Crude oil prices in London and New York touched levels not seen since last September after militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized city after city over the weekend as they continued their march towards Baghdad.
Costlier energy could spell trouble for European economies still struggling to regain momentum after the region's debt crisis.
Growth in the eurozone has slowed to its weakest pace in six months, according to a June survey of purchasing managers released Monday. Companies across manufacturing and services reported higher input prices.
Top 10 Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Buy For 2015: Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)
Telecom Argentina SA (Telecom) is an Argentina-based company primarily engaged in the provision of national fixed-line telecommunication services, international long-distance service, data transmission and Internet services and mobile telephony. The Company also offers such solutions as online business and Web hosting, virtual private network (VPN), mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft and Blackberry, toll-free telephone numbers, call centers and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) line, as well as other services mainly aimed at corporate clients. The Company�� subsidiaries are structured in two business segments: Fixed Telephony, comprising Telecom Argentina USA Inc and Micro Sistemas Sociedad Anonima, and Mobile Services, including Telecom Personal SA, Nucleo SA and Springville SA. As of December 31, 2010, the Company�� majority shareholder was Nortel SA, 54.74% of its interest.
Voice, Data and Internet
Telecom Argentina owns a local telephone line network, public long-distance telephone transmission facilities and a data transmission network in the Northern Region. Telecom Argentina also owns a network in the Southern Region. Voice, data and Internet services consists of basic telephone services, international long-distance services, data transmission and internet services, information and communication technology services and other basic telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides basic telephone services, including local and domestic long-distance telephone services and public telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides international telecommunications service in Argentina, including voice and data services and international point-to-point leased circuits.
Telecom Argentina provides data transmission and Internet connectivity services, including traditional dial-up and broadband connections, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) dedicated lines, private networks, national and international broadcasting signal transport and videoconfe! rencing services. Telecom Argentina provides Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services and value-added solutions. Other services provided by Telecom Argentina include supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller identification (ID), voice mail, video calls and itemized billing, and telecommunications consulting and telecommunications equipment and maintenance services.
Telecom Argentina is a provider of Basic telephone services in the Northern Region and provides Basic telephone services in the Southern Region. Telecom Argentina�� fixed-line telephone network includes installed telephones and switchboards, a network of access lines connecting customers to exchanges and trunk lines connecting exchanges and long-distance transmission equipment.
The Company competes with Grupo Telmex Argentina, Telephone2, Impsat, IPlan, Comsat, Telecentro, Telefonica, Netizen, Gigared, UOL, Ertach, Telecentro and Cablevision.
Wireless Telecommunication
Telecom Argentina provides wireless services through its subsidiaries in Argentina and Paraguay. Its subsidiary Telecom Personal S.A. (Telecom Personal) provides wireless telephone service throughout Argentina via cellular and personal communications service (PCS) networks. Telecom Personal�� service offerings include global system for mobile communications (GSM) and 3G wireless communication over universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)/high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) networks (including general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data for GSM evolution (EDGE) and HSDPA high-speed wireless, videoconferencing, full track download, multimedia messaging, online streaming, corporate mailing and BlackBerry solutions) and sale of wireless communication devices (cellular phones, 3G modems, 3G hotspots, wireless Internet and netbooks). The Company also provides cellular and PCS services in Paraguay through Nucleo S.A., a subsidiary of Telecom Pers! onal.
The Company competes with Telecom Personal, Telefonica Moviles, America Movil, Telefonica Celular del Paraguay S.A. and Hola Paraguay S.A.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Reese, Founder and CEO, Validea.com And Validea Capital Management]
As you might imagine, the portfolio will tread into areas of the market others ignore, because of its contrarian bent. Right now, its holdings include some very unloved firms, including several financials, emerging market stocks, and much-maligned BP. Here's a look at five of the stock in our Dreman portfolio:
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM)
BP Plc (BP)
Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)
China Mobile Limited (CHL)
Vale SA (VALE)
Subscribe to Validea here��/P>
- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Monday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.48 percent. Top losers in the sector included Telecom Argentina SA (NYSE: TEO), down 6.1 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 6.8 percent.
Hot Services Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Lifeway Foods Inc (LWAY)
Lifeway Foods, Inc., (Lifeway), incorporated on May 19, 1986, is engaged in the manufacturing of probiotic, cultured, functional dairy and non-dairy health food products. The Company�� primary products are kefir sold under the name Lifeway Kefir and Helios Nutrition Organic Kefir; a line of yogurts sold under the Lassi brand, and BasicsPlus, a dairy based immune-supporting dietary supplement beverage. In addition to the drinkable products, Lifeway manufactures Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a line of various farmer cheeses, a line of gourmet cream cheeses, and Sweet Kiss, a fruit sugar-flavored spreadable cheese similar in consistency to cream cheese. The Company also manufactures and markets a vegetable-based seasoning under the Golden Zesta brand. Lifeway manufactures all of its products at Company-owned facilities and distributes its products throughout the United States.
Lifeway�� primary product, kefir is a fermented dairy product. Lifeway�� Kefir is a drinkable product intended for use as a breakfast meal or a snack, or as a base for lower-calorie dressings, dips, soups or sauces. Kefir is also used as the base of Lifeway�� plain farmer�� cheese, a cheese made without salt, sugar or animal rennet. In addition, kefir is the primary ingredient of Lifeway�� Sweet Kiss product, a fruit sugar-flavored, cream cheese-like spread which is intended to be used as a dessert spread or frosting. Lifeway�� Kefir is a drinkable kefir product manufactured in 10 regular and low-fat varieties, including plain, pomegranate, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, cherry, peach, banana-strawberry, cappuccino and vanilla, and sold in 32-ounce containers and 8-ounce single serving containers featuring color-coded caps and labels describing nutritional information. The kefir product is marketed under the name Lifeway�� Kefir and is sold by retailers from their dairy sections.
Lifeway�� Organic Kefir meets the organic standards and specifications of the United States Department of Agricul! ture for organic products and is manufactured in five flavors: plain, wildberry, raspberry, strawberry and peach. Lifeway�� Organic Kefir is sweetened with organic cane juice. Lifeway�� Slim6 is a line of low-fat kefir beverages with no added sugar designed for consumers who follow low-carbohydrate diets. Lifeway�� Slim6 has only eight grams of carbohydrates and 2.5 grams of fat per 8-ounce serving and is available in five flavors: strawberries n��cream, mixed berry, tropical fruit, strawberry-banana and an original, unsweetened version. ProBugs is a kefir product that contains 10 live and active kefir cultures. Aimed at children ages 2-9, ProBugscomes in three flavors, Sublime Slime Lime, Orange Creamy Crawler and Goo-Berry Pie and is packaged in no spill spout pouches designed as cartoon bug characters Peter, Polly and Penelope ProBug.
Farmer Cheese is based on a cultured soft cheese and is intended to be used in a variety of recipes as a low fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie substitute for cream cheese or ricotta, and is available in various styles. Sweet Kiss is a sweet cheese probiotic spread available in five flavors: plain, plain with raisins, apple, peach and chocolate. Elita and Bambino cheeses are low-fat, low-cholesterol kefir based cheese spreads, which are marketed as an alternative to cream cheese. Krestyanski Tworog is a European-style kefir-based soft style cheese which can also be used in a variety of recipes, eaten with a spoon, used as a cheese spread, or substituted in recipes for cream cheese, ricotta cheese or cottage cheese and is marketed to consumers of various Eastern European ethnicities.
Basics Plus is a kefir-based beverage product designed to support gastrointestinal functions and the immune system. Kefir Starter is a powdered form of kefir that is sold in envelope packets and allows a consumer to make his or her own drinkable kefir at home by adding milk. Lifeway continues to develop sales of this product through the Internet. Lassi is a c! ultured d! rink inspired by the traditions of India and is sold in 8-ounce containers in two flavors, strawberry and mango. Golden Zesta is a vegetable-based seasoning, which, because of its low sodium content, may also be used as a salt substitute and is marketed to delicatessens, gourmet shops and ethnic grocers. Helios Nutrition Organic Kefir is a kefir product made from organic milk and manufactured with a blend of active cultures. It is sold in 8 and 32 ounce bottles and made in five flavors: peach, plain, strawberry, vanilla and raspberry.
The Company competes with Danone Foods, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Dairy Products: This industry tumbled 2.12% by 10:50 am. The worst stock within the industry was Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY), which fell 0.9%. Lifeway Foods' PEG ratio is 3.56.
Hot Services Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CRA InternationalInc.(CRAI)
CRA International, Inc. provides litigation, regulatory, financial consulting, and management consulting services worldwide. It advices clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings; and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. The company offers consulting services, including research and analysis, expert testimony, and support in litigation and regulatory proceedings in various areas of finance, accounting, economics, insurance, and forensic accounting and investigations to corporate clients and attorneys. It also provides consulting services related to class certification, damages analysis, expert reports and testimony, regulatory analysis, strategy development, valuation of tangible and intangible assets, risk management, and transaction support to law firms, businesses, and government agencies. In addition, the company offers management consulting services consisting of strat egy development, performance improvement, corporate portfolio analysis, market demand estimation, new product pricing strategies, intellectual property and other assets valuation, competitors? actions assessment, and new sources of supply analysis. The company serves customers in banking and capital markets, chemicals and industrials, consumer products, energy and utilities, financial services, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, media, mining, metals and materials, oil and gas, real estate, retail, sports, telecommunications, and transportation industries. Its clients include domestic and foreign companies; federal, state, and local domestic government agencies; governments of foreign countries; public and private utilities; and national and international trade associations. CRA International, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
CRA International (NASDAQ: CRAI) shares reached a new 52-week high of $26.845. CRA International shares have jumped 45.84% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 18.08% in the same period.
Hot Services Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Weis Markets Inc.(WMK)
Weis Markets, Inc. engages in the retail sale of food in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Its retail food stores sell groceries, dairy products, frozen foods, meats, seafood, fresh produce, floral, pharmacy services, deli products, prepared foods, bakery products, beer and wine, fuel and general merchandise items, such as health and beauty care, and household products. The company operates stores primarily under the Weis Markets trade name. As of February 13, 2012, it operated 161 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The company was founded in 1912 and is based in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Mid-Atlantic grocery store chain�Weis Markets (NYSE: WMK ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.30 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past six quarters.
Hot Services Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Demandware Inc (DWRE)
Demandware, Inc. (Demandware), incorporated in February 2004, is a provider of software-as-a-service e-commerce solutions that enable companies to design, implement and manage their own customized e-commerce sites, including Websites, mobile applications and other digital storefronts. The Company sells subscriptions to its on-demand software and related services through both a direct sales force and indirect channels. Its customers consist of retailers and branded consumer product manufacturers that operate principally in the vertical markets, including apparel, general merchandise, health and beauty, home and garden, sporting goods and other vertical categories. The Company derives most of its revenue from subscriptions to its on-demand platform and related services. The Company derives its services revenue from the implementation of its customers��e-commerce sites, which includes the integration of complementary technologies and adaptation to back-end systems and/or business processes and the configuration and deployment of the site. In January 2014, Demandware Inc acquired privately-held Mainstreet Commerce, a provider of cloud-based order management solutions.
The Company physically hosts its on-demand solutions for its customers in 11 secure data center facilities located in North America and Europe. It contracts for use of these data center facilities from Equinix Operating Co. and NaviSite, Inc. The Company engineers and architects the actual computer, storage and network systems upon which its platform operates, which the Company calls its grid computing points of delivery (PODs), and deploy them to the data center facilities, which provide physical security, including manned security round the clock. The Company provides system security, including firewalls and encryption technology, and it conducts regular system tests and vulnerability assessments.
Demandware Commerce Platform
The Company�� platform uses a Web-based interface to provide one centra! l location for its customers to control and manage their e-commerce sites from products to pricing to placement to content. It provides security and built-in disaster recovery through its network of data centers. Using its Demandware Commerce platform, customers can easily deploy e-commerce sites without the need to install or integrate their own hardware and software infrastructure.
The Company offers on-demand e-commerce platform, a network of alliance partners that extends the value of the platform, and a business model designed for customer revenue growth. The Company delivers its solutions on-demand to its customers who can access and can manage it over the Internet using a standard Web browser. The Company has built its solutions using a single code base and a multi-tenant, multi-user architecture that it hosts. Demandware Commerce provides a single platform that its customers can use to manage consumer interactions across all digital touch points worldwide. Its reference applications are based on e-commerce can be customized to individual needs, with access to a sophisticated cross-channel merchandising engine and open development environment. Its applications include Web Storefront Applications, Call Center Application and Mobile Application. With Demandware Commerce, a customer can build a e-commerce site from scratch or leverage its pre-built storefront, called Site Genesis.
The Company�� call center application allows its customers��call center agents to quickly access order, consumer and product information through a single Web-based interface, enabling a more efficient and engaging experience for the consumer. Using this application, agents are able to easily search for products using advanced search techniques and guided navigation. In addition to providing improved customer service, agents can use this software to gain a single view into a consumer�� entire order history and recommend products using rules established by its merchandising tools. The Compan! y�� mob! ile application offers a customizable mobile storefront with the functionality its customers need to create a compelling shopping experience for consumers on their mobile devices. Its Demandware Commerce platform provides a unified development environment between the mobile storefront and its customers��other e-commerce sites for ease of customization and site management. Its mobile application is compatible with browsers and with smart phones, such as the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.
Demandware Commerce Center is a centralized application for control and management of all consumer e-commerce experiences across multiple sites and channels. In addition, users are able to create customized dashboards to display the commonly used activities. Active Merchandising, which is a metrics-driven online selling engine that controls merchandising interactions across search, personalization, analytics, promotions and catalog according to rules created by each of its customers. Products and Catalogs, which enables merchants to manage seasonal, branded and future product offerings across categories, catalogs and sites. Promotions, which consists of multiple configuration options for creating and controlling product promotions. A/B Testing, which allows merchants to perform comparison tests to determine, which merchandise is selected. Searchandising, which consists of rules that can easily be configured by the merchant to feature products in search results that deliver the inventory turn, conversion rates and average order size. Order Management, which provides users the ability to access, modify and cancel orders. Customer Targeting, which provides the capability to create rules that include and exclude conditions for triggering different merchandising offers, promotions and products.
Merchants and developers, through Demandware LINK, have access to an extensive library of integrations to third-party applications. These applications include campaign management, dynamic product imaging, ! order man! agement, payment management, personalization, social commerce and ratings and reviews. The Company supports its partners in the development of third-party integrations and undertake an approval process before the application is made available for downloading on Demandware LINK. Through Demandware Commerce developers can build, customize, test, debug, deploy, integrate and extend their e-commerce sites, all on-demand. Its development platform includes access to an extensive library of pre-built business processes and contains all the necessary tools to edit them.
The Demandware Commerce Cloud is comprised of its network of data centers, as well as its cloud-based architecture. Its on-demand platform allows the Company to increase the processing capacity of the environment, in which its customers��e-commerce sites operate to meet surges in demand. Through its Commerce Cloud, it also provides high uptime, security and built-in disaster recovery.
E-Commerce Retail Practice
The Company has developed a customer success program as a key component of its operational model, which is designed to enable its customers to achieve customer revenue growth and is delivered within the context of a shared business relationship. In this program, it assigns to customers an e-commerce strategist, who works hand-in-hand with its customers��executives to maximize the value of their investment. These e-commerce strategists are focused on growing its customers��revenue by taking the merchandising features and functionality of Demandware Commerce and an understanding of industry practices in site design, merchandising, analytics, interactive marketing, personalization and multi-channel integration. The Company also provides customer support engineers. Periodic system maintenance and continuous feature additions are also included in product support agreement coverage, which is included in the subscription fee. It offers support in multiple languages and through multiple channels, incl! uding glo! bal support coverage available round the clock.
Client Services
The Company�� customer enablement methodology includes document templates and processes to help project teams focus on the key tactical and strategic areas to maximize returns on its customers��online investments and minimize business risk. Its customer enablement methodology guides its tactical process to build and deploy an e-commerce site utilizing its Demandware Commerce platform. In addition, it offers a range of training classes to educate all individuals-e-commerce managers, Web developers, application developers and information technology (IT) professionals, who are part of its customers��implementation, maintenance and optimization teams.
The Company competes with IBM, Oracle/ATG, eBay/Magento, hybris, Digital River and eBay/GSI Commerce.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
Priced for perfection
Software-as-a-service provider Demandware (NYSE: DWRE ) certainly commands quite the premium valuation as enterprises transition from individual computer systems to software capable of integrating customers' information in the cloud on one Web-based platform. The beauty of such software designs is that they result in recurring revenue and regular upgrades. - [By Lee Jackson]
Demandware Inc. (NYSE: DWRE) posted strong second-quarter earnings yesterday. Subscription revenue in the second quarter was $20.8 million, a 37% increase over $15.2 million in the second quarter of 2012. The Deutsche Bank target for the stock is $42 and should go up after the beat. The consensus price target is lower at $39.
Hot Services Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Capella Education Company(CPLA)
Capella Education Company operates as an online postsecondary education services company in the United States and internationally. The company, trough its Capella University, offers various doctoral, master?s, and bachelor?s programs primarily for working adults in public service leadership, behavioral health and human services, business management and technology, and education markets; and online distance learning services for degree-entry programs and doctoral level programs in various disciplines, including business, management, psychology, law, and computing disciplines. It also provides learner support services, such as academic services comprising new learner orientation, technical support, academic advising, research services, online tutoring, and writing services; and administrative services through the telephone and Internet. In addition, the company?s learner support services include library services, such as access to collection of online journals, eBooks, an d interlibrary loan services; and career center services comprising career counseling, job search advising, and career management support services to learners and alumni. As of December 31, 2011, the company offered approximately 1,450 online courses and 43 academic programs with 140 specializations to approximately 37,000 learners. Capella Education Company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bill Smith]
Competition
ESI competes with many other for-profit ventures, including:
Other for-profit educators, such as: Strayer (STRA), Apollo (APOL), DeVry (DV), Capella (CPLA), Corinthian Colleges (COCO), and Career Education Corporation (CECO)Traditional colleges/universitiesCommunity colleges
Sales, EBITDA and Earnings
ESI has steadily increased revenue and earnings. In the last decade they've grown revenue at 20.8%; EBITDA at 34.4%; FCF at 22.5%, and Book Value at 8.5%. - [By Jeremy Bowman]
So what: ITT Educational Services (NYSE: ESI ) reported earnings earlier this morning, shooting up 30%, and earlier this week,�Capella Education (NASDAQ: CPLA ) jumped 15% after reporting, and is now approaching a new 52-week high. The education sector has gotten hammered over the last couple of years, but investors seem to be getting the feeling that enrollment numbers are bottoming. One exception was DeVry (NYSE: DV ) , which fell sharply after reporting earnings earlier this week, but still managed to gain 5.8% today.
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