Month: December 2015

Chemical and advanced materials maker, Celanese Corporation CE declared that it is showcasing high quality, medical grade engineered polymers at the Drug Delivery to the Lungs Forum (DDL 26) at the Edinburgh International Conference Center, Scotland, UK from Dec 9-11, 2015. Celanese will showcase its Hostaform MT SlideX POM product, a thermoplastic polymer that is an excellent low-friction solution for pressurized Metered Dose Inhalers (pMDIs), dry powder inhalers and spray pumps. Celanese continues to expand its engineered polymers portfolio to deliver innovative material solutions that will meet the growing demands of medical suppliers worldwide and also provide innovative material solutions to the end users […]

Aerospace giant, The Boeing Co. BA unveiled the first 737 MAX airplane on Tuesday. This marks the biggest upgrade of the company’s most popular jet in 19 years, indicating that the aircraft is on track for its first flight in early 2016. […]

Ushering in good news for shareholders, EdR EDR recently revealed that its corporate credit rating has been upgraded by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) to “BBB-” from “BB+” with a stable outlook. S&P upgraded the rating based on EdR’s recent deleveraging activities as well as solid operating performance. The rating agency believes that tailwinds in the student housing industry will enable EdR to sustain its performance over the next two years. […]

Novartis NVS announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted its generic arm Sandoz’s Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for a biosimilar version of Pfizer Inc.’s (PFE) blockbuster drug, Enbrel. While Amgen Inc. AMGN markets the drug in the U.S., Pfizer commercializes the drug outside the U.S […]

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ALXN was up 5.3% after the company announced that the FDA has cleared its enzyme replacement therapy, Kanuma, for the treatment of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D). The company plans to make the drug commercially available from the first week of Jan 2016 […]

Banking on three solid quarters of 2015, the board of MasterCard Inc. MA announced incremental capital deployment plans, thereby augmenting shareholder return. In an attempt to boost capital efficiencies, the company hiked its regular quarterly dividend by 19% to 19 cents per share from the prior payout of 16 cents. […]

In accordance to its targeted timeline, Cepheid CPHD recently launched its Xpert BCR-ABL Ultra test commercially outside the U.S. The company will initiate shipment of this test as a CE-IVD product from the ongoing week. The launch successfully reflects Cepheid’s efforts to expand its Xpert test menu in the international markets. […]

Shares of Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A hit a 52-week low of $45.09 on Tuesday, Dec 8. For more than a year, Europe’s largest energy producer has seen its stock price decline precipitously, as the commodity downturn has taken a toll on the entire industry. Since July last year, shares of Shell have dived around 45% – a significant fall considering its status as a ‘traditionally defensive stock’. […]

Kimberly-Clark Corp. KMB has recently announced that it is extending its partnership with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. As part of the alliance, Kimberly-Clark will increase the availability and offering of its brands to Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney Cruise Line. […]

Apple Inc. AAPL has yet another update for its Apple TV with the release of the latest tvOS 9.1 (last month the company had released tvOS 9.0.1). […]

The persistently low oil prices continue to be a growing concern for the Business Development Companies (BDCs) owing to their exposure to energy-related industries. On Monday, oil tanked to $37.50 a barrel – hitting the lowest level in almost seven years – after a decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) last week not to cut back oil production. […]

The board of Pentair plc PNR has raised the company’s annual dividend by 5% to $1.32 per share from the previous payout of $1.28 per share. This marks the company’s 40th consecutive dividend hike. Payment of the dividend will be made in four equal quarterly installments of 33 cents per share, in each of the first and second quarters and 34 cents in each of the third and fourth quarters […]

In an effort to turnaround its performance and bring the company back to growth trajectory, Nordstrom Inc. JWN is focusing on its omni-channel efforts. In line with this, the company has recently invested in Shoes of Prey. […]

The past week was a busy one for airline stocks with quite a few updates brimming in the space. On the traffic front, Delta Air Lines DAL and United Continental Holdings, Inc. UAL reported solid numbers for the month of November […]

U.S.telecom behemoth AT&T Inc. T is considering producing or acquiring content for its video services, including its Internet TV, which is due for launch in Jan 2016. The company plans to target customers who are not covered under traditional pay-TV services. […]

Stocks in the airline space had gained flight following the Dec. 4 decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – the international cartel of oil producers – to not curb output of crude. However, the rosy run was short-lived […]

On Dec 7, 2015, we issued an updated research report on New Jersey-based Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation IART – one of the world leaders in regenerative medicine. The company develops, manufactures and markets cost-effective surgical implants and medical instruments. Integra squarely beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the third quarter of 2015 […]

On Dec 7 2015, we issued an updated research report on IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. IDXX . This Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company ended the third quarter of 2015 on a mixed note, with its bottom line exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while the top line failed to meet the same. […]

Chemical giants DuPont DD and Dow Chemical DOW are in late-stage talks to combine their businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The report said that the companies could announce a merger deal in coming days, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of both companies gained in extended trading yesterday […]

Sheridan – the Physician Services Division of Tennessee-based healthcare provider AmSurg Corp. AMSG – recently took over Arizona-based Premier Emergency Medical Specialists (PEMS). This marks Sheridan’s foray into the emergency medicine specialty in Phoenix, AR. […]