Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) may have a serious problem on its hands. Actually, make that “problems” rather than one problem. New reports of yoga pants being see-thru are making the rounds, as are other notes about quality of the material.
Sterne Agee analyst Sam Poser has said that piling and stitching problems are mounting and that the company has said little about it. He said, “If the product issues are real, then it is unlikely that the company will keep its current multiple. We hope the new Chief Product Officer is as skilled as the company expects.”
Lululemon is getting massive numbers of tweets on Twitter and not in a good way. A Twitter feed for the topic “lululemon” had dozens of tweets in the last hour ending at 3 p.m. EST.
Sam Poser of Sterne Agee is showing that the company may have been bitten by speed after managing to get restocked in most of the LUON pants that had the shear problem within 3 months. He said,
10 Best Defense Stocks To Buy Right Now: WEX Inc (WEX)
WEX Inc., formerly Wright Express Corporation, incorporated on June 18, 1999, is a provider of corporate card payment solutions. The Company operates in two segments: Fleet Payment Solutions and Other Payment Solutions. The Fleet Payment Solutions segment provides customers with fleet vehicle payment processing services specifically designed for the needs of commercial and government fleets. The Other Payment Solutions segment provides customers with payment processing solutions for their corporate purchasing and transaction monitoring needs through the Company's payment products. The Company's United States operations include WEX Inc., and the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries Fleet One, WEX Bank, rapid! PayCard, and Pacific Pride. On October 4, 2012, the Company acquired Fleet One. On August 30, 2012, the Company acquired a 51 % controlling interest in UNIK S.A. On May 11, 2012, the Company acquired CorporatePay Limited.
The Company's virtual card is used for transactions where no card is presented, including, for example, transactions conducted over the telephone, by mail, by fax or on the Internet. The Company's virtual card also can be used for transactions that require pre-authorization, such as hotel reservations. The rapid! PayCard product, a pre-paid payroll card, provides a paycard benefit and ePayroll program designed for employers choosing to convert to electronic delivery of payroll in the United States, replacing paper employee payroll checks. The Company also has several other product offerings, including corporate purchase cards and pre-paid and gift cards.
Fleet Payment Solutions
The Company's closed-loop fuel networks afford the Company access to a higher level of fleet-specific information and control than is widely available on open-loop networks. This allows the Company to improve and refine the information reporting the Company provides to its fleet customers and strategic relationships. The Company offers a differentiated set of products ! and services, including security and purchases controls, to allow its customers and the customers of its strategic relationships to better manage their vehicle fleets. The Company provides customized analysis and reporting on the efficiency of fleet vehicles and the purchasing behavior of fleet vehicle drivers. The Company's software facilitates the collection of information and affords the Company a high level of control and flexibility in allowing fleets to restrict purchases and receive automated alerts.
Other Payment Solutions
The Company's virtual products offer corporate customers enhanced security and control for payment needs. The Company's strategic relationships include three of the United States based online travel agencies. The Company's operations in the United Kingdom provide corporate prepaid solutions to the travel industry. In addition, the Company offers virtual products in the insurance/warranty and healthcare markets in the United States. The Company offers paycard products in the United States and Brazil. These products include payroll cards which are used to replace paper payroll checks.
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 WEX (NYSE: WEX ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Financial Institutions Inc.(FISI)
Financial Institutions, Inc. operates as the holding company for Five Star Bank that provides consumer and commercial banking, and financial services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses in central and western New York. Its deposit accounts consist of noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, money market, club, individual retirement, and other qualified plan accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, one-to-four family residential mortgages, consumer automobile loans, recreational vehicle loans, boat loans, home improvement loans, closed-end home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, collateralized and uncollateralized personal loans, deposit account collateralized loans, commercial and agricultural working capital and revolving lines of credit, commercial and agricultural mortgages, equipment loans, and crop and livestock loans. It operates throug h a network of approximately 51 offices and 70 ATMs in 14 contiguous counties of western and central New York. The company, through its other subsidiary, Five Star Investment Services, Inc., provides brokerage services. Financial Institutions, Inc. was founded in 1931 and is based in Warsaw, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GURUFOCUS]
Financial Institutions Inc. (FISI) operates as the holding company for Five Star Bank that provides various banking and financial services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 6% to $0.19 per share. The dividend is payable payable Oct. 2, 2013 to shareholders of record as of Sept. 12, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.9%.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Financial Institutions Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI) was started as Buy with a $24 price target by Sterne Agee.
Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) was reiterated as Buy and added to the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.
Top 10 Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Gardner Denver Inc. (GDI)
Gardner Denver, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets engineered industrial machinery and related parts and services primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia. It operates in two segments, Industrial Products Group and Engineered Products Group. The Industrial Products Group segment offers rotary screw, reciprocating, and sliding vane air and gas compressors; positive displacement, centrifugal, and side channel blowers; and vacuum pumps for use in manufacturing, transportation and general industry, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and engineered system applications. This segment also markets and services complementary ancillary products. The Engineered Products Group segment designs, manufactures, markets, and services pumps, compressors, liquid ring vacuum pumps, reciprocating pumps, diaphragm vacuum pumps, water jetting systems, and related aftermarket parts used in oil and natural gas well drilling, servicing, and producti on, as well as in medical and laboratory, and industrial cleaning and maintenance. It also offers liquid ring pumps for various applications, such as water removal, distilling, reacting, flare gas recovery, efficiency improvement, lifting and handling, and filtering, principally in the pulp and paper, industrial manufacturing, petrochemical, and power industries. In addition, this segment designs, manufactures, markets, and services other fluid transfer components and equipment, including loading arms, swivel joints, storage tank equipment, dry- break couplers, and tank truck systems for the chemical, petroleum, and food industries. The company sells its products through independent distributors and sales representatives, as well as directly to OEMs, engineering firms, packagers, and end users. Gardner Denver, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
Gardner Denver Inc. (GDI), a manufacturer of industrial machinery and parts based in Wayne, PA, announced it would be acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (0.1%) ("KKR") on March 8, 2013. KKR is a private equity firm with $75.5 billion under management. The merger consideration was $76.00 per share, or $3.9 billion total (in addition, the company paid a $0.05 quarterly dividend). The deal closed on July 30, 2013 after receiving shareholder and regulatory approvals for an annualized return of 5.18%.
From Mario Gabelli's third quarter 2013 commentary.
Also check out: Mario Gabelli Undervalued Stocks Mario Gabelli Top Growth Companies Mario Gabelli High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Mario Gabelli keeps buying
Currently 0.00/512345Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)
- [By Eric Volkman]
Gardner Denver (NYSE: GDI ) isn't moving from the dividend policy it's kept in place for more than three years. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share. This will be paid on June 25 to shareholders of record as of June 11. That amount matches each of the firm's previous distributions, the most recent of which was paid in late March.
Top 10 Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Genomic Health Inc (GHDX)
Genomic Health, Inc. (Genomic Health), incorporated in August 2000, is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the global development and commercialization of genomic-based clinical laboratory services that analyze the underlying biology of cancer allowing physicians and patients to make individualized treatment decisions. Its Oncotype DX platform utilizes quantitative genomic analysis known as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in standard tumor pathology specimens to provide tumor-specific information, or the oncotype of a tumor. As of February 2012, Oncotype DX was evaluated in invasive breast cancer in 13 clinical studies involving more than 4,000 breast cancer patients worldwide. Genomic Health offers its Oncotype DX tests as a clinical service, where it analyzes the expression levels of genes in tumor tissue samples and provide physicians with a quantitative gene expression profile expressed as a single quantitative score, which it calls a Recurrence Score, for invasive breast cancer and colon cancer and a DCIS Score for DCIS. Its Oncotype DX breast cancer test analyzes the expression levels of 21 genes and Oncotype DX colon cancer test analyzes the expression levels of 12 genes. In March 2012, the Company established a wholly owned subsidiary, InVitae Corporation.
Oncotype DX Platform
The Company�� Oncotype DX platform uses its RT-PCR approach to improve cancer treatment decisions. Its diagnostic approach correlates gene expression to clinical outcomes and provides an individualized analysis of each patient's tumor. The Company has built a diagnostic infrastructure that allows it to move from research into development through to processing actual patient samples in its clinical reference laboratory. The Company offers Oncotype DX tests as clinical laboratory services. Its technology allows the Company to analyze tumor tissue samples in its clinical reference laboratory and provide physicians with genomic information specific to the patient'! s tumor. It analyzes tissues that are handled, processed and stored under routine clinical pathology laboratory practices.
Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Test
To develop its Oncotype DX breast cancer test, the Company evaluated 250 genes in three independent clinical studies, which identified a 21-gene panel whose composite gene expression profile can be represented by a breast cancer Recurrence Score. The Company conducted studies of its Oncotype DX breast cancer test with clinical samples from postmenopausal women with invasive breast cancer who were treated with aromatase inhibitors. In March 2010, the Journal of Clinical Oncology published results from a European study using its test to analyze tumor samples from over 1,200 patients in the ATAC (Arimedix, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial, which established the use of aromatase inhibitors for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The study demonstrated that, along with other standard measures, such as tumor size, its Oncotype DX breast cancer test contributes independently to provide a more complete picture of prognosis for N- and N+ patients treated with aromatase inhibitors.
In December 2011, the Company presented positive results from the ECOG E5194 DCIS clinical validation study at SABCS. The study met its primary endpoint by demonstrating that a pre-specified Oncotype DX DCIS Score can predict the risk of local recurrence, defined as either the development of a new invasive breast cancer or the recurrence of DCIS in the same breast. In December 2011, the Company made Oncotype DX available for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), of the breast, a pre-invasive form of breast cancer. The launch of Oncotype DX for DCIS patients was based on positive results presented from a clinical validation study of Oncotype DX breast cancer test in patients with DCIS, conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), a clinical trials cooperative! group su! pported by the National Cancer Institute.
Oncotype DX Colon Cancer Test
The Company developed its gene panel by identifying 761 cancer-related genes through review of existing research literature and computer analysis of genomic databases. The 761 candidate genes were also examined to determine whether they would be useful beyond other key variables including tumor stage, tumor grade, lymph nodes examined and MMR/MSI. It selected a final set of 12 genes, which were then independently evaluated in a validation study of over 1,400 stage II colon cancer patients from the Quick and Simple and Reliable (QUASAR), randomized study of adjuvant chemotherapy in the United Kingdom. This international, multi-center randomized trial examined the recurrence risk and the benefit associated with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin, or 5FU/LV, adjuvant chemotherapy. Gene expression was quantified by RT-PCR from manually microdissected FPE primary colon cancer tissue, and recurrence-free interval, disease-free survival and overall survival were analyzed. In January 2012, the Company presented positive results of the first clinical decision making study of the Oncotype DX colon cancer test that shows that Recurrence Score result has a significant impact on treatment recommendations for stage II colon cancer patients.
The Company competes with General Electric Company, Hologic, Inc., Novartis AG, Myriad Genetics, Inc., Qiagen N.V., Response Genetics, Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, Roche Holding, Ltd, Siemens AG and Johnson & Johnson.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap genomics stocks Rosetta Genomics Ltd (NASDAQ: ROSG), Genomic Health, Inc (NASDAQ: GHDX) and CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) are at the forefront of genomics testing�or research. I should mention that Wikipedia defines genomics�as a�discipline in genetics that applies recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing methods and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble and analyze the function and structure of genomes (the complete set of DNA within a single cell of an organism). A 2013 Booz Allen Hamilton report on the sector noted that in�2011, the US genetic and genomic clinical testing market size was estimated to be $5.9 billion while the�number of available tests has grown substantially from 1,680 just 4 years ago to 2,886 in 2012.
Top 10 Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc (KKD)
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (Krispy Kreme), December 02, 1999, is a retailer and wholesaler of doughnuts complementary beverages and treats and packaged sweets. The Company�� principal business is owning and franchising Krispy Kreme stores, at which a variety of doughnuts, including the Company�� Original Glazed doughnut, are sold and distributed together with complementary products, and where a broad array of coffees and other beverages are offered. As of February 3, 2013, there were 239 Krispy Kreme stores operated domestically in 38 states and in the District of Columbia, and there were 509 shops in 21 other countries around the world. Of the 748 total stores, 295 were factory stores and 453 were satellites. The Company operates in four segments: Company Stores, domestic franchise stores, international franchise stores, and the KK Supply Chain.
Company Stores
Its Company Stores segment consists of the operating activities of its Company-owned stores. These stores sell doughnuts and complementary products through the on-premises and wholesale channels. Many of the doughnut varieties the Company offers in its doughnut shops also are distributed, through off-premises sales channels. In addition, it offers a number of products through off-premises channels, including honeybuns, fruit pies, mini-crullers, cupcakes and various chocolate enrobed products, generally packaged as individually wrapped snacks or packaged in snack bags. Krispy Kreme has a beverage program, which includes drip coffees, both coffee-based and noncoffee-based frozen drinks, juices, sodas, milks, water and packaged and fountain beverages. In addition, the Company also develops beverages such as espresso, cappuccino and hot chocolate.
Domestic Franchise
The Domestic Franchise segment consists of the Company�� domestic store franchise operations. This segment derives revenue principally from initial development and franchise fees related to new stores and from royalties on sa! les by franchise stores. As of February 3, 2013, there were 142 domestic franchise stores in 29 states, consisting of 99 factory and 43 satellite stores.
International Franchise
The International Franchise segment consists of the Company�� international store franchise operations. International franchise stores sell doughnuts and complementary products almost exclusively through the on-premises sales channel using shop formats similar to those used in the United States, and also using a kiosk format. A portion of sales by the franchisees in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia are made to wholesale customers. As of February 3, 2013, there were 509 international franchise shops in 21 countries, consisting of 120 factory stores and 389 satellite shops.
KK Supply Chain Business Segment
The Company operates an integrated supply chain. The KK Supply Chain segment buys and processes ingredients it uses to produce doughnut mixes and manufactures doughnut-making equipment that all factory stores are required to purchase. The Company manufactures doughnut mixes at its facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In addition to traditional doughnut mixes and mixes made from mix concentrate, the Company produces or manages the production of doughnut premix, which is used to produce doughnut mixes in certain international locations. The KK Supply Chain segment also purchases and sells supplies, including icings and fillings, other food ingredients, juices, signage, display cases, uniforms and other items to both Company and franchisee-owned stores.
The Company competes with Dolly Madison, Entenmann��, Hostess, Little Debbie, and Sara Lee.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Notable earnings releases expected on Wednesday include:
Williams-Sonoma, Inc (NYSE: WSM) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.36 on revenue of $1.43 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.34 on revenue of $1.41 billion. Express, Inc (NYSE: EXPR) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.59 on revenue of $722.02 million, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.75 on revenue of $728.71 million. Vail Resorts, Inc.�(NYSE: MTN) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $1.87 on revenue of $471.16 million, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.65 on revenue of $422.45 million. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.�(NYSE: KKD) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.13 on revenue of $119.59 million, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.09 on revenue of $118.14 million.Economics
- [By Gregory Wallace]
Set an out of office message: How long is a coffee break, anyway? Krispy Kreme (KKD) wants you to tell others that you're temporarily away from your email because you're sipping its free coffee.
- [By Alexis Xydias]
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (KKD) plunged 14 percent in early U.S. trading after quarterly revenue missed estimates. Yum (YUM)! Brands Inc., the owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, fell 2.8 percent in Germany after releasing a financial update that showed volatile Chinese sales. Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose 0.9 percent in New York after UBS AG advised buying the shares.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Hot glazed doughnut maker Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE: KKD ) said today it will buy back up to $50 million worth of its stock. At Friday's closing price of $20.10, that would be equivalent to almost 2.5 million shares. The company had approximately 66 million shares outstanding as of July 12, so the repurchase plan equates to just under 4% of its stock.
Top 10 Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: USA Compression Partners LP (USAC)
USA Compression Partners, LP, incorporated on June 07, 2011, through its wholly owned subsidiary USA Compression Partners, LLC (Operating Subsidiary) and Operating Subsidiary�� wholly owned subsidiary USAC Leasing LLC, primarily provides natural gas compression services under term contracts with customers in the oil and gas industry, using natural gas compressor packages that it designs, engineers, operates and maintains. As of September 30, 2013, the Company had approximately 1,162,353 of fleet horsepower.
The Company provides compression services for a monthly service fee. As part of its services, the Company engineers, designs, operates service and repair its fleet of compression units and maintain related support inventory and equipment. The fleet of compression units that it owns and uses to provide compression services consists of engineered compression units that utilize standardized components, principally engines manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. and compressor frames and cylinders manufactured by Ariel Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier] There were a half a dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) by master limited partnerships in the first half of the year, and all but one are now in the green while one has nearly doubled in value.
The first MLP IPO of 2013 debuted on Jan. 15. USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC), which I mentioned in last week’s issue, provides compression services for the oil and gas industry. Units have advanced 36 percent since the IPO, and at the current price yield 7.3 percent.
The day after the USA Compression Partners IPO, CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) made its debut. CVRR was spun off from CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), and both companies remain majority-owned by Carl Icahn. CVR Refining’s primary assets are two refineries located in Kansas and Oklahoma with a combined processing capacity of approximately 185,000 barrels per day (bpd). These refineries are strategically located near the major Cushing, Oklahoma shipment and storage hub, with easy access to discounted feedstock from the nearby Permian basin, as well as the Bakken shale and Canadian oil sands.
But refiners have struggled with diminished margins in 2013 because of a much lower Brent-WTI differential. After the recently concluded second quarter, CVRR declared a distribution of $1.35 per unit, bringing its per-unit distributions for the first half of the year to $2.93. At the same time, CVR Refining lowered its annual distribution target to a range of $4.10 to $4.80 per unit. This was lower than the outlook issued in March, when it foresaw annual distributions of $5.50 to $6.50. CVRR units slid on the news, and are presently trading slightly below the $25 IPO price. The lower end of the revised forecast implies distributions of $1.17 per unit in the second half of the year, for a forward annualized yield of 10 percent based on the recent $23.50 unit price.
SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP) was the third IPO to debut during a very busy third week of January. SXCP is the first M - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
USA Compression Partners LP (NYSE: USAC) shares tumbled 6.80 percent to $24.95 after the company priced 6.6 million units at $25.59 per unit.
Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) was down, falling 3.32 percent to $19.95 after the company issued a weak outlook. For the first quarter, the company expected an adjusted loss of $0.35 to $0.25 per share on revenue of $120 million to $125 million. However, analysts expected a loss of $0.12 per share on revenue of $209.6 million.
- [By Robert Rapier]
USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC) was the first MLP IPO of 2013, debuting on Jan. 15, and advancing 36 percent since. USAC is unique in the MLP space in providing compression services for the oil and gas industry. The way this works is that a natural gas producer, for example, will contract with USAC on a long-term fixed-fee basis to compress the natural gas so that it can be delivered via pipeline to customers. USAC installs compression equipment to move the gas from the well to its destination. Its customer base is scattered across the important natural gas-bearing shales like the Barnett and the Marcellus. At the current price, units yield 7.3 percent. Coverage for the second quarter distribution was 90 percent[1] , but the partnership expects full year DCF coverage of 110 percent.
- [By John Udovich]
Although oil prices ended the year at multi year lows, now would be the time to take a closer look at�small cap gas compression or enhanced oil recovery (EOR) stocks like�Usa Compression Partners LP (NYSE: USAC), CSI Compressco LP (NASDAQ: CCLP) and Propell Technologies Group Inc (OTCBB: PROP) before oil and gas prices inevitably rise again. To begin with, natural gas compression services are used to transport natural gas and specifically to get�natural gas from low-pressure wells into gathering systems, storage and processing facilities�as well as to maintain production as reservoir pressure declines. Compression services�are also used to extract gas from�unconventional natural gas sources like shale plays. Meanwhile,�so-called enhanced oil recovery or EOR is just a generic term for the techniques used for increasing the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil field with potential methods including steam flood and water flood injection�or hydraulic fracturing�(so-called fracking). Naturally, demand for compression services and EOR technologies would be impacted by oil and gas commodity prices.
Top 10 Quality Companies To Watch For 2014: PowerShares DWA Momentum Portfolio (PDP)
PowerShares DWA Technical Leaders Portfolio (Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and of an equity index called the Dorsey Wright Technical Leaders Index (the Index). The Index consists of stocks of approximately 100 United States companies that are selected pursuant to a selection methodology of Dorsey Wright & Associates (the Index Provider). The Index is designed to identify companies that demonstrate powerful relative strength characteristics. Relative strength characteristics are based upon each security�� market performance. The companies are selected from a broad mid-cap and large-cap universe.
The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Index is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Index. The Fund generally will invest in the stocks comprising the Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Victor Selva]
Of course, a great bet also involves many risks. Even though LCD technology became very popular in these last few years, both in TV screens and computer monitors, we should never miss the fact that technological markets are often exposed to products becoming obsolete due to the development of new, more efficient technology. Without going any further, it�� easy to recall the plasma display panel (PDP) fiasco, an apparently promising market in the 1990s and early 2000s but quickly replaced by LCDs (by 2008 LCDs sell 21.1 million units, almost 10 times PDP sales on the same year). Even Panasonic Corporation (PCRFF) announced it will interrupt production of PDP on 2014.
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