Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now

Auto parts retailers like large cap O'Reilly Automotive Inc (NASDAQ: ORLY) and mid cap Advance Auto Parts, Inc (NYSE: AAP)�along with small cap auto parts stock Federal-Mogul Corp (NASDAQ: FDML) have been a bright spot on the economy as consumers try to stretch the lives of their automobiles or vehicles in the bad or uncertain economy. In fact, Investors Business Daily has recently noted that the�average age of cars on the road is about 11.5 years and that�� of course good news for auto parts retailers while�any uptick in sales or production of auto parts in general�will be good for companies like Federal-Mogul Corp. With that in mind, here�is a look at�how these three auto parts retailers or auto parts stocks are taking investors for a ride in a good way:

O'Reilly Automotive Inc. Founded in 1957 by the O'Reilly family, O'Reilly Automotive is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories in the United States, serving both the do-it-yourself and professional service provider markets. As of June 30, the company operated 4,087 stores in 42 states. Yesterday, O'Reilly Automotive reported an 8% revenue increase to $1.73 billion while net income increased 17% to $186 million for the 19th consecutive quarter of 15% or greater adjusted diluted earnings per share growth. O'Reilly Automotive is on�target to open 190 net new stores in 2013 and plans to increase new store growth in 2014 to 200 new stores. In addition, the company has $360 million remaining under its current share repurchase authorization. However, it should also be mentioned that O'Reilly Automotive�� cash�tends to be�locked in inventories while current and long term liabilities has been steadily increasing over the past few quarters according to Google Finance data���something investors should keep an eye on.�In addition, many of its stores are concentrated in certain regions of the country which could make the country vulnerable to economic fluctuations in those regions. On Wednesday, large cap O'Reilly Automotive rose 0.40% to $134.31 (ORLY has a 52 week trading range of $79.24 to $135.62 a share) for a market cap of $14.58 billion plus the stock is up 52.4% since the start of the year, up 66.7% over the past year and up 497.7% over the past five years.

Best Safest Companies To Own In Right Now: Southern Copper Corporation(SCCO)

Southern Copper Corporation engages in mining, exploring, producing, smelting, and refining copper and other minerals in Peru, Mexico, and Chile. It is involved in the mining, milling, and flotation of copper ore to produce copper and molybdenum concentrates; smelting of copper concentrates to produce anode copper; and refining of anode copper to produce copper cathodes, as well as refined silver. The company operates Toquepala and Cuajone mines in the Andes Mountains located southeast of the city of Lima, Peru, as well as a smelter and refinery in the coastal city of Ilo, Peru. It also operates La Caridad and Buenavista copper mines, and smelting and refining plants in Mexico. In addition, the company operates five underground mines that produce zinc, copper, lead, silver, and gold; a coal mine which produces coal and coke; and a zinc refinery. Further, it has 145,064 hectares of mineral rights in Peru; 176,250 hectares of exploration concessions in Mexico; 1,068 hectares of exploration concessions in Argentina; 35,958 hectares exploration concessions in Chile; and 2,544 hectares of exploration concessions in Ecuador. The company was founded in 1952 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Southern Copper Corporation is a subsidiary of Americas Mining Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Joshua Bondy]

    The miners
    Southern Copper (NYSE: SCCO  ) �is one of the stronger pure copper plays. The company owns a number of mines in Mexico and Peru. As of the second quarter of 2013 its operating cash costs net of by-products averaged $1.09 per pound of copper, while LME copper price per pound fell slightly to $3.24. This means that Southern Copper does have some breathing room, even if prices fall farther.�

  • [By Alex Planes]

    Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Southern Copper (NYSE: SCCO  ) fit the bill? Let's take a look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Jacksonville Bancorp Inc. (JXSB)

Jacksonville Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Jacksonville Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services in Illinois. Its deposit products include interest-bearing and non interest-bearing checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, term certificate accounts, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio comprises one-to four-family mortgage loans; commercial and agricultural real estate, and multi-family residential real estate loans; commercial and agricultural business loans; and consumer loans, such as home equity loans and lines of credit, and automobile loans. It operates through its main office, as well as through six branches located in Jacksonville, Virden, Litchfield, Chapin, and Concord, Illinois. The company was founded in 1916 and is based in Jacksonville, Illinois. Jacksonville Bancorp, Inc. is a subsidiary of Jacksonville Bancorp, MHC.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Traders Reserve]

    Jacksonville Bancorp (JXSB), based in Illinois, owns a loan portfolio comprised of one-to four-family residential real estate; commercial and agricultural real estate; multi-family residential real estate loans; commercial and agricultural business loans; home equity loans and lines of credit.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Caseys General Stores Inc.(CASY)

Casey?s General Stores, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates convenience stores under the Casey?s General Store, HandiMart, and Just Diesel names in 11 Midwestern states, primarily Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Its stores offer foods, beverages, dairy and bakery products, sandwiches, fountain drinks, donuts, cookies, brownies, Danish rolls, ham and cheese sandwiches, pork and chicken fritters, sausage sandwiches, chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, breakfast croissants and biscuits, breakfast pizza, hash browns, quarter-pound hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and potato cheese bites. The company?s stores also provide nonfood items, which include tobacco products, health and beauty aids, school supplies, house wares, pet supplies, photo supplies, and automotive products. In addition, it offers gasoline or gasohol for sale on a self-service basis. As of July 31, 2011, the company operated 1,665 stores. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

    Casey's General Stores Inc.(CASY) said its fiscal third-quarter earnings fell 5.1% as the convenience-store operator reported higher costs, which offset an increase in revenue.

  • [By Chad Fraser]

    One chain that continues to match up well with the above criteria is Casey’s General Stores (NasdaqGS: CASY). We last highlighted the company’s strong prospects in a December 12 Investing Daily article. Since then, the stock has risen nearly 40%.

  • [By John Emerson]

    My selection of stocks was now almost entirely based upon themes. Instead of seeking out value in out-favor-sectors, I had temporarily diverted to the path of attempting to identify investing themes, although I would only purchase a stock if I deemed it to be a bargain. The major themes I had identified were natural gas related stocks, material stocks such as cement companies, and discounted Chinese growth stocks which made their money by selling their products to Chinese consumers. I also owned significant positions in some other purely American companies which included Casey�� (CASY) and Gray Television (GTN). Ultimately, Gray Television would turn out to be a colossal failure (more on GTN later).

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Casey's General Stores (Nasdaq: CASY  ) reported earnings on June 13. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended April 30 (Q4), Casey's General Stores met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Susser Holdings Corporation(SUSS)

Susser Holdings Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates convenience stores in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The company operates in two segments, Retail and Wholesale. The Retail segment operates convenience stores that offer merchandise, food service, and motor fuel, as well as provides other services, including car washes, lottery, ATM, money orders, prepaid phone cards and wireless services, and movie rentals. As of January 1, 2012, it operated 541 convenience stores under the Stripes brand name. The Wholesale segment distributes motor fuel to its retail convenience stores, contracted independent operators of convenience stores, unbranded convenience stores, unattended fueling facilities, and other end users in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The company also offers environmental, maintenance, and construction management services to the petroleum industry; and sells and installs motor fuel dispensers and tanks, as well as provides a range of environmental consulting services, such as hydrocarbon remediation, and Phase I and II site assessments for its stores and outside customers. Susser Holdings Corporation is based in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon]

    For one thing, I can�� tell a great oil company from a not so great oil company. I can�� evaluate the company�� culture, management, etc. There was no way I was ever going to answer questions like that. But I can easily split Murphy�� U.S. retail business from its other operations. And I can compare that part of the company to other public companies like Pantry (PTRY) and Susser (SUSS). I can also ��this is much harder ��look at Murphy�� reserves and compare them to other oil companies��reserves. The SEC now requires a standardized way of reporting discounted net cash flows for all oil companies. So, there�� certainly a specific number available for every company. Whether it�� a very good number or not depends on the assumptions the method uses.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Susser Holdings (NYSE: SUSS) shares rose 36.54% to $77.87. The volume of Susser Holdings shares traded was 1198% higher than normal. Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) announced its plans to acquire Susser Holdings in a deal valued at around $1.8 billion.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading UP
    Susser Holdings (NYSE: SUSS) shares shot up 35.74 percent to $77.41 after Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) announced its plans to acquire Susser Holdings in a deal valued at around $1.8 billion.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: NiSource Inc (NI)

NiSource Inc. (NiSource), incorporated on March 29, 2000, is an energy holding company whose subsidiaries provide natural gas, electricity and other products and services to approximately 3.8 million customers located within a corridor that runs from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England. NiSource operates in three business segments: Gas Distribution Operations; Gas Transmission and Storage Operations, and Electric Operations. NiSource�� principal subsidiaries include Columbia Energy Group (Columbia), a vertically-integrated natural gas distribution, transmission and storage holding company whose subsidiaries provide service to customers in the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast; Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Northern Indiana), a vertically-integrated gas and electric company providing service to customers in northern Indiana, and Bay State Gas Company (Columbia of Massachusetts), a natural gas distribution company serving customers in Massachusetts.

NiSource Finance Corporation (NiSource Finance) is a 100% owned, consolidated finance subsidiary of NiSource. NiSource Finance engages in financing activities to raise funds for the business operations of NiSource and its subsidiaries.

Gas Distribution Operations

NiSource�� natural gas distribution operations serve more than 3.3 million customers in seven states and operate approximately 58 thousand miles of pipeline. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Columbia, NiSource owns five distribution subsidiaries that provide natural gas to approximately 2.2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. NiSource also distributes natural gas to approximately 795 thousand customers in northern Indiana. Additionally, NiSource�� subsidiary, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, distributes natural gas to approximately 298 thousand customers in Massachusetts.

Gas Transmission and Storage Operations

NiSou! rce�� Gas Transmission and Storage Operations subsidiaries own and operate approximately 15,000 miles of pipeline and operate a natural gas storage system capable of storing approximately 639 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, Columbia Gas Transmission L.L.C. (Columbia Transmission), Columbia Gulf Transmission Company (Columbia Gulf) and Crossroads Pipeline Company (Crossroads Pipeline), NiSource owns and operates an interstate pipeline network extending from the Gulf of Mexico to New York and the eastern seaboard. Together, these companies serve customers in 16 northeastern, mid-Atlantic, midwestern and southern states and the District of Columbia. NiSource Midstream Services is an unregulated business that is a provider of midstream services, including gathering, treating, conditioning, processing, compression and liquids handling, as well as managing mineral rights positions in the Marcellus and Utica shale areas.

The Gas Transmission and Storage Operations subsidiaries are also engaged in two joint ventures, Millennium Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Millennium) and Hardy Storage Company, L.L.C. (Hardy Storage). Millennium Pipeline, which includes 252 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipe across New York�� Southern Tier and lower Hudson Valley, has the capability to transport up to 525,400 dekatherm per day of natural gas to markets along its route, as well as to the New York City markets through its pipeline interconnections. Millennium is jointly owned by affiliates of NiSource, DTE Energy and National Grid. Hardy Storage, which consists of underground natural gas storage facilities in West Virginia, has a working storage capacity of 12 billion cubic feet and the ability to deliver 176,000 dekatherm of natural gas per day. Hardy Storage is a joint venture of subsidiaries of Columbia Transmission and Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. (Piedmont).

Electric Operations

NiSource generates, transmits and distributes electricity through its subsidia! ry Northe! rn Indiana Public Service Company (Northern Indiana) to approximately 458 thousand customers in 20 counties in the northern part of Indiana and engages in electric wholesale and transmission transactions. Northern Indiana operates three coal-fired electric generating stations. The three operating facilities have a net capability of 2,574 megawatts. Northern Indiana also owns and operates Sugar Creek, a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant with a 535 megawatts capacity rating, four gas-fired generating units located at Northern Indiana�� coal-fired electric generating stations with a net capability of 203 megawatts and two hydroelectric generating plants with a net capability of 10 megawatts. These facilities provide for a total system operating net capability of 3,322 megawatts. Northern Indiana�� transmission system, with voltages from 69,000 to 345,000 volts, consists of 2,797 circuit miles. Northern Indiana is interconnected with five neighboring electric utilities.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    NiSource Inc.(NI) said its fourth-quarter profit rose 13% as all three of the utility company’s segments posted revenue growth. But the top line missed estimates.

  • [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 NiSource (NYSE: NI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By guruek]

    According to GuruFocus Insider Data, these are the largest insider buys during the past week: Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB), Ecolab Inc. (ECL), Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), and NiSource Inc. (NI).

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: ArQule Inc.(ARQL)

ArQule, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the research and development of cancer therapeutics directed toward molecular targets and biological processes. Its lead product ARQ 197 is non-adenosine triphosphate competitive inhibitor of the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase, which is being evaluated as monotherapy and in combination therapy in a Phase II clinical development program that includes trials in non-small cell lung cancer, c-Met-associated soft tissue sarcomas, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, germ cell tumors, and colorectal cancer. The company is also developing ARQ 621, a Phase I program focused on inhibition of the Eg5 kinesin spindle protein. Its clinical stage products include ARQ 501, ARQ 761, and ARQ 171, which are designed to kill cancer cells selectively while sparing normal cells through the direct activation of DNA damage response/checkpoint pathways. In addition, the company involves in pre-clinical development o f B-RAF and AKIP Kinase inhibitors. The company has collaborations with Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. ArQule, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

     

    ArQule (ARQL), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, researches and develops cancer therapeutics. This stock closed up 3.4% to $1.49 in Thursday's trading session.

     

    Thursday's Range: $1.44-$1.54

    52-Week Range: $1.29-$2.94

    Thursday's Volume: 908,000

    Three-Month Average Volume: 567,811

     

    From a technical perspective, ARQL jumped higher here right above some near-term support at $1.40 with above-average volume. This move briefly pushed shares of ARQL back above its 50-day moving average of $1.53, before the stock closed just below that level at $1.49. This move is starting to push shares of ARQL within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ARQL manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.54 to $1.60 with high volume.

     

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ARQL as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $1.40 or at $1.35 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 567,811 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ARQL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.66 to $1.78, or even $1.90 to $2.

     

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Prosperity Bancshares Inc (PB)

Prosperity Bancshares, Inc., incorporated on December 22, 1983, is a financial holding company. The Company operates through its bank subsidiary, Prosperity Bank (the Bank). The Bank provides a broad line of financial products and services to small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank operated 213 full service banking locations; 59 in the Houston area; 20 in the South Texas area including Corpus Christi and Victoria; 35 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; 21 in the East Texas area; thirty-four 34 in the Central Texas area including Austin and San Antonio; 34 in the West Texas area including Lubbock, Midland-Odessa and Abilene; and 10 in the Bryan/College Station area. The Company added a net of two banking centers in Tyler, TX in connection with its acquisition of East Texas Financial Services (East Texas) on January 1, 2013, after consolidations. In November 2013, the Company announced that the completion of the merger of FVNB Corp.

On January 1, 2012, the Company acquired Texas Bankers, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Bank of Texas, Austin, Texas. On April 1, 2012, it acquired The Bank Arlington. Effective July 1, 2012, the Company announced the completion of the merger with American State Financial Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary American State Bank (collectively referred to as ASB) whereby American State Bank was merged with and into Prosperity Bank. In October 2012, the Company announced the completion of the merger with Community National Bank, Bellaire, Texas. On January 1, 2013, the Company announced the completion of the merger with East Texas Financial Services, Inc. (ETFS) and wholly owned subsidiary First Federal Bank Texas. Effective April 1, 2013, Prosperity Bancshares Inc announced the completion of the merger with Coppermark Bancshares, Inc. and wholly owned subsidiary Coppermark Bank, whereby Coppermark merged with and into Prosperity and Coppermark Bank merged with and into Prosperity Bank.

The Company pr! ovides medical and hospitalization insurance to its full-time associates. The Company considers its relations with associates to be good. Neither the Company nor the Bank is a party to any collective bargaining agreement. In 2012, the Company added additional products and services including trust services, credit card, mortgage lending and independent sales organization (ISO) sponsorship operations.

Lending Activities

The Company, through the Bank, offers a variety of traditional loan and deposit products to its customers, which consist primarily of consumers and small and medium-sized businesses. At December 31, 2012, total loans were $5.18 billion. Loans at December 31, 2012, included $10.4 million of loans held for sale and consisted of residential mortgage loans that were acquired as part of the acquisition of ASB in 2012. As reflected in the table below, loan growth was also impacted by the acquisition of Texas Bankers, Inc., The Bank Arlington, ASB and Community National Bank. Excluding loans acquired in these acquisitions and new production at the acquired banking centers since their respective acquisition dates, loans held for investment grew approximately $234.9 million, or 6.2%. The Company offers a variety of commercial lending products including term loans and lines of credit. The Company offers a broad range of short to medium-term commercial loans, primarily collateralized, to businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisitions of real estate and improvements) and the purchase of equipment and machinery.

The Company makes commercial real estate loans collateralized by owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied real estate to finance the purchase of real estate. The Company�� commercial real estate loans are collateralized by liens on real estate, typically have variable interest rates (or five year or less fixed rates) and amortize over a 15 to 20 year period. Company�� lending activities al! so includ! es the origination of 1-4 family residential mortgage loans collateralized by owner-occupied residential properties located in the Company�� market areas. The Company offers a variety of mortgage loan products which generally are amortized over five to 25 years. Loans collateralized by 1-4 family residential real estate generally have been originated in amounts of no more than 89% of appraised value or have mortgage insurance. The Company requires mortgage title insurance and hazard insurance. Other than with respect to mortgage banking activities acquired in the ASB acquisition, the Company has elected to keep all 1-4 family residential loans for its own account rather than selling such loans into the secondary market. By doing so, the Company is able to realize a higher yield on these loans; however, the Company also incurs interest rate risk as well as the risks associated with nonpayments on such loans. The Company makes loans to finance the construction of residential and, to a lesser extent, nonresidential properties. Construction loans generally are collateralized by first liens on real estate and have floating interest rates. The Company provides agriculture loans for short-term crop production, including rice, cotton, milo and corn, farm equipment financing and agriculture real estate financing.

Investment Activities

The Company uses its securities portfolio to manage interest rate risk and as a source of income and liquidity for cash requirements. At December 31, 2012, the carrying amount of investment securities totaled $7.44 billion. At December 31, 2012, securities represented 51.0% of total assets. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company did not own securities of any one issuer (other than the U.S. government and its agencies) for which aggregate adjusted cost exceeded 10% of the consolidated shareholders equity .

Sources of Funds

The Company offers a variety of deposit accounts having a wide range of interest rates an! d terms i! ncluding demand, savings, money market and time accounts. The Company relies primarily on competitive pricing policies and customer service to attract and retain these deposits. The Company does not have or accept any brokered deposits. Total deposits at December 31, 2012, were $11.64 billion. Noninterest-bearing deposits at December 31, 2012, were $3.02 billion. The Company utilizes borrowings to supplement deposits to fund its lending and investment activities. Borrowings consist of funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and securities sold under repurchase agreements.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Houston-based bank holding company�Prosperity Bancshares� (NYSE: PB  ) �announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.215 per share, the same rate it paid the last two quarters after raising the payout 10% from $0.195 per share.

  • [By Chuck Carnevale]

    Next, I run graphs on liquidity ratios and additional data on various valuation ratios to include price to book value (pb), price to cash flow (pcfl), price to free cash flow (pfcfl) and others that can be seen as options on the navigation bar to the left of the sample graph which only plots the current ratio (cr), a quick ratio (qr) and for those diehards concerned with volatility [size=11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">��/p>

No comments:

Post a Comment