Why Reiterate?
Discover Financial�� card sales volume has been increasing over the past several years due to higher average spending per customer, increase in new customers, impact of increased marketing and broadened merchant acceptance. Moreover, the company continues to launch new products tailored to specific customer needs in order to attract new customers.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company has implemented several capital bolstering initiatives, including equity and debt offerings, which have helped it achieve a strong capital base. Moreover, the strong cash position and outlook influenced management to increase Discover Financial�� dividend by 43% in Apr 2013.
Moreover, Discover Financial regularly forms alliances to boost card acceptances and expand its network. The company is also working hard to establish a foothold in the international card market and has already forayed into India, China, Ecuador, Russia and Nigeria, among others.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Monitise PLC (MONI)
Monitise plc is a United Kingdom-based holding company. The principal activity of the Company is as a technology company delivering mobile banking, payments and commerce networks worldwide. The Company�� segments include Live Operations, Investment in future operations and Investment in technology platform. Live operations include both territory deployments and development contracts, which consist of Monitise United Kingdom, Monitise Americas and Global accounts. Investment in future operations segment represents the Company�� operations which are not live operations covering both pre-sales and start-up period. Investment in technology platform segment comprises the ongoing development, enhancement and maintenance costs of the Monitise technology platform. On June 25, 2012, the Company acquired US mobile banking and payments specialist, Clairmail Inc. (Clairmail). Effective September 5, 2013, Monitise PLC acquired the entire share capital of Grapple Mobile Ltd.Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Osisko Mining Corp (OSK.TO)
Osisko Mining Corporation engages in acquiring, exploring, developing, and mining gold properties in the Americas. The company principally owns the Canadian Malartic Mine located in the Abitibi region of north-western Qu茅bec. This property has an estimated proven and probable reserves of 10.71 million ounces of gold. Osisko Mining Corporation also owns the Hammond Reef Gold project located near Atikokan in northwestern Ontario. The company was formerly known as Osisko Exploration Lt茅e and changed its name to Osisko Mining Corporation in May 2008. Osisko Mining Corporation was incorporated in 1982 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
Top 5 Oil Stocks For 2015: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)
Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
Symantec Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMC) reported second fiscal quarter 2014 results after markets closed on Wednesday. For the quarter, the network security software maker posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.50 on revenues of $1.64 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.45 on revenues of $1.7 billion. Second-quarter results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.44 and $1.69 billion in revenues.
- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
A big player here is Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), a global provider of security, storage, and systems management solutions with an extensive focus on managing consumer data and information.
- [By Traders Reserve]
For some reason, certain companies can attract buyers no matter the circumstance. I would put Symantec (SYMC) in that category. Shares have gained nearly 20% this year even as Symantec�� prospects deteriorated.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC)
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), incorporated on November 9, 2009, is a petroleum product refiners, transporters and marketers in the United States. The Company operates in three segments: Refining & Marketing, Speedway and Pipeline Transportation. Marathon Petroleum�� refining, marketing and transportation operations are concentrated in the Midwest, Gulf Coast and Southeast regions of the United States. MPC has two retail brands: Speedway and Marathon. Effective as of June 30, 2011, MPC was separated from Marathon Oil Corporation (Marathon Oil) and became an independent company in a spin-off transaction.
Refining & Marketing
The Company owned and operated six refineries in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States with an aggregate crude oil refining capacity of approximately 1.2 million barrels per calendar day as of December 31, 2011. During 2011, its refineries processed 1,177 million barrels per day of crude oil and 181 mbpd of other charge and blend stocks. Its refineries include crude oil atmospheric and vacuum distillation, fluid catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, desulfurization and sulfur recovery units. The refineries process a range of crude oils and produce numerous refined products, ranging from transportation fuels, such as reformulated gasolines, blend-grade gasolines intended for blending with fuel ethanol and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, to heavy fuel oil and asphalt. Additionally, MPC manufacture aromatics, propane, propylene, cumene and sulfur.
The Company�� Garyville, Louisiana refinery is located along the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Garyville refinery is configured to process heavy sour crude oil into products, such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, polymer grade propylene, propane, isobutane, sulfur and fuel-grade coke. The Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery is located in northeastern Kentucky on the western bank of the Big Sandy River, near the confluence! with the Ohio River. The Catlettsburg refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, cumene, petrochemicals, propane and propylene. The Robinson, Illinois refinery is located in southeastern Illinois. The Robinson refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products, such as multiple grades of gasoline, distillates, anode-grade coke, propane, butane and propylene.
MPC�� Detroit, Michigan refinery is located near Interstate 75 in southwest Detroit. It is the petroleum refinery operating in Michigan. The Detroit refinery processes light sweet and heavy sour crude oils, including Canadian crude oils, into products, such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, slurry, propane, and propylene. Its Canton, Ohio refinery is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. The Canton refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, propane, slurry and roofing flux. Its Texas City, Texas refinery is located on the Texas Gulf Coast approximately 30 miles south of Houston, Texas. The refinery processes sweet crude oil into products such as gasoline, chemical grade propylene, propane, slurry and aromatics.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated 62 light product and 21 asphalt terminals. In addition, it distributes through approximately 52 third-party light product and 12 third-party asphalt terminals in its market area. During 2011, marine transportation operations included 15 towboats, as well as 167 owned and 14 leased barges that transport refined products on the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers and their tributaries, as well as the Intercoastal Waterway. As of December 31, 2011, the Company leased or owned approximately 1,950 railcars of various sizes and capacities for movement and storage of refined products. In addition, it own 124 transport trucks for the movement of refined products.
The Company produces propane at all six of its! refineri! es. Propane is primarily used for home heating and cooking, as a feedstock within the petrochemical industry, for grain drying and as a fuel for trucks and other vehicles. The Company is also a producer and marketer of feedstocks and specialty products. Product availability varies by refinery and includes propylene, cumene, dilute naphthalene oil, molten sulfur, toluene, benzene and xylene. Propane is primarily used for home heating and cooking, as a feedstock within the petrochemical industry, for grain drying and as a fuel for trucks and other vehicles.
Speedway
The Company sells transportation fuels and convenience products in the retail market in the Midwest, primarily through Speedway convenience stores. The Speedway segment sells gasoline and merchandise through convenience stores that the Companu owns and operates, primarily under the Speedway brand. Speedway-branded convenience stores offer a range of merchandise, such as prepared foods, beverages and non-food items, including a number of private-label items. As of December 31, 2011, Speedway had 1,371 convenience stores in seven states.
Pipeline Transportation
The Company transports crude oil and other feedstocks to our refineries and other locations, delivers refined products to wholesale and retail market areas and includes, among other transportation-related assets, a majority interest in LOOP LLC, which is the owner and operator of the United States deepwater oil port. It owns common carrier pipeline systems through Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) and Ohio River Pipe Line LLC (ORPL), both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries. These pipeline systems transport crude oil and refined products, primarily in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions, to its refineries, its terminals and other pipeline systems. The Company�� MPL and ORPL wholly owned carrier systems consist of 1,707 miles of crude oil lines and 1,825 miles of refined product lines comprising 31 systems located in 11 states, as of Decem! ber 31, 2! 011. In addition, MPL leases and operates 217 miles of common carrier refined product pipelines.
The common carrier refined product pipelines include the owned and operated Cardinal Products Pipeline and the Wabash Pipeline. The Cardinal Products Pipeline delivers refined products from Kenova, West Virginia, to Columbus, Ohio. The Wabash Pipeline system delivers refined products from Robinson, Illinois, to various terminals in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Other refined product pipelines owned and operated by MPL extend from: Robinson, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky; Robinson, Illinois to Lima, Ohio; Wood River, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana; Garyville, Louisiana to Zachary, Louisiana, and Texas City, Texas to Pasadena, Texas.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company had partial ownership interests in the pipeline companies that have approximately 110 miles of crude oil pipelines and 3,600 miles of refined products pipelines, including about 970 miles operated by MPL, which include Centennial Pipeline LLC (Centennial), Explorer Pipeline Company (Explorer), LOCAP LLC (LOCAP), LOOP LLC (LOOP), Muskegon Pipeline LLC (Muskegon) and Wolverine Pipe Line Company (Wolverine).
The Company holds a 50% interest in Centennial, which owns a refined products pipeline system connecting the Gulf Coast region with the Midwest market. The Company holds a 17% interest in Explorer, a refined products pipeline system extending from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest. It holds a 51% interest in LOOP, the owner and operator of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is a deepwater oil port capable of receiving crude oil from large crude carriers, located 18 miles off the coast of Louisiana, and a crude oil pipeline connecting the port facility to storage caverns and tanks at Clovelly, Louisiana. The Company holds a 60% interest in Muskegon, which owns a refined products pipeline extending from Griffith, Indiana to North Muskegon, Michigan. It hold a 6% interest in Wolverine, a refined prod! ucts pipe! line system extending from Chicago, Illinois to Toledo, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, looks more closely at inflation and its impact over the past 12 months. Dan notes that for those who've seen little wage growth, stable prices have been good, but the Federal Reserve would prefer to see inflation at somewhat higher levels of around 2%. Dan points to the energy markets as a key reason for low inflation, as gasoline prices are down more than 5% from year-ago levels. Dan explains how that's been bad news for refiners Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC ) , Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO ) , and HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC ) , even though cheap crude availability has still allowed them to be profitable. Dan concludes that if plentiful energy supplies keep prices low, it could further dampen inflationary pressure for years to come.�
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Panax Geothermal Ltd (PAX.AX)
Panax Geothermal Ltd engages in the identification, exploration, and development of geothermal resources primarily in Australia, Indonesia, and India. Geothermal energy is the source of renewable energy that replaces base load power generated using fossil fuels. It operates in Penola Trough, Other Limestone Coast, Cooper Basin, Indonesia, and Other International segments. The company holds 100% interest in the Penola, Limestone Coast Geothermal project covering an area of approximately 3,000 square kilometers located in the Limestone Coast, South Australia; and the Hutton Geothermal project covering an area of 949 square kilometers located in the Cooper Basin, South Australia. It also holds a 49% interest in the Puga Geothermal project covering an area of approximately 100 square kilometers located in the Himalayan region, Upper Indus Valley, northern India. In addition, the company holds a 45% interest in the Sokoria Geothermal project for a 30 MW geothermal development o n Flores Island; a 35% interest in the Ngebel Geothermal project for a 165 MW geothermal development on East Java; a 51% interest in the Dairi Prima Geothermal project for a 25 MW geothermal development in Northern Sumatra; and a 95% interest in the Jambi Geothermal project for a 80 MW geothermal development in Central Sumatra, Indonesia. Panax Geothermal Ltd is based in Adelaide, Australia.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: BNC Bancorp(BNCN)
BNC Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of North Carolina, which provides a range of commercial banking products and services to individuals, and small to medium size businesses in North Carolina. The company offers various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market demand accounts, noninterest-bearing accounts, and fixed interest rate certificates with varying maturities. Its loan portfolio comprises business loans secured by real estate, personal property, and accounts receivable; unsecured business loans; consumer loans that are secured by consumer products, such as automobiles and boats; unsecured consumer loans; commercial real estate loans; and commercial, installment, and personal loans. The company also offers safe deposit boxes and other associated services. As of December 31, 2009, it operated a main office in Thomasville, 15 other branch offices, and 1 limited services office. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in High Point, North Carolina.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Point.360(PTSX)
Point.360 operates as an integrated media management services company in the United States. It offers film, video and audio post-production, archival, duplication, computer graphics, and data distribution services. The company also provides services to edit, master, reformat, covert, archive, and distribute its clients? film and video content, including television programming, feature films, and movie trailers. Its value-added services comprise visual effects, video and data editing, graphics and animation, digital color correction, picture restoration, audio post-production, audio restoration and layback, closed captioning and subtitling, foreign language mastering, standards conversion, broadcast encoding, global distribution and syndication, and archival services. In addition, Point.360 is involved in the rental and sale of DVDs and video games to consumers through its Movie>Q retail stores. Its customers include independent motion picture and television production com panies, television program suppliers, national television networks, infomercial providers, local television stations, television program syndicators, corporations, and educational institutions, as well as advertising agencies, and corporate or instructional video providers. The company is based in Burbank, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Point.360 (NASDAQ: PTSX) shares reached a new 52-week low of $0.528. Point.360's trailing-twelve-month ROE is -12.69%.
QC Holdings (NASDAQ: QCCO) shares tumbled 3.68% to reach a new 52-week low of $1.83. QC Holdings shares have dropped 42.60% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 31.67% in the same period.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: MSB Financial Corp.(MSBF)
MSB Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Millington Savings Bank that offers various banking products and services in New Jersey. It offers various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and fixed or variable rate individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises one-to-four family loans, construction loans, commercial loans, home equity loans, and lines of credit, as well as consumer loans, including new and used auto loans, secured and unsecured personal loans, account loans, and overdraft lines of credit. It also provides financing for commercial real estate, including multi family dwellings/apartment buildings, service/retail and mixed-use properties, churches and non-profit properties, medical and dental facilities, and other commercial real estates. The company was founded in 1911 and is based in Millington, New Jersey. MSB Financial Corp. is a subsidiary of MSB Financial, MHC.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Emergeo Solutions Worldwide Inc(EMG.V)
Emergeo Solutions Worldwide Inc. develops, integrates, sells, and supports emergency management, environment health and safety, and security software solutions and services in Canada, the United States, the Middle East, and Australia. The company?s product line includes EmerGeo FusionPoint, a Web-based crisis information management system; EmerGeo Mapping software, an open emergency mapping tool that integrates with customer's existing GIS systems, EmerGeo FusionPoint, and Google earth; and Portable EOC. It also offers training, implementation, and integration services. The company was formerly known as EmerGeo Solutions Inc. and changed its name to EmerGeo Solutions Worldwide Inc. in August 2008. EmerGeo Solutions Worldwide Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: AAR Corp.(AIR)
AAR CORP. provides products and services to aviation, government, and defense markets worldwide. The company?s Aviation Supply Chain segment purchases and sells new, overhauled, and repaired engine and airframe parts and components. It also repairs, overhauls, and sells avionics, electrical, electronic, fuel, hydraulic, and pneumatic components and instruments, as well as internal airframe components; and provides customized inventory supply and management programs for engine and airframe parts and components. In addition, this segment sells and leases commercial jet engines and used commercial aircraft; and provides advisory services, including assistance in remarketing aircraft, records management, and storage maintenance. Its Government and Defense Services segment involves in fixed- and rotary-wing flight operations; and performs engineering and design modifications on rotary-wing aircraft for government customers. This segment also provides customized performance-base d logistics programs in support of the U.S. Department of Defense and foreign governments; and engineering, design, manufacturing, and system integration services. The company?s Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul segment provides airframe maintenance inspection and overhaul, painting, line maintenance, airframe modifications, structural repairs, avionic service and installation, exterior and interior refurbishment, and engineering services, as well as support for commercial and military aircraft; and repairs and overhauls landing gears, wheels, and brakes. Its Structures and Systems segment designs, manufactures, and repairs airdrop and other transportation pallets, and containers and shelters used in support of military and humanitarian tactical deployment activities. This segment also designs, manufactures, and installs in-plane cargo loading and handling systems for commercial and military aircraft and helicopters. AAR CORP. was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
AAR (NYSE: AIR) shares tumbled 10.32 percent to $26.84 after the company reported a drop in its fiscal first-quarter profit.
J. C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) was down, falling 15.17 percent to $10.10 despite a Dow Jones report stating that J.C. Penney will hire around 35,000 holiday season workers.
- [By Lauren Pollock]
AAR Corp.'s(AIR) fiscal first-quarter profit fell 1.6% as the aviation products and services supplier’s overall sales declined.
Bank-holding company Banner Corp.(BANR) on Tuesday said it had agreed to buy Home Federal Bancorp Inc.(HFBL) (HOME) for $197 million in cash and stock. The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, will result in a combined company with about $5.2 billion in assets, making it the fourth-largest bank in the Pacific Northwest by assets, the companies said.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on AAR (NYSE: AIR ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Rich Smith]
By far the largest contract of the day was a massive $5.3 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract issued to a mind-boggling 914 separate recipients simultaneously. Winners included everyone from subsidiaries of brand-name defense contractors such as AAR Corp (NYSE: AIR ) and SAIC (NYSE: SAI ) to lesser-known, federally defined small businesses such as "Wakelight Technologies" of Honolulu and "Electromagnetic Compatibility Management Concepts" of Sterling, Va.
Top International Stocks To Own Right Now: Newcastle Investment Corp (NCT)
Newcastle Investment Corp. (Newcastle) is a real estate investment and finance company. Newcastle invests in, and actively manages, a portfolio of, real estate securities, loans, excess mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) and other real estate related assets. The Company segments include unlevered CDOs, which include unlevered investments in deconsolidated Newcastle CDO debt; unlevered excess MSRs; non-recourse other, which includes investments financed with other non-recourse debt; recourse, which includes investments and debt repurchases financed with recourse debt; unlevered other, which includes other unlevered investments, and corporate. In April 2011, Newcastle sold its retained interests in Newcastle CDO VII, a non-consolidated VIE of Newcastle. On May 15, 2013, the Company announced the spin-off of New Residential Investment Corp. In June 2013, Newcastle Investment Corp completed the sale of 100% of the assets in Newcastle CDO IV.
Real Estate Securities
Newcastle underwrite, acquire and manage a portfolio of credit sensitive real estate securities, including commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), senior unsecured real estate investment trust (REIT) debt issued by REITs, real estate related asset backed securities (ABS), including subprime securities, and Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA)/ Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (FHLMC) securities. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� real estate securities represented 47.4% of its assets.
Real Estate Related Loans
Newcastle acquires and originates loans to real estate owners, including B-notes, mezzanine loans, corporate bank loans, and whole loans. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� real estate related loans represented 22.3% of its assets.
Residential Mortgage Loans
Newcastle acquires residential mortgage loans, including manufactured housing loans and subprime mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� residential mortgage loans rep! resented 9.1% of its assets.
Operating Real Estate
Newcastle acquires and manages direct and indirect interests in operating real estate. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� operating real estate represented 0.9% of its assets.
Excess Mortgage Servicing Rights
Newcastle invested in excess MSRs in December 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� interests in these rights represented 1.2% of its assets.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Albert Alfonso]
On April 26, Newcastle Investment Corp. (NCT) finally announced the spin-off date for shares in its wholly owned subsidiary New Residential (NRZ). The distribution is expected to be made on or about May 15, 2013. Below is a helpful timeline from the presentation related to the spin-off of New Residential:
- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out what's going on in shares of Newcastle Investment (NCT) -- a quick glance at the chart will do. NCT has been in an uptrend since the end of December, rallying as it got pushed by tailwinds in the real estate sector and then spun off its residential financing unit into New Residential Investment (NRZ) in May.
Adjusting shares of NCT for the spinoff gives us the chart above.
As you might expect, the best time to be a buyer in NCT is on a bounce off of support. Buying off a support bounce makes sense for two big reasons: It's the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it's the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you're wrong).
The fact that NCT has managed to clear its previous swing high from May speaks volumes about this stock's relative strength right now. Historically, high relative strength tends to continue to outperform the market for another three to 10 months. That puts NCT owners in a good position for the second part of 2013.
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