Stocks fell today despite the lack of anything significant that would drive down the prices of Netflix (NFLX), Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) and Facebook (FB), among other high fliers.
ReutersThe S&P 500 fell 0.5% to 1,857.44 as Netflix plunged, 6.7% to $378.90, Facebook declined 4.7% to $64.10 and Alexion Pharmaceuticals dropped 6.3% to $149.76 as biotech stocks continued to sell off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, dropped just 0.2% to 16,276.69 thanks to its lack of stocks like Netflix, Facebook and Alexion Pharmaceuticals. The Dow was also helped by the strong performance of International Business Machines (IBM), which rose 0.9% to $188.25 and Procter & Gamble (PG), which advanced 1.8% to $79.30.
Don’t blame global economic activity, says JPMorgan’s David Hensley, which is looking OK despite disappointment in China:
Top 5 International Companies To Own In Right Now: USell.com Inc (USEL)
usell.com, Inc. (uSel), formerly known as Upstream Worldwide, Inc., incorporated on November 18, 2003, is a technology-based company. The Company focuses on creating an online marketplace where individuals interested in selling small consumer electronics.
The Company through its wholly owned subsidiaries helps individuals monetize household items. Household items, such as small consumer electronics that they no longer using.
The Company competes with eBay.com, craigslist.com and BestBuy, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By EquityOptionsGuru]
Over the past decade, online marketplaces have been springing up at a rapid fire pace.� Consumers continue to seek new outlets to both buy and sell products at reasonable prices with high efficiency.� This need can be seen in the re-commerce industry, which represents an annual market of $57 billion.� Although eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) has been the dominant player for the better part of a decade, it is facing increasing pressure from other marketplaces for cost and convenience reasons.� One such marketplace, uSell.com (OTC PINK: USEL), appears poised to rival eBay for years to come.
Top 5 International Companies To Own In Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)
Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Selena Maranjian]
It can be good, though, with kids, to add a few individual company stocks to the mix, to keep things more interesting. A solid, dividend-paying blue chip such as Waste Management (NYSE: WM ) can be a smart choice, in part because it's relatively easy to understand. It's reliable because garbage collection is likely to be in great demand for a long time, and the company has become a major recycler, too, even generating energy from some waste.
5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: CBOE Holdings Inc.(CBOE)
CBOE Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates markets for the execution of transactions in exchange-traded options. The company offers marketplaces for trading of options on individual equities, various market indexes, exchange-traded notes, and exchange-traded funds, as well as futures contracts and cash equities. It has strategic relationships with Standard & Poor's Corporation; Dow Jones & Co.; NASDAQ; and Frank Russell Co. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Kaitlyn Kiernan]
The Chicago Board Options Exchange(CBOE)�� Short-Term Volatility Index, which measures expectations for volatility over the next nine days, rose nearly twice as much Monday as the regular Volatility Index, the CBOE�� widely watched 30-day anxiety gauge. That divergence comes as investors prepare for additional fallout in U.S. stocks should military action in Ukraine escalate in the days ahead, but shows that they are less concerned about the longer-term consequences of the crisis.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
Another stock that looks ready to trigger a near-term trade is CBOE Holdings (CBOE), which is engaged in the trading of options on individual equities, market indexes and exchange-traded funds. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 56%.
If you take a look at the chart for CBOE Holdings, you'll notice that this stock recently formed a triple bottom chart pattern at $44.44, $44.58 and $44.86 a share. Following that bottom, shares of CBOE have started to uptrend modestly and move within range of taking out some key near-term overhead resistance levels.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CBOE if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $46.98 a share and then once it takes out its 50-day moving average of $46.98 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 612,798 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CBOE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $49.59 a share to its 52-week high at $51.12 a share. Any high-volume move above $51.12 will then give CBOE a chance to tag $60 to $65 a share.
Traders can look to buy CBOE off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below $44 a share. One could also buy CBOE 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.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Among exchanges, the action is beyond the stock market. With the rise in trading of futures, options, and other derivative investments, NYSE Euronext's ownership of the NYSE Liffe exchange in London was a key element of ICE's interest. CME Group (NASDAQ: CME ) and CBOE Holdings (NASDAQ: CBOE ) have worked hard to preserve their respective strength in futures and options, and rising market turbulence has made many of their products look a lot more enticing. Given that derivatives can help hedge market risk and reduce overall exposure, all of the exchange companies have an opportunity to bolster their presence in the derivatives market with innovative products that meet the new needs investors have in a more turbulent financial environment.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
CBOE Holdings (NASDAQ: CBOE ) offers micro-options on the Dow for which the price is based on a figure equal to 1% of the Dow's value. So for instance, at the close last Friday, you would have spent about $100 per contract to buy a put option with a strike price of 142 -- corresponding to a Dow value of 14,200 -- that expires in the middle of next month.
Top 5 International Companies To Own In Right Now: Prosperity Bancshares Inc (PB)
Prosperity Bancshares, Inc., incorporated on December 22, 1983, is a financial holding company. The Company operates through its bank subsidiary, Prosperity Bank (the Bank). The Bank provides a broad line of financial products and services to small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank operated 213 full service banking locations; 59 in the Houston area; 20 in the South Texas area including Corpus Christi and Victoria; 35 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; 21 in the East Texas area; thirty-four 34 in the Central Texas area including Austin and San Antonio; 34 in the West Texas area including Lubbock, Midland-Odessa and Abilene; and 10 in the Bryan/College Station area. The Company added a net of two banking centers in Tyler, TX in connection with its acquisition of East Texas Financial Services (East Texas) on January 1, 2013, after consolidations. In November 2013, the Company announced that the completion of the merger of FVNB Corp.
On January 1, 2012, the Company acquired Texas Bankers, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Bank of Texas, Austin, Texas. On April 1, 2012, it acquired The Bank Arlington. Effective July 1, 2012, the Company announced the completion of the merger with American State Financial Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary American State Bank (collectively referred to as ASB) whereby American State Bank was merged with and into Prosperity Bank. In October 2012, the Company announced the completion of the merger with Community National Bank, Bellaire, Texas. On January 1, 2013, the Company announced the completion of the merger with East Texas Financial Services, Inc. (ETFS) and wholly owned subsidiary First Federal Bank Texas. Effective April 1, 2013, Prosperity Bancshares Inc announced the completion of the merger with Coppermark Bancshares, Inc. and wholly owned subsidiary Coppermark Bank, whereby Coppermark merged with and into Prosperity and Coppermark Bank merged with and into Prosperity Bank.
The Company pr! ovides medical and hospitalization insurance to its full-time associates. The Company considers its relations with associates to be good. Neither the Company nor the Bank is a party to any collective bargaining agreement. In 2012, the Company added additional products and services including trust services, credit card, mortgage lending and independent sales organization (ISO) sponsorship operations.
Lending Activities
The Company, through the Bank, offers a variety of traditional loan and deposit products to its customers, which consist primarily of consumers and small and medium-sized businesses. At December 31, 2012, total loans were $5.18 billion. Loans at December 31, 2012, included $10.4 million of loans held for sale and consisted of residential mortgage loans that were acquired as part of the acquisition of ASB in 2012. As reflected in the table below, loan growth was also impacted by the acquisition of Texas Bankers, Inc., The Bank Arlington, ASB and Community National Bank. Excluding loans acquired in these acquisitions and new production at the acquired banking centers since their respective acquisition dates, loans held for investment grew approximately $234.9 million, or 6.2%. The Company offers a variety of commercial lending products including term loans and lines of credit. The Company offers a broad range of short to medium-term commercial loans, primarily collateralized, to businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisitions of real estate and improvements) and the purchase of equipment and machinery.
The Company makes commercial real estate loans collateralized by owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied real estate to finance the purchase of real estate. The Company�� commercial real estate loans are collateralized by liens on real estate, typically have variable interest rates (or five year or less fixed rates) and amortize over a 15 to 20 year period. Company�� lending activities al! so includ! es the origination of 1-4 family residential mortgage loans collateralized by owner-occupied residential properties located in the Company�� market areas. The Company offers a variety of mortgage loan products which generally are amortized over five to 25 years. Loans collateralized by 1-4 family residential real estate generally have been originated in amounts of no more than 89% of appraised value or have mortgage insurance. The Company requires mortgage title insurance and hazard insurance. Other than with respect to mortgage banking activities acquired in the ASB acquisition, the Company has elected to keep all 1-4 family residential loans for its own account rather than selling such loans into the secondary market. By doing so, the Company is able to realize a higher yield on these loans; however, the Company also incurs interest rate risk as well as the risks associated with nonpayments on such loans. The Company makes loans to finance the construction of residential and, to a lesser extent, nonresidential properties. Construction loans generally are collateralized by first liens on real estate and have floating interest rates. The Company provides agriculture loans for short-term crop production, including rice, cotton, milo and corn, farm equipment financing and agriculture real estate financing.
Investment Activities
The Company uses its securities portfolio to manage interest rate risk and as a source of income and liquidity for cash requirements. At December 31, 2012, the carrying amount of investment securities totaled $7.44 billion. At December 31, 2012, securities represented 51.0% of total assets. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company did not own securities of any one issuer (other than the U.S. government and its agencies) for which aggregate adjusted cost exceeded 10% of the consolidated shareholders equity .
Sources of Funds
The Company offers a variety of deposit accounts having a wide range of interest rates an! d terms i! ncluding demand, savings, money market and time accounts. The Company relies primarily on competitive pricing policies and customer service to attract and retain these deposits. The Company does not have or accept any brokered deposits. Total deposits at December 31, 2012, were $11.64 billion. Noninterest-bearing deposits at December 31, 2012, were $3.02 billion. The Company utilizes borrowings to supplement deposits to fund its lending and investment activities. Borrowings consist of funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and securities sold under repurchase agreements.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Houston-based bank holding company�Prosperity Bancshares� (NYSE: PB ) �announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.215 per share, the same rate it paid the last two quarters after raising the payout 10% from $0.195 per share.
- [By Chuck Carnevale]
Next, I run graphs on liquidity ratios and additional data on various valuation ratios to include price to book value (pb), price to cash flow (pcfl), price to free cash flow (pfcfl) and others that can be seen as options on the navigation bar to the left of the sample graph which only plots the current ratio (cr), a quick ratio (qr) and for those diehards concerned with volatility [size=11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">��/p>
Top 5 International Companies To Own In Right Now: Boulder Brands Inc (BDBD)
Boulder Brands, Inc., incorporated on May 31, 2005, is a supplier of gluten-free and health and wellness products in the United States and Canada. The Company distributes its products in all retail channels, including natural, grocery, club and mass merchandise. The Company also has a presence in the foodservice and industrial channels. The Company�� product portfolio consists of spreads, milk and other grocery products marketed under the Smart Balance, Earth Balance and Bestlife brands, and gluten-free products sold under the Udi's, Glutino and Gluten-Free Pantry brands. The Company operates in two segments: Smart Balance and Natural. The Smart Balance segment consists of its branded products in spreads, butter, grocery and milk. The Natural segment consists of its Earth Balance, Glutino and Udi's branded products. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired 100% interests of Phil's Fresh Foods, LLC, owner of EVOL Foods (EVOL).
Smart Balance Products
The Smart Balance line of products is available in a range of categories, formats and sizes in the supermarket, mass merchandise and convenience store channels of distribution. Some of the Company�� buttery spreads are also available in bulk and individual serving formats for use in the industrial and foodservice channels. The Company�� Smart Balance buttery spreads are made from a patented blend of natural oils to help balance fats in the consumer's diet and to help improve the good-to-bad cholesterol ratio when used as part of the Smart Balance Food Plan. Smart Balance Spreadable Butters, available in original, light and extra virgin olive oil varieties, are a blend of creamery fresh butter and canola oil that contain less saturated fat than butter, as well as functional ingredients like EPA/DHA Omega-3 and plant sterols.
The Company offers a range of enhanced milk products, with different varieties containing EPA/DHA Omega-3s, plant sterols, and added levels of calcium and protein. The Comp! any use low and fat-free milks enhanced with non-fat milk solids to give the taste and texture of whole or reduced fat milk. The Company�� milk varieties include fat-free milk, 1% lowfat milk and lactose-free milk and are available in markets across the United States. The Company�� peanut butter products contain ALA Omega-3 from flax oil. The Company�� cooking oil and cooking sprays are designed for use in cooking, baking and salads to aid in avoiding trans fat and hydrogenated oils. The Company also markets a Smart Balance Buttery Burst Spray. The spray has zero calories, zero carbs and zero fats per serving and can be used as a pan spray or as a topping.
The Company�� Smart Balance Light Mayonnaise Dressing has half the fat of regular mayonnaise, is non-hydrogenated, contains zero grams of trans fat and contains natural plant sterols and ALA Omega-3. The Company created the Smart Balance Food Plan, incorporating many of its Smart Balance products, in order to help consumers achieve a healthy balance of natural fats in their daily diet. The plan includes menus, as well as numerous recipes.
Natural
The Earth Balance line of products offers a range of buttery spreads, sticks, soymilks, nut butters and vegan mayo dressings formulated for consumers interested in natural, plant based and organic products. Glutino offers a range of shelf stable and frozen gluten-free products, including snack foods, frozen baked goods, frozen entrees and baking mixes, throughout the United States and Canada. Glutino also offers a range of fresh breads under the Genius brand name. Based in Denver, Colorado, Udi's markets gluten-free products under the Udi's Gluten Free Foods brand in the retail market. The Company owns and operates a health and wellness, subscripton-based Website at www.thebestlife.com, which is based on the philosophies of Bob Greene.
The Company competes with Unilever, ConAgra Foods, Dean Foods, Land O' Lakes, Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Food for L! ife, Van'! s, Nature's Path, Mary's Gone Crackers, Enjoy Life, Pamela's Gluten Free, Rudi's Gluten-Free, French Meadow Bakery, Schar, Kinnikinnick, Amy's Gluten Free, Snyder's, Blue Diamond Gluten-Free, Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free and Food Should Taste Good.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Pendulum]
Gluten-free products are the growth engine for Boulder Brands (BDBD). Certain consumers require gluten-free products for medical reasons, but Boulder Brands believes that the potential for gluten-free products is much wider. Bulls argue that the benefits of gluten-free foods extend to the broader population and consumers will gravitate toward gluten-free over time. Bears argue that only a small segment of the population really requires gluten-free food and the much hyped gluten-free diet (for the broader population) is a fad. In the near term, the company has the potential to benefit from new gluten-free labeling as well as broader distribution and an expanded product offering. With the company trading at a high valuation, after a nice rally, is the optimism about gluten-free already priced-in or is there more upside?
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Hain have gained 2.2% to $79.91 today at 11:13 a.m–and trumping other health-food stocks today.� Annie’s Homegrown (BNNY) has ticked up 0.4% to $49.61, Boulder Brands (BDBD) has risen 0.6% to $15.96 and Whitewave Foods (WWAV) has dropped 1.3% to� $18.93.
- [By John Udovich]
However and not helping the stock around that time was a very�lengthy article by the�Prescience Point Research Group on Seeking Alpha entitled: Fleetmatics Group PLC: Accounting Shenanigans Are Inflating Its Financials, While Insiders Sell Aggressively. Investors and shorts alike can read the article and make their own judgment, but some of the commenters have pointed out that similar attack articles from Prescience Point Research Group on stocks like the Active Network Inc (NYSE: ACTV) and Boulder Brands Inc (NASDAQ: BDBD) have backfired on the shorts. With that said, the article does highlight some of the risks investors face with the stock.
- [By Selena Maranjian]
Boulder Brands (NASDAQ: BDBD ) gained 38%, and though you may think you don't know the company, it used to be Smart Balance until recently, and sports healthy-leaning brands, such as Smart Balance, Udi's, Glutino, Earth Balance, and Best Life. (The company is based�in New Jersey, not Colorado, too.) Boulder recently bought 80% of GlucoBrands, owner of Level Life Foods, which specializes in blood-sugar-managing products such as bars and shakes. Boulder Brands is free-cash-flow positive�and enjoying double-digit�revenue growth.
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