Last September, the folks who manage the Dow Jones Industrial average decided it was time to add some new blood to the venerable blue-chip index.� So in came Goldman Sachs (GS), Visa (V) and Nike (NKE), and out went Bank of America (BAC),�Alcoa (AA) and Hewlett-Packard�(HPQ).
Bloomberg NewsSince the Dow is a price weighted index, the inclusion of Visa, which trades at more than $200 a share, and Goldman Sachs, which trades near $175, at the expense of Alcoa and Bank of America, which trade under $20, changing the stocks that would have the most influence on the index. Before the changes, the three highest priced stocks were International Business Machines (IBM), Boeing (BA) and 3M (MMM). Now they’re Visa,�International Business Machines and Goldman Sachs.
Think it doesn’t matter? Since the changes were made just over four months ago, there have been 12 days when the Dow and the S&P 500 moved in opposite directions; there had been 19 in the previous 12 months.� The 120-correlation between the two indexes, a measure of their tendency to trade in the same direction, has dropped from 96.3% to� 93.8%, the lowest since 2006.The Dow has gained 8.3% since the changes were made to the S&P 500′s 9.2% rise.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Manhattan Bridge Capital Inc (LOAN)
Manhattan Bridge Capital, Inc. offers short-term, secured, non?banking loans to real estate investors to fund the acquisition and construction of properties located in New York Metropolitan area. Its loans are principally secured by collateral consisting of real estate and accompanied by personal guarantees from the principals of the businesses. The company offers its loan products primarily through the company?s officers and independent loan brokers. Manhattan Bridge Capital, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
The biggest increase among our dividend stocks this week was from short-term secured non-banking real estate lender Manhattan Bridge Capital (LOAN) which raised its quarterly dividend 100% to 2 cents per share, payable on Aug. 20 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 15.
LOAN Dividend Yield: 0.4%
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Western Gas Equity Partners LP (WGP)
Western Gas Equity Partners, LP, incorporated on September 11, 2007, was formed to own three types of partnership interests in Western Gas Partners, LP (WES). WES is a limited partnership formed by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to own, operate, acquire and develop midstream energy assets. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had no independent operations. On January 13, 2012, WES acquired 100% interest of Mountain Gas Resources LLC (MGR). On August 1, 2012, WES acquired 24% interest of Chipeta Processing LLC (Chipeta).
WES is engaged in the business of gathering, processing, compressing, treating and transporting natural gas, condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and crude oil for Anadarko, as well as third-party producers and customers. The assets of WGP, through its partnership interests in WES, include thirteen gathering systems, seven natural gas treating facilities, ten natural gas processing facilities, two NGL pipelines, one interstate gas pipeline, one intrastate gas pipeline, and three separate interests in Fort Union, White Cliffs Pipeline, LLC (White Cliffs) and Rendezvous Gas Services, LLC (Rendezvous). These assets are located in East and West Texas, the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Utah and Wyoming), and the Mid-Continent (Kansas and Oklahoma). WES also has facilities under construction in South Texas and northeast Colorado. During the year ended December 31, 2011, WES completed the construction of a cryogenic processing train at its Chipeta facility , which had a designed capacity of approximately 300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and was placed into service in October 2012.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
The exact same setup is potentially giving traders a reason to jump into shares of $8.5 billion midstream gas company Western Gas Equity Partners (WGP). Just like Flotek, WGP is forming a textbook channel up. And this week, Western Gas is testing trendline support.
It's a little too early to call WGP's trendline buyable here. At some point, all trends eventually fail -- and when this one does, you don't want to be left holding the bag. A bounce this week will be a good indication that WGP can still catch a bid at this price level. When and if that happens, I'd recommend keeping a tight protective stop in place just below WGP's most recent swing low at $38.
While the 50-day moving average has been crossing paths with WGP quite a bit in the last month, I'd recommend ignoring it. The average hasn't acted as a meaningful support or resistance level to date. In the case of this particular name, it's just not technically relevant.
Top 5 Services Stocks To Watch Right Now: Carter's Inc.(CRI)
Carter's, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, and markets branded children?s wear. The company provides products under the Carter?s, Child of Mine, Just One You, Precious Firsts, OshKosh, and related brand names. Its Carter?s brand baby products include bodysuits, pants, undershirts, towels, washcloths, receiving blankets, layette gowns, bibs, caps, and booties; playclothes products consist of knit and woven cotton apparel; sleepwear products comprise pajamas and blanket sleepers; and other products consist of bedding, outerwear, swimwear, shoes, socks, diaper bags, gift sets, toys, and hair accessories. The company also provides playclothes products, including denim apparel products, overalls, woven bottoms, knit tops, and playclothes products for sizes newborn to 12 under the OshKosh brand. In addition, it offers baby, sleepwear, outerwear, shoes, hosiery, and accessories under the OshKosh brand. The company sells its products in department stores, national chains, and specialty retailers, as well as through its Carter?s and OshKosh retail stores; and online at carters.com and oshkoshbgosh.com. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 359 Carter?s and 170 OshKosh outlet and brand retail stores in the United States; and 65 retail stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By AnnaLisa Kraft]
Carter's (NYSE: CRI ) , the branded marketer of baby and children's wear, is facing the headwinds of declining birthrates in the US and Canada. In the US, the crude birth rate (births per 1,000 people) has declined to levels not seen since the Great Depression: down 7% plus since 2007.Worldwide, the crude birth rate is expected to decline from the early 1950's 37.2 births to 13.4.
- [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 Carter's (NYSE: CRI ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Northwest Natural Gas Company(NWN)
Northwest Natural Gas Company stores and distributes natural gas primarily in Oregon, Washington, and California. The company operates in two segments, Local Gas Distribution and Gas Storage. The Local Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas in Oregon and southwest Washington. The Local Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas in Oregon and southwest Washington. This segment engages in building and maintaining pipeline distribution system, purchasing gas from producers and marketers, contracting for the transportation of gas over pipelines from the supply basins to service territory, and reselling the gas to customers. It also transports gas owned by customers from the interstate pipeline connection, or city gate, to the customers? facilities. This segment serves various industries, including pulp, paper, and other forest products; companies manufacturing electronic, electrochemical, and electrometallurgical products; companies engaged in processing of fa rm and food products; metal fabrication and casting companies; organizations that produce various mineral products, machine tools, machinery, and textiles; companies that manufacture asphalt, concrete, and rubber; printing and publishing companies; nurseries; government and educational institutions; and electric generation companies. It has approximately 674,000 utility customers comprising approximately 611,000 residential, 62,000 commercial, and 1,000 industrial customers. The Gas Storage segment offers underground natural gas storage services to interstate and intrastate customers. It holds interests in approximately 9,900 net acres of underground natural gas storage in Oregon and approximately 5,000 net acres of underground natural gas storage in California. This segment serves primarily natural gas distribution, electric generation, and energy marketing companies. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Fredrik Arnold]
The balance of the top ten included one technology firm, AT&T Inc. (T) in fourth place; one consumer goods, Altria Group Inc. (MO), placed fifth; Bowl America Class A (BWL.A) in seventh place was the lone service dog. Two utilities, Northwest Natural Gas (NWN), and Consolidated Edison (ED), in ninth and tenth places completed the representation of market sectors in the champions index.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Agenus Inc.(AGEN)
Agenus Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing technologies to treat cancers and infectious diseases. It offers Oncophage vaccine for the treatment of adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. The company?s products under development include Prophage series of cancer vaccines, which has been tested in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and metastatic melanoma, as well as has been tested in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in various indications; and under Phase II clinical trials in glioma, a type of brain cancer, and adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. The Prophage series of cancer vaccines include R-series candidates in RCC, M-series candidates in melanoma, and G-series candidates in glioma. Its product candidate portfolio includes QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, malaria, and shingles, as well as in for the treatment of va rious infectious diseases and Alzheimer?s disease; and HerpV that completed Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of genital herpes. The company was formerly known as Antigenics Inc. and changed its name Agenus Inc. in January 2011 to reflect its existing product pipeline. Agenus Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Agenus (NASDAQ: AGEN) rose 22.99% to $3.37 after the company reported positive follow-on Phase 2 results for brain cancer vaccine.
Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) shares jumped 18.23% to $10.18 after private equity firm Sycamore Partners bought a 7.96% stake in the company.
- [By Monica Gerson]
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Most Popular Are Massive Xbox One 'Titanfall' Sales To Blame For Xbox 360 Game Delay? Warren Buffett's Conflicting Bitcoin Views Marijuana Econom - [By Smith On Stocks]
I am initiating coverage of Agenus (AGEN) with a Buy. I have just published a basic report on my website, which goes into detail on the company's two core technology platforms: (1) the heat shock protein technology that is the basis of therapeutic and preventive vaccines for cancer and infectious disease, and (2) the QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant that is being used by Agenus and other vaccine developers to enhance the effectiveness of their vaccines. This report is a summary of that more detailed report.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc.(BRLI)
Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. provides clinical laboratory testing services for the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of diseases primarily in the greater New York metropolitan area. It offers various chemical diagnostic tests, including blood and urine analysis, blood chemistry, hematology services, serology, radio-immuno analysis, toxicology, pap smears, tissue pathology, and other tissue analysis. The company also operates a clinical knowledge management service unit, which uses customer data from laboratory results, pharmaceutical data, claims data, and other data sources to provide administrative and clinical decision support systems. In addition, it operates a Web-based connectivity portal solution for laboratories and physicians to provide laboratory ordering and results to physician customers. The company provides its services directly to physicians, geneticists, hospitals, clinics, and correctional and other health facilities. Bio-Refe rence Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Geoff Gannon]
But if you can definitely hold a company through a tough market that lasts a few years ��then you can look for a wonderful business to buy and hold at any time. In any market. I found some lovely businesses around the time of the 2000 market peak. They just weren�� big caps, dot coms, etc. They were smaller more mundane businesses. In at least one case ��Bio-Reference Labs (BRLI) ��I made some money (it seemed like a scary big amount at the time) holding the stock for about 2 years but I would��e made a whole lot more if I had just held that one stock through till today. And even now BRLI seems a fine stock to keep holding. So, you see I could��e saved myself a lot of trouble by holding something for more than 10 years. And it wouldn�� have hurt my performance at all. In fact, BRLI has beaten the market by a lot for a very long time. And, yes, the price I paid for BRLI happens to be the most I ever paid for a stock relative to its record earnings. So, I paid a very high price ��for a value investor like me ��for a stock that promptly went on to return around 20% a year for the next 10 years and is now back at almost the exact same P/E ratio where I first bought it.
- [By GuruFocus]
An example here is Bio Reference Lab (BRLI). This is a company with a simple business, strong balance sheet and the Predictability Rank of 5-Star. At the price of $19, BRLI was in the top of the Buffett-Munger Screener. But the stock price quickly dropped to below $12 in November 2011. At that point, the company announced a share buyback. The CEO, CFO and COO also bought shares in December at $14 a share. Since then the stock price has doubled.
- [By Geoff Gannon] strong>DreamWorks (DWA)
Read these reports. Look for something that might have interested me. Why would Geoff look at DNB, Chuck E. Cheese, etc.? What got him interested in the stock? Do I see the same thing?
Whenever possible, also read the quarterly earnings call transcripts. You can listen to them too. But it�� easier if you read them and listen to them.
Just listening is a bad idea.
Whenever I can get a transcript of anything ��even Warren Buffett�� appearance on CNBC ��I��l keep a copy of the transcript even when I have a copy of the video (or audio). You can refer back to a transcript easily. You can highlight. You can take notes.
Taking Notes
Now, you are doing those things when reading an annual report, right?
You never just sit down and read an annual report. You always sit down with a pen, a highlighter, a pad of paper, and a calculator. Use the margins of a 10-K ��or your pad of paper ��to jot down notes. Ask questions. Do calculations.
If you ever see a 10-K after I��e read it ��it�� not very white anymore. There�� lots of stuff written in the margins. Mostly it�� questions I was asking myself. But it�� also calculations of numbers the company does not provide.
Numbers to Know
So, for example, in a bank�� 10-K I always write down:
路 Deposits per share
路 Deposits per branch
路 Cost of deposits
路 Texas Ratio
You can actually look up the Texas Ratio of any bank here. And some banks calculate and report cost of deposits the way I like to think about it. But, it�� not common for banks to report deposits per branch ��although small banks will sometimes mention (perhaps in the shareholder letter) what their biggest branch has in deposits. Others may mention how quickly new branches achieved a deposit milestone.
Those are the kinds of numbers I write in the margins of a bank�� 10-K. There will be questions like: ��hy is e
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Dell Inc.(DELL)
Dell Inc. provides integrated technology solutions in the information technology (IT) industry worldwide. It designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports mobility and desktop products, including notebooks, workstations, tablets, smartphones, and desktop PCs, as well as servers and networking products. The company offers storage solutions, including storage area networks, network-attached storage, direct-attached storage, and various backup systems. It also provides IT and business services comprising transactional services, such as support, managed deployment, enterprise installation, and configuration services; outsourcing services, including data center and systems management, network management, life cycle application development and management, and business process outsourcing services; and project-based services consisting of IT infrastructure, applications, business process, and business consulting services. In addition, the company offers third-part y software products comprising operating systems, business and office applications, anti-virus and related security software, and entertainment software; and peripheral products, such as printers, televisions, notebook accessories, mouse, keyboards, networking and wireless products, and digital cameras. Further, it provides financial services, including originating, collecting, and servicing customer receivables related to the purchase of its products and third-party technology products. The company sells its products and services directly through its sales representatives, telephone-based sales, and online sales; and through retailers, third-party solution providers, system integrators, and third-party resellers. It serves corporate businesses, law enforcement agencies, small and medium businesses, consumers, and public institutions that include government, education, and healthcare organizations. Dell Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Finally, price is important, but it's also not a breaking point if the higher-priced product can deliver added value to the consumer. Amazon's Kindle Fire, for instance, generates top-tier tablet loyalty because it's both a cheaper alternative to the iPad and possesses a strong brand name. However, in laptops, Apple and Samsung offer arguably the most expensive price points, but are generally regarded as the leading brands in terms of functionality and status. In contrast, Dell (NASDAQ: DELL ) ranked dead last in laptops despite its cheaper price point, as its laptops are losing their brand identity and have failed to keep up with Samsung or Apple in design freshness.
- [By Chris Neiger]
Untapped potential
For better or worse, Dell (NASDAQ: DELL ) is committed to both Windows RT and 8. But a few weeks ago Dell cut is XPS 10 tablet hybrid from $500 to $300�-- likely due to slow sales. Despite this, the company seems confident Windows is the way to go on tablets, and is developing a successor to the XPS 10 that will likely run RT. But Dell doesn't even make it on the top-five list of tablet sellers, and Microsoft itself is at the bottom of the list.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Heartland Payment Systems Inc. (HPY)
Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. provides bankcard payment processing services in the United States and Canada. It facilitates the exchange of information and funds between merchants and cardholder�s financial institutions; and offers end-to-end electronic payment processing services, including merchant set-up and training, transaction authorization and electronic draft capture, clearing and settlement, merchant accounting, merchant assistance and support, and risk management to merchants. The company also provides other merchant services comprising payroll processing, gift and loyalty programs, and prepaid and stored-value solutions; paper check processing; payroll and related tax filing services; and secure point-of-sale solutions, as well as sells and rents point-of-sale devices and supplies. In addition, it develops, manufactures, sells, services, and maintains computer software to facilitate accounting and management functions of food service operations of K to 12 sch ools. The company markets its bankcard payment processing services directly to small and mid-sized merchants, and national and mid-tier merchants. Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY ) is set to be an enthusiastic buyer of its own shares. The company's board has authorized a fresh stock repurchase program to the tune of $75 million. The move is effective immediately, and its term is open-ended.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Xerox Corporation(XRX)
Xerox Corporation provides business process and information technology (IT) outsourcing, and document management services worldwide. Its business process outsourcing services include human resources services; finance and accounting services; healthcare payers and pharma; customer management solutions; healthcare provider solutions; technology-based transactional services for retail, travel, and non-healthcare insurance companies; programs for federal, state, county, and town governments; transportation solutions; and government healthcare solutions. The company is involved in designing, developing, and delivering IT solutions, such as comprehensive systems support, systems administration, database administration, systems monitoring, batch processing, data backup, and capacity planning services; telecommunications management services; and desktop services. Its document outsourcing services comprise managed print services that optimize, rationalize, and manage the operation of Xerox and non-Xerox print devices; and communication and marketing services that deliver design, communication, marketing, logistic, and distribution services through SMS, Web, email, and mobile, as well as print media. The company also manufactures and sells products, including desktop monochrome, color and compact printers, multifunction printers, copiers, digital printing presses, and light production devices for small/mid-size businesses and large enterprises. In addition, it sells paper, wide-format systems, network integration solutions, and electronic presentation systems. The company sells its products and solutions through its sales force, as well as through a network of independent agents, dealers, value-added resellers, systems integrators, and the Web. Xerox Corporation was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Xerox (NYSE: XRX ) made waves yesterday when it announced the purchase of LearnSomething, a digital education company operating primarily in the pharmaceutical and health care industry, for an undisclosed sum. This is a continuation of Xerox's deeper move into information technology with regard to the health care sector. Acquisitions like this set Xerox up for success by normalizing its cash flow against the natural ebb and flow of the economic cycle and allow it to pay out the robust 2.6% yield that shareholders are currently privy to.
- [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
Xerox provides valuable information technology as well as document technology products and services to consumers and growing companies worldwide. The stock has not done too well over the last few years but has seen a nice year-to-date pop. Over the last four quarters, earnings have seen an overall rise while revenue has declined, which has disappointed investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Xerox has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for XEROX to OUTPERFORM.
Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In 2015: Cosi Inc.(COSI)
Cosi, Inc. owns, operates, and franchises premium convenience dining restaurants. It offers squagels, sandwiches, hearth-baked quiches, oatmeal, salads, soups, appetizers, melts, flatbread pizzas, S?mores, fruit parfaits, wraps, and other desserts; coffees and other espresso-based beverages, seasonal fruit smoothies and specialty drinks, soft drinks, and flavored teas, as well as bottled beverages, such as still and sparkling waters. The company also sells alcoholic beverages comprising beer and wine. Its restaurants also offers catering service for the breakfast and lunch day parts, including breakfast baskets, lunch buffets, and dessert platters. As of August 26, 2011, it had 80 company-owned and 58 franchise restaurants in 17 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the United Arab Emirates. Cosi, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James Brumley]
But Sbarro is hardly the only restaurant struggling to make ends meet right now. Indeed, there are several more that may be following in the pizza chain’s bankruptcy footsteps. In no particular order, here are five more restaurants that may be fiscally insolvent in the foreseeable future.
Cosi (COSI)The sandwiches may be delicious, but the menu Cosi Inc. (COSI) offers at its 136 restaurants is increasingly irrelevant, either for price (the average ticket size is about $8.81), convenience, or both.
- [By John Udovich]
At the end of last week, small cap sandwich stock Potbelly Corp (NASDAQ: PBPB) had a delicious surge of 120% for its IPO���meaning its probably a good idea to see whether its still worth getting in on the action plus take a look at the performance of peers�Cosi Inc (NASDAQ: COSI), Panera Bread Co (NASDAQ: PNRA) and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc (NASDAQ: BAGL) as Subway remains private. I should mention that competing with Subway in the sandwich business is a tall order as they have 40,229 restaurants in 102 countries and territories as of early September���making them the�largest single-brand restaurant chain and the largest restaurant operator globally. However, Potbelly Corp and its peers Cosi Inc, Panera Bread Co and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group aren�� slugging it out directly with Subway.
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