MeetMe: Right Stock, Wrong Time (MEET)

With today's 15% pop just staring you in the face, it would be tempting for current MeetMe Inc. (NYSEMKT:MEET) shareholders to lock their profit in and walk away. It would also be a mistake, though. See, while MEET is admittedly a volatile mess in the short run, for the long haul, there's a lot more upside left to tap.

If the idea and the ticker seem familiar, it may be because yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on MEET back on February 7th.... and October 29th, and October 23rd, and October 18th, and July 18th, and July 8th.... you get the idea. And, while it's been an exhausting journey with lots and twists and turns, MeetMe Inc. shares are now up 60% since my love affair with the stock began back in the middle of last year.

I don't come here to gloat, however. I'm revisiting MeetMe again today to reiterate a point I've made about it several times since starting to log the saga - there's a ton of upside potential here, that could last for months, and end up creating strong triple-digit gains. You just have to take a step back and look at a long-term, weekly chart of MEET to see it. So, that's what we'll do.

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There are two things to note about this longer-term chart: (1) Although it's been up-and-down for years, as of the past few months, there's more 'up' than 'down' for MEET now [see the rising MACD lines, both now above the zero level], and, (2) there's plenty of volume behind the current bullishness from MeetMe, telling us it's got the participation it needs to last [one of the missing ingredients of the prior breakout attempts].

Between those two nuances and the fact that this stock was trading at $10.00 just a few years ago, there's a ton of room to recover here... and MeetMe Inc. is acting like it wants to use all of that potential.

With all of that being said, as bullish as MEET may be in the long run, today isn't the time to step into a new trade. Between this morning's opening gap and the stock's usual ebb and flow, odds are good that MeetMe shares could pull back to the $2.50-ish level again sooner than later. That's the spot where you'd want to wade into this impressive but admittedly volatile long-term uptrend.

For more trading ideas and insights like these, be sure to sign up for the free SmallCap Network newsletter. You'll get stock picks, market calls, and more, every day. Here's what you've missed recently.

America’s Most Content (and Miserable) States

The well-being of Americans hasn’t improved in the past six years, and it even declined slightly in 2013, according to a recent Gallup study. While national figures remained flat overall, the ranks of the states with the highest well-being scores changed considerably. North Dakota topped the well-being list in 2013 after failing to crack the top 10 in 2012. Hawaii, 2012's top state, fell to number eight in 2013. West Virginia, on the other hand, remained at the bottom of the list for the fifth consecutive year.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which interviewed more than 176,000 people from all 50 states last year, measures the physical and emotional health of Americans across the country. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the more than 50 metrics comprising the six broad categories Gallup used to identify well-being.

Click here to see America’s most content states

Click here to see America’s most miserable states

Well-being matters because it effectively reflects health, employment, education, and the local environment, Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, told 24/7 Wall St. Witters suggested that this means that a strong economy and a healthy, educated workforce can improve well-being, just as high well-being may also influence further development.

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Because these relationships appear to exist, "there's a lot of things that employers or communities can do structurally, culturally, legislatively, that can positively affect change around well-being," Witters added.

The Gallup-Healthways survey asked respondents a large range of questions. There were several indicators for which states with low well-being largely received low scores, and for which states with high well-being typically received high scores.

In states with high well-being scores, residents were less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise regularly and learn new things every day. These states also enjoyed the positive outcomes of such behaviors, including lower obesity rates and other common health problems.

The opposite was generally true for states with low well-being, where residents were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyles or limited access to basic necessities. As a result, they tended to feel physically and emotionally unhealthy. In those states, residents were among the most likely in the nation to suffer from health problems such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as obesity. Broadly, residents in these states did not feel they were thriving.

Other factors considered by 24/7 Wall St., in addition to data from the Well-Being Index, may also influence a state's score. The states with the lowest well-being typically had very low median household incomes. Having a stable income is important because it enables people to access basic needs such as healthy food, clean water, medicine, and health care. However, the opposite was not the case for the highest ranking states, a number of which were not especially well-off.

"For the most part, well-being goes up with income," according to Witters. While a low income can definitely impair well-being, as incomes rise, factors such as emotional health tend to level out, Witters explained. For individuals, "emotional health scores kind of hit their peak at about $75,000 a year. And after that point, they really don't get any better."

However, while states with high well-being scores did not have necessarily high incomes, they often had other advantages, such as high educational attainment and low unemployment. In each of the top-rated states more than 90% of residents had a high school diploma, versus just 86.4% of Americans nationwide. Educational outcomes in low well-being states were generally poor. Also, many states with high scores had low unemployment.

Although a number of the states with the highest, and lowest, well-being scores have remained the same, the well-being of a number of states significantly improved in the most recent year. Perceived improvement in the work environment, especially in the supervisor’s treatment, was often behind these gains, according to Witters. He cited workplace evaluations as a major reason Hawaii fell in the rankings, as well as a major reason North and South Dakota, the two states with the highest well-being scores, entered the top 10 in 2013.

Regional patterns were also evident, as states in some parts of the country continued to do better than others in 2013. In particular, the Plains states were disproportionately well-represented among the states with the highest well-being. North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa were all among the top 10 states. States in the Southeast accounted for seven of the 10 states with the lowest well-being score in the nation. This has been the case in previous years as well.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed all 50 U.S. states based on their scores in the Gallup-Healthways 2013 Well-Being Index. Gallup-Healthways calculated a national well-being score as well as one for each state, assigning scores from 0 to 100, with 100 representing ideal well-being. In generating the rank, Gallup combined six separate indices, measuring access to basic needs, healthy behavior, work environment, physical health, life evaluation and optimism, and emotional health. In addition to the index, 24/7 Wall St. considered data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2012 American Community Survey, including median income, poverty levels, and the percentage of adults with a high school diploma or higher. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we reviewed state unemployment rates as of December 2013. We also reviewed 2010 statistics for life expectancy at birth and deaths from heart disease, as well as 2011 data on prescription drugs, published by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. We also considered state violent crime rates in 2012 from the FBI's Uniform Crime Report Program.

These are America's most content (and miserable) states.

David Herro and Bill Nygren Comment on FedEx

FedEx (FDX) was the top contributor for the quarter, returning 26%.  FedEx reported solid second quarter results; its express division alone generated 140 basis points of year-over-year margin improvement.  These results show that their cost-savings plans are continuing to gain traction.  The ground division also performed well, producing 8% year-over-year volume growth.  This marked the 55th consecutive quarter that the ground division has gained market share – a trend that should continue for many more years.  Management also improved profitability and deployed the company's excess capital into what we believe are value-creating activities.  When we initially invested in FedEx, we believed that the company could substantially improve its margins and capital allocation, and we are pleased that management executed on – and the market appropriately recognized – such opportunities for sustained value growth. 

 

From the Oakmark Global Select Fund fourth quarter 2013 commentary.

Also check out: David Herro Undervalued Stocks David Herro Top Growth Companies David Herro High Yield stocks, and Stocks that David Herro keeps buying Bill Nygren Undervalued Stocks Bill Nygren Top Growth Companies Bill Nygren High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Bill Nygren keeps buying

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week

Popular Posts: 8 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now5 Commercial Banking Stocks to Buy Now4 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week 4 Health Care Provider Stocks to Buy Now 5 Stocks With Strong Earnings Growth — OME LRCX CODI INOC CNC View All Posts

On the Portfolio Grader database this week, the reit, metals and mining, energy services, construction and engineering and independent utilities sectors are among the worst.

The reit sector is dragging, with 77% of its stocks (117 out of 152) rated a “sell”. Finishing near the bottom this week are Hatteras Financial (), Apollo Residential Mortgage, Inc. () and DDR Corp. () among the reit stocks. Hatteras Financial has a score of F while Apollo Residential Mortgage, Inc. and DDR Corp. rated F and F. Hatteras Financial is performing worst overall in the sector, with a 28.3% decline over the last 12 months.

The metals and mining sector is lagging this week with 68% of its stocks (62 out of 91) rated a “sell”. Among metals and mining stocks, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (), Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR () and Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. Class A () finished near the bottom. Allegheny Technologies Incorporated is currently rated F. Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR and Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. Class A are rated F and F. Over the last 12 months, Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR is the worst performer in this sector, with a 72.5% decline.

The energy services sector is trailing behind others this week, with 67% of its stocks (42 out of 63) rated a “sell”. Dwelling near the bottom this week are McDermott International, Inc. (), ION Geophysical Corporation () and Tidewater () among the energy services stocks. McDermott International, Inc. has a score of F while ION Geophysical Corporation and Tidewater rated F and F. ION Geophysical Corporation is performing worst overall in the sector, with a 27% decline over the last 12 months.

With 61% of its stocks (11 out of 18) rated “sell,” the construction and engineering sector is struggling this week. Out of the construction and engineering stocks, Granite Construction Incorporated (), Empresas ICA SAB de CV Sponsored ADR () and Aegion Corporation () finished near the bottom. Granite Construction Incorporated has a score of F while Empresas ICA SAB de CV Sponsored ADR and Aegion Corporation rated F and F.

The independent utilities sector looks weak, with 60% of its stocks (6 out of 10) rated a “sell”. With a score of F, TransAlta Corporation (), Empresa Nacional de Electricidad S.A. Sponsored ADR () are weighing down the sector. Calpine Corporation () also has a low D. TransAlta Corporation is the worst performer in this sector, with a 31% decline in the last 12 months.

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Why Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (PPHM) is Surging

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (PPHM) on Monday was jumping the most since January thanks to a regulator's decision to designate its Bavituximab product for so-called Fast Track approval.

In mid-morning trading, Tustin, Calif.-based Peregrine was surging 25% to $1.81, the most since Jan. 7, 2013 as volume was more than four times its daily three-month average of about 1.2 million shares.

Peregrine, in a statement, said the Federal Drug Administration gave the go-ahead for its main immunotherapy product, a potential treatment for second-line non-small cell lung cancer. Peregrine recently began a test called SUNRISE (Stimulating ImmUne RespoNse thRough BavItuximab in a PhaSE III Lung Cancer Study), a Phase III clinical trial that uses Bavituximab and docetaxel, a chemotherapy treatment, as the experimental group versus a placebo and docetaxel in the control group with the intent of determining the effects of the drug on overall survival rate.

The randomized, double-blind study will test the safety and effectiveness of the drug as well as the ability of the subjects to tolerate it.

TheStreet Ratings team rates PEREGRINE PHARMACEUTICLS INC as a Sell with a ratings score of D. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

"We rate PEREGRINE PHARMACEUTICLS INC (PPHM) a SELL. This is driven by a number of negative factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The area that we feel has been the company's primary weakness has been its relatively poor performance when compared with the S&P 500 during the past year."

Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: In its most recent trading session, PPHM has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, we do not believe this stock offers ample reward opportunity to compensate for the risks, despite the fact that it rose over the past year. The company's current return on equity greatly increased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of significant strength within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Biotechnology industry and the overall market, PEREGRINE PHARMACEUTICLS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500. The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the Biotechnology industry average, but is less than that of the S&P 500. The net income increased by 11.0% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from -$8.75 million to -$7.79 million. PEREGRINE PHARMACEUTICLS INC has improved earnings per share by 37.5% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. This trend suggests that the performance of the business is improving. During the past fiscal year, PEREGRINE PHARMACEUTICLS INC continued to lose money by earning -$0.25 versus -$0.50 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings (-$0.24 versus -$0.25). Net operating cash flow has increased to -$5.49 million or 42.59% when compared to the same quarter last year. The firm also exceeded the industry average cash flow growth rate of 1.32%. You can view the full analysis from the report here: PPHM Ratings Report

Stock quotes in this article: PPHM 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Market Hustle: Stocks Gain as Consumer Sentiment, Earnings Beat Expectations

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stocks moved higher Friday, reversing earlier declines after consumer sentiment beat expectations and companies from Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) to Campbell Soup (CPB) topped earnings estimates.

The S&P 500 is now up 5.1% from a three-month low on Feb. 3, and is poised for a second week of gains after Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen indicated the central bank's stimulus tapering plans will stay the course. The S&P 500 was up 0.43% to 1,837.65 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.67% higher at 16,135.35. The Nasdaq was up 0.08% to 4,243.79. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of U.S. consumer sentiment was unchanged in February from a month earlier at 81.2. Expectations were for a decline to 80.2. "The truth is that confidence has not been a reliable predictor of consumption for some years now, so this really doesn't offer much comfort. We would place more weight on the trends in job and income growth," Capital Economics senior U.S. economist Paul Dales told clients. January industrial production fell 0.3% after rising 0.3% in December. The result was below expectations, with manufacturing output falling 0.8%, partly due to severe weather. Top gainers included Cliffs Natural Resources and Campbell Soup after both beat earnings estimates. Their shares were gaining 5.57% and 4.69%, respectively. Defensive play Exxon Mobil (XOM) was another top gainer in the Dow, rising 2.55% amid the cold weather while Murphy Oil (MUR) was up 3.34%. Reuters reported Friday that Murphy is considering selling some of its Asian oil and gas assets in a deal that could fetch up to $3 billion. Import prices rose by a slightly more-than-expected 0.1% in January after an upwardly revised 0.2% in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The European Union's gross domestic product rose 1.1% at an annualized rate during the fourth quarter, the third-straight quarter of growth. For 2013 as a whole, GDP fell 0.4%. Italy's sacked prime minister Enrico Letta has submitted his resignation, with Matteo Renzi, a centre-left Democratic party leader, expected to form a new government next week. Jos. A. Bank Clothiers (JOSB) was up 0.42% after its announcement that the company is acquiring Eddie Bauer for $825 million. Weight Watchers International (WTW) was diving 26% after its quarterly earnings missed projections. Germany's DAX closed ahead by 0.68% while the FTSE finished up 0.06%. Japan's Nikkei closed down 1.53% while the Hang Seng was 0.60% higher.

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--- By Jane Searle and Andrea Tse in New York

Stock quotes in this article: DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC, JOSB, WTW, XOM, CLF, CPB, MUR 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Having Fun While Experiencing Constant Rejection

Sales statistics—the number of no’s you have to hear before getting to yes—can be kind of grim. Is it possible to succeed at it, while also having a good time?

According to Morris Sims, the head of New York Life’s advisor training, having a good time may actually be the key condition to succeeding at sales.

That is because an advisor doesn’t get good at his job until he can finally reframe what he’s doing from trying to impose a sale on a reluctant prospect to nobly helping people take care of their vital financial needs.

Sims is in a position to know, having spent nearly 30 years at New York Life, 17 of them as head of NYLIC (New York Life Insurance Co.) University, whose robust advisor education has earned the firm recognition by Training Magazine as one of the top corporate trainers, and not for the first time.

The New York Life exec has both personal and professional experience in the importance of proper motivation.

“I was trained to be an engineer, but after doing it for five years, I wasn’t liking it, I wasn’t having any fun,” the former chemical engineer told ThinkAdvisor in a phone interview.

Sims found selling life insurance to be much more fun, and has also found that success awaits his field agents — who also sell mutual funds and variable annuities, among other investment products — who ultimately make that same discovery.

He cites the example of one agent who had no previous sales or financial services experience, having been an elementary school teacher.

“She was kind of a slow start — in fact a very slow start,” Sims recalls.

“After about four months, she was questioning whether it was the right thing to do to stay in this business,” he continues. “But when she focused on how it was really about meeting with people and helping them with their problems … her business flourished.”

She started reaching out to the network of affluent people she knew in her community, and reached her firm’s chairman’s council multiple times as well as being named her office’s Agent of the Year in a ceremony to which Sims accompanied her.

The breakthrough this agent made was the realization that “it all comes down to relationships,” as Sims puts it.

“If you don’t like meeting new people every day, then chances are you’re not going to be successful doing it," he says. "You’ve got to like helping people meet their needs for future financial success. It’s not the easiest thing in the world because folks today are a little more cautious talking about their finances.” 

Indeed, those grim sales statistics mentioned earlier are a daily reality. Sims, who interestingly notes that each of New York Life’s 119 nationwide offices has varying ratios, offers something of a composite:

“If you talk to 70 people on the telephone, I’d be really happy if 10 gave me a face to face appointment. Of those 10, I’m going to get to make a recommendation to six to eight of them. A closing ratio of 50% should make about three sales for a new rep. If you’re an established agent chances are they’re going to go with your recommendation.”

Numbers like that mean that an advisor will face a fair amount of rejection, but Sims emphasizes that nearly all the rejection comes in the in that first conversation an advisor has with a prospect. It’s downhill from there.

“If I can sit down and have a conversation with you  and you’re willing to share your hopes and dreams and where your assets are today and you trust me to tell you those things, then when I come up with a recommendation, chances are you’re going to listen to my counsel,” he says.

Since, as Sims puts it, “people aren’t going to wake up on a Saturday morning and say ‘Gee, I think it’s a great day to go buy some life insurance or plan for retirement,'” the advisor performs a vital task of initiating a conversation about finances, and must see it through that framework rather than focus on the inevitable resistance.

And that’s where New York Life’s training comes in — to provide the relationship skills and product knowledge needed to engage in these sensitive conversations.

“You have to have the skills and knowledge to say “Tell me all about your hopes and your dreams"; then you have to have the analytic skills to determine how to help him get where he wants to be,” says Sims, whose title at New York Life is chief learning officer.

“Our training is geared to taking someone who doesn’t have investment experience and making them a qualified registered rep,” he says. “Then once we do that, the strategy is to continue their training throughout their time with New York Life to make sure they are very well prepared with respect to our product line.”

“It’s not a baptismal, it’s not dumping them in water and expecting them to get religion,” he says of NYLIC’s ongoing training sessions. But the efficacy of that training, which is heavily though not exclusively computer-based, has a lot to do with the homework.

“When we get them live on line, we talk about ‘this is how you provide [advice to] a suitable prospect who has this need’; Then they have to do it.”

So if the topic is mutual funds that accumulate money for retirement, then the assignment between then and the next class — usually about two weeks later — is to have a conversation with a client or prospect about how this product might help them meet their retirement needs.

“We’re trying to help people make good solid suitable decisions about their finances," Sims says. "What is their problem? What is it that they need? Then we show them solutions and help them choose the suitable option.”

It’s not so hard, Sims concludes, when one recognizes that “everybody is in sales” in some way, noting that this writer needed to convince New York Life that this interview was worthwhile.

But “while almost anyone can be trained to do it, if you don’t like it,” you’re not going to be good at it, says the former engineer who says he “fell in love” with helping advisors improve their performance.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

McDonald's Sales Drop, Apple Ends a War, and Hasbro Earnings No Fun to Play With

While we're still aggressively waiting for a cupcake ATM to finally open up near us, investors are getting pumped up for new Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen's big first official speech on Tuesday -- And the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) inched up 8 points Monday in eager anticipation.

1. Winter freezes McDonald's sales
Ronald is frowning, because McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) monthly report showed that U.S. sales fell 3.3% in January and restaurant traffic is down 1.6% over the last year. McD's is blaming two culprits: (1) Americans are still being frugal as the economy only slowly improves, and (2) the unhealthy servings of polar vortexes this past winter are keeping warm-blooded customers out of cold plastic seats at McDonald's restaurants.

It's all about the Dollar Menu. Or is it? McDonald's reintroduced its famed Dollar Menu just three months ago in the U.S. as the fancy new "Dollar Menu and More," but the publicity stunt hasn't had any impact on sales. In fact, the McDouble and small fries both now cost more than a dollar, resulting in some unhappy and confused McDonald's patrons walking into stores with four quarters in their pocket.

The takeaway is that investors didn't freak out like someone stole their Happy Meal toy. That's because McDonald's overall global sales were pretty greasy (in a good way) -- Europe has overtaken America as the chain restaurant's largest market and Asian sales rose nearly 6%. Although Ronald warned investors in its recent earnings report that January would be a tough month, the growing foreign appetite for Big Macs saved the Golden Arches Monday.

2. Carl Icahn gives up fight with Apple
Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) battle with famous superinvestor Carl Icahn is over. The stock titan who is known and feared by all on Wall Street wrote an open letter to Apple shareholders Monday, indicating he will stop fighting for Apple to give shareholders more of its massive $100 billion-plus cash pile. The stock rose 2% now that the Real-Housewives-of-Wall-Street-style feud is over.   What's wrong with too much cash? Icahn's firm owns about $4 billion worth of Apple shares -- and with shares come power. He has insisted that Apple stop wasting its cash reserves generated from years of iPhone and iPad sales and return the moola to shareholders. He's begged for share buybacks (Apple purchases shares, reduces the number out there, and makes the rest all the more valuable). In fact, Icahn wanted $50 billion of buybacks -- and he's going to get $38 billion this year.   The man is satisfied. Plus, an advisory firm reported that Icahn's crusade was not helping the company, it's just creating lots of cheesy headlines for E! and The New York Post. CEO Tim Cook is pumped to have one less Wall Street shark to worry about.  
3. Hasbro got Christmas coal for sales
Hasbro's (NASDAQ: HAS  ) earnings just aren't as fun as the products they make. The toy-creating legend reported Monday that sales nudged down from $130 million to $129 million from a year ago, after its classics My Little Pony and Transformers didn't make it into enough stockings this year. Companies like Hasbro are known to make up to 40% of their annual revenues during the holidays, so bad Christmas news made investors less than jolly.

The takeaway is that Hasbro isn't the only toy company that Santa's elves ignored this year -- rival Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT  ) had a poor holiday season, too, after Barbie and Fisher-Price toy demand shrank. Plus, Hasbro revealed that while physical toys weren't on kids' Christmas lists, games did enjoy a nice 2% sales increase from last year. Time for Monopoly.

Today: New Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen gives her first speech on the job The NFIB Small Business Survey Fourth-quarter earnings reports: CVS Caremark, Sprint MarketSnacks Fact of the Day: Lego is the world's largest producer of rubber wheels -- more than car tire makers Goodyear or Bridgestone.

As originally published on MarketSnacks.com

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

"The Hobbit" dispute sparks lawsuit

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) A dispute over the latest Hobbit movie -- which releases this weekend -- has gone to court.

Miramax, the studio founded by Harvey and Robert Weinstein, filed suit in a New York state court Tuesday claiming film producer Warner Bros. owes them proceeds from two forthcoming movies in the Hobbit trilogy, including the one opening this weekend.

At the center of the dispute: a 1998 deal between Warner Bros., a corporate cousin of CNNMoney's parent Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500), and Miramax over movie rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's books "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The deal gave Miramax rights to a portion of proceeds from the first "Hobbit" movie, according to court documents.

Warner Bros. split "The Hobbit" into three films. In the court filing. Miramax alleges Warner Bros. exhibited "greed and ingratitude" by dividing the story, and claimed it is entitled to a portion of receipts from each of the films.

That could amount to $75 million or more, Miramax claimed.

Warner Bros. responded that Miramax's decision to sell the rights was "one of the great blunders in movie history," but a decision Miramax must live with.

"No amount of trying to rewrite history can change that fact," Warner Bros. spokesman Paul McGuire said in a statement. "They agreed to be paid only on the first motion picture based on "The Hobbit." And that's all they're owed."

Miramax didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The two parties are separately entering arbitration over the dispute.

The second movie in the series, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens this weekend. A third installment in the trilogy, a tale of hobbit Bilbo Baggins set in pre-historic middle-Earth, is expected to open in December 2014.

The first installment, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," has grossed a little more than $1 billion worldwide since its release a year ago, according to ticket sales tracker Box Office Mojo. A source with knowledge of the situation said Miramax's portion of that film's receipts is about $25 million so far.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Not Too Late to Turn Bearish on Offshore Drillers, Raymond James Says

Last week, Barclays issued a very bearish report on offshore drillers, including Transocean (RIG), Seadrill (SDRL) and Atwood Oceanics (ATW). This week, Raymond James added its voice to the growing chorus of naysayers.

Associated Press

Raymond James analyst Collin Gerry and team explain why they’re bearish in the short-term–and why it’s too early to step in and buy:

Welcome to a typical oilfield cycle: step 1) attractive newbuild returns entice new capacity; step 2) newbuild capacity delivers as demand begins to soften; and step 3) pricing and utilization suffer. This is not new to the oilfield services sector and it appears the offshore drillers are set to experience a cyclical downturn. Over the past several years, the market has easily absorbed robust newbuild activity without affecting pricing. Going forward, demand growth is decelerating as newbuild supply is accelerating which likely creates utilization and pricing sloppiness.

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Though stocks are screening cheaper, we believe it is too early to step in and buy: Are we piling on too late? Honestly, kind of. Offshore drillers already underperformed the OIH by 20% since late 2012. However, valuations currently offer little downside support. In addition, we fear the headline risk of continued dayrate and utilization sloppiness. Longer term: It is very important not to abandon this space.

As a result, Gerry cut Atwood Oceanics, Ensco (ESV) and Noble Energy (NE) to Market Perform from Outperform. He raised Rowan (RDC) to Outperform from Market Perform. Rowan was also a favorite of Barclays.

Shares of Atwood have dropped 4.3% to $45.35, while Ensco has fallen 2.1% to $49.30, Noble has declined 1% to $30.72, Rowan has ticked up 0.1% to $31.41, Seadrill has dropped 0.7% to $35.46 and Transocean is off 1.9% at $42.48.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014

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Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Now that we've gotten through five months of 2013, it's a good time to review which stocks have performed well for the year, which haven't, and whether you should own any of them. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) having increased by 15.35% year to date, there have clearly been more big winners than big losers this year. With Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) being the biggest Dow loser and down only 4.25% in 2013, and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) being the biggest winner, up 71.37% in 2013, the difference is dramatic. But, let's look at why these stocks have performed the way they have, and whether you should own either of them. My conclusion may shock you!

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) was the worst performer out of the 30 Dow components, falling 1.5%. Talks between the construction equipment maker and a Milwaukee union fell apart after workers rejected a new contract that would have frozen wages for current employees and paid new employees a lower wage. Shares of Caterpillar had increased more than 10% in the last three weeks so the stock may just be cooling off after its bullish run.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  On a day when almost nobody was trading, the major benchmarks eked out record highs anyway, behind gains in E.I. Du Pont De Nemours (DD), Caterpillar (CAT) and Walt Disney (DIS).

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Herbalife have gained 0.9% to $79.51 this morning in pre-open trading. Its shares have gained 139% this year, a nice gain, but lagging Nu Skin Enterprises 271% rise. Avon Products�(AVP), another multi-level marketer, has gained 21% so far this year, while Tupperware Brands�(TUP) has risen 49%.

• [By John Kell]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Dow Chemical Co.(DOW), Tupperware Brands Corp.(TUP) and Yahoo Inc.(YHOO)

Hot Medical Companies To Own For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was maintained as a Buy but was removed from the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.

  Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $79 price target at Argus.

• [By Ben Eisen]

  Perpetually struggling department store J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) �said it expects a sales boost this holiday season as it returns to a promotional strategy. But for the most part, retailers including Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR) �, GameStop Corp. (GME) � and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) � gave dour outlooks in their earnings reports.

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Costly market share gains
  The problem is that Family Dollar has had to pay up for its increasing market share and sales levels. The company's gross profit margin fell by more than a full percentage point, to 34.7% last quarter. In contrast, Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) booked an expansion of profits, to 35.2%, continuing a trend that's seen it pull away from Family Dollar.

• [By John Maxfield]

  If you're anything like me, two things went through your head when you saw this. First, you regret that you missed out on the investment opportunity. Since the end of 2009, shares in all three of these companies, led by Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) , have simply trounced the broader market. Even the worst performer of the bunch, Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO  ) , beat it by nearly a factor of two.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  2013 has been a stellar year for shares of oil service giant Schlumberger (SLB). Since the calendar flipped over to January, SLB has rallied more than 25%, beating the broad market's impressive pace by double digits. As oil prices linger on the high end of their historic range, SLB is well positioned to keep ticking higher.

  Schlumberger provides must-have services to national and supermajor oil firms as well as smaller E&Ps, offering up niche services like seismic surveys and well drilling and positioning. In a nutshell, SLB's job is to pull oil out of the ground as efficiently as possible. Oil firms turn to Schlumberger because the tasks they need to accomplish are too nuanced or proprietary to pull off in-house. So as long as the company continues to pour cash into R&D for drilling technology and software, the firm should continue to score lucrative contracts.

  Some of Schlumberger's most attractive opportunities right now come from overseas. The firm is one of the largest oil servicers in Russia, a key growth market in the years ahead. It's also got an important presence in smaller oil markets, where it's a big fish in a small pond. A big scale and stellar reputation should guarantee Schlumberger an attractive piece of the oil pie for years to come.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) reported earnings on July 19. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Schlumberger met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

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