Monday, January 19, 2015

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now

The bad news is that the rule only applies to criminal tax restitution payments. Consequently, when faced with the unenviable option of a tax fraud criminal offense or another federal criminal violation, one must keep in mind restitution. Imagine being convicted of or pleading guilty to a non-tax federal law violation that includes un-reported income or overstated expenses as part of the scheme. Then imagine that not a penny of the criminal restitution is applied to the subsequent IRS bill for tax, penalties and interest. This is a very real scenario. Thus, the first trap for the unwary is to make  sure the plea is to a tax violation that separately includes the tax loss for each year involved in the scheme.

However, a tax plea or conviction is not the end of the story. Many taxpayers are  shocked to learn that despite the criminal judgment, interest runs on restitution.  Since, restitution is just the unpaid taxes, the interest runs back to the due date of the original return. The IRS has a section in Philadelphia that sends out these interest due notices in criminal tax cases much to the chagrin of taxpayers who thought they had already fully paid their debt to society.

Top Quality Companies To Watch For 2015: Perfumania Holdings Inc(PERF)

Perfumania Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a wholesale distributor and specialty retailer of perfumes and fragrances in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company distributes designer fragrances to mass market retailers, drug and other chain stores, retail wholesale clubs, traditional wholesalers, and other distributors. It also owns and licenses designer and other fragrance brands. The company sells its products in retail stores on a consignment basis; and online through perfumania.com, an Internet retailer of fragrances and other specialty items. As of July 30, 2011, it operated a chain of 343 retail stores specializing in the sale of fragrances and related products. The company is based in Bellport, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Vitamin Shoppe Inc (NYSE: VSI), Books-A-Million, Inc (NASDAQ: BAMM) and Perfumania Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: PERF) have the dubious distinction of being�the worst performing small cap�specialty retail stocks for this year (according to Finviz.com) with losses of 4.85% and�3% and a gain of 0.61%, respectively, since the start of the year (See my previous article: This Year�� Best Performing Small Cap Specialty Retail Stocks? UNTD, TA & HZO). I should mention that the definition of specialty retail stocks might vary from one stock screener to another, but what�� clear is that these three small cap retail stocks have been heading in the wrong direction for investors for much of this year. �With that in mind, what sort of performance should investors expect from these small cap specialty retail stocks on Black Friday and for the all important holiday season? Here is what you need to be aware of:

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now: Drinks Americas Holdings Ltd (DKAM)

Drinks Americas Holdings, Ltd., incorporated in February 14, 2005, develops, produces, markets and/or distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for sale primarily in the continental United States. Through its majority-owned subsidiaries, Drinks imports, distributes and markets premium wine and spirits and alcoholic beverages to beverage wholesalers throughout the United States and internationally. The alcoholic products distributed by the Company are KAH Tequila, Old Whiskey River Bourbon (R), Rheingold Beer, Damiana, a Mexican liqueur, Mexicali Beer, Agave 99, Chili Devil Beer, Crazy PigAle and Red Pig Ale. In June, 2011 the Company acquired the rights to distribute and market existing brands and products from Fabrica De Tequilas Finos S.A. de C.V. (Finos) and Cervecera Mexicana, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Cerveceria). In June 2011, the Company acquired the rights to distribute and market existing brands and products through a licensing agreement with Worldwide Beverage Imports, LLC, (WBI). On November 2, 2011, the Company acquired worldwide licensing and distribution rights on both the spirits and beer products owned or licensed by WBI. In June 2013, the Company announced the development of Drinks Americas Consumer Beverage Consulting Division.

The Company owns, distributes or licenses or collects royalties from a number of Spirits Brands to include Old Whiskey River Bourbon, Damiana Liqueur and Rheingold Beer. The Company owns 25% interest in Old Whiskey River Distilling Company, LLC which owns or licenses the related trademarks and trade names associated with the Old Whiskey River products.

The Company compets with Diageo, Allied Domecq, Pernod Ricard, Brown-Forman and Bacardi & Company, Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    Even though you're reading this now, odds are that three weeks ago you'd never even heard of Drinks Americas Holdings, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:DKAM). And, like so many other young, nano-cap stocks, it would be easy to assume the current strength being exhibited by DKAM is nothing but a short-term phenomenon, meaning there's no particular reason to jump on the stock now. If there was ever a reason to jump onto a micro cap name for a quick trade though, this may be it.

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now: UBS AG (UBSN)

UBS AG, incorporated on February 28, 1978, is a client-focused financial services company that offers a combination of wealth management, asset management and investment banking services on a global and regional basis. UBS AG is the parent company of the UBS Group (Group).The operational structure of the Company consists of the Corporate Center and four business divisions: Wealth Management & Swiss Bank, Wealth Management Americas, Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated about 877 business and banking locations worldwide, of which about 42% were in Switzerland, 42% in the Americas, 11% in the rest of Europe, Middle East and Africa, and 5% in Asia-Pacific. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it completed acquisitions in Global Asset Management and in the equities business of the Investment Bank. In November 2011, investment management responsibility for a private equity fund of funds was transferred to Global Asset Management from Wealth Management & Swiss Bank. In October 2011, Global Asset Management acquired ING Investment Management Limited business in Australia. In July 2011, the infrastructure and private equity fund of funds businesses were transferred from its alternative and quantitative investment area to its infrastructure investment area. In January 2011, investment management responsibility for a multi-manager alternative fund was transferred to Global Asset Management from Wealth Management & Swiss Bank.

Wealth Management

Wealth Management provides wealthy private clients with financial advice, products and tools to fit their individual needs. As of December 31, 2011, Wealth Management had presence in over 40 countries and approximately 200 wealth management and representative offices, half of which are outside Switzerland, mostly in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. During 2011, the Company had CHF 750 billion of invested assets. The Company offers products and services to private! clients, focusing in particular on the ultra-high-net-worth (clients with investable assets of more than CHF 50 million) and high-net-worth client segments (clients with investable assets between CHF 2 million and CHF 50 million). In addition, it also provides wealth management solutions, products and services to financial intermediaries. Wealth Management has a presence in over 40 countries and approximately 200 wealth management and representative offices, half of which are outside Switzerland, mostly in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

The Company�� Global Financial Intermediaries (Global FIM) business serves approximately 1,700 asset managers. It provides its clients with the financial advice, products and tools. The Company�� clients can trade a range of financial instruments from single securities, such as equities and bonds, to various investment funds, structured products and alternative investments. Additionally, it offers structured lending, corporate finance and wealth planning advice on client needs, such as funding for education, inheritance and succession. For its ultra high net worth clients, it offers institutional-like servicing that provides access to its Investment Bank and Global Asset Management offerings. Wealth Management also gives clients access to the knowledge, and product and service offerings from Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank, complemented by an open product platform providing access to an array of products from third-party providers.

The Company competes with Credit Suisse, Julius Bar, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Barclays and Unicredit.

Retail & Corporate

The Company delivers financial products and services to its retail, corporate and institutional clients. The Retail & Corporate unit is a core element of UBS Switzerland�� universal bank delivery model. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a network of around 300 branches, 1,250 automated teller machines! , self-se! rvice terminals and customer service centers, alongside e-banking and mobile banking. The Company�� retail clients have access to offering, including cash accounts, payments, savings and retirement solutions, investment fund products, residential mortgages, as well as life insurance and advisory services. It provides financing solutions to its corporate clients, offering access to capital markets (equity and debt capital), syndicated and structured credit, private placements, leasing and traditional financing. The Company�� transaction banking offers solutions for payments and cash management services, trade and export finance, receivable finance, as well as global custody solutions to institutional clients.

The Company competes with Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen and PostFinance.

Wealth Management Americas

Wealth Management Americas provides advice-based relationships through its financial advisors, who deliver a range of wealth management solutions. On December 31, 2011, the business division had CHF 709 billion in invested assets. Wealth Management Americas consisted of branch networks in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, with 6,967 financial advisors as of 31 December 2011. Most corporate and operational functions of the business division are located in the home office in Weehawken, New Jersey. In the United States and Puerto Rico, Wealth Management Americas operates through direct and indirect subsidiaries of UBS AG. Securities and operations activities are conducted primarily through two broker-dealers, UBS Financial Services Inc. and UBS Financial Services Incorporated of Puerto Rico. Its banking services in the United States include those conducted through the UBS AG branches and UBS Bank USA, a federally regulated Utah bank, which provides Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured deposit accounts. It includes the domestic US business, the domestic Canadian business and international business booked in the United States.

Ca! nadian we! alth management and banking operations are conducted through UBS Bank (Canada). The Company�� include wealth accumulation and preservation, income generation and portfolio diversification. The Company�� advisors work closely with internal consultants in areas, such as wealth planning, portfolio strategy, retirement and annuities, alternative investments, managed structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income accounts, structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income retirement and annuities, alternative investments, managed accounts, structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income. It also offers lending and cash management services, such as securities-backed lending, the resource management account, FDIC-insured deposits, mortgages and credit cards. For corporate and institutional clients, it offers a range of solutions, including equity compensation, administration, investment consulting, defined benefit and contribution programs and cash management services. It offers a range of equity and fixed income instruments.

The Company competes with Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

Global Asset Management

The Company serves third-party institutional and wholesale clients and the clients of UBS�� wealth management businesses. The Company�� fund services unit, a global fund administration business, provides professional services, including legal fund set-up, accounting and reporting. Invested assets totaled CHF 574 billion and assets under administration were CHF 375 billion on December 31, 2011. Global Asset Management serves third-party institutional and wholesale clients, and the clients of UBS�� wealth management businesses. Global Asset Management�� business lines include traditional investments (equities, fixed income and global investment solutions); alternative and quantitative investments; global real estate; infrastructure and private equity, and fund services.

Global ! investment solutions offer asset allocation, currency, multi-manager, structured solutions, risk advisory and strategic investment advisory services. Alternative and quantitative investments has two primary business lines-Alternative Investment Solutions (AIS) and O��onnor. AIS offers a range of hedge fund solutions and advisory services, including multi-manager strategies. O��onnor is a provider of single-manager global hedge funds. Global real estate manages real estate investments globally and regionally within Asia, Europe, Switzerland and the United States. Infrastructure and private equity manages direct infrastructure investment and multi-manager infrastructure and private equity strategies for both institutional and high net worth investors. Infrastructure asset management manages direct investments in core infrastructure assets worldwide. Fund services, the global fund administration business, provides professional services, including legal set-up, reporting and accounting for retail and institutional investment funds, hedge funds and other alternative products.

The Company competes with Fidelity Investments, AllianceBernstein Investments, BlackRock, JP Morgan Asset Management and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Investment Bank

The Investment Bank provides a range of products and services in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange and commodities to corporate and institutional clients, sovereign and government bodies, financial intermediaries, alternative asset managers and UBS�� wealth management clients. The Investment Bank has three business areas: equities, fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC), and the investment banking department. The Company operates through branches and subsidiaries of UBS AG. Securities activities in the United States are conducted through UBS Securities LLC, a broker-dealer. Securities research provides investment analysis across a range of asset classes of more than 3,400 companies worldwide.

The ! Company p! articipates in the primary and secondary markets for cash equity and equity-related products, including listed options, structured products, equity-linked securities, swaps, futures and over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts. Cash equities provide clients with liquidity, investment advisory, trade execution and related consultancy services. It offers trade execution for single stocks and portfolios, including capital commitment, block trading, small-cap execution and commission management services. In addition, it also provides clients with a range of electronic trading algorithms and analytical tools. Derivatives and equity-linked provides a range of flow, structured, synthetic and equity-linked products with worldwide access to primary and secondary markets.

Prime services offer brokerage business, including clearing and custody, capital consultancy, financing, securities lending and equity swaps execution. The FICC business area delivers products and solutions to corporate, institutional and public-sector clients in all markets, as well as to private clients via targeted intermediaries. Macro consists of the foreign exchange, money market and interest rate sales and trading businesses, as well as cash and collateral trading. It provides a range of foreign exchange, precious metals, treasury, and liquidity management solutions to institutional and private clients via targeted intermediaries. Credit sales and trading consists of the origination, underwriting, trading and distribution of cash and synthetic products across the credit spectrum - bonds, derivatives, notes and loans.

The investment banking department provides advice and a range of capital markets execution services to corporate clients, financial institutions, financial sponsors, sovereign clients and hedge funds. The Company also provides liquidity in local markets across foreign exchange, credit, rates and structured products. The advisory group assists in acquisitions and sale processes, and also advises on! reviews ! and corporate restructuring solutions. Global capital markets is a joint venture with the securities business. It offers financing and advisory services that cover all forms of capital raising, as well as risk management solutions. Global leveraged finance provides event-driven (acquisition, leveraged buyout) loans, and bond and mezzanine leveraged finance to corporate clients and financial sponsors.

The Company competes with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bloomberg News]

    ��e believe land reform, free trade zones, national security, and state-owned enterprises may become long-lasting investment themes,��UBS AG (UBSN) strategist Chen Li, wrote in a report dated today. ��ousehold registration reform, population policy, and financial reform remain to be seen, and may have a short-term negative impact on related thematic investment in terms of sentiment.��

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now: ExactTarget Inc (ET)

ExactTarget, Inc. is a global provider of cross-channel, interactive marketing software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. The Company�� solutions provide marketers with a suite of integrated applications. The Company�� suite of cross-channel, interactive marketing applications include e-mail, mobile, social media and sites, is built on its flexible multi-tenant SaaS platform. These channel applications are integrated with its campaign management, calendaring, dashboard, integrated reporting, marketing automation and data management tools. The Company also provides open application programming interfaces (APIs) and developer tools that allow third parties to embed its technology into their solutions and build applications on its platform. The Company generates revenue through the sale of subscriptions to its suite of cross-channel, interactive marketing SaaS solutions and the delivery of professional services. It serves a range of clients across many industries and sizes. Professional services revenue consists primarily of fees associated with training, implementation, integration, deliverability, campaign services and strategic consulting. In October 2012, it acquired iGoDigital.

The Company�� direct client base consisted of over 4,700 organizations as of June 30, 2012, ranging from enterprises to small businesses in numerous industries, including retail and e-commerce, media and entertainment, travel and hospitality, financial services and insurance, technology, daily-deal and flash-sale and marketing service providers. Among its direct clients are the United States-based companies, such as Ally Financial, Inc., Angie�� List, Inc., CareerBuilder, LLC, Groupon, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Oakley, Inc., OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc., One King�� Lane, Inc., Papa John�� International, Inc., priceline.com Incorporated, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Tommy Hilfiger Group, WellPoint, Inc. and Zappos.com, Inc. Companies also include Abril Gro! up (Brazil), Fairfax Media Limited (Australia), Icelandair Group (Iceland) and Telegraph Media Group Limited (United Kingdom).

Interactive Marketing Hub

The Interactive Marketing Hub provides marketers with a solution to engage in cross-channel marketing. The Interactive Marketing Hub integrates its e-mail, mobile, social media and sites Channel Applications with data management and marketing automation Hub Applications. Built on its cloud-based FUEL platform, these applications integrate with Hub Tools, which include a calendar, campaigns, dashboards and integrated reporting. Channel Applications provide interactive marketing engagement solutions to plan, automate, deliver and optimize messages across e-mail, mobile, social media and sites. The Company�� core edition is designed for small and medium-sized organizations, as well as departments within enterprises and provides content management tools, segmentation tools and reporting, such as opens, clicks, bounces and other performance metrics.

The Advanced Edition includes content syndication, dynamic content, relational data, advanced marketing automation, triggered and transactional communications for e-statements, alerts and order confirmations and advanced reporting. The Advanced Edition also provides full access to its FUEL platform�� open integration framework and developer tools that facilitates integration with other business systems and applications. Enterprise Edition is built for large, distributed enterprises that need centralized control and compliance for e-mail marketing communications. The Enterprise Edition includes international sending, advanced role and permission administration, content locking and sharing, and enterprise analytics and reporting. The Enterprise Edition can also include its Xpress Sending interface that enables non-technical users within distributed marketing organizations to create and send e-mails using pre-approved content via defined templates.

The Company� �s mobil! e applications enable marketers to create, automate, deliver personalized inbound and outbound short message service (SMS) mobile messages and support messaging in more than 80 countries worldwide. Through these applications, clients can easily create polls, quizzes, surveys, contests, mobile tickets, coupon redemption, SMS alerts and mobile opt-in for e-mail campaigns. Its social media applications provide solutions to manage engagement on social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook and integrate social data and interactions into cross-channel campaigns. SocialEngage (powered by CoTweet) provides a social media management application that enables teams to manage multiple social media accounts with administrator-defined user permissions and roles.

SocialPages provides a drag and drop interface that allows marketers to create, publish and manage branded Facebook pages and tabs that display content and incorporate engaging features, such as forms, YouTube videos, Flickr galleries and the Facebook Like button. The Company�� sites application provides a solution to drag and drop interface microsites into cross-channel marketing campaigns. Hub Applications provide capabilities for advanced cross-channel marketing automation, data management, customer data segmentation and analysis. Audience Builder provides a drag-and-drop interface that enables marketers to explore multiple data scenarios through filtering and segmentation to create target audiences in for any campaign or automated messaging series.

Automation Studio provides a drag and drop interface to plan, create and execute complex, multi-stage, recurring cross-channel campaigns based on consumer behavior, time or custom attributes. Automated communications can be triggered by events, such as product purchases, online registrations or Website browsing behavior. The Company�� Hub Tools enable integrated planning, cross-channel campaign management and reporting. Calendar provides a single view of planned and completed camp! aigns, ev! ents and interactions across e-mail, mobile, Facebook, Twitter and Websites. Campaigns enables marketers to define interactive marketing campaigns and associated content and interactions across e-mail, mobile, Facebook, Twitter and Websites.

Pulse provides dashboards that display information, such as the number of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, e-mail subscribers and current status of automated programs and engagement metrics, such as opens, clicks and conversions. Integrated Reporting provides contextual and reporting throughout its Interactive Marketing Hub. The Company�� applications are built and delivered on its cloud-based FUEL platform. FUEL provides an open integration framework, enabling clients and third-party application providers to integrate data from systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM), Web analytics, and e-commerce through its partner ecosystem of productized integrations with providers, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, salesforce.com, inc., SAP, and Adobe Omniture.

Common Data Model creates a cross-channel view of each consumer by aggregating online behavioral data, channel engagement history, communication preferences and other online or offline data. Security provides a single sign-on environment for all Interactive Marketing Hub applications secured by multiple technologies, including but not limited to two-factor authentication, Internet protocol (IP) whitelisting and IP blocking, and enables monitoring and alerting of system activity.

Developer Tools provide a library of user interface controls and APIs that enable developers to build applications with a common look and feel on its cloud-based platform. Integration Framework provides a suite of integration capabilities that include its open APIs, CRM and Web analytics integrations, Embedded/Xpress Marketing and HubExchange. Its Embedded/Xpress Marketing solution enables independent software vendors and developers to embed the functionality of its e-mail and mobile applic! ations di! rectly into their technology offerings. The Company�� HubExchange enables marketing technology providers to develop and sell applications built on its platform.

Services

The Company complements its suite of cross-channel, interactive marketing SaaS solutions with a range of professional services. Its collaborative and full-service offerings include Training, Implementation, Integration, Deliverability, Campaign Services and Strategic Consulting. The Company offers a variety of methods of introduction to its products, including self-help resources, Web-based and on-site training, enterprise workshops and train the trainer programs. Clients who purchase implementation services are assigned an implementation consultant who works with them to adopt and deployment its solutions. Through its platform�� integration framework, the Company�� applications can be integrated with CRM, Web analytics, e-commerce and other business systems. It provides consulting and program management to help clients define, develop and implement interactive communication strategies.

The Company competes with Aprimo, Inc., CheetahMail Inc., e-Dialog Inc., Eloqua Limited, Epsilon Data Management, LLC, Marketo, Inc., Responsys, Inc., Silverpop Systems Inc., StrongMail Systems, Inc., Unica Corporation, Yesmail, Buddy Media, Inc. and Radian6 Technologies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Chris Hill]

    Dollar General's (NYSE: DG  ) first-quarter profits rose rose 3%, but the retailer cut guidance for the full year. Business market software maker ExactTarget (NYSE: ET  ) rose more than 50% after Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM  ) agreed to buy the company for more than $2.3 billion. Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) held firm after shares tanked on Monday in the wake of the company announcing it's cutting 18% of its staff. And IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) buys a company to better compete in the cloud computing space. In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts discuss four stocks making big moves.

  • [By GURUFOCUS]

    ExactTarget Inc. (ET) is a provider of cross channel interactive marketing solutions based in Indianapolis, IN. The company went public in November of 2012 at $19 and on June 4, 2013 received a $33.75 cash tender offer from Salesforce.com, a global leader in cloud computing based CRM software. The two companies had partnership agreements in the past, and this combination represents Saleforce.com's largest acquisition to date. The $2.5 billion offer, which came at a premium of over 50% to the previous close of ExactTarget shares, closed on July 12, 2013 for an annualized return of 1.74%.�
    From Mario Gabelli's third quarter 2013 commentary.

    Also check out: Mario Gabelli Undervalued Stocks Mario Gabelli Top Growth Companies Mario Gabelli High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Mario Gabelli keeps buying

    Currently 0.00/512345

    Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

  • [By The GeoTeam]

    Our recent 2013 articles on SaaS companies Selectica (SLTC), E2open (EOPN), Responsys (MKTG), Vocus (VOCS), and ExactTarget (ET) highlighted such opportunities. The average return since the inception of our coverage currently stands at around 34% (55% at their highs).

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of ExactTarget (NYSE: ET  ) soared 52% today after cloud technologist salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM  ) agreed to acquire the marketing software company for $2.5 billion.

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now: iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (EFA)

iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International, Inc. as an equity benchmark for international stock performance. The Index includes stocks from Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Waggoner]

    Most broad-based international funds measure themselves against the MSCI Europe, Australasia and Far East index, which measures the performance of large-company stocks headquartered in developed countries outside the United States and Canada. The largest component of the iShares MSCI EAFE exchange-traded fund (ticker: EFA), for example, is Nestle, based in Switzerland.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Similarly, diversification within stocks didn't work well. The performance of iShares Russell 2000 (NYSEMKT: IWM  ) and SPDR S&P MidCap 400 (NYSEMKT: MDY  ) showed that there wasn't shelter available in small- and mid-cap stocks. International stocks often help protect against losses, but massive capital flight from emerging markets socked popular ETFs Vanguard Emerging Market (NYSEMKT: VWO  ) and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: EEM  ) for single-day percentage losses that were nearly double the Dow's decline. Even developed markets suffered more than the U.S., as iShares MSCI EAFE (NYSEMKT: EFA  ) posted losses 50% greater than the U.S. market's.

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now: ALLETE Inc (ALE)

ALLETE, Inc. (ALLETE) is an energy company. Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc.( Minnesota Power) is an operating division of the Company. ALLETE operates in two business segments: Regulated Operations and Investments and Other. Regulated Operations includes its regulated utilities, Minnesota Power and Superior Water, Light and Power Company (SWL&P), as well as its investment in American Transmission Company LLC (ATC), a Wisconsin-based regulated utility that owns and maintains electric transmission assets in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Investments and Other is comprised primarily of BNI Coal, Ltd (BNI Coal), its coal mining operations in North Dakota; ALLETE Properties, LLC and its subsidiaries (ALLETE Properties), its Florida real estate investment, and ALLETE Clean Energy. In July 2011, the Company incorporated new company, ALLETE Clean Energy.

Regulated Operations

Minnesota Power provides regulated utility electric service in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 144,000 retail customers. Minnesota Power's non-affiliated municipal customers consist of 16 municipalities in Minnesota and one private utility in Wisconsin. SWL&P, a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE, is also a private utility in Wisconsin and a customer of Minnesota Power. SWL&P provides regulated electric, natural gas and water service in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 12,000 natural gas customers and 10,000 water customers. Its industrial customers are primarily in the taconite, paper, pulp and wood products and pipeline industries. The customers consist of five taconite producing facilities (two of which are owned by one company and are served under a single contract), one iron nugget plant, and four paper and pulp mills. During the year ended December 2011, its residential and commercial customers represented 20% of total regulated utility kilowatt-hour sales. In 2011, its municipal customers represented 7% of total regulated utility kilowatt-hou! r sales. The Company also enters into off-system sales with Other Power Suppliers.

The Company�� generation is primarily coal-fired, but also includes approximately 102 megawatts of hydro generation from ten hydro stations in Minnesota, approximately 107 megawatts of wind generation, and 73 megawatts of biomass co-fired generation. Purchased power is made up of long-term coal, wind and hydro power purchase agreements and market purchases. As of December 31, 2011, Minnesota Power had a coal inventory of 0.9 million tons. Minnesota Power entered into two long-term wind Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with an affiliate of NextEra Energy, Inc. to purchase the output from Oliver Wind I (50 megawatts) and Oliver Wind II (48 megawatts), wind facilities located near Center, North Dakota. Each agreement is for 25 years and provides for the purchase of all output from the facilities at fixed prices. The Company has a PPA with Manitoba Hydro that expires in April 2015. Under this agreement, Minnesota Power is purchasing 50 megawatts of capacity and the energy associated with that capacity. Minnesota Power has a separate PPA with Manitoba Hydro to purchase surplus energy from May 2011 through April 2022.

On May 19, 2011, Minnesota Power and Manitoba Hydro signed a long-term PPA. The PPA calls for Manitoba Hydro to sell 250 megawatts of capacity and energy to Minnesota Power for 15 years beginning in 2020 and requires construction of additional transmission capacity between Manitoba and the United States. On January 26, 2012, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) approved this PPA with Manitoba Hydro. The Company has electric transmission and distribution lines of 500 kilovolts (eight miles), 345 kilovolts (29 miles), 250 kilovolts (465 miles), 230 kilovolts (632 miles), 161 kilovolts (43 miles), 138 kilovolts (128 miles), 115 kilovolts (1,221 miles) and less than 115 kilovolts (6,216 miles). Thye Company owns and operates 164substations with a total capacity of 11,132 megav! oltampere! s. Some of its transmission and distribution lines interconnect with other utilities. Rainy River Energy, its wholly owned subsidiary, owns approximately 8% of American Transmission Company LLC (ATC), a Wisconsin-based utility that owns and maintains electric transmission assets in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Hibbard is a 51 megttsa biomass/coal/natural gas facility located in Duluth, Minnesota. Minnesota Power holds franchises to construct and maintain an electric distribution and transmission system in 94 cities and towns located within its electric service territory. SWL&P holds 17 similar franchises for electric, natural gas and/or water systems in one city and 16 villages and towns within its service territory.

Investments and Other

BNI Coal is a supplier of lignite in North Dakota, producing about four million tons annually. Two electric generating cooperatives, Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. (Minnkota Power) and Square Butte Electric Cooperative (Square Butte), consumes virtually all of BNI Coal�� production of lignite under cost-plus, fixed fee coal supply agreements extending through 2026. The mining process disturbs and reclaims between 200 and 250 acres per year. ALLETE Properties represents its Florida real estate investment. Its two major development projects are Town Center and Palm Coast Park. Another major project, Ormond Crossings is in the design and permitting stage. ALLETE Properties occasionally provides seller financing to certain qualified buyers. In June 2011, the Company ALLETE Clean Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE. ALLETE Clean Energy intends to market to electric utilities, cooperatives, municipalities, independent power marketers and end-users across North America through long-term PPAs. ALLETE Clean Energy focuses on developing or acquiring capital projects that create energy solutions through wind, solar, biomass, hydro, natural gas/liquids, shale resources, clean coal and other clean energy. As of Decembe! r 31, 201! 1, non-rate base generation consists of 31 megawatts of generation at Rapids Energy Center. In 2011, it sold 0.1 million Megawatt-hours of non-rate base generation. The Company has approximately 5,500 acres of land available-for-sale in Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    ALLETE (NYSE: ALE  ) is continuing to be all in with its dividend. The company has declared its latest common stock distribution, which is to be $0.475 per share paid on Sept. 1 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 15. That amount matches the company's previous two payouts, the most recent of which was dispensed at the beginning of June. Before that, the company was less generous by a cent and a half, handing out $0.46 per share.

  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Utility holding company Allete (ALE) raised its quarterly dividend 3.2% to 49 cents per share, payable on Mar. 1 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 14.
    ALE Dividend Yield: 3.94%

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies To Buy Right Now: TAL International Group Inc.(TAL)

TAL International Group, Inc. engages in the lease of intermodal containers and chassis. It operates in two segments, Equipment Leasing and Equipment Trading. The Equipment Leasing segment involves in the acquisition, lease, re-lease, and sale of various intermodal transportation equipment, such as dry freight containers, which are used for general cargo, including manufactured component parts, consumer staples, electronics, and apparel; refrigerated containers that are used for perishable items, such as fresh and frozen foods; and special containers, which are used for heavy and oversized cargo, such as marble slabs, building products, and machinery. It also leases chassis, which are used for the transportation of containers and tank containers that are used to transport bulk liquid products, such as chemicals, as well as finances port equipment, which includes container cranes, reach stackers, and other related equipment. The Equipment Trading segment purchases container s from shipping line customers and other sellers of containers, and resells these containers to container traders and users of containers for storage or one-way shipment. As of December 31, 2009, it had a fleet of 701,946 containers and chassis, including 31,137 containers under management for third parties, representing 1,139,523 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The company was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By ABN]

    TAL International Group (TAL) is one of the world's largest lessors of intermodal freight containers for the shipping business with 17 offices in 11 countries and approximately 230 third-party container depot facilities in 40 countries. TAL's fleet consists of approximately 1,238,000 containers and 2,031,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, freight container lessor TAL International (NYSE: TAL  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Margins matter. The more TAL International Group (NYSE: TAL  ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong TAL International Group's competitive position could be.

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