Friday, November 30, 2012

Bill Ackman Finds a Low-Risk Way to Play a Housing Rebound

Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Management touted Fortune Brands Home & Security (FBHS), a maker of kitchen and security brands like Master Lock, at the Value Investing Congress in New York today. The stock spiked 5% immediately after the pick was announced.

“We think there’s immense upside potential,” said Ali Namvar, an analyst for Pershing Square who gave the presentation after Ackman’s introduction.

Fortune just went public in a spin-off from Fortune Brands Inc. this month.

The current valuation assumes almost no housing recovery in the next five years, he said. If housing starts return to more normalized levels, FBHS is poised to double or triple its EBITDA. Even without a recovery, the company has ample room to grow its margins.

“Investing in FBHS is a great low-risk way to profit from an eventual housing recovery.”

Pershing Square owns about 15% of the company, Ackman said during a Q&A afterward.

Why Target Won’t Stock Frank Ocean’s Album

Controversy is swirling around singer Frank Ocean. With a new album, Channel Orange, about to hit stores next week, Ocean recently admitted that some of the songs on the album refer to a former romance with a man, the Los Angeles Times notes.

And now Target (NYSE:TGT) has announced that it will not stock Channel Orange. The discount retailer’s stand provoked tweets from Ocean’s manager, Christian Clancy, hinting that it was bowing to pressure from anti-gay groups.

Kraft’s ‘Gay Oreo’ Causes Cookie Controversy

But Target maintains that it’s refusing the carry Ocean’s CD because the singer has already released the album digitally through Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes, and it prefers to stock only albums released on physical formats like CDs without advance digital sales.

Target also pointed out that it stocks albums from a number of gay and lesbian musicians, including Elton John, Ricky Martin and�Adam Lambert, as well as retailing gay pride-themed apparel.

Clancy has since retreated from his earlier assertions regarding Target’s motives.

Shares of Target rose more than 2% in Friday trading.

4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: StoneMor Partners

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, cemetery operator StoneMor Partners (Nasdaq: STON  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at StoneMor's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

StoneMor facts

Headquarters (Founded) Levittown, Pa. (1999)
Market Cap $471.4 million
Industry Personal services
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $225.4 million
Management Chairman/CEO Lawrence Miller
CFO William Shane
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) (1.6%)
Cash/Debt $20.1 million / $175.6 million
Dividend Yield 9.6%
Competitors Matthews International (Nasdaq: MATW  )
Service Corp. (NYSE: SCI  )
Stewart Enterprises (Nasdaq: STEI  )

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

On CAPS, 96% of the 251 members who have rated StoneMor believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include ccjeep and All-Star TSIF, who is ranked in the top 0.5% of our community. �

Just last month, ccjeep tapped StoneMor as a solid total-return opportunity: "Misunderstood by most, well run and will continue to pay hefty dividend plus capital appreciation."

Over the next five years, in fact, StoneMor is expected to grow its bottom line at a solid rate 13% annually. That's slightly faster than that of competitors like Matthews (11%), Service Corp. (10%), and Stewart (10%).

CAPS All-Star TSIF follows Fool Rising Star Alex Pape's lead and gets bullish on StoneMor:

Alex points out how StoneMor's business from a financial perspective is not well understood by the markets. StoneMor deals in funeral services from plots, perpetual care, funeral needs such as headstones, caskets, cremations etc. Cashflow in particular can be difficult to follow due to accounting requirements that Alex outlined very well. ...

While I wasn't interested in StoneMor last July at the $28 entry price, I am an opportunist and low volume equities that start triggering stop losses can be opportunities. ... The overall industry is recession proof!

What do you think about StoneMor, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!

Canada equities mostly higher after Greek move

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) � Canadian equities finished mostly higher Monday, taking their cue from broad gains in global markets as investors cheered the approval of austerity measures in Greece needed for the country to receive international aid.

Canada�s benchmark index posted its first gain in three sessions, though it ended well off the session�s high as Greece�s economic outlook remained uncertain.

Toronto�s S&P/TSX Composite Index CA:GSPTSE �rose 9.27 points, or 0.1%, to close at 12,398.69, after trading as high as 12,458.13. Among the benchmark�s sectors, information technology and telecommunications were posting gains.

�Canada is following the global risk-on tone ... in the wake of a successful austerity vote in Greece�s parliament,� said Derek Holt, vice president at Scotia Capital Economics.

Click to Play U.S. optimism: A repeat performance

While economic news and indicators have prompted optimism among analysts and other observers, good feeling also ran high a year ago � before things went sour. (Reuters photo: Lee Jae-Won.)

Late Sunday, Greece�s parliament passed tough austerity measures required for the nation to receive a second bailout, raising hopes that the country will be able to avoid defaulting on its debt. Read more on Greece.

Civil unrest and political tensions in Greece, however, fed continued uncertainty over the nation�s economic outlook.

And aside from Greece, there was little for the Canadian market to trade off of, Holt said in emailed comments.

In Toronto, the S&P/TSX Capped Telecommunications Services Index XX:TTTS �rose 0.5% and the S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index XX:TTTK �added 0.9%.

Shares of telecommunications carrier BCE Inc. CA:BCE �closed with a gain of 0.2%, while shares of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. CA:MBT �rallied 5.1%.

Manitoba Telecom on Friday reported an improvement in fourth-quarter earnings compared with a year ago and on Monday, RBC raised the stock�s rating to outperform from sector perform, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

Research In Motion Ltd. CA:RIM �saw its stock fall 3.6%. Meanwhile, shares of SXC Health Solutions Corp. �fell 0.5% after posting gains earlier in the session.

The S&P/TSX Global Gold Index XX:TTGD �fell 0.5% to stand among the worst-performing sectors.

Shares of Barrick Gold Corp. CA:ABX �lost 0.6%. Russia-focused gold producer Highland Gold Mining Ltd. said Monday that Barrick has decided to sell its 20.4% stake in the company. Read more on Barrick.

�Major domestic market-moving factors will arrive only by the end of the week when we expect the last month�s drop in inflation to reverse higher, which may put a bid to [the Canadian dollar] at that point,� Holt said.

Friday�s figures on consumer prices for January �could spice up the trading risks,� he said in a research note. �They are expected to post unchanged prints for headline and core in year-over-year terms, but the [month on month] pace is expected to return into the black following the declines in both measures during December.�

In currencies trading, the Canadian dollar USDCAD �strengthened against its U.S. counterpart, which was buying 99.97 Canadian cents, down from C$1.0012 late Friday.

�The recent strength in U.S. economic data has increased the appetite for the loonie,� said Michael Gregory, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, in a note.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Is Estee Lauder Companies Going to Burn You?

There's no foolproof way to know the future for Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE: EL  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball
In this series, we use accounts receivable and days sales outstanding to judge a company's current health and future prospects. It's an important step in separating the pretenders from the market's best stocks. Alone, AR -- the amount of money owed the company -- and DSO -- the number of days' worth of sales owed to the company -- don't tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can also suggest a desperate company that's trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like Estee Lauder do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don't like revenue shortfalls, and employees don't like reporting them to their superiors.

Is Estee Lauder sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter receivables, but I've plotted both above.

Watching the trends
When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars indicates a trend worth worrying about. Estee Lauder's latest average DSO stands at 43.2 days, and the end-of-quarter figure is 51.2 days. Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, and business needs can require occasional fluctuations, but all things being equal, I like to see this figure stay steady. So, let's get back to our original question: Based on DSO and sales, does Estee Lauder look like it might miss it numbers in the next quarter or two?

The numbers don't paint a clear picture. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, Estee Lauder's year-over-year revenue grew 18.4%, and its AR grew 19.3%. That looks ok, but end-of-quarter DSO increased 0.8% over the prior-year quarter. It was up 22.6% versus the prior quarter. That demands a good explanation. Still, I'm no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

What now?
I use this kind of analysis to figure out which investments I need to watch more closely as I hunt the market's best returns. However, some investors actively seek out companies on the wrong side of AR trends in order to sell them short, profiting when they eventually fall. Which way would you play this one? Let us know in the comments below, or keep up with the stocks mentioned in this article by tracking them in our free watchlist service, My Watchlist.

  • Add Estee Lauder to My Watchlist.

What Happened to Silver?

After providing a more thorough analysis of the precious metals market Monday morning, given silver's activity yesterday, we felt compelled to continue the discussion. The silver market has been extremely volatile as of late, and the day's action has proven no different. After peaking at 27.95 overnight, silver hovered around unchanged before dropping precipitously for no reason, ending Monday down almost 2%.

(Click charts to expand)

The large intraday price drop is certainly cause for concern among investors, but digging into Monday's volume action may be a bit more revealing.

Both silver futures and the SLV displayed average to light volume. The silver futures traded ~56.4k contracts compared with an average of 58.8k contracts over the last 45 days. The SLV traded 21.99 million shares compared with an average of 27.25 million shares.

What this all means is that the conviction in the selloff of silver appears to be waning. Even in the face of another big selloff in silver, with no reason in sight, silver traders did not panic and begin selling into the swoon. Rather, it appears that most holders stood pat and did nothing.

Most traders like to see high volume behind either a downside or upside breakout in order to confirm its conviction. Furthermore, they view decreasing volume behind a continuing trend as a sign that a reversal is imminent. The tailing off of volume behind silver's selloff is an interesting phenomenon that will have to be monitored.

For now, we recommend selling far out of the money put options on silver futures as a way to profit from the silver correction while still maintaining some margin of protection against a continued pullback. The 25 puts for December futures can be sold for $2.4, meaning the trader will profit as long as silver is above $22.6 at the end of November.

We also like SLW, as it appears to have bottomed before silver. Even with silver selling off almost 2% on the day Monday, SLW traded up a fraction, indicating that selling pressure may have abated on the royalty trust. As silver prices rise, SLW's earnings will rise at an even faster pace given the fixed amount they pay for silver (roughly $4/ounce) and the variable price they collect.



Disclosure: I am long GDX, GDXJ, GLD, SLV, SLW and long silver futures.

Vascular Solutions: Still A Strong Long-Term Buy

Vascular Solution’s (VASC) management reported revenue of $24.3 million in Q3 2011 versus consensus estimates of $25.0 million. The poorer-than-expected performance was largely due to weak sales in the company’s hemostat and vein product lines.

Hemostat products had revenue of $4.9 million, a Y/Y decline of -6%, while vein product had revenue of $2.5 million, a Y/Y decline of -12%. Competition in these mature markets continues to eat away at margins.

  • Vein Products: Hopes that Vascular Solution’s Vari-Lase product line revenue would improve as Covidien (COV) subsidiary VNUS enforced patents against discount competitors have so far proved unfounded. Litigation between VNUS and competitor Diomed is still ongoing. As a result, Diomed is able to continue to undersell Vascular Solutions. Resolution of the litigation in VNUS’s favor would benefit Vari-Lase sales.
  • Hemostat Products: It appears that revenues will continue to be flat or declining in Vascular Solution’s hemostat product lines. Management cited competitive pricing pressure for Vascular Solution’s D-Stat Dry product. However, the company could see upside if Marine Polymer’s injunction against competitor HemCon is enforced. Marine Polymer was awarded an injunction in September but Hemcon was subsequently given a stay. The injunction would prevent HemCon from selling such products as the HemCon Bandage and the Chitoflex and Dental Dressings. Vascular Solutions management did say that launches of Silver versions of the D-Stat Dry and Thrombix products, which include a new antimicrobial ingredient, would enable the company to maintain hemostat market share.

Catheter sales continue to be Vascular Solution’s growth driver. The segment had revenue of $13.5 million in Q3, Y/Y improvement of 35%. This was lower than expectations due to relatively weak sales in the Pronto extraction catheter line. The launch of the Pronto V4 has been delayed by manufacturing issues and increased competition has taken market share.

The bright spot in the catheter segments continues to be the GuideLiner, Vascular Solution’s superstar product. GuideLiner revenue in Q3 was $2.4 million, up 87% Y/Y. Management has estimated the market potential of the GuideLiner to be $30 million. One of the most promising aspects of the GuideLiner is that it gives Vascular Solutions’ sales reps inroads into new customers. 1,311 U.S. hospitals have now purchased the GuideLiner.

Guidance

Management projected full-year 2011 revenues of $90.2-$90.6 million and EPS of $0.56-$0.58. Management also expects 2012 revenue growth of 9% and EPS growth of 15%, excluding one-time items that occurred in 2011.

Valuation

Although pricing pressures are a cause for concerns and continued monitoring is needed, Vascular Solutions has a record of strong revenue growth and a diverse product portfolio to rely upon. A P/E of 25x-27x is a reasonable premium to the company’s peer group. On that basis, a price target of $13.50 appears conservative.

Investment Thesis

Vascular Solutions continues to look like a good buy for the long-term investor who wants a conservative growth stock and small-cap exposure.

  • Competitive Market Position: Vascular Solutions occupies a unique place in the market. Its approximately 90-rep sales force gives it the sales capability of a large medical device company but it targets niche markets that are too small for the larger players. This gives the company two advantages: 1) it dominates many of its niche markets, and 2) its sales force enables it to go where other small competitors cannot.
  • Accretive Acquisition and Organic Growth Opportunities: Strong free cash flow generation and balance sheet with $17.8 million in cash and no debt gives the company the opportunity to acquire small product lines and invest in long-term R&D. Vascular Solutions’ existing sales force can add new products to their product bags without incremental cost increases.
  • Top-Line Growth Leads to Bottom Line Margin Improvement: Vascular Solutions will be able to bring more and more manufacturing processes in-house to achieve lower costs as it achieves scale in its portfolio. Excluding two one-time items that boosted operating margins in Q3, Vascular Solutions had Q3 operating margins of 13%, a 30% Y/Y improvement.
  • Expansion into Larger Opportunity Markets: In the long-term, Vascular Solutoins is developing two products that it believe have major market opportunity. The first, Magna Seal, is a magnesium-based product which could be used following interventional procedures to seal arteries, would compete in the $500 million market currently dominated by St. Jude Medical’s (STJ) Angio-Seal. The second, the Acolysis Ultrasound Thombolis System, would compete in a $200 million market. Acolysis can be used to treat arterial disease by delivering ultrasound through an intravascular probe. Acolysis currently has a CE mark but is not yet approved for the U.S. market. U.S. launches for both of these products may occur in 2012 or 2013. If successful, Vascular Solutions could become a takeover target for a larger player.

Additional Commentary

Low Takeover Potential: Do not expect Vascular Solutions to be a takeover target anytime soon. The company’s strategy is to pursue niche markets below the radar of larger competitors. Any potential buyer would be taking on a broad and diverse portfolio of low-opportunity products.

Strong Management Team: The CEO/founder maintains a sizable equity stake in the company. The management team has a track record of making itself very available to the investment community and has significant regulatory expertise.

Disclosure: I am long VASC.

5 Disturbingly Expensive Stocks

What follows is a list of companies with PE ratios above 20, typically indicative of an expensive stock (although one-time charges often inflate figures). The least preferred on the Street is Verizon (VZ), which is rated a "hold." These companies are part of a variety of different industries: oil well services and equipment, airlines, communications, and biotech. I am most bullish on Merck & Co (MRK) due to its favorable risk/reward: that is to say, while the company has an undervalued pipeline that offers meaningful upside, its inelastic demand market offers safety from a double dip.

Schlumberger (SLB)

Schlumberger is rated near a "strong buy" and trades at a respective 21.8x and 13.3x past and forward earnings with a dividend yield of 1.4%. It has a beta of 1.4.

Consensus estimates for Schlumberger's EPS forecast that it will grow by 28.7% to $4.71 in 2012, and then by 22.1% and 19.5% more in the following two years. Of the 31 revisions to estimates, 25 have gone down for a net change of -3.7%. Modeling a CAGR of 23.4% for EPS over the next three years and then discounting backwards by a WACC of 9% yields a fair value figure of $85.94, implying 15.2% upside. Typically, for an investment to be considered a value play, the discount must exceed 25%. Given sovereign debt issues in Europe, slowing international growth, and domestic price pressure, the stock is overly expensive at the current moment.

Southwest Airlines (LUV)

Southwest is rated a "buy" and trades at a respective 41.8x and 8.9x past and forward earnings with a dividend yield of 0.2%. It has a beta of 1.1

Consensus estimates for Southwest's EPS forecast that it will grow by 93% to $0.83 in 2012, grow by 30.1% in 2013, and then decline by 0.9% in 2014. Assuming a multiple of 13x and a conservative 2013 EPS of $1.03, the rough intrinsic value of the stock is $13.39. Management is now scaling back operations, which indicates supply and demand imbalance. The uncertainty surrounding market equilibrium makes an investment risky at this point, especially with the PE multiple at the absolute high-end of peers.

Verizon

Verizon is rated a "hold" and trades at a respective 41.8x and 8.9x past and forward earnings with a dividend yield of 5.4%. It has a beta of 0.6.

Consensus estimates for Verizon's EPS forecast that it will grow by 2.9% to $6.41 in 2011, and then by 14.5% and 23.2% more in the following two years. Modeling a CAGR of 13.2% for EPS over the next three years and then discounting backwards by a WACC of 9% yields a fair value figure of $114.64, implying 20.2% upside. The company similarly trades at the high-end of peers while not meeting the threshold that I consider indicates a value play.

Qualcomm (QCOM)

Qualcomm is rated near a "strong buy" and trades at a respective 21.3x and 14.5x past and forward earnings with a dividend yield of 1.5%. It has a beta of 0.9.

Consensus estimates for Qualcomm's EPS forecast that it will grow by 11.6% to $3.57 in 2012 and then by 11.8% and 13% in the following two years. Assuming a multiple of 16x and a conservative 2013 EPS of $3.90, the stock has roughly 8.1% upside. Again, this small discount does not justify the company trading at the high-end of peers. While the 3G development in China represents a major catalyst, end-market demand in communications remains uncertain.

Merck & Co.

Merck is rated a "buy" and trades at a respective 26.4x and 10x past and forward earnings with a dividend yield of 4.4%. It has a beta of 0.7.

Consensus estimates for Merck's EPS forecast that it will be roughly flat, growing by only 10.5% to $3.78 in 2013. Modeling a CAGR of 3.5% for EPS over the next three years and then discounting backwards by a WACC of 9% yields a fair value figure of $48.86, implying 27.1% upside. This may be an attractive discount, but the fact that the company has one of the weakest pipelines compared with peers warrants holding out for biotech companies with greater upside.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

Will Europeans Steal Investors’ Christmas?

The markets started the day on a high note yesterday, influenced by what seemed to be an agreement between Germany and France to endorse fiscal discipline into EU treaties. But just after lunch in New York, 15 of the euro zone countries were placed on negative credit watch by S&P. Two of the countries were triple-A-rated Germany and France, along with the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Luxembourg.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.65%, the S&P 500 rose 1.03%, and the Nasdaq gained 1.1%. Advancers led decliners on the NYSE by 3.5-to-1, and on the Nasdaq, advancers led by 2.3-to-1. The NYSE traded 891 million shares while the Nasdaq crossed 449 million shares.

Despite more volatility than we saw on Friday, little has changed with the technical picture. In order to keep the momentum positive, the indices must punch through significant resistance.

For the S&P 500, the first resistance is at the 200-day moving average and the bearish resistance line, both at 1,265, then the November high at 1,278, and the October high at 1,292. Support for the S&P 500 is at 1,220.�

The Nasdaq�s first line of resistance is its 200-day moving average at 2,673. Support rests at its 50-day moving average at 2,592.

Another major focus is the U.S. dollar, and the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (NYSE:UUP) currently has support at its 50-day moving average just under $22 with major support at its 200-day moving average at $21.60.

Click to EnlargeClick to Enlarge

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been trading above its 200-day moving average for five days, and so its next resistance is at Friday�s high of 12,191, and then the October high of 12,303.�

Dow Theorists will want to watch the 12,303 line since a close above it could signal a Dow Theory buy signal. But first its companion index, the Dow Jones Transportation Average, must break yesterday�s high of 5,067. If it stalls and reverses then the breakout could turn into a double-top.

Conclusion: The focus is still on Europe so anything can happen. But the majorU.S. indices have evolved into more positive trends. It is still too early to jump onto the bull�s wagon since conviction is lacking in the form of volume and breadth.

Perhaps we will know by the end of this week if a solid European agreement can be reached. If it happens, a ride on Santa�s sleigh through the end of December is not out of reach. But, for now, it is best to watch and wait, or play the volatility with options. The Europeans have a habit of putting a damper on the stock market.

Stocks to open higher on hopes for Greece

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks were set to take another step higher Wednesday, extending gains from the previous day, as hopeful investors continue to bet that Greece will soon secure the bailout it needs to avoid a disorderly default.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures were up between 0.1% and 0.2%. Stock futures indicate the possible direction of the markets when they open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Investors will continue to look for news out of Greece, where leaders are hammering out the details of an austerity package. The package is necessary for the country to receive a €130 billion bailout from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank. Without these funds, Greece could miss a €14.5 billion bond redemption in March.

Tuesday brought reports of a proposal for public spending cuts, which gave investors reason to be hopeful. However, a meeting between Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and party leaders to discuss the austerity measures was delayed until Wednesday.

"All eyes will be on Athens again today," said Grant Lewis, head of research at Daiwa Capital Markets in London.

Greece facing 'dramatic dilemma'

U.S. stocks moved higher Tuesday, erasing earlier losses, on optimism about a Greek debt deal.

Companies: Investors continued to tune in to quarterly corporate results on Wednesday.

Sprint Nextel (S, Fortune 500) reported a steep loss for the fourth quarter, shedding $1.3 billion, or 43 cents per diluted share, which was even worse than its year-earlier loss of $929 million, or 31 cents per share. The company blamed the sales expense from its launch of the iPhone.

Sprint's stock rose 1% in premarket trading.

CNNMoney parent company Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500) beat expectations on earnings and revenue. The media company reported fourth-quarter adjusted net income of $946 million, or 94 cents per share, an increase from the prior-year figure of $754 million, of 65 cents per share.

Time Warner also raised its dividend by 11% and announced a 4 billion share buyback. The company's stock rose 3% in premarket trading.

CVS Caremark (CVS, Fortune 500) said that its revenue jumped 11% to a record $107 billion and its adjusted earnings rose 6% to $2.80 per share. The stock rose 2% in premarket trading.

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) said its same-store sales jumped 9% in the fourth quarter, contributing to a 35% revenue boost, to $220 million, and a 34% surge in net earnings, to $13.6 million. The sports-theme restaurant chain's stock surged 15% in premarket trading.

Western Union (WU, Fortune 500) reported an increase in fourth-quarter revenue of 5% to $1.4 billion. The 160-year-old money-sending company said that earnings rose 40 cents excluding a tax benefit, compared to 37 cents in the year-earlier quarter. The company's stock dropped 7%.

Polo Ralph Lauren (RL, Fortune 500) reported its most recent quarterly earnings, showing a 12% surge in same-store sales and a 17% jump in revenue to $1.8 billion compared to the year-earlier quarter.

The clothing retailer reported net income of $169 million for the quarter, only slightly higher than its prior-year result. The company said that diluted net income was $1.78 per share for the quarter, up from $1.72 a year earlier. The company's stock surged 7% in premarket trading.

Following the market's close, daily deals site Groupon (GRPN) is on tap to make its first quarterly report as a public company. Dow component Cisco Systems (CSCO, Fortune 500) is also slated to report in the afternoon, as are News Corp. (NWSA, Fortune 500) and Visa (V, Fortune 500).

Late Tuesday, Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) announced that four longtime board members, including the chairman, are leaving the company. The departures stemmed from board discussions about "why Yahoo! was not meeting either our own expectations or those of our shareholders," wrote Chairman Roy Bostock in a letter announcing the shakeup -- including his own departure.

Also, Caesars Entertainment (CZR), a casino entertainment provider, will start trading Wednesday on the Nasdaq, after raising $16 million through an initial public offering.

Economy: The Energy Information Administration will release this week's data on crude oil inventories after 10:30 a.m. ET. U.S. gas prices were at a record high in January, which analysts attribute in part to the improving economy.

World markets: European stocks were higher in afternoon trading. Britain's FTSE 100 (UKX) edged up 0.1%, the DAX (DAX) in Germany added 0.7% and France's CAC 40 (CAC40) gained 0.5%.

Asian markets ended with solid gains. The Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) spiked 2.4%, the Hang Seng (HSI) in Hong Kong increased 1.5% and Japan's Nikkei (N225) rose 1.1%.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar was slightly lower against the euro and the Japanese yen, but gained ground versus the British pound.

Oil for March delivery rose $1.22 to $99.68 a barrel.

Gold futures for April delivery fell $1.30 to $1,745.10 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 1.98% from 1.97% late Tuesday.  

Small Businesses Unclear on Healthcare Reform

As with most instances of change, many people respond for or against quickly and without all the facts. Sometimes this habit is of no consequence, as those who would choose not to learn the facts regarding an issue have no stake in the matter; however, that is not the case when it comes to small businesses and healthcare reform. A recent survey conducted by eHealth found that 22% of small-business owners are unclear on what the changes will mean for them, their employees and their business. The overriding concern is cost, but owners with more than 50 employees are encouraged to shop for deals, as many insurance companies are already restructuring offerings to comply with the changes coming in 2014. For more on this continue reading the following article from TheStreet.

 

When it comes to health care reform, small firms are largely unaware of the potential benefits, according to a survey released Wednesday by eHealth (EHTH), the parent company to eHealthInsurance.

Not knowing the effects of having an online health insurance exchange in their state come 2014 means most firms aren't making any changes or long-term plans regarding their employee health insurance coverage, the survey shows.

Beginning in 2014, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires businesses with 50 or more full-time employees to provide health insurance coverage for their workers. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt, although employees may be required to buy their own coverage.

Only 22% of small employers considered themselves well-informed about the coming state-run online health care exchanges. Approximately 6% say they plan to drop health insurance coverage for their employees once the reform goes into effect in January 2014, the survey says.

"The health insurance carriers are starting to change some of their health plans now," says Sam Gibbs, vice president of eHealth and president of its eHealth Government Systems unit. "What employers need to do right away is to start shopping around, because there are some new plans -- there's higher-deductible plans [and] there's the opportunity to add some supplemental insurance products."

While approximately 88% of the survey's respondents say they had 10 employees or fewer at their company, the majority of firms say they plan to continue offering coverage for their employees in 2014.

The high cost of providing coverage is the primary concern for small-business owners. Small firms feel in a bind, since offering health insurance to employees is a critical component to recruit and retain talent. More than four in 10 respondents say they also feel a moral obligation to provide health insurance benefits to their employees, according to the survey.

According to the survey, more than three-quarters of the respondents say they spend more than $200 per employee per month on health insurance premiums for employees and their dependents. Of those, 23% say they spend upward of $500 per employee per month, eHealth says.

On the flip side, small firms are asking employees to contribute a nominal amount, with the majority saying employees contribute less than 10% toward the cost of health insurance premiums.

To get expenses down, 74% say they would consider raising employee deductibles or making accident and/or critical illness insurance an optional benefit. More than half of the respondents (58%) also say they would consider dropping benefits such as dental or vision to keep health insurance coverage for their employees. Approximately 23% offer wellness programs or other ways to encourage workers to stay healthy as a way to reduce health care costs, the survey says.

One option being weighed right now is to give employers the option of a so-called defined contribution plan, Gibbs says.

"Today if I'm a small business employer I get a health insurance plan [in which] I pay a percentage of the premium and so every premium is different -- older people are higher, younger people are lower and so instead of paying different amounts for different people ... as the employer I can set a fixed price for how much I am going to pay for my employee," he says.

"Let's just say it's $300 a month. I am going to give every employee $300 a month. Then the employees will be able to go on the exchange and buy a plan, and if the plan cost more than that, then the employee can pay the difference," Gibbs adds. "Those are some of the bigger changes that are going to happen giving small business more choices on how to pay for health insurance in 2014."

The survey was conducted between Feb. 10 and March 13 with 236 small-business customers of eHealthInsurance.com. The respondents answered anonymously.

Are All Stocks Under $10 Broken?

I love singling out attractive stocks trading in the single digits.

Every month I write a column entitled "5 Stocks Under $10," in which I single out a few of the compelling investments that just happen to be trading at low price points.

There are risks, of course. Stocks don't trade for low prices without a reason. However, you would be surprised at the number of profitable and growing companies that are unfairly unloved.

I don't have five new names for you today. My latest monthly list was published earlier this week. However, what I do every month is check on the performance of the five stocks that were singled out when the market was bottoming out three years ago.

Since I sometimes get requests to update the performance of some of the more recent lists, I figured I would check in with how last month's picks are doing.

2/22/12 1/20/12 Gain
ZAGG (Nasdaq: ZAGG  ) $9.57 $8.56 11.8%
8x8 (Nasdaq: EGHT  ) $4.28 $4.23 1.2%
MCG Capital (Nasdaq: MCGC  ) $4.70 $4.59 2.4%
Nokia (NYSE: NOK  ) $5.56 $5.61 (0.9%)
EnerNOC (Nasdaq: ENOC  ) $9.43 $9.42 0.1%

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

The average gain of 2.9% may seem good for a single month, but I'm not satisfied. The S&P 500 has inched 3.2% higher in that time. Yes, four of the five squeezed out positive returns, but only one of the five actually beat the market.

I'm not a fan of monthly finish lines. This is a snapshot, not the final portrait. However, let's dive in to see how the companies are doing.

ZAGG zigs
The top pick from last month is one that has no shortage of naysayers. The heavily shorted company behind the popular invisibleSHIELD screen protectors for smartphones, tablets, and other third-party accessories gets blasted by critics that judge the company based on its dodgy past -- when it was much smaller -- or the commoditized nature of smartphone screen protectors and covers.

The fear that Asian companies will swarm the market with cheap knockoffs -- even in areas where ZAGG has patents -- has been going on for years, but it has yet to materialize. ZAGG is still growing at a healthy clip, even before factoring in portfolio-padding acquisitions.

Singling out ZAGG was considered irresponsible by some. Really? I originally singled out ZAGG for this monthly column 11 months ago when the stock was at $6.81. Between a 40%-plus pop in 11 months and a near 12% gain in a single month since bringing it up again, I can live with that kind of irresponsibility.

ZAGG has raised its guidance for 2011 three times since this past summer, and next week is the moment of truth when it reports its quarterly results.

The four that failed
8x8 earned my attention by posting profitable results in each of its 11 previous quarters. Providing Web-based telephone service to companies during a recessionary lull -- and doing so in the black -- is worth applauding. Revenue climbed 31% in its most recent quarter.

MCG Capital is a business development company that provides commercial financing for middle-market companies. The shares were downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus earlier this month, but that hasn't been enough to offset the modest gains over the past four weeks. Maybe income investors are having the final say here. MCG's been paying out quarterly dividends of $0.17 a share over the past few quarters for a chunky yield of 14.8%.

Nokia is the lone loser in the list, and the Finnish handset maker didn't do its near-term prospects any favors with another round of layoffs earlier this month. Nokia may have been the market leader when it came to feature phones, but it's not resonating with consumers in the smartphone revolution.

EnerNOC is a provider of solutions for managing electricity on power grids. Few will argue that grid management isn't a compelling growth opportunity, though EnerNOC has struggled with declining capacity prices and a dispute last year with its largest customer.

Penny stocks for your thoughts
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Pending Home Sales Reconfirm: The Market Is Crashing

Record low levels of demand continue to haunt the U.S. housing market with July pending home sales re-confirming previous crash-level readings.

click to enlarge images

Three months of data after the end of free down-payments, the inventory of purchase contracts rose just 5.25% in July. The inventory is still at a record low with the exception of the two previous months – both of which were record lows in themselves. (Please see the chart above showing how radically far demand has fallen. The three worst months are the last three months.)

The index of unclosed contracts to buy a home increased from 75.5 to 79.4. In the previous two months, demand had fallen a record 30% and then 2.8% more. The July 2010 reading released Friday is 19% lower than July 2009. The forecast was for a one percent fall according to 37 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Freddie Mac also announced Friday that the 30-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen to another record low -- 4.32%. Outstanding rates and a price fall of 30 percent since the peak of the bubble has failed to ignite demand in our current market. Existing home sales represent 90% of residential housing transactions. The low reading of Friday will carry through to actual closed sales for July and August.

The deadline for signing free down-payment purchases expired April 30th. Those sales must close by September 30. You can see the precarious nature of Friday's market when you see the number in the context of readings going back to 2001. (Please see the chart above showing demand falling off the chart.)

Houston, we have a problem, but a glass of Tang will not solve it, nor will a walk on the moon.

Disclosure: No positions

Indications: U.S. stock futures fall on Greece deal delay

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) � U.S. stock futures fell Friday, along with the euro and commodities, as European finance ministers set conditions for Greece to meet before they release another round of funds.

Greece must approve an austerity plan into law and find 325 million euros in spending cuts before euro-zone nations back another round of funds for Athens, with the deal falling apart due to concerns coming elections in Greece could derail the country�s commitments.

�Whatever package gets voted on in Greece is basically an up or down vote on euro membership so we are entering another uncertain weekend for global markets,� said Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak.

�A failed vote will likely lead to a hard default which may be what the Greeks want at this point where a clean slate can be established.�

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average �fell 93 points, or 0.7%, to 12,749 and those on the Standard & Poor�s 500 stock index �slipped 11.80 points, or 0.6%, to 1,336.50.

Nasdaq 100 futures �fell 20 points to 2,541.00.

Click to Play Stocks inch higher, shrug off Greece

Shares drifted up Thursday as investors took stock of a Greek refinancing deal and continued improvement in the U.S. labor market.

A risk-averse mood appeared to be settling in for investors on Friday, with commodities also lower.

Most Asian markets closed down and the Stoxx Europe 600 index XX:SXXP �fell 0.6% after euro-zone finance ministers meeting late Thursday would not sign off on a second bailout package for Greece until that country�s parliament approves austerity measures.

Greek officials agreed on a draft agreement late Thursday that will cut Greek debt to 120% of gross domestic product, and include a 22% cut in the private-sector minimum wage. Greece�s major unions called a 48-hour nationwide strike on Friday.

�It�s been like pulling out teeth getting this far and then [the] EU has asked for more,� said Simon Smith, chief economist at FxPro in London. �I would not be surprised if over [the] weekend we get a repeat of the referendum debacle seen toward the end of last year, where domestic sentiment turns against the EU.

�The issue is that EU leaders are saying that Greece cannot be allowed to default or leave, but without that ultimate threat, they are riding roughshod over the EU, IMF and ECB,� Smith said, in e-mailed comments.

In the U.S., the Commerce Department will release the December trade deficit data at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, while the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters consumer-sentiment index for February will be released at 9:55 a.m. Eastern.

At 12:30 a.m. Eastern, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke will discuss the state of the U.S. housing market at the National Association of Homebuilders International Builders� Show in Orlando, Fla.

The earnings calendar is light for Friday. Ahead of the bell, Laboratory Corp. of America LH , NYSE Euronext NYX �and PPL Corp. PPL �are due to release results.

Shares of Nuance Communications Inc. NUAN �fell after the company reported first-quarter profit and revenue that fell short of analysts expectations.

Shares of LinkedIn Corp. LNKD �rose in pre-marketing trading on Friday. The company reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of 12 cents a share late the prior day, against expectations for 7 cents a share.

U.S.-listed shares of Barclays PLC BCS �UK:BARC �could be active. The U.K. bank said 2011 net profit fell amid lower investment banking revenue, but it also said it had an �encouraging start� to this year. The bank said it would cut its bonus pool by 26%.

Crude-oil futures for March delivery �fell $1.58 to $98.26 a barrel as the International Energy Agency lowered its estimate for global oil demand growth in 2012 to 800,000 barrels a day, against a prior forecast of 1.1 million barrels a day.

A strengthening dollar was also weighing on crude, with the dollar index DXY , which weighs the dollar against a basket of six major rivals, rising to 79.015 against 78.582 in late North American trading on Thursday.

The euro EURUSD � fell to 1.3194 versus the dollar.

Gold futures for April delivery �fell $27.40 to $1,713.80 an ounce.

JP Morgan: Ignore the Bad Economic News

Analysts at JP Morgan are telling equity investors to ignore the bad news coming in the next month as most of it is likely due to the bad weather across the United States. They are encouraging investors to maintain belief in their recently renewed bullish stance (see here) on the equity markets and not overreact to the downside:

The next month’s worth of economic data will be full of weather and lunar new year distortions. This will create a lot of confusion, but should also persuade investors not to overreact to data noise. We fully agree, and choose to stay with our medium-term strategy of overweighting equities, commodities, and credit, and trading bonds from the short side. Positions changes should be based more on intrinsic value, taking assets from more nervous market participants, than on short-term market direction.

Due to the coming likelihood of downside surprises in economic data, JP Morgan is taking a longer-term outlook when it comes to the equity markets. They remain overweight equities, commodities and credit.

  • Fixed income: Take advantage of the rally to reset shorts in US 2s. Sell Agencies against Treasuries.
  • Equities: Stay long, focusing on small caps and cyclical sectors. Euro area underperformance is unlikely to be reversed.
  • Credit: Overweight HY loans versus bonds in CDS indices as their spread is cheap versus the much better recovery rate on loans.
  • FX: There is a near-term bias for EUR to reach the low $1.30’s.
  • Commodities: We turn medium-term bullish on oil. WTI is expected to rise to US$90 by year-end.

Source: JP Morgan

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Rambus Loses Case, Stock Down 61%

After eight weeks of deliberating, a� jury found that Micron Technology and Hynix Semiconductor did not violate antitrust laws in a case brought by Rambus.

Shares of Rambus (RMBS) crashed late Wednesday, down 61% to near $7. They had been trading above $18.� Micron Technology (MU) shares popped 22%, or $1.20 cents, to $6.72.

According to the Wall Street Journal story, the jury ruled 9 to 3 against Rambus, which alleged that the two companies conspired to keep prices high on Rambus chips. Rambus designs technology used in memory chips. Micron and Hynix argued that Rambus’� struggles – to make its chip the market standard, and in its relationship with Intel (INTC) – were of its own doing.

Rambus CEO�Harold Hughes told Bloomberg that the company is reviewing options for appeal because “we do not agree with several rulings that affected how this case was presented to the jury.”

Colleague Tiernan Ray reported earlier this year that Rambus stood accused of destroying documents.

Avoid This Dividend While You Still Can

We all know about investors' current preoccupation with dividend stocks. This, of course, is quite justified compared with other alternatives (like bonds or cash, which promise essentially no return). Stocks that actively pay their owners provide a pretty attractive option in today's low-yield environment.

However, investors need to look past the hype and realize that, although lovely in many ways, these investments do carry certain risks, some much greater than others. Today I'll detail one specific dividend investment that certainly alarms me.

Caveat emptor
The dividend universe is a diverse place. �Opportunities run the gamut from stable companies that pay dividends like clockwork, such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) and Intel (NYSE: INTC  ) , to companies with payouts well into the double digits. The stocks I have in mind exist on the higher-yielding end of the spectrum.

Even in assessing high yield stocks, it's important to avoid equating all companies as dangerous as the next stock. REITs, or real estate investment trusts, serve as a fair example of an industry known for its dividend prowess. Home to dividend powerhouses Annaly Capital Management and Chimera Investment that yield 14.8% and 19.5%, respectively, these companies couldn't be more different from J&J and Intel. Their dividend policies have certain characteristics you might not find elsewhere in the investment world. You see, REITs are a special corporate structure (formed as an investment fund) that receives unique tax benefits on its income so long as it pays out a high percentage of its income every year. The point here is that sometimes large payouts occur for good reason.

Sizing 'em up
The telecom industry also makes for about as fertile a hunting ground for exorbitant dividends as you'll find. The average company that pays a dividend in the sector -- �not all do -- yields a robust 7.1%. Contrast that against the 2% yield of the S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC  ) and 2.9% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI  ) and you get the picture. Telecom stocks often take returning cold, hard cash to their shareholders quite seriously.

On the riskier end of the spectrum, payout behemoth Alaska Communications Systems (Nasdaq: ALSK  ) should send investors running. Its siren song, a 16.1% dividend yield, could blow up in your face, making it exactly the kind of dividends investors should avoid. On the surface, the company appears a model of consistency. It's paid dividends out like clockwork since 2004 (the company was only founded in 1998), despite reporting losses sporadically throughout the period. Losses appearing intermittently should probably raise a red flag for most investors.

However, investors interested in investing in telecom stocks will fare better if they frame their analysis around cash flow versus reported income, even more so than investors in other sectors (one of those industry norms again). Telecom firms are renowned cash cows, much more so than merely looking at their income statements might indicate. Since surviving in the industry requires heavy capital investment, telecom companies often have extremely high depreciation costs that erode substantial portions of their recorded profits.

As a result, using tools like the earnings payout ratio fail to really accurately capture a telecom company's ability to make payments to its shareholders. However, turning to the cash flow statement will give investors a much better sense of the relative health of companies in this industry. You can see this distinctly in rural telecom Frontier (NYSE: FTR  ) as well.

In Alaska's case, it generates much more consistent, albeit not wholly unblemished, cash flow that it uses to pay shareholders. Over the last 12 months, Alaska generated $27 million in free cash flow versus a net income loss of $3.1 million during the same period. And while that seems great, Alaska's cash dividend payments still comfortably outstripped its cash flow over the period, to the tune of $38.6 million in dividend payments, well above the $27.6 million in cash that came in the door.

The company's most recent conference left shareholders even more rattled. Although management couldn't specifically comment on the dividend going forward (the board of directors sets such policies), it did reveal several key points that paint an ugly picture for the future. First, CEO Anand Vadapalli admitted to investors during the call that "our board has been reviewing our dividend policy ... we expect this matter will receive additional scrutiny." The stock dropped 28% in reaction to this ominous news about the safety of the firm's beloved payout.

Worse yet, the firm sees mounting competition on the horizon. Telecom heavyweight Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ  ) announced this year that it intends on entering the Alaskan market. The telecom notoriously favors the big fish that have the resources to make key investments and offer popular phones at attractive prices. Verizon will clearly loom large as it challenges Alaska for share of this remote market. Put all this together and Alaska, and its prodigious payout, looks poised for a rough patch.

Foolish bottom line
As I hope you learned here today, investors need to approach dividend investing with a healthy dose of skepticism. Although a great way to help drive a portfolio's overall returns, these payouts also carry their own set of risks investors need to fully understand before investing. Unfortunately, a higher yield doesn't necessarily guarantee a happier portfolio. In the end, investors need to fully understand the sector norms and the individual circumstances surrounding each company in which they invest. As I said above, buyer beware.

And if you want more ideas on other dividend opportunities, The Motley Fool recently compiled a research report detailing 11 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks. Best of all, it's absolutely free for our readers. I invite you to pick up your free copy today.

After Solyndra, Sun May Set on All Solar Stocks

There has been a lot of fuss recently about the Solyndra debacle. About a year ago, President Barack Obama toured the solar energy company and touted its photovoltaic systems as a perfect example of so-called �cleantech� growth that would create high-tech, high-paying jobs.

Unfortunately — and despite a $535 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy — Solyndra filed for bankruptcy this month, terminating all 1,100 workers. To make matters worse, the FBI recently raided offices, and now Congressional hearings are revealing very sloppy spending in the wake of Uncle Sam�s endorsement.

We can debate the Solyndra failure as a talking point for the 2012 election another time. What investors really should be concerned with is the dark clouds gathering over the entire solar sector. Just take a look at the performance at some of the biggest names in the solar sector:

Evergreen Solar (PINK:ESLRQ) plummeted to about a dollar in late 2010 as it tried to restructure its debt. Now it trades for about a nickel — after a 1-for-6 split in January — and has been relegated to the pink sheets. That recent flop would be bad enough, but when you consider that shares traded for an adjusted price of $12 or so at this time in 2009, the losses look even uglier. Evergreen filed for bankruptcy in August to try and scrape together the $485 million it owes creditors and soon will disappear forever.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) is the �leader� among pure-play solar stocks in the U.S., with a market capitalization of almost $6 billion. FSLR stock is down 48% since Jan. 1, 2011. The leader by most measures in the industry, First Solar saw its profits slashed by more than half — from $159 million to $61 million � as Europe�s debt woes resulted in subsidies being slashed. Adding insult to injury, Axiom Capital’s Gordon Johnson slashed his price target for the stock from $75 to $35. That�s another 50% decline from here, and barely a tenth of First Solar�s peak share price of $317 in 2008.

Sunpower (NASDAQ:SPWRA) is next in line among the larger domestic solar players. Its stock has performed �better� than First Solar in 2011, down about 30% in 2011. However, since its peak valuation in 2007 over $130, the stock has flopped almost 95% to under $9 a share as of this writing. Why? Volatile revenue and profit performance makes for a risky bet — and the fact that SPWRA is cruising towards a third-straight quarterly loss has investors leery. What�s more, long-term debt of more than $500 million and total liabilities pushing $1 billion mean there�s not a lot of room for error considering the company�s $900 million market cap. There are serious hurdles to growth, considering the very expensive nature of solar panel manufacturing facilities on top of current debt loads.

Those are three specific stories of three well-known U.S. solar companies — proving Solyndra�s implosion didn�t take place in a vacuum.

No Subsidies, No Venture Capital

So what are the broader issues at play weighing on all players in the solar space?

For starters, China has been even more aggressive with its alternative energy investments. Massive subsidies to alternative energy companies in the People�s Republic have prompted growth and propped up struggling companies. The result has been a substantial drop in solar cell prices because Chinese manufacturers have the government to fall back on in their quest to drive prices lower and entice buyers.

American firms just can�t compete on this playing field. But lest you cry foul on China�s big government policies, Beijing is just playing a game we know very well in America. Farm subsidies, anyone?

The problem for solar is that America is focused on slashing government spending right now, not propping up cleantech businesses that need help in their early years, and Washington just can�t stomach a matching subsidy on solar right now.

Also, venture capitalists are not all that eager to invest in this troubled market — and when they do, VC firms plow their cash into social media and Internet names. The option between investing in Twitter or a solar startup is really not much of a choice.

China Hurting but Could Outshine U.S. in Long Run

While U.S. solar stocks are slammed by a lack of private money and government money, don�t think that China is booming. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ:JASO)�and oddly named but Chinese-based Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) are both off more than 60% so far in 2011. Not exactly the cream rising to the top.

That�s largely because oil appears to be approaching a new low for 2011 at under $80 per barrel currently and moving toward levels not seen in since the recession-era lows of 2009 and 2010. With cheap oil, who needs solar? The race to the bottom in price because of government subsidies in China is only amplified by the lack of demand.

Perhaps Obama should have known better than to tout Solyndra as a shining example of cleantech job growth in America. The industry has been facing headwinds for a while, and things have gotten particularly hostile lately.

But one could argue that without such government backing, American solar panel manufacturers could continue their steady downward descent. Evidence indicates that would cede the solar market wholly to China, and while that market might not be very attractive right now, it could put us way behind as a nation if solar becomes relevant a decade down the road.

That�s a tough sell to both investors and federal spending hawks, though. Everyone seems to be much more concerned with the here and now than any prospect of solar stocks being an area of growth 10 years down the road.

It all adds up to a very cloudy forecast for solar.

Jeff Reeves is editor of InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Write him at editor@investorplace.com, follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.

The Greatest Financial Advisor Denver Had To Offer Was The Factor That Allowed My Dream Of Starting My Own Business Come True

When my pal and I started our own business, we needed to find the best financial advisor Denver had. My friend and I had been working together for years at the same completely boring job that makes health drinks. Needless to say, we were not happy in our jobs and spent the endless days discussing how great it would be to own our own sandwich shop. We tossed around ideas for a while and gathered our resources until we had enough to quit our jobs and get started.

We didn’t know precisely what we were doing when we first got into it and made some mistakes along the way, and as we soon turned a profit, we were overwhelmed with handling our cash flow and dealing with all of our finances. We started combing the city for people who would be able to help us with our problems who would be trustworthy and had a good reputation.

We knew we would definitely need the best financial advisor Denver could offer, as well as one that was reasonable. After several days of looking, we found one that really stood out to us as we looked over their website. We were pretty excited to see if they were really as good as they appeared, so we set up an appointment to talk with them and see what they could do for our business.

He was extremely professional and seemed very responsible and reliable, and overall he was exactly who we were looking for to take care of our finances. Of course, it would take some time to verify that this would be a good business decision, but very soon I was able to see the evidence that we really had made the right move with our finances.

Soon, we had enough in saved profits that I felt like we should do something with the money, in order to make our cash work for us. I decided to chat with our financial advisor who was known as one of the very best advisers for asset management Denver had to offer. We made some plans and got to work, and shortly thereafter I saw some very remarkable returns on my investments. We were able to use some of the money we got from the investments to open up several new locations, and were a little surprised to find ourselves so successful. It feels so great to be doing what we love and working for ourselves, rather than working at our old awful desk jobs, and we could not have done it without our amazing financial adviser!

If you are looking information about this matter visit financial advisor Denver and also wealth management Denver.

Nordstrom Slips Despite Earnings Beat

Nordstrom (JWN) slipped 2.3% in after hours trading after posting better than expected earnings. It projected a slight deceleration in same store sales in this fiscal year.

Nordstrom posted$1.11 in EPS, a penny above expectations. Revenues of $3.27 billion beat expectations for $3.15 billion. The company posted 7.1% same store sales growth. The company sees same-store sales growing 4% to 6%, below 2011 same store sales growth of 7.2%.

Nordstrom expects to post earnings of $3.30 to $3.45 per share in 2012.

Alvarion Q2 Loss Worse Than Forecast; Won’t Give Q3 Guidance

Alvarion (AVLR) shares are trading lower after the WiMax equipment supplier reported a larger-than-expected loss for the second quarter.

For the quarter, ALVR reported revenue of $49 million, about in line with the Street at $49.5 million, but with a loss of 11 cents a share, worse than the Street consensus at 5 cents.

The company said it expects gradual improvement in shipments in the second half, but adds that it is not giving detailed Q3 guidance “because the timing of revenue from several large projects cannot be predicted with accuracy.”

ALVR is down 11 cents, or 4.7%, to $2.25.

Stratasys: Turnaround On Track

Stratasys (SSYS) is likely to produce solid on target Q4 results. The company is the leading producer of direct digital manufacturing "printers" that take CAD-CAM designs straight from a computer and immediately make the part, without any set-up. The technology enables customers to manufacture low volume products for the same cost as a mass produced item. Stratasys got its start by serving the engineering market. Development teams used the systems to make prototypes directly from computer generated designs, eliminating the need to build models from clay or in the shop. Over the past few years the company has launched larger units aimed at manufacturing customers. Those higher cost systems have begun to catch on and have become Stratasys's primary growth driver. The company also sells consumables (a variety of plastics used as raw material). Demand for those products tends to be greater in manufacturing applications than in engineering. So that segment is accelerating, as well.

The legacy engineering business currently is stalled due to economic factors and a dormant partnership with Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). The company originally had high hopes for its H-P relationship (which was aimed at the engineering segment) but the larger company dragged its feet, holding back performance. Last summer Stratasys essentially threw in the towel and reinstituted its own marketing efforts in lieu of H-P. That program is gaining momentum but probably won't make a meaningful contribution until next year. Even so, growth in the manufacturing segment promises to keep overall performance on an upward slope in Q4. Faster gains are possible in 2012 as the engineering unit returns to life.

Direct digital manufacturing has the potential to become a disruptive technology. The industry remains in an early stage of development. But profitability already is well established. And new avenues for growth are opening up. Stratasys has several new products in the pipeline. Enhancements are likely to include larger capacities, faster throughput, lower costs, and a wider range of material inputs. Streamlined user interfaces promise to broaden the market further. A series of inflection points could be reached through the rest of the decade, enabling Stratasys to dislodge entrenched manufacturing techniques in a wide range of applications.

We estimate 2011 income will rise 22% to $1.00 a share. Next year profitability might be impacted by the shift away from H-P to the company's own marketing efforts. Economic factors are likely to weigh on performance, as well. Nonetheless a 15%-20% advance to $1.15-$1.20 a share represents a realistic target. Growth promises to accelerate beyond as the economy recovers and the internal marketing program builds momentum. In 2-3 years earnings could approach $2.00 a share.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

BNY Mellon Completes Acquisition of I(3) Advisors, a Toronto Wealth Manager

BNY Mellon has completed its purchase of the Toronto wealth management boutique I3 Advisors, the firm said in a statement on Tuesday, September 1. It did not disclose terms of the deal, which it first announced June 18.

"Canada's high-net-worth market represents a very attractive opportunity for BNY Mellon as we accelerate our global expansion and seize new opportunities in dynamic markets," Larry Hughes, chief executive of BNY Mellon Wealth Management, said in the statement.

BNY Mellon's new acquisition is its first foray into Canada's wealth management sector. It has asset management operations in Toronto as well as a joint venture with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for asset servicing and issuer services through CIBC Mellon, according to a June 21 Dow Jones report. The I3 Advisors purchase will put the firm in direct competition with UBS AG and Citigroup Inc., whose private banking businesses cater exclusively to ultra wealthy Canadians, the report said.

June Ntazinda remains chief executive of I3 Advisors, which has some $3.6 billion (in U.S. dollar terms) under advisement. In the announcement, she said the transaction would offer I3 Advisors clients several advantages:

? Broader global asset management opportunities

? Increased access to alternative investment opportunities

? Expanded banking and wealth planning services

? BNY Mellow announced its agreement to buy I3 on June 18.

"BNY Mellon Wealth Management is the ideal partner for us not only because of our shared commitment to client service, but also because of BNY Mellon's powerful global resources," Ntazinda said. "Working together we aim to broaden and enhance I3's investment services and fuel the next phase of the firm's growth."
I3 Advisors was originally the investment advisory division of Ernst & Young in Canada. An internal management group bought the business from E&Y in early 2005, and gave it its current name. Ntazinda, the division's president, became chief executive.

BNY Mellon Wealth Management has approximately $150 billion in private client assets and an extensive network of offices in the U.S. and internationally.

Michael S. Fischer ( msf7@columbia.edu ) is a New York-based financial writer and editor and a frequent contributor to WealthManagerWeb.com.

4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Microsoft

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, software behemoth Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Microsoft's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Microsoft facts

Headquarters (founded) Redmond, Wash. (1975)
Market Cap $253.8 billion
Industry Systems software
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $73.0 billion
Management CEO Steven Ballmer (since 2000)
CFO Peter Klein (since 2009)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 41.3%
Cash/Debt $58.2 billion / $13.2 billion
Dividend Yield 2.6%
Competitors Apple
Google
Oracle

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

On CAPS, 87% of the 15,550 members who have rated Microsoft believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. �

A couple of months ago, one of those Fools, Speachless, tapped the stock as a solid blue-chip selection:

Despite the fact that every one complains about the products, they still buy them. Yes there are threats galore, "the cloud", Google, Facebook, open source, etc, but despite all of that [Microsoft] thrives. Explosive growth is over, but I don't see any indications of a slow or rapid decline.

So stable business, dominant in several of their spaces, OK dividend which is regularly raised, lots of cash, lots of staying power, this stock will let me sleep at night and with dividend reinvestment, hopefully retire with a reasonable income stream.

If there was ever a buy and hold, this looks like it.

If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future. Of course, despite a strong four-star rating, Microsoft may not be your top choice.

We've found another stock we are incredibly excited about -- excited enough to dub it "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." We have compiled a special free report for investors to uncover this stock today. The report is 100% free, but it won't be here forever, so click here to access it now.

Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the new TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.

Top Stocks For 2011-12-19-2

 

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 24, 2011 (CRWENEWSWIRE) — Eagle Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) (Nasdaq:EGBN), the parent company of EagleBank, today announced net income of $6.5 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, a 36% increase over the $4.8 million net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, constituting another record quarter. Net income available to common shareholders increased 43% to $6.3 million ($0.32 per basic common share and $0.31 per diluted common share), as compared to $4.4 million ($0.22 per basic and diluted common share) for the same three month period in 2010. The higher growth in net income available to common shareholders is due to lower aggregate dividends on preferred stock issued under the Small Business Lending Fund (”SBLF”), which has a dividend rate of 1.00% compared to a 5.00% rate applicable to the TARP preferred stock. The Company is eligible for the lowest dividend rate available in the SBLF program due to its growth of SBLF qualified loans during the initial and supplemental reporting periods.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Company’s net income was $17.4 million, a 50% increase over the $11.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010. Net income available to common shareholders was $16.0 million ($0.81 per basic common share and $0.79 per diluted common share), as compared to $10.6 million ($0.54 per basic common share and $0.53 per diluted common share) for the same nine month period in 2010, a 51% increase.

“We are extremely pleased to report continuing trends of strong earnings and balance sheet growth through the third quarter of 2011. These results reflect substantial revenue growth, continued growth in loans and core deposits while maintaining solid asset quality,” noted Ronald D. Paul, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Bancorp, Inc. “Our third quarter 2011 results represent the eleventh consecutive quarter of increasing net income. The Company’s financial results in the third quarter of 2011, as compared to the same quarter in 2010, have been highlighted by balanced growth in both loans and core deposits, a favorable and improving core net interest margin, enhanced noninterest income derived substantially from higher sales of residential mortgages, and improved operating efficiency while continuing to expand our infrastructure” added Mr. Paul. “Additionally, the Company has maintained solid asset quality during the quarter. As a growth-oriented Company, our financial results reflect the organization’s desire and ability to continue lending in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and our ability to continue building new and expanding existing client relationships. This balance sheet growth is evidenced by a $499 million increase in portfolio loans in the past twelve months and by a $483 million increase in deposits in the past twelve months, excluding a very substantial short-term deposit position at September 30, 2011, discussed below. Importantly, the Company continues to successfully manage credit risk in lending and investment activities,” noted Mr. Paul.

In mid September, EagleBank became the escrow depository for approximately $618 million of noninterest bearing deposits resulting from a very large class action lawsuit settlement (the “settlement deposit”). Due to the expected short-term nature of these funds, they are being invested in excess reserves at the Federal Reserve Bank. We estimate that these funds contributed approximately $30 thousand to earnings in the third quarter. The funds are expected to be substantially disbursed to other financial institutions by year end 2011. The funds are expected to be re-deposited with EagleBank for disbursement to claim holders in 2012. These funds positively impact earnings but have a negative impact on our net interest margin, return on assets, and the capital leverage position. For this reason, we make various parenthetical comments in this earnings press release, in order to compute the relevant non-GAAP ratios on a basis which excludes this large and unusual short-term transaction.

For the three months ended September 30, 2011, the Company reported an annualized return on average assets (ROAA) of 1.00% (1.04% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) as compared to 0.96% for the three months ended September 30, 2010. The annualized return on average common equity (ROAE) for the most recent quarter was 12.55%, as compared to 9.89% for the three months ended September 30, 2010. The higher ROAA ratio (as adjusted) and the higher ROAE ratio for the third quarter of 2011 as compared to 2010, are due to a 33% increase in average earning assets, a higher net interest margin excluding the settlement transaction noted above (4.15% versus 4.10%), lower levels of credit losses and improved operating efficiency and in case of ROAE, additional balance sheet leverage.

For the third quarter of 2011, the Company recognized investment gains amounting to $854 thousand, and also recorded in noninterest expenses one-time charges relating to merger and system conversion costs, which had a pretax cost to the Company of $479 thousand. Taken together, these items positively impacted third quarter earnings by $225 thousand after tax ($0.01 per share).

At September 30, 2011, total assets were $3.22 billion ($2.60 billion excluding the effect of the settlement deposit), compared to $2.00 billion at September 30, 2010, a 61% increase (30% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit). Total loans were $2.03 billion at September 30, 2011 compared to loans of $1.53 billion at September 30, 2010, a 33% increase. Total deposits were $2.75 billion ($2.13 billion excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) at September 30, 2011 compared to deposits of $1.65 billion at September 30, 2010, a 67% increase (29% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit). Due to substantial loan originations by our Residential Lending division in September 2011 in excess of loans sold in the month, loans held for sale amounted to $107.9 million at September 30, 2011 as compared to $70.9 million at September 30, 2010. The investment portfolio totaled $292.3 million at September 30, 2011, a 13% increase from the $258.9 million balance at September 30, 2010. Total borrowed funds (excluding customer repurchase agreements) were stable at $49.3 million at September 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010. Total shareholders’ equity increased to $258.5 million at September 30, 2011, from $202.3 million at September 30, 2010. The Company’s capital position remains substantially in excess of regulatory requirements for well capitalized status, with a total risk based capital ratio of 12.12% at September 30, 2011. In addition, the tangible common equity ratio (tangible common equity to tangible assets) was 6.15% (7.61% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) at September 30, 2011.

At September 30, 2011, the Company’s nonperforming assets amounted to $34.4 million, representing 1.07% (1.32% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) of total assets, compared to $29.2 million of nonperforming assets, or 1.46% of total assets, at September 30, 2010 and $34.7 million, or 1.47% of total assets, at June 30, 2011. Management remains attentive to early signs of deterioration in borrowers’ financial conditions and to taking the appropriate action to mitigate risk. Furthermore, the Company is diligent in placing loans on nonaccrual status and believes, based on its loan portfolio risk analysis, that its allowance for loan losses, at 1.41% of total loans at September 30, 2011, is adequate to absorb potential credit losses within the loan portfolio at that date. Included in nonperforming assets at September 30, 2011 were $2.9 million of other real estate owned (”OREO”) as compared to $4.6 million at September 30, 2010 and $3.4 million at June 30, 2011.

Analysis of the three months ended September 30, 2011 compared to 2010

For the three months ended September 30, 2011, the Company reported an ROAA of 1.00% (1.04% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) as compared to 0.96% for the three months ended September 30, 2010. The ROAE for the most recent quarter was 12.55%, as compared to 9.89% for the three months ended September 30, 2010. The increase in the ROAA ratio (as adjusted) and the ROAE ratio is due primarily to a higher net interest margin in the current period versus 2010, increased noninterest income, improved operating efficiency, and balance sheet leverage.

Net interest income increased 29% for the three months ended September 30, 2011 over the same period in 2010, resulting from a 5 basis point increase in the net interest margin (excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) and strong balance sheet growth. For the three months ended September 30, 2011, the net interest margin was 3.98% (4.15% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) as compared to 4.10% for the three months ended September 30, 2010.

The provision for credit losses was $2.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2011 as compared to $2.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010. At September 30, 2011, the allowance for credit losses represented 1.41% of loans outstanding, as compared to 1.45% at September 30, 2010 and 1.41% at June 30, 2011. The higher provisioning in the third quarter of 2011, as compared to the third quarter of 2010, is attributable to substantially higher loan growth, $81.2 million in 2011 as compared to $26.5 million in 2010. Net charge-offs of $1.8 million represented 0.36% of average loans, excluding loans held for sale, in the third quarter of 2011, as compared to $1.5 million or 0.39% of average loans, excluding loans held for sale, in the third quarter of 2010. Net charge-offs in the third quarter of 2011 were primarily attributable to charge-offs of construction loans ($213 thousand), commercial and industrial loans ($1.2 million), the unguaranteed portion of SBA loans ($85 thousand) and consumer loans ($286 thousand).

At September 30, 2011, the allowance for credit losses represented 91% of nonperforming loans as compared to 88% at June 30, 2011 and 90% at September 30, 2010, representing a slight increase in the coverage ratio as compared to the previous quarter-end.

Noninterest income for the three months ended September 30, 2011 increased to $3.5 million from $2.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, a 51% increase. This increase was due primarily to increases of $594 thousand in investment gains realized in the third quarter of 2011, as compared to the third quarter of 2010 and increases of $409 thousand in gains realized on the increased sales of residential mortgage loans and to increases of $317 thousand from other income primarily associated with loan fee income. Excluding investment securities gains, total noninterest income was $2.7 million for the third quarter of 2011 as compared to $2.1 million for the third quarter of 2010, a 28% increase.

The efficiency ratio, which measures the ratio of noninterest expense to total revenue, was 54.43% for the third quarter of 2011, as compared to 58.68% for the third quarter of 2010. As compared to the second quarter of 2011, the third quarter efficiency ratio was lower (from 55.13% to 54.43%) due to increases in revenue (net interest income and noninterest income) more than offsetting increases in noninterest expenses. Noninterest expenses were $15.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2011, as compared to $12.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, a 22% increase. This increase includes $479 thousand of non-recurring expenses ($267 thousand of merger related expenses and $212 thousand of system conversion related expenses from a bank wide conversion in April 2011). Cost increases were incurred for salaries and benefits of $2.7 million due substantially to additional commercial lending and support and residential mortgage staff, and to increases in incentive compensation. Premises and equipment expenses were $82 thousand lower due primarily to the benefits from consolidation of two branches during 2010. Marketing and advertising costs decreased by $157 thousand due primarily to non-recurring special event marketing incurred during 2010. Data processing costs increased by $179 thousand due to system enhancements, growth in client accounts, and non-recurring conversion related costs of $58 thousand. FDIC insurance premiums were $407 thousand less due to lower FDIC premiums rates which took effect on April 1, 2011. Other expenses increased by $471 thousand for the period ended September 30, 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, primarily due to $267 thousand of merger related expenses and $172 thousand increase for the operations, disposition and valuation adjustments of OREO properties.

Analysis of the nine months ended September 30, 2011 compared to 2010

For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Company reported an ROAA of 1.00% (1.01% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) as compared to 0.82% for the nine months of 2010, while the ROAE was 11.10% in 2011, as compared to 8.21% for the same nine month period in 2010. The increase in these ratios was due to a combination of an increase in the net interest margin, resulting primarily from lower funding costs, lower credit losses, increases in noninterest income, improved operating efficiency and in the case of ROAE additional balance sheet leverage.

For the first nine months of 2011 as compared to 2010, the Company recognized investment gains amounting to $1.4 million, and also recorded in noninterest expenses one-time charges relating to merger, system conversion costs, and special marketing expenses which had a pretax cost to the Company of $1.2 million. Taken together, these items positively impacted earnings for the period by $144 thousand after tax ($0.01 per share).

For the nine months of 2011, net interest income increased 27% over the same period for 2010. Average loans (excluding loans held for sale) increased $384 million (26%) and average deposits (excluding the settlement deposit) increased by $355 million (23%). The net interest margin was 4.15% (4.21% excluding the effect of the settlement deposit) for the nine months of 2011, as compared to 4.06% for the nine months of 2010. The Company has been able to maintain its loan yields in 2011 close to 2010 levels due to loan pricing practices, and has been able to reduce its funding costs while maintaining a favorable deposit mix; much of which has occurred from sales efforts to increase and deepen client relationships.

The provision for credit losses was $8.2 million for the nine months of 2011 as compared to $5.8 million in 2010. The higher provisioning in 2011 as compared to 2010 is attributable to substantially higher loan growth in the nine months of 2011 compared to 2010, $354.1 million as compared to $131.6 million in 2010, while net charge-offs were only slightly higher in 2011 as compared to 2010. For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, net charge-offs totaled $4.4 million (0.32% of average loans) compared to $4.1 million (0.38% of average loans) for the nine months ended September 30, 2010. Net charge-offs in the nine months ended September 30, 2011 were primarily attributable to charge-offs of commercial real estate loans ($151 thousand), commercial and industrial loans ($2.6 million), construction loans ($787 thousand), the unguaranteed portion of SBA loans ($425 thousand), and consumer loans ($385 thousand).

Noninterest income for the nine months of 2011 was $9.6 million compared to $5.6 million in 2010, an increase of 73%. This increase was due primarily to a $2.7 million increase in gains realized on the sale of residential loans, $612 thousand increase in gains realized on the sale of investments and $139 thousand increase in gains realized on the sale of SBA loans. Other noninterest income increased by $601 thousand primarily due to other loan income and ATM fees. Excluding investment securities gains, total noninterest income was $8.2 million for the nine months of 2011 as compared to $4.7 million for 2010, a 73% increase.

Noninterest expenses were $45.0 million for the nine months of 2011, as compared to $37.5 million for 2010, a 20% increase. This increase includes $1.21 million of non-recurring merger related expenses, system enhancements from a bank wide conversion in April 2011, and special events marketing. Cost increases for salaries and benefits were $6.1 million primarily due to salaries, incentive compensation and benefits increases including staffing increases primarily as a result of expansion of commercial lending and residential mortgage divisions. Legal, accounting, and professional fees increases of $689 thousand were due substantially to higher problem loan collection costs. Premises and equipment expenses were $743 thousand lower due primarily to the consolidation of two branches during 2010. Marketing and advertising costs increased by $296 thousand due primarily to non-recurring special event marketing noted above. Data processing costs increased by $522 thousand due to system enhancements, noted above and to an expanded customer base. FDIC insurance premiums on the higher levels of deposits were $399 thousand lower for the nine months in 2011 as compared to 2010 due to a lower FDIC premium rate which took effect on April 1, 2011. Other expenses increases for the nine months of 2011 versus 2010 amounted to $933 thousand associated primarily with merger expenses of $333 thousand and $496 thousand of bank wide conversion expenses.

For the nine months of 2011, the efficiency ratio improved to 55.92% as compared to 61.42% for the same period in 2010. Cost control remains a key operating objective of the Company.

At September 30, 2011, the Company had a total risk based capital ratio of 12.12%, a Tier 1 risk based capital ratio of 10.48%, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.61%, all measures substantially above the regulatory requirements for well capitalized status.

The financial information which follows provides more detail on the Company’s financial performance for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2011 as compared to the nine and three months ended September 30, 2010, as well as providing eight quarters of trend data. Persons wishing additional information should refer to the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

About Eagle Bancorp: The Company is the holding company for EagleBank which commenced operations in 1998. The Bank is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and conducts full service commercial banking through fifteen offices, located in Montgomery County, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Arlington County, Virginia, and Fairfax County, Virginia. The Company focuses on building relationships with businesses, professionals and individuals in its marketplace.

Conference Call: Eagle Bancorp will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2011 financial results on Tuesday October 25, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. eastern daylight time. The public is invited to listen to this conference call by dialing 877-303-6220, conference ID Code is 13649994, or by accessing the call on the Company’s website, www.eaglebankcorp.com. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company’s website through November 8, 2011.

Forward-looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements of goals, intentions, and expectations as to future trends, plans, events or results of Company operations and policies and regarding general economic conditions. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by use of words such as “may,” “will,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “plans,” “estimates,” “potential,” “continue,” “should,” and similar words or phrases. These statements are based upon current and anticipated economic conditions, nationally and in the Company’s market, interest rates and interest rate policy, competitive factors, and other conditions which by their nature, are not susceptible to accurate forecast and are subject to significant uncertainty. Because of these uncertainties and the assumptions on which this discussion and the forward-looking statements are based, actual future operations and results in the future may differ materially from those indicated herein. For details on factors that could affect these expectations, see the risk factors and other cautionary language included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and in other periodic and current reports filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. The Company’s past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGER AND WHERE TO FIND IT

Eagle Bancorp, Inc (”Eagle”) and Alliance Bankshares Corporation (”Alliance”) will file a proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents concerning the merger with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to the shareholders of Alliance. Investors and security holders of Eagle and Alliance are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in the proxy statement/prospectus, the other documents filed with the SEC and the other relevant materials when they become available, because they will contain important information about Eagle, Alliance, the merger and the transactions contemplated by the merger. Investors will be able to obtain these documents free of charge at the SEC’s web site (http://www.sec.gov). In addition, documents filed with the SEC by Eagle Bancorp, Inc. will be available free of charge from Eagle’s Investor Relations at (301) 986-1800, on Eagle’s website at www.eaglebankcorp.com under the tab “Investor Relations” and then under the heading “SEC Filings” or from Alliance’s Investor Relations at (703) 814-7200 or on Alliance’s website at www.alliancebankva.com under the tab “Investor Relations” and then under the heading “Press Releases” or under the heading “Documents/SEC Filings.”

Eagle, Alliance and their respective directors, executive officers, and certain other members of management and employees of Eagle, Alliance and their respective subsidiaries may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from shareholders of Alliance in connection with the proposed merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of Eagle is set forth in Eagle’s proxy statement for the 2011 annual meeting of shareholders filed with the SEC on April 7, 2011. Information about the directors and executive officers of Alliance is set forth in Alliance’s Amendment No. 1 to its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on May 2, 2011. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus and the other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available.

Source: Eagle Bancorp, Inc.

Contact:

Michael T. Flynn
301.986.1800

 

 

Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Financial Highlights
(in thousands, except per share data)
Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended September 30,
2011201020112010
Income Statements:(Unaudited)(Unaudited)(Unaudited)(Unaudited)
Total interest income$ 86,033$ 70,618$ 30,741$ 24,421
Total interest expense15,25715,0795,3654,722
Net interest income70,77655,53925,37619,699
Provision for credit losses8,2185,7522,8871,962
Net interest income after provision for credit losses62,55849,78722,48917,737
Noninterest income (before investment gains)8,1924,7322,6572,073
Investment gains1,445833854260
Total noninterest income9,6375,5653,5112,333
Total noninterest expense44,96937,52915,72312,929
Income before income tax expense27,22617,82310,2777,141
Income tax expense9,8426,2193,7832,375
Net income17,38411,6046,4944,766
Preferred stock dividends and discount accretion1,369971166327
Net Income Available to Common Shareholders’$ 16,015$ 10,633$ 6,328$ 4,439
Per Share Data:
Earnings per weighted average common share, basic$ 0.81$ 0.54$ 0.32$ 0.22
Earnings per weighted average common share, diluted$ 0.79$ 0.53$ 0.31$ 0.22
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic19,806,00719,636,97819,867,53319,659,934
Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted20,258,44620,009,71320,281,29420,015,404
Actual shares outstanding19,890,59719,671,79719,890,59719,671,797
Book value per common share at period end$ 10.15$ 9.14$ 10.15$ 9.14
Tangible book value per common share at period end (1)$ 9.94$ 8.92$ 9.94$ 8.92
Performance Ratios (annualized):
Return on average assets (3)1.00%0.82%1.00%0.96%
Return on average common equity (3)11.10%8.21%12.55%9.89%
Net interest margin (3)4.15%4.06%3.98%4.10%
Efficiency ratio (2)55.92%61.42%54.43%58.68%
Other Ratios:
Allowance for credit losses to total loans1.41%1.45%1.41%1.45%
Allowance for credit losses to total nonperforming loans90.98%90.18%90.98%90.18%
Nonperforming loans to total loans1.55%1.61%1.55%1.61%
Nonperforming assets to total assets (3)1.07%1.46%1.07%1.46%
Net charge-offs (annualized) to average loans0.32%0.38%0.36%0.39%
Common equity to total assets (3)6.27%8.96%6.27%8.96%
Tier 1 leverage ratio9.61%9.66%9.61%9.66%
Tier 1 risk based capital ratio10.48%10.88%10.48%10.88%
Total risk based capital ratio12.12%12.66%12.12%12.66%
Tangible common equity to tangible assets (1) (3)6.15%8.77%6.15%8.77%
Loan Balances - Period End (in thousands):
Commercial and Industrial$ 470,103$ 388,401$ 470,103$ 388,401
Commercial real estate - owner occupied$ 245,497$ 210,053$ 245,497$ 210,053
Commercial real estate - income producing$ 772,727$ 573,753$ 772,727$ 573,753
1-4 Family mortgage$ 37,662$ 11,523$ 37,662$ 11,523
Construction - commercial and residential$ 405,429$ 251,869$ 405,429$ 251,869
Home equity$ 94,008$ 88,251$ 94,008$ 88,251
Other consumer$ 4,219$ 7,096$ 4,219$ 7,096
Average Balances (in thousands):
Total assets (3)$ 2,325,317$ 1,887,932$ 2,569,970$ 1,964,827
Total earning assets (3)$ 2,284,041$ 1,828,508$ 2,531,768$ 1,907,900
Total loans held for sale$ 24,809$ 18,259$ 35,320$ 46,360
Total loans$ 1,849,531$ 1,465,438$ 1,967,214$ 1,506,894
Total deposits (3)$ 1,931,813$ 1,537,960$ 2,124,274$ 1,610,813
Total borrowings$ 159,642$ 148,197$ 184,874$ 146,711
Total shareholders’ equity$ 225,403$ 195,638$ 251,916$ 200,556
(1) Tangible common equity to tangible assets (the “tangible common equity ratio”) and tangible book value per common share are non-GAAP financial measures derived from GAAP-based amounts. We calculate tangible common equity to tangible assets by excluding the balance of intangible assets from common shareholders’ equity and dividing by tangible assets. We calculate tangible book value per common share by dividing tangible common equity by common shares outstanding, as compared to book value per common share, which we calculate by dividing common shareholders’ equity by common shares outstanding. We believe that this information is important to shareholders’ as tangible equity is a measure that is consistent with the calculation of capital for bank regulatory purposes, which excludes intangible assets from the calculation of risk based ratios.
(2) Computed by dividing noninterest expense by the sum of net interest income and noninterest income.
(3) The reported figure includes the effect of a $618 million deposit received in connection with a class action settlement September 13, 2011 and which is expected to be disbursed by year end. In the interim the deposit is invested in excess reserves at the Federal Reserve. As the magnitude of the deposit distorts the operational results of the Company, we present in the GAAP reconciliation below and in the accompanying text certain performance ratios excluding the effect of this deposit, which resulted in approximately $72,000 of interest income and $30,000 of income, net of tax, during the three and nine months periods ended September 30, 2011. We believe this information is important to enable shareholders and other interested parties to assess the core operational performance of the Company.
GAAP Reconciliation
(dollars in thousands except per share data)
Nine Months Ended September 30,
20112010
(Unaudited)(Unaudited)
Nonperforming assets$ 34,375$ 29,242
Total assets3,219,7462,006,146
Nonperforming assets to total assets1.07%1.46%
Total assets$ 3,219,746$ 2,006,146
Less: settlement deposit(618,000)
Adjusted total assets$ 2,601,746$ 2,006,146
Nonperforming assets$ 34,375$ 29,242
Adjusted total assets2,601,7462,006,146
Nonperforming assets to total adjusted assets1.32%1.46%
Total deposits$ 2,747,349$ 1,646,091
Less: settlement deposit(618,000)
Adjusted total deposits$ 2,129,349$ 1,646,091
Common shareholders’ equity$ 201,863$ 179,764
Less: Intangible assets(4,154)(4,242)
Tangible common equity$ 197,709$ 175,522
Book value per common share$ 10.15$ 9.14
Less: Intangible book value per common share(0.21)(0.22)
Tangible book value per common share$ 9.94$ 8.92
Total assets$ 3,219,746$ 2,006,146
Less: Intangible assets(4,154)(4,242)
Tangible assets$ 3,215,592$ 2,001,904
Tangible common equity ratio6.15%8.77%
Common shareholders’ equity$ 201,863$ 179,764
Less: settlement deposit(30)
Less: Intangible assets(4,154)(4,242)
Tangible common equity$ 197,679$ 175,522
Total assets$ 3,219,746$ 2,006,146
Less: settlement deposit(618,000)
Less: Intangible assets(4,154)(4,242)
Adjusted tangible assets$ 2,597,592$ 2,001,904
Adjusted tangible common equity ratio7.61%8.77%
Common shareholders’ equity$ 201,863$ 179,764
Less: settlement deposit(30)
Adjusted common equity$ 201,833$ 179,764
Adjusted total assets2,601,7462,006,146
Adjusted common equity to adjusted total assets7.76%8.96%
GAAP Reconciliation
(dollars in thousands except per share data)
Three Months Ended September 30,
20112010
Average BalanceInterestAverage Yield/RateAverage BalanceInterestAverage Yield/Rate
Total interest earning assets$ 2,531,768$ 30,7414.82%$ 1,907,900$ 24,4215.08%
Less: settlement deposit(114,000)(72)-0.25%
Adjusted interest earning assets$ 2,417,768$ 30,6695.03%$ 1,907,900$ 24,4215.08%
Total interest bearing liabilities$ 1,718,118$ 5,3651.24%$ 1,409,980$ 4,7221.33%
Adjusted interest spread3.79%3.75%
Adjusted interest margin4.15%4.10%
Nine Months Ended September 30,
20112010
Average BalanceInterestAverage Yield/RateAverage BalanceInterestAverage Yield/Rate
Total interest earning assets$ 2,284,041$ 86,0335.04%$ 1,828,508$ 70,6185.16%
Less: settlement deposit(38,000)(72)-0.25%
Adjusted interest earning assets$ 2,246,041$ 85,9615.12%$ 1,828,508$ 70,6185.16%
Total interest bearing liabilities$ 1,619,514$ 15,2571.26%$ 1,371,659$ 15,0791.47%
Adjusted interest spread3.86%3.69%
Adjusted interest margin4.21%4.06%
Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended September 30,
2011201020112010
(Unaudited)(Unaudited)(Unaudited)(Unaudited)
Net income$ 17,384$ 11,604$ 6,494$ 4,766
Less: settlement deposit(30)(30)
Adjusted net income$ 17,354$ 11,604$ 6,464$ 4,766
Average total assets2,325,3171,887,9322,569,9701,964,827
Less: settlement deposit(38,000)(114,000)
Adjusted average total assets2,287,3171,887,9322,455,9701,964,827
Adjusted return on average assets1.01%0.82%1.04%0.96%
Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Statements of Financial Condition
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2011 (Unaudited)December 31, 2010 (Audited)September 30, 2010 (Unaudited)
Assets
Cash and due from banks$ 5,914$ 12,414$ 19,734
Federal funds sold22,08834,04872,101
Interest bearing deposits with banks and other short-term investments718,84811,6527,577
Investment securities available for sale, at fair value292,257228,048258,902
Federal Reserve and Federal Home Loan Bank stock9,4309,5289,774
Loans held for sale107,90780,57170,889
Loans2,029,6451,675,5001,530,946
Less allowance for credit losses(28,599)(24,754)(22,240)
Loans, net2,001,0461,650,7461,508,706
Premises and equipment, net11,1629,3678,658
Deferred income taxes14,09114,47112,350
Bank owned life insurance13,64313,34213,237
Intangible assets, net4,1544,1884,242
Other real estate owned2,9416,7014,581
Other assets16,26514,29415,395
Total Assets$ 3,219,746$ 2,089,370$ 2,006,146
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Liabilities
Deposits:
Noninterest bearing demand$ 1,106,689$ 400,291$ 380,167
Interest bearing transaction69,76261,77162,722
Savings and money market986,585737,071693,381
Time, $100,000 or more351,128344,747324,399
Other time233,185182,918185,422
Total deposits2,747,3491,726,7981,646,091
Customer repurchase agreements147,67197,58499,147
Long-term borrowings49,30049,30049,300
Other liabilities16,96310,9729,307
Total liabilities2,961,2831,884,6541,803,845
Shareholders’ Equity
Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share, shares authorized 1,000,000, Series A, $1,000 per share liquidation preference, shares issued and outstanding 23,235 at December 31, 2010 and September 30, 2010, discount of $601 and $645 respectively, net22,58222,537
Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share, shares authorized 1,000,000, Series B, $1,000 per share liquidation preference, shares issued and outstanding 56,600 at September 30, 201156,600
Common stock, par value $.01 per share; shares authorized 50,000,000, shares issued and outstanding 19,890,957, 19,700,387 and 19,671,797, respectively197197197
Warrant946946946
Additional paid in capital136,466130,382129,958
Retained earnings59,87048,55143,833
Accumulated other comprehensive income4,3842,0584,830
Total shareholders’ equity258,463204,716202,301
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity$ 3,219,746$ 2,089,370$ 2,006,146
Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
For the Nine and Three Month Periods Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 (Unaudited)
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended September 30,
Interest Income2011201020112010
Interest and fees on loans$ 81,013$ 64,995$ 29,119$ 22,655
Interest and dividends on investment securities4,7545,4121,4691,697
Interest on balances with other banks and short-term investments1728313624
Interest on federal funds sold941281745
Total interest income86,03370,61830,74124,421
Interest Expense
Interest on deposits13,12112,8604,6134,005
Interest on customer repurchase agreements533545212167
Interest on short-term borrowings27
Interest on long-term borrowings1,6031,647540550
Total interest expense15,25715,0795,3654,722
Net Interest Income70,77655,53925,37619,699
Provision for Credit Losses8,2185,7522,8871,962
Net Interest Income After Provision For Credit Losses62,55849,78722,48917,737
Noninterest Income
Service charges on deposits2,3012,300880814
Gain on sale of loans3,8729901,065739
Gain on sale of investment securities1,445833854260
Increase in the cash surrender value of bank owned life insurance301325100108
Other income1,7181,117612412
Total noninterest income9,6375,5653,5112,333
Noninterest Expense
Salaries and employee benefits24,33518,1939,2636,549
Premises and equipment expenses5,9826,7251,9392,021
Marketing and advertising1,215919234391
Data processing2,4771,955876697
Legal, accounting and professional fees2,8702,181731655
FDIC insurance1,6282,027285692
Other expenses6,4625,5292,3951,924
Total noninterest expense44,96937,52915,72312,929
Income Before Income Tax Expense27,22617,82310,2777,141
Income Tax Expense9,8426,2193,7832,375
Net Income17,38411,6046,4944,766
Preferred Stock Dividends and Discount Accretion1,369971166327
Net Income Available to Common Shareholders$ 16,015$ 10,633$ 6,328$ 4,439
Earnings Per Common Share
Basic$ 0.81$ 0.54$ 0.32$ 0.22
Diluted$ 0.79$ 0.53$ 0.31$ 0.22
Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Average Balances, Interest Yields And Rates, And Net Interest Margin
(dollars in thousands)
Three Months Ended September 30,
20112010
Average BalanceInterestAverage Yield/RateAverage BalanceInterestAverage Yield/Rate
ASSETS
Interest earning assets:
Interest bearing deposits with other banks and other short-term investments$ 229,242$ 1360.24%$ 7,926$ 241.20%
Loans held for sale (1)35,3203604.06%46,3605194.44%
Loans (1) (2)1,967,21428,7595.80%1,506,89422,1365.83%
Investment securities available for sale (2)275,2131,4692.12%266,4981,6972.53%
Federal funds sold24,779170.27%80,222450.22%
Total interest earning assets2,531,76830,7414.82%1,907,90024,4215.08%
Total noninterest earning assets66,04278,627
Less: allowance for credit losses27,84021,700
Total noninterest earning assets38,20256,927
TOTAL ASSETS$ 2,569,970$ 1,964,827
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Interest bearing liabilities:
Interest bearing transaction$ 62,610$ 510.32%$ 55,839$ 540.38%
Savings and money market874,4332,4291.10%705,7511,8281.03%
Time deposits596,2012,1331.42%501,6792,1231.68%
Total interest bearing deposits1,533,2444,6131.19%1,263,2694,0051.26%
Customer repurchase agreements135,5742120.62%97,4111670.68%
Long-term borrowings49,3005404.29%49,3005504.43%
Total interest bearing liabilities1,718,1185,3651.24%1,409,9804,7221.33%
Noninterest bearing liabilities:
Noninterest bearing demand591,030347,544
Other liabilities8,9066,747
Total noninterest bearing liabilities599,936354,291
Shareholders’ equity251,916200,556
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY$ 2,569,970$ 1,964,827
Net interest income$ 25,376$ 19,699
Net interest spread3.58%3.75%
Net interest margin3.98%4.10%
(1) Loans placed on nonaccrual status are included in average balances. Net loan fees and late charges included in interest income on loans totaled $1.1 million and $601 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
(2) Interest and fees on loans and investments exclude tax equivalent adjustments.
Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Average Balances, Interest Yields And Rates, And Net Interest Margin
(dollars in thousands)
Nine Months Ended September 30,
20112010
Average BalanceInterestAverage Yield/RateAverage BalanceInterestAverage Yield/Rate
ASSETS
Interest earning assets:
Interest bearing deposits with other banks and other short-term investments$ 94,665$ 1710.24%$ 7,724$ 831.44%
Loans held for sale (1)24,8097344.14%18,2596154.50%
Loans (1) (2)1,849,53180,2795.80%1,465,43864,3805.87%
Investment securities available for sale (2)255,0444,7552.49%260,6055,4122.78%
Federal funds sold59,992940.21%76,4821280.22%
Total interest earning assets2,284,04186,0335.04%1,828,50870,6185.16%
Total noninterest earning assets67,59180,724
Less: allowance for credit losses26,31521,300
Total noninterest earning assets41,27659,424
TOTAL ASSETS$ 2,325,317$ 1,887,932
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Interest bearing liabilities:
Interest bearing transaction$ 61,908$ 1630.35%$ 53,296$ 1400.35%
Savings and money market815,6786,4041.05%668,6885,9591.19%
Time deposits582,2866,5541.50%501,4786,7611.80%
Total interest bearing deposits1,459,87213,1211.20%1,223,46212,8601.41%
Customer repurchase agreements110,3135330.65%93,9015450.78%
Other short-term borrowings294,996270.72%
Long-term borrowings49,3001,6034.29%49,3001,6474.47%
Total interest bearing liabilities1,619,51415,2571.26%1,371,65915,0791.47%
Noninterest bearing liabilities:
Noninterest bearing demand471,941314,498
Other liabilities8,4596,137
Total noninterest bearing liabilities480,400320,635
Shareholders’ equity225,403195,638
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY$ 2,325,317$ 1,887,932
Net interest income$ 70,776$ 55,539
Net interest spread3.78%3.69%
Net interest margin4.15%4.06%
(1) Loans placed on nonaccrual status are included in average balances. Net loan fees and late charges included in interest income on loans totaled $3.1 million and $1.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
(2) Interest and fees on loans and investments exclude tax equivalent adjustments.
Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
Statements of Income and Highlights (Quarterly Trends)
(in thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
Income Statements:September 30, 2011June 30, 2011March 31, 2011December 31, 2010September 30, 2010June 30, 2010March 31, 2010December 31, 2009
Total interest income$ 30,741$ 28,996$ 26,296$ 26,040$ 24,421$ 23,689$ 22,508$ 22,413
Total interest expense5,3655,1024,7904,7534,7225,0725,2855,685
Net interest income25,37623,89421,50621,28719,69918,61717,22316,728
Provision for credit losses2,8873,2152,1163,5561,9622,1011,6892,528
Net interest income after provision for credit losses22,48920,67919,39017,73117,73716,51615,53414,200
Noninterest income (before investment gains or losses)2,6572,6022,9333,1802,0731,4371,2221,275
Investment gains (losses)8545914972605731
Total noninterest income3,5113,1932,9333,6772,3332,0101,2221,276
Salaries and employee benefits9,2637,7617,3117,3186,5495,9695,6755,412
Premises and equipment1,9392,0521,9911,7352,0212,6122,0921,843
Marketing and advertising234747234139391281247314
Other expenses4,2874,3734,7774,2833,9684,2753,4493,058
Total noninterest expense15,72314,93314,31313,47512,92913,13711,46310,627
Income before income tax expense10,2778,9398,0107,9337,1415,3895,2934,849
Income tax expense3,7833,1852,8742,8792,3751,9421,9021,898
Net income6,4945,7545,1365,0544,7663,4473,3912,951
Preferred stock dividends and discount accretion166883320328327324320540
Net Income Available to Common Shareholders$ 6,328$ 4,871$ 4,816$ 4,726$ 4,439$ 3,123$ 3,071$ 2,411
Per Share Data:
Earnings per weighted average common share, basic$ 0.32$ 0.25$ 0.24$ 0.24$ 0.22$ 0.16$ 0.16$ 0.12
Earnings per weighted average common share, diluted$ 0.31$ 0.24$ 0.24$ 0.23$ 0.22$ 0.16$ 0.15$ 0.12
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic19,867,53320,050,89419,716,81419,683,05219,659,93419,641,24719,609,19719,521,574
Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted20,281,29420,495,29120,215,24420,130,85420,015,40420,071,94519,951,24619,779,726
Actual shares outstanding19,890,59719,849,04219,811,53219,700,38719,671,79719,652,91819,633,76319,534,226
Book value per common share at period end$ 10.15$ 9.76$ 9.46$ 9.25$ 9.14$ 8.87$ 8.66$ 8.48
Performance Ratios (annualized):
Return on average assets1.00%1.01%0.98%0.96%0.96%0.73%0.76%0.68%
Return on average common equity12.55%10.16%10.49%9.89%9.89%7.27%7.38%5.76%
Net interest margin3.98%4.32%4.23%4.18%4.10%4.10%3.98%3.96%
Efficiency ratio (1)54.43%55.13%58.57%53.98%58.68%63.69%62.15%59.02%
Other Ratios:
Allowance for credit losses to total loans (2)1.41%1.41%1.43%1.48%1.45%1.45%1.47%1.47%
Nonperforming loans to total loans1.55%1.60%1.85%1.51%1.61%1.68%1.47%1.57%
Nonperforming assets to total assets1.07%1.47%1.68%1.53%1.46%1.49%1.36%1.50%
Net charge-offs (annualized) to average loans0.36%0.28%0.30%0.26%0.39%0.38%0.36%0.54%
Tier 1 leverage ratio9.61%9.07%9.44%9.32%9.66%9.84%10.00%10.29%
Tier 1 risk based capital ratio10.48%9.68%10.03%9.91%10.88%11.15%11.77%11.82%
Total risk based capital ratio12.12%11.36%11.75%11.64%12.66%12.85%13.50%13.57%
Average Balances (in thousands):
Total assets$ 2,569,970$ 2,278,329$ 2,122,677$ 2,079,392$ 1,964,827$ 1,881,761$ 1,815,383$ 1,732,168
Total earning assets$ 2,531,768$ 2,220,137$ 2,063,557$ 2,021,492$ 1,907,900$ 1,821,943$ 1,753,989$ 1,677,573
Total loans held for sale$ 35,320$ 19,419$ 19,532$ 74,123$ 46,360$ 6,721$ 1,200$ 1,655
Total loans$ 1,967,214$ 1,864,722$ 1,713,854$ 1,598,449$ 1,506,894$ 1,482,604$ 1,405,704$ 1,350,421
Total deposits$ 2,124,274$ 1,902,837$ 1,764,373$ 1,710,088$ 1,610,813$ 1,529,498$ 1,472,061$ 1,381,305
Total borrowings$ 184,874$ 153,108$ 140,456$ 154,950$ 146,711$ 151,240$ 146,638$ 141,406
Total stockholders’ equity$ 251,916$ 214,926$ 208,833$ 206,191$ 200,556$ 194,866$ 191,393$ 202,004
(1) Computed by dividing noninterest expense by the sum of net interest income and noninterest income.
(2) Excludes loans held for sale.

 

 

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