With shares of International Business Machines�(NYSE:IBM)�trading around $206, is IBM an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:
T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement
IBM is an information technology company. The company operates in five segments: Global Technology Services, Global Business Services, Software, Systems and Technology, and Global Financing. Technology products and services are in high demand worldwide as consumers want to be up-to-speed, and companies always need the latest and greatest to stay ahead of the competition. Cloud computing has been hot in recent times, which has not been too good for IBM. Should the company want to hold on to its market share, it needs to make moves quickly, and provide the technology products and services that worldwide consumers and companies demand.
T = Technicals on the Stock Chart are Strong
IBM stock has been on a monster surge higher over the last few years. The stock has been in a consolidation for about a year now and may be setting up to move higher. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, IBM is trading slightly above its rising key averages which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2015: Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP)
Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (the Partnership) owns and operates crude oil and liquid petroleum transportation and storage assets, and natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation and marketing assets in the United States. The Company was formed by its Enbridge Energy Company, Inc. (General Partner), to own and operate the Lakehead system, which is the United States portion of a crude oil and liquid petroleum pipeline system extending from western Canada through the upper and lower Great Lakes region of the United States to eastern Canada. A subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. (Enbridge), owns the Canadian portion of the Mainline system. Enbridge, which is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a provider of energy transportation, distribution and related services in North America and internationally. Enbridge is the ultimate parent of its General Partner. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio of assets included the approximately 6,500 miles of crude oil gathering and transportation lines and 32 million barrels of crude oil storage and terminaling capacity; natural gas gathering and transportation lines totaling approximately 11,500 miles; nine natural gas treating and 25 natural gas processing facilities with an aggregate capacity of approximately 3,255 million cubic feet per day, including plants; trucks, trailers and railcars for transporting natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil and carbon dioxide, and marketing assets, which provide natural gas supply, transmission, storage and sales services. The Company conducts its business through three business segments: Liquids, Natural Gas and Marketing.
Liquids Segment
The Company�� Lakehead system consists of crude oil and liquid petroleum common carrier pipelines and terminal assets in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions of the United States. The Mainline system serves refining centers in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions of the United States and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Its Lakehead system spans a distance ! of approximately 1,900 miles, and consists of approximately 5,100 miles of pipe with diameters ranging from 12 inches to 48 inches, and is transporter of crude oil and liquid petroleum from Western Canada to the United States. In addition, the system has 61 pump station locations with a total of approximately 900,000 installed horsepower and 72 crude oil storage tanks with capacity of approximately 13.9 million barrels. The Mainline system operates in a segregation, or batch mode, allowing the transport in excess of 50 crude oil commodities, including light, medium and heavy crude oil, condensate and NGLs.
The Company�� Mid-Continent system is located within PADD II and is consisted of its Ozark pipeline and storage terminals at Cushing and El Dorado, Kansas. Its Mid-Continent system includes over 430 miles of crude oil pipelines and 17.3 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity. Its Ozark pipeline transports crude oil from Cushing to Wood River where it delivers to ConocoPhillips��Wood River refinery and interconnects with the Woodpat Pipeline and the Wood River Pipeline. The storage terminals consist of 91 individual storage tanks ranging in size from 58,000 to 575,000 barrels. Of the 17.3 million barrels of storage capacity on its Mid-Continent system, the Cushing terminal accounts for 16.1 million barrels. A portion of the storage facilities are used for operational purposes, while it contracts the remainder of the facilities with various crude oil market participants for their term storage requirements. Contract fees include fixed monthly capacity fees, as well as utilization fees, which it charges for injecting crude oil into and withdrawing crude oil from the storage facilities.
The Company�� Mid-Continent system operates under month-to-month transportation arrangements and both long-term and short-term storage arrangements with its shippers. Its North Dakota system is a crude oil gathering and interstate transportation system servicing the Williston basin in! North Da! kota and Montana, which includes the Bakken and Three Forks formations. The crude oil gathering pipelines of its North Dakota system collect crude oil from points near producing wells in approximately 22 oil fields in North Dakota and Montana. Its North Dakota system is made at Clearbrook to its Lakehead system and to a third-party pipeline system. As of December 31, 2011, its North Dakota system included approximately 240 miles of crude oil gathering lines connected to a transportation line, which is approximately 730 miles long, with a capacity of approximately 210,000 barrels per day. Its North Dakota system also has 21 pump stations, one delivery station and 11 storage facilities with an aggregate working storage capacity of approximately 870,000 barrels. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it added 25,000 barrels per day of capacity from Berthold, North Dakota to the international border near Lignite, North Dakota.
Natural Gas Segment
The Company owns and operates natural gas gathering, treating, processing and transportation systems, as well as trucking, rail and liquids marketing operations. It purchases and gathers natural gas from the wellhead and delivers it to plants for treating and/or processing and to intrastate or interstate pipelines for transmission to wholesale customers, such as power plants, industrial customers and local distribution companies. As of December 31, 2011, it had nine active treating plants and 25 active processing plants, including two hydrocarbon dewpoint control facilities (HCDP) plants. Its treating facilities have a combined capacity, which approximates 1,240 million cubic feet per day while the combined capacity of its processing facilities approximates 2,015 million cubic feet per day, including 350 million cubic feet per day provided by the HCDP plants.
The Company�� natural gas business consists of East Texas system, Anadarko system and North Texas system. East Texas system includes approximately 3,900 miles of nat! ural gas ! gathering and transportation pipelines, eight natural gas treating plants and five natural gas processing plants, including two HCDP plants. Anadarko system consists of approximately 2,900 miles of natural gas gathering and transportation pipelines in southwest Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle, one natural gas treating plant and 11 natural gas processing plants. North Texas system includes approximately 4,700 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines and nine natural gas processing plants located in the Fort Worth basin. Its East Texas system is located in the East Texas basin. Natural gas on its North Texas system is produced in the Barnett shale area within the Fort Worth basin conglomerate. Its Anadarko system is located within the Anadarko basin.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� Elk City system includes one carbon dioxide treating plant and three cryogenic processing plants with a total capacity of 370 million cubic feet per day, and a NGL production capability of 20,000 barrels per day. It also includes its trucking and NGL marketing operations in its Natural Gas segment. These operations include the transportation of NGLs, crude oil and other products by truck and railcar from wellheads and treating, processing and fractionation facilities to wholesale customers, such as distributors, refiners and chemical facilities. In addition, its trucking and NGL marketing operations resells these products. Its services are provided using trucks, trailers and rail cars, pipeline capacity, fractionation agreements, product treating and handling equipment. Its trucking operations transport NGLs, condensate and crude oil from its processing facilities and from third party producers to its United States Gulf Coast customers. As of December 31, 2011, its fleet consisted of approximately 220 trucks and 375 trailers. Its trucking and NGL marketing operations are wholesale customers, such as refineries and propane distributors. Its trucking and NGL marketing operations also market products to whol! esale cus! tomers, such as petrochemical plants.
Marketing Segment
The Company�� Marketing segment transacts with various counterparties to provide natural gas supply, transportation, balancing, storage and sales services. Its Marketing business uses third-party storage capacity to balance supply and demand factors within its portfolio. Its Marketing business pays third-party storage facilities and pipelines for the right to store gas for various periods of time. These contracts may be denoted as firm storage, interruptible storage or parking and lending services. Its Marketing business leases third-party pipeline capacity downstream from its Natural Gas assets under firm transportation contracts. This capacity is leased for various lengths of time and at rates.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Aimee Duffy]
I particularly enjoy the motions to intervene, and encourage investors to read those closely.�Often when a company intervenes, it is asking FERC to step in and act on its behalf. Most times, it is a request by a company for FERC to step in and enforce an action on its behalf. Enterprise filed such a motion when it was having problems with speculators on its Seaway system. Similarly, Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP ) filed a motion to intervene in an effort to control the level of hydrogen sulfide in the crude oil entering its Berthold terminal in North Dakota.
- [By Aimee Duffy]
Right off the bat investors should know that if this happens, one company in particular will see its earnings jump, and that's Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP ) . The master limited partnership watched volumes on its North Dakota liquids pipelines shrink by nearly half in the first quarter, as producers favored rail shipments. If the pendulum swings back, we should see its numbers on this system follow suit.
- [By David Dittman]
Question: What are the differences among Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc (TSX: ENF, OTC: EBGUF), Enbridge Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EEP), Enbridge Inc (TSX: ENB, NYSE: ENB) and Enbridge Energy Management LLC (NYSE: EEQ)?
- [By Daniel Gibbs]
One investment vehicle that any investor interested in income should be familiar with is the master limited partnership, or MLP, as they�are some of the best income investments available today. Most master limited partnerships are in the business of owning and operating oil and gas pipelines such as Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP ) or Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP ) . However, there are some MLPs that actually operate oil and gas wells such as Breitburn Energy Partners (NASDAQ: BBEP ) and Mid-Con Energy Partners (NASDAQ: MCEP ) . In this article, we will discuss how these investments work and why they deserve a place in your income portfolio.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Own For 2014: Umpqua Holdings Corp (UMPQ)
Umpqua Holdings Corporation (Umpqua) is a financial holding company. Umpqua has two principal operating subsidiaries, Umpqua Bank (the Bank) and Umpqua Investments, Inc. (Umpqua Investments). The Bank is primarily engaged in the business of commercial and retail banking and the delivery of retail brokerage services. The Bank provides a range of banking, wealth management, mortgage banking and other financial services to corporate, institutional and individual customers. Umpqua Investments is a broker-dealer and investment advisor with offices in Portland, Lake Oswego, Medford, Oregon, and in many Umpqua Bank stores. Umpqua Investments offers a range of investment products and services, including stocks, fixed income securities (municipal, corporate, and government bonds, Certificate of Deposits (CDs), and money market instruments), mutual funds, annuities, options, retirement planning, money management services and life insurance. In December 2011, the Bank launched a commercial real estate division. In November 2012, the Company acquired Circle Bancorp, parent company of Circle Bank. In July 2013, Umpqua Holdings Corp completed its acquisition of Financial Pacific Holding Corp.
The Company offers a Switch Kit, which allows a customer to open a primary checking account with Umpqua Bank in less than 10 minutes. Other avenues, through which customers can access its products, include its Website equipped with an e-switchkit, which includes Internet banking through umpqua.online, mobile banking, and its 24-hour telephone voice response system. Umpqua Private Bank serves high net worth individuals with liquid investable assets by providing customized financial solutions and offerings. Umpqua private bank works collaboratively with the Bank�� affiliate retail brokerage Umpqua Investments and with the independent capital management firm Ferguson Wellman Capital Management. Umpqua Investments provides a range of brokerage services, including equity and fixed income products, mutual funds, annui! ties, options, retirement planning and money management services. Additionally, Umpqua Investments offers life insurance policies. At December 31, 2011, Umpqua Investments had 41Series seven-licensed financial advisors serving clients at three stand-alone retail brokerage offices and Investment Opportunity Centers located in many Bank stores.
Lending Activities
Umpqua offers loans for business and commercial customers, including accounts receivable and inventory financing, equipment loans, international trade, real estate construction loans and permanent financing and SBA program financing, as well as capital markets and treasury management. Additionally, it offers designed loan products for small businesses through its Small Business Lending Center. It also has a business banking division to increase lending to small and mid-sized businesses. The Company is also engaged in initiatives that continue to diversify the loan portfolio, including a focus on commercial and industrial loans in addition to financing owner-occupied properties.
Real estate loans are available for construction, purchase and refinancing of residential owner-occupied and rental properties. Borrowers can choose from a variety of fixed and adjustable rate options and terms. It sells residential real estate loans that originate into the secondary market. It also supports the Home Affordable Refinance Program and Home Affordable Modification Program. The Bank also provide loans to individual borrowers for a variety of purposes, including secured and unsecured personal loans, home equity and personal lines of credit and motor vehicle loans. The Bank makes both secured and unsecured loans to individuals and businesses. During 2011, its commercial real estate, commercial, residential, and consumer and other represented approximately 64%, 25%, 10%, and 1%, respectively, of the total non-covered loan and lease portfolio.
Source of Funds
The Company offers an array of deposit p! roducts, ! including non-interest-bearing checking accounts, interest-bearing checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit. These accounts earn interest at rates established by management based on market factors. It also offers a seniors program to customers over fifty years old, which includes an array of banking services and other amenities, such as purchase discounts, vacation trips and seminars.
Investment Activities
As of December 31, 2011, Umpqua's portfolio of investments securities included securities issued by United States Treasury and agencies, and residential mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations. It also includes obligations of states and political subdivisions, other debt securities, and investments in mutual funds and other equity securities.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Umpqua (UMPQ) is engaged in the business of commercial and retail banking and the delivery of retail brokerage services. This stock closed up 5% at $17.11 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 2.16 million
Three-Month Average Volume: 686,781
Volume % Change: 235%From a technical perspective, UMPQ ripped sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $16.51 with strong upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of UMPQ within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if UMPQ manages to take out Monday's intraday high of $17.46 and then once it clears its 52-week high at $17.48 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in UMPQ as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $16.51 or above more near-term support at $16 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 686,781 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then UMPQ will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory above, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $20 to $23.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Own For 2014: AZZ Inc (AZZ)
AZZ incorporated, incorporated on March 29, 1956, is an electrical equipment and components manufacturer, serving the global markets of power generation, transmission and distribution, and the general industrial markets, and a provider of hot dip galvanizing services to the North American steel fabrication market. The Company operates in two segments: the Electrical and Industrial Products and Services Segment and the Galvanizing Services Segment. On October 1, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Galvcast Manufacturing Inc. On January 2, 2013, the Company acquired G3 Galvanizing Limited (G3), a company with galvanizing operations in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On March 29, 2013, the Company completed its acquisition of Aquilex Specialty Repair and Overhaul LLC. In April 2013, it completed the acquisition of Aquilex Specialty Repair and Overhaul LLC (Aquilex SRO).
Electrical and Industrial Products and Services Segment
The Company�� Electrical and Industrial Products and Services Segment produces engineered specialty electrical products, industrial lighting and tubular products, all of which the Company market and sell both in domestic and international markets. The Company�� electrical products are designed, manufactured and configured to distribute electrical power to and from generators, transformers, switching devices and other electrical configurations and are supplied to the power generation, transmission and distribution markets and the general industrial market. The Company�� industrial products include industrial lighting and tubular products. The Company provides lighting products to the petroleum and food processing industries, and to other industries with lighting challenges. The Company also provides tubular products to the petroleum industry. In addition, the Company�� Electrical and Industrial Products and Services Segment provide electrical and mechanical equipment and services enhancing the safety of nuclear faci! lities.
Galvanizing Services Segment
The Galvanizing Services Segment provides hot dip galvanizing to the steel fabrication industry through facilities located throughout the South, Midwest, East Coast and Southwest of the United States and in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Hot dip galvanizing is a metallurgical process in which molten zinc is applied to a customer�� material. As of February 28, 2013, the Company operated thirty-five galvanizing plants, which are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia in the United States and Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada. The Company serves fabricators or manufacturers that provide services to the electrical and telecommunications, bridge and highway, petrochemical and general industrial markets, and numerous original equipment manufacturers.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
AZZ Inc.'s(AZZ) fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 3.1%, but the company warned that delays in new construction for domestic and international nuclear-power projects and the delayed start for the “petrochemical renaissance” in the Gulf Coast have resulted in a significant portion of its backlog in the electrical and industrial segment. It lowered its outlook for the year and projected weak results for the current quarter.
- [By Monica Gerson]
AZZ (NYSE: AZZ) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $191.37 million.
TigerLogic (NASDAQ: TIGR) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings.
- [By Holly LaFon] Worth-based Azz Inc. (AZZ) makes electronic equipment and tubular products and provides galvanizing services. Greenblatt bought 19,515 shares of the company at an average of $43 per share in the fourth quarter.
Azz has generated strong cash flow over the last 10 years, with two slightly down years. It grew its revenue at a 10-year rate of 10.9 percent, EBITDA at 22.9 percent, and book value at 17.2 percent. In the last five years it grew cash flow at a rate of 11 percent. Its return on equity has been in the double digits since 2007 and return on assets has been declining for the last four years.
The company�� stock price fell to 52-week lows in the fourth quarter, but began to turn around when the company announced its fourth-quarter financial results. Its net sales had increased to $345.5 million in the first nine months of the year from $280 million in the same period last year. Net sales increased in both its electrical and industrial products and its galvanizing services segments after its electrical and industrial products segment revenue had decreased 20 percent for the full year ended February 2011.
The company�� future prospects will be influenced by the expansion of the solar industry. "I anticipate an overall growth rate of 2 to 3 percent in the coming year. The solar market was and remains the driving force for growth in 2011, and is projected to remain a significant player through 2016,��said Tim Pendley, senior vice president and chief operating officer with AZZ Inc.
Azz�� P/E, P/S and P/B ratios:
AZZ pe,ps,pb Interactive Chart
Primoris Services (PRIM)
Primoris is a contractor and infrastructure company founded in 1946. It provides services related to construction fabrication, maintenance, replacement, water and wastewater and engineering to clients that are typically major public utilities, petrochemical companies, energy companies, municipalities and others. It doubled its size in 2009 and 2010 whe
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Own For 2014: Uranium Resources Inc.(URRE)
Uranium Resources, Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and mining of uranium properties, using the in situ recovery or solution mining process. It owns developed and undeveloped uranium properties in South Texas; and undeveloped uranium properties in New Mexico. The company?s primary customers include utilities who utilize nuclear power to generate electricity. Uranium Resources, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is based in Lewisville, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
You know, were it just Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:URRE) or just Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:URG) or just Uranerz Energy Corp. (NYSEMKT:URZ) making a decided bullish move, I might be able to dismiss it. Similarly, if URZ had only been moving higher for one or two days (or only URG or only URRE), it might be easy to not be impressed. Neither of those situations has been the actual case, however. All three stocks have been moving upward for several days now, quite a bit, on noticeably higher volume. There's something "going on", as it were, and if prior group-wide movements are any clue, it's the kind of move worth tapping into.
- [By John Udovich]
Since the start of the week, small cap nuclear fuel stock USEC Inc (NYSE: USU) more than doubled for investors, something that has not happened for investors in uranium stocks like Uranium Resources, Inc (NASDAQ: URRE), Denison Mines Corp (NYSEMKT: DNN), Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT: URG) and Uranerz Energy Corp (NYSEMKT: URZ). To recap: USEC Inc closed at the $6 level on Friday, but then it surged to the $15 level on Monday only to open at the $10 level on Tuesday when it ultimately closed at $12.46. So what in the world is going on with USEC Inc and is it time to revisit nuclear fuel and uranium stocks?
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Own For 2014: Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc.(PEET)
Peet?s Coffee & Tea, Inc. operates as a specialty coffee roaster and marketer of fresh roasted whole bean coffee and tea in the United States. It offers whole bean coffee and related products consisting of products for home brewing, tea, and packaged foods; and beverages and pastries. The company also provides brewing equipment for coffee and tea; paper filters and brewing accessories; and branded and non-branded cups, saucers, travel mugs, and serve ware. Peet?s sells its products through various channels of distribution, including grocery stores; home delivery, office, restaurant, and foodservice accounts; and company-owned and operated stores. As of January 2, 2011, it operated 192 retail stores in California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Washington. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Emeryville, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Hill]
In 2012, the Germany-based�Benckiser Group�spent $1.3B to buy Peet's Coffee & Tea, as well as Caribou Coffee. On Friday, Benckiser announced that it's buying European coffee maker Master Blenders for�around�$10 billion. In the United States, Benckiser is closing 15% of Caribou locations, and�converting 20% of the stores into Peet's (NASDAQ: PEET ) . In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts discuss whether Benckiser's big bet on coffee poses a threat to Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX ) .
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Own For 2014: Alcatel Lucent SA (ALU)
Alcatel Lucent, incorporated on June 18, 1898, is engaged in mobile, fixed, Internet Protocol (IP) and Optics technologies, applications and services. The Company is a partner of service providers, enterprises, industries and governments worldwide. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs centres of research in communications technology. Its operations are in more than 130 countries. The Company operates in three business segments: networks, applications, and services. On December 31, 2010, the Company completed the sale of its Vacuum pump solutions and instruments business to Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG. In September 2010, the Company acquired OpenPlug, a mobile software and applications development tools vendor. In June 29, 2010, the Company acquired ProgrammableWeb.
During 2010, the Company launched the Digital Media Store, a multicontent digital storefront that allows service providers to deliver content to end-users. Launched during 2010, Optism is a permission-based mobile marketing solution. During 2010, it launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Mobile Wallet Service (MWS), which allows the mobile operator to leverage its secure network to deliver a mobile payment capability through a mobile handset. During 2010, it also launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Application Exposure Suite to facilitate the development of new services by third-party application developers and content providers.
Networks Segment
The Networks segment supplies a portfolio of products and offerings used by fixed, wireless and converged service providers, as well as enterprises and governments for their business communications. The Company�� IP portfolio consists of four product families that deliver multiple services, including broadband triple play for residential customers; Ethernet and IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) services for Enterprise customers, and wireless second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G) and long term evolution (LTE) broadband services for mobile operators. The main product fami! lies include Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers, Carrier Ethernet service switche, Multi-service wide-area-network (or MS WAN) switches and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances.
Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers direct traffic within and between carriers��national and international networks to enable delivery of a range of IP-based services (including Internet access, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), Voice over IP (VoIP), mobile phone and data, and managed Enterprise VPN services) on a single common network infrastructure with superior performance, with application intelligence, and with scalability (such as the simultaneous support of many diverse types of traffic and customers); Carrier Ethernet service switches. Carrier Ethernet service switches enable carriers to deliver residential, business and wireless services, and these products are mainly used in metropolitan area networks; Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches. Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches enable fixed line and wireless carriers to transition their existing networks to support newer technologies and services, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances. Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances distribute and cache (store) Web and video content.
The Company�� Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) and Carrier Ethernet products are designed to facilitate the development and availability of applications for the more participatory and interactive Web 2.0 business and consumer services. Its service routers are particularly well suited to deliver complex services to business, residential and mobile end-users. Its IP/MPLS service routers and Carrier Ethernet service switches are often used in conjunction with its DSL and Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) access products to deliver these newer triple-play services, or with its wireless access products to deliver LTE solutions, or w! ith its D! ense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and optical switching products to deliver converged backbone transformation solutions for optimizing IP transport. Its Optics division designs and markets equipment for the long distance transportation of data over fiber optic connections via land (terrestrial) and under sea (submarine), as well as for short distances in metropolitan and regional areas.
The Company�� transport portfolio also includes the microwave wireless transmission equipment. Its terrestrial optical products offer a portfolio designed to seamlessly support service growth from the metro to the network core. With its products, carriers manage voice, data and video traffic patterns based on different applications or platforms and can introduce a range of managed data services, including multiple service quality capabilities, variable service rates and traffic congestion management. These products allow carriers to leverage their existing network infrastructure to offer these new services. Its submarine cable networks can connect continents (using optical amplification required over long distances), a mainland and an island, several islands together, or many points along a coast. It offers a portfolio of point-to-point microwave radio products meeting both European telecommunications standards (ETSI) and American standards-based (ANSI) requirements.
The Company�� Wireless All Around message developed during 2010 is a combination of wireless and IP products. The version of CDMA technology, known as 1X EV-DO Revision A, enables operators to offer two-way, real-time, high-speed data applications, such as VoIP, mobile video, push-to-talk and push-to-multimedia. The introduction of High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and HSPA+ (the latest evolutions of W-CDMA technology) on networks and devices has led to increases in data speeds available to broadband devices. The Company develops mobile radio products for the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile communications (GS! M) standa! rd, including General Packet Radio Service / Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (GPRS/EDGE) technology upgrades to that standard.
LTE offers service providers a compelling evolution path from all existing networks (GSM, W-CDMA, CDMA or WiMAX) by simplifying the radio access network and converging on a common IP base. RFS designs and sells cable, antenna, tower systems and their related electronic components, providing an end-to-end suite of radio frequency products. RFS serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, system integrators, network operators and installers in the broadcast, wireless communications, microwave and defense sectors. Specific applications for RFS products include cellular sites, in-tunnel and in-building radio coverage, microwave links, television and radio. The Company offers products that extend from legacy switching systems to IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) solutions for fixed, mobile, and converged operators. It has deployed its next-generation network (NGN) products in more than 170 fixed NGN networks, and it has provided the core network for more than 66 full IMS fixed and mobile networks. Its fixed access solutions allow carriers to offer triple-play services over a single access line. Its carrier customers are offering both residential and business customers multiple services, such as a number of broadcast channels, video on demand, high definition television (HDTV), VoIP, high speed Internet, and business access services.
Applications Segment
The Applications segment develops software-based applications and solutions that contribute to the personal communications for users. The Applications group is divided into two businesses: Enterprise Applications and Network Applications. The Enterprise Applications business includes its IP-based communications and collaboration applications for enterprises, including the Genesys contact center business. The Network Applications business develops applications used by service pr! oviders t! o deliver a range of services to their customers, and also includes Motive, which provides software for service providers to remotely manage their customers��at-home networks, networked devices and broadband and mobile data services. During the year ended December 31, 2010, its Applications segment accounted 12% of its total revenue.
The Applications segment is investing resources in next generation collaboration and communications systems offered by its Enterprise Applications division; customer contact, customer engagement and service management areas addressed by its Genesys and Motive businesses; carrier applications, such as communication and messaging, next-generation telephony, digital media and multi-screen delivery of content and personalized advertising, device agnostic location based address book services, and technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and Application Enablement.
Services Segment
The Services segment is focused in helping the service provider and customers realize the potential of media, information technology (IT) and telecommunications services and technologies. These services address the lifecycle of its customers��networks and operations, and encompass business consulting, systems design and integration, maintenance and managed services. The service offerings are organized around four areas: network and system integration, managed and outsourcing solutions, multi-vendor maintenance, and product-attached services.
The Company competes with Avaya, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, ZTE and Nokia Siemens Networks.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Inyoung Hwang]
EDF, Europe�� biggest power generator, and Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) SA, a French maker of phone equipment, jumped more than 7 percent as profit beat analysts��estimates. Barclays sank the most in 13 months after announcing a rights offering and saying income fell. K+S AG, Europe�� largest potash producer, plunged 24 percent as OAO Uralkali ended a deal that controlled supplies of the fertilizer ingredient from the former Soviet Union.
- [By Marie Palumbo]
Recently, French telecommunications equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU ) announced a plan to cut about $1.34 billion of annual costs and sell around $1.34 billion in assets. CEO Michel Combes said that Alcatel will lean more on its Internet Protocol routing business ��one of Alcatel's more successful segments.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Cash-balance plans may be the future...
The newly discovered pension plan that's been gaining in popularity lately is called a cash-balance plan. As a recent MarketWatch article discussed, the number of cash-balance plans among employers has jumped nearly 500% in the past 10 years, with 11 million participants and plan assets of nearly $725 billion as of 2011. Companies including Ford (NYSE: F ) , Alcatel Lucent (NYSE: ALU ) , and Boeing (NYSE: BA ) are among the biggest providers of cash-balance plans.
Top 10 Prefered Companies To Own For 2014: Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. (BIO)
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures and supplies the life science research, healthcare, analytical chemistry, and other markets worldwide with a range of products and systems used to separate complex chemical and biological materials and to identify, analyze, and purify their components. It operates in two segments, Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, sells, and services reagents, apparatus, and instruments used for biological research. This segment sells its products to university and medical school laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, food testing laboratories, and government and industrial research facilities. The Clinical Diagnostics segment develops, manufactures, sells, and services automated test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for the healthcare market. This segment sells its products to reference laboratories, hospital laboratories, screening faci lities, physicians? office laboratories, transfusion laboratories, and insurance and forensic testing laboratories. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Victor Selva]
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. (BIO) is a manufacturer and distributor of its own life science research and clinical diagnostics products. The company has two primary segments: Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The company sells its products and services to a diverse client base comprised of scientific research, healthcare, education and government customers.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE: BIO ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Bio-Rad Laboratories met expectations on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.
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