Bad news lately
The main reason behind the country�� slump is the financial sector. Low rates pushed investors into risky ventures, but as short-term interest rates have been rising, it is becoming clear how shaky the Chinese economic foundation really is.
This is especially true now that the country�� economic growth is expected to slow down further this quarter, which is putting extra pressure on lending, and the financial sector in general. Given this situation and the optimism over the U.S. market, many are having a hard time looking beyond domestic shores for investments (See Is the Tech ETF Signaling Trouble Ahead?)
Bright Spot
Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Avalon Holdings Corp (AWX)
Avalon Holdings Corporation (Avalon) is a subsidiary of American Waste Services, Inc. (AWS). Avalon operates in two business segments: waste management services and golf and related operations. The waste management services segment includes waste disposal brokerage and management services and captive landfill management operations. The golf and related operations segment includes the operation and management of golf courses, fitness centers, tennis, spa services, dining and banquet facilities and a travel agency. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the net operating revenues of the waste management services segment represented approximately 81% of its total segments��net operating revenues. During 2011, the net operating revenues of the golf and related operations segment represented approximately 19% of its total segments��net operating revenues.
Waste Management Services
Avalon�� waste management subsidiaries provide hazardous and nonhazardous waste brokerage and management services and captive landfill management services. Waste management services are provided to industrial, commercial, municipal and governmental customers primarily in selected north-eastern and mid-western United States markets. American Waste Management Services, Inc. (AWMS) assists customers with managing and disposing of wastes at approved treatment and disposal sites based upon a customer�� needs. American Landfill Management, Inc. (ALMI) is a landfill management company that provides technical and operational services to customers owning captive disposal facilities. A captive disposal facility only disposes of waste generated by the owner of such facility. ALMI provides turnkey services, including daily operations, facilities management and management reporting for its customers. As of December 31, 2011, ALMI manages one captive disposal facility located in Ohio. In addition, American Construction Supply, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ALMI, sells construction mats.
Gol! f and Related Operations
Avalon�� golf and related operations segment operates golf courses and related facilities and a travel agency. Avalon Lakes Golf, Inc. (ALGI) owns and operates a Pete Dye designed championship golf course located in Warren, Ohio. ALGI generates revenue from membership dues, greens fees, cart rentals, merchandise, and food and beverage sales. TBG, Inc. (TBG), a subsidiary of ALGI, entered into a long-term agreement with Squaw Creek Country Club to lease and operate its golf course and related facilities. In addition to a championship golf course, the Squaw Creek facilities include a swimming pool, tennis courts and a clubhouse that includes a fitness center, dining and banquet facilities. TBG generates its revenue in the same manner as ALGI, but also generates revenues from tennis. Avalon Travel, Inc., a subsidiary of ALGI, owns and operates a travel agency which generates its revenue from booking travel reservations. Avalon�� golf courses are located in Warren, Ohio, Vienna, Ohio and Sharon, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Geoff Gannon] company that is in two different businesses.
It has a golf course business that is not profitable but has a lot of assets. And then it has a waste management business that is profitable. But doesn�� have a lot of assets.
This is the sort of situation where I would pay a lot of attention to the balance sheet. You aren�� really double counting in a stock like this. The assets are not producing the earnings. They could be separated from the business.
Unfortunately, this is a controlled company. And not a good activist target.
But you will find situations like Gyrodyne (GYRO) and Syms (SYMSQ) where at some point the company�� entire value really depended on its balance sheet.
Obviously when looking at things like real estate you don�� go by what it says on the balance sheet. You try to find a note on depreciation that breaks out land, buildings, etc. And gives information about how the company depreciates its property.
And ��of course ��you look at the ��roperties��item in the 10-K. In the U.S., you then use the information you��e gathered to check county land records and things like that for more information about the property.
Generally, you want to:
路 Find out when the company bought the property
10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ashland Inc. (ASH)
Ashland Inc. operates as a specialty chemicals company in the United States and internationally. Its Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients segment produces cellulose ethers; and specialty additives and functional ingredients. Its products offer functionality, such as thickening and rheology control; water retention; adhesive strength; binding power; film formation; protective colloid, suspending, and emulsifying action; foam control; and pH stability. The company?s Ashland Hercules Water Technologies segment manufactures papermaking chemicals and supplies specialty chemicals. It offers sizing agents, wet/dry strength additives, and crepe and release additives for tissue manufacturing; and deposit control agents, defoamers, biocides, and other process additives. This segment also provides specialized chemicals and consulting services for the utility water treatment; and performance-based feed and control systems; and monitoring devices and remote system surveillance. Its A shland Performance Materials segment manufactures and supplies specialty chemicals and customized services to the building and construction, transportation, metal casting, packaging and converting, and marine markets. It also offers unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins, and gelcoats; adhesives and specialty resins; and metal casting consumables and design services. The company?s Ashland Consumer Markets segment produces and markets packaged automotive lubricants, chemicals, appearance products, antifreeze, and filters to the private passenger car, light truck, and heavy duty markets. It also operates a quick-lube franchise under the name of Valvoline Instant Oil Change. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Covington, Kentucky.
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 Ashland (NYSE: ASH ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Shauna O'Brien]
Jefferies reported on Thursday that it has cut its rating on chemical company Ashland Inc. (ASH).
The firm has downgraded ASH from “Buy” to “Hold,” and has lowered the company’s price target from $104 to $97. This price target suggests a 9% upside from the stock’s current price of $88.47.
Analyst Laurence Alexander commented: “Investor confidence in the asset shuffling thesis may not withstand 2-3 more rounds of downward revisions to EPS and FCF forecasts for 2014E-2016E.”
“Pension headwinds, incentive comp, Valvoline marketing expenses, sluggish end markets: in our view, it all adds up, and makes further multiple expansion more difficult.”
Looking ahead, the firm has reduced estimates for the fourth quarter from $1.70 to $1.59 per share. For FY2013, earnings estimates have been lowered from $6.25 to $6.15 per share. FY2014 estimates have been cut from $7.45 to $6.75 per share.
Ashland shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Thursday. The stock is up 10% YTD
- [By Victor Selva] ow such a promising comeback, and the drop in revenue during 2012 was anticipated by investor Jean-Marie Eveillard (Trades, Portfolio), who sold out his 3.9 million share position by the third quarter of that year.
Another industry giant, Huntsman Corporation (HUN) did show more promising results, and less volatile revenues during these last years. This, of course, has led to a high price to earnings ratio discouraging investors as we see later.
Geographically Diversified
On 2012, almost 50% of Eastman sales were generated in North America, while more than 25% were in Asia and 20% in Europe, Middle East and Africa. This diversification is to be taken into account since it guarantees long-term revenue, even if cigarette consumption decreases in some specific region (for instance, American sales declined �in recent years), which would stabilize acetate tow demands worldwide.
Industrial Background and Gurus��Preference
Eastman�� earnings per share growth was significantly higher than industry median (46.9% vs. 5.2%) but so was Huntsman��, at 46.5%. The critical difference between these two industry giants stands out by looking at their price to earnings: Eastman�� is below median (16.4 vs. 19.1) while Huntsman rose up to 130.1, thus entailing a significant price premium relative to industry peers��average.
Although Ashland does have an inferior price to earnings ratio than Eastman�� (11.5), there�� a significant difference in their earnings per share growth: 27%, probably caused by a decline in revenue.
This might have been one of the reasons that motivated investors David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) and Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) to significantly reduce their stake in Huntsman (both of them by more than 80% margin). In contrast, Leon Cooperman (Trades, Portfolio) and Scott Black (Trades, Portfolio), reinforced their positions in Eastman. Most notably, Ray Dalio (Trades, Portfolio)
- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2014: HomeAway Inc (AWAY)
HomeAway, Inc. (HomeAway), incorporated on April 6, 2004, is an online marketplace for the vacation rental industry. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated its online marketplace through 44 websites in 13 languages. During the year December 31, 2012, the Company had over 600 million Website visits. As of December 31, 2012, its global marketplace included more than 710,000 paid listings of vacation rentals. HomeAway portfolio includes the vacation rental Websites: HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es in Spain; AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil, and HomeAway.com.au in Australia. In April 2012, the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding stock of Top Rural S.L. In November 2013, the Company announced that it has secured a 55% interest of Bookabach Limited, the operator of a vacation rental site in New Zealand.
HomeAway operates BedandBreakfast.com, a global site for finding bed and breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for lodging alternatives to hotels, and HomeAway Software for Professionals at software.HomeAway.com, to offer software solutions to property managers and innkeepers. Its online marketplace serves two major constituents: property owners and managers on one side and travelers on the other. Property owners and managers pay listing fees, which are annual subscriptions, to provide detailed listings of their properties on its Websites and reach an audience of travelers seeking vacation rentals. Travelers visit its marketplace at no charge and are able to search and compare its large and detailed inventory of paid listings to find vacation rentals meeting their requirements.
Products and Services for Property Owners and Managers
Paid listings are purchased in advance by property owners or managers as a form of advertising to promote their vacation rentals to ! prospective travelers on one or more of its Websites, typically for one year. Paid listings appear in search results on its websites when travelers search for vacation rentals based on traveler search criteria. During the year ended December 31, 2012, paid listings accounted for 84.9% of the Company�� revenue. ReservationManager includes tools and services to help property owners and managers run their vacation rental businesses more efficiently. ReservationManager enables property owners and managers to respond to and manage inquiries, prepare and send rental quotes and payment invoices, allow travelers to book online, including being able to enter into rental agreements with travelers online, and process online payments via Visa, MasterCard, Discover or eCheck. Additionally, through ReservationManager, property owners and managers can provide value-added products to travelers for purchase such as property damage protection.
Property owners and managers may purchase additional enhancements to their listings to increase the marketing exposure of their properties on certain of our websites, such as: Cross-Sell Listings or Bundles and Featured Listings, Special Offers and Deals. Performance-Based Listings property managers can use its enterprise and Web-based software solutions to manage their businesses, customers and properties. The Company provide software solutions to property managers under the brand names HomeAway Software for Professionals, Escapia, PropertyPlus, V12, Entech and First Resort and offer software tailored to professional bed and breakfast innkeepers under the brand names Webervations and Rezovations. Third-Party Services offer property owners and managers several ancillary products and services on selected websites. These products and services include credit card merchant accounts, trip insurance and property damage protection, and tax return services. BedandBreakfast.com Redistribution through its professional software for bed and breakfasts and professional property m! anagers, ! it make selected, online e-bookable properties available to online travel agencies, including Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline, as well as channel partners such as FlipKey.com and PackLate.com. Property Owner and Manager Community provide resources for property owners and managers to seek advice and obtain answers to optimize their business. These resources include a community site, email newsletters, online forums and online seminars.
Products and Services for Travelers
The products and services are offered to travelers at no cost, which include Search and Compare, Traveler Login, Trust and Security, Listing Reviews and Ratings, Traveler Community and Mobile Websites and Applications. Search and compare is an online marketplace provides travelers with tools to search for vacation rentals based on various criteria, such as location, type of property, number of bedrooms, amenities, availability or keywords. Travelers are able to create accounts that enable them to log in to certain of our websites. Travelers can then send inquiries to property owners and managers without having to fill in their information for each inquiry. Trust and security reviews new listings selectively for content, appropriateness, and quality of description. Travelers are invited to submit online reviews of the vacation rentals they have rented through its Websites. These reviews are intended to convey the accuracy of the listing information found on its Websites.
Traveler community who have made at least one inquiry on one of the Company�� Websites are maintained in a database and receive regular communications, including notices about places of interest, special offers, new listings, and an e-mail newsletter. Mobile Websites and applications provides versions of its Websites formatted for Web browsers on smartphones and tablets so that travelers can access its Websites and find and inquire about vacation rentals when they are away from a computer. It also provides applications for tra! velers to! find and inquire about vacation rentals using their smartphones and tablets.
Value-Added Services
The Company�� Value-Added Services includes Carefree Rental Guarantee, Insurance Products and Tax Filing Services. Carefree Rental Guarantee, which is offered at no cost to travelers, it offer a Carefree Rental Guarantee in the United States for a fee, which provides additional financial protection against fraud if the property found on its Website is illegitimate, not as advertised, or not available to the traveler upon check-in, and, as a result, the traveler incurs a financial loss. Insurance Products have contracted with third party insurance providers to offer travelers insurance products for purchase to protect against unexpected events relating to their trips, such as property damage protection, trip cancellation protection, personal liability, medical fees and legal expenses. Tax Filing Services to assist its property owners and managers in complying with applicable tax regulations, it contract with a third party in the United States to provide tax preparation and filing services for its property owners and managers.
Advertising
The Company�� advertising includes Display Advertising and Sponsorships and Site Integrations. Display Advertising sells Internet display advertising on the majority of the Company�� Websites. Advertisers, including those offering complementary products of interest to the visitors to its Websites, are able to purchase advertising positions for a fee based upon the number of impressions and the placement of the advertisement on the page. Sponsorships and site integrations sell sponsorships and site integrations to selected advertisers on its online marketplace. Sponsors purchase a certain number of impressions for a fee, or in the case of site integrations, pay the Company on a cost-per-action basis.
The Company competes with TripAdvisor.com, FlipKey.com, HolidayLettings.co.uk, Wyndam Worldwide Corp., I! nterHome,! AG, Hyatt Vacation Clubs, Four Seasons Resorts, VacationRoost; Expedia, Inc., Hotels.com LP, Kayak Software Corporation, Orbitz, Inc., priceline.com Incorporated, Travelocity.com Inc., Interval International, Inc. and RCI, LLC, Airbnb, Inc., craigslist, Inc., eBay Inc., Google Inc. and Bing.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Mani]
HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY) shares could be among the best potential 2014 performers in the mid-cap Internet space as the company rolls out its pay-per-booking (PPB) model, fine- tunes its operations, and then ramps marketing its spend into 2015 to drive growth through the new model.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Shares of HomeAway (NASDAQ: AWAY) was up as well, gaining 8.69 percent to $29.88 on speculation of takeover talks with Priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN).
- [By Luke Jacobi]
HomeAway (NASDAQ: AWAY) was up as well, gaining 8.17 percent to $29.74 on speculation of takeover talks with Priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN).
ICG Group (NASDAQ: ICGE) rose 9.74 percent to $15.39 after the company announced the sale of Procurian to Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) for $375 million in cash.
- [By David Kretzmann]
HomeAway (NASDAQ: AWAY ) �-- a leading online marketplace for vacation rentals worldwide -- reported second-quarter results after the market closed last Thursday churning in solid top-line, listings, and free cash flow growth. In addition, the company unveiled a new marketing strategy aimed to drive growth in the coming years.�
10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2014: UPM-Kymmene Corporation (UPM1V)
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is a Finland-based paper and forest products company. The Company operates, along with its subsidiaries, in three segments: the Energy and Pulp segment is divided into three units: Energy, which includes the Company�� hydropower plant and shares in energy companies; Pulp, which includes the Company�� pulp mills, and Foster and Timber, which includes forests, wood procurement, sawmills and further processing; the Paper segment includes the Company�� paper mills, producing magazine paper, newsprint, fine papers, and specialty papers, and the Engineered materials segment is structured into two units: Label, which includes label-stock factories and slitting, and distribution terminals, and Plywood, which includes plywood mills. The Company�� other operations include the wood plastic composite unit, development units and logistic services. On October 2, 2013, it completed the sale of the wood processing mill in Aigrefeuille d'Aunis, to Groupe FP Bois. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Corinne Gretler]
UPM-Kymmene Oyj (UPM1V) fell 3.9 percent to 12.18 euros. UBS AG lowered Europe�� second-largest papermaker to sell from neutral. The brokerage said that demand for the company�� product will not recover in Europe and that the industry will probably reduce its capacity next year.
- [By Tom Stoukas]
UPM-Kymmene (UPM1V), a rival maker of paper, dropped 1.9 percent to 10.23 euros.
Aryzta surged 4 percent to 60.45 Swiss francs, the biggest gain since March 28. The owner of bakery brands including Delice de France and Otis Spunkmeyer posted full-year revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($6.1 billion), beating analysts��estimates of 4.43 billion euros. The company also forecast a double-digit percentage gain in 2014 earnings.
10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2014: Horizon Pharma Inc (HZNP)
Horizon Pharma, Inc. (Horizon), incorporated on March 23, 2010, is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes medicines to target unmet therapeutic needs in arthritis, pain and inflammatory diseases. On April 23, 2011, the United States Food and Drug Administration, approved DUEXIS (formerly HZT-501), a tablet formulation containing a fixed-dose combination of ibuprofen and famotidine in a single pill. The Company�� other product, LODOTRA (NP-01), is a programmed release formulation of low-dose prednisone that is marketed in Europe by the Company�� distribution partner, Mundipharma International Corporation Limited (Mundipharma). As of December 31, 2010, Horizon completed multiple Phase III clinical trials of LODOTRA. In addition to these product candidates, the Company has a pipeline of earlier-stage product candidates to treat pain-related diseases and chronic inflammation. On April 1, 2010, Horizon effected a recapitalization and acquisition pursuant to which Horizon Pharma, Inc. became a holding company, that operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Horizon Pharma USA, Inc. (formerly Horizon Therapeutics, Inc.) and Horizon Pharma AG (formerly Nitec Pharma AG (Nitec)).
DUEXIS
DUEXIS is a combination of 800 milligram ibuprofen and 26.6 milligram famotidine in a single pill and is indicated for the relief of signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA), and to decrease the risk of developing upper gastrointestinal (GI), ulcers in patients who are taking ibuprofen for those indications. The Company has completed two Phase III clinical trials in a total of over 1,500 patients with mild to moderate pain or arthritis that demonstrated a significant reduction in the incidence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)-induced upper GI ulcers when treated with DUEXIS versus ibuprofen alone.
LODOTRA
LODOTRA is a programmed release formulation of low-dose prednisone, a well-established drug use! d to inhibit the production of various pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are proteins associated with joint inflammation in RA. LODOTRA has received regulatory approval in Europe for the treatment of moderate to severe, active RA in adults when accompanied by morning stiffness. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had completed two pivotal Phase III clinical trials of LODOTRA in a total of over 600 patients with RA. The first pivotal Phase III trial supported the approval of LODOTRA in Europe in March 2009, where it is approved for marketing in 14 European countries. LODOTRA achieved significant results and met the primary endpoint in each of the two pivotal Phase III clinical trials. Its LODOTRA product was developed and is owned by Horizon Pharma AG. As of December 31, 2010, the Company markets LODOTRA in Europe through three separate agreements. Pursuant to two separate agreements, it granted Merck Serono GmbH and Merck GesmbH, an affiliate of Merck Serono, the rights to distribute and market LODOTRA in each of Germany and Austria, respectively, and pursuant to the third agreement, it granted Mundipharma rights to distribute and market LODOTRA in the rest of Europe. The Company also has a manufacturing and supply agreement with Jagotec AG under which Jagotec or its affiliates manufacture and supply LODOTRA to the Company as bulk tablets.
The Company competes with Pfizer Inc., Pozen Inc., Abbott Laboratories and Amgen Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Wednesday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) and Pernix Therapeutics Holdings (NASDAQ: PTX). In trading on Wednesday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.39 percent. Top decliners in the sector included Shenandoah Telecommunications Co (NASDAQ: SHEN), off 3.3 percent, and CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP), down around 2.4 percent. - [By Lisa Levin]
Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) shares reached a new 52-week high of $17.12 after the company announced its plans to acquire privately held Vidara Therapeutics International for around $660 million.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) shares gained 24.15% to $18.23 after the company announced its plans to acquire privately held Vidara Therapeutics International for around $660 million.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) shares dropped 5.29% to $12.90 in pre-market trading after the company reported Q4 results. Horizon Pharma posted a quarterly loss of $0.04 per share on revenue of $30.10 million. However, analysts were expecting a loss of $0.08 per share on revenue of $32.18 million.
10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2014: TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd (TAT)
TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd. is an international oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. The Company holds interests in developed and undeveloped oil and gas properties in Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. As of March 1, 2012, it held approximately 5.4 million net onshore acres. As of March 1, 2012, it was producing an aggregate of approximately 2,638 net barrels of oil per day. As of March 1, 2012, it held interests in 57 onshore exploration licenses and nine onshore production leases covering a total of 5.3 million gross acres in Turkey. On February 18, 2011, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary TransAtlantic Worldwide, Ltd. acquired Direct Petroleum Morocco, Inc. and Anschutz Morocco Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary TransAtlantic Petroleum Cyprus Limited. On June 7, 2011, TransAtlantic Worldwide acquired Thrace Basin Natural Gas (Turkiye) Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd. (Amex:TAT) reported that the Turkish Competition Authority has approved the Company’s sale of its oilfield services business to Dalea Partners, LP (“Dalea”, an affiliate of N. Malone Mitchell, 3rd, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer).
10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In 2014: Vivo Participacoes S.A.(VIV)
Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides fixed-line telecommunications services to residential and commercial customers in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its services include local voice services, such as activation, monthly subscription, measured service, and public telephones; intraregional, interregional, and international long-distance voice services; data services comprising broadband services; pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology and land based wireless technology multichannel multipoint distribution service; and network services, such as interconnection and rental of facilities, as well as other services consisting of extended maintenance, caller identification, voice mail, cell phone blockers, computer support, and antivirus for Internet service subscribers. The company also offers multimedia communication services, such as audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, and texts and other information. In addition, it provides interc onnection services to cellular service providers and other fixed telecommunications companies through the use of its network. Further, the company offers telecommunications solutions and IT support designed to address the needs and requirements of companies operating various types of industries, including retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, and government. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides its products and services through person-to-person sales, telesales, indirect channels, Internet, and door-to-door sales. As of December 31, 2010, its telephone network included 11.3 million fixed lines in service, including residential, commercial, and public telephone lines; 3.3 million broadband clients; and 0.5 million pay TV clients. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP is a subsidiary of Telefonica S.A.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Inyoung Hwang]
Royal Mail (RMG) Group Ltd. jumped the most in a month after the U.K. postal service that listed its shares in October said first-half earnings almost doubled. Vivendi SA (VIV) advanced 1.9 percent after saying it will replace its chairman once it spins off its wireless business. Accor SA dropped 3.9 percent after saying it will separate the operation and ownership of hotels into two businesses.
- [By Eric Volkman]
Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX ) will be very busy in the near future doing work for a major South American telecom incumbent. The company announced that it has signed a deal with Telefonica's (NYSE: TEF ) Brazilian subsidiary Telefonica/Vivo (NYSE: VIV ) , also known as Telefonica Brasil,�to supply its services for the latter's eHealth Self Care initiative, which aims "to provide health assistance and complimentary services to their millions of clients." Ebix will utilize its A.D.A.M. Health Content Exchange solution to make this happen.
- [By Vanina Egea] rket share reduce to 25.13% in March from 25.28% in February, Telefonica Brasil�� share grew from 28.62% to 28.68% in the same period. Furthermore, while average revenue per user in the mobile sector has fallen for five consecutive years, the firm�� mobile unit Vivo was the only carrier to generate ARPU growth in 2013.
On the fixed-line side, although total revenue fell 3.7% year over year, the company expects to resume growth in this segment through the expansion of video, broadband Internet and Pay-TV services. To this aim, the firm launched its IPTV platform in late 2013 and is growing its FTTH footprint. Along these lines, it will invest 18% to 19% of its revenue in deploying high-speed fiber optic cable in the state of Sao Paulo in order to cover 2.5 households in 2014. Thus, the company will be better positioned to compete with giants like cable operator Net Servicos de Comunicacao SA (NETC), which also offers bundled services and has aggressively expanded its Internet and TV subscriber base in the state.
Investing for Long-term Growth
Looking forward, Telef贸nica Brasil is investing in technology and network expansion to further empower its competitive position. The firm is expanding its 3G network based on CDMA EV-DO and HSPA technologies, which provide a great advantage over its peers. Further, it expects to benefit from the growth opportunities in the 4G market. Consequently, it has signed a deal with Ceragon Networks Ltd. (CRNT) to deploy the superfast 4G network nationwide.
A Valuable Stock
Telef贸nica Brasil has a healthy balance sheet with strong cash flow generation (up to 9,576 million in 2013 from 3,488 million in 2011) and reasonable debt levels. Its net debt-to-EBITDA ratio is of 0.17 times and it has a debt- to-equity ratio of 0.2 against its peers��average of 0.9. Its financial strength and a robust dividend have attracted investment gurus like Charles Brandes (Trades, Portfolio) and David Dreman (Trades,
- [By Dividend]
Here are the top yielding stocks from the screening results:
Telefonica Brasil (VIV) has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion. The company employs 19,614 people, generates revenue of $15.201 billion and has a net income of $1.994 billion. Telefonica Brasil�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $5.198 billion. The EBITDA margin is 34.20 percent (the operating margin is 21.26 percent and the net profit margin 13.12 percent).
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