Friday, May 31, 2013

The Stock that Dropped from 680 to 10 Today, a 98% Drop

If you happen to look at the list of percentage losers on the Yahoo! Finance home page today, you will notice a stock at the top of the list that dropped 98.5% on the NYSEArca Exchange. It closed at 680 yesterday and closed at 10.04 today, a 669.96 drop, with a volume of 1000 shares for the day. It also ended with a bizarre bid and asked of 9.99 bid for 200 shares and 1360.00 asked for 300 shares. The stock ticker symbol for this stock is ZVV.

However, if you try to find out more about this company, you won't find much. As a matter of fact, you won't find anything under profile, statistics, or any other area.

So what the heck is this stock? It is actually a NYSEArca Test Symbol, used for testing Limit Up/ Limit Down (LULD) activation of Tier 1 symbols. Other unusual symbols you may see for testing purposes are IGZ, ZZK and ZZ.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

3-D Printers for Navy can Manufacture Drones and Weapons

3D printers can now print many objects. They can now print human cartilage and automobile bodies. Large scale 3D printers can even print houses. According to an article in the Armed Forces Journal, the Navy may use 3D printing to make drones and weapons.

One major player in the 3D printing industry is 3D Systems Corporation (DDD), with a market cap of $4.4 billion. This is just one of several 3D printing companies on the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. 3D Systems is a Rock Hill, South Carolina based company, founded in 1986, which produces 3D printers and related products. The stock trades at 107 times current earnings and 37 times forward earnings. The company has $110 million in cash and $50 million in debt.

Another 3D hardware company is Stratasys (SSYS), which produces three-dimensional printers, rapid prototyping systems, and related consumable materials. This Minnesota based company was founded in 1989. Although the latest quarterly earnings were negative, revenues spiked by 116%. This company has the advantage of being debt free with $140 million in cash. This $3.4 billion market cap stock trades at 35 times forward earnings.

In regards to 3D software, Autodesk (ADSK) makes 3D software for many different industries, including entertainment, architecture, and manufacturing. The stock trades at 38 times trailing earnings and a forward price to earnings ratio of 16. The company has $746 million in debt, and has $2 billion dollars in the bank, amounting to 9.34 per share in cash.

For a free list of the companies involved in 3D printing, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of June

  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, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Avery Dennison (AVY) 6/3/2013 2.6%

Brown-Forman (BF-B) 6/3/2013 1.4%

CSS Industries (CSS) 6/3/2013 2.0%

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR) 6/3/2013 2.4%

Cedar Fair L.P. (FUN) 6/3/2013 5.8%

Greenhill & Co. (GHL) 6/3/2013 3.5%

Halliburton Company (HAL) 6/3/2013 1.2%

Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB) 6/3/2013 1.7%

Home Depot (HD) 6/4/2013 2.0%

Dominion Resources (D) 6/5/2013 3.9%

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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Updated

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, May 26, 2013

The Caffeine Toothbrush: Top Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine Stocks

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) has filed a patent for a toothbrush that will automatically dispense caffeine into your mouth, and therefore you. Caffeine seems to be the latest legal non-prescription drug of choice, with caffeinated chewing gum, potato chips, and candied popcorn. Yes, the FDA is taking a closer look at these products and may be cracking down, yet the point is that caffeine seems to now be ubiquitous.

Are there caffeine investment opportunities? Of course, with almost a couple dozen stocks in the production of coffee and tea, according to the free list of coffee stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, with a half a dozen of them paying dividends. This list doesn't even include Coca Cola (KO) or Pepsico (PEP), which are major producers of caffeinated soft drinks.

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest coffeehouse retailer in the world, with outlets in 50 countries and over 18,000 shops worldwide. The stock trades at 32 times trailing earnings and 24 times forward earnings. The stocks sports a yield of 1.3%. Earnings for the latest quarter rose 26% on an 11.3% boost in revenues. The company has $1.7 billion in cash and $570 million in debt.

Coca Cola trades at 18 times forward earnings with a yield of 2.7% and Pepsi has a forward price to earnings ratio of 17 and also has a 2.7% yield.

Hain Celestial Group (HAIN) owns the Celestial Seasonings brand of teas including green teas. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 29, and a forward PE of 23. The stock does not currently pay a dividend.

A major wholesaler of coffee is Coffee Holding Co. (JVA), which also markets private label coffee and branded coffee in the US and Canada. The company has 90 varieties of raw green coffee beans which it imports from around the world and sold to large and small operators. The stock trades at 26 times trailing earnings and nine times forward earnings. The stock yields 3.4%.

For a free list of coffee, tea and caffeine companies, or a free list of soft drink beverage companieswhich you can download, sort, and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Stocks Increasing Dividends for the End of May

The following stocks have recently increased their dividends. This is the sign of a good company and could be the sign of an improving economy.

MidSouth Bancorp (MSL) announced a 14% dividend increase over the previous quarter's dividend.

NetApp (NTAP) initiated a dividend of $0.15 a share.

Clorox (CLX) raised its dividend by 10.9%.

National Oilwell Varco (NOV) announced a quarterly dividend increase of $0.13 a share to to $0.26 a share, a 100% increase.

American States Water Co. approved a dividend increase of 5 cents a share, or 14%.

W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) announced an increase of the dividend to an annual rate of 40 cents per share, an 11% increase.

Bristow Group Inc. (BRS), announced it has approved a 25% increase in the company's dividend, for a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp: (WAB) approved a two-for-one stock split and a 60% dividend increase.

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

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of May

  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, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 ex-dividend date, and the yield.

AFLAC Inc. (AFSD) 5/29/2013 5.2%

Bank of Hawaii (BOH) 5/29/2013 3.8%

Barrick Gold (ABX) 5/29/2013 4.3%

Brookfield Properties (BPO) 5/29/2013 3.1%

Cherokee Inc. (CHKE) 5/29/2013 3.1%

Comcast Corporation (CCV) 5/29/2013 4.9%

Northeast Utilities (NU) 5/29/2013 3.3%

Prudential Financial, Inc. (PJH) 5/29/2013 5.6%

Empire District Electric (EDE) 5/30/2013 4.4%

FutureFuel Corp. (FF) 5/30/2013 3.6%

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 5/30/2013 4.7%

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 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Updated

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

Monday, May 20, 2013

Get a Dog, Avoid a Heart Attack


According to a recent report by the American Heart Association, owning a dog was “probably associated” with a reduced risk of heart disease. Maybe that's why about 62 percent of all households in the United States have a pet, with approximately 78.2 million dogs and about 86.4 million cats owned by Americans, according to the American Pet Products Association.

If you are looking for top dog stocks, you should consider the the suppliers of pet products, veterinary products, and pet medications. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are about ten different pet related stocks, with almost half of them paying dividends.

Petsmart Inc. (PETM) is a Phoenix, Arizona based company that markets products for dogs, cats, birds, fish, and even horses. In addition to selling toys, food, and other products, and also offer services such as dog grooming, baths, toenail trimming, and tooth brushing, training and boarding at their Pet Hotels. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 19.5, and pays a yield of 0.9%. The company must be doing something right as earnings for the latest quarter were up 31.4% on a 14.7% rise in revenues.

There is also Patterson Companies Inc. (PDCO) which has a veterinary supply business. Patterson Companies Inc. distributes lab supplies, paper goods, needles and syringes, gauze and wound dressings, sutures, latex gloves, orthopedic, and casting products; pharmaceuticals, including anesthetics, antibiotics, injectibles, ointments, and diagnostics to veterinarians. The stock trades at 19.4 times earnings. The company also pays a dividend of 1.7%. Revenues were up 2.3% for the latest quarter, with earnings up 1%.

MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc. (MWIV) distributes pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics, capital equipment, supplies, veterinary pet food, and nutritional products to veterinarians. The P/E is 25.3 and the stock does not pay a dividend. For the latest quarter, earnings were up 14.6% on an 11% boost in revenues.

For a list of all the pet related stocks, which you can download, sort, and add to, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Think the Bank Crisis is Over? Think Again!

If you think the days of banks biting the dust are over, you may want to re-examine the facts. According to the FDIC, just in the last month and a half, nine banks have closed up. The banks are located in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. They include the following:

Central Arizona Bank Scottsdale AZ

Sunrise Bank Valdosta GA

Pisgah Community Bank Asheville NC

Douglas County Bank Douglasville GA

Parkway Bank Lenoir NC

Chipola Community Bank Marianna FL

Heritage Bank of North Florida Orange Park FL

First Federal Bank Lexington KY

Gold Canyon Bank Gold Canyon AZ

More information can be found at the site of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

So How Many Stocks Are There?

If you ever thought that you might run out of investment ideas, you need not worry. There are many, many stocks to choose from, whether they are traded on NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, or over-the-counter.

When I last did my count, I found 2,867 stock that trade on the NYSE, 392 stocks on what is still considered the American Stock Exchange, an even 2,400 on NASDAQ, 4,359 that trade over-the-counter, and 716 that trade on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board. This adds up, assuming I did the calculation correctly, to a grand total of 10,734 stocks.

By the way, these number can differ widely, especially in the OTC area, depending on what source you use.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of May

  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, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Highwood Properties (HIW) 5/20/2013 4.2%

Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM) 5/20/2013 3.1%

Park National Corp (PRK) 5/20/2013 5.6%

LTC Properties (LTC) 5/21/2013 3.9%

American Financial Group Inc. (AFW) 5/22/2013 6.0%

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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Updated

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, May 12, 2013

Check Out Evian Water's Latest Commercial

This is a recent commercial from Evian. Evian is a product of Groupe Danone (DANOY) which trades over-the-counter in the United States, and also on the Paris Stock Exchange. It looks like they took the E*Trade (ETFC) commercials to the next level. Check it out.

Where to Read Every Berkshire Hathaway Letter that Warren Buffett Ever Wrote

Some of the Berkshire Hathaway Letters to the Shareholders are available online, some were available in printed format. But now, the full, un-edited versions of every one of Warren Buffett's letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway are available in the form of a 730 page book.

The book is called Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders and is compiled by Max Olson. The book was recently released on April 25, 2013.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

How to Earn 12% on a 3 Month Bank Certificate of Deposit in US Dollars

I don't know about you, but the last time I checked the interest rates being offered on certificates of deposit at my bank, the rates were terrible. However, they did promote a 1.5% CD, but the money would have to be tied up for ten years.

So what would you say to a bank that is offering a CD that pays 12% and you would only have your money tied up for three months? The first thing you might ask is what currency will the CD be denominated in; would it be the Yen? No, this CD is available in United States dollars. So where can you get such a deal?

Well, according to the article called 'In Dollars They Trust' in The Economist magazine, the April 27, 2013 issue on page 71, the banks in Zimbabwe are issuing such high yield certificates of deposit. Ever since since Zimbabwe was hit with runaway inflation during the previous decade, with inflation running over 200,000,000% five years ago, the country has turned to the US Dollar as an alternative currency. This type of CD is available from the country's largest back, CBZ Bank in Harare, Zimbabwe.

However, personally I would avoid such an investment as the FDIC won't be backing up the account. I would hate to lose 100% in an attempt to make 12%.

High Yield Gold Stocks: Time for a Rebound?

Gold has been hit hard recently, and in mid April, the price of gold dropped like a 50 pound nugget. In the last six months, the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) tanked by over 16.6%. Many gold bugs believe that the selling pressure on gold is off now, and that a continuation of the little rebound during the last half of April is in the works. Stock yields have almost doubled and in some cases more than doubled.

Investors who are looking to get in to the gold market now have an interesting opportunity, as yields on the gold mining stocks have almost doubled, and in some cases, more than doubled. According to the free list of high yield gold mining stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 20 gold stocks that pay dividends.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX) is the big player in the precious metals arena, mining for copper, gold, molybdenum, cobalt, silver, and many other metals. It happens to be the world's largest publicly traded copper company. This Phoenix Arizona based company has operations in North America, South America, Indonesia, and Africa. The stock trades at 10.6 times trailing earnings and 7.7 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were down about 15% on relatively flat revenues. The stock pays a very generous 4.0% yield, and dividends are paid quarterly. James R. Moffett, Chairman of the Board, and Richard C. Adkerson, President and Chief Executive Officer, said,

"Our first-quarter results reflect our focus on strong and safe production, aggressive cost management and advancing financially attractive projects to grow our copper production, increase cash flows and provide strong returns for shareholders."
One issue that investors should be aware of is that Freeport is moving more into the oil and gas industry through its acquisitions of Plains Exploration & Production Company and McMoRan Exploration Co.

Another high yield gold company is Yamana Gold, Inc. (AUY), a Toronto, Ontario, Canada based company involved in the exploration and production of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver, from its properties in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico. The stokc trades at 24 times trailing earnings and 11.2 times forward earnings. The latest quarterly earnings were down 40% on a 4.4% reduction in revenues. The dividends are much higher than a current bank certificate of deposti, as the stock currently yields 2.2%. Dividends for this company are also paid out quarterly.

The yields on these stocks can help reduce some of the volatility and return capital faster. However, if the price of gold doesn't stabilize and begin to increase, the gold mining stocks can suffer even more than they have been lately. For a list of the other high yield gold mining stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Stock Dividend Increasers for Early May

The following stocks have recently increased their dividends. This is the sign of a good company and could be the sign of an improving economy.

American Water Works Company (AWK) announced an increase of its quarterly cash dividend payment from $0.25 to $0.28 per share, a 12 percent increase.

Costco (COST) raised its dividend by 12.70% to 31 cents per share.

IBM (IBM) raised its quarterly dividend by 11.8% to 95 cents per share.

PepsiCo (PEP) raised quarterly distributions by 5.6% to 56.75 cents per share.

Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS-A) raised its quarterly dividend by 4.7% to 90 cents per share.

Jack Henry & Associates (JKHY) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, a 54% increase over the prior payout of $0.13 per share.

ExxonMobil (XOM) recently declared a 10.5% dividend increase.

Chevron (CVX) declared an 11% dividend increase.

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

Monday, May 06, 2013

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of May

  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, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Consolidated Edison (ED) 5/13/2013 3.9%

DuPont (DD) 5/13/2013 3.4%

Exelon Corp (EXC) 5/13/2013 3.3%

Fifth Street Finance (FSC) 5/13/2013 10.5%

Five Oaks Investment Corp. (OAKS) 5/13/2013 10.4%

Gas Natural Inc. (EGAS) 5/13/2013 5.2%

Black Hills Corp (BKH) 5/15/2013 3.3%

Chevron Corp (CVX) 5/15/2013 3.3%

Diebold, Inc. (DBD) 5/15/2013 3.8%

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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Updated

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

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Investment that Returned 15% per Year Over the Last Dozen Years

There is an investment that has performed extremely well since 2001, providing an average annual return of almost 15% per year. If you had invested $180,000 back then, you could sell the investment now for $950,000. Not to shabby.

Do you know what this investment is? It is a New York City taxi medallion, which is a license to operate a taxi cab in the city. An individual medallion recently sold for $950,000 and a corporate medallion sold for over a million dollars.

If you are interested in jum;ing on the bandwagon and a million dollars is a little too rich for your blood, you might want to consider investing in the stock of Medallion Financial Corp. (TAXI). Check out that stock ticker stock ticker symbol. The company is involved in acquiring and servicing loans that finance taxicab medallions. The stock trades at 11.0 trailing earnings and 12.2 times forward earnings. In addition, the company provides a very generous yield of 6.1%. The company reports earnings today, May 3.

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

Looking for a Job? Check Out This Video

This is a pretty funny video about the search for white collar jobs.