An American-owned meat factory operating in China has been accused of selling out-of-date and tainted meat to clients including McDonald's (MCD) and Yum Brands (YUM), which owns the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut chains.
Dragon TV reported that workers at the food plant were processing expired meat and food that had fallen on the floor, illustrating China's continuing struggle to meet international food standards.
McDonald's and Yum Brands say they have stopped buying meat from the processing plant, Shanghai HUSI Food, which is a subsidiary of Illinois-based OSI Group.
Shares in Yum Brands were down by about 1.5% in premarket trading Monday. McDonald's stock was also edging down by about 0.5%.
Best New Companies To Invest In Right Now: Matador Resources Co (MTDR)
Matador Resources Company is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States, with an emphasis on oil and natural gas shale and other unconventional plays. Its operations are focused primarily on the oil and liquids-rich portion of the Eagle Ford shale play in South Texas and the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Permian Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The Company also operates in the Haynesville shale and Cotton Valley plays in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. In addition, it has a large exploratory leasehold position in Southwest Wyoming and adjacent areas of Utah and Idaho where it is testing the Meade Peak shale.
As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned a 100% working interest in approximately 26,900 gross acres and 24,100 net acres in Gonzales, Karnes, LaSalle, Wilson and Zavala Counties and a 50% working interest in approximately 2,800 gross and 1,400 net acres in DeWitt County and are the operator of this acreage. It also owns an approximate 21% working interest in approximately 12,800 gross acres in Atascosa County operated by EOG Resources, Inc.
South Texas
The Company focuses on the exploration and development of its Eagle Ford shale properties in South Texas. During 2012, the Company completed and began producing oil and natural gas from 28 gross/24.5 net operated Eagle Ford shale wells, including 25 gross/23.7 net operated and 3 gross/0.8 net non-operated Eagle Ford shale wells. During 2012, 43% of its daily production, or 3,908 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day, including 3,246 one stock tank barrel (Bbl) of oil per day and 4.0 one million cubic feet of natural gas (MMcf) of natural gas per day, was produced from the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. During 2012, the Company drilled and completed a total of 32 gross/30.5 net Eagle Ford wells on its operated properties. As of December 31, 2012, its aggregate leasehold int! erests consisted of approximately 42,500 gross acres and 27,900 net acres in the Eagle Ford shale play in Atascosa, DeWitt, Gonzales, Karnes, LaSalle, Wilson and Zavala Counties in South Texas.
Northwest Louisiana and East Texas
During 2012, bout 56% of its average daily production, or 5,042 BOE per day, including 31 Bbl of oil per day and 30.1 MMcf of natural gas per day, was from its leasehold interests in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. For the year ended December 31, 2012, about 76% of its daily natural gas production, or 26.0 MMcf of natural gas per day, was produced from the Haynesville shale, with another 12%, or 4.1 MMcf of natural gas per day, produced from the Cotton Valley and other shallower formations in this area. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had leasehold and mineral interests in approximately 22,300 gross and 14,200 net acres prospective for the Haynesville shale.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Heading into today, Matador Resources (MTDR) had gained 40% so far this year, as the competitor to Anadarko Petroleum (APC) and EOG Resources (EOG) has boosted oil & gas revenue and oil production. Make that 32% after Matador Resources announced a secondary offering.
Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Fifth Third Bancorp (FFH)
Fifth Third Bancorp (the Bancorp), incorporated on October 7, 1974, is a diversified financial services company. As of December 31, 2011, the Bancorp had $117 billion in assets, operated 15 affiliates with 1,316 full-service Banking Centers, including 104 Bank Mart locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores, and 2,425 automated teller machines (ATMs) in 12 states throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the United States. The Bancorp operates in four business segments: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Investment Advisors. The Bancorp also has a 49% interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC.
Commercial Banking
Commercial Banking offers credit intermediation, cash management and financial services to large and middle-market businesses and government and professional customers. In addition to the traditional lending and depository offerings, Commercial Banking products and services include global cash management, foreign exchange and international trade finance, derivatives and capital markets services, asset-based lending, real estate finance, public finance, commercial leasing and syndicated finance.
Branch Banking
Branch Banking provides a range of deposit and loan and lease products to individuals and small businesses through 1,316 full-service Banking Centers. Branch Banking offers depository and loan products, such as checking and savings accounts, home equity loans and lines of credit, credit cards and loans for automobiles and other personal financing needs, as well as products designed to meet the specific needs of small businesses, including cash management services.
Consumer Lending
Consumer Lending includes the Bancorp�� mortgage, home equity, automobile and other indirect lending activities. Mortgage and home equity lending activities include the origination, retention and servicing of mortgage and home equity loans or lines of credit, sales and securitizations of t! hose loans, pools of loans or lines of credit, and all associated hedging activities. Indirect lending activities include loans to consumers through mortgage brokers and automobile dealers.
Investment Advisors
Investment Advisors provides a range of investment alternatives for individuals, companies and not-for-profit organizations. Investment Advisors is made up of four main businesses: Fifth Third Securities (FTS), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Bancorp; Fifth Third Asset Management, Inc. (FTAM), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Bancorp; Fifth Third Private Bank; and Fifth Third Institutional Services. FTS offers full service retail brokerage services to individual clients and broker dealer services to the institutional marketplace. FTAM provides asset management services and also advises the Bancorp�� family of mutual funds. Fifth Third Private Bank offers holistic strategies to affluent clients in wealth planning, investing, insurance and wealth protection. Fifth Third Institutional Services provide advisory services for institutional clients including states and municipalities.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bloomberg]
Mattel (MAT), the world's largest toymaker, agreed to buy Mega Brands (MB) for $460 million, acquiring the biggest challenger to Lego A/S in the construction-toy market. Mattel is offering C$17.75 ($16) a share, according to a statement today, a 36 percent premium over yesterday's closing price. The board of Montreal-based Mega Brands unanimously approved the transaction, and investors holding 39 percent of the stock, including Chief Executive Officer Marc Bertrand and Fairfax Financial Holdings (FFH), agreed to the deal. The purchase of Mega Brands, the world's second-largest maker of snap-together blocks, will fill a product hole for Mattel. It doesn't have its own construction line, locking it out of a $4 billion market in the U.S. and Europe. The category also is a bright spot in a toy industry that has seen growth stall in the U.S. Mattel considered starting its own construction line, then opted instead to buy Mega Brands because it would be faster and less risky, Mattel CEO Bryan G. Stockton said on a call with reporters. Mattel got its first taste of construction in 2012 when it debuted blocks for its Barbie brand through a licensing deal with Mega Brands. Mattel realized that replicating this kind of expertise would take years, Stockton said. 'About Growth' "This acquisition is all about growth," Stockton said. "We see an opportunity to expand our brands in this category across boys, girls and preschool." Mattel shares rose 0.8 percent to $37.44 at 10:34 a.m. in New York. They had declined 9 percent over the past year through yesterday. Shares of Montreal-based Mega Brands surged 36 percent to C$17.73 today in Toronto. Mattel is coming off a lackluster holiday season, with sales sinking 6.3 percent -- the biggest quarterly drop since 2009. The El Segundo, California-based toymaker has looked to acquisitions to boost sales in the past. In February of 2012, it paid $680 million to buy HIT Entertainment, owner of Thomas the Tank Engine. It also acq
- [By Riddhi Kharkia]
Last year, Blackberry investors were not quite pleased with the collapse of a $4.7 billion buyout by Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH) because the management had clearly highlighted the vulnerable cash position of the company and an uncontrollable rate of cash burn that reduced the time available to the company to bounce back. However, in retrospect, the decision made by FairFax to abandon the deal and instead fund the company with $1 billion in convertible bonds along with the appointment of a new management team proved to be beneficial for the struggling giant. In a bid to create superior products and innovate on the existing products, the current management has sparked reasonable hope among investors of a possible comeback.
- [By gurufocus]
Prem Watsa, highly regarded CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH), wrote in March that ��e continue to fully hedge our common stock portfolios as our concerns about the United States��� You would think he has been wrong with the hedging as he is losing money with them. But the last time he was losing with hedging was during the last bull market from 2004 to 2006. He then made a killing with the hedges in 2007 and 2008.
Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF)
iShares Dow Jones U.S. Health Care Providers Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Health Care Providers Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the healthcare providers sector of the United States equity market. The Index includes companies that are healthcare providers, such as owners and operators of health maintenance organizations, hospitals, clinics, dentists, opticians, nursing homes, rehabilitation and retirement centers.
The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. Since all of the securities included in the Index are issued by companies in the healthcare providers sector, the Fund will be concentrated in the healthcare providers industry. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap BioScrip Inc (NASDAQ: BIOS) is a specialized health care services stock that���seeking to roll-up the heavily fragmented�home infusion care market���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock and its performance against healthcare ETFs like the iShares Dow Jones US Health Care ETF (NYSEARCA: IHF) or the Health Care SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA: XLV). However,�BioScrip has taken a beating and I should note that we have recently added shares to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio�because we believe the company is on the verge of turning a profit and is potentially undervalued.
- [By WWW.INVESTMENTNEWS.COM]
Most advisers are quick to spell out uncorrelated returns as the primary benefit of alternatives but few understand how to conduct comparative analysis. The tendency is to look at the funds' return and volatility; which starts one off on the wrong path. With alternatives, it's a two part process in which the first is simply qualification and then the second is measuring the material benefit for your portfolio. The necessary condition is uncorrelated, or non-systemic, returns. Without this, the investor is better off simply selecting a traditional long-only fund with the highest risk-adjusted prospects. Once you have identified a group of uncorrelated funds, the second step involves the tradeoff between return and correlatio
- [By John Udovich]
Beaten down small cap home care and infusion stock BioScrip Inc (NASDAQ: BIOS) was recently�called a�potential takeover target, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with healthcare ETFs like the iShares Dow Jones US Health Care ETF (NYSEARCA: IHF) or the Health Care SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA: XLV).�I should mention that during the third quarter of last year, we had BioScrip in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio after the stock had�taken a beating but we also believed the company is on the verge of turning a profit and is potentially undervalued.
Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Highpower International Inc (HPJ)
Highpower International, Inc., incorporated on January 3, 2006, is engaged in the production and sales of rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, lithium batteries and battery systems. The Company also recycles scrap battery materials through outsourcing and resells the recycled materials to some of its customers. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary is Hong Kong Highpower Technology Company Limited (HKHTC). HKHTC�� wholly owned subsidiaries Shenzhen Highpower Technology Company Limited (SZ Highpower), Highpower Energy Technology (Hui Zhou) Company Limited (HZ Highpower), Springpower Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited (SZ Springpower) and Icon Energy System Company Limited (ICON) and SZ Highpower�� wholly owned subsidiary Ganzhou Highpower Technology Company Limited (Ganzhou Highpower).
The Company�� Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are solutions for many applications. The Company�� Ni-MH rechargeable batteries offer capacity and energy density. As a result, users can expect a longer time between charges and longer running time. The Company�� Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are available in both cylindrical and prismatic shapes. The Company produces Li-ion batteries and Li-polymer batteries with hundreds of different models and specifications. As of December 31 2011, the Company produced an average of 1,520,000 lithium battery units per month.
The Company�� batteries fall into two main categories, such as consumer batteries and industrial batteries. The Company�� consumer batteries category produces Ni-MH and lithium batteries, which offers power capacity, allowing for longer working time and shortened charging time during equivalent working periods. The Company produces A, AA and AAA sized batteries in blister packing, as well as chargers and battery packs. The Company�� industrial batteries are designed for electric bikes, power tools and electric toys. They are specifically designed for high-drain discharge applications.
The Comp! any competes with SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Panasonic, BYD Company Ltd., GPI International, Ltd., GS Yuasa Corporation, Desay Corp., Coslight Group, Tianjin Lishen Battery Co. Ltd. and ATL.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Kyle Woodley]
The short, sucky answer? A lot:
Plans for a ��igafactory��meant to produce millions of electric-car batteries ginned up excitement, but also raised eyebrows. The Wall Street Journal reported on skepticism in the space — including from heads at Volkswagen (VLKAY) and battery maker Highpower International (HPJ). Now, even planned investment partner Panasonic (PC) now sounds iffy on the project, with company Kazuhiro Tsuga saying “the investment risk is definitely larger.” Not good. There also was Tesla�� direct sales snafu. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie huffed and puffed and (on March 11) successfully blew down Tesla�� direct sales model, with the Motor Vehicle Commission approving a measure to enforce an already-existing ban on direct sales. On the flip side, Tesla has scored victories in New York and Ohio in the past month, and is making progress in Arizona (which has a little incentive on the board). Production of the Model X has been pushed further back, to 2015. Musk’s reasons — mostly having to do with focusing on bolstering Model S sales — are valid, but that doesn�� really soften the blow of a longer wait for the much-anticipated addition to Tesla�� line. To address the issue of battery fires in the Model S, TSLA added titanium shields and aluminum deflector plates to new vehicles and offered to install them for free in all its existing cars. Tesla�� margins are excellent, and there�� no hard number on the cost impact of the fix, but titanium ain�� cheap. This definitely isn�� going to add to Tesla�� bottom line. What Now?I won�� belabor you with my bullish position on TSLA stock, but if you want, you can see it here. In short, Musk is a genius; Tesla products are quality and appeal to (and are priced for) the all-important luxury segment; and just given size and scale, TSLA has oh-so-much room to grow.
Best Up And Coming Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SGOCO Group Ltd(SGOC)
SGOCO Group, Ltd. designs, manufactures, and distributes liquid crystal display (LCD) consumer products in the People?s Republic of China and internationally. Its products include LCD personal computer monitors, LCD televisions, light emitting diode back-light modules, and application-specific LCD systems. The company also provides custom manufacturing services for application-specific LCD monitors, such as rotating screens, CCTV monitors for security systems, billboard monitors for advertising and public notice systems, and touch screens for non-keyed entries. SGOCO Group, Ltd. sells its products under the SGOCO, Edge 10, POVIZON, and No. 10 brands through a network of independent retail outlets operating under the ?SGOCO Image? name. The company offers its products to industry clients, such as medical centers, educational institutions, government complexes, public emergency response systems, and corporate offices, as well as to retail customers. As of December 31, 201 0, it had 603 retail stores covering 14 provinces and municipalities in the People?s Republic of China. The company, formerly known as SGOCO Technology, Ltd., was founded in 2006 and is based in Beijing, China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap display stock SGOCO Group Ltd (NASDAQ: SGOC) just sank 27.89% after reporting earnings, meaning its worth taking a closer look at it along with some other innovative display stocks like�Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) and Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED). After all, just about every new consumer gadget along with cars and even appliances are incorporating display technology. I should also mention that we have had Corning Incorporated in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio since early December (we are up around 29.20%) as we believe the company is in the sweet spot for next generation flexible screens and mobile wearables.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap flat panel display stock�Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED) was hit by bearish news in late November and the trend lines on its technical�charts appear to be confused as to what direction the stock will head, meaning its probably time to take a closer look at the situation along with the stock�� performance verses that of flat panel display peers like large cap Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW)�and small cap players like Daktronics, Inc (NASDAQ: DAKT) and SGOCO Group Ltd (NASDAQ: SGOC)
- [By John Udovich]
On Tuesday, large cap�LCD glass maker�Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) began surging some 20% in after hours trading after announcing that it will take over an existing joint venture (Samsung Corning Precision Materials) with Samsung���meaning it might be worth taking a closer look at some small cap peers like Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED), Daktronics, Inc (NASDAQ: DAKT) and SGOCO Group Ltd (NASDAQ: SGOC) who also have a piece of the LCD glass or related flat panel display action. Specifically, the deal involves a series of transactions to�give Corning Incorporated full ownership of Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd. (SCP), which manufactures LCD glass in Korea and it should be noted that Corning already relies on sales of LCD-TV glass for the bulk of its profit. In addition, Corning Incorporated���board of directors has authorized an additional $2 billion of share repurchases through Dec. 31, 2015, dependent upon the transaction closing. Wendell P. Weeks, the chairman, CEO and president of Corning Incorporated was quoted in the press release announcing the deal as saying:
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