Friday, July 31, 2015

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015

Though some expected the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) to regain some momentum this morning, its higher open was quickly lost following some unexpected economic news. With investor confidence continuing to wane, the index is in need of positive earnings news from its components -- more aid that went undelivered this morning. With losses piling up, the Dow has little help in its efforts to reach higher still.

Existing-home sales were expected to rise to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.01 million units, but instead investors received the news that sales fell 0.6% in March. This is despite the continued strength in the rebounding housing market, which is one of the only drivers keeping the U.S. economy afloat. Though the decline in sales is not a promising turn of events, home prices did rise during March, giving support to the continuation of the recovery. The increase is largely due to decreased inventory of existing homes, which can help sellers raise prices but hurt overall sales figures.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies For 2016: EnteroMedics Inc.(ETRM)

EnteroMedics Inc., a clinical development stage medical device company, focuses on the design and development of devices that use neuroblocking technology to treat obesity and associated co-morbidities, and other gastrointestinal disorders. The company?s proprietary neuroblocking technology is designed to intermittently block the vagus nerve using electrical impulses. Its product under development is the Maestro System, which is used to limit the expansion of the stomach, control hunger sensations between meals, reduce the frequency and intensity of stomach contractions, and produce a feeling of early and prolonged fullness. The company intends to market its products to potential referral source clinicians, including general practitioners, internists, endocrinologists, and nurses. It has collaboration agreement with Mayo Clinic and Australian Institute of Weight Control. The company was formerly known as Beta Medical, Inc. and changed its name to EnteroMedics Inc. in 2003 . EnteroMedics Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    If you're looking to get the new trading year started on the right foot, then you may want to keep Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLDX), EnteroMedics Inc. (NASDAQ:ETRM), and Arrowhead Research Corp. (NASDAQ:ARWR) in your back pocket if not in your portfolio. Why? Because these three small cap stocks are positioned to deliver big breakouts, if they're not already doing so. Here's a closer look at each, and exactly what you need to watch for with CLDX, ARWR, and ETRM.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Look out VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ:VVUS) and Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA). There's a new weight-loss player ready to take aim at your target market, and its name is EnteroMedics Inc. (NASDAQ:ETRM). If the recent action from ETRM is any indication, the market thinks it could be a real threat to your weight-loss ventures.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 health care player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is EnteroMedics (ETRM), which is engaged in design and development of devices that use neuroblocking technology to treat obesity, its associated co-morbidities and other gastrointestinal disorders. This stock has been hit hard by the sellers so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 59%.

    If you take a look at the chart for EnteroMedics, you'll notice that this stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern $1 to $1.01 a share. Following that bottom, shares of ETRM have started to rip higher and trend back above its 50-day moving average at $1.08 a share with strong upside volume flows. This move is quickly pushing ETRM within range of triggering a big near-term breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ETRM if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistances levels at $1.14 to $1.19 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 584,986 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ETRM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.37 to $1.47 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ETRM a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from February that started above $3 a share.

    Traders can look to buy ETRM off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $1.08 a share, or below more key near-term support at $1 a share. One can also buy ETRM off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Castle Brands Inc. (ROX)

Castle Brands Inc. develops and markets beverage alcohol products. The company provides rum, whiskey, liqueurs, vodka, tequila, and wine. It offers its products under various brands, including Gosling�s Rum, Gosling�s Dark �n Stormy, Jefferson�s, Jefferson�s Reserve and Jefferson's Presidential Select, Jefferson�s Rye, Clontarf, Pallini, Boru, Knappogue Castle Whiskey, Tierras, Celtic Honey, Brady's Irish Cream, Travis Hasse�s Original Pie, Gozio, A. de Fussigny, and CC. The company offers its products through a network of wholesale distributors and state-operated agencies in the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Germany, Canada, South Africa, Bulgaria, France, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and China, as well as in continental Europe and Latin America. Castle Brands Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Another stock that's rapidly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Castle Brands (ROX), which develops and markets premium and super-premium brands in the beverage alcohol categories: rum, whiskey, liqueurs, vodka, tequila and fine wine. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up huge by 234%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Castle Brands, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending very strong for the last three months, with shares soaring higher from its low of 30 cents per share to its recent high of 99 cents per share. During that uptrend, shares of ROX have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of ROX within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

    Market players should now look for long-biased trades in ROX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at 93 cents per share to its 52-week high at 99 cents per share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 501,958 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ROX will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $1.50 to $2 a share.

    Traders can look to buy ROX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at 80 cents to 77 cents per share, or around its 50-day at 70 cents per share. One can also buy ROX off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Maiden Hldgs Ltd(MHLD)

Maiden Holdings, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance solutions to regional and specialty insurers primarily in the United States and Europe. The company offers property, casualty, accident, and health reinsurance products. It offers its products through the treaties with other insurers on a quota share or excess of loss basis, as well as on a facultative basis through third-party intermediaries and on direct basis. Maiden Holdings, Ltd. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Bermuda-based reinsurance solutions provider Maiden Holdings (MHLD) raised its quarterly dividend 22% to 11 cents per share, payable on Jan. 15 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 2.
    MHLD Dividend Yield: 3.79%

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Bank of Ozarks Inc (OZRK)

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. is a bank holding company. The Company owns an Arkansas state chartered subsidiary bank, Bank of the Ozarks (the Bank). At December 31, 2011, the Company, through the Bank, conducted banking operations through 111 offices, including 66 offices in Arkansas, 27 in Georgia, 10 in Texas, four in Florida, two in North Carolina, and one each in South Carolina and Alabama. Subsequent to December 31, 2011, the Company opened its 11th and 12th Texas offices in Austin and The Colony. The Company also owns Ozark Capital Statutory Trust II, Ozark Capital Statutory Trust III, Ozark Capital Statutory Trust IV and Ozark Capital Statutory Trust V, all 100%-owned finance subsidiary business trusts formed in connection with the issuance of certain subordinated debentures and related trust preferred securities, and, indirectly through the Bank, a subsidiary engaged in the development of real estate, a subsidiary that owns a private aircraft and various other entities that hold foreclosed assets or tax credits or engage in other activities. Effective July 31, 2013, Bank of the Ozarks Inc acquired the entire interest of The First National Bank of Shelby.

The Company provides a range of retail and commercial banking services. Deposit services include checking, savings, money market, time deposit and individual retirement accounts. Loan services include various types of real estate, consumer, commercial, industrial and agricultural loans and various leasing services. The Company also provides mortgage lending; treasury management services for businesses, individuals and non-profit and governmental entities, including wholesale lock box services; remote deposit capture services; trust and wealth management services for businesses, individuals and non-profit and governmental entities, including financial planning, money management, custodial services and corporate trust services; real estate appraisals; credit-related life and disability insurance; automated teller machines (ATMs); telep! hone banking; online and mobile banking services, including electronic bill pay; debit cards, gift cards and safe deposit boxes, among other products and services. Through third party providers, the Company offers credit cards for consumers and businesses, processing of merchant debit and credit card transactions, and full service investment brokerage services.

On January 14, 2011, the Company, through the Bank, entered into a purchase and assumption agreement, pursuant to which the Bank acquired the former Oglethorpe Bank (Oglethorpe) with two offices in Georgia, including Brunswick and St. Simons Island. On April 29, 2011, the Company, through the Bank, entered into a purchase and assumption agreement, pursuant to which the Bank acquired the former First Choice Community Bank (First Choice) with seven offices in Georgia, including Dallas, Newnan (2), Senoia, Sharpsburg, Douglasville and Carrollton. On July 1, 2011, the Company closed one of the offices in Newnan, Georgia, and on October 26, 2011 the Company closed the office in Carrollton, Georgia.

Lending and Leasing Activities

The Company��s primary source of income is interest earned from its loan and lease portfolio and its investment securities portfolio. The Company��s portfolio of real estate loans includes loans secured by residential one- to four-family, non-farm/non-residential, agricultural, construction/land development, multifamily residential (five or more family) properties and other land loans. Non-farm/non-residential loans include those secured by real estate mortgages on owner-occupied commercial buildings of various types, leased commercial, retail and office buildings, hospitals, nursing and other medical facilities, hotels and motels, and other business and industrial properties. Agricultural real estate loans include loans secured by farmland and related improvements, including some loans guaranteed by the Farm Service Agency. Real estate construction/land development loans include loa! ns secure! d by vacant land, loans to finance land development or construction of industrial, commercial, residential or farm buildings or additions or alterations to existing structures. Included in the Company��s residential one- to four-family loans are home equity lines of credit.

The Company offers a variety of real estate loan products that are generally amortized over five to thirty years. The Company��s portfolio of consumer loans generally includes loans to individuals for household, family and other personal expenditures. The Company��s commercial and industrial loan portfolio consists of loans for commercial, industrial and professional purposes, including loans to fund working capital requirements (such as inventory, floor plan and receivables financing), purchases of machinery and equipment and other purposes. The Company offers a variety of commercial and industrial loan arrangements, including term loans, balloon loans and lines of credit with the purpose and collateral supporting a particular loan determining its structure. These loans are offered to businesses and professionals for short and medium terms on both a collateralized and uncollateralized basis. The Company obtains as collateral a lien on furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, receivables or other assets. The Company��s leases are primarily equipment leases for commercial, industrial and professional purposes, have terms generally ranging up to 48 months and are collateralized by a lien on the lessee��s interest in the leased property.

The Company��s portfolio of agricultural (non-real estate) loans includes loans for financing agricultural production, including loans to businesses or individuals engaged in the production of timber, poultry, livestock or crops. The Company��s agricultural (non-real estate) loans are generally secured by farm machinery, livestock, crops, vehicles or other agricultural-related collateral. A portion of the Company��s portfolio of agricultural (non-real estate) loans ! consists ! of loans to individuals which would normally be characterized as consumer loans but for the fact that the individual borrowers are primarily engaged in the production of timber, poultry, livestock or crops.

Deposits

The Company offers an array of deposit products consisting of non-interest bearing checking accounts, interest bearing transaction accounts, business sweep accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, time deposits and individual retirement accounts. The Company acts as depository for a number of state and local Governments and Government agencies or instrumentalities. The Company��s deposits come primarily from within the Company��s trade area. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $41 million in brokered deposits.

Other Banking Services

The Company offers an array of residential mortgage products, including long-term fixed and variable rate loans to be sold on a servicing-released basis in the secondary market. The Company originates residential mortgage loans to be resold on the secondary market primarily through its banking offices located in Arkansas�� markets, many of its Texas banking offices and in certain of its acquired offices in the Southeastern United States. The Company offers a range of trust and wealth management services from its headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, with additional staff in Rogers, Arkansas. These trust and wealth management services include personal trusts, custodial accounts, investment management accounts, retirement accounts, corporate trust services, including trustee, paying agent and registered transfer agent services, and other incidental services. As of December 31, 2011, total trust assets were approximately $1.02 billion.

The Company offers treasury management products which are designed to provide specialized support to the treasury operations of business and public funds customers. The Company��s treasury management services include automated clearing house serv! ices (dir! ect deposit, direct payment and electronic cash concentration and disbursement), wire transfer, zero balance accounts, current and prior day transaction reporting, lock box services, remote deposit capture services, automated credit line transfer, investment sweep accounts, reconciliation services, positive pay services, credit line analysis and account analysis. It offers an online banking service for both business customers and consumers. Through this service customers can access their account information, pay bills, transfer funds, view images of cancelled checks, reorder checks, buy the United States Savings Bonds, change addresses, issue stop payment requests, receive detailed statements and handle other banking business electronically. The Company also provides businesses and consumers the option to electronically receive monthly bank statements and provides a 13-month archive of monthly statements and cancelled check images.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK  ) is rewarding its shareholders by paying a higher dividend. The company has declared a common stock dividend of $0.19 per share, to be handed out on July 19 to shareholders of record as of July 12. That amount is $0.02, or 12%, higher than the company's previous disbursement of $0.17 per share, which was paid in mid-April.

  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Arkansas-based Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) announced a 10.5% dividend increase to 21 cents per share, payable Oct. 18 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 11. This is the 13th consecutive quarter in which OZRK has raised its dividend.
    OZRK Dividend Yield: 1.77%

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK) is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $0.39 per share.

    Synergetics USA (NASDAQ: SURG) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $17.32 million.

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Monday

    Earnings Releases Expected:  Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE: SAR), Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK) Economic Releases Expected: Japanese industrial production, eurozone industrial production

    Tuesday

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Xilinx Inc (XLNX)

Xilinx, Inc. (Xilinx), incorporated on February 5, 1984, designs, develops and markets programmable platforms. These programmable platforms have a number of components, including integrated circuits (ICs) in the form of programmable logic devices (PLDs), including Extensible Processing Platforms (EPPs); software design tools to program the PLDs; targeted reference designs; printed circuit boards, and intellectual property (IP), which consists of Xilinx and various third-party verification and IP cores. In addition to its programmable platforms, Xilinx provides design services, customer training, field engineering and technical support. The Company��s PLDs include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) that its customers program to perform logic functions, and EPPs. Xilinx��s products are offered to electronic equipment manufacturers in end markets, such as wired and wireless communications, industrial, scientific and medical, aerospace and defense, audio, video and broadcast, consumer, automotive and data processing. The Company sells its products globally through independent domestic and foreign distributors and through direct sales to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by a network of independent sales representative firms and by a direct sales management organization. In January 2011, the Company acquired AutoESL Design Technologies, Inc. In August 2012, the Company acquired embedded Linux solutions provider PetaLogix.

Product Families

The 7 series devices that comprise the Company��s 28-nanometer (nm) product families are fabricated on a high-K metal gate 28-nm process technology. These devices are based on an architecture, which enables design and IP portability and re-use across all families, as well as provides designers the ability to achieve the appropriate combination of I/O support, performance, feature quantities, packaging and power consumption to address a range of applications. The 7 series devices consist of! three families: Virtex-7 FPGA, Kintex-7 FPGAs and Artix-7 FPGAs. The Zynq-7000 family is the family of Xilinx EPPs. The Virtex-6 FPGA family consists of 13 devices and is the sixth generation in the Virtex series of FPGAs.

Virtex-6 FPGAs are fabricated on a high-performance, 40-nm process technology. There are three Virtex-6 families: Virtex-6 LXT FPGAs, Virtex-6 SXT FPGAs and Virtex-6 HXT FPGAs. The Spartan-6 family is the PLD industry��s 45-nm high-volume FPGA family, consisting of 11 devices in two product families: Spartan-6 LX FPGAs and Spartan-6 LXT FPGAs. The Virtex-5 FPGA family consists of 26 devices in five product families: Virtex-5 LX FPGAs for logic-intensive designs, Virtex-5 LXT FPGAs for high-performance logic with serial connectivity, Virtex-5 SXT FPGAs for high-performance DSP with serial connectivity, Virtex-5 FXT FPGAs for embedded processing with serial connectivity and Virtex-5 TXT FPGAs for high-bandwidth serial connectivity. Prior generation Virtex families include Virtex-4, Virtex-II Pro, Virtex-II, Virtex-E and the original Virtex family. Spartan family FPGAs include 90-nm Spartan-3 FPGAs, the Spartan-3E family and the Spartan-3A family. Prior generation Spartan families include Spartan-IIE, Spartan-II, Spartan XL and the original Spartan family.

Design Platforms and Services

The Company offers three types of programmable platforms. The Base Platform is the delivery vehicle for all of its new silicon offerings used to develop and run customer-specific software applications and hardware designs. The Base Platform consists of FPGA silicon; Integrated Software Environment (ISE) Design Suite design environment; integration support of optional third-party synthesis, simulation, and signal integrity tools; reference designs; development boards and IP. The Domain-Specific Platform targets one of the three primary Xilinx FPGA user profiles: the embedded processing developer; the DSP developer; or the logic/connectivity developer. The Market-S! pecific P! latform enables software or hardware developers to build and run their specific application or solution. Built for specific markets, such as automotive, consumer, aerospace and defense, communications, audio, video and broadcast, industrial, or scientific and medical, the Market-Specific Platform integrates both the Base and Domain-Specific Platforms.

During April 2012, Xilinx introduced the Vivado Design Suite. Vivado supports Xilinx 7 series FPGAs and Zynq EPPs. Xilinx and various third parties offer hundreds of no charge and fee-bearing IP core licenses covering Ethernet, memory controllers Interlaken and PCIe interface, as well as domain-specific IP in the areas of embedded, DSP and connectivity, and market-specific IP cores. The Company also offers development kits, including hardware, design tools, IP and reference designs. Xilinx offers a range of configuration products, including one-time programmable and in-system programmable storage devices to configure Xilinx FPGAs. These programmable read-only memory (PROM) products support all of the Company��s FPGA devices. Xilinx and certain third parties have developed and offer a ecosystem of IP, boards, tools, services and support through the Xilinx alliance program. Xilinx also works with these third parties to promote its programmable platforms through third-party tools, IP, software, boards and design services. Xilinx engineering services provide customers with engineering, ranging from hands-on training to full design creation and implementation.

The Company competes with Altera Corporation, Lattice Semiconductor Corporation and Microsemi Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matt Egan]

    It's also been an ugly day for chip maker Xilinx (XLNX). The company's shares plummeted 16% on disappointing revenue and a gloomy outlook for the current quarter.

  • [By Beth Piskora]

    They are listed below:

    Altera (ALTR)��yielding 1.7%

    Apple (AAPL)��yielding 2.5%

    Applied Materials (AMAT)��yielding 2.6%

    Cisco (CSCO)��yielding 2.9%

    EMC Corp. (EMC)��yielding 1.5%

    International Business Machines (IBM)��yielding 2.0%

    KLA-Tencor (KLAC)��yielding 3.2%

    Microchip Technology (MCHP)��yielding 3.6%

    Oracle (ORCL)��yielding 1.5%

    Qualcomm (QCOM)��yielding 2.1%

    Texas Instruments (TXN)��yielding 2.9%

    Xilinx (XLNX)��yielding 2.3%

    Subscribe to S&P's The Outlook here��

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Xilinx (NASDAQ: XLNX) fell 12.15% to $42.30 in pre-market trading after the company reported downbeat Q1 revenue and issued a weak Q2 revenue forecast. BMO Capital downgraded Xilinx from Outperform to Market Perform and lowered the price target from $60.00 to $42.00.

  • [By kcpl]

    Altera�(ALTR)'s performance has been weak as shares are down almost 9% so far this year as compared to peers such as Xilinx (XLNX) and Lattice Semiconductor.

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Big Lots Inc (BIG)

Big Lots, Inc., incorporated in May 2001, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a North America's closeout retailer. At January 28, 2012, the Company operated a total of 1,533 stores in two countries: the United States and Canada. The Company operates in two segments: U.S. and Canada. The merchandising categories include Consumables, Furniture, Home, Seasonal, Play n' Wear, and Hardlines & Other. The Consumables category includes the food, health and beauty, plastics, paper, chemical, and pet departments. The Furniture category includes the upholstery, mattresses, ready-to-assemble, and case goods departments. The Home category includes the domestics, stationery, and home decorative departments. The Seasonal category includes the lawn and garden, Christmas, summer, and other holiday departments. The Play n' Wear category includes the electronics, toys, jewelry, infant accessories, and apparel departments. The Hardlines & Other category includes the appliances, tools, paint, and home maintenance departments. On July 18, 2011, the Company acquired Liquidation World Inc. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened 92 stores, acquired 89 stores and closed 46 stores.

All of the Company��s stores are located in North America and has an average store size of approximately 29,900 square feet, of which an average of 21,600 square feet is selling square feet. The 54 owned stores are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. At January 28, 2012, the Company owned or leased approximately 9.4 million square feet of distribution center and warehouse space. The Company leases and operates two regional distribution centers in Canada located in British Columbia and Ontario. Of its 1,533 stores, 33% operate in four states California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida, and net sales from stores in these states represented 36% of its fiscal 2011 net sales.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Notable earnings released on Friday included:

    W&T Offshore(NYSE: WTI) reported a fourth quarter loss of $0.09 per share on revenue of $244.90 million, compared to last year��s EPS of $0.26 on revenue of $237.15 million. Footlocker(NYSE: FL) reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.82 on revenue of $1.79 billion, compared to last year��s EPS of $0.73 on revenue of $1.71 billion. Big Lots(NYSE: BIG) reported fourth quarter EPS of $1.39 on revenue of $1.64 billion, compared to last year��s EPS of $2.09 on revenue of $1.75 billion.

    Pre-Market Movers

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    Big Lots (BIG) plunged 12,6% to close at $32.47 after it disclosed a plan to exit the Canadian market, as the retailer conceded its efforts to turn around a business it acquired in July 2011 were unsuccessful. Results for the latest quarter missed expectations and the group issued a weaker full-year outlook for its U.S. operations.

10 Best Promising Stocks For 2015: Anglo American PLC (AAUKY.PK)

Anglo American plc (Anglo American), incorporated on May 14, 1998, is a mining company. The Company��s portfolio include Bulk commodities which consists of iron and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal; base metals, which consists of copper, nickel and niobium; Precious metals and minerals, which include platinum and diamonds and Other Mining and Industrial. The Company operates in Africa, Brazil, Chile, North and South America, Australia, China, India, Japan, other Asia and Europe. In November 2013, Anglo American PLC announced the completion of its sale of the Amapa iron ore operation in Brazil (Amapa) to Zamin Ferrous Ltd. In January 2014, Anglo American completed the acquisition of Mineral Technology Exploration Production SA (MINTEP) and Societe Miniere d'Alumine SA.

Iron and Manganese

The Company��s Iron Ore portfolio consist a 69.7% holding in Kumba Iron Ore Limited (Kumba), a supplier of seaborne iron ore, and Iron Ore Brazil��s 100% interest in Anglo Ferrous Minas-Rio, a 49% shareholding in LLX Minas-Rio, which owns the port of Acu, and a 70% interest in the Amapa iron ore system. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Kumba operated three mines: Sishen Mine in the Northern Cape, which produced 33.7 million tons (MT) of iron ore, Thabazimbi Mine in Limpopo, with an output of 0.8 MT and Kolomela mine, also in the Northern Cape and produced 1.5 MT. During 2011, Kumba exported more than 85% of its total iron ore sales volumes of 44.4 million tons, with 69% of these exports destined for the People��s Republic of China and the remainder to Europe, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East. Its Minas-Rio iron ore project is located in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.

The Company��s Manganese interests consist of a 40% holding in Samancor Holdings, which owns Hotazel Manganese Mines and Metalloys, both in South Africa, and a 40% holding in each of the Australian-based operations Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) and Tasmanian Electro ! Metallurgical Company (TEMCO), with BHP Billiton owning 60% and having management control. It is producer of seaborne manganese ore and is top three global producers of manganese alloy. Its operations produce a combination of ores, alloys and metal from sites in South Africa and Australia.

Metallurgical Coal

The Company��s coal operations in Australia are based on the east coast, from where Metallurgical Coal serves a range of customers throughout Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and Europe and South America. Its metallurgical coal operation in Canada, Peace River Coal, mainly serves customers in Europe, Japan and South America. Metallurgical Coal operated six mines, one wholly owned and five in which it has a controlling interest. Five of the mines are located in Queensland��s Bowen Basin: Moranbah North (metallurgical coal), Capcoal (metallurgical and thermal coal), Foxleigh (metallurgical coal), Dawson (metallurgical and thermal coal) and Callide (thermal coal). Drayton mine (thermal coal) is in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Moranbah North is an underground longwall mining operation with a mining lease covering 100 square kilometers.

Capcoal operates two longwall underground mines and an open cut mine. Together, they produce around 5.0 MT annually of hard coking coal, pulverised coal injection (PCI) and thermal coal. Capcoal also supplies methane-rich seam gas to Energy Developments Limited��s power station. Foxleigh is an open cut operation with an annual output exceeding 1.4 million tons of PCI coal. During 2012, Dawson, which is an open cut operation, produced 4.6 MT total of coking and thermal coal. During 2012, Capcoal operates two underground mines and an open cut mine. Together, they produced around 6.0 Mt of hard coking, pulverised coal injection (PCI) and thermal coals. During 2012, Foxleigh is an open cut operation which produced 1.9 Mt of high quality PCI coal.

Thermal Coal

Thermal Coal operates in South Africa a! nd and is! a joint partner in Cerrejon, Colombia. In South Africa, Thermal Coal wholly owns and operates nine mines and has a 50% interest in the Mafube colliery and Phola washing plant. During 2012, six of the mines supplied 23 million tons per annum of thermal coal to both export and local markets. New Vaal, New Denmark and Kriel collieries are domestic product operations supplying 29 million tons per annum of thermal coal to Eskom, the state-owned power utility. During 2012, Isibonelo mine produced five million tons per annum of thermal coal for Sasol Synthetic Fuels, the coal to liquids producer, under a 20 year supply contract. Thermal Coal��s South African operations route all export thermal coal through the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), in which it has a 24.2% shareholding, to customers throughout the Med-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific regions. Within South Africa, 62% of total sales tons are made to the Eskom power utility.

Copper

The Company has interests in six copper operations in Chile. The wholly owned operations consists of the Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde mines, and it hold a 50.1% interest in Anglo American Sur (AA Sur), which includes the Los Bronces and El Soldado mines and the Chagres smelter. It has a 44% interest in the Collahuasi mine. The mines also produce associated by-products, such as molybdenum and silver. In addition, it has interests in Quellaveco and Michiquillay projects in Peru and a 50% interest in the Pebble project in Alaska.

Nickel

Nickel has three ferronickel operations: Codemin and Barro Alto in Brazil and Loma de Niquel in Venezuela. Within the

business unit��s portfolio there are also two projects, Jacare and Morro Sem Bone, both in Brazil, and exploration projects in Finland, Canada and Australia.

Platinum

The Company��s Platinum business, based in South Africa, is the producer of platinum. Platinum mines, processes and refines the entire range of platinum group metals (PGMs): platin! um, palla! dium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. Base metals such as nickel, copper and cobalt sulphate are secondary products and are contributors to earnings. Platinum��s operations exploit reserve of PGMs, known as the Bushveld Complex, which contains PGMbearing Merensky, UG2 and Platreef ores. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Platinum wholly owns 10 mining operations in production, a tailings re-treatment facility, three smelters, a base metals refinery and a precious metals refinery. Concentrating, smelting and refining of the output are undertaken at Rustenburg Platinum Mines�� (RPM) metallurgical facilities. During 2012, Platinum��s 100% owned mining operations consists of the five mines at Rustenburg Section: Khomanani, Bathopele, Siphumelele, Thembelani and Khuseleka; Amandelbult Section��s two mines, Tumela and Dishaba, as well as Mogalakwena and Twickenham mines. Union Mine is 85% held with a black economic empowerment (BEE) partner, the Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela traditional community, holding the remainder. The Unki mine in Zimbabwe is wholly owned.

Diamonds

The Company��s diamond interests are represented by its 40% holding in De Beers. The other shareholders in De Beers are Central Holdings Ltd, which owns 40%, and the Government of the Republic of Botswana (GRB) with 15%. De Beers is a diamond company producing diamonds from its mines in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As of December 31, 2012, De Beers held a 50% interest in Debswana Diamond Company and in Namdeb Diamond Corporation. In addition, De Beers has a 74% holding in South African based De Beers Mines Limited. De%Beers owns 100% of De%Beers Canada. De%Beers owns 100% of The Diamond Trading Company (DTC). De Beers, through Element Six Technologies, is a supplier of industrial supermaterials. Element Six operates internationally, with 10 manufacturing sites globally and a global sales network.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Kramer-Miller]

    The Pebble Project is an enormous potential mine in Alaska containing mostly copper, and some gold and molybdenum. The project is owned by the Pebble Partnership, of which Northern Dynasty Minerals owns half, while Anglo American (AAUKY.PK) owns the other half.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Top Information Technology Stocks To Watch For 2016

Top Information Technology Stocks To Watch For 2016: B.O.S. Better Online Solutions(BOSC)

B.O.S Better Online Solutions Ltd. provides radio frequency identification (RFID) and supply chain solutions to enterprises primarily in the Europe, the United States, the Far East, and Israel. Its RFID and Mobile Solutions division offers hardware products, including thermal and barcode printers; RFID and barcode scanners and readers; wireless, mobile, and forklift terminals; wireless infrastructure; active and passive RFID tags; and consumables, such as ribbons, labels, and tags, as well as BOS ID software platform for systems integrators to assemble applications for transfer to automatic ID data capture clients. This division also develops applications comprising BOS LIVESTOCK, a software application that enables management, tracking, support, and planning of livestock day-to- day operations; BOS CarID, a solution to identify and track vehicles for a range of transportation-related settings; BOS STOCK, a data collection solution for logistics management in stores and wa rehouses; and BOS Mfgr., a production line tracking solution. The company?s Supply Chain Solutions division distributes electronic components, such as active, passive, electro-mechanical, and microwave components, as well as full access networks equipment for IT and telecommunications; and communication servers, multi-protocol print servers, server adapters, USB products, switches, fiber optics equipment, ADSL and XDSL routers, modems, VoIP, storage equipment, and ATM devices. This division also offers components consolidation services to the aerospace, defense, medical, and telecommunications industries, as well as enterprise clients; engages in the inventory and quality control management of components entering production lines; and provides warehouse management services for ongoing projects. B.O.S Better Online Solutions Ltd. sells ! its products through direct sales, sales agents, and integrators. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Rishon LeZion, Isra el.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Big Earnings Movers: B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd. (NASDAQ: BOSC) is up 71% at $7.54.

    Stocks on the Move: Ingersoll-Rand is down 22.2% at $55.54 after completing a spin-off of Allegion plc. Canadian National Railway Co. (NYSE: CNI) is down 48.6% at $57.78 following a 2-for-1 stock split. Camtek Ltd. (NASDAQ: CAMT) is up 38.9% at $5.71.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-information-technology-stocks-to-watch-for-2016.html

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Best Japanese Stocks To Buy Right Now

Best Japanese Stocks To Buy Right Now: Mobile TeleSystems (MBT)

Mobile TeleSystems OJSC, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services primarily in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Belarus. The company provides a range of mobile and fixed line voice and data telecommunications services, including transmission, broadband, pay-TV, and various value-added services; and sells equipment and accessories. It also offers network access services, including mobile cellular voice and data communication services; automatic roaming services; GPRS and Internet access services; and 3G technology. In addition, the company's services include the design, construction, and installation of local voice and data networks capable of interconnecting with fixed line operators; installation and maintenance of cellular payphones; lease of digital communication channels; and provision of access to open computer databases and data networks, including the Internet, as well as video conferencing, and fixed, local, and long-distance telecommunications services. Its value-added services comprise call divert/forwarding, caller ID and anti-caller ID display, conference calling, WiFi, GPRS, intelligent call assistant, APN remote access point, fixed mobile convergence, enhanced data rates for GSM Evolution, call barring, SMS, mobile office, voicemail, mobile banking, wireless application protocol, MTS-Connect, SIM-browser, point-to-point transfer, unstructured supplementary services data, downlink packet access, mobile TV, call waiting, MMS, ring tones, missed call alert, itemization of monthly bills, information and directory, international access, WEB and WAP portal, customer care system, ring back tone, collect call, and location-based services. As of December 31, 2011, the company had a mobile subscriber base of approximately 101.14 million. It has a strategic partnership with Vodafone. The ! company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Moscow, the Russian Federation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By gurujx]

    Mobile Telesystems OJSC (MBT) Reached $13.06

    The prices of Mobile Telesystems OJSC (MBT) shares have declined to $13.06, which is 46.0% off the 3-year high of $24.06.

  • [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

    For one thing, Russian telecom firms VimpelCom Ltd. (Nasdaq ADR: VIP) and Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (NYSE ADR: MBT) each do "considerable business" in Ukraine, the trade journal reports. For instance, MTS had about 22.4 million subscribers in that country as of September, making it Ukraine's No. 2 mobile provider, Reuters reported. And VimpelCom gets about 8% of its cash flow from that market.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-japanese-stocks-to-buy-right-now-8.html

Sunday, July 19, 2015

10 Best Casino Stocks To Own Right Now

10 Best Casino Stocks To Own Right Now: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bradley Seth McNew]

    Wynn Resorts has a dividend yield of 4.1%, the highest in the industry, ahead of the next closest Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) , at 3.5%, and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM  ) , which doesn't pay a dividend. Wynn management has been steadily raising dividend payouts since 2010, and has consistently paid special dividends during the past five years. All of this looks great for Wynn as a dividend buy. However, the special dividend paid this year is far below that of previous years, and the high payout ratio, at around 95%, according to Yahoo! Finance, may not be sustainable as Wynn continues to struggle to maintain growth. Here are the two things dividend investors need to know before investing in Wynn based on its dividend.

  • [By Bradley Seth McNew]

    Macau's gambling market has definitely seen less spectacular results this year than last. The major gambling companies th! ere, including Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) , MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM  ) , Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN  ) , and Melco Crown (NASDAQ: MPEL  ) , have each felt the sting of lowered gross gambling revenue on the Chinese island during the past two quarters as the VIP segment of gamblers has declined there.

  • [By Bradley Seth McNew]

    Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) has been the leader in its industry by a wide margin for the last few quarters when it comes to revenue and earnings, both actual and percent growth year over year. In Q2, Las Vegas Sands led the industry. It came in ahead of Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN  ) and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM  ) in earnings, just as it did in Q1 and throughout 2013. While Sands is the only one to have reported Q3 earnings so far, I expect its income growth will beat that of MGM and Wynn.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-casino-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Jim Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: A Remarkable Market

Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The averages may have ended the day lower but there are still plenty of stocks on the 52-week and all-time high lists, Jim Cramer said on "Mad Money" Thursday. In fact, nearly 10% of the stocks that make up the S&P 500 are at their 52-week highs, a remarkable feat.

There are certainty stocks that are doing poorly, he added, including Apple (AAPL), a stock Cramer owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS. There's also Lululemon Athletica (LULU) and Men's Warehouse (MW). But outside of a select handful of stocks, there's no denying the strength in the market.

Typically, certain sectors just don't trade in unison, Cramer explained. When consumer staples rise, industrials fall; when oils rally, discretionary spending retreats. But today's markets just don't seem to care about what's typical -- they're sending the aerospace and defense stocks higher, even in the face of the sequester and a possible government shutdown. Oil stocks are at 52-week highs, including EOG Resources (EOG) and Anadarko Petroleum (APC). China-centric stocks such as Cummins (CMI), Emerson Electric (EMR) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN) have made homes on the list as week. Cramer said even the semiconductor names have managed a rally -- just look at Micron Technology (MU) for proof. It is truly an extraordinary moment, said Cramer, which has him both impressed but also remaining cautious and raising cash anytime the market manages another rally. Executive Decision: Michael Weiss Apparel retailers have been hit or miss lately, and that's why Cramer used his "Executive Decision" segment to sit down with Michael Weiss, chairman and CEO of Express (EXPR), which just delivered a 6% rise in same-store sales while offering a positive outlook for its expansion plans. Cramer started off by asking Weiss exactly what it is that Express is selling that no other retailer seems to have. Weiss said that it depends on the day because the retail market is becoming increasingly volatile. He said the key to success in this type of market is to pursue the customer harder than ever. Weiss added that Express believes there are patterns in what people buy and how they buy it. The key is to identify and anticipate those patterns and go with it. That's why Express stores are continually testing items to determine what the next fashions will be, connecting the dots before their competition does.

When asked if retail is dead in an age where Amazon.com (AMZN) can delver just about anything in two days or less, Weiss said that there still are experiential aspects to shopping and customers will still shop as some malls and on some streets that offer that superior experience. Those outlets with poor service and selections, he said, are the ones suffering at the hands of online retail.

Turning to the company's stock price, Weiss said that for new public companies, investors and analysts are looking for one thing, consistency. He said there is little tolerance for unexpected results. Cramer agreed, saying that Express is one of the few winners in the apparel group. Off the Tape

In his "Off the Tape" segment, Cramer sat down with Jon Steinberg, president and COO of the privately held social news Web site BuzzFeed to discuss both the upcoming Twitter initial public offering and how business is going.

Steinberg said Twitter will be the first purely social IPO to hit the market. He said companies like Facebook (FB) rely more in traditional advertising to fund their business, but Twitter relies on native advertising -- which is content-driven -- and not big, distracting banner ads. Steinberg continued that there is a lot of room for Twitter to grow because native and social advertising are eating a lot of dollars that used to go towards traditional banner ads. He expects the Twitter valuation to be between $10 billion and $20 billion, but noted that unlike Facebook, Twitter's IPO will be earlier in its growth, leaving more potential upside for investors. Turning to BuzzFeed, Steinberg said his Web site offers content geared towards younger people, calling it more leisure content to contrast much of the harder news that mainstream outlets gear toward an older audience. Unlike traditional news outlets, BuzzFeed lets its writers write whatever they think is interesting. Then the Web site looks at all the content every 15 minutes to determine which articles are the most compelling for its audience. Those articles are then promoted more and ultimately reach the widest audience. The same process is applied to advertising. While walled off from the editorial group, ads are carefully written and shown only to those who would be most interested. If the ad does well, it propagates; if not, it withers.

Top 5 Casino Companies To Watch For 2016

Despite BuzzFeed's increasingly popular model, Steinberg said his focus is still on growing and acquiring great content and not on being acquired of going public himself.

Cramer said BuzzFeed seems to have reinvented journalism and is succeeding where so many others are failing. Lightning Round

In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Facebook, Statoil (STO), InterMune (ITMN) and Jack in the Box (JACK).

Cramer was bearish on Newfield Exploration (NFX), LightInTheBox (LITB) and Annaly Capital (NLY). Takeover Prospects On the news that Molex (MOLX), makers of plugs, connectors and sockets, is being taken over for a big premium, Cramer immediately went to work looking for other possible takeovers in the space. Cramer said that the money's already been made in Molex, but investors could consider the two other connector makers, Amphenol (APH) and TE Connectivity (TEL), formerly part of Tyco Electronics. Between the two, Cramer said Amphenol is too expensive, trading at 18.7 times earnings, but he'd be a buyer of TE Connectivity. TE Connectivity is exactly the type of stock that does better as the economy improves, said Cramer, which is why its shares are just off the 52-week highs. Given the 10.4 multiple given to Molex, Cramer said TE Connectivity should fetch at least a 10% premium given where it trades now. But TE Connectivity is also a much bigger and better company, he noted, making it worth a whole lot more. Among the things Cramer found to like about TE Connectivity is the company's stronger margins, its greater exposure to the red-hot auto sector and its growing international exposure, especially in Europe. All in all, Cramer said he thinks TE Connectivity could see a 29% pop now that the spotlight is shining on the group. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. -- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C. To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in AAPL, APC and FB. Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC television program "Mad Money," is a Markets Commentator for TheStreet.com, Inc., and CNBC, and a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. All opinions expressed by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are his own and do not reflect the opinions of TheStreet.com or its affiliates, or CNBC, NBC Universal or their parent company or affiliates. Mr. Cramer's opinions are based upon information he considers to be reliable, but neither TheStreet.com, nor CNBC, nor either of their affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Mr. Cramer's statements are based on his opinions at the time statements are made, and are subject to change without notice. No part of Mr. Cramer's compensation from CNBC or TheStreet.com is related to the specific opinions expressed by him on "Mad Money." None of the information contained in "Mad Money" constitutes a recommendation by Mr. Cramer, TheStreet.com or CNBC that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. You must make your own independent decisions regarding any security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy mentioned on the program. Mr. Cramer's past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Neither Mr. Cramer, nor TheStreet.com, nor CNBC guarantees any specific outcome or profit, and you should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any strategy or investments discussed on the program. The strategy or investments discussed may fluctuate in price or value and you may get back less than you invested. Before acting on any information contained in the program, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and strongly consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser. Some of the stocks mentioned by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are held in Mr. Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio. When that is the case, appropriate disclosure is made on the program and in the "Mad Money" recap available on TheStreet.com. The Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio contains all of Mr. Cramer's personal investments in publicly-traded equity securities only, and does not include any mutual fund holdings or other institutionally managed assets, private equity investments, or his holdings in TheStreet.com, Inc. Since March 2005, the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio has been held by a Trust, the realized profits from which have been pledged to charity. Mr. Cramer retains full investment discretion with respect to all securities contained in the Trust. Mr. Cramer is subject to certain trading restrictions, and must hold all securities in the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio for at least one month, and is not permitted to buy or sell any security he has spoken about on television or on his radio program for five days following the broadcast.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Top Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now: Real Goods Solar Inc.(RSOL)

Real Goods Solar, Inc. operates as a residential and commercial solar energy integrator primarily in California and Colorado. The company provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. It offers various turnkey solar energy services, including design, procurement, permitting, build-out, grid connection, financing referrals, and warranty and customer satisfaction services. The company installs residential and small commercial systems that range between 3 kilowatts and 1 megawatt output. It also engages in the retail sale of renewable energy products. The company was founded in 1978 and is based in Louisville, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap solar stock Andalay Solar Inc (OTCMKTS: WEST) has largely cratered for investors verses solar stock peers Real Goods Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: RSOL) and SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ: SCTY), but is the company finally turning itself around after a failed deal to be acquired?

  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    Last Thursday when I suggested American Community (OTCMKTS:ACYD) was a stock that should be shed immediately, and replaced with a position in Real Goods Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:RSOL), I didn't win a lot of friends. After all, ACYD was the market's newest darling, in the middle of a red-hot runup, while RSOL was "just another solar name" that happened to be lucky enough to stumble its way above a key support line. Well, I hate to be the one to day I told you so, but, I told you so. American Community shares are down 35% since then, while Real Goods Solar shares are up 36% in the meantime. Both stocks seem pretty well entrenched in their current trends too.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-solar-stocks-to-watch-right-now-3.html

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Best Stocks To Watch For 2016

Best Stocks To Watch For 2016: American Railcar Industries Inc.(ARII)

American Railcar Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells hopper and tank railcars in North America. Its Manufacturing Operations segment manufactures general service and specialty hopper railcars that are used to transport, load, and unload grains, cement, plastic pallets, and bulk products, as well as to transport heavy ore mineral loads; and non-pressure and high pressure tank railcars used to handle various commodities, including petroleum products, ethanol, asphalt, vegetable oil, corn syrup, other food products, chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, liquid propane, and butane. This segment also manufactures custom and standard railcar components that comprise tank railcar components and valves, tank heads, discharge outlets for hopper railcars, manway covers and valve body castings, outlet components and running boards for industrial and railroad customers, and hitches for the intermodal market; and aluminum and special alloy steel castings for the trucking, construc tion, mining, and oil and gas exploration markets, as well as finished machined aluminum castings and other custom machined products. The company?s Railcar Services segment provides repair and refurbishment services that include full cleaning, interior and exterior coating, heavy repair/rebuilding, and non-destructive testing; engineering services, such as failure analysis, retrofit drawings, procedure preparation, regulatory compliance assistance, trouble shooting, and railcar inspections; and fleet management services comprising maintenance planning, project management, tracking and tracing, regulatory compliance, mileage audit, rolling stock taxes, and online service access. It sells its products through catalogs and sales force to leasing, industrial, and other non-rail companies, as well as to railroads. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in St. Charles,! Missouri. As of January 15, 2010, American Railcar Industries, Inc. operates as subsidiary of Icah n Enterprises L.P.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Grass Hopper]

    Another asset that Icahn Enterprises owns is American Railcar Leasing (ARII). Leasing railcars means primarily leasing tanker cars. The company leases other cars, too, but primarily tanker cars. Because the United States is finding oil in all sorts of places that it did not find oil before and because there is no pipeline capacity to get it to market, the only way to get it to market is by rail lines. In theory you could build pipelines except most people do not want to have a pipeline across their property, or anywhere near a property, or even through their town. As a practical matter you cannot build the pipelines.

  • [By Anna Prior]

    American Railcar Industries Inc.(ARII) said billionaire investor Carl Icahn has resigned as a director and chairman. Mr. Icahn’s resignation didn’t stem from any disagreement, but rather he wanted to decrease the number of boards on which he served, American Railcar said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-stocks-to-watch-for-2016.html

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Stockholder Vote be Damned: Big Bonuses Paid to Xstrata Execs in Glencore Merger

The $75 billion merger between commodities trading house Glencore International and Xstrata for form Glencore Xstrata plc was completed in April of this year. In December of 2012, several Xstrata executives received millions of dollars in bonus payments that had been rejected by shareholders

As part of the original merger offer, about 70 Xstrata executives were in line to receive some $223 million in retention bonuses, with Xstrata's CEO looking at a payout of around $47 million. After a shareholder vote in late November, the merger was approved but the retention bonuses were not.

According to Bloomberg News, Xstrata CEO Mick Davis paid his colleagues "transaction" bonuses. The payments came to light as part of a lawsuit in London involving a former Xstrata executive who was paid a transaction bonus of $783,000, but sued claiming he was owed a severance payment of about $667,000 when he was forced to resign. The severance payment was part of the executive's contract while the transaction bonus was not, according to lawsuit.

The letter from Davis announcing the bonuses was quite cheery:

The task of achieving a merger between Xstrata and Glencore has brought with it many hurdles along the way and has been a real test of our character to rise up and meet such obstacles. … I would like to thank you for the contribution you have made to get Xstrata to this point of the merger and am pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a transaction bonus.

Bloomberg cites the head of research at a U.K. body established to monitor public and private compensation:

It seems like a classic example of firms not wanting to heed investors' advice on pay. These payments should certainly be disclosed and explained.

Now there’s a classic British understatement for you.

Glencore Xstrata paid Davis about $7.4 million after terminating his six-month appointment as CEO of the combined companies.