At the current level, I think it still makes sense to buy Warren Buffett's most praised business: The Coca-Cola Company (KO). Its wonderful economics ��it operates in a business protected by very high barriers to entry - and the company's best-in-class global footprint are now in perfect conjunction with a fair valuation. Actually, Coca Cola's historical 10% to 15% premium to its peer global consumer goods companies has disappeared.
Three Main Reasons to Be Long Coca-Cola
One: Cost savings could be much higher than expected. According to Credit Suisse's analysts, Coca Cola might largely surpass its cost saving target by as much as 300%. This means that the world's soft drinks leader would be able extract up to $1.5 billion in efficiency gains from its value chain- or 7% of total costs. According to Coca Cola, the value chain optimization program goes around four basic areas: (1) Global supply chain optimization (2) Leverage on global marketing. (3) Operating expense leverage. (4) Data and IT standardization. That said, I think most of the efficiency gains will be a result of the optimization of the company's supply chain. The new plan is supposed to resemble what AB InBev (BUD) has been doing for a while in the beer industry: Very few, large and efficient breweries produce and package all the volume which is distributed via independent wholesalers and distributors.
Top Forestry Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)
Whole Foods Market, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of natural and organic food supermarkets. The company offers produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee and tea, nutritional supplements, and vitamins. It also provides specialty products, such as beer, wine, and cheese; body care and educational products, such as books; and floral, pet, and household products. As of February 9, 2011, the company operated 302 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Charles Sizemore]
Outside of premium or specialty grocers — think Whole Foods (WFM) or Trader Joe�� — growth in grocery sales is essentially limited to population growth, which has averaged less than 1% for the past decade. All jokes about Americans getting fatter aside, we��e really not eating more, and the grocery business is something of a zero-sum game for existing competitors. Again, outside of specialty or premium stores, new grocery store construction is mostly limited to new neighborhood construction.
- [By Isaac Pino, CPA]
Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFM ) can't do it; probably John Mackey told you that. Chipotle (NYSE: CMG ) can't do it. Those sustainable companies that are in our space, there's just not enough supply, so we've got to hope that, over time, that this is going to change.
10 Best Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: LinnCo LLC (LNCO)
Linn Co, LLC (Linn Co) sole purpose is to own LINN Energy, LLC (LINN) units. LINN is independent oil and natural gas company. LINN is focused on the development and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties, which include various producing basins within the United States. LINN�� properties are located in eight operating regions, which include Mid-Continent, which includes properties in Oklahoma, Louisiana and the eastern portion of the Texas Panhandle; Hugoton Basin, which includes properties located primarily in Kansas and the Shallow Texas Panhandle; Green River Basin, which includes properties located in southwest Wyoming; Permian Basin, which includes areas in west Texas and southeast New Mexico; Michigan/Illinois, which includes the Antrim Shale formation in the northern part of Michigan and oil properties in southern Illinois; California, which includes the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin; Williston/Powder River Basin, which includes the Bakken formation in North Dakota and the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, and East Texas, which includes properties located in east Texas. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties (Properties) located primarily in the Hugoton Basin of Southwestern Kansas from BP America Production Company (BP). On May 1, 2012, LINN completed the acquisition of certain oil and natural gas properties located in east Texas. In December 2013, Linn Energy LLC and Linn Co, LLC (Linn Co) announced the completion of the merger between LinnCo and Berry Petroleum Company (Berry), where LinnCo had acquired all of Berry's interest.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, LINN drilled a total of 294 gross wells. As of June 1, 2012, LINN had interests in approximately 15,000 gross productive wells (approximately 71% operated) and approximately 1.8 million net acres across seven regions in the United States.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt DiLallo]
The latest headlines point out that LINN is finally coming clean on its derivative costs, which shows that the company is overstating its cash flow. One article calls this a "surprise disclosure" that was "buried in a recently regulatory filing." The buried disclosure, found on page 257 of its registration statement for the joint deal with LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO ) for Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY ) says that mark-to-market losses on commodity derivatives:
- [By Matt DiLallo]
I firmly believe that LINN will successfully navigate the SEC inquiry, which once resolved should end the attacks against the company. In anticipation of that happening, I want to take advantage of the weakness created to add to my position in the company. In fact, I can point to two other major reasons why I think LINN and its affiliate LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO ) are both compelling values worth buying today.
10 Best Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA (MB)
Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA is an Italy-based bank. Together with its subsidiaries, the Company's activities are divided into three main segments: Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Principal Investing (PI) and Retail and Private Banking (RPB). In the CIB segment, the Bank is engaged in the investment banking activities, leasing services and trading investments. The PI segment comprises the Bank�� shareholdings in companies involved in the insurance sector, multimedia publishing activities and telecommunication services, as well as stakes acquired as part of merchant banking activity and investments in private equity funds. The RPB consists of financial products and services provided to retail customers, including consumer credit products, mortgages, deposit accounts, private banking and fiduciary activities. In September 2013, the Company launched the sale of its investment in Telco. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bloomberg]
Mattel (MAT), the world's largest toymaker, agreed to buy Mega Brands (MB) for $460 million, acquiring the biggest challenger to Lego A/S in the construction-toy market. Mattel is offering C$17.75 ($16) a share, according to a statement today, a 36 percent premium over yesterday's closing price. The board of Montreal-based Mega Brands unanimously approved the transaction, and investors holding 39 percent of the stock, including Chief Executive Officer Marc Bertrand and Fairfax Financial Holdings (FFH), agreed to the deal. The purchase of Mega Brands, the world's second-largest maker of snap-together blocks, will fill a product hole for Mattel. It doesn't have its own construction line, locking it out of a $4 billion market in the U.S. and Europe. The category also is a bright spot in a toy industry that has seen growth stall in the U.S. Mattel considered starting its own construction line, then opted instead to buy Mega Brands because it would be faster and less risky, Mattel CEO Bryan G. Stockton said on a call with reporters. Mattel got its first taste of construction in 2012 when it debuted blocks for its Barbie brand through a licensing deal with Mega Brands. Mattel realized that replicating this kind of expertise would take years, Stockton said. 'About Growth' "This acquisition is all about growth," Stockton said. "We see an opportunity to expand our brands in this category across boys, girls and preschool." Mattel shares rose 0.8 percent to $37.44 at 10:34 a.m. in New York. They had declined 9 percent over the past year through yesterday. Shares of Montreal-based Mega Brands surged 36 percent to C$17.73 today in Toronto. Mattel is coming off a lackluster holiday season, with sales sinking 6.3 percent -- the biggest quarterly drop since 2009. The El Segundo, California-based toymaker has looked to acquisitions to boost sales in the past. In February of 2012, it paid $680 million to buy HIT Entertainment, owner of Thomas the Tank Engine. It also acq
10 Best Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: Red Lion Hotels Corporation(RLH)
Red Lion Hotels Corporation, a hospitality and leisure company, engages in the ownership, operation, and franchising of midscale, full, select, and limited service hotels under the Red Lion brand. As of June 30, 2011, its hotel network comprised of 44 hotels located in 8 states and 1 Canadian province, with 8,457 rooms. The company also offers ticketing services and promotion and presentation of entertainment productions, as well as provides ticketing inventory management systems, call center services, and outlet/electronic channel distribution for event locations. In addition, it has direct ownership interest in a retail mall in Kalispell, Montana, as well as involves in the real estate investments. The company was formerly known as WestCoast Hospitality Corporation and changed its name to Red Lion Hotels Corporation in September 2005. Red Lion Hotels Corporation was founded in 1937 and is based in Spokane, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Monday
Earnings Releases Expected: Sotheby�� (NYSE: BID), Otelco (NASDAQ: OTEL), Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX), Red Lion Hotels Corporation (NYSE: RLH) Economic Releases Expected: Italian industrial production, Mexican industrial production, Portuguese trade balanceTuesday
10 Best Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (GGAL)
Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. operates as a financial services holding company in Argentina. The company offers financial products and services, including collection and payment services, commercial credit cards, direct payroll deposits, capital market alternatives, foreign trade solutions, and corporate e-banking solutions; corporate debt transactions and securitization transactions; and e-collection and payment solutions to various agencies, municipalities, and universities. It also provides a range of financial products and services, such as transactions, loans, and investments; and checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, payroll direct deposits, insurance, and retirement and pension payments. In addition, the company offers mutual funds and in brokerage services; manages positions in foreign currency and government securities; acts as an intermediary and distributes financial instruments for institutional investors, corporate customers, and individuals; and enables customers to buy and sell securities on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. Further, it provides life insurance products, including employee benefit plans and credit related insurance; and property and casualty insurance products, such as home and ATM theft insurance. As of December 31, 2012, the company operated 257 full service banking branches and 1,676 ATMs and self-service terminals. Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. was founded in 1905 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Federico Zaldua]
Grupo Financiero Galicia (GGAL), which was once owned by Rob Citrone's hedge fund Discovery Capital Management, owns one of Argentina's biggest private banks by deposits and the fastest growing within the banks that count with national presence. As a matter of fact, according to management, "the bank's estimated market share of loans to private sector was 9.10% growing 56 basis points from a year before and the market share of deposits from the private sector was 8.98% growing 28 basis points in the year."
10 Best Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: Rockwell Automation Inc.(ROK)
Rockwell Automation, Inc. provides industrial automation power, control, and information solutions. It operates in two segments, Architecture and Software, and Control Products and Solutions. The Architecture and Software segment offers control platforms that perform multiple control disciplines and monitoring of applications, including discrete, batch and continuous process, drives control, motion control, and machine safety control; and products comprising controllers, electronic operator interface devices, electronic input/output devices, communication and networking products, and industrial computers. This segment also offers software products, such as configuration and visualization software used to operate and supervise control platforms, advanced process control software, and manufacturing execution software to enhance manufacturing productivity and meet regulatory requirements; and rotary and linear motion control products, and sensors and machine safety components . The Control Products and Solutions segment provides low and medium voltage electro-mechanical and electronic motor starters, motor and circuit protection devices, AC/DC variable frequency drives, push buttons, signaling devices, termination and protection devices, relays and timers, and condition sensors; and packaged solutions, such as configured drives and motor control centers to automation and information solutions, as well as life-cycle support services. The company sells its products, solutions, and services primarily under the Rockwell Automation, Allen-Bradley, A-B, and Rockwell Software brand names to the food and beverage, transportation, oil and gas, metals, mining, home and personal care, pulp and paper, and life sciences markets through independent distributors and direct sales force in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Rockwell Automation, Inc. was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Milwaukee , Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Munarriz]
Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK ) isn't being an automaton with its disbursements. The leading player in industrial automation and information is jacking up its quarterly payouts 11% to $0.52 a share. This may not seem like much, but string enough of these increases along and you really move the needle. Rockwell's rate has soared 80% over the past four years.
10 Best Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: MAKO Surgical Corp.(MAKO)
MAKO Surgical Corp., a medical device company, markets its advanced robotic arm solution and orthopedic implants for orthopedic procedures in the United States and internationally. The company offers MAKOplasty, a restorative surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to treat patient specific osteoarthritic disease. It also provides robotic arm interactive orthopedic system (RIO) consisting of a tactile robotic arm utilizing an integrated bone cutting instrument; and a patient specific visualization component, which offers pre-operative and intra-operative guidance to the orthopedic surgeon, enabling tissue sparing bone removal, and accurate implant insertion and alignment. The company?s MAKOplasty partial knee arthroplasty solution enables resurfacing of one or two specific diseased compartments of the joint, preserving more soft tissue and healthy bone of the knee; and MAKOplasty Total Hip Arthroplasty, a surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to pe rform total hip arthroplasty. In addition, it offers tactile guidance system, which allows orthopedic surgeons to treat degenerative knee osteoarthritis from early-stage unicompartmental degeneration through mid-stage multicompartmental degeneration with a modular knee implant system; and RESTORIS family of implants for use in single and bicompartmental knee resurfacing procedures. The company markets its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent orthopedic product agents and distributors. MAKO Surgical Corp. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Competition in robotic surgical devices is also starting to get fiercer. MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO ) recently filed lawsuits against rivals Blue Belt Technologies and Stanmore Implants, with allegations of improper conduct by a former sales manager in the case of Blue Belt and of patent infringement against Stanmore. Just today, Stanmore gave in to most of MAKO's demands, deciding to give up its robotics business and sell its related assets to MAKO to settle the dispute. As for Intuitive, it hasn't yet seen a major direct competitive threat, but if the da Vinci gets past current safety concerns, growing popularity could drive big industry players to look at coming up with robotic systems of their own.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Next Tuesday, MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Stryker�(SYK) has dropped 1.9% to $69.52 after it said it would purchase�Mako Surgical�(MAKO) for $30 a share.
J.C. Penney�(JCP) has dropped 8.8% to $10.52, its lowest price in 12 years, continuing its recent selloff.
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