| 52-Week Lows | Interactive Charts
Factoring in all of the stocks in the U.S., Canada, Europe, UK, Ireland, Asia and Oceania, GuruFocus research shows the most challenged industry sector worldwide is computer hardware, now number one in the world for the most companies on a 52-week-low. Based on 1,802 computer hardware companies around the world, the global sector shows 242 companies are at a 52-week low, with a low ratio for the industry of 0.13. This week the U.S. computer hardware sector lists 26 stocks on a 52-week low out of 244 companies, only a fraction of companies worldwide. The low ratio is 0.11. Pulling from that sector, here's a look at two billionaire-held data storage companies and a printed circuit board manufacturer, all on a 52-week low. U.S. Industry Sector: Computer Hardware Highlight: Fusion-io Inc. (FIO) The current FIO share price is $9.54, or 64.0% off the 52-week high of $26.50. Down 60% over 12 months, Fusion-io Inc. has a market cap of $976.12 million, and trades at a P/B of 1.80. The company does not pay a dividend. First incorporated in 2005, Fusion-io Inc. is a provider of data-centric computing solutions, using a combination of hardware and software that results in improved performance and efficiency. The company's integrated solutions leverage non-volatile memory to significantly increase datacenter efficiency and offer enterprise grade performance, reliability, availability and manageability. The company sells products and services through its global direct sales force, OEMs including Dell, HP and IBM, and other channel partners. Guru Action: The top guru stakeholder is Manning & Napier Advisors Inc. as of Sept 30, 2013, when the firm reduced its position by 8.69%, selling 12,340 shares at an average price of $13.18 for a loss of 27.6%. The firm holds 129,670 shares or 0.13% of shares outstanding. Over a five-quarter history, Manning & Napier Advisors Inc. has averaged a loss of 59% on 142,010 shares bought at an average price of $23.46 per sha! re. The firm has lost 28% on selling 12,340 shares at an average price of $13.18 per share. Check out a number of guru stakeholders and very active insider selling. Historical share pricing, revenue and net income:  [ Enlarge Image ]
Highlight: OCZ Technology Group Inc. (OCZ) The current OCZ share price is $1.11, or 59.9% off the 52-week high of $2.77. Down 18% over 12 months, OCZ Technology Group Inc. has a market cap of $75.71 million, and trades at a P/S of 0.29. The company does not pay a dividend. Formed in 2002, OCZ Technology Group Inc. is a provider of high-performance solid state drives and memory modules for computing devices and systems. The company develops flexible and customizable component solutions quickly and efficiently to meet the ever changing market needs and provide superior customer service. Guru Action: The top guru stakeholder is Pioneer Investments as of June 30, 2013, with 824,837 shares. In seven quarters of trading, the firm averaged a loss of 86% on 3,326,558 shares at an average price of $7.82 per share. The firm has averaged a loss of 79% on 2,501,721 shares sold at an average price of $5.39 per share. Pioneer Investments is one of two guru stakeholders. There is no recent insider trading to report. Historical share pricing, revenue and net income:  [ Enlarge Image ]
Highlight: Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc. (MFLX) The current MFLX share price is $13.66, or 40.3% off the 52-week high of $22.88. Down 35% over 12 months, Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc. has a market cap of $328.28 million, and trades at a P/B of 0.90. The company does not pay a dividend. First incorporated in 1984, Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc. is engaged in the engineering, design and manufacture of flexible printed circuit boards along with related component assemblies. With! faciliti! es in California, China, Malaysia, England and Singapore, the company offers a global service and support base. Guru Action: The top guru stakeholder is Jim Simons as of June 30, 2013. He holds 125,700 shares or 0.52% of shares outstanding. In the second quarter of 2013, he increased his position by 0.4% when he bought 500 shares at an average price of $15.29 per share. Over a five-year history, he has averaged a loss of 46% on 347,489 shares bought at an average price of $25.40 per share. Selling, Simons has also averaged a loss of 41% on 221,789 shares bought at an average price of $23.14 per share. Jim Simons is one of four guru stakeholders. There is no recent insider trading to report. Historical share pricing, revenue and net income:  [ Enlarge Image ]
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This harvest season is fixing to be a record year, in terms of both US corn and soybean crops, and farm income, writes MoneyShow's Jim Jubak, also of Jubak's Picks. US corn and soybean crops are on track to be so large for the 2013-2014 harvest year, that farm income will climb 8.6% to $131 billion, from the $121 billion forecast in August, even though grain prices have declined, according to the US Department of Agriculture. That new projection is a 15% increase from 2012-2013 harvest year. US farmers are projected to produce a record 14 billion bushels of corn this harvest year and 3.6 billion bushels of soybeans. (That would be the third largest soybean harvest on record.) Corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade are down 39% this year. The higher than expected farm income is good news for companies that sell to farmers, which have been forecasting slower sales in 2014 on lower grain prices. For example, in its November 19 conference call, Deere (DE) told Wall Street to expect a 5% to 10% drop in unit sales of agricultural equipment in the United States and Canada for the 2014 fiscal year, on lower sales of higher horsepower tractors and combines. Sales in Europe, Deere said, would be down 5% on lower commodity prices and lower farm incomes. In South America, Deere forecast a similar 5% to 10% drop. The low expectations for 2014, and the increase in forecasts for farm income, raise the possibility of positive surprises for Deere, and other companies that sell into the agricultural sector, such as nitrogen fertilizer market-share leader Yara International ((NO:YAR) in Oslo or (OP:YARIY) in New York). The prices on both of those stocks have recently moved above their 50-day moving averages. I might wait for a positive cross (where the 50-day average moves above the 200-day moving average) before buying, considering the record highs that US indexes have set recently, but these stocks are starting to look interesting to me. (Deere is a member of my Jubak Picks 50 long-term portfolio.) Full disclosure: I don't own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this post in my personal portfolio. When in 2010 I started the mutual fund I manage, Jubak Global Equity Fund, I liquidated all my individual stock holdings and put the money into the fund. The fund may or may not now own positions in any stock mentioned in this post. The fund did not own shares of Deere as of the end of June. It did own shares of Yara International. For a full list of the stocks in the fund as of the end of June see the fund's portfolio here.
Our Quadrix Value score reflects a stock�� percentile rank on more than 20 variables, but four of the most effective metrics are the price/earnings, price/sales, price/cash flow and the enterprise ratio. Screening for standouts on these four measures, Coinstar (CSTR) and Dillard�� (DDS) are two especially cheap stocks. Coinstar faces numerous questions regarding the future of DVDs and Blu-ray discs as faster cable speeds make streaming video an attractive alternative. And though Coinstar and partner Verizon have launched a subscription service for streaming video, competitors Amazon and Netflix are already firmly entrenched in the business. Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Emerson Electric Company(EMR) Emerson Electric Co. operates as a diversified manufacturing and technology company. The company engages in appliance solutions, climate technologies, industrial automation, motor technology, network power, process management, professional tools, and storage solutions businesses. Its appliance solutions business provides appliance controls, appliance motors, heating products, and white-rodgers; climate technology business provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) solutions for residential, industrial, and commercial applications; and industrial automation business offers bearings and power transmission products, electrical power generation products, electric motors, variable speed drives and servos, electrical products, material joining solutions, fluid automation products, and wind turbine systems. The company?s motor technology business provides appliance motors, HVACR motors, DC motors, fractional horsepower motors, integral horsepower a nd larger motors, and drives; network power business provides power, precision cooling, connectivity, and embedded solutions; and process management business provides various wireless related products from self-organizing field networks to wireless asset and people tracking. Its professional tools business offers pipe working and threading equipment, pressing technology, utility locating and visual diagnostics systems, drain maintenance tools, power tools, air tools, general purpose hand tools, wet/dry vacs, job site storage equipment, truck tool boxes and equipment, and van storage equipment; and storage solutions business provides shelving and storage products for residential, commercial, and foodservice needs, as well as offers specialized carts, mobile computer workstations, and cabinet fixtures. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dividends4Life]
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- More Stock Analysis - [By Chuck Saletta]
On the flip side, the iPIG portfolio initially passed on Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR ) , in spite of its great business and dividend history, because its stock price was above the portfolio's buy-below valuation. Yet when the market later offered up Emerson at a lower, more reasonable price tag, the portfolio snapped up shares.
Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Global Payments Inc.(GPN) Global Payments Inc. provides electronic transaction processing services for merchants, independent sales organizations (ISO), financial institutions, government agencies, and multi-national corporations located in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It offers a comprehensive line of processing solutions for credit and debit cards; business-to-business purchasing cards; gift cards; and electronic check conversion and check guarantee, verification, and recovery, including electronic check services, as well as terminal management. The company also offers proprietary software products to establish revolving check cashing limits for the casinos? customers in the gaming industry. In addition, it sells, installs, and services automated teller machine and point of sale terminals; and provides card issuing services, including card management and card personalization. The company markets its products directly, as well as through ISOs, retail outlets, tra de associations, alliance bank relationships, and financial institutions. Global Payments Inc. has a joint venture with La Caixa Group to provide merchant acquiring services to merchants in Spain. Global Payments Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Advisors' Opinion: Mediware Information Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, and marketing of software solutions targeting specific processes within healthcare institutions. The company offers software systems consisting of company's proprietary application software, and third-party licensed software and hardware. It licenses, implements, and supports clinical and performance management, blood donor, and blood and biologic management products in the United States; and medication management solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa. The company?s blood and biologics management solutions include HCLL Transfusion and HCLL Donor, which address blood donor recruitment, blood processing, and transfusion activities for hospitals and medical centers; BloodSafe suite of hardware and software that enable healthcare facilities to store, monitor, distribute, and track blood products; LifeTrak software for blood centers; a nd BiologiCare, a bone, tissue, and cellular product tracking software. Its medication management products comprise WORx, a pharmacy information system to manage inpatient and outpatient pharmacy operations; MediCOE, a physician order entry module; MediMAR, a nurse point-of-care administration and bedside documentation module; MediREC, which assists in achieving compliance with a Joint Commission mandate; and pharmacy management and electronic prescribing systems. The company?s performance management products include InSight software that tracks performance metrics to assist healthcare managers to manage performance. It also provides software installation and maintenance services, as well as billing and collection services to home infusion and home/durable medical equipment markets. The company markets its products primarily through its direct sales force. Mediware Information Systems, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. Advisors' Opinion: - [By CRWE]
Mediware Information Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:MEDW) plans to acquire the assets of Indianapolis-based Strategic Healthcare Group LLC (SHG), a leading provider of blood management consulting, education and informatics solutions.
Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Progress Software Corporation(PRGS) Progress Software Corporation operates as an enterprise software company worldwide. Its products include Progress OpenEdge platform, which offers development tools, application servers, application management tools, and an embedded database; Progress Orbix to address enterprise integration problems with standards-based solutions; and Progress ObjectStore, an object data management system to store data faster than relational database management system or file-based storage system. The company?s products also comprise Progress Responsiveness Process Management suite for business users; Progress Control Tower, an interactive business control panel; Progress Sonic, which comprises an enterprise messaging system and the enterprise service buses; Progress Actional that provides operational and business visibility, root cause analysis, and policy-based security and control of services; Progress Apama, which offers tools for creating, testing, and deploying strategies for applicat ions, including algorithmic trading, market aggregation, smart order routing, market surveillance and monitoring, and risk management; Progress Savvion BusinessManager, a business process management software; and Fuse products that provide customers with access to professional open source integration and messaging software. In addition, it offers Progress DataDirect Connect products, which provide data connectivity components; Progress DataDirect Shadow to provide foundation architecture for standards-based mainframe integration; and Progress Data Services product set that offers data integration for distributed applications. Further, the company provides maintenance, consulting, training, and customer support services. Progress Software Corporation sells its products to independent software vendors, original equipment manufacturers, and system integrators through direct sales force and independent distributors. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in Bedford, Massac husetts. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rick Munarriz]
Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS ) moved higher after posting better-than-expected quarterly results this week. The provider of developer tools software saw revenue rise by a better-than-expected 10%, and its adjusted net income of $0.27 a share blew past the $0.22 a share that the market was forecasting.� - [By Rich Duprey]
Believing it should have a single, cohesive platform for the development of�cloud and mobile application development technologies, Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS ) announced this morning it was selling its�Apama�complex event processing solution to Software AG for an undisclosed sum.
Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Horace Mann Educators Corporation(HMN) Horace Mann Educators Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a multiline insurance company in the United States. The company underwrites and markets personal lines of property and casualty insurance, retirement annuity, and life insurance products. Its products include private passenger automobile and homeowner?s insurance coverage; tax-qualified individual and group annuities in fixed account and combination contracts; and individual and joint whole and term life insurance products. The company offers its products primarily to K-12 teachers, school administrators, education support personnel, and other employees of public schools and their families. It markets its products through its sales force, as well as through independent agents. Horace Mann Educators Corporation was founded in 1945 and is based in Springfield, Illinois. Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cowen Group Inc.(COWN) Cowen Group, Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides alternative investment management, investment banking, research, and sales and trading services for its clients. It manages separate client focused portfolio through its subsidiaries. Through its subsidiaries, the firm invests in equity and fixed income markets. It also invests in alternative investments markets through its subsidiaries. Cowen Group, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in New York, New York with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Cleveland, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, and San Francisco, California. Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: TranSwitch Corporation(TXCC) Transwitch Corporation designs, develops, and supplies semiconductor and intellectual property solutions for voice, data, and video communications equipment. The company provides integrated multi-core network processor system-on-a-chip (SoC) and software solutions for fixed, 3G and 4G mobile, VoIP, and multimedia infrastructures. It offers converged network infrastructure products, including infrastructure VoIP processors comprising Entropia series of processors for wire-line and wireless carrier equipment; EoS/EoPDH mappers and framers for formats and data speeds in the access portion of the network; tributary switches that enable traffic to be switched or re-arranged; and carrier Ethernet solutions consisting of Ethernet controllers and switches, as well as circuit emulation and clock recovery devices. The company also provides FTTx protocol processors, such as mustang, a system-on-chip solution for EPON optical network unit equipment; COLT processor, a system-on-chip so lution for the optical line terminator equipment; and Diplomat-ONT product, an integrated SoC solution for GPON ONU applications, as well as access VoIP processors and access controllers. In addition, it offers broadband customer premises equipment, including multi-service communications processors comprising Atlanta processor, a multi-service SoC for customer premises equipment that supports toll-quality telephone voice, fax, and routing functionality; and HDMI, displayport, HDP, and Ethernet IP cores for consumer electronics, home network equipment, and industrial and automotive applications. The company serves public network systems OEMs, WAN and LAN equipment OEMs, Internet-oriented OEMs, and communications test and performance measurement equipment OEMs, as well as government, university, and private laboratories. It sells its products through direct sales force, independent distributors, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut. Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: USG Corporation(USG) USG Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of building materials worldwide. The company offers gypsum and related products, including gypsum wallboard, joint compounds used for finishing wallboard joints, cement boards, glass mat sheathing, gypsum fiber panels, poured gypsum underlayments, ultra light panels, and various construction plaster products. Its gypsum products are used in various building applications to finish the interior walls, ceilings, and floors in residential, commercial, and institutional constructions, and repair and remodel constructions. The company also produces gypsum-based products for agricultural and industrial customers to use in various applications, including soil conditioning, road repair, fireproofing, and ceramics. In addition, it manufactures ceiling grid and acoustical ceiling tile for electrical and mechanical systems, and air distribution and maintenance applications. USG Corporation distribut es its gypsum products through specialty wallboard distributors, building materials dealers, home improvement centers and other retailers, contractors, and a network of distributors. Further, it distributes other manufacturers? gypsum wallboard, joint compound and other gypsum products, as well as drywall metal, insulation, and roofing products and accessories. The company sells its products under SHEETROCK, DUROCK, FIBEROCK, SECUROCK, LEVELROCK, RED TOP, IMPERIAL, DIAMOND, SUPREMO, AURATONE, ACOUSTONE, DONN, DX, FINELINE, CENTRICITEE, CURVATURA, and COMPASSO brands. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Eric Volkman]
She also serves as chairman of the United States Steel and Carnegie Pension Fund, and on that organization's investment committee. Outside of U.S. Steel, she sits on the board of directors of USG (NYSE: USG ) and the Pennsylvania Business Council, among other entities. - [By Seth Jayson]
USG (NYSE: USG ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know. The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), USG missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.
Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation(LSCC) Lattice Semiconductor Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets programmable logic products and related software. The company offers field programmable gate array (FPGA) products, including LatticeECP family for deployment in wireless infrastructure and wireline access equipment, as well as in video and imaging applications; and LatticeXP for the security, surveillance, and display markets. It also provides programmable logic device (PLD) products comprising various versions of ispMACH4000 in-system programmable complex programmable logic device family; MachXO family that is designed for a range of low density applications; platform manager, power manager, and ispClock programmable mixed signal devices; and software development tools and intellectual property cores. The company sells its products directly to end customers through a network of independent manufacturers? representatives and indirectly through a network of independent sell-in and sell-through distributors. It primarily serves original equipment manufacturers in the communications, computing, consumer, industrial, military, automotive, and medical end markets. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Lee Jackson]
Lattice Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: LSCC) is a top chip stock to buy at Jefferies. The company announced last month three new complete reference designs that will make it easier for electronic OEMs to deliver media-rich experiences to their end users by taking advantage of low-cost, industry-standard MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) camera, application processor and display technologies. The Jefferies price objective for the stock is $6.50, and the consensus is also at $6.50. Lattice closed yesterday at $4.63.
Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: WebMediaBrands Inc(WEBM) WebMediaBrands Inc., an Internet media company, provides content, education, and career services to media and creative professionals through a portfolio of vertical online properties, communities, and trade shows. The company operates mediabistro.com, a blog network that provides content, education, community, and career resources about media industry verticals, including new media, social media, Facebook, TV news, sports news, advertising, public relations, publishing, design, mobile, and the semantic Web. Its mediabistro.com also includes a job board for media and business professionals focusing on various job categories, such as social media, online/new media, publishing, public relations/marketing, advertising, sales, design, and television. The company also operates a network of online properties, including AdsoftheWorld, DynamicGraphics, LiquidTreat, BrandsoftheWorld, Graphics.com, StepInsideDesign, Creativebits, and GraphicsDesignForum that provide content, educatio n, community, career, and other resources for creative and design professionals. In addition, it offers community, membership, and e-commerce offerings comprising a freelance listing service, a marketplace for designing and purchasing logos, and premium membership services. Further, the company provides online and in-person courses, panels, certificate programs, and video subscription libraries for media and creative professionals. Additionally, it organizes various trade shows that include Semantic Technology Conference, Monetizing Social Media, Social Media Optimization Conference, Social Gaming Summit, and Virtual Goods Summit. The company was formerly known as Jupitermedia Corporation and changed its name to WebMediaBrands Inc. in February 2009. WebMediaBrands Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in New York, New York.
From the looks of him, Jay Stein is a retailer. He dons circular tortoise-shell glasses that frame his tanned face, a blue shirt with a white collar custom-made in Hong Kong with his initials embroidered on the pocket, a grey flannel suit and preppy bright green and pink-striped tie, a gift from his older daughter, who followed her father's career and works as a buyer at Ralph Lauren. But when he opens his mouth, you realize Stein is something else: a storyteller. Of how his family's chain of department stores, Stein Mart, got its name — the first store in Greenville, Miss., was called Stein's Self Service, but when Stein's father Jake bought more real estate to make the store bigger, he wanted a new name. Stein's uncle said he had a friend in Arkansas named Sam Walton who was opening stores and calling them Walmart. Of his realization while walking through a store shortly after becoming CEO for the second time in 2011 that he didn't have to ask "a frickin' soul" about the changes he wanted to make to the store design. CEO CLOSEUP: What almost getting fired taught Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman And of being inspired by other retailers — even calling his Director of Stores Gary Pierce during his interview with USA TODAY to have Pierce tell the story of Stein calling him in excitement from an Anthropologie in Jacksonville, about six months ago after seeing the retailer's hardwood floors. Now the gift departments of newer Stein Mart stores have hardwood floors, and sales are up 20% there since installing them. "It looks so damn good," Stein says in his slight Southern accent. Stein is president and CEO of his family's namesake, Stein Mart, a chain of 262 stores — 263 as of Thursday, when another opens in Watchung, N.J. — primarily throughout the Southeast and Texas. It's headquartered in Jacksonville. As Stein says, "Stein Mart does best where the sun shines." The sun has been good to the department store company, which has managed to remain afloat and maintain str! ong sales at a time when regional department stores have all but disappeared — closed or bought by bigger national players — and struggled to compete with both discounters and the likes of higher-end retailers such as Nordstrom. In the first two quarters of this year, sales at stores open at least a year were up 8.2% and 6% respectively. The company announced a 5% increase in sales in September. CEO CLOSEUP: Sabre's Sam Gilliland personalizes travel The chain bills itself as a discount retailer. Stores feel like a smaller version of Macy's, but with the kind of prices you'd find at designer discounters such as TJ Maxx. Stein himself compares the company with Marshall's or The Rack. He says pricing strategy is what sets Stein Mart apart. "What built this company was values every single day," he says. He inherited that philosophy from his father, and it's the first he reinstated when he returned as CEO of the company two years ago, after stepping down in 2001 for health reasons. Now, Stein is focused both on rebuilding his customer base since losing shoppers as the company went through three CEOs in 10 years before he returned, and expanding his customer base. He plans to open eight to 12 stores next year, many in sunny California. The retailer also launched its first e-commerce site last month. In his blood Stein was born into retailing. His grandfather, Sam Stein, started the company in 1908 with a store in Greenville. By the time Jay was born in 1945, his father, Jake, was running the store (Sam had died in the 1930s). "I can clearly remember myself at the cash register at 10 years old," Stein says. "It was what you did. I didn't think there was anything else to do. When you grow up in a small town and your father has a retail store, it's the center of your life." Stein is an only child, making the question of who would inherit the family business easy to answer. After graduating from New York University in 1967, Stein returned to Greenville to work! for his ! father for the next 10 years. But they didn't always have the same vision for the company. "He was not an easy man to work with because he had very strong opinions and because he was a product of the Depression," Stein says. "He clearly wasn't expansion minded." But when Stein saw how much inventory the store received when high-end retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus had "sell-offs" of their designer goods, "I said, 'There's got to be other cities that would like this merchandise, as well.' " In what today would be called a pop-up shop, Stein persuaded his father to let him open a temporary store in the closest big city, Memphis, for sell-off merchandise. "For one whole week, the town went wild," he says. "It was very successful." That was in 1977. A year later, the store became a permanent fixture and led Stein Mart's expansion into a retail chain. Stein followed up with a third store in Nashville in 1980. At that point, he also had another goal in mind: become president of the company. Stein wanted to join the Young President's Organization, a professional group that only admits company presidents younger than 40. This proved an easy feat, having no siblings to fight with about titles, and a father who only cared to focus on the Greenville store. Stein was 36 when he essentially appointed himself president. "We didn't have titles," he says, "it was a family business. ... Nobody objected" when he gave himself the role. In the next 21 years, Stein expanded the family business to include 239 stores in 29 states. The company went public in 1992. But after having bypass surgery in 1999, he decided to step down as CEO in September 2001. He maintained his position on the board of directors and meant to act as an adviser. That didn't go as planned. "Nobody would listen," Stein says. "They didn't want to. They thought they had a better plan. They were good people; they just didn't understand the culture." Stein Mart went through three CEOs fro! m 2001 to! 2011, when Stein was reinstated as interim CEO. He was officially named as CEO in June. "It was just time to make a change," he says of resuming the helm. "We saw the company was continuing in a direction, on a path that I wasn't comfortable with, and neither were our customers. ... Neither were our stock holders." Stein says merchandise quality had deteriorated, and the company was being "impersonalized." He returned to a warm welcome. "I have never felt as embraced in my life as the day I came back," he says. That personal touch For Stein, the business is personal. Every customer is sent off from the store with a thank-you note from Stein, printed in his handwriting. It reads, "There is no company more grateful for its friends and customers than we are ..." "We have the most loyal base of fans of I think any retailer in America," says Stein, pointing out the company's more than 400,000 Facebook "likes." Stein is on the road nearly every week, traveling frequently to New York City and to visit his stores. But he's not necessarily there to see how things are going. "I'm not coming to check on stores, I'm coming to thank people," he says. "We have enough people out there to check on stores." Stein gave up his year-end bonus last year, distributing it to store employees to use for meals out with each other or other activities. He says his bonus was the thank-you letters he received from customers in the months following his return to the company. "That meant more to me than anything in this world," he says. Stein Mart's success may have as much to do with offering customers great deals as with its familial roots and personality. Stein has an 87% approval rating on job ratings site Glassdoor. When he returned to the company, his wife Deanie Stein told USA TODAY they would tour stores and could "see on (employees') faces how relieved they were." While at a store in Chantilly, Va., for the USA TODAY interview, several employees asked t! o have th! eir picture taken with Stein. He says the feeling is mutual: "It's important that I can meet as many people as possible that work with this company and just thank them."
Here's our advice for Twitter's initial public offering, summed up in less than 140 characters: Don't invest in the Twitter IPO. It's not that Twitter's stock won't turn out to be a good investment. Maybe it will. Or maybe it won't. Time will tell. But our advice for any IPO is to wait at least 90 days before buying in. That allows enough time for the hype to die down and rational analysis of a company's business prospects to take over. See Also: The 7 Deadly Sins of Investing This approach paid off handsomely with the Facebook (FB) IPO. The stock debuted on May 18, 2012, at $38. By session's end its price had gained just 23 cents, defying widespread predictions of a massive first-day pop. Three months after the IPO, Facebook was down to $20. Opportunistic investors who bought at that point have since enjoyed a 160% return (all prices as of October 17).  IPO expert Josef Schuster says the risk for individual investors is getting caught up in the buzz about hot IPOs that later crash while overlooking less attractive "cold deals." "Our great performers are the boring IPOs that the individual investor may have neglected --, like HCA Holdings (HCA), which didn't do anything for a long time and is now trading at all-time highs," says Schuster, who runs a Chicago-based IPO research firm, IPOX Schuster LLC. "Dollar General (DG) — it wasn't a 'hot IPO.' It didn't do anything on the first day. But it went up over the long run." Schuster created an index of stocks that come onto the market as IPOs or corporate spinoffs. The index is the basis for an exchange-traded fund, First Trust US IPO Index (FPX). Schuster's rules for his index specify that an IPO will be added no sooner than six trading days after it debuts to avoid the volatility of the first few sessions. Consider investing in the ETF for broad exposure to the IPO market. The fund is up 38% year to date — better than the 24% return of Standard & Poor's 500-stock index.  Looking for individual stocks? A number of IPOs that have turned cold since their debuts within the past couple of years may intrigue investors with an appetite for out-of-favor shares. Here are four worth considering: SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS) went public in April with a first-day splash befitting Shamu's owner. Ahead of the IPO it posted 2012 sales growth of more than 7%, better than Cedar Fair (FUN) and Six Flags Entertainment (SIX). In its first report as a public company, however, SeaWorld's earnings came in below analysts' forecasts. Investors were spooked at the news of a 9.5% decline in attendance in the second quarter of 2013. The shares, at $29.57 now trade below their first-day close and are priced at 22 times estimated 2014 earnings. SeaWorld's stock yields 2.7%. Poor weather in the second quarter hurt attendance at nearly all SeaWorld parks. But the visitors who did attend spent more to get in, says Barclays Capital analyst Felicia Hendrix, and spent more on concessions once they were inside, boosting revenue per attendee by 6.7%. Hendrix says the company's second-half performance will influence the share price in the short term. In the long run the company's strong brands, including Busch Gardens and the namesake SeaWorld parks, will keep its coffers brimming. TRI Pointe Homes (TPH) and Ply Gem Holdings (PGEM) went public earlier this year as the U.S. housing market showed signs of life post-recession. Each stock gained more than 10% on the first day of trading. More recently, though, they've both been caught up in fears that rising mortgage rates will stop the housing rebound in its tracks. TRI Pointe is a homebuilder operating exclusively in Colorado and its home state of California. Analyst Steve Stelmach, of FBR Capital Markets, who has a "buy" rating on the stock, says the company has a strong portfolio of land and is generating orders at a better-than-expected pace. At $13.92, shares are well below Stelmach's $24 price target. Ply Gem sells construction products to builders, including siding, windows and doors. Expectations of a slowing recovery in homebuilding recently prompted analyst Daniel Oppenheim, of Credit Suisse, to lower the target price that accompanies his "buy" rating to $21 — 43% above today's levels of $14.68. Millennial Media (MM) was a hot IPO, jumping 92% on its first day of trading in March 2012. But investors soured quickly as the provider of mobile advertising fell short of some analysts' financial forecasts in its first report as a public company. Today, at $6.88, it trades at one-fourth its all-time high. Millennial Media has big competition — Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) — but it claims to be the largest company that isn't affiliated with a single operating system or set of mobile devices. It's bulking up, buying privately held competitor Jumptap in a stock-and-cash deal initially valued at about $200 million. The risk of the large acquisition, coupled with recent financial results that missed management's forecast, has led a number of analysts to assign "hold" ratings. But analysts also say there's plenty of potential in a company that reported a 45% gain in sales in the second quarter. "The stock's current valuation likely does not give enough credit for expected growth," says Michael Graham, of Canaccord Genuity, whose 12-month target price of $10 represents a gain of 45% from today's levels.
Talk about creating moral hazard. The Fed has cornered almost 40% of all Treasuries over 5 years in maturity. I've just discovered the bottom line for QE: the Fed's 4 years of QE, QE1, QE2, and QE3 has accumulated 36% of all Treasury securities between 5 years and 10 years in maturity plus 40% of those government bonds over 10 years in maturity as well as 25% of all the mortgage backed securities not owned by Fannie Mae Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Freddie Mac. Just how do you suppose Chairman Yellen will devise an exit strategy to this concentrated ownership that makes up some $3 trillion of the central bank's $4 trillion balance sheet? Short of a miracle, Chairman Yellen faces one of the most imposing and possibly impossible challenges facing the financial markets over the next several years. If anything will derail the economy, force the stock market into a mighty retreat and destroy all hope of further expansion of the residential real estate market, it is the Fed's quandary over the retreat from quantitative easing. And you can be sure that the potential overhang of Treasury securities and mortgage backed bonds overhanging the market are not going to look like bargains to the cash-rich central banks of China, Japan, Russia, to the pension funds and endowments. Preventing a depression in 2008 looks easier and more straight-forward to me than the devilish predicament the Fed faces when QE finally is petered out and the central bank is left holding a record amount of securities that one way or another are going to start losing value as the cost of money creeps higher. All geniuses need apply at Fed with their schemes to get us out of this trap. We are going to have to start looking at this problem early in 2014 without denying its severity and multiple ramifications. I say it will be impossible to liquidate $3 trillion in any short term or medium time period without causing the bond and stock markets to crash. And it's even possible the Fed might have to position another $500 billion to $1 trillion bonds if the job numbers don't look promising. Therefore, the Fed might be forced to hold the bonds to maturity, requiring more than a decade to see the securities run off, delivering trillions in cash to the central bank. I can't even get my head around what that predicament would mean down the road. Or it begins to liquidate bonds and interest rates rise while the bond market declines it means that the Fed 's profits from its book will be reduced, wiping out its ability to pay a huge dividend to the Treasury fir use in running the government. Honestly, I'm not going to shed that many tears for this loss, though others will be wailing and tearing out their hair. I'm sure right now the economists at the regional Feds are writing papers to suggest the various policy choices we face. The potential nightmare I was warned about by a Wall Street elder is that the Fed might face large paper losses on its portfolio of intermediate Treasuries, on which thankfully it is not required to mark to market. To complicate the challenge even more, as the Treasury continues to finance the government by selling new securities into the market at rates much higher than 2.80% for the 10 year security, the cost of financing the U.S. government rises as well. Not only does the Treasury lose income from the Fed, it then costs more to sell more securities in a falling market. So much for this bit of worrisome "forward guidance" from the Croesus Chronicles. More later when the clouds lift.
DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.
>>5 Rocket Stocks for Turkey Day Trading Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."
Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.
>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume today. Envestnet
Envestnet (ENV) provides integrated wealth management software and services to financial advisors and institutions in the U.S. This stock closed up 2.3% at $39.59 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 479,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 267,189
Volume % Change: 72%
From a technical perspective, ENV spiked modestly higher here into new 52-week high territory above some near-term overhead resistance at $38.70 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last four months, with shares moving higher from its low of $24.58 to its intraday high of $41.11. During that uptrend, shares of ENV have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ENV as long as it's trending above some near-term support at $38 or at $37 and then once it sustains a move or close above Monday's high of $41.11 with volume that's near or above 267,189 shares. If we get that move soon, then ENV will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $45 to $47.
Post Holdings
Post Holdings (POST) is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded ready-to-eat cereals in the U.S. and Canada. This stock closed up 2% at $47.76 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 599,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 233,948
Volume % Change: 150%
From a technical perspective, POST spiked modestly higher here and touched its all-time high at $49.32 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $38.31 to its intraday high of $49.32. During that uptrend, shares of POST have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in POST as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $47 or at $46 and then once it sustains a move or close above its all-time high at $49.32 with volume that's near or above 233,948 shares. If we get that move soon, then POST will set up to enter new all-time-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $55 to $57.
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB) is a provider of value-added, technology-based products and services for the rail industry. This stock closed up 1.2% at $68.61 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 556,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 413,858
Volume % Change: 65%
From a technical perspective, WAB trended modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $66 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of WAB within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if WAB manages to take out Monday's high of $68.64 and its 52-week high at $86.66 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in WAB as long as it's trending above support at $66 or above its 50-day at $64.77 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 413,858 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then WAB will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $73 to $75. To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.
-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.
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At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.
Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.
The trial of some of Rupert Murdoch's close associates for telephone hacking, bribery, obstruction of justice and conspiracy is now underway in London, threatening to expose ever-deeper veins of skulduggery in Murdoch's company. Surely a low point in his 60-year career. And yet, Murdoch is telling people he may never have been happier in his life. This is partly because he believes that he and his family have largely beaten the rap. But it is also a personal trait of Murdoch's, being able to write off the past, with both finesse and brutality. And for everything to turn out well for him. His personal life, his work life and his family life, despite the threat of hackinggate, have all come into alignment. At 82, he believes he has set the stage for another 15 years. Hackinggate rather seems to have given him the impetus, in some Godfather fashion, to settle scores and take care of business so he can get on with the next chapter of his epochal story. First, he dealt with the long-standing friction of his marriage. Try as he might, for the 15 years he's been married to Wendi Deng, 39 years his junior, he has never wholly managed to effect a rapprochement between her and his adult children, who are, for Murdoch, the tent poles of his life. At the same time, he has found it hard to admit that his marriage was in difficulty, even as he and Deng increasingly lived apart. It was Deng's telling moment in the sun — stepping between Murdoch and a pie wielder when he was called, two years ago, to testify about hacking before Parliament — that he has told friends crystallized his anger. He realized he did not want her protecting him now — making him look old, he felt, and weak — or his legacy later. With the encouragement of his children, he began to plan his exit — his resolve aided by his closer monitoring of her personal life. In June, acting on new reports about her involvement with Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, he summarily ended his marriage — t! o no one's greater surprise than his wife's. His own hurt feelings have been soothed by a new romantic interest, a younger woman who has been traveling with him — his massage therapist — who, he has told friends, has made him very happy. Oh, yes. And a month before he ended his marriage, he bought a $29 million vineyard in Bel Air, in the hills above Los Angeles, real estate (and a new hobby) his wife had no interest in. His decision to buy the vineyard, friends say, foreshadowed her fate. Last June also saw the completion of the split of his company between its newspapers and its entertainment businesses. For almost 10 years, Murdoch had been facing continuing and ever more pointed complaints about the papers, about the money he spent on them and the time he put into them. Then, with hackinggate, the papers became an even fiercer lightning rod. And so this painful split was forced on him. A business nadir. But now he finds himself with a new company, with $3 billion in the bank and a rising share price — a company whose very purpose is to manage newspapers. Nobody is telling him he shouldn't be concerned about newspapers anymore. He's back in the proprietor's seat — in the action. Nor, he has found, does he have to pretend anymore to be all that concerned with television or the movies, businesses always far more interesting to him for their profits than for their challenges. In Chase Carey, the chief operator of the television and movie company, Twenty-First Century Fox, and in Roger Ailes, the chief operator of Fox News, its most profitable division, he has found two adroit men who, with suitable obeisance, make him a lot of money and leave him little to do. What's more, they have solved the pressing and at times intractable problem of his son James. James is the forceful, aggressive, know-it-all son, whom almost everyone blames for mishandling the hacking scandal and to whom, for whatever reasons, the father has never been able to say no. Now sa! ying no, ! and maneuvering James to where he can do no harm, is Chase Carey's job. Still, of course, there is succession, which has always nagged at Murdoch — not just how to build a dynasty, but which child to choose to run it. But now, instead of having only one company to give his children, he has two. The new company, with its big revenue coming from pay TV in Australia, is being specifically tailored for his son Lachlan, who lives in Sydney. Murdoch, at the behest of his executives, forced Lachlan from his heir-apparent post almost 10 years ago. Murdoch has felt guilty ever since. He's determined, with the new company, to right the wrong. Meanwhile, he and his daughter, Elisabeth, have been at odds because of her public distancing from the family. Aided by her husband, Matthew Freud, a London PR man whom Murdoch has never liked, Elisabeth — whose company, Shine, is one of the largest independent television producers — has positioned herself as the anti-Murdoch Murdoch. But Murdoch is said to have been full of admiration when, last week, Elisabeth hosted a birthday party for her husband — and the entire British establishment showed up. All those who had been tooting the end of Murdoch power in Britain, even celebrating the trial in London, were suddenly back in the Murdoch fold — including David Cameron, the prime minister, and his wife, Samantha, center stage on the dance floor. Oh, and in an errant message meant as an instruction to the New York Post instead of as a request to the general public, Murdoch tweeted, " 'Please expose Eric Schmidt, Google' etc. Just wait!" It's payback time.
With shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKB) trading around $113, is BRKB an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework: T = Trends for a Stock�� Movement Berkshire Hathaway is a publicly owned investment manager. Through its subsidiaries, the firm primarily engages in the insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks business. It is also involved in a freight rail transportation business, a group of utility, and energy generation and distribution businesses.�Berkshire Hathaway was founded in 1889 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett�� conglomerate, has made a profit of $10 billion thus far from investments made during the financial crisis, according to the Wall Street Journal. Berkshire invested a total of $26 billion in six different companies during the crisis, including Mars Inc., Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Swiss Re Ltd., Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE:DOW), and General Electric (NYSE:GE). Last week, Berkshire collected a $4.4 billion payment from Mars subsidiary Wrigley. ��n terms of simple profitability, an average investor could have done just as well investing in the stock market if they bought during the panic period,��Buffett said in an interview Saturday. Top 5 Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Genworth Financial Inc (GNW) Genworth Financial, Inc., a financial security company, provides insurance, wealth management, investment, and financial solutions in the United States and internationally. The company offers various insurance and fixed annuity products, including life and long-term care insurance products; payment protection insurance products for consumers primarily to meet specified payment obligations; and wealth management products, such as managed account programs with advisor support and financial planning services. It also provides mortgage insurance products and related services to insure prime-based, individually underwritten residential mortgage loans or flow mortgage insurance; and mortgage insurance on a structured or bulk basis, as well as offers services, analytical tools, and technology that enable lenders to operate and manage risk. In addition, the company provides institutional products consisting of funding agreements, funding agreements backing notes, and guaranteed in vestment contracts. Genworth Financial, Inc. distributes its products and services through financial intermediaries, advisors, independent distributors, affinity groups, and sales specialists. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Jon C. Ogg]
The first list of 24/7 Wall St. stocks under book value for the month of August are Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA), Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. (NYSE: FDP), Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW), Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU). We generally have�focused on net asset values and tangible book values, as well as forward price-to-earnings multiples, share price performance, analyst expectations via the Thomson Reuters consensus price target and more.
Top 5 Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: W.R. Berkley Corporation(WRB) W. R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company, operates as commercial lines writers in the property casualty insurance business primarily in the United States. The company operates in five segments: Specialty, Regional, Alternative Markets, Reinsurance, and International. The Specialty segment underwrites third-party liability risks, primarily excess, and surplus lines, including premises operations, professional liability, commercial automobile, products liability, and property lines. The Regional segments provide commercial insurance products to small-to-mid-sized businesses, and state and local governmental entities primarily in the 45 states of the United States. The Alternative Markets segment develops, insures, reinsures, and administers self-insurance programs and other alternative risk transfer mechanisms. This segment offers its services to employers, employer groups, insurers, and alternative market funds, as well as provides a range of fee-based servic es, including consulting and administrative services. The Reinsurance segment engages in the underwriting property casualty reinsurance on a treaty and a facultative basis, including individual certificates and program facultative business; and specialty and standard reinsurance lines, and property and casualty reinsurance. The International segment offers personal and commercial property casualty insurance in South America; commercial property casualty insurance in the United Kingdom and continental Europe; and reinsurance in Australia, Southeast Asia, and Canada. The company was founded in 1967 and is based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Monica Gerson]
W.R. Berkley (NYSE: WRB)is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $1.57 billion. V.F. Corp (NYSE: VFC) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $3.78 per share on revenue of $3.34 billion. - [By Laura Brodbeck]
Earnings reports expected on Monday include: Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.48 on revenue of $1.10 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.13 on revenue of $905.09 million. Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $2.07 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.21. W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.71 on revenue of $1.57 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $1.42 billion. Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.44 on revenue of $1.27 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.56 on revenue of $1.31 billion. Economics
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities. The Company is engaged in insurance businesses conducted on both a primary basis and a reinsurance basis. Berkshire also owns and operates a number of other businesses engaged in a variety of activities. On December 30, 2011, Medical Protective Corporation (MedPro) completed the acquisition of 100% of the Princeton Insurance Company, a professional liability insurer for healthcare providers based in Princeton, New Jersey. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Acme Building Brands (Acme) acquired the assets of Jenkins Brick Company, the brick manufacturer in Alabama. In September 2011, Berkshire acquired The Lubrizol Corporation (Lubrizol). In June 2011, the Company acquired Wesco Financial Corporation. In June 2012, Media General, Inc. sold 63 daily and weekly newspapers to World Media Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire. In July 2012, Berkshire�� The Lubrizol Corporation acquired Lipotec SA. Insurance and Reinsurance Businesses Berkshire�� insurance and reinsurance business activities are conducted through numerous domestic and foreign-based insurance entities. Berkshire�� insurance businesses provide insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks world-wide and also reinsure life, accident and health risks world-wide. Berkshire�� insurance underwriting operations are consisted of the sub-groups, including GEICO and its subsidiaries, General Re and its subsidiaries, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. GEICO insurance subsidiaries include Government Employees Insurance Company, GEICO General Insurance Company, GEICO Indemnity Company and GEICO Casualty Company. These companies primarily offers private passenger automobile insurance to individuals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, GEICO insures motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, recreational vehicles and s! mall commercial fleets and acts as an agent for other insurers who offer homeowners, boat and life insurance to individuals. GEICO markets its policies primarily through direct response methods in which applications for insurance are submitted directly to the companies through the Internet or by telephone. General Re Corporation (General Re) is the holding company of General Reinsurance Corporation (GRC) and its subsidiaries and affiliates. GRC�� subsidiaries include General Reinsurance AG, a international reinsurer based in Germany. General Re subsidiaries conduct business activities globally in 51 cities and provide insurance and reinsurance coverages throughout the world. General Re provides property/casualty insurance and reinsurance, life/health reinsurance and other reinsurance intermediary and risk management, underwriting management and investment management services. Property/Casualty Reinsurance General Re�� property/casualty reinsurance business in North America is conducted through GRC. Property/casualty operations in North America are also conducted through 16 branch offices in the United States and Canada. Reinsurance activities are marketed directly to clients without involving a broker or intermediary. General Re�� property/casualty business in North America also includes specialty insurers (primarily the General Star and Genesis companies domiciled in Connecticut and Ohio). These specialty insurers underwrite primarily liability and workers��compensation coverages on an excess and surplus basis and excess insurance for self-insured programs. General Re�� international property/casualty reinsurance business operations are conducted through internationally-based subsidiaries on a direct basis (through General Reinsurance AG, as well as several other General Re subsidiaries in 25 countries) and through brokers (primarily through Faraday, which owns the managing agent of Syndicate 435 at Lloyd�� of London and provides capacity and particip! ates in 1! 00% of the results of Syndicate 435). Life/Health Reinsurance General Re�� North American and international life, health, long-term care and disability reinsurance coverages are written on an individual and group basis. Most of this business is written on a proportional treaty basis, with the exception of the United States group health and disability business which is predominately written on an excess treaty basis. Lesser amounts of life and disability business are written on a facultative basis. The life/health business is marketed on a direct basis. The Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group (BHRG) operates from offices located in Stamford, Connecticut. Business activities are conducted through a group of subsidiary companies, led by National Indemnity Company (NICO) and Columbia Insurance Company (Columbia). BHRG provides principally excess and quota-share reinsurance to other property and casualty insurers and reinsurers. BHRG�� underwriting activities also include life reinsurance and life annuity business written through Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska and financial guaranty insurance written through Berkshire Hathaway Assurance Corporation. BHRG writes catastrophe excess-of-loss treaty reinsurance contracts. BHRG also writes individual policies for primarily large or otherwise unusual discrete risks on both an excess direct and facultative reinsurance basis, referred to as individual risk, which includes policies covering terrorism, natural catastrophe and aviation risks. A catastrophe excess policy provides protection to the counterparty from the accumulation of primarily property losses arising from a single loss event or series of related events. Catastrophe and individual risk policies may provide amounts of indemnification per contract and a single loss event may produce losses under a number of contracts. BHRG also underwrites traditional non-catastrophe insurance and reinsurance coverages, referred to as multi-line property/c! asualty b! usiness. The Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group is a collection of primary insurance operations that provide a variety of insurance coverages to insureds located principally in the United States. NICO and certain affiliates underwrite motor vehicle and general liability insurance to commercial enterprises on both an admitted and excess and surplus basis. This business is written nationwide primarily through insurance agents and brokers and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. U.S. Investment Corporation (USIC), through its three subsidiaries led by United States Liability Insurance Company, is a specialty insurer that underwrites commercial, professional and personal lines of insurance on an admitted and excess and surplus basis. Policies are marketed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through wholesale and retail insurance agents. USIC companies underwrite and market 109 distinct specialty property and casualty insurance products. Medical Protective Corporation (MedPro) is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Through its subsidiary, the Medical Protective Company, MedPro is engaged in primary medical professional liability coverage and risk solutions to physicians, dentists, other healthcare providers and healthcare facilities. Railroad Business Through BNSF Railway, BNSF operates a railroad network in North America with approximately 32,000 route miles of track (excluding multiple main tracks, yard tracks and sidings) in 28 states and two Canadian provinces as of December 31, 2011. BNSF owns approximately 23,000 route miles, including easements, and operates on approximately 9,000 route miles of trackage rights that permit BNSF to operate its trains with its crews over other railroads��tracks. As of December 31, 2011, the total BNSF Railway system, including single and multiple main tracks, yard tracks and sidings, consisted of approximately 50,000 operated miles of track, all of which are owned by or held under easement by BNSF except for approximately 10,000 route! miles op! erated under trackage rights. BNSF is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and through BNSF Railway Company operates railroad systems in North America. In serving the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Western, Southwestern and Southeastern regions and ports of the country, BNSF transports a range of products and commodities derived from manufacturing, agricultural and natural resource industries. In serving the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Western, Southwestern and Southeastern regions and ports of the country, BNSF transports a range of products and commodities derived from manufacturing, agricultural and natural resource industries. Over half of the freight revenues of BNSF are covered by contractual agreements of varying durations. BNSF�� primary routes, including trackage rights, allow it to access cities and ports in the western and southern United States as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. In addition to cities and ports, BNSF efficiently serves many smaller markets by working closely with approximately 200 shortline partners. BNSF has also entered into marketing agreements with other rail carriers, expanding the marketing reach for each railroad and their customers. Utilities and Energy Businesses MidAmerican�� businesses are managed as separate operating units. MidAmerican�� domestic regulated energy interests are comprised of two regulated utility companies serving more than three million retail customers and two interstate natural gas pipeline companies with approximately 16,600 miles of pipeline and a design capacity of approximately 7.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Its United Kingdom electricity distribution subsidiaries serve about 3.9 million electricity end-users. In addition, MidAmerican�� interests include a diversified portfolio of domestic independent power projects, a hydroelectric facility in the Philippines and residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States. PacifiCorp is a regulated electric utility compa! ny headqu! artered in Oregon, serving regulated retail electric customers in portions of Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and California. The combined service territory�� diverse regional economy ranges from rural, agricultural and mining areas to urban, manufacturing and government service centers. As a vertically integrated electric utility, PacifiCorp owns approximately 10,600 net megawatts of generation capacity. MidAmerican Energy Company (MEC) is a regulated electric and natural gas utility company headquartered in Iowa, serving regulated retail electric and natural gas customers primarily in Iowa and also in portions of Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska. MEC has a diverse customer base consisting of residential, agricultural and a variety of commercial and industrial customer groups. In addition to retail sales and natural gas transportation, MEC sells regulated electricity to markets operated by regional transmission organizations and regulated electricity and natural gas to other utilities and market participants on a wholesale basis and sells non-regulated electricity and natural gas services in deregulated markets. As a vertically integrated electric and gas utility, MEC owns approximately 7,000 net megawatts of generation capacity. The natural gas pipelines consist of Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern Natural) and Kern River Gas Transmission Company (Kern River). Northern Natural is based in Nebraska and owns interstate natural gas pipeline systems in the United States reaching from southern Texas to Michigan�� Upper Peninsula. Northern Natural�� pipeline system consists of approximately 14,900 miles of natural gas pipelines. Northern Natural has access to supplies from mid-continent basin and provides transportation services to utilities and numerous other customers. Northern Natural also operates three underground natural gas storage facilities and two liquefied natural gas storage peaking units. Kern River is based in Utah and owns an interstate natural! gas pipe! line system that consists of approximately 1,700 miles and extends from the supply areas in the Rocky Mountains to consuming markets in Utah, Nevada and California. Kern River transports natural gas for electric utilities and natural gas distribution utilities, oil and natural gas companies or affiliates of such companies, electricity generating companies, energy marketing and trading companies, and financial institutions. The United Kingdom utilities consist of Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Limited (Northern Powergrid (Northeast)) and Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc (Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire)), which own a substantial United Kingdom electricity distribution network that delivers electricity to end-users in northeast England in an area covering approximately 10,000 square miles. The distribution companies primarily charge supply companies regulated tariffs for the use of electrical infrastructure. MidAmerican also owns HomeServices of America, Inc. (HomeServices), a full-service residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States. HomeServices also offers integrated real estate services, including mortgage originations through a joint venture, title and closing services, property and casualty insurance, home warranties, relocation services and other home-related services. It operates under 22 residential real estate brand names with over 14,000 sales associates and in nearly 300 brokerage offices in 20 states. Manufacturing, Service and Retailing Businesses Berkshire�� numerous and diverse manufacturing, service and retailing businesses. Marmon consists of approximately 140 manufacturing and service businesses that operate independently within eleven diverse, stand-alone business sectors. These sectors are Building Wire, Crane Services, Distribution Services, Engineered Wire and Cable, Flow Products, Food Service Equipment, Highway Technologies, Industrial Products, Retail Store Fixtures, Transportation Services and Engineered Products and Water Treatment. ! Building Wire, providing copper electrical building wire for residential, commercial and industrial construction. Crane Services provides the leasing and operation of mobile cranes primarily to the energy, mining and petrochemical markets. Distribution Services, supplying specialty metal pipe and tubing, bar and sheet products to markets including construction, industrial, aerospace and many others. Engineered Wire & Cable, providing electrical and electronic wire and cable for energy related markets and other industries. Flow Products is producing copper tube for the plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, and industrial markets. Food Service Equipment is supplying commercial food preparation equipment for restaurants and shopping carts for retail stores. Highway Technologies, primarily serving the heavy-duty highway transportation industry with trailers, fifth wheel coupling devices and undercarriage products such as brake parts and suspension systems, and also serving the light vehicle aftermarket with clutches and related products. Industrial Products, consisting of metal fasteners for the building, furniture, cabinetry, industrial and other markets, gloves for industrial markets, portable lighting equipment for mining and safety markets, overhead electrification equipment for mass transit systems, custom-machined brass, aluminum and copper forgings for the construction, valve and other industries, brass fittings and valves for commercial and industrial applications, and drawn aluminum tubing and extruded aluminum shapes for the construction, automotive, appliance, medical and other markets . Retail Store Fixtures, providing shelving and other merchandising displays and related services for retail stores worldwide. Transportation Services & Engineered Products, including manufacturing, leasing and maintenance of railroad tank cars, leasing of intermodal tank containers, in-plant rail services, manufacturing of bi-modal railcar movers, wheel, axle ! and gear ! sets for light rail transit and gear products for locomotives, manufacturing of steel tank heads, and services, equipment and technology for processing and distributing sulfur. Water Treatment, equipment including residential water softening, purification and refrigeration filtration systems, treatment systems for industrial markets including power generation, oil and gas, chemical, and pulp and paper, gear drives for irrigation systems and cooling towers, and air-cooled heat exchangers. Marmon operates approximately 300 manufacturing, distribution and service facilities that are primarily located in North America, Europe and China, and employs more than 16,000 people worldwide. McLane Company, Inc. (McLane) provides wholesale distribution and logistics services in all 50 states and internationally in Brazil to customers that include discount retailers, convenience stores, wholesale clubs, quick service restaurants, drug stores and military bases. Operations are divided into five business units: grocery distribution, foodservice distribution, beverage distribution, international logistics and software development. McLane�� foodservice distribution unit, based in Carrollton, Texas, focuses on serving the quick service restaurant industry. Operations are conducted through 18 facilities in 16 states. The foodservice distribution unit services more than 20,000 chain restaurants nationwide. Other Manufacturing, Other Service and Retailing Businesses Berkshire�� apparel manufacturing businesses include manufacturers of a variety of clothing and footwear. Businesses engaged in the manufacture and distribution of clothing products include Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (Fruit), Russell Brands, LLC (Russell), Vanity Fair Brands, LP (VFB), Garan and Fechheimer Brothers. Berkshire�� footwear businesses include H.H. Brown Shoe Group, Justin Brands and Brooks Athletic. Fruit, Russell and VFB (together FOL) is primarily a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of ba! sic appar! el, underwear and athletic apparel and products. Products, under the Fruit of the Loomand JERZEES labels are primarily sold in the mass merchandise and wholesale markets. In the VFB product line, Vassarette, Bestformand Curvationare sold in the mass merchandise market, while Vanity Fairand Lily of Franceproducts are sold in the mid-tier chains and department stores. FOL also markets and sells athletic uniforms, apparel, sports equipment and balls to team dealers; college licensed tee shirts and fleecewear to college bookstores and mid-tier merchants; and athletic apparel, sports equipment and balls to sporting goods retailers under the Russell Athleticand Spaldingbrands. Additionally, Spaldingmarkets and sells balls in the mass merchandise market and dollar store channel. During the year ended December, 31, 2011, approximately 30% of FOL�� sales were to Wal-Mart. FOL generally performs its own spinning, knitting, cloth finishing, cutting, sewing and packaging. Garan designs, manufactures, imports and sells apparel primarily for children, including boys, girls, toddlers and infants. Products are sold under its own trademark Garanimalsand private labels of its customers. Garan also licenses its registered trademark Garanimalsto independent third parties. Garan conducts its business through operating subsidiaries located in the United States, Central America and Asia. Substantially all of Garan�� products are sold through its distribution centers in the United States to national chain stores, department stores and specialty stores. In 2011, over 90% of Garan�� sales were to Wal-Mart. Fechheimer Brothers manufactures, distributes and sells uniforms, principally for the public service and safety markets, including police, fire, postal and military markets. Fechheimer Brothers is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Justin Brands and H.H. Brown Shoe Group manufacture and distribute work, rugged outdoor and casual shoes and western-style footwear under a number of brand names, including! Justin, ! Tony Lama, Nocona, Chippewas, Born, Sofft, Carolina, Double-H Boots, Corcoran, Matterhornand Kork-Ease. Brooks Athletic markets and sells running footwear to specialty retailers under Brooksbrand. In 2011, Brooksachieved #1 market share in footwear with specialty retailers. A volume of the shoes sold by Berkshire�� shoe businesses are manufactured or purchased from sources outside the United States. Products are principally sold in the United States through a variety of channels including department stores, footwear chains, specialty stores, catalogs and the Internet, as well as through Company-owned retail stores. Acme manufactures and distributes clay bricks (Acme Brickand Jenkins Brick), concrete block (Featherlite) and cut limestone (Texas Quarries). In addition, Acme distributes a number of other building products of other manufacturers, including glass block, floor and wall tile and other masonry products. Acme also sells ceramic floor and wall tile, as well as marble, granite and other stones through its subsidiary, American Tile and Stone. Products are sold primarily in the South Central and South Eastern United States through Company-operated sales offices. Acme distributes products primarily to homebuilders and masonry and general contractors. Benjamin Moore & Co. (Benjamin Moore) is a formulator, manufacturer and retailer of a range of architectural coatings, available principally in the United States and Canada. Products include water-thinnable and solvent-thinnable general purpose coatings (paints, stains and clear finishes) for use by the general public, contractors and industrial and commercial users. Products are marketed under various registered brand names, including Regal, Superspec, Moorcraft, Moorgard, Aura, Nattura, ben, Coronado Paint, Insl-xand Lenmar. Benjamin Moore and its manufacturing subsidiaries rely primarily on an independent dealer network for the distribution of its products. Its distribution network includes approximately 100! Company-! owned stores as well as over 4,500 third party retailers representing over 10,300 storefronts in the United States and Canada. Benjamin Moore�� Company-owned stores represent several multiple-outlet and stand-alone retailers in various parts of the United States and Canada serving primarily contractors and general consumers. The independent retailer channel offers an array of products including Benjamin Mooreand Insl-xbrands and other competitor coatings, wallcoverings, window treatments and sundries. Benjamin Moore also has three color stations located in regional malls that serve as brand marketing tools. In addition to the independent retailer channel, Benjamin Moore has recently begun to sell direct to the consumer through e-commerce sites and its customer care program, which includes national accounts and government agencies. Johns Manville (JM) is a manufacturer and marketer of products for building insulation, mechanical insulation, commercial roofing and roof insulation, as well as fibers and nonwovens for commercial, industrial and residential applications. JM serves markets that include aerospace, automotive and transportation, air handling, appliance, HVAC, pipe and equipment filtration, waterproofing, building, flooring, interiors and wind energy. Fiber glass is the basic material in a majority of JM�� products, although JM also manufactures a portion of its products with other materials to satisfy the broader needs of its customers. JM regards its patents and licenses as valuable, however it does not consider any of its businesses to be materially dependent on any single patent or license. JM is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and operates 40 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China and conducts research and development at several other facilities. JM sells its products through a variety of channels, including contractors, distributors, retailers, manufacturers and fabricators. MiTek is a provider of engineered connector products, engine! ering sof! tware and services and computer-driven manufacturing machinery to the truss fabrication segment of the building components industry. Primary customers are truss fabricators who manufacture pre-fabricated roof and floor trusses and wall panels for the residential building market, as well as the light commercial and institutional construction industry. MiTek also participates in the light gauge steel framing market under the Ultra-Spanname, manufactures and markets assembly line machinery used by the lead acid battery industry, manufactures and markets a line of masonry connector products and manufactures and markets air handling systems used in commercial building. MiTek operates on six continents with sales into approximately 90 countries. MiTek has 34 manufacturing facilities located in eleven countries and 45 sales/engineering offices located in 17 countries. The Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) is a carpet manufacturer based on both revenue and volume of production. Shaw designs and manufactures over 3,000 styles of tufted carpet, tufted and woven rugs, laminate and wood flooring for residential and commercial use under about 30 brand and trade names and under certain private labels. Shaw also provides installation services and sells ceramic and vinyl tile along with sheet vinyl. Shaw�� manufacturing operations are fully integrated from the processing of raw materials used to make fiber through the finishing of carpet. Shaw�� carpet, rugs and hard surface products are sold in a broad range of prices, patterns, colors and textures. Shaw products are sold wholesale to over 40,000 retailers, distributors and commercial users throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico and are also exported to various overseas markets. Shaw�� wholesale products are marketed domestically by over 2,000 salaried and commissioned sales personnel directly to retailers and distributors and to national accounts. Shaw�� 10 carpet full-service distribution facilities, three hard surface an! d two rug! full-service distribution facilities and 24 redistribution centers, along with centralized management information systems, enable it to provide prompt efficient delivery of its products to both its retail customers and wholesale distributors. Berkshire acquired an 80% interest in IMC International Metalworking Companies B.V. (IMC B.V.). Through its subsidiaries, IMC B.V. is a multinational manufacturers of consumable precision carbide metal cutting tools for applications in a range of industrial end markets under the brand names ISCAR, TaeguTec, Ingersoll, Tungaloy, Unitac, UOP It.te.diand Outiltec. IMC B.V.�� manufacturing facilities are located in Israel, United States, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, South Korea, China, India, Japan and Brazil. IMC B.V. has five primary product lines: milling tools, gripping tools, turning/thread tools, drilling tools and tooling. Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is a manufacturer of recreational vehicles, utility, cargo and office trailers, buses and pontoon boats, headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana. Its products are sold in the United States and Canada through an independent dealer network. Scott Fetzer companies are a diversified group of 20 businesses that manufacture and distribute a variety of products for residential, industrial and institutional use. The two of these businesses are Kirby home cleaning systems and Campbell Hausfeld products. Albecca Inc. (Albecca), headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, does business primarily under the Larson-Juhlname. Albecca designs, manufactures and distributes a complete line of branded custom framing products, including wood and metal moulding, matboard, foamboard, glass, equipment and other framing supplies in the United States, Canada and 15 countries outside of North America. CTB International Corp. is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of systems used in the grain industry and in the production of poultry, hogs and eggs. Lubrizol is a specialty chemical company that pro! duces and! supplies technologies for the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol operates two business sectors: Lubrizol Additives, which includes engine, driveline and industrial additive products and Lubrizol Advanced Materials, which includes personal and home care, engineered polymer and performance coating products. FlightSafety International Inc.(FlightSafety) is engaged primarily in the business of providing high technology training to operators of aircraft. FlightSafety�� training activities include advanced training for pilots of business and commercial aircraft; aircrew training for military and other government personnel; aircraft maintenance technician training; flight attendant and aircraft dispatcher training, and ab-initio (primary) pilot training to qualify individuals for private and commercial pilots��licenses. FlightSafety also develops classroom instructional systems and materials for use in its training business and for sale to others. NetJets Inc. (NJ) is a provider of fractional ownership programs for general aviation aircraft. TTI, Inc. (TTI) is a global specialty distributor of passive, interconnect, electromechanical and discrete components used by customers in the manufacturing and assembling of electronic products. Business Wire provides electronic dissemination of full-text news releases daily to the media, online services and databases and the global investment community in 150 countries and 45 languages. Berkshire�� retailing businesses principally consist of several independently managed home furnishings and jewelry operations. The home furnishings businesses are the Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM), R.C. Willey Home Furnishings (R.C. Willey), Star Furniture Company (Star) and Jordan�� Furniture, Inc. (Jordan��). NFM, R.C. Willey, Star and Jordan�� each offer a wide selection of furniture, bedding and accessories. In addition, NFM and R.C. Willey sell a line of household appliances, electronics, computers and other home furnishings. N! FM, R.C. ! Willey, Star and Jordan�� also offer customer financing to complement their retail operations. An important feature of each of these businesses is their ability to control costs and to produce high business volume by offering value to their customers. NFM operates its business from two retail complexes with almost one million square feet of retail space and sizable warehouse and administrative facilities in Omaha, Nebraska and Kansas City, Kansas. NFM is a furniture retailer in each of its markets. NFM also owns Homemakers Furniture located in Des Moines, Iowa, which has approximately 215,000 square feet of retail space. R.C. Willey, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a home furnishings retailer in the Intermountain West region of the United States. R.C. Willey operates 11 retail stores, two retail clearance facilities and three distribution centers. Borsheim Jewelry Company, Inc. (Borsheims) operates from a single store located in Omaha, Nebraska. Borsheims is a high volume retailer of jewelry, watches, crystal, china, stemware, flatware, gifts and collectibles. Helzberg�� Diamond Shops, Inc. (Helzberg), based in North Kansas City, Missouri, operates a chain of 233 retail jewelry stores in 37 states, which includes approximately 550,000 square feet of retail space. Most of Helzberg�� stores are located in malls, lifestyle centers or power strip centers, and all stores operate under the name Helzberg Diamonds. The Ben Bridge Corporation (Ben Bridge Jeweler), based in Seattle, Washington, operates a chain of 70 upscale retail jewelry stores located in 11 states that are primarily in the Western United States. Three of its locations are concept stores that sell only PANDORA jewelry. Finance and Financial Products Clayton Homes, Inc. (Clayton) is a vertically integrated manufactured housing company. At December 31, 2011, Clayton operated 33 manufacturing plants in 12 states. Clayton�� homes are marketed in 48 states through a network of 1,333 retailers, inclu! ding 333 ! Company-owned home centers. Financing is offered through its finance subsidiaries to purchasers of Clayton�� manufactured homes as well as those purchasing homes from selected independent retailers. XTRA Corporation (XTRA), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a transportation equipment lessor operating under the XTRA Leasebrand name. XTRA manages a diverse fleet of approximately 83,000 units located at 63 facilities throughout the United States and two facilities in Canada. The fleet includes over-the-road and storage traile Advisors' Opinion: - [By Tiernan Ray]
Berkshire B shares ended the day at $117.82 and were up another 68 cents, or 0.6%, at $118.50, in late trading. The Class A stock (BRKA) closed at $176,500 and were up another $250.04 at $176,750 after hours. - [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]
Berkshire Hathaway is a well-regarded investment manager that has been led by Warren Buffett to great successes. The stock has risen consistently over the last several years and is now trading at all-time high prices. Earnings and revenue have shown steady growth, over the last four quarters, which has really pleased investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Berkshire Hathaway has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Berkshire Hathaway to OUTPERFORM.
Top 5 Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Cincinnati Financial Corporation(CINF) Cincinnati Financial Corporation engages in the property casualty insurance business in the United States. Its Commercial Lines Property Casualty Insurance segment provides coverage for commercial casualty, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers? compensation. It also offers specialty packages, including coverages for property, liability, and business interruption for specific industry classes, such as artisan contractors, dentists, or street businesses. In addition, this segment provides contract and commercial surety bonds, fidelity bonds, and director and officer liability insurance, as well as machinery and equipment coverage. The company?s Personal Lines Property Casualty Insurance segment offers coverage for personal auto and homeowners, as well as other insurance products, such as dwelling fire, inland marine, personal umbrella liability, and watercraft coverages to individuals. Cincinnati Financial?s Excess and Surplus Lines Property Casualty Insurance s egment offers commercial casualty insurance that covers businesses for third-party liability from accidents occurring on their premises or arising out of their operations, including products and completed operations; and commercial property insurance, which insures loss or damage to buildings, inventory, equipment, and business income from causes of loss, such as fire, wind, hail, water, theft, and vandalism. The company?s Life Insurance segment provides term insurance; universal life insurance; whole life insurance; and worksite products, which include term, whole life, universal life, and disability insurance offered to employees through their employer. This segment also markets disability income insurance, deferred annuities, and immediate annuities. Its Investment segment invests in fixed-maturity investments, equity investments, and short-term investments. Cincinnati also offers commercial leasing and financing services. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquarte red in Fairfield, Ohio. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Caplinger]
Investors have always been interested in stocks that pay dividends, but lately, low interest rates on bonds and other fixed-income investments have made solid dividend payers even more valuable. Among the most promising dividend stocks in the market is Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ: CINF ) , and one big reason is that it is one of the few exclusive companies to make the list of Dividend Aristocrats. In order to become a member of this elite group, a company must have raised its dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter-century. Only a few dozen stocks manage to make the cut, and those that do tend to stay there for a long time.
Top 5 Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKB) Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire), incorporated on June 16, 1998, is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities. The Company is engaged in the insurance businesses conducted on both a primary basis and a reinsurance basis, a freight rail transportation business and a group of utility, and energy generation and distribution businesses. Berkshire also owns and operates a number of other businesses engaged in a variety of activities. In October 2012, HomeServices acquired a 66.7% interest in the residential real estate brokerage franchise network in the United States. In May 2013, Berkshire acquired the remaining 20% stake in IMC International Metalworking Companies BV. Insurance and Reinsurance Businesses Berkshire�� insurance and reinsurance business activities are conducted through numerous domestic and foreign-based insurance entities. Berkshire�� insurance businesses provide insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks worldwide and also reinsure life, accident and health risks worldwide. The Company�� insurance underwriting operations are consisted of the sub-groups, including GEICO and its subsidiaries, General Re and its subsidiaries, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. GEICO insurance subsidiaries include Government Employees Insurance Company, GEICO General Insurance Company, GEICO Indemnity Company, GEICO Casualty Company, GEICO Advantage Insurance Company, GEICO Choice Insurance Company and GEICO Secure Insurance Company. These companies primarily offers private passenger automobile insurance to individuals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, GEICO insures motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, recreational vehicles and small commercial fleets and acts as an agent for other insurers who offer homeowners, boat and life insurance to individuals. GEICO markets its policies primarily through direct response methods in which applications for insura! nce are submitted directly to the companies via the Internet or by telephone. General Re Corporation (General Re) is the holding company of General Reinsurance Corporation (GRC) and its subsidiaries and affiliates. GRC�� subsidiaries include General Reinsurance AG, an international reinsurer based in Germany. General Re subsidiaries conduct business activities globally in 51 cities and provide insurance and reinsurance coverages throughout the world. General Re provides property/casualty insurance and reinsurance, life/health reinsurance and other reinsurance intermediary and risk management, underwriting management and investment management services. Property/Casualty Reinsurance General Re�� property/casualty reinsurance business in North America is conducted through GRC. Property/casualty operations in North America are also conducted through 16 branch offices in the United States and Canada. Reinsurance activities are marketed directly to clients without involving a broker or intermediary. General Re�� property/casualty business in North America also includes specialty insurers (primarily the General Star and Genesis companies). These specialty insurers underwrite primarily liability and workers��compensation coverages on an excess and surplus basis and excess insurance for self-insured programs. General Re�� international property/casualty reinsurance business operations are conducted through internationally-based subsidiaries on a direct basis (through General Reinsurance AG, as well as several other General Re subsidiaries in 23 countries) and through brokers (primarily through Faraday, which owns the managing agent of Syndicate 435 at Lloyd�� of London and provides capacity and participates in 100% of the results of Syndicate 435). Life/Health Reinsurance General Re�� North American and international life, health, long-term care and disability reinsurance coverages are written on an individual and group basis. Most! of this ! business is written on a proportional treaty basis, with the exception of the United States group health and disability business, which is predominately written on an excess treaty basis. Lesser amounts of life and disability business are written on a facultative basis. The life/health business is marketed on a direct basis. The Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group (BHRG) operates from offices located in Stamford, Connecticut. Business activities are conducted through a group of subsidiary companies, led by National Indemnity Company (NICO) and Columbia Insurance Company (Columbia). BHRG provides principally excess and quota-share reinsurance to other property and casualty insurers and reinsurers. BHRG�� underwriting activities also include life reinsurance and life annuity business written through Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska and financial guaranty insurance written through Berkshire Hathaway Assurance Corporation. BHRG writes catastrophe excess-of-loss treaty reinsurance contracts. BHRG also writes individual policies for primarily large or otherwise unusual discrete risks on both an excess direct and facultative reinsurance basis, referred to as individual risk, which includes policies covering terrorism, natural catastrophe and aviation risks. A catastrophe excess policy provides protection to the counterparty from the accumulation of primarily property losses arising from a single loss event or series of related events. Catastrophe and individual risk policies may provide amounts of indemnification per contract and a single loss event may produce losses under a number of contracts. BHRG also underwrites traditional non-catastrophe insurance and reinsurance coverages, referred to as multi-line property/casualty business. The Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group is a collection of primary insurance operations that provide a range of insurance coverages to insureds located principally in the United States. NICO and certain affiliates underw! rite moto! r vehicle and general liability insurance to commercial enterprises on both an admitted and excess and surplus basis. This business is written nationwide primarily through insurance agents and brokers and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. U.S. Investment Corporation (USIC), through its four subsidiaries led by United States Liability Insurance Company, is a specialty insurer that underwrites commercial, professional and personal lines of insurance on an admitted and excess and surplus basis. Policies are marketed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through wholesale and retail insurance agents. USIC companies underwrite and market 110 distinct specialty property and casualty insurance products. Medical Protective Corporation (MedPro) is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. MedPro offers products and solutions through its subsidiaries, The Medical Protective Company and Princeton Insurance Company and is a primary healthcare malpractice insurance coverage and patient safety solutions to physicians, dentists, other healthcare providers and healthcare facilities. Other insurance operations include the Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC), a group of six insurance companies that primarily offers standalone workers��compensation, commercial auto and commercial property coverages. Railroad Business Through Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (BNSF) Railway, BNSF operates a railroad network in North America with approximately BNSF operates a railroad network in North America with approximately 32,500 route miles of track (excluding multiple main tracks, yard tracks and sidings) in 28 states and two Canadian provinces as of December 31, 2012. BNSF owns approximately 23,000 route miles, including easements, and operates on approximately 9,500 route miles of trackage rights that permit BNSF to operate its trains with its crews over other railroads��tracks. As of December 31, 2012, the total BNSF Railway system, including single and multiple main tracks, yard tracks and sidings,! consiste! d of approximately 50,500 operated miles of track, all of which are owned by or held under easement by BNSF except for approximately 10,500 miles operated under trackage rights. BNSF is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and through BNSF Railway Company operates railroad systems in North America. In serving the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Western, Southwestern and Southeastern regions and ports of the country, BNSF transports a range of products and commodities derived from manufacturing, agricultural and natural resource industries. Over half of the freight revenues of BNSF are covered by contractual agreements of varying durations. BNSF�� primary routes, including trackage rights, allow it to access major cities and ports in the western and southern United States, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Utilities and Energy Businesses MidAmerican�� businesses are managed as separate operating units. MidAmerican�� domestic regulated energy interests are consisted of two regulated utility companies serving more than three million retail customers, two interstate natural gas pipeline companies with approximately 16,600 miles of pipeline and a design capacity of approximately 7.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and a 50% interest in electric transmission businesses. Its Great Britain electricity distribution subsidiaries serve about 3.9 million electricity end-users. In addition, MidAmerican�� interests include a diversified portfolio of domestic independent power projects, a hydroelectric facility in the Philippines, the residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States and the residential real estate brokerage franchise network in the United States. PacifiCorp is a regulated electric utility company, serving regulated retail electric customers in portions of Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and California. The combined service territory�� diverse regional economy ranges from rural, agricultural and mining areas to urban,! manufact! uring and government service centers. As a vertically integrated electric utility, PacifiCorp owns approximately 10,600 net megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. MidAmerican Energy Company (MEC) is a regulated electric and natural gas utility company, serving regulated retail electric and natural gas customers primarily in Iowa and also in portions of Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska. MEC has a diverse customer base consisting of urban and rural residential customers and a range of commercial and industrial customers. In addition to retail sales and natural gas transportation, MEC sells regulated electricity principally to markets operated by regional transmission organizations and regulated natural gas to other utilities and market participants on a wholesale basis and sells non-regulated electricity and natural gas services in deregulated markets. As a vertically integrated electric and gas utility, MEC owns approximately 7,400 net megawatts of generation capacity. The natural gas pipelines consist of Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern Natural) and Kern River Gas Transmission Company (Kern River). Northern Natural is based in Nebraska and owns interstate natural gas pipeline system in the United States reaching from southern Texas to Michigan�� Upper Peninsula. Northern Natural�� pipeline system consists of approximately 14,900 miles of natural gas pipelines. Northern Natural also operates three underground natural gas storage facilities and two liquefied natural gas storage peaking units. Kern River is based in Utah and owns an interstate natural gas pipeline system that consists of approximately 1,700 miles and extends from supply areas in the Rocky Mountains to consuming markets in Utah, Nevada and California. Kern River transports natural gas for electric utilities and natural gas distribution utilities, major oil and natural gas companies or affiliates of such companies, electricity generating companies, energy marketing and trading companies, a! nd financ! ial institutions. The Great Britain utilities consist of Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Limited (Northern Powergrid (Northeast)) and Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc (Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire)), which own a substantial Great Britain electricity distribution network that delivers electricity to end-users in northeast England in an area covering approximately 10,000 square miles. The distribution companies primarily charge supply companies regulated tariffs for the use of electrical infrastructure. MidAmerican also owns HomeServices of America, Inc. (HomeServices), a full-service residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States. HomeServices offers integrated real estate services, including mortgage originations and mortgage banking primarily through joint ventures, title and closing services, property and casualty insurance, home warranties, relocation services and other home-related services. It operates under 27 residential real estate brand names with over 16,000 sales agents and in nearly 375 brokerage offices in 21 states. Manufacturing, Service and Retailing Businesses Berkshire�� numerous and diverse manufacturing, service and retailing businesses. Marmon Holdings, Inc. (Marmon) consists of approximately 140 manufacturing and service businesses that operate independently within 11 diverse business sectors. These sectors are distribution services, electrical and plumbing products, industrial products, crane services, engineered wire and cable, transportation services and engineered products, food service equipment, highway technologies, retail home improvement products, retail store fixtures, and water treatment. Distribution Services supplies specialty metal pipe and tubing, bar and sheet products to markets, including construction, industrial, aerospace and many others. Electrical and Plumbing Products is engaged in the distribution, supplying electrical building wire primarily for residential and commercial construction, and copper tube for th! e plumbin! g, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration and industrial markets, through the wholesale channel. Industrial Products consists of metal fasteners and fastener coatings for the construction, industrial and other markets, gloves for industrial markets, portable lighting equipment for mining and safety markets, overhead electrification equipment for mass transit systems, custom-machined aluminum and brass forgings for the construction, energy, recreation and other industries, brass fittings and valves for commercial and industrial applications, and drawn aluminum tubing and extruded aluminum shapes for the construction, automotive, appliance, medical and other markets. Crane Services is engaged in providing the leasing and operation of mobile cranes primarily to the energy, mining and petrochemical markets. Engineered Wire and Cable is engaged in supplying electrical and electronic wire and cable for energy related markets and other industries. Transportation Services and Engineered Products includes manufacturing, leasing and maintenance of railroad tank cars, leasing of intermodal tank containers, in-plant rail services, manufacturing of bi-modal railcar movers, wheel, axle and gear sets for light rail transit and gear products for locomotives, manufacturing of steel tank heads, and services, equipment and technology for processing and distributing sulfur. Food Service Equipment is engaged in supplying commercial food preparation equipment for restaurants and shopping carts for retail stores. Highway Technologies primarily serve the heavy-duty highway transportation industry with trailers, fifth wheel coupling devices and undercarriage products, such as brake parts and suspension systems, and also serving the light vehicle aftermarket with clutches and related products. Retail Home Improvement Products is engaged in supplying electrical and plumbing products through the home center channel. Retail Store Fixtures provides shelving systems, other merchandising di! splays an! d related services for retail stores, as well as work and garden gloves sold at retail. Water Treatment includes residential water softening, purification and refrigeration filtration systems, treatment systems for industrial markets including power generation, oil and gas, chemical, and pulp and paper, gear drives for irrigation systems and cooling towers, and air-cooled heat exchangers. McLane Company, Inc. (McLane) provides wholesale distribution and logistics services in all 50 states and internationally in Brazil to customers that include convenience stores, discount retailers, wholesale clubs, drug stores, military bases, quick service restaurants and casual dining restaurants. Operations include grocery distribution, foodservice distribution, beverage distribution, international logistics and software development. McLane�� foodservice distribution unit, based in Carrollton, Texas, focuses on serving the quick service restaurant industry. Operations are conducted through 18 facilities in 16 states. The foodservice distribution unit services more than 19,000 chain restaurants nationwide. Other Manufacturing, Other Service and Retailing Businesses Berkshire�� apparel manufacturing businesses include manufacturers of a range of clothing and footwear. Businesses engaged in the manufacture and distribution of clothing products include Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (Fruit), Russell Brands, LLC (Russell), Vanity Fair Brands, LP (VFB), Garan and Fechheimer Brothers. Berkshire�� footwear businesses include H.H. Brown Shoe Group, Justin Brands and Brooks Sports. Fruit, Russell and VFB (together FOL) is primarily a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of basic apparel, underwear and athletic apparel and products. Products, under the Fruit of the Loom and JERZEES labels are primarily sold in the mass merchandise and wholesale markets. In the VFB product line, Vassarette, Bestform and Curvation are sold in the mass merchandise market, while Vanity Fair and! Lily of ! France products are sold in the mid-tier chains and department stores. FOL also markets and sells athletic uniforms, apparel, sports equipment and balls to team dealers; college licensed tee shirts and fleecewear to college bookstores and mid-tier merchants; and athletic apparel, sports equipment and balls to sporting goods retailers under the Russell Athletic and Spalding brands. Additionally, Spalding markets and sells balls in the mass merchandise market and dollar store channels. Garan designs, manufactures, imports and sells apparel primarily for children, including boys, girls, toddlers and infants. Products are sold under its own trademark Garanimals and private labels of its customers. Garan also licenses its registered trademark Garanimals to independent third parties. Garan conducts its business through operating subsidiaries located in the United States, Central America and Asia. Fechheimer Brothers manufactures, distributes and sells uniforms, principally for the public service and safety markets, including police, fire, postal and military markets. Fechheimer Brothers is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Justin Brands and H.H. Brown Shoe Group manufacture and distribute work, rugged outdoor and casual shoes and western-style footwear under a number of brand names, including Justin, Tony Lama, Nocona, Chippewa, Carolina, Sofft, Double-H Boots, Eurosoft, and Softspots. Acme Building Brands (Acme) manufactures and distributes clay bricks (Acme Brick and Jenkins Brick), concrete block (Featherlite) and cut limestone (Texas Quarries). In addition, Acme distributes a range of other building products of other manufacturers, including glass block, floor and wall tile, wood flooring and other masonry products. Acme also sells ceramic floor and wall tile, as well as marble, granite and other stones through its subsidiary, American Tile and Stone. Benjamin Moore & Co. (Benjamin Moore) is a formulator, manufacturer and retailer of a range of architectural coatings, available principa! lly in th! e United States and Canada. Products include water-thinnable and solvent-thinnable general purpose coatings (paints, stains and clear finishes) for use by the general public, contractors and industrial and commercial users. Products are marketed under various registered brand names, including Regal, Super Spec, MoorGard, Aura, Nattura, ben, Coronado, Insl-x and Lenmar. Johns Manville (JM) is a manufacturer and marketer of products for building insulation, mechanical insulation, commercial roofing and roof insulation, as well as fibers and nonwovens for commercial, industrial and residential applications. JM serves markets that include aerospace, automotive and transportation, air handling, appliance, HVAC, pipe insulation, filtration, waterproofing, building, flooring, interiors and wind energy. The Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) is a carpet manufacturer based on both revenue and volume of production. Shaw designs and manufactures over 3,000 styles of tufted carpet, tufted and woven rugs, laminate and wood flooring for residential and commercial use under about 30 brand and trade names and under certain private labels. Shaw also provides installation services and sells ceramic and vinyl tile along with sheet vinyl. Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is a manufacturer of recreational vehicles, utility, cargo and office trailers, buses and pontoon boats. Albecca Inc. (Albecca) does business primarily under the Larson-Juhl name. Albecca designs, manufactures and distributes a range of products, including wood and metal molding, matboard, foamboard, glass, equipment and other framing supplies in the United States, Canada and 15 countries outside of North America. FlightSafety International Inc. (FSI) is engaged in professional aviation training services to individuals, businesses (including certain commercial aviation companies) and the United States. Government. FSI primarily provides training to pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, flight attendants and dispatchers who op! erate and! support a range of business, commercial and military aircraft. NetJets Inc. (NJ) is a provider of fractional ownership programs for general aviation aircraft. TTI, Inc. (TTI) is a specialty distributor of passive, interconnect, electromechanical and discrete components used by customers in the manufacturing and assembling of electronic products. TTI�� customer base includes original equipment manufacturers, electronic manufacturing services, original design manufacturers, military and commercial customers, as well as design and system engineers. TTI services a range of industries, including telecommunications, medical devices, computers and office equipment, aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics. Finance and Financial Products The Company�� finance and financial products businesses include manufactured housing and finance (Clayton Homes), transportation equipment leasing (XTRA), furniture leasing (CORT), as well as various miscellaneous financing activities. Clayton Homes, Inc. (Clayton) is a vertically integrated manufactured housing company. As of December 31, 2012, Clayton operated 34 manufacturing plants in 12 states. Clayton�� homes are marketed in 48 states through a network of 1,441 retailers, including 323 company-owned home centers. XTRA is a transportation equipment lessor operating under the XTRA Lease brand name. XTRA manages a diverse fleet of approximately 82,000 units located at 58 facilities throughout the United States and two facilities in Canada. The fleet includes over-the-road and storage trailers, chassis, temperature controlled vans and flatbed trailers. CORT Business Services Corporation is a provider of rental relocation services, including rental furniture, accessories and related services in the rent-to-rent segment of the furniture rental industry. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Tiernan Ray]
Berkshire Hathaway�(BRKB) this afternoon reported Q2 operating earnings per Class-A share of $2,384, up 6% from the year-earlier period, and topping a consensus for $2,163 according to FactSet. The company’s book value per share rose 7.6% from the beginning of the year to $122,900. The company saw a $322 million gain on investments, better than the prior-year’s $81 million gain, and a $300 million gain on derivatives, versus a year-earlier $693 million loss. Total revenue for the company from all its holdings was up 16% at $44.69 billion. Total assets rose to $446.56 billion from $427.45 billion a year earlier. The full federal filing for the quarter is available on the company’s Web site. In the filing,�Warren Buffett and his team outlined gains in the underwriting business, railroads, and energy, with a “mixed” bag of results for manufacturing, services and retail: Our insurance businesses generated significant underwriting gains in the first six months of 2013 and 2012. Our railroad and utilities and energy businesses continued to generate significant earnings in 2013. Earnings from our manufacturing, service and retailing businesses in 2013 were mixed, but as indicated in the table above earnings from these businesses increased about 4.8% during the second quarter and 7.4% during the first six months [...] Premiums written [by Geico] in the second quarter and first six months of 2013 were $4,548 million and $9,389 million, respectively, representing increases of 11.7% and 11.5%, respectively, compared to the corresponding 2012 periods. Premiums earned in the second quarter and first six months of 2013 increased $465 million (11.3%) and $848 million (10.4%), respectively, compared to premiums earned in the corresponding 2012 periods. The growth in premiums earned for voluntary auto was 10.4%, reflecting an increase in policies-in-force of 8.2% over the past year, and to a lesser d - [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]
Berkshire Hathaway is an investment manager with a variety of investments in a number of industries. It is being reported that the company made significant gains from investments during the Financial Crisis. The stock has been flying higher in recent years and is now consolidating near all time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, Berkshire Hathaway �has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Berkshire Hathaway to OUTPERFORM.
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