Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014

Stocks looked poised for a mostly flat open on Monday, following last week�� pain.

J.C.Penney (JCP) was climbing 5.5% in pre-market trading on the news that Home Depot (HD) executive Marvin Ellison will take over as chief executive next year, succeeding current CEO Myron E. Ullman III. However, it was also downgraded to Sell at UBS today, with a $5 price target.

Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) wants to merge with CSX Corp. (CSX), a combination hat would unite two of North America�� largest railroad operators. Shareholders seem to like the plan too, sending the stocks up 2.4% and 11%, respectively,

General Electric�� (GE) aircraft leasing unit, GE Capital Aviation Services, agreed to buy Dublin-based helicopter lessor Milestone Aviation Group for $1.775 billion.

Targa Resources Partners (NGLS) is buying the oil and gas limited partnerships Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL) and Atlas Energy�(ATLS), sending the shares of both stocks up double digits.

Also, the Nobel Prize in economics was awarded today to Jean Tirole, a French economist whose theories about the behavior of large companies underpin modern antitrust regulation.

Top 10 Penny Companies For 2015: Technip (TEC)

Technip, formerly known as Technip SA, is a France-based company that is engaged in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry, and holds a portfolio of solutions and technologies. The Company operates in three segments: Subsea, Onshore and Offshore. Its main markets include onshore plants, offshore platforms and subsea construction. The Company is present in around 48 countries, and had industrial assets on continents and operates a fleet of vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction. It operates several subsidiaries, such as AETech, EPD, Subocean group and Front End Re, among others. On August 31, 2012, the Company announced the completion of the Stone & Webster process technologies and associated oil and gas engineering capabilities acquisition from The Shaw Group Inc. In March 13, 2013, it acquired Ingenium AS, an offshore engineering and services company. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

    Technip SA (TEC) sank 15 percent, its biggest weekly retreat in more than two years after third-quarter profit missed the average analyst estimate compiled by Bloomberg. The oilfield-services provider also cut full-year forecasts for the operating margin and sales at its subsea unit, meaning total sales will miss an earlier target of as much as 9.5 billion euros.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014: Callon Petroleum Co (CPE)

Callon Petroleum Company (Callon), incorporated on March 29, 1994, is an independent oil and natural gas company. It is focused on growing production and reserves from its oil-weighted multi-play assets in the Permian Basin. In 2013, the Company shifted its operations from the offshore waters in the Gulf of Mexico to the onshore, Permian Basin region in Texas.

The Company operates 100% of its Permian acreage. As of December 31, 2013, the Company�� proved reserves were 14.9 million barrels of oil equivalent (80% oil and 50% proved developed).

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Garrett Cook]

    In trading on Friday, energy shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.40 percent. Top losers in the sector included Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE), down 5 percent, and Tesco (NASDAQ: TESO), off 3.9 percent.

  • [By Garrett Cook]

    In trading on Friday, energy shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.40 percent. Top losers in the sector included Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE), down 5.67 percent, and Tesco (NASDAQ: TESO), off 3.99 percent.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.00 per share on revenue of $26.83 million.

    Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SUPN) is expected to post a Q4 loss at $0.55 per share on revenue of $7.78 million.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014: SVB Financial Group(SIVB)

SVB Financial Group, a diversified financial services company, provides various banking and financial products and services. The company offers deposit products, such as traditional deposit and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and sweep accounts, as well as lockbox and merchant services; and lending products and services, including traditional term loans, equipment loans, asset-based loans, revolving lines of credit, accounts-receivable-based lines of credits, capital call lines of credits, and credit cards. It also provides cash management products and services comprising wire transfer and automated clearing house payment services, collection services, disbursement services, electronic funds transfers, and online banking services. In addition, the company offers foreign exchange services; letters of credit, including export, import, and standby letters of credit; investment services and solutions; brokerage; asset management; investment a dvisory services, such as outsourced treasury services; and non-banking products and services, such as funds management, venture capital/private equity investment, and equity valuation services. Further, it provides private banking services comprising mortgages, home equity lines of credit, restricted stock purchase loans, and other secured and unsecured lending services. As of March 09, 2012, the company operated 26 offices in the United States and 7 offices internationally. It serves customers in the technology, venture capital/private equity, life science, wine, and clean tech industries. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lisa Levin] Related ZU Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers Stocks Hitting 52-Week Lows Zulily Falls 30% on Earnings (Fox Business) Related SIVB SVB Financial Plans New Stock Offering - Analyst Blog Why SVB Financial (SIVB) Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again - Tale of the Tape

    zulily (NASDAQ: ZU) shares moved up 9.65% to $35.10. The volume of zulily shares traded was 1005% higher than normal. Zulily's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $806.58 million.

  • [By John Maxfield]

    Given that you clicked on this article, it seems safe to assume you either own stock in SVB Financial (NASDAQ: SIVB  ) or are considering buying shares in the near future. If so, then you've come to the right place. The table below reveals the nine most critical numbers that investors need to know about SVB Financial stock before deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold it.

  • [By Will Ashworth]

    While airlines have their ups and downs, Copa is about the best I can think of to weather the storm.

    Best Stocks #4 (Midcap): SVB Financial (SIVB)

    I never would have thought one of my picks for the next 20 years would be a bank — let alone one that focuses on entrepreneurs — but here I am.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014: Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc.(SOMX)

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the in-licensing, development, and commercialization of proprietary branded products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment medical conditions in the central nervous system therapeutic area. Its product includes Silenor for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors in the United States. Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, will release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 after the close of the U.S. financial markets.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014: AutoNation Inc (AN)

AutoNation, Inc. (AutoNation), incorporated on May 30, 1991, is an automotive retailer in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had three operating segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. As of December 31, 2011, it owned and operated 258 new vehicle franchises from 215 stores located in the United States, predominantly in metropolitan markets in the Sunbelt region. Its stores sell 32 different brands of new vehicles. The core brands of vehicles that it sells, representing approximately 90% of the new vehicles that it sold during the year ended December 31, 2011, was manufactured by Ford, Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Chrysler. The Company offers a diversified range of automotive products and services, including new vehicles, used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services , and automotive finance and insurance products, which includes the arranging of financing for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources. The Company retailed approximately 400,000 new and used vehicles through its stores in 2011. It acquired one automotive retail franchise and related assets during 2011.

Domestic segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Its Import segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. Its Premium Luxury segment is consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus. The franchises in each segment also sells used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services, and automotive finance and insurance products. For the year ended December 31, 2011, Domestic revenue represented 34% of total revenue, Import revenue represented 37% of total revenue, and Premium Luxury revenue represented 28% of total revenue. Corporate and other is consist of its other businesses, incl! uding collision centers, e-commerce activities, and an auction operation, each of which generates revenues, as well as unallocated corporate overhead expenses and retrospective commissions for certain financing and insurance transactions that it arranges under agreements with third parties.

The Company�� stores acquires vehicles for retail sale either directly from the applicable automotive manufacturer or distributor or through dealer trades with other stores of the same franchise. it acquires used vehicles from customer trade-ins, auctions, lease terminations, and other sources. It recondition used vehicles acquired for retail sale at its stores��service facilities and capitalize costs related thereto as used vehicle inventory. Through its VVOs, which are located on existing store facilities, it sells vehicles that it would have traditionally wholesaled with an average retail price lower than that of used vehicles it typically retail. Used vehicles that the Company do not sell at its stores or VVOs generally are sold at wholesale prices through auctions.

The Company offers a variety of automotive finance and insurance products to its customers. The Company arranges for its customers to finance vehicles through installment loans or leases with third-party lenders, including the vehicle manufacturers��and distributors��captive finance subsidiaries, in exchange for a commission payable to the Company. It also offers its customers various vehicle protection products, including extended service contracts, maintenance programs, guaranteed auto protection (GAP, this protection covers the shortfall between a customer�� loan balance and insurance payoff in the event of a casualty), tire and wheel protection, and theft protection products. The vehicle protection products that its stores offers to customers are underwritten and administered by independent third parties, including the vehicle manufacturers��and distributors��captive finance subsidiaries. The Company sells t! he produc! ts on a straight commission basis; however, it also participate in future underwriting profit for certain products pursuant to retrospective commission arrangements. Commissions that it receives from these third-party providers may be subject to chargeback, in full or in part, if products that it sells, such as extended service contracts, are cancelled. Its stores also provide a range of vehicle maintenance, repair, paint, and collision repair services, including warranty work that can be performed only at franchised dealerships and customer-pay service work. The Company has entered into framework agreements with vehicle manufacturers and distributors. It operates each of its new vehicle stores under a franchise agreement with a vehicle manufacturer or distributor.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    AutoNation (NYSE: AN  )
    Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG  )

    Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

  • [By U.S. News]

    Jin Lee/APAutoNation CEO Mike Jackson If you follow the financial media regularly, you will find daily predictions about the direction of the markets. Breakout, a daily blog on Yahoo Finance's website, is typical of what passes for financial information. On Sept. 6, Breakout's Jeff Macke featured Mike Jackson, the CEO of AutoNation (AN), as his guest. Jackson opined that the economy "has moved into a self-sustaining recovery." He may or may not be correct in that assessment, but relying on his views or the views of others claiming predictive powers is more akin to gambling than investing. Macke's program is no worse than what is dispensed by many of his colleagues in the media. The format is familiar to all of us: Intelligent people in positions of power and influence make rational-sounding statements about the economy, the direction of the market or the merit of a particular stock or fund. What's missing is any data indicating that their views are worthy of consideration, based on a history of accurate past predictions or demonstration of predictive skill (as contrasted with luck). There is ample evidence to the contrary. In a paper published in July 2010, three finance professors from Duke University and Ohio State University published the results of an extensive survey they performed. Each quarter from March 2001 to February 2010, they surveyed "top U.S. financial executives." They asked them to predict one- and 10-year stock market returns and also for their predictions of best- and worst-case outcomes. The data they gathered aggregated 11,600 S&P 500 forecasts. You would think the accumulated expertise of these executives would permit them to make fairly accurate predictions about a commonly used index such as the S&P 500 (^GSPC). The opposite was true. The authors of the study found no correlation between the estimates of these top financial executives and the actual value of the index. In fact, the correlation was negative. When they predic

  • [By David Sterman]

    For example, even as Wall Street analysts focused on the near-term prospects for auto retailer AutoNation (NYSE: AN), Gates saw an epic rebound coming, as I noted in this article.

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    It�� a good day for auto dealer stocks. CarMax (CMX) got engines revving on Wall Street when it posted blowout quarterly results. And Goldman Sachs upgraded AutoNation (AN) from Neutral to Buy and set a six-month price target of $65, citing the company�� growth prospects, margins and balance sheet.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014: Herbalife Ltd (HLF)

Herbalife Ltd., incorporated on April 4, 2002, is a global network marketing company that sells weight management, nutritional supplements, energy, sports and fitness products and personal care products through a network of approximately 2.7 million independent distributors, except in China, where the Company sells its products through retail stores. The Company is a network marketing company that sells a range of weight management products, nutritional supplements and personal care products. As of December 31, 2011, the Company sold products in 79 countries throughout the world. Herbalife�� products are grouped in four principal categories: weight management, targeted nutrition, energy, sports and fitness and Outer Nutrition, along with literature and promotional items. The Company�� generates revenue from its six regions: North America, Mexico, South and Central America; EMEA, which consists of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific (excluding China), and China. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired a manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Company�� products are manufactured by third party providers and by the Company in its Suzhou, China facility and in its manufacturing facility located in Lake Forest, California, and then are sold to independent distributors who sell Herbalife products to retail consumers or other distributors. As of December 31, 2011, Herbalife marketed and sold 138 products encompassing over 4,400 stock keeping units (SKUs) through its distributors.

Weight Management

Weight Management is the Company�� largest product category representing 62.5% of its net sales during the year ended December 31, 2011. Formula 1, its product, is a healthy meal with soy protein, essential vitamins, minerals, herbs and nutrients that is available in seven flavors and can help support weight management. Personalized Protein Powder is a soy and whey protein product designed as a boost to Formula 1 to personalize a pe! rson�� daily protein intake to help achieve their desired weight and shape. Weight-loss enhancers, including Herbal Tea Concentrate, Total Control and Prolessa Duo address specific challenges associated with dieting, such as lack of energy, hunger and food craving, fluid retention, decreased metabolism and digestive challenges, by building energy, boosting metabolism, curbing appetite and helping to promote weight loss. Healthy snacks are formulated to provide between-meal nutrition and appetite satisfaction.

Targeted Nutrition

Herbalife markets numerous dietary and nutritional supplements designed to meet its customers��specific nutritional needs. Each of these supplements contains botanicals, vitamins, minerals and other natural ingredients and focuses on specific life stages of its customers, including women, men, children and those with health concerns, including heart health, healthy aging, digestive health, or immune solutions. Niteworks is a product that supports energy, circulatory and vascular health and enhances blood flow to the heart, brain and other vital organs. Garden 7 is designed to provide the phytonutrient benefits of seven servings of fruits and vegetables and has anti-oxidant and health-boosting properties. Best Defense is an effervescent drink that helps boost immunity. In 2011, the Company expanded distribution of its Active Fiber line by introducing its Apple flavored Active Fiber Complex in the South and Central America region.

Energy, Sports and Fitness

Herbalife entered into the energy drink with the introduction of Liftoff, an energy drink containing a blend of B-vitamins, guarana, ginseng, ginkgo and caffeine to increase energy and improve mental clarity for better performance throughout the day. It launched H3Otm Fitness Drink to provide hydration, sustained muscle energy plus antioxidant protection for people living a healthy, active lifestyle. It also introduced H30 Pro in EMEA to provide an isotonic drink to indivi! duals par! ticipating in high activity sports.

Outer Nutrition

The Company�� Outer Nutrition products complement its weight management and targeted nutrition products and aim to improve the appearance of the body, skin and hair. These products include skin cleansers, toners, moisturizers and facial masks, shampoos and conditioners, body-wash items and a selection of fragrances for men and women. Its Herbal Aloe line is its introductory line providing distributors with cleansers, lotions and soaps that help sooth the skin. NouriFusion Multivitamin skin care products are formulated with antioxidant Vitamins A, C and E. It launched a line of anti-aging products as an extension of its Skin Activator product, an advanced face cream that contains a collagen-building Glucosamine Complex to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also launched a number of regional products including a Soft Green Body Care line in Brazil, the Whitening Serum under the NouriFusion brand in the Asia Pacific region, and the Lively Fragrances perfume line.

Literature, Promotional and Other Products

Herbalife also sells literature and promotional materials, including sales aids, informational audiotapes, videotapes, compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs) designed to support its distributors��marketing efforts, as well as start-up kits called International Business Packs for new distributors. It introduced BizWorks, a customizable retail Website for its distributors to enhance the on-line experience.

The Company competes with NuSkin Enterprises, Nature�� Sunshine, Alticor/Amway, Melaleuca, Avon Products, Oriflame, Tupperware and Mary Kay, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, General Nutrition Centers and Wal-Mart.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Herbalife (NYSE: HLF  ) results for the company's Q1 have been released. For the quarter, net sales came in at $1.1 billion, up 17% from the $964 million in the same period the previous year. Net profit also notched a gain, rising to nearly $119 million ($1.10 per diluted share) from Q1 2012's $108 million ($0.88).

  • [By Will Ashworth]

    I’ve thought long and hard, and the best answer I can come up with is that Bill Stiritz is an exceptional person who holds the bar very high; any company he would be associated with, even just in passing, would also have to be exceptional. So, the fact that Stiritz has personally invested $250 million of his own money in Herbalife (HLF) tells you all you need to know about Bill Ackman.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Watch For 2014: Implant Sciences Corp (IMSC)

Implant Sciences Corporation (Implant Sciences), incorporated in August 31,1984, develops, manufactures and sells sensors and systems for the security, safety and defense (SS&D) industries. Its technologies are used worldwide in security and inspection applications. Implant Sciences has developed technologies used in explosives trace detection (ETD), and and narcotics trace detection (NTD) applications and market and sell handheld ETD and benchtop ETD and NTD systems that use its technologies. The systems are used by private companies and Government agencies to screen baggage, cargo, vehicles, other objects and people for the detection of trace amounts of explosives. Implant Sciences have developed explosives detection systems designed for use in aviation and transportation security, high threat facilities and infrastructure, military installations, customs and border protection, and mail and cargo screening. The systems use the Quantum Sniffer technologies, including photon-based, non-radioactive ion source in combination with ion mobility spectrometry, a detection tool sensitive to the speeds with which ions of various substances move through the air to electronically detect minute quantities of explosives vapor and particles.

Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 Portable Explosives Detector

The Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 Portable Explosives Detector employs a vortex collector for the simultaneous detection of explosives particulates and vapors with or without physical contact and in real-time. The QS-HS150 can detect vapors and nanogram quantities of explosives particulates for explosives substances considered to be threats. The substances include military and commercial explosives, improvised and homemade explosives, and propellants and taggants.

The QS-H150 has automatic and continuous self-calibration. It monitors its environment, senses changes that would affect its accuracy, and re-calibrates accordingly. The system requires no user intervention and no calibration cons! umables. The detection process begins with the collection of a sample with its vortex collector. After collection, the sample is ionized photonically and analyzed using ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) technology. The presence of a threat substance is indicated by a visible and audible alarms. The threat substance is then identified and displayed on the integrated liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. When detecting a threat substance, the QS-H150 rapidly alarms. This real-time detection limits equipment contamination and allows for fast clear-down.

Quantum Sniffer QS-B220 Benchtop Explosives and Narcotics Detector

QS-B220 Benchtop Explosives and Narcotics Detector uses dual IMS with non-radioactive ionization for the detection and identification of a range of military, commercial, and improvised explosives as well as narcotics. The QS-B220 uses a sample trap which is wiped on the surface to be interrogated for explosives or narcotics particles.

The QS-B220 has automatic and continuous self-calibration. It monitors its environment, senses changes that would affect its accuracy, and re-calibrates accordingly.

Quantum Sniffer TM QS-Hx Portable Explosives Detector

The Company is focusing in developing a next-generation handheld detector that will use dual IMS non-radioactive ionization for the detection and identification of a range of military, commercial and improvised explosives, as well as narcotics. The QS-Hx will have automatic and continuous self-calibration, multi-level password-protected data security and will include a data management interface with data export to a network for recordkeeping, providing a link with the central command centers and logistics systems used by carriers.

Miniature Mass Spectrometer

The Company�� acquisition of Ion Metrics enabled it to obtain miniaturized quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) detector technology. The QMS detector is roughly the size of an AA battery and has low manufactur! ing costs! . When used in conjunction with an IMS, the QMS detector senses the molecular weight of the chemical species resulting in an orthogonal detection method in which a more fundamental characteristic of a substance is measured. It is developing interfaces for integrating the QMS detector into its future products.

Hyphenated Detectors

Depending on the application and the number of interfering background chemicals, it may be necessary to incorporate additional orthogonal detection methods. The combination of multiple sensors in series is known as employing hyphenated methods. By measuring different properties of the same species, interferents are separated from target species for a deterministic detection and identification and have minimum rates of false alarms. It is developing hyphenated systems employing conventional ion mobility, differential mobility and quadrupole mass spectrometry. As of June 30, 2012, it has one patent issued in real-time trace detection by IMS and QMS and two hyphenated system patents pending.

The Company competes with Morpho Detection, Inc., NucTech Company Limited and Smiths Detection, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    It's not an uncompetitive market. Names like Implant Sciences Corporation (OTCMKTS:IMSC) and NXT-ID (OTCBB:NXTD) are battling in the security and facility-defense arena as well; IMSC makes explosives-detection and drug-detection hardware, while NXTD designs 3D image-rendering software that caters to the unique needs of prison security personnel, though the same technology has been proven in more traditional functions like building-security systems that keep certain people out rather than in. Neither Implant Sciences nor NXT-ID compete directly head-to-head with View Systems, however ... fortunately for them. See, VSYM is considered by some to be the best in the industry.

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