Month: April 2014

Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ) is an intriguing option for investors seeking both growth and income. This warehouse retailer announced its decision of a dividend hike, reflecting its plan of utilizing free cash to enhance shareholders’ return, thereby boosting investors’ confidence in the stock. […]

Newmont Mining Corporation ( NEM ) announced that it has decided to end its merger discussions with Barrick Gold Corporation ( ABX ). Newmont stated that initially they were hopeful that combination of the two companies would reap benefits. However, Newmont realized that the type of constructive and partnership-oriented relationship necessary for potential benefits of the integration were not in existence. […]

On Tuesday, Wells Fargo & Company ( WFC ) enhanced its quarterly common stock dividend by 16.7% to 35 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on Jun 1, 2014 to shareholders of record as of May 9, 2014. This marks Wells Fargo’s 5th dividend increase since 2011, reflecting its commitment to return value to shareholders with strong cash generation capabilities […]

On Apr 30, 2014, we issued an updated research report on ADTRAN Inc. ( ADTN ). The first quarter 2014 financial results were supported by an improved spending atmosphere and increased strategic investments by its carrier and enterprise customers. […]

Shares of specialty chemical maker Westlake Chemical ( WLK ) screamed higher after it reported that its fully-owned subsidiary – Westlake Chemical Partners LP – has submitted a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pertaining to its planned initial public offering (IPO) of common units. Chemical Partners is a master limited partnership (MLP) subsidiary which Westlake recently created to operate facilities that convert natural gas liquid feedstocks (primarily ethane) to ethylene, a major petrochemical building block used to make an array of derivatives utilized across a vast spectrum of end-use markets including packaging, construction and transportation […]

German company Siemens Aktiengesellschaft ( SI ) entered the fray for acquiring French industrial giant Alstom, as the latter stalled the acceptance of General Electric Company’ s ( GE ) bid till May. Alstom, which operates in the power generation and transport markets, is a French conglomerate that pioneered TGV high-speed trains. As General Electric proposed a binding $16.9 billion offer to take over Alstom’s Thermal, Power and Grid businesses, Siemens cropped up as a prospective counter-bidder as it filed a declaration of interest to Alstom’s board […]

BB&T Corporation ( BBT ) raised its common share dividend by one cent or 4.3% to 24 cents per share on Tuesday. The dividend will be paid on Jun 2 to shareholders of record as of May 16. […]

Russian miner Mechel OAO ( MTL ) announced that it will temporarily suspend mining at Mechel Bluestone in the U.S., which is part of the Group's mining division, due to unfavorable market conditions. The spot prices for coking coal are at their lowest since 2007, which makes coal production at Mechel Bluestone unprofitable. […]

First Horizon National Corporation ( FHN ) ended the legal tussle it was embroiled in since 2011 with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) – the conservator for Freddie Mac ( FMCC ) and Fannie Mae ( FNMA ). The company announced a lawsuit settlement for $110 million related to the sale of mortgage back securities to these government sponsored enterprises prior to the financial crisis. First Horizon will pay $61.6 million to Fannie Mae and $48.4 million to Freddie Mac […]

ManpowerGroup Inc. ( MAN ), a leading provider of workforce solutions, is a promising option for investors seeking both growth and income. The company yesterday announced a dividend hike, which reflects its strong cash flow generation capability. […]

Novartis ( NVS ) received positive news when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zykadia (ceritinib) for the treatment of patients suffering from anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have progressed on or are intolerant to Pfizer’s ( PFE ) Xalkori (crizotinib). The FDA approval of Zykadia (previously known as LDK378) was based on encouraging results from a pivotal trial (n=163) wherein it was observed that Zykadia achieved an overall response rate (ORR) of 54.6% and a median duration of response (DOR) of 7.4 months among patients suffering from metastatic ALK+ NSCLC. […]

Fluor Corporation ( FLR ) is set to report its first-quarter 2014 results on May 1 after market closes. The company delivered a positive surprise of 3.06% in the last quarter. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement […]

Tesla Motors, Inc. ( TSLA ) will be announcing at least two sites for the planned ‘Gigafactory’ (large-scale factory) construction in the U.S., according to media reports. […]

Phillips 66 ( PSX ) posted adjusted first-quarter 2014 earnings of $1.47 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.34 by 9.7%. The beat came from higher profits in midstream and chemicals businesses. The quarterly earnings compare unfavorably with $2.19 per share earned a year ago […]

News from Twitter's ( TWTR ) second earnings report as a public company has been met with mixed results from investors. Sales doubled to $250.5 million year over year, more than Wall Street analysts expected. Twitter continues to lose money, incurring a 22 cent loss per share. […]

Ohio-based independent oil refiner and marketer Marathon Petroleum Corporation ( MPC ) is set to release first-quarter 2014 results before the opening bell on May 1, 2014. Last quarter, the company posted an earnings surprise of 79.49%. […]