Month: February 2014

On Feb 4, we reaffirmed our Neutral recommendation on paint giant Sherwin-Williams ( SHW ). While we are encouraged by continued strength in the company’s paint business and its commitment to boost shareholder returns, we maintain a balanced stance considering currency headwinds, volatility in raw material costs and dilutive impact of acquisition. Pros and Cons of SHW Sherwin-Williams, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, saw its profit zoom roughly 71% year over year in fourth-quarter 2013, reported on Jan 30, on gains across its Paint Stores Group and Consumer Group divisions […]

3M Company ( MMM ) recently approved a new share repurchase program for the repurchase of up to $12 billion worth of stock. The new share buyback authorization replaced the existing share repurchase program. […]

Gold miner Goldcorp Inc. ( GG ) announced that the company along with its joint venture partner Barrick Gold Corp. ( ABX ) will sell their respective stakes in Marigold mine in Humboldt County, Nev […]

In order to enhance network efficiency, Nokia Corporation ’s ( NOK ) wholly-owned subsidiary Nokia Solutions and Networks (“NSN”) will deploy advanced software solution to its LTE cell sites. Application of the new software through proper coordinated scheduling feature will not only eliminate interruption between adjacent base stations but will also boost FDD-LTE and TD-LTE network download speeds by up to 30%, even during peak hours. Most LTE network stations apply non-standardized form of scheduling. […]

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters ( GMCR ) was a pretty hot stock for years, though its growth trajectory has slowed down recently. In fact, over the past two years, the company has seen a gain of just 16% as competition has really knocked this stock down a peg. However, investors have started to see a turnaround lately, as the company has seen a series of earnings beats, and a strong stock performance […]

Moving ahead with its aim to resolve all legacy mortgage issues, Morgan Stanley ( MS ) announced a settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) – conservator of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae – over the sale of home loans and mortgage backed securities (MBS). The company will pay $1.25 billion to settle the charges. Notably, the settlement still requires the approval of by the FHFA. […]

Updates related to pipeline and label expansion efforts are eagerly awaited by investors in the biotech/pharma space as their investment decisions on a particular stock are often based on these. These updates provide an insight into the commercial potential of a drug/candidate. […]

DuPont’ s ( DD ) agricultural seed unit DuPont Pioneer announced that it has entered into collaboration with DTN/The Progressive Farmer. The collaboration will bring instant weather and market information as well as innovative grain trading capabilities to farmers. The terms of the agreement were undisclosed […]

Legal woes do not seem to end for JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ). Recently, the company agreed to pay $614 million to the U.S […]

Dover Corporation ( DOV ) has completed the acquisition of Italy-based MS Printing Solutions S.r.l., a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of innovative digital ink jet printing systems and associated consumables, catering to the textile and specialty material markets. MS Printing Solutions will now become part of Dover's Printing and Identification (DPI) segment. The acquisition will help expand the segment’s served markets beyond fast moving consumer goods and industrial markets into the textile market. […]

The board of directors of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. ( CCE ), the western European bottler of The Coca-Cola Company ( KO ), recently announced a 25% increase in its quarterly dividend, marking the seventh consecutive year of dividend hike. The first quarterly dividend will be paid on Mar 20, 2014, to shareholders as of Mar 07, 2014. […]

A General Dynamics Corp. ( GD ) unit – Electric Boat Corp. […]

Social media firm Twitter ( TWTR ) announced its first public earnings announcement after the bell Wednesday, beating revenue estimates but failing to reach analysts' active monthly user targets. As a result, TWTR shares are down big in the after-market. […]

My first car was Ford Mustang GT. I didn't even know how to drive stick when I bought it. I instantly fell in love. […]

Sony Corporation ( SNE ) is preparing to sell off its Vaio personal computer (PC) business to a private investment fund company, Japan Industrial Partners, according to a report published in The Nikkei Asian Review. Though company personnel were not available for confirmation, markets are betting big on the news, given the investors’ positive reaction. Per the report, the under-performing PC business will be sold for approximately $391 million to $489 million (40 billion yen to 50 billion yen) […]