Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ) isn't a stranger to China. But while the company's done business in the region for decades, lately China hasn't been too kind to Qualcomm. The country is already in the middle of investigating the company for monopoly practices and, to make matters worse, Qualcomm recently said Chinese businesses aren't paying device royalties owed to the company.
Same country, new problems
In addition to selling mobile processors,�the company makes much of its revenue from baseband chips that connect mobile devices to cellular networks. Qualcomm is a leader in the mobile chip space, typically being several generations ahead with its chip technology than other companies.�The Chinese government's investigation into Qualcomm's business practices isn't anything new, but last week a state-run newspaper said the company indeed does have a monopoly on wireless communication standards.
Receiving a monopoly ruling against Qualcomm doesn't necessarily mean it broke any Chinese antimonopoly laws, but the investigation is hurting the company's revenue. The company said last week in an SEC statement that the�monopoly probe made it harder to collect licensing fees for its technology.
Top 10 Paper Stocks To Invest In 2015: A. Schulman Inc.(SHLM)
A. Schulman, Inc. supplies plastic compounds and resins for packaging, consumer products, industrial, and automotive applications. The company offers additive compounds, custom color concentrates for film and molding, carbon black color concentrates, white color concentrates, additive compounds for polyester resins and special pearl effects, antistatic concentrates, and masterbatch for the production of synthetic paper. Its products also include engineered plastics, such as thermoplastic elastomers and vulcanizates, filled and unfilled nylon and PBT compounds, nylon/ABS alloys, formulated ionomer compounds, thermoplastic ionomer resins, flame-retardant thermoplastic compounds and concentrates, polypropylene, polyethylene, EVA compounds, thermoplastic olefins, flexible thermoplastic PVC compounds, high-quality PVC compounds, PVC-based thermoplastic elastomers, and low-gloss PVC thermoplastic elastomers for industrial packaging, appliances, electrical connectors, power tools , recreational items, and lawn and garden equipments. In addition, the company provides custom color and specialty compound powders, rotational molding process compounds, cross-linkable resin used in rotational molding, high heat-distortion temperature materials, and thermoplastic powders, as well as provides jet milling services used for products requiring very fine particle size, such as additives for printing ink, adhesives, waxes, and cosmetics; and cryogenic milling services for heat sensitive materials. Further, it buys, repackages, and re-sells polymers for various processing types comprising injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, and extrusion, as well as provides tolling services. The company operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. A. Schulman, Inc. was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Basic materials sector was the top gainer in Wednesday’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included A. Schulman (NASDAQ: SHLM), up 5.2 percent, and Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF), up 5.8 percent.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on A. Schulman (Nasdaq: SHLM ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Jeremy Bowman]
What: Shares of A. Schulman (NASDAQ: SHLM ) were getting squashed today, falling as much as 14% after the plastics-maker turned in a subpar quarter.
Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Universal Forest Products Inc (UFPI)
Universal Forest Products, Inc., incorporated on February 9, 1955, is a holding company that provides capital, management and administrative resources to c and market wood and wood-alternative products for retail building home centers and other retailers, structural lumber and other products for the manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for the residential construction market, and specialty wood packaging and components and packing materials for various industries. Its operating segments consist of the Eastern, Western, Site-Built, Consumer Products and Distribution divisions. The Company�� subsidiaries also provide framing services for the residential market and forming products for concrete construction. The Company's consumer products operations offer a portfolio of outdoor living products, including wood composite decking, decorative balusters, post caps and plastic lattice. Its lawn and garden group offers an array of products, such as trellises and arches, to retailers nationwide. In January 2013, the Company�� subsidiary acquired Custom Caseworks, Inc.
In Retail Building Materials Market the Company offers composite wood and plastic products. The Company also sells engineered wood products to this market, which include roof trusses, wall panels and engineered floor systems. In Residential and Commercial Construction Markets, the Company supplies builders engaged in multi-family and commercial construction. It supplies wood forms and related products to set or form concrete for various structures, including garages, stadiums and bridges. The Company also provides framing services. In Manufactured Housing Market the Company distributes certain products, such as siding, electrical and plumbing to manufactured housing and RV customers. The Company define its industrial market as industrial manufacturers and agricultural customers who use pallets, specialty crates and wooden boxes for packaging, shipping and material handling purposes.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of Universal Forest Products (NASDAQ: UFPI ) jumped as much as 10% today after reporting earnings.
So what: Revenue rose 24% to $738.4 million and was well ahead of the $714.8 million analysts expected. Earnings per share fell 10% from a year ago, but at $0.79 was still $0.12 ahead of expectations. �
- [By Monica Gerson]
Universal Forest Products (NASDAQ: UFPI) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $625.77 million.
Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.38 per share on revenue of $2.82 billion.
- [By Victor Selva]
Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI) is a holding company that provides capital, management and administrative resources to subsidiaries that design, manufacture and market wood and wood-alternative products. It currently consumes about 7 percent of North American softwood lumber production per year.
- [By Marc Bastow]
Universal Forest Products (UFPI), which provides capital and resources to the wood product industry, raised its semiannual dividend 5% to 21 cents per share, payable Dec. 15 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 1.
UFPI Dividend Yield: 0.89%
Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Affymax Inc.(AFFY)
Affymax, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of drugs for the treatment of serious and life-threatening conditions. It develops peginesatide (Hematide), which has completed Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic renal failure. Hematide is a synthetic peptide-based erythropoiesis stimulating agent designed to stimulate production of red blood cells. The company has strategic alliance agreements with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Nektar Therapeutics AL, Corporation to develop and commercialize Hematide. Affymax, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is based in Palo Alto, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Kanak Kanti De]
Amgen needed an Onyx-like acquisition badly. For one, sales of Aranesp and Epogen, its flagship drugs for anemia, are dropping on concerns of safety, and loss of monopoly in 2012 to Affymax (AFFY), which received FDA approval for a rival anemia drug. (Note though, that after Omontys was recalled this year, that problem is resolved for Amgen.) Secondly, four of its top selling products go off patent in 2015.
- [By Alpha Exposure]
Investors in Affymax (AFFY) would like you to believe that Omontys will make a miraculous comeback and that Affymax will be a major winner. My belief is that the last AFFY article contained multiple factual errors that when refuted show that the future for Omontys is in fact dire. At the conclusion of this article all doubt should be removed regarding the low likelihood that Omontys returns to market.
Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Encore Capital Group Inc(ECPG)
Encore Capital Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in consumer debt buying and recovery business primarily in the United States. The company purchases and manages portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables, such as consumers? unpaid financial commitments to credit originators, including banks, credit unions, consumer finance companies, commercial retailers, auto finance companies, and telecommunication companies; and receivables subject to bankruptcy proceedings or consumer bankruptcy receivables. It also provides bankruptcy services to the finance industry, such as negotiating bankruptcy plans, monitoring and managing consumer?s compliance with bankruptcy plans, and recommending courses of action to clients in case of a deviation from a bankruptcy plan. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sally Jones]
Today�� diverse companies were chosen for their speculative enterprises. Both companies deal in the territory of what if. If Encore Capital Group Inc. (ECPG) can collect more from a huge portfolio of consumer debt, the company would grow. If Sophiris Bio Inc. (SPHS), a 10-person biopharm, is successful in competing to provide relief for prostate BPH symptoms, the company would soar.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap debt collection stocks like�Asta Funding, Inc (NASDAQ: ASFI), Encore Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: ECPG) and Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc (NASDAQ: PRAA) could be the latest target of a government shakedown or crackdown as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said this week that�before it formally proposes any rules for debt collection, it wants to hear how collectors verify borrowers' information and communicate with consumers. In other words, debt collectors could be restricted from using text messages, social media or other Internet-based tools in their pursuit to collect debts. With about one in 10 Americans coming out of the financial crisis with some debt in collection, investing in small cap�debt collection stocks has been profitable for investors. However, there is no timeline for when any new rules might be released for review or come into effect.
- [By Lawrence Meyers]
The other good news is on pages 10, 11 and 15. Delinquencies are rising, as are collections. If debt balances increase, you would expect delinquencies to rise as well. That bodes well for the big-time players in debt collection, Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRAA) and Encore Capital Group (ECPG). Both just reported robust growth in collections, revenues, and net income. They’re also making large international acquisitions. I love both companies and think they’re are undervalued.
Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Scientific Games Corp (SGMS)
Scientific Games Corporation (Scientific Games), incorporated on July 2, 1984, is a global supplier of solutions to lottery and gaming organizations worldwide. The Company�� products and services include instant lottery games, lottery gaming systems, terminals and services, and Internet applications, as well as server-based interactive gaming machines and associated gaming control systems. The Company reports its operations in three segments: Printed Products Group, Lottery Systems Group and Diversified Gaming Group. Printed Products Group is a provider of instant lottery tickets in the world. The Company�� Lottery Systems Group is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. Its Diversified Gaming Group provides services and systems to private and public operators in the wide area gaming industry, including server-based gaming machines and sports betting systems and services. On September 23, 2011, the Company acquired Barcrest Group Limited. During 2011, the Company launched MDI Interactive, a content services powerhouse dedicated to delivering gaming solutions for the Internet, mobile and all digital things. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of WMS Industries Inc.
Printed Products
Printed Products segment is primarily consists of instant ticket lottery business. The Company generates revenue from the manufacturing and sale of instant tickets, as well as the provision of value-added services, such as game design, sales and marketing support, specialty games and promotions, inventory management and warehousing and fulfillment services. It also provides lotteries with cooperative service programs (CSPs), to help them manage and support their operations. The Company also provides licensed games, promotional entertainment and Internet-based services to the lottery industry. It operates six instant ticket printing facilities across five continents.
!The Company provides lotteries with access to some entertainment brands on lottery products through its subsidiary MDI Entertainment LLC (MDI). The Company�� licensed entertainment brands include Harley-Davidson, Major League Baseball, Monopoly, National Basketball Association, The Price is Right, Wheel-of-Fortune and World Poker Tour. It also provides branded merchandise prizes, advertising, promotional support, turnkey drawing management services and prize fulfillment programs. In addition, it offers lotteries a Web-based platform called Properties Plus, which features players clubs, reward programs, second chance promotional websites, interactive games and, subject to applicable law, a subscription system that enables players to purchase lottery games securely over the Internet. The Company owns 20% interests in LNS ad Northstar, and 49% in CSG.
Lottery Systems
The Company is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. In the United States, the Company typically provides the necessary equipment, software and maintenance services pursuant to long-term facilities. Internationally, it typically sells terminals and/or computer software to lottery authorities and may provide ongoing fee-based systems and software support services. The Company�� lottery systems business includes the supply of transaction-processing software, draw lottery games, keno, point-of-sale terminals, central site computers and communication platforms as well as ongoing operational support and maintenance services. The Company is the instant ticket validation network provider to the China Sports Lottery.
The Company has lottery systems operating in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition, it provides video lottery central monitoring, and control systems and networks primarily to lotteries an! d gaming ! regulators. It also provides software, hardware and support for sports wagering systems. The Company has 50% interest in Guard Libang, a provider of instant ticket activation and validation and inventory management systems and services.
Gaming
The Company is a provider of server-based gaming machines and systems and other products and services to operators in the gaming industry. The Company�� Gaming segment includes The Global Draw Limited (Global Draw), a supplier of server-based gaming machines and systems, and game content primarily to bookmakers that operate licensed betting offices (LBOs) in the United Kingdom, and to gaming operators outside the United Kingdom. The Gaming segment also includes Barcrest Group Limited (Barcrest) and Games Media Limited (Games Media), suppliers of gaming machines, systems and game content to pubs, bingo halls and arcades in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
The Company provides its Gaming customers with gaming machines, remote management of game content and management information, central computer systems, secure data communication and field support services. It develops its own game content, and supplements its offering with content from third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company installed approximately 23,100 LBO gaming machines in the United Kingdom, which included approximately 8,000 LBO gaming. As of December 31, 2011, it had an installed base of approximately 6,100 gaming machines in its United Kingdom pub, bingo hall and arcade business, and installed approximately 6,500 gaming machines outside of the United Kingdom. During 2011, the Company owned a 50% interest in Sciplay, a joint venture with Playtech Services (Cyprus) Limited. It also owns 29.4% interests in RCN, and 20% in Sportech.
The Compnay competes with Pollard Banknote Limited, GTECH, BI Worldwide Ltd., Alchemy3, LLC, ePrize, LLC, GTECH, Pollard, Intralot Technologies, Inc., International Lottery and Totalizator Systems, Inc.! , Inspire! d Gaming Group Limited, Danoptra Ltd, Sceptre Leisure plc, Games Warehouse Limited, International Game Technology, Lottomatica, Bally Technologies, Inc., Inspired, Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Novomatic AG, Multimedia Games, Inc., WMS Industries Inc., Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., Amaya Gaming Group, Inc., Cryptologic Ltd., IGT, Microgaming Software Systems Ltd., Net Entertainment NE AB, NYX Gaming Group, OpenBet Technology Ltd. and Playtech Limited.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Johanna Bennett]
In corporate news: Scientific Games (SGMS) announced it is buying slot-machine maker Bally Technologies (BYI) for $5.1 billion, including debt. The Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock�� closing price on Thursday. The deal sent Bally soaring more than 29% to $77.70, while Scientific Games rose almost 2.8% to $8.78.
- [By Stock Maelstrom]
We are likely approaching the last time I will be reporting on WMS Industries (WMS), the former Williams Electronics. It has agreed to be acquired by Scientific Games (SGMS) for $26 per share, plus the assumption of WMS' modest debt. The deal is scheduled to close by the end of this year. On its own, WMS is having a dismal fiscal year, which ends June 30. For this year, the company, no doubt with distracted management, earnings are likely to end at about $0.90 per share, compared with fiscal 2012's $1.31 per share. Helping drive earnings lower are additional measures the company is taking to drive up revenues, which remain well below last decade's peak. WMS' stock has flat lined the past few months at within three percent of the $26 price. There is virtually no upside, though there is downside if the deal collapses. I see no reason to get invested in WMS.
- [By Johanna Bennett]
Scientific Games (SGMS) is placing a big bet on Bally Technologies (BYI).
Early today, the seller of instant ticketing systems and game-control software announce it was buying the slot machine maker for $5.1 billion, including debt, marking the latest deal in the gaming equipment industry.
Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock’s closing price on Thursday. Scientific Games will take on $1.8 billion of Bally’s debt.
As expected, the news sent Bally�� share soaring 20% to $77.72. But investors aren�� going all in on the deal, with Scientific Games��share price down 2% to $8.33 a share.
The deal looks good on paper. As the WSJ reports:
The two companies generated combined revenue of about $3 billion in the one-year period ended March 31. The merger plan calls for $220 million of cost synergies and $25 million of capital-expenditure savings through consolidating operations and creating efficiencies across a range of activities.
Scientific Games said it expects the deal to immediately benefit the company’s per-share earnings and cash flow and help reduce the company’s leverage over the next three to four years.
This is not the first coupling for Scientific Games. In late 2013, it bagged WMS Industries, a maker of gambling equipment, for $1.42 billion, while Bally acquired fellow casino-device maker SHFL Entertainment for $1.3 billion. And in mid-July, casino-equipment maker International Game Technology (IGT) agreed to be acquired by Italian lottery-operator Gtech in a deal worth $4.7 billion.
Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Buy Right Now: Alico Inc. (ALCO)
Alico, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a land management company in central and southwest Florida. It involves in harvesting, hauling, and marketing citrus, as well as purchasing and reselling citrus fruit; cultivating citrus trees; and cultivating raw sugarcane for sale. The company also engages in producing and selling beef cattle, feeding cattle, and replacement heifers to packing and processing plants and contract cattle buyers, as well as through local livestock auction markets. In addition, it grows, harvests, and sells vegetables for wholesale; produces sod; sells native plants and trees for landscaping purposes; and subdivides, develops, and sells real estate property. Further, the company involves in rock and sand mining; and rents land on a tenant-at-will basis for grazing, farming, oil exploration, and recreational uses. Additionally, it engages in the planning and strategic positioning of company owned land, and negotiating and renegotiating sales c ontracts. As of September 30, 2010, Alico owned approximately 139,607 acres of land located in the Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, and Polk counties. The company was founded in 1960 and is based in Fort Myers, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Agribusiness and land management company Alico (ALCO) raised its quarterly dividend 50% to 12 cents per share, payable on Jan. 14, 2014 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31, 2013.
ALCO Dividend Yield: 1.11% - [By John Udovich]
Last Friday, small cap Farmland Partners Inc (NYSEMKT: FPI) had an IPO to join Gladstone Land Corp (NASDAQ: LAND), Alico, Inc (NASDAQ: ALCO) and Limoneira Company (NASDAQ: LMNR) as the latest option for retail investors seeking a way to invest in American farmland. After all, there is that old quote attributed to Mark Twain: "Buy land, they're not making it anymore." Moreover, February Wall Street Journal article noted that From 2009 to mid-2013, average prices for agricultural land in the�US rose by half while in Iowa, Nebraska and some other Midwest farm states, prices more than doubled. However, the same article noted that there is mounting evidence that the farmland�boom is fizzling out as�farmland prices in Iowa fell 3% over the second half of last year and those in Nebraska fell 1%. The good news though is that today's agricultural sector looks markedly different than it did during the last farmland bust back in�the early 1980s while Greyson Colvin, the managing partner at investment manager Colvin & Co. (which owns about 7,000 acres of farmland), was quoted as saying: "We think this next 12 months is going to be the best window we've had in the past five years [to invest in farmland].��/p>
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