Merck (NYSE: MRK ) is scheduled to release its quarterly earnings report tomorrow, and most investors expect the company to see continued reductions in its overall net income compared to year-ago levels. Yet the stock has performed quite well lately, suggesting that in the long run, Merck earnings could well return to their winning ways, helping to support a dividend yield that puts the drugmaker in the upper echelon of dividend stocks within the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) .
Like many of its drugmaker peers, Merck has struggled as major blockbuster products have gone off patent, forcing it to try to find replacement drugs to keep its overall sales and profit up. So far, Merck has only had mixed success in accomplishing that difficult task, but some promising prospects could help the company get past its patent-cliff woes and get back to strong growth. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Merck over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.
5 Best Beverage Stocks To Watch Right Now: Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation(PGC)
Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Peapack-Gladstone Bank that provides financial, trust, and investment services to individuals and small businesses in New Jersey. The company?s deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market and interest-bearing checking accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises residential and construction mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and other second mortgage loans, as well as commercial loans, including working capital lines of credit, term loans for fixed asset acquisitions, commercial mortgages, and other forms of asset-based financing. The company also provides foreign and domestic travelers? checks, cashier?s checks, wire transfers, Internet banking, and automated teller machine services. In addition, it offers personal investment management, personal trust administration, estate settlement, income tax, custodial, a nd other financial planning services. Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation provides its services through 23 full-service banking offices, including 10 branches in Somerset County, 6 in Morris County, 4 in Hunterdon County, 1 in Middlesex County, and 2 in Union County. The company was founded in 1921 and is based in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Planes]
Since that prediction, Honeywell's begun to branch out in unexpected ways, as it's now working with utilities such as PG&E (NASDAQ: PGC ) to provide residential energy-management platforms. The "smart grid" is growing in fits and starts, but it's one of the more optimistic corners of tomorrow's economy, so it's good for Honeywell investors to see the company dipping a toe in these waters.
Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Own Right Now: Evoke Pharma Inc (EVOK)
Evoke Pharma, Inc., incorporated on January 29, 2007, is a specialty pharmaceutical company. The Company is focused primarily on the development of drugs to treat gastrointestinal (GI), disorders and diseases. The Company is developing EVK-001, a metoclopramide nasal spray for the relief of symptoms associated with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis in women with diabetes mellitus. The Company�� lead product candidate, EVK-001, is in late stage clinical testing. EVK-001 is a formulation of this drug, designed to provide systemic delivery of metoclopramide through intranasal administration.
Gastroparesis is a condition of delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Gastroparesis results in food remaining in the stomach for a longer time than normal, yielding a variety of symptoms. Gastroparesis is a common problem in individuals with diabetes, but also is observed in patients with prior gastric surgery, a preceding infectious illness, pseudo-obstruction, collagen vascular disorders and anorexia nervosa. EVK-001 is designed to effectively bypass the digestive system and allow for more predictable drug administration of its nasal spray formulation across the thin mucosa in the nasal cavity.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
The first, Evoke Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: EVOK), will release data from a phase 3 trial of its experimental drug EVK-001, a potential treatment for women with recurrent diabetic gastroparesis. The data follows successful results from a previous phase 2 study of the drug.
Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Own Right Now: CMS Energy Corp (CMS)
CMS Energy Corporation (CMS Energy) is an energy company operating primarily in Michigan. CMS Energy is the parent holding company of several subsidiaries, including Consumers Energy Company (Consumers) and CMS Enterprises Company (CMS Enterprises). Consumers is an electric and gas utility, and CMS Enterprises, primarily a domestic independent power producer. Consumers serves individuals and businesses operating in the alternative energy, automotive, chemical, metal, and food products industries, as well as a diversified group of other industries. CMS Enterprises, through its subsidiaries and equity investments, is engaged primarily in independent power production and owns power generation facilities fueled mostly by natural gas and biomass. CMS Energy operates in three business segments: electric utility, gas utility and enterprises, its non-utility operations and investments. EnerBank USA (EnerBank), a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy, which provides unsecured consumer installment loans for financing home improvements.
CONSUMERS ELECTRIC UTILITY
Consumers��electric utility operations include the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Consumers��electric deliveries were 38 billion kilowatt hour, which included Retail Open Access (ROA) deliveries of four billion kilowatt hour. Consumers��distribution system includes 413 miles of high-voltage distribution radial lines operating at 120 kilovolts or above; ,244 miles of high-voltage distribution overhead lines operating at 23 kilovolts and 46 kilovolts; 17 miles of high-voltage distribution underground lines operating at 23 kilovolts and 46 kilovolts; 55,953 miles of electric distribution overhead lines; 10,112 miles of underground distribution lines, and substations with an aggregate transformer capacity of 24 million thousand volt-amperes.
At December 31, 2011, Consumers��electric generating system consisted of coal generation, oil/gas/st! eam generation, hydroelectric and gas/oil combustion turbine. At December 31, 2011, Consumers had contracts to purchase coal through 2014. At December 31, 2011, Consumers had 86% of its 2012 expected coal requirements under contract, as well as a 41-day supply of coal on hand. During 2011, Consumers purchased 53% of the electricity it provided to customers through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), seasonal purchases, and the Midwest Energy Market. Consumers offers its generation into the Midwest Energy Market on a day-ahead and real-time basis and bids for power in the market to serve the demand of its customers. Consumers is a net purchaser of power and supplements its generation capability with purchases from the Midwest Energy Market to meet its customers��needs during peak demand periods.
CONSUMERS GAS UTILITY
Consumers��gas utility operations include the purchase, transmission, storage, distribution, and sale of natural gas. Consumers��gas utility customer base consists of a mix of residential, commercial, and diversified industrial customers in Michigan�� Lower Peninsula. In 2011, deliveries of natural gas, including off-system transportation deliveries, through Consumers��pipeline and distribution network, totaled 337 billion cubic feet of gas, which included Gas Customer Choice (GCC) deliveries of 48 billion cubic feet of gas. Consumers��gas utility operations are seasonal. During 2011, 46% of the natural gas supplied to all customers during the winter months was supplied from storage.
Consumers��gas distribution and transmission system located in Michigan�� Lower Peninsula consists of 26,623 miles of distribution mains; 666 miles of transmission lines; seven compressor stations with a total of 150,635 installed and available horsepower, and 15 gas storage fields with an aggregate storage capacity of 307 billion cubic feet of gas and a working storage capacity of 142 billion cubic feet of gas. In 2011, Consumers purchased 70% of ! the gas i! t delivered from United States producers and 10% from Canadian producers. The remaining 20% was purchased from authorized GCC suppliers and delivered by Consumers to customers in the GCC program.
ENTERPRISES SEGMENT
CMS Energy�� enterprises segment, through various subsidiaries and certain equity investments, is engaged primarily in domestic independent power production and the marketing of independent power production. At December 31, 2011, CMS Energy had ownership interests in independent power plants totaling 1,135 gross megawatts or 1,034 net megawatts. CMS Energy Resource Management (ERM) purchases and sells energy commodities in support of CMS Energy�� generating facilities and continues to focus on optimizing CMS Energy�� independent power production portfolio. In 2011, CMS ERM marketed 17 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 2,417 gigawatt-hour of electricity.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Michigan-based energy company CMS Energy (CMS) raised its quarterly dividend 6% to 27 cents per share, payable on Feb. 28 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 7.
CMS Dividend Yield: 4.02% - [By Holly LaFon]
Most investors, analysts, media, and government officials say this should always be the goal, and they are right. However, UoP's typical students are not the eighteen year olds grad uating from high school figuring out whether they should attend a private or public university. UoP's typical student is single, twenty - eight years old, a minority single - mother, first in her family to attend college, and someone who is 3 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via WellCare Health Plans, Inc. 2012 Annual Report on Form 10 - K trying to improve h er career skills and compete in today's fierce labor market. Among the biggest obstacles for this cohort is keeping their child, or children, healthy and in school so they can finish school themselves.
Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Own Right Now: Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP)
Rydex S&P Equal Weight ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the performance of the S&P Equal Weight Index (the Index). The Index is the equal-weighted version of the S&P 500, which is a measure of the large-capitalization stocks of 500 major corporations selected by Standard & Poor��, a division of The McGraw Hill Company, Inc., for their market size, liquidity and industry group representation. The Index is developed by Standard & Poor's in collaboration with Rydex Investments. The Index utilizes quarterly rebalancing to maintain its equal-weight stance.
The Fund uses a passive management strategy to track the performance of the Index. The Fund invests in substantially all of the securities in the Index in approximately the same proportions as in the Index. The Fund's investment advisor is Rydex Investments.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Thomas Sobon]
(3) From the menu on top, compare your stock with the S&P Equal Weight Index (RSP) or the S&P Industrial index (SPY). That will show you how your stock has been performing in comparison to the overall market. You want your stock to be a leader in the market and not a laggard.
Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Own Right Now: Extreme Biodiesel Inc (XTRM)
Extreme Biodiesel Inc., formerly Book Merge Technology, Inc., incorporated on February 28, 2008, is engaged in manufacturing of home biodiesel processors. The Company focuses to produce alternative fuel. The Company has a bio diesel refinery and factory for refining diesel oil and manufacturing bio diesel processors. On October 11, 2010, the Company acquired a 51% interest in EGT. on October 11, 2010, the reverse acquisition was effected. On March 31, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of EGT.
The Company�� products include standard extractor, extreme extractor, extreme mini-refinery, extreme purification system, titration kit, dispensing pump with meter and oil collection pump. The standard extractor is a biodiesel processor, which requires a water-wash process to purify the biodiesel. Extreme extractor is a waterless purification system. The Mini Refinery is the waterless system, which can make 600 gallons of quality biodiesel per day.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap resource or green stocks Paradigm Resource Management Corp (OTCMKTS: PRDC), Extreme Biodiesel Inc (OTCMKTS: XTRM) and Pan Global Corp (OTCMKTS: PGLO) have all been getting some attention lately thanks in part to a few paid stock promotions. However, two of these small cap appear to be the subject of minimal paid promotion activity, but even a small paid promotion or investor relations campaign can increase a stock�� volatility. So do these three small cap resource or green stocks have what it takes to deliver some Christmas cheer for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:
Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Own Right Now: Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company(PHI)
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company provides telecommunication services in the Philippines. Its Wireless segment offers cellular mobile services; Internet broadband distribution and services; call center services; mobile applications development and services; software development and sale of maintenance and support services; mobile commerce solutions; mobile commerce platforms; mobile applications development and services; solutions and systems integration services; satellite communications services; and satellite information and messaging services. This segment also involves in the promotion of the sale and/or patronage of debit and/or charge cards; offshore financing and risk management activities for smart; international trade of satellites and global system for mobile communication, or GSM enabled global telecommunications; and delivery of GSM communication capability for the maritime sector, as well as operates as a content provider. The company?s Fixed Line s egment provides fixed line telecommunication services, such as local exchange, international long distance, national long distance, data and other network services, as well as infrastructure and related services. Its Information and Communications Technology segment offers integrated information and communications technology services focusing on infrastructure and solutions for Internet applications, Internet protocol based solutions, and multimedia content delivery. This segment also provides knowledge processing solutions, customer relationship management, Internet and online gaming services, and information technology consulting and professional services; and operates Internet data center under the Vitro brand name. As of December 31, 2010, the company had served approximately 49 million subscribers. It also resells software licenses, server solutions, networking products, storage products, and data security products. The company was founded in 1928 and is based in Makati City, the Philippines.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Dittman]
Question: What are your thoughts on Exelon Corp�� (NYSE: EXC) buyout of Pepco Holdings Inc (NYSE: PHI)?
Answer: It’s going to expand Exelon’s regulated operations, which is a good thing. And Pepco Holdings has been executing on a turnaround plan, with regulatory relations much improved.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
The mixed signals were apparent even among the S&P 500′s best performing stocks, including� Exelon (EXC), a utility that’s nearing completion of a merger with Pepco Holdings (PHI), and Priceline (PCLN), a high-flying internet stock that rose, well, because it could. Exelon gained 7.9% to $36.83 this week, while Priceline rose 6.8% to $1,278.63.
No comments:
Post a Comment