With shares of Merck (NYSE:MRK) trading around $53, is MRK an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:
T = Trends for a Stock’s MovementMerck is a global health care company that delivers health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products, which it markets directly and through its joint ventures. The company consists of four operating segments: the Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, Consumer Care, and Alliances segments, and one reportable segment in the Pharmaceutical segment. Merck aims to provide valuable health care products and services to consumers, animals, and companies in need worldwide. Look for the company to see rising profits as it advances the products and services of the health care field.
Merck is considering its options for its animal health and consumer-care operations and plans to carry out any moves this year.�The pharmaceutical company said it “could reach different decisions” about the businesses.�Merck’s comments follow reports last week that the company is in talks with Novartis (NYSE:NVS) about the Swiss pharmaceuticals company swapping its animal-health and human vaccines businesses for the U.S. drug maker’s over-the-counter health-products unit.�As part of a plan announced in October, Merck expects to cut annual operating costs by $2.5B by the end of 2015 versus 2012, with $1B to be realized by the end of this year.�Meanwhile, Merck has started the process of applying for approval of its MK-3475 immunotherapy for patients with advanced melanoma who have stopped responding to Bristol-Myer Squibb’s Yervoy. Merck expects to complete the initial filing this year.
Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT)
Federal Realty Investment Trust (the Trust) is an equity real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the ownership, management, and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties located in metropolitan markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, as well as in California. As of December 31, 2011, the Trust owned or had interest in community and neighborhood shopping centers and mixed-use properties, which are operated as 87 retail real estate projects, consisting approximately 19.3 million square feet. On December 30, 2011, it acquired an 8.1 acre land parcel adjacent to Plaza El Segundo. In January 2012, the Company acquired 89.9% interest in Montrose Crossing. In January 2013, the Company acquired East Bay Bridge shopping center. In April 2013, it acquired a shopping center on 9 acres directly across from the Noroton Heights train station. In January 2014, Federal Realty Investment Trust acquired controlling interest in two shopping centers totaling 285,600 square feet in affluent Monmouth County, New Jersey.
The Company�� portfolio includes retail in many formats ranging from regional community and neighborhood shopping centers, which are anchored by grocery stores to mixed-use properties, which are centered around a retail component but also include office, residential and/or hotel components. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company signed leases for a total of 1,417,000 square feet of retail space, including 1,294,000 square feet of comparable space leases. As of December 31, 2011, the real estate projects were 93.4% leased and 92.4% occupied. As of December 31, 2011, it owned a 30% interest in seven retail real estate projects totaling approximately one million square feet. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 90.9% interest in joint venture properties, which were leased and occupied.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Burrows]
Heck, over the last 20 years, NNN stock generated an annual return of 12.3%. That beats the broader market by more than 3 percentage points, making this one of the top dividend stocks to ride out any roughness.
Dependable Dividend Stocks: Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT)Dividend Yield: 2.8%
YTD Gain: 12% - [By Brad Thomas]
REITs mentioned: (VTR), (OHI), (O), (DLR), (HCP), (HTA), (KIM), (FRT), (SPG), and (SKT).
Note: This article is intended to provide information to interested parties. As I have no knowledge of individual investor circumstances, goals, and/or portfolio concentration or diversification, readers are expected to complete their own due diligence before purchasing any stocks mentioned or recommended.
- [By Ken McGaha] rong>These Businesses Aren�� Cheap By Any Measure
Value investors, such as myself, seem to always be compulsive about business fundamentals when assessing fair value. The numbers here do not paint a pretty picture in terms of compelling value.
Company Ticker
KRC
KIM
EGP
FRT
Dividend Yield
2.25%
3.88%
3.34%
2.54%
Payout Ratio
1,031%
171%
199%
147.91%
5-Div. Gwth.
-9.61%
-12.64%
0.54%
3.69%
2014 P/E Ratio
22.79
16.69
18.85
25
5-yr. Proj. Gwth.
7.2%
4.3%
6.3%
6.5%
Price/Cash Flow
22.12
15.77
17.92
24.88
Being a value oriented investor, I am always looking for ways to mitigate my risk and increase my upside potential through the acquisition of valuable assets at distressed prices. That is not what I see here. Each of these businesses are trading at huge multiples to their projected earnings growth rates for the next 5 years.
In terms of the prices to free cash flow, KIM and EGP trade at multiples that would be reasonable for world-class businesses that are dominant in a critical industry. But a commercial REIT? I don�� think so. The price to cash flow multiples for KRC and FRT are simply outrageous for these businesses and would be very difficult to justify for any business. Are you really willing to buy a business that will take between 22 and 25 years to earn enough money to pay you back? Not me.
Excellent Management Can Justify High Valuations
Quite often in my life, I have come across people who failed to understand the distinction between price and cost or price and value. A business that appears to be expensive on the surface can, and sometimes does, offer an excellent value due to the existence of exceptional manage
- [By Shauna O'Brien]
Jefferies reported on Wednesday that it has upgraded real estate investment trust Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT).
The firm has raised its rating on FRT from “Hold” to “Buy,” and has increased the company’s price target from $112 to $116. This price target suggests a 13% upside from the stock’s current price of $100.75.
Analyst Omotayo Okusanya noted: “Based on our recent tour of Assembly Row, we are now convinced about the long term value of this development project. Our recent management meetings on Sept 4th also indicate that: 1) development projects at Pike and Rose as well as Santana Row remain on track and 2) FRT remains on track to keep generating industry leading SS NOI growth. With FRT also well positioned for rising rates, we find the story compelling and upgrade the stock to Buy from Hold.”
Looking ahead, the firm has cut its estimates for FY2013 from $4.64 to $4.62 per share. FY2014 estimates have also been lowered from $4.97 to $4.96 per share.
Federal Realty Investment Trust shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Wednesday. The stock has been mostly flat YTD.
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Protective Life Corporation(PL)
Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in the production, distribution, and administration of insurance and investment products in the United States. Its Life Marketing segment markets universal life, variable universal life, level premium term insurance, and bank-owned life insurance products primarily through a network of independent insurance agents and brokers, stockbrokers, and independent marketing organizations. The company?s Acquisitions segment focuses on acquiring, converting, and servicing life insurance policies and annuity products sold to individuals, which are acquired from other companies. Its Annuities segment markets variable annuity products that offer the policyholder the opportunity to invest in various investment accounts; and fixed annuity products, such as modified guaranteed annuities, single premium deferred annuities, single premium immediate annuities, and equity indexed annuities primarily through broker-dealers, financial ins titutions, and independent agents and brokers. The company?s Stable Value Products segment offers guaranteed funding agreements to special purpose entities; fixed and floating rate funding agreements directly to the trustees of municipal bond proceeds, institutional investors, bank trust departments, and money market funds; and guaranteed investment contracts to qualified retirement savings plans. Its Asset Protection segment primarily markets extended service contracts, and credit life and disability insurance to protect consumers? investments in automobiles, watercraft, and recreational vehicles; and markets a guaranteed asset protection product primarily through a national network of approximately 3,750 automobile, marine, and recreational vehicle dealers. The company was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Protective Life Corp.(PL), Tibco Software Inc.(TIBX) and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co.(YGE)
- [By David Sterman]
My favorite insurers: AIG (NYSE: AIG) (which I discussed a few months ago), Protective Life (NYSE: PL) and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA).
- [By Ben Levisohn]
It was the night before the ECB–and two before US payrolls–and all through the market nothing was stirring, not even…Alright. Some things were stirring, like the shares of Protective Life (PL), Travelers Companies (TRV), Under Armour (UA), Broadcom (BRCM) and Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA).
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: American States Water Co (AWR)
American States Water Company (AWR), incorporated on February 25, 1998, is the parent company of Golden State Water Company (GSWC) and American States Utility Services, Inc. (ASUS) and its subsidiaries (Fort Bliss Water Services Company (FBWS), Terrapin Utility Services, Inc. (TUS), Old Dominion Utility Services, Inc. (ODUS), Palmetto State Utility Services, Inc. (PSUS) and Old North Utility Services, Inc. (ONUS)). AWR operates in three segments: water, electric and contracted services. Within the segments, AWR has two principal business units, water and electric service utility operations, conducted through GSWC, and contracted services conducted through ASUS and its subsidiaries.
GSWC is a California public utility company engaged principally in the purchase, production and distribution of water in 75 communities in 10 counties in the State of California. GSWC also provides electric service to the City of Big Bear Lake and surrounding areas in San Bernardino County, California through its Bear Valley Electric Service (BVES) division. GSWC served 255,657 water customers and 23,379 electric customers as of December 31, 2012. ASUS, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, has contracted with the United States government to provide water and/or wastewater services at various military installations, including the operation, maintenance, renewal and replacement of the water and/or wastewater systems, pursuant to 50-year firm, fixed-price contracts. As of December 31, 2012, GSWC�� physical properties consisted of water transmission and distribution systems which included 2,786 miles of pipeline together with services, meters and fire hydrants and approximately 425 parcels of land.
As of December 31, 2012, GSWC owned 244 wells, of which 188 are active operable wells equipped with pumps with an aggregate production capacity of approximately 202.7 million gallons per day. GSWC has 63 connections to the water distribution facilities of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern Cali! fornia (MWD), and other municipal water agencies. GSWC�� storage reservoirs and tanks have an aggregate capacity of approximately 111 million gallons. GSWC owns no dams. GSWC�� electric properties are located in the Big Bear area of San Bernardino County, California. As of December 31, 2012, GSWC owned and operated 29.6 miles of overhead 34.5 kilovolt transmission lines, 1.4 mile of underground 34.5 kilovolt transmission lines, 179.6 miles of 4.16 kilovolt or 2.4 kilovolt distribution lines, 53.2 miles of underground cable, 13 sub-stations and a natural gas-fueled 8.4 megawatt peaking generation facility. GSWC also has franchises, easements and other rights of way for the purpose of constructing and using poles, wires and other appurtenances for transmitting electricity.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By MONEYMORNING]
American States Water Co. (NYSE: AWR) is one of the best examples I can think of. Its current payout of 2.88% may not seem like much when compared to the likes of a Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) at 6.5%, but when you consider that AWR has increased its dividend for the last 59 years, you begin to understand why this is pivotal to building your wealth, especially now.
- [By Insider Monkey]
American States Water (AWR), meanwhile, is another dividend giant that has seen bullish insider activity of late. The Western US-focused water utilities company has raised dividends in 59 straight years and currently offers a yield of 2.9%. Somewhat astoundingly, American's payout ratio (47%) is still below its industry's average (59%), so the dividend growth doesn't look set to end anytime soon.
- [By Sean Williams]
Debt is another big concern in the utility sector. In order to expand and maintain its existing network of pipes and sewers, American Water and its peers have had to take on a significant amount of debt. American Water Works, for example, carries $5.6 billion in net debt on its balance sheet, but has brought in close to $1 billion in operating cash flow over the trailing-12-month period. By comparison, California's American States Water (NYSE: AWR ) only has $303 million in net debt but generated only $106 million in operating cash flow over the past 12 months. American States may be in better financial shape than American Water Works with regard to debt to equity, but it doesn't have nearly the same bargaining or expansionary power.
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: DCT Industrial Trust Inc (DCT)
DCT Industrial Trust Inc. (DCT) is an industrial real estate company that owns, operates and develops bulk distribution and light industrial properties in distribution markets in the United States and Mexico. The Company is structured as an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust (REIT), under which substantially all of its business is, and will be, conducted through a majority-owned and controlled subsidiary, DCT Industrial Operating Partnership LP (the operating partnership), a Delaware limited partnership, for which DCT Industrial Trust Inc. is the sole general partner. The Company owns properties through its operating partnership and its subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2011, DCT owned approximately 90% of the outstanding equity interests in its operating partnership. In March 2012, DCT acquired a 32.6 acre land parcel in Romeoville, within the southern I-55 industrial submarket of Chicago. In May 2012, the Company acquired two Class A industrial buildings totaling 98,000 square feet in Houston, known as DCT Claymoore Center. Located in the Northwest submarket of Houston, DCT Claymoore Center encompasses a bulk and light industrial facility and is 95.8%-occupied.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired 24 buildings comprising 2.8 million square feet and controlling ownership interests in three buildings totaling 0.4 million square feet. In 2011, the Company sold 16 operating properties totaling approximately 2.7 million square feet to third-parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� consolidated operating properties had leases with approximately 900 customers with no single customer accounting for more than 1.7% of the total annualized base rents of its properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned interests in, managed or had under development approximately 75.5 million square feet of properties leased to approximately 900 customers, including 58.1 million square feet comprising 408 consolidated properties owned in its operating portfo! lio, which were 90.6% occupied; 0.2 million square feet comprising one consolidated property under redevelopment, and 17.2 million square feet comprising 52 unconsolidated properties, which were 86.3% occupied and one managed-only property operated on behalf of five institutional capital management partners. As of December 31, 2011, its total consolidated portfolio consisted of 409 properties with an average size of 142,000 square feet and an average age of 20.2 years.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brad Thomas]
Other REITs mentioned: (O), (NNN), (STAG), (DCT), (EGP), (PDM), (DRE), (LRY)
Source: Chambers Street: More Liquidity Magic On The Way In REIT-DomDisclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SGAPY.PK)
Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) is engaged in the operation and provision of telecommunication systems and services, and investment holding. SingTel operates in three segments: Singapore, which represent the services and products provided by SingTel and its subsidiaries (excluding SingTel Optus Pty Limited (Optus)); Australia, which represents the services and products provided by Optus, a subsidiary of SingTel domiciled in Australia, and Associates & Joint Ventures, which represents the Company�� investments in associated and joint venture companies, which mainly comprise Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) in Thailand, Bharti in India, Globe Telecom, Inc. in the Philippines, and PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) in Indonesia. In December 2013, its subsidiary, Amobee Group Pte Ltd incorporated a subsidiary in Australia known as Amobee ANZ Pty Ltd. In December 2013, its subsidiary, SingTel Optus Pty Limited incorporated Optus Digital Life Pty Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Hunkar]
Investors looking to add international dividend stocks can consider some of the options listed below:
Company: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SGAPY.PK)Current Dividend Yield: 4.35%
Sector: Telecom
Country: Singapore
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Computer Task Group Inc (CTG)
Computer Task Group, Incorporated (CTG), incorporated on March 11, 1966, is an information technology (IT) solutions and staffing company with operations in North America and Europe. CTG provides IT services to its clients, which includes IT Solutions and IT Staffing. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company had six operating subsidiaries: Computer Task Group of Canada, Inc., providing services in Canada; and Computer Task Group Belgium N.V., CTG ITS S.A., Computer Task Group IT Solutions, S.A., Computer Task Group Luxembourg PSF, and Computer Task Group (U.K.) Ltd., each were providing services in Europe. Services provided in North America are performed by CTG. It provides services to all of the markets, which it serves. The services provided encompass the IT business solution life cycle, including phases for planning, developing, implementing, managing, and maintaining the IT solution. In February 2013, it acquired etrinity from i-Cros Nv of Antwerp, Belgium.
The Company promotes its services through four vertical market focus areas: technology service providers; healthcare, which includes services provided to healthcare providers, health insurers (payers), and life sciences companies; energy, and financial services. At December 31, 2011, CTG provided IT services to approximately 300 clients in North America and Europe. In North America, the Company operates in the United States and Canada. In Europe, the Company operates in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.
IT Solutions
CTG�� services in IT solution area include helping clients assess their business needs and identifying the IT solutions. The services delivered by the Company include the selection and implementation of packaged software and the design, development, testing, and integration of new systems, and the development and implementation of customized software and solutions designed to fit the needs of a specific client or vertical market. Also included in IT Solutions is Trans! itional Application Management (TAM).
In 2011, the healthcare market accounted for most of CTG�� TAM business. In 2011, CTG continued to invest in new IT solutions development, primarily targeted to the healthcare market, which support cost reductions and productivity improvements. In 2011, several healthcare solutions under development moved from the pilot stage of testing using live data into the sales process as completed tools. These solutions include medical fraud, waste, and abuse detection and reduction, medical care and disease management, and group insurance underwriting risk assessment. The Company has developed software to support these offerings. These solutions support both the healthcare provider and payer markets.
IT Staffing
The Company recruits, retains, and manages IT talent for its clients, which are technology service providers and companies with multiple locations and need for external IT resources. The Company also supports companies and organizations that need to augment their own IT staff on a flexible basis. It provides IT talent services on a temporary or long-term basis. CTG�� recruiting organization works with customers to define their staffing requirements. The primary focus of the Company�� staffing business is a managed services model that provides clients with support through supply models customized to client needs, resource management support, vendor management programs, and a automated recruiting process and system. During 2011, its IT staffing service generated 63% of its total revenue.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Anna Prior]
Information technology staffing and solutions company Computer Task Group Inc.(CTG) cut its outlook for its second-quarter and full-year results, primarily due to higher medical costs.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Computer Task Group (Nasdaq: CTG ) reported earnings on July 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended June 28 (Q2), Computer Task Group missed estimates on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.
Top 10 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (DBA)
PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust (the Trust). The Fund�� subsidiary is DB Agriculture Master Fund (the Master Fund), a separate series of DB Multi-Sector Commodity Master Trust (the Master Trust). The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the Shares) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the Authorized Participants) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The proceeds from the offering of Shares are invested in the Master Fund. The proceeds from the offering of Shares are invested in the Master Fund.
The Master Fund invests with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index Diversified Agriculture Excess Return (DBLCI Diversified Agriculture ER (the Index)) plus the excess, if any, of the Master Fund�� income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and other short-term fixed income securities over the expenses of the Fund and the Master Fund. The Index is calculated to reflect the change in market value of the agricultural sector. The commodities comprising the Index are corn, soybeans, wheat, kansas city wheat, sugar, cocoa, coffee, cotton, live cattle, feeder cattle and lean hogs (the Index Commodities). The Master Fund also holds United States Treasury Obligations and other short-term fixed income securities for deposit with the Master Fund�� commodity broker as margin. The Index is composed of notional amounts of each of the underlying Index Commodities.
DB Commodity Services LLC serves as the managing owner, commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund and the Master Fund. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the administrator of the Fund and the Master Fund.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
The PowerShares DB Agriculture fund (NYSEMKT: DBA) traded up 2.17% for the week and closed on Friday at $28.43, in a 52-week range of $24.04 to $28.95. Shares posted an intraday high of $28.95 on March 13.
- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
One way to participate in rising food prices is through the PowerShares DB Agriculture ETF (NYSE Arca: DBA). Essentially, this ETF is a basket of 17 agricultural commodities futures contracts, which gives investors exposure to sugar, live cattle, corn, soybeans, cocoa, coffee, lean hogs, and wheat, among others.
- [By idahansen]
Due to the impact of The Great Recession, stocks in the agricultural sector such as Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), The Mosiac Company (NYSE: MOS), and Potash of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) are trading well below highs. The exchange traded fund for the industry, DBA Power Shares, (NYSE: DBA), is down more than 17% for the last year. Despite this bearish trend, legendary investors such as Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Jim Rogers are very positive for the agriculture group. With the long term bullish outlook for the sector from the greatest investors in history, small cap stocks active in the fertilizer sector such as Sirius Minerals (LSE: SXX) and Americas Petrogas (TSX: BOE) are especially attractive.
- [By Hilary Kramer]
The broadest is probably the PowerShares DB Agriculture Index fund (NSYE: DBA), which invests in agricultural commodities, industrial metals, gold and a substantial (60%) weighting to oil, gas and other fuels. On the other extreme, plenty of single-metal and crop funds have hit the market, although so far very few of them are anywhere near as liquid as the underlying commodity markets.
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