Call options of building materials suppliers USG (USG) are attracting attention this afternoon, writes Briefing.com, following speculation, described by TheFlyOnTheWall.com, that the company could be taken private by its second-largest shareholder, Knauf International, a German maker of drywall and other materials. Briefing notes the prominent calls trading hands include Dec 17.5 calls. USG shares are up 35 cents, or 2.5%, at $14.43. Competitor Eagle Materials’s (EXP) stock is higher by 2% at $27.82.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Big Macs and Turbines Fuel a Rally — Friday’s IP Market Recap
The Dow Jones Industrials and S&P 500 rebounded from Thursday�s losses to send investors into the weekend in an upbeat mood. A trickle of good news in revenue and earnings growth that started with Microsoft�s (NASDAQ:MSFT) announcement after the bell on Thursday turned into a river, as GE (NYSE:GE) and McDonald�s (NYSE:MCD) picked up the momentum with positive reports released this morning.
Additional encouraging news for the market came in prior to the opening bell from Europe, where Germany reported that a measure of business confidence had increased for the sixth straight month, rallying European markets and the euro.
Stocks With Young CEOs: My Top 5 PicksFor the day, the Dow ended up 0.50% at 13,029.19, while the S&P notched a narrower gain of 0.12% to end at 1,378.51. The Nasdaq slipped, losing 0.24% to 3,000.45 as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) continued a three-day slide, sinking another 2.5% to close at 573.95.
Microsoft shares surged 4.5%, closing at $32.43, as profit in fiscal third-quarter topped forecasts on better-than-anticipated sales of software for businesses.
GE shares closed up nearly 1.15% at $19.35 as the company reported net income of $3.03 billion, or 29 cents a share, down 12% year-over-year. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 34 cents a share, topping analysts� estimates by a penny. GE cited its strong performancefrom the industrial business as the prime revenue and earnings mover.
Fast-food king McDonald�s posted first-quarter earnings of $1.23 per share, in line with the Zacks consensus estimate. Reported earnings were 7% higher than the year-ago level of $1.15 per share, thanks to higher comparable-store sales in all regions. McDonald�s shares closed up 0.69% to $96.25, after surging nearly 2% in early trading.
Quarterly earnings continue to be a positive surprise to investors and analysts, as more than 80% of the 121 S&P companies that have already reported earnings have beaten analysts� estimates according to Thompson Reuters. Typically, in any quarter no more than 60% accomplish the feat.
Among the companies releasing earnings on Monday are ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), Xerox (NYSE:XRX) and Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Tuesday brings a slew of reports, including 3M (NYSE:MMM), Norfolk-Southern (NYSE:NSC), Hershey (NYSE:HSY) and, perhaps the most anticipated release of the season: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).
�Three Up- E*Trade (NASDAQ:ETFC): Up 5.97% (59 cents) to $10.47
- D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI): Up 5.27% (77 cents) to $15.39
- Lennar (NYSE:LEN): Up 3.66% (91 cents) to $25.77
- SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK): Down 11.47% ($4.64) to $35.83
- Altera (NASDAQ:ALTR): Down 8.44% ($3.25) to $35.25
- Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU): Down 5.96% ($3.63) to $57.27
As of this writing, Marc Bastow is long AAPL, MSFT and GE.
Hassle-Free Car Maintenance: Mobile Car Grooming
Have you been ruining your holidays driving to and from a garage for car repair and grooming? If it is true then you are among the several unfortunate car owners who similarly squander their weekends and holidays by attending to their cars. You get up on a Sunday with the distressing discovery that taking your car to the garage is more urgent than enjoying the day with your family. Mobile car grooming is a new service that ensures that you spend your Sundays happily relaxing on your sofa rather than dealing with a car mechanic.
Only a decade and a half old, the concept of mobile car grooming service was not very successful at the onset. However, the service has been welcomed by car owners everywhere and is gaining popularity by the day.
Mobile car grooming entails giving doorstep car washing and cleaning service on request. The service provider, on receiving your call, will ask about your car model and send specialists at your doorstep prepared with all the stuff required to groom your car.
Even if your car suddenly breaks down on a deserted highway, a few of these companies offer on-site repair services to take care of that. Emergency on-the-road service will cost you more, but is of great utility because you are helped out of the worst possible scenario that a car owner can imagine.
A complete car grooming and maintenance service is what you can expect from such service providers, which includes cleaning the car from inside, engine maintenance and painting and waxing, while you enjoy the weekend in your home. In these modern times, when life is fast paced and there is little time to unwind, services like mobile car grooming are becoming necessary. You will end up saving both time and energy while your car gets appropriate servicing through this unconventional idea.
If you have a used auto and you wish to sell it, car grooming can help you. Car grooming make it attractive enough so that potential purchasers will be attracted to your vehicle. Therefore, having its overall physical and exterior appearance better will increase your chance of trading away your old car model.
Do you need a thorough and complete car wash? Give your ride a sleek car polish it deserves and needs. Check here for free reprint licence: Hassle-Free Car Maintenance: Mobile Car Grooming.
Comverse Shares Drop on Spinoff News
Friday Apple Rumors: Report Shows iPhone, iPad Dominate in Mobile Ad Market
Here are your daily Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today.
iPhone, iPad Account for Majority of Mobile Advertising Impressions: Mobile advertising company InMobi released a report on Friday showing that Apple has surged ahead of Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the mobile advertising market. An AppleInsider summary of the report said that, thanks to booming iPhone 4S sales over the past few months, Apple’s portable devices now account for more than 35% of all mobile advertising impressions (the number of times an ad is shown). Google Android devices account for under 33% of mobile ad impressions, and both Apple and Google Android phones are ahead of Research in Motion‘s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry, which accounts for less than 12%.
Proview iPad Trademark Dispute Comes to U.S.: At the beginning of February, Proview sued Apple in China, seeking $1.6 billion in damages and an apology from the Cupertino, Calif., company. On what grounds? Proview holds a patent on the name “iPad.” Apple originally licensed the name for $55,000, but Proview claims that license os valid only outside of China. A Friday report in Reuters said that Proview is now bringing the fight to the United States, filing a suit in California aimed at blocking the sale of Apple’s tablet in Proview’s home country. Claiming that Apple employed deceptive practices when it struck the license agreement, Proview did in fact succeed in having Apple’s tablet removed from a number of Chinese retailers in recent weeks, but it has been unsuccessful in fully blocking the sale of Apple’s popular device.
Motorola Lawsuit Halts iCloud, MobileMe Services in Germany: In other Apple litigation news, Motorola (NYSE:MMI) has won an injunction against Apple in Germany, according to a Friday report posted by Engadget. The injunction is ultimately little more than a thorn in Apple’s side, though. The iPhone and iPad won’t exactly be pulled from shelves. What will happen is that Apple’s iCloud and MobileMe services will no longer be able to send “Push” notifications to users of those services. For those unfamiliar with it, push notification technology pops up service notifications to the desktops of users’ iPhones and iPads. Push notifications for those services will be suspended only in Germany because the technology used allegedly infringes on patents held by Motorola.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. Follow him on Twitter at�@ajohnagnello�and�become a fan of�InvestorPlace on Facebook. For more news about Apple, check out our previous�Apple Rumors�stories.
Opportunity To Get Long Volatility On Market Rally
Strategic Mindset: Market Neutral with possibilities of Surges in Volatility.
Target: VXX trading @ $15.42
Commit Criteria: This is a new trade on VXX. We are doubling down on this big shift.
The market surged today and VXX dropped significantly. I still feel like it is unlikely VXX is very unlikely to drop below 15, especially given the current chaotic market conditions. VXX Implied Volatility is overpriced relative to its forecast volatility of 15.87% over the trade period. We are looking for possible price movement but for it to stay above $14.66 until the exit of this trade. Note, we are break even or better as long as the VXX stays above $14.66.
NOTE - The $50 strike Calls in the spreadsheet analysis are just dummy values to make the spreadsheet work. They are not part of the trade.
Tactic: Opening 50 VXX July 2012 Bull Put Spreads (strikes [14/15]) for a $0.44 credit
Tactical Employment of Bull Put Spread: - Selling to Open 50 VXX Jul 2012 $15.00 Puts
- Buying to Open 50 VXX Jul 2012 $14.00 Puts
- Net Credit: $44.00 per Bull Put Spread for a total of $2200.00
- Max Gain: $2200.00
- Max Risk: -$56.00 per Bull Put Spread for a total risk of -$2800.00
Mid-Course Guidance: We will be watching for a price movement below the short 15 strike. We are actually safe on this trade down to $14.66 but if the short strike is threatened we will adjust the Bull Put Spread as necessary.
Profitability Target: We will wait for this Bull Put Spread to expire worthless taking the $2200.00 credit as profit. If the VXX surges up in the near term we may choose to close this trade early, taking a smaller, but faster profit.
Exit Tactic: We will wait for this Bull Put Spread to expire worthless, adjusting as necessary.
Disclosure: I am short VXX.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Forecast: The Markets Are Still Predictable
For ages people have been trying to forecast the stock market. What started a hundred years ago with paper charts and pencil lines has developed into ever more sophisticated computerized market forecasting tools. Many indicators are available today. The thing is, the more popular they are, the less useful they become. Thus the ever bigger and bigger guns are needed to exploit the market inefficiencies.
As the markets become more computerized, with the response time now measured in milliseconds, the question arises, is it still possible to forecast the stock market for days or weeks in advance, or have they become totally efficient and thus impossible to forecast?
Markets' Predictability
Over the past year we have recorded the predictability of over a hundred equities by the machine learning system, which forecasts the future movement curve of the market based on past history. Its algorithms constantly look for patterns in the markets, make and test conjectures, and provide an objective measure of the strength of such conjectures and create a daily stock forecast for six different time horizons. This bootstrapping, self-learning system is constantly evolving, as new data is added daily and a better machine-derived model is found.
Our quality control indicator, the measure of predictability (P) accompanies each market forecast. P, a correlation coefficient between the predicted move and the actual one, ranges between minus 1 (the actual move was opposite to the forecast) through zero (no relation between the forecast and the actual), to plus 1 (the actual move was exactly as forecast).
Results
Then how predictable are the markets? Here are some observations from the recent records:
Click to enlarge.
Discussion and Conclusions
Some markets were on the average more predictable than the others, meaning that the latter markets were more "efficient." (Some stocks are practically unpredictable for other reasons. They were screened out of the system at an earlier stage).
Sometimes a shocking news can drastically affect all markets, regardless of the news relevance to the specific market, as what for instance happened between last May 11 and May 24 when the news were dominated by European sovereign debt fears and disappointing U.S. data. The spike of unpredictability understandably affects the German DAX index and even the seemingly unrelated stock as Disney, see Figs. 1 and 2.
The longer term forecast was more predictable than the shorter one. The reason is, the short term forecast is more affected by the market noise created by the daily news stream. The longer term forecast reflects the deeper fundamental trends.
We conclude that in spite of the proliferation of computerization and the algo-trading, the markets still exhibit classic chaotic behavior, and are largely predictable.
The reasons are, in our opinion:
- Differences in valuating the equity between different models and different market players, be it humans or the machines. What seems undervalued according to one model can appear overvalued to another.
- Time horizon factor: What seems overvalued in the short time horizon can appear undervalued in the longer view.
- The ever-present element of uncertainty in every news event, and the difficulty to quantify its effect on the market forecast.
- Human factor: Even when given equal access to the news, different people react differently. Human mind apparently can't process objectively the constant information stream, and tends to react to just the latest headline in the news, until the next item catches the attention. The psychological dynamics of fear and greed can lead to irrational decisions.
All these factors result in waves in prices, which can be detected and exploited by the more objective computer models. By monitoring predictability one can get advance warning that the market paradigm change is in progress.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
TMF World Energy Map: Australia
Australia is a hotbed for natural resources, particularly fossil fuels used to generate energy. The country exports nearly two-thirds of its energy production, ranking first in the world in coal exports and fourth for liquefied natural gas exports.
Renewables
Renewables exist in Australia, but not on a meaningful scale. The country increased its solar capacity more than 135% in 2011 to 1,345 megawatts, just shy of 2% of the global total. The country's wind capacity at the end of 2011 was much higher, at 2,476 MW, but that only accounts for 1% of the global total. When it's all said and done, fossils fuels account for 95% of Australia's energy consumption and 92% of electricity generation.
Australia has a goal to produce 20% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020. Ambitious yes, but Australia's incentive to reach the goal is higher than in other places. The country generates more pollution per person than any other developed nation -- including the United States.
Nuclear
As of 2010, Australia was estimated to hold just under half of the world's recoverable uranium resources. Somewhat inexplicably, the country does not have a single nuclear reactor. Two of the world's largest mining companies, BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP ) and Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO ) are headquartered in the country; both produce uranium.
Coal
Over the past 20 years, coal production in Australia has increased nearly 100%. The country is the world's fourth-largest producer, and the No. 1 exporter. Australia produced 449 million short tons of coal in 2010, and exported about 322 MMST of that. Top destinations for Australian coal are Japan (43%), South Korea (15%), China (14%), and India (11%).
Oil
Australia is not a big player on the world oil scene. Its proved reserves are estimated at 3.32 billion barrels, and production in 2011 averaged just over 464,000 barrels a day. Though it doesn't have much oil, it does have the sort of oil that everyone wants. Australian crude is a low-sulfur light crude that is easy and cheap to refine, and thus more desirable than heavy crudes.
Natural gas
Natural gas is crucial to Australia's future. The country has proven reserves of 110 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the 12th-largest in the world. Those are just conventional resources; Australia also has an estimated 396 TCF of shale gas reserves. Natural gas production reached 1.6 TCF in 2010 and is expected to increase four times over by 2035.
Australia is the world's fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. LNG exports brought in $10.5 billion in 2010-11, an increase of 34% over the previous year. With at least two major LNG export facilities slated to come online in the next five years, expect that number to increase.
Geopolitical risk
Australia is really as innocuous as it gets. Unlike many regions of the world, there are no nationally owned energy companies here. The government has no stake in the oil and gas industry, which limits risk for foreign companies targeting Australian resources.
Similar to the U.S., Australian states have the ability to govern energy production in their territory, to a point. �In theory, this set up could affect energy development on a case-by-case, regional basis.
Finally, Australia relies heavily on exporting energy to economies in Asia. If that market faced a significant downturn, the effect on Australia would be tremendous. Conversely, growing energy demand in that region could buoy export revenues to new levels.
Players
Chevron (NYSE: CVX )
Chevron is a dominating player in Australia's LNG business. The company is the operator of two LNG export facilities currently under construction. The Gorgon project on Barrow Island, off the northwest coast of Australia, is expected to come online in 2014. The Wheatstone facility, also off the coast of Western Australia, is expected to go into production in 2016.
Apache (NYSE: APA )
Apache has been in Australia since the early 1990s. In 2011, the company produced 38,228 barrels of oil per day, and 185,079 cubic feet of natural gas per day. The company's estimated proven reserves are 330 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Perhaps most importantly, Apache has a 13% stake in Chevron's Wheatstone LNG export facility.
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton operates the largest individual coal production site in New South Wales. The Mount Arthur coal mine produces 20 million tons each year. The company expects its expansion plans to increase that number to 24 million tons.
The company mines uranium at its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. The mine is the largest known uranium deposit in the world. BHP recently purchased four exploration licenses for $3 million for acreage surrounding the mine.
Rio Tinto
Severe weather in Australia affected production at each of Rio Tinto's four Queensland mines in 2011. However, high prices for coal led to $1.24 billion in earnings for its Australian coal sector, which was a 32% increase over 2010. The company expects coal production to increase in 2012 via expanded capacity at its mines. Expansion projects should also increase its output of uranium.
Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-B )
Shell is pushing the LNG envelope with its implementation of a floating LNG facility. FLNG allows gas to be produced and processed in remote offshore locations, as the FLNG facility sits right above the field. Last spring, Shell's board gave the go-ahead on the project. Once constructed, the Prelude FLNG facility will be the largest floating structure ever built. The company has not alluded to the cost or completion date for the structure, but it can be noted that production in the prelude field is slated to begin in 2017.
Suggestions for further reading:
- How Oil Companies Plan to Spend Their Cash in 2012
- Three Ways to Play Australia's Booming Economy
- BHP Billiton Crushes Earnings
GOOG Nexus: Good for Nvidia, Nothing to Worry Apple, Say Analysts
More analysts added their spin this afternoon to Google‘s (GOOG) announcement it will sell its own branded tablet computer, the “Nexus 7,” running on its Android operating system, putting it into competition with hardware partners such as Samsung Electronics�(005930KS).
As I mentioned earlier, Topeka Capital Markets‘s Brian White�opined that Apple‘s (AAPL) iPad has little to worry about from the Nexus 7, given the Nexus feature specs seem less desirable, and Apple may come out with a smaller, cheaper iPad this fall.
Likewise, Brian Marshall with ISI Groupthis afternoon reiterates a Buy rating on Apple as well, and a $750 price target, writing that “We believe GOOG is making meaningful improvements to its ecosystem/Android and that the $199 price point could help GOOG gain some traction in tablets.”
“However, we believe AAPL remains well ahead and are comfortable with our iPad estimates (e.g., 64mil in CY12, 80mil in CY13).”
Nomura Equity Research‘s Romit Shah reiterated a Buy rating on shares of chip maker Nvidia (NVDA), whose “Tegra” processor will be used in the Nexus 7. Shah sees the Nexus as evidence Nvidia’s mobile business is “gaining momuntum,” given that it follows just a week after Microsoft‘s (MSFT) unveiling of the “Microsoft Surface” tablet, one model of which will also use Tegra.
Shah estimates the Nexus could ship 5 million to 10 million units through the end of this calendar year. He thinks Nvidia may see its Tegra business produce $550 million in revenue this year, up from $360 million last year.
Google shares today are up $4.93, or 0.9%, at $569.61, while Apple shares are up $2.12, or 0.4%, at $574.14. Nvidia stock is up 41 cents, or 3%, at $13.14.
FOMC Preview: Bernanke Not Expected to Reveal Fed Timing
Whatever thunder the FOMC meeting usually has is being stolen this week by the first of Bernanke's quarterly press conferences tomorrow. In fairness, the FOMC's statement is unlikely to change substantively from the mid-March statement. The press conference has potential to be more disruptive, but even here it is best to keep in mind the distinction between transparency and visibility.
Turning first to the statement itself, it will be released tomorrow around 12:30 EST. The statement is fairly formulaic in its present incarnation. The first paragraph is the economic assessment. While there is no doubt the recovery is continuing the statement will likely acknowledge some moderation in the pace--to recognize the likelihood of a sub-2% Q1 GDP figure and the continued rise in commodity prices. The statement may also recognize that some long-term inflation expectations have risen as a result. Note that the 5-year/5-year forward has risen almost 80 bp since the last FOMC meeting.
In the second paragraph, the FOMC discusses its mandates and it will likely continue to claim that the increase in inflation/expectations will be transitory. That said, officials appear to have ratcheted up the vigilant rhetoric and this may also be reflected in this paragraph.
The third paragraph is about policy. The Fed will continue to complete its $600 bln purchases of Treasuries. The fourth and fifth paragraphs deal with the Fed funds target and Fed's pledge to continue to monitor developments.
The last paragraph is the vote. Of note, despite the seemingly divergent views, there have been no dissents at this year's meetings. No one has voted to stop QEII. No one has rejected the Fed's wording that conditions will likely warrant exceptionally low yields for an extended period of time. It appears that just before Bernanke's press conference, the new quarterly staff growth/inflation forecasts will be released. Usually they are released with the FOMC meeting minutes. Growth and unemployment are likely to be tweaked lower and inflation higher to recognize the recent string of data.
We are under the impression that this is not really Bernanke's first press conference, but his first public press conference. There has been some indication that there may have been off-the-record press conferences with reporters previously. Still the public nature of this one is new and has potential to inject some short-term volatility.
There seems to be three broad areas that reporters will focus on: policy, inflation and the dollar. In terms of policy, it may become clearer that QEII is the $600 bln of Treasury purchases. The reinvesting of principal payments into Treasuries is not really part of QEII but part of the Fed's efforts to maintain the size of its balance sheet and not to accept the passive contraction at a pace dictated by early prepayments or maturing issues. Our understanding is that over the next few quarters, there is not a lot of Treasuries the Fed holds that are maturing.
Bernanke may also try to explain why the Fed is not worried about who will buy Treasuries when QEII is completed and the answer is to be found in the Fed's understanding of its operation and why it typically does not call it quantitative easing. It is essentially buying Treasuries with another asset (reserves) and its understanding of the impact is not based on the availability of credit but on the reduction of supply of long-term risk-free asset and the knock on effects, including rising equities and a weaker dollar.
Some reporters may also ask Bernanke about the dollar. Bernanke is likely to acknowledge that dollar policy is set by the Treasury, but the Fed takes it into account in terms of its impact on inflation and growth and that it is part of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy.
Lastly, we would emphasize that a press conference may increase transparency without increasing visibility of the next Fed steps or the timing. The increased transparency lies in the process. Investors are unlikely to learn from Bernanke when the Fed will tighten as it is doubtful that he himself knows.
Top Stocks For 3/4/2012-3
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RPRX, PWRM, WYN, CSRH, BX, CVAT, DELL, AQNM, IBM
RPRX, Repros Therapeutics Inc.
RPRX focuses on the development of oral small molecule drugs for major unmet medical needs that treat male and female reproductive disorders.
Secondary hypogonadism is a deficiency state in which the male hormone testosterone goes below the normal range, even in aging men, due to inadequate stimulation of the testes by the pituitary.
The results from an exploratory, efficacy and safety study of RPRX’s oral investigational product, enclomiphene citrate (Androxal�), in men with secondary hypogonadism who were receiving testosterone replacement treatment shows that RPRX’s Androxal� increased both LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) while men on Testim had significantly lower levels of these important fertility related hormones.
Dr. Jed Kaminetsky (Department of Urology, New York University Medical Center), the lead investigator noted, �Androxal may fill the need for a drug that is able to restore testicular function and at the same time provide the benefits that normalization of testosterone provides to hypogonadal men. If Androxal can be safely developed, it will represent an important new treatment option for men with secondary hypogonadism with a continued fertility interest.�
RPRX hopes to submit a request for a meeting to the FDA to determine whether the Agency deems these observations to be clinically relevant and whether a development program can be designed to confirm the findings of this exploratory study, and ultimately support a label for the treatment of secondary hypogonadism in men who wish to preserve their fertility.
PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB
Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. Power3�s patent-pending technologies are being used to develop screening and diagnostic tests for the early detection and prognosis of disease, identify protein biomarkers, and drug targets. Diagnostic tests are targeted toward markets with critical unmet needs in areas including neurodegenerative disease (NuroPro) and breast cancer (BC-SeraPro). Power3 expects to complete phase II clinical validation trials of its blood serum diagnostics for Alzheimer�s disease (NuroPro-AD), and Parkinson�s disease (NuroPro-PD) in 2009 and for breast cancer in 2010, followed by filings with the FDA. Power3 operates a state-of-the-art CLIA certified laboratory in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas. Power3 continues to evolve and enhance its IP portfolio, employing sensitive and specific combinations of biomarkers it has discovered from a broad range of diseases as the basis of highly selective blood-based tests for ALS, Alzheimer�s, and Parkinson�s diseases, and breast cancer.
PWRM Announced that its Chief Scientific Officer is Chair and Keynote Speaker of Session at the BTI Life Sciences 2nd Annual Congress and Expo of Molecular Diagnostics in Beijing, China in November 2009
Further international recognition of validity as the company�s President and CSO, Dr. Ira Goldknopf will deliver an invited Keynote address and chair a session on �Biomarkers and Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine (Track 6-4),� at the BIT Life Sciences 2nd International Congress and Expo of Molecular Diagnostics in Beijing, China, November 19-21, 2009. The Theme of the meeting is �New Leadership of Personalized Medicine.�
More about PWRM at www.power3medical.com
WYN, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
WYN provides various hospitality products and services to individual consumers and business customers. The company?s Lodging segment franchises hotels in the upscale, middle, and economy segments of the lodging industry, as well as provides property management services to owners of these hotels.
Goldman Sachs’s Analyst Steven Kent raised his rating on WYN to “Buy” from “Neutral” and increased his share price target to $26 from $18.
CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB
CSRH announced a corporate update with respect to its business activities. Over the course of the past 60 days, several meetings and presentations have occurred between the Company�s management and various corporations, private and public, to further the development of the company�s Card Programs, Merchant Discount Rates and new Joint Venture business relationship. As a result of these meetings, we have identified several new key business opportunities that will lead to increased revenues in 2010-2011.
As previously announced, we have signed a joint venture agreement with Trans Screen Group. Through this newly established joint venture relationship, Trans Screen Group and Consorteum Holdings Inc. will expand into markets outside North America targeting new opportunities in India, Africa, Russia, Latin America, Thailand and China for payroll / benefits cards, loyalty programs, gift cards, payment transaction processing and several other value added services. The Trans Screen Group has established business relationships within these countries and will leverage Consorteum�s expertise to provide financial services to their existing partners.
Consorteum has also been in discussion with several companies within the payroll industry to develop new payroll card programs. Proposals have been presented and we will continue to develop these relationships to reach the deployment phase.
Furthermore, �My Golf Rewards� finalized its pilot program over the summer and has completed all testing and platform development. The next phase of engagement is adding 20 new golf courses to the program in early 2010. We are also planning to further expose the My Golf Rewards program to golf courses owners and end consumers through trade shows and industry publications.
We continue to explore adding industry professionals and experts who have experience in the areas of banking, credit card issuance, payment processing, rebates and payroll. In addition, the Company is currently looking to expand its Board of Directors and Board of Advisors with financial services industry experts and senior executive level professionals running successful and profitable organizations. We will be providing further press releases and corporate updates to our shareholders and the investment community within the next 30 days.
More about CSRH at www.consorteum.com
BX, The Blackstone Group
BX, together with its subsidiaries, provides alternative asset management and financial advisory services worldwide. The company operates in four segments: Corporate Private Equity, Real Estate, Marketable Alternative Asset Management, and Financial Advisory.
BX, plans to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev’s U.S. theme parks for up to $2.7 billion
CVAT, Cavitation Technologies Inc, CVAT.OB
CVAT has announced that it has filed PCT patent applications for new International Patent protections for its Nano Cavitation Technologies.
According to Igor Gorodnitsky, CTI�s President and Director of Research and Development, �CTI continues to identify new applications for our technology. All of the applications are in industries where there is a need to solve environmental problems, reduce operating costs and improve profitability. We have hundreds of international inquiries from companies that want our technology and as a result we needed to file International Patents to protect our Intellectual Property worldwide. These technologies have significant benefit and value for the vegetable oil refining, renewable fuels, petroleum, water desalination, wastewater treatment, food and beverage, chemical industries.�
As indicated by the patent attorney from the firm Kelly Lowry and Kelley, �Some of the CTI applications have been filed so as to protect the various highly innovative technologies developed by Cavitation Technologies, Inc. concerning industries needing Green technologies to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce the use of chemicals and costs.�
These PCT international CTI applications should be published by the end of August 2010. The Company looks forward to proceeding with the national phase entries in various countries in order to protect its technologies in countries.
�We are particularly proud of the fact that the technologies we are developing will have international impact,� indicated Roman Gordon, Cavitation Technologies, Inc. CEO. �As we continue to develop our intellectual property portfolio, we are also exploring relationships with potential strategic partners to enable worldwide transformation of a number of chemical, wastewater, renewable fuels and vegetable oil processes.�
CVAT More about CVAT at www.cavitationtechnologies.com
DELL, Dell Inc.
DELL, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and support of computer systems and services worldwide
DELL will close a desktop computer manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem, N.C., by the end of January.
AQNM, Aquentium, Inc., AQNM.OB
Aquentium, Inc. (OTCBB: AQNM) a publicly traded company with a focus on �green technologies� is pleased to announce that the company�s non-chemical technology sanitizes fruits and vegetables naturally without the use of any chemicals.
The Aquentium non-chemical sanitation equipment is designed for improved food safety standards both domestically and internationally. Aquentium is currently offering exclusive representation opportunities for its complete line of non-chemical processing and sanitation equipment for fruits and vegetables in countries throughout the world as well in all fifty states in the USA
The goal at Aquentium is to help prevent contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables. The Aquentium non-chemical process can extend the shelf life of produce which means higher profits for food processors and less waste for the consumer.
The uniqueness of the Aquentium technology is that it is over 50% more effective than chemicals and over 3,000 times faster acting than chemicals. Ultimately, Aquentium believes that we have better technology to combat e-coli, salmonella, listeria and other bacteria or viruses than what most food processors are currently using.
With the Aquentium equipment, a processor does not have to stop processing to do plant sanitation. This increases plant production. Furthermore, food processors can expect an ROI in less than 12 months using the Aquentium equipment.
More about AQNM at www.aquentium.com
IBM, International Business Machines Corp.
IBM develops and manufactures information technology products and services worldwide.
Investment manager Franklin Resources Inc. is cutting short a services contract with IBM
Keep a close eye on RPRX, PWRM, WYN, CSRH, BX, CVAT, DELL, AQNM and IBM do your homework, and like always BE READY for the ACTION!
Top Stocks For 4/2/2012-13
National Health Partners, Inc. (NHPR)
There are so many issues in USA and we understand it is hard to face all of them. Healthcare in America is one of the biggest issues in this country and needs to be addressed immediately. Families are going in to extreme debt because of healthcare’s rising costs. Healthcare has also set citizens back more than $20,000 dollars than what they would usually make. The specific problems inside the issue of healthcare are the affect it has on our country’s citizens, the rising costs of healthcare, and the debt it puts families into. These issues are affecting our citizens dramatically. The rising costs of healthcare are also hurting our country’s economy.
National Health Partners, Inc. is a national healthcare savings organization that provides discount healthcare membership programs to uninsured and underinsured people through a national healthcare savings network called “CARExpress.” CARExpress is one of the largest networks of hospitals, doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare providers in the country and is comprised of over 1,000,000 medical professionals that belong to such PPOs as CareMark and Aetna.
National Health Partners, Inc.’s shares are publicly traded on the OTCBB under the ticker symbol NHPR.OB.
National Health Partners, Inc. recently announced that it has signed a new agreement with a major marketing company that will significantly enhance the growth of its CARExpress membership base.
According to the Company, this deal, in combination with the previous partnership with Xpress Healthcare, will enable the company to build its membership base exponentially, initially generating in excess of an additional 2,000 new members per month. The new campaign is set to launch within the next few weeks and will provide a material positive impact on the company’s 2nd quarter sales.
National Health Partners anticipate that this new marketing agreement will provide a major impact on their overall sales not only for the 2nd quarter, but more importantly for the year. They look forward to building on the profits that they anticipate generating in 2011 that will be driven by substantial growth in sales of their CARExpress health discount programs. The combination of their substantial growth with their low price-to-equity ratio should reflect itself in the price of their stock over the coming months.
For more information about National Health Partners, Inc visit its website www.nationalhealthpartners.com
Cleantech Transit, Inc. (CLNO)
Cleantech Transit, Inc. was founded to capitalize on technology advances and manufacturing opportunities in the growing clean energy public transportation sector. The Company has expanded its focus to invest directly in specific green projects.
Recognizing the many economic and operational advances of converting wood waste into renewable sources of energy, Cleantech has selected to invest in Phoenix Energy (www.phoenixenergy.net). This project can generate shareholder returns as well benefit the Company’s manufacturing clients worldwide.
Cleantech Transit, Inc.’s shares are publicly traded on the OTCBB under the ticker symbol CLNO.OB.
Cleantech Transit, Inc. original aim was to develop opportunities utilizing advances in technology and manufacturing processes in order to develop significant market share in the growing clean energy public transportation sector.
With the growth in the green sector as a whole the CLNO has expanded its focus to invest directly in specific projects. Recent advances in the technology of converting wood waste into power have so greatly enhanced the economic value of their systems they have launched the biomass division as a separate company, Phoenix Energy, to focus exclusively on generating greater returns for manufacturing clients worldwide.
Biomass typically refers to organic material such as crops, crop wastes, trees, wood waste and animal waste. Some examples of biomass include wood chips, corn, corn stalks, soybeans, switchgrass, straw, animal waste and food-processing by-products.
For more information about Cleantech Transit, Inc. visit its website www.cleantechtransitinc.com
IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE:IAG) provided an update on its Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Essakane Mine is located approximately 500 kilometres northeast of the capital city of Ouagadougou. Steve Letwin, President and Chief Executive Officer of IAMGOLD said, “It is business as usual. We have not had any disruption to the Essakane operation. We have had no interruptions to our supply chain. More importantly, all of our employees, including 1,800 Burkinabe nationals, are safe and going about their normal routines.
IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other precious metals.
Skechers USA Inc. (NYSE:SKX) announced that the Company’s conference call to review its fiscal 2011 first quarter financial results will be broadcast live over the internet on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 1:30 pm Pacific Time/4:30 pm Eastern Time. Participating on the call will be David Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet and can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.skx.com. The call will be archived for two weeks. For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a replay will be available beginning April 27, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. ET, through May 11, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. ET. To access the replay, dial 877-870-5176 (U.S.) or 858-384-5517 (International) and use passcode: 4435599.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. engages in the design, development, marketing, and distribution of footwear for men, women, and children in the United States and internationally.
First Trust/Fidac Mortgage Income Fund (NYSE:FMY) has declared the Fund’s regularly scheduled monthly common share distribution payable on May 16, 2011 to shareholders of record as of May 4, 2011. The ex-dividend date is expected to be May 2, 2011.
First Trust/FIDAC Mortgage Income Fund (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s primary investment objective is to seek a high level of current income. As a secondary objective, the Fund seeks to preserve capital. The Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities representing part ownership in a pool of either residential or commercial mortgage loans.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
9 BRIC Stocks With Bullish Short Trends
If you're looking to add some growth and diversification to your portfolio, one idea is to consider emerging markets. These developing economies are represented by the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).
To illustrate this idea, we ran a screen on US-traded stocks based in the BRIC countries for those short sellers believe will outperform. We screened for BRIC stocks seeing the most significant decreases in shares shorted month-over-month.
?Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the top six stocks mentioned below. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.?
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We also created a price-weighted index of the stocks mentioned below, and monitored the performance of the list relative to the S&P 500 index over the last month. To access a complete analysis of this list's recent performance, click here.
Do you think these stocks will outperform like short sellers expect? Use this list as a starting point for your own analysis.
List sorted alphabetically.
1. Cninsure Inc. (CISG): Provides insurance brokerage and agency services, and insurance claims adjusting services in the People's Republic of China. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 2.82M to 2.44M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.44% of the company's float of 26.47M shares.
2. Changyou.com Limited (CYOU): Develops and operates online games in the People's Republic of China. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 372.33K to 220.03K over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.52% of the company's float of 10.04M shares.
3. GOL Linhas A (GOL): Operates as a low-cost low-fare airline in Latin America. Brazil. Shares shorted have decreased from 7.42M to 6.06M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.49% of the company's float of 91.12M shares.
4. Zhongpin, Inc. (HOGS): Engages in the processing and distribution of meat and food products primarily in the People's Republic of China. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 3.74M to 3.20M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 2.07% of the company's float of 26.10M shares.
5. Mindray Medical International Limited (MR): Develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices worldwide. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 14.59M to 13.40M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.42% of the company's float of 83.77M shares.
6. Noah Holdings Limited (NOAH): Engages in the distribution of wealth management products to the high net worth population in China. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 2.63M to 2.29M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.95% of the company's float of 17.44M shares.
7. SouFun Holdings Ltd. (SFUN): Provides marketing, listing, technology, and information consultancy services to real estate and home furnishing industries in the People's Republic of China. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 2.11M to 1.90M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.91% of the company's float of 11.00M shares.
8. Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL): Designs, develops, manufactures, and sells photovoltaic modules worldwide. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 16.27M to 15.58M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.16% of the company's float of 59.34M shares.
9. VanceInfo Technologies Inc. (VIT): Engages in the provision of information technology services. China. Shares shorted have decreased from 7.48M to 7.10M over the last month, a decrease which represents about 1.51% of the company's float of 25.18M shares.
*Short data sourced from Yahoo! Finance, all other data sourced from Finviz.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
Hawaii Turns to Dog Shrinks to Curb Barking
PAHOA, Hawaii—Carl Oguss is trying to use psychology to reform a couple of scofflaws, who are meeting with him as part of a plea deal.
"No!" he shouts, jabbing a finger at the miscreants after they appear to snub his attempt to drum some sense into them. One of them, Kala, hangs her head.
The other, Kamakani, gives a defiant response: "Woof!"
There's the problem. Local authorities have charged Kala and Kamakani with being "incessant barkers," an offense under a new law here on the Big Island. If the two Italian sheepdogs don't zip it, their owners face $575 in fines, and the dogs could be evicted from the neighborhood.
"We have to say 'no' like a loving parent," Mr. Oguss, who operates the East Hawaii Dog Psychology Center, explains to owners Henry and Lindsey Kapu, whose lenience he thinks makes the dogs feel free to bark. He's administering dog counseling as part of a plea deal the Kapus have made after five barking citations.
Dog counseling has been in demand in Hawaii County since early last year, when county commissioners passed an ordinance banning "barks, bays, cries, howls" that go on continuously for 10 minutes, or intermittently for 20 minutes within a half-hour.
Police can write barking tickets or sentence an incessant howler to a humane shelter. "We had to do something because you have neighbors living next to dogs that are barking and driving them crazy," says Mitch Roth, a Hawaii County prosecutor who takes on barking cases. "Then neighbors start fighting and there's mayhem."
Nuisance yapping is a problem everywhere. Los Angeles passed last year an antibarking law with fines up to $1,000. Two years ago, Centennial, Colo. passed an ordinance imposing fines up to $100 per violation on owners of dogs that bark more than 10 minutes.
Dogs probably aren't yowling more than before. Instead, officials in places like Hawaii County speculate that barking complaints have risen in part because more people are home to hear the yapping after losing their jobs.
This Pacific island needed a stronger bark-abeyance law, authorities here say, because it has a particular pooch-population problem. The average U.S. household has 1.7 dogs, says a 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association report. On the Big Island, where people use dogs for hunting wild pigs, many residents have at least five and some as many 30 dogs, says Debbie Crazatta, founder of the Kohala Animal Relocation and Education Service, which helps find homes for stray dogs.
Dogless islanders have long complained of dogs that bark around the clock. Jim Radovic says his neighbor's 10 dogs would serenade their block in Hilo, Hawaii, at all hours before the antibark law. "We got to the point we had two fans blasting next to our heads so we could go to sleep," says the 51-year-old emergency-room nurse.
Under previous law, officers had to time barking for 30 minutes and then give the owner an hour to quiet the hound. Police were usually too busy to stick around timing dog barks.
Mr. Radovic called police as soon as the law went into effect in May. County officials have since impounded five of the offending dogs. "We can sleep better at night," he says.
Some say the new law infringes on rights, human and canine. "It's nuts, man," says 49-year-old Clyde Wheatley, a bulldozer operator whose Rottweiler and Labrador have no barking violations. "To me, barking is good because it notifies you somebody's around who shouldn't be around."
Indeed, it is OK, under the new law, to bark if your owner is about to be attacked.
A county brochure, "Problem Solving Noisy Dogs," recommends three steps. First: Notify the owner. Next: Call the Humane Society for bark-suppression tips, such as "spraying your dog while it is barking."
Last resort: Call police, the brochure says, "when the dog is actively barking and exceeding the time limits." People have called the agency almost daily since the law passed, compared with once or twice a week before, says Starr Yamada, an animal-control officer.
Donna Whitaker, executive director of the Hawaii Island Humane Society, says often a dog barks because it is bored. Dr. Oguss says sometimes a well-mannered mutt is egged into barking by another dog. One large dog, he found, was blowing his cool after hearing the Chihuahua next door yapping for hours. "A dog who is instigating by being rude to your dog is looking to start trouble," Mr. Oguss says.
The Kapus say their problem—and their hiring Mr. Oguss—stems from a personality conflict between the dogs and neighbor Jack Sailer, a 75-year-old retired hospital broker from Texas who reported their dogs to the police. "He's a creepy old man who stares at us through the bushes," says Mr. Kapu, 28 years old, who runs an organic farm on the one-acre property with his wife, 27. "The dogs bark when they see him."
Mr. Sailer says he harbors no ill will and chuckles at being called creepy. He says trouble started after the Kapus started the organic farm. "The dogs would start barking at six in the morning and still be barking at nine in the evening."
Police issued the couple a citation with a $25 fine, then four more with fines totaling $575. The Kapus cut a plea deal with the prosecutor: He would dismiss their last four citations if they agreed to dog counseling and if their hounds avoided barking violations during a six-month probation.
Sizing up his patients, Mr. Oguss metes out advice. Let the dogs know who's boss, he says, teaching Mr. and Ms. Kapus, for example, not to let their dogs walk ahead of them.
But there may be a fundamental problem: Mr. Oguss suspects Kala and Kamakani bark unnecessarily because they are kept in an enclosure that is about 10,000 square feet part of the day with three goats. "There's very little for them to do," Mr. Oguss says. "Barking is their TV."
The two dogs have learned to pipe down long enough for the county to dismiss the four citations. They aren't out of the woods yet. "If the Kapus re-offend within six months," Mr. Oguss says, "then the matter will be revisited."
Write to Jim Carlton at jim.carlton@wsj.com
Corrections & Amplifications The pair of dogs featured in this article are kept in an enclosure that is about 10,000 square feet only part of the day, according to their owners. An earlier version of this article said the enclosure was 20-feet-by-20-feet, or 400 square feet, and implied that the dogs spent most of their day in it. Also, Hawaii County refers some dog owners to trainer Carl Oguss in an effort to reduce nuisance barking. An earlier version of the headline incorrectly implied that the county refers people to more than one trainer.
4 Noteworthy Insider Buys And 6 Sells Last Week In Finance, Industrials And Service Sector Stocks
Last week (May 14th to 18th, 2012), insiders made noteworthy buys and sells (see definition below) in several finance, industrial and service sector stocks (our prior articles on last week's noteworthy buys in the biotech, technology, mining and energy, and consumer and retail stocks can be accessed by clicking on the above hyperlinks).
The transactions in this article were selected based on a review of over 2,200 separate SEC Form 4 (insider trading) filings last week, as part of our daily and weekly coverage of insider trades. The filings are noteworthy based on the dollar amount sold, the number of insiders buying or selling, and based on whether the overall buying or selling represents a strong pick-up based on historical buying and selling in the stock. The following are two of the more significant noteworthy trades in the finance, industrial and service sectors last week (for more info on how to interpret insider trades, please refer to the end of this article):
Travelers Companies Inc. (TRV): TRV provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations and individuals primarily in the U.S. On Tuesday, Chairman & CEO Jay Fishman filed SEC Form 4 indicating that he exercised options to acquire 250,000 shares and sold those and an additional 50,000 shares for $19.4 million, pursuant to a 10b5-1 automated trading plan, ending with 0.52 million shares indirect and indirect holdings (not including derivative securities). In comparison, insiders sold 0.91 million shares in the past year.
TRV reported a strong Q1 (March) quarter four weeks ago, missing on revenues but beating analyst earnings estimates ($2.01 v/s $1.53). Its shares are up about 4% since the report, trading near all-time highs and at 10 forward P/E and 1.0 P/B compared to averages of 13.3 and 1.8 for its peers in the property and casualty insurance group.
Ventas Inc. (VTR): VTR is a publicly-owned real estate investment trust (REIT) that engages in the investment, management, financing and leasing of hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, senior housing facilities, medical office buildings, and other healthcare related facilities in the U.S. and Canada. On Friday, EVP Richard Riney filed SEC Form 4 indicating that he exercised options and sold the resulting 146,704 shares for $8.5 million, pursuant to an automated 10b5-1 plan, ending with 0.25 million shares in direct and indirect holdings (not including derivate securities). In comparison, corporate insiders sold 0.51 million shares in the past year.
VTR has been a long-term outperformer, rising over 15-fold since 2000, and it currently trades at a current 16.2 P/E on a TTM (trailing-twelve-month) basis and 1.8 P/B compared to averages of 13.8 and 1.2 for its peers in the equity trust REIT group.
Insiders reported noteworthy buys last week the finance, industrial and service sector stocks in:
- non-hazardous solid waste collection services company Republic Services Inc. (RSG), in which 10% owner Bill Gates via Cascade Investments LLC purchased 0.95 million shares for $24.7 million;
- Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ), that provides securities listing, trading, clearing, and information products and services worldwide, in which Stockholm-based Investor AB, an insider by virtue of being a 10% owner of company shares, bought 0.3 million shares for $7.1 million, increasing its holdings to 18.9 million shares;
- Two Harbors Investment (TWO), that is a REIT that focuses on investing in, financing and managing residential mortgage-backed securities and related investments, in which five insiders purchased 33,300 shares for $0.34 million, in comparison to 0.40 million shares purchased by insiders in the past year; and
- Bank of America (BAC), that is a global financial services company providing banking and financial services to individuals, small- and middle-market businesses, corporations and governments primarily in the U.S., and also internationally in over 40 foreign countries, in which Director Donald Powell purchased 12,000 shares for $88,320, in comparison to 47,000 shares purchased by insiders in the past year.
On top of these, insiders also reported noteworthy sales last week in the finance, industrial and service sector stocks in:
- REIT Public Storage (PSA) that acquires, owns and operates over 2,000 self-storage facilities in the U.S. and Europe, in which Chairman Emeritus Wayne Hughes sold 0.18 million shares for $24.5 million, in comparison to 1.93 million shares sold by insiders in the past year;
- Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), that is a manufacturer of plastic and metal fasteners and fastening tools for the construction, automotive and appliance markets, in which EVP Juan Valls sold 37,400 shares for $2.1 million, in comparison to 0.53 million shares sold by insiders in the past year;
- Cummins Inc. (CMI), that manufactures diesel and natural gas engines, electric power generation systems and engine-related component products for OEMs worldwide, in which two insiders sold 13,000 shares for $1.4 million, in comparison to 86,029 shares sold by insiders in the past year; and
- UDR Inc. (UDR), that operates as a self-administered equity REIT that owns, acquires, renovates, develops and manages middle-market apartment communities, in which CFO David Messenger sold 35,000 shares for $0.94 million, in comparison to 0.15 million shares sold by insiders in the past year.
Credit: Fundamental data in this article and company descriptions are based on SEC filings, Zacks Investment Research, Yahoo, Thomson Reuters and Briefing.com. The information and data is believed to be accurate, but no guarantees or representations are made.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. Further, these are our 'opinions' and we may be wrong. We may have positions in securities mentioned in this article. You should take this into consideration before acting on any advice given in this article. If this makes you uncomfortable, then do not listen to our thoughts and opinions. The contents of this article do not take into consideration your individual investment objectives so consult with your own financial adviser before making an investment decision. Investing includes certain risks including loss of principal.
Specific Disease Problems Which Medical Marijuana Can Help
Today, using of medical marijuana has been legalized in some states. But in general, marijuana is federally illegal. This makes us wonder what could be the possible reasons as to why it has been legalized for medicinal use. Actually, there are multiple diseases and symptoms for which medicinal marijuana helps substantially.
1. How Variety of Ailments are Treated
2. Chronic Pain – Actually, chronic pain overall is the single largest usage of medical marijuana. The pain pathways in the central nervous system is being blocked, but through a different neurochemical signaling system than opiates. And because they are acting in two different ways, opiates and marijuana may act together as complementary analgesic medications.
3. Severe Nausea – Medical marijuana’s longest standing use is for nausea and vomiting prevention. Patients under cancer chemo or radiation therapy can be best for this. When you use marijuana for this wasting and nausea, great results can be seen. Medical marijuana can effectively let the patient gain up to 40 to 50 pounds.
4. Severe Muscle Spasms – Although there may be conventional medications which are available by prescription for these symptoms today the effects can be not so good since there are times which these meds can cause weakness or drowsiness. Patients experience muscle spasm when tense reflexively and resist stretching. There is relief seen evidently for those patients utilizing medical marijuana for reducing muscle spasticity and pain.
5. Cancer- Those patients who have cancer can be helped with medical marijuana for five reasons. It suppresses vomiting, suppresses nausea, provides pain relief, increases appetite, and calms anxiety.
6. Glaucoma – Until now, research cannot really show exactly how cannabinoids reduce intraocular pressure. The intra-ocular pressure can be reduced for about 4 hours.
7. Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome – It is wasting, or cachexia when there is dramatic weight loss of lean body mass. This would usually happen to over fifty percent of cancer patients. Even patients suffering from AIDS may also experience wasting. Patients are over three times more likely to stick with their anti-retroviral medication regimen and they may gain up to forty to fifty pounds due to THC.
8. ALS- The medical marijuana contains cannabinoids which may protect against glutamate toxicity. ALS involves excessive glutamate in the spinal fluid, brain tissue, and serum of those suffering thus making it so helpful. The chance of glutamate toxicity is lowered, thus there is a chance that marijuana may have a neuroprotective effect. There are also other effects like less drooling issues which are a common problem with ALS, alleviation of pain and spasms, and improvement of appetite.
9. HIV and AIDS – The appetite, which is critical to cancer patients who are having chemo as well as for AIDS patients, is being stimulated as well.
10. Multiple Sclerosis – MS patients suffer symptoms of tremors, imbalance, spasticity, depression, and fatigue. And all these can be relieved with marijuana.
Search marijuana in ca into Ask.com; do you find what you need? The next time you enter in long beach dispensaries, you’ll observe that these hyperlinks are what you really needed!
American Express Will Keep Charging in 2012
With 2012 just beginning, now's a smart time to gauge how the stocks you're interested in are likely to do this year and beyond. By knowing what stock analysts and fellow investors expect from a stock, you'll be smarter about whether you should buy it for your portfolio -- or sell it if you already own it.
Today, let's take a look at American Express (NYSE: AXP ) . As I discussed last month, the company known for its charge card has fallen behind the competition in terms of size and popularity. But with several ideas to get back in the game, AmEx is poised to build on its modest stock gains from last year. Below, I'll take a closer look at what people expect from American Express and its rivals.
Forecasts on American Express
| Median Target Stock Price | $56.50 |
| 2011 EPS Estimate | $4.08 |
| 2012 EPS Estimate | $4.17 |
| Expected Annual Earnings Growth, Next 5 Years | 11% |
| Forward P/E | 11.6 |
| CAPS Rating | **** |
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
Will American Express keep moving fast in 2012?
Analysts expect healthy gains for AmEx shareholders. Although they see pretty weak earnings growth in 2012, the target price of $56.50 is about 17% higher than where shares closed Friday.
AmEx has become the value play in the card industry. Both MasterCard (NYSE: MA ) and Visa (NYSE: V ) are expected to grow more quickly, and they carry the higher valuations to reflect that growth. Interestingly, though, AmEx has three times the revenue of Visa and more than four times what MasterCard gets in sales. But with much narrower margins -- resulting from the fact that AmEx takes on credit risk, while Visa and MasterCard don't -- AmEx's profits are only marginally higher than its two rivals.
From the credit-quality perspective, though, AmEx also appears to be improving. Over the past year and a half, its Tier 1 capital ratio has jumped by 2.5 percentage points to a much healthier 12.3%. That's more dramatic than Citigroup (NYSE: C ) and its 2.2 percentage point increase, although Citi weighs in with a higher 13.5% ratio. Moreover, it's solidly ahead of Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) , which saw its Tier 1 capital ratio go from 10.2% in the first quarter of 2010 to 11.5% in its most recent quarter.
With lingering issues from the financial crisis beginning to fade, AmEx can now focus on initiatives like its electronic wallet and prepaid card offerings. The market is highly competitive, so those products aren't guaranteed to succeed. But with the well-regarded AmEx brand behind them, they'll certainly give fellow card issuers and networks alike a run for their money.
AmEx is getting ready for a world where credit cards could become a thing of the past. But some stocks are even better placed to take advantage of changes in the way we pay. Watch this free video to discover why your credit card may soon be absolutely worthless -- but don't wait. Click here to see it while it lasts.
Click here to add American Express to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.
Coal, rail stocks hit by Patriot Coal view
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) � Shares of coal producers Alpha Natural, Consol Energy and Peabody Energy Corp. finished near the bottom among components of the S&P 500 on Friday, after a key competitor said it�s facing weaker export markets for coal used to make steel.
/quotes/zigman/485730/quotes/nls/pcx PCX 1.26, +0.19, +17.76% /quotes/zigman/362718/quotes/nls/anr ANR 8.19, +0.46, +5.95% /quotes/zigman/190880/quotes/nls/cnx CNX 28.58, +1.52, +5.62% /quotes/zigman/282895/quotes/nls/btu BTU 22.27, +1.15, +5.45% /quotes/zigman/223740/quotes/nls/csx CSX 21.84, +0.41, +1.91% /quotes/zigman/235929/quotes/nls/nsc NSC 69.76, +0.45, +0.65% Coal, rail stocks hit by dimmer view
Already hit by a mild winter that�s dampened demand for thermal coal used for power plants and electric heat, Wall Street is now bidding down shares of coal firms based on softness in the market for metallurgical coal.
Patriot Coal PCX �triggered the sell-off by revealing plans to curtail higher cost production at its Rocklick and Wells operations.
�Metallurgical coal demand has trended steadily downward in recent weeks, most notably in the export market,� said Patriot CEO Richard Whiting. �These production cuts, in conjunction with other cost-reduction measures ... are aimed at lowering our mining costs, aligning production with identified sales, and preserving high-quality reserves for a stronger market.�
Patriot Coal fell 12.8% to $7.87, its lowest level since 2009.
Among components of the S&P 500 SPX , Alpha Natural Resources ANR �rang up the steepest loses on Friday. Shares of Alpha Natural dropped 10.5% to $20.19.
Click to Play U.S. stocks tumbleU.S. stocks fell on fears of a credit downgrade of several euro-zone countries and J.P. Morgan reporting sharp profit drop. Photo: AP
Consol Energy CNX dropped 6% and Peabody Energy Corp. BTU �moved down by 4%.
Shares of railroad CSX Corp. CSX , which reported 31% of revenue and 25% of volume in 2010 from coal shipments, fell 3%.
Union Pacific Corp. UNP , which got 22% of its 2010 freight revenue from coal, saw its shares shed 1.2%.
Norfolk Southern NSC �fell 2.2%. The company� 2010 annual report said coal, coke, and iron ore accounted for about 28% of the company�s railway operating revenues in 2010.
Sterne Agee & Leach analyst Michael Dudas said Patriot�s decision to curtail coal production supports his call for a 10-15 million reduction in production forecasts out of the U.S. as mining costs and near-term demand uncertainties force cutbacks.
Top Stocks For 4/6/2012-12
National Health Partners, Inc. (NHPR)
In terms of what should be done in the health insurance sector, the Kaiser poll found expanding coverage for the uninsured is at the top of the list of voter concerns. An overwhelming 85% want the government to do more to help provide health insurance for more Americans. People from every part of the country want progress on controlling health care costs, assuring access to medical care, and providing the highest possible quality of care. 67% want the President and Congress to increase spending on medical research for treatment and cures of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
National Health Partners, Inc. is a national healthcare savings organization that provides discount healthcare membership programs to uninsured and underinsured people through a national healthcare savings network called “CARExpress.” CARExpress is one of the largest networks of hospitals, doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare providers in the country and is comprised of over 1,000,000 medical professionals that belong to such PPOs as CareMark and Aetna. The company’s primary target customer group is the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance of any kind. The company’s secondary target customer group includes the millions of Americans who lack complete health insurance coverage. The company is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.
National Health Partners Inc recently announced the launch of a new network marketing program by one of its strategic partners, Xpress Healthcare, LLC. Xpress Healthcare has teamed up with CARExpress in an effort to revolutionize the discount healthcare industry while at the same time bringing financial freedom to families across the nation.
By the end of the second quarter of 2011, Xpress Healthcare anticipates adding over 100 new brokers both participating in and promoting National Health Partners’ CARExpress program and should enroll over 2,500 new members.
Xpress also expects its growth to accelerate in the 3rd quarter as it anticipates recruiting an additional 200 new brokers which should generate over 10,000 new CARExpress sales. According to National Health Partners, Offering tremendous growth potential, Xpress Healthcare is well positioned to become the leading marketing arm for its CARExpress and now Strong Sales are projected for 2nd Quarter from this new strategic partnership.
For more information on the company, please visit its website at www.nationalhealthpartners.com.
China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE:DL) announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The annual report can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.cdeledu.com under the section titled “Financials - Annual Reports.” CDEL will provide a hard copy of its complete audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to our IR representatives stated below, or in writing to China Distance Education Holdings Limited, 18th Floor, Xueyuan International Tower, 1 Zhichun Road, Haidian District, Beijing China, 100083.
China Distance Education Holdings Limited provides online education and test preparation courses, and other related services and products.
Transcontinental Realty Investors Inc. (NYSE:TCI) reported results of operations for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010. The Company reported net loss applicable to common shares of $68.3 million or $8.42 per diluted earnings per share, as compared to a net loss applicable to common shares of $80.7 million or $9.94 per diluted earnings per share for the same period ended 2009. Net loss applicable to common shares for the three months ended December 31, 2010 was $27.9 million or $3.43 per share, as compared to a net loss applicable to common shares of $26.0 million or $3.20 per share. The Company took impairment on notes receivable and real estate of $24.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to $14.0 million for the same period ended 2009.
Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc. acquires, develops, and owns residential and commercial real estate properties through acquisitions, leases, and partnerships in the United States.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (NYSE:SMI) announced the audited consolidated results of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) for the year ended December 31, 2010. Sales increased by 45.3% from US$1,070.4 million for 2009 to US$1,554.8 million for 2010, primarily due to an increase in overall wafer shipment. For the full year 2010, the overall wafer shipments were 1,985,974 units of 8-inch equivalent wafers, up 44.3% year-on-year.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in designing, manufacturing, and trading integrated circuits.
Positioning Investments for a Debt Ceiling Decision
As I type, there is still significant uncertainty about the debt ceiling. Will the Republicans give in and allow more spending, or will the Republicans stand firm and bring the government's operation to a standstill?
If the debt ceiling isn't raised on time to make the August payments on US Treasury securities, the only options would be for the government to immediately print money to pay the securities or for the US government to immediately shutdown operations, halting paychecks and possibly even halting all federal retirement checks and social security checks.
Because T-bills currently yield 0.02% or below, there is not a strong argument that there is significant need to curtail the debt limit. But of course, there is an argument that this economy is getting totally out of control, and taking any efforts which haven't been tried yet could be worth a shot.
Effects of the Republican Solution:
If the government is forced to shutdown even just for a few days or the debt limit increase is only very small, there will be no way for the economy to escape a double dip recession. The budget deficit will see immediate improvement, but incomes for much of the US will be lowered. This income reduction will result in an immediate drop in consumer spending, which will decrease GDP, but it will also help reduce the trade deficit. This will result in a strengthening of the dollar. So in other words, the Republican solution and threats will lead to a stronger dollar, but a definite recession. I believe this policy action would effectively take away power from the Federal Reserve and instead put the power in the hands of politicians.
Effects of the Democrat Solution:
On the other hand, using the Democrats' methods of upping the debt limit right away and without much caution will result in a continuation of what has been occurring for the past several years. The dollar will continue to weaken, which will stimulate net exports, and slightly boost the private sector job market. The Democrats' plan relies more on a waiting game for the Chinese yuan to be revalued properly to stimulate US exports, while the Republican plan attempts to force even more efficiency on the US economy without any crutches whatsoever.
Analysis:
Either plan will actually work, but politically the Republicans will have the ability to make it appear as if president Obama has destroyed the economy by putting it through two recessions, the second one occurring right before the elections. The truth, without party bias, is that the Republican plan is much harder on America in the short run, but better in the long run. The Democrats' plan is easier in the short run, but worse for the long run. With such a vicious economy, with seemingly no improvement in sight for years, there is a great argument for either direction. I think if the Republicans directed their government spending cuts energies on the war rather than on essential services and income to the poor, they would have nearly universal support. The logic being, if everybody is totally messed up anyways, why not just officially mess up hard and end the pain sooner? Kind of like pulling off a band-aid quickly rather than slowly. I tend to agree with that philosophy.
The problem is that Republican theory is not designed to improve the economy; it is designed to get their party members elected and nothing more.
Investment Decision Making:
I think it is somewhat safe to prepare for a recession at this point, but if the Republican plans go through, a recession is a near certainty. The recession will probably not hit that hard though because the economy is already in such ruins. The last recession we had would have been much, much deeper if government spending were not increased like it was. Those government jobs which cushioned the recession are now going to be erased due to lack of government ability to pay.
If the Republicans get their way, the best portfolio positioning for a recession will be to take long positions in high duration government bonds such as the (TLT) bond fund. With less debt issued, inflation is much lower of a concern, and the likelihood of a government default in the future decreases when fiscal policy is forced like it will be. Gold (GLD) will be undesirable to hold because fiscal restraint will cause the dollar to strengthen. Also, deflation could come around again if the recession is strong enough, further causing (GLD) to be undesirable. The flight to precious metals in past recessions would likely not occur because this recession would be because of fiscal restraint rather than increased US debt. At the least, Gold would stop its monumental rise. Stocks (SPY, QQQ, DIA), would likely be undesirable to own due to pressure on US exporters from the stronger dollar. In short, the Republican plan should make one bullish for government bonds.
If the Democrats get their way, government bonds (TLT) will weaken due to the increasing inflation pressure and the higher risk for a giant debt default in the future. Stocks would be more desirable to own because US exporters would have a weaker dollar to work with right away. Employment will be much, much better under the Democrats' plan, so real estate would likely be less risky versus the Republican plan. In short, the Democrats' plan should make one more bullish on US exporter stocks and real estate and bearish for government bonds.
My guess is the debt ceiling will be raised, but much, much less than the Democrats wished it would. This will probably result in a recession. This presents an opportunity for hedging market risk by taking short positions in stocks. Several major asset classes can be seen in the chart below (click to enlarge image):
Over the past year, government bonds are down roughly five percent, while gold and stocks are each up approximately thirty percent. This leaves plenty of room for stocks to fall and bonds to rise if the Republican plan goes through. If the Democrats' plan goes through, it seems unlikely that stocks will continue a significant rise, but they would likely hold on to most of their prior gains. The economy is slowing; it is just now a question of how much it will slow for the elections.
Disclosure: I am long SPY, TLT. My portfolio is slightly beta negative from a combination of shorts and longs in some of the securities mentioned in this article.
Will Greece Leave the EU Monetary Union?
The unscheduled meeting between several euro zone finance ministers, Eurogroup head Juncker, EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Rehn, ECB President Trichet and a few other senior officials was important. It marks the official recognition that the year-old Greek aid package is not working. This does not mean that Greece is about to exit monetary union, rather it means officials are going back to the drawing board and re-evaluating their options. It raises the significance of next week's (May 16) summit of European finance ministers.
Drawing on my analysis of other debt crisis, I have consistently argued that Greece (and Ireland, and possibly Portugal) will have to restructure their debt. In a recent post "Catalysts for Changing FX Drivers", I argued European officials would soon have to make some difficult decisions because Greece needs more funds and it would most likely not be able to effectively tap the capital markets next year as the IMF/EU assistance program had assumed.Is Gardner Denver the Perfect Stock?
Every investor would love to stumble upon the perfect stock. But will you ever really find a stock that provides everything you could possibly want?
One thing's for sure: You'll never discover truly great investments unless you actively look for them. Let's discuss the ideal qualities of a perfect stock, then decide if Gardner Denver (NYSE: GDI ) fits the bill.
The quest for perfection
Stocks that look great based on one factor may prove horrible elsewhere, making due diligence a crucial part of your investing research. The best stocks excel in many different areas, including these important factors:
- Growth. Expanding businesses show healthy revenue growth. While past growth is no guarantee that revenue will keep rising, it's certainly a better sign than a stagnant top line.
- Margins. Higher sales mean nothing if a company can't produce profits from them. Strong margins ensure that company can turn revenue into profit.
- Balance sheet. At debt-laden companies, banks and bondholders compete with shareholders for management's attention. Companies with strong balance sheets don't have to worry about the distraction of debt.
- Money-making opportunities. Return on equity helps measure how well a company is finding opportunities to turn its resources into profitable business endeavors.
- Valuation. You can't afford to pay too much for even the best companies. By using normalized figures, you can see how a stock's simple earnings multiple fits into a longer-term context.
- Dividends. For tangible proof of profits, a check to shareholders every three months can't be beat. Companies with solid dividends and strong commitments to increasing payouts treat shareholders well.
With those factors in mind, let's take a closer look at Gardner Denver.
| Factor | What We Want to See | Actual | Pass or Fail? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | 5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15% | 7.3% | Fail |
| � | 1-Year Revenue Growth > 12% | 25.1% | Pass |
| Margins | Gross Margin > 35% | 34.1% | Fail |
| � | Net Margin > 15% | 11.7% | Fail |
| Balance Sheet | Debt to Equity < 50% | 31.6% | Pass |
| � | Current Ratio > 1.3 | 2.01 | Pass |
| Opportunities | Return on Equity > 15% | 22.6% | Pass |
| Valuation | Normalized P/E < 20 | 15.32 | Pass |
| Dividends | Current Yield > 2% | 0.3% | Pass |
| � | 5-Year Dividend Growth > 10% | NM | NM |
| � | � | � | � |
| � | Total Score | � | 5 out of 9 |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. NM = not meaningful; Gardner started paying a dividend in Nov. 2009. Total score = number of passes.
With five points, Gardner Denver doesn't entirely distinguish itself. The company has a promising mix of businesses, but it also carries substantial uncertainty right now.
Gardner makes industrial machinery and parts for use around the world. Its industrial products segment makes compressors, blowers, and vacuum pumps for general purposes. But its engineered products segment makes products that are used in oil and gas well drilling, a hot commodity these days. Just as drilling suppliers National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV ) and TETRA Technologies (NYSE: TTI ) have seen great success due to a turbocharged energy market lately, demand for drilling has made the engineered products division a lot more profitable for Gardner.
Recently, though, Gardner hasn't lived up to expectations. In its most recent quarterly report, Gardner managed to grow profits by 36%, but sales fell short of Wall Street estimates. With the company sensitive to problems in the European economy, the recent turmoil there casts a shadow on Gardner's future. Europe hasn't held Gardner down as much as it has European oil companies Total (NYSE: TOT ) and Eni (NYSE: E ) , but with more than a third of its revenue coming from the Continent, Gardner certainly feels the pain when Europe flares up.
For Gardner to keep up its score, it needs to have a healthy energy industry sustain its engineered products segment's growth. If it's fortunate enough to get that tailwind -- and some resolution in Europe -- then Gardner could push its way forward into the next global expansion.
Keep searching
No stock is a sure thing, but some stocks are a lot closer to perfect than others. By looking for the perfect stock, you'll go a long way toward improving your investing prowess and learning how to separate out the best investments from the rest.
Gardner may not be a perfect stock, but we've got some ideas you may like better. Let me invite you to learn about three smart long-term stock plays in the Fool's latest special report. It's yours for the taking and is absolutely free, but don't miss out -- click here and read it today.
Click here to add Gardner Denver to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Today's Big Stock Trade
M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. operates in two business segments: homebuilding and financial services. The homebuilding operations consist of wholly owned subsidiary companies, which purchase finished lots for the construction and sale of single-family detached homes to homebuyers under the name Richmond American Homes. The homebuilding operation operates in four business segments: West (Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington); Mountain (Colorado and Utah); East (Virginia and Maryland, which includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey), and other homebuilding (Florida and Illinois). The financial services and other segment consists of Home American Mortgage Corporation, which originates mortgage loans for the homebuyers; American Home Insurance Agency, Inc., which offers third-party insurance products to the homebuyers, and American Home Title and Escrow Company, which provides title agency services.Please take a look at the 1 yr. chart of MDC (M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.) that I have shown below with my added notations:
MDC has formed a nice up-trending Channel over the last 3 months. A Channel is simply formed through the combination of a trend line support that runs parallel to a trend line resistance. When it comes to a Channel, I always tell my students that any (3) points can start the Channel, but it’s the 4th test and beyond that confirm it. You can see that MDC has (5) separate test points between the Channel resistance (red) and Channel support (blue). Following the MDC Channel can provide you with both long and short trading opportunities. The Tale of the Tape: MDC has formed a common chart pattern know as a Channel, in this case, an up-Channel. A long opportunity could be entered on a pullback to the Channel support, which at this point seems to be around $24. Short trades could be entered at Channel resistance OR if MDC were to break below the Channel support. Before making any trading decision, decide which side of the trade you believe gives you the highest probability of success. Do you prefer the short side of the market, long side, or do you want to be in the market at all? If you haven’t thought about it, review the overall indices themselves. For example, take a look at the S&P 500. Is it trending higher or lower? Has it recently broken through a key resistance or support level? Making these decisions ahead of time will help you decide which side of the trade you believe gives you the best opportunities.
Best Stocks To Invest In 6/4/2012-3
PHILADELPHIA — (CRWENEWSWIRE) — Lannett Company, Inc. (NYSE AMEX:LCI) today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of its supplemental Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Phentermine HCl Capsules, 15 mg. Sales of Phentermine HCl Capsules, 15 mg, at Average Wholesale Price (AWP) were approximately $11 million for the year ending December 2011, according to Wolters Kluwer. Additional sales of this drug are made through bariatric centers. The company expects to commence shipping the product shortly.
�We have a deep pipeline that includes several late-stage, large market opportunity drugs, and an active product development program focused on expanding our pain management franchise,� said Arthur P. Bedrosian, president and chief executive officer of Lannett. �Over the past seven months we have received nine product approvals, which included one New Drug Application, one supplemental ANDA and seven ANDAs. We especially would like to thank our local FDA representatives, as well as the reviewers at the Office of Generic Drugs, who were helpful in getting these products approved.�
Phentermine Hydrochloride (HCl) is indicated for the short-term management of obesity.
About Lannett Company, Inc.:
Lannett Company, founded in 1942, develops, manufactures, packages, markets and distributes generic pharmaceutical products for a wide range of indications. For more information, visit the company�s website at www.lannett.com.
This news release contains certain statements of a forward-looking nature relating to future events or future business performance. Any such statements, including, but not limited to, successfully commercializing Phentermine HCl 15 mg Capsules, whether expressed or implied, are subject to risks and uncertainties which can cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors which include, but are not limited to, the difficulty in predicting the timing or outcome of FDA or other regulatory approvals or actions, the ability to successfully commercialize products upon approval, Lannett�s estimated or anticipated future financial results, future inventory levels, future competition or pricing, future levels of operating expenses, product development efforts or performance, and other risk factors discussed in the company�s Form 10-K and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These forward-looking statements represent the company�s judgment as of the date of this news release. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Source: Lannett Company, Inc.
Contact:
PondelWilkinson Inc.
Robert Jaffe, 310-279-5980
THIS IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY OR SELL ANY SECURITY!
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