When Toyota Motor Corp.’s (NYSE: TM)�U.S. sales collapsed four years ago, and did not make any recovery for three, most industry analysts blamed recalls and the effects of the 2011 Japan earthquake on production. In addition, and probably as important as the other two, there was the rise of the South Korean car industry, which offered Americans what Japanese models once did — low prices with good quality. The fortunes of manufacturers have turned sharply. Japan’s leader, Toyota, has gained back much of its share. Hyundai’s share has fallen.
New forecasts for August cars sales from KBB show that Toyota’s market share will stay at 14.7%, the same as August a year ago. That would put it virtually tied with Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), which currently holds the second spot behind General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM). Toyota will sell 214,000 cars and trucks this month, up 13.5% . Hyundai and its sister brand Kia will show a sales improvement of only�7.1%. That figure seems impressive at first, but it is not compared to an expected improvement of 13.6%, to an August total of 1.46 million, for the entire industry.
Top 10 Managed Healthcare Stocks To Own For 2015: Plains Exploration & Production Company(PXP)
Plains Exploration & Production Company, an independent oil and gas company, primarily engages in acquiring, developing, exploring, and producing oil and gas in California, Texas, and Louisiana. It owns oil and gas properties with principal operations in onshore California; offshore California; the Gulf Coast region, including Haynesville Shale, Eagle Ford Shale, and south and east Texas; the Mid-Continent region; and the Rocky Mountains. As of December 31, 2010, the company had estimated proved reserves of 416.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. Plains Exploration & Production Company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
1 (tie). Louisiana, March 29
Louisiana climbs to the top spot by keeping property taxes below $750 and collecting just a 4% sales tax, although local options add nearly 5 percentage points to that figure and make the state one of the highest-collecting sales-tax states. Although extensive activity from energy producers Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK ) , Encana (NYSE: ECA ) , and Plains Exploration (NYSE: PXP ) in the Haynesville-Bossier shale play could boost incomes and lead to higher taxes, much of Louisiana's sales tax revenue comes from out-of-state tourists visiting the state, leaving the actual amount borne by residents even lower. A 6% income tax isn't enough to push Louisiana out of the top spot.
Best Low Price Stocks For 2014: Union First Market Bankshares Corp (UBSH)
Union First Market Bankshares Corporation is a bank holding company. The Company offers financial services through its community bank subsidiary Union First Market Bank and three non-bank financial services affiliates. The Company�� non-bank financial services affiliates are Union Mortgage Group, Inc., Union Investment Services, Inc. and Union Insurance Group, LLC. The Company operates in two segments: traditional full service community banking business and its mortgage loan origination business. The Company is a community banking organization based in Virginia and provides full service banking to the Northern, Central, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Tidewater, and Northern Neck regions of Virginia through Union First Market Bank. Union First Market Bank (the Bank) is a full service community bank offering consumers and businesses a range of banking and related financial services, including checking, savings, certificates of deposit and other depository services, as well as loans for commercial, industrial, residential mortgage and consumer purposes. The Bank issues credit cards and delivers automated teller machine (ATM) services. The Bank also offers Internet banking services and online bill payment for all customers, whether retail or commercial. The Bank also offers private banking and trust services to individuals and corporations through its Financial Guidance Group. In January 2014, the Company acquired StellarOne Corporation.
As of December 31, 2011, Union First Market Bank operated 99 locations in the counties of Albemarle, Caroline, Chesterfield, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Frederick, Hanover, Henrico, James City, King George, King William, Lancaster, Loudoun, Nelson, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, York, and the independent cities of Charlottesville, Colonial Heights, Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Newport News, Richmond, Staunton, Stephens City, Waynesboro, Williamsburg, and Winchester. Union First Market Bank a! lso operates loan production offices in Staunton, Winchester, and Tappahannock. Union Investment Services, Inc. provides brokerage services; Union Mortgage Group, Inc. provides a line of mortgage products, and Union Insurance Group, LLC offers various lines of insurance products. Union First Market Bank also owns a non-controlling interest in Johnson Mortgage Company, L.L.C.
Union Investment Services, Inc. provides securities, brokerage and investment advisory services. It has 11 offices within the Bank�� trade area and is a full service investment company handling all aspects of wealth management, including stocks, bonds, annuities, mutual funds and financial planning. Securities are offered through a third party contractual arrangement with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., an independent broker dealer. Union Mortgage Group, Inc., (UMG) has offices in Virginia (seven), Maryland (three), North Carolina (three), and South Carolina (two). UMG is also licensed to do business in selected states throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, as well as Washington, D.C. It provides a variety of mortgage products to customers in those areas. The mortgage loans originated by UMG are generally sold in the secondary market through purchase agreements with institutional investors. Union Insurance Group, LLC (UIG), an insurance agency, is owned by the Bank and Union Mortgage. This agency operates in a joint venture with Bankers Insurance, LLC, an insurance agency owned by community banks across Virginia and managed by the Virginia Bankers Association. UIG generates revenue through sales of various insurance products, including long term care insurance and business owner policies.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
Reduced: Union First Market Bankshares Corp (UBSH)
Tom Gayner reduced to his holdings in Union First Market Bankshares Corp by 12.64%. His sale prices were between $18.24 and $20.59, with an estimated average price of $19.52. The impact to his portfolio due to this sale was -0.18%. Tom Gayner still held 1,658,339 shares as of 06/30/2013.
- [By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of StellarOne (NASDAQ: STEL ) , a commercial, mortgage, and wealth management bank servicing small and medium-sized businesses in Virginia, jumped as much as 20% after agreeing to be purchased by Union First Market Bancshares (NASDAQ: UBSH ) .
Best Low Price Stocks For 2014: Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc.(FCX)
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. engages in the exploration, mining, and production of mineral resources. The company primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and cobalt. It holds interests in various properties, located in North and South America; the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; and the Tenke Fungurume minerals district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s consolidated recoverable proven and probable reserves totaled 120.5 billion pounds of copper, 35.5 million ounces of gold, 3.39 billion pounds of molybdenum, 325.0 million ounces of silver, and 0.75 billion pounds of cobalt. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Mark Hulbert]
If you prefer the shares of individual gold-mining companies, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX) �is currently the one most recommended by the Hulbert Financial Digest-monitored advisers who have beaten the S&P 500 over the past 15 years. Also popular are Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) , Barrick Gold (ABX) , AngloGold Ashanti (AU) �and Newmont Mining (NEM) .
- [By Jayson Derrick]
Freeport McMoRan's (NYSE: FCX) union cancelled a planned one-month strike at its mine in Indonesia. Shares hit new 52-week lows of $27.72 before rebounding and closing the day at $28.50, up 1.50 percent.
Best Low Price Stocks For 2014: Jack Henry & Associates Inc.(JKHY)
Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JHA) provides integrated computer systems and services for in-house and outsourced data processing to commercial banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions primarily in the United States. It engages in processing transactions, automating business processes, and managing information services. The company?s Jack Henry Banking brand provides integrated data processing systems to de novo or start-up institutions and mid-tier banks, as well as markets three core banking software systems, such as SilverLake, a robust IBM i-based system designed for commercial-focused banks; CIF 20/20, a parameter-driven and easy-to-use system; and Core Director, a Windows-based and client/server system that offers intuitive point-and-click operation. Its Symitar brand supports credit unions with information and transaction processing platforms that provide enterprise-wide automation. This brand?s solutions include Episys, a robust IBM p-based system p rimarily designed for credit unions; and Cruise, a Windows-based and client/server system for credit unions. The company?s ProfitStars brand provides specialized products and services that enhance the performance of financial service organizations and corporate entities. Its iPay Technologies brand operates as an electronic bill pay for banks and credit unions with turnkey, and configurable retail and small business electronic payment platforms. JHA also offers complementary solutions comprising business intelligence and bank management, retail and business banking, member and member business services, Internet banking and electronic funds transfer, risk management and protection, and item and document imaging solutions. In addition, it provides data conversion, software implementation, training, and support services, as well as sells hardware systems. The company has strategic relationship with IBM Corporation. JHA was founded in 1969 and is based in Monett, Missouri.
Advisors' Opinion:- [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 Jack Henry & Associates (Nasdaq: JKHY ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Best Low Price Stocks For 2014: Natura Cosmeticos SA (NATU3)
Natura Cosmeticos SA is a Brazil-based company that, together with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the manufacture, industrialization, distribution and commercialization of cosmetics, fragrances and personal hygiene products under the brand name Natura. The Company's product line includes deodorants, makeup, sunscreens, lotions, creams, lipsticks and perfumes, among others. It operates in Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Netherlands, among others, and, as of December 31, 2011, the Company had such subsidiaries as Industria e Comercio de Cosmeticos Natura Ltda, Natura Cosmeticos SA, Natura Cosmeticos de Mexico SA de CV, Natura Cosmeticos Espana SL, Natura (Brasil) International BV and Natura Inovacao e Tecnologia de Produtos Ltda, among several others. On February 28, 2013, the Company concluded the acquisition of a 65% stake in Emeis Holdings Pty Ltd, operating under Aesop brand. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Harry Suhartono]
Brazil�� Ibovespa rose for a third day as traders pared bets on higher borrowing costs in Brazil, boosting the outlook for companies that sell in the local market. B2W Cia. Digital led gains among retailers, with Lojas Americanas SA (LAME3) and Natura Cosmeticos SA (NATU3) also trading higher. Petrochemicals producer Braskem SA (BRKM5) was the worst performer on the equity gauge after O Estado de S.Paulo reported Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4) is seeking to raise prices of naphtha sold to the company by 5 percent.
Best Low Price Stocks For 2014: Connecticut Water Service Inc. (CTWS)
Connecticut Water Service, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a regulated water company in Connecticut. It operates in three segments: Water Activities, Real Estate Transactions, and Services and Rentals. The Water Activities segment supplies drinking water. The Real Estate Transactions segment involves in the sale or donation of its real estate holdings. The Services and Rentals segment provides contracted services to water and wastewater utilities and other clients, which include contract operations of water and wastewater facilities; Linebacker, an optional service line protection program that comprises repairing or replacing leaking or broken water service line, curb box, curb box cover, meter pit, meter pit cover, meter pit valve, and in-home water main shut off valve before the meter; and providing bulk deliveries of emergency drinking water to businesses and residences through tanker trucks. This segment also engages in leasing and renting residential and c ommercial properties. As of December 31, 2009, Connecticut Water Service, Inc. served 88,534 customers in 54 towns in Connecticut. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Clinton, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Dittman]
Question: I like the H2O business. I��e owned American Water Works Co Inc (NYSE: AWK) for eons. Is there any compelling reason to own more than one water utility? At what point does is there no marginal benefit added? I do like Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS) and York Water Co (NSDQ: YORW) as slow, consistent growers.
As Ben Franklin said, ��ittle strokes fell great oaks.��/p> - [By David Dittman]
Answer: Our favorite water utilities–American Water Works, Aqua America Inc (NYSE: WTR), Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS)–are solid dividend growers throughout the cycle, and they all have pretty good growth prospects because of the abundance of small-scale municipal water utilities in their footprints.
- [By David Dittman]
Note that water utilities and UF Portfolio Holdings American Water Works Co Inc (NYSE: AWK), Aqua America Inc (NYSE: WTR) and Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS) posted 2013 total returns of 16.1 percent, 18.8 percent and 23.1 percent, respectively, underperforming the broader S&P 500 but besting the traditional safe-haven subgroups.
- [By David Dittman]
Answer: Water utilities have great track records of dividend growth: Aqua America, American Water Works Co Inc (NYSE: AWK) and Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS).
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