Saturday, April 5, 2014

Intercept Pharmaceuticals: Too Much Selling Going On

In what’s turned into a bad day for biotech stocks, Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT) is among the worst performers.

REUTERS

Shares of Intercept Pharmaceuticals have dropped 8.3% to $295, lagging the 3.3% drop in the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) and the 4.7% decline in the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI). Gilead Sciences (GILD) has fallen 2.1% to $72.44 and Amgen (AMGN) is off just 1.8% at $121.88.

Blame SAC’s decision to drastically cut its position and a secondary offering for Intercept’s decline.

Wedbush’s Liana Moussatos explains the purpose of the secondary offering:

Intercept raised approximately $183.3MM in a follow-on offering of 600,000 shares at $320/share. We project runway into Q3 2016 from Q3 2015, which covers major milestones, including regulatory review and potential approval of OCA in PBC in 2015…

Reiterate OUTPERFORM rating and acquisition value of $493. Our acquisition value is calculated by applying a 30% annual discount to our net peak WW revenues for each drug/indication and applying a 1-10x multiple depending on stage of development to reflect risk. Each combination is added in a sum-of-parts to calculate an acquisition value for [Intercept Pharmaceuticals] and projected to the end of 2015 to include the time frame we see for potential acquisition.

Just expect a heck of a lot of volatility before then.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

DOE restarting loan program blasted by GOP

With memories of Fisker and other failures starting to fade, the federal government is getting back in the business of low-interest loans to makers of clean-tech vehicles.

It has $16 billion to spread around.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced that the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program that became a political football during the 2012 presidential race is ready to start accepting applications again. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney blasted it at the time, and conservative pundits have never let up.

Moniz made the announcement Wednesday at the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association Legislative Summit.

The Energy Department says that the loan program "plays a crucial role in supporting the growth of the U.S. auto manufacturing industry." But its success record was decidedly mixed. Electric car maker Tesla Motors received a huge loan and paid it all back with interest. But plug-in hybrid maker Fisker Automotive failed, and the whole affair had Republicans raising questions about whether the federal government belongs in the business of loans to private companies, especially in as risky a sector as alternatively powered vehicles.

The program has provided about $8.4 billion in financing so far. The department says it has created 35,000 direct jobs in California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, New York and Tennessee.

It's ripe for a restart because times have changed, Moniz says.

"The U.S. auto industry has evolved since the ATVM Program was established and today we are presented with an opportunity to hit the accelerator on U.S. auto manufacturing growth," he says.

Hot Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now

Hot Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: USG Corporation(USG)

USG Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of building materials worldwide. The company offers gypsum and related products, including gypsum wallboard, joint compounds used for finishing wallboard joints, cement boards, glass mat sheathing, gypsum fiber panels, poured gypsum underlayments, ultra light panels, and various construction plaster products. Its gypsum products are used in various building applications to finish the interior walls, ceilings, and floors in residential, commercial, and institutional constructions, and repair and remodel constructions. The company also produces gypsum-based products for agricultural and industrial customers to use in various applications, including soil conditioning, road repair, fireproofing, and ceramics. In addition, it manufactures ceiling grid and acoustical ceiling tile for electrical and mechanical systems, and air distribution and maintenance applications. USG Corporation distribut es its gypsum products through specialty wallboard distributors, building materials dealers, home improvement centers and other retailers, contractors, and a network of distributors. Further, it distributes other manufacturers? gypsum wallboard, joint compound and other gypsum products, as well as drywall metal, insulation, and roofing products and accessories. The company sells its products under SHEETROCK, DUROCK, FIBEROCK, SECUROCK, LEVELROCK, RED TOP, IMPERIAL, DIAMOND, SUPREMO, AURATONE, ACOUSTONE, DONN, DX, FINELINE, CENTRICITEE, CURVATURA, and COMPASSO brands. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matt Jarzemsky]

    While economists attributed some of the downtick to cold and snowy weather, some are wondering if the Federal Reserve's plan to dial back its stimulus program this! year could lead to a rise in interest rates, putting the brakes on the housing recovery. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders exchange-traded fund—which tracks a broad basket of housing-related stocks from builders to Sheetrock maker USG Corp.(USG)—is down about 3.6% year-to-date.

  • [By Holly LaFon]

    Pimco managing director Mark Kiesel mentions Whirlpool (WHR), Weyerhaeuser (WY), USG (USG), Toll Brothers (TOLL) and KB Home (KBH) as good plays on housing: 

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    USG (NYSE: USG  ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), USG missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

  • source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-cheap-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014

Bloomberg News

It just may be the ultimate play on Obamacare.

The $55 million SPDR S&P Health Care Services exchange-traded fund (XHS) holds insurers, hospitals, clinics, rehab centers and nursing homes -- all of which are about to get more paying customers from an injection of billions of dollars a year in a variety of new taxes. Its far larger rivals, including the popular $7.5 billion Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), have little or no exposure to hospitals.

While the narrowly focused, equal-weighted XHS is in a good position to profit from Obamacare, it's hardly undervalued. Since its launch two years ago and all through the legislative saga, XHS has been a top performer among the 22 health-care ETFs. Over that time, the fund has had a 77 percent return, 12 percent more than the broad health-care sector. XHS has seen assets quadruple since the start of the year; assets in all health-care ETFs are up 63 percent.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jim Jubak]

    The company's January 10 announcement that it was lowering its guidance for the fourth quarter on declines in drilling activity in North America and Europe/Africa/Russia, has certainly contributed to weakness in the oil services sector and in the shares of competitors such as Schlumberger (SLB). With Schlumberger scheduled to report fourth quarter earnings on January 17, and with Baker Hughes scheduled for January 21, the question now is, ��as the lowered guidance from Baker Hughes de-risked the stocks in the sector or will there be enough disappointment in the actual reports to push the sector down farther?��/p>

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Halliburton has focused much of its attention on the booming U.S. market, giving it more exposure to domestic production than more globally focused rival Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) . With domestic drilling activity having been fairly weak lately, Halliburton's U.S. concentration has raised concerns among investors, as land-based rig counts have fallen sharply. But with efficiency gains from multi-pad drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, bulls hope that rig counts don't accurately reflect actual production activity and therefore that Halliburton's earnings will hold up better than some expect.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) is reaching into its corporate bowl for a fresh payout to shareholders. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share. This will be paid on July 8 to stockholders of record as of June 19. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution, which was paid in early April. Prior to that, Tupperware Brands was rather less generous, handing out $0.36 per share.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.

Top Performing Stocks To Buy Right Now: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    Caterpillar is a provider of construction and related industrial products and services during a time where countries around the world are seeing expansion. Shares of Caterpillar crossed above their 200 day moving average of $85.26, changing hands as high as $85.38 per share. The stock has remained neutral in recent months and is currently in a range. Over the last four-quarters, earnings and revenues have been decreasing which has left investors optimistic about the company. Relative to its peers and sector, Caterpillar has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Caterpillar does in coming quarters.

  • [By Chuck Carnevale]

    Our first example once again looks at Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) from the earnings and price correlated relationship with a free cash flow overlay (orange shaded area marked with a capital F) added. Clearly we see that Caterpillar (CAT) does generate free cash flow which is a sign of a strong and healthy business. However, we also see that price tracks earnings in a much more correlated fashion than it relates to free cash flow.

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) is taking the biggest hit on the Dow, crashing 3.1% today. The company relies on growth in emerging markets to grow sales, and China's GDP numbers will always affect the stock in the short term. A lot of this weakness is already priced into the stock, so it may not be bad for long-term investors. The company reports earnings next Monday, and estimates call for $1.44 per share in earnings, down from $2.37 a year ago.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Moreover, Manitowoc has managed to maintain a healthy backlog of orders that show the company's potential to sustain its long-term growth. With $776 million of outstanding crane orders as of March, the backlog represents about four months' worth of revenue for the segment, roughly in line with what industry giant Caterpillar's (NYSE: CAT  ) $20.4 billion in order backlog equates to as a proportion of its much larger total revenue. Yet Manitowoc hasn't seen Caterpillar's substantial contraction in sales recently, pointing to the crane-maker's greater resiliency.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Eisen]

    Perpetually struggling department store J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) �said it expects a sales boost this holiday season as it returns to a promotional strategy. But for the most part, retailers including Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR) �, GameStop Corp. (GME) � and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) � gave dour outlooks in their earnings reports.

  • [By Lawrence Meyers]

    As a convenience store, it doesn’t have direct competition from�Dollar Tree (DLTR) or Family Dollar (FDO) because these dollar stores aren�� exclusively focused on food (and they have no gasoline or cigarette sales), and they��e targeted at the folks who are trying to save money over convenience, not vice versa. The convenience angle is another reason why�Walmart (WMT) and Costco (COST)�aren’t competitors, since those behemoths are about a total shopping experience.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

iGATE Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

iGATE (Nasdaq: IGTE  ) reported earnings on April 11. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), iGATE beat slightly on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew. Non-GAAP earnings per share increased significantly. GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.

Gross margins dropped, operating margins expanded, net margins grew.

Revenue details
iGATE logged revenue of $274.9 million. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted sales of $272.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were the same as the prior-year quarter's.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.51. The eight earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.42 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.51 for Q1 were 34% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.38 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.34 for Q1 were 55% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.22 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 38.1%, 210 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 19.1%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 12.6%, 350 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $280.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.36.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.14 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.65.

Investor sentiment

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on iGATE is outperform, with an average price target of $21.57.

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Where Are the AMD Tablets?

It seems that every year AMD (NYSE: AMD  ) makes a pretty large fuss about a next-generation mobile product, but year after year these products don't materialize in many shipping designs. Some argue that the same argument could be applied to larger PC chip rival Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) , but there are numerous quality Windows-based tablets shipping with Intel silicon, even if Intel's Bay Trail on Android continues to be MIA. So a simple question that AMD investors should try to answer is: Where are all of the AMD tablets?

A trip to AMD's website: Trying to buy an AMD tablet
To see what kind of progress AMD has made in securing tablet designs, a trip to AMD's website is in order. Clicking on the "where to buy" button on AMD's tablet page reveals some interesting results. Of the 10 tablets available in total, the breakdown by chip is as follows:

AMD Dual-Core A4 Series: four tablets. AMD Dual-Core Z-Series APU: three tablets. AMD Quad-Core A6-Series: three tablets.

Of the four dual-core A4 based devices, three were 11.6-inch designs and one was a 13.3-inch detachable Windows 8 PC. Not a single one was a "tablet" in the sense of a traditional 10.1-inch or 9.7-inch design. Of the quad-core A6 based devices, all three were 13.3-inch designs from Hewlett-Packard. And naturally, the older Z-series APU based designs weren't anything to write home about, particularly as reviews panned both the performance and battery lives of products based on this chip (since the chip was unsuitable for thin and light tablets).

Compare that with Intel
Since AMD's chips are only targeted toward Windows right now, its only real competitor in the Windows tablet chip space is Intel, so a comparison is appropriate. Today there are a number of tablets with Bay Trail, Intel's latest 22-nanometer tablet-oriented chip, from many vendors, including:

ASUS. Acer. Fujitsu. Dell. Sharp. Lenovo. Toshiba. Ramos.

These designs come in both 10.1-inch and 8-inch flavors, and these tablets have gotten pretty solid reviews for their performance and battery life. Of course, there are varying degrees of quality across the vendors (and Windows tablets aren't anywhere near as big of a market as Android and iOS tablets are), and you'll probably notice that these are relatively small names in the tablet market, but the breadth and quality of the offerings looks markedly higher than those powered by AMD.

Will Mullins do the trick?
When the Z-60 came out, it was "wait for Temash". Now that Temash is out, about, and garnering very little design win traction, AMD has been talking up its successor SoC for tablets code-named Mullins. Mullins apparently features an updated CPU core (probably with more aggressive Turbo) and at the system-on-a-chip level manages to bring power down.

This may be as a result of removing some of the I/Os that are PC-use only (similar to what Intel did with Bay Trail-T versus Bay Trail-M) as well as some architectural optimizations and enhancements. Only time will tell whether Mullins can finally find its way in competitive Windows-based tablets, but by then AMD will be contending with Intel's next-generation Cherry Trail. 

Foolish bottom line
While AMD has talked a big game, particularly around tablets, it simply has yet to deliver the goods in terms of the right product (AMD's current tablet offerings are missing several key IP blocks for tablets such as a dedicated image signal processor) at the right time in the right designs. And even if AMD sorts its product story out, the right chip is only just the beginning in this highly competitive, cutthroat industry. It is a necessary, but insufficient, condition to long-term business success.

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