If you want to invest in stocks and do well at it, you need to choose your holdings carefully. There are two key factors to keep in mind -- quality and price.
Imagine buying a home, or a car, or even a pair of shoes. You probably won't just buy the loveliest house you see -- as you may not be able to afford it. You probably won't buy the cheapest car you can find, either, because it's not likely to perform well. It's the same when you target stock bargains. A true bargain will be both attractively priced and high-quality.
Seek high quality
Quality matters when you want to target stock bargains, because a high-quality company will have sustainable competitive advantages that will help it keep performing well. Its size might give it economies of scale, for example, or might have consumers sort of locked into its system and reluctant to switch. That can happen with email service providers, as it's a headache to send everyone your new email address. Or consider robotic surgery giant Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG ) . Once a hospital buys its machines, it won't be likely to buy one from a competing company, as its doctors will have learned how to use Intuitive's machines. Meanwhile, Intuitive will get to collect a lot of recurring revenue from the hospital, in the form of service contracts and supplies for the machines.
Best Growth Stocks To Own For 2015: StoneMor Partners L.P.(STON)
StoneMor Partners L.P., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of cemeteries in the southeast, northeast, and west regions of the United States. It offers funeral and cemetery products and services in the death care industry. The company sells interment rights, caskets, burial vaults, cremation niches, markers, and other cemetery related merchandise; provides opening and closing that is the digging and refilling of burial spaces to install the vault and place the casket into the vault; and various other services, including the installation of other cemetery merchandise and the perpetual care related to interment rights. It also offers various funeral-related services, such as family consultation, the removal of and preparation of remains, and the use of funeral home facilities for visitation. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 274 cemeteries, including 253 own cemeteries in 26 states and Puerto Rico; and owned and operated 69 funeral homes in 18 states and Puerto Rico. StoneMor GP LLC serves as the general partner of the company. StoneMor Partners L.P. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Shauna O'Brien]
On Friday, cemetery operator StoneMor Partners L.P. (STON) reported that its net loss for the fourth quarter narrowed from last year, aided by a 6.4% rise in revenue.STON’s Earnings in Brief
STON reported a Q4 net loss of�$3.5 million, compared to a loss of $3.9 million a year ago. Revenue was�$63.1 million, up from $59.3 million last year. For FY2013, the company reported a net loss of�$19.0 million, compared to a loss of $3.0 million in 2012. �The large loss in 2013 was primarily due to�costs related to the early retirement of senior notes. Revenue for the year rose to $246.6 million in 2013, from�$242.6 million in 2012.CEO Commentary
Lawrence Miller, President and CEO of STON commented: “StoneMor closed the year with a solid fourth quarter, showing improvement over the fourth quarter of 2012 in nearly every category,” s
“GAAP revenues and operating income in the fourth quarter of 2013 both improved over the fourth quarter of last year, while such non-GAAP financial measures as production based revenue and adjusted operating profits showed very strong growth, up 17.4% and 73.1% respectively. Driving much of this performance has been the ongoing contributions from acquisitions made in 2012 and 2013. The contributions from acquisitions also helped power a 75.9% increase in our distributable cash flow (non-GAAP) compared to the fourth quarter of 2012.
STON’s Dividend
STON paid its last 60 cent quarterly dividend on February 14. We expect the company to announce its next dividend in April.
�Stock Performance�
StoneMor Partners shares were mostly flat during premarket trading Friday. The stock is down 3.8% YTD.
- [By Dr. Kent Moors]
Of course, there are some exceptions. My favorite outlier, about as non-oil and gas as you can get, is StoneMor Partners LP (NYSE: STON). StonMor is an MLP that manages cemeteries... and it pays a 9.5% yield!
- [By Dan Caplinger]
On Tuesday, StoneMor Partners (NYSE: STON ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
StoneMor Partners (NYSE: STON ) also showed signs of life with its payouts.�The only death-care company structured as a high-yielding limited partnership boosted its quarterly rate from $0.59 per unit to $0.595 per unit. It's the second time in six months that StoneMor -- operator of 276 cemeteries and 92 funeral parlors -- has hiked its distributions.�Why push up daisies when you can also push up your yield?
Top Cheapest Companies For 2014: Silicom Ltd(SILC)
Silicom Ltd. engages in the design, manufacture, marketing, and support of connectivity solutions for a range of servers and server based systems in the North America, Europe, and internationally. The company primarily offers high-end server networking cards with and without bypass that are known as server adapters. Its server adapters are used in various applications that include security appliances, wide area network optimization appliances, load balancing and traffic management appliances, network-attached storage, video on demand servers, content delivery servers, Internet service providers/Web hosting, and high end computing. Silicom Ltd. also offers intelligent and programmable cards, such as encryption acceleration cards and redirector cards; intelligent stand alone bypass units; 10 Gbps products with and without bypass; and server to appliance converters. It markets its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Kfar Sava, Israel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Silicom (Nasdaq: SILC ) reported earnings on July 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Silicom beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share. - [By Lisa Levin]
Silicom (NASDAQ: SILC) jumped 33.10% to $61.88 as the company announced upbeat quarterly results.
Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) moved up 16.86% to $389.98 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results.
Top Cheapest Companies For 2014: eLong Inc.(LONG)
eLong, Inc. operates as an online travel service provider in the People?s Republic of China. The company provides its customers with travel information and the ability to book rooms, air tickets, vacation packages, and other travel related services utilizing call center and Web-based distribution technologies. It facilitates the customers to book rooms in approximately 10,000 hotels in 450 cities across China, and fulfills air ticket reservations in approximately 80 cities across China. In addition, the company offers the ability to book rooms at approximately 100,000 hotels outside of China; and provides the customers informative content relevant to hotel and air travel decisions, including tourist and event site destination information, hotel facility information, and photos. eLong markets its services through online marketing, traditional media advertising, co-marketing with established brands of other companies, and direct marketing. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. eLong, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Expedia Asia Pacific Limited.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Faisal Humayun]
Positive Clarification on eLong (LONG)
There were rumours in the recent past that Expedia is considering selling its 65% stake in eLong. On July 7, 2014, Expedia announced that the talk on selling the stake was indeed a rumour and Expedia remains a long-term investor in eLong to support eLong's drive to become the leading Chinese travel site.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
eLong (LONG) operates as an online travel service provider in the People's Republic of China. This stock closed up 7.5% to $19.79 in Wednesday's trading session.
Wednesday's Volume: 96,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 30,062
Volume % Change: 125%From a technical perspective, LONG spiked sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $18.39 with above-average volume. This spike to the upside on Wednesday is now quickly pushing shares of LONG within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if LONG manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $20 to $21 and then above some past overhead resistance at $21.73 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in LONG as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $18.39 or above its 200-day at $17.40 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 30,062 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then LONG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 52-week high of $24. Any high-volume move above $24 will then give LONG a chance to make a run at $30.
Top Cheapest Companies For 2014: Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC)
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides professional, technical, and construction services. Its services include engineering, design, and architectural services; construction and construction management services; operations and maintenance services; and process, scientific, and systems consulting services. The company serves a range of companies and organizations comprising industrial, commercial, and government clients across multiple markets and geographies. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides its services to various industries and markets consisting of oil and gas exploration, production, and refining; environmental programs; pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; chemicals and polymers; buildings; infrastructure; power; technology and manufacturing; consumer products; and pulp and paper. The company provides its services through its offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. was founded in 1947 and is based in Pa sadena, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
The Department of Defense had a slow day Thursday, announcing only five new defense contracts, with a combined value of only $109.5 million. Of these contracts, only two went to publicly traded defense contractors:
- [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) �shares shed 6.2%. The company late Monday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of 84 cents a share, below the 87 cents a share forecast to analysts. Jacobs provides technical services to markets like defense, infrastructure, mining, energy and pharmaceuticals.
- [By James E. Brumley]
Most of the time, investors can figure out where the better investment opportunities are. Take the growth of heavy construction (commercial, manufacturing, energy production, institutional, etc) as an example. To capture the post-recession rebound in that segment of the construction market, most people have turned to names like Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE:CBI) and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC), both of which take on major construction projects. Big construction companies like Jacobs Engineering Group and Chicago Bridge & Iron Company aren't the only ways to play the recovery of the industry, though. Investors interested in looking one step beyond the obvious possibilities will find that a company like CES Synergies Inc. (OTCBB:CESX) is actually the better opportunity.
- [By Bryan Murphy]
If the forecasters are on target (and they usually are), then construction and engineering names like Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) and Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE:CBI) should have a very solid 2015. Construction in the United States, and heavy construction in particular, is projected to grow in the coming year, setting up something of a boost for tickers like CBI and JEC. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company and Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. aren't the only ways to play the trend, however. In fact, the blatant obviousness of� them as beneficiaries likely saps some of their upside for newcomers. Investors looking for the bigger opportunities built into the positive construction outlook may want to consider the names that also - but quietly - benefit from rising construction activity... off-the-radar names like CES Synergies Inc. (OTCBB:CESX).
Top Cheapest Companies For 2014: CES Synergies Inc (CESX)
CES Synergies, Inc., formerly Green Living Concepts Inc., incorporated on April 26, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is a consulting firm specializing in construction and renovation. The Company operates in three segments: remediation, demolition and insulation. Remediation derives its income from mold remediation and abatement services for a range of environments. Demolition offers a scale commercial demolition and wrecking down to interior and selective demolition and strip down services. The Company�� third segment, Insulation, derives its revenue from re-insulation and insulation of new and remodeling projects.
On November 1, 2013, the Company entered into and closed an agreement and plan of merger with CES Acquisitions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the Subsidiary) and Cross Environmental Services, Inc. (CES). Pursuant to the merger agreement, the Subsidiary merged into CES, such that CES became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and business of CES became the business of the Company. CES is an asbestos abatement, demolition, and mold remediation services company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
In that light, and in knowing construction spending is projected by some to grow 8% in 2015, all of a sudden things don't look so bad at all for heavy construction stocks like Granite Construction or MasTec. There's an even better way to play the ongoing, broad growth for the construction industry, however... a way only a few have thought about. That way is CES Synergies Inc. (OTCBB:CESX).
- [By James E. Brumley]
Most of the time, investors can figure out where the better investment opportunities are. Take the growth of heavy construction (commercial, manufacturing, energy production, institutional, etc) as an example. To capture the post-recession rebound in that segment of the construction market, most people have turned to names like Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE:CBI) and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC), both of which take on major construction projects. Big construction companies like Jacobs Engineering Group and Chicago Bridge & Iron Company aren't the only ways to play the recovery of the industry, though. Investors interested in looking one step beyond the obvious possibilities will find that a company like CES Synergies Inc. (OTCBB:CESX) is actually the better opportunity.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap�stocks Vertex Energy Inc (NASDAQ: VTNR), Industrial Services of America, Inc (NASDAQ: IDSA) and�up and coming CES Synergies Inc (OTCBB: CESX) who are focused on providing environmental, waste removal, recycling or remediation services have been real outperformers this year. In fact, Nasdaq listed Vertex Energy Inc is up 70.7% and Industrial Services of America, Inc is up 57.7% while�OTC listed CES Synergies Inc is up 76.5%. Here is a closer look at these small cap environmental services�stocks, their performance�and what they are doing right:
Top Cheapest Companies For 2014: Electronics for Imaging Inc.(EFII)
Electronics For Imaging, Inc. provides color digital print controllers, digital inkjet printers, and business process automation solutions. The company?s Fiery products consist of stand-alone print controllers and servers connected to digital copiers and other peripheral devices; embedded and design-licensed solutions used in digital copiers and multi-functional devices; optional software integrated into controller solutions that include Fiery Central and MicroPress; Entrac, a self-service and payment solution; PrintMe, a mobile printing application; and stand-alone software-based solutions, such as proofing and scanning solutions, including ColorProof XF, Fiery XF, ColorProof eXpress, and Xflow. It also offers industrial inkjet products, including VUTEk super-wide format digital industrial inkjet printers and inks used by billboard graphics printers, commercial photo labs, sign shops, graphic screen printers, specialty commercial printers, and digital graphics providers; Rastek hybrid and flatbed entry level production UV wide format inkjet printers; and Jetrion label and packaging digital inkjet printers, integration solutions, and specialty digital UV inks for primary and secondary label applications, and industrial label or flexible packaging markets. In addition, the company provides advanced professional print software products consisting of print production workflow and management information software, including Monarch, PSI, Logic, PrintSmith, and PrintFlow; Pace, a cloud-based business process automation software; and cloud-based order entry and order management systems, which comprise Digital StoreFront, PrinterSite, and PrintSmith Site. Electronics For Imaging, Inc. offers its products through sales force and distribution arrangements primarily in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Foster City, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By shash63]
Electronic For Imaging�� (EFII) second biggest segment, Fiery Controllers, contributed 35% of total revenue. This segment provides controllers for digital printers. The company�� big clients in this segment are Xerox, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, and Canon, contributing 80% of this segment�� revenue. These clients are expected to launch new products in future, thus creating further potential for revenue growth.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of digital printing technologist Electronics for Imaging (NASDAQ: EFII ) popped 12% today after its quarterly results topped�Wall Street expectations.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Electronics for Imaging (Nasdaq: EFII ) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Electronics for Imaging beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
No comments:
Post a Comment