Since the minutes of the June meeting of the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee were released yesterday, Kremlinologists -- er, Fed-watchers -- are in high demand. But before we get to those minutes, it's worth making one point: It should now be absolutely clear that financial markets overreacted last month to the June meeting statement from the Federal Open Market Committee and Fed Chairman Bernanke's attendant press conference.
Specifically, investors reacted with shock and awe at the notion that the Fed might begin to reduce its monthly bond purchases, a.k.a. "quantitative easing," as early as this year. Despite every effort by Mr. Bernanke, including the use of multiple analogies, he was not able to convince markets that a "taper" would not amount to tightening monetary policy or that the implementation of said taper remained contingent on continued improvement in the economy.
The minutes of the meeting ram this last point home:
"Many members indicated that further improvement in the outlook for the labor market would be required before it would be appropriate to slow the pace of asset purchases. Some added that they would, as well, need to see more evidence that the projected acceleration in economic activity would occur, before reducing the pace of asset purchases."
10 Best US Stocks To Watch For 2015: Utah Medical Products Inc.(UTMD)
Utah Medical Products, Inc. produces medical devices for the healthcare industry primarily in the United States and Europe. The company provides labor and delivery/obstetrics products, including fetal monitoring accessories, vacuum-assisted delivery systems, and other obstetrical tools, as well as neonatal intensive care products, such as DISPOSA-HOOD, an infant respiratory hood; DELTRAN PLUS, a blood pressure monitoring system; and GESCO, a biocompatible silicone catheter. It also offers umbilical vessel and artery, thermosensitive polyurethane, and peripherally inserted central venous catheters; enteral feeding devices; DIALY-NATE, a disposable peritoneal dialysis set; PALA-NATE, a silicone oral protection device; and MYELO-NATE for obtaining cerebral spinal fluid samples. In addition, the company provides gynecology/urology/electrosurgery products comprising LETZ System to excise cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; FINESSE electrosurgical generator; FILTRESSE evacuators ; EPITOME, an electrosurgical scalpel; PATHFINDER PLUS, an endoscopic irrigation device; LIBERTY system to treat and control urinary incontinence in women; ENDOCURETTE, a curette for uterine endometrial tissue sampling; TVUS/HSG-Cath to assess abnormal uterine bleeding; and LUMIN for manipulating the uterus. Further, it offers DELTRAN for blood pressure monitoring; and pressure monitoring accessories, components, and other molded parts. The company?s products are used in neonatal intensive care units, labor and delivery departments, and women?s health center in hospitals, as well as in outpatient clinics and physician's offices. It markets its products through direct sales representatives, independent manufacturers? representatives, specialty distributors, national hospital distribution companies, and other medical device manufacturers; and through other medical device companies and independent medical products distributors. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquar tered in Midvale, Utah.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Geoff Gannon]
Utah Medical Products (UTMD)
There are some interesting stories on that list. Buffett watchers know The Washington Post. Ben Graham fans know National Presto. Anyone who follows net-nets is familiar with Micropac. If you��e a high ROC investor you��e probably come across Utah Medical Products (operating margins are over 30%). Atrion has one of the most interesting histories of value creation starting in the 1990s. And Arden is a grocer that earns a 15% return on equity in a bad year.
- [By John Udovich]
On Thursday, small cap infertility stock OvaScience Inc (NASDAQ: OVAS) surged 23.63% plus shares are up 372.9% since the start of the year���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of female or reproductive health stocks the Female Health Co (NASDAQ: FHCO) and�Utah Medical Products, Inc (NASDAQ: UTMD)�along with the Vanguard Health Care ETF (NYSEARCA: VHT).
Top Up And Coming Companies To Buy For 2014: Transocean Inc.(RIG)
Transocean Ltd. provides offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells worldwide. It offers deepwater and harsh environment drilling, oil and gas drilling management, and drilling engineering and drilling project management services. The company also offers well and logistics services. In addition, it engages in oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities primarily in the United States offshore Louisiana and Texas, and in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. As of February 10, 2011, the company owned, had partial ownership interests in, and operated 138 mobile offshore drilling units, including 47 high-specification floaters, 25 midwater floaters, 9 high-specification jackups, 54 standard jackups, and 3 other rigs, as well as 1 ultra-deepwater floater and 3 high-specification jackups under construction. Transocean Ltd. was founded in 1953 and is based in Zug, Switzerland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Transocean Ltd. Co. (NYSE: RIG) was maintained as Buy but the price target was lowered by $6 to $56 at Argus.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at RBC Capital Markets.
- [By P.I.A.]
Of its Ultra-deepwater units (greater than 5,000 feet depth), the company currently has three semi-submersible rigs that are capable of use in water to 10,000 feet, and total depth of 30,000 feet. All of them have been located in Brazil and used by Petrobas (West Taurus, owned by Ship Finance; West Eminence; and West Orion). Several drill ships for use in 12,000 feet of water, and total depths to 40,000 feet, are under construction and scheduled to be available in 2014. New ultra-deepwater floating equipment is expected to perform better and be safer, in consideration of Transocean's (RIG) Deepwater Horizon Incident, which has ongoing implications.
Top Up And Coming Companies To Buy For 2014: AudioCodes Ltd. (AUDC)
AudioCodes Ltd. and its subsidiaries design, develop, and market products and services for voice, data, and video over Internet protocol (IP) networks to service providers and channels, original equipment manufacturers, network equipment providers, and systems integrators in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Israel. Its networking products consist of media gateways, enterprise session border controllers, multi-service business routers, IP phones, mobile voice over IP (VoIP), media servers, and various products that are tailored for Microsoft unified communication environments. The company also offers VoIP network assessment for enterprises; and value added applications for unified communications, as well as supports its networking products with a range of professional services. Its technology products comprise signal processor chips that process and compress voice, data, and fax, as well as enable connectivity between traditional telephone networks and pa cket networks; VoIP communications boards; media processing boards for enhanced services and functionalities; and voice and data logging hardware integration board products. AudioCodes Ltd. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Lod, Israel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
AudioCodes (AUDC) designs, develops and sells products and services for voice and data over packet networks. This stock closed up 8.4% to $4.75 in Tuesday's trading session.
Tuesday's Range: $4.57-$4.86
52-Week Range: $1.20-$5.04
Tuesday's Volume: 493,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 108,175From a technical perspective, AUDC gapped higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $4.43 with heavy upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of AUDC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if AUDC manages to take out its 52-week high at $5.04 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AUDC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $4.43 or above more support at $4.29 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $5.04 with volume that hits near or above 108,175 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AUDC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.75 to $6.50, or even $7.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
AudioCodes (AUDC) and its subsidiaries design, develop and market products and services for voice, data and video over Internet protocol networks to service providers and channels, original equipment manufacturers, network equipment providers and systems integrators in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Israel. Its This stock closed up 8% to $6.73 in Tuesday's trading session.
Tuesday's Range: $6.23-$6.85
52-Week Range: $2.13-$7.07
Tuesday's Volume: 574,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 261,738From a technical perspective, AUDC spiked sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $6.04 with above-average volume. This move also pushed shares of AUDC into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $6.70. Shares of AUDC are now quickly moving within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if AUDC manages to clear Tuesday's high of $6.85 and then once it takes out its 52-week high at $7.07 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AUDC as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $6.25 or $6.04 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 261,738 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AUDC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $8 to $9.
Top Up And Coming Companies To Buy For 2014: Post Properties Inc. (PPS)
Post Properties, Inc., a real estate investments trust (REIT), together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, ownership, and management of multifamily apartment communities in the United States. As of December 31, 2007, the company owned 22,578 apartment units in 63 apartment communities, including 1,747 apartment units in 2 communities held in unconsolidated entities and 2,266 apartment units in 7 communities. It is also developing and selling 535 for-sale condominium homes in 4 communities and converting 349 apartment homes into for-sale condominium homes in 2 communities. The company primarily operates in Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; Washington, D.C.; and Tampa, Florida metropolitan areas. Post Properties has elected to be taxed as REIT under the Internal Revenue Code and would not be subject to federal income taxes, if it distributes approximately 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1971 and is based in Atlanta, Ge orgia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sally Jones] ng>Rate of Return: 30.76%
Down 6% over 12 months, Post Properties Inc., a residential REIT, has a market cap of $2.46 billion; its shares were traded at around $45.02. The tangible book value is 20.98. PPS trades with a P/E ratio of 29.00 and a P/B of 2.10. The earnings yield is 2.80%.
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Third Avenue Management holds 422,734 shares values at around $20.9 million.
PPS is a relatively new holding for the firm, first bought in the second quarter of 2013. The firm bought 422,734 shares at an average price of $49.04, for a loss of 8.2%.
Track historical pricing, revenue and net income since 1993:
[ Enlarge Image ]
Valley National Bancorp (VLY)
Rate of Return: 26.4%
Up 5% over 12 months, Valley National Bancorp has a market cap of $2.07 billion; its shares were traded at around $10.40. The tangible book value is 5.28. VLY trades with a P/E ratio of 14.60 and a P/B of 1.30. The earnings yield is 3.80%.
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Third Avenue Management holds 1,462,501 shares values at around $13.8 million.
VLY is another new holding for Third Avenue, first buying 1,462,501 shares in the second quarter of 2013, at an average price of $9.34, for a gain of 11.3%.
Track historical pricing, revenue and net income since 1990:
[ Enlarge Image ]
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (BKD)
Rate of Return: 23.14%
Up 11% over 12 months, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. has a market cap of $3.35 billion; its shares were traded at around $26.94. The tangible book value is 5.97. BKD trades with a P/B of 3.30. The earnings yield is 1.80%.
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Third Avenue Management holds 658,866 shares values at around $17.429 million.
Bought in the second quarter of 2013, BKD is another new holding for Third Avenue. The firm made a new buy of 658,866 shares at an average price of $27.55, for a 2.2% loss.
Track historical pricing,
- [By Philip Springer]
Post Properties Inc. (NYSE: PPS): 14.7%
Here are the largest homebuilders and their shares’ performance so far this year:
Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN): -2.3%
No comments:
Post a Comment