Monday, October 6, 2014

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now

Just a week ago the stock market was looking quite vulnerable as most of the major averages closed near their lows last Friday, April 11. There were signs of heavy selling, so I concluded last week that ��n a short-term basis, the market is getting oversold, so we should see a bounce this week. Unless it is quite strong, it will likely be an opportunity to become more defensive and raise some cash.��/p>

The higher close last Monday signaled the rebound was indeed underway and made Wednesday�� action pivotal as a sharply lower close would have signaled that the rebound was over and that investors should prepare for a further decline.

Instead, Janet Yellen�� clarifying comments at the Economic Club of New York seemed to calm the markets and bring in more buyers. She made it clear that the Fed would keep rates low as long as needed to be sure the recovery stayed on track.

She also seemed more worried about deflation than inflation as she said ��nflation persistently below 2% could pose risks to economic performance.��The Fed continues to think that the recent soft data is due in part to the very hard winter.

Hot Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: AEterna Zentaris Inc.(AEZS)

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. operates as a late-stage drug development company specialized in oncology and endocrine therapy. Its lead oncology compounds include perifosine, a PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor that is in Phase 3 registration trial for refractory advanced colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma; and AEZS-108, a doxorubicin-targeted conjugate in Phase II for the treatment of ovarian, endometrial, castration refractory prostate, and refractory bladder cancer. The company?s lead endocrinology compound, AEZS-130, is an oral ghrelin antagonist in Phase III trial as a diagnostic test for adult growth hormone deficiency. Its pipeline also includes earlier-stage compounds, such as AEZS-112 that is in a Phase I trial in advanced solid tumors and lymphoma, as well as AEZS-120, an anti-cancer vaccine in pre-clinical development. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, is focused on developing and commercializing novel treatments in oncology and endocrinology. This stock closed up 5% to $1.25 in Thursday's trading session.

    Thursday's Range: $1.19-$1.26
    52-Week Range: $0.99-$1.75
    Thursday's Volume: 1.32 million
    Three-Month Average Volume: 646,050

    From a technical perspective, AEZS ripped sharply higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $1.17 and back above its 200-day moving average of $1.22 with strong upside volume flows. This sharp spike higher on Thursday also pushed shares of AEZS into breakout territory, since the stock took out some more near-term overhead resistance at $1.23. This move is starting to push shares of AEZS within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if AEZS manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $1.28 to $1.35 with high volume.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AEZS as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $1.22 or above Thursday's intraday low of $1.19 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 646,050 shares. If that breakout begins soon, then AEZS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.52 to $1.62.

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund (QCLN)

First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge US (ETF) seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield of an equity index of the NASDAQ Clean Edge U.S. Liquid Series Index. It is a market capitalization weighted index designed to track the performance of clean energy companies that are publicly traded in the United States and includes companies engaged in manufacturing, development, distribution and installation of emerging clean-energy technologies, including solar photovoltaics, biofuels and advanced batteries.

The NASDAQ Clean Edge U.S. Liquid Series Index is a modified market cap weighted index in which larger companies receive a larger index weighting. First Trust Advisors L.P. is the adviser of the fund.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

    The news was predictably good for a pair of ETFs that should be known as "Tesla ETFs." The Market Vectors Global Alternatve Energy ETF (NYSE: GEX) and the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund (NASDAQ: QCLN) both traded higher on a down day for U.S. stocks, rising to within pennies of their previous 52-week highs.

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Lifetime Brands Inc.(LCUT)

Lifetime Brands Inc. designs, sources, and sells branded kitchenware, tabletop, and other products primarily in the United States. It offers kitchenware products, including kitchen tools and gadgets, cutlery, cutting boards, bakeware, and cookware; and tabletop products, such as dinnerware, flatware, and glassware. The company also provides home solutions that comprise products, such as food storage, pantry ware, spices, and home d�or products. In addition, it manufactures sterling silver products. The company owns or licenses various brands, including Farberware, Mikasa, KitchenAid, Pfaltzgraff, Cuisinart, Elements, Melannco, Wallace Silversmiths, Kamenstein, Pedrini, Towle, V&A, and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Lifetime Brands Inc. serves mass merchants, specialty stores, national chains, department stores, warehouse clubs, supermarkets, off-price retailers, and Internet retailers, as well as direct consumers through its Pfaltzgraff, Mikasa, Housewares Deals, and Lifetim e Sterling Internet Websites. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Garden City, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    On Wednesday, small cap kitchen stock Everyware Global Inc (NASDAQ: EVRY) surged 52.94% after announcing an amendment to extend its forbearance agreement with lenders until July 15 that could give the company�time to find a long-term financing solution���meanings its worth taking as closer look at the stock along with potential peers Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT).

  • [By John Udovich]

    Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Stericycle Inc (SRCL)

Stericycle, Inc., incorporated on March 21, 1989, is in the business of managing regulated waste and providing an array of related and complementary services. The Company operates in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The regulated waste services the Company provides include medical waste disposal, its Steri-Safe medical waste and compliance program, its Clinical Services program, its Bio Systems reusable sharps disposal management services, pharmaceutical waste disposal, and hazardous waste disposal. In addition to the Company's regulated waste services, the Company offers regulated recall and returns management services, patient communication services, and medical safety products. The Company's regulated recall and returns management services consist of a number of solutions for a variety of businesses but consist primarily of managing the recall, withdrawal or return of expired or recalled products and pharmaceuticals. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it completed 41 acquisitions, of which 17 were domestic businesses and 24 were international businesses in Latin America, Europe, and Japan. In August 2013, Stericycle Inc acquired Eclipse Marketing.

The Company also provides communication services to healthcare providers to improve office productivity and communications with patients. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's worldwide networks included a total of 153 processing facilities, 141 transfer sites, and 64 recall and returns or communication services facilities. The Company serves approximately 541,000 customers worldwide, of which approximately 16,500 are large-quantity generators, such as hospitals, blood banks and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and approximately 524,500 are small-quantity generators, such as outpatient clinics, medical and dental offices, long-term and sub-acute care facilities, veterinary offices, municipalities and retail pharmacies. For large-quantity generat! ors of regulated waste such as hospitals and for pharmaceutical companies and distributors, the Company offers its regulated waste management services; its Bio Systems reusable sharps disposal management services; its pharmaceutical waste services; its Integrated Waste Stream Solutions (IWSS) program; a variety of products and services for infection control; its regulated recall and returns management services for expired or recalled products and pharmaceuticals, and variety of patient communication services. For small-quantity generators of regulated waste such as doctors' offices or retail pharmacies, the Company offers its Steri-Safe OSHA, HIPAA compliance, and clinical services programs.

The Company supplies specially designed reusable leak-resistant and puncture-resistant plastic containers to most of its large-quantity customers and many of its larger small-quantity customers. The Company collects containers or corrugated boxes of regulated waste from its customers depending upon customer requirements, contract terms and volume of waste generated. The waste is then transported directly to one of the Company's processing facilities or to one of its transfer stations where it is combined with other regulated waste and transported to a processing facility. The Company collects some expired or recalled products, but more typically, customer ships them directly to its processing facilities. Upon arrival at a processing facility, containers or boxes of regulated waste are typically scanned to verify that they do not contain any unacceptable substances like radioactive material. The regulated waste is then processed using one of the Company's various treatment or processing technologies. Upon completion of the particular process, the resulting waste or incinerator ash is transported for resource recovery, recycling or disposal in a landfill owned by an unaffiliated third party. The Company provides complete documentation to its customers for all regulated waste that the Company collect in ac! cordance ! with applicable regulations and customer requirements.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

    Stericycle (SRCL) alone operates globally and generates close to $2 billion in annual revenues. Despite Stericycle's strong business performance during the recently reported quarter, the stock detracted from performance, partially driven by headlines of rumored regulatory action related to one of the Company's incinerators. We believe the issue is not meaningful to results and we would be willing to add to shares on pullbacks related to this. Stericycle's stock trades in the mid to high-颅��eens EBITDA range, but the company routinely purchases smaller competitors for just 3X-颅��X EBITDA. This accretion is a byproduct of Stericycle's competitive positioning and we believe it paves a multi-颅��ear runway for double-颅��igit growth.From David Rolfe (Trades, Portfolio)'s Wedgewood Partners first quarter 2014 commentary.
    Also check out: David Rolfe Undervalued Stocks David Rolfe Top Growth Companies David Rolfe High Yield stocks, and Stocks that David Rolfe keeps buying
    Currently 0.00/512345

    Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Micropac Industries Inc (MPAD)

Micropac Industries, Inc. (Micropac), incorporated on March 3, 1969, manufactures and distributes various types of hybrid microelectronic circuits, solid state relays, power operational amplifiers, and optoelectronic components and assemblies. Micropac�� products are used as components in a range of military, space and industrial systems, including aircraft instrumentation and navigation systems, power supplies, electronic controls, computers, medical devices, and high-temperature (200o degree Celsius) products. The Company�� products are either custom (being application-specific circuits designed and manufactured to meet the particular requirements of a single customer) or standard components. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), its custom-designed components accounted for approximately 34% of its revenue and standard components accounted for approximately 66% of its revenue.

Micropac occupies approximately 36,000 square feet of manufacturing, engineering and office space in Garland, Texas. The Company owns 31,200 square feet of that space and leases an additional 4,800 square feet. It also sub-contracts some manufacturing to Inmobiliaria San Jose De Ciuddad Juarez S.A. DE C.V, a maquila contract manufacturer in Juarez, Mexico.

Micropac provides microelectronic and optoelectronic components and assemblies along with contract electronic manufacturing services, and offers a range of products sold to the industrial, medical, military, aerospace and space markets. The Microcircuits product line includes custom microcircuits, solid state relays, power operational amplifiers, and regulators. During fiscal 2011, microcircuits product line accounted for 51% of its revenue and the optoelectronics product line accounted for 62% of its business respectively. The Company�� core technology is the packaging and interconnects of miniature electronic components, utilizing thick film and thin film substrates, forming microelectronics circuits. Other technologi! es include light emitting and light sensitive materials and products, including light emitting diodes and silicon phototransistors used in its optoelectronic components, and assemblies.

The Company�� basic products and technologies include custom design hybrid microelectronic circuits, solid state relays and power controllers, custom optoelectronic assemblies and components, optocouplers, light-emitting diodes, Hall-Effect devices, displays, power operational amplifiers, fiber optic components and assemblies, and high temperature (200o degree Celsius) products. Micropac�� products are primarily sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEM��) who serve major markets, which includes military/aerospace, such as aircraft instrumentation, guidance and navigations systems, control circuitry, power supplies and laser positioning; space, which include control circuitry, power monitoring and sensing, and industrial, which includes power control equipment and robotics.

The Company�� products are marketed throughout the United States and in Western Europe. During fiscal 2011, approximately 21% of the Company�� revenue was from international customers. The Company�� major customers include contractors to the United States Government. During fiscal 2010, sales to these customers for the Department of Defense (DOD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contracts accounted for approximately 62% of its revenues. The Company�� customers are Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Rockwell Int��, and NASA.

The Company compete with Teledyne Industries, Inc., MS Kennedy, Honeywell, Avago and International Rectifier.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon] strong>ADDvantage Technologies (AEY)

    路 Solitron Devices (SODI)

    路 OPT-Sciences (OPST)

    Micropac

    Micropac is 76% owned by Heinz-Werner Hempel. He�� a German businessman. You can see the German company he founded here. He�� had control of Micropac for a long-time. I don�� have an exact number in front of me. But I would guess it�� been something like 25 years.

    ADDvantage

    ADDvantage Technologies is controlled by the Chymiak brothers. See the company�� April 4 press release explaining their decision to turn over the CEO position to an outsider. Regardless, the Chymiaks still control 47% of the company. Ken Chymiak is now chairman. And David Chymiak is still a director and now the company�� chief technology officer. Clearly, it�� still their company.

    By the way, the name ADDvantage Technologies has nothing to do with the Chymiaks. Today�� AEY really traces its roots to a private company called Tulsat. The Chymiak brothers acquired that company about 27 years ago. So, effectively, when you buy shares of AEY you are buying into a 27-year-old family-controlled company.

    That�� pretty typical in the world of net-nets.

    Solitron

    Solitron Devices is 29% owned by Shevach Saraf. He has been the CEO for 20 years. The post-bankruptcy Solitron has never known another CEO. Before the bankruptcy, Solitron was a much bigger, much different company. So even though we are not talking about the founder here ��and even though 70% of the company�� shares are not held by the CEO ��we��e still talking about a company where one person has a lot of control. Solitron only has three directors. Saraf is the chairman, CEO, president, CFO and treasurer. Neither of the other two directors joined the board within the last 15 years. So, we aren�� talking about a lot of tumult at the top.

    In fact, profitable net-nets seem to be especially common candidates for abandoning the responsibilities of a public comp

  • [By Geoff Gannon] % of NCAV, has similar (slightly better) z- and f-scores, a FCF margin of 6%, but has ROA of 28%.

    ADDvantage (AEY) sells at 95% of NCAV, has similar (in the ballpark) scores and FCF and ROA of 23%.

    The slightly better businesses are currently more expensive in terms of price/NCAV. They have less asset-based downside protection, but they are better businesses.

    How do you quantify and qualify what is cheap enough? To me, there's a big difference in relative cheapness in a company selling at 74% of NCAV versus one selling at 95%. I'm wondering if I'm putting too much weight on this cheapness measurement instead of acknowledging that any decent business selling at less than NCAV is cheap enough. Yet, one has to have some quantifiable idea of when something is not cheap enough anymore.

    Can you help me put this into a unified framework?

    Dan

    There�� a great post over at Oddball Stocks called: �� Stock is a Business�� Read it. Then go over to Richard Beddard�� Interactive Investor Blog. Bookmark that blog. Read it religiously. He looks at Ben Graham type stocks in the U.K. And he looks at them not just as stocks but as pieces of a business.

    Here�� what Richard said in a post called ��iving Up on Mastery of the Universe��

    I need to know:

    1. Whether the managers have made good decisions in the past, and whether their incentives work in the interests of the owners, because those kind of managers often add value to a company.

    2. The products a company sells will still be in demand for years to come, because if they��e not then the past, which we know, does not tell us anything about the future, which we don��.

    3. A company is financially strong enough to withstand the kinds of shocks companies typically experience bearing in mind some are more sensitive to events than others.

    4. How to judge whether the share price undervalues the company, bearing in mind the preceding three factors.

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc.(PNFP)

Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Pinnacle National Bank that provides commercial banking products and services to individuals, small-to medium-sized businesses, and professional entities in Tennessee. It offers various deposit products, including savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company also offers commercial loans comprising equipment loans and working capital loans; commercial and residential real estate loans, and construction and development loans; and loans to individuals for personal, family, investment, and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment and term loans, residential first mortgage loans, home equity loans, and home equity lines of credit. In addition, it provides various investment products, such as mutual funds, variable annuities, money market instruments, the United States treasury securities, bonds, fixed annuities, stocks , financial planning, asset management accounts, and listed options; fiduciary and investment management services for individual and commercial clients, including personal trust, endowments, foundations, individual retirement accounts, pensions, and custody services; investment advisory services; and insurance products primarily in the property and casualty area. Further, the company offers telephone and Internet banking, debit cards, automated teller machines, remote and direct deposit, and cash management services. As of January 17, 2012, it operated 29 offices in 8 Middle Tennessee counties and 3 offices in Knoxville. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Pinnacle Financial Partners (NASDAQ: PNFP) is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $56.99 million.

    Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ: CBSH) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.72 per share on revenue of $254.92 million.

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of Pinnacle Financial (NASDAQ: PNFP  ) climbed 10% today after the regional bank's quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations.

Best Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Insulet Corporation(PODD)

Insulet Corporation, a medical device company, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of insulin infusion systems for people with insulin-dependent diabetes in the United States. The company offers OmniPod Insulin Management System (OmniPod System), which consists of the OmniPod disposable insulin infusion device and the handheld wireless personal diabetes manager to provide diabetes management solution for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. It is also involved in the distribution of durable medical equipment, including blood glucose testing supplies, insulin pumps, pump supplies, pharmaceuticals, and other products for the management and treatment of diabetes. The company sells its OmniPod System directly to patients through referrals from healthcare professionals and through patient leads, as well as through third-party distributors; and delivers durable medical equipment to endocrinologists, insurers, and clients. Insulet Corporation was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature a pair of downgrades for document storage company Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM  ) and insulin treatments-equipment maker Insulet (NASDAQ: PODD  ) . But the headlines aren't all bad, so before we break the bad news to you, let's start off on a bright note about...

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