Warren Buffett famously started investing when he was just 11 years old -- and he's often quipped that he started too late. As Foolish investors, we know that our biggest advantage is time. The power of compounding practically guarantees success if you're invested for long enough. So it's easy to look back as an adult and wonder how things would have been different if we'd started as kids. And of course, it's a small leap from that to thinking about how our own kids could fare if they start today.
Kids do understand games, and they understand the concepts of keeping score and, of course, winning. With a little guidance, it is possible to get them started -- and even excited about -- investing. Click the video below to find out how.
There's no doubt that Apple is at the center of technology's largest revolution ever, and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded with over 1,000% gains. However, there is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple, and what opportunities are left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.(SBH)
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution and retail of professional beauty supplies primarily in North America, South America, and Europe. The company operates in two segments, Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group. The Sally Beauty Supply segment operates a chain of cash and carry retail stores that provide various third-party branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies, including hair color products, hair care products, hair dryers and hair styling appliances, skin and nail care products, and other beauty items to retail consumers and salon professionals. This segment sells various third-party brands, such as Clairol, Revlon, and Conair, as well as a selection of exclusive-label merchandise. The Beauty Systems Group segment distributes professional brands of beauty products directly to salons and salon professionals through its sales force and professional-only stores. This segment operates stores under the Co smoProf service mark. It sells a range of third-party brands, such as Paul Mitchell, Wella, Sebastian, Goldwell, Joico, and TIGI. As of September 30, 2011, the company operated a multi-channel platform of 4,128 company-owned stores, 181 franchised stores, and 1,116 professional distributor sales consultants in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain. Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Denton, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Bieglmeier]
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SBH) is ready for a makeover according to Wells Fargo. Analyst, Chris Ferrara believes the worst could be over for SBH. The analyst says, "While near-term visibility is generally limited for SBH's business model, shares are -7% YTD (vs S&P 500 -3%), presenting attractive risk/reward. We believe comps likely bottomed at Sally Beauty Supply in the December quarter, and that the recent string of downward earnings revisions is likely over."
- [By Amal Singh]
Some companies in the beauty and personal care segment have one important characteristic -- a recession-proof nature, which is a result of everyone's desire to look beautiful and young. This brings us to Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance (NASDAQ: ULTA ) and Sally Beauty Holdings (NYSE: SBH ) . Both have performed quite well over the last few years, as shown in the chart below, even during the recession (the gray area being the recession period). Their performance stands in stark contrast to that of�Regis (NYSE: RGS ) , which has seen its top line drop continuously after peaking in 2008.
- [By Grace L. Williams]
Investors got ugly on beauty supplier Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH) and shares tumbled 14.4% in trading after it reported a disappointing fiscal third quarter.
For the period ended June 30, Sally Beauty reported earnings of $72.5 million, or of 42 cents a shares, up from $69.5 million, or 37 cents, a year prior. Sally Beauty also reported revenue of $912.1 million.
Analysts polled by Factset forecasted earnings of $930.5 million.
In a press release on the company�� website, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Winterhalter noted some of the headwinds from the quarter and said, ��tore traffic from the non-Beauty Club Card customer in the Sally U.S. business was soft. We��e launched several initiatives specifically to address this customer and remain optimistic that traffic will recover over the next few months.��/p>
Shares are up 16% in the past year.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
AlamyWebsites can help direct you to beauty-related freebies. Inner beauty matters most in my book, but trying to look your best outwardly can be important, too. Striving for beauty on the outside by using beauty products can help boost your confidence and show others that you take good care of yourself. On average, Americans spend more than $400 a year on personal care products. Although cosmetics and beauty products can add up to a pretty penny, beauty doesn't need to come with a hefty price tag. Here are some tips to manage beauty on a budget. 1. Free Samples Marketers love giving out free samples so consumers have the chance to try new products and fall in love with their products. The hope is that if you try a little, you'll like it enough to buy the full-size product at its full retail price. For frugal shoppers, free samples can be a tool that allows us the chance to stretch our dollars. By taking advantage of a variety of free beauty samples from many manufacturers, over time we can end up with enough free sample products to replace a few full-size ones. One woman who has perfected the search for freebies is Heather Hernandez, founder of Freebies4Mom.com. She started her site, which curates the best free samples available online, back in 2007. By signing up for her free e-mail newsletter you can be notified when new free samples are available and where to get them. Besides visiting Freebies4Mom.com, Heather shares two of her favorite sources for online freebies: SampleSource and PinchMe. SampleSource.com is a relatively new site that allows users to get free brand name samples. She recently received a free shampoo and new toothbrush from their site, which is free to join. PinchMe.com allows consumers to try free products in exchange for providing feedback on a short survey. On her last visit to the site, she got to select a free nail polish in the color of her choice. PinchMe has become very popular, so she recommends that you "pay attention to
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: Westwood Holdings Group Inc(WHG)
Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. It operates through two subsidiaries, Westwood Management Corp. and Westwood Trust. The Westwood Management Corp. provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds, individuals, and clients of Westwood Trust. The Westwood Trust provides trust and custodial services to institutions and high net worth individuals, and participates in common trust funds that it sponsors. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Dallas, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By E.S. Browning]
��t is a slow, grinding process. It is going to take some getting-used-to,��said Mark Freeman, chief investment officer at Westwood Holdings Group Inc.(WHG), which oversees $19 billion in Dallas. It is possible that ��his is what we will be doing over the next several quarters,��he added.
- [By Will Ashworth]
Even though APAM stock has been hitting its 10-month high in recent days, its yield is still 2.6% — 50 basis points higher than BLK, WDR and WETF. If you like asset managers that handle big chunks of institutional money while still playing the retail mutual fund game, this is the smart choice.
Westwood Holdings Group (WHG)I first became aware of the Dallas-based asset manager Westwood Holdings Group (WHG) when I read about its founder, Susan Byrne, in an article that appeared in Fortune magazine several years ago. Her firm has been doing great things outside the bright lights of Manhattan ever since.
- [By Matt Jarzemsky var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]
Producers focused on hot shale regions have been in vogue among investors of late, said Bill Costello, portfolio manager at Westwood Holdings Group Inc.(WHG), which manages about $19 billion.
Best Gas Companies To Buy Right Now: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)
Crown Holdings, Inc., incorporated on February 7, 2003, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and sale of packaging products for consumer goods. Its business is organized within three divisions: Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Its segments within the Americas Division are Americas Beverage and North America Food. Its segments within the European Division are European Beverage and European Food. Americas Beverage includes beverage can operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. North America Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in the United States and Canada. European Beverage includes beverage can operations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. European Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in Europe and Africa. Its Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage and non-beverage can operations, primarily food cans and specialty packaging. As of December 31, 2012, it acquired Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd.
The Company supplies beverage cans and ends and other packaging products to a range of beverage and beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Cott Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Heineken, National Beverage and Pepsi-Cola, among others. The Company manufactures a range of food cans and ends, including two-and three-piece cans in numerous shapes and sizes, and sells food cans to food marketers, such as Bonduelle, Cecab, ConAgra, Continentale, Mars, Simmons Foods, Nestle, Princes Group and Stockmeyer, among others.
The Company offers a range of metal vacuum closures and sealing equipment. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procte! r & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others.
Americas Division
The Americas Division includes operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Colombia and Mexico. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The Americas Beverage segment manufactures aluminum beverage cans and ends and steel crowns, referred to as bottle caps. The North America Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends and metal vacuum closures.
European Division
The European Division includes operations in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The European Beverage segment manufactures steel and aluminum beverage cans and ends. The European Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends, and metal vacuum closures.
Asia Pacific division
The Company's Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage can operations in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and non-beverage can operations, primarily including food cans and specialty packaging in China, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As of December 31, 2012, the division operated 32 plants in six countries.
The Company competes with Ardagh Group, Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Can-Pack S.A., Metal Container Corporation, Mivisa Envases S.A.U., Rexam PLC and Silgan Holdings Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
Crown Holdings Inc.(CCK) cut its third-quarter earnings guidance on lower end-user demand in some of the food-and-beverage packaging company’s markets, including European food cans and North American beverage cans.
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: Body Central Corp.(BODY)
Body Central Corp. operates as a specialty retailer of young women's apparel and accessories in the south, mid-Atlantic, and midwest regions of the United States. The company operates specialty apparel stores under the Body Central and Body Shop banners, as well as a direct business of its Body Central catalog and e-commerce Website at bodyc.com. Its stores feature an assortment of tops, dresses, bottoms, jewelry, accessories, and shoes under Body Central and Lipstick labels. As of March 8, 2012 it operated 241 specialty apparel stores in 24 states. The company, formerly known as Body Central Acquisition Corp., was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Body Central (BODY) operates apparel stores and also conducts direct business via catalogues and Web site. This stock closed up 3.8% to $3.52 in Tuesday's trading session.
Tuesday's Range: $3.40-$3.55
52-Week Range: $3.09-$13.39
Tuesday's Volume: 475,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 421,188From a technical perspective, BODY trended higher here right above some near-term support at $3.21 with above-average volume. This move pushed shares of BODY into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $3.50. This move is also coming off oversold territory, since BODY's current relative strength index reading is 29.89. Oversold can always get more oversold, but it's also an area where a stock can experience a powerful bounce from.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BODY as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $3.21 or at $3.09 and then once it sustains a move or close above Tuesday's high of $3.55 with volume that hits near or above 421,188 shares. If we get that move soon, then BODY will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4 to $4.50.
- [By Lee Jackson]
Body Central Corp. (NASDAQ: BODY) also comes in with an off-the-charts IRR of 26%. The company reported a dreadful second quarter, which hammered the share price. Body Central operates as a specialty retailer of young women’s apparel and accessories in the South, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States. It operates stores under the Body Central and Body Shop banners, as well as a direct business comprising its Body Central catalog and e-commerce website at bodycentral.com. The company’s stores sell tops, dresses, bottoms, jewelry, accessories and shoes, primarily under its Body Central and Lipstick labels. The lower the share price goes, the more attractive the stock becomes. The consensus price target is $11, with the high target at $12. The stock closed Thursday at $6.43.
- [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 Body Central (Nasdaq: BODY ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: AECOM Technology Corp (ACM)
AECOM Technology Corporation (AECOM) is a provider of professional technical and management support services for commercial and government clients around the world. The Company provides planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services for a range of projects, including highways, airports, bridges, mass transit systems, government and commercial buildings, water and wastewater facilities, and power transmission and distribution. It also provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics and other support services, for agencies of the United States government. It offers services in two segments: Professional Technical Services and Management Support Services. In June 2011, the Company acquired Spectral Services Consultants Pte. Ltd.
Professional Technical Services (PTS)
The PTS segment delivers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services to commercial and government clients worldwide in end markets, such as transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government markets. It provides program management services through a joint venture for the Second Avenue subway line in New York City, design and contract administration services for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and engineering and environmental management services to support global energy infrastructure development for a number of petroleum and mining companies.
PTS segment contributed 86% of the Company�� revenue during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011).
Transit and rail projects include light rail, heavy rail (including high speed, commuter and freight) and multimodal transit projects. The Company provided engineering design services for the new World Trade Center Terminal for PATH and the Second Avenue Subway (8.5-mile rail route and 16 stations) in New York City, the Ma O! n Shan Rail (seven-mile elevated railway) in Hong Kong, and Crossrail (74-mile railway) in the United Kingdom. Marine, Ports and Harbors Projects include wharf facilities and container port facilities for private and public port operators. The Company provided marine design and engineering services for container facilities in Hong Kong, the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York and New Jersey. Highways, Bridges and Tunnels Projects include interstate, primary and secondary urban and rural highway systems and bridge projects. Aviation Projects include landside terminal and airside facilities and runways as well as taxiways.
Government Projects include the Company�� emergency response services for the Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and engineering and program management services for agencies of the Department of Defense. It also provides architectural and engineering services for national laboratories, including the laboratories at Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico. Industrial Projects include industrial facilities for a variety of end markets, including manufacturing, distribution, aviation, aerospace, communications, media, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, chemical, and food and beverage facilities. Urban Master Planning/Design Projects include design services, landscape architecture, general policy consulting and environmental planning projects for a variety of government, institutional and private sector clients. It provides strategic planning and master planning services for new cities and mixed use developments in the People�� republic of China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Commercial and Leisure Facilities Projects include corporate headquarters, high-rise office towers, historic buildings, hotels, leisure, sports and entertainment facilities, hospitals and healthcare facilities and corporate campuses. Institutional Projects include engin! eering se! rvices for college and university campuses, including the new Kennedy-King College in Chicago, Illinois. It has also undertaken assignments for Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Pomona College and Loyola Marymount University in California. Healthcare Projects include design services for the Mayo Clinic Gonda Building in Rochester, Minnesota, University Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City and the Samsung Cancer Center in Seoul, Korea. It has also undertaken assignments for the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Orlando, Florida, and the Minneapolis campus of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Correctional Projects include the planning, design, and construction of detention and correction facilities throughout the world.
Water and Wastewater Projects include treatment facilities as well as supply, distribution and collection systems, stormwater management, desalinization, and other water re-use technologies for metropolitan governments. Environmental Management Projects include remediation, waste handling, testing and monitoring of environmental conditions and environmental construction management for private sector clients. Water Resources Projects include regional-scale floodplain mapping and analysis for public agencies, along with the analysis and development of protected groundwater resources for companies in the bottled water industry.
Demand Side Management Projects include energy efficient systems for public K-12 schools and universities, health care facilities, and courthouses and other public buildings, as well as energy conservation systems for utilities. Transmission and Distribution Projects include power stations and electric transmissions and distribution and co-generation systems, including enhanced electrical power generation in Stung Treng, Cambodia. These projects utilize a range of services that include consulting, forecasting and surveying to detailed engineering design and construction management. Alternative/Renewable Energy Projects ! include p! roduction facilities, such as ethanol plants, wind farms and micro hydropower and geothermal subsections of regional power grids. It provides site selection and permitting, engineering, procurement and construction management and related services. Hydropower/Dams Projects include hydroelectric power stations, dams, spillways, and flood control systems including the Song Ba Ha Hydropower Project in Vietnam, the Pine Brook Dam in Boulder County, Colorado and the Peribonka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Quebec, Canada. Solar Projects include performing environmental work for the solar photovoltaic Brockton Brightfield project in New England, and environmental permitting services for the California Energy Commission to permit the development of a 250 mega watts (MW) solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert of California.
Management Support Services (MSS).
The MSS segment provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics, consulting, technical assistance and systems integration services, for agencies of the United States government. It also provides organizational and limited direct support services for equipment sent to the United States Army's Corpus Christi Depot in Texas. The MSS segment contributed 14% of the Company�� fiscal 2011 revenue.
Installation, Operations and Maintenance Projects include Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations where the Company provides services for the operation and maintenance of complex government installations, including military bases, test ranges and equipment. It also provides services for the operations and maintenance of the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site. Logistics and Field Services Projects include logistics support services for a number of Department of Defense agencies and defense contractors focused on developing and managing integrated supply and distribution networks. Training Projects include training applications in live, virtual and simulation training! environm! ents. Systems Support Projects cover a set of operational and support systems for the maintenance, operation and modernization of Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations. Its services in this area range from information technology and communications to life cycle optimization and engineering, including environmental management services.
Technical Personnel Placement Projects include the placement of personnel in functional areas of military and other government agencies, as these entities continue to outsource critical services to commercial entities. It provides systems, processes and personnel in support of the Department of Justice's management of forfeited assets recovered by law enforcement agencies. It also supports the Department of State in its enforcement programs by recruiting, training and supporting police officers for international and homeland security missions. Field Services Projects include maintaining, modifying and overhauling ground vehicles, armored carriers and associated support equipment both within and outside of the United States under contracts with the Department of Defense. It also maintains and repairs telecommunications systems for military and civilian entities.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
Aecom Technology Corp.(ACM) swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter profit despite continued weakness in the technical and management-support services provider’s Americas and Australia markets. The company forecast per-share earnings for the recently started new fiscal year that were below Street estimates.
- [By Rich Smith]
The Department of Defense had a slow day Thursday, announcing only five new defense contracts, with a combined value of only $109.5 million. Of these contracts, only two went to publicly traded defense contractors:
- [By Rich Smith]
The U.S. Department of Defense announced the award of 10 separate contracts Thursday, worth a bit over $340 million in aggregate value. Boeing and Raytheon claimed about one third of the money on offer, apiece. As for other companies participating in Pentagon funding, these included the following:
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: TripAdvisor Inc (TRIP)
TripAdvisor, Inc. (TripAdvisor), incorporated on July 20, 2011, is an online travel research company, enabling users to plan and have a trip. TripAdvisor features reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, vacation rentals, vacation packages and travel guides. TripAdvisor�� travel research platform features reviews and opinions from its community of travelers about destinations, accommodations (hotels, bed and breakfasts, specialty lodging and vacation rentals), restaurants and activities worldwide, through its TripAdvisor brand. TripAdvisor Websites include tripadvisor.com in the United States and versions of the Website in 30 countries, including in China under the brand daodao.com. TripAdvisor Websites also include links to the Websites of its travel advertisers allowing travelers to directly book their travel arrangements. In addition to the TripAdvisor brand, TripAdvisor, Inc. manages and operates Websites under 18 other travel media brands, providing travel planning resources across the travel sector. On December 20, 2011, Expedia, Inc. (Expedia) completed the spin-off of TripAdvisor, Inc. (TripAdvisor) to Expedia stockholders. TripAdvisor consists of the domestic and international operations previously associated with Expedia�� TripAdvisor Media Group. In October 2012, it acquired Wanderfly. In March 2013, it acquired Tiny Post (tinypost.co). In April 2013, the Company acquired Jetsetter.com and Gilt Travel Inc. In May 2013, TripAdvisor Inc acquired key technology and talent from CruiseWise Inc. In May 2013, TripAdvisor Inc acquired Guia de Apartamentos Niumba SL. In June 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired GateGuru.
TripAdvisor provides access worldwide to online travel agencies, including Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, hotels.com, Priceline and Booking.com. TripAdvisor Media Group offers travel suppliers graphical advertising and cost-per-click marketing platforms. TripAdvisor operates sites in 30 countries and in 21 languages, including sites in the United S! tates (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the United Kingdom (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se), The Netherlands (http://www.tripadvisor.nl), Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca), Denmark (http://www.tripadvisor.dk), Turkey (http://www.tripadvisor.com.tr), Mexico (http://www.tripadvisor.com.mx), Norway (http://no.tripadvisor.com), Poland (http://pl.tripadvisor.com), Australia (http://www.tripadvisor.com.au), Singapore (http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg), Thailand (http://th.tripadvisor.com), Russia (http://www.tripadvisor.ru), Greece (http://www.tripadvisor.com.gr), Indonesia(http://www.tripadvisor.co.id), Argentina (www.tripadvisor.co.ar), Taiwan (www.tripadvisor.tw),Malaysia(http://www.tripadvisor.com.my), and Egypt (http://www.tripadvisor.com.eg). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]
TripAdvisor Inc. (TRIP) �shares sank 6.1%, falling for a third day. The stock has been somewhat volatile this year, falling almost 7% in January and then jumping 30% in February before falling in March and April. TripAdvisor is up 4% year to date.
- [By Michele Lerner]
Getty Images While some engaged couples devote most of their attention to their wedding day, planning for a honeymoon can be equally important. According to a 2013 survey by TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, 77 percent of U.S. couples who got married the previous year went on a honeymoon. These days, exotic destinations are in high demand for honeymooners, according to Jetsetter.com, a unit of TripAdvisor (TRIP) provides luxury travel services. Based on hotel room bookings made through the site's Personal Travel Planning service, the five most popular international honeymoon destinations are the Caribbean, Italy, French Polynesia, Thailand and China, which represent about 40 percent of all international honeymoon hotel reservations. The most popular U.S. destination for a honeymoon is Hawaii. As far as accommodations and activities, Jetsetter reports that the most popular honeymoon request is for a beach vacation with a dash of adventure travel, such as horseback riding, kayaking or hiking. The most requested add-ons are champagne, rose petals, beach drinks, plunge pools and couples massages. Honeymoon Planning and Spending According to Jetsetter data, couples spend an average of $4,183 on their honeymoon accommodations. (The average wedding budget comes in around $28,000, according to the TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com survey.) Spending can exceed that, with one client of Jetsetter.com booking nine hotels in seven destinations. The most popular times for a honeymoon are April through July. On average, couples book honeymoon accommodations 2.5 months in advance. But there are anomalies. One couple booked 13 months in advance, and another booked the day their honeymoon started, according to Brad Thomas, the company's travel operations coordinator.
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: Prosperity Bancshares Inc (PB)
Prosperity Bancshares, Inc., incorporated on December 22, 1983, is a financial holding company. The Company operates through its bank subsidiary, Prosperity Bank (the Bank). The Bank provides a broad line of financial products and services to small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank operated 213 full service banking locations; 59 in the Houston area; 20 in the South Texas area including Corpus Christi and Victoria; 35 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; 21 in the East Texas area; thirty-four 34 in the Central Texas area including Austin and San Antonio; 34 in the West Texas area including Lubbock, Midland-Odessa and Abilene; and 10 in the Bryan/College Station area. The Company added a net of two banking centers in Tyler, TX in connection with its acquisition of East Texas Financial Services (East Texas) on January 1, 2013, after consolidations. In November 2013, the Company announced that the completion of the merger of FVNB Corp.
On January 1, 2012, the Company acquired Texas Bankers, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Bank of Texas, Austin, Texas. On April 1, 2012, it acquired The Bank Arlington. Effective July 1, 2012, the Company announced the completion of the merger with American State Financial Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary American State Bank (collectively referred to as ASB) whereby American State Bank was merged with and into Prosperity Bank. In October 2012, the Company announced the completion of the merger with Community National Bank, Bellaire, Texas. On January 1, 2013, the Company announced the completion of the merger with East Texas Financial Services, Inc. (ETFS) and wholly owned subsidiary First Federal Bank Texas. Effective April 1, 2013, Prosperity Bancshares Inc announced the completion of the merger with Coppermark Bancshares, Inc. and wholly owned subsidiary Coppermark Bank, whereby Coppermark merged with and into Prosperity and Coppermark Bank merged with and into Prosperity Bank.
The Company pr! ovides medical and hospitalization insurance to its full-time associates. The Company considers its relations with associates to be good. Neither the Company nor the Bank is a party to any collective bargaining agreement. In 2012, the Company added additional products and services including trust services, credit card, mortgage lending and independent sales organization (ISO) sponsorship operations.
Lending Activities
The Company, through the Bank, offers a variety of traditional loan and deposit products to its customers, which consist primarily of consumers and small and medium-sized businesses. At December 31, 2012, total loans were $5.18 billion. Loans at December 31, 2012, included $10.4 million of loans held for sale and consisted of residential mortgage loans that were acquired as part of the acquisition of ASB in 2012. As reflected in the table below, loan growth was also impacted by the acquisition of Texas Bankers, Inc., The Bank Arlington, ASB and Community National Bank. Excluding loans acquired in these acquisitions and new production at the acquired banking centers since their respective acquisition dates, loans held for investment grew approximately $234.9 million, or 6.2%. The Company offers a variety of commercial lending products including term loans and lines of credit. The Company offers a broad range of short to medium-term commercial loans, primarily collateralized, to businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisitions of real estate and improvements) and the purchase of equipment and machinery.
The Company makes commercial real estate loans collateralized by owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied real estate to finance the purchase of real estate. The Company�� commercial real estate loans are collateralized by liens on real estate, typically have variable interest rates (or five year or less fixed rates) and amortize over a 15 to 20 year period. Company�� lending activities al! so includ! es the origination of 1-4 family residential mortgage loans collateralized by owner-occupied residential properties located in the Company�� market areas. The Company offers a variety of mortgage loan products which generally are amortized over five to 25 years. Loans collateralized by 1-4 family residential real estate generally have been originated in amounts of no more than 89% of appraised value or have mortgage insurance. The Company requires mortgage title insurance and hazard insurance. Other than with respect to mortgage banking activities acquired in the ASB acquisition, the Company has elected to keep all 1-4 family residential loans for its own account rather than selling such loans into the secondary market. By doing so, the Company is able to realize a higher yield on these loans; however, the Company also incurs interest rate risk as well as the risks associated with nonpayments on such loans. The Company makes loans to finance the construction of residential and, to a lesser extent, nonresidential properties. Construction loans generally are collateralized by first liens on real estate and have floating interest rates. The Company provides agriculture loans for short-term crop production, including rice, cotton, milo and corn, farm equipment financing and agriculture real estate financing.
Investment Activities
The Company uses its securities portfolio to manage interest rate risk and as a source of income and liquidity for cash requirements. At December 31, 2012, the carrying amount of investment securities totaled $7.44 billion. At December 31, 2012, securities represented 51.0% of total assets. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company did not own securities of any one issuer (other than the U.S. government and its agencies) for which aggregate adjusted cost exceeded 10% of the consolidated shareholders equity .
Sources of Funds
The Company offers a variety of deposit accounts having a wide range of interest rates an! d terms i! ncluding demand, savings, money market and time accounts. The Company relies primarily on competitive pricing policies and customer service to attract and retain these deposits. The Company does not have or accept any brokered deposits. Total deposits at December 31, 2012, were $11.64 billion. Noninterest-bearing deposits at December 31, 2012, were $3.02 billion. The Company utilizes borrowings to supplement deposits to fund its lending and investment activities. Borrowings consist of funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and securities sold under repurchase agreements.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Houston-based bank holding company�Prosperity Bancshares� (NYSE: PB ) �announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.215 per share, the same rate it paid the last two quarters after raising the payout 10% from $0.195 per share.
- [By Chuck Carnevale]
Next, I run graphs on liquidity ratios and additional data on various valuation ratios to include price to book value (pb), price to cash flow (pcfl), price to free cash flow (pfcfl) and others that can be seen as options on the navigation bar to the left of the sample graph which only plots the current ratio (cr), a quick ratio (qr) and for those diehards concerned with volatility [size=11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">��/p>
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: Ion Geophysical Corporation (IO)
ION Geophysical Corporation provides planning and seismic processing services, software, and acquisition equipment to the energy industry worldwide. Its Solutions segment provides seismic data processing services for marine and land environments, reservoir solutions, onboard processing and quality control, and seismic data libraries, as well as services to manage the seismic process that comprise survey planning and design, data acquisition and management, pre-processing, and final subsurface imaging. The company�s Systems segment offers DigiSTREAMER system, a towed streamer; redeployable ocean bottom cable seismic data acquisition systems; shipboard recorders; DigiCOURSE, a marine streamer positioning system; DigiFIN streamer control systems; source and source control systems, such as air guns; and analog geophone sensors. Its Software segment provides software systems and services comprising Orca, a command and control software for towed streamer acquisition; Gator, an integrated navigation and data management software system for multi-vessel ocean bottom cable and transition zone operations; and post-survey tools, including Reflex software for seismic coverage and attribute analysis, as well as Optimiser, a technology planning tool. This segment also offers consulting services for planning, designing, and supervising surveys, including 4D and WATS survey operations. ION Geophysical Corporation also offers cable-based, cable less, and radio-controlled seismic data acquisition systems; digital sensors; vibroseis vehicles, such as vibrator trucks; and source controllers for detonator and energy sources. The company was formerly known as Input/Output, Inc. ION Geophysical Corporation was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Industrials sector surged 0.85 percent, saw Arrowhead Research (NASDAQ: ARWR) as the top gainer. Meanwhile, other gainers in the sector included ION Geophysical (NYSE: IO), with shares up 6.1 percent, and China Distance Education Holdings (NYSE: DL), with shares up 5 percent. In trading on Wednesday, technology shares gained by just 0.28 percent.
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: Central Iron Ore Ltd (CIO)
Central Iron Ore, Ltd. is a Canada-based exploration and development company. The Company is engaged in the search for and development of iron ore and gold. Its projects include Yilgarn Iron Ore Project, South Darlot Gold Project and Eureka Gold Project. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Wolfe]
These four insiders made their buys during the public offering for $6 per share, and since their buys the price per share is down about -0.83%.� Highlighted below are the insiders��individual buys:
Timothy Keating (CEO):� Bought 8,000 shares for $48,000.� Now holds 98,000 shares of KIPO stock. Taylor Simonton (D):� Bought 3,000 shares for $18,000. Now holds 13,000 shares of KIPO stock. Kyle Rogers (CIO):� Bought 3,072 shares for $18,432.� Now holds 8,096 shares of company stock. Frederic Schweiger (CFO/COO):� Bought 8,000 shares for $48,000.� Now holds on to 26,700 shares of KIPO stock.
Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2015: XenoPort Inc.(XNPT)
XenoPort, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing internally discovered product candidates that utilize the body?s natural nutrient transport mechanisms to enhance the therapeutic benefits of drugs. The company licenses its lead product candidate Gabapentin Enacarbil, a transported prodrug of gabapentin, to Astellas Pharma Inc. in Japan and five Asian countries, as well as to Glaxo Group Limited in the United States. Astellas Pharma Inc. filed new drug application for the approval of Gabapentin Enacarbil as a treatment for restless legs syndrome in Japan. The company also develops Arbaclofen Placarbil, which completed a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury. In addition, it develops Arbaclofen Placarbil for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Further, the company develops XP21279, which is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinson?s disease; and XP2382 9, a novel prodrug of methylhydrogenfumarate that is in preclinical stage. It has strategic alliances with Astellas Pharma, Inc. and Glaxo Group Limited. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Santa Clara, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Shareholders of XenoPort (NASDAQ: XNPT ) are also glad for the long weekend after their stock tumbled this week following disappointing late-stage results for Arbaclofen Placarbil, or AP. Aimed at treating spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis, AP was unsuccessful in delivering a statistically significant benefit compared to the placebo. XenoPort's management noted that the company plans to cease development of AP and instead focus on the commercial development of recently approved restless leg syndrome drug Horizant, and its remaining clinical pipeline.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Breaking news
Acceleron Pharma (NASDAQ: XLRN) today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $100 million of its common stock. To read the full news, click here. XenoPort (NASDAQ: XNPT) announced today that it intends to offer and sell 10,000,000 shares of its common stock, subject to market and other conditions, in an underwritten public offering. To read the full news, click here. Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX) today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its CytoScan庐 Dx Assay. To read the full news, click here. Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) today announced an agreement for Verizon to purchase from Intel the assets of Intel Media, a business division dedicated to the development of Cloud TV products and services. To read the full news, click here.Posted-In: Evercore Partners US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets
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