Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Tuesday’s session are Diamond Foods Inc.(DMND), Edgen Group Inc.(EDG) and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc.(LXRX)
Diamond Foods’ fiscal fourth-quarter loss widened on $96.1 million in litigation-settlement-related expenses, a $36 million write-down of Kettle-brand assets and other items, while the snack-and-nut company’s sales were hurt by sharply lower nut sales. Shares fell 6.2% to $22.10 in premarket trading.
Sumitomo Corp.(8053.TO) agreed to buy Edgen, expanding the Japanese trading house’s distribution presence in oil and gas markets. The deal is worth $12 for each Edgen share, a 58% premium over Monday’s close. Edgen shares surged 56% to $11.87 premarket.
Lexicon said its treatment for Type 2 diabetes reached its primary endpoint in a recent study of diabetes patients with renal impairment. Shares surged 26% to $2.99 in premarket trading.
Top Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Phillips 66 (PSX)
Phillips 66 is a holding company. The Company is engaged in producing natural gas liquids (NGL) and petrochemicals. The Company operates in three segments: the Refining and Marketing (R&M) segment, the Midstream segment and the Chemicals segment. The Refining and Marketing (R&M) segment purchases, refines, markets and transports crude oil and petroleum products, mainly in the United States, Europe and Asia, and also engages in power generation activities. The Midstream segment gathers, processes, transports and markets natural gas, and fractionates and markets NGL, predominantly in the United States. The Chemicals segment manufactures and markets petrochemicals and plastics on a worldwide basis. The Company�� operations encompass 15 refineries with a gross crude oil capacity of 2.8 million barrels per day, 10,000 branded marketing outlets and 7.2 billion cubic feet per day of gross natural gas processing capacity.
R&M
The Company�� R&M segment primarily refines crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products (such as gasolines, distillates and aviation fuels); buys, sells and transports crude oil; and buys, transports, distributes and markets petroleum products. This segment also engages in power generation activities. R&M has operations in the United States, Europe and Asia.
The Company�� Bayway Refinery is located on the New York Harbor in Linden, New Jersey. The refinery produces a high percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as petrochemical feedstocks, residual fuel oil and home heating oil. Its Trainer Refinery is located on the Delaware River in Trainer, Pennsylvania. Refinery facilities include fluid catalytic cracking units, hydrodesulfurization units, a reformer and a hydrocracker. The Alliance Refinery is located on the Mississippi River in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The single-train facility includes fluid catalytic cracking units, hydrodesulfurization units and a reformer and aromatics unit. Alli! ance produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, home heating oil and anode petroleum coke.
The Lake Charles Refinery is located in Westlake, Louisiana. Its facilities include crude distillation, fluid catalytic cracker, hydrocracker, delayed coker and hydrodesulfurization units. The refinery produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, off-road diesel and jet fuel, along with home heating oil. It owns a 50% interest in Excel Paralubes, a joint venture which owns a hydrocracked lubricant base oil manufacturing plant located adjacent to the Lake Charles Refinery. The Sweeny Refinery is located in Old Ocean, Texas, approximately 65 miles southwest of Houston. Refinery facilities include fluid catalytic cracking, delayed coking, alkylation, a continuous regeneration reformer and hydrodesulfurization units. It produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, home heating oil and coke.
The Company�� Merey Sweeny, L.P. (MSLP) owns a delayed coker and related facilities at the Sweeny Refinery. Fuel-grade petroleum coke is produced as a by-product and becomes the property of MSLP. The Company owns 50% operating interest in Sweeny Cogeneration, a joint venture, which owns a simple cycle, cogeneration power plant located adjacent to the Sweeny Refinery. The plant generates electricity and provides process steam to the refinery, and it also provides merchant power into the Texas market.
The Company�� Wood River Refinery is located in Roxana, Illinois, about 15 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri, at the convergence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Operations include three distilling units, two fluid catalytic cracking units, hydrocracking, coking, reforming, hydrotreating and sulfur recovery. The refinery produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline,! diesel a! nd jet fuel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, asphalt and coke. Its Borger Refinery is located in Borger, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle, approximately 50 miles north of Amarillo. The refinery facilities consist of coking, fluid catalytic cracking, hydrodesulfurization and naphtha reforming, in addition to a 45,000-barrels-per-day NGL fractionation facility. It produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as coke, NGL and solvents.
The Ponca City Refinery is located in Ponca City, Oklahoma. It is a high-conversion facility, which includes fluid catalytic cracking, delayed coking and hydrodesulfurization units. It produces a range of products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and anode-grade petroleum coke. The Billings Refinery is located in Billings, Montana. Its facilities include fluid catalytic cracking and hydrodesulfurization units. The Ferndale Refinery is located on Puget Sound in Ferndale, Washington, approximately 20 miles south of the United States-Canada border. Facilities include a fluid catalytic cracker, an alkylation unit, a diesel hydrotreater and an S-Zorb unit. The Los Angeles Refinery consists of two linked facilities located about five miles apart in Carson and Wilmington, California. The San Francisco Refinery consists of two facilities linked by a 200-mile pipeline. The Santa Maria facility is located in Arroyo Grande, California, about 200 miles south of San Francisco.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company marketed gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel through approximately 8,250 marketer-owned or -supplied outlets in 49 states. At December 31, 2011, its wholesale operations utilized a network of marketers operating approximately 6,875 outlets that provided refined product offtake from its refineries. In addition to automotive gasoline and diesel, it produces and markets aviation gasoline, which is used by smaller piston engine aircrafts. As December 31, 2011,! aviation! gasoline and jet fuel were sold through dealers and independent marketers at approximately 875 Phillips 66-branded locations in the United States.
The Company manufactures and sells automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, which are marketed worldwide under the Phillips 66, Conoco, 76 and Kendall brands, as well as other private label brands. It also manufactures Group II and import Group III base oils and market both globally under the respective brand names Pure Performance and Ultra-S. It manufactures and markets graphite and anode-grade petroleum cokes in the United States and Europe for use in the global steel and aluminum industries. It also manufacture and market polypropylene to North America under the COPYLENE brand name. Its ThruPlus Delayed Coker Technology, a process for upgrading heavy oil into higher value, light hydrocarbon liquids, was sold in June 2011. In October 2011, it sold Seaway Products Pipeline Company to DCP Midstream. In December 2011, the Company sold its 16.55% interest in Colonial Pipeline Company and its 50% interest in Seaway Crude Pipeline Company. The Company manufactures and sells a variety of specialty products, including pipeline flow improvers and anode material for high-power lithium-ion batteries. Its specialty products are marketed under the LiquidPower and CPreme brand names.
The Company owns four refineries outside the United States: the Humber Refinery, Whitegate Refinery, Melaka Refinery and Wilhelmshaven Refinery. The Humber Refinery is located on the east coast of England in North Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. It is an integrated refinery, which produces a high percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. Humber�� facilities encompass fluid catalytic cracking, thermal cracking and coking. The refinery has two coking units with associated calcining plants, which upgrade the heaviest part of the crude barrel and imported feedstocks into light oil products and graphite and anode petroleum cokes.
!
Th! e Whitegate Refinery is located in Cork, Ireland. The refinery primarily produces transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and fuel oil, which are distributed to the inland market, as well as being exported to Europe and the United States. It also operate a crude oil and products storage complex consisting of 7.5 million barrels of storage capacity and an offshore mooring buoy, located in Bantry Bay, about 80 miles southwest of the refinery in southern Cork County.
The Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein GmbH (MiRO) Refinery, located on the Rhine River in Karlsruhe in southwest Germany, is a joint venture in which it owns an 18.75% interest. Facilities include three crude unit trains, fluid catalytic cracking, petroleum coking and calcining, hydrodesulfurization units, reformers, isomerization and aromatics recovery units, ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) and alkylation units. MiRO produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, home heating oil, bitumen, and anode- and fuel-grade petroleum coke. The Wilhelmshaven Refinery is located in the northern state of Lower Saxony in Germany, and has a 260,000 barrels-per-day crude oil processing capacity.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately 1,430 marketing outlets in its European operations, of which approximately 900 were Company-owned and 330 were dealer-owned. It also held brand-licensing agreements with approximately 200 sites. Through its joint venture operations in Switzerland, it also has interests in 250 additional sites.
Midstream
The Midstream segment purchases raw natural gas from producers, including ConocoPhillips, and gathers natural gas through pipeline gathering systems. Its Midstream segment is primarily conducted through its 50% investment in DCP Midstream. DCP Midstream also owns or operates 12 NGL fractionation plants, along with propane terminal facilities and NGL pipeline assets. It has a 25% inte! rest in R! ockies Express Pipeline LLC (REX).
Chemicals
The Chemicals segment consists of its 50% investment in CPChem. As of December 31, 2011, CPChem owned or had joint-venture interests in 38 manufacturing facilities. CPChem�� business is structured around two primary operating segments: Olefins & Polyolefins (O&P) and Specialties, Aromatics & Styrenics (SA&S). The O&P segment produces and markets ethylene, propylene, and other olefin products, which are primarily consumed within CPChem for the production of polyethylene, normal alpha olefins, polypropylene and polyethylene pipe. The SA&S segment manufactures and markets aromatics products, such as benzene, styrene, paraxylene and cyclohexane, as well as polystyrene and styrene-butadiene copolymers.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dividend Growth Investor]
In May 2012, ConocoPhillips split into two separately traded companies: ConocoPhillips (COP), which focused on Exploration and Production for Oil and Natural gas and Phillips 66 (PSX), which focused on Refining and Marketing for crude and natural gas. The legacy ConocoPhillips company was paying a quarterly dividend of 66 cents/share, and had raised dividends since 2002. On the surface, through June 2013 it seemed that the company had not raised distributions since the 20% boost payable in March 2011. Shareholders as of April 30, 2012 received one share of the new upstream focused ConocoPhillips (COP) as well as half a share of the downstream focused Phillips 66 (PSX). However, although the new ConocoPhillips maintained its quarterly dividend of 66 cents/share, this was technically a dividend increase, since it was coming from a lower base. Some dividend investors didn't see it that way however, and worried about the perceived "lack of dividend increase". Most recently however, ConocoPhillipsraised quarterly distributions to 69 cents/share.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX ) will release its quarterly report on Wednesday, and ever since its initial spin-off from ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP ) , favorable trends in the refining industry have helped to boost the company's profits and send the refiner's stock soaring. But lately, those trends have started to reverse, and the impact on Phillips 66 earnings could be a nasty surprise to those who've gotten used to the shares only moving in one direction.
10 Best Japanese Stocks To Own Right Now: Aurizon Holdings Ltd (QRNNF)
Aurizon Holdings Limited, formerly QR National Limited, is a rail freight operator. It owns and operates a coal network made up of 2,670 kilometers of heavy haul rail infrastructure. It provides specialist services in rail design, engineering, construction, management and maintenance, and offers supply chain solutions to a range of customers in Australia. Its business comprises three product lines. Coal business includes transport of coal from mines in Queensland and New South Wales to end customers and ports. Freight business includes transport of bulk mineral commodities, including iron ore, agricultural products, mining and industrial inputs and general freight throughout Queensland and Western Australia. Network Services business provides access to, and operation and management of the Central Queensland Coal Network. In January 2014 the Company announced that National Australia Bank Limited and its associated entities has ceased to be the substantial holder of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:- [By MARKETWATCH]
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australia stocks enjoyed early Monday gains after an advance for commodities and U.S. stocks since the last session, with a relatively good reception for earnings. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) improved by 0.4% to 5,376.30, with miners tracking gains in gold and copper. Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) added 1.3%, and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) traded 1.1% higher, while gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) rallied 2.2% and 4.7%, respectively. Banks rose after Wall Street shares climbed on Friday, with National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) up 1% and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) adding 0.9%, though Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) dropped 2.4% as it traded without rights to its latest dividend. Coal transport firm Aurizon Holdings Ltd. (AU:AZJ) (QRNNF) tacked on 2.1% as its fiscal first-half underlying profit increased 18%, though net profit f
10 Best Japanese Stocks To Own Right Now: GSE Holding Inc (GSEH)
GSE Holding, Inc. (GSE) is a provider of engineered geosynthetic containment solutions. GSE�� products are used in a range of infrastructure end markets, such as mining, waste management, liquid containment (including water infrastructure, agriculture and aquaculture), coal ash containment and shale oil and gas. The Company operates in two segments: North America, which represents the United States, Canada and Mexico, and International, which represents the rest of its global operations. The Company is a provider of products required to deliver customized solutions for projects on a global basis, including geomembranes, drainage products, geosynthetic clay liners, or GCLs, nonwoven geotextiles, and specialty products. In April 2010, the Company sold its 75.5% interest in GSE Bentoliner (Canada). In June 2010, it divested the United States Installation. In July 2010, GSE closed GSE UK, its manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom. In March 2012, the Company announced the purchase, by one of its subsidiaries, of certain manufacturing equipment from Poly-America, L.P. and Poly-Flex, Inc. In February 2013, the Company acquired SynTec, LLC.
GSE has seven manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Germany, Chile, Egypt and Thailand, 18 regional sales offices located in 12 countries. The Company serves mining, waste management and power companies; independent installers and dealers; general contractors and government agencies.
Geomembranes
Geomembranes are synthetic polymeric lining materials used as barriers in geotechnical engineering applications in mining, solid waste containment and liquid containment markets. Geomembranes are manufactured from polyethylene and polypropylene resins with additives designed to resist weathering, ultraviolet degradation and chemical exposure for extended time periods. Its geomembranes include GSE high-density polyethylene (HDPE), GSE LLDPE, GSE Textured, GSE White and GSE Conductive. GSE HDPE liners are used material! for lining applications in the geosynthetic products industry.
Drainage Products
The Company�� primary drainage products are GSE HyperNet and GSE FabriNet. GSE HyperNet. GSE�� geonet product consists of two sets of HDPE strands intertwined to form a channel along which fluid is conveyed for drainage. GSE HyperNet liners are used as part of a landfill liner system. Its geocomposite product is produced by heat bonding nonwoven geotextiles to one or both surfaces of the GSE HyperNet. This permeable textile serves as a separator and a filter, keeping soils out of the GSE HyperNet drainage layer, which allows the product to perform its function of transmitting liquids and gases. GSE FabriNet liners are used as part of a landfill liner system.
Geosynthetic Clay Liners
GSE offers two varieties of GCLs: GSE GundSeal and GSE Bentoliner. GCL, which includes GSE GundSeal, combines HDPE liners with sodium bentonite clay. The sodium bentonite clay is adhered directly to the liner and serves as a support layer to the liner, sealing any small punctures in the overlaying liner by expanding or swelling upon contact with liquids. Applications of GSE GundSeal include landfill liners and water containment pond liners. GSE Bentoliner combines durable geotextile outer layers with an inner layer of low permeability sodium bentonite clay. GSE Bentoliner includes patent-pending coal ash-resistant GCL. GSE Bentoliner offers an array of application usages for low to high loads and flat to steep slopes in landfill liners, mining heap lead pads and water containment pond liners.
Nonwoven Geotextiles
Nonwoven geotextiles are synthetic, staple fiber, nonwoven needle-punched fabrics used in environmental and other industrial applications that include filtration, soil stabilization, separation, drainage and gas transmission, cushion and liner protection applications. The Company�� nonwoven geotextile products are available in many weights and thickness! es. They ! are used primarily internally to manufacture its geocomposite and Bentoliner products. During the year ended December 31, 2010, sales of nonwoven geotextiles represented 3% of its total product sales.
Specialty Products
The Company offers other specialty polysynthetic products. GSE CurtainWall and GSE GundWall specialty products are vertical barrier systems that block the lateral migration of subsurface fluids. GSE CurtainWall is suited for trench-style installations, while GSE GundWall is installed with trenchless, vibratory and installation techniques. GSE StudLiner is a studded geomembrane that protects against corrosion and deterioration of concrete structures, including tanks, pipes, drainage channels and tunnels. Common applications for GSE StudLiner include industrial, municipal and civil applications, such as concrete storage tank protection. Pre-Fabricated Products include pipe boots, corners, sumps or other ancillary parts.
The Company competes with Agru Kunststofftechnik GmbH (Agru) and Agru America.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James Miller Phd]
As we can see, the firm has a higher ROE than it peers: Sharps Compliance, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (CWST), Donaldson Company, Inc. (DCI) and GSE Holding Inc. (GSEH).
10 Best Japanese Stocks To Own Right Now: Peak Resorts Inc (SKIS)
Peak Resorts, Inc. is an owner and operator of individually branded ski resorts in the United States. The majority of the Company�� resorts are located at New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and St. Louis. Its resorts have around 1,650 acres of skiable terrain. The Company offers a range of activities, services and amenities, including skiing, snowboarding, terrain parks, tubing, dining, lodging, equipment rentals and sales, ski and snowboard instruction, and mountain biking and other summer activities. As of November 21, 2014, the Company operated 13 ski resorts located primarily in the Northeast and Midwest region in the United States, including Hidden Valley, Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks, Mad River Mountain, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Crotched Mountain, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Attitash, Mount Snow, Wildcat Mountain and Alpine Valley. The events hosted by the Company include Dew Tour, X-Games, Tough Mudder, SAM Cutters Camp, Transworld Trans-am Snowboard Event, Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, NCAA National Downhill Championships, Special Olympics Games, Military Salutes and United States National Mountain Biking Championships.
Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley is located within the St. Louis MSA at Wildwood, Missouri and has around 77 snowmaking machines with a capacity of up to 5,000 gallons of water per minute, or 12 inches of machine-made snow in a 24-hour period. Hidden Valley has around 60 skiable acres and around 10 lifts.
Snow Creek
Snow Creek is located north of Kansas City at Weston, Missouri and has 60 snowmaking machines with a capacity of up to 3,000 gallons of water per minute, or 12 inches of machine-made snow in a 24-hour period. Snow Creek has around 40 skiable acres and around six lifts.
Paoli Peaks
Paoli Peaks is located at Paoli, Indiana and has snowmaking machines that can produce 12 inches of machine-made snow in a 24-hour period. Paoli Peaks has around 65 skiable acres and around eight lifts.
Mad River Mountain
Mad River Mountain is located at Zanesfield, Ohio and has a snowmaking system that has around 133 fan guns with the ability to pump over 7,000 gallons of water per minute and cover 100% of its terrain in 72 hours. Mad River Mountain has four terrain parks, including Capital Park. It is a 324-acre winter playground. Mad River Mountain has around 60 skiable acres and around 12 lifts.
Boston Mills and Brandywine
Boston Mills and Brandywine ski resorts are a pair of sister ski resorts located within the Cleveland MSA and Cuyahoga Valley Park at Sagamore Hills, Ohio. Boston Mills and Brandywine Ski Resorts have around 88 skiable acres and around 18 lifts.
Crotched Mountain
Crotched Mountain ski and ride is located near the Boston MSA at Bennington, New Hampshire. Crotched Mountain operates The Rocket, a detachable quad chairlift. Crotched Mountain has around 105 skiable acres and around five lifts.
Jack Frost Mountain and Big Boulder
Jack Frost Mountain and Big Boulder ski resorts are located in the Pocono Mountains at Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. Big Boulder Ski Resort has acres of freestyle terrain parks. Jack Frost Mountain and Big Boulder Ski Resorts have around 145 skiable acres and around 23 lifts.
Attitash
Attitash mountain resort is located within the proximity of Mt. Washington at Bartlett, New Hampshire. Its offerings include a variety of attractions, such as North America's Alpine Slide, the Nor'Easter Mountain Coaster and New England-based zip line of around 5,000 feet. Attitash has a 143-room summit hotel. Attitash has around 307 skiable acres and around 11 lifts.
Mount Snow
Mount Snow is located in the Green Mountains of southern Vermont. Mount Snow has a 196-room grand summit hotel. Mount Snow has around 490 skiable acres and around 20 lifts.
Wildcat Mountain
Wildcat Mountain ski resort is located in the! White Mo! untains at Jackson, New Hampshire. Wildcat Mountain Ski Resort has around 225 skiable acres and around five lifts.
Alpine Valley
Alpine Valley is located at Chesterland, Northeast Ohio and has a snowmaking system equipped with 30 tower and portable fan guns along with a pump house and maintenance facility. Alpine Valley has around 54 skiable acres and around seven lifts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
If you are a ski enthusiast hitting the slopes this winter, you might want to check out ski stocks�like mid cap Vail Resorts, Inc (NYSE: MTN) and small caps Peak Resorts Inc (NASDAQ: SKIS) and Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc (NYSE: SNOW) which own or operate ski resorts. However, two of these ski stocks are recent IPOs with small cap Peak Resorts Inc having an IPO about a month ago while Intrawest Resorts Holdings debuted at the end of January. With that in mind, here is what you need to know as an investor before you hit the slopes with these ski stocks:
10 Best Japanese Stocks To Own Right Now: First Citizens BancShares Inc.(FCNCA)
First Citizens BancShares, Inc. operates as the holding company for First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that provides various banking products and services to retail and commercial customers in the United States. It offers transaction and savings deposit accounts, commercial and consumer loans, deposit and treasury services and products, cardholder and merchant services, wealth management services, and other commercial banking services. The company also operates as a broker-dealer in securities that provides investment services, including the sale of annuities and third party mutual funds, as well as title insurance agency services. In addition, it owns and leases real estate properties. The company provides its services through branch, telephone and online banking, and automated teller machine network. It operates branches in 17 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1893 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
First Citizens Bank and Trust (FCNCA) is another bank that has seen its returns slipping in the past year. The return on assets and return on equity have both dropping for three consecutive quarters. The tangible equity-to-assets ratio is improving, and now stands at 9.46 but is still below the national averages.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Frank Micelotta/Invision/APWhen Burt Reynolds announced that he was auctioning his memorabilia, the media cited his financial problems. He said he's simplifying his life. When you make resolutions and plan and budget for what you hope will happen in the next year, do you ever ask yourself what went wrong this year? Why did it seem like there was never enough money? What resulted in that overdraft fee -- or onslaught of fees? Answering questions like that, and making sure you don't repeat your mistakes, can make for a better future. With that in mind, let's take a look at some personal finance stories that made the news in 2014 and see what, if anything, we can learn from them to make 2015 an even better year. January In the waning months of 2013, hackers broke into Target's (TGT) system and put 100 million customers' identities at risk by stealing credit and debit card data. While it was a big news story then, it was an even bigger one in January. Also this month, unrelated to Target: The Better Business Bureau warns that credit card scammers were charging stolen credit cards for tiny amounts of money, with $9.84 being a common charge. Criminals evidently believed cardholders wouldn't notice the charges, and that credit card companies wouldn't come after crooks for such small amounts. Lesson learned: Complacency doesn't pay. Monitor your credit card at least on a monthly basis, and for your bank account, weekly or daily isn't a bad idea. February The U.S. Treasury and Justice Department allow banks to provide financial services to marijuana-related businesses that are operating legally within states where marijuana is permitted. Meanwhile, Switzerland's second-largest bank, Credit Suisse, makes news because billions of dollars in U.S. taxes are going unpaid due to some wealthy Americans allegedly using secret Credit Suisse bank accounts. Lesson learned: It's always smart to be on good terms with the Internal Revenue Service. And, boy, do times change.
10 Best Japanese Stocks To Own Right Now: Costco Wholesale Corporation(COST)
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership warehouses that offer a selection of branded and private label products in a range of merchandise categories in no-frills, self-service warehouse facilities. The company's product categories include candy, snack foods, tobacco, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and cleaning and institutional supplies; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, office supplies, garden and patio, sporting goods, toys, seasonal items, and automotive supplies; dry and institutionally packaged foods; apparel, domestics, jewelry, house wares, media, home furnishings, cameras, and small appliances; meat, bakery, deli, and produce; and gas stations, pharmacy, food court, optical, one-hour photo, hearing aid, and travel. It also provides business and gold star (individual) membership services. As of April 26, 2011, the company operated 581 warehouses, including 425 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 80 in Canada, 22 in the Uni ted Kingdom, 7 in Korea, 6 in Taiwan, 8 in Japan, 1 in Australia, and 32 in Mexico. It also has Costco Online, an electronic commerce Web site, at costco.com in the United States and at costco.ca in Canada. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bruce Watson]
Getty Images When you go grocery shopping, what's your biggest worry? Saving money? Eating healthily? Protecting the rights of the people who pick your grapes? Or do you just want to get out of the store as quickly as possible? In 1954, consumer behavior expert Gregory Stone identified four types of shoppers: those who were concerned with bargains, those who were concerned with their treatment in a store, those who didn't care about their shopping experience, and those who were "ethical." The last group, he wrote, perceived "shopping in the light of a larger set of values," and judged their purchases and store choices in terms of "moral consequences." For Stone's ethical shoppers, the main concern was who owned their store: They preferred locally-owned shops to big chains. But for today's ethical shopper, a variety of other worries come into play. The healthy shopper may be concerned with pesticides or factory-farming processes, artificial ingredients or added sugar. Meanwhile, the political shopper may be worried about the policies of a particular food company or the treatment of farm workers, the fishing techniques that a company employs or its political alliances. But regardless of the ethical shopper's concerns, chances are that he or she is trying to balance them with worries about the high cost of food ... and therein lies the difficulty. It's easy to eat healthily when you have unlimited money to spend on free-range chicken or organic grapes. It's harder, however, to balance your political and dietary concerns when you also need to watch your pennies. With that in mind, here are three guidelines that may help you eat more wisely without breaking the bank. 1. Big Business Doesn't Always Mean Bad Business Part of the reason that high-quality healthy foods cost so much is because they are usually made in smaller batches, by small-scale manufacturers who have to buy ingredients in smaller lots. Big companies, on the other hand, are able to take advantage
10 Best Japanese Stocks To Own Right Now: Altria Group(MO)
Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smokeless products, and wine in the United States and internationally. It offers cigarettes under the Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, and L&M brands; smokeless tobacco products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, Husky brands, and Marlboro snus brands; and machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco. The company also produces and sells blended table wines under the Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Crest names; and distributes Antinori and Villa Maria Estate wines and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte in the United States. In addition, it maintains a portfolio of leveraged and direct finance leases in rail and surface transport, aircraft, electric power, real estate, and manufacturing. The company sells its tobacco products to wholesalers, including distributors; large retail organizations, such as chain stores; and the armed services. Altria Group, Inc. markets its wine products to restaurants, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, wine shops, and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
When it comes to consistently treating dividend investors well, Altria Group (NYSE: MO ) scores in the upper echelon of dividend stocks in the market. With a solid dividend track record that reaches back for decades, Altria has managed to overcome numerous challenges that threatened its very existence and rewarded those who stuck with the tobacco giant. Yet looking forward, as you assess whether Altria would make a good addition to your dividend portfolio, there are a couple things you should keep in mind to help you make the best decision. Let's look more closely at two things every dividend investor should know about Altria Group.
- [By Bryan Murphy]
Lorillard Inc. (NYSE:LO) and Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) might want to take a look over their shoulder... or perhaps take another, longer look. Not only is the cigarette space as competitive as ever for the likes of LO and MO, but there are some new faces playing the game. And, their strategy is to play the game in a way that's never been played before. Even more alarming to the likes of Altria and Lorillard? These new players are already showing some great progress with this "new way", and are on pace to capture $10 billion of the current annual cigarette market by 2017, up from around $1.0 billion last year.
- [By Michael Calia]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session is Herbalife Ltd.(HLF), Altria Group(MO), and Pfizer Inc.(PFE)
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Lorillard has also embraced change in the industry, with its blu eCigs available in more than 80,000 retail outlets and posting 40% retail market share in the emerging e-cigarette market. With its alternative method of delivering nicotine to consumers, e-cigarettes could end up escaping the harsh regulation that applies to tobacco products, and Lorillard has gotten in ahead of industry giant Altria (NYSE: MO ) and other rivals in identifying the e-cigarette trend and coming up with a strong sales strategy.
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