The Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite index futures rose 0.2%, while Dow Jones industrial average index futures made modest gains.
On Tuesday, the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index rallied 13.18 pts or 0.7%, to close at 1885.52, eclipsing its prior March 7 record of 1878.04. It was the seventh record close of 2014. The Dow rose 75.01 points, or 0.5%, to 16,532.67, and is within 44 points of its Dec. 31, 2013, record closing high of 16,576.66. The Nasdaq composite posted big gains, too, rallying 69.05 points, or 1.6%, to 4268.04.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: LPL Investment Holdings Inc.(LPLA)
LPL Investment Holdings Inc. provides an integrated platform of brokerage and investment advisory services to independent financial advisors and financial advisors at financial institutions in the United States. The company?s brokerage offerings include variable and fixed annuities, mutual funds, general securities, alternative investments, retirement and 529 education savings plans, and fixed income; and insurance offerings comprise personalized advance case design, point-of-sale service, and product support for a range of life, disability, and long-term care products. Its fee-based advisory platforms and support solutions offer access to no-load/load-waived mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, stocks, bonds, conservative option strategies, unit investment trusts and no-load, institutional money managers, and multi-manager variable annuities through five platforms, as well as third-party equity research and asset-management services, and fee-based advisory and consulting services to retirement plans. The company?s cash sweep programs consist of money market sweep vehicles and an insured bank deposit sweep vehicles. Its services also include tools and services that enable advisors to maintain their practice; and trust, investment management oversight, and custodial services for estates and families, as well as technology and open architecture investment management solutions to trust departments of financial institutions. LPL Investment Holdings Inc. provides its services to approximately 12,800 independent financial advisors from a range of firms, including wirehouses, regional and insurance broker dealers, banks, and other independent firms; and registered investment advisors, and advisors at small and mid-sized financial institutions. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Discount brokers had a great 2013, in large part because of the perceived boost they would get from rising interest rates and rising stock prices. Charles Schwab returned 83%, E*Trade Financial (ETFC) surged 119%, TD Ameritrade (AMTD) rose 88%, and LPL Financial (LPLA) finished the year up 69%.
- [By Marc Bastow]
Global investment and financial advisory services holding company LPL Financial Holdings (LPLA) raised its quarterly dividend 26.3% to 24 cents per share, payable March 10 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 24.
LPLA Dividend Yield: 1.81%
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW)
Palo Alto Networks, Inc., incorporated in March 2005, offers a network security platform that allows enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure their networks. The core of its platform is the Company�� firewall that delivers natively integrated application, user, and content visibility and control through its operating system, hardware, and software architecture. The Company primarily sells its products and services to end-customers through distributors, resellers, and partners, and directly to end-customers (collectively partners), who are supported by its sales and marketing organization, in the Americas, in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and in Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC). Its products and services can address a range of its end-customers��network security requirements, from the data center to the network perimeter, as well as the distributed enterprise, which includes branch offices and a number of mobile devices. It introduced PA-5000 Series and GlobalProtect subscription service in March 2011 and the PA-200 and WildFire subscription service in November 2011.
The Company�� platform is delivered in an appliance form factor and includes a suite of subscription services, as well as support and maintenance. Its subscription services can be activated on any of its appliances. All of the Company�� appliances incorporate its PAN-OS operating system and are based on its identification technologies, App-ID, User-ID, and Content-ID, which allow security policies to be defined within the context of applications, users, and content. It delivers these capabilities through a single-pass parallel processing architecture that simultaneously performs multiple identification, security and networking functions. The Company serves the enterprise network security market, which consists of Firewall/ Virtual Private Network (VPN), Unified Threat Management (UTM), Web Gateway, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP/IPS), and VPN technologies. The Company deriv! ed 62% of its total revenue from the Americas, 27% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and 11% from Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC) as of January 31, 2012.
The Company derives revenue from sales of its products and services, which together comprise its platform. Product revenue is primarily generated from sales of its Firewall. The Company�� Threat Prevention, universal resource locator (URL) Filtering, and GlobalProtect subscriptions provide its end-customers with real-time access to the antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, and malware protection capabilities across fixed and mobile devices. The Company�� application classification engine, called App-ID, uses multiple identification techniques to determine the exact identity of applications traversing the network. App-ID is the foundational classification engine that provides the core traffic classification to all other functions in its platform. The App-ID classification is used to invoke other security functions.
App-ID uses a series of classification techniques to identify an application. App-ID classifies all network traffic, including business applications, consumer applications, and network protocols, across all ports. User-ID integrates its platform with a range of enterprise user directories and technologies, including Active Directory, eDirectory, Open LDAP, Citrix Terminal Server, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Terminal Server, and ZENworks. Content-ID is a collection of technologies that enables its subscription services. Content-ID combines a real-time threat prevention engine, cloud-based analysis service, and a URL categorization database to limit unauthorized data and file transfers, detect and block a range of threats, and control non-work related Web surfing. Its WildFire, cloud-based analysis service provides a real-time analysis engine for detecting previously unseen malware. Its URL filtering database consists of millions of URLs across many categories and is designed to monitor a! nd contro! l employee Web surfing activities. Single-Pass Parallel Processing Architecture (SP3) has two elements: single-pass software and parallel processing hardware.
The PAN-OS Operating System operating system provides the foundation for its network security platform and contains App-ID, User-ID, and Content-ID. PAN-OS performs the core functions of its platform, while also providing the networking, security, and management functions needed for implementation. The PAN-OS networking functions include dynamic routing, switching, high availability, and VPN support, which enables deployment into a range of networking environments. PAN-OS also includes attack protection capabilities, such as blocking invalid or malformed packets, IP defragmentation, TCP reassembly, and network traffic normalization. The Company also offers, such as application traffic management, solution design and planning, configuration, and firewall migration. Its education services provide classroom-style training and are primarily delivered through its partners.
The Company competes with Cisco, Juniper, Intel, IBM, HP, Check Point Software, Fortinet and Sourcefire.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sue Chang]
Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW) �is forecast to report earnings of 10 cents a share in the fiscal third quarter.
- [By Lee Samaha]
IT security company Check Point Software (NASDAQ: CHKP ) delivered a good set of results recently, but its guidance disappointed and the stock took a hit. The company has long been known for its high profit margins and excellent cash flow, but the security marketplace is very competitive. Is Check Point starting to feel the heat from competitors like Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT ) and Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW ) ? Or, is its guidance too conservative?
Best Tech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Medical Marijuana Inc (MJNA.PK)
Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA), incorporated on May 23, 2005, is the publicly held company vested in the medical marijuana and industrial hemp markets. The Company is comprised of a diversified portfolio of products, services, technology and businesses solely focused on the cannabis and hemp industries. These products range from patented based cannabinoid products, to whole plant or isolated high value extracts specifically manufactured and formulated for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries. In March 2013, it sold certain equipment and inventory, web domain names, phone numbers, and all existing and pending agreements with hemp production and processing facilities to CannaVEST Corp.
The Company�� services are varied, ranging from medical clinic management to the capitalization and development of existing industry business and product leaders. Services include development of cannabinoid based health and wellness products, and the development of medical grade compounds. MJNA provides over 50 and patented cannabinoid delivery methods that are more socially and medically acceptable than smoking.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alan Brochstein]
Taking into account all of the data I have shared, I want to introduce my take on the most important names to follow. My initial list takes into account not only the market cap, but also business model and interest level. These are the stocks that I think merit the most attention (in alphabetical order):
CannaVest (CANV.OB)GW Pharma (GWPH)MedBox (MDBX.PK)Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA.PK)CANV doesn't really trade, as it is held closely by insiders (99.7%, including MJNA). I have a few concerns, including the valuation and some near-term financial challenges typical of a start-up with just one client looking to expand its customer base, but I like the focus and the fact that it is an SEC filer with a relatively clean history (i.e. none of the baggage of some of these other companies). I have spoken to its outsourced CFO and am impressed by his background (has been CFO or held key financial roles at publicly-traded healthcare companies). CANV is the partner to MJNA that is responsible for manufacturing the CBD (Cannibidiol, the cannabinoid in marijuana that is increasingly viewed as offering substantial medical benefits). I am very concerned about the near-term financials, but this is a pure-play with probably a two-year lead over other companies. I don't see a moat in terms of intellectual property or brands, but they have a good lead in terms of sourcing of supply and penetration into potential customers. Quite simply, they don't appear to have competition at present. The company, then, is a call option on CBD demand taking off. It appears that it could be a supplier to even Big Pharma should medical marijuana research move into the mainstream.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: China GengSheng Minerals Inc. (CHGS)
China GengSheng Minerals, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates in the materials technology industry. It develops, manufactures, and sells a range of mineral-based, heat-resistant products. The company�s products include refractory products, industrial ceramics, fracture proppants, and fine precision abrasives. Its refractory products comprise castable, coating, and dry mix materials; low-cement and non-cement castables; and pre-cast roofs that are used as linings and key components in industrial furnaces, such as steel production furnaces, ladles, vessels, and other high-temperature processing machines that operate at high temperatures in various industries. The company�s industrial ceramic products consist of abrasive balls and tiles, valves, electronic ceramics, and structural ceramics that are used as components for various end products, such as fuses, vacuum interrupters, electrical components, mud slurry pumps, and high-pressure pumps in the electric power, elec tronic component, industrial pump, and metallurgy industries. Its fracture proppant products include ball-like pellets that are used to reach pockets of oil and natural gas deposits trapped in the fractures under the ground. The company�s fine precision abrasives are primarily used for the surface-polishing and slicing of precision instruments, such as solar panels, as well as in a range of areas, including machinery manufacturing, electronics, optical glass, architecture, industry development, semiconductor, silicon chip, plastic, and lens. China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. sells its products to customers in the iron, steel, oil, glass, cement, aluminum, chemical, and solar industries in China and other parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. The company was formerly known as China Minerals Technologies, Inc. and changed its name to China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. in July 2007. China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. is based in Gongyi, the People�s Republic of China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
If you're a small cap enthusiast looking for some budding ideas, you may not need to look any further than China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. (NYSEMKT:CHGS), Bio Matrix Scientific Group Inc. (OTCMKTS:BMSN), and MER Telemanagement Solutions Ltd. (NASDAQ:MTSL). All three have either pushed themselves to the brink of a breakout, if they haven't started one already. Here's a closer technical look at MTSL, BMSN, and CHGS, and what it's going to take to get them going if they're not going already.
- [By Bryan Murphy]
If you're reading this, then odds are you already know that China Gengsheng Minerals Inc. (NYSEMKT:CHGS) shares are up a whopping 60% today. And, odds are good you're struggling to find a reason why CHGS are running so hard. Here's some advice - discontinue the hunt. You're not going to find a reason for all this bullishness in the headlines. Yet, there's a reason. It's just a bigger, almost too big to spot kind of reason. Either way, would-be traders can take the hint at face value.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Paradise Inc (PARF)
Paradise, Inc., incorporated in September, 1961, conducts operations through two business segments: Candied Fruit and Molded Plastics. The Candied Fruit segment is engaged in the production of candied fruit, a basic fruitcake ingredient, sold to manufacturing bakers, institutional users, and retailers for use in home baking. Based on market conditions, it is also engaged in the processing of frozen strawberry products for sale to commercial and institutional users, such as preservers, dairies and drink manufacturers. The Molded Plastics segment is engaged in the production of plastic containers for the Company�� products and other molded plastics for sale to unaffiliated customers.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, in terms of candied fruit sales, approximately 20% were shipped to manufacturing bakers and other institutional users, with the balance being sold through supermarkets and other retail outlets for ultimate use in the home. Sales to retail outlets are usually generated through registered food brokers operating in exclusively franchised territories.
The Company�� trademarks Paradise, Dixie, Mor-Fruit and Sun-Ripe are registered with the appropriate Federal and State authorities for use on the Company�� candied fruit. During 2011, the Company derived approximately 15% of its consolidated net sales from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Geoff Gannon]
What is the advantage of being a huge company? There are some. For one, we know the business is ��or was ��growable. A lot of small companies stay small because their circle of competence is small. Paradise (PARF) is an over the counter stock. It has a market cap of $10 million. And it dominates the candied fruit market in the U.S. Why isn�� the company bigger?
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Axcelis Technologies Inc.(ACLS)
Axcelis Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and services ion implantation, dry strip, and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips in the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. It offers a line of high energy, high current, and medium current ion implanters for various applications, such as line of single wafer implanters, known as the Optima platform, comprising the Optima XE, the Optima HD, and the Optima MD. The company also offers dry strip tools, including the Integra RS, which comprises paired-chamber process modules. In addition, it provides aftermarket services and support, such as spare parts, equipment upgrades, maintenance services, and customer training. The company sells its equipment and services through direct sales force, distributors, and manufacturing representatives. Axcelis Technologies was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Axler]
An old spin-out of Eaton Corp. (ETN), Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) designs, manufactures and services ion implantation, dry strip and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips. The semiconductor capital equipment industry is very cyclical, and as a smaller player in the industry, ACLS has not been immune, and gone through protracted periods of losses. In the past few years, the company has taken numerous steps to reposition itself for the next cyclical upswing by listening to its customers and investing heavily in R&D to revamp its product line to expand its addressable market opportunity, right-sizing its cost structure to substantially lower its breakeven level, establishing new collaborative partnerships, and optimizing its balance sheet to unlock value. Now with signs of a cyclical upswing occurring, and being led by memory - Micron (MU) and SanDisk (SNDK), ACLS is poised for accelerating earnings potential beginning in Q4'2013 that could drive its stock price substantially higher. However, with a few nearer-term catalysts on the horizon, investors may not want to wait too long before purchasing shares. As an early indicator, investors should consider that insiders recently purchased the stock in the open market in August at current levels. These stock purchases coincide with the one year anniversary of ACLS's new Purion M product line entering an evaluation period with a major customer. Sell-side analysts are starting to take notice and listening in to the company's recent conference call, which at least opens the door to new broker initiations in the future. The downside risk appears mitigated by ACLS's strengthened balance sheet, and dramatically improved operating financial model that has stemmed further cash burn. As the company hits an inflection point with new customer contracts and proves its earnings cycle is under way, we expect ACLS's valuation discount to peers to narrow and the stock to appreciate substantially
- [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]
The major dry strip product today is Suprema - Mattson's most advanced tool, and one that uses inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology and vacuum transfer. Two of the company's primary competitors use one but not the other, while the third uses both but charges about 20% more for its tools. According to Gartner, Mattson holds about 22% market share in this roughly $180 million/year market, with Lam Research (which acquired Novellus and dry strip IP from Axcelis (ACLS)) and PSK as the primary competitors.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: TherapeuticsMD Inc (TXMD)
TherapeuticsMD, Inc., incorporated in 1907, promotes, distributes and sells certain products developed and sold by Spectrum Health Network, Inc. (Spectrum) relative to its digital media network. Through the license agreement, the Company focuses on multispecialty group practices and independent physician associations (IPAs) to sell them subscriptions for software, hardware and content developed for and distributed by Spectrum. Spectrum sells its network to IPAs for equipment and installation. On October 4, 2011, the Company acquired VitaMedMD, LLC (VitaMedMD). As a result of the acquisition, VitaMedMD became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
VitaMedMD is a specialty pharmaceutical company, VitaMed is focused on providing products to the women�� health market. The Company focuses on market both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription nutritional supplements, drugs, medical foods and other medical products through pharmacies and its Web-site. Its brand includes a range of products for women�� health and associated with pregnancy, child birth, nursing, post birth and menopause. Its OTC product line available through its Website includes prenatal vitamins, DHA, iron supplements, calcium supplements, Vitamin D supplements, women�� multivitamins, natural (non-hormonal) menopause relief, and scar reduction creams. In March 2012, the Company launched its first prescription-only prenatal vitamin, vitaMedMD Plus Rx.
vitaMedMD Plus Prenatal Multi-Vitamin + DHA is a two pill combo pack that contains 18 essential vitamins and minerals and 300 milligrams (mg) of life�� DHA. vitaMedMD is a single dose daily multivitamin that provides 14 vitamins, minerals and 200 mg of vegetarian, plant-pure life�� DHA. vitaMedMD Plus Rx is a product with a single-dose combo-pack containing one prenatal vitamin tablet with Quatrefolic Acid. vitaMedMD Plus Rx is a product with a single-dose daily multivitamin containing Quatrefolic Acid. vitaMedMD Iron-150 is a iron replacement supplement. ! vitaMedMD Menopause Relief with Lifenol Plus Bone Support offers a natural solution for hot flashes, night sweats and mood disturbances. vitaMedMD Calcium + Vitamin D is a dietary supplements that help replenish and maintain beneficial levels of Vitamin D. vitaMedMD Stretch Mark Body Cream contains naturally-derived ingredients, including Peptides, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Fruit Extracts, that hydrate, soothe and pamper skin to make it softer, smoother and younger-looking.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Yesterday, mid cap women�� health stock Hologic, Inc (NASDAQ: HOLX) fell more than 10% after disappointing Wall Street on earnings,�meaning it might be time to take a look at it and�small cap women�� health stocks�The Female Health Company (NASDAQ: FHCO) and TherapeuticsMD Inc (NYSEMKT: TXMD) because after all, women account for half the population and these three small caps are all focused on the women�� health:
- [By Roberto Pedone]
One under-$10 specialty pharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is TherapeuticsMD (TXMD), which is focused on the sales, marketing and development of branded and generic pharmaceutical and OTC products primarily for the women's health care market. This stock has been in play with the bulls so far in 2013, with shares up 56%.
If you take a look at the chart for TherapeuticsMD, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong over the last three months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $2.03 to its recent high of $5.27 a share. During that uptrend, shares of TXMD have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of TXMD within range of triggering a big breakout trade.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TXMD if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.93 a share to its 52-week high at $5.27 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 volume of 450,661 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TXMD will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $6 to $7 a share.
Traders can look to buy TXMD off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at 4.30 a share, or near its 50-day moving average of $4.15 a share. One can also buy TXMD off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Blue Nile Inc.(NILE)
Blue Nile, Inc. operates as an online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry worldwide. Its fine jewelry selection includes diamond, gemstone, platinum, gold, pearl and sterling silver jewelry, and accessories, as well as wedding bands, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and watches. Blue Nile, Inc. sells its products through the Web sites bluenile.com, bluenile.ca, and bluenile.co.uk. The company was formerly known as Internet Diamonds, Inc. and changed its name to Blue Nile, Inc. in November 1999. Blue Nile, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
We think the next chapter of Internet growth will be driven by increasing broadband penetration and mobile 3G rollouts globally. Baron invests in the global Internet in two ways: 1) U.S. based Internet companies that have substantial international businesses, and 2) foreign based Internet companies. Several Baron portfolio holdings such as Google, Inc. and priceline.com, Inc. receive 50% or more of their revenues outside the U.S., and we think the faster growth of Internet access in emerging economies will be a substantial benefit to these companies. Other Baron portfolio companies such as LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) and Blue Nile, Inc. (NILE) are also accelerating their efforts to penetrate international markets in 2012 and beyond.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Matador Resources Co (MTDR)
Matador Resources Company is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States, with an emphasis on oil and natural gas shale and other unconventional plays. Its operations are focused primarily on the oil and liquids-rich portion of the Eagle Ford shale play in South Texas and the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Permian Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The Company also operates in the Haynesville shale and Cotton Valley plays in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. In addition, it has a large exploratory leasehold position in Southwest Wyoming and adjacent areas of Utah and Idaho where it is testing the Meade Peak shale.
As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned a 100% working interest in approximately 26,900 gross acres and 24,100 net acres in Gonzales, Karnes, LaSalle, Wilson and Zavala Counties and a 50% working interest in approximately 2,800 gross and 1,400 net acres in DeWitt County and are the operator of this acreage. It also owns an approximate 21% working interest in approximately 12,800 gross acres in Atascosa County operated by EOG Resources, Inc.
South Texas
The Company focuses on the exploration and development of its Eagle Ford shale properties in South Texas. During 2012, the Company completed and began producing oil and natural gas from 28 gross/24.5 net operated Eagle Ford shale wells, including 25 gross/23.7 net operated and 3 gross/0.8 net non-operated Eagle Ford shale wells. During 2012, 43% of its daily production, or 3,908 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day, including 3,246 one stock tank barrel (Bbl) of oil per day and 4.0 one million cubic feet of natural gas (MMcf) of natural gas per day, was produced from the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. During 2012, the Company drilled and completed a total of 32 gross/30.5 net Eagle Ford wells on its operated properties. As of December 31, 2012, its aggregate leasehold int! erests consisted of approximately 42,500 gross acres and 27,900 net acres in the Eagle Ford shale play in Atascosa, DeWitt, Gonzales, Karnes, LaSalle, Wilson and Zavala Counties in South Texas.
Northwest Louisiana and East Texas
During 2012, bout 56% of its average daily production, or 5,042 BOE per day, including 31 Bbl of oil per day and 30.1 MMcf of natural gas per day, was from its leasehold interests in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. For the year ended December 31, 2012, about 76% of its daily natural gas production, or 26.0 MMcf of natural gas per day, was produced from the Haynesville shale, with another 12%, or 4.1 MMcf of natural gas per day, produced from the Cotton Valley and other shallower formations in this area. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had leasehold and mineral interests in approximately 22,300 gross and 14,200 net acres prospective for the Haynesville shale.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Heading into today, Matador Resources (MTDR) had gained 40% so far this year, as the competitor to Anadarko Petroleum (APC) and EOG Resources (EOG) has boosted oil & gas revenue and oil production. Make that 32% after Matador Resources announced a secondary offering.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Pinnacle Foods Inc (PF)
Pinnacle Foods Inc., incorporated on July 28, 2003, is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded food products in North America. The Company operates in three segments: the Birds Eye Frozen Division, the Duncan Hines Grocery Division and the Specialty Foods Division. The Birds Eye Frozen Division and the Duncan Hines Grocery Division, which collectively represent its North America Retail operations, include the brands. Its brand portfolio enjoys household penetration in the United States, where its products can be found in approximately 85% of U.S. households. Its products are sold through supermarkets, grocery wholesalers and distributors, mass merchandisers, super centers, convenience stores, dollar stores, drug stores and warehouse clubs in the United States and Canada, as well as in military channels and foodservice locations. On June 24, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its Watsonville, California facility which had been recorded as an asset held for sale.
Birds Eye Frozen Division
The Company�� Birds Eye Frozen Division includes its steamed and non-steamed product offerings, with a 27.0% market share, making Birds Eye the recognized frozen vegetables brand in the United States. Birds Eye was the Company to capture a nationwide market share with a product that enables consumers to conveniently steam vegetables in microwaveable packaging.
Duncan Hines Grocery Division
Duncan Hines is the division�� brand and includes cake mixes, ready-to-serve frostings, brownie mixes, muffin mixes, and cookie mixes. During the fiscal year ended September 23, 2012, the Company added two additional items to the line. In February 2012, the Company introduced a line of frosting products, Duncan Hines Frosting Creations, which uses a patent pending frosting system to allow consumers to customize their frosting into one of 12 different flavors. The Company also offers a complete line of shelf-stable pickle products that we market and distribute n! ationally, primarily under the Vlasic brand, and regionally under the Milwaukee�� and Wiejske Wyroby brands. In 2012, the Company introduced Vlasic Farmers Garden, artisan-quality pickle line.
Specialty Foods Division
The Company�� snack products primarily consist of Tim�� Cascade, Snyder of Berlin and Husman��. These direct store delivery brands have local awareness and hold market share positions in their regional markets. The Company also manufactures and distributes certain products, mainly in the frozen breakfast, canned meat, and pie and pastry fruit filling categories, through food service channels. The Company also manufactures and distributes certain private label products in the canned meat, shelf-stable pickles and frozen seafood. As part of its ongoing strategic focus over the last several years, the Company has deemphasized the food service and private label businesses for the benefit of its higher margin branded food products.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Joe Raedle/Getty Images NEW YORK -- Tyson Foods (TSN) has won a bidding war to gobble up Hillshire Brands (HSH), the maker of Jimmy Dean sausages and Ball Park hot dogs. Tyson had been vying with rival poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride for Hillshire, which wrapped up its bidding process Sunday. Tyson ended up raising its offer to $63 a share. It had previously offered $50 a share, after which Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) raised its bid to $55 a share. Pilgrim's Pride, which is owned by Brazilian meat giant JBS, said Monday that it is withdrawing its offer. Still, the deal isn't sealed yet. It is contingent on the termination of Hillshire's offer to acquire Pinnacle Foods (PF), which makes Birds Eye frozen vegetables and Wish-Bone salad dressings. Pinnacle could choose to cut bait and walk away with $163 million breakup fee, or force the deal to a vote by Hillshire shareholders. A Pinnacle representative didn't immediately return a call for comment. In a conference call with reporters, Tyson CEO Donnie Smith said he was confident the $63 offer would end up being worthwhile for Tyson shareholders, despite how high the price went. "Great brands like Jimmy Dean and Ball Park just don't become available very often," Smith said. Hillshire's stock closed at $36.95 on May 9, the day before the company announced the Pinnacle deal. Tyson, like Pilgrim's Pride, has been looking to boost its presence in brand-name, prepared foods like Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. Those types of products are more profitable than fresh meat, such as chicken breasts, where there isn't as much wiggle room to pad prices. While Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride already sell some brand-name products, their businesses have been more focused on supplying supermarkets and restaurant chains. In particular, Tyson said it was drawn by Hillshire's stable of breakfast foods, which would better position it in the fast-growing category. Tyson also noted the potential for cost savings by combining suppl
- [By Jacob Roche]
Recently, Pinnacle Foods (NYSE: PF ) held its initial public offering, priced at $20 per share, at the high end of the expected range. The IPO brought in a net $627 million for the company, and the stock has continued to trade up a bit. Now that the typical IPO dust is settling, however, it may be worth taking a look.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Paul Sakuma/AP NEW YORK -- Hillshire Brands says it will hold separate talks with Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson Foods, as the two meat processing heavyweights engage in a bidding war for the maker of Jimmy Dean sausages and Ball Park hot dogs. The announcement by Hillshire (HSH) comes a day after Pilgrim's Pride raised its bid to $55 a share, or $6.8 billion, from $45 a share. That tops Tyson's offer of $50 a share, or $6.2 billion, made last week. Those values are based on Hillshire's 123 million shares outstanding. Pilgrim's Pride puts the total value of its new bid at $7.7 billion. Tyson Foods values its proposal at $6.8 billion, including debt. The takeover bids by Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) and Tyson Foods (TSN) are being driven by the desirability of brand-name, convenience products like Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. Those types of products are more profitable than fresh meat, such as chicken breasts, where there isn't as much wiggle room to pad prices. While Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson both sell such products, their businesses have been more focused on supplying supermarkets and restaurant chains. Both offers are contingent on Hillshire abandoning its plan to acquire Pinnacle Foods (PF), which makes Birds Eye frozen vegetables and Wish-Bone salad dressings. Some investors had questioned the wisdom of that deal, given the outdated image of some of Pinnacle's brands and the differences in the two companies' product portfolios. In its statement issued Tuesday, Hillshire noted that it can't just scrap its deal with Pinnacle. But a term in Hillshire's deal with Pinnacle allows it to consider alternative proposals that would be superior for stockholders. Pilgrim's Pride has said it would pay the $163 million breakup fee to call off the deal between Hillshire and Pinnacle. Hillshire, based in Chicago, had been trying to diversify its own portfolio by moving into other areas of the supermarket with the $4.23 billion acquisition of Pinnacle. Based in Greeley,
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