Month: November 2012

Richmond-based utility Dominion Resources Inc .’s ( D ) business arm, Dominion Virginia Power received approval from the state’s regulators for the construction and operation of a solar power demonstration project in Virginia. The construction of the 30-megawatt solar generation facilities was sanctioned by the State Corporation Commission ("SCC"). […]

Limited Brands Inc. ( LTD ), a specialty retailer of women’s intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products, posted comparable-store sales results for the four-week period ended November 24, 2012 that betters analysts’ expectation. The owner of Victoria's Secret Direct and La Senza chains sustained its growth momentum with comparable-store sales increasing sequentially. […]

Recently, credit rating agency, Fitch Ratings affirmed the issuer default rating of Markel Corp. ( MKL ) at “BBB+” and the debt rating on its senior unsecured notes at “BBB” as per Reuters. The rating agency also affirmed the insurer financial strength rating of seven main property and casualty (P&C) insurance subsidiaries of Markel at “A”. […]

On Thursday, Standard & Poor's (S&P) Ratings Services downgraded the long-term issuer credit ratings of TCF Financial Corporation ( TCB ) and its subsidiary – TCF National Bank to 'BBB-' and 'BBB', respectively. Moreover, short-term rating on TCF Financial was been lowered to 'A-3' from 'A-2' and ratings on preferred stock reduced to 'BB' from 'BB+'. Further, TCF National Bank's subordinated debt rating was lowered to 'BBB-' from 'BBB' […]

In an attempt to expand its global advanced wound care division, Smith & Nephew ( SNN ), an international medical device major operating in the orthopedic reconstruction and trauma, endoscopy and advanced wound management market, recently entered into an agreement to acquire, Healthpoint Biotherapeutics for $782 million in cash. The transaction, which is subject to certain regulatory approvals, is expected to complete in December this year. Texas-based Healthpoint has been working successfully in acute, chronic, and burn-related wound care management for the past few years, and is currently a big name among the biopharmaceutical companies […]

We recently downgraded our recommendation on Saneamento Basico do Estado de São Paulo or SABESP ( SBS ) from Outperform to Neutral, anticipating the company’s performance to be in line with the broader market, going forward. The company is considered to be one of the largest water and sewage service providers in Brazil. It primarily serves the State of São Paulo, the industrial and economic hub of the Brazilian economy that solely accounts for about one third of Brazil’s GDP. […]

Motorola Solutions Inc. ( MSI ) reported better financial results for the third quarter of 2012, with both the top and bottom lines surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimates, mainly driven by higher global demand across the Government segments, however slightly offset by slowdown in Enterprisesales. Motorola Solutions is the largest developer of public safety products commanding nearly half of the total market share in the U.S. […]