Birds of a feather flock together. And that adage was on display today as the Big Four banks struggled to maintain their altitude. But by the end of trading, one stood out among the flock and closed in positive territory -- Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) . Warren Buffett's favorite stock was light on news today, but still felt the sting of an uncertain market's attitude toward the banks. Though it spent the majority of the day in the red, Wells broke through the loss to a modest 0.44% gain by closing.
Going with the crowd
There were a few sound bites that took bank stocks down today, first being continued drops in the Japanese and other Asian markets. As we learned in the past weeks, Asian market weakness is a concern for bank investors. With Citigroup (NYSE: C ) generating nearly 20% of its revenue in Asian operations, it is more exposed to the slowing economies of that market than any other bank. Both Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) and JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM ) have Asian segments as well, but their total revenue is only reliant on that area for 4% and 6%, respectively.
5 Best Rising Stocks To Buy For 2015: Assured Guaranty Ltd(AGO)
Assured Guaranty Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides credit protection products to public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance markets in the United States and internationally. The company offers insurance, reinsurance, and credit derivative products that protect holders of debt instruments and other monetary obligations from defaults in scheduled payments, including scheduled interest and principal payments. It provides policies issued directly to the holders of insured obligations at time of issuance and those issued in the secondary market; and assumed reinsurance contracts written to third parties. The company insures various types of securities, including taxable and tax-exempt obligations issued by the United States or municipal governmental authorities, utility districts, or facilities; notes or bonds issued to finance international infrastructure projects; and asset-backed securities issued by special purpose entities. Assured Guaranty Ltd. markets its credit protection products directly to issuers and underwriters of public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance securities, as well as to investors in such debt obligations. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO) was also up, gaining 6.63 percent to $23.16 on Q3 results.
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX) were down 13.47 percent to $42.67 after the company reported a 40 percent drop in its third-quarter net income. - [By John Maxfield]
Maxfield: As I noted in the introduction, this was one of the most contentious legal battles to spawn from the financial crisis. What made this case so much more acrimonious than, say, the lawsuits brought against Bank of America by other monolines such as Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO ) and Syncora Holdings? Given some of the adverse rulings that went against Bank of America toward the tail end, was it a mistake for the bank's attorneys to string the case along as opposed to settle it, and thereby avoid the potentially damaging legal precedent?
Hot Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG)
Harley-Davidson, Inc. produces and sells heavyweight motorcycles, as well as offers motorcycle parts, accessories, and related services. It operates in two segments, Motorcycles and Related Products, and Financial Services. The Motorcycles and Related Products segment engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of primarily heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycles primarily in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia/Pacific, and Latin America. It also provides a line of motorcycle parts and accessories, including replacement parts, and mechanical and cosmetic accessories; general merchandise, such as apparel and riding gear; and related services. This segment manufactures five families of motorcycles, including Touring, Dyna, Softail, Sportster, and VRSC; and offers its products under the Harley-Davidson brand name. The Financial Services segment provides wholesale and retail financing, and insurance and insurance-related programs to the company?s deal ers and retail customers in the United States and Canada. It involves in financing and servicing wholesale inventory receivables and retail consumer loans, principally for the purchase of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This segment?s wholesale financial services comprise floorplan and open account financing of motorcycles, and motorcycle parts and accessories to Harley-Davidson dealers; and retail financial services include installment lending for the purchase of its new and used motorcycles. This segment also offers motorcycle insurance and property/casualty insurance, as well as sells extended service contracts, gap coverage, and debt protection products to motorcycle owners. Harley-Davidson sells its products through independent dealers and distributors. The company was founded in 1903 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Harley-Davidson's (NYSE: HOG ) profit engine is revving up. Despite a cold and wet spring in the U.S., the motorcycle maker saw its earnings bounce in the second quarter of 2013.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG ) really doesn't need this massive motorcycle recall right now.
The bike maker has bounced back strongly from the collapse in sales it suffered during the recession. Though the 260,000 units it shipped last year is not anywhere near the heights it hit in 2006, when it shipped 350,000 units, it still marked a healthy recovery, and its recent unveiling of the 2015 lineup set the stage for another bang-up year.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Back in the grim, dark years when�Harley-Davidson's (NYSE: HOG ) �was owned by AMF, the standing joke was that you had to buy two motorcycles: one to ride, and one for parts. Out of all the company's 110-year history, it's not a period that Hog lovers look back on fondly.
Hot Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Soul And Vibe Interactive Inc (SOUL)
Soul and Vibe Interactive, Inc., incorporated on 5, 2011, is a video and computer games company. The Company develops, publishes and digitally distributes interactive entertainment for video game consoles, mobile devices, and personal computers. It focuses on the development of its products for a variety of hardware platforms: video game consoles (for example: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), mobile (for example: Apple iOS and Android devices, and Windows Phones), and personal computers (for example: PC and Mac). The Company has five games, which consists of The Wheaties Challenge, Bugaboo, Grimwhiskers, a virtual-pet game that may bear a licensed-brand, and The Dragon Wars.
The Wheaties Challenge is an adrenaline-charged arcade sports compilation for console, mobile, and personal computer (PC)/Mac. The game promotes family health and wellness, is sponsored by General Mills, and features Wheaties as its signature brand. Bugaboo is an action-puzzle game for consoles, mobile devices and PCs. The core play mechanic is Shadow Weaving. Grimwhiskers is a side scrolling action game for consoles, mobile devices and PCs.
The Company competes with Zynga, Electronic Arts, Activision, Playdom, Ubisoft and Majesco.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap entertainment or gaming stocks Soul and Vibe Interactive Inc (OTCBB: SOUL), Elray Resources Inc (OTCMKTS: ELRA) and Players Network (OTCMKTS: PNTV) focus on entertaining consumers. However, its important to remember that consumers can be very fickle when it comes to entertainment or games. So should you be entertaining any of these small caps? Here is a closer look and a reality check:
- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks Soul and Vibe Interactive Inc (OTCBB: SOUL), Globalstar, Inc (OTCMKTS: GSAT) and Poly Shield Technologies Inc (OTCBB: SHPR) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters or investor alerts with at least two of these stocks being the subject of some sort of paid stock promotional or investor relations type of activities. With that in mind, just how hot are these three small cap stocks for investors or traders? Here is a quick reality check:
Hot Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Travelzoo Inc(TZOO)
Travelzoo Inc., an Internet media company, together with its subsidiaries, publishes travel and entertainment deals from travel and entertainment companies, and local businesses in North America and Europe. Its publications and products include the Travelzoo Websites, such as travelzoo.com, travelzoo.ca, travelzoo.co.uk, travelzoo.de, www.travelzoo.es, and travelzoo.fr; the Travelzoo Top 20 e-mail newsletter; and the Newsflash e-mail alert service. The company also operates SuperSearch, a pay-per-click travel search tool; Travelzoo Network, a network of third-party Websites that list deals published by Travelzoo; and Fly.com, a travel search engine that allows users to find the best prices on flights from various airlines and online travel agencies. In addition, it provides Local Deals and Getaways services that allow its subscribers to purchase vouchers for deals from local businesses, such as spas, hotels, and restaurants through the Travelzoo Website. As of December 31, 2011, the company?s advertiser base included approximately 2,000 travel companies, entertainment companies, and local businesses, including airlines, hotels, cruise lines, vacations packagers, tour operators, destinations, car rental companies, travel agents, theater and performing arts groups, restaurants, spas, and activity companies. Travelzoo Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Taulli]
Valuation: Even with after the Expedia stock sell-off, shares of EXPE remain far from cheap. EXPE stock is trading for a trailing P/E of 46 vs. 33 for Priceline and 23 for Travelzoo (TZOO).�And considering the recent volatility, investors are certainly jittery about EXPE stock. As a result, another earnings disappointment could have a severe impact.
- [By Rich Smith]
If you are a Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO ) shareholder but own fewer than 25 shares, management would really appreciate it if you would just go away.
- [By Peter Graham]
The Q1 2014 Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ: TRIP) earnings report is due after the market closes on Tuesday, May 6th, with investors and traders alike who follow either the stock or large cap Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ: PCLN), mid cap Expedia Inc (NASDAQ: EXPE) and small caps Travelzoo Inc (NASDAQ: TZOO) and Orbitz Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: OWW) should be paying attention to it. Aside from the Tripadvisor Inc earnings report, it should be said that Travelzoo Inc released 1Q 2014 earnings on April 17th and Expedia Inc released earnings last Thursday while the Q1 2014 Orbitz Worldwide earnings report is due today before the market opens and the Priceline Group Inc earnings report is due out on Thursday, May 8, at 9:30AM EDT. However, Tripadvisor Inc is a little different from these other travel booking companies as its main focus is to provide travel advice or reviews written by real travelers (which obviously leads to travel bookings that they make money on).
Hot Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: DCT Industrial Trust Inc (DCT)
DCT Industrial Trust Inc. (DCT) is an industrial real estate company that owns, operates and develops bulk distribution and light industrial properties in distribution markets in the United States and Mexico. The Company is structured as an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust (REIT), under which substantially all of its business is, and will be, conducted through a majority-owned and controlled subsidiary, DCT Industrial Operating Partnership LP (the operating partnership), a Delaware limited partnership, for which DCT Industrial Trust Inc. is the sole general partner. The Company owns properties through its operating partnership and its subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2011, DCT owned approximately 90% of the outstanding equity interests in its operating partnership. In March 2012, DCT acquired a 32.6 acre land parcel in Romeoville, within the southern I-55 industrial submarket of Chicago. In May 2012, the Company acquired two Class A industrial buildings totaling 98,000 square feet in Houston, known as DCT Claymoore Center. Located in the Northwest submarket of Houston, DCT Claymoore Center encompasses a bulk and light industrial facility and is 95.8%-occupied.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired 24 buildings comprising 2.8 million square feet and controlling ownership interests in three buildings totaling 0.4 million square feet. In 2011, the Company sold 16 operating properties totaling approximately 2.7 million square feet to third-parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� consolidated operating properties had leases with approximately 900 customers with no single customer accounting for more than 1.7% of the total annualized base rents of its properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned interests in, managed or had under development approximately 75.5 million square feet of properties leased to approximately 900 customers, including 58.1 million square feet comprising 408 consolidated properties owned in its operating portfo! lio, which were 90.6% occupied; 0.2 million square feet comprising one consolidated property under redevelopment, and 17.2 million square feet comprising 52 unconsolidated properties, which were 86.3% occupied and one managed-only property operated on behalf of five institutional capital management partners. As of December 31, 2011, its total consolidated portfolio consisted of 409 properties with an average size of 142,000 square feet and an average age of 20.2 years.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brad Thomas]
Other REITs mentioned: (O), (NNN), (STAG), (DCT), (EGP), (PDM), (DRE), (LRY)
Source: Chambers Street: More Liquidity Magic On The Way In REIT-DomDisclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)
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