Month: July 2015

Driven by a strong balance sheet and focus on improving market share, First Merchants Corporation FRME announced its second merger deal this year. The company has signed a definitive agreement under which Ameriana Bancorp will merge with First Merchants. Expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2015, the deal is still subject to regulatory approvals and consent from shareholders of Ameriana Bancorp. […]

Renowned technical services company Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.’s JEC joint venture (“JV”) with premium management, engineering and specialist technical services company, Aurecon, was recently awarded a new contract for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project. The value of the contract remains undisclosed. Aurecon Jacobs Mott MacDonald (‘‘AJM’’) JV is appointed as the technical, engagement and planning advisor for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project in Victoria, Australia. […]

Despite several concerns, the Nasdaq outperformed the other major benchmarks throughout the first half of 2015. While the Dow declined 1.1% and the S&P 500 registered a gain of only 0.2% in the first half, the Nasdaq surged 5.3% in the year-to-date frame. Also, the Nasdaq hit an all-time high and crossed the 5K mark for the first time since the dot com bubble in 2000 […]

Western Union Co. WU will soon be launching digital kiosks in 300 WHSmith high street stores, in an effort to expand its digital money transfer platform. Western Union will activate Western Union Money Transfer® services within WHSmith high street stores which will enable customers to simply enter their transaction details at the kiosks and then proceed to a WHSmith self-checkout to pay to transfer money […]

The HealthCare segment at Bayer BAYRY announced that the company has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application in Japan for BAY 81-8973, a recombinant factor VIII compound. Bayer is looking to get BAY 81-8973 approved for the treatment of patients suffering from hemophilia A. The company has submitted regulatory application for the candidate in the U.S […]

TASER International Inc. TASR is once again in the spotlight with its shares climbing 5.41% yesterday after it disclosed new orders for its Axon body-cameras from the Fresno Police Department. […]

Diversified energy company Duke Energy Corporation DUK will upgrade its 36-megawatt (MW) energy storage and power management system at Notrees Windpower Project in west Texas. This unit is presently storing energy in lead acid batteries. The company has plans to replace these batteries with lithium-ion batteries over the course of 2016. […]

We issued an updated research report on global banking giant Barclays PLC BCS on Jun 30, 2015. Barclays’ ongoing restructuring and streamlining initiatives have started bearing fruits. Notably, during the first quarter of 2015, the company saw adjusted net income attributable to shareholders increasing 20% year over year […]

Markets performed poorly in June, despite indications that the economy was recovering. Most domestic reports were on the positive side and GDP numbers were not as bad as earlier estimated. […]

We issued an updated research report on International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. IFF on Jun 30, 2015. […]

Billion-dollar global technology giant TE Connectivity TE promises gigabyte level speeds for fiber to the home (“FTTH”) networks by showcasing latest innovations at the 2015 FTTH Connect conference in Anaheim, CA. Firstly, the firm is all set to showcase a breakthrough line of fiber distribution hubs; and secondly, it will introduce its fiber indexing architecture to hasten the pace of fiber construction at the 2015 FTTH Connect. The FTTH 2015 Innovations Cheering its investors, the company recently came up with plans to unveil 3 distinct fiber technologies in the event , namely, hardened connectivity, fiber distribution solutions, and FTTH architecture. […]

Consumer confidence – a key determinant of the economy’s health – improved significantly this June, somewhat suggesting that the U.S. economy is well placed against the Greek issue that has been affecting markets in recent months. […]

Google Inc. GOOGL is mostly in the news for its futuristic technology efforts. Currently it is engrossed in projects like plying self-driving cars along San Francisco's roads and floating giant balloons around the globe to provide Internet access to remote areas […]

MoneyGram International Inc. MGI has signed a new agreement with Founders Federal Credit Union to provide official check services. […]

One of the leading U.S. homebuilding companies, KB Home KBH recently opened a new community called Stonecrest at The Cove in San Jacinto, CA. […]

On Jun 30, 2015, we issued an updated research report on California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid CPHD , which develops, manufactures and markets fully integrated systems for clinical and non-clinical market tests. Cepheid reported an impressive first quarter of 2015 with earnings and revenues ahead of the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Interestingly, Cepheid’s Non-Clinical business returned to positive top-line growth during the quarter, driven by better-than-expected bio-threat and research grant revenues that had been witnessing a downtrend over the past few quarters […]