Can You Mike Money From Trash?

It’s a dirty job but some company has got to do it. The feature that is great about the garbage collection business that they are monopolies. Once they have their foot in the door, they are on easy street. You don't have a choice of waste collection companies; you get the service from the company that has contracted with your city or you take your trash to the dump. The way these companies grow is by raising rates, which they negotiate with the cities, and by acquisitions of either publicly traded companies or small private companies.

 One example is Waste Connections Inc. (WCN), based in The Woodlands, Texas, has a network of 148 solid waste collection operations. The stock trades at 25 times trailing earnings and 20 times forward earnings. Quarterly earnings were up an incredible 22.9% on an 8.3% rise in revenues. It also pays a decent dividend of 1.1%. Last October, the company raised its dividend by 13%.

 Republic Services Inc. (RSG), based in Phoenix, Arizona, has 336 collection operations. It has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 27 and forward P/E of 19. Unfortunately, earnings take 79% for the latest quarter on a slight increase in revenues. The yield is a healthy 2.8%.

 Of course, there is Waste Management, Inc. (WM), With a trailing and forward P/E of 19. It also has a yield of 2.8%.

 If you like interesting stock lasts like this, check out many of the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of March

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.	AJG	3/2/2015	3.1%
Avery Dennison	AVY	3/2/2015	2.6%
Cinemark Holdings	CNK	3/2/2015	2.4%

Coach, Inc.	COH	3/4/2015	3.1%
CenturyLink Inc.	CTL	3/4/2015	5.8%
Flushing Financial Corp	FFIC	3/4/2015	3.1%
Flowers Foods	FLO	3/4/2015	2.4%
Gannett	GCI	3/4/2015	2.3%
Genuine Parts	GPC	3/4/2015	2.6%
International Game Technology	IGT	3/4/2015	2.5%
Iron Mountain	IRM	3/4/2015	5.2%
Johnson Controls	JCI	3/4/2015	2.1%
Kellogg Co.	K	3/4/2015	3.1%
Kimberly-Clark	KMB	3/4/2015	3.2%

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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

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

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc.	BRG	2/23/2015	8.6%
BGC Partners, Inc.	BGCA	2/25/2015	7.5%
Bank of Hawaii	BOH	2/25/2015	3.2%
Brookfield Canada Office Properties	BOXC	2/25/2015	5.3%
Cabot Corp	CBT	2/25/2015	2.1%
Crane Co.	CR	2/25/2015	2.2%

Corning Inc.

GLW

2/25/2015

1.9%

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

RMCF

2/25/2015

3.4%

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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

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

The End of Employer-Provided Health Insurance: Why It's Good for You, Your Family and Your Company

The book, The End of Employer-Provided Health Insurance: Why It's Good for You, Your Family and Your Company, by Paul Zane Pilzer and Rick Lindquist, is based on the premise that the Affordable Care Act, also more commonly known as Obamacare, is good for America, both individuals and businesses.

The book describes how companies are now moving towards a defined contribution model of health benefits, as opposed to a defined benefit model. The authors state that this change will allow employees and business owners to save as much as 60% on health insurance. They explain that health insurance provided by an employer is a financial risk to the employees, and is far more expensive than individual health insurance, even with the same doctors and the same hospitals. In addition, with a subsidized individual health policy, your premiums don't go up unless your income does.

What I like about the book is that it is the first that finally explains Obamacare in a clear and concise way, with lots of examples and specific information. In addition, Appendix A shows the health insurance rates for every state in the union for all levels of coverage, whether employer provided or individual, for both family and single. The section for startups and small businesses is very useful.

One concern is the mention of the fact that the benefits are available due to the "trillions of dollars in federal subsidies to consumers" and "hundreds of billions of dollars in federal subsidies to insurance carriers." The authors really don't say where those trillions of dollars come from. It doesn't come out of thin air. Let's say it is only two trillion in subsidies. Divide that by 320,206,000 Americans, and it works out to a subsidy cost of $6,246 for every man, woman, and child. Where does that money come from?  These subsidies come from the backs of American taxpayers in the form of increased taxes or increased federal debt or both. Either way, an indirect but severe cost to the American taxpayer.

Anyway, if you want to get a complete understanding of how Obamacare works, and how immediate health insurance costs can be reduced, you should read The End of Employer-Provided Health Insurance: Why It's Good for You, Your Family and Your Company.

What Stocks Will You Buy for Valentines Day?

Have you done your shopping yet? Tomorrow, Saturday, February 14 is Valentine's Day. The companies that should benefit from this day include those that sell chocolate, jewelry, flowers, greeting cards, and gift wrap.

I1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS) is the largest publicly traded vendor of flowers. In addition, the company markets cookies, cakes, candy, wines, gift baskets, and other gifts. The stock trades at 16 times trailing earnings and 23 times forward earnings.

How about chocolate for your valentine?. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado produces chocolate candy including caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. It was founded in 1981and has more than 300 franchise locations in most states, and foreign countries. The trailing price to earnings ratio is 23, and  pays a very delicious dividend yield of 3.4%.

Of course, there is jewelry. A 16.9 Ct Fancy Yellow Diamond Tennis Bracelet with 18k Yellow Gold would be nice at $54,700. Tiffany (TIF), founded in 1837, is one of the major jewelry retailers in the world, with more than 60 U.S. stores and many international locations. The stock trades at 63 times trailing earnings, and 20 times forward earnings. This stock also pays a yield of 1.7%.

CSS Industries Inc. (CSS) markets gift wrap, gift bags, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, tissue paper, decorations, and decorative ribbons and bows. The stock trades at 16 times trailing earnings, and pays a decent yield of 2.5%.

For more companies that could benefit from the Valentine Day, such as candy and chocolate stocks, check out the free lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which 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

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Maxim Integrated Products	MXIM	2/17/2015	3.3%
Resources Connection Inc	RECN	2/17/2015	1.9%

Carnival Corp	CCL	2/18/2015	2.2%
Capitala Finance Corp	CPTA	2/18/2015	10.2%

Park National Corp	PRK	2/18/2015	4.6%
Regency Centers  REIT	REG	2/19/2015	2.8%
Denbury Resources Inc.	DNR	2/20/2015	3.5%
Johnson & Johnson	JNJ	2/20/2015	2.7%

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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

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

Coffee May Help Prevent Melanoma Skin Cancer: Time for Coffee Stocks

If you are worried about whether the coffee you drink is good for you, you can worry no longer. There have been many research studies showing the health benefits of coffee, but the latest news is that coffee may reduce the risk of melanoma. According to a recent article in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers discovered that those who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 20% lower risk of getting malignant melanoma skin cancer. The study was done on 447,000 subjects. Unfortunately, drinkers of decaf didn't get the same benefit.

If you want to invest in caffeine, there are about 20 companies in the coffee and tea business, according to the list of coffee stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Several of them pay dividends.

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest coffeehouse retailer in the world, with more than 18,000 shops worldwide. The stock trades at 28 times trailing earnings and 25 times forward earnings, and sports a yield of 1.4%. Both earnings spiked by an incredible 81.8% for the latest quarter, on a 13.3% boost in revenues.

Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR), based in Waterbury, Vermont, trades at 32  times trailing earnings and 25 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest reported quarter dropped slightly by 2.6%. The stock pays a yield of 1.0%.

One of the largest wholesalers of coffee is Coffee Holding Co. (JVA), which also markets private label coffee and branded coffee in North America. The company has almost a hundred varieties of raw green coffee beans and marketed to large and small coffee vendors. The stock trades at 6.5 times earnings. Earnings were up substantially for the latest quarter on a 12.2% drop in revenues.

For a free list of coffee, tea and caffeine companies which you can download, sort, and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Hopefully, you can make money by sipping from one of these hot stocks.

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

By Stockerblog.com

People Getting High Snorting Chocolate: Time for Chocolate Stocks?

Here's a drug you can sink your nose into. Have you ever considered sniffing chocolate? A Belgian chocolatier has developed a chocolate shooter which is now being sold in several countries around the world for about $50 each. You can use it to sniff chocolate power mixed with any of a variety of ingredients, such as mint and raspberry or bacon and onions. So will chocolate be the new cocaine? If so, how do you invest in this legal industry?

The best way is through the stocks of chocolate producers. According to the free list of chocolate stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are a dozen candy related stocks to choose from, most of which sell chocolate. There is, of course, the Hershey Company (HSY), the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. The stock trades at 28 times trailing earnings and 22 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 8.8% on a 2.7% rise in revenues. The stock's dividend was raised last year, giving it a yield of 2.0%.

Another chocolate company is Nestle (NSRGY), the largest food company in the world. It sells all types of food and beverages, so chocolate is only a small part of the business. The stock trades at 24 times trailing earnings and 23 times forward earnings.

One of my favorite chocolate companies, even though I don't own stock in it yet, is Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF). The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 22 and pays a delicious yield of 3.4%. Earnings were up an incredible 37.6% on a 13.8% boost in earnings.


If you want a free list of all the chocolate companies, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Some of these companies may provide a nice dessert for your portfolio.

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

By Stockerblog.com

You Could have Bought Twitter Yesterday and Made a 16% Profit Today

If you had bought Twitter (TWTR) yesterday, you could have sold the stock today for a 16% profit, based on the closing prices. If you had bought LinkedIn (LNKD) yesterday, you could have sold for a profit today in excess of 10%.

So why did these and other stocks move so much in one day? Earnings announcements. In simple terms, the companies reported financials that made investors happy. Of course, you could have picked the wrong stock, such as Yelp (YELP), which was down 21.5% today or GoPro (GPRO), which tanked 13% today. In that case, you would have lost a lot, unless you had shorted the stock or owned an option straddle.

It's earnings season, and this is the time of year when many popular stocks can really move. If you can choose the right direction, you can bank bucks.

Or if you use the right option spread, you can make money whether the stock goes up or down. Here is an example. Yesterday, you could have bought the February 6 2015 call and put with a strike price of 41. The call traded around 2.60 yesterday and the put at 2.58, for a total cost for the straddle of 5.18 or $518.

Today, you could have sold the straddle for 6.75 or $675. This works out to a profit of over 30% in one day. What's your total risk? $518. What's your potential gain? Unlimited on the upside and around $4,300 on the downside, in the event a black swan hits the stock.

Now you might ask, what other stocks are coming out with earnings reports in the next week? Here is a list for you, which contains a lot of the stocks that can make big moves depending on their earnings.

February 09, 2015

Hasbro (HAS)

February 10, 2015

Akamai (AKAM)
Blue Nile (NILE)
Cerner (CERN)
CVS (CVS)
Health Net (HNT)
Jive Software (JIVE)
LifeLock (LOCK)
Molson Coors (TAP)
Monster Worldwide (MWW)

February 11, 2015

500.com (WBAI)

AOL (AOL)

Baidu (BIDU)

Cisco (CSCO)

Panera (PNRA)

Skechers (SKX)

Tesla (TSLA)

Cheesecake Factory (CAKE)

Why You Should Consider Investing in Singapore Stocks

Back in 2010 (it's hard to believe that was five years ago), I wrote about the country of Singapore  and the top Singapore stocks. Since then, Singapore has made some major improvements.

 For example, five years ago, it was the 18th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita on a purchasing power parity basis. Now it is in third place. As for the Human Development Index, it was ranked 25th place; now it is number nine. In addition, the country now has has the world's highest percentage of millionaires. Plus, multinational companies in Australia and other countries now move money through financial hubs in Singapore than at any time in history.

What all this means is that maybe investors should take a closer look at Singapore stocks. For example, Avago Technologies (AVGO) designs and markets semiconductor devices concentrating on analog III-V based products. The stock has a very high trailing price to earnings ratio at 107, but a very favorable P/E at 13. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 115.4%, however earnings dropped by 21.5%. The company pays a yield of 1.4%.

Don't let the name fool you but China Yuchai International (CYD) is actually a Singapore company. It has China in its name because the company makes and markets diesel and natural gas engines primarily in the People’s Republic of China. The stock trades at six times earnings and pays a fat 6.6% yield.

Flextronics International (FLEX) is another Singapore company which provides design, manufacturing, and supply chain services to original equipment manufacturers. It trades at 14 times trailing and 10 times forward earnings. It does not pay a dividend.

However, the best way to invest in Singapore may be to just invest in the iShares MSCI Singapore Index (EWS) ETF. If you like stock lists of different countries list this list, you can access many free country stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, such as Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and the UK.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' 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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Schlumberger Ltd.	SLB	2/9/2015	2.4%
Valero Energy Corporation	VLO	2/9/2015	3.1%
Alliance Holdings Group MLP	AHGP	2/10/2015	6.2%
Amgen	AMGN	2/10/2015	2.0%
Arts Way Manufacturing Co	ARTW	2/10/2015	2.1%

Mine Safety Applications	MSA	2/10/2015	2.8%
Pitney Bowes Inc	PBI-A	2/10/2015	5.2%
S&T Bancorp	STBA	2/10/2015	2.6%
A. H. Belo Corporation	AHC	2/11/2015	3.4%

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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

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

Stocks of Super Bowl Advertisers

If you watched the Super Bowl yesterday, you would have noticed that the commercials took up almost as much time as the game. Many of the advertisers were produced by publicly traded companies.

Here is a selection of most of the major advertisers.

Budweiser	Anheuser-Busch InBev	BUD
Camry	Toyota	TM
Carnival	Carnival	CCL
Chevrolet	General Motors	GM
Coca Cola	Coca Cola	KO
Discover	Discover Financial	DFS
Disney	Disney	DIS
Dorritos	Pesico	PEP
Dove Men+	Unilever	UN
esurance	Allstate	ALL
Fiat	Fiat Chrysler	FCAY
Furious 7	Comcast	CMCSA
Intuit Turbotax	Intuit	INTU
Lexus	Toyota	TM
McDonald's	McDonald's	MCD
Microsoft	Microsoft	MSFT
Nissan	Nissan	NSANY
Pepsi	PepsiCo	PEP
Sketchers	Sketchers	SKX
T-Mobile	Deutsche Telekom	DTEGY
Tamiflu	Roche	RHHBY
Terminator	Viacom	VIA
Toyota	Toyota	TM
Weight Watchers	Weight Watchers	WTW
Xfinity	Comcast	CMCSA

Super Bowl is a registered trademark.

Two New Stocks Warren Buffett Likes

Although the net worth of Warren Buffett keeps bouncing around, he still remains one of the top three richest people in the world. And the interesting thing is, he made his wealth through investing. With an outstanding record like that, many investors like to follow in Warren Buffett's footsteps, buying what he is buying.

Buffett uses his publicly traded company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) as his invent holding company. Although the company's report on its latest holdings as of year end should be out in a couple weeks, investors can still look at what Buffet purchased in the third quarter of last year.

Buffett made two new purchases. The first one is Liberty Media (LMCK), the Colorado based television, radio, and entertainment company. The stock trades at 18 times trailing earnings, and reported a 6.7% rise in revenues but a 56.6% drop in earnings for the third quarter. The stock, which trades around 32 per share, is selling for significantly less than book value of 40.88.

The other Buffett purchase was ExpressScripts(ESRX), a provider of pharmacy benefit management services, trades at 32 times trailing earnings and 15 times forward earnings. The latest reported quarterly earnings were up 36.5% on flat revenues. The company reports year end earnings on February 23.

To see a list of Warren Buffett stocks, check out the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. By the way, if you want to know if Buffett dumped any stocks, the answer is yes. He unloaded all his Deere & Co. (DE) stock.

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

By Stockerblog.com