Low customer confidence due to an adverse economic environment has affected supermarket operators, and tighter market competition over pricing has further eroded margins. However, as the economy slowly recovers, grocery stores are presented with an opportunity to improve performance and deliver profits. Let us look at the Safeway (SWY) and Kroger (KR), two supermarket operators, in order to discern which one offers better investment prospects.
Improvements Continue
The second largest supermarket operator in the U.S., Safeway, has sold its operations in Canada. To support its stores, the firm has developed an integrated network of manufacturing, processing and distribution network. The latest news indicates the firm has had a weak second quarter due to soft fuel sales, and ID sales remain weak.
Right now, Safeway has improved its performance thanks to the introduction of the loyalty program Just for U. The program has allowed the company to increase market share and total sales. Also, the firm has invested significant capital in the Lifestyle upgrade, given another push to market share growth. The upgrade means less capital investment and the opportunity to generate a higher cash flow. Additionally, the company has made increasing efforts to reduce cost with a focus on cost of goods sold and supply chain efficiencies, which is expected to improve its margins in the upcoming quarters.
Best Healthcare Technology Stocks For 2015: RPM International Inc.(RPM)
RPM International Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells various specialty chemical products to industrial and consumer markets worldwide. The company?s Industrial segment offers waterproofing and institutional roofing systems used in building protection, maintenance, and weatherproofing applications; sealants, tapes, and foams; residential basement waterproofing systems; specialized roofing and building maintenance and related services; specialty industrial adhesives and sealants; and concrete and masonry additives, and related construction chemicals. It also offers polymer flooring systems, and offshore and marine structures; industrial and commercial tile systems; fiberglass reinforced plastic gratings and shapes; heavy-duty corrosion-control coatings, fireproofing products, and containment linings; specialty construction products, including bridge expansion joints, bridge deck and parking deck membranes, curb and channel drains, highway markings, protective coatings, and concrete repairs; and fluorescent colorants and pigments, waterproofing and flooring products, exterior insulating finishing systems, and shellac-based-specialty coatings for industrial and pharmaceutical uses, edible glazes, and food coatings. The company?s Consumer segment provides professional use and do-it-yourself products for a range of consumer applications, including home improvement and personal leisure activities. Its products include coating products; specialty products; deck and fence restoration products; metallic and faux finish coatings; hobby paints and cements; and caulks, sealants, adhesives, insulating foam, spackling, glazing, and other general patch and repair products. The company offers its products under the Carboline, DAP, EUCO, Fibergrate, Flecto, Flowcrete, Hummervoll, Universal Sealants, illbruck, Rust-Oleum, Stonhard, Tremco, Watco, and Zinsser brand names. RPM International was founded in 1947 and is headquarte red in Medina, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By abirk]
Spirit's profits are signs of steady growth. Since 2010, Annual passenger revenue and net income have both increased steadily. Spirit generated 24.4% growth in revenue passenger miles (RPM), while the available seat miles (ASM), and grew 24.8%. On the other hand, Delta's mainland division had 8.6 million RPM. �On a revenue basis, Spirit is equivalent to about 3.2% of the total revenue of the combined Delta and US Airways, now part of American Airlines Group (AAL).
- [By Dividends4Life]
The basic materials sector is highly cyclical. It relies on a strong economy to create demand for its raw materials. Since most of its products are considered to be commodities, the sector is sensitive to supply and demand fluctuations, with end-users able to substitute based on price.
Historically, yields in this sector have been on the lower end of the scale. However, with the increased demand for certain raw materials, the stocks in this sector are beginning to see higher yields with increased profitability. In addition, depressed prices on some companies have also boosted yields.
This week, I screened my dividend growth stocks database for Basic Materials companies with a yield above 2.0% and that have increased their dividends for at least 10 consecutive years. The results are presented below:
RPM International Inc. (RPM) makes specialty coatings and products for structural waterproofing and corrosion control, as well as products for the consumer, do-it-yourself and hobby markets. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1969 and has increased its dividend payments for 40 consecutive years. Yield: 2.3%
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD) is a major producer of industrial gases and electronics and specialty chemicals also has interests in environmental and energy-related businesses. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. is a major producer of industrial gases and electronics and specialty chemicals also has interests in environmental and energy-related businesses. Yield: 2.5%
Nucor Corporation (NUE) is the largest minimill steelmaker in the U.S., Nucor has one of the most diverse product lines of any steelmaker in the Americas. Nucor Corporation is the largest minimill steelmaker in the U.S., Nucor has one of the most diverse product lines of any steelmaker in the Americas. Yield: 2.7%
Alliance Resource Partners LP (ARLP) produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industr
Hot Supermarket Stocks For 2014: 1st Constitution Bancorp(NJ)
1st Constitution Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for 1st Constitution Bank that provides community banking services to corporations, individuals, partnerships, and other community organizations in the central and northeastern New Jersey area. It offers various deposit products, including noninterest bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand deposits, savings deposits, and time deposits, as well as certificates of deposit, and money market and NOW accounts. The company also provides a range of loan products comprising commercial loans for working capital, business expansion, and the purchase of equipment and machinery; construction loans to real estate developers for the acquisition, development and construction of residential subdivisions; residential consumer loans; term loans; lines of credit; loans secured by equipment and receivables; second mortgage home improvement loans; home equity lines of credit; and non-residential consumer loans for automobile s, recreation vehicles, and boats, as well as secured and unsecured personal loans, and deposit account secured loans. It provides its services through a network of 14 branches. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Cranbury, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Mark Skousen]
And that brings me to Nidec (NJ). Based in Kyoto, Japan, Nidec manufactures small- to mid-size motors, fan motors, and pivot assemblies used in dozens of IT products, as well as home appliances, automobiles, office equipment, and industrial machinery.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Nidec (NYSE: NJ) shares climbed 2.75% to $20.17. The volume of Nidec shares traded was 506% higher than normal. Nidec's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $9.42 billion.
Hot Supermarket Stocks For 2014: The Bancorp Inc.(TBBK)
The Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for The Bancorp Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking and related products and services to small and mid-size businesses and their principals. The company?s deposit products include checking accounts, savings accounts, health savings accounts, money market accounts, individual retirement accounts, certificates of deposit, and stored value and payroll cards, as well as commercial accounts, such as general commercial checking, small business checking, business savings, and business money market accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial term loans, commercial mortgage loans, commercial lines of credit, 1-4 family construction loans, direct lease financing, and commercial construction, acquisition, and development loans; and consumer loans comprising loans for consumers to finance personal residences, automobiles, home improvements, and for other purposes. The company also provides other banking serv ices, which include private label banking and merchant card processing services; and Internet banking services. It serves Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, and Lehigh counties in Pennsylvania; New Castle county in Delaware; and Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Ocean, and Cape May counties in New Jersey. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
The Bancorp (TBBK) plunged 30% to $11.37 this week, earning it the honor of the biggest loser in the Russell 2000. The Bancorp said in a filing that the FDIC had demanded it to more to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act.
Hot Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Campus Crest Communities Inc (CCG)
Campus Crest Communities, Inc., incorporated on March 1, 2010, is a self-managed, self-administered and vertically-integrated developer, builder, owner and manager of purpose-built student housing properties in the United States. The Company operates in two segments: student housing operations and development, construction and management services. It owns the general partner interest and owns limited partner interests in Campus Crest Communities Operating Partnership, LP (the Operating Partnership). It holds substantially all of its assets and conducts substantially all of its business, through the Operating Partnership. As of December 31, 2010, it owned interests in 27 operating student housing properties containing approximately 5,048 apartment units and 13,580 beds. Twenty-one of its properties, containing approximately 3,920 apartment units and 10,528 beds, are wholly owned. On October 19, 2010, it acquired the remaining interest in Campus Crest at San Marcos, LLC, which owns The Grove at San Marcos, from HSRE. In January 2012, the Company acquired 50.1% interests in The Grove. On December 27, 2013, the Company closed its sale of four wholly owned student housing properties. In January 2014, Campus Crest Communities Inc and Beaumont Partners joint venture partnership acquired the 488-room, 22-story Holiday Inn Midtown in Montreal, Quebec.
As of December 31, 2010, the average occupancy for its 27 properties was approximately 88%. Its properties are primarily located in medium-sized college and university markets. As of December 31, 2010, the Company were party to one joint venture arrangement with HSRE, in which it owns a 49.9% interest.
Student Housing Operations
The Company�� student housing operations are consisted of rental and other service revenues, such as application fees, pet fees and late payment fees. In August 2010, the Company opened three additional properties that were owned by the same real estate venture.
Development, Construc! tion and Management Services
The Company provides development and construction services to unconsolidated joint ventures in which it has an ownership interest. The Company acts as a general contractor on all of its construction projects. In addition to its wholly owned properties, all of which are managed by the Company, it also provides management services to uncombined joint ventures in which, it has an ownership interest.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
2013 is panning out to be a rough year for Campus Crest Communities (CCG) -- shares of the small-cap student housing REIT have slid 12.7% since the calendar flipped over to January. While that sounds bad enough as it is, it's actually 31% underperformance vs. the S&P 500. And a quick glance at the chart makes it pretty clear to see why.
CCG is stuck in a textbook downtrend right now, bouncing between trendline resisatnce to the upside and a parallel support level below. You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out where CCG's high probability price action is from here; it's down. Trendline resistance has acted as a ceiling for shares on the last four tests in 2013 – and with shares hitting their head on that resistance level this week, now's the optimal time to sell (or short) this REIT.
If you're looking for an opportunity to buy CCG, you could be in for a long wait. But the 50-day moving average has been a pretty good proxy for resistance since the start of the summer. I'd recommend waiting for that line to get broken before even thinking about doing anything but selling this stock. Until then, it's toxic.
- [By Lawrence Meyers]
Campus Crest Communities (CCG) operates 33 student housing properties comprising 6,324 apartment units under its ��rove��brand name. It�� a REIT, so it distributes a minimum of 90% of taxable income as a common dividend of roughly 6%, which may even attract other investors. Campus Crest carries $225 million in debt and services it at a rate of about 5%. The company came into its own in 2012, as it reported solid EBITDA of $16.5 million and a profit after debt service and preferred stock payments, which it just started that year.
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