When current Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) CEO Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai took over as head of the huge Japanese consumer electronics company, he promised to turn the company around. It had been ruined by his predecessor Sir Howard Stringer, who missed every opportunity to make Sony what is once was — the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) of the 1980s and 1990s. Hirai either took the job too late to matter, or his efforts have failed. The latest evidence came as Moody’s cut Sony’s rating to junk.
The ratings firm announced:
Moody’s Japan K.K. has downgraded the Issuer Rating and the long-term senior unsecured bond rating of Sony Corporation to Ba1 from Baa3. The ratings outlook is stable.
And added:
Of primary concern are the challenges facing the company’s TV and PC businesses, both of which face intense global competition, rapid changes in technology, and product obsolescence.
Sony’s profitability is likely to remain weak and volatile, as we expect the majority of its core consumer electronics businesses — such as TVs, mobile, digital cameras and personal computers — to continue to face significant downward earnings pressure. The primary reason is intense competition and the shrinkage in demand, the result in turn of cannibalization caused by the rapid penetration of smartphones.
Top 10 Solar Companies To Own In Right Now: Novavax Inc.(NVAX)
Novavax, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing recombinant vaccines for infectious diseases using its virus-like particle platform (VLP) technology. It develops vaccine product candidates that target pandemic influenza, including H1N1 and H5N1 strains; seasonal influenza; and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Novavax has a joint venture with Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. to develop and manufacture the company?s pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine candidates, Cadila?s biogeneric products, and other diagnostic products for the territory of India; and a licensing agreement with LG Life Sciences, Ltd. to use the company?s VLP technology to develop and sell the company?s influenza vaccines in South Korea and other countries. It also has a co-marketing agreement with GE Healthcare for a pandemic influenza vaccine solution. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) is projected to post a Q4 loss at $0.08 per share on revenue of $6.22 million.
FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ: FCEL) is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.04 per share on revenue of $43.44 million.
Best Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Piedmont Natural Gas Company Inc.(PNY)
Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc., an energy services company, engages in the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation customers in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It also operates energy-related businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing, regulated interstate natural gas storage, and intrastate natural gas transportation. The company serves approximately 1 million customers, including 51,800 customers served by municipalities. Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Steven Russolillo]
WATCH FOR:�May ADP Jobs Survey (8:15 a.m. Eastern Time): seen +210K; previously +220K. April US Trade Deficit (8:30): seen $40.9B; previously $40.4B. First Quarter Productivity (8:30, second read): seen -3.1%; previously -1.7%. First Quarter Unit Labor Costs (8:30, second read): seen +5.5%: previously +4.2%. May ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (10:00): seen 55.2; previously 55.2. Analogic(ALOG), Ciena(CIEN), Cooper, Diamond Foods(DMND), J.M. Smucker(SJM), Joy Global(JOY), Piedmont Natural Gas(PNY), UTi Worldwide, Vail Resorts, Vera Bradley(VRA) and VeriFone(PAY) are among companies scheduled to report quarterly results.
Best Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: SunPower Corp (SPWR)
SunPower Corporation, incorporated in April 1985, is a vertically integrated solar products and services company that designs, manufactures and delivers solar electric systems worldwide for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers. The Company operates in two business segments: the Utility and Power Plants (UPP) Segment and the Residential and Commercial (R&C) Segment. The UPP Segment refers to its solar products and systems business, which includes power plant project development and project sales, turn-key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for power plant construction, and power plant operations and maintenance (O&M) services. UPP Segment also sells components, including huge volume of sales of solar panels and mounting systems to third parties, sometimes on a multi-year, firm commitment basis. The R&C Segment focuses on solar equipment sales into the residential and small commercial market through its third-party global dealer network, as well as direct sales and EPC and O&M services in the United States and Europe for rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems for the new homes, commercial and public sectors. In May 2012, K Road Power Holdings, LLC (K Road) and SunPower Corp announced that K Road acquired the 25-megawatt (AC) McHenry Solar Project, which the Company designed. In January 2013, the Company MidAmerican Solar acquired the 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects (AVSP), two co-located projects in Kern and Los Angeles Counties in Calif from SunPower.
In January 2012, the Company completed its acquisition of the wholly owned Total SA subsidiary Tenesol SA, a global solar provider. In September 2011, NRG Energy Inc. acquired 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) project from SunPower. In June 2011, the Company introduced SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20) series. The Company�� customers in its UPP Segment include investors, financial institutions, project developers, electric utilities, and independent po! wer producers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In its R&C Segment, the Company primarily sells its products to commercial and governmental entities, production home builders, and its third-party global dealer network serving residential owners and small commercial building owners.
Solar Cells
The A-300 solar cell is a silicon solar cell with a specified power value of 3.1 watts and a conversion efficiency averaging between 20.0% and 21.5%. The Company�� A-330 solar cell delivers 3.3 watts with a conversion efficiency of up to 22.7%.
Solar Panels
The Company�� SunPower solar panel series include solutions, such as SunPower E18 Series Solar Panel (E18), SunPower E19 Series Solar Panel (E19), and SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20). Available in a 72-cell configuration, the E18 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers a total panel conversion of 18.1% to 18.5%. Available in a 72, 96, and 128-cell configuration, the E19 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of 19.3% to 19.7%. Available in a 96-cell configuration, the E20 series panel uses its A-330 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of up to 20.1%.
Inverters
The Company sells a line of SunPower branded inverters. The inverters are manufactured by third parties.
Roof Mounted Products
The roof mounted products include SunPower T-5 Solar Roof Tile System (T-5), SunPower T-10 Commercial Solar Roof Tiles (T-10), PowerGuard Roof System (PowerGuard) and SunTile Roof Integrated System (SunTile). Tilted at a 5-degree angle, the T-5 roof tile is a non-penetrating photovoltaic rooftop product that combines solar panel, frame, and mounting system. The T-5 solar roof tile systems are primarily sold through its R&C Segment.
Tilted at a 10-degree angle, the T-10 commercial solar roof tiles is a non-penetrating panel interlock system! . Dependi! ng on geographical location and local climate conditions, this can allow for the generation of up to 10% more annual energy output than traditional flat roof-mounted systems. The T-10 commercial solar roof tile is primarily sold through its R&C Segment.
PowerGuard is a non-penetrating roof-mounted solar panel that delivers electricity while insulating and protecting the roof membrane from ultraviolet rays and thermal degradation. The PowerGuard roof system is primarily sold through its R&C Segment. SunTile solar shingles are designed to replace multiple types of roof panels, including the common concrete flat, low and high profile S tile and composition shingles. The SunTile roof system is also sold through its R&C Segment.
Ground Mounted Products
The ground mounted products include SunPower T-0 Tracker (T-0) & SunPower T-20 Tracker (T-20), SunPower Oasis Power Plant (SunPower Oasis), SunPower C-7 Tracker (C-7), and Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for Parking Structures. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are single-axis tracking systems that automatically pivot solar panels to track the sun's movement throughout the day. This tracking feature increases the amount of sunlight that is captured and converted into energy by up to 30% over flat or fixed-tilt systems, depending on geographic location and local climate conditions. A single motor and drive mechanism can control 10 to 20 rows, or more than 200 kilo watts of solar panels. The T-0 and T-20 trackers have been installed in a range of geographical markets principally in the United States, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Spain. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.
The Oasis is a solar power block that scales from 1 mega watts distributed installations to central station power plants. Oasis provides a way to deploy utility-scale solar power systems, streaming the development and construction process while optimizing the use of available land. The SunPow! er Oasis ! is sold through its UPP Segment. The C-7 combines a horizontal single-axis tracker with rows of parabolic mirrors, reflecting light onto linear arrays of its solar cells. The C-7 tracker is sold through its UPP Segment. SunPower has developed designs for solar power systems for parking structures in multiple configurations. These dual-use systems typically incorporate solar panels into the roof of a carport or similar structure to deliver onsite solar power while providing shade and protection. They are suited for parking lots adjacent to facilities. Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for parking structures are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.
Other System Offerings
SunPower�� metal roof system is designed for sloped-metal roof buildings, which are used in some winery and warehouse applications. This solar power system is designed for rapid installation. It also offers other architectural products, such as day lighting with translucent solar panels.
Balance of System Components
Balance of system components are components of a solar power system other than the solar panels. It includes SunPower branded inverters, mounting structures, charge controllers, grid interconnection equipment, and other devices depending on the specific requirements of a particular system and project.
The Company competes with Canadian Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings Co., Kyocera Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Q-Cells AG, Sanyo Corporation, Sharp Corporation, SolarCity Corporation, SolarWorld AG, Sungevity, Inc., SunRun, Inc., Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Trina Solar Ltd., Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., Abengoa Solar S.A., Acconia Energia S.A., AES Solar Energy Ltd., Chevron Energy Solutions, EDF Energy plc, First Solar Inc., NextEra Energy, Inc., OPDE Group, NRG Energy, Inc., Recurrent Energy, Sempra Energy, Skyline Solar, Inc., Solargen Energy, Inc., Solaria Corporation, SolFocus, Inc., SunEdison and Tenaska, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
Solar makers like First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) and SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) have come to depend on their project businesses to help offset the declining costs of solar modules. SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) has recently made two acquisitions that increase their vertical integration in the solar installation market. For the moment at least, going vertical seems to be the path to whatever profits exist in the solar market.
Best Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Hanmi Financial Corporation(HAFC)
Hanmi Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Hanmi Bank that provides general business banking products and services in the United States. Its deposit product line comprises business and personal checking accounts, savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio includes real estate loans, such as commercial property, construction, and residential property loans; commercial and industrial loans comprising commercial term loans, commercial lines of credit, small business administration loans, and international trade finance; and consumer loans consisting of automobile loans, secured and unsecured personal loans, home improvement loans, home equity lines of credit, overdraft protection loans, and unsecured lines of credit and credit cards. It also offers various insurance products, such as life, commercial, automobile, health, and property and casualty. The company serves the Korean-American community, as well as other communities in the multi-ethnic populations of Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, the San Francisco Bay area, and the Silicon Valley area in Santa Clara County. As of December 31, 2010, it operates a branch network of 27 full-service branch offices in California and one loan production office in Washington. Hanmi Financial Corporation was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC): President and CEO Chong Guk Kum Bought 1,821 Shares
President and CEO of Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) Chong Guk Kum bought 1,821 shares on 09/20/2013 at an average price of $16.27. Hanmi Financial Corporation has a market cap of $513.615 million; its shares were traded at around $16.27 with a P/E ratio of 10.95 and P/S ratio of 3.82. The dividend yield of Hanmi Financial Corporation stocks is 0.43%.
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