Investors and traders alike are stuck trying to determine what to do with their stocks during a government shutdown and ahead of the debt ceiling debate. Each morning 24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of Wall Street analyst research reports with a goal of finding fresh ideas for investors and traders. It turns out that Wall Street still thinks some stocks should be bought even as others should be sold. These are this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall Street research firms.
Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at Sterne Agee�on better-than-expected unit growth and nonresidential construction recovery.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) was reiterated at Buy with a street-high $164 price target (versus a $115.24 close),�based on strong September quarter plane deliveries, according to Sterne Agee.
CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, sending shares down 2%.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was reiterated as Buy and the price target was raised to $58 (versus a $49.18 close), now that the Instagram monetization will begin before year-end, according to Sterne Agee.
Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch In Right Now: Osaka Gas Co Ltd (OSA)
OSAKA GAS CO., LTD. is primarily engaged in gas business. It operates in four business segments. The Gas segment is involved in the production, supply and sale of gas, the sale of gas equipment and housing equipment, the construction of gas piping works, the maintenance and inspection of gas equipment. The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Electric and Other Energy segment is engaged in the sale of LPG and the supply of electricity. The Oversea Energy segment is engaged in the leasing of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, the oil and gas-related development and investment, the research and investment of energy supply business. The Environment and Non-energy segment is involved in the development, leasing, management and subdivision of real estates, the leasing and maintenance of automobiles, the manufacture and sale of fine materials and carbon materials, the staff dispatching business, the credit and insurance agency business and the operation of sports facilities. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Damian Illia]
The company is also aware that its ability to sell non-invase treatment products relies largely on the willingness of third parties to pay for treatment. Therefore, it not only focuses on developing devices to treat sleep apnea and other respiratory problem. It also does on increasing awareness among patients and healthcare professionals of the potentially serious health consequences of untreated SDB as well as educating caregivers about therapy options. It is estimated that SDB affects 20 percent of the adult population and that 90 percent who have obstructed sleep apnea (OSA) still are and most likely will remain undiagnosed and untreated. The company has therefore created a number of foundations and funds primary care physician programs to educate doctors on SDB. On the other hand, diagnosed COPD patients in America are around 12 million people, but is is estimated that another 12 milion may have the disease and hasn't been diagnosed yet. Also, ResMed looks forward to capture those patients who formerly balked at costly, uncomfortable testing in a sleep lad through at-home sleep apnea testing. What this all really means actually, is that ResMed's potential markets have not really been penetrated and that the growth prospects for the coming years is huge.
Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: ServiceSource International Inc.(SREV)
ServiceSource International, Inc. manages the service contract renewals process of maintenance, support and subscription agreements for technology and technology-enabled healthcare, and life sciences companies. The company provides end-to-end management and optimization of the service contract renewals process, including data management, quoting, selling, and service revenue business intelligence. It offers an integrated solution that consists of Service Revenue Intelligence Platform, a data warehouse of transactional, analytical, and industry data that provides insight into the business; service sales teams working under its customers? brands; and Service Revenue Performance Suite, a suite of cloud applications. The company?s cloud applications include Analytics Cloud, which provides customers with dashboards to view and analyze service revenue performance; Service Sales Cloud that provides renewals analytics and pipeline management used by service sales teams; and Chan nel Sales Cloud, which offers channel partners and resellers with online access to their specific renewals opportunities and their performance. Its cloud applications also comprise eCommerce Cloud that provides self-service capabilities to end customers through a secure online portal; Installed Base Intelligence Cloud, which offers a single repository to analyze the data, to flag anomalies and missing data elements, and to identify cross-sell and up-sell opportunities; and Dynamic Quoting Cloud that provides an easy-to-use tool for sales representatives and channel partners to create and modify service renewal quotes. The company sells its solutions directly through sales representatives in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. ServiceSource International, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California with additional offices in Colorado, Tennessee, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Si ngapore.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
Service Source International Inc. (NASDAQ: SREV) is a small cap name with big possibilities. The company provides recurring revenue management contracts maintenance, support and subscription for technology and technology-enabled health care and life sciences companies. The consensus price objective for the stock is $14.
Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Banner Corporation(BANR)
Banner Corporation operates as the holding company for Banner Bank and Islanders Bank that provide commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities. It generates various deposit instruments, including demand checking accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, certificates of deposit, cash management services, and retirement savings plans. The company also originates commercial business and commercial real estate loans, agricultural business loans, construction and land development loans, one to four-family residential loans, and consumer loans. In addition, it engages in mortgage banking operations primarily through the origination and sale of one to four-family residential loans. As of December 31, 2010, Banner Bank operated 86 branch offices and 7 loan production offices in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho; and Islanders Bank conducted business from 3 locations in San Juan County, Washington. The company was founded in 1890 and is based in Walla Walla, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Diane Alter]
Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September
Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packaging products in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good
Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: First Bancorp (FBP)
First Bancorp is a bank holding company. The Company is a service provider of financial services and products with operations in Puerto Rico, the United States and the United States and British Virgin Islands. The Company has six segments: Consumer (Retail) Banking; Commercial and Corporate Banking; Mortgage Banking; Treasury and Investments; United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Company specializes in commercial banking, residential mortgage loan originations, finance leases, personal loans, small loans, auto loans, insurance agency and broker-dealer activities. As of December 31, 2011, it controlled two wholly owned subsidiaries: FirstBank and FirstBank Insurance Agency, Inc. (FirstBank Insurance Agency). FirstBank is a Puerto Rico-chartered commercial bank and FirstBank Insurance Agency is a Puerto Rico-chartered insurance agency. On February 16, 2011, FirstBank sold an asset portfolio consisting of performing and non-performing construction, commercial mortgage and C&I loans. The Company�� total investment securities portfolio as of December 31, 2011 amounted to $2 billion. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a total deposit of $9.9 billion. Effective May 31, 2011, the Company purchased FirstBank-branded consumer credit card portfolio from FIA Card Services, N.A. and an affiliate.
Consumer (Retail) Banking
The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment consists of the Company�� consumer lending and deposit-taking activities conducted mainly through FirstBank�� branch network and loan centers in Puerto Rico. Loans to consumers include auto, boat and personal loans and lines of credit. Deposit products include interest bearing and non-interest bearing checking and savings accounts, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) and retail certificates of deposit. Retail deposits gathered through each branch of FirstBank�� retail network serve as one of the funding sources for the lending and investment activities. Credit card accounts are issued under Firs! tBank�� name through an alliance with a financial institution, which bears the credit risk.
Commercial and Corporate Banking
The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment consists of the Company�� lending and other services across a spectrum of industries ranging from small businesses to large corporate clients. FirstBank has developed expertise in industries, including healthcare, tourism, financial institutions, food and beverage, income-producing real estate and the public sector. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment offers commercial loans, including commercial real estate and construction loans, and other products, such as cash management and business management services. A substantial portion of this portfolio is secured by the underlying value of the real estate collateral and the personal guarantees of the borrowers. The segment also includes the Company�� broker-dealer activities, which are primarily concentrated in bonds underwriting and financial advisory services provided to government entities in Puerto Rico.
Mortgage Banking
The Mortgage Banking segment conducts its operations mainly through FirstBank and its mortgage origination subsidiary, First Mortgage. These operations consist of the origination, sale and servicing of a variety of residential mortgage loan products. Originations are sourced through different channels, such as FirstBank branches, mortgage bankers and in association with new project developers. First Mortgage focuses on originating residential real estate loans, some of which conform to Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Administration (VA) and Rural Development (RD) standards. The Mortgage Banking segment also acquires and sells mortgages in the secondary markets. Most of the Company�� residential mortgage loan portfolio consists of fixed-rate, fully amortizing, full documentation loans.
Treasury and Investments
The Treasury and Investments segment is responsib! le for th! e Corporation�� treasury and investment management functions. The treasury function, which includes funding and liquidity management, sells funds to the Commercial and Corporate Banking segment, the Mortgage Banking segment, and the Consumer (Retail) Banking segment to finance their respective lending activities and purchases funds gathered by those segments and from the United States Operations segment. Funds not gathered by the different business units are obtained by the Treasury Division through wholesale channels, such as brokered deposits, advances from the FHLB and, repurchase agreements with investment securities, among others.
United States Operations
The United States Operations segment consists of all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in the United States mainland. FirstBank provides a range of banking services to individual and corporate customers primarily in southern Florida through its ten branches. The United States Operations segment offers an array of both retail and commercial banking products and services. Consumer banking products include checking, savings and money market accounts, retail certificates of deposit (CDs), Internet banking services, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, automobile loans and credit cards through an alliance with a nationally recognized financial institution, which bears the credit risk. Deposits gathered through FirstBank�� branches in the United States also serve as a funding sources for lending and investment activities in Puerto Rico. The commercial banking services include checking, savings and money market accounts, CDs, Internet banking services, cash management services, remote data capture and automated clearing house (ACH), transactions. Loan products include the traditional commercial and industrial and commercial real estate products, such as lines of credit, term loans and construction loans.
Virgin Islands Operations
The Virgin Islands Operations seg! ment cons! ists of all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in the United States and British Virgin Islands, including retail and commercial banking services, with a total of fourteen branches serving the United States Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and the British Virgin Islands of Tortola and Virgin Gorda. The Virgin Islands Operations segment is driven by its consumer, commercial lending and deposit-taking activities.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Monday
Earnings Releases Expected: UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), First Bancorp. (NYSE: FBP) Economic Releases Expected: �Indian services PMI, Spanish services PMI, Italian services PMI, German services PMI, eurozone services PMI, British services PMI, German CPI, US ISM non-manufacturing PMITuesday
Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Puget Technologies Inc (PUGE)
PUGET TECHNOLOGIES, INC., incorporated on March 17, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the distribution of luxury wool bedding sets produced in Germany. The Company�� product includes Lama Wool, Camel Wool, Cashmere Wool and Merino Wool.
The Company�� Lama Wool is consists of 50% Lama Wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Camel wool is consists of 50% Camel wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Cashmere wool is blended with Merino wool.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks Inscor, Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA), Puget Technologies Inc (OTCBB: PUGE) and PTA Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: PTAH) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters or investor alerts. However, two of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions while the third is getting attention largely because its in the growing marijuana or cannabis business. With that in mind, are these stocks really all that hot or not? Here is a quick reality check:
Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: OGE Energy Corporation(OGE)
OGE Energy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and energy services provider that offers physical delivery and related services for electricity and natural gas primarily in the south central United States. The company is involved in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy in Oklahoma and western Arkansas; and gathering, processing, transporting, storing, and marketing of natural gas. It furnishes retail electric service in 268 communities and their contiguous rural and suburban areas. OGE Energy Corp. operates coal-fired and natural gas-fired units, as well as wind-powered units. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 12 generating stations with an aggregate capability of 6,790 megawatts; and a transmission system comprising 51 substations and 4,258 structure miles of lines in Oklahoma, and 7 substations and 279 structure miles of lines in Arkansas. Its distribution system consisted of 353 substations , 27,854 structure miles of overhead lines, 1,895 miles of underground conduit, and 10,120 miles of underground conductors in Oklahoma, as well as 37 substations, 2,250 structure miles of overhead lines, 212 miles of underground conduit, and 572 miles of underground conductors in Arkansas. The company also owned approximately 6,019 miles of intrastate natural gas gathering pipelines in Oklahoma and Texas; approximately 2,250 miles of intrastate natural gas transportation pipelines in Oklahoma; and 2 underground natural gas storage facilities and 8 operating natural gas processing plants in Oklahoma. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, oilfield, public authorities, and street light operators. OGE Energy Corp. was founded in 1995 and is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
Enable Midstream Partners�(NYSE: ENBL), a joint venture by affiliates of�CenterPoint Energy�(NYSE: CNP),�OGE Energy�(NYSE: OGE) and ArcLight Capital Partners. Enable Midstream Partners is one of the largest midstream partnerships in the US, with oil and gas midstream assets that extend from western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle to Alabama and from Louisiana to Illinois
- [By Robert Rapier]
Last month in Play Ball: More IPOs on Deck, I mentioned that the next master limited partnership to IPO could be Enable Midstream Partners (NYSE: ENBL). Enable Midstream was formed in May 2013 as a joint venture by affiliates of CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP), OGE Energy (NYSE: OGE) and ArcLight Capital Partners.
- [By Chuck Carnevale]
OGE Energy Corp. (OGE): Another Utility with Slightly Higher Growth
Our second example, OGE Energy Corp., differs from our first only by virtue of the fact that its earnings growth rate since 1998 has averaged over 5% per annum. Nevertheless, we once again discover that the PE ratio of 15 represents a strong proxy for this company�� valuation. During the short time intervals when price deviates from fair value PE of 15, it doesn�� take long for price to move back into alignment with earnings.
Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Stericycle Inc (SRCL)
Stericycle, Inc., incorporated on March 21, 1989, is in the business of managing regulated waste and providing an array of related and complementary services. The Company operates in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The regulated waste services the Company provides include medical waste disposal, its Steri-Safe medical waste and compliance program, its Clinical Services program, its Bio Systems reusable sharps disposal management services, pharmaceutical waste disposal, and hazardous waste disposal. In addition to the Company's regulated waste services, the Company offers regulated recall and returns management services, patient communication services, and medical safety products. The Company's regulated recall and returns management services consist of a number of solutions for a variety of businesses but consist primarily of managing the recall, withdrawal or return of expired or recalled products and pharmaceuticals. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it completed 41 acquisitions, of which 17 were domestic businesses and 24 were international businesses in Latin America, Europe, and Japan. In August 2013, Stericycle Inc acquired Eclipse Marketing.
The Company also provides communication services to healthcare providers to improve office productivity and communications with patients. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's worldwide networks included a total of 153 processing facilities, 141 transfer sites, and 64 recall and returns or communication services facilities. The Company serves approximately 541,000 customers worldwide, of which approximately 16,500 are large-quantity generators, such as hospitals, blood banks and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and approximately 524,500 are small-quantity generators, such as outpatient clinics, medical and dental offices, long-term and sub-acute care facilities, veterinary offices, municipalities and retail pharmacies. For large-quantity generat! ors of regulated waste such as hospitals and for pharmaceutical companies and distributors, the Company offers its regulated waste management services; its Bio Systems reusable sharps disposal management services; its pharmaceutical waste services; its Integrated Waste Stream Solutions (IWSS) program; a variety of products and services for infection control; its regulated recall and returns management services for expired or recalled products and pharmaceuticals, and variety of patient communication services. For small-quantity generators of regulated waste such as doctors' offices or retail pharmacies, the Company offers its Steri-Safe OSHA, HIPAA compliance, and clinical services programs.
The Company supplies specially designed reusable leak-resistant and puncture-resistant plastic containers to most of its large-quantity customers and many of its larger small-quantity customers. The Company collects containers or corrugated boxes of regulated waste from its customers depending upon customer requirements, contract terms and volume of waste generated. The waste is then transported directly to one of the Company's processing facilities or to one of its transfer stations where it is combined with other regulated waste and transported to a processing facility. The Company collects some expired or recalled products, but more typically, customer ships them directly to its processing facilities. Upon arrival at a processing facility, containers or boxes of regulated waste are typically scanned to verify that they do not contain any unacceptable substances like radioactive material. The regulated waste is then processed using one of the Company's various treatment or processing technologies. Upon completion of the particular process, the resulting waste or incinerator ash is transported for resource recovery, recycling or disposal in a landfill owned by an unaffiliated third party. The Company provides complete documentation to its customers for all regulated waste that the Company collect in ac! cordance ! with applicable regulations and customer requirements.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Overvalued companies include MWI Veterinary (MWIV) and�Stericycle (SRCL), while companies with attractive valuations include Cardinal Health (CAH), Selected Medical (SEM). He’s not a fan of Intrexon (XON) but calls�Aratana (PETX) a “hidden gem.”
- [By Jason Moser]
I owe my love of investing to my father. And with that in mind, I give you the Father's Day Portfolio. These are 10 stocks that remind me of my dad, and together they will form a formidable, market-beating team that will offer investors outstanding returns for years to come.
Dick's Sporting Goods� (NYSE: DKS ) is a family affair. CEO Edward Stack is the son of founder Richard Stack, and he owns close to 18%�of the shares outstanding. I like what this company has done and where it's headed. It controls 8.5% of the tremendous sporting-goods market. Boston Beer� (NYSE: SAM ) �seems an appropriate call here. Having a beer with your dad is one of the great moments in life, and given that this company sold more than 50 beer varieties under the Samuel Adams brand in 2012, chances are pretty darn good that there may be a Sam Adams in Dad's fridge. My dad drives a�Ford� (NYSE: F ) Expedition, and he's owned a few other Fords in his life. Every time I see the blue oval I think of him, and I think this company will play a big part in the fast-changing automobile market.� I smile so wide it looks like I have a coat hanger in my mouth when I see my dad using his iPhone and iPad, courtesy of�Apple. The guy turned 71 this Father's Day (happy birthday, Dad!) and he's embraced technology like a 15-year-old. We all know that if you have a question these days you can just ask�Google. These guys do a lot of things well, but search and maps are their specialty. It's not just iDevices for my dad, either. He loves his new Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon.com, not to mention the fact that he can order just about anything from the e-commerce giant. My dad's a doctor, and�St. Jude Medical� (NYSE: STJ ) is a device company that has a wonderfully diverse product mix. From heart devices to strokes, Parkinson's, and migraines, �this company is playing a big role in up-and-coming medical technology. Shout-out No. 1 to our Ge
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