Archive for December, 2011
(ACN) Accenture Clinches Twin Business Process Outsourcing Deals
Ace technical and management solutions provider Accenture plc (ACN) recently clinched a business process outsourcing (BPO) deal with insurance carrier BNP Paribas Cardif. Financial terms of the deal were kept confidential. BNP Paribas Cardif, the life and property & casualty...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LH) Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Extends Orchid Bid Again
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LH) has once again extended the tender offer for Orchid Cellmark (ORCH) until December 9, 2011. The company had earlier extended the tender offer to November 30. In May 2011, the company received a request from the Federal Trade Commission...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CAH) Cardinal Health Analyst Maintains Outperform on Shares
We reiterate our Outperform rating on Cardinal Health (CAH). Its first-quarter fiscal 2012 (ended September 30) adjusted earnings per share of 73 cents beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 72 cents. Earnings from continuing operations (as reported) dropped about 19% year over...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JNJ) Spotlight on Hepatitis-C Market
Is the hepatitis-C market the next Mecca for the pharma/biotech sector? It seems so if we go by the flurry of activity and heightened interest in this market in the past few quarters. The hepatitis-C virus (HCV) market seems to have caught the eye of several pharma/biotech companies...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HIG) Hartford Financial Services Group Vends Private Placement Unit
Yesterday, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) announced an agreement to sell its subsidiary Hartford Life Private Placement (HLPP) to Philadelphia Financial Group Inc. for $117.5 million. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and closing conditions and is...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VZ) Verizon Communications and Leap Wireless Swap Spectrum
The largest U.S. mobile service provider Verizon Communications (VZ) has entered into a deal to swap its wireless airwaves with the low-cost wireless service provider Leap Wireless (LEAP). Verizon is moving quickly to acquire more spectrum licenses to support its video content...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CI) Cigna Rating Affirmed by A.M. Best
As a part of its annual rating review process, rating agency A.M. Best undertook its rating action on CIGNA Corp. (CI). The action resulted in affirmation of the company’s issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” and financial strength rating of “A”, with a stable outlook. The...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UIS) Unisys Corporation – Bull of the Day
Over the last few years, Unisys Corp. (UIS) has been restructuring its business to improve profitability. This restructuring strategy includes slashing jobs to reduce costs, selling non-core businesses and revamping its sales strategy, while also focusing investments on a few...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WSH) Willis Group Holdings Plc – Bear of the Day
We are downgrading our recommendation on Willis Group Holdings, Plc (WSH) to Underperform from Neutral due to the headwind from The Loan Protector business that is expected to weigh on North American results. The soft insurance market is likely to continue. Additionally, the...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PBR) Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Strikes Oil in Santos Basin
Brazilian state-run energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PBR), or Petrobras S.A., announced the discovery of oil in the pre-salt reservoirs of the country’s Santos Basin. The new well reinforces the region’s potential of 5-8 billion barrels of recoverable reserves. Drilled...
7Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(V) Visa Works to Delay Debit-Fee Rule
Visa Inc. (V) appears to have tried out every means to delay the implementation of the debit-fee ruling finalized in June this year, due to which the company’s lobbying charges increased substantially during the third quarter of 2011. However, Visa’s close rival, MasterCard...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CERN) Cerner Analyst Remains Neutral on Shares
We reiterate our Neutral rating on Cerner (CERN), a leading healthcare information technology (“HCIT”) solutions provider. Its third quarter adjusted earnings per share of 45 cents met the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues of $571.6 million were higher than the Zacks Consensus...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(IMF) IMF Eyes Lower Growth Forecast
Come January 2012, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will have to pare its growth forecast for the world. IMF’s September 2011 projections indicated a global growth of 4% for 2012 as opposed to over 5% in 2010. This announcement by the IMF does not come as a surprise. The...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DVN) EIA Reports Surprise Natural Gas Draw
The U.S. Energy Department’s weekly inventory release showed a surprise dip in natural gas supplies on account of unseasonably cold weather in the Southeast. However, gas stocks still remain at elevated levels – 7.3% above the 5-year average and 1.1% higher than the same...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NRF) Party Time for Retailers
The Thanksgiving weekend brought record sales for retailers who went on to post better-than-expected November comparable-store sales and are now padding up for the holiday season. Does this indicate that the retail party has just begun? Early hours store openings, huge discounts,...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WLP) Health Insurers Cut Third Quarter Lobbying Costs
Most of the leading health insurance companies reduced their lobbying costs in the third quarter of 2011, compared with the second quarter, although many recorded a year-over-year increase. WellPoint Inc. (WLP), the largest health insurer based on membership, spent $870,000 on...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MITI) Micromet Begins New Trial
Micromet Inc. (MITI) recently announced that it has begun a mid-stage registrational trial of its lead pipeline candidate, blinatumomab, in adult patients with B-precursor relapsed refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The trial was advised to be conducted by the US...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DOX) Amdocs Analyst Still Neutral
We reiterate our long-term Neutral recommendation on Amdocs Ltd. (DOX). The company’s fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 financial results met the Zacks Consensus Estimates. Amdocs enjoys a strong portfolio of several industry-leading technology integration products for managed...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HON) Honeywell International to Build Fertilizer Facility
Honeywell International Inc. (HON) entered into an agreement with the world’s largest privately held food and agribusiness company, J.R. Simplot Company, to construct a facility for the production of Honeywell’s Sulf-N 26, a very efficient fertilizer. All the agronomic...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LNG) An Alternative Way to Capture Emerging Market Growth
by David Fessler, Investment U Senior Analyst Tuesday, December 6, 2011: Issue #1658 Many countries outside the United States operate state-controlled companies. Most are giant behemoths, employing millions of people between them. These companies – among the world’s largest...
6Dec2011 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(PPDI) Pharmaceutical Product Development Shareholders Nod to Merger
Pharmaceutical drug research company Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. (PPDI) recently announced that its shareholders have approved the merger with privately held firms The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman. The merger was announced in October 2011. PPD shareholders...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PFE) Watson Pharmaceuticals Joins Pfizer for Generic Lipitor
November 30, 2011 was a big day for Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) with its blockbuster cholesterol drug, Lipitor, losing exclusivity in the US. With so many drugs losing exclusivity, why is the loss of exclusivity of Lipitor such a major event? Well, Lipitor has been a huge revenue generator...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(F) U.S. Auto Industry – Pent-Up Demand or Recovery?
Despite uncertainties in the market, consumers did not step back from the automobile showrooms in November as they felt the ardent need to change their old cars in the garage. Why wouldn’t they be, when the average age of vehicles on U.S. roads is almost 11 years and used cars...
6Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GOOG) Google Takes on Amazon With Same-Day Shipping Service
by Jeannette Di Louie, Investment U Research Monday, December 5, 2011 I’ve said for a while now that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) wants to take over the world. First, it debuted the search engine, which changed how we use the internet so significantly that English dictionaries everywhere...
5Dec2011 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(MYL) Mylan Earns FDA Approval
Generic maker, Mylan Inc. (MYL) recently announced that its Indian subsidiary Mylan Laboratories has received tentative approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a fixed-dose combination of generic versions of Bristol Myers Squibb’s (BMY) drug Reyataz and...
5Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(T) The Going May Get Tough in Wireless
We believe that the wireless majors, AT&T (T) and Verizon Communications (VZ) may be lulled by the proverbial calm before the possible storm. While these giants remain eminently solid, yet their outlook is opaque. Also, issues such as huge capital costs, uncertain returns...
5Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VZ) Verizon Communications Buying Wireless Spectrum
The largest U.S. mobile service provider Verizon Communications (VZ) has agreed to buy wireless spectrum from a group of cable companies, including Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Bright House Networks. Verizon will acquire 122 radio (or Advanced Wireless...
5Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BHI) U.S. Oil Drilling Rig Count Heads Further Down
In its weekly release, Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) reported a dip in the U.S. rig count (number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the country). This can be primarily attributed to a decrease in the tally of land rigs, partially offset by...
5Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UNP) Railroads Avert Labor Strike
An anticipated labor strike looming over the U.S. freight railroad industry has been finally forestalled after the intervention of U.S. Republican House leaders. The alarming possibility of a 90-day labor strike came to a halt when U.S. legislative authorities intervened to restrict...
5Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MA) MasterCard in mCommerce Tie
In an attempt to expand its mobile commerce (mCommerce) platform, yesterday, MasterCard Inc. (MA) announced a global strategic alliance with mFoundry. The latter is a well-positioned mobile banking solutions provider in the US with seven years of experience. Besides the collaboration,...
5Dec2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued