women are not a niche.”
More and more industry insiders are repeating that simple, yet critical, phrase. Pershing Advisor Solutions president (and ThinkAdvisor contributor) Mark Tibergien wrote a white paper and accompanying column in Investment Advisor on the subject last year. Sallie Krawcheck made it the subject of her presentation at the Envestnet conference in May. Despite the high-profile pleas, too many advisors still treat women as just another target market, akin to physicians or airline pilots.
Yet how can a demographic that accounts for more than 50% of the planet’s population be a niche?
“You would never think of marketing to men as a niche,” Jane Newton says. The JPMorgan alum, currently a partner and wealth advisor at RegentAtlantic Capital, doesn’t claim to be an expert on women, “but I am an expert with the issues of women on Wall Street,” and she’s knocking down some of the more common, and obtuse, stereotypes that advisors hold when looking to attract more female clients.
“I cannot find consensus that all women want female advisors,” she begins. “It instead comes down to trust. If you’re asking someone to bare their soul, you have to make it comfortable for them. You can’t have it like a doctor’s office where they get into the white gown and wait in a cold and sterile environment.”
Some women, she adds, specifically request to not work with female advisors, “so in order to instill that sense of trust, comfort and credibility in clients you should have a mix of male and female advisors on staff.”
Conversely, she finds that some men want to work with female advisors; others don’t. They might not want to work with a female advisor on their own situation, but they might have an elderly mother that’s recently widowed, or a daughter that is an executive and needs financial advice.
“You can’t lump together a woman who works on Wall Street with a woman who is recently widowed or divorced. The latter might be totally disengaged from their finances. My niche is high-level women on Wall Street, and even then they can’t be lumped together. Some are financially savvy and some are not. Some may be in human resources, for instance, or might be mortgage specialists; others may be in the capital markets.”
A niche is about setting a course of action for clients that betters their lives, she argues, so her male and female Wall Street clients actually have more in common with one another than many female clients have with other women. “For instance, their whole well-being is dependent on the well-being of Wall Street. They live primarily in the tri-state area and real estate rises and falls with the market. It’s perfectly correlated; when it’s good it’s good, but when it’s bad, it’s really bad.”
From a business standpoint, Wall Street women still struggle “to get a seat at the table” and raise their visibility among their male colleagues, she adds. They might know how to negotiate with their employees and negotiate with their children, but are really uncomfortable negotiating for themselves.
“For this reason, I put together the Wall Street Women Forum, which is now in its fifth year,” Newton says. “It’s an invitation only event for 125 women, and happens each spring. We talk about these issues. A woman might be considering a new job and wants to know if the numbers work. The headhunter can’t tell her that, but we can sit down and go through it with her.”
As to the issue of attracting more women to the RIA industry, one that is still overwhelmingly “male, pale and stale,” she doesn’t claim to have the answers, but she isn’t discouraged.
“I think the wealth management field is terrific for women, and I struggle with the reason why we don’t attract more,” Newton concludes. “Part of the problem is that a young woman might approach their college professor about a job in financial services. Typically, the professor has contacts in the capital markets and investment banking sectors, so that’s where the student will be steered. Whatever the reason, we need to do a better job of raising awareness among women about the RIA space, and I want to be a part of it!”
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Check out these related stories on ThinkAdvisor:
No House Speaker wants a government shutdown or U.S. default on his watch. That's why some believe John Boehner's gambit to satisfy rebels in his caucus who insist on defunding Obamacare could hurt his legacy.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) The uncertainty created by the budget standoff on Capitol Hill is turning everyone into an oddsmaker.
Will the government shut down? Will the Treasury Department be forced to default on some of the government's legal obligations?
CNN: House votes to defund Obamacare
CNNMoney compiled the most recent odds given by four seasoned political observers.
As a group they agree a shutdown is more likely than a default, but they are by no means unified as to the chances for either.
Greg Valliere, chief political strategist, Potomac Research Group
Chance of a shutdown: Less than 50% but rising
Chance of a default: 10%, up from 5% a few days ago.
House Republican leaders have "capitulated to their rebellious troops, moving closer to a government shutdown and a debt crisis that even Karl Rove argues could do great damage to the Republican Party," Valliere wrote in a research note.
Sean West, U.S. policy director, Eurasia Group
Chance of a shutdown: 20%
Chance of a default: "Infinitesimal"
If a shutdown happens, West said, "it would be an accident because nobody in power actually wants it. ... The biggest risk is of a miscalculation: That risk has gone up as both sides play hardball, with no responsible adult herding the key stakeholders together."
As for defaulting, "It's impossible to believe Congress would let it happen." The "fail safe," he said, is House Speak! er John Boehner, who won't want a default on his watch.
Stan Collender, budget expert and former Democratic Hill staffer
Chance of a shutdown: 70%
Chance of a default: 10% to 20%
Collender cites a long list of reasons for his high shutdown odds in his blog Capital Gains and Games. Among them, there's no charismatic leader who can overcome the partisan warfare. President Obama and Boehner have too little sway with their own parties. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has served as a deal closer in prior budget standoffs, is now weakened by the fact that he's facing a primary challenge by a Tea Party candidate.
Plus, for many House Republicans, the "negative political impact" of the shutdowns in the mid-1990s is "a distant (or nonexistent) memory."
But the biggest complication is that this year's fight isn't really about the budget -- it's about Obamacare. And that makes it harder to strike a budget deal that can avert a shutdown or default, he argues.
Jim Kessler, senior vice president for policy at Third Way, a Democratic-leaning centrist think tank; and former Democratic Hill staffer
Chance of a shutdown: 75%
Chance of a default: 50%
"As bad as a shutdown is, it's not as devastating as a default and I think Republicans are willing to go there. It would be bad, but the sun will still rise in the morning," Kessler said.
What happens in a government shutdown
As for raising the country's borrowing limit, Kessler also finds it hard to be sanguine.
During the 2011 debt ceiling fight, he could see a way out. This time he sees more chance for "chaos than resolution."
"I think there's a very real possibility that we default on some obligations, experienc! e very ba! d market turmoil, and then quickly pass a debt deal that could possibly cost Boehner his speakership." 
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Adobe Systems (ADBE) was the biggest gaining stock in the S&P 500 Wednesday as the company demonstrated that its strategy of shifting to the cloud with a subscription pricing model is working better than planned.
Shares were surging more than 6% to $51.22 after the company reported a sequential increase of 331,000 in paid Creative Cloud subscriptions to more than 1 million during its fiscal third-quarter, boosting subscription revenue by 73% to $299.4 million from a year ago.
CEO Shantanu Narayen said that the company's transition to the Creative Cloud subscription model from the traditional perpetual licensing business model was happening faster than expected. "Our customers are overwhelmingly choosing subscriptions," he said in a statement. The company expects Creative Cloud subscriptions to hit 4 million by the end of 2015. The Creative Cloud was launched in May 2012.
The new cloud-based subscription model has been luring in a flood of price-sensitive customers who might have otherwise opted for cheaper or free alternatives to Adobe's software. The maker of creative-suite products such as Photoshop and InDesign is now offering a monthly pricing model that allows new users to access the Creative Cloud for as low as $50 a month compared with the previous, more prohibitive four-digit pricing for a perpetual license. The fee is even lower for existing users and students.
Norman Young, a technology analyst at Morningstar, said that while some customers might balk at paying monthly fees for software they'd originally purchased years ago, Adobe's subscription pricing model will improve its competitive position.
"The model offers Adobe a more predictable recurring revenue stream, an increase in the addressable market, increased customer stickiness, and more manageable upgrade cycles," Young said in a report.
Investors were shrugging off the company's lower-than-expected fiscal-third quarter earnings per share and total revenue figures.
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-- Written by Andrea Tse in New York
>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Andrea Tse.>
An employee stock option plan can be a lucrative investment instrument if properly managed. For this reason, these plans have long served as a successful tool to attract top executives, and in recent years become a popular means to lure non-executive employees. Unfortunately, some still fail to take full advantage of the money generated by their employee stock. Understanding the nature of stock options, taxation and the impact on personal income is key to maximizing such a potentially lucrative perk.
What's an Employee Stock Option?
An employee stock option is a contract issued by an employer to an employee to purchase a set amount of shares of company stock at a fixed price for a limited period of time. There are two broad classifications of stock options issued: non-qualified stock options (NSO) and incentive stock options (ISO).
Non-qualified stock options differ from incentive stock options in two ways. First, NSOs are offered to non-executive employees and outside directors or consultants. By contrast, ISOs are strictly reserved for employees (more specifically, executives) of the company. Secondly, nonqualified options do not receive special federal tax treatment, while incentive stock options are given favorable tax treatment because they meet specific statutory rules described by the Internal Revenue Code (more on this favorable tax treatment is provided below).
NSO and ISO plans share a common trait: they can feel complex! Transactions within these plans must follow specific terms set forth by the employer agreement and the Internal Revenue Code.
Grant Date, Expiration, Vesting and Exercise
To begin, employees are typically not granted full ownership of the options on the initiation date of the contract (also know as the grant date). They must comply with a specific schedule known as the vesting schedule when exercising their options. The vesting schedule begins on the day the options are granted and lists the dates that an employee is able to exercise a spec! ific number of shares. For example, an employer may grant 1,000 shares on the grant date, but a year from that date, 200 shares will vest (the employee is given the right to exercise 200 of the 1,000 shares initially granted). The year after, another 200 shares are vested, and so on. The vesting schedule is followed by an expiration date. On this date, the employer no longer reserves the right for its employee to purchase company stock under the terms of the agreement.
An employee stock option is granted at a specific price, known as the exercise price. It is the price per share that an employee must pay to exercise his or her options. The exercise price is important because it is used to determine the gain (called the bargain element) and the tax payable on the contract. The bargain element is calculated by subtracting the exercise price from the market price of the company stock on the date the option is exercised.
Taxing Employee Stock Options
The Internal Revenue Code also has a set of rules that an owner must obey to avoid paying hefty taxes on his or her contracts. The taxation of stock option contracts depends on the type of option owned.
For non-qualified stock options (NSO):
The grant is not a taxable event.
Taxation begins at the time of exercise. The bargain element of a non-qualified stock option is considered "compensation" and is taxed at ordinary income tax rates. For example, if an employee is granted 100 shares of Stock A at an exercise price of $25, the market value of the stock at the time of exercise is $50. The bargain element on the contract is ($50 - $25) x 100=$2,500. Note that we are assuming that these shares are 100% vested.
The sale of the security triggers another taxable event: If the employee decides to sell the shares immediately (or less than a year from exercise), the transaction will be reported as a short-term capital gain (or loss) and will be subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates. If the employee decides to sell the shares a year after the exercise, the sale will be reported as a long-term capital gain (or loss) and the tax will be reduced.
Incentive stock options (ISO) receive special tax treatment:
The grant is not a taxable transaction.
No taxable events are reported at exercise; however, the bargain element of an incentive stock option may trigger alternative minimum tax (AMT).
The first taxable event occurs at the sale. If the shares are sold immediately after they are exercised, the bargain element is treated as ordinary income.
The gain on the contract will be treated as a long-term capital gain if the following rule is honored: the stocks have to be held for 12 months after exercise and should not be sold until two years after the grant date. For example, suppose that Stock A is granted on January 1, 2007 (100% vested). The executive exercises the options on June 1, 2008. Should he or she wish to report the gain on the contract as a long-term capital gain, the stock cannot be sold before June 1, 2009.
Other Considerations
Although the timing of a stock option strategy is important, there are other considerations to be made. Another key aspect of stock option planning is the effect that these instruments will have on overall asset allocation. For any investment plan to be successful, the assets have to be properly diversified. An employee should be wary of concentrated positions on any company's stock. Most financial advisors suggest that company stock should represent 20% (at most) of the overall investment plan. While you may feel comfortable investing a larger percentage of your portfolio in your own company, it's simply safer to diversify. Consult a financial and/or tax specialist to determine the best execution plan for your portfolio.
Bottom Line
Conceptually, options are an attractive payment method. What better way to encourage employees to participate in the growth of a company than by offering them a piece of the pie? In practice, however, redemption and taxation of these instruments can be quite complicated. Most employees do not understand the tax effects of owning and exercising their options. As a result, they can be heavily penalized by Uncle Sam and often miss out on some of the money generated by these contracts. Remember that selling your employee stock immediately after exercise will induce the higher short-term capital gains tax. Waiting until the sale qualifies for the lesser long-term capital gains tax can save you hundreds, or even thousands.
Although the stock market has been more volatile, the sell-off is also creating interesting new buying opportunities.
And I see one in a stock we��e traded profitably before: PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (PMT), a specialty finance company organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT).
As a REIT, PennyMac avoids the corporate income tax and must pay out at least 90% of its net cash flow to shareholders. In this case, the yield is a whopping 10.5%.
PennyMac�� mission is to keep borrowers in their homes and provide investors with attractive returns. The firm has an experienced team that brings a high level of analytic discipline to the process of investing in home loans.
Hot Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now: RAIT Financial Trust(RAS)
RAIT Financial Trust operates as a self-managed and self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT). The company, through its subsidiaries, invests in, manages, and services real estate-related assets with a focus on commercial real estate. It also offers a set of debt financing options to the commercial real estate industry along with fixed income trading and advisory services. In addition, RAIT Financial Trust owns and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate properties, and manages real estate-related assets for third parties. The company qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. RAIT Investment Trust was founded in 1997 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Eric Volkman]
RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE: RAS ) investors will be getting slightly more than they did last quarter, as a reward for putting their faith in the company (NYSE: RAS ) . The real estate investment trust has declared a common stock dividend of $0.13 per share, to be handed out on July 31 to shareholders of record as of July 12.�That amount is $0.01, or 8%, higher than RAIT's previous distribution of $0.12, which was paid in April. Prior to that, the firm dispensed $0.10 per share.
- [By Thomas Sobon]
Instead of expressing my thoughts in vague generalities, let me be specific and tell you what I am actually doing on a real time basis to cope with the market dynamics occurring right now: I have a core position in one stock, which is the RAIT Financial Trust (RAS). Its size is about 60% of what I would consider to be a "full" position. I also have a lot of cash that I intend to use for trading purposes. Last Friday I sold shares of RAS at $7.55 which I bought on Monday with a low-ball bid of $7.11, so my gain on the trade was 6.2%. In early trading yesterday (Monday July 1) RAS is priced at $7.67, up from where I sold on Friday. That's great news because I accomplished what I wanted to do with the trade and now paper profit on the core shares in my portfolio is increasing.
Hot Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ENSCO plc(ESV)
Ensco plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore contract drilling services to the oil and gas industry. The company engages in the drilling of offshore oil and natural gas wells by providing its drilling rigs and crews under contracts with international, government-owned, and independent oil and gas companies. As of February 15, 2010, it owned and operated 42 jackup rigs, 4 ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rigs, and 1 barge rig. The company also has 4 ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rigs under construction. It operates in Asia, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, and North and South America. The company was formerly known as Ensco International plc and changed its name to Ensco plc in March 2010. Ensco plc was founded in 1975 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By David Smith]
Or there's Ensco (NYSE: ESV ) , owner of the world's second-largest drilling fleet, which earlier this week reported a surprisingly high 20% year-over-year growth in earnings. That's what happens when dayrates climb by 15%. Despite that, the company's forward P/E sits near a paltry 7.4 times. That, despite a forward indicted dividend yield of 3.60%.
- [By John Buckingham, Chief Investment Officer, Al Frank Asset Management, Inc. (AFAM)]
Ensco PLC (ESV) is the world's second largest offshore driller. The firm operates across six continents with one of the newest jackup and deepwater fleets in the contract drilling industry.
- [By Marc Bastow]
Off-shore contact drilling service provider Ensco (ESV) raised its quarterly dividend 50% to 75 cents per share, payable on Dec. 20 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 9.
ESV Dividend Yield: 4.90%
- [By Travis Hoium]
Noble isn't the only company betting big on new ultra-deepwater rigs for growth. Transocean (NYSE: RIG ) has seven rigs under construction, Ensco (NYSE: ESV ) has four, and SeaDrill (NYSE: SDRL ) has a whopping nine new ultra-deepwater rigs being built. If dayrates of $600,000 per day can be maintained despite the increased supply, these companies could see $219 million in additional revenue for each new rig.�
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. operates as a franchiser, confectionery manufacturer, and retail operator. It offers a range of chocolate candies and confectionery products. The company?s products include clusters, caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. As of March 31, 2010 it operated 11 owned, 29 franchised/licensed owned, and 305 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores in 36 states in the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Durango, Colorado.
Hot Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now: The Hackett Group Inc.(HCKT)
The Hackett Group, Inc. operates as a strategic advisory and technology consulting firm primarily in the United States and western Europe. The company offers executive advisory programs, benchmarking, business transformation, and technology consulting services, as well as shared services, offshoring, and outsourcing advice. Its executive advisory programs consists of advisor inquiry, an inquiry service used by clients for access to fact-based advice on proven approaches and methods to increase the effectiveness of selling, general, and administrative processes (SG&A); best practice research, a research that provides insights into the proven approaches in use at organizations; peer interaction program comprising member-led Webcasts, annual Best Practice Conferences, annual Member Forums, membership performance surveys, and client-submitted content; and best practice intelligence center, an online, searchable repository of practices, performance metrics, conference presentat ions, and associated research. The company?s bench marking services conduct studies in the areas of SG&A, finance, human resources, information technology, procurement, enterprise performance management, shared service centers, and working capital management. These services are used by clients to establish priorities, generate organizational consensus, align compensation to establish performance goals, and develop the required business case for business and technology investments. Its business transformation programs help clients to develop coordinated strategy for achieving performance improvements across the enterprise; and Hackett Technology Solutions help clients choose and deploy the software applications that meet their needs and objectives. The company was formerly known as Answerthink, Inc. and changed its name to The Hackett Group, Inc. in January 2008. The Hackett Group, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By ValueArtifex]
One such situation currently in the process of unfolding this month is a Dutch Tender by The Hackett Group (HCKT). I will briefly discuss the underlying business, what exactly a Dutch Auction (or in this case, a Tender) is, what options investors have when approaching this situation and how it could play out.
Hot Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now: MCG Capital Corporation(MCGC)
MCG Capital Corporation is a private equity firm specializing in investments in middle market companies. The firm does not prefer investments in highly cyclical and volatile industry sectors and businesses with significant volatility exposure. It seeks to invest in small to mid sized companies. The firm prefers to invest in acquisitions, growth financings, organic growth, recapitalization, and leveraged buyouts. It invests in companies based in the United States. The firm seeks to invest upto $75 million in debt and equity in companies having revenues between $20 million and $200 million and EBITDA between $3 million and $25 million. It seeks to invest in the form of senior debt, including amortizing, bullet maturity, term loans, and revolving credit facilities; institutional sub debt, including junior capital; second lien debt, that includes term loans on sole source and participant basis; secured and unsecured subordinate loans structured as current interest, deferred in terest, and equity linked components; mezzanine debt and equity that includes minority equity investments. The firm may invest in minority or control equity positions. It was formerly known as MCG Credit Corporation. MCG Capital Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Arlington, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Equities Lab]
The stocks that currently pass the stock screen in order of market cap are Frontier Communications Corp , Crown Media Holdings (CRWN), Vonage Holding (VG), MCG Capital Corp (MCGC), 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (FLWS), MTR Gaming Corporation (MNTG), Alaska Communications (ALSK), and Enzon Pharmaceuticals (ENZN).
Hot Penny Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ZST Digital Networks Inc.(ZSTN)
ZST Digital Networks, Inc. engages in supplying digital and optical network equipment and providing installation services to cable system operators in China, as well as in providing GPS location and tracking services to local logistics and transportation companies in China. It offers a line of IPTV devices that are used to provide bundled cable television, Internet, and telephone services to residential and commercial customers. The company has assisted in the installation and construction of approximately 400 local cable networks in approximately 90 municipal districts, counties, townships, and enterprises. ZST Digital Networks has also launched a commercial line of vehicle tracking devices utilizing its GPS tracking technologies and support services for transport-related enterprises to track, monitor, and optimize their businesses. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Zhengzhou City, the People?s Republic of China.
Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of 8x8, (NASDAQ: EGHT ) finished down 7% today after the voice over Internet Protocol specialist announced a secondary stock offering to fund its acquisition of Voicenet Solutions for $18.4 million.
So what: Voicenet Solutions is one of the leading providers of VoIP communications in the U.K., but the additional stock offering will raise about $125 million for the tech company, far more than the $18.4 million needed to buy Voicenet, so there seem to be other cash needs aside from the acquisition. In its press release announcing the stock sale, 8x8 made no reference to its intentions for the additional funds, but the sale will dilute current shareholders by about 15% so today's significant drop in share price seems understandable.
Now what: Seeing as shares had gained 75% since March before today's fall, the timing of the secondary offering seems understandable. Shares have jumped nearly 2,000% since the recession, but they've crashed before. 8x8's balance is strong, and profits are growing. I'd expect more potential acquisitions with the upcoming cash infusion. This could be a good opportunity to buy on the dip.
When it comes to the highly charged biodiesel industry, one company stands above the rest. Way above. Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ: REGI ) is not only the leader in terms of pure production capacity, but it also displays plenty of desirables that should be on every investor's radar. What makes the company so great? It is no secret. In particular, REG has focused on three areas to become the top biodiesel stock.
1. Focus on infrastructure
A lot of investors get giddy with excitement when talking about the distribution and logistics network of Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE ) . It may produce compressed natural gas for commercial truck fleets, but it has a lot in common with REG. Don't believe me? Take a look at Clean Energy Fuel's distribution network:
Source: Clean Energy Fuels. �
And see how it compares with that of REG:
Source: Renewable Energy Group.
Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Maxwell Technologies Inc.(MXWL)
Maxwell Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets energy storage and power delivery products, and microelectronic products worldwide. The company offers Ultracapacitors that are energy storage devices to provide energy storage and power delivery solutions for applications in transportation, automotive, information technology, renewable energy, and industrial electronics industries; and CONDIS high-voltage capacitors comprising grading and coupling capacitors, and capacitive voltage dividers used to ensure the safety and reliability of electric utility infrastructure and other applications involving transport, distribution, and measurement of high-voltage electrical energy. It also provides radiation-hardened microelectronic products, including single board computers and components, such as high-density memory and power modules for satellites and spacecraft applications. The company markets and sells its products through direct and indirect sales for integration by original equipment manufacturers into a range of end products. The company was formerly known as Maxwell Laboratories, Inc. and changed its name to Maxwell Technologies, Inc. in 1996. Maxwell Technologies was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Monica Gerson]
Maxwell Technologies (NASDAQ: MXWL) surged 9.20% to $10.21. The volume of Maxwell Technologies shares traded was 325% higher than normal. Maxwell's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $190.57 million.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
Maxwell Technologies (MXWL) develops, manufactures and markets energy storage and power delivery products for transportation, industrial telecommunications and other applications and microelectronic products for space and satellite applications. This stock closed up 3.7% to $9.50 in Tuesday's trading session.
Tuesday's Range: $9.07-$9.54
52-Week Range: $4.90-$11.08
Tuesday's Volume: 369,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 360,477
From a technical perspective, MXWL spiked notably higher here right above some near-term support at $9 with above-average volume. This stock has been consolidating and trending sideways for the last two months, with shares moving between $8.61 on the downside and $10.39 on the upside. Shares of MXWL are now quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern. That trade will hit if MXWL manages to take out Tuesday' high of $9.54 and then once it clears more near-term overhead resistance at $10.39 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in MXWL as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $8.81 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 360,477 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then MXWL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $11.08. Any high-volume move above that level will then give MXWL a chance to tag $12.
Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Astaldi Spa(AST.MI)
Astaldi S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, construction, and management of public infrastructure and civil engineering works in Italy and internationally. It offers transport infrastructure services, including roads, motorways, railways, undergrounds, ports, and airports; and water and renewable energy works, such as dams, hydroelectric plants, waterworks, oil pipelines, gas pipelines, and treatment plants. The company is also involved in the civil and industrial construction projects, such as hospitals, car parks, and transport infrastructure. Astaldi S.p.A. is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
Orrstown Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Orrstown Bank that provides various commercial banking and trust services in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The company offers various deposit products, including demand, time, savings, checking, and money market deposits. It also provides various loan products comprising commercial loans, such as commercial real estate, equipment, working capital, and other commercial purpose loans; consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, and other consumer loans; construction, land development, and mortgage loans; and financial and agricultural loans. In addition, the company renders services as trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, managing agent, custodian, and investment advisor, as well as provides other fiduciary and retail brokerage services. Further, it offers a line of financial services, including brokerage, mutual funds, estate planning, investments, and life insura nce products. As of June 23, 2011, the company operated 21 banking offices and 2 remote service facilities located in Cumberland, Franklin, and Perry Counties, Pennsylvania; and Washington County, Maryland. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Southern Cross Electrical Engineering Ltd(SXE.AX)
Southern Cross Electrical Engineering Limited engages in the provision of large scale specialized electrical, control, and instrumentation installation and testing services for various construction projects in Australia and internationally. The company offers various services, including electrical installation; instrumentation calibration and installation; operations support; constructability reviews; installation pre-commissioning and commissioning; and design and construct services. It serves minerals and processing, oil and gas, infrastructure, operational support and maintenance, and heavy industrial sectors. Southern Cross Electrical Engineering Limited was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Perth, Australia.
Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Tranzyme Inc.(TZYM)
Tranzyme, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of acute and chronic gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders in the United States and internationally. The company?s clinical product candidates include ulimorelin, an intraveneous ghrelin agonist, which is in the Phase III clinical development stage for the treatment of acute upper GI motility disorders; and TZP-102, an orally-administered ghrelin agonist that has commenced Phase IIb clinical development stage for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis. Its preclinical product candidates comprise TZP-201, a motilin antagonist for the treatment of various forms of moderate-to-severe diarrhea; and TZP-301, an oral ghrelin antagonist for the treatment of metabolic diseases. The company has strategic collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company to discover, develop, and commercialize additional novel co mpounds; and a license agreement with Norgine B.V to develop and commercialize ulimorelin in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and north and South Africa. Tranzyme, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By CRWE]
Tranzyme Pharma (Nasdaq:TZYM) reported that it has closed the previously announced underwritten registered direct offering of approximately 3.0 million shares of its common stock at a price of $3.85 per share for gross proceeds, including the over-allotment option, of approximately $11.5 million.
Every quarter, many money managers have to disclose what they've bought and sold, via "13F" filings. Their latest moves can shine a bright light on smart stock picks.
Today let's look at Lone Pine Capital, founded by Steve Mandel in 1997. Before that, Mandel was a managing director at Tiger Management. Lone Pine is one of the biggest hedge fund companies, and has reportedly outperformed the S&P 500 handily since inception. Like many value investors, Mandel is known to dig deep into companies, aiming to buy undervalued ones.
The company's reportable stock portfolio totaled $19.3 billion �in value as of March 31.
Interesting developments
So what does Lone Pine Capital's latest quarterly 13F filing tell us? Here are a few interesting details.
The biggest new holdings are Valeant Pharmaceuticals International�and Virgin Media. Other new holdings of interest include Yandex (NASDAQ: YNDX ) , the Russian search-engine company that has seen its stock spike more than 40% over the past year. The stock surged on a strong first-quarter earnings report that featured revenue up 36% and earnings up 79%. Despite many bullish signs, there has been significant insider selling, and management is planning to buy back many shares. With Internet usage growing briskly in Russia, some see the stock as a good buy.
Best Undervalued Stocks To Own Right Now: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)
Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion: Best Undervalued Stocks To Own Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)
Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Jacob Roche]
With the economy starting to improve, you might think Dollar Tree's (NASDAQ: DLTR ) fortunes will reverse. The deep discounter provided unemployed and lower-income consumers a safe place in the storm, but with the economic weather clearing up, it would be reasonable to expect consumers to venture out again to higher-end retailers. However, that assumption would be wrong.
- [By Paul Ausick]
Dollar General�� share price is up less than 6% in the past 12 months, but since the beginning of the year shares have risen more than 22%. And even then, Dollar General�trails Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) in share price growth since January 1. Dollar Tree stock is up 30%.
- [By John Maxfield]
If you're anything like me, two things went through your head when you saw this. First, you regret that you missed out on the investment opportunity. Since the end of 2009, shares in all three of these companies, led by Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR ) , have simply trounced the broader market. Even the worst performer of the bunch, Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO ) , beat it by nearly a factor of two.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Deep discounter Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR ) announced today that its current chief operating officer, Gary Philbin, will now also carry the title of president, a position previously held by company CEO Bob Sasser.
Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Alamy HOUSTON -- Halliburton says it lost $18 million in the first quarter, pulled down by $637 million in charges related to its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. But it made money if unusual items are excluded, beating Wall Street expectations. The oil services company's loss amounted to 2 cents a share. That compares with net income of $627 million, or 68 cents a share, a year earlier. Halliburton Co. (HAL), which is in talks to settle claims against it related to the oil spill, said that excluding the charges it posted adjusted earnings of 67 cents a share. That beat the 57 cents that analysts expected. The Houston company, which provides a variety of services for the petroleum industry, is benefiting from a boom in U.S. oil production, which is at the highest level in more than two decades. At the same time, Halliburton's natural gas business has slowed as drillers slowed production due to falling prices for the fuel. Revenue rose slightly to $6.97 billion from $6.87 billion. Analysts expected $6.88 billion. Halliburton shares jumped $1.44, or 3.9 percent, to $38.65 in premarket trading an hour before the market opening. Halliburton is the biggest provider of oil field services in North America, including hydraulic fracturing, a technology that has helped unlock large supplies of oil and natural gas from shale rock formations in the U.S. North American revenue fell 11 percent to $3.71 billion, while operating income tumbled 43 percent to $605 million. Dave Lesar, the company's chairman, president and CEO, said a drop in Halliburton's rig count and pricing pressures in North America were more than offset by the company's growing international business. International revenue increased 21 percent from a year ago. For the full year, Halliburton still expects total international revenue growth in the "low teens," he said. Rival Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB), which has a larger international business, said Friday that its revenue climbed in region
- [By Isac Simon]
Is the stock looking cheap?
To me, Halliburton currently looks cheaper that its bigger cousin Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB ) . While Halliburton is trading at 21 times its earnings, and Schlumberger's trading at only 18 times earnings, the reason I'm not too interested in the P/E multiple is that Halliburton's bottom line doesn't reveal its actual profits. Since April 2010, the company has been making provisions for its part in the Macondo oil spill disaster. This has distorted Halliburton's actual earnings considerably.
- [By David Smith]
I noted in Part 1 that Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB ) , easily the largest participant in the oilfield services space, is appropriate for subsea investing. The same can be said of seismic. The company's WesternGeco unit leaves its competition in the dust -- or water -- from the perspective of both size and technological sophistication.
- [By Aaron Levitt]
With fracking and advanced drilling techniques becoming the norm — both onshore and off — the firms that do all of that heavy lifting are set to win big over the longer term. And there are none bigger than Halliburton (HAL) and Schlumberger (SLB). Both remain the undisputed kingpins of fracking and oil services.
Best Undervalued Stocks To Own Right Now: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)
Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.
- [By Oliver Pursche]
European large-cap pharmaceuticals like Novartis (NVS) �and Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMY) �count amongst some of our favorite stocks right now, as do U.S. multinationals that are growing revenue and margins in Asia ��Tupperware (TUP) �is a shining example. Stay away from utilities and energy stocks, as they are likely to be the laggards over the next year.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Where growth will come from
One area that Newell Rubbermaid still has to tap fully is emerging markets. The company has done a good job of expanding overseas, with 17% annual growth in Latin America. But with barely a quarter of its sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada, the company has a lot further to go. Storage rival Tupperware (NYSE: TUP ) gets fully 60% of its total revenue from emerging markets, and it too has seen impressive gains in South America as well as the Asia-Pacific region.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.03 per share on revenue of $623.34 million.
Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.12 per share on revenue of $779.02 million.
