Is eBay the New Amazon on Wall Street?

Is this going to be eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) year -- again? After over a decade of living in the shadow of e-tail giant Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) , the perennial second-place sales site is starting to get a bigger slice of attention from Wall Street and the tech press. And why not? For the first time in years, second-place eBay is taking first place in the race for returns:

Trailing-12-Month Period* 

Amazon

eBay

2008	60.4%	(10%)
2009	3.1%	(54.7%)
2010	95.2%	88.4%
2011	23.5%	17.2%
2012	4.7%	14.3%
2013	47.1%	61.4%

Source: YCharts. *Period ends on April 15, so 2013 represents April 15, 2012 to April 15, 2013.

But what's behind this change in fortunes? Maybe it's because investors are realizing that a triple-digit P/E can't stand up for years and years. Maybe it's because PayPal is really the next big thing in payments. Or maybe, as a Wired piece published this morning suggests, eBay is taking control of the booming mobile e-commerce market. Wired suggests that eBay is capturing mindshare (and market share) in a number of critical emerging markets. It also suggests that eBay's total sales and payment processing volume will nearly triple by 2015, to $300 billion from the $175 billion in sales reported last year. Is that enough to get excited over? Let's see how eBay really stacks up:

Battle of the e-Tailers | Infographics

It's clear that eBay relies more on international sales than Amazon, but is it worth the excitement when Amazon is so much larger on both accounts? This only shows raw revenue, so I've taken these figures and calculated year-over-year growth rates. It looks better for eBay, but it's not enough to tilt the scales:

Hot Insurance Stocks To Own For 2016

Growth is Everything | Infographics

eBay is moving in the right direction, but it's too soon to claim that the company is about to beat Amazon at its own game. Although eBay has pushed hard into mobile commerce, and now sees almost a third of its purchases come from mobile devices, that segment will still only account for about 15% of total e-commerce revenue this year. Of course, that's expected to rise in the future as more consumers shift their primary browsing and shopping habits from desktop to tablet or smartphone, but it would be rash to count Amazon out of this race.

The one thing eBay undoubtedly has going for it over Amazon is valuation. Compared to Amazon's negative P/E (and 76 forward P/E), eBay looks downright cheap. Free cash flow valuation metrics bring Amazon down to a more reasonable level, but that's still not enough to outdo eBay and its cash-spinning PayPal:

Company and Methodology

P/E

Price to Free Cash Flow

Amazon, current	N/A (negative earnings)	310.6
Amazon, five-year average	198.8	37.5
Amazon, forward	63.1	N/A
eBay, current	28.1	28.5
eBay, five-year average	22.3	19.0
eBay, forward	17.8	N/A

Sources: Wolfram Alpha and Morningstar.

Which e-tailer is a better investment? That depends on how you feel about Amazon's valuation, its long-term diversification goals, eBay's international prospects, and the likelihood that a competing payments processor will undermine PayPal in the next few years.

eBay's cheaper today, and it's justified its share price growth with solid fundamentals. Since its current valuations are all running ahead of its long-term averages, it's important to consider whether the company can show enough growth with its quarterly report this evening to justify another run like 2012's. Amazon may not be a great investment right now based on its outlandish valuations, but that makes it no less a threat to eBay's continued expansion. E-tailing is increasingly becoming dominated by a few major players, and the last thing Amazon will do is sit around on its hands while eBay scoops up more mobile consumers.

Everyone knows Amazon is the king of the retail world right now, but at its sky-high valuation, most investors are worried its share price is due for a correction. The Motley Fool's premium report will tell you what's driving the company's growth, and fill you in on reasons to buy and reasons to sell Amazon. The report also has you covered with a full year of free analyst updates to keep you informed as the company's story changes, so click here now to read more.

 

This Mortgage REIT Will Soon Dwarf Annaly

When it comes to double-digit returns, it's hard to beat the mortgage REIT sector, particularly since Federal Reserve actions since the financial crisis have kept short-term interest rates at historic lows. The shining example of this type of real estate investment trust is Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY  ) , the original investor in mortgage-backed securities insured by government sponsored entities such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Annaly has built its reputation on stellar yields produced by a savvy management team, building the business from its inception in 1997 to a company with a market capitalization of $15 billion and assets topping $133 billion. But there's a relative newcomer that seems intent on knocking Annaly off of its throne: American Capital Agency (NASDAQ: AGNC  ) .

A great year for mortgage REITs
American Capital Agency went public in 2008, a year that saw other mREITs such as Hatteras Financial  (NYSE: HTS  ) , and Armour Residential  (NYSE: ARR  ) enter the territory as well. Groundbreaker Annaly had shown that the carry trade could be lucrative, and the ultra-low short-term interest rate environment created a perfect climate for new companies to enter the playing field.

Both Hatteras and Armour have been successful, but American Capital Agency, under the guidance of Gary Kain, has seen explosive growth in its short life. While Hatteras' market cap sits at less than $3 billion and Armour's is under $2.5 billion, American Capital Agency sports a $13 billion capitalization. Annaly's current market cap is $15 billion, showing that American Capital is hot on its heels and could overtake the venerable mREIT in short order.

Too big, too fast?
American Capital Agency has accrued nearly as much in assets as Annaly, too. At the end of 2012, the trusts held approximately $100.5 billion, and $133.5 billion, consecutively, and it looks like Annaly may lose its premier spot sooner rather than later: American Capital Agency held a mere $58 billion in assets at the end of 2011, meaning that it nearly doubled its asset base in one year's time. How did it accomplish this?

Most of the credit for the trust's growth and success belongs to Kain, a shrewd manager who cut his teeth overseeing billions of dollars in assets at Freddie Mac. When Kain took over the reins at American Capital Agency in 2009, the company had only $2 billion in assets. Kain began building it up to its current robust level by taking advantage of lucrative financing opportunities, and using the insights gained at his former employment to reinvest in and grow the company.

Certainly, the exponential growth experienced by American Capital Agency is unusual, but there seems to be no cause for alarm. The trust still pays out a hefty $1.25 quarterly dividend, even as it approaches the girth of Annaly -- something that other mREITs must envy. As American Capital Agency continues its inexorable rise, its investors are no doubt happy to go along for the ride.

There's no question Annaly Capital's double-digit dividend is eye-catching. But can investors count on that payout sticking around? With the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at historically low levels, Annaly has had to scramble to defend its bottom line. In The Motley Fool's premium research report on Annaly, senior analysts Ilan Moscovitz and Matt Koppenheffer uncover the key challenges the company faces and divulge three reasons investors may consider buying it. Simply click here now to claim your copy today!

How to Earn Airline Miles Without Flying

If you like to travel but the cost of flying is keeping you grounded, you should be taking advantage of credit card rewards programs that let you rack up points for free flights. You don't even have to hop on a plane to earn miles. In fact, it's faster to earn points on the ground than in the air with a rewards card if you aren't a frequent flyer, says Brian Karimzad, director of MileCards.com, a site for comparing travel rewards cards.

SEE ALSO: How to Choose the Best Travel Rewards Card for You

Here are four ways you can quickly earn points so you can start flying for free:

Take advantage of sign-up offers. Most travel and airline-branded rewards cards typically offer 30,000 bonus miles when you open a new account and spend anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 within three months. However, some card issuers offer 50,000 to 100,000 bonus miles, says Torsten Jacobi, founder of Mighty Travels, a site that helps travelers maximize points. These offers tend to be available for only a limited time – sometimes just a couple of days. But sites such as Mighty Travels, The Points Guy and One Mile at a Time feature these offers so you don't have to track them down yourself, he says.

If you want to sign up for more than one card in a year to quickly rack up miles, Karimzad recommends looking for cards with complimentary points programs. For example, if you prefer flying on United Airlines, you could earn bonus miles from both the United MileagePlus Explorer Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which allows cardholders to transfer points to the United MileagePlus frequent-flyer program. The bonuses from both cards can net you more than 70,000 miles -- enough for a roundtrip flight to Europe, he says.

Use rewards cards for everyday purchases. You can earn at least one mile or point per dollar you spend with most travel rewards cards and airline-branded credit cards. Many cards offer extra points for purchase categories such as dining or groceries, Karimzad says. If you use a rewards card to make everyday purchases (and pay off your balance each month to avoid going into debt and racking up interest), you could earn enough points for at least one or more free flights per year. The CardFinder tool at MileCards.com can help you see which card will earn you the most points based on your spending habits and travel goals. Some of the better ones can earn a typical family $400 or more a year in travel rewards, Karimzad says.

Shop online. You can enroll in an airline's frequent-flyer program and earn miles by making purchases through its online shopping portal. The major airlines partner with hundreds on online retailers and give you a certain number of points or miles for each dollar you spend at those retailers. You usually can access these portals (sometimes called "malls" by the airlines) by clicking on the link on an airline's homepage to its frequent-flyer program. There are no fees for these programs, and the retailers' prices and products should be the same as if you went to their sites directly.

Best Chemical Companies To Watch For 2016

Earn miles for hotel stays. Most airlines with frequent-flyer programs partner with hotels to offer members the opportunity to earn points by booking stays with those partners. However, the point-earning potential isn't very big with these partnerships, Karimzad says. But you can earn a lot of miles (5,000 or more per night) by booking hotel rooms through PointsHound or Rocketmiles, which get a commission from the hotels and pass on some of the earnings in the form of airline miles. They don't offer as many hotel options as big booking sites such as Hotels.com or Priceline.com, but rates are similar.

Will Launching The iPhone 6 Early Benefit Apple?

In its most recent earnings report, Apple (AAPL) reported blow-out numbers relative to its own guidance and the most optimistic of sell-side estimates. As a result, Apple's shares have been on an absolutely wonderful run. While it's clear that the iPhone 5s had a lot more juice in it than what many of us had believed even in light of the trend toward larger phones, Apple would still benefit immensely from launching the iPhone 6 early, as it has been rumored that it will.

Strike while the iron is hot The iPhone 5s and even the 5c have enjoyed tremendous momentum since their launches last September. Apple's iOS 7 has been well received, and touch ID has proved to be a key differentiating feature against the various Android devices (even against ones with fingerprint sensors -- Apple's implementation still appears to be the best on the market). However, as the various Android vendors start implementing some of these features, Apple is going to want something new to drum up excitement -- the iPhone 6.

While we don't know a whole lot about the iPhone 6 officially, we can expect that it'll be bigger (4.7 inches and maybe a 5.5-inch model), faster, thinner, and even better than the iPhone 5s. In fact, the 4.7-inch size is likely to prove to be a nearly optimal compromise for those who still want one-handed operation but at the same time want more screen real estate. And, of course, Apple is sure to soup-up iOS 8 to take full advantage of what the new iPhone hardware will enable.

All of this adds up to a product that will be able to keep the momentum going.

Pouring cold water on the next-generation Android phones While Apple has a clear software, platform, and ecosystem advantage, there is no doubt that there are plenty of customers who would love to go back to iOS if they could get a larger phone. Not only would Apple get the benefit of the current loyal Apple customers upgrading to the latest-and-greatest sooner rather than later, but a slightly pulled in iPhone 6 launch would keep those customers -- the ones who would love to go Apple but can't live without a larger device -- from going with an Android device (or -- gasp! -- a Windows Phone) this round.

Will there be some Android users who prefer Android? Of course. Will there be those who absolutely need an OLED display, crazy high pixels per inch, or a 20-megapixel camera? Of course. However, the launch of the 4.7-inch iPhone should grab a pretty solid chunk of Android users, and maybe Apple will try to go after the "spec-crazy" crowd with an even more expensive 5.5-inch variant.

Apple doesn't need all of the high-end smartphone business, but it will benefit immensely from keeping as much of it out the hands of its competitors as possible. A larger-screen iPhone will probably do that, and the sooner it can, the better.

Conclusion There is no smartphone vendor with the brand cachet and the software ecosystem "stickiness" that Apple has. As the company rolls out products that appeal to an even broader swath of the high end market, it should capture more share and ultimately continue growing profits at a respectable rate. Pulling in the iPhone 6 for an August launch, as suggested by some reports, would probably be a smart move, even if in the long-run being a month early isn't a make-or-break proposition.

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Top 5 International Stocks To Buy Right Now

Top 5 International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Digital Realty Trust Inc.(DLR)

Digital Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), through its controlling interest in Digital Realty Trust, L.P., engages in the ownership, acquisition, development, redevelopment, and management of technology-related real estate. It focuses on strategically located properties containing applications and operations critical to the day-to-day operations of technology industry tenants and corporate enterprise datacenter users, including the information technology departments of Fortune 1000 companies, and financial services companies. The company?s property portfolio consists of Internet gateway properties, corporate datacenter properties, technology manufacturing properties, and regional or national offices of technology companies. As of December 31, 2008, Digital Realty?s portfolio consisted of 75 properties, including 62 located in North America and 13 located in Europe. Digital Realty Trust has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purpo ses and would not be subject to income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Northern Virginia, and Phoenix, as well as in Dublin, London, and Paris.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jared Cummans]

  Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) reported its third quarter results after Tuesday’s closing bell, surprising the Street with strong numbers.

  DLR’s Earnings in Brief

  The company reported FFO of $1.22, beating analyst expectations of $1.21. Revenues came in at $412 million, marking a 3% increase from the previous quarter and a 12% increase YoY. Signed leases during the quarter are expected to generate $31 million in ! annual revenue moving forward. The company raise its FY2014 guidance to FFO of $4.90 – $4.95 versus the expected $4.87.

  CEO Commentary

  CEO and CFO Bill Stein had the following comments: “We maintained consistent leasing momentum during the third quarter, with new lease signings totaling $31 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue. We also realized another consistent contribution from our mid-market segment, with new leases signed during the third quarter expected to generate $5 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue.  Pricing has firmed across products and regions, and net effective leasing economics continue to improve, driven by steady absorption of excess supply at the sector level, along with company-specific changes to our sales compensation program and tighter underwriting discipline.”

  DLR’s Dividend

  DLR made no mention of its dividend in its earnings report. The stock paid its most recent dividend on September 30th and we expect it to announce its next payout in the coming weeks.

  Stock Performance

  DLR’s stock was up 21 cents, or 0.31%, in after hours trading.

  DLR Dividend Snapshot

  As of market close on October 28, 2014

  Click here to see the complete history of PFE dividends.

• [By Bill Stoller]

  The first half of 2014 has been particularly successful for shareholders of both industry giant $7.9 billion Digital Reality Trust (NYSE: DLR  ) and its much smaller rival QTS, which currently sports a market cap of just $837 million. At first I was a bit stunned that Digital Realty didn't snag this deal. Digital has an extensive global footprint similar to both Atos and McGraw Hill.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-international-stocks-to-buy-right-now-3.html

Best Construction Stocks For 2016

Best Construction Stocks For 2016: Acuity Brands Inc (AYI)

Acuity Brands, Inc. (Acuity Brands), incorporated on September 20, 2007, is the parent company of Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc. (ABL), and other subsidiaries. Acuity Brands is a provider of lighting solutions for commercial, institutional, industrial, infrastructure, and residential applications throughout North America and select international markets. The Company's lighting solutions include devices, such as luminaires, lighting controls, power supplies, prismatic skylights, light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, and integrated lighting systems for indoor and outdoor applications utilizing a combination of light sources, including daylight, and other devices controlled by software that monitors and manages light levels while optimizing energy consumption (collectively referred to herein as lighting solutions). Effective March 14, 2013, the Company acquired eldoLED Europe BV.

The Company manufactures lighting devices primarily in North America, Europe and Asia. The Company's lighting solutions are marketed under numerous brand names, including Lithonia Lighting, Holophane, Peerless, Mark Architectural Lighting, Hydrel, American Electric Lighting, Gotham, Carandini, RELOC, Antique Street Lamps, Tersen, Winona Lighting, Synergy Lighting Controls, Sensor Switch, Lighting Control & Design, Dark to Light, ROAM, Sunoptics, acculamp, Pathway Connectivity, and Healthcare Lighting. As of August 31, 2012, the Company manufactures products in 18 facilities in North America and two facilities in Europe.

Principal customers include electrical distributors, retail home improvement centers, electric utilities, municipalities, lighting showrooms, and energy service companies located in North America and select international markets serving new construction, renovation, and facility maintenance applications. In North America, the Company's lightin! g solutions are sold primarily by independent sales agents, electrical wholesalers, and facto ry sales representatives who cover specific geographic areas! and market channels. Products are delivered directly or through a network of distribution centers, regional warehouses, and commercial warehouses using both common carriers and a company-owned truck fleet. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012), North American sales accounted for approximately 98% of net sales. The Company has one operating segment serving the North American lighting market and select international markets.

The Company provides a range of lighting solutions, as well as services used in the applications, such as lighting solutions and services. Lighting solutions and services includes commercial and institutional, industrial, infrastructure, residential and services. Commercial and Institutional includes stores, hotels, offices, schools, and hospitals, as well as other government and public buildings. Lighting solutions that serve these applications include recessed, surface, and suspended lighting products, recessed down lig hting, track lighting, day lighting, and lighting controls (occupancy sensors, photocontrols, relay panels, architectural dimming panels, and integrated lighting controls systems), as well as special-use lighting products. The outdoor areas associated with these applications are addressed by a range of outdoor lighting products, such as area and flood lighting, decorative site lighting, and landscape lighting. Industrial includes primarily warehouses and manufacturing facilities, which utilize a range of general purpose, day lighting, and special-use lighting solutions. Infrastructure includes highways, tunnels, airports, railway yards, and ports. Products that serve these applications include street, area, high-mast, off-set roadway, sign lighting, poles, and integrated controls systems. Residential includes a combination of decorative, utilitarian, and down lighting products! . Service! s include monitoring and controlling of lighting systems through network technologies.

< p>

The Company competes with Cooper Industries plc, Hu! bbell Inc! orporated, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., OSRAM AG, Schneider Electric and General Electric Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) shares were also up, gaining 6.15 percent to $150.74 after the company reported better-than-expected earnings for the fiscal first quarter.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One diversified electronics player that insiders are loading up on here is Acuity Brands (AYI), which designs, produces and distributes lighting solutions, components, and services for commercial, institutional, industrial, infrastructure and residential applications in North America and internationally. Insiders are buying this stock into solid strength, since shares have ripped higher by 22% so far in 2014.

  Acuity Brands has a market cap of $5.7 billion and an enterprise value of $5.5 billion. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 33 and a forward price-to-earnings of 21.9. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 24.9%, and for next year it's pegged at 23.6%. This is a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $552.50 million and its total debt is $353.60 million.

  A director just bought 8,000 shares, or about $983,000 worth of stock, at $122.94 per share.

  From a technical perspective, AYI is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock recently pulled back right to its 50-day moving average and then subsequently bounced off that level and trended back above its 200-day moving average. That move is now starting to push shares of AYI within range of triggering a big breakout trade above some key overhead resistance levels.

  If you're bullish on AYI, then I would look for long-biased trades as ! long as t! his stock is trending above its 200-day moving average of $126.02 a share or its 50-day moving average of $124.43 a share and then once it breaks out above some key overhead resistance levels at $135.57 to $138.16 a share and then above some past resistance at $140.20 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 375,008 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then AYI will set up to re-test or possibl

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  www.cintas.com From the leading distributor of spices and seasonings posting quarterly results to the top dog in corporate identity uniforms providing a snapshot of corporate America, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Uniform Decision The new trading week kicks off with Cintas (CTAS) reporting quarterly results. Cintas is the leading provider of leased company uniforms and other workplace essentials. The role it plays makes it a great bellwether for the state of corporate America. If companies are hiring, you will see it in an increase in revenue as orders pick up. Analysts see profitability improving at Cintas when it reports on Monday afternoon, but they also see revenue declining slightly. Tuesday -- Windows Watching Microsoft (MSFT) is hosting a press event in San Francisco on Tuesday. It was initially rumored to be the software giant's unveiling of Windows 9, but more recent reports speculate that Windows 9 won't be ready for public preview until next month. Microsoft has plenty of work to do in swaying a marketplace that wasn't wowed by Windows 8. The next operating system will likely retain many of the popular existing features while also bringing back some of the Windows 7 offerings, like making it easier to switch from the tiled layout of Windows 8 to the standard Start menu of Windows 7. Wednesday -- Lighten Up The fourth quarter officially kicks off on Wednesday. On! e company! stepping up with fresh financials is Acuity Brands (AYI). The Atlanta-based provider of lighting solutions rang up $2 billion in sales last year across roughly two dozen brands. Wall Street pros see revenue climbing 12 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter. The analysts also see Acuity checking in with a profit of $1.22 a share, up nicely from the $1.03 a share it posted a year earlier. Thursday -- Spice of Life Things should spice up on Thursday morning when McCormick (MKC) reports its quarterly result

• [By Lee Samaha]

  Shareholders in lighting company Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI  ) were given a rude reminder of the risk of holding a highly rated stock recently. The company's third quarter results missed estimates and the stock plunged more than 15%. But it might not all be so bad. Acuity's management doesn't give earnings guidance, so Fools should expect some volatility around the results. In addition, the company is attractive for a host of reasons, many of which also apply to Cree (NASDAQ: CREE  ) and Hubbell  (NYSE: HUB-B  ) . Is this a good buying opportunity in Acuity Brands?

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-construction-stocks-for-2016.html