Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Watch For 2014

Asian stocks outside Japan fell as investors await the conclusion tomorrow of a meeting of China�� leaders on economic reform. Japanese equities rose after better-than-expected U.S. payrolls data weakened the yen.

Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., an operator of supermarkets and department stores controlled by billionaire John Gokongwei, slumped 5.4 percent on its trading debut following the largest Philippine initial public offering. Nexon Co., a maker of online games, plunged 22 percent in Tokyo after its net-income forecast missed estimates. Honda Motor Co., a Japanese carmaker that gets 47 percent of its revenue in North America, added 1.7 percent.

The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index lost 0.5 percent to 467.63 as of 12:56 p.m. in Hong Kong. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index, which includes Japanese shares, was little changed at 139 after closing on Nov. 8 at the lowest level since Oct. 8. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Communist leaders tomorrow conclude a four-day gathering.

Best Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: ESSA Bancorp Inc. (ESSA)

ESSA Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for ESSA Bank & Trust that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in Pennsylvania. The company provides deposit accounts comprising savings accounts, NOW accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, club accounts, certificates of deposit, IRAs, and other qualified plan accounts, as well as commercial checking accounts for businesses. It also offers residential first mortgage loans, including one-to-four family residential loans and construction mortgage loans; commercial real estate loans; home equity loans and lines of credit; and commercial and consumer loans, as well as various unsecured or secured loans, loans secured by deposits, personal loans, and automobile loans. In addition, the company provides asset management and trust services, and investment services, as well as insurance benefit consulting services, including health insurance, life insurance, short term and lo ng term disability, dental, vision, and 401(K) retirement planning, as well as individual health products. As of September 30, 2013, it operated 26 full-service banking offices, including 13 offices in Monroe County, 6 offices in Lehigh County, and 7 offices in Northampton County in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1916 and is based in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Melvin]

    I get somewhat amused every day by the thousands of traders who spend all day trying to figure out what the hot stocks like Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB) are going to do every day. Owning stocks like these two banks — or ones I have mentioned before, like ESSA Bancorp (ESSA) and Charter Financial (CHFN) — will be a far more profitable and relaxing endeavor over the next few years.

  • [By Tim Melvin]

    Right now I know that silver miners like Pan American Silver (PAAS) and Coeur Mining (CDE) are very cheap on an asset basis. I know that oil and gas producers like Swift Energy (SFY) and WPX Energy (WPX) are priced as if no one will ever use the stuff again. I know that small banks like Cape Bancorp (CBNJ) and Essa Bancorp (ESSA) are crazy-cheap — and if the world does not end, those stocks will be a lot higher in a few years.

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Watch For 2014: Rostelekom OAO (ROSYY)

Rostelecom is a telecommunications services provider and carrier of domestic long distance (DLD) and international long distance (ILD) traffic in the Russian Federation. The Company owns and operates a trunk telecommunications network and carries the bulk of Russia's long-distance and international traffic. The Company renders domestic and international long-distance telecommunications services to end users and provides traffic throughput services to Russian operators, including each of Russia's seven inter-regional companies (IRCs) and alternative operators. In addition, the Company provides telecommunications services to various government entities across Russia and ensures the operation of the ground-based network of television and radio broadcasting channels. In December 2008, through Westelcom, its wholly owned subsidiary, Rostelecom acquired an additional 15.2% interest in CJSC Incom (Incom). Subsequently Incom became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. In December 2008, it sold 10.87% interest in CJSC Expo-Telecom.

In February 2008, the Company sold its 10.97% interest in Golden Telecom. In March 2008, the Company sold its 10.30% interest in OJSC AVIANET. In July 2008, Rostelecom acquired a 68.42% interest in OJSC RTComm.RU (RTComm.RU). In September 2008, the Company sold its 15% interest in CJSC Transportation Digital Networks.

The Company has entered into service contracts with the IRCs and other operators of local and intra-regional networks to act as its regional agents. In this capacity, the Company�� agents bill end users, prepare, print and deliver invoices and collect payments from end users and perform customer service functions. Its trunk network, which transmits a Russia's domestic and international long-distance traffic, comprises approximately 150,000 kilometers of digital and analog lines.

The Company�� primary network consists of trunk cables linked to the IRCs networks and to its international exchanges for connections with for! eign operators, as well as a satellite communications network. As of December 31, 2008, the Company�� digital network comprised 49,987 kilometers, including 35,291 kilometers of fiber optic lines (FOLs) and 14,696 kilometers of digital radio-relay lines.

As of December 31, 2008, the Company owned 13 international exchanges, which allow for ILD traffic management, including four in Moscow, two in St. Petersburg (Lyuban) and one each in Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Kaliningrad and Murmansk. The combined capacity of these switches was 235,500 channels. In addition, the Company had 15 transit and six multi-transit domestic long-distance exchanges interconnected to its telecommunications network for traffic transit that provide access to DLD services to local users. The domestic long-distance exchanges and their connecting digital channels constitute an integrated services digital network (ISDN) with channel switches, to which the networks of IRCs and alternative operators are connected. The trunk exchanges of Moscow and Pavlov Posad route domestic long-distance traffic between switching centers, as well as directly to and from end users.

As of December 31, 2008, the Company�� domestic long-distance trunk network consisted of 675,300 digital and 900 analog channels. Rostelecom provides domestic and international ISDN services through 76 trunk exchanges. The Company has an open network of multimedia communications. Connected to this network are subscriber units in 76 Russian regions and 13 retail outlets.

Rostelecom�� main satellite communications network is operated by 16 nodal land-based stations located in Russia. The Company also operates a second satellite communications network, Reserv, which comprises one central and one periphery land-based station. To enable its operation, it leases channels from OJSC Gazcom, which operates earth satellite vehicle Yamal-200. The Company rents domestic and international fixed satellite chan! nels from! FSUE Space Communications, CJSC SatComLine, CJSC SvyazContactInform, OJSC YamalTelecom and CJSC Zond Holding, which are Russian satellite telecommunications companies that operate satellites in the FSUE Space Communications and Intelsat systems.

The Company competes with TransTelecom, Synterra, FSUE Space Communications, TeliaSonera and Golden Telecom.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Halia Pavliva]

    The Bloomberg Russia-US gauge slipped 0.4 percent to 104.16, paring its advance this month to 7.7 percent. CTC Media Inc. (CTCM), the Nasdaq-listed Russian television company, rallied 2.6 percent to $12.86, the highest level since April 25. The stock has climbed 22 percent this month, making it the best performer on the Bloomberg-Russia gauge. VimpelCom is the second-biggest gainer on the index this month, followed by OAO Rostelecom (ROSYY), which has increased 17 percent after two months of declines.

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Watch For 2014: Sappi Limited(SPP)

Sappi Limited manufactures and sells various pulp, paper, chemical cellulose, and wood products worldwide. It offers coated woodfree paper used for marketing promotions and brochures, catalogues, corporate communications materials, direct mail, textbooks, and magazines; uncoated woodfree paper used for business forms, business stationery, tissue, photocopy paper, books, brochures, and magazines, as well as cut-size, preprint, and office paper; specialty woodfree paper used in bags, labels, and packaging; and release paper for use in textile, automotive, furniture, and engineering film markets. The company also provides packaging paper products, including containerboards, sack kraft, and grocery bags used for primary and secondary packaging of fast moving consumer goods, and agricultural and industrial products. In addition, it offers mechanical newsprint paper used in advertising inserts and newspapers; uncoated mechanical fiber based printing paper used for the printing o f books and advertising inserts; and coated mechanical fiber-based paper used for magazines, catalogues, and advertising material. Further, the company provides pulp products, including paper pulp used in the production of printing, writing, and packaging paper; and chemical cellulose used in the manufacture of various cellulose textile and non-woven fiber products, as well as used in various other cellulose-based applications in the food, film, cigarette, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, Sappi Limited offers sawn timber for construction and furniture manufacturing purposes. Its customers include printers, publishers, corporate end-users, suppliers, and converters. The company was formerly known as South African Pulp and Paper Industries Limited and changed its name to Sappi Limited in 1973. Sappi Limited was founded in 1936 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Sappi (NYSE: SPP  ) reported earnings on May 9. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q2), Sappi beat slightly on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Top 5 Consumer Service Companies To Watch For 2014: RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd.(RRST)

RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. provides content management and distribution services to television and radio broadcasting industries. The company, through its proprietary ?RRsat Global Network? comprising satellite and terrestrial fiber optic transmission capacity and the public Internet, offers distribution services for content providers. Its content distribution services consist of worldwide transmission of video and audio broadcasts. The company also offers content management services, including digital archiving and compilation of customer?s programming and advertising content into various broadcast channels. In addition, RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. provides various production services on a contractual basis and satellite newsgathering services through its fleet of vans for outside broadcasting and electronic news gathering crews and packages. Further, it offers live broadcast studios and editing facilities to its customers. The company?s RRs at Global Network delivers content to various end markets, including cable operators, satellite operators, Internet protocol television operators, direct to home market, and public Internet. Additionally, RRSat Global Communications Network provides mobile satellite telecommunications services, such as global telephony, fax, data, Internet, and other value added services for shipping, aviation, construction, and oil companies; humanitarian aid organizations; governmental agencies; and other end customers that require telephony and Internet services in remote areas. As of December 31, 2009, it provided services to approximately 545 television and radio channels in approximately 150 countries. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in D.N. Shikmim, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    In trading on Thursday, telecommunications services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.83 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Internet Initiative Japan (NASDAQ: IIJI), with shares up 9.5 percent, and RRSat Global Communications Network (NASDAQ: RRST), with shares up 4.9 percent.

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