Biotech stocks have been slammed recently and Morgan Stanley believes it’s time to start differentiating between the fundamentals of companies like Amgen (AMGN), Biogen Idec (BIIB), Celgene (CELG) and Gilead Sciences (GILD).
Shares of Amgen have dropped 1% this month, while Biogen Idec has fallen 9.5%, Gilead Sciences has declined 13% and Celgene is 0ff 11%.
Morgan Stanley decided that those drops made it a fine time to resume coverage of the biotech sector. That’s allowed it to come at companies like Amgen with a clean slate and consider what investors might have missed, both good and bad, as the sector surged during the past three years, and then sold off. Analysts Matthew Harrison and David Friedman explain:
Over the last 5 years, there have been extraordinary changes and major de-risking events at most of the large biotechnology companies. Total revenues for the major 4 biotechs (Amgen, Biogen, Celgene and Gilead) are expected to move from a total of $175B over the last 5 years to a total of $335B over the next 5 years. And if you exclude Amgen which is a more mature company, we expect total revenues to move from $94B to $229B, or 2.5x the prior period.
Best Japanese Companies For 2015: American Soil Technologies Inc (SOYL)
American Soil Technologies, Inc., incorporated on January 09, 1997, develop, manufacture on an outsourced basis and market advanced products that decrease the need for water and improves the soil in the Green Industry consisting of agriculture, turf and horticulture. The Company manufactures three products: Agriblend, a soil amendment developed for agriculture; Soil Medic, a slow release liquid fertilizer, and NutrimoistL, developed for homes, parks, golf courses and other turf related applications. The Company markets its products primarily in the United States.
The Company owns a wholly owned subsidiary, Smart World Organics, Inc. (Smart World). Smart World provides organic and sustainable fertilizers to commercial and residential customers worldwide. Smart World also provides custom-formulated products built to suit unusual growing conditions and environments. The product line includes homogenized fertilizers, non-toxic insect controls, plant protectants, seed, soil and silage inoculants.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
What�� the Catch With SOHM Inc? According to various disclosures, transactions of $1.5k and $15k have or will occur to mention SOHM Inc in various investment newsletters. Last Thursday, SOHM Inc announced it had launched a unique protein supplement I-Prolec��in India. The press release says this supplement will help people who have protein deficiency as well as athlete and sports persons who have need of extra proteins. Otherwise and back in June, SOHM Inc announced the financial results for the fiscal first quarter where revenue came in at $1,005,410 verses revenue of $375,741 for the same quarter of 2012. Not mentioned in the press release was a net loss of $236k along with net losses of $259k, $213k and $267k for the past four reported quarters. At the end of March, SOHM Inc had $138k in cash to cover $1,697k in current liabilities and $2,956k in long-term debt. Those full financials are not exactly great, but they are also not exactly terrible if the income statement�� top line continues to grow and the company turns a profit.
American Soil Technologies, Inc. (OTCMKTS: SOYL) Has Been Very QuietSmall cap American Soil Technologies engages in developing, marketing and selling polymer and other soil amendments to the agricultural turf and horticulture industries primarily in the United States. The company�� principal products include Agriblend, a soil amendment for agriculture; Soil Medic, a slow release liquid fertilizer for homes, parks, golf courses, and other turf related applications; and The Agro Tower for vertical farming. American Soil Technologies also provides homogenized fertilizers, non-toxic insect controls, plant protectants, seeds and soil and silage inoculants to commercial and residential customers worldwide. On Friday, American Soil Technologies fell 9.52% to $0.0770 for a market cap of $5.24 million plus SOYL is up 1,141.9% over the past year and up 28.3% over the past five years according to Googl
10 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Own Right Now: Icahn Enterprises L.P. (IEP)
Icahn Enterprises L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in investment, automotive, gaming, railcar, food packaging, metals, real estate, and home fashion businesses in the United States and internationally. Its Investment segment provides investment advisory, and administrative and back office services to the investment funds. The company�s Automotive segment offers powertrain energy, powertrain sealing and bearings, vehicle safety and protection, and aftermarket products for original equipment manufacturers. Icahn Enterprises L.P.�s Gaming segment owns and operates casino gaming properties. It has 9 casino facilities with 7,485 slot machines, 226 table games and 6,048 hotel rooms in Nevada, Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Aruba. The company�s Railcar segment designs, manufactures, sells, and leases hopper and tank railcars; custom designed railcar parts and other industrial products, primarily aluminum and special alloy steel castings; and provides r epair and maintenance services for railcar fleets. Icahn Enterprises L.P.�s Food Packaging segment produces and sells cellulosic, fibrous, and plastic casings for the processed meat and poultry industry. The company�s Metals segment collects, processes, and sells ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as processes and distributes steel pipe and plate products. Icahn Enterprises L.P.�s Real Estate segment engages in the rental of retail, office, and industrial properties; construction and sale of single-family and multi-family homes, lots in subdivisions and planned communities, and raw land for residential development; and golf and resort activities. The company�s Home Fashion segment manufactures, sources, distributes, markets, and sells home fashion consumer products, including bed, bath, basic bedding, and kitchen textile products. Icahn Enterprises G.P. Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Icahn Enterprises L.P. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By IBTimes]
Chip East/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesActivist investor Carl Icahn A Delaware court will decide Monday whether to expedite a lawsuit filed by Carl Icahn against Michael Dell's proposal to take Dell private for almost $25 billion, setting the scene for a face-off between the two billionaires. On Aug. 2, Michael Dell and Silver Lake Management raised their buyout offer to $13.75 a share, and a special dividend of 13 cents a share plus a regular dividend of 8 cents a share, in exchange for a change in voting standards, which would ensure abstentions would no longer be counted as votes opposing the buyout. In his Aug. 1 lawsuit against Dell (DELL) and its board of directors, Icahn asked the court to force the computer giant to hold side-by-side votes on Michael Dell's offer and on Icahn's proposal for a rival offer to buy back 1.1 billion shares at $14 apiece, in addition to one warrant for every four of their shares, allowing stockholders to buy one Dell share for $20 over the next seven years. Icahn, who owns about 9 percent of Dell shares, according to Bloomberg, contends that the buyout bid by Michael Dell, who owns about 15 percent of the stock, undervalues the company. Icahn's attorneys will seek to expedite hearings on the lawsuit, on grounds that Dell's shareholders will vote Sept. 12 on Michael Dell's offer. Icahn's competing offer is set to expire Sept. 30 and Dell's executive board is scheduled to hold a vote Oct. 17, The Wall Street Journal reported (subscription required). In a statement, Icahn, the chairman of Icahn Enterprises (IEP), told the court that shareholders will be harmed if the case isn't heard soon because Michael Dell's offer "is nearly certain" to come through, due to recent changes in voting rules, Bloomberg reported. Chancellor Leo Strine of Delaware's Court of Chancery could go either way in deciding whether to allow a speedy verdict on Icahn's lawsuit, because Delaware courts traditionally are hesitant to interfere in sharehol
- [By Robert Rapier]
CVR Partners’ fertilizer plant is located in Coffeyville, Kansas, adjacent to the refinery owned by CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR). CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), majority-owned by Carl Icahn via Icahn Enterprises (NYSE: IEP), is the general partner and owns most of the units for both CVR Partners and CVR Refining.
- [By Robert Rapier]
Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ: IEP) led all MLPs in 2013 with a capital gain of 136 percent. IEP is an unconventional MLP involved in nine primary business segments: Investment, Automotive, Energy, Gaming, Railcar, Food Packaging, Metals, Real Estate and Home Fashion. IEP invests in energy-related companies such as CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) and American Railcar Industries (Nasdaq: ARII), but nearly 60 percent of its assets are invested in the automotive sector and in investment funds. Since 2000, IEP has achieved an average annual return of 23.8 percent, and units currently yield 4.4 percent. MLP Profits subscribers had a chance at a 58 percent capital gain between the Sept. 9 Buy recommendation for IEP and its Dec. 16 liquidation from the Aggressive Portfolio.
- [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]
However, this is far from being the whole story. An activist campaign led by Carl Icahn's Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ: IEP ) investment fund has made Dell perhaps the riskiest stock in the market. Icahn believes that Michael Dell's proposal to buy the company significantly undervalues Dell. Yet while Icahn probably has the heft (and the votes) to scuttle Dell's go-private deal, he is unlikely to garner enough support to implement his proposal to increase shareholder value through a $14 tender offer.
10 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Own Right Now: Tallgrass Energy Partners LP (TEP)
Tallgrass Energy Partners, LP incorporated on February 6, 2013, is a limited partnership company. It provides natural gas transportation and storage services for customers in the Rocky Mountain and Midwest regions of the United States through its Tallgrass Interstate Gas transportation system and processing services for customers in Wyoming through its Midstream Facilities. The Company operates in two segments: Gas Transportation and Storage and Processing. The Gas Transportation and Storage segment is engaged in ownership and operation of interstate natural gas pipelines and related natural gas storage facilities that provide services to third-party natural gas distribution utilities and other shippers. The Processing segment is engaged in ownership and operation of natural gas processing and treating facilities that produce natural gas liquids and residue gas that is sold in local wholesale markets or delivered into pipelines for transportation to additional end markets.
The Company provides processing services for customers in Wyoming through its Casper and Douglas natural gas processing and West Frenchie Draw natural gas treating facilities. The Casper and Douglas plants have combined capacity of 138.5 138.5 MMcf/d. The Company has its operations in Lakewood, Colarado. The Company owns and natural gas processing plants in Casper and Douglas, Wyoming and a natural gas treating facility at West Frenchie Draw, Wyoming through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tallgrass Midstream, LLC.
The Company competes with Kinder Morgan and Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Aimee Duffy]
Tallgrass Energy Partners (NYSE: TEP ) followed closely behind, going public on May 14. This midstream company picked up some of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners'�western-based natural gas assets when KMP was forced to divest them to receive the Department of Justice's blessing on the El Paso acquisition.
10 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Own Right Now: Clayton Williams Energy Inc (CWEI)
Clayton Williams Energy, Inc. (CWEI), incorporated on December 27, 1991, is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the exploration for and production of oil and natural gas primarily in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. The Company operates in two segments: oil and gas exploration and production and contract drilling services. As of December 31, 2012, its portfolio of oil and natural gas reserves is weighted in favor of oil, with approximately 77% of its proved reserves consisting of oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) and approximately 23% consisting of natural gas. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company added proved reserves of 20,443 million barrels of oil equivalent (MBOE) through extensions and discoveries, had downward revisions of 6,615 MBOE and had purchases of minerals-in-place of 3,504 MBOE and had a sales of minerals-in-place of 725 MBOE. As of December 31, 2012, CWEI held interests in 3,031 gross (1749 net) producing oil and gas wells and owned leasehold interests in approximately 951,000 gross (471,000 net) undeveloped acres. On March 14, 2012, its wholly owned subsidiary, Southwest Royalties, Inc. (SWR), completed the mergers of each of the 24 limited partnerships, of which SWR is the general partner (SWR Partnerships) into SWR.
Permian Basin
The Company�� Permian Basin is a sedimentary basin in West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. The Permian Basin covers an area approximately 250 miles wide and 350 miles long and contains commercial accumulations of oil and gas in multiple stratigraphic horizons at depths ranging from 1,000 feet to over 25,000 feet. During 2012, the Company drilled and completed 87 gross (80.2 net) operated wells in the Permian Basin and conducted various remedial operations on other wells. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had two rigs in this area.
Giddings Area
The Company�� Austin Chalk formation is an upper Cretaceous geologic formation in the Gulf Coast region of the United States th! at stretches across numerous fields in Texas and Louisiana. The Austin Chalk formation is generally encountered at depths of 5,500 to 7,000 feet. Horizontal drilling is the primary technique used in the Austin Chalk formation. Its wells in this area were drilled as horizontal wells, many with multiple laterals in different producing horizons, including the Austin Chalk, Buda and Georgetown formations in East Central Texas. The Eagle Ford Shale formation lies immediately beneath the Austin Chalk formation where the Company have approximately 177,000 net acres in production. As of December 31, 2012, the Company is using one of its drilling rigs in the Giddings Area to drill horizontal wells in the Eagle Ford Shale formation.
South Louisiana
During 2012, the Company drilled and completed the Hassinger ETAL #1, an exploratory well in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The Company plan to commence drilling operations on the Macon Stringer Heirs #1, an exploratory well in Terrebonne Parish in 2013.
Natural Gas Services
The Company owns an interest in and operates natural gas service facilities in the states of Texas and Louisiana. These natural gas service facilities consist of interests in approximately 314 miles of pipeline, three treating plants, one dehydration facility, and seven wellhead type treating and/or compression stations. Its operated gas gathering and treating activities exist to facilitate the transportation and marketing of its operated oil and gas production.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Clayton Williams Energy (Nasdaq: CWEI ) is expected to report Q1 earnings around April 24. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:
The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Clayton Williams Energy's revenues will decrease -8.9% and EPS will shrink -32.8%.
10 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Own Right Now: iShares MSCI Ireland Capped ETF (EIRL)
iShares MSCI Ireland Capped ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Ireland Capped Investable Market Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI Ireland Investable Market 25/50 Index (the Index). The Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the top 99% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on the stock exchanges in Ireland. BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) serves as the investment advisor of the Fund. BFA is a subsidiary of BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Charles Sizemore]
How does an investment manager reconcile all of the various prognostications he hears on a daily basis?Simple��gnore them.��eb Faber, Global ValueIf you��e never heard of Cambria Investment Management�� Meb Faber, then you have some serious catching up to do. I consider Faber one of the most innovative strategists in the business today, and I found his research on shareholder yield to be compelling enough to make the Cambria Shareholder Yield ETF (SYLD) a core, long-term holding in multiple ETF portfolios I manage. (For readers unfamiliar with the term, ��hareholder yield��is a holistic measure of shareholder friendliness that includes dividends paid, shares repurchased, and debt repaid.)Faber�� latest book, Global Value: How to Spot Bubbles, Avoid Market Crashes, and Earn Big Returns in the Stock Market, provides the research underpinnings for Cambria�� latest ETF offering, the Cambria Global Value ETF (GVAL).Faber is a ��uant��who ignores the news of the day and instead focuses on the raw numbers. At its core, Global Value is a roadmap for implementing the value investing concepts originally espoused by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd in their 1934 classic Security Analysis in a systematic, quantitative manner.Specifically, Faber uses the cyclically-adjusted price/earnings ratio (��APE��, a metric popularized by Yale economist Robert Shiller, as a valuation tool to rank countries. In Faber�� model, an investor buys the stocks of the cheapest countries as ranked by the CAPE.The CAPE divides the current market price by the average of annual earnings across the economic cycle, with 10 years being the most popular time interval.Why? Because using a single year�� earnings can massively skew the results based on where you are in the economic cycle. As an example, a collapse in earnings in 2008-2009 would have made the S&P 500 look expensive had you used a simple P/E calculation with 2008 earnings numbers, even though the market had los
10 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Own Right Now: Manulife Financial Corp (MFC)
Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC) is a Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. The Company�� segments are Asia, Canadian and U.S. Divisions and the Corporate and Other segment. The Company�� international network agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to clients. It also provides asset management services to institutional customers. In January 2013, the Company acquired Benesure Canada Inc. In August 2013, John Hancock, the United States division of the Company, announced that it has acquired Landmark Square in Long Beach, California. In December 2013, MFC announced its subsidiary, Manulife (International) Limited, had completed the transaction to sell its life insurance business in Taiwan to CTBC Life Insurance Co., Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
Manulife Financial (MFC) is another stock that's forming an ascending triangle pattern right now. In the case of this $33 billion Canadian financial services firm, resistance comes into play at $18, a price level that's acted as a ceiling for shares since all the way back in July. The buy signal comes on a move through that $18 barrier.
Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Triangles, and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.
That $18 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant -- the move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.
After it happens, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop at $16.50.
- [By Eric Lam]
Air Canada, the nation�� largest airline, surged 7.2 percent after reducing costs. Manulife Financial Corp. (MFC), Canada�� largest insurer, increased 2.6 percent for a fourth day of gains. Trilogy Energy Corp. plunged 9.8 percent after reporting a loss as sales declined. Detour Gold Corp. plunged 18 percent after saying it will not meet its 2013 production targets. Centerra Gold Inc. and HudBay Minerals Inc. sank at least 3.7 percent as gold dropped to a three-week low in New York.
- [By Patricio Kehoe] est Canadian life insurer by market capitalization, offering asset management, wealth management and financial services to customers in Asia, Canada and the U.S. However, the company�� annuity and segregated fund business has suffered over the past two years, due to the low interest rate environment, leading to a decline in earnings and operating results. Nonetheless, the firm has been undergoing some changes throughout 2013 and management expects profitability to increase for fiscal 2014, despite its underperformance during fourth quarter fiscal 2013. Thus, many investment gurus like George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) and Jim Simons' (Trades, Portfolio) hedge fund remain bullish about Manulife�� future outlook, evidenced by their shares purchased in the past quarter.
Of Hedging and Repricing
Manulife�� capital sensitivity and volatile earnings have made it difficult for the company to maintain steady growth prospects in the past, but quarter four's earnings report showed improvements in some aspects, especially regarding EPS growth, which jumped 73% year over year, closing at $1.62 per share. This is largely due to the company�� recent strategy of hedging two-thirds of its variable annuity business, and looking forward all newly written businesses in this segment will be hedged. Furthermore, the firm has been gradually trading most of its short-term bonds for long-term bonds, which will improve the bond duration of its investment portfolio, thereby reducing earning sensitivity. While insurance sales were weak for 2013, declining 13% from 2012 and 32% year over year for the quarter, Manulife�� shift towards expanding its wealth management business (wealth sales increased 37% over the past fiscal year) and mutual fund sales should help offset declines in the future.
In fact, today the company announced that it will be launching a new universal life product for the Canadian market called Manulife UL by May 26 of this year. The new
10 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Own Right Now: General Growth Properties Inc (GGC)
General Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP), incorporated on July 1, 2010, is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company owns or with joint venture partners 144 regional malls (126 domestic and 18 in Brazil) consists of approximately 135 million square feet. The Company is engaged in ownership, operation, management and selective re-development of its Consolidated Properties and Unconsolidated Properties, which are primarily regional malls.
As of December 31, 2012, the Company's segment was consists of 126 regional malls in the United States and 18 malls in Brazil, eight strip centers totaling 1.6 million square feet, primarily in the Western region of the United States, as well as seven stand-alone office buildings totaling 0.9 million square feet, concentrated in Columbia, Maryland. The Company also own interests in regional malls in Brazil.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
His largest new buys in the first quarter are: Penn Virginia Group Holdings LP (PVG), Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN), Methanex Corp. (MEOH), Solutia Inc. (SOA) and Georgia Gulf (GGC). Of his top eight stocks, five are from the chemicals industry.
APBob Marley's name is becoming a brand for marijuana. For decades, Bob Marley has been synonymous reggae music, the Rastafari religion -- and marijuana. The musician reportedly smoked a pound a week as part of his religious practice, according to High Times, and advocated its legalization in the 1970s. Now his name and image will be even more intertwined with the substance, as Marley's family has licensed his name and image to the first international commercial marijuana brand, according to NBC News. The family is working with private equity firm Privateer Holdings and announcing Marley Natural, "a premium cannabis brand rooted in the life and legacy" of the influential musician. The line will include "heirloom Jamaican cannabis" buds, oils and concentrates, of course, along with other products, such as marijuana-infused creams and e-cigarette-like vaporizers. A marketing agency that has worked for New Balance and Starbucks (SBUX) has been retained to help create a modern consumer branding. Spirituality, Well-Being, Reflection, Nature and Liberation When asked by High Times in 1976 if pot would be legalized, Marley answered, "I don' know if dis government will, but I know Christ's government will." Times have changed, high or not, and acceptance of marijuana has advanced, with medical use allowed in dozens of states and a number having passed complete recreational legalization. Now Marley's family is putting his image at the commercial front of the movement. "It just seems natural that Daddy should be part of this conversation," said the singer's oldest daughter, 47-year-old Cedella Marley, according to the Guardian. "He viewed the herb as something spiritual that could awaken our well-being, deepen our reflection, connect us to nature and liberate our creativity." Zion vs. Babylon However, there seems to be a potential existential conflict. As a Rastafari, Marley believed in a division between what is called Zion, a perfect world created by the righteous, and Babylon, a materialistic and secular western society. Becoming the commercial face of a private equity-owned brand would seem to contradict the principles he professed. And there is a lot of money in play. According to NBC, even now the marijuana market in the states that allow recreational or medical use is worth $2.5 billion annually, with an estimated $10 billion size by 2020. A Bob Marley brand, using modern marketing techniques, could capture a good chunk of the money. The family insists that the musician would support their actions. "He's 100 percent behind what is happening," said Marley's wife Rita said, according to NBC. "He's happy because [a legal market for marijuana] is what we dreamed of." Bob Marley isn't the only family member appearing as a brand of marijuana. His son Julian, also a musician, has partnered with a company called Drop Leaf to create Julian Marley JUJU Royal Premium Marijuana, reports the Jamaica Observer. "I am happy to speak out in favor of decriminalization, and I salute Drop Leaf as a proud participant in the movement and struggle to make this natural super plant available for all who need it and it's healing properties," a news release quoted the younger Marley. More from Erik Sherman