Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of Green Dot (NYSE: GDOT ) , a money management solutions company known for its prepaid debit cards and payment transfer solutions, charged higher by as much as 12% after reporting better-than-expected first-quarter results.
So what: For the quarter, Green Dot saw revenue rise 8% to $155.8 million and GAAP EPS hit $0.42 as cash transfers jumped 11% and prepaid debit card active users fell 4%. Wall Street forecasts had only been calling for revenue of $141.4 million and EPS of $0.37. Furthermore, Green Dot offered guidance that was well-received by investors. For fiscal 2013, Green Dot is forecasting EPS of $0.95-$1.20 on revenue of $525 million to $550 million, which is actually up from the company's own previous forecast of $510 million to $540 million. Current estimates had been calling for EPS of $1.15 on $540.8 million in revenue.
10 Best Gas Stocks To Own Right Now: Morvest Business Group Ltd (MOR)
Morvest Business Group Limited (Morvest) is a South Africa-based company. The company is an outsourcing and technology services and solutions company. The Company operates in three segments: Business Support Services focuses on consulting professional services and outsourcing services; ICT Solutions focuses on the application implementation and infrastructure services and Retail and Consumer Services, which is engaged in renders management services to the Company. As of May 31, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries include, Morvest Shared Services (Pty) Limited, Foster Melliar (Pty) Limited, Morvest Human Capital Management (Pty) Limited, Morvest Professional Services (Pty) Limited, ITQ Business Solutions Group (Pty) Limited, Morvest Information Communication and Technology Limited and Morvest Mithratech (Pty) Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
MorphoSys (MOR) is a German biotechnology company with proprietary technology to develop human antibodies for specific diseases. Over the quarter, the company signed two licensing deals (with GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Celgene Corp., not held by the fund) for its proprietary compounds, providing outside validation for its technology as well as upfront cash and future royalty payments.
Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Master Fund (GCC)
GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Fund (the Fund), incorporated on October 27, 2006, is a statutory trust. The investment objective of the Fund and The GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index Master Fund (the Master Fund) is to reflect the performance of the Index, over time, less the expenses of the operations of the Fund and the Master Fund. The Master Fund is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fund and the Managing Owner. CSC Trust Company (the Trustee) is the sole trustee of the Fund and the Master Fund.
The Master Fund issues common units of beneficial interest, or Master Fund Units, which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Master Fund. The Fund invests substantially all of its assets in the Master Fund in a master-feeder structure. The Fund holds no investment assets other than Master Fund Units.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Stavros]
Whereas in the 1970s there were limited ways to hedge against inflation, now there is a cornucopia of currency and international commodities instruments that can not only hedge against inflation but other global shocks, such as market bubbles and even war.
And it is these very scenarios that investors have been worried about. Since the beginning of the year, stocks, bonds and just about any investment you can think of have gyrated wildly at various times amid concerns of war, inflation and the possibility that the U.S. equity market is overvalued and headed for a correction.
In response, some market analysts in Bloomberg news reports have offered any number of wildly unsubstantiated statements for why investors should ignore today’s perils. They dismiss the danger posed by Russia�� annexation of Ukraine�� Crimea region (��utin will stop short of other countries or war with the West��. They also argue that the Federal Reserve chairwoman misspoke (��anet Yellen really didn�� mean a rate hike is coming soon. Inflation is under control. It was a rookie mistake��.
For my money, here’s the most outrageous: The Shiller Cyclically adjusted P/E metric which has predicted the 1929, 2000 and 2007 downturns doesn�� apply (��uggests only a slightly expensive market with low to moderate returns going forward on average��.
With new records being set by the S&P 500 in the last few months, it stands to reason that some investors have not needed much convincing to stay all in and buying. This mindset has prevailed, even as the impact of a Russian war or conflict, runaway inflation or a market correction could be devastating to investor portfolios, taking years to recover.
If you��e never thought of certain investments as “insurance,” it�� time to start now. Protecting wealth is as important as building wealth. And as previously mentioned, we have found that the Inflation Survival Letter�� Thri - [By Richard Stavros]
GreenHaven Continuous Commodity Index (GCC) is an exchange-traded fund that aims to track the Equal Weight Continuous Commodity Total Return Index (CCI-TR), which provides exposure to diversified commodities. The index is up 4.75% year-to-date, and up 24.63% over the last five years.
Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: HNI Corp (HNI)
HNI Corporation, incorporated in 1944, is a provider of office furniture and hearth products. The Company operates in two segments: office furniture and hearth products. A broad office furniture product offering is sold to dealers, wholesalers, national office product distributors, end-user customers, and federal, state and local governments. Hearth products include a range of gas, electric, wood and biomass burning fireplaces, inserts, stoves, facings and accessories. These products are sold through a national system of dealers and distributors, as well as Corporation-owned distribution and retail outlets. It manufactures office furniture in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Texas and China. The Company manufactures hearth products in Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and Pennsylvania. On November 14, 2011, the Company acquired Sagus International, Inc. (Sagus), a designer and manufacturer of educational furniture solutions. In August 2012, the Company BP Ergo Limited, a manufacturer and marketer of office furniture in India.
Eight operating units, marketing under various brand names, participate in the office furniture industry. These operating units include The HON Company, Allsteel Inc., Maxon Furniture Inc., The Gunlocke Company L.L.C., Paoli Inc., Hickory Business Furniture, LLC (HBF), Sagus and HNI Hong Kong Limited (Lamex). The operating unit Hearth & Home Technologies Inc. (Hearth & Home) participates in the hearth products industry. The retail and distribution brand for this operating unit is Fireside Hearth & Home. HNI International Inc. (HNI International) sells office furniture products manufactured by the Company�� operating units in select markets outside the United States and Canada. With dealers and servicing partners located in more than 50 countries, HNI International provides project management services virtually worldwide. The Company distributes its products through a network of independent office furniture dealers,! office products dealers, wholesalers and retailers. The Company is a supplier of office furniture to the nationwide distributors of office products.
Office Furniture
The Company designs, manufactures and markets a range of office furniture in four categories: storage, including vertical files, lateral files and pedestals; seating, including task chairs, executive desk chairs, conference/training chairs, side chairs and educational chairs and desk combinations; office systems (modular and moveable workspaces with integrated work surfaces, space dividers and lighting), and desks and related products, including tables, bookcases and credenzas. Its products are sold under the brand names, such as HON, Allsteel, Maxon, Gunlocke, Paoli, HBF, Artco Bell, Midwest Folding Products, LSI Corporation of America, basyx and Lamex, as well as private labels.
The Company offers a range of storage options designed either to be integrated into its office systems products or to function as freestanding furniture in office applications. The Company sells its freestanding storage through independent office products and office furniture dealers, nationwide chains of office products dealers, wholesalers and national office product distributors. The Company's seating line includes chairs designed for all types of office work.
It offers a complete line of office panel system products for team work settings, private offices and open floor plans. The Company offers whole office solutions, movable panels, storage units and work surfaces that can be installed and reconfigured. The Company and its dealer partners also offer consultative selling and design services for its office system products.
The Company�� offering of desks and related products includes stand-alone steel, laminate and wood furniture items, such as desks, bookshelves, credenzas and mobile desking. The Company's desks and related products are sold to a range of customers from those designing office config! urations ! to small retail and home office purchasers. It offers a range of tables designed for use in conference rooms, private offices, educational institutions, training areas, team work settings and open floor plans. It is North America�� manufacturer and marketer of prefabricated fireplaces, hearth stoves and related products, primarily for the home, which it sells under Heatilator, Heat & Glo, Quadra-Fire and Harman Stove brand names.
The Company�� line of hearth products includes a range of gas, electric and wood burning fireplaces, inserts, stoves, facings and accessories. Heatilator and Heat & Glo are brand in the two segments of the home fireplace market: vented-gas and wood fireplaces. In addition, the Company is also engaged in pellet-burning stoves and furnaces with its Quadra-Fire and Harman product lines, which provide home heating solutions using renewable fuel.
The Company competes with Steelcase Inc., Haworth, Inc., Herman Miller, Inc., Knoll, Inc., The Global Group, Kimball International, Inc., KI, Virco Mfg. Corporation, Teknion Corporation, Travis Industries Inc., Lennox International Inc., Monessen Hearth Systems Co., FMI Products, LLC, Wolf Steel Ltd. (Napoleon) and FPI Fireplace Products International Ltd. (Regency).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Fireplace and office furniture maker�HNI� (NYSE: HNI ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.24 per share, the same rate it paid for the last four quarters after it raised the payout a penny from $0.23 per share.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Last week, HNI Corp. (HNI) beat earnings forecasts and promptly fell 3.4%. Raymond James, however, thinks the selloff was undeserved and raised its rating on the office-furniture maker, helping HNI Corp. to make back its loss.
Raymond James analysts Budd Bugatch and�Bobby Griffin explain why they upgraded HNI Corp.:
We are upgrading HNI to Outperform from a Market Perform rating and establishing a $36.00 price target following the company�� 1Q14 earnings release and management conference call. As stated in an earlier note, HNI delivered a ��lean��1Q14 EPS beat; and we are puzzled by Thursday�� trading activity. HNI historically trades at a premium to the office furniture peer group, but following the shares��recent pullback (down ~3.5% on Thursday before the Good Friday holiday and down 14% YTD compared to +0.8% for the SPX YTD), this is no longer the case and gives us reason for a more constructive rating.
Shares of HNI Corp. have gained 4.9% to $35.17 at 1:45 p.m., while Steelcase (SCS) has risen 0.8% to $16.93, Knoll (KNL) has advanced 2.5% to $18.74 and Herman Miller (MLHR) has ticked up 0.3% to $30.57.
- [By CRWE]
HNI Corporation (NYSE:HNI) reported that it has acquired BP Ergo Limited, a leading manufacturer and marketer of office furniture in India which goes to market through a national network of sales branches and dealers supported by two manufacturing locations.
- [By Anna Prior]
HNI Corp.(HNI) said it plans to close its Midwest Folding Products facility as part of an ongoing cost-cutting effort. The Iowa office-furniture maker said it would consolidate the Chicago production into an existing education-furniture manufacturing facility and estimated it would save $2.3 million a year starting in 2015.
Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: Expeditors International of Washington Inc.(EXPD)
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. provides logistics services in the United States and internationally. The company?s services include consolidation or forwarding air and ocean freight; distribution management; vendor consolidation; cargo insurance; purchase order management; and customized logistics information. Its airfreight services comprise the procurement of shipments from its customers; determination of the routing; consolidation of shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point; and selection of the airline for transportation to the distribution point. The company also offers breakbulk services that include receiving and breaking down consolidated airfreight lots and arranging for distribution of the individual shipments. Its ocean freight and ocean services include ocean freight consolidation; and handling full container loads. In addition, the company acts as a customs broker, who assists importers to clear shipments through customs by pre paring required documentation, calculating and providing for payment of duties on behalf of the importer, arranging for any required inspections by governmental agencies, and arranging for delivery; and provides other value added services at destination, such as warehousing and product distribution, time definite transportation, and inventory management. Further, it offers custom clearances for goods moving by rail and truck between the United States, Canada, and/or Mexico; and customs consulting services The company?s customers primarily include retailers, distributors of consumer electronics, department store chains, clothing and shoe wholesalers, manufacturers, and catalogue stores. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
The express-delivery company has gained 28% during the past three months, trumping the 18% return from�United Parcel Service�(UPS), the 4.6% gain in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) and the 0.2% rise in Expeditors International of Washington�(EXPD).
- [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, global logistics company Expeditors International of Washington (NASDAQ: EXPD ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: Sterling Consolidated Corp (STCC)
Sterling Consolidated Corp., incorporated on January 31, 2011, is a holding company. The Company�� operations are conducted through its four subsidiaries: Sterling Seal & Supply, Inc. (Sterling Seal), ADDR Properties, LLC (ADDR), Q5 Ventures, LLC (Q5), and Integrity Cargo Freight Corporation (Integrity). The Company through its subsidiary, Sterling Seal engages primarily in the distribution and sale of O-rings, rubber seals, oil seals, custom molded rubber parts, custom Teflon parts, Teflon rods, O-ring cord, bonded seals, O-ring kits, and stuffing box sealant. The Company also owns real property through its subsidiaries ADDR and Q5. In addition, the Company�� subsidiary Integrity Cargo Freight Corporation (Integrity) is a freight forwarding business. In September 2013, the Company announced the acquisition of Superior Seals and Service in High Point, NC.
Sterling Seal sells directly to smaller distributors and original equipment manufacturers in need of seals. It offers a catalogue of standard sizes, and will take orders for special sizes not available in the standard catalogue. O-rings and the other products that Sterling Seal sells are used in a variety of industries, including automotive, pump, transmissions, oil and energy, machinery, and packaging. Integrity are primarily responsible for transporting products the Company order from its suppliers back to its warehouse in Neptune, NJ. After Sterling Seal confirms from its supplier that a product is ready to be picked up, Integrity Cargo is responsible for picking up the products and getting them to the dock and delivered to the Sterling Seal warehouse. ADDR owns a 28,000 square foot facility in Neptune, NJ. Q5 Ventures, LLC owns a 5,000 square foot facility in Apopka, Florida, which is used by Sterling Seal for its Florida operations.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks Pulse Network Inc (OTCBB: TPNI), Sterling Consolidated Corp (OTCBB: STCC) and diaDexus, Inc (OTCMKTS: DDXS) have or could start to sizzle for investors. However, I should also mention that two of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions while a third apparently has not been, and could be the real deal. With that in mind, here is a closer look along with a quick reality check about all three small caps to help you decide whether they are hot or not:
- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks Muscle Warfare International (OTCMKTS: MWAR), Portlogic Systems Inc (OTCMKTS: PGSY) and Sterling Consolidated Corp (OTCBB: STCC) were all the subject of a few paid promotions as recently as last week but they sure did not start the new week out right because all were sinking on Monday. So are these small cap stocks that are either the subject of promotions or investor awareness campaigns hot or not? Here is a quick reality check: