Month: March 2014

Helmerich & Payne Inc. ( HP ) hit a new 52-week high of $107.95 on Mar 26, the fourth consecutive day it has done so. This contract drilling services provider gained nearly 27% in the last 3 months and over 10% in the past two weeks. […]

Recently, KBR Ltd. ( KBR ) announced that it received a front-end engineering design (FFED) contract from Emirates National Oil Company LLC to upgrade the latter’s condensate refinery at Jebel Ali. […]

American States Water Company ( AWR ) announced that its board of directors has sanctioned a new share repurchase program, which will allow the company to repurchase up to 1.25 million shares, equivalent to 3.2% of the company’s outstanding common stock. American States Water plans to begin the share repurchase process from May 2014 and expects to complete it by June 30, 2016. At the end of 2013, the company’s equity to total capitalization ratio stood at 60.2% […]

Following the popularity of Solarban z50 among North American architects and building owners, PPG Industries Inc. ( PPG ), has introduced SOLARBAN z75 glass in the continent. SOLARBAN z75 glass is a solar control, neutral, cool-gray tinted, low-emissivity (low-e) glass which has been well received in international markets. […]

On March 26, 2014, we issued an updated research report on American International Group, Inc. ( AIG ). The company reported strong earnings results in the last quarter. […]

Despite high debt leverage, the board of Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. ( NDAQ ) announced a 15% hike in its regular dividend pay-out. This marks the first ascent since the companyinitiated cash dividends in Apr 2012. […]

A day after Bank of America Corporation ( BAC ) declared a $9.3 billion mortgage settlement deal with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), there is something that the bank’s investors can look forward to. The U.S. Magistrate Judge, David Cayer has hinted at the dismissal of a similar case due to lack of proper evidence. […]

Zacks Investment Research upgraded Neenah Paper, Inc. ( NP ) to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on Mar 28, 2014. Going by the Zacks model, companies holding a Zacks Rank #1 have strong chances of performing better than the broader market. […]

Packaging Corporation of America ’s ( PKG ) shares were relatively flat on March 27 as investors reacted tepidly on the restructuring plans for its DeRidder, Louisiana mill. The strategic move is the latest ploy to increase profitability of this containerboard and corrugated packaging products manufacturer. In its detailed announcement, the company dismissed speculations of converting its idled No. […]

On Mar 27, 2014 , we issued an updated research report on Companhia Siderurgica Nacional ( SID ), or CSN, one of the leading steel producers in Brazil. Companhia Siderurgica Nacional’s fourth-quarter 2013 results failed to impress its shareholders as its net result plunged into losses amounting to 15 cents per American Depositary Receipt (ADR). […]

Low cost airline GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. ( GOL ) is seeking to expand its operations between Brazil and the U.S. The carrier has made a formal request to Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to run a regular service between Campinas (Brazil) and Miami (U.S.), with a scheduled stop at Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) […]

On Mar 27, we issued an updated research report on Orange ( ORAN ). Despite the plunge in the company’s top-line, Orange managed to improve its bottom-line year over year in 2013. […]

Recently, Dun & Bradstreet Corp. ( DNB ) entered into a partnership with customer relationship management (CRM) vendor SugarCRM to enable smooth integration of D&B business content into SugarCRM. The integrated solution will be made available to users through SugarCRM resellers from Apr, 2014 onwards […]

On Thursday, Citigroup Inc. ( C ) announced the redemption of trust preferred securities (TruPS) worth $2 billion. The securities to be fully redeemed include 6.000% TruPS issued by Citigroup Capital IX, 6.000% TruPS issued by Citigroup Capital XI and 6.35% enhanced TruPS issued by Citigroup Capital XVII. […]

On Mar 28, Zacks Investment Research upgraded LNB Bancorp Inc. ( LNBB ) to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Why the Upgrade […]

On Mar 27, 2014, we issued an updated research report on China Life Insurance Co. Ltd. ( LFC ). […]

Merck KGaA ( MKGAF ) enrolled the first patient in a phase III study (ESPART) on Pergoveris. Merck KGaA is evaluating Pergoveris for multifollicular development as part of an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment cycle in women classified as poor ovarian responders (POR). […]

Toyota Motor Corporation ( TM ) has announced the recall of 119,000 Avalon sedans of model years 2003 and 2004. Apparently, noise from other electrical components in the car sometimes damages the circuits of the air bag control module. This leads to accidental deployment of airbags […]

JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) can now heave a sigh of relief as a 2nd U.S. […]

Investors in the pharma/biotech sector eagerly wait for pipeline updates as they play an important role in deciding whether or not to invest in a particular company. Pipelines are of prime importance as far as pharma/biotech companies are concerned. Earlier this week, GlaxoSmithKline ( GSK ) came out with disappointing news regarding its Tafinlar-Mekinist combination for BRAF V600 E or K mutation-positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma […]