Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC)�may be Warren Buffett’s favorite bank hands down and it may be the safest of the money center and banking giants now. It turns out that if you work for that bank in the mortgage services unit, it might not be the safest bank when it comes to job security. Reports hit late in the day on Wednesday from Bloomberg, CNBC, and other media outlets�that Wells Fargo was laying off some 2,300 mortgage related jobs. It turns out that the refinancing boom has been crushed by a 100 to 125 basis point rise in mortgages.
The home-lending unit is based in Des Moines, Iowa and the cuts are being spread out around the nation. Frankly, this is not that surprising when you consider what has happened with interest rates. In fact, refinancings were peaking even before mortgage rates hit a low because those who could refinance had already done so.
It turns out that this will make the total layoffs since July come to roughly 3,000. Wells Fargo is the king of mortgage banking, which means it also has the most to lose in opportunity costs. The bank’s total headcount of almost 275,000 workers implies that just over 1% will have been let go. Whether or not more jobs will be terminated if rates keep rising and/or if housing slows is up to you to decide.
Best Long Term Companies To Buy Right Now: Cutera Inc. (CUTR)
Cutera, Inc., a medical device company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and service of laser and other energy based aesthetics systems for practitioners worldwide. The company offers a range of non-invasive laser and intense pulsed light products for use in the treatment of cosmetic vascular conditions, hair removal, vascular lesions, skin rejuvenation, onychomycosis or toenail fungus, pigmented lesions, laser skin toning, tattoo removal, cutaneous lesions, fine wrinkles, diffuse redness, rosacea, skin texture, and pore size, as well as for non-invasive body contouring applications. It primarily serves plastic surgeons, dermatologists, gynecologists, primary care physicians, family practitioners, physicians offering aesthetic treatments in non-medical offices, podiatrists, and other qualified practitioners. The company sells and markets its products through its direct sales force and distributors, as well as sells hand piece refi lls through the Internet. Cutera, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Brisbane, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Large cap serial acquirer�Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (NYSE: VRX) is teaming up with activist investor�Bill Ackman to pursue large cap Botox maker Allergan, Inc (NYSE: AGN), but stocks like Cutera, Inc (NASDAQ: CUTR), Cynosure, Inc (NASDAQ: CYNO), PhotoMedex Inc (NASDAQ: PHMD) and Syneron Medical Ltd (NASDAQ: ELOS)�actually offer investors more exposure to the growing anti aging and aesthetics market (Note: See my recent article: These Small Caps Seek to Treat Your Crow�� Feet and Double Chin (RVNC & KYTH)). To begin with, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has a wide focus on neurology, dermatology and infectious diseases�but acquiring the maker of Botox won�� be its first foray into the aesthetic market�because earlier this year, the company completed its acquisition of Solta Medical Inc (NASDAQ: SLTM) -�a designer, developer, manufacturer and marketer of�energy-based medical device systems for aesthetic applications.�And while�Allergan, Inc may be most well known for Botox, its actually a pretty big�company focused on a diverse range of areas, including ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, dermatology, neuroscience, urology and cosmetics���meaning the following stocks offer investors better exposure to the aesthetics market:
Top Safest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)
Telecom Argentina SA (Telecom) is an Argentina-based company primarily engaged in the provision of national fixed-line telecommunication services, international long-distance service, data transmission and Internet services and mobile telephony. The Company also offers such solutions as online business and Web hosting, virtual private network (VPN), mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft and Blackberry, toll-free telephone numbers, call centers and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) line, as well as other services mainly aimed at corporate clients. The Company�� subsidiaries are structured in two business segments: Fixed Telephony, comprising Telecom Argentina USA Inc and Micro Sistemas Sociedad Anonima, and Mobile Services, including Telecom Personal SA, Nucleo SA and Springville SA. As of December 31, 2010, the Company�� majority shareholder was Nortel SA, 54.74% of its interest.
Voice, Data and Internet
Telecom Argentina owns a local telephone line network, public long-distance telephone transmission facilities and a data transmission network in the Northern Region. Telecom Argentina also owns a network in the Southern Region. Voice, data and Internet services consists of basic telephone services, international long-distance services, data transmission and internet services, information and communication technology services and other basic telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides basic telephone services, including local and domestic long-distance telephone services and public telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides international telecommunications service in Argentina, including voice and data services and international point-to-point leased circuits.
Telecom Argentina provides data transmission and Internet connectivity services, including traditional dial-up and broadband connections, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) dedicated lines, private networks, national and international broadcasting signal transport and videoconfe! rencing services. Telecom Argentina provides Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services and value-added solutions. Other services provided by Telecom Argentina include supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller identification (ID), voice mail, video calls and itemized billing, and telecommunications consulting and telecommunications equipment and maintenance services.
Telecom Argentina is a provider of Basic telephone services in the Northern Region and provides Basic telephone services in the Southern Region. Telecom Argentina�� fixed-line telephone network includes installed telephones and switchboards, a network of access lines connecting customers to exchanges and trunk lines connecting exchanges and long-distance transmission equipment.
The Company competes with Grupo Telmex Argentina, Telephone2, Impsat, IPlan, Comsat, Telecentro, Telefonica, Netizen, Gigared, UOL, Ertach, Telecentro and Cablevision.
Wireless Telecommunication
Telecom Argentina provides wireless services through its subsidiaries in Argentina and Paraguay. Its subsidiary Telecom Personal S.A. (Telecom Personal) provides wireless telephone service throughout Argentina via cellular and personal communications service (PCS) networks. Telecom Personal�� service offerings include global system for mobile communications (GSM) and 3G wireless communication over universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)/high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) networks (including general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data for GSM evolution (EDGE) and HSDPA high-speed wireless, videoconferencing, full track download, multimedia messaging, online streaming, corporate mailing and BlackBerry solutions) and sale of wireless communication devices (cellular phones, 3G modems, 3G hotspots, wireless Internet and netbooks). The Company also provides cellular and PCS services in Paraguay through Nucleo S.A., a subsidiary of Telecom Pers! onal.
The Company competes with Telecom Personal, Telefonica Moviles, America Movil, Telefonica Celular del Paraguay S.A. and Hola Paraguay S.A.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Monday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.48 percent. Top losers in the sector included Telecom Argentina SA (NYSE: TEO), down 6.57 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 6.69 percent.
Top Safest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Dolby Laboratories Inc (DLB)
Dolby Laboratories, Inc., incorporated in 1967, develops and delivers products and technologies that are used in the entertainment industry. Its audio technologies are used throughout the global entertainment industry. It is developing and marketing video technologies to improve the quality of video presentation. Its offerings include video products aimed at the cinema market, such as its digital cinema server, its Dolby three-dimensional (3D) Digital Cinema products, and its Dolby PRM-4200 Professional Reference Monitor. It offers products and services to content creators, such as studios, broadcasters, and downloadable content service providers to encode content using Dolby�� technologies. As of September 24, 2010, the Company sold its products and provide services in over 85 countries. In addition, it has licensed its technologies to CE manufacturers and to software vendors in 40 countries, which in turn distribute their products incorporating its technologies throughout the world.
The Company designs and manufactures video and audio products for the film production, cinema, and television broadcast industries. Distributed in over 60 countries, these products are used in content creation, distribution and playback to improve image and sound quality, provide surround sound, and increase the efficiency of sound storage and distribution. Its product sales are derived from sales of its digital 3D products, which provide 3D capabilities, as well as sales of digital cinema servers that load, store, decrypt, and decode encrypted digital film files for presentation on digital projectors in theaters. Revenue is also derived from sales of its traditional cinema processors, which movie theaters use to process film soundtracks, and from sales of broadcast products used to encode and distribute content to viewers. It also offers related digital cinema processors and media adapters to decode digital cinema soundtracks, and digital cinema accessories that allow exhibitors to integrate its digital ! cinema servers with their existing automation systems.
The Company offers a variety of services to support film production, television broadcast and music production. The Company enters into service agreements with motion picture studios or filmmakers to provide them with production services related to the preparation of a Dolby soundtrack, such as equipment calibration, mixing room alignment and equalization. Dolby provides other services, such as print quality control, professional film mastering services to prepare movies for digital release, and theatre system calibration for important screenings, such as premieres, film festivals, and press screenings. Its engineers also provide training, system design consultation and onsite technical expertise to cinema operators throughout the world to help them configure their screening rooms and equipment to ensure that movies are replayed with consistent high quality.
The Company�� technologies include dolby digital, dolby digital plus, dolby digital surround EX, dolby digital EX, advanced audio coding (AAC), HE AAC, dolby pulse, dolby trueHD, dolby E, dolby digital live, dolby pro logic II, dolby pro logic II(x), dolby pro logic IIz, dolby virtual speaker, dolby headphone, dolby mobile, dolby axon, PC entertainment experience (PCEE), dolby digital stereo creator, dolby digital 5.1 creator, dolby volume, dolby contrast, dolby vision and analog signal processing technologies. Its products include traditional cinema processors, digital cinema products, digital 3D products, digital media adapters, broadcast products and professional reference monitor.
Traditional cinema processors are used to read, decode and play back a film�� soundtrack and calibrate the sound system in a movie theater. Digital cinema products are used for digital cinema encoding, distribution and playback. Our digital cinema server is used to load, store, decrypt, decode and re-encrypt digital film files for presentation on a digital cinema project! or. We al! so provide products that encrypt, encode and package digital films, and digital cinema processors to decode digital cinema soundtracks. Digital 3D products deliver a 3D image with an existing digital cinema server and white screen, providing exhibitors a flexible 3D solution. Its Dolby 3D glasses feature high-quality multicoated lenses with a special curvature that delivers 3D images.
Digital media adapters are used to adapt existing analog cinema audio systems to the latest digital audio technologies. Broadcast products are used to encode, transmit and decode multiple channels of high-quality audio for Digital Television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV) program production and broadcast distribution and to measure the subjective loudness of audio content within broadcast programming. Professional reference monitor is a video monitor used during the production and post-production of cinematic and video content in situations, where grade one reference performance is required.
The Company competes with Audyssey Laboratories, DTS, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, Microsoft, Philips, RealNetworks, Sonic Solutions, Sony, SRS Labs, Thomson, Barco, Doremi, GDC, IMAX, MasterImage 3D, NEC, Panavision, QSC Audio Products, Qube Cinema, REAL D, Technicolor, Texas Instruments, USL, XpanD and DTS.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
Price�� new buys in the quarter were Oenok (OKE), Dolby Labs (DLB) and T-Mobile (TMUS). I don�� find any of those particularly exciting at current levels, but I�� willing to acknowledge that Michael Price is a lot smarter than I am and probably sees value I am missing in these stocks. What I find much more interesting was that Price was doing a lot more selling than buying in the third quarter.
Top Safest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Sbc Sveriges Bostadsrattscentrum AB (SBC)
SBC Sveriges BostadsrattsCentrum AB (SBC) is a Sweden-based company active within the real estate sector. It offers services to condominiums within three business areas, namely Financial Management, Technical Management and Legal Expertise. The Financial Management area offers services to real estate managers and residents, including services, such as accounting, payment management and budget optimization, among others. The Technical Management business area offers a range of services, including property inspection, documentation management and cost control, among others. Within the Legal Expertise area, the Company offers services, such as assistance in civil cases, assisting in negotiations, drafting of contracts and assistance in tax matters, among others. The Company has six offices located in the Swedish cities of Sundsvall, Uppsala, Vasteras, Stockholm, Malmo and Goteborg. As of December 31, 2011, it had two wholly owned subsidiaries, namely SBC Mark AB and Liljeholmsberget AB. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Nitish]
Stock-Based Compensation (SBC) ��In the second quarter of 2014, the total charge related to SBC was $880 million compared to $743 million in the second quarter of 2013. The analysts currently estimate SBC charges for grants made to employees prior to June 30, 2014 to be approximately $3.42 billion for 2014. This estimate does not include expenses to be recognized related to employee stock awards that are granted after June 30, 2014 or nonemployee stock awards that have been or may be granted.
Top Safest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Inca Minerals Ltd (ICG)
Inca Minerals Limited, formerly Condor Metals Limited, is an Australia-based exploration company. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company's principal activities were conducting exploration and evaluation work on its existing tenements, as well as seeking out additional tenements. It focuses on nickel, iron, manganese and base metals exploration in Australia. During fiscal 2011, it concentrated on the Kallona iron and manganese prospect in the East Pilbar, where the first drilling was commenced in June 2011. Results received confirmed the presence of manganese, along with consistent iron intersections. The Company also continued to explore on the Dingo Range tenements south east of Wiluna. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Fede Zaldua]
For its third quarter, Citi reported net earnings of $3.2 billion or Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $1, which was just below consensus expectations of $1.02 per share. The bank explained its poor performance through lower than expected earnings at the Institutional Clients Group (ICG) division (mainly trading activities in equities, commodities and fixed income) but also lower Consumer Banking revenues on weaker mortgage results. Its extremely relevant to stress that third quarter ICG and mortgage related results came weaker than expected at most banking institutions, including JP Morgan (JPM) and almighty Goldman Sachs (GS). On my opinion, much more relevant metrics (because they can be more directly affected by management's decisions) such as those metrics related to expenses and credit quality came in line with expectations.
Top Safest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Joy Global Inc (JOY)
Joy Global Inc. is a manufacturer and servicer of high productivity mining equipment for the extraction of coal and other minerals and ores. The Company's equipment is used in mining regions throughout the world to mine coal, copper, iron ore, oil sands, and other minerals. The Company's underground mining machinery segment (Joy Mining Machinery) is a manufacturer of underground mining equipment for the extraction of coal and other bedded minerals and offers service locations near mining regions worldwide. The Company's surface mining equipment segment (P&H Mining Equipment) is a producer of surface mining equipment for the extraction of ores and minerals and provides operational support for many types of equipment used in surface mining. During the fiscal year ended October 28, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of LeTourneau. On December 30, 2011, it acquired approximately 41.1% of Int'l Mining Machinery Holdings Limited's common stock to 69.2%.
Underground Mining Machinery
Joy is a producer of underground mining machinery for the extraction of coal and other bedded materials. The Company has facilities in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, China and the United States, as well as sales offices and service facilities in India, Poland and Russia. Joy products include continuous miners, shuttle cars, flexible conveyor trains, complete longwall mining systems (consisting of powered roof supports, an armored face conveyor and a longwall shearer), continuous haulage systems, battery haulers, roof bolters, crushing equipment and conveyor systems. Joy also maintains a network of service and replacement parts distribution centers to rebuild and service equipment, and to sell replacement parts and consumables in support of its installed base.
This network includes five service centers in the United States and eight outside the United States, all of which are located in underground mining regions. This segment has a range of products, including Continu! ous miners, Longwall shearers, Powered roof supports, Armored face conveyors, Shuttle cars, Flexible conveyor trains (FCT), Roof bolters, Battery haulers, Continuous haulage systems, Feeder breakers, Conveyor systems and High angle conveyors.
Electric, crawler mounted continuous miners cut material using carbide-tipped bits on a horizontal rotating cutterhead. Once cut, the material is gathered onto an internal conveyor and loaded into a haulage vehicle or continuous haulage system for transportation to the feeder breaker.
A longwall shearer trams back and forth on an armored face conveyor parallel to the material face. Using carbide-tipped bits on cutting drums at each end, the shearer cuts 1.2 to 8.0 meters high on each pass and simultaneously loads the material onto the armored face conveyor for transport through the stageloader to the conveyor belt.
Roof supports use hydraulic cylinders to perform a jacking-like function that supports the mine roof during longwall mining. The supports self-advance with the longwall shearer and armored face conveyors, resulting in controlled roof falls behind the supports. A longwall face may range up to 400 meters in length.
Armored face conveyors are used in longwall mining to transport material cut by the shearer away from the longwall face. Shuttle cars, a type of rubber-tired haulage vehicle, are electric-powered using an umbilical cable. Their purpose is to transport material from continuous miners to the feeder-breaker where chain conveyors in the shuttle cars unload the material. Some models of Joy shuttle cars can carry up to 22 metric tons of coal.
FCT�� are electric-powered, single operator, self-propelled conveyor systems that provide continuous haulage of material from a continuous miner to the main mine belt. The FCT uses a rubber belt similar to a standard fixed conveyor. The FCT�� conveyor operates independently from the track crawler system, allowing the FCT to move and convey mater! ial simul! taneously. Available in lengths of up to 570 feet, the FCT is able to negotiate multiple 90-degree turns in an underground mine infrastructure.
Roof bolters are drills used to bore holes in the mine roof and to insert long metal bolts into the holes to reinforce the mine roof. Battery haulers perform a similar function to shuttle cars and are powered by portable rechargeable batteries. Battery haulers feature a flexible center joint allowing them to maneuver in tight conditions and do not use a trailing cable, which allows for maximum flexibility in the mining process.
The continuous chain haulage system provides a similar function as the FCT, transporting material from the continuous miner to the main mine belts on a continuous basis, versus the batch process used by shuttle cars and battery haulers, but it does so with different technology. The continuous chain haulage system is made up of a series of connected bridge structures that utilize chain conveyors that transport the coal from one bridge structure to the next bridge structure and ultimately to the main mine belts.
Feeder breakers are a form of crusher that use rotating drums with carbide-tipped bits to break down the size of the mined material for loading onto conveyor systems or feeding into processing facilities. Mined material is typically loaded into the feeder breaker by a shuttle car or battery hauler in underground applications and by haul trucks in surface applications.
Conveyor systems are used in both above and under-ground applications. The primary components of a conveyor system are the idlers, idler structure, and the terminal which itself consists of a drive, discharge, take-up and tail loading section. The Continental high angle conveyor is a method for elevating or lowering materials continuously from one level to another at steep angles. The Continental technology uses fully equalized pressing mechanism, which secures material towards the center of the belt while sealing the! belt edg! es together. The high angle conveyor has throughput rates ranging from 0.30 to 4,400 tons per hour.
Surface Mining Equipment
P&H is the producer of electric mining shovels and a producer of walking draglines for open-pit mining operations. P&H has facilities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, South Africa, and the United States, as well as sales offices in India, Mexico, Peru, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. P&H products are used in mining copper, coal, iron ore, oil sands, silver, gold, diamonds, phosphate, and other minerals and ores. P&H also provides logistics and a range of life cycle management service support for its customers through a global network of P&H MinePro Services operations strategically located within mining regions. In some markets, P&H MinePro Services also provides electric motor rebuilds and other selected products and services to the non-mining industrial segment. P&H also sells used electric mining shovels, drills and parts.
Mining shovels are used to load copper ore, coal, iron ore, oil sands, gold, and other mineral-bearing materials and overburden into trucks or other conveyances. There are two types of mining loaders: electric shovels and hydraulic excavators. Electric mining shovels feature dippers, allowing them to load volumes of material, while hydraulic excavators are smaller. The electric mining shovel�� use is determined by the size of the mining operation and the availability of electricity. Dippers can range in size from 12 to 82 cubic yards.
Draglines are primarily used to remove overburden to uncover coal or mineral deposits and then to replace the overburden as part of reclamation activities. P&H�� draglines are equipped with bucket sizes ranging from 30 to 160 cubic yards. Surface mines require breakage or blasting of rock, overburden, or ore using explosives. P&H MinePro Services provides life cycle management support, including equipment erections, relocations, inspections, service, r! epairs, r! ebuilds, upgrades, used equipment, new and used parts, enhancement kits and training. Each life cycle management program is designed for a particular customer and that customer�� application of the Company�� equipment.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jim Jubak]
I keep looking for the bottom on Joy Global (JOY) and I�� still not convinced I��e found it. (Joy Global is a member of my Jubak Picks 50 long-term portfolio.)
- [By Michael Flannelly]
Robert Baird analysts downgraded mining equipment manufacturer Joy Global Inc. (JOY) on Wednesday, noting that the mining downturn is not yet priced into the stock.
The analysts downgraded JOY from “Outperform” to “Neutral” and see shares reaching $55. This price target suggests a 4% upside to the stock’s Tuesday closing price of $52.96.
Joy Global shares were down 52 cents, or 0.98%, during early morning trading on Wednesday. The stock is down 19.76% year-to-date.
Top Safest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Sierra Wireless Inc. (SWIR)
Sierra Wireless, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cellular wireless solutions to the machine-to-machine (M2M) and connected device markets in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through two segments, Mobile Computing and Machine-to-Machine. It offers AirPrime embedded wireless modules, which are used to wirelessly enable various products and solutions by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); and AirLink intelligent gateways that are rugged and industrial-grade wireless terminals for M2M and mobile applications to public safety, transportation, field service, energy, industrial, and financial organizations. The company�s AirVantage M2M cloud platform provides secure, scalable, and device-to-cloud infrastructure for M2M applications. It also provides professional services to OEM customers during their product development and launch process. The company offers its products to consumer electronics, networking equipment, automotiv e, energy, security, sales and payment, industrial control and monitoring, fleet management, field service, and healthcare industries. It sells its products and solutions through various indirect channels, such as OEMs, wireless operators, distributors, and value-added resellers. Sierra Wireless, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Richmond, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By rusticnomad]
There can't be a superior time to purchase Sierra Wireless (SWIR), the chip creator which is on track to profit from the development in Cisco's (CSCO) Internet of Things.
- [By Chris Neiger]
Making the connection
One of the biggest leaders in machine-to-machine communication, or M2M, is Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR ) , a small-cap company that's helping usher in the Internet of Things. The company's 3G-connection module sits in Tesla's Model S sedan and helps the car connect to AT&T's�network. - [By John Udovich]
Small cap machine-to-machine (M2M) stock Elecsys Corp (NASDAQ: ESYS) jumped 8.99% yesterday and is up 254% over the past year, meaning it might be time to take a closer look at the stock and its performance verses other small cap M2M stocks like Digi International Inc (NASDAQ: DGII), Numerex Corp (NASDAQ: NMRX) and Sierra Wireless, Inc (NASDAQ: SWIR). First of all though, I should mention that machine-to-machine (M2M) broadly refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the same type and this can be through any type of technology ranging from instruments to networks to applications that create connections between devices.
No comments:
Post a Comment