When current Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) CEO Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai took over as head of the huge Japanese consumer electronics company, he promised to turn the company around. It had been ruined by his predecessor Sir Howard Stringer, who missed every opportunity to make Sony what is once was — the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) of the 1980s and 1990s. Hirai either took the job too late to matter, or his efforts have failed. The latest evidence came as Moody’s cut Sony’s rating to junk.
The ratings firm announced:
Moody’s Japan K.K. has downgraded the Issuer Rating and the long-term senior unsecured bond rating of Sony Corporation to Ba1 from Baa3. The ratings outlook is stable.
And added:
Of primary concern are the challenges facing the company’s TV and PC businesses, both of which face intense global competition, rapid changes in technology, and product obsolescence.
Sony’s profitability is likely to remain weak and volatile, as we expect the majority of its core consumer electronics businesses — such as TVs, mobile, digital cameras and personal computers — to continue to face significant downward earnings pressure. The primary reason is intense competition and the shrinkage in demand, the result in turn of cannibalization caused by the rapid penetration of smartphones.
Top 10 US Companies To Buy Right Now: Medley Capital Corporation (MCC)
Medley Capital Corporation is a business development company. The fund seeks to invest in privately negotiated debt and equity securities of small and middle market companies. It targets private debt transactions ranging in size from $10 million to $50 million to borrowers principally located in North America. It structures its investments as first lien senior secured loans, second lien senior secured loans, senior secured notes, senior subordinated notes, unitranche loans, and seeks warrants or other equity participation. The fund may take a board seat on its investee companies and exits its investments between three years and seven years.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Nathan Slaughter]
All of this is to say that while I strive to hunt down and recommend attractive securities with double-digit yields -- and own a few, like Medley Capital Corp. (NYSE: MCC) -- they are the exception in this environment, not the rule.
Top 10 Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Assurant Inc (AIZ)
Assurant, Inc. (Assurant) is a provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and select worldwide markets. The Company operates in four segments: Assurant Solutions, Assurant Specialty Property, Assurant Health, and Assurant Employee Benefits. The products offered by the segments include warranties and service contracts, pre-funded funeral insurance, lender-placed homeowners insurance, manufactured housing homeowners insurance, individual health and small employer group health insurance, group dental, disability, and life insurance and employee-funded voluntary benefits. On June 21, 2011, the Company acquired the SureDeposit business, the provider of security deposit alternatives to the multifamily housing industry. In October 2013, FirstService Corporation completed the sale of its Field Asset Services business to Assurant, Inc. In October 2013, Assurant Inc acquired Lifestyle Services Group Ltd.
Assurant Solutions
Assurant Solutions targets three product areas: domestic and international extended service contracts (ESC) and warranties, preneed life insurance, and international credit insurance. Through partnerships with retailers and original equipment manufacturers, the Company underwrites and provides administrative services for ESC and warranties. These contracts provide consumers with coverage on cellular phones, personal computers, consumer electronics, appliances, automobiles and recreational vehicles, protecting them from certain covered losses. It pays the cost of repairing or replacing customers��property in the event of mechanical breakdown, accidental damage, and casualty losses such as theft, fire, and water damage. The Company provides administration, claims handling and customer service. Preneed life insurance allows individuals to prepay for a funeral in a single payment or in multiple payments over a fixed number of years. The insurance policy proceeds are used to address funeral costs at death. These products are only so! ld in the United States and Canada and are generally structured as whole life insurance policies in the United States and annuity products in Canada.
The Company�� credit insurance products offer protection from life events and uncertainties that arise in purchasing and borrowing transactions. Credit insurance programs offer consumers the option to protect a credit card balance or installment loan in the event of death, involuntary unemployment or disability, and are generally available to all consumers without the underwriting restrictions that apply to term life insurance. In addition to the domestic market, the Company operates in Canada, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Chile, Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico and China. In these markets, it primarily sells ESC and credit insurance products through agreements with financial institutions, retailers and wireless service providers.
Assurant Specialty Property
The product line within Assurant Specialty Property is homeowners insurance, consisting principally of fire and dwelling hazard insurance offered through its lender-placed programs. The lender-placed program provides collateral protection to lenders, mortgage servicers and investors in mortgaged properties in the event that a homeowner does not maintain insurance on a mortgaged dwelling. Lender-placed insurance coverage is not limited to the outstanding loan balance; it provides structural coverage, similar to that of a standard homeowners policy. The policy is based on the replacement cost of the property and ensures that a home can be repaired or rebuilt completely in the event of damage. The Company also provides insurance to some of its clients on properties that have been foreclosed and are being managed by its clients. This type of insurance is called Real Estate Owned (REO) insurance. Lender-placed and voluntary manufactured housing insurance: Manufactured housing insurance is offered on a lender-placed and voluntary basis. Lender-plac! ed insura! nce is issued after an insurance tracking process similar to that described above. The tracking is performed by Assurant Specialty Property using an insurance tracking administration system, or by the lenders themselves.
The Company has developed products in adjacent and emerging markets, such as the lender-placed flood and mandatory insurance rental markets. It also acts as an administrator for the United States Government under the voluntary National Flood Insurance Program, for which it earns a fee for collecting premiums and processing claims. This business is 100% reinsured to the Federal Government. The Company offers its manufactured housing insurance programs primarily through manufactured housing lenders and retailers, along with independent specialty agents. The independent specialty agents distribute flood products and miscellaneous specialty property products. Multi-family housing products are distributed primarily through property management companies and affinity marketing partners. Its lender-placed homeowners insurance program and certain of its manufactured home products are not underwritten on an individual policy basis.
Assurant Health
Assurant Health offers medical insurance and short-term medical insurance to individuals and families in the medical insurance market. Its products are offered with different plan options. Assurant Health also offers medical insurance to small employer groups. The Company�� medical insurance products are sold to individuals, primarily between the ages of 18 and 64, and their families, who do not have employer-sponsored coverage. It offers a variety of benefit plans at different price points. The Company�� group medical insurance is primarily sold to small companies with 2 to 50 employees, although larger employer coverage is available. The Company�� health insurance products are principally marketed through a network of independent agents. It also markets through a variety of national account relationships ! and direc! t distribution channels. In addition, the Company markets its products through North Star Marketing, a wholly owned affiliate.
Assurant Employee Benefits
The Company offers group disability, dental, vision, life and supplemental worksite products, as well as individual dental products. The group products are offered with funding options ranging from fully employer-paid to fully employee-paid (voluntary). In addition, it reinsures disability and life products through its wholly owned subsidiary, Disability Reinsurance Management Services, Inc. (DRMS). Group disability insurance provides partial replacement of lost earnings for insured employees who become disabled, as defined by their plan provisions. The Company�� products include both short- and long-term disability coverage options. It also reinsures disability policies written by other carriers through its DRMS subsidiary.
Dental benefit plans provide funding for necessary or elective dental care. Customers may select a traditional indemnity arrangement, a preferred provider organization (PPO) arrangement, or a prepaid or managed care arrangement. Coverage is subject to deductibles, coinsurance and annual or lifetime maximums. In a prepaid plan, members must use participating dentists in order to receive benefits. Assurant Employee Benefits owns and operates Dental Health Alliance, L.L.C., a dental PPO network. The Company also has an agreement with Aetna that allows it to use Aetna�� Dental Access network. Fully insured vision coverage is offered through its agreement with Vision Service Plan, Inc., a supplier of vision insurance. The Company�� plans cover eye exams, glasses and contact lenses, and are sold in combination with one or more of its other products.
Group term life insurance provided through the workplace provides benefits in the event of death. The Company also provides accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance. Insurance consists primarily of renewable term life insu! rance wit! h the amount of coverage provided being either a flat amount, a multiple of the employee�� earnings, or a combination of the two. It also reinsures life policies written by other carriers through DRMS. In addition, the Company provides group critical illness, cancer, accident, and gap insurance. These products are paid for by the employee through payroll deduction, and the employee is enrolled in the coverage(s) at the worksite. Its products and services are distributed through a group sales force located in 34 offices near metropolitan areas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Specialized insurance products provider�Assurant (NYSE: AIZ ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.25 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after raising the payout 19%, from $0.21 per share.
Top 10 Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Covance Inc. (CVD)
Covance Inc., a drug development services company, provides various early-stage and late-stage product development services primarily to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. Its early development services include preclinical services, such as toxicology, pharmaceutical and nutritional chemistry, polyclonal and monoclonal antibody, immunology and antibody, metabolism studies and pharmacokinetic screening, and bioanalytical testing services; and clinical pharmacology services comprising first-in-human trials of new pharmaceuticals. The company�s late-stage development services include central laboratory services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers; and clinical development services, such as the full management of Phase II through IV clinical studies, study design and modeling, co-ordination of study activities, trial logistics, monitoring of study site performance, clinical data management and biostatistical analysis, medical writing and regulatory services, and periapproval services. It also offers market access services, including reimbursement and healthcare economics consulting services, which comprise outcomes and pharmacoeconomic studies, reimbursement planning, reimbursement advocacy programs, risk evaluation and mitigation strategy services, registry services, and specialty pharmacy services; and clinical trial support services, such as cardiac safety services, and interactive voice and Web response services. In addition, Covance Inc. offers laboratory testing services to the chemical, agrochemical, and food industries. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Johanna Bennett]
LabCorp jumped 3.3% to $111.46 a share after analyst Nicholas Jansen upgraded the stock to Outperform from Underperform, with a $130 price target, citing cost cutting effort and accretion from the acquisition of drug testing company Covance (CVD) in November.
Top 10 Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: KBB Resources Bhd (KBB)
KBB Resources Berhad is an investment holding company. The Company is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of all types of rice and sago sticks (vermicelli), sago starch and related products. The Company�� product includes Rice Vermicelli, Instant Noodle, Instant Bihun, Laksa and Sago. The Company�� subsidiaries include Kilang Bihun Bersatu Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in Manufacturing and marketing of all types of rice and sago sticks (vermicelli); Rasayang Food Industries Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in manufacturing and trading of beehoon and beehoon laksa; Bersatu Noodles Industries Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in manufacturing and trading of noodles and related products, and Bersatu Biotechnology (Johore) Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of all types of sago starch and related products. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Neha Marwah]
LMC Automotive expects the annualized rate to be 16.1 million, the best in six years. This is a decent improvement from last year�� November, when the industry reported 15.3 million as the adjusted annualized rate. In comparison, Kelley Blue Book (KBB) expects the November 2013 SAAR to be around 15.6 million, while Edmunds.com estimates it to be 15.7 million.
Top 10 Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Maxim Integrated Products Inc.(MXIM)
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. engages in designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing various linear and mixed-signal integrated circuits worldwide. The company also provides various high-frequency process technologies and capabilities for use in custom designs. It primarily serves industrial, communications, consumer, and computing markets. The company markets its products through a direct-sales and applications organization, as well as through its own and other unaffiliated distribution channels. Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By rusticnomad]
Maxim Integrated (MXIM) didn't do very well last quarter as its revenue declined. This decline was anticipated by management, as its consumer business was facing seasonal weakness. However, the gains from the initial ramp of a new smartphone at its largest customer arrested the decline.
Top 10 Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Deckers Outdoor Corporation(DECK)
Deckers Outdoor Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of footwear and accessories for outdoor activities and casual lifestyle use to men, women, and children. The company offers luxury footwear and accessories under the UGG brand name; high performance multi-sport shoes, rugged outdoor footwear, and sport sandals under the Teva brand name; casual and sustainable-lifestyle sneakers and accessories under the Simple brand name; casual footwear under the TSUBO brand name; and outdoor performance and lifestyle footwear under the Ahnu brand name. Its accessories include handbags and cold weather outerwear. The company sells its products primarily to specialty retailers, department stores, outdoor retailers, sporting goods retailers, shoe stores, and online retailers. Deckers Outdoor Corporation also sells its products directly to end-user consumers through its Web sites, call centers, retail concept stores, and retail outlet stores, as well as through ret ailers in the United States. In addition, the company distributes its products through independent distributors and retailers in Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, and Latin America. It has a joint venture with Stella International Holdings Limited for the opening of retail stores and wholesale distribution for the UGG brand in China. Deckers Outdoor Corporation was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Goleta, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ: DECK) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.72 per share on revenue of $385.95 million.
Colgate-Palmolive Co (NYSE: CL) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $4.46 billion.
- [By Dan Moskowitz]
Skechers (NYSE: SKX ) has is up 65% year-to-date, outperforming Brown Shoe (NYSE: BWS ) , Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW ) , Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ: DECK ) , and Nike (NYSE: NKE ) , which have appreciated 26%, 39%, 62%, and 43%, respectively. Skechers' upside move is justifiable based on the company's recent performance. At the same time, this doesn't mean Skechers will offer the best long-term investment opportunity in this group.
- [By Sean Williams]
Constantly changing fashion styles also require continued innovation to keep customers loyal. Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ: DECK ) , the company behind the Ugg brand, has struggled in recent quarters as sheepskin costs have risen and its styles haven't clicked with younger consumers as well as they had in the past.
- [By DailyFinance Staff]
Concerns about the political uncertainty in Ukraine caused some volatility in the markets Friday afternoon, with the major indexes making several U-turns ahead of the weekend. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI), which had been up by as much as 125 points, briefly dropped into loss territory before rebounding to end 49 points higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) edged up 5 points, adding to Thursday's record high, but the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) lost 10 points. AP/Darko VojinovicPro-Russian militias have seized local government buildings in Crimea, Ukraine; the unrest there is making investors around the world nervous. February was a great month for investors. All three major averages jumped by about 4 percent. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) led the blue chips, gaining 1½ percent. Other health providers – Aetna (AET), Wellpoint (WLP), Cigna (CI) and Humana (HUM) -- all gained between 1½ and 2 percent. And retail stocks remained active. Target (TGT) added another 3 percent. Best Buy rose 4 percent, and Fred's (FRED), a regional department store chain, jumped 10 percent. But Pier 1 (PIR) fell 5½ percent after lowering its earnings outlook for a second time. That led to a series of brokerage downgrades. Decker Outdoor (DECK) tumbled 12 percent. The maker of footwear brands such as Ugg and Teva issued a weak outlook. And apparel maker Lululemon (LULU) fell 5-percent on negative comments from Credit Suisse. It seems as though there are always some big movers in the drug and biotech sectors – and that was certainly the case today. GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) rose 2 percent after the FDA granted orphan status to its drug to treat a rare form of childhood epilepsy. But most of the action was on the downside. Endologix (ELGX) slid 24 percent after forecasting lower revenue growth. Questcor (QCOR) fell 10 percent. It's lost big for three straight days amid allegations of questionable business practices. Jazz Pharma
Top 10 Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Invesco Plc(IVZ)
Invesco Ltd. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to individuals, typically high net worth individuals. It also manages accounts for institutions. The firm manages separate client focused equity, fixed income, balanced portfolios. It also launches equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It invests in core, growth, and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap companies. The firm employs a fundamental and quantitative analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach to make its investments. It conducts in-house research to make its investments. Invesco Ltd. was founded in December 1935 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sally Jones]
This month, Invesco Ltd. (IVZ) reported that foreign exchange increased its assets under management by $1.1 billion. Invesco�� preliminary average total AUM for the quarter (through November 30) was reported at $757.2 billion. The preliminary month-end AUM of $767.3 billion, reflected an increase of 0.4%, month-over-month, according to the company website.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
We believe the hire of Bill Gross is a landmark moment for Janus, strengthening the franchise and could potentially further shift investor sentiment towards the stock. Due to the sheer magnitude of assets under Gross�� management while at PIMCO ($300-$500B), it will take just a small share coming over to Janus to make for compelling economics, in our view. We upgrade�Janus to Equal-weight, with an $18 price target (+13% upside) and raise our 2015-16e EPS to $1.13 & $1.37 (from 88c & 97c) on an est��$30B Gross AuM (~10% of his PIMCO retail AuM, slightly less than Neil Woodford�� 12% since he left Invesco (IVZ)).
- [By Nicole Seghetti]
Gaining ETF exposure...�without breaking the piggybank
So what's the best choice? A traditional ETF or one that's value creating? That depends. First, determine your need for market exposure. For example, if you're lacking international investments, go with an ETF that'll get you that type of exposure. Next, decide whether or not you're willing to pay a higher cost for the chance to outperform. If you're inclined to fork over extra dough for that potential, then consider a value-creating type of ETF. For example, Invesco's (NYSE: IVZ ) PowerShares ETFs seek to beat traditional benchmark indexes while giving investors access to more focused investment opportunities. Instead, if you want to keep costs to a minimum, then look for a traditional ETF with a low expense ratio. - [By Sean Williams]
Investment management firm Invesco (NYSE: IVZ ) , which typically caters to high-net-worth individuals and offers a myriad of ETFs, rose 6.8% after reporting its first-quarter results. For the quarter, profits jumped nearly 15% to $0.49 per share as clients and investors flooded into its ETFs. Total cash inflows totaled $19.2 billion for the quarter -- a record for the company. It also didn't hurt that Invesco boosted its dividend by 30% to $0.225 per quarter. Even after today's move, at just 13 times forward earnings, there could still be room to run higher.
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