Saturday, January 17, 2015

Top Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014

U.S. equities drifted lower this week as looming concerns over Fed tapering weighed heavily on the markets. On the economic front, the Labor Department reported a rise in initial jobless claims to a seasonally adjusted 333,000 in the most recent week, coming in slightly better than expected. As the second quarter earnings season draws to a close, only a handful of companies reported results this week; oil giant Marathon Oil (MRO) missed earnings estimates, while Devon Energy (DVN) and Prudential Financial (PRU) beat analysts��expectations�.�

Below, we highlight seven insightful�articles circulating around the financial space this week:

How often is there a 10% pullback in a bull market? (Avondale Asset Management)What the decline in inventories held by gold ETFs �mean for investors (Acting Man)A closer look at companies decreasing dividends (Political Calculations)How to calculate risk in a rising rate environment�(Institutional Investor)Solar power benefiting from international trade�(VOX)The best and worst performers this earnings season (Think B.I.G.)How the U.S. is beating the global market (Charts etc.)Follow me on Twitter�@DPylypczak.

Hot Healthcare Equipment Companies To Invest In 2015: Sysco Corporation(SYY)

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, distributes food and related products primarily to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in North America and Europe. The company offers a line of frozen foods, such as meats, fully prepared entrees, fruits, vegetables, and desserts; a line of canned and dry foods; fresh meats, custom-cut fresh steaks, other meat, seafood, and poultry; dairy products; beverage products; imported specialties; and fresh produce. It also supplies various non-food items, including paper products, such as disposable napkins, plates, and cups; tableware, which include china and silverware; cookware comprising pots, pans, and utensils; restaurant and kitchen equipment and supplies; and cleaning supplies. In addition, the company offers personal care guest amenities, equipment, housekeeping supplies, room accessories, and textiles to the lodging industry. It serves restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and colleges, hotels and mote ls, lodging establishments, and other foodservice customers. Sysco Corporation was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    Alamy Companies can make brilliant moves, but there are also times when things don't work out quite as planned. From an automaker committing to add thousands of high-paying jobs in the new year to a home craft icon's payroll going the other way, here's a rundown of the week's most interesting moves in the business world. Sysco (SYY) -- Winner Leave it to a food company to eat the competition. Sysco is the country's largest food service company, providing restaurants, schools, and other institutions with their edibles. It's about to get bigger. Sysco kicked off the week by announcing a deal valued at $3.5 billion in cash and stock for its nearest competitor, US Foods. There isn't likely to be a lot of regulatory hassle over the combination. This is a highly fragmented sector, with Sysco commanding just 18 percent of the overall market. It will be 27 percent after completing the deal. Given the nature of the business, there are advantages of being big, and Sysco is about to get substantially bigger at a reasonable price relative to its own valuation. lululemon athletica (LULU) -- Loser Shares of Lululemon stumbled 12 percent on Thursday after the retailer of high-end yoga apparel offered up a gloomy outlook for the holiday quarter. The Canadian chain spooked investors by forecasting flat comparable-store sales for the period. Its profit guidance also fell short of expectations. For a hot growth stock like Lululemon, proving ordinary after years of heady store-level sales growth isn't enough. Ford (F) -- Winner Things have been going well for automakers, and things are about to get even better for Ford. The popular automaker revealed in a presentation on Thursday that it plans to hire 3,000 salaried workers in 2014 -- and we're not talking about low-paying jobs here. Most of these new jobs will be in engineering and product development. Ford is also opening three plants overseas, but the stateside job creation will be significant. Martha Stewart Living Om

  • [By Tim Melvin]

    At first blush, Sysco (SYY) seems to be one of the defensive stocks that would hold up well in a down market. The company sells food products to the restaurant business, and you’ve probably seen its trucks everywhere. However, the company has an F-score of just 3, and with the stock at 20 times earnings and almost 4 times book value the shares certainly are not cheap. SYY remains one of the more vulnerable entries among so-called defensive stocks.

  • [By Shauna O'Brien]

    Shares of SYSCO Corporation (SYY) were up over 29% on Monday morning after the company announced that it has agreed to acquire US Foods.

    Sysco will acquire US Foods for a total of $3.5 billion. The deal also include Sysco assuming or refinancing US Food’s net debt, which is approximately $4.7 billion. The total enterprise value of this deal will be $8.2 billion.

    The deal will result in equity holders of US Foods owning 87 million shares, or 13%, of SYY. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2014. The combined company will be run by SYY’s president and CEO Bill DeLaney.

    DeLaney commented: “As we continue on our transformational journey at Sysco, this transaction will position us to significantly accelerate our progress in achieving the vision we have for our company: to be our customers’ most valued and trusted business partner. Sysco and US Foods have highly complementary core strengths including a broad product portfolio and passionate food people deeply committed to customer service, quality-assured products and safety. In particular we look forward to welcoming US Foods’ talented employees and continuing to invest in the development of all of our people. Together we will strive to enhance shareholder value by providing our customers with highly differentiated products and services.”

    SYSCO shares were up $10.19, or 29.70%, during pre-market trading Monday. The stock is up 8% YTD.

Top Dividend Companies To Watch 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 Dan Burrows]

    HCN enjoys a solid portfolio of senior housing, long-term care and medical office facilities, but an acquisition spree has greatly increased costs. Still, that hasn’t hurt the share performance this year. HCN stock is up 9.6% for the year-to-date, beating the broader market by a wide margin.

    #7: Pepco Holdings (POM)

    POM Dividend Yield: 5.51%

  • [By David Dittman]

    Answer: Richard Stavros, Ari Charney and I had a long conversation about Exelon in the aftermath of the announcement of its proposed acquisition of Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM).

Top Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Microchip Technology Incorporated(MCHP)

Microchip Technology Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor products for various embedded control applications. It offers a family of microcontroller products that include 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers; and 16-bit dsPIC digital signal controllers, which feature on-board flash memory technology. The company also provides a set of application development tools that enable system designers to program a PIC microcontroller and dsPIC DSC for specific applications. In addition, it offers analog and interface products, which consist of various families with approximately 600 power management, linear, mixed-signal, thermal management, safety and security, and interface products. Further, the company provides memory products comprising serial electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. Its products are used in various applications in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, and industrial contr ol markets. Microchip Technology Incorporated markets its products primarily through a network of direct sales personnel and distributors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Chandler, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Riddhi Kharkia]

    The semiconductor maker had it pretty bad on Friday as most of the stocks fell after the warning from Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP). Though it might have looked like an overreaction yet, the investors of semiconductor stocks had to face a reasonable depreciation in their investment value because Microchip cut its sales outlook and warned investors that the industry could face a downturn pretty soon. Well, this is a thing of the past and what is done cannot be undone but the important thing to worry about is future. Intel (INTC), the chip giant which has been gaining momentum and has performed better than expectations in the year, is all set to post its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday.

Top Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL)

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, L-3 Communications Corporation, provides command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems; aircraft modernization and maintenance; and government services in the United States and internationally. Its C3ISR segment offers fleet management sustainment and support, such as procurement, systems integration, sensor development, modifications, and periodic depot maintenance for signals intelligence and communications intelligence systems; strategic and tactical signals intelligence systems; secure data links; secure terminal and communication network equipment and encryption management; and communication systems. The company?s Government Services segment provides communication software support, information technology services, and various engineering development services and integration support; engineering and information systems support services; teaching and training; h uman intelligence support services; command and control systems and software services; and technical and management services. Its Aircraft Modernization and Maintenance segment offers modernization and refurbishments, upgrades and sustainment, maintenance, and logistics support services, as well as turnkey aviation life cycle management services for military and various government and commercial customers. The company?s Electronic Systems segment provides components, products, subsystems, systems, and related services across various business areas, including power and control systems, electro-optic/infrared, microwave, simulation and training, precision engagement, warrior systems, security and detection, propulsion systems, avionics and displays, telemetry and advanced technology, undersea warfare, and marine services. L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    The Department of Defense awarded more than $961 million worth of contracts to a total of 17 awardees on Thursday. Notable awards to publicly traded companies included:

  • [By Rich Smith]

    Defense contractor L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL  ) enjoyed a banner year for its stock in 2013, gaining 39% in 12 months of trading. But heading into its Thursday earnings report, things were looking pretty bleak for the company. Earnings for the year were expected to be only $8.30 or thereabouts, less than a 4% increase over 2012 levels, and probably too little growth to support the stock's 13-times earnings P/E ratio. But then the numbers came out, and a miracle happened:

  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    It's tragic that it took a tragedy like last year's shooting at a Newton, Connecticut elementary school to get the ball rolling. Nevertheless, that ball is rolling now, and it's putting companies like L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LLL), View Systems Inc. (OTCBB:VSYM), and American Science & Engineering, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASEI) in the spotlight. How so? Because VSYM, ASEI, and LLL make the tools that are, unfortunately, going to be the only way to absolutely ensure this nation's public schools are secure, and defended from gunmen like Newton's Adam Lanza.

Top Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC)

Wisconsin Energy Corporation engages in the generation, distribution, and sale of electric energy and steam. The company also involves in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to retail customers, as well as in the transportation of customer-owned natural gas in Wisconsin. It generates electricity from coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro sources. The company offers its services under ?We Energies? name. It serves approximately 1,120,200 electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; approximately 1,064,500 gas customers in Wisconsin; and approximately 460 steam customers in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, the company invests and develops in real estate properties, including business parks and other commercial real estate projects primarily in southeastern Wisconsin. It provides electric utility service to industries, such as mining, paper, foundry, food products, and machinery production, as well as to retail chains. The c ompany was founded in 1981 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG) shares shot up 12.90 percent to $68.81 after Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC) announced its plans to acquire Integrys Energy Group in a deal valued at $9.1 billion.

Top Dividend Companies To Watch For 2014: ITT Industries Inc.(ITT)

ITT Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells a range of engineered products, and provides related services worldwide. Its Defense & Information Solutions segment develops tactical communications equipment, electronic warfare and force protection equipment, radar systems, integrated structures equipment, and imaging and sensor equipment, including night vision goggles, as well as weather, location, surveillance, and other related technologies for military and government agencies. It also provides services comprising air traffic management, information and cyber solutions, large-scale systems engineering, and integration and defense technologies; satellite-based imaging payloads for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions; and high-resolution commercial imaging systems with earth and space science applications, climate and environmental monitoring sensors and systems, and GPS navigation and software applications designed for image and data processing and dissemination. The company?s Fluid Technology segment provides water transport and wastewater treatment systems, pumps and related technologies, and other water and fluid control products with municipal, residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Its Motion & Flow Control segment manufactures shock absorbers and brake friction materials for the transportation industry; switch applications for the industrial and aerospace industries; electrical connectors used in telecommunications, computers, aerospace, medical, and industrial applications; and a range of pumps and tailored products for marine, food and beverage, and general industrial markets. The company was formerly known as ITT Industries, Inc. and changed its name to ITT Corporation in July 2006. ITT Corporation was founded in 1920 and is based in White Plains, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Aaron Levitt]

    Spun-off from industrial giant ITT (ITT) a few years ago, Xylem (XYL) could be a great starting point for investors looking at water stocks. Aside from its cool and appropriate name, XYL provides host of equipment — pumps, controllers and filtration devices — for wastewater treatment plants across the globe.

  • [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]

    This is a logical deal for SKF on multiple fronts. For starters, Kaydon will meaningfully expand the company's U.S. presence - something it could have done on its own eventually, but certainly not without spending money. With that, there is the possibility of using Kaydon's existing U.S. footprint to sell more SKF products and further trouble rivals like RBC Bearings (ROLL) and ITT (ITT).

  • [By MONEYMORNING]

    This 85-year-old forest products company operates as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) after being first acquired, then later spun off, by ITT Corp. (NYSE: ITT).

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    What: Shares of ITT Educational Services (NYSE: ITT  ) were flying higher today, gaining as much 34% after smashing analyst estimates in its quarterly report.

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