The Oklahoman reported last week about a movement out of Oklahoma City to get the United States Postal Service to switch from gasoline and diesel to natural-gas-powered vehicles. Natural gas is cheaper than either of those two fuels right now, which would be good for the USPS, but the real story here is in the power of demand. In this video, Fool.com contributor Aimee Duffy takes a look at what would happen if the Post Office pursued this idea.
The movement toward alternative energy is gaining momentum. One potential opportunity in this field is Clean Energy Fuels, which focuses its natural gas efforts primarily on trucking and fleets. It's poised to make a big impact on an essential industry. Learn everything you need to know about Clean Energy Fuels in The Motley Fool's premium research report on the company. Just click here now to claim your copy today.
Top Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Roper Industries Inc.(ROP)
Roper Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes radio frequency (RF) products and services, industrial technology products, energy systems and controls, and medical and scientific imaging products and software. Its Medical and Scientific Imaging segment offers patient positioning devices, 3-D measurement technology, diagnostic and therapeutic disposable products, ultrasound bladder volume measurement instruments, and video laryngoscopes; digital imaging products and software; and handheld and vehicle mount computers and software. The company?s Energy Systems and Controls segment produces control systems, fluid properties testing equipment, industrial valves and controls, sensors and controls, and non-destructive inspection and measurement products and solutions. Its Industrial Technology segment produces water and fluid handling pumps, equipment and consumables, leak testing equipment, flow measurement and metering equipment, water meter, and automatic meter reading products and systems. The company?s RF Technology segment provides radio frequency identification communication technology and software solutions that are used in toll and traffic systems and processing; security and access control; campus card systems; software-as-a-service in the freight matching and food industries; and metering and remote monitoring applications. It markets its products to RF applications, medical, water, energy, research, education, software-as-a-service-based information networks, and security markets. The company distributes its products through direct sales personnel, manufacturers? representatives, value added resellers, original equipment manufacturers, and distributors. It principally operates in the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Roper Industries, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in Sarasota, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Roper Industries (NYSE: ROP ) reported earnings on April 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Roper Industries missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
Hot Trucking Companies To Invest In Right Now: Sky Deutschland AG (SKYD)
Sky Deutschland AG is a Germany-based holding company, which operates a subscription television network in Germany and Austria. The Company manages television brands, including Sky Welt and Sky Welt Extra, as well as offers packages Film, Sport, Fussball Bundesliga (Germany football league), and HD (High Definition television), as well as pay-per-view service Sky Select and Sky Go. Furthermore, the Company offers Sky Hotel & Bars service, which provides the Company's services in public houses and bars. The Company offers approximately 70 television channels of various genres. Sky Select package enables watching selected movies at the specific time. Sky Go offers content on mobile devices, Internet and simultaneously on different television sets. The Company is also engaged in the purchase, sale and distribution of rights to film, series and television productions, the acquisition, sale and distribution of broadcasting rights for public events, among others. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Inyoung Hwang]
Sky Deutschland AG (SKYD) surged 5 percent to 7.55 euros, the highest price since September 2008. The pay-television said third-quarter ebitda climbed 19 percent to 29.2 million euros. Revenue jumped 19 percent from a year earlier to 392.7 million, topping analysts��estimates.
Hot Trucking Companies To Invest In Right Now: Rogers Communication Inc.(RCI)
Rogers Communications, Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. The company?s Wireless segment provides wireless voice and data communications services. It operates a global system for mobile communications and general packet radio service network. This segment markets its products and services under Rogers Wireless, Fido, and chatr brands. Its Cable segment offers cable television, high-speed Internet access, and cable telephony services. As of December 31, 2010, this segment provided digital cable services to approximately 1.7 million households; Internet service to approximately 1.7 million residential subscribers; and residential circuit-switched telephony services to approximately a million subscribers. This segment also offers local and long-distance telephone, enhanced voice and data services, and IP access. In addition, this segment operates a retail distribution chain consisting of approximately 400 stores that provide cable services and digi tal and Internet equipment, as well as offers digital video disc and video game sales and rentals. The company?s Media segment publishes magazines, trade and professional publications, and directories, as well as operates 55 radio stations in Canada; multicultural OMNI broadcast television stations; the 5 station Citytv television network; specialty sports television services, including Rogers Sportsnet, Sportnet ONE, and Setanta Sports Canada; specialty services, which comprise Outdoor Life Network, The Biography Channel Canada, and G4 Canada; and televised shopping service, The Shopping Channel. It also holds an ownership in a mobile sports and events production and distribution joint venture; delivers content and conducts ecommerce through the Internet; and owns Blue Jays, a League Baseball club, as well as Rogers Centre sports and entertainment venue. The company was founded in 1920 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Taulli]
Big competitors for BCE include Rogers Communications (RCI) and Telus (TU), though it also faces niche players such as Public Mobile, Wind Mobile and Mobilicity. Until recently, there was buzz that Verizon (VZ) might enter the market by buying up the latter two, though VZ apparently scrapped plans for Canadian expansion until 2014.
Hot Trucking Companies To Invest In Right Now: 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 mitu77]
Various chip manufacturers are now focused on their flash drive storage portfolio to leverage their top and bottom lines. EMC (EMC) is one such company that is a market leader in storage solution providers with global foot prints. Not just the storage, but EMC also provides various solutions like security, big data and hybrid cloud solution. The company�� emerging business is its storage business with high end solutions and performance. The size of data has been exponentially growing and this growth has enabled companies like EMC to flourish. IDC ( Market research company) and EMC had jointly estimated global data size to be around 2,837 Exabytes (EB) in 2012, and it is estimated to reach 40,000 EB by 2020. As the digital world continues to expand it is further anticipated that by 2020, average storage requirement would be around 5200 Gigabytes (GB) per person. 1 Exabytes (EB) = 1000 Petabytes (PB) = 1 million Terabytes (TB) =1 billion Gigabytes (GB)
- [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>
- [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.
Hot Trucking Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ishares Trust S & P Global * (IXJ)
iShares S&P Global Healthcare Sector Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poor�� Global Healthcare Sector Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the Standard & Poor�� Global 1200 Index, and measures the performance of companies that Standard & Poor�� deems to be a part of the healthcare sector. Component companies include healthcare providers, biotechnology companies, and manufacturers of medical supplies, advanced medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
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 MONEYMORNING.COM]
Consider the iShares S&P Global Healthcare Sect. (ETF) (NYSE: IXJ). While not a pure European play, it has one of the highest non-U.S. exposures in healthcare, most of which is European, and trades at a more reasonable P/E of 19. The fund is up 8.44% year to date and recently set a new all-time high, so it's definitely got momentum on its side.
Hot Trucking Companies To Invest In Right Now: Culp Inc (CFI)
Culp, Inc., incorporated on March 16, 1972, manufactures, sources, and markets mattress fabrics used for covering mattresses, box springs, and foundations and upholstery fabrics primarily for use in production of upholstered furniture. The Company operates in two segments: mattress fabrics and upholstery fabrics. The mattress fabric business markets woven and knitted fabrics, and sewn covers made from those fabrics, which are used primarily in the production of bedding products, including mattresses, box springs, and foundations. The upholstery fabric business markets a variety of fabric products that are used in the production of upholstered furniture, such as, sofas, recliners, chairs, loveseats, sectionals, and sofa-beds. The Company markets a variety of fabrics in different categories to its global customer base, including fabrics produced at the Company's manufacturing facilities and fabrics produced by other suppliers.
The Company markets products primarily to manufacturers that operate in two principal markets. The mattress fabrics segment supplies the bedding industry, which produces mattress sets (mattresses, box springs, and foundations). The upholstery fabrics segment supplies the residential furniture industry. As of April 28, 2013, the Company had fourteen active manufacturing plants and distribution facilities, which are located in North and South Carolina; Quebec, Canada; Shanghai, China; and Poznan, Poland. The Company also sources fabrics from other manufacturers, located mostly in China and Turkey, with those fabrics being produced specifically for the Company and created by its designers. The Company operates distribution centers in North Carolina and Shanghai, China to facilitate distribution of its products, and a distribution facility in Poznan, Poland.
Mattress Fabrics
The Company�� mattress fabrics segment, also known as Culp Home Fashions, manufactures and markets mattress fabric to bedding manufacturers. These fabrics encompass woven! jacquard fabrics, knitted fabrics, and some converted fabrics. Culp Home Fashions has manufacturing facilities located in Stokesdale and High Point, North Carolina, and St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada. One Stokesdale plant and the St. Jerome plant both manufacture and finish jacquard (damask) fabric. Its products include woven jacquards, which include various patterns and intricate designs, Converted, which includes suedes, pile and embroidered fabrics, and Knitted Fabric, which includes various patterns and intricate designs produced on special-width circular knit machines utilizing a variety of synthetic and natural yarns.
Upholstery Fabrics
The Company�� upholstery fabrics segment markets fabrics for residential furniture, including synthetic leathers, velvets, woven jacquards, woven dobbies, and suedes. This segment operates fabric manufacturing facilities in Anderson, South Carolina, and Shanghai, China. The Company markets fabrics produced in these two locations, as well as a variety of upholstery fabrics sourced from third party producers, mostly in China. Its products include Synthetic Leathers, which includes composite products which are face finished with polyurethane, either by printing or coating, velvets, woven jacquards, and suedes.
The Company competes with Bekaert Textiles B.V., Global Textile Alliance, Richloom Fabrics, Merrimack Fabrics, Morgan Fabrics, and Specialty Textile, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Culp (NYSE: CFI) is estimated to post its Q1 earnings at $0.35 per share on revenue of $74.39 million.
Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $1.40 per share on revenue of $516.57 million.
Hot Trucking Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cecil Bancorp Inc (CECB)
Cecil Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Cecil Bank (the Bank). The Bank is a Maryland chartered commercial bank, is a member of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, and is an Equal Housing Lender. Its deposits are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Bank conducts its business through its main office in Elkton, Maryland, and branches in Elkton, North East, Fair Hill, Rising Sun, Cecilton, Aberdeen, Conowingo and Havre de Grace, Maryland. On August 16, 2013, Cecil Bank completed the sale of its Aberdeen, Maryland branch office to Howard Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Howard Bancorp, Inc.
Lending Activities
The Bank offers mortgage loans on one-to four-family residential dwellings. Most of the loans are originated in amounts up to $350,000, on single-family properties located in the Bank�� primary market area. The Bank�� mortgage loan originations are generally for terms of 15, 20 and 30 years, amortized on a monthly basis with interest and principal due each month. The Bank offers adjustable-rate mortgage loans with terms of up to 30 years. The Bank also originates conventional fixed-rate mortgages with terms of 15, 20, 30 or 40 years. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Bank originated $2,145,000 in adjustable-rate mortgage loans and $7,157,000 in fixed-rate mortgage loans. The Bank also offers second mortgage loans. These loans are secured by a junior lien on residential real estate. The total of first and second liens may not exceed a 90% loan to value ratio.
The Bank�� construction lending has primarily involved lending for construction of single-family residences, although the Bank does lend funds for the construction of commercial properties and multi-family real estate. Land loans granted to individuals have a term of up to 10 years and interest rates adjust every one, three or five years. Land loans granted to developers have te! rms of up to three years. The Bank originates loans on multi-family residential and commercial properties in its market area. The Bank�� permanent multi-family and commercial real estate loans are typically secured by retail or wholesale establishments, motels/hotels, service industries and industrial or warehouse facilities. Multi-family and commercial real estate loans generally have terms of 20 to 40 years, are either tied to the prime rate or have interest rate adjustments every one, three or five years.
The Bank offers commercial business loans and both secured and unsecured loans and letters of credit, or lines of credit for businesses located in its primary market area. The business loans have a one year term, while lines of credit can remain open for longer periods. The Bank�� consumer loans consist of automobile loans, deposit account loans, home improvement loans, and other consumer loans. Consumer loans are generally offered for terms of up to five years at fixed interest rates.
Investment Activities
The Bank maintains a portfolio of mortgage-backed securities in the form of Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) participation certificates. GNMA certificates are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States, while FHLMC certificates are guaranteed by the agency.
Sources of Funds
Deposits are attracted principally from the Bank�� market area through the offering of a range of deposit instruments, including savings accounts and certificates of deposit ranging in term from 91 days to 60 months, as well as regular checking, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW), passbook and money market deposit accounts. Deposit account terms vary, principally on the basis of the minimum balance required; the time periods the funds must remain on deposit, and the interest rate. The Bank also offers individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Deposits have been the primary so! urce of f! unds for the Bank�� lending and investment activities and for its general business activities. The Bank is authorized, however, to use advances from the FHLB of Atlanta to supplement its supply of lendable funds and to meet deposit withdrawal requirements.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Today, CECB remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.410 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:10PM EDT August 30, 2013).
Howard Bancorp, Inc. and Cecil Bancorp, Inc. jointly previously reported their respective banking subsidiaries, Howard Bank and Cecil Bank, have completed the sale of Cecil Bank�� branch located at 3 West Bel Air Ave., Aberdeen, MD 21001 to Howard Bank pursuant to a purchase and assumption they entered into in March 2013.
Pursuant to the sale, Howard Bank has acquired $37.1 million in loans and $35.2 million in deposits from Cecil Bank.
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