UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH ) is the nation's largest insurer and the company just put up solid second-quarter results that may suggest good news is coming from competitors, including WellPoint (NYSE: WLP ) .
The second quarter was particularly important to the industry given it marked the first full quarter following the close of Obamacare's first open enrollment period.�
UNH data by YCharts.
In the following slideshow, I highlight three important quotes from UnitedHealth's CEO that offer insight into the affects of health care exchanges and Medicaid expansion.
Top dividend stocks for the next decade that may make UnitedHealth investors jealous
The smartest investors know that dividend stocks simply crush their non-dividend paying counterparts over the long term. That's beyond dispute. They also know that a well-constructed dividend portfolio creates wealth steadily, while still allowing you to sleep like a baby. Knowing how valuable such a portfolio might be, our top analysts put together a�report on a group of high-yielding stocks�that should be in any income investor's portfolio. To see our free report on these stocks, just�click here now.
5 Best Solar Stocks To Buy Right Now: Platinum Group Metals Ltd (PLG)
Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (Platinum Group) is a platinum focused exploration and development company conducting work on mineral properties it has staked or acquired by way of option agreements in the Republic of South Africa and in Canada. The Company conducts its South African exploration and development work through its wholly owned direct subsidiary, Platinum Group Metals (RSA) (Proprietary) Limited (PTM RSA). PTM RSA holds the Company�� interests in the Project 1 platinum mine (Project 1) and Project 3. PTM RSA also holds 100% of Wesplats Holding (Proprietary) Limited (Wesplats), and a 37% interest in Wildebeest Platinum (Pty) Limited (Wildebeest), a company set up to hold prospecting rights for the exploration joint venture between the Company and Sable Platinum Mining (Pty) Ltd. (Sable) and Umnotho NREF Joint Venture. In September 2011, it purchased the Providence Copper-Nickel-Cobalt-Platinum Group Metals (Cu-Ni-Co-PGM) property from Arctic Star Exploration (Arctic Star). Advisors' Opinion:- [By Zacks Investment Research]
Investors hoping for a turnaround in precious metals prices and looking for exposure to precious metals miners could consider Platinum Group Metals (PLG), currently ranked #2 (Buy) by Zacks.
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co. Inc.(HITK)
Hi Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in developing, manufacturing, and marketing generic and prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), and nutritional products in liquid and semi-solid dosage forms in the United States. The company offers a range of products for various disease states, including glaucoma, asthma, bronchial disorders, dermatological disorders, allergies, pain, stomach, and oral care. Its generic pharmaceutical products include oral solutions and suspensions, topical creams and ointments, and nasal sprays. The company also manufactures liquid ophthalmic, otic, and inhalation products; and prescription vitamins. In addition, it markets a line of branded products that include OTC medications, nutritional products, cosmetics, and medical devices primarily for people with diabetes. The company offers its products to chain drug stores, drug wholesalers, managed care purchasing organizations, Federal government agencies, generic dis tributors, mass merchandisers, and mail-order pharmacies. Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Amityville, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Chulak]
Look at Hi-Tech Pharmacal�� (HITK) cash flow statement below. Hi-Tech just received approval by the FDA for an oral concentrate of Lorazepam. Lorazepam is an often-used drug for the treatment of anxiety and is probably used by more Wall Street analysts than I care to know about. Note that the last three years indicate that net income is greater than operating cash flow. This is known as a red flag and should be investigated thoroughly if you intend to invest in any stock with similar numbers.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Still, some stocks are bucking the trend. Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GT) has gained 1.4% to $18.90, the largest gainer in the S&P 500, after reaching a deal with a union. The real winners: Hi-Tech Pharmacal (HITK) has gained 22.3% to $43.05 after agreeing to be purchased by Akorn (AKRX), which has jumped 9.6% to $18.02.
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Reeds Inc.(REED)
Reed?s, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of natural non-alcoholic and New Age beverages, candies, and ice creams primarily in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. The company?s New Age beverages product line includes natural soda, fruit juices and fruit drinks, ready-to-drink teas, sports drinks, and water. It also offers six Reed?s Ginger Brew flavors, including extra, original, premium, cherry ginger, raspberry ginger, and spiced apple ginger; five Virgil?s beverages comprising root beer, cream soda, orange cream soda, black cherry cream soda, and real cola; four zero calorie Virgil?s versions; two China Cola regular and cherry beverages; and two Sonoma Sparkler sparkling juices. In addition, the company offers three types of ginger candies, including crystallized ginger, ginger chews, and peanut butter ginger chews; and three flavors of ginger ice cream comprising original, green tea, and cho colate. Further, it provides Reed?s Natural Energy Elixir, an energy drink; and Reed?s Nausea Releif, a ginger brews based product with added B vitamins. Reed?s, Inc. sells its products to specialty gourmet and natural food stores, supermarket chains, retail stores, and restaurants through a network of natural, gourmet, and independent distributors, as well as through a direct sales team and independent sales representatives. The company was formerly known as Original Beverage Corporation and changed its name to Reed?s, Inc. in 2001. Reed?s, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Los Angeles, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
If you are looking for the next small cap beverage stock that could turn into the next Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), under the radar beverage�companies like small caps National Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: FIZZ), Reed's, Inc (NYSEMKT: REED) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) could be just what you are looking for. I should point out that the beverage space is often a battle between David and Goliath as everyone, and especially�smaller players, must fight for every inch of shelf space. Nevertheless, the following small cap beverage stocks are at least holding their ground and putting up a good fight leading to profits for investors:
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: STAAR Surgical Company(STAA)
STAAR Surgical Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of implantable lenses for the cataracts and refractive surgery. It offers intraocular lenses (IOL) that include silicone Toric IOL, which is used in cataract surgery to treat preexisting astigmatism; Preloaded Injector, a three-piece silicone or acrylic IOL preloaded into a single-use disposable injector; Aspheric IOLs that provide a clearer image than traditional spherical IOLs; and nanoFLEX IOL, a single-piece collamer aspheric IOL. The company also provides implantable collamer lenses (ICL) comprising VISIAN ICL and VISIAN Toric ICL to treat refractive disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. In addition, it sells surgical products and other related instruments, as well as manufactures AquaFlow device for the treatment of glaucoma. The company markets its products to health care providers, including surgical centers, hospitals, managed care pro viders, health maintenance organizations, group purchasing organizations, and government facilities primarily under the STAAR, Visian, Collamer, nanoFLEX, nanoPOINT, CentraFLOW, AquaPORT, Epiphany, and AquaFlow names. It distributes its products through directly employed representatives, independent sales representatives, and local distributors in the United States and internationally. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Monrovia, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Monday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT) and STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA). In trading on Monday, basic materials shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.45 percent.
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: ABIOMED Inc.(ABMD)
Abiomed, Inc. provides medical devices in circulatory support and continuum of care in heart recovery to acute heart failure patients. The company?s products are designed to enable the heart to rest, heal, and recover by enhancing blood flow and/or performing the pumping function of the heart. Its products consist of Impella 2.5 catheter, a percutaneous micro heart pump with integrated motor and sensors for use in interventional cardiology; and Impella 5.0 catheter and Impella LD, which are percutaneous micro heart pumps with integrated motors and sensors for use primarily in the heart surgery suite. The company also manufactures and sells the AB5000 circulatory support system and the BVS 5000 biventricular support system for temporary support of acute heart failure patients in profound shock, including patients suffering from cardiogenic shock after a heart attack, post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock, or myocarditis. Its products are used in the cardiac catheterization lab by interventional cardiologists and/or in the heart surgery suite by heart surgeons. The company sells its products through direct sales and clinical support personnel in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Abiomed, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of ABIOMED (NASDAQ: ABMD ) , a maker of medical devices for the cardiovascular system, jumped as much as 10% after the company reported better-than-expected preliminary revenue for the fourth-quarter.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap heart stocks Sunshine Heart Inc (NASDAQ: SSH), Abiomed, Inc (NASDAQ: ABMD) and AtriCure Inc (NASDAQ: ATRC) each find different ways go to the heart of the problem for cardiac�patients and have all been good performers for investors this year. After all and according to statistics collected by the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women as about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year���accounting�for 1 in every 4 deaths. Moreover, roughly 715,000 Americans have a heart attack every year and�ff these, 525,000 are a first heart attack and 190,000 happen to people who have already had one. In other words, there is a big market for the following small cap heart stocks to address:
- [By Todd Campbell]
So far I've outlined the reasons for the robust returns last year at diabetes device maker Dexcom and cardiovascular device play Cardiovascular Systems (NASDAQ: CSII ) . That brings us to No. 3 in my series,�Abiomed (NASDAQ: ABMD ) , a company that saw its latest product line propel its shares 98% higher in 2013.
- [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 ABIOMED (Nasdaq: ABMD ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: OGE Energy Corporation(OGE)
OGE Energy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy and energy services provider that offers physical delivery and related services for electricity and natural gas primarily in the south central United States. The company is involved in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electric energy in Oklahoma and western Arkansas; and gathering, processing, transporting, storing, and marketing of natural gas. It furnishes retail electric service in 268 communities and their contiguous rural and suburban areas. OGE Energy Corp. operates coal-fired and natural gas-fired units, as well as wind-powered units. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 12 generating stations with an aggregate capability of 6,790 megawatts; and a transmission system comprising 51 substations and 4,258 structure miles of lines in Oklahoma, and 7 substations and 279 structure miles of lines in Arkansas. Its distribution system consisted of 353 substations , 27,854 structure miles of overhead lines, 1,895 miles of underground conduit, and 10,120 miles of underground conductors in Oklahoma, as well as 37 substations, 2,250 structure miles of overhead lines, 212 miles of underground conduit, and 572 miles of underground conductors in Arkansas. The company also owned approximately 6,019 miles of intrastate natural gas gathering pipelines in Oklahoma and Texas; approximately 2,250 miles of intrastate natural gas transportation pipelines in Oklahoma; and 2 underground natural gas storage facilities and 8 operating natural gas processing plants in Oklahoma. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, oilfield, public authorities, and street light operators. OGE Energy Corp. was founded in 1995 and is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Energy services provider OGE Energy (OGE) raised its annual dividend 7.8% to 90 cents per share, payable on Jan. 30 to shareholders of record as of January 10.
OGE Dividend Yield: 2.6% - [By Chuck Carnevale]
OGE Energy Corp. (OGE): Another Utility with Slightly Higher Growth
Our second example, OGE Energy Corp., differs from our first only by virtue of the fact that its earnings growth rate since 1998 has averaged over 5% per annum. Nevertheless, we once again discover that the PE ratio of 15 represents a strong proxy for this company�� valuation. During the short time intervals when price deviates from fair value PE of 15, it doesn�� take long for price to move back into alignment with earnings.
- [By Robert Rapier]
Enable Midstream Partners�(NYSE: ENBL), a joint venture by affiliates of�CenterPoint Energy�(NYSE: CNP),�OGE Energy�(NYSE: OGE) and ArcLight Capital Partners. Enable Midstream Partners is one of the largest midstream partnerships in the US, with oil and gas midstream assets that extend from western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle to Alabama and from Louisiana to Illinois
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. (ED)
Consolidated Edison, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides electric, gas, and steam utility services in the United States. It provides electric service to approximately 3.3 million customers and gas service to approximately 1.1 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, as well as provides steam service to office buildings and apartment houses in parts of Manhattan. The company also provides electric service to approximately 0.3 million customers in southeastern New York and in adjacent areas of northern New Jersey, and northeastern Pennsylvania; and gas service to approximately 0.1 million customers in southeastern New York and adjacent areas of northeastern Pennsylvania. In addition, Consolidated Edison involves in the sale and related hedging of electricity to wholesale and retail customers; operation of generating plants; participation in other infrastructure projects; and provision of energy-efficiency services, including the design and installation of lighting retrofits, high-efficiency heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment, and other energy saving technologies to government and commercial customers. It serves residential, industrial, and large commercial customers. The company was founded in 1884 and is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Until recently, Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED ) was arguably one of those stocks that made the Aristocrats list on a technicality, as it had made minimal half-penny increases in its quarterly payout for more than 15 years. But this past year, the utility boosted its dividend by a full penny, and while that's small, it could be significant in signaling an acceleration of its dividend increases. Let's take a closer look at Consolidated Edison to see whether this faster dividend growth is likely to continue.
- [By Justin Loiseau]
Natural NYC
Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED ) announced earlier this week that it plans to spend around $100 million extending its New York City natural gas infrastructure. The decision is based on a variety of factors but can be most directly linked to environmental regulation compliance and cheaper costs for both Con Ed and customers. - [By Michael Flannelly]
Early on Wednesday, analysts at Goldman Sachs upgraded utility company Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED), noting that rate case concerns are already priced into the stock’s current valuation.
The analysts upgraded ED from “Sell” to “Neutral” and see shares reaching $57, up from the previous target of $55. This new price target suggests a slight upside to the stock’s Tuesday closing price of $55.28.
“While ED faces a challenging rate case in New York, we see this risk as well understood by the market now,” Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Lapides said.
Con Edison shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Wednesday. The stock is down a fraction year-to-date.
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