Saturday, October 29, 2011

How to Invest in Halloween


Have you bought your candy yet? Halloween is practically here. Do you think Halloween related stocks may be tricks or treats? There are several stocks that may benefit from the holiday.

Watching scary movies is one of the popular activities of teenagers (and adults too) on Halloween, either in a theater or renting a DVD. Netflix (NFLX) took a huge dump after reporting earnings. That was scarier than watching Halloween I, Halloween II, and Halloween III. If you think the stock has hit bottom, you may want to take a closer look. The company has a substantial number of horror movies in its collection of titles. The stock currently trades at 14 times current earnings.

Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF), one of the top studios that produces scary movies, has made such films as American Psycho, Ginger Snaps, Route 666, The Devil's Rejects, House of the Dead 2, Saw VI, See No Evil, Hostel: Part II, My Bloody Valentine 3D and more. The company has a forward price to earnings ratio of 24.

The big beneficiaries of Halloween are the candy companies. Hershey Foods (HSY) is the large chocolate and confectionery company which is known for its Hershey Bars. The stock has a forward P/E of 18, and a yield of 2.4%.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF) is a very low cap Colorado based company which makes and markets chocolate and candy. The stock has a forward P/E of 12 and pays a generous yield of 4.5%.

Tootsie Roll Industries (TR) makes all kinds of candy for trick-or-treaters including Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Roll Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Charms, Blow-Pops, Blue Razz, Zip-A-Dee Pops, Cella's, Mason Dots, Mason Crows, Junior Mint, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddys, and Sugar Babies. The stock has a forward P/E of 26 and a yield of 1.2%.

Halloween costumes and decorations are available at discount retailers such as Target (TGT) which has a forward P/E of 13, and a yield of 2.2%. Wal-Mart (WMT) is another major Halloween retailer. It has a forward P/E of 12, and a yield of 2.5%.

If you like interesting sectors of stocks, such as casino stocks, cloud computing stocks, birth control stocks, coffee stocks, and China stocks, check out WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

How the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis Really Happened


This 30 second commercial from Raiffeisen Bank in Hungary that came out in 2007 is a perfect example of how banks around the world gave out loans like Halloween candy. The banks in the United States weren't this blatant with their ads, but maybe the Hungarians were more honest about the fact that banks couldn't care less about whether people could pay their mortgages.

Take a Bite Out of High Yield Food Stocks

No matter how bad the economic downturn and the recession is, people still need to eat. Which makes food stocks pretty much recession-proof. Now to boost sales, food companies are looking at innovative ways of increasing sales. For example, H. J. Heinz Company (HNZ), known for its famous Heinz Ketchup, has now turned to Facebook to market its special edition ketchup which utilizes balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar.

Heinz is one of the high yielders that appears on the free list of food stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, as it pays a generous 3.6%. The stock trades at 15 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter ending July 27 were up 14.9%, however, earnings dropped 6%.

Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), the third largest food and beverage company by revenues, is another high yielding food company, which offers its shareholders a decent yield, paying 3.3%. Company brands include Cadbury, Kraft, Maxwell House, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14. Earnings for the last quarter were up 4.2% on a 13.3% rise in revenues. The company reports latest quater earnings on November 2.

To see the entire free list of food stocks, which can be downloaded and sorted, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Are You Financially Literate?

Are You Financially Literate? A Checklist for Managers
Guest Article By Richard A. Lambert,
Author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials

Managers must constantly evaluate their firms' strategies to assess how their decisions have been performing, modify these strategies as conditions change, and devise new strategies to boost performance in the future. Which activities should we devote more resources to and which should we cut back on? Which resources are not being used effectively? Should we outsource an activity or continue to perform it ourselves? Business decisions like these need to be based on information, and financial statements are a major source of this information.

But many managers don't have a background in accounting and finance, so they don't have the tools they need to answer these questions. They don't understand the reports they are given to help them make these decisions. They either ignore the information completely, they misinterpret what the numbers mean, or they aren't even aware of what isn't in the numbers at all. All of these behaviors are dangerous to your firm's financial health. They are like trying to fly a plane with no instruments and with the windshield fogged up.

Does this mean managers should run out and memorize a bunch of rules and regulations or hone the art of compiling financials? No, leave that to the accounting and finance teams. What managers and business owners should be concerned with is how to use the financial statements that are provided to them to better assess company performance and pinpoint opportunities.

As a business decision-maker who wants to evaluate investment strategies and make better business decisions for long-term profit, the following areas of knowledge are critical. To get a better sense of your financial literacy, check off the items you know how to do:

* Read and interpret balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
* Dissect an income statement and balance sheet to understand the drivers of profitability.
* Understand financial reporting concepts, such as revenue recognition, inventory costing, depreciation, and taxes.
* Recognize how capital structure -- the mix of debt and equity used to finance assets -- influences profits and risk.
* Identify the relevant costs for decisions and calculate break-even points.
* Evaluate investment strategies and conduct discounted cash flow analysis.
* Put all of this together to develop a coherent business strategy.

If you have some open spots on the checklist, then there is still great untapped potential to put financial statements to work for you. Interpreting data and mastering financial statements can help you make better decisions and increase one's value to a firm whether you are an experienced manager, executive, or leader at a large or small public or private company.

Another important reason for you to learn accounting and finance skills is to help you become a more valuable participant in discussions of corporate strategy and to be more effective in championing your ideas in the boardroom.

Gaining a better grasp of financials helps you know what questions to ask and what to focus on, determine what's most important, and know what to avoid and to what to pay attention. It's the synergies that arise from merging managerial experience with finance and accounting skills that can generate the most value to you and to your organization. Hence, boosting your financial knowledge makes good business sense.

© 2011 Richard A. Lambert, author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials


Author Bio

Richard A. Lambert, author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials, is Miller-Sherrerd Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches finance and accounting in the MBA and Executive Education programs, as well as seminars in the doctoral program. The recipient of several teaching awards, his articles have appeared in The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Rand Journal of Economics, and Strategic Management Journal.

The Government's Response to the Ongoing Financial Crisis and the Practices that Led to It

Upcoming lecture at the Museum of American Finance:

'The Government's Response to the Ongoing Financial Crisis and the Practices that Led to It'

Thursday, November 10, 2011
5:30 - 7:30 pm

Museum of American Finance
48 Wall Street
New York City

Friday, October 28, 2011

Peter Schiff Defends Capitalism at Occupy Wall Street

Reason.tv taped this interview of investment guru and radio show host, Peter Schiff while he spent 3 hours at the Occupy Wall Street protest in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park in the Wall Street area. The video is 18 minutes but very interesting.

The Big Short

Michael Lewis was the author of Liar's Poker, The Blind Side, and Moneyball, the last two of which were made into motion pictures.

His latest book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, is a look at the sub-prime mortgage fiasco and financial crisis that ensued during 2008. However, he has taken a completely different approach on the subject; he looks at the crisis from the eyes of those who predicted what was going to happen early on, shorted the market, and made billions.

Lewis delves deep into the personalities of the people who saw what was happening and the trials and tribulations they went through before their windfalls came in. One track in the book was couple of guys who started a hedge fund with just $110,000 of their own money and built that money up to $135 million, buy buying credit default swaps.

By the way, if you never knew what a credit default swap is or a collateralized debt obligation is, you will by the first quarter of the book. Lewis makes the financial terminology very easy to understand, and what actually happened during the crisis.

It is amazing that this nonfiction book on recent financial history is a page-turner. If you are looking for some fascinating reading during the Thanksgiving hliday, get The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.

Top Yielding Diversified Computer Systems Stocks

So what are the Diversified Computer Systems companies? These are the big players, like Teradata Corporation (TDC). These are the companies that are involved in everything from hardware to software to consulting to clouds.

On example is Hewlett-Packard, which announced yesterday that it has decided its personal computer business. The stock trades at 6.5 times current earnings and six times forward earnings with a favorable price to earnings growth ratio of 0.71. The yield on the stock beats any bank account, paying 1.9%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 8.6% on a revenue increase of 1.5%.

Another dividend payer in this category is Big Blue, or more officially known as International Business Machines Corp. (IBM). The company has a price to earnings ratio of 14, a forward PE of 12, with a PEG ratio of 1.12. The stock offers a yield of 1.6%. Earnings for the latest quarter ending September 30 grew by 7% with similar growth in revenues.

To see a list of all the diversified computer systems stocks, check out the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.


By Stockerblog.com

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Top Insurance Stocks: Brokers, Health, Life, Property & Casualty

The Aflac (AFL) duck must be really quacking. The company just reported operating earnings of $1.66 per share muck higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.60 and significantly higher than $1.45 for the same quarter last year. Aflac, a provider of health, accident, and life insurance, pays a yield of 2.9% and trades at seven times forward earnings.

There are plenty of ways to invest in the insurance business, depending on the type of insurance the companies offer. First, you can invest in the insurance brokers. then you have the insurance providers: Health and Accident, Life, Property & Casualty, and Title and Surety.

In the life insurance sector, Sun Life Financial Inc. (SLF) has a forward price to earnings ratio of 8, a favorable price to earnings growth ratio of 0.84 and a dividend yield of 6.0%.

Maiden Holdings, Ltd. (MHLD) is an interesting company in the property casualty arena. The company provides specialty reinsurance for the global property and casualty market. The stock trades at 6.5 times forward earnings, a 0.68 PEG ratio, and a yield of 4.0%.

In regards to surety and title insurance companies, Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF), trades at 13 times forward earnings, has a PEG of 0.93, yields 3.1%.

Finally the brokers. Marsh & McLennan (MMC) pays a yield of 2.9%, has a forward PE of 14, and a PEG of 1.71.

To access free lists of all the stocks in the various segments of the insurance industry, Brokers, Health and Accident, Life, Property & Casualty, and Title and Surety, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Lindsay Lohan To Pose For Playboy Rumor: LiLo Stock Index Up Over 70%

You have to admit, Lindsay Lohan, the famous and occasionally notorious actress and singer, has a knack for getting her name in the news, whether intentionally or not. According to a recent article at OMG!, a source has said that Lohan has signed a contract with Playboy to pose nude for a spread in the magazine. She is reportedly being paid somewhere between $750,000 and $1,000,000.

What is nice about all the publicity that celebrities get is the ability to promote products and services for various companies that they are affiliated with. This includes motion picture distributors of movies that they appear in, products that they promote on television commercials, and even products that you see then use or drive. A perfect example is the Apple (AAPL) iPhone that Lindsay Lohan has been seen using.

When you look at all these companies, a Celebrity Stock Index™ can be compiled and compared to the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500. Stockerblog.com has developed numerous Celebrity Stock Indexes, including Gisele Bunchen, Heidi Klum, and Angelina Jolie. At WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, you can also find free downloadable lists of stocks in celebrity indices including The Beatles and Charlie Sheen.

So lets take a look at Lohan and see what companies she is affiliated with. First, you can no longer invest in Playboy as Hugh Hefner took the company private several months ago.

Lohan starred in The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and the TV show on ABC, Ugly Betty, all distributed by Disney (DIS). She received numerous awards including
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film Leading Young Actress, MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance, Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star. The Disney stock pays a yield of 1.1% and trades at 12 times forward earnings.

She also received several awards for her starring role in Mean Girls, a Paramount Pictures release. Paramount is owned by Viacom (VIA). The stock yields 1.9% and trades at 12.2 times forward earnings.

Lohan also appeared in a couple of movies for News Corporation's (NWS) 20th Century Fox, Just My Luck and Machete. News Corp. pays a yield of 1.1% and has a forward price to earnings ratio of 10.

Lohan has been seen numerous times wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, produced by Luxottica Group S.p.A. (LUX) and recorded some albums on the Casablanca Records label, which is owned by Vivendi SA (VIV). These include Speak and A Little More Personal.

What is amazing is that is you track all these stocks as an index and compare it to the Dow Jones Industrial Average starting January of 2010, you will discover that the LiLo Index substantially outperforms the Dow. As a matter of fact, the LiLo Index was up 71.8% versus only 16.3% for the Dow during the same time frame. Of course, a lot of the growth of the LiLo was due to Apple more than doubling, but even if you back out Apple, Lindsay Lohan is still up 27.4%. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, you should check out the chart.

There are a few other companies which are part of the Lindsay Lohan Stock Index which can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. To see a free list of all the stocks in the Lindsay Lohan Stock Index, along with financials and the connection to Lohan, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and DIS. No celebrity endorsement is expressed or implied. No investment recommendations are expressed or implied.


By Stockerblog.com

Monday, October 24, 2011

High Yields from Chemicals

A few of the major chemical companies are reporting earnings this week, including EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD), Dow Chemical Company (DOW), and Eastman Chemical Company (EMN), with the anticipation of reports of higher revenues and earnings for the latest quarter in most cases.

Let's look at Dow Chemical as an example. It is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world based on revenues and the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization. The company reports its earnings on Thursday, October 27, and analysts are expecting a 13.7% increase in revenues. The stock pays a generous 3.7% yield and trades at nine times forward earnings. The research firm Ticonderoga just initiated coverage a couple weeks ago giving it a Buy rating.

Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (APD) markets gases and chemicals for industrial use, and pays a decent yield of 2.8%. The company just reported strong earnings last week, reporting a 19.4% increase in earnings on an 11.1% revenue rise. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13.

FMC Corp. (FMC) provides agricultural, consumer, and industrial chemicals. The stock pays a small yield of 0.8% and trades at a forward PE of 12. The company reports earnings on Halloween.

To see a free list of all the chemical companies including their yields, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Full Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of November


Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Oiltanking Partners LP (OILT) market cap: $993.4M ex div date: 11/1/2011 yield: 5.3%

Seagate Technology PLC (STX) market cap: $6.6B ex div date: 11/1/2011 yield: 4.7%

KB Home (KBH) market cap: $699.6M ex div date: 11/1/2011 yield: 3.3%

Genesis Energy, L.P. (GEL) market cap: $1.9B ex div date: 11/1/2011 yield: 6.6%

Telefonica S.A. (ADR) (TEF) market cap: $96.9B ex div date: 11/2/2011 yield: 10.1%

The Southern Company (SO) market cap: $37.4B ex div date: 11/3/2011 yield: 4.3%

New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYB) market cap: $5.5B ex div date: 11/3/2011 yield: 8.1%

MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. (MWE) market cap: $4.1B ex div date: 11/3/2011 yield: 6.1%

Intel Corporation (INTC) market cap: $129.5B ex div date: 11/3/2011 yield: 3.5%

FirstEnergy Corp. (FE) market cap: $19.1B ex div date: 11/3/2011 yield: 4.8%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

How Bad Was the Japanese Tsunami? Check this out!


This is an incredible video taken from the interior of a car when the tsunami first hit in Japan. This is a four and a half minute video but you can see how quickly the water floods within the first minute or so of the video. If you watch it to the end, you will see how really bad this terrible tradegy in Japan was.



Reportly, according to various news sites the driver made it out okay. Police recently recovered the car with the camera.

If you think Japan is in a recovery phase now, you can check out the free list of Japanese stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Fire Safety Compliant Cigarettes: Top Tobacco Stocks


In the state of Minnesota, there is a requirement that cigarettes have to carry a Fire Safety Compliant label, which means that the cigarettes will go out after a short period of time if they are not being smoked. One investigation shows that this fire compliance doesn't necessarily work. Whether or not this type of compliance will spread across the United States is uncertain.

Certain investors, not just socially responsible investors, will avoid tobacco and cigarette stocks due to health concerns. However, many investors like the high yields of these stocks.

One example is Lorillard, Inc. (LO) which has a dividend payout of 4.4%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 14 times forward earnings. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over half a dozen tobacco stocks with yields in excess of 4%.

Another example is Vector Group Ltd. (VGR), a Florida based tobacco company that has many brands of cigarettes including Liggett, Grand Prix, Eve, Pyramid, USA and nicotine-free Quest. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 19, and pays a yield of 9.1%.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward PE ratio of 14, and pays a yield of 5.4%.

Altria Group Inc. (MO) is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward PE of 13, and pays a yield of 5.9%.

For a free list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which and be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

If you haven't seen the Graphic Color Anti Smoking Pictures to Appear on Cigarette Packs, you should check them out.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Last Week of October


Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Boardwalk REIT (BOWFF) market cap: $2.3B ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 3.6%

DNP Select Income Fund Inc. (DNP) market cap: $2.4B ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 7.7%

Wajax Corp (WJXFF) market cap: $460.9M ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 7.2%

Bird Constr. Inc (BIRDF) market cap: $534.7M ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 6.7%

Bank of Montreal (BMO) market cap: $36.1B ex div date: 10/28/2011 yield: 5.0%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Birth Rate Drops, Contraception Skyrockets Due to Recession: Top Birth Control Stocks


A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that women are less likely to have children when the economy is bad. It discovered that states that tanked from an economic standpoint in 2007 and 2008 had the greatest drop in births in 2008 and 2009. The number of births dropped by more than 300,000 from 2007 to 2010. The birth of white babies dropped by 1.6%, African American Births fell by 2.4%, and Hispanic births dropped 5.9%.

This shift has caused closures of fertility clinics and birth centers across the nation. It has also triggered a significant increase in the use of birth control, and the companies that market contraception are benefiting. Birth control makes up a small portion of the business of many of the companies in this industry. However, more than half of the birth control stocks pay dividends.

One example is Pfizer Incorporated (PFE), whcih makes Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection, a type of contraceptive which is injected every 3 months. The company also markets birth control pills such as Lybrel and Loestrin. The stock carries an outstanding 4.3% yield and trades at 8.4 times forward earnings.

Merck (MRK) is the manufacturer of the NuvaRing, a combined hormonal contraceptive vaginal ring available by prescription and Implanon, a single-rod long acting reversible hormonal contraceptive birth control subdermal implant that is inserted just under the skin of the upper arm. The stock has an even higher yield of 4.6%, and a forward price to earnings ratio of 8.6.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) owns Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, which makes diaphragms, and the oral contraceptive pill brands Ortho Tri-cyclen and Ortho-Evra. It trades at 12.3 times forward earnings and provides a yield of 3.5%.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) produces various pharmaceuticals including women's health care products, oral contraceptives, and intrauterine contraception. The company owns Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which owns Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which makes the ParaGard T-380A, a copper-T IUD, the only copper-containing intrauterine device approved for use in the U.S. The stock trades at 6.9 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 2%.

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (CHD), producer of household, personal care, and specialty products, is probably most known for it Arm & Hammer baking soda product. The company makes and markets the Trojan brands of prophylactics. In addition to condoms, it also produces home pregnancy kits. The stock sports a forward price to earnings ratio of 18.8, with a 1.6% yield.

To see all the companies involved in the production of contraception and birth control, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, to access the free down-loadable list.

Disclosure: Author owns PFE.


By Stockerblog.com

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Could the News be Any Worse for Airline Companies?


Talk about bad news. AMR Corporation (AMR) will be announcing its latest quarterly earnings on October 17, and from what you read on almost every financial website, a bankruptcy may be looming for this company in the opinion of many investors. After all, for the quarter ending June 30, the company generated negative earnings of 2.02 per share.

On top of that, a woman has just sued Continental Airlines, a subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL), because a flight she was on was too turbulent for her. The woman claims that she has post-traumatic stress disorder from the stress of the flight, causing her to fear flying, and in turn has affect her career. It makes you wonder if there are any airline stocks worth buying.

Fortunately there are a few airlines that are generated positive earnings and even paying dividends. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up a dozen airline stocks, a third of which generate dividends. As an example, Ryanair Holdings plc (RYAAY) is the Dublin based airline with flights in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Morocco. The stock trades at 13.9 times current ernings and 10.5 times future earnings. It has a price to earnings growth ratio of 0.82. The company paid its first cash dividend last year.

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. (CPCAY.PK), the Hong Kong based airline, has flights throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. It pays a generous yield of 2.5% and trades at 5.0 times forward earnings.

If you want to check out some of the other airlines, see the free list of airline stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns RYAAY.


By Stockerblog.com

Monday, October 10, 2011

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of October


Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

The Clorox Company (CLX) market cap: $8.7B ex div date: 10/24/2011 yield: 3.5%

Royal Bank of Canada (RY) market cap: $66.8B ex div date: 10/24/2011 yield: 4.7%

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG) market cap: $10.0B ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 4.1%

Janus Capital Group Inc. (JNS) market cap: $1.2B ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 3.3%

NiSource Inc. (NI) market cap: $6.0B ex div date: 10/27/2011 yield: 4.4%

Unitil Corporation (UTL) market cap: $285.1M ex div date: 10/28/2011 yield: 5.3%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Strandbeests: Incredible Kinetic Sculpture

Every once in awhile, I come across something extraordinary that has nothing to do with stocks or investments. This is one of them.

Biotech Employment Grows Over 600% in California: Top Biotech Stocks

According to research by two biotech industry associations, BayBio and BIOCOM, and the compensation consulting firm Radford, employment in the biotech industry rose by an incredible 632 percent in the past five years in the state of California. There were several interesting facts that came out of the survey, such as the the discovery that in 2006, there were eighteen biotechnology companies that had no employees; now these same companies employ over 3200 employees.

It is not just California that is benefiting from the growth of biotech; over 170 publicly traded biotech stocks provide jobs all across the United States. Several of these companies even pay dividends.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) sells recombinant protein therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, such as include Aranesp, EPOGEN, Neulasta, NEUPOGEN, and Enbrel. The company trades at ten times forward earnings and sports a yield of 2.0%. The company, which has over $20 in cash per share, had a 4% increase in revenues for the latest quarter but a 2.7% drop in earnings.

Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (MRX) develops and sells products that treats dermatological conditions, such as wrinkles, acne, fungal infections, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, photoaging, and psoriasis. One of the company's popular products is RESTYLANE which is used to treat facial wrinkles. The company pays a yield of 0.9% and trades at 14 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 21%, and revenues were up 10%.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) doesn't pay a yield but it has a forward price to earnings ratio of 8.8. The company develops and markets therapeutics for the treatment of such diseases as HIV, hepatitis B, fungal infections, and arterial hypertension. This Foster City, California based company also produces Tamiflu, which is an oral antiviral for the treatment and prevention of influenza A and B. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 4.8% on a 10.9% rise in revenues.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has posted a free list of over 170 biotechnology stocks which shows the P/E, the forward P/E, the price to earnings growth ratio, and the yield. The list can be downloaded and sorted.

Full Disclosure: The author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Top Mexico Stocks


It is interesting to note that Mexico has a higher credit rating than the US from Weiss Ratings, according to a report released a few months ago. In addition, the Bank of Mexico, the country's central bank, purchased 100 tons of gold earlier this year.

Mexico is one of the twelve largest economies in the world, and is the ninth largest holder of US debt. With a growing economy and an expanding middle class, investors are taking a look at companies below the border. Many Mexico stocks pay dividends, and most of those trade on the New York Stock Exchange, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

One high yield Mexican stock is Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (OMAB), which participates in the growth of the travel industry by operating airports in the central and northern regions of Mexico. The stock, which trades on NASDAQ, has a 4.3% yield, and a forward price to earnings ratio of 14.

Telefonos de Mexico (TMX), also known as Telmex, pays a high dividend of 2.6%. The company, which owns 90 percent of the telephone lines in Mexico city, trades at 13 times forward earnings.

Fomento Economico Mexicano (FMX) is a beverage distributor of Coca Cola brands in Mexico along with several other Latin American countries including Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina. The stock sports a yield of 1.8% and sells for 16 times forward earnings.

If you want to see a free list of all the major Mexico stocks that trade in the United States, several of which have yields greater than 3%, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


By Stockerblog.com

Donald Trump Getting into the Wine Industry: Should You?


Billionaire Donald Trump, who made most of his wealth from real estate, has recently purchased a 770 acre Charlottesville, Virginia winery for $8 million. This purchase is expected to help the local and state economy, as Virginia has the fifth largest wine industry in the United States.

So as an investor, suppose you want to get into the wine or liquor industry? You have over a dozen stocks to choose from according to the free list of wine and liquor stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. One of these companies is the dividend paying Diageo plc Common Stock (DEO), which sports a fairly high yield of 4.3%. This London based company has numerous alcohol brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys Original Irish Cream, Crown Royal, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Ketel One, Ciroc, Tanqueray, Bushmills, Guinness, Gordon's, Seagram's 7, and Red Stripe. The company's wine brands include Blossom Hill, Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard, Navarro Correas, Acacia Vineyard, Chalone Vineyard, and Santa Rita.

The stock trades at 16 times current earnings and 12 times forward earnings. It has a price to earnings growth ratio of 1.25. Earnings for the latest reported quarter were up 15% on flat revenues.

Another liquor distributor is Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ) just reported that its second-quarter earnings spiked up by 78 percent due to improved North American sales of liquor and wine. The stock trades at 9.5 times forward earnings and has a PEG ratio of 1.08. The wine brands include Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Arbor Mist, Toasted Head, Ravenswood, Franciscan Estate, Wild Horse, Ruffino, and Jackson-Triggs. The spirit brands include Black Velvet Canadian Whisky, SVEDKA Vodka, and Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy.

To see all the stocks in the liquor and wine industry, check out the list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, sorted and updated.

Full disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Very Cool Light Show Against a Building in Germany


If you haven't watched this before, check out the video below. It is a light show shown against a building in Germany. It is very, very cool and pretty amazing. Sponsored by LG Electronics. The entire video is only about seven minutes but well worth watching.

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of October


Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG) market cap: $557.9M 10/17/2011 yield: 6.1%

Blackstone/GSO Senior Floating Rate Term Fund (BSL) market cap: $271.8M ex div date: 10/17/2011 yield: 7.3%

Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN) market cap: $416.6M ex div date: 10/18/2011 yield: 9.2%

Western Asset Global High Income Fund Inc (EHI) market cap: $359.3M ex div date: 10/19/2011 yield: 10.0%

Putnam Managed Municipal Income Trust (PMM) market cap: $420.9M ex div date: 10/20/2011 yield: 7.2%

Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund (AWP) market cap: $612.6M ex div date: 10/21/2011 yield: 10.9%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.


Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Stocks that Pay Tax Free Dividends

Here are your choices for income investments:
1. Savings accounts that pay less than half a percent
2. Certificates of deposits that barely pay one percent
3. Regular income stocks that pay dividends that are fully taxable
4. Corporate bonds that pay fully taxable income
5. Treasury bonds and notes that are Federally taxable
6. Municipal bonds and muni bond closed-end funds that pay tax free interest with over 120 tax-free CEFs paying in excess of 6%

Uncertainty in the stock market has been continuing for months. In addition, there is the significant possibility of tax increases. Investors are turning to tax-free closed end funds or CEFs that invest in municipal bonds that pay interest that is exempt from Federal taxes and can be exempt from state taxes if issued in the state you live in. Although these are occasionally referred to as tax-free stocks, they are technically closed-end funds. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up over 150 of these tax-free CEFs.

Municipal bonds are great for high tax bracket taxpayers, as they provide income that is tax free from Federal income taxes, and if the bond is issued from the state in which the taxpayer resides or from one of the territories of the US such as Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, then the income is also exempt from state taxes. Munis are generally issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental entities such as school districts, sewer districts, bridges, and water and power departments.

Some of these CEFs have yields of 5% or more, such as the Invesco Municipal Income Opportunities Trust II (OIB), which yields 6.6%, sells at a discount to net asset value, uses almost no leverage, and has a management fee of 0.58%. The CEF has been paying dividends since 1989. Nuveen New York Performance Plus Municipal Fund (NNP) has a goal of providing current income exempt from regular federal and New York State and City income tax. The fund yields 6.0%, trades at a 6.5% discount to NAV, has leverage of 35.58%, and has a management fee of 0.69%.

For California residents, you can consider Neuberger Berman California Intermediate Municipal Fund Inc. (NBW), which is exempt from federal and California income taxes. It sports a yield of 5.5%, and trades at a very slight discount to NAV. However, it utilizes very high leverage at 41.1% and a management fee of 0.67%.

The Municipal Bond Closed End Funds have numerous advantages. There is no minimum investment. You could technically buy one share. Dividends are paid monthly, so you receive you capital back faster, and you generate quicker compounding of your income. The CEFs are very liquid and traded on major exchanges. The CEFs trade with narrow bid and asked spreads compared to municipal bonds. You can sell off small portions of your CEF holdings if you need funds.

Issues to watch out for include high leverage, high management fees, and CEF's trading at a premium. Also be careful about income that may be subject to Alternative Minimum Tax.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of tax free income closed end funds, which includes over 175 CEFs, including yields, discounts and premiums, leverage, management fees, date founded, and other information.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


By Stockerblog.com