A surprisingly strong report on October job growth Friday shows that the recovering private sector is increasingly shrugging off political stalemate in Washington, D.C., economists say.
Despite the government's Oct. 1-16 partial shutdown, employers added 204,000 jobs last month, far above economists' median forecast of 122,000.
Businesses added 212,000, and federal, state and local governments cut 8,000, the Labor Department said. Upward revisions of 60,000 for August and September left monthly gains from August through October averaging a healthy 202,000.
The advances were broad-based, with leisure and hospitality, retailers, professional and business services, manufacturers and construction firms all posting solid increases.
The unemployment rate rose to 7.3% from 7.2% in September, reflecting some impact from government and private workers on furlough last month.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: State Auto Financial Corporation(STFC)
State Auto Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, writes personal and business lines of insurance to individuals and small-to-medium sized businesses. The company operates through four segments: Personal insurance, Business insurance, Specialty insurance, and Investment operations. The Personal insurance segment provides personal automobile and homeowners insurance products to the personal insurance market. The Business insurance segment offers commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril, fire and allied lines, and general liability insurance covering small-to-medium sized commercial exposures in the business insurance market. The Specialty insurance segment provides commercial coverages requiring specialized product underwriting, workers? compensation, claims handling, or risk management services. The Investment operations segment offers investment portfolio management services. State Auto Financial Corporation markets its insurance products primarily through independent insurance agencies, which include retail agencies and wholesale brokers in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. State Auto Financial Corporation is a subsidiary of State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By CRWE]
State Auto Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:STFC), a super regional property and casualty insurance holding company, will discuss its third quarter 2012 results in a conference call on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, at 10 a.m. ET.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: Guidance Software Inc.(GUID)
Guidance Software, Inc. provides digital investigative solutions to government agencies and corporations primarily in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia/the Pacific Rim. It offers EnCase platform for organizations to search, collect, and analyze electronically stored information to address human resources matters, litigation matters, allegations of fraud, suspicious network endpoint activity, and defend their data assets. The company?s EnCase Enterprise software provides visibility into laptops, desktops, and file servers to conduct internal investigations and determine the root cause of suspicious network activity; and EnCase eDiscovery solution to automatically perform search, collection, preservation, and processing of electronically stored information from unstructured and semi-structured data stores. Its EnCase Cybersecurity forensic solution to expose, triage, and remediate threats, and to enforce data policy compliance on endpoints; EnCase Fore nsic computer investigation solution allows examiners to acquire data from various devices and unearth potential evidence, and craft reports on their findings; and EnCase Portable solution allows forensic professionals and non-experts to triage and collect digital evidence forensically. The company also offers hardware products, including write blockers, forensic duplicators, and storage devices; professional services, such as eDiscovery, network security incident response, civil/criminal digital investigation, and implementation services; and packaged services. It serves various industries, such as financial and insurance services, technology, defense contracting, telecom, pharmaceutical, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. The company sells its software products and services primarily through its direct sales force; and hardware products principally through resellers. Guidance Software, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Pasadena, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Guidance Software (Nasdaq: GUID ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
What: Shares of Guidance Software (NASDAQ: GUID ) got crushed today -- down by 25% at the low -- after the company reported first-quarter results.
Best US Companies To Watch In Right Now: Intel Corporation(INTC)
Intel Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of integrated circuits for computing and communications industries worldwide. It offers microprocessor products used in notebooks, netbooks, desktops, servers, workstations, storage products, embedded applications, communications products, consumer electronics devices, and handhelds. The company also provides system on chip products that integrate its core processing functionalities with other system components, such as graphics, audio, and video, onto a single chip. In addition, it offers chipset products that send data between the microprocessor and input, display, and storage devices, including keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, and CD, DVD, or Blu-ray drives; motherboards designed for desktop, server, and workstation platforms, and that has connectors for attaching devices to the bus; and wired and wireless connectivity products consisting of network adapters and embedded wireless cards used to translate and transmit data across networks. Further, the company provides NAND flash memory products primarily used in portable memory storage devices, digital camera memory cards, and solid-state drives; software products comprising operating systems, middleware, and tools used to develop, run, and manage various enterprise, consumer, embedded, and handheld devices; and software development tools that enable the creation of applications. Additionally, it develops computing platforms, which are integrated hardware and software computing technologies designed to offer an optimized solution. The company sells its products principally to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, PC components and other products users, and other manufacturers of industrial and communications equipment. It has a strategic alliance with Scientific Conservation Inc. Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 and is based in Santa Clara, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Caplinger]
Yet last month, TI issued a forecast that disappointed some investors, narrowing its previous earnings range and projecting $0.39 to $0.43 in earnings for the June quarter. The company cited weakness in PC and game-console demand as holding back its chips. We saw much the same problems in Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC ) earnings report last night, as the PC-chip giant reduced its revenue forecast for the year amid a 5% drop in overall sales and an almost-30% decline in net income. Unlike TI, Intel is aiming to shift its model toward the mobile market.
- [By Alex Planes]
Tale of the tape
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) is nearing the 14th anniversary of its initiation to the Dow. It joined at the peak of the dot-com bubble and has yet to provide a net benefit to the Dow's valuation, but unless you bought Intel stock at the tail end of 1999, this isn't much of a concern to you. Intel has long been the world's leading chip-maker, with a dominant position in both PCs and servers -- but declines in PC sales have left investors somewhat worried that Intel's growth days are behind it. Despite these concerns, Intel continues to support one of the strongest dividends in the tech industry. Its tablet market share is growing rapidly, for what it's worth, as Intel has a spot in 90% of Windows-based tablets, which now make up about 7.5% of the market.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: PetroLogistics LP (PDH)
PetroLogistics LP owns and operates propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility. The Company is located in the vicinity of the Houston Ship Channel. As of April 23, 2012, the Company had an annual production capacity of approximately 1.45 billion pounds of propylene. Its PDH facility uses a CATOFIN dehydrogenation technology pursuant to a fully-paid license from CB&I Lummus. It derives its sales from three different sources: propylene sales, hydrogen sales, and mixed stream of butane and butylenes (C4 mix stream) and heavier hydrocarbons (C5+ stream) sales.
Contracted Propylene Sales
The Company has propylene sales contracts with The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc. (Total), and INEOS Olefins and Polymers USA (INEOS), each of which use the propylene it supplies in the acrylic acid, polypropylene and acrylonitrile plants. Effective January 1, 2012, it added BASF Corporation (BASF) and LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LyondellBasell) as additional contracted customers. It delivers propylene to these customers through its integrated pipeline system, which connects its facility to the Dow and Total plants and the LyondellBasell system, and through interconnected third-party pipelines, which connect its facility to INEOS and BASF and to other potential propylene customers.
Spot-Market Propylene Sales
Through the Company�� integrated pipeline system, the Company accesses other consumers of propylene, which it is able to supply on a spot basis with its excess production capacity. It manages its contract and spot portfolio.
Hydrogen Gas Sales
As part of the PDH process, the Company produces commercial quantities of hydrogen. Hydrogen is consumed in refinery processes, including fuel desulphurization.
C4 Mix/C5+ Streams Sales
The Company produces commercial quantities of C4 mix/C5+ streams. It sells the C4 mix stream to specialty chemical consumers or refiners and these customers tran! sport the purchased volumes from its facility by truck. The C5+ stream, which is heavy in aromatics, is transported by its pipeline to a Kinder Morgan terminal, and then sold to Texas Aromatics for use in the chemical or gasoline markets.
The Company competes with Enterprise, Chevron Phillips, ExxonMobil Chemical, Shell Chemical, Flint Hills and the Williams Companies.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on PetroLogistics (NYSE: PDH ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: Allied Nevada Gold Corp(ANV)
Allied Nevada Gold Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the evaluation, acquisition, exploration, and advancement of gold exploration and development projects in the state of Nevada. It principally operates the Hycroft Mine, an open pit heap leach gold and silver mine covering approximately 61,389 acres of mineral rights and is located to the west of Winnemucca, Nevada. The company also involves in the exploration and development of various exploration properties, including Hasbrouck, Mountain View, Three Hills, Wildcat, Maverick Springs, and Pony Creek/Elliot Dome projects. In addition, the company holds exploration rights to approximately 100 other exploration properties in Nevada. Allied Nevada Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Reno, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Travis Hoium]
What: Gold and silver miners are taking it on the chin today. Royal Gold (NASDAQ: RGLD ) fell as much as 10.4%, Allied Nevada Gold (NYSEMKT: ANV ) fell up to 11.5%, and Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW ) dropped as much as 11.2%.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: Sabine Royalty Trust(SBR)
Sabine Royalty Trust receives a distribution of royalty and mineral interests from Sabine Corporation. Its royalty and mineral interests, include landowner?s royalties, overriding royalty interests, minerals, production payments, and other non-participatory interests in various producing and proved undeveloped oil and gas properties in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Dallas, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Lawrence Meyers]
The Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR) is diversified from a geographical perspective, with interests spreading across both producing and undeveloped gas properties in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.� It essentially operates as a holding company into which all the royalties get deposited and all the money gets distributed to shareholders via its 9.2% yield.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: Harbinger Group Inc (HRG)
Harbinger Group Inc. (HGI), incorporated on November 3, 2009, is a holding company. The Company's operations are conducted through Spectrum Brands, the Company's subsidiary, which provides branded consumer products, such as batteries, personal care products, small household appliances, pet supplies, and home and garden pest control products, and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Holdings, Inc. (FGL), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, which provides life insurance and annuity products. In addition, Salus Capital Partners, LLC (Salus), the Company's wholly owned indirect subsidiary, is engaged in the business of providing secured asset-based loans across a range of industries, and Front Street Re Ltd (Front Street), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary provide reinsurance to the specialty insurance sector of fixed, deferred and payout annuities. The Company also own 97.9% of Zap.Com Corporation (Zap.Com), a public shell company, which may seek assets or businesses to acquire or may sell assets and/or liquidate. On November 8, 2012, Spectrum Brands completed acquisition of 56% interest in Shaser Biosciences, Inc.
Spectrum Brands
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is a global branded consumer products company. As of September 30, 2012, HGI owns approximately 57.4% of Spectrum Brands. Spectrum Brands manufactures and markets alkaline, zinc carbon and hearing aid batteries, herbicides, insecticides and repellents and specialty pet supplies. Spectrum Brands also designs and markets rechargeable batteries, battery-powered lighting products, electric shavers and accessories, grooming products and hair care household appliances. In addition, Spectrum Brands designs, markets and distributes a broad range of branded small appliances and personal care products. Spectrum Brands' manufacturing and product development facilities are located in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Spectrum Brands' rechargeable batteries and chargers, shaving and grooming products, small household applian! ces, personal care products and portable lighting products are manufactured by third-party suppliers, located in Asia.
Spectrum Brands sells products in approximately 140 countries through a range of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Spectrum Brands' branded consumer products have positions in six product categories: consumer batteries; small appliances; pet supplies; home and garden control products; electric shaving and grooming products, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands competes in six product categories: consumer batteries, small appliances, pet supplies, home and garden control products, electric shaving and grooming, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands' range of products include consumer batteries, including alkaline and zinc carbon batteries, rechargeable batteries and chargers and hearing aid batteries, other specialty batteries and portable lighting products; small appliances, including small kitchen appliances and home product appliances; pet supplies, including aquatic equipment and supplies, dog and cat treats, small animal foods, clean up and training aids, health and grooming products and bedding; home and garden control products, including household insect controls, insect repellents and herbicides; electric shaving and grooming devices, and electric and wet personal care and styling devices.
Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of alkaline batteries to both retail and industrial customers. Spectrum Brands' alkaline batteries are marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands also manufactures alkaline batteries for third parties who sell the batteries under their own private labels. Spectrum Brands' zinc carbon batteries are also marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands sells its hearing aid batteries through retail trade channels and directl! y to prof! essional audiologists under brand names and private labels, including Beltone, Miracle Ear and Starkey. Spectrum Brands also sells Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries and a range of battery chargers under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands' other specialty battery products include camera batteries, lithium batteries, silver oxide batteries, keyless entry batteries and coin cells for use in watches, cameras, calculators, communications equipment and medical instruments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of battery-powered, portable lighting products, including flashlights and lanterns for both retail and industrial markets. Spectrum Brands sells its portable lighting products under the Rayovac and VARTA brand names, under other brand names and pursuant to licensing arrangements with third parties.
Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of products in the branded small household appliances category under the George Foreman, Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, Farberware, Juiceman, Breadman and Toastmaster brands, including grills, bread makers, sandwich makers, kettles, toaster ovens, toasters, blenders, juicers, can openers, coffee grinders, coffeemakers, electric knives, deep fryers, food choppers, food processors, hand mixers, rice cookers and steamers. Spectrum Brands also markets small home product appliances, including hand-held irons, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, clothes shavers and heaters, primarily under the Black & Decker and Russell Hobbs brands.
In the pet supplies product category Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of branded pet supplies for fish, dogs, cats, birds and other small domestic animals. Spectrum Brands has a range of consumer and commercial aquatics products, including integrated aquarium kits, standalone tanks and stands, filtration systems, heaters, pumps, and other equipment, fish food and water treatment products. Spectrum Brands' aquatics brands are Tetra, Marineland, Whisper, Jungle and Instant Ocean. Spectrum Brand! s also se! lls a range of specialty pet products, including dog and cat treats, small animal food and treats, clean up and training aid products, health and grooming aids, bedding products and consumable accessories including privacy tents, litter carpets, crystal litter cartridges, charcoal filters, corn-based litter and replaceable waste receptacles. Spectrum Brands' specialty pet brands include FURminator, 8-in-1, Dingo, Firstrax, Nature's Miracle, Wild Harvest and Littermaid.
In the home and garden control products category Spectrum Brands markets and sells home and garden care products, including household insecticides, insect repellent, herbicides, garden and indoor plant foods and plant care treatments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of household insecticides, such as spider, roach and ant killer, flying insect killer, insect foggers, wasp and hornet killer, flea and tick control products and roach and ant baits. Spectrum Brands also manufactures and markets a range of insect repellent products, which provide protection from insects, especially mosquitoes. These products include both personal repellents, such as aerosols, pump sprays and wipes, as well as area repellents, such as yard sprays, citronella candles and torches. Spectrum Brands' brands in the insect control category include Hot Shot, Cutter, Repel, Black Flag and TAT. Spectrum Brands' herbicides brands include Spectracide, Real-Kill and Garden Safe. Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of electric shaving and grooming products under the Remington brand name, including men's rotary and foil shavers, beard and mustache trimmers, body trimmers and nose and ear trimmers, women's shavers and haircut kits. Spectrum Brands' electric personal care products, marketed and sold under the Remington, Russell Hobbs, Carmen and Andrew Collinge brand names, include hand-held dryers, curling irons, straightening irons, brush irons, hair setters, facial brushes, skin appliances and electric toothbrushes.
FGL
FGL is an i! ndirectly! wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of annuity and life insurance products in the United States. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, FGL operates its annuity and life insurance operations in the United States through its subsidiaries FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance. FGL's products are annuities, deferred annuities and life insurance products (including fixed indexed universal life), which it sells, as of September 30, 2012, through a network of approximately 200 insurance marketing organizations (IMOs) representing approximately 19,000 independent agents and managing general agents. As of September 30, 2012, FGL had over 713,000 policyholders nationwide and distributes its products throughout the United States.
FGL's deferred annuities include fixed index annuities and fixed rate annuities. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. FGL, through its insurance subsidiaries, issues a range of deferred annuities (fixed indexed and fixed rate annuities) and immediate annuities. Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company's (FGL Insurance's) fixed indexed annuities allow contract owners the possibility of earning credits based on the performance of a specified market index without risk to principal. The contracts include a provision for a minimum guaranteed surrender value calculated in accordance with applicable law. During the year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), approximately 96% of the fixed indexed annuity sales involved premium bonuses. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. Fixed rate annual reset annuities issued by FGL Insurance and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company of New York (FGL NY Insurance) have an annual interest rate. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance also sell single premium immediate annuities (SPIAs), which provide a series of periodic payments for a fixed period of time or for the life of the policyholder. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance offer indexed universal lif! e insuran! ce policies. Holders of universal life insurance policies earn returns on their policies which are credited to the policyholder's cash value account.
In addition to services provided by third-party asset managers, FGL outsources the following functions to third-party service providers, including investment accounting and custody, and underwriting administration of life insurance applications. FGL manages its outsourcing partners and integrates their services into its operations. FGL outsources its new business and existing policy administration for fixed indexed annuity and life products to Transaction Applications Group, Inc., a subsidiary at Dell Inc. (Transaction Group). Under this arrangement, Transaction Group manages all of FGL's call center and processing requirements. FGL has partnered with Hooper Holmes, Inc. (Hooper Holmes) to outsource its life insurance underwriting function. FGL, through its subsidiary FGL Insurance, both cedes reinsurance to other insurance companies and assumes reinsurance from other insurance companies. FGL Insurance provides reinsurance as the reinsurer to four non-affiliate insurance companies.
Salus
Salus, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of secured asset-based loans to the middle market across a range of industries with financing throughout the capital structure. The Salus platform also serves as an asset manager to certain institutional investors, such as community and regional banks, insurance companies, family offices, private equity funds and hedge funds who may lack the infrastructure and dedicated competency within senior secured lending. Salus provides secured asset-based loans to the middle market. Salus focuses its credit analysis on the value of accounts receivable and inventory (or other assets) and estimates how much liquidity it can provide against those assets. Salus' loans are used across a range of industries for general working capital or seasonal needs, acquisitions or opportunisti! c situati! ons, trade finance, turnarounds, dividend recaps, refinancing and debtor-in-possession financing.
The Company competes with Energizer Holdings, Inc. (Energizer), The Procter & Gamble Company, Matsushita , Energizer and Mag Instrument, Inc., Mars Corporation, The Hartz Mountain Corporation, Central Garden & Pet Company, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Bayer A.G., S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Scotts Company, Henkel KGaA, Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, Jarden Corporation, DeLonghi America, Euro-Pro Operating LLC, Metro Thebe, Inc., d/b/a HWI Breville, NACCO Industries, Inc., SEB S.A., Conair Corporation, Wahl Clipper Corporation and Helen of Troy Limited.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Harbinger Group (NYSE: HRG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc.(PCRX)
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the development, commercialization, and manufacture of pharmaceutical products for use in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The company develops pharmaceutical products based on its proprietary DepoFoam drug delivery technology. Its product portfolio includes EXPAREL, a long-acting non-opioid postsurgical analgesic for postsurgical pain management; DepoCyt for the treatment of lymphomatous meningitis, a cancer of the immune system; DepoDur for controlling post operative pain; DepoNSAID, which is in preclinical trials for the relief of acute pain; and DepoMethotrexate that is in preclinical trials for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis oncology. The company was formerly known as Pacira, Inc. and changed its name to Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in October 2010. Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By STOCKPICKR]
Pacira Pharmaceuticals (PCRX) is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in development, commercialization and manufacture of proprietary pharmaceutical products for use in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This stock closed up 12.5% at $55.93 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 944,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 517,152
Volume % Change: 80%
From a technical perspective, PCRX exploded higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $52.50 with above-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $46.55 to $47.21. Since forming that bottom, shares of PCRX have started to rip higher and move within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PCRX manages to take out Monday's intraday high of $56 to its 52-week high at $56.94 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PCRX as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $52.20 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 517,152 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PCRX will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $60 to $63.
A.M. Castel
A.M. Castel (CAS) is a specialty metals and plastics distribution company. Its core products include nickel alloys, aluminum, stainless steel and carbon in various forms, such as plate, bars, tubing and coil. This stock closed up 9% at $14.88 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 487,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 156,083
Volume % Change: 204%
From a technical perspective, CAS gapped sharply higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $14.27 and into breakout territory above some near-term overhead resistance at $14.37 with strong upside volume. This move pushed shares of CAS out of its downtre
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: Vapor Corp (VPCO)
Vapor Corp (Vapor), incorporated in 1987, is engaged in designing, marketing and distributing electronic cigarettes and accessories under the Fifty-One, Krave, VaporX, EZ Smoker, Green Puffer, Americig, Fumre Hookah Stix and Smoke Star brands. Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered products that enable users to inhale nicotine vapor without smoke, tar, ash, or carbon monoxide. Electronic cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes and consists of three functional components: a mouthpiece, which is a small plastic cartridge that contains a liquid nicotine solution; a heating element that vaporizes the liquid nicotine so that it can be inhaled; and the electronics, which include: a lithium-ion battery, an airflow sensor, a microchip controller and an light emitting diode (LED), which illuminates to indicate use. When a user draws air through the electronic cigarette, the air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes the solution stored in the mouthpiece/cartridge, the solution is then vaporized and it is this vapor that is inhaled by the user. The cartridge contains either a nicotine solution or a nicotine free solution, either of which may be flavored. The Company offers rechargeable and disposable electronic cigarettes in two varieties: a two-piece unit, which the Company markets under its DUO product line; and a three-piece unit, which the Company markets under its TRIO product line.
The DUO
The DUO's 2-part construction (battery component and cartridge) features a disposable all-in-one atomized cartridge (also known as a cartomizer). This cartomizer is replaced when the nicotine or nicotine free solution is depleted from use. The all-in-one configuration eliminates the need for maintenance of a separate atomizer and maintains consistent performance of the e-cigarette over time.
The TRIO
The TRIO's 3-part construction (battery component, atomizer, and filter cartridge) features a separate atom! izer from the cartridge; the atomizer is reused and requires separate maintenance over its useful life. Replacement atomizers are available for sale and are easily serviceable by the user. In the TRIO, the only component that needs to be routinely replaced is the refill cartridge (either with or without nicotine).
The Company's electronic cigarettes are sold in kits. In addition to kits the Company sells replacement batteries, replacement mouthpieces that contain the liquid solution and atomizer, for its two-piece configurations as well as mouthpieces with the liquid solution and separate atomizers for its three-piece units. In addition to the Company's electronic cigarette products the Company sells an assortment of accessories, including chargers and simple and fashionable cases. The Company also offers refill cartridges and accessories for its electronic cigarettes. The Company's refill cartridges consist of assorted flavors and nicotine levels (including cartridges without nicotine).
The Company competes with Altria Group, Inc. and Reynolds American Inc.,
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
Last week, I talked about small cap electronic cigarette stocks Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO) and Hop-On Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN) as being among the last of the e-Cig�stocks not controlled by ��ig Tobacco,��but Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (OTCMKTS: ECIG), mCig Inc (OTCBB: MCIG) and American Heritage International (OTCBB: AHII)�are also�positioning themselves or their technology to exploit opportunities in the e-Cig market or even in�marijuana or cannabis. Last year, industry experts were already saying that�US retail sales of e-cigarettes could reach $1 billion for the year�for roughly�1% of the country's cigarette market. That number might appear small, but its more than double 2012 sales�as sales increasingly�move off the Internet and into more mainstream retailers thanks to their positioning as a���ealthier��alternative to smoking.
- [By John Udovich]
While there is a�new ��tudy��out claiming�that�electronic cigarettes, or so-called e-cigarettes or e-cigs, may contain a comparable level of carcinogens to regular cigarettes,�speculative investors might still want to take a look at�small cap electronic cigarette stocks like�Hop-on, Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN), Smokefree Innotec (OTCMKTS: SFIO), Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (OTCMKTS: ECIG) as these appear to be the major publicly traded small cap stocks left in the sector. I should note that�all of the�major big tobacco stocks have entered the electronic cigarette market (see Who Are the Big Tobacco Electronic Cigarette Stocks? MO, LO & RAI) through acquisitions or their own R&D initiatives, which might�mean�that an acquisition by big tobacco is off the table as an�exit strategy for investors. �Moreover and as I previously noted, there are concerns about the safety of electronic cigarettes as their popularity grows�while the Wall Street Journal recently reported that the FDA has been in discussions with the e-cigarette industry about a possible online-sales ban of the product.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap electronic cigarette stocks Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO), Smokefree Innotec�(OTCMKTS: SFIO), Hop-On Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN) and American Heritage International Inc (OTCBB: AHII) are what�� left of the e-Cig market not controlled by ��ig Tobacco��and at least one of these stocks is positioning itself or its technology to exploit opportunities in marijuana or cannabis. Last year, industry experts were saying that�US retail sales of e-cigarettes could reach $1 billion for the year or�1% of the country's cigarette market but twice that of 2012�as sales go off the Internet and into more mainstream retailers. Moreover, they are being positioned as a ��ealthier��alternative to smoking (albeit some places have already extended their smoking bans to cover the devices). It should be stated that electronic cigarettes look just like traditional cigarettes and are usually comprised of three functional components:
Top Rising Companies To Own In Right Now: News Corporation(NWS)
News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspape rs in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:
) reported that its first quarter profit declined 16% year-over-year, despite an 8% rise in quarterly sales. However, earnings were able to meet Wall Street analysts’ expectations, while sales topped views.
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