In the context of the 2,700-point advance we've seen in the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) since this time last year, this morning's 150-point drop is only a minor pullback. But substantial declines in bond markets around the world point to more than just a one-day event, instead reflecting the increasing concerns about the impact that the inevitable end of the Federal Reserve's quantitative-easing program will have on the financial markets. Given the extent to which the global economy has relied on low interest rates in the U.S. and elsewhere to drive its recovery attempts, the sharp upturn we've seen in bond rates has long-term implications for stocks both in the U.S. and around the world.
A look at the stocks that are leading the Dow lower today reveals the contribution higher interest rates have made to the overall market's declines. Despite strong consumer confidence, you'll find consumer giants McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) , Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) , and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) all among the worst performers in the Dow today, with losses of more than 2%. Ordinarily, you'd expect these defensively oriented stocks to perform well in a downturn, as their businesses enjoy largely stable demand from loyal customers who rely on having those products regardless of economic conditions.
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Buy For 2015: Hastings Entertainment Inc.(HAST)
Hastings Entertainment, Inc. operates as a multimedia entertainment retailer. It operates entertainment superstores that buy, sell, trade, and rent various home entertainment products, including books, music, software, periodicals, movies on DVD and Blu-Ray, video games, video game consoles and consumer electronics. The company?s stores also provide consumables and trends products, such as apparel, t-shirts, action figures, posters, greeting cards, and seasonal merchandise. As of March 31, 2011, it operated 145 superstores in medium-sized markets located in 20 states, primarily in the western and midwestern United States. The company also operates a concept store, Sun Adventure Sports that sells a range of bicycles and related accessories, skateboards, other athletic equipment, apparel, and shoes, as well as offers bicycle repair services and cycling classes. In addition, it operates a multimedia entertainment e-commerce Web site, which offers a range of books, software, video games, movies on DVDs and Blu-Ray, music, trends, and electronics. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Amarillo, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
At first glance it would be easy to assume the recent bullishness from Hastings Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAST) was nothing more than a little volatility, as is common for many small cap stocks. After all, HAST shares have been beaten down pretty well since the middle of last year, and a little bit of "up" relief is likely in the cards. As it turns out, however, the current reversal we're seeing from this stock may be a far bigger - and a far longer lasting - turnaround than traders may realize with just a quick look.
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.(BCRX)
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, designs, optimizes, and develops small-molecule pharmaceuticals that block key enzymes involved in infectious diseases, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. It uses structure-based drug design, which incorporates multiple scientific disciplines, including biology, crystallography, medicinal chemistry, and computer to develop new therapeutic candidates. The company has three novel late-stage compounds in development, which include Peramivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor for the potential treatment of influenza; BCX4208, a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor for gout; and Forodesine, a PNP inhibitor for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Peramivir is being developed under a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Forodesine has been granted orphan drug status by the FDA for thr ee indications, which include T-cell non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma, including CTCL; CLL and related leukemias, including T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, adult T-cell leukemia, and hairy cell leukemia; and for treatment of B-ALL. The FDA has also granted fast track status to the development of forodesine for the treatment of relapsed or refractory T-cell leukemia, and special protocol assessment from the FDA for forodesine to conduct a pivotal clinical trial in CTCL with an oral formulation. The company announced the initiation of a Phase 2b study of BCX4208 as add-on therapy in gout patients who have not responded to allopurinol therapy alone. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals utilizes crystallography and structure-based drug design to discover additional compounds and to progress others through pre-clinical and early development to address the unmet medical needs of patients and physicians. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
While the Twitter IPO has been grabing everyone�� attention, biotech IPOs continue to dominate both biotech and IPO news with Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: KPTI) going public yesterday and�Relypsa (NASDAQ: RLYP), TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TLOG), Vital Therapies (NASDAQ: VTL) and Xencor (NASDAQ: XNCR) filing to go public in the near future�(despite the sector producing some�ugly charts�for the month of October) plus�another small cap called TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) has also been producing a steady flow of news:
Karyopharm Therapeutics Debuts. Yesterday, small cap Karyopharm Therapeutics, which is working on a drug that aids the body�� natural tumor-suppressing proteins,�debuted at the top of�its range to raise $109 million in an upsized�offering of 6.8 million shares at $16 apiece with shares closing at $16.81. It should be noted that Karyopharm Therapeutics��lead drug candidate (Selinexor) is in early-stage clinical trials�and the company lost�lost nearly $12.5 million on revenue of $366,000 during the first six months of this year. Biotech IPOs by Region. On an interesting note, Luke Timmerman, the National Biotech Editor of Xconomy, has written a�good�article tracking biotech or life sciences IPOs by region. By his count, Boston is home to eight of the 45 (18%) of the life sciences IPOs this year (its companies have also�raised the most money - about $770 million)�plus�the New York/northern New Jersey region is also home to�eight. San Diego�came in third with six IPOs followed by San Francisco with five while only five of the 45 biotech IPOs�came from outside the�US (Three from Israel and two from Europe). However, the above figures may change as by his account, there are 15 additional biotech companies in line to go public. More Biotechs Set IPO Terms. The small cap biotech space is about to be joined by a few new additions as a couple of biotechs file to go public�over the past�week or so: Relypsa, which is d - [By Roberto Pedone]
Another under-$10 name in the bio therapeutic space that's starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX), which designs, optimizes and develops novel drugs that block key enzymes involved in cancer, viral infections and autoimmune diseases. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up a whopping 380%.
If you take a look at the chart for BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, you'll notice that this stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $6.07 to $6.24 a share. Following that bottom, shares of BCRX are now starting to spike higher right off its 50-day moving average of $6.50 a share. That spike is quickly pushing shares of BCRX within range of triggering a major breakout trade.
Market players should now look for long-biased trades in BCRX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.88 to $6.89 a share, and then once it takes out more resistance at $7.56 to its 52-week high at $7.80 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.51 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BCRX will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory above $7.80, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $10 to $12 a share.
Traders can look to buy BCRX off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below those key near-term support levels at $6.24 to $6.07 a share. One can also buy BCRX off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By Monica Gerson]
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX) shares gained 5.98% to $6.91 in the pre-market session after the company has been awarded contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop BCX4430 for the treatment of Marburg virus disease.
- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: Northern Oil and Gas Inc.(NOG)
Northern Oil and Gas, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, exploitation, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas properties in the Williston Basin Bakken play, the United States. As of June 30, 2011, the company?s principal assets included approximately 158,046 net acres located in the northern region of the United States; and 439 gross wells. Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. is based in Wayzata, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Northern (under)exposure
No one ever said being an oil and gas driller was easy. Costs to build out a company, drill, and hire a workforce are huge, and if spot oil, liquid natural gas, and natural gas prices don't cooperate relatively quickly, then the chances of success can be quite low. However, I think the market isn't giving nearly enough credit to small-time Bakken shale player Northern Oil & Gas (NYSEMKT: NOG ) , which has all the tools essential for long-term profits. - [By Matt DiLallo]
4. Northern Oil & Gas (NYSEMKT: NOG )
Bakken-focused Northern Oil & Gas delivered oil production growth of 93.4% last year. The company spent about $485 million to drill a total of 48.3 net wells, which delivered that production growth. What's unique about Northern is that it typically just takes a small, non-operated stake in each well, as the company actually participated in the drilling of 563 gross wells last year. That spreads its risk, as one dry hole won't have much of an impact on its returns. The company plans to continue to grow its oil production this year, as it's currently working with its partners to drill 152 gross (12.2 net) wells to keep oil production growing. - [By Bret Jensen]
Northern Oil & Gas (NOG) is another slightly bigger (~$1B market capitalization) Bakken player that should benefit from the same well completion techniques that Whiting is currently pioneering. The company is growing revenues in the mid-teens and analysts expect this to continue in FY2014 and beyond.
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: Fidelity National Information Services Inc (FIS)
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), incorporated on March 2, 2001, is a global provider of banking and payments technologies. The Company operates in four segments: Financial Solutions Group (FSG), Payment Solutions Group (PSG), International Solutions Group (ISG) and Corporate and Other Segment. The Company is engaged in payment processing and banking solutions, providing software, services and outsourcing of the technology. The Company offers financial institution core processing, card issuer and transaction processing services, including the NYCE Network, a national electronic funds transfer (EFT) network. FIS serves more than 14,000 institutions in over 100 countries. In February 2011, FIS acquired GIFTS Software, Inc., a provider of integrated funds transfer, Web-based cash management systems and anti-money laundering (AML) solutions. In April 2012, it acquired ICS Risk Advisors and Memento, Inc. In August 2012, the Company completed the sale of its Healthcare Solutions business to an investment fund affiliated with Lightyear Capital LLC. In March 2013, it announced the acquisition of mFoundry.
Financial Solutions Group
FSG is to provide the software and services for the core processing, customer channel, treasury, cash management, wealth management and capital market operations of its financial institution customers in North America. The Company services the core and related ancillary processing needs of North American banks, credit unions, automotive financial companies, commercial lenders, and independent community and savings institutions. FIS offers a selection of in-house and outsourced solutions to banking customers that span the range of asset sizes. Its solutions in this segment include Core Processing and Ancillary Applications, Channel Solutions, Decision and Risk Management Solutions, Syndicated Loan Applications, Global Commercial Services and Strategic Consulting Services.
The Company�� processing software applications are de! signed to run banking processes for its financial institution clients, including deposit and lending systems, customer management, and other central management systems. The Company also offers a number of services that are ancillary to the primary applications listed above, including branch automation, back office support systems and compliance support. In addition, its wealth management services offer a set of Internet-enabled services to financial services providers that address the specific needs of markets, as well as commercial clients. These solutions address asset and liability aggregation, trust and investment account management, client and regulatory reporting, and employee retirement benefit services. The Company also offers an application suite that assists automotive finance institutions in evaluating loan applications and credit risk, and allows automotive finance institutions to manage their loan and lease portfolios.
The Company�� suite of retail delivery applications enables financial institutions to integrate customer-facing operations and back-office processes, thereby improving customer interaction across all channels (branch offices, Internet, automated teller machine (ATM), call centers). Its Consumer Electronic Banking and Business Internet Banking both provide a set of cash management capabilities, enabling customers to manage banking and payments through the Internet, mobile devices, accounting software and telephone. Corporate Electronic Banking solutions provide commercial treasury capabilities, including cash management services and multi-bank collection and disbursement services that address the specialized needs of corporate customers. FIS systems provide accounting and reconciliation for such transactions, serving as the system of record and providing regulatory compliance, risk assessment and fraud management tools.
The Company�� decision solutions offers a spectrum of options that cover the account lifecycle from helping to identify qualified! account ! applicants to managing mature customer accounts and fraud. Its applications include know-your-customer, new account decisioning, new account opening, account and transaction management, fraud management and collections. Its risk management services utilize its risk management models and data sources to assist in detecting fraud and assessing the risk of opening a new account or accepting a check at either the point-of-sale, a physical branch location, or through the Internet. Its systems utilize a combination of advanced authentication procedures, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence modeling and shared databases to assess and detect fraud risk for deposit transactions for financial institutions.
The Company�� syndicated loan applications are designed to support wholesale and commercial banking requirements necessary for all aspects of syndicated commercial loan origination and management. Its global commercial services include solutions, both onshore and offshore, designed to meet the technology challenges facing principally Unites States based clients, large or small. Its technology solutions range in scope from consulting engagements to application development projects and from operations support for a single application to management of information technology infrastructures. The Company also provides outsourcing teams todeliver customer service. With the The Capital Markets Company NV (Capco) acquisition, it provides integrated consulting, technology and transformation services. Capco specializes in banking; capital markets; wealth and investment management; finance, risk and compliance, and technology. Capco's North American operations are included in FSG.
Payment Solutions Group
PSG provides a set of software and services for the EFT, card processing, item processing, bill payment, and government and healthcare payments processing needs of its customers in North America. PSG is focused on servicing the payment and electronic funds transfer needs o! f North A! merican headquartered banks and credit unions, commercial lenders, independent community and savings institutions and healthcare and government institutions. Its solutions in this segment include Electronic Funds Transfer, Item Processing and Output Services, Credit Card Solutions, Government and Healthcare Payments Solutions, ePayment Solutions and Check Authorization.
The Company�� electronic funds transfer and debit card processing businesses offer settlement and card management solutions for financial institution card issuers. It provides traditional ATM- and personal identification number (PIN)-based debit network access and emerging real-time payment alternatives through NYCE. It is also a provider of prepaid card services, which include gift cards and reloadable cards, with end-to-end solutions for development, processing and administration of stored-value programs.
The Company�� item processing services furnish financial institutions with the equipment needed to capture data from checks, transaction tickets and other items; image and sort items; process exceptions through keying, and perform balancing, archiving and the production of statements. Its item processing services are utilized by more than 1,500 financial institutions. Its solutions include distributed ( non-centralized) data capture, check and remittance processing, fraud detection, and document and report management. Its Endpoint Exchange Network enables United States financial institutions to clear their check-based transactions by allowing for the exchange of check images between member institutions. The Company offers a number of output services that are ancillary to the primary solutions it provide, including print and mail capabilities and card personalization fulfillment services. Its CSF Designer document composition software is used by many clients in various industries to furnish printed or electronically produced invoices and statements for customized customer communication. Its print and mail! services! offers computer output solutions for the creation, management and delivery of print and fulfillment needs. The Company provides its card personalization fulfillment services for branded credit cards and branded and non-branded debit and prepaid cards. More than 5,200 financial institutions utilize a combination of its technology and/or services to issue VISA, MasterCard or American Express branded credit and debit cards or other electronic payment cards for use by both consumer and business accounts. Its services range from card production and activation to a range of fraud management services to value-added loyalty programs designed to increase card usage and fee-based revenues.
FIS healthcare payments solutions facilitate the exchange of information and funds among patients, payers, providers and financial institutions. With Web-enabled tools, a Health Savings Account (HSA) platform, multi-purse benefit debit cards that cover multiple spending accounts with a single card and combined eligibility/payment cards, FIS enables consumers and third-party benefits administrators to have integrated benefit account management of HSAs, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Reimbursement Agreements (HRA) and dependent care and transportation accounts. It also provides customized electronic service applications for government agencies, including Internal Revenue Service (IRS) payment services. It also facilitates the collection of state income taxes, real estate taxes, utility bills, vehicle registration fees, driver�� license renewal fees, parking tickets, traffic citations, tuition payments, court fees and fines, hunting and fishing license fees, as well as various business licenses.
The Company provides bill publishing and bill consolidation technology for its customers, generating millions of monthly bills and servicing both billers and financial institution customers. Online bill payment functionality includes credit and debit card-based expedited payments. Its end-to-end prese! ntment an! d payment solution provides an all-in-one solution to meet billers��needs for the distribution and collection of bills and other customer documents. FIS also provides automated clearing house (ACH) processing. Its check authorization business provides check risk management and related services to businesses accepting or cashing checks. Its services assess the likelihood (and often provide a guarantee) that a check will clear.
International Solutions Group
The Company provides core banking applications, channel solutions, card and merchant services, item processing and check risk management solutions to financial institutions, card issuers and retailers. Its international operations leverage existing applications and provide services for the specific business needs of its customers in targeted international markets. Services are delivered from 28 operations centers around the world. Its payment solutions services include outsourced card-issuer services and customer support, payment processing and switching services, prepaid and debit card processing, item processing, software licensing and maintenance, outsourced ATM management and retail point-of-sale check warranty services. Its financial solutions services include fully outsourced core bank processing arrangements, application management, software licensing and maintenance, facilities management and consulting services, including Capco's international operations.
Corporate and Other Segment
The Corporate and Other segment consists of the corporate overhead costs that are not allocated to operating segments. These include costs related to human resources, finance, legal, accounting, domestic sales and marketing, merger and acquisition activity and amortization of acquisition-related intangibles and other costs that are not considered when management evaluates operating segment performance.
The Company competes with Fiserv, Inc., Jack Henry and Associates, Inc., Open Solutions, Inc., In! ternation! al Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Accenture Ltd., Alliance Data Systems Corporation, DST Systems, Harland Financial Solutions, Inc., SEI Investments Company, S1Corporation, SunGard Data Systems, Inc., Alnova Technologies Corporation, Oracle Financial Services Software Limited, Misys plc, Infosys Technologies Limited, Temenos Group AG, MasterCard Incorporated, Visa Inc., First Data Corporation, Total System Services, Inc., HP Enterprise Services, Payment Systems for Credit Unions (PSCU), Heartland Payments Systems, Inc. and Global Payments, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Banking and payments services and support company Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) raised its quarterly dividend 9% to 24 cents per share, payable on Mar. 31 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 17.
FIS Dividend Yield: 1.90%
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: Rudolph Technologies Inc.(RTEC)
Rudolph Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells process control defect inspection, metrology, and process control software systems to microelectronics device manufacturers. The company provides yield management solutions for use in wafer processing and final manufacturing through a range of standalone systems for macro-defect inspection, test systems, and transparent and opaque thin film measurements. It also offers a range of process control software solutions for semiconductor, solar, and LED manufacturing. It provides products for various applications in the areas of macro-defect detection and classification, diffusion, etch, lithography, CVD, PVD, and CMP. The company sells its products and solutions to logic, memory, data storage, and application-specific integrated circuit device manufacturers. It sells its products in the United States, Taiwan, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Europe. The company was founded in 1940 and is based in Fla nders, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Axler]
In the table below, we've listed a sample of small-cap semiconductor capital equipment stocks such as Entegris (ENTG), Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS), ATMI Inc. (ATMI), MKS Instruments (MKSI), Photronics Inc. (PLAB), Rudolph Technologies (RTEC),FormFactor (FORM) and Mattson Technology (MTSN). The peers trade at approximately 1.0x and 15.5x 2014E revenues and EPS, respectively. Furthermore, the average peer trades at 2.1x tangible book value. However, these multiples are based on average 2014E industry revenue and earnings growth of 18% and 119%, respectively. Axcelis is poised to grow at a rate substantially above the industry average.
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: Regal Beloit Corporation(RBC)
Regal Beloit Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells electric motors and controls, electric generators and controls, and mechanical motion control products primarily in the United States and Asia. The company operates in two segments, Electrical and Mechanical. The Electrical segment manufactures and markets AC and DC commercial, industrial, and commercial refrigeration electric motors and blowers, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) electric motors and blowers. It also provides precision servo motors, electric generators, automatic transfer switches and paralleling switchgear, and control electric power generation equipment; AC and DC variable speed drives and controllers, and other accessories for industrial and commercial applications; and capacitors for use in HVAC systems, high intensity lighting, and other applications. The Mechanical segment manufactures and markets a range of mechanical motion control products, i ncluding worm gears, bevel gears, helical gears, and concentric shaft gearboxes; marine transmissions; after-market automotive transmissions, and ring and pinions; custom gearing; gearmotors; electrical connecting devices; and manual valve actuators, which are used in oil and gas, water distribution and treatment, and chemical processing applications. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and end users through its direct sales people and manufacturer?s representative organizations. Regal Beloit Corporation was founded in 1955 and is based in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Regal Beloit (NYSE: RBC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII)
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. designs, builds, overhauls, and repairs ships primarily for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. It offers nuclear-powered ships, such as aircraft carriers and submarines; and non-nuclear ships, including surface combatants, expeditionary warfare/amphibious assault, coastal defense surface ships, and national security cutters, as well as engages in the refueling and overhaul, and inactivation of nuclear-powered ships. The company also operates as a full-service systems provider for the design, engineering, construction, and life cycle support of major programs for surface ships; and a provider of fleet support and maintenance services for the U.S. Navy. In addition, it provides a range of support services, including fabrication, construction, equipment, and technical services, as well as product sales to commercial nuclear power plants, fossil power plants, and other industrial facilities, as well as government customers. The company is based in Newport News, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is engaged in building, overhauling and repairing ships, mainly for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. This stock closed up 1% at $64.11 in Friday's trading session.
Friday's Volume: 297,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 211,441
Volume % Change: 50%From a technical perspective, HII trended modestly higher here right above some near-term support levels at $62.13 to $61.74 with above-average volume. This move also pushed shares of HII into breakout territory, since the stock took out and closed above its previous 52-week high at $63.99.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HII as long as it's trending above some key near-term support at $62.13 or above $61.74 and then once it sustains a move or close above Friday's high of $64.14 with volume that hits near or above 211,441 shares. If we get that move soon, then HII will set up to enter new 52-week -igh territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $70 to $72.
- [By Katie Spence]
Who builds what
Both General Dynamics' (NYSE: GD ) Bath Iron Works shipbuilding company and Huntington Ingalls Industries' (NYSE: HII ) Ingalls Shipbuilding build the DDG 51 Aegis Destroyer, with the Navy typically buying ships from each builder. - [By Rich Smith]
The contracts in question awarded to major martial shipbuilders Huntington Ingalls (NYSE: HII ) and Bath Iron Works (the General Dynamics (NYSE: GD ) subsidiary), respectively, are worth a combined $6.2 billion and commission the two defense contractors to build a total of nine Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyers.
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