LONDON -- Successful investors use a disciplined approach to picking stocks, and checklists can be a great way to make sure you've covered all the bases.
In this series I'm subjecting companies to scrutiny under five headings: prospects, performance, management, safety, and valuation. How does�British American Tobacco� (LSE: BATS ) (NYSEMKT: BTI ) measure up?
1.�Prospects
Morality aside, tobacco's addictive nature and "cool" aesthetic guarantee a growing market. While volumes are declining in developed countries, increased emerging market consumption is driven by population growth and rising disposable incomes.
Threats are increasing taxation, sales of illicit tobacco and health-motivated regulation, with the enforcement of plain packaging in Australia (with the U.K. and EU considering similar measures) especially significant. Tobacco companies are slowly introducing alternative and safer products.
BATS is one of four companies that share three-quarters of global sales outside the state-run Chinese market. Its turnover is spread across the globe, with three-quarters of turnover in emerging markets and market leadership in 60 countries. That gives it pricing power and huge defensive characteristics.
Best Telecom Companies For 2015: Spdr S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Etf (XOP)
SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Exchange Traded Fund (The Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before expenses, the performance of an index derived from the oil and gas exploration and production segment of a United States total market composite index. The Fund uses a passive management strategy designed to track the total return performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index (the Oil & Gas Exploration Index).
The Oil & Gas Exploration Index represents the oil and gas exploration and production sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Market Index (TMI). The S&P TMI tracks all the United States common stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), American Stock Exchange (AMEX), National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap exchanges.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Moroney]
To uncover top picks, we looked for solid track records and reasonable expense ratios. Notable ETFs include SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production (XOP), Guggenheim S&P 500 Technology (BATS:RYT), and SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT).
10 Best Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: JTH Holding Inc (TAX)
JTH Holding, Inc. (JTH Holding), incorporated in September 2010, is a holding company engaged through its subsidiaries as a franchisor and operator of a system of income tax preparation offices located in the United States and Canada. The Company is a retail preparer of individual tax returns. JTH Holding's principal operations are conducted through its subsidiary, JTH Tax, Inc. (JTH Tax). Through this system of income tax preparation offices, JTH Holding also facilitates to its customer refund-based tax settlement financial products, such as refund anticipation loans, electronic refund checks, and personal income tax refund discounting. On September 30, 2010, JTH Tax entered into an Agreement of Merger and Plan of Reorganization with JTH Holding. At the closing of the merger on September 30, 2010, JTH Tax merged with and became a wholly owned subsidiary of JTH Holding.
As of September 2, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company had 3,900 tax offices and the number of United States tax returns prepared in its offices is approximately 1.7 million. The Company provides its customers with value-added federal and state tax preparation services and related financial products both in retail offices and online. During fiscal 2011, the Company and its franchisees operated 3,590 offices in the United States in tax season. Approximately 63% of its revenue for fiscal 2011 was derived from franchise fees, royalties and advertising fees. During fiscal 2011, during tax season its online customers prepared approximately 98,000 tax returns using its online tax offering, eSmartTax.
The Company earns franchisee fees from its franchisees and advertisements (Ads). The Company offers its franchisees structures and financing options for franchise fees and royalty payments. The Company earns royalty revenue from its franchisees. Its franchise agreement requires franchisees to pay the Company a base royalty equal to 14% of the franchisee's tax preparation revenue, subject to certain specified minimums. Fran! chisees acquiring territories under its no franchise fee alternative will be required to pay it franchise royalties of 25% through their first five tax seasons, and thereafter 14% of their tax preparation revenue. The Company earns advertising fee revenue from its franchisees. Its franchise agreement requires all franchisees to pay the Company an advertising fee of 5% of the franchisee's tax preparation revenue.
The Company offers two types of financial products: refund transfer products, such as electronic refund checks (ERCs), which involve providing a means by which a customer may receive his or her refund, and refund-based loans, such as refund anticipation loans (RALs) and instant cash advances (ICAs). The Company earns fees from the use of these financial products. The Company also earns tax preparation revenue directly from both the operation of company-owned offices and the provision of tax preparation services through its eSmartTax online product.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
H&R Block (NYSE: HRB ) will release its quarterly report on Tuesday, and as you'd expect outside of tax season, the tax-preparation company will almost certainly post a sizable loss. But the bigger question investors want answered is whether H&R Block can meet the long-term threat of Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU ) and its TurboTax software on one end, as well as the live tax-preparation competition of JTH Holdings' (NASDAQ: TAX ) and its Liberty Tax Service chain.
- [By John Udovich]
April 15th is tax day and tax preparer stocks like small cap�JTH Holding Inc (NASDAQ: TAX), mid cap�H & R Block Inc (NYSE: HRB) and large cap�Intuit Inc (NASDAQ: INTU) help millions of Americans to figure out just how much they owe to ��ig brother.��But which of these tax preparation stocks is the best investment for investors looking for a way to offset that tax bite? First, here is a quick overview of�each tax preparer:
10 Best Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Potomac Electric Power Company(POM)
Pepco Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity. The company also distributes and supplies natural gas. It distributes electricity to approximately 1.8 million customers in the mid-Atlantic region and delivers natural gas to approximately 123,000 customers in Delaware. In addition, the company involves in the retail supply of electricity and natural gas; provision of energy efficiency services to federal, state, and local government customers; and designs, constructs, and operates combined heat and power and central energy plants, as well as owns and operates two oil-fired generation facilities. Further, it offers high voltage electric construction and maintenance services, low voltage electric construction and maintenance services, and streetlight construction and asset management services to utilities, municipalities, and other customers in the Washington, District of Columbia. Additionally, the company holds investments in eight cross-border energy leases. Pepco Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Utilities shares dropped by 0.37 percent in the US market today. Among the sector stocks, Consolidated Water Co (NASDAQ: CWCO) was down more than 2.3 percent, while Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM) tumbled around 1.5 percent.
- [By David Dittman]
Answer: Richard Stavros, Ari Charney and I had a long conversation about Exelon in the aftermath of the announcement of its proposed acquisition of Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM).
- [By Sally Jones]
Highlight: Pepco Holdings Inc. (POM)The POM share price is currently $18.17 or 20.0% off the 52-week high of $22.72. Its yield is 5.90%.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Top Headline
Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM) reported a 35% rise in its fourth-quarter profit. For the year, Pepco projects earnings of $1.12 to $1.27 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $1.22 per share. Pepco's quarterly earnings surged to $58 million, or $0.23 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $43 million, or $0.18 per share. Excluding one ��ime items, its earnings from continuing operations came in at $0.24 per share. Its total operating revenue climbed 3.3% to $1.09 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.21 per share on revenue of $1.11 billion.
10 Best Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR)
Juniper Networks, Inc. (Juniper Networks), incorporated on September 10, 1996, designs, develops, and sells products and services that together provide its customers with network infrastructure. It operates in two segments: Infrastructure and Service Layer Technologies (SLT). The Company�� Infrastructure segment primarily offers routing and switching products that are used to control and direct network traffic from the core, through the edge, aggregation, and the customer premise equipment level. Infrastructure products include its Internet protocol (IP) routing, carrier Ethernet routing portfolio, and Ethernet switching portfolio. In addition, the Infrastructure segment offers a complete wireless local area network (WLAN) solution. Its SLT segment offers solutions that meet a range of its customers' priorities, from protecting the users, applications and data on the network itself to providing network services across a distributed infrastructure. Effective September 13, 2013, Juniper Networks, Inc. acquired Contrail Networks Inc.
Brilliant is a supplier of packet-based, network synchronization equipment and monitoring solutions. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company introduced its network architecture and fabric technology for the data center, QFabric. It serves the high-performance networking requirements of global service providers, enterprises, and public sector organizations. The Company�� open cross-network software platform includes the Junos operating system (Junos OS), Junos Space network application platform, and Junos Pulse integrated network client. The Company offers a product portfolio that spans routing, switching, security, application access, and mobility device security.
Infrastructure Products
The Company�� T Series core routers are primarily designed for core IP infrastructures and are also being sold into the multi-service environment. Its PTX Series is a large capacity (8 and 16 tera-bits per second) MPLS-optimized packe! t transport switch for the core networks, of content service providers and Tier 1 service providers, with high throughout of packet traffic. The Company�� E Series products are a full featured platform designed for the network edge with support for carrier-class routing, broadband subscriber management services, and a set of IP services. The MX Series is a product family developed to address emerging Ethernet network architectures and services in service provider and enterprise networks. The Company�� EX Series family extends its product portfolio running its Junos OS to address the Ethernet switch market. Ethernet is a used technology, which is used to transport information in enterprise networks. Infrastructure Products also includes QFabric Products and WLAN product.
SLT Products
SLT Products include Services Gateway, Integrated Firewall, and VPN Solutions, Secure Access Appliances, Secure Access Appliances, IDP Series Appliances and Identity and Policy Control Solutions. The Company�� SRX Series of dynamic services gateways, running its Junos software, provides firewall/VPN and combines routing, switching, and security functionality. The series is designed to meet network and security requirements for data center consolidation, rapid managed services deployments, and aggregation of security services. Its firewall and VPN systems and appliances are designed to provide integrated firewall, VPN, and denial of service protection capabilities for both enterprise environments and service provider network infrastructures. These products range from its SSG product series, which combines LAN/WAN routing capabilities with threat management features, such as antivirus, anti-spam, and Web filtering technologies, to its ISG and NetScreen Series firewall and VPN systems, which are designed to deliver security in medium/large enterprises, carrier networks, and data centers.
The Company�� Junos Pulse, Junos Pulse Mobile Security Suite, and SA Series SSL VPN appliances,! designed! for use in companies of all sizes, are used to provide secure access to corporate resources for remote and mobile users from any Web-enabled device, regardless of location. Its portfolio of identity and policy control solutions integrates subscriber privileges, application requirements, and business policies with the IP network infrastructure.
The Company competes with Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco), Alcatel-Lucent, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade), Extreme Networks, Inc., Hewlett Packard Company (HP), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei), Check Point Software Technologies, F5 Networks, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc., and Riverbed Technology, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
24/7 Wall St. wanted to stack Cisco up against peers such as Alcatel-Lucent, S.A. (NYSE: ALU) and Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE: JNPR). We also wanted to see what the analyst community is saying now that the dust is settling. Cisco trades at under 11-times forward earnings and 2.5-times expected sales now. With cash still growing, it now has close to $48 billion in cash that can be used for share buybacks, dividends, and acquisitions.
- [By MONEYMORNING]
In addition to weakness in emerging markets, which the company acknowledged last year, rivals Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) and F5 Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: FFIV) have been nibbling at Cisco's market share.
- [By Muhammad Bazil]
There is a looming monumental change in the information technology sector that will obviously benefit some existing producers of technology networking equipment but unfortunately, some will be drowned in the ensuing storm. The size of the networking equipment industry where Cisco Systems (CSCO) currently plays a prominent role is massive: The industry is worth about $50 billion in annual spending. Cisco is a tech manufacturing company that manufactures and markets Internet protocol-based switches and routers commonly used by networking companies and professionals for data and voice transmission across networks. Other major players in this industry include F5 Networks (FFIV), Juniper Networks (JNPR) and Brocade (BRCD).
10 Best Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Adams Resources & Energy Inc. (AE)
Adams Resources & Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. It purchases crude oil, and arranges sales and deliveries to refiners and other customers in Texas and Louisiana with additional operations in Michigan and New Mexico; purchases, distributes, and markets natural gas; and offers value added services by providing access to common carrier pipelines and handling daily volume balancing requirements, as well as risk management services. The company also markets branded and unbranded refined petroleum products, such as motor fuels and lubricants. In addition, it transports liquid chemicals on a �for hire� basis in the continental United States and Canada, as well as engages in the exploration and development of domestic oil and natural gas properties primarily in Texas and the south central region of the United States. Adams Resources & Energy, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hous ton, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake Mann]
Energy has been the sector most beaten up in 2014. It has yielded up a number of deeply undervalued companies and it's likely that it enjoys some rebound in 2015. My favorite companies are Adams Resources & Energy Inc (NYSE: AE), VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY), Pacific Ethanol Inc (NASDAQ: PEIX), Statoil ASA (ADR) (NYSE: STO), VOC Energy Trust (NYSE: VOC), Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (NYSE: GTE), Petrobras Argentina SA ADR (NYSE: PZE), and PBF Energy Inc (NYSE: PBF), all of which are cheap on an acquirer's multiple basis.
10 Best Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Synthesis Energy Systems Inc.(SYMX)
Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc., a global energy and gasification technology company, provides products and solutions to the energy and chemical industries. It offers technology and equipment in regions, where low rank coals and biomass feed stocks can be converted into high value products through its proprietary U-GAS fluidized bed gasification technology. The company licenses its U-GAS technology rights to third parties and delivers an engineered technology package, as well as provides proprietary equipment components to customers, who have contracted to own and operate projects. It has a joint venture agreement with Shandong Hai Hua Coal and Chemical Company Ltd. for developing, constructing, and operating a syngas production plant utilizing the U-GAS technology in Zao Zhuang City, China; and for producing and selling syngas, and various byproducts of the plant, including ash and elemental sulphur. The syngas can be used as a fuel gas in industrial applications, or can b e used to produce power, synthetic natural gas, methanol, dimethyl ether, glycol, ammonia, direct reduction iron, and synthetic gasoline, as well as other transportation fuels, steam, sulphur, carbon dioxide, or ash. Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
One under-$10 specialty chemicals player that's starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Synthesis Energy Systems (SYMX), which provides various proprietary gasification technology systems and solutions to the energy and chemical industries worldwide. This stock is off to a red hot start so far in 2014, with shares up a whopping 191%.
If you glance at the chart for Synthesis Energy Systems, you'll see that this stock has been uptrending over the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $1.39 to its recent high of $1.85 a share. During that uptrend, shares of SYMX have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has started to push shares of SYMX within range of triggering a major breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance levels.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SYMX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.85 to $1.86 a share and then once it takes out more key overhead resistance levels at $1.93 to $2 and $2.09 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 594,782 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then SYMX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.44 to its 52-week high at $2.49 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give SYMX a chance to tag $3 to $3.50 a share.
Traders can look to buy SYMX off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $1.60 to $1.55 a share. One can also buy SYMX off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Synthesis Energy Systems (NASDAQ: SYMX) shares jumped 26.01% to $2.18 on the receipt of a 20-year business license for China Clean Coal Gasification joint venture
- [By Charley Blaine]
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMX) shares were among the Friday’s biggest percentage gainers, all because it has a deal to become a leader in the clean coal gasification market in China.
10 Best Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: World Point Terminals LP (WPT)
World Point Terminals, LP, incorporated on April 19, 2013, is a fee-based Delaware limited partnership formed to own, operate, develop and acquire terminals and other assets relating to the storage of light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil. WPT GP, LLC is the general partner of the Company. It operates in a single reportable segment consists primarily of the fee-based storage and terminaling services it performs under contracts with its customers. The Company�� storage terminals are located in the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States and, as of May 31, 2013, had a combined available storage capacity of 12.4 million barrels. The Company provides terminaling and storage of light refined products, such as gasoline, distillates and jet fuels; heavy refined products, such as residual fuel oils and liquid asphalt, and crude oil. Most of its terminal facilities are located on waterways, and have truck racks. Several of its terminal facilities also have rail or pipeline access. As of May 31, 2013, approximately 93% of its available storage capacity was under contract.
The Company generates revenue from Storage Services Fees, Ancillary Services Fees and Additive Services Fees. Storage Services Fees are its customers pay base storage services fees, which are fixed monthly fees paid at the beginning of each month to reserve storage capacity in its tanks and to compensate it for receiving up to a base product volume on their behalf. The Company charges ancillary services fees to its customers for providing services, such as heating, mixing and blending its customers��products that are stored in its tanks; transferring its customers��products between its tanks; at its Granite City terminal, adding polymer to liquid asphalt, and rail car loading and dock operations. The Company generates revenue from fees for injecting generic gasoline, gasoline, lubricity, red dye and cold flow additives to its customers��products.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
World Point Terminals L.P. (NYSE: WPT) was initiated as Outperform with a $23 price target at Credit Suisse.
See also more analyst upgrades and downgrades for Tuesday.
- [By John Emerson]
Berman pioneered the idea of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and sold the concept to the Travel Channel. Watching poker on television had always been boring since the viewing audience could not see the down cards which the players held. Berman remedied that problem by allowing a camera to expose the down cards to the TV audience. That idea suddenly transformed Texas Holdem into a fascinating spectator�� sport. By the end of 2003 the stock had reached its book value of 15 dollars a share and I decided to take my profits, perhaps a bit prematurely. The stock quickly climbed to about 30 dollars a share on sheer momentum.
- [By Robert Rapier]
World Point Terminals (NYSE: WPT) owns and operates terminals and other assets for the storage of light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil. World Point’s storage terminals are located in the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the US. The partnership debuted on Aug. 9, and units have gained 2 percent since. The partnership agreement provides for a minimum quarterly distribution of $1.20 per unit on an annualized basis. At the recent closing price of $19.64/unit, this equates to a minimum annualized yield of 6.1 percent.
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