LONDON -- You won't need telling that these are tough times for Tesco (LSE: TSCO ) (NASDAQOTH: TSCDY ) . The big cheese of British supermarkets has found itself in one pickle after another, serving up the U.S. Fresh & Easy debacle, its first profit warning for 20 years, a 25% share price drop, and a dollop of minced horsemeat. It has even been shrinking in Asia, with sales dropping 3.8% in the first quarter, on top of a 1% fall in U.K. sales. Chief executive Philip Clarke has given up the fight to sell electronics, abandoning the field to online giant Amazon.
Then take a look at J Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY ) (NASDAQOTH: JSAIY ) . It has just reported its 34th consecutive quarter of like-for-like growth. Total sales for the first quarter rose 3.6%. Like-for-like sales rose 0.8%, excluding food. And while Tesco dumps electrics, nonfood sales at Sainsbury's are growing at twice the rate as food, notably in cookware, homeware, and -- ahem -- kitchen electricals. You really can taste the difference.
Top 10 Managed Healthcare Companies To Watch In Right Now: Emerge Energy Services LP (EMES)
Emerge Energy Services LP, incorporated on April 27, 2012, owns, operates, acquires and develops a diversified portfolio of energy service assets. The Company operates in two segments: Sand segment, and Fuel Processing and Distribution segment. Sand segment consists of mining and processing frac sand, a component used in hydraulic fracturing of oil and natural gas wells. The Company�� frac sand facilities are located in New Auburn, Wisconsin, Barron County, Wisconsin and Kosse, Texas. Fuel Processing and Distribution segment consists of acquiring, processing and separating the transmix that results when multiple types of refined petroleum products are transported sequentially through a pipeline. The Company�� Fuel Processing and Distribution segment consists of its operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and Birmingham, Alabama.
Sand Segment
The Company�� Wisconsin sand reserves at its New Auburn and Barron facilities provide the Company access to a range of sand that meets or exceeds all API specifications and includes a concentration of 16/30, 20/40 and 30/50 mesh sands. The Company�� New Auburn dry plant facility has a rated production capacity of 4,200 tons per day, or roughly 40 rail cars, and has on-site rail car loading facilities capable of loading up to approximately 10,000 tons of frac sand into rail cars per day. The Company also has 4.5 miles of existing rail track that connects its facility to the Union Pacific rail line and provides the Company with shipping access to all of the shale basins in the United States and Canada with direct access to areas of oil production in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and the western United States. The Company�� Barron facility consists of a sand mine and a wet plant on land. This facility has a rated production capacity of 8,800 tons per day, or roughly 80 rail cars, and has on-site rail car loading facilities capable of loading up to approximately 10,000 tons of frac sand into rail cars per day. The Company ! also mine frac sand at its facility in Kosse, Texas that is processed into a high-quality, 100 mesh frac sand, generally used in dry gas drilling applications.
Fuel Processing and Distribution Segment
The transmix industry consists of businesses that process and separate transportation mixture, which is the liquid interface, or fuel mixture, that forms when multiple types of petroleum products are transported sequentially through a pipeline. Pipeline operators send large batches of different fuel products (such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel) through the same pipeline, in sequence, to receiving terminals. The Company�� Fuel Processing and Distribution segment consists of its facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and in Birmingham, Alabama, which are operated by Direct Fuels and AEC, respectively.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Charles Sizemore]
As we reach the end of the first quarter, Tesla Motors (TSLA) is leading the pack with a massive 48% gain, followed by Emerge Energy Services LP (EMES) at 27%. Not too shabby given that the S&P 500 is barely positive on the year.
My pick for 2014 — South African mobile phone giant MTN Group (MTNOY) is off to a slower start, down about 2%. But with nine months left in 2014, I expect MTNOY stock to make a serious run for the top spot. And in fact, in the month of March, it has been the second-best-performing stock in the contest after EMES. - [By Kyle Woodley]
That won�� always be the case. I think Jon Markman and Best Stocks leader Emerge Energy Services LP (EMES) will be smelling Tesla�� nonexistent fumes when the ball drops to bring in 2015.
- [By Robert Rapier] There were a half a dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) by master limited partnerships in the first half of the year, and all but one are now in the green while one has nearly doubled in value.
The first MLP IPO of 2013 debuted on Jan. 15. USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC), which I mentioned in last week’s issue, provides compression services for the oil and gas industry. Units have advanced 36 percent since the IPO, and at the current price yield 7.3 percent.
The day after the USA Compression Partners IPO, CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) made its debut. CVRR was spun off from CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), and both companies remain majority-owned by Carl Icahn. CVR Refining’s primary assets are two refineries located in Kansas and Oklahoma with a combined processing capacity of approximately 185,000 barrels per day (bpd). These refineries are strategically located near the major Cushing, Oklahoma shipment and storage hub, with easy access to discounted feedstock from the nearby Permian basin, as well as the Bakken shale and Canadian oil sands.
But refiners have struggled with diminished margins in 2013 because of a much lower Brent-WTI differential. After the recently concluded second quarter, CVRR declared a distribution of $1.35 per unit, bringing its per-unit distributions for the first half of the year to $2.93. At the same time, CVR Refining lowered its annual distribution target to a range of $4.10 to $4.80 per unit. This was lower than the outlook issued in March, when it foresaw annual distributions of $5.50 to $6.50. CVRR units slid on the news, and are presently trading slightly below the $25 IPO price. The lower end of the revised forecast implies distributions of $1.17 per unit in the second half of the year, for a forward annualized yield of 10 percent based on the recent $23.50 unit price.
SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP) was the third IPO to debut during a very busy third week of January. SXCP is the first M
Best Supermarket Companies For 2014: African Barrick Gold PLC (ABGLF)
African Barrick Gold plc (ABG) is a United Kingdom-based company. The Company is a gold producer in Tanzania. Its operations include exploration and development to mine construction and operation. ABG has resources of approximately 32 million ounces of gold. The Company has three producing mines, all located in northwest Tanzania: Bulyanhulu, Buzwagi and North Mara, and several exploration projects at various stages of development in Tanzania and Kenya. Bulyanhulu is an underground gold mine. Buzwagi is an open pit gold mine. North Mara is an open pit gold mine consisting of three open pit deposits. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Over the last several months, ABX has been divesting non-core assets. Starting in mid-2013, the company sold its non-core energy assets. Since then, focus has been on selling Australian gold assets. As we have stated previously, we believe the company will continue to sell noncore assets, focusing primarily on its interests in North America. Barrick had been previously seeking a suitor for its 74% interest in African Barrick (ABGLF); to date, the company remains unsuccessful in disposition of the ABG interest. In addition, we would not be averse to seeing Barrick sell off some or all of its copper assets, if they can get the right price.
Best Supermarket Companies For 2014: Barnes Group Inc (B)
Barnes Group Inc. is an international aerospace and industrial components manufacturer and logistics services company serving a range of end markets and customers. The products and services provided by Barnes Group are critical components for applications, which provide transportation, communication, manufacturing and technology. The Company operates under two global business segments: Logistics and Manufacturing Services, and Precision Components. On December 30, 2011, the Company sold its Barnes Distribution Europe (BDE) business to Berner SE. In August 2012, the Company acquired Synventive Molding Solutions.
Logistics and Manufacturing Services
Logistics and Manufacturing Services provides logistics support and repair services. Value-added logistics support services include inventory management, technical sales, and supply chain solutions for maintenance, repair, operating, and production supplies and services. Repair services provided include the manufacturing of spare parts for the refurbishment and repair of engineered components and assemblies for commercial and military aviation. Logistics and Manufacturing Services has sales, distribution, and manufacturing operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Mexico, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom. Products and services are available in more than 30 countries.
The global operations are engaged in supplying, servicing and manufacturing of maintenance, repair and operating components. Activities include logistics support through vendor-managed inventory and technical sales for stocked replacement parts and other products, catalog offerings and custom solutions, and the manufacture and delivery of aerospace aftermarket spare parts, including the revenue sharing programs (RSPs) under, which the Company receives right to supply designated aftermarket parts over the life of the related aircraft engine program, and component repairs. In addition, the manufacturing and supplying of aerospace! aftermarket spare parts, including the RSPs, are dependent upon the reliable and timely delivery of components.
Precision Components
Precision Components is a global supplier of engineered components for critical applications focused on providing solutions for a industrial, transportation and aerospace customer base. It is equipped to produce every type of precision spring, from fine hairsprings for electronics and instruments to heavy-duty springs for machinery, as well as precision-machined and fabricated components and assemblies for OEM turbine engine, airframe and industrial gas turbine builders globally, and the military. It is also a manufacturer and supplier of precision mechanical products, including precision mechanical springs, compressor reed valves and nitrogen gas products. Precision Components also manufactures punched and fine-blanked components used in transportation and industrial applications, nitrogen gas springs and manifold systems used to control stamping presses, and retention rings, which position parts on a shaft or other axis.
Precision Components has a customer base with products purchased by durable goods manufacturers located in industries, including transportation, consumer products, farm equipment, telecommunications, medical devices, home appliances and electronics, and airframe and gas turbine engine manufacturers for commercial and military jets, business jets, and land-based industrial gas turbines. Long-standing customer relationships enable Precision Components to participate in the design phase of components and assemblies, through which customers receive the benefits of manufacturing research, testing and evaluation. Products are sold through Precision Components��direct sales force and a distribution channel. Precision Components has manufacturing, sales, assembly and distribution operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdo! m.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Citing the benefits of providing high-margin, low-cost consumables with a broad distribution footprint throughout the U.S. and Canada, industrial supplier MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM ) announced today that it has completed the�acquisition of Barnes Group's (NYSE: B ) �North American distribution business�for $550 million.
- [By Michael Flannelly]
Before the opening bell on Tuesday, aerospace and industrial components manufacturer Barnes Group Inc. (B) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire M盲nner, a privately held, Germany-based company that is a leader in high precision mold-making, valve gate hot runner systems, and system solutions for the medical/pharmaceutical, packaging, and personal care/health care industries.
Barnes Group has agreed to purchase all of the capital stocks of M盲nner�operating companies for ��75 million, or about $372.6 million. Following the closing of the deal, which is expected to occur in October or November of 2013, M盲nner�will operate as a business unit within Barnes Group’s Industrial Segment.
M盲nner�operates out of three manufacturing locations in Germany, Switzerland, and the United Sates. Furthermore, it has sales offices in Europe, China, and Japan.
Barnes Group shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Tuesday. The stock is up 55.48% year-to-date.
Best Supermarket Companies For 2014: Scientific Games Corp (SGMS)
Scientific Games Corporation (Scientific Games), incorporated on July 2, 1984, is a global supplier of solutions to lottery and gaming organizations worldwide. The Company�� products and services include instant lottery games, lottery gaming systems, terminals and services, and Internet applications, as well as server-based interactive gaming machines and associated gaming control systems. The Company reports its operations in three segments: Printed Products Group, Lottery Systems Group and Diversified Gaming Group. Printed Products Group is a provider of instant lottery tickets in the world. The Company�� Lottery Systems Group is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. Its Diversified Gaming Group provides services and systems to private and public operators in the wide area gaming industry, including server-based gaming machines and sports betting systems and services. On September 23, 2011, the Company acquired Barcrest Group Limited. During 2011, the Company launched MDI Interactive, a content services powerhouse dedicated to delivering gaming solutions for the Internet, mobile and all digital things. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of WMS Industries Inc.
Printed Products
Printed Products segment is primarily consists of instant ticket lottery business. The Company generates revenue from the manufacturing and sale of instant tickets, as well as the provision of value-added services, such as game design, sales and marketing support, specialty games and promotions, inventory management and warehousing and fulfillment services. It also provides lotteries with cooperative service programs (CSPs), to help them manage and support their operations. The Company also provides licensed games, promotional entertainment and Internet-based services to the lottery industry. It operates six instant ticket printing facilities across five continents.
!The Company provides lotteries with access to some entertainment brands on lottery products through its subsidiary MDI Entertainment LLC (MDI). The Company�� licensed entertainment brands include Harley-Davidson, Major League Baseball, Monopoly, National Basketball Association, The Price is Right, Wheel-of-Fortune and World Poker Tour. It also provides branded merchandise prizes, advertising, promotional support, turnkey drawing management services and prize fulfillment programs. In addition, it offers lotteries a Web-based platform called Properties Plus, which features players clubs, reward programs, second chance promotional websites, interactive games and, subject to applicable law, a subscription system that enables players to purchase lottery games securely over the Internet. The Company owns 20% interests in LNS ad Northstar, and 49% in CSG.
Lottery Systems
The Company is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. In the United States, the Company typically provides the necessary equipment, software and maintenance services pursuant to long-term facilities. Internationally, it typically sells terminals and/or computer software to lottery authorities and may provide ongoing fee-based systems and software support services. The Company�� lottery systems business includes the supply of transaction-processing software, draw lottery games, keno, point-of-sale terminals, central site computers and communication platforms as well as ongoing operational support and maintenance services. The Company is the instant ticket validation network provider to the China Sports Lottery.
The Company has lottery systems operating in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition, it provides video lottery central monitoring, and control systems and networks primarily to lotteries an! d gaming ! regulators. It also provides software, hardware and support for sports wagering systems. The Company has 50% interest in Guard Libang, a provider of instant ticket activation and validation and inventory management systems and services.
Gaming
The Company is a provider of server-based gaming machines and systems and other products and services to operators in the gaming industry. The Company�� Gaming segment includes The Global Draw Limited (Global Draw), a supplier of server-based gaming machines and systems, and game content primarily to bookmakers that operate licensed betting offices (LBOs) in the United Kingdom, and to gaming operators outside the United Kingdom. The Gaming segment also includes Barcrest Group Limited (Barcrest) and Games Media Limited (Games Media), suppliers of gaming machines, systems and game content to pubs, bingo halls and arcades in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
The Company provides its Gaming customers with gaming machines, remote management of game content and management information, central computer systems, secure data communication and field support services. It develops its own game content, and supplements its offering with content from third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company installed approximately 23,100 LBO gaming machines in the United Kingdom, which included approximately 8,000 LBO gaming. As of December 31, 2011, it had an installed base of approximately 6,100 gaming machines in its United Kingdom pub, bingo hall and arcade business, and installed approximately 6,500 gaming machines outside of the United Kingdom. During 2011, the Company owned a 50% interest in Sciplay, a joint venture with Playtech Services (Cyprus) Limited. It also owns 29.4% interests in RCN, and 20% in Sportech.
The Compnay competes with Pollard Banknote Limited, GTECH, BI Worldwide Ltd., Alchemy3, LLC, ePrize, LLC, GTECH, Pollard, Intralot Technologies, Inc., International Lottery and Totalizator Systems, Inc.! , Inspire! d Gaming Group Limited, Danoptra Ltd, Sceptre Leisure plc, Games Warehouse Limited, International Game Technology, Lottomatica, Bally Technologies, Inc., Inspired, Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Novomatic AG, Multimedia Games, Inc., WMS Industries Inc., Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., Amaya Gaming Group, Inc., Cryptologic Ltd., IGT, Microgaming Software Systems Ltd., Net Entertainment NE AB, NYX Gaming Group, OpenBet Technology Ltd. and Playtech Limited.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Johanna Bennett]
Scientific Games (SGMS) is placing a big bet on Bally Technologies (BYI).
Early today, the seller of instant ticketing systems and game-control software announce it was buying the slot machine maker for $5.1 billion, including debt, marking the latest deal in the gaming equipment industry.
Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock’s closing price on Thursday. Scientific Games will take on $1.8 billion of Bally’s debt.
As expected, the news sent Bally�� share soaring 20% to $77.72. But investors aren�� going all in on the deal, with Scientific Games��share price down 2% to $8.33 a share.
The deal looks good on paper. As the WSJ reports:
The two companies generated combined revenue of about $3 billion in the one-year period ended March 31. The merger plan calls for $220 million of cost synergies and $25 million of capital-expenditure savings through consolidating operations and creating efficiencies across a range of activities.
Scientific Games said it expects the deal to immediately benefit the company’s per-share earnings and cash flow and help reduce the company’s leverage over the next three to four years.
This is not the first coupling for Scientific Games. In late 2013, it bagged WMS Industries, a maker of gambling equipment, for $1.42 billion, while Bally acquired fellow casino-device maker SHFL Entertainment for $1.3 billion. And in mid-July, casino-equipment maker International Game Technology (IGT) agreed to be acquired by Italian lottery-operator Gtech in a deal worth $4.7 billion.
- [By Johanna Bennett]
In corporate news: Scientific Games (SGMS) announced it is buying slot-machine maker Bally Technologies (BYI) for $5.1 billion, including debt. The Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock�� closing price on Thursday. The deal sent Bally soaring more than 29% to $77.70, while Scientific Games rose almost 2.8% to $8.78.
- [By Stock Maelstrom]
We are likely approaching the last time I will be reporting on WMS Industries (WMS), the former Williams Electronics. It has agreed to be acquired by Scientific Games (SGMS) for $26 per share, plus the assumption of WMS' modest debt. The deal is scheduled to close by the end of this year. On its own, WMS is having a dismal fiscal year, which ends June 30. For this year, the company, no doubt with distracted management, earnings are likely to end at about $0.90 per share, compared with fiscal 2012's $1.31 per share. Helping drive earnings lower are additional measures the company is taking to drive up revenues, which remain well below last decade's peak. WMS' stock has flat lined the past few months at within three percent of the $26 price. There is virtually no upside, though there is downside if the deal collapses. I see no reason to get invested in WMS.
Best Supermarket Companies For 2014: Gentherm Inc (THRM)
Gentherm Inc, formerly Amerigon Incorporated, doing business as Gentherm, incorporated in 1991, is a global developer and marketer of thermal management technologies for a range of heating and cooling and temperature control applications. Automotive products include actively heated and cooled seat systems and cup holders, heated and ventilated seat systems, thermal storage bins, heated seat and steering wheel systems, cable systems and other electronic devices. The Company is developing materials for thermoelectrics and systems for waste heat recovery and electrical power generation for the automotive market that may have applications for consumer products, as well as industrial and technology markets. Gentherm has facilities in the United States, Germany, Mexico, China, Canada, Japan, England, Korea, Malta, Hungary and the Ukraine. In February 2013, it announced the closing of the acquisition of W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG (W.E.T.).
The Company designs, develops and markets products based on its thermoelectric device (TED) technologies for a range of global markets and heating and cooling applications. As of December 31, 2011, its principal product was its Climate Control Seat (CCS), which it sells to automobile and light truck original equipment manufacturers or their tier one suppliers. The Company�� CCS product is offered as an optional or standard feature on automobile models produced by Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan, Tata Motors, Ltd. and Hyundai. On May 16, 2011 the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Amerigon Europe, GmbH (Amerigon Europe), acquired a majority interest in W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG. (W.E.T.).
Thermoelectric device
The Company�� products are primarily based upon its TED technology. A TED is a solid state circuit that has the capability to produce both a hot and cold thermal condition. TEDs also have a capability known as the Seebeck effect that is reciprocal to the Peltier effect.
Climate Control Seat
The Company�� CCS product uses one or more TEDs, which generate heating or cooling depending upon the direction of the current applied to the device. If a manufacturer wishes to integrate its CCS product into a seat, it provides the Company with automotive seats to be modified so that it can install a unit in a prototype. The seat is then returned to the manufacturer for evaluation and testing. If a manufacturer accepts the Company�� CCS product, a program can then be launched for a particular model on a production basis.
Heated and Ventilated Seat
The Company sells a heated and ventilated only variant of the CCS. This product works in a similar fashion to its CCS, only there is no active cooling capability and no TED. In the cooling mode, the vent only system will use the ambient cabin air to provide a degree of cooling comfort to the seat occupant. In the heating mode, the vent only system is supplemented with more traditional resistive heating elements. Similarly, W.E.T.�� core seat comfort product uses a resistive element heater mat to generate heat when the seat is in heating mode and ambient cabin air for cooling.
Heated and Cooled Cup Holder
The heated and cooled cup holder represents an adaptation of the technology found in its CCS, including the use of a TED and other key elements. The dual cup holder provides separate temperature settings in each holder allowing the driver and passenger to individually maintain a heated or cooled beverage. The vehicles that feature the heated and cooled cup holder was the 2011 Dodge Charger and 2011 Chrysler 300 during the year ended December 31, 2011.
Heated and Cooled Mattress
The Company�� heated and cooled mattress incorporates its Climate Control Sleep System (CCSS) technology. The mattress is sold in the United States by its retail partner, Mattress Firm, under its YuMe brand. Mattress Firm has over 800 retail stores located a! cross 26 ! states. There are five available settings in each of the heat and cool modes, as well as an ambient setting. The bed can be controlled using either the Master Control Unit (MCU) or one of two remotes provided for each zone.
Automotive Cable Systems
W.E.T. produces automotive cable systems to be used to connect automotive components to sources of power. W.E.T.�� cable systems include both ready-made individual cables and ready-to-install cable networks.
Advisors' Opinion:- [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 Gentherm (Nasdaq: THRM ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Best Supermarket Companies For 2014: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)
Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Selena Maranjian]
Why Altria?
The company is what's left after international operations were spun off in the form of Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM ) in 2008. While Philip Morris is favored by many because of lower tobacco taxes and regulations in many parts of the world, as well as the fact that many economies are growing more rapidly than ours, Altria still manages the very valuable Marlboro brand domestically, where it recently held a commanding 43% market share. - [By Monica Gerson]
Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $1.16 per share on revenue of $7.01 billion.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $1.09 per share on revenue of $31.99 billion.
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