Tobacco companies have always offered high dividends, and are associated with strong balance sheets. Lorillard (LO) is one such company. Despite hailing from an unhealthy industry the company is poised to continue raising its safely maintained dividends. It will find plenty of tobacco huffers in the developing world, if it can build out its international presence. Below is some insight into the company.
The firm is a leader in e-cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems that simulate the smoking experience and give people a healthy injection of nicotine. Lorillard's flagship cigarette Newport is by far the most popular brand of mentholated cigarettes.
Lorillard produces cigarettes for both the premium and discount segments of the domestic cigarette market. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in stock price during the past year and expanding profit margins.
Performance Report Card
LO stated net sales of $1.689 billion for the fourth quarter, signaling an increase of 1.4% year-on-year. LO registered an EPS of $0.82 for the recent fourth quarter, meaning an increase of $0.03 year-on-year, missing consensus estimates by about 0.47%. The company has been increasing its prices to maintain robust margins; for example LO increased net prices by 4% in the quarter. LO's gross margin was unchanged year-on-year, at 52%. However, analysts are expecting a 10.8% growth rate in the next five years.
Top Construction Stocks To Buy For 2015: AeroVironment Inc.(AVAV)
AeroVironment, Inc. designs, develops, produces, and supports unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and efficient energy systems for various industries and governmental agencies. Its UAS provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, including real-time tactical reconnaissance, tracking, combat assessment, and geographic data to the small tactical unit or individual war fighter. The UAS wirelessly transmit critical live video and other information generated by their payload of electro-optical or infrared sensors directly to a hand-held ground control system, enabling the operator to view and capture images during the day or at night on a hand-held ground control unit. AeroVironment also provides spare equipment, alternative payload modules, batteries, chargers, repair services, and customer support for the UAS. In addition, the company produces industrial productivity and clean transportation solutions for commercial and government customers, develops potential clean t ransportation solutions, and performs contract engineering services; offers PosiCharge electric vehicle charging systems for industrial electric material handling fleets, electric vehicle charging systems for passenger and fleet vehicles, and power cycling and test systems for developers and manufacturers of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as battery packs, electric motors, and fuel cells; and supplies power cycling and test systems to research and development organizations that focus on developing electric propulsion systems, electric generation systems, and electricity storage systems. It supplies its UAS primarily to the organizations within the United States department of defense. AeroVironment, Inc. was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Monrovia, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) was also up, gaining 19.50 percent to $37.92 after the company reported upbeat Q3 earnings.
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of XOMA (NASDAQ: XOMA) were down 27.54 percent to $6.84 after the company reported Q4 results and provided anupdate on its gevokizumab development program. Credit Suisse downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral. - [By Lauren Pollock]
AeroVironment Inc.'s(AVAV) fiscal second-quarter profit fell 81% on a sharp decline in revenue and margins. However, shares were up 4.4% at $28.10 in premarket trading as the maker of pilotless drones and rechargeable-batteries reported adjusted earnings and revenue that topped expectations.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, unmanned aerial vehicle specialist AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
Best High Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Performant Financial Corp (PFMT)
Performant Financial Corporation (Performant), incorporated on October 8, 2003, provide technology-enabled recovery and related analytics services in the United States. The Company�� services help identify and recover delinquent or defaulted assets and improper payments for both government and private clients in a broad range of markets. The Company provides its services on an outsourced basis, where the Company handles many or all aspects of its clients��recovery processes. The Company derives its revenues from services for clients in a range of different markets. These markets include student lending and healthcare, as well as its other markets, which include delinquent state taxes and federal Treasury and other receivables. The Company�� clients include 12 of the 32 public sector participants in the student loan industry. In February 2012, it purchased a perpetual software license and computer equipment from HOPS, Inc.
Student Lending
The Company derives its revenues from the recovery of student loans. These revenues are contract-based and consist primarily of contingency fees based on a specified percentage of the amount the Company enables its clients to recover. The Company engages subcontractors to assist in the recovery of a portion of the client�� portfolio. It also receives success fees for the recovery of loans under Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and its revenues under MSA arrangements include fees earned by the activities of its subcontractors. The Company uses its technology to identify, track and communicate with defaulted borrowers on behalf of its clients to implement suitable recovery programs for the repayment of outstanding student loan balances.
The Company�� client�� contract with it to provide recovery services for large pools of student loans generally representing a portion of the total outstanding defaulted balances they manage, which they provide to us as placements on a periodic basis. The Company also restructures and r! ecovers student loans issued directly by banks to students outside of federal lending programs.
Healthcare
The Company derives revenues from the healthcare market primarily from its Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC), contract, under, which it is a prime contractor responsible for detecting improperly paid Part A and Part B Medicare claims in 12 states in the Northeastern United States. Revenues earned under the RAC contract are driven by the identification of improperly paid Medicare claims through both automated and manual review of such claims. The Company outsourced certain aspects of its healthcare recovery process to three different subcontractors.
Other
The Company derives revenues from the recovery of delinquent state taxes, and federal Treasury and other receivables, default aversion services for certain clients, including financial institutions and the licensing of hosted technology solutions to certain clients. For its hosted technology services, the Company licenses its system and integrates its technology into its clients��operations, for which it is paid a licensing fee. The Company�� revenues for these services include contingency fees, fees based on dedicated headcount to its clients and hosted technology licensing fees. The federal agency market consists of government debt subrogated to the Department of the Treasury.
For state and municipal tax authorities, the Company analyzes a portfolio of delinquent tax and other receivables placed with the Company, develop a recovery plan and execute a recovery process designed to maximize the recovery of funds. In some instances, it has also run state tax amnesty programs, which provide one-time relief for delinquent tax obligations, and other debtor management services for its clients. For the Department of the Treasury, it recovers government debt subrogated to it by numerous different federal agencies. The placements it has provided represent a mix of commercial and individual oblig! ations.
Data Management Expertise
The Company�� platform manages and stores large amounts of data throughout the workflow process. This includes both data it has compiled, as well as third-party data.
Data Analytics Capabilities
The Company�� data analytics capabilities screen and allocate massive volumes of recovery inventory. Upon receipt of each placement of student loans, the Company utilize its algorithms to assist its in determining the recovery process and the optimal allocation of recovery specialist resources for each loan. In the healthcare market, the Company analyze millions of Medicare claims to find potential correlations between claims data and improper payments.
Workflow Processes
The Company refers to the patented technology that supports its workflows as Smart Bins. The Company�� workflow processes integrate a range of functions that encompass each stage of a recovery process.
The Company competes with Health Management Systems, Inc., Connolly Consulting, Inc. and CGI Group.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Performant Financial (PFMT) provides technology-enabled recovery and related analytics services in the U.S. This stock closed up 6.9% at $11.84 in Friday's trading session.
Friday's Volume: 310,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 261,916
Volume % Change: 60%From a technical perspective, PFMT soared higher here right off both its 200-day moving average of $11.02 and its 50-day moving average at $11.06 with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PFMT within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PFMT manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $12.47 to $13.26 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PFMT as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $11.02 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 261,916 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PFMT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its all-time high at $14.09. Any high-volume move above $14.09 will then give PFMT a chance to trend north of $15.
- [By Magic Diligence]
Much of United Online's appeal was due to its over 4% dividend yield, but the company announced in late January that it would be discontinuing its dividend to focus on growth initiatives. This follows itsNovember spin-off of FTD, which leaves United with 3 cash producing but declining businesses: Classmates.com, NetZero, and Juno. NetZero Mobile Broadband is an interesting product but one with a lot of competition from the carriers. Frankly, the dividend has been the main attraction for some time, and without it this is a declining company with a fair bit of debt. That does not make for the most attractive option. PASS.
Performant Financial (PFMT) - down 28.1%Performant earns fees for collecting delinquent student loans (about 60% of the business) and providing recovery services for improper Medicare payments (close to 30%). The recent sell-off in the stock seems due to comments from Sallie Mae regarding lower rehabilitation fees paid to Guarantee Agencies, which investors expect to "trickle down" to service providers like PFMT. The stock has been sold off dramatically on these assumptions. We should know more when the company reports earnings in the coming weeks, but this is one worth looking at more closely - the firm has been growing revenue at 30%+ rates. WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION.
Best High Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Tile Shop Holdings Inc (TTS)
Tile Shop Holdings, Inc., incorporated on June 21, 2012, is a specialty retailer of manufactured and natural stone tiles, setting and maintenance materials, and related accessories in the United States. The Company sells over 4,500 products from around the world, including ceramic, porcelain, glass, and stainless steel manufactured tiles and, marble, granite, quartz, sandstone, travertine, slate, and onyx natural tiles. It purchases its tile products and accessories directly from producers. The Company manufactures its own setting and maintenance materials, such as thinset, grout, and sealers under its brand name. The Company operates 70 stores in 22 states, with an average size of 23,000 square feet. It also sells its products on its Website. In January 2014 Tile Shop Holdings Inc launched its first retail store in Oklahoma City.
The Company offers a complete assortment of tile products, generally sourced directly from producers, including ceramic, porcelain, glass, and stainless steel manufactured tiles, and marble, granite, quartz, sandstone, travertine, slate, and onyx natural tiles. The Company also offers a range of setting and maintenance materials, such as thinset, grout and sealers, and accessories, including installation tools, shower and bath caddies, drains, and similar products.
The Company competes with Home Depot, Tile America, World of Tile, Century Tile, and Floor and Decor, Dal-Tile and Florida Tile.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
The Tile Shop's (NASDAQ: TTS ) shares fell 11% yesterday despite no news coming from the company. Instead, investors were spooked by a big profit warning from a seemingly unrelated retailer: Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL ) .�
- [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, natural stone tile retailer Tile Shop Holdings (NASDAQ: TTS ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Stock market investors were generally pleased with the congressional testimony that Fed chair nominee Janet Yellen gave today, with new expectations that accommodative monetary policy will continue as long as any hint of economic weakness persists. The Dow and S&P 500 reached new record highs yet again, with Dow 16,000 and S&P 1,800 now within a single percentage point. But Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO ) , Tile Shop Holdings (NASDAQ: TTS ) , and Millennial Media (NYSE: MM ) all missed the record run, falling by more than 10% each.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Tile Shop Holdings (NASDAQ: TTS) were down 2.16 percent to $12.67. Citigroup downgraded Tile Shop from Buy to Neutral.
Best High Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Sbc Sveriges Bostadsrattscentrum AB (SBC)
SBC Sveriges BostadsrattsCentrum AB (SBC) is a Sweden-based company active within the real estate sector. It offers services to condominiums within three business areas, namely Financial Management, Technical Management and Legal Expertise. The Financial Management area offers services to real estate managers and residents, including services, such as accounting, payment management and budget optimization, among others. The Technical Management business area offers a range of services, including property inspection, documentation management and cost control, among others. Within the Legal Expertise area, the Company offers services, such as assistance in civil cases, assisting in negotiations, drafting of contracts and assistance in tax matters, among others. The Company has six offices located in the Swedish cities of Sundsvall, Uppsala, Vasteras, Stockholm, Malmo and Goteborg. As of December 31, 2011, it had two wholly owned subsidiaries, namely SBC Mark AB and Liljeholmsberget AB. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Nitish]
Stock-Based Compensation (SBC) ��In the second quarter of 2014, the total charge related to SBC was $880 million compared to $743 million in the second quarter of 2013. The analysts currently estimate SBC charges for grants made to employees prior to June 30, 2014 to be approximately $3.42 billion for 2014. This estimate does not include expenses to be recognized related to employee stock awards that are granted after June 30, 2014 or nonemployee stock awards that have been or may be granted.
Best High Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Targa Resources Partners LP (NGLS)
Targa Resources Partners LP is a limited partnership formed by Targa Resources, Corp (Targa). The Company is a provider of midstream natural gas and natural gas liquid (NGL) services in the United States and is engaged in the business of gathering, compressing, treating, processing and selling natural gas and storing, fractionating, treating, transporting, terminaling and selling NGLs, NGL products, refined petroleum products and crude oil. It operates in two divisions: Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, which include Field Gathering and Processing and Coastal Gathering and Processing, and Logistics and Marketing, which includes Logistics Assets and Marketing and Distribution. On March 15, 2011, it acquired a refined petroleum products and crude oil storage and terminaling facility in Channelview, Texas. On September 30, 2011 it acquired refined petroleum products and crude oil storage and terminaling facilities in two separate transactions. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired Saddle Butte Pipeline, LLC.
Natural Gas Gathering and Processing Division
The Company�� natural gas gathering and processing division consists of gathering, compressing, dehydrating, treating, conditioning, processing, transporting and marketing natural gas. The gathering of natural gas consists of aggregating natural gas produced from various wells through small diameter gathering lines to processing plants. It sells its residue gas either directly to such end users or to marketers into intrastate or interstate pipelines. The Field Gathering and Processing segment gathers and processes natural gas from the Permian Basin in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico and the Fort Worth Basin, including the Barnett Shale, in North Texas. The natural gas it processes is supplied through its gathering systems which, in aggregate, consist of approximately 10,400 miles of natural gas pipelines. The segment�� processing plants include nine owned and operated facilities. During the year ended December 31! , 2011, the Company processed an average of approximately 612 million cubic feet/day (MMcf/d) of natural gas and produced an average of approximately 74 million barrels per day (MBbl/d) of NGLs.
The Field Gathering and Processing segment�� operations consist of the Permian Business, Versado, SAOU and the North Texas System. The Permian Business consists of the Sand Hills gathering and processing system and the West Seminole and Puckett gathering systems in West Texas. These systems consist of approximately 1,400 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. Versado consists of the Saunders, Eunice and Monument gas processing plants and related gathering systems in Southeastern New Mexico. Versado consists of approximately 3,200 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. Covering portions of 10 counties and approximately 4,000 square miles in West Texas, SAOU includes approximately 1,667 miles of pipelines in the Permian Basin that gather natural gas to the Mertzon, Sterling, and Conger processing plants. SAOU has 31 compressor stations to inject low pressure gas into the high-pressure pipelines.
The North Texas System includes two interconnected gathering systems with approximately 4,200 miles of pipelines, covering portions of 15 counties and approximately 5,700 square miles, gathering wellhead natural gas for the Chico and Shackelford natural gas processing facilities. The Chico gathering system consists of approximately 2,100 miles of primarily low-pressure gathering pipelines. Wellhead natural gas is either gathered for the Chico plant located in Wise County, Texas, and then compressed for processing, or it is compressed in the field at numerous compressor stations and then moved through one of several gathering pipelines to the Chico plant. Its Coastal Gathering and Processing segment assets are located in the onshore region of the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. LOU consists of approximately 875 miles of gathering system pipelines, covering approximately 3,800 ! square mi! les in Southwest Louisiana. The gathering system is connected to numerous producing wells and/or central delivery points in the area between Lafayette and Lake Charles, Louisiana. The processing facilities include the Gillis and Acadia processing plants, both of which are cryogenic plants.
Logistics and Marketing Division
The Company includes the activities necessary to convert mixed NGLs into NGL products and provide certain value added services, such as the fractionation, storage, terminaling, transportation, distribution and marketing of NGLs, as well as certain natural gas supply and marketing activities in support of its other businesses. Its Logistics Assets Segment uses its platform of integrated assets to receive, fractionate, store, treat, transport and deliver NGLs typically under fee-based arrangements. Its logistics assets are connected to and supplied in part by its Natural Gas Gathering and Processing assets and are primarily located at Mont Belvieu and Galena Park near Houston, Texas and in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Across the Logistics Assets segment, it owns or operates a total of 39 storage wells at its facilities with a net storage capacity of approximately 64 million barrels of oil (MMBbl), the usage of which may be limited by brine handling capacity, which is utilized to displace NGLs from storage. It operates its storage and terminaling facilities based on the needs and requirements of its customers. Its fractionation, storage and terminaling business is supported by approximately 940 miles of company owned pipelines to transport mixed NGLs and specification products.
The Company markets its own NGL production and also purchases component NGL products from other NGL producers and marketers for resale. During 2011, the Company�� distribution and marketing services business sold an average of approximately 273 MBbl/d of NGLs. Its wholesale propane marketing operations primarily sell propane and related logistics services to multi-state retailer! s, indepe! ndent retailers and other end-users. Its propane supply primarily originates from both its refinery/gas supply contracts and its other owned or managed logistics and marketing assets. In its refinery services business, the Company provide NGL balancing services through contractual arrangements with refiners to purchase and/or market propane and to supply butanes. It uses commercial transportation assets and contract for and use the storage, transportation and distribution assets included in its Logistics Assets segment to assist refinery customers in managing their NGL product demand and production schedules.
The Company�� NGL transportation and distribution infrastructure includes a range of assets supporting both third-party customers and the delivery requirements of its marketing and asset management business. It provides fee-based transportation services to refineries and petrochemical companies throughout the Gulf Coast area. As of December 31, 2011, its transportation assets include approximately 565 railcars that it lease and manage; approximately 74 owned and leased transport tractors and approximately 100 company owned tank trailers, and 18 company owned pressurized NGL barges.
The Company competes with Atlas Gas Pipeline Company, Copano Energy, L.L.C. (Copano), WTG Gas Processing, L.P. (WTG), DCP Midstream Partners LP (DCP), Devon Energy Corp (Devon), Enbridge Inc., GulfSouth Pipeline Company, LP, Hanlon Gas Processing, Ltd., J W Operating Company, Louisiana Intrastate Gas, Enterprise Products Partners L.P., DCP, ONEOK and BP p.l.c.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tyler Laundon]
It's a pure play Permian oil stock. It's also a fairly pure oil investment. The company's production split is 75% oil, 14% natural gas liquids (NGLs) and 11% natural gas. On a revenue basis, 90% of revenues come from oil, while 6% and 4% come from NGLs and natural gas, respectively.
- [By Teresa Rivas]
Targa Resources Partners (NGLS) is buying the oil and gas limited partnerships Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL) and Atlas Energy�(ATLS), sending the shares of both stocks up double digits.
- [By Eric Volkman]
The dividends are continuing to flow at the closely related companies Targa Resources (NYSE: TRGP ) and Targa Resources Partners (NYSE: NGLS ) . Q2 distributions for both have been declared; the former will hand out $0.5325 per share on Aug. 15 to shareholders of record as of July 29, while Targa Resources Partners is to dispense $0.7150 per unit on Aug. 14 to holders of record as of July 29.
- [By Eric Volkman]
The closely related energy firms Targa Resources (NYSE: TRGP ) and Targa Resources Partners (NYSE: NGLS ) are teaming up to return more money to shareholders. Both companies have raised the stockholder payouts for their respective Q1s. For the quarter, Resources will dispense a dividend of $0.4950 per share of its common stock on May 16 to shareholders of record as of April 29. Partners will pay $0.6975 per common unit, to be distributed May 15 to unitholders as of April 29.
No comments:
Post a Comment