Thursday, July 10, 2014

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now

Herb Swanson/Bloomberg/Getty Images One of this year's biggest winners on Wall Street is Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR). The stock was up 65 percent through the first half of 2014, a surprising spike for the leader in single-serve premium coffee, which was starting to see its growth decelerate. The initial catalyst for Keurig Green Mountain's surge came in February when Coca-Cola (KO) paid $1.25 billion for a 10 percent stake in the company. Coca-Cola paid roughly $75 a share for the stock, and it paid a much higher price for more a couple of months later when it boosted its stake to 16 percent. It's a significant development when the world's largest beverage company takes such a sizable stake in a niche player, but Coca-Cola's validation of the K-Cup champ has also made that investment more valuable. That initial $1.25 billion purchase is now worth more than $2 billion. Given the meandering ways of Coca-Cola's own business -- analysts expect to see flat sales growth this year -- riding the coattails of a hot beverage company could be just the ticket to silence those skeptics reminiscing about Coca-Cola's glory years of heady growth. The Mountain is Always Greener on the Other Side Coca-Cola's investment isn't the only reason why Keurig Green Mountain has been percolating. Despite losing patent protection for its K-Cup portion packs two years ago, growing numbers of coffee brands and retailers are turning to Keurig Green Mountain to fuel single-serve initiatives. BJ's Wholesale Club announced last week that it will have Keurig Green Mountain itself handle K-Cup production for BJ's private-label Wellsley brand. Keurig Green Mountain this week it revealed that it's teaming up with European giant Nestle (NSRGY) to introduce the first K-Cup to offer branded coffee and creamer in the same portion pack. Nestle Coffee-mate K-Cups will be available through Keurig's website in the fall and across retail outlets early next year. Hot and Cold Nothing trumps fears over expiring patents like the introduction of new technology with proprietary platforms -- and fresh patent protection clocks. Keurig Green Mountain will have two new product lines hitting the market in the coming months.

10 Best Stocks To Watch Right Now: China HGS Real Estate Inc.(HGSH)

China HGS Real Estate Inc., through its subsidiary, Shaanxi Guangsha Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd., engages in the real estate development in the People?s Republic of China. It is involved in the construction and sale of residential apartments, parking lots, and commercial properties. The company develops multi-layer, sub-high-rise, and high-rise apartment buildings, as well as office buildings. China HGS Real Estate Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Hanzhong City, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Top losers in the sector included China HGS Real Estate (NASDAQ: HGSH), off 4.8 percent, and China Life Insurance Co (NYSE: LFC), down 4 percent.

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now: China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd (CEA)

China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (China Eastern), incorporated on April 14, 1985, is an air carriers operating in the People�� Republic of China. As of December 31, 2010, the Company served a route network that covers 182 domestic and foreign cities in 30 countries. It operates from Shanghai�� Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport. During the year ended December 31, 2010, its flights accounted for 52.2% and 37.9% of all the flight traffic at Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport, respectively. During 2010, it accounted for approximately 31.1% of the total passenger traffic volume and 19% of the total freight volume on routes to and from Shanghai. As of December 31, 2010, it had a fleet of 355 aircraft, including 337 passenger jets each with a seating capacity of over 100 seats and 18 freighters.

Passenger Operations

During 2010, the Company operated approximately 9,600 scheduled flights per week, excluding charter flights, serving a route network that covers 182 domestic and foreign cities in 30 countries. During 2010, its domestic routes generated approximately 71.5% of its passenger revenues. Its heavily traveled domestic routes link Shanghai to the commercial and business centers of the People�� Republic of China, such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. During 2010, it also operated approximately 361 flights per week to and from Hong Kong, originating from Shanghai and 16 major cities in eastern, northern and western the People�� Republic of China. During 2010, it operated approximately 103 flights per week between mainland China and Taiwan. During 2010, its regional routes accounted for approximately 5.4% of its passenger revenues. During 2010, it operated approximately 1,079 international flights per week, serving 60 cities in 29 countries, linking Shanghai to cities in Asian and Southeast Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand and Bangladesh and locations in Europe, the Un! ited States and Australia.

During 2010, the Company re-started its Shanghai to London and Shanghai to Moscow routes. During 2010, revenues derived from its operations on international routes accounted for approximately 23.2% of its passenger revenues. During 2010, revenues derived from its operations to and from Japan accounted for approximately 7.7% of its passenger revenues and approximately 33.4% of its international passenger revenues. Its international and regional flights and a portion of its domestic flights either originate or terminate in Shanghai, the central hub of its route network. Its operations in Shanghai are conducted at Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport. On March 16, 2010, it moved its operations at Hongqiao International Airport to the terminal two of Hongqiao International Airport. It operates its flights through three hubs located in eastern, northwestern and southwestern China, namely Shanghai, Xi��n and Kunming, respectively.

Cargo and Mail Operations

The Company�� cargo and mail business utilizes the same route network used by its passenger airline business. It carries cargo and mail on its freight aircraft, as well as in available cargo space on its passenger aircraft. Its cargo and mail routes are international routes. As of December 31, 2010, it had seven MD-11F, four B777F and two B757-200F freight aircraft under operating leases for cargo and mail operations. It also has three Airbus A300-600R aircraft, as well as two Boeing 747-400ER freighters for its cargo operations.

The Company competes with Air China Limited, China Southern Airlines Company Limited, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited, Cathay Pacific Airways, Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada, Delta, Alitalia, Air France-KLM Group, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Aeroflot and Qantas Airways.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Belinda Cao]

    The Bloomberg China-US Equity Index (CH55BN) of the most-traded Chinese companies in the U.S. slumped 3.4 percent last week to a seven-month low of 89.04. The gauge traded at 13.5 times estimated earnings, 3.6 percent below the S&P�� valuation, data compiled by Bloomberg show. China Southern Airlines Co. (ZNH) and China Eastern Airlines Corp. (CEA) lost more than 6 percent April 5, while Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (HMIN) tumbled 16 percent in the week.

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Puma Exploration Inc (PUM)

Puma Exploration Inc. is a mineral exploration company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mining properties with the potential to host base-metal deposits. It is active in Canada and has a portfolio of mining properties. The Company�� properties include Nicholas-Denys, Ann�� Creek property, Turgeon property, Little Stull Lake Property and Ste-Marguerite Property. Its Nicholas-Denys area consists of 239 contiguous claims with a total surface area of 51.94 square kilometers and is 100% owned by the Company. The Company holds 100% mineral rights in Ann�� Creek area, which consists of 117 claims with a total area of 25.44 square kilometers. It holds 71% of the Little Stull Lake property located in the Stull Lake-Edmund Lake volcano-sedimentary belt of the Superior to Manitoba geologic province. The Ste-Marguerite property is located in the Vallee de la Matapedia, in Quebec. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jonathan Morgan]

    HeidelbergCement AG (HEI) added 3.2 percent after JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded the shares. Puma SE (PUM) slipped 1.6 percent after Europe�� second-largest sporting-goods maker reported earnings before interest and taxes for the second quarter that missed analysts��estimates.

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now: TTM Technologies Inc.(TTMI)

TTM Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides printed circuit board (PCB) products and backplane assemblies worldwide. Its PCB products include conventional, high density interconnect, flexible, and rigid-flex PCBs, as well as backplane assemblies and IC substrates. The company also offers various services, such as design for manufacturability support during new product introduction stages, PCB layout design, simulation and testing services, quick turnaround production, and drilling and routing services. Its customers include original equipment manufacturers and electronic manufacturing service companies that primarily serve the networking/communications, aerospace/defense, high-end computing, cell phone, and medical/industrial/instrumentation end markets of the electronics industry. TTM Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of printed circuit board specialist TTM Technologies (NASDAQ: TTMI  ) soared 17% today after its quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations.

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Tuesday

    Earnings Expected: Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD), Hillenbrand Inc (NYSE: HI), Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) Economic Releases Expected: German retail sales, French consumer confidence, German unemployment rate, eurozone CPI, eurozone PPI, US trade balance, US redbook

    Wednesday

  • [By Michael Ugulini]

    Craft Brew Alliance and Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) are working together on a new beer brew called Game Changer. The company's Redhook has partnered with BWLD.

  • [By Victor Nguyen]

    (c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Next Monday, Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed, knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Waters Corp (WAT)

Waters Corporation (Waters), incorporated on December 6, 1991, is an analytical instrument manufacturer that primarily designs, manufactures, sells and services, through its Waters Division, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC and together with HPLC, referred to as LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products and post-warranty service plans. These systems are complementary products that are frequently employed together (LC-MS) and sold as integrated instrument systems using a common software platform and are used along with other analytical instruments. Through its TA Division (TA), the Company primarily designs, manufactures, sells and services thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments. The Company is also a developer and supplier of software-based products that interface with the Company's instruments and are typically purchased by customers as part of the instrument system. The Company's products are used by pharmaceutical, life science, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety, environmental, academic and governmental customers working in research and development, quality assurance and other laboratory applications. The Company operates in two segments: Waters Division and TA Division.

In January 2012, the Company acquired Baehr Thermoanalyse GmbH. In July 2012, the Company acquired Blue Reference, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company introduced the Xevo G2-S Q-TofTM and Xevo G2-S Tof mass spectrometers, bringing StepWave ion technology to its bench-top time-of-flight mass spectrometers.

Waters Division

HPLC is used to identify and analyze the constituent components of a variety of chemicals and other materials. HPLC is used to identify new drugs, develop manufacturing methods and assure the potency and purity of new pharmaceuticals. HPLC is also used in a variety of other applica! tions, such as analyses of foods and beverages for nutritional labeling and compliance with safety regulations, the testing of water and air purity within the environmental testing industry, as well as applications in other industries, such as chemical and consumer products. HPLC is also used by universities, research institutions and governmental agencies, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ACQUITY UPLC I-Class provides a solution to a critical need by successfully analyzing compounds that are limited in amount or availability.

Waters manufactures LC instruments that are offered in configurations that allow for varying degrees of automation, from component configured systems for academic research applications to fully automated systems for regulated testing, and that have a variety of detection technologies, from ultra-violet (UV) absorbance to MS, optimized for certain analyses. The Company also manufactures tailored LC systems for the analysis of biologics, as well as an LC detector utilizing evaporative light scattering technology to expand the usage of LC to compounds.

The primary consumable products for LC are chromatography columns. These columns are packed with separation media used in the LC testing process and are replaced at regular intervals. The Company's chemistry consumable products also include environmental and nutritional safety testing products. Environmental laboratories use these products for quality control and proficiency testing and also purchase product support services required to help with their federal and state mandated accreditation requirements or with control over critical pharmaceutical analysis. In addition, the Company provides tests to identify and quantify mycotoxins in various agricultural commodities. These test kits provide reliable, quantitative detection of particular mycotoxins through the choice of flurometer, LC-MS or HPLC.

The Co! mpany off! ers a range of MS instrument systems utilizing various combinations of quadrupole, Tof, ion mobility and magnetic sector designs. These instrument systems are used in drug discovery and development, as well as for environmental, clinical and nutritional safety testing. The spectrometers sold by the Company are designed to utilize an LC system as the sample introduction device.

The Company�� smaller-sized mass spectrometers, such as the single quadrupole detector (SQD) and the tandem quadrupole detector (TQD), referred to as LC detectors and are sold as part of an LC system or as an LC system upgrade. Quadrupole systems, such as the Xevo TQ and Xevo TQ-S instruments, are used for late-stage drug development, including clinical trial testing. Quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-Tof) instruments, such as the Company�� SYNAPT G2-S, are used to analyze the role of proteins in disease processes, an application referred to as proteomics. Its SYNAPT G2 HDMS and SYNAPT G2 MS systems are exact mass MS/MS platforms. The Company�� Xevo TQ-S instrument system is designed for UPLC/MS/MS applications. Its Xevo G2 Q-Tof is exact mass quantitative and qualitative bench-top MS/MS instrument systems. The Company�� SYNAPT G2-S incorporates Waters StepWave ion transfer optics and Triwave ion mobility technologies along with a range of informatics tools.

TA Division

Thermal analysis measures the physical characteristics of materials as a function of temperature. Rheometry instruments complement thermal analyzers in characterizing materials. Rheometry characterizes the flow properties of materials and measures their viscosity, elasticity and deformation under different types of loading or other conditions.

Thermal analysis measures the physical characteristics of materials as a function of temperature. Rheometry instruments complement thermal analyzers in characterizing materials. Rheometry characterizes the flow properties of materials and measures their viscosity, elast! icity and! deformation under different types of loading or conditions. As with systems offered through the Waters Division, a range of instrumental configurations is available with sample handling and information processing automation. In addition, systems and accompanying software packages can be tailored for specific applications. The Company�� Q-Series family of differential scanning calorimeters includes a range of instruments, from analyzers to systems, which can accommodate robotic sample handlers and a range of sample cells and temperature control features for analyzing a range of materials.

The Company competes with Agilent Technologies, Inc., Shimadzu Corporation, Bruker Corporation, Danaher Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, PerkinElmer, Inc., Mettler-Toledo International Inc., NETZSCH-Geraetebau GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Malvern Instruments Ltd., Anton-Paar, Phenomenex, Inc., Supelco, Inc., Merck and Co., Inc. and General Electric Company.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon] strong>Balchem (BCPC)

    路 Idexx (IDXX)

    路 II-VI (IIVI)

    路 Mesa Laboratories (MLAB)

    路 Masimo (MASI)

    I don�� know most of those companies very well. I probably know Waters the best out of that group.

    Obviously, there are companies outside of Phil Fisher�� area of focus ��manufacturing with technical elements ��that fit many of his principles.

    Among really high profile companies, the three that stand out are:

    1. Amazon (AMZN)

    2. Netflix (NFLX)

    3. Wells Fargo (WFC)

    Of those 3, Amazon stands out the most. Jeff Bezos often seems to be channeling Phil Fisher. And I imagine that if Fisher were ever interested in a retailer it would be a retailer with Amazon�� attitude about technology, customers, growth, and the long-term. More than anything though it�� Amazon�� constant internal push to develop new sales and especially new ways to serve existing customers without being prompted by outside forces that makes me think it�� a company Phil Fisher would be very interested in.

    Fisher liked companies that had a philosophy of growth. Something internal to the organization that caused it to seek ways to grow sales, win new customers, develop new products. Fisher obviously wanted a great organization in an industry with great long-term prospects. But I think a lot of growth investors focus more on the latter issue than Fisher would. I know they don�� focus enough on the first issue. Fisher wanted a great organization first and foremost.

    I�� not sure any of the stocks I��e mentioned in this article are necessarily good buys. The one exception is Wells Fargo. I�� never comfortable calling a bank entirely safe. So I�� less sure about suggesting any financial stock as a good buy than I am about stocks in most industries. But if you look at what Wells Fargo has achieved and what they are likely to achieve over the next ten years or so and then consider the price you are paying f

  • [By Teresa Rivas]

    Danaher (DHR) and Waters Corporation (WAT) were mirror images of one another, with the former rising 1.3% at recent check and the latter falling by 1.3%.

Best Consumer Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Nestle SA (NSRGY.PK)

Nestle SA is a company engaged in the nutrition, health and wellness sectors. It is the holding company of the Nestle Group, which comprises subsidiaries, associated companies and joint ventures throughout the world. The Company has such business units as Food and Beverage, Nestle Waters and Nestle Nutrition. Nestle is also active in the pharmaceutical sector. It divides its products into nine categories: Prepared dishes and cooking aids, Beverages, Confectionery, Ice cream, Water, PetCare, Milk products, Nutrition and Pharma. It has numerous subsidiaries engaged in various areas of activity, including Alcon Ophthalmika GmbH (Austria), Alcon Bulgaria EOOD (Bulgaria) and Galderma Laboratorium GmbH (Germany) for pharmaceuticals; Novartis Nutrition GmbH (Austria) and Hjem-IS A/S (Denmark) for food and beverages, and Galderma International SAS (France) and Galderma Laboratorium GmbH (Germany) for health and beauty activities. The Company is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. In July 2008, Novartis AG acquired a 25% stake in Alcon, Inc. from Nestle SA. In March 2010, the Company acquired Kraft Foods Inc' frozen pizza business.

In April 2008, L'Oreal and Nestle SA's joint venture, Galderma Pharma S.A., announced that its United States holding company, Galderma Laboratories, Inc., had acquired approximately 97% interest in CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2004, Nestle had 500 factories in 83 countries around the world. In 2004, 15 factories were acquired or opened and 29 closed or divested.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim McAleenan Jr.]

    I do not mention these things to discourage you from international stocks. I have been purchasing BP (BP) between $39-$43, and I will eventually purchase Anheuser-Busch (BUD), Nestle (NSRGY.PK), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.B), and two or three other international companies when the stars line up. My point is that you should not feel an obligation to own international stocks simply for diversification's sake. If you find a good international stock with a business model you understand and it trades at an attractive price, then great. You should buy it. But owning international stocks does not have to be a necessary part of your strategy. Despite what Mankiw advises in the New York Times, you can build a diversified collection of "global stocks" simply by investigating where certain American multinationals generate the bulk of their sales and earnings.

  • [By Ong Kang Wei]

    And that, unmistakably, is a brand. Although the value of a brand is intangible and cannot be measured in dollars, it is one of the most valuable assets a company can have. This is what differentiates a product from Coca-Cola (KO), Kraft Foods Group (KRFT), Nestle (NSRGY.PK) or McDonald's (MCD) from just another unknown manufacturer of these very much essential goods and services. In my eyes, brands are as good as a promise to consumers, which differentiates the product from the rest, and promises that the standard of that certain product will be much better than that of another manufacturer. Without this brand that people trust in and are loyal to, there will not be substantial profits and future growth for the company. Do you think Warren Buffett would have bought out Heinz (HNZ) without its world-famous brand name? Definitely not! It would be as good as just another ketchup brand left on the shelf.

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