Year: 2015

Corporate Office Properties Trust OFC – COPT – a Columbia-based office real estate investment trust or “REIT” has entered into a seven-year term loan agreement to pre-finance its 2016 debt obligations. Notably, the agreement facilitates the company to raise a total amount of $250 million. Further, the term loan comes with a delayed draw feature, which allows COPT to withdraw pre-specified amounts of the total available loan facility at contractual intervals […]

Seadrill Partners LLC SDLP has decided to slash its quarterly distribution amid an unfavorable offshore drilling market scenario. Notably, the partnership was formed by Seadrill Limited SDRL − one of the leading offshore drilling contractors in the world. […]

Marking an end to a roughly two-year long probe related to disclosure flaws, JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM successfully settled the matter with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). The company agreed to pay $307 million (in aggregate), while admitting to wrongdoings. […]

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated JLL recently revealed a deal to acquire Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) in a move to boost its reach in the broader hospitality sector. Founded in 1998, SAG is a provider of a full range of development advisory services that include asset management, tourism strategy and marketing, contract negotiations, and public-private partnership structuring to public entities. Importantly, in the hospitality industry, the public sector plays a crucial role as it offers strategic investments on which the private sector can bank upon. […]

Investors want their portfolio to have stocks with a track record of earnings beat, surging share price and a favorable recommendation. However, Whole Foods Market, Inc. WFM failed to satisfy any of these criterions. […]

On Dec 21, 2015, we issued an updated research report on Assured Guaranty Ltd . AGO . Assured Guaranty, a proven leader in bond insurance, is poised for long-term growth supported by the increased new business production […]

Follow me on Twitter @johnblank100. Merry Xmas and Feliz Navidad to all across the globe! El Nino is making the Xmas season a bit odd in character across the USA. […]

Mexican pay-TV and broadcasting behemoth, Grupo Televisa S.A.B. TV and U.S. broadcaster, Univision Holdings Inc […]

Windstream Holdings Inc. WIN , a leading communications and technology solutions provider in the U.S, has announced closure of the sale of its data center assets to cloud computing provider, TierPoint LLC, for $575 million. Windstream looks to utilize the proceeds for debt reduction and toward funding its newly announced Project Excel that is aimed at modernizing and upgrading its broadband capabilities […]

On Dec 17, Pentair plc PNR provided full-year guidance for 2016 as well as reaffirmed outlook for 2015. Shares fell around 2.8% on Friday as the company highlighted the challenges currently faced by its Valve & Control segment that are likely to persist in the near term. Further, low oil prices, unfavorable foreign exchange and softness in industrial and infrastructure verticals will continue to weigh on Pentair’s results. […]

Zacks Investment Research downgraded FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation FUJIY to a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) from a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) on Dec 18, 2015. Going by the Zacks model, stocks carrying a Zacks Rank #4 are likely to underperform the broader market over the next few quarters. Why the Downgrade […]

Mexican telecom regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT or Ifetel), recently approved swaps of frequency blocks and a spectrum rental deal between AT&T Inc. T and Telefonica SA TEF . Per the deal, AT&T will use spectrum in the range of frequencies in the 1.7-2.1 GHz band in some regions, whereas Telefonica will use frequency ranges of the 1.9 GHz band. […]

Sources have revealed that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV BUD is set to acquire Tempe, AZ-based microbrewery – Four Peaks Brewing Co., a move that underscores AB InBev’s relentless efforts to strengthen its position in the booming craft beer segment. Founded in 1996, Four Peaks is Arizona’s leading craft brewer. The company is expected to sell nearly 70,000 beer barrels in 2015 […]

On Dec 18, 2015, we issued an updated research report on New Jersey-based Phibro Animal Health Corporation PAHC – a leading global diversified animal health and mineral nutrition company. The company provides a broad range of products for food animals including poultry, swine, beef and dairy cattle and aquaculture. Phibro ended the first quarter of fiscal 2016 on a positive note, with its bottom line comfortably beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate […]

Medical products manufacturer Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. BIO recently announced that the U.S. […]

On Dec 21, 2015, we issued an updated research report on Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. ZBH – a major player in the musculoskeletal industry. […]

In a bid to fortify in anesthesia specialty services, this time in Atlanta and the rest of Georgia, Sheridan – the Physician Services Division of Tennessee-based healthcare provider AmSurg Corp. AMSG – has taken over Northside Anesthesiology Consultants, LLC (NAC). However, the financial terms of the transaction have been kept under wraps. […]

U.S. telecom behemoth AT&T Inc.’s T board has approved a 2.1% increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend to 48 cents per share from 47 cents. On an annualized basis, the dividend payment amounts to $1.92, up from $1.88 […]