On the last Wednesday of every month, except December, I host a web-based chat with subscribers to Australian Edge, Canadian Edge and Utility Forecaster.
What follows is an edited version of the transcript of the questions asked by readers and my responses to them.
The January chat took place amid the first serious pullback for equities in many months and as the Australian and Canadian dollars continued to face downward pressures.
Meanwhile, US utilities have held up during this selloff, upholding their traditionally defensive character.
Fourth-quarter and full-year 2014 earnings reporting season is well underway in North America, with fair to middling results for the broader market but solid performance–supportive of current dividend rates and even a few increases–for the UF universe.
So, in short, there was a lot to talk about.
A couple notes on the format of the chat: It’s a live but text-only chat. Subscribers type in questions and I review them. I prepare an answer, and then I publish your question followed shortly by my response.
Hot Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: EMC Corporation(EMC)
EMC Corporation develops, delivers, and supports the information and virtual infrastructure technologies and solutions. The company offers enterprise storage systems and software, which are deployed in storage area networks (SAN), networked attached storage (NAS), unified storage combining NAS and SAN, object storage, and/or direct attached storage environments, as well as provides backup and recovery, and disaster recovery and archiving solutions. It also offers information security solutions in various areas, such as enterprise governance, risk and compliance, data loss prevention, security information management, continuous network monitoring, fraud protection, identity assurance and access control, and encryption and key management. In addition, the company provides information intelligence software, solutions, and services, including EMC Captiva for intelligent enterprise capture; EMC Document Sciences for customer communications management; EMC Kazeon for e-discovery ; EMC Documentum xCP for building business solutions and an action engine for big data; and the EMC Documentum platform for managing and delivering enterprise information. Further, it offers virtual and cloud infrastructure products, such as virtualization and virtualization-based cloud infrastructure solutions that address a range of IT problems, as well as facilitate access to cloud computing capacity, business continuity, software lifecycle management, and corporate end-user computing device management In addition, the company provides consulting, technology deployment, managed, customer support, and training and certification services. EMC Corporation markets its products through direct sales and through multiple distribution channels in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, and the Asia Pacific region. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By ICRAOnline]
NetApp is one of the key players in the network storage operating software space. IT research firm Gartner believes that growing demand for NetApp�� Clustered Data ONTAP operating system is helping the company to achieve above-industry growth, outshining storage giants EMC Corp (EMC), IBM (IBM) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ).
- [By Traders Reserve]
EMC (EMC) will be in the running. In late 2012, the $50 billion company formed a separate organization called Pivotal Initiative, headed up by VMware�� (VMW) former CEO Paul Maritz. It combines VMware�� data center software and EMC�� big data technology. It is expected to bring in revenue of about $300 million in 2013. Revenue is projected to grow to over $1 billion by 2017. EMC actually owns 33% of VMware.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight with a new $28 price target by Barclays.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral, and the price target was lifted to $55 from $32, at Citigroup.
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: FMC Corporation (FMC)
FMC Corporation, a chemical company, provides solutions, applications, and products for agricultural, consumer, and industrial markets. The company operates in three segments: Agricultural Products, Specialty Chemicals, and Industrial Chemicals. The Agricultural Products segment develops, markets, and sells a portfolio of crop protection, pest control, and lawn and garden products. It produces insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides to protect crops, including cotton, sugarcane, rice, corn, soybeans, cereals, fruits, and vegetables from insects and weed growth; and for non-agricultural applications, including pest control for home, garden, and other specialty markets, as well as for turf and roadside applications. The Specialty Chemicals segment focuses on food ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients, biomedical technologies, and lithium products. It produces microcrystalline cellulose that is used as drug dry tablet binder and disintegrant, and food ingredient; carrageena n, which is used as food ingredient for thickening and stabilizing; encapsulant for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications; alginates that are used as food ingredients, and for pharmaceutical excipient, wound care, orthopedic uses, and industrial uses; and lithium that is used in pharmaceuticals, polymers, batteries, greases and lubricants, air conditioning, and other industrial applications. The Industrial Chemicals segment produces inorganic materials, such as soda ash for glass, chemicals, and detergents; specialty peroxygens for pulp and paper, chemical processing, detergents, antimicrobial disinfectants, environmental applications, electronics, and polymers; and zeolites and silicates for detergents, car tires, pulp, and paper. It has operations in North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
FMC (NYSE: FMC) was down, falling 3.65 percent to $72.02 after the company lowered its FY14 earnings forecast and issued a weak Q2 outlook.
Commodities
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Eldorado Gold Corp(EGO)
Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the discovery, exploration, development, production, and reclamation of gold properties in Brazil, the People?s Republic of China, Greece, and Turkey. It operates the Kisladag gold mine in Turkey; the Jinfeng, Tanjianshan, and White Mountain gold mines in the People?s Republic of China; and the Vila Nova iron ore mine in Brazil. The company?s development projects include the Efemcukuru gold mine in Turkey, the Eastern Dragon gold mine in the People?s Republic of China, the Perama Hill gold project in Greece, and the Tocantinzinho gold project in Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, Eldorado Gold Corporation had 18.7 million ounces of proven and probable gold reserves. The company was formerly known as Eldorado Corporation Ltd. and changed its name to Eldorado Gold Corporation in April 1996. Eldorado Gold Corporation was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Newmont has dropped 2.2% to $25.73 at 3:02 p.m. While that’s in-line with the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF’s (GDX) 2.2% fall to 23.03, it’s better than the most heavily traded gold-mining stocks. Shares of Barrick Gold (ABX), for instance, have dropped 3.6% to $17.20, Gold Corp (GG) is down 3.1% at $23.54 and Eldorado Gold (EGO) has declined 3.9% to $5.82.
- [By Itinerant]
Goldcorp, Newmont (NEM) or Agnico-Eagle use similar definitions. The important element here is the so-called 'sustaining capital expenditure', which is the capital required to sustain existing production levels. The table below is taken from the Agnico-Eagle presentation referenced above and provides a comparison of company-wide AISC for some of the major gold miners, including Goldcorp, Barrick Gold, Newmont Mining, Yamana Gold (AUY), Randgold (GOLD), Kinross (KGC), Agnico-Eagle Mines, Eldorado Gold (EGO), Goldfields and Centerra (CAGDF.PK). The difference between cash costs and AISC is significant. It is also important to note that these AISC are still noticeably below the present spot price for gold.
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: (AMC)
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a theatrical exhibition company in the United States and internationally. As of June 30, 2011, it owned, operated, or had interests in 357 theatres and 5,098 screens in 31 states and the District of Columbia, and 4 countries outside the United States. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. As of August 30, 2012, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Dalian Wanda Group Corporation Ltd.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
www.sixflags.com Major market indexes may be hitting new highs, but not everyone is celebrating. Given the lofty stock valuations and slowly expanding economy, many investors are starting to hunt for high-yielding stocks that can provide some steady income to help offset any upcoming market declines. Utility stocks, real estate investment trusts and limited partnerships are magnetic because of their chunky yields, but let's look beyond the obvious high-payers. Let's check out a few investments generating high payouts in some unlikely places. Six Flags (SIX) -- 5.1 percent yield It seems as if you can't run an amusement park chain as a public company without rewarding your stakeholders with some spending money for the next time they hit the park. This can probably be attributed to Cedar Fair (FUN), which as a limited partnership shells out most of its profits as distributions. This translated into a head-turning yield of 5.7 percent. Six Flags isn't too shabby, presently yielding more than 5 percent. Even SeaWorld (SEAS) is now brandishing a yield north of 4 percent, largely the result of losing nearly a third of its value after a poorly received quarterly report a few weeks ago. Running a theme park isn't cheap. It takes frequent sizable investments during the off-seasons to beef up the attractions. However, Six Flags is finding a way to build out its gated attractions while still being able to return money to its shareholders. Mattel (MAT) -- 4.3 percent yield Barbie, Hot Wheels and American Girl are just some of the famous playthings produced by Mattel. Barbie sales have slowed in recent years, plunging 15 percent in Mattel's latest quarter, and having a few more hit toys and games this upcoming holiday season wouldn't hurt. The toy-making giant has been struggling lately, missing Wall Street's profit targets in each of the past three quarters. Still, toy makers apparently don't play games when it comes to their payouts. Rival Hasbro (HAS) -- the to
- [By Brian Nichols]
Thanks to visionaries like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Reed Hastings, and Larry Page, the way we view, interact, and process data has changed and this includes all of the major industries within technology and entertainment. Today, it's a mobile world, yet the one industry that remains unchanged is very much the movie industry. According to DreamWorks Animation (NASDAQ: DWA ) CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, this could spell trouble, especially for the likes of Carmike Cinemas (NASDAQ: CKEC ) , Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC ) , and AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE: AMC ) .
- [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
Getty Images From a popular multiplex operator going public to a retailer getting hacked at the worst possible time, here's a rundown of the week's best and worst news from the business world. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) -- Winner Chipotle is getting a new stamp in its ethnic cuisine passport. Having mastered Mexican, it was already giving Asian a shot with its new ShopHouse chain. And now, we can add Italian to its map after Chipotle revealed this week that it's a financial backer of Pizzeria Locale. The fast casual concept gives pizza a Chipotle-like makeover with folks ordering at the counter, customizing their 11-inch pies along the assembly line, after which they are baked in a speedy oven that serves up tasty pies in just two minutes. Chipotle's growing just fine with its flagship burrito chain, but it never hurts to diversify before expansion-fueled growth plateaus, or tastes change. Target (TGT) -- Loser Holiday shopping at Target may ultimately prove to more trouble than bargain seekers were hoping for this season. The cheap chic discounter revealed that hackers installed software that stole the info on more than 40 million credit and debit card transactions from Nov. 27 through Dec. 15. This is naturally going to be bad news for those that had their plastic compromised. Everyone that shopped at Target this season is being advised to carefully look over their statements. However, it's also very bad for the retailer at the worst possible time. Shoppers may not be too comfortable heading into Target during these last few shopping days before Christmas. AMC Entertainment (AMC) -- Winner Lights! Camera! IPO action! It may not have been the blockbuster IPO of the year, but the debut of the leading movie theater chain proved to be a success this week. AMC Entertainment went public at $18, opening 7 percent higher and staying above its IPO price. The leading exhibitor operates 343 movie theaters housing 4,950 screens. AMC entertains 200 million guests
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Potomac Electric Power Company(POM)
Pepco Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity. The company also distributes and supplies natural gas. It distributes electricity to approximately 1.8 million customers in the mid-Atlantic region and delivers natural gas to approximately 123,000 customers in Delaware. In addition, the company involves in the retail supply of electricity and natural gas; provision of energy efficiency services to federal, state, and local government customers; and designs, constructs, and operates combined heat and power and central energy plants, as well as owns and operates two oil-fired generation facilities. Further, it offers high voltage electric construction and maintenance services, low voltage electric construction and maintenance services, and streetlight construction and asset management services to utilities, municipalities, and other customers in the Washington, District of Columbia. Additionally, the company holds investments in eight cross-border energy leases. Pepco Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Top Headline
Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM) reported a 35% rise in its fourth-quarter profit. For the year, Pepco projects earnings of $1.12 to $1.27 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $1.22 per share. Pepco's quarterly earnings surged to $58 million, or $0.23 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $43 million, or $0.18 per share. Excluding one ��ime items, its earnings from continuing operations came in at $0.24 per share. Its total operating revenue climbed 3.3% to $1.09 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.21 per share on revenue of $1.11 billion. - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Utilities shares dropped by 0.37 percent in the US market today. Among the sector stocks, Consolidated Water Co (NASDAQ: CWCO) was down more than 2.3 percent, while Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM) tumbled around 1.5 percent.
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: KBR Inc. (KBR)
KBR, Inc. operates as an engineering, construction, and services company supporting the energy, hydrocarbon, government services, minerals, civil infrastructure, power, and industrial sectors worldwide. Its Downstream business unit provides front end engineering design; detailed engineering; engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC); EPC management; and program management services to petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, and syngas markets. The company?s Government and Infrastructure business unit provides program and project management, contingency logistics, operations and maintenance, construction management, engineering, and other services to military and civilian branches of governments and private clients. Its Services business unit delivers engineering, construction, construction management, fabrication, maintenance, and turnaround services. It also offers maintenance, construction, and drilling support services for offshore oil and gas producing facili ties using semisubmersible vessels. This segment serves oil, gas, petrochemicals, and hydrocarbon processing industries, as well as power, alternate energy, pulp and paper, industrial and manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries. The company?s Technology business unit offers various process technologies, including value-added technologies in the coal monetization, petrochemical, refining, and syngas markets. Its Upstream business unit constructs liquefied natural gas, gas-to-liquids, onshore oil and gas production facilities, offshore oil and gas production facilities, and onshore and offshore pipelines. The company?s Ventures business unit invests in and manages projects, where the company provides engineering, construction, construction management or operations, and maintenance services. KBR, Inc. was founded in 1901 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Harsco have gained 4.7% to $26.43 today at 1:16 p.m., outpacing other construction & engineering companies. Dycom (DY) has advanced 0.5% to $30, KBR Inc. (KBR) has ticked up 0.1% to $33.03, Worthington Industries�(WOR) has risen 2.8% to $38.85�and Tutor Perini (TPC) has rallied 3.6% to $22.46.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
KBR (NYSE: KBR) was down, falling 14.68 percent to $27.25 after the company reported fourth-quarter results and announced a new $350 million share buyback program. BB&T Capital downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold.
- [By Rich Smith]
Raytheon's rockets will be deployed to defend the base, while Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT ) is managing the overall project. And last week, we found out who will build it, when government contractor KBR (NYSE: KBR ) was awarded $134 million to turn the 430-acre site into a missile base.
- [By Garrett Cook]
KBR (NYSE: KBR) shares tumbled 8.17 percent to $24.17 after the company reported a Q1 loss of $0.29 per share on revenue of $1.63 billion. The company said it would undergo a strategic review of its businesses.
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Buy For 2014: Plains All American Pipeline L.P.(PAA)
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation, storage, terminalling, and marketing of crude oil, refined products, and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) products in the United States and Canada. The company operates in three segments: Transportation, Facilities, and Supply and Logistics. The Transportation segment transports crude oil and refined products on pipelines, gathering systems, trucks, and barges. As of December 31, 2011, this segment owned and leased 16,000 miles of active crude oil and refined products pipelines and gathering systems; 23 million barrels of above-ground tank capacity used primarily to facilitate pipeline throughput; 67 trucks and 382 trailers; and 82 transport and storage barges, and 44 transport tugs. The Facilities segment provides storage, terminalling, and throughput services for crude oil, refined products, and LPG and natural gas, as well as offers LPG fractionation and isomerization, and natural gas processing services. The Supply and Logistics segment purchases crude oil at the wellhead, and pipeline and terminal facilities; waterborne cargoes at their load port and various other locations in transit; and LPG from producers, refiners, and other marketers. This segment also resells or exchanges crude oil and LPG; and transports oil and LPG on trucks, barges, railcars, pipelines, and ocean-going vessels to various delivery points. It has 622 trucks and 731 trailers, and 2,453 railcars. The company also owns and operates natural gas storage facilities. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
But much of this newfound oil and gas production is taking place in regions that haven�� been traditional producers of oil and gas. This has created strong demand for midstream providers to build the gathering systems, pipelines and storage tanks required to move oil and gas from fields in North Dakota and Pennsylvania to customers on the Gulf Coast and in the Northeast. This profited such midstream MLP giants as�Kinder Morgan Energy Partners�(NYSE: KMP),�Enterprise Products Partners�(NYSE: EPD), and�Plains All American Pipeline�(NYSE: PAA).
- [By David Dittman]
Answer: Pembina Pipeline has surged well beyond our recommended buy-under target, but it remains one of my favorite invest-to-grow stories.
My favorite MLPs for new money include recent distribution-raisers Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) and Plains All American Pipeline LP (NYSE: PAA).
Duke Energy still faces serious questions about the Dan River coal ash spill. But I think it will be able to absorb cleanup costs, appease local, state and federal regulators and continue to grow its dividend. - [By Callum Turcan]
All American crude
Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE: PAA ) is also investing in Texas, and it recently snatched up some of Chesapeake's�assets in the Eagle Ford for $125 million . Plains bought 40 miles of pipelines, 15,000 barrels of existing storage capacity, 300,000 barrels of storage under construction and a truck unloading�terminal.
No comments:
Post a Comment