LearnVest, an online financial planning startup, announced Friday that it had acquired $16.5 million in new funding. It attained the funding from initial investor Accel Partners, as well as new investors American Express Ventures; Claritas Capital; Ed Mathias, the founding member of The Carlyle Group; and Todd Ruppert, former CEO and president of T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services. The company has raised $40 million since launching three years ago.
The firm, based in New York and founded by Alexa von Tobel, provides basic money management advice to consumers through its website and an iPhone app launched in September. A team of certified financial planners provide portfolio analysis and guidance on how to implement recommendations with other providers.
“We are passionate about making financial planning—dare I say it—an exciting consumer product,” von Tobel said in a statement. “We’re eager to use this latest investment to focus on scaling LearnVest Planning’s award-winning technology and to provide widespread access to our team of certified financial planners.”
Best Rising Companies For 2015: Post Holdings Inc (POST)
Post Holdings, Inc., incorporated on September 22, 2011, is a holding company. The Company is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded ready-to-eat cereals in the United States and Canada. The Company�� portfolio of brands includes Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Great Grains, Grape-Nuts, Shredded Wheat, Raisin Bran, Golden Crisp, Alpha-Bits and Honeycomb. It markets and sells ready-to-eat cereal products in three different categories: sweetened, balanced and unsweetened. Its sweetened products include Pebbles, Honeycomb, Golden Crisp, Alpha-Bits and Waffle Crisp. Its balanced products include Honey Bunches of Oats, Post Selects, Great Grains and Shreddies. The Company�� unsweetened products include Post Shredded Wheat, Post Raisin Bran and Grape-Nuts. Effective January 1, 2014, the Company announced it has completed the acquisition of private label pasta manufacturer Dakota Growers Pasta Company, Inc. Effective January 2, 2014, Post Holdings Inc acquired Agricore United Holdings Inc from Viterra Inc, a unit of Glencore Xstrata PLC, and the transaction also included Dakota Growers Pasta Company, Inc. Effective January 1, 2014, Post Holdings Inc acquired Dymatize Enterprises LLC, a Farmers Branch-based manufacturer and wholesaler of nutrition supplement. Effective January 1, 2014, it acquired Dymatize Enterprises LLC and Golden Boy Foods Ltd.
Honey Bunches of Oats is in the ready-to-eat cereal market. The Company�� Pebbles brands include Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles. The products are manufactured through a flexible production platform consisting of four owned primary facilities and sold through a variety of channels, such as grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, and drug stores.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Maureen Farrell]
The first bit came from Herbalife bull William Stiritz, the CEO of Post Holdings(POST).
The market has viewed Post as a potential buyer of Herbalife, after Post’s CEO William Stiritz personally purchased a 6.7% stake in Herbalife. Last week one of�Wall Street’s most bullish analysts�on Herbalife joined Post Holdings as an adviser, raising even more questions about whether the cereal company might bid for Herbalife.
Top Consumer Stocks To Own For 2014: SodaStream International Ltd.(SODA)
SodaStream International Ltd. engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of home beverage carbonation systems and related products. Its home beverage carbonation systems enable consumers to transform ordinary tap water into carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. The company offers a range of soda makers; exchangeable carbon-dioxide (CO2) cylinders; beverage-grade CO2 refills; reusable carbonation bottles; and various flavors comprising fruit, carbonated soft drink, and enhanced flavors to add to the carbonated water. It also sells additional accessories for its products, including bottle cleaning materials and ice cube trays manufactured by third parties. The company sells its products under the SodaStream and Soda-Club brand names through approximately 50,000 retail stores in 42 countries, as well as through the Internet; and distributes its products directly in 12 countries and indirectly through local distributors in other markets. It operates in Europe , North and Central America, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and east Asia. The company was formerly known as Soda-Club Holdings Ltd. and changed its name to SodaStream International Ltd. in March 2010. SodaStream International Ltd. is headquartered in Airport City, Israel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By abirk] y behind the popular namesake beverage platform that turns tap water into sparkling soda, is surely a company to watch out for. In an effort to expand its presence as well as combat waning sales in the perceived "unhealthy drinks" arena, beverage companies via partnerships or their own research team, are bringing new products to market to entice consumers. SodaStream markets itself to consumers who consider themselves socially and environmentally responsible. It's mostly marketed to health-conscious consumers. According to Yonah Lloyd, SodaStream�� chief corporate development and communications officer, ��ome soda making is still a new category in the U.S. with over 98% of homes as potential customers.��/p>
Performance Report Card
SodaStream's revenue climbed 26% to $168.1 million in the fourth quarter, above estimates of $167.3 million. Net income was $700,000 versus $7.5 million a year earlier. EBDITDA decreased 31.4% to $8.7 million from $12.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2012. The decline in the profit was attributed primarily to a lower average selling price, largely through discounting and promotions, an unfavorable change in the foreign currency exchange rate, and a shift in sales channels.
But, on the other hand, SodaStream sold 4.4 million soda maker machines, an increase of 27% from 2012. Moreover, consumables sales grew 25% as a result of 30% growth in gas refill units and a 22% jump in flavored units. This drove full year revenue to $562 million, up 29% from last year.
SodaStream saw strong revenue growth in the Americas, where its revenue increased 16%, while in Western Europe, revenue increased 38%. In the Asia Pacific, SodaStream's revenue grew 28%, while 36% growth was seen in the CEMEA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.
Sign of Relief
SodaStream may be down, as measured by its recent stock price performance, but it is certainly not out, as evidenced by a growing international
- [By Rick Munarriz]
Really? Just wait until SodaStream (NASDAQ: SODA ) hears about this.
SodaStream has made it a sport of calling out Coca-Cola in the past for the anti-environmental nature of canned and bottled pop. One of SodaStream's selling points is that the beverage system that turns still water into carbonated soda can save 2,000 cans and bottles of soda a year for a typical household. It's at the very heart of the SodaStream television commercials, with soda bottles bursting, that have been airing since late last year.
Top Consumer Stocks To Own For 2014: Xerium Technologies Inc.(XRM)
Xerium Technologies, Inc. manufactures and supplies consumable products used in the production of paper clothing and roll covers primarily in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Clothing and Roll Covers. The Clothing segment provides various types of industrial textiles used on paper-making machines and other industrial applications. This segment offers forming fabrics, press felts, and dryer fabrics; and fabrics used in other industrial applications, such as pulp, steel, plastics, leather, and textiles manufacturing. The Roll Covers segment manufactures, refurbishes, and replaces roll covers for working rolls, including vacuum rolls and press rolls; calendar rolls; and coater rolls that are used on paper-making machines. This segment also refurbishes previously installed roll covers; provides mechanical maintenance and repair services for the internal mechanisms of rolls used on paper-making machines; and manufactures a nd repairs spreader rolls. The company markets its products through its direct sales force under Huyck Wangner, Weavexx, Stowe Woodward, Mount Hope, Robec, and Xibe brand names. Xerium Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
One cyclical consumer goods player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Xerium Technologies (XRM), a manufacturer and supplier of two types of consumable products, clothing and roll covers, used mainly in the production of paper. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 313%.
If you take a look at the chart for Xerium Technologies, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $9.94 to its recent high of $12.97 a share. During that uptrend, shares of XRM have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of XRM within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in XRM if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $12.97 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 100,685 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then XRM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $14.04 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then give XRM a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $18 to $20 a share.
Traders can look to buy XRM off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $12.28, or near its 50-day at $11.35 a share. One can also buy XRM off strength once it takes out $12.97 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Xerium Technologies (NYSE: XRM ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top Consumer Stocks To Own For 2014: Verifone Systems Inc.(PAY)
Verifone Systems, Inc. designs, markets, and services electronic payment solutions in North America and internationally. It provides system solutions, including countertop electronic payment systems that accepts magnetic, smart card, contactless/ radio frequency identification(RFID) cards, and near field communication(NFC) enabled mobile phones; secure PIN pads that support credit and debit transactions; and wireless system solutions that support Internet protocol-based code division multiple access, general packet radio service, bluetooth, and wireless fidelity technologies. The company also offers products for consumer-activated functionality at the point of sale; contactless/NFC payment solutions consisting of contactless readers primarily for consumer-activated transactions with contactless cards, tokens, and NFC-enabled mobile phones; and Gemstone family of products comprising integrated electronic payment systems for petroleum companies. In addition, it provides serv er-based payment processing software and middleware; unattended and self-service payments hardware and software integration modules, such as vending machines, ATMs, ticketing kiosks, petroleum dispensers, public transportation turnstiles and buses, self-checkout, bill payment, and photo finishing kiosks; retail bank branch solutions; mass transportation solutions; and network access solutions. Further, the company offers client services, customized application development, advertising publishing, taxi payments and advertising, cardholder data security, annual software maintenance program, and repair services. It serves financial institutions, payment processors, petroleum companies, large retailers, taxi fleets, government organizations, healthcare companies, independent sales organizations, and advertisers. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc in May 2010. VeriFone Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Steven Russolillo]
WATCH FOR:�May ADP Jobs Survey (8:15 a.m. Eastern Time): seen +210K; previously +220K. April US Trade Deficit (8:30): seen $40.9B; previously $40.4B. First Quarter Productivity (8:30, second read): seen -3.1%; previously -1.7%. First Quarter Unit Labor Costs (8:30, second read): seen +5.5%: previously +4.2%. May ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (10:00): seen 55.2; previously 55.2. Analogic(ALOG), Ciena(CIEN), Cooper, Diamond Foods(DMND), J.M. Smucker(SJM), Joy Global(JOY), Piedmont Natural Gas(PNY), UTi Worldwide, Vail Resorts, Vera Bradley(VRA) and VeriFone(PAY) are among companies scheduled to report quarterly results.
- [By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of VeriFone (PAY) �rose 9.4% to $32 on moderate volume after the point-of-service payment system company reported adjusted fiscal first-quarter earnings of 31 cents a share on revenue of $431.6 million.
- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Tuesday
Earnings Expected From: Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSPI), Verifone Systems, Inc. (NYSE: PAY) Economic Releases Expected: Japanese trade balance, New Zealand current account, US current account, US CPIWednesday
Top Consumer Stocks To Own For 2014: lululemon athletica inc.(LULU)
Lululemon Athletica Inc., together with its subsidiaries engages in the design, manufacture, and distribution of athletic apparel and accessories for women, men, and female youth primarily in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Its apparel assortments include fitness pants, shorts, tops, and jackets for healthy lifestyle activities, such as yoga, running, and general fitness. The company?s fitness-related accessories comprise bags, socks, underwear, yoga mats, instructional yoga DVDs, and water bottles. It sells its products through its retail stores; independent franchises; and a network of wholesale accounts, such as yoga studios, health clubs, and fitness centers, as well as directly to consumers through e-commerce. As of May 1, 2011, the company had 142 corporate-owned and franchise stores under the lululemon athletica and ivivva athletica brand names. Lululemon Athletica Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Grace L. Williams]
Here at STW, we��e covered Lululemon (LULU)–a lot. The good, the bad, the neutral and of course, we��e thrown in more yoga metaphors than you can shake a stick at for good measure.
Today, however, it’s not all about Lululemon. But it is about athletic apparel as Canaccord Genuity�� Camilo Lyon takes a look at sentiment on Lululemon alongside competitors Nike (NKE) and Under Armour (UA).
In the note, Lyon writes that the athletic apparel industry is poised to grow this year as more consumers jump on the sportswear as everyday apparel bandwagon. We’re thinking: the velour track suit craze of the 2000s meets today�� fabrics, styles and cuts. We’re also hoping this craze doesn�� grow to involve clothes with messages like “Juicy” scrawled across the hiney.
Getting back to that note: Lyon noted that all three companies could benefit from a potential ease in duty costs:
We believe there is a potential for duty costs from Vietnam to materially ease in 2016 on exports to the U.S. Currently duty rates range from 32%-35% and the expectation is that those costs could go to zero. If this comes to fruition, we believe it would be a significant benefit.
Regarding Lululemon, Lyon noted that an increase in marketing could help bring customers back to its stores and revive its market-share lead. Lyon also considers the addition of more quality assurance technicians a positive. He explains:
Lululemon now has offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan to monitor the quality of the outgoing garments, and is testing its production runs with greater frequency. As such, we expect product flow improvements to happen over the course of 2014, resulting in a gradual and sequentially improving comp trajectory.
Shares of Lululemon have dropped 1% to $49.37 at 3 p.m. today. Nike has gained 1.2% to $78.34, while Under Armour is down 0.5% at 115.53.
Top Consumer Stocks To Own For 2014: Adecoagro S.A. (AGRO)
Adecoagro S.A., an agricultural company, engages in the agricultural, manufacturing, and land transformation activities in South America. It operates through Crops; Rice; Dairy; Coffee; Cattle; Sugar, Ethanol, and Energy; and Land Transformation segments. The company engages in planting, harvesting, and selling grains, oilseeds, wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, and sunflowers; and providing grain warehousing/conditioning, and handling and drying services to third parties. It is also involved in planting, harvesting, processing, and marketing rice; producing and selling raw milk; cultivating coffee beans and marketing the company�s and third party�s coffee production. In addition, the company engages in the lease of cattle grazing land to a meat processor; cultivation and processing of sugar and ethanol, as well as cogeneration of electricity from sugarcane bagasse; and identification, acquisition, and disposition of farmlands. As of December 31, 2012, it owned a total of 2 83,942 hectares that consisted of 22 farms in Argentina, 15 farms in Brazil, and 1 farm in Uruguay; and had a cogeneration capacity of 148 MW. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Luxembourg.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
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