It might not have been designed to coincide with last week's federal government shutdown, but the Oct. 1 launch of the ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund (USMAX) couldn't have been timelier.
The fund is the latest and first non-alternative fund from AlphaSimplex Group LLC, a $3 billion asset management firm headed by noted quantitative strategist Andrew Lo.
The basic strategy of the fund, which is managed by Jerry Chafkin, is to use futures contracts to hedge or leverage the exposure to an underlying stock portfolio that acts as a proxy for the domestic-equity market.
5 Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2015: RWE AG (RWE)
RWE AG is a Germany-based electricity and gas company. It diversifies its activities into seven divisions: Germany, which consists of the Power Generation and Sales and Distribution Networks business area; Netherlands/Belgium; Great Britain; The Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe; Renewables; Upstream Gas and Oil, and Trading/Gas Midstream. Under the Netherlands/Belgium division it reports on wholly owned Essent, which provides gas, electricity, heat and energy services. The United Kingdom division represents RWE npower; The Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe division covers its subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Slovakia. The Renewables division comprises all of the activities of RWE Innogy, which specializes in electricity and heat generation from renewables. The Upstream Gas & Oil division produces gas and oil through RWE Dea. The Trading/Gas Midstream division encompasses energy trading, gas midstream activities, and sales to German clients. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Morgan]
RWE AG (RWE), Germany�� second-largest utility, slipped 2.4 percent after RBC Capital Markets cut its recommendation on the stock. Lufthansa followed its European peers higher, recovering some of its Aug. 2 selloff. Xing AG (O1BC), the business social network, jumped the most since October as Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) upgraded its rating on the shares.
- [By Jonathan Morgan]
RWE AG (RWE) jumped 6.4 percent, leading a gauge of utilities higher. Deutz AG (DEZ) plunged the most in more than two years after an investor sold a 8.4 percent stake in the manufacturer of diesel engines. ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG (PSM) dropped 1.1 percent after Telegraaf Media Groep NV sold its stake in the company.
Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Watch In Right Now: Williams-Sonoma Inc.(WSM)
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home products. It offers culinary and serving equipment, including cookware, cookbooks, cutlery, informal dinnerware, glassware, table linens, specialty foods, and cooking ingredients; and bridal and gift items under the Williams-Sonoma brand name. The company also provides home furnishing categories, including furniture, textiles, decorative accessories, lighting, and tabletop items under the West Elm brand name; bed and bath products under the Pottery Barn brand name; and children?s furnishings and accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand name. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. sells its home products through four retail store concepts, which include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and West Elm; six direct-mail catalogs that comprise Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed and Bath, PBteen, and West Elm; and six e-commerce Websites, which consist of williams-sonoma.com, potte rybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, pbteen.com, westelm.com, and wshome.com. As of January 30, 2011, it operated 592 stores, including 260 Williams-Sonoma, 193 Pottery Barn, 85 Pottery Barn Kids, 36 West Elm, and 18 outlet stores located in 44 states of the United States; Washington, D.C.; Canada; and Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
The Q1 2014 earnings report for Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (NYSE: RH), a potential peer of other furniture or home d茅cor retailers like Williams-Sonoma, Inc (NYSE: WSM), Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ: BBBY) and Pier 1 Imports Inc (NYSE: PIR), is scheduled for after the market closes on Wednesday. Aside from the Restoration Hardware Holdings earnings report, it should be said that Bed Bath & Beyond Inc reported Q4 2013 earnings on April 9th (shares dropped after profit forecast trails estimates) and will report Q1 2014 June 23rd; Pier 1 Imports Inc will report Q1 2015 earnings on Monday, June 16th; and Williams-Sonoma, Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 21st (comparable brand revenues grow 10%, operating income grows 17% and EPS increased 20% to $0.48). All of these stocks are a potential play on a housing recovery�plus Restoration Hardware Holdings gave a strong guidance the last time it reported earnings.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Bed Bath & Beyond stands to benefit from the upturn in the housing market that we've seen recently. Already, rival Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM ) , which operates the higher-end Pottery Barn home-furnishings chain, reported extremely strong sales, with its West Elm division showing the strongest results. With Pier 1 (NYSE: PIR ) also having shown signs of benefiting from the booming market, Bed Bath & Beyond should finally enjoy some macroeconomic tailwinds to support its results.
- [By Sue Chang]
After Wednesday�� closing bell, Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM) �reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings of $1.38 a share and announced an increase in quarterly dividend to 33 cents a share from 31 cents a share. Shares of Williams-Sonoma rose more than 6% in after-hours trading.
Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Watch In Right Now: Copano Energy L.L.C.(CPNO)
Copano Energy, L.L.C. provides midstream services to natural gas producers in the United States. The company?s services include natural gas gathering, compression, dehydration, treating, marketing, transportation, processing, and fractionation. It owns and operates natural gas gathering and intrastate transportation pipeline assets; natural gas processing and fractionation facilities; and natural gas liquid (NGL) pipelines in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Louisiana. The company operates approximately 6,800 miles of natural gas gathering and transmission pipelines; and 10 natural gas processing plants with approximately 1 billion cubic feet per day of combined processing capacity. It also operates 380 miles of NGL pipelines. The company serves third-party pipelines, distribution companies, power generation facilities, and industrial customers. Copano Energy, L.L.C. was founded in 2001 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Copano Energy (NASDAQ: CPNO ) is keeping its quarterly dividend steady, handing out $0.575 per unit on April 26 to holders of record as of April 22, the company announced this week. The company has disbursed the same amount every quarter since the beginning of 2009.
Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Watch In Right Now: REX American Resources Corp (REX)
Rex American Resources Corporation (REX), incorporated in 1984, is a holding company to succeed to the entire ownership of three affiliated corporations, Rex Radio and Television, Inc., Stereo Town, Inc. and Kelly & Cohen Appliances, Inc. As of January 31, 2012, the Company had lease agreements, as landlord, for six owned former retail stores and had 16 vacant former retail properties. The Company also owns one former distribution center that is partially leased, partially occupied by its corporate office personnel and partially vacant. The Company is marketing these vacant properties to lease or sell. As of January 31, 2012, the Company invested in five ethanol production entities, two of which the Company has a majority ownership interest in. These properties include One Earth Energy, LLC, NuGen Energy, LLC, Patriot Renewable Fuels, LLC, Levelland Hockley County Ethanol, LLC, and one group consisting of Big River Resources, LLC-W Burlington, Big River Resources, LLC-Galva and Big River United Energy, LLC. It operates through two business segments: alternative energy and real estate.
On November 1, 2011, the Company acquired an additional 50% equity interest in NuGen Energy, LLC. In December 2011, Big River acquired a 100% interest in an ethanol production facility located in Boyceville, Wisconsin.
Alternative Energy
As of January 31, 2012, all of the entities the Company is invested in are operating except for Levelland Hockley County Ethanol, LLC (Levelland Hockley). As of January 31, 2011, the Company held a 74% interest in One Earth Energy, LLC. The plant has an annual nameplate capacity of 100 million gallons of ethanol and 320,000 tons of dried distillers grains (DDG). The Company owns a 23% interest in Patriot Renewable Fuels, LLC (Patriot). The plant is located in Annawan, Illinois and has a nameplate capacity of 100 million gallons of ethanol and 320,000 tons of DDG per year.
As of January 31, 2012, all of the entities the Company is in! vested in are operating except for Levelland Hockley County Ethanol, LLC (Levelland Hockley). As of January 31, 2011, the Company held a 74% interest in One Earth Energy, LLC. The plant has an annual nameplate capacity of 100 million gallons of ethanol and 320,000 tons of dried distillers grains (DDG). The Company owns a 23% interest in Patriot Renewable Fuels, LLC (Patriot). The plant is located in Annawan, Illinois and has a nameplate capacity of 100 million gallons of ethanol and 320,000 tons of DDG per year.
Levelland Hockley is located in Levelland, Texas. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 40 million gallons of ethanol and 135,000 tons of dried distillers grains (DDG) per year. The plant was shut down in January 2011. On January 31, 2011, the Company sold 814,000 of its membership units to Levelland Hockley, reducing its ownership interest in Levelland Hockley to 49%. As a result, it no longer has a controlling financial interest in Levelland Hockley.
Real Estate Operations
As of January 31, 2011, the Company had lease agreements, as landlord, for all or parts of eight owned former retail stores (88,000 square feet leased and 10,000 square feet vacant). It had 22 owned former retail stores (281,000 square feet) that were vacant as of January 31, 2011. The Company is marketing these vacant properties to lease or sell. In addition, one former distribution center is partially leased (266,000 square feet), partially occupied by its corporate office personnel (10,000 square feet) and partially vacant (190,000 square feet). A typical lease agreement has an initial term of five to twenty years with renewal options. Most of its lessees are responsible for a portion of maintenance, taxes and other executory costs.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tristan R. Brown]
Three months ago I wrote that the stock performance YTD of independent ethanol producer Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) was an "aberration", especially in light of the performance of its industry peers' shares. The discrepancy between Pacific Ethanol's share price and those of its peers has only grown more pronounced since July (see figure). Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) and REX American Resources (REX) have continued to greatly outperform the S&P 500. Even Biofuel Energy, which fell behind on its interest and debt payments over the summer and is facing a shareholder-ruining liquidation, has seen its share price perform significantly better than Pacific Ethanol's in 2013. The oddest part about the stock's performance over the last three months, however, is that the period has been marked by multiple positive announcements from the company. It late July it reported its first positive EPS in almost two years for Q2 (0.07). Its Q2 EBITDA of $3.8 million was its highest since Q4 2011. Its current ratio is well above its previous lows, its ratio of total assets to total liabilities is increasing, and its total shareholders' equity is at a 3-year high. Despite these improvements, the company's price/book ratio is a mere 0.77.
- [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 REX American Resources (NYSE: REX ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
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