We recently had a chance to interview one of the portfolio managers for the Ranger Equity Bear ETF (NYSEMKT: HDGE), which is an actively managed short selling exchange-traded fund. It acts like a short selling hedge fund but with instant market liquidity features that an ETF structure provides. The ETF’s major short selling position in shares of International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) was what really piqued our interest. Investors did well who decided to move out of IBM as Big Blue’s stock price has managed to fall by more than $11 per share since then. It turns out that the team here remains a short seller of IBM, and this is indirectly a bet against Warren Buffett.
The reason we are revisiting this is not just to offer a cheerleading session for a short seller, but because IBM is extremely important to the market. IBM is not just a DJIA component. It is the largest DJIA component by far because of its share price being so high and the DJIA being a price-weighted stock index rather than a market cap-weighted index. Another reason that IBM is of such interest to us on a slow August day is that it is one of the cheapest Warren Buffett stocks for value investors if you use the implied upside expected by Wall Street analysts. IBM has now hit a new 52-week low, but the consensus analyst price target implies something to the tune of 17%.
Hot Net Payout Yield Stocks To Watch Right Now: Syntroleum Corporation(SYNM)
Syntroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in commercializing and licensing its Syntroleum technologies to produce synthetic liquid hydrocarbons. Its Syntroleum process involves conversion of carbon containing material into synthesis gas; and conversion of the synthesis gas or coal-derived or biomass-derived syngas into hydrocarbons. The company also develops the Synfining Process technology for the conversion of Fischer-Tropsch wax into various products, including diesel fuels, jet fuels, lubricants, naphtha, and other materials. In addition, it offers the Bio-Synfining technology, a second generation renewable fuels technology that is feedstock flexible, including the use of vegetable oils, fats, fatty acids, and greases. Syntroleum Corporation was founded in 1984 and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap biofuel or synthetic fuel stocks Gevo, Inc (NASDAQ: GEVO), KiOR Inc (NASDAQ: KIOR), Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ: SZYM) and Syntroleum Corp (NASDAQ: SYNM) all seem to have been seeing some trading action in recent days���meaning its worth taking a closer look at all four�before taking a look at their rather dismal�long term performance while noting that none are yet profitable:
- [By John Udovich]
As a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report comes out about wasteful spending on biofuels, small cap renewable biofuel stock Gevo, Inc (NASDAQ: GEVO) reported earnings that came in below expectations -�meaning its worth taking a closer look at the GAO report, the stock and the performance of KiOR Inc (NASDAQ: KIOR), Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ: SZYM) and Syntroleum Corp (NASDAQ: SYNM).
Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Own For 2014: Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (MIC)
Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (MIC) owns, operates and invests in a diversified group of infrastructure businesses that provide basic services, such as chilled water for building cooling and gas utility services to businesses and individuals primarily in the United States. The businesses it owns and operates include individual segments with three of them grouped as the Energy-Related Businesses. Macquarie Infrastructure Management (USA) Inc. (MIMUSA), which is its Manager, is part of the Macquarie Group, consisting of Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. On August 31, 2011, Atlantic Aviation acquired the assets of the FBOs at the Portland International and Eugene airports in Oregon (together referred to as Flightcraft).
The Energy-Related Businesses include a 50% interest in a bulk liquid storage terminal business (International Matex Tank Terminals (IMTT)), that provides bulk liquid storage and handling services at ten marine terminals in the United States and two in Canada and is a participant in this industry in the United States, based on storage capacity; a gas processing and distribution business (The Gas Company), that is the only full-service gas energy company in Hawaii, and a 50.01% controlling interest in a district energy business (District Energy), which operates a district cooling system in the United States, serving various customers in Chicago, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada. Atlantic Aviation is an airport services business providing products and services, including fuel and aircraft hangaring/parking, to owners and operators of general aviation aircraft at 65 airports in the United States.
Energy-Related Businesses
MIC owns 50% of IMTT. The remaining 50% is owned by a trust for the benefit of members of the founding family. IMTT stores and handles petroleum products, various chemicals, renewable fuels and vegetable and animal oils. IMTT is an independent provider of bulk liquid storage terminal services i! n the United States, based on capacity. IMTT also owns OMI Environmental Solutions (Oil Mop), which is an environmental emergency responses, industrial services, waste transportation and disposal business. Oil Mop has a network of facilities along the United States Gulf Coast between Houston and New Orleans. These facilities primarily service the Gulf region, but also respond to spill events and provides services as needed throughout the United States and internationally. The 16 million barrel storage terminal at Bayonne, New Jersey has the most storage capacity of any IMTT site.
NYH serves as the main petroleum trading hub in the northeast United States and the physical delivery point for the gasoline and heating oil futures contracts traded on New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). In addition to waterborne shipments, products reach NYH through petroleum product pipelines from the United States Gulf region and elsewhere. NYH also serves as the starting point for refined product pipelines linked to inland markets and as a key port for refined petroleum product exports. IMTT-Bayonne has connections to the Colonial, Buckeye and Harbor refined petroleum product pipelines, as well as rail and road connections. As of December 31, 2011, on the lower Mississippi River, IMTT operated four terminals (St. Rose, Gretna, Avondale and Geismar). With combined storage capacity of 18.9 million barrels, the four sites give IMTT substantial market share in storage for black oil, bulk liquid chemicals, and vegetable oils on the lower Mississippi River.
The Gas Company is Hawaii�� only government franchised full-service gas company, manufacturing and distributing gas products and services in Hawaii. The market includes Hawaii�� approximately 1.4 million residents and approximately 7.3 million visitors, during the year ended December 31, 2011. The Gas Company manufactures synthetic natural gas (SNG) for its utility customers on Oahu, and distributes Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to utility and ! non-utili! ty customers throughout the state�� six primary islands. The Gas Company has two primary businesses, utility (or regulated) and non-utility (or unregulated). The utility business serves approximately 35,300 customers through localized pipeline distribution systems located on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. Over 90% of these customers are on Oahu. The utility business includes the manufacture, distribution and sale of SNG on the island of Oahu and distribution and sale of LPG. Utility revenue consists principally of sales of SNG and LPG.
The non-utility business sells and distributes LPG to approximately 33,400 customers. LPG is delivered by truck to individual tanks located on customer sites on Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. Non-utility revenue is generated primarily from the sale of LPG delivered to customers. SNG and LPG have a number of commercial and residential applications, including water heating, drying, cooking, emergency power generation and decorative lighting, such as tiki torches. LPG is also used as a fuel for specialty vehicles, such as forklifts. Gas customers include residential customers and a range of commercial, hospitality, military, public sector and wholesale customers. SNG is delivered by underground piping systems to customers on Oahu. LPG is transported in cylinders or tanks.
District Energy operates district cooling system in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the system served approximately 100 customers in downtown Chicago and one customer outside the downtown area under long-term contracts. District Energy produces chilled water at five plants located in downtown Chicago and distributes it through a closed loop of underground piping for use in the air conditioning systems of large commercial, retail and residential buildings in the central business district. District Energy also owns a site-specific heating and cooling plant that serves a single customer in Chicago outside the downtown area. Th! is plant ! has the capacity to produce 4,900 tons of cooling and 58 million British Thermal Units of heating per hour. District Energy�� Las Vegas operation owns and operates a stand-alone facility that provides cold and hot water (for chilling and heating, respectively) to three customers in Las Vegas, Nevada. These customers consist of a resort and casino, a condominium.
Aviation-Related Business
Atlantic Aviation operates FBOs at 65 airports in the United States. Atlantic Aviation�� FBOs provide fueling and fuel-related services, aircraft parking and hangar services to owners/operators of jet aircraft, primarily in the general aviation sector of the air transportation industry, but also commercial, military, freight and government aviation customers. Other services include de-icing, aircraft parking, hangar rental and catering. Fuel is stored in fuel tank farms and each FBO operates refueling vehicles owned or leased by the FBO. The FBO either owns or has access to the fuel storage tanks to support its fueling activities. At some of Atlantic Aviation�� locations, services are also provided to commercial carriers. These may include refueling from the carrier�� own fuel supplies stored in the carrier�� fuel farm, de-icing and/or ground and ramp handling services.
The Company competes with Bahamas Oil Refining Company International Limited; Buckeye Partners, L.P.; Enterprise Products Partners L.P.; Houston Fuel Oil Terminal Company; Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.; Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.; NuStar Energy L.P.; Oiltanking Partners, L.P.; Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.; Royal Vopak N.V.; Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P.; TransMontaigne Partners L.P.; Vitol Holding B.V.; Westway Group, Inc.; Alinda Capital Partners LLC; ArcLight Capital Partners; Challenger Infrastructure Fund; First Reserve Corporation, Global Infrastructure Partners, Signature Flight Support, Landmark Aviation and Million Air.
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 Macquarie Infrastructure (NYSE: MIC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Steve Sears]
New stocks in what Goldman calls the “Hedge Fund VIP list,”�include Actavis (ACT), Baidu (BIDU), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Crown Castle International (CCI), Entergy Louisiana (ELB), �Equinix (EQIX), Facebook (FB), Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), W.R. Grace (GRA), MetLife (MET), Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC), Micron (MU), Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Time Warner (TWX).
- [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 Macquarie Infrastructure (NYSE: MIC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Eddie Staley]
Macquarie Infrastructure Company LLC (NYSE: MIC) shares shot up 11.59 percent to $68.26 after the company agreed to acquire the remaining 50% of International-Matex Tank Terminals for $910 million in cash and $115 million in newly issued stock. It also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.9375 to $0.95 per share.
Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Own For 2014: Oxford Resource Partners LP(OXF)
Oxford Resource Partners, LP, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production of steam coal and surface mined coal in the United States. It holds interests in approximately 21 active surface mines that are managed as 8 mining complexes located in Northern Appalachia and the Illinois Basin to serve its primary market area of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The company sells its coal primarily to utilities with coal-fired, base-load scrubbed power plants under long-term coal sales contracts, as well as to municipalities, cooperatives, and industrial customers. Oxford Resource Partners, LP was founded in 1985 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
There are a few US coal MLPs, many of which have seen their market caps decimated in the past 2 ½ years. Most MLP investors should avoid this sector, as more restrictive EPA regulations and competition from natural gas and renewables will continue to put pressure on coal producers. For bargain hunters who are prepared for the possibility of further downside, there are one or two that have strong balance sheets. But don’t go bargain hunting just on the basis of price. Remember that the worst-performing of all MLPs in 2013 was coal producer Oxford Resource Partners (NYSE: OXF) — down 73 percent for the year and illustrative of the coal industry’s struggles.
Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Own For 2014: Agilent Technologies Inc (A)
Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Agilent), incorporated on May 5, 1999, is a measurement company providing bio-analytical and electronic measurement solutions to the communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis industries. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), it had three business segments: electronic measurement business, chemical analysis business and life sciences business. Its electronic measurement business addresses the communications, electronics and other industries. Agilent�� chemical analysis business focuses on the petrochemical, environmental, forensics and food safety industries. Its life sciences business focuses on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic and Government, bio-agriculture and food safety industries. In addition to its three businesses, it conducts research through Agilent Technologies Laboratories (Agilent Labs). In fiscal 2011, the Company acquired A2 Technologies, Lab901 and Biocius Life Sciences Inc. On December 21, 2011, the Company acquired BioSystem Development business and P.V.R. s.r.l., a vacuum pump manufacturer. In February 2012, the Company acquired software solutions and technology for device-level modeling and validation from Accelicon Technologies. In June 2012, the Company acquired cancer diagnostics company, Dako. In August 2012, the Company acquired Aurora SFC Systems, Inc.
Electronic Measurement Business
The Company�� electronic measurement business provides electronic measurement instruments and systems, software design tools and related services that are used in the design, development, manufacture, installation, deployment and operation of electronics equipment, and microscopy products. Related services include start-up assistance, instrument productivity and application services and instrument calibration and repair. It also offers customization, consulting and optimization services throughout the customer's product lifecycle. It sells products and services applicable to a rang! e of communications networks and systems, including wireless communications and microwave networks, voice, broadband, data, and fiber optic networks. Test products include Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software, vector and signal analyzers, signal generators, vector network analyzers, one box testers, oscilloscopes, logic and protocol analyzers, and bit-error ratio testers.
The Company�� wireless communications and microwave network products include radio frequency and microwave test instruments and electronic design automation software tools. These products are required for the design and production of wireless network products, communications links, cellular handsets and base stations. It provides handheld products for the installation and maintenance of wireless networks. Its electronic design automation software tools and instruments are used by radio frequency integrated circuit design engineers to model, simulate and analyze communications product designs at the circuit and system levels.
The Company�� suite of fiber optic test products measure and analyze a range of optical and electrical parameters in fiber optic networks and their components. Components which can be tested with Agilent solutions include source lasers, optical amplifiers, filters and other passive components. Test products include optical component analyzers, optical power meters and optical spectrum analyzers. It sells the products into the general purpose test market, including general purpose instruments, modular instruments and test software, digital test products, semiconductor and board test solutions, electronics manufacturing test equipment, atomic force microscopes and radio frequency and network surveillance solutions. The Company�� general purpose products include spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal generators, logic analyzers, digitizing oscilloscopes, voltmeters, multimeters, frequency counters, bench and system power supplies, function generators and waveform synthesizers. Modular! instrume! nts and test software are used by the designers and manufacturers of electronic devices as the building blocks of systems that can be configured for a range of test applications.
The Company�� digital test products are used by research and development engineers across a range of industries to validate the function and performance of their digital product and system designs. These designs include a range of products from digital control circuits to high speed systems, such as computer servers and the gaming consoles. The test products offered include oscilloscopes, logic and serial protocol analyzers, logic-signal sources and data generators.
The Company�� semiconductor and board test solutions enable customers to develop and test semiconductors, test and inspect printed circuit boards, perform functional testing, and measure position and distance information to the sub-nanometer level. It is a supplier of parametric test instruments and systems used to examine semiconductor wafers during the manufacturing process. Its in-circuit test system helps identify quality defects, such as faulty or incorrect parts, that affect electrical performance. Its laser interferometer measurement systems provide precise position or distance information for dimensional measurements. Its atomic force microscopes (AFM) are imaging devices. An AFM allows researchers to observe and manipulate molecular and atomic level features. Its portfolio of AFM products provides customers with tools for a range of nanotechnology applications, including semiconductor, data storage, polymers, materials science and life science studies. The Company�� surveillance systems and subsystems are used by defense and government engineers and technicians to detect, locate and analyze signals of interest. The products offered include receivers for detecting radio frequency signals, probes for detecting wire line signals and software that enables the identification and analysis of these signals. Agilent's electronic measureme! nt custom! ers include contract manufacturers of electronic products, handset manufacturers and network equipment manufacturers who design, develop, manufacture and install network equipment, service providers who implement, maintain and manage communication networks and services, and companies who design, develop, and manufacture semiconductors and semiconductor lithography systems. Its customers use its products to conduct research and development, manufacture, install and maintain radio frequency, microwave frequency, digital, semiconductor, and optical products and systems and conduct nanotechnology research.
The Company competes with Aeroflex Incorporated, Anritsu Corporation, Ansys Corporation, EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering, Inc., National Instruments Corporation, Rohde & Schwartz GmbH & Co. KG, Spirent plc, Danaher Corporation, Bruker Corporation, LeCroy Corporation, Teradyne, Inc., Test Research Inc. and Zygo Corporation.
Chemical Analysis Business
The Company�� chemical analysis business provides application-focused solutions that include instruments, software, consumables and services that enable customers to identify, quantify and analyze the physical and chemical properties of substances and products. Its product categories in chemical analysis include gas chromatography (GC) systems, columns and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instruments; atomic absorption (AA) instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) instruments; software and data systems; vacuum pumps and measurement technologies; services and support for its products. Agilent provides custom or standard analyzers configured for specific chemical analysis applications, such as detailed speciation of a complex hydrocarbon stream, calculation of gas calorific values in the field, or analysis of a new bio-fuel formulation. It also offers related software, accessories and consumable ! products ! for these and other similar instruments. Its MS products incorporate technologies for measuring mass, including single-quadrupole, triple-quadrupole, and ion trap mass spectrometers. It combines its mass spectrometers with other instruments to instruments, such as GC/MS, and ICP-MS. It also offers related software, accessories and consumable products for these and other similar instruments. The Company�� spectroscopy instruments include atomic absorption (AA) spectrometers, inductively coupled plasma-optical emissions spectrometers (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometers (ICP-MS), fluorescence spectrophotometers, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometers, Fourier Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometers, near-infrared (NIR) spectrophotometers, Raman spectrometers and sample automation products. It also offers related software, accessories and consumable products for these and other similar instruments.
The Company�� vacuum technologies products are used to create, control, measure and test vacuum environments in life science, industrial and scientific applications where clean and vacuum environments are needed. Products include a range of vacuum pumps, including diffusion, turbomolecular and ion getter; intermediate vacuum pumps, including rotary vane, sorption and dry scroll, vacuum instrumentation, including vacuum control instruments, sensor gauges and meters, and vacuum components, including valves, flanges and other mechanical hardware. Its products also include helium mass spectrometry and helium-sensing leak detection instruments used to identify and measure leaks in hermetic or vacuum environments. The Company offers a range of services, including an exchange and rebuild program, assistance with the design and integration of vacuum systems, applications support and training in basic and advanced vacuum technologies. The Company offers a range of consumable products, which support its technology platforms, including sample preparation consumables, suc! h as soli! d phase extraction (SPE) and filtration products, self manufactured GC and LC columns, chemical standards, and instrument replacement parts. Consumable products also include scientific instrument parts and supplies, such as filters and fittings for GC systems; xenon lamps and cuvettes for UV-Vis-NIR, fluorescence, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy instruments; and graphite furnace tubes, hollow cathode lamps and specialized sample introduction glassware for its AA, ICP-OES and ICP-MS products.
The Company competes with Bruker Corporation, PerkinElmer Inc., Shimadzu Corporation and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Life Sciences Business
The Company�� life sciences business provides application-focused technologies and solutions, which include instruments, software, consumables and services. Its product categories include liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, microarrays, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instrumentation, bioreagents, electrophoresis, software and informatics, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, and, consumables and services. The Agilent liquid chromatograph (LC) portfolio is modular in construction and can be configured as analytical and preparative systems. Agilent's liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometer (LC/MS) portfolio includes instruments built around five analyzer types, such as single quadrupole, triple quadrupole, ion trap, time-of-flight (TOF) and quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF). It is a provider of microarray-based, genomics research solutions. It provides products for sequencing platforms. Its portfolio of PCR instrumentation, reagents and kits, coupled with its other products, such as microarrays and target enrichment systems for sequencing, provides a range of workflow solutions to customers in the genomics marketplace.
Agilent is a supplier of electrophoretic separation solutions. The 2100 Bioanalyzer analyzes biomolecules or cells in microfluidic networks of channels and wells etched i! nto glass! chips. The 3100 OFFGEL Fractionator resolves proteins or peptides by isoelectric point with liquid-phase recovery. It provides software for instrument control, data acquisition, data analysis, laboratory content and business process management, and informatics. With OpenLab, Agilent has open architecture, which enables capture, analyze, and share scientific data throughout the lab and across the enterprise. It offers a range of consumable products, which support its LC, and MS technology platforms. These consumable products include sample preparation products; self manufactured LC columns and instrument replacement parts, and consumable supplies to meet its customers' analysis needs. It offers a range of startup, operational, educational and compliance support services for measurement and data handling systems. Its support services include maintenance, troubleshooting, repair and training for all of its chemical and bioinstrumentation analysis hardware and software products.
The Company competes with Affymetrix Inc., Bruker Corp., Danaher Corporation, Illumina, Inc., Life Technologies Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Waters Corp.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of Agilent Technologies Inc. (A) �declined 0.5% to $55.60 on moderate volume after the measurement instruments company reported adjusted fiscal second-quarter earnings of 72 cents a share on revenue of $1.73 billion. Analysts estimated 73 cents a share on revenue of $1.73 billion.
- [By Benjamin Pimentel]
The tech sector also got a lift from shares of Agilent Technologies (A) , which were up 8.7% to close at $54.93 after the company reported better-than-expected profit.
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