Oh, so that's all?
What if you can't even prove you were trying? That's a challenge faced by many who either couldn't set up an account or even get onto the federal site to try Monday.
The Department of Health and Human Services' tweeted last night at 11:16 that Healthcare.gov "transitions overnight & opens early am so people trying to sign up can finish." The department sent guidance to insurance agents last night explaining that if a consumer was "in line and has tried to enroll" for 2014 through the website, the federal call center, or a state Medicaid or CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) agency by midnight, "we will help make sure they can complete the application process in order to get covered."
Best Managed Healthcare Companies To Buy For 2015: Sealed Air Corporation(SEE)
Sealed Air Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides food safety and security, facility hygiene, and product protection solutions worldwide. Its Food Packaging segment provides shrink bags and vacuum packaging products; packaging materials for cook-in applications; laminated and coextruded rollstock packaging materials used in thermoforming and form, fill, and seal applications; and associated packaging equipment and systems, including bag loaders, dispensers, and vacuum chamber systems. The company?s Food Solutions segment offers case-ready packaging offerings; ready meals packaging technologies; vertical pouch packaging solutions for packaging flowable food products; foam and plastic trays; absorbent products for food packaging; and related packaging equipment, including vacuum chamber systems. Its Protective Packaging segment provides air cellular packaging materials; polyolefin performance shrink films for product display; shrink packaging equipment systems; pol yurethane foam packaging systems that provide protective packaging; lightweight and tear-resistant mailers and bags; inflatable packaging systems; paper cushioning systems that include recycled paper and automated dispensing equipment; paper packaging products; and suspension and retention packaging products. The company?s Diversey Segment offers a range of products and services, such as kitchen cleaning products; food and beverage and manufacturing and processing products; floor care products and systems; restroom care and other housekeeping products; and laundry products, as well as consulting services. Sealed Air Corporation also provides specialty materials products to fabricators and manufacturers; and medical applications products and solutions to medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. The company markets its products primarily under the Bubble Wrap, Cryovac, and Diversey brands. Sealed Air Corporation was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in El mwood Park, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
On the upside, Sealed Air (SEE) has gained 8.4% to $30.90 after it said it earned 39 cents share, beating forecasts for 34 cents, and offered strong guidance. Gilead Sciences (GILD) has risen 4.3% to $72.50 after it reported a profit of 52 cents, beating forecasts for 48 cents.
- [By Tom Rojas and Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]
Sealed Air Corp.'s(SEE) third-quarter earnings topped consensus estimates and it again raised its 2014 bottom-line guidance as the packaging company benefits from higher prices.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Sealed Air�(SEE) has fallen 0.7% to $28.35 after the food-safety company was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at�Barclays.
Towers Watson�(TW) has dropped 0.5% to $102.49 after it was cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan. It was also upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Best Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: XO Group Inc (XOXO)
XO Group Inc. (XO Group), formerly The Knot, Inc., is a media and technology company. The Company is engaged in the business of weddings, pregnancy and everything in between, providing young women with the information, products and advice to guide them through the transformative events of their lives. Its family of brands began with the wedding brand, The Knot, and it also include WeddingChannel.com, The Nest, The Bump and Ijie.com. XO Group has its presence in all media from the Web to social media and mobile, magazines and books, and video - and social platforms. XO Group has businesses in online sponsorship and advertising, registry services, ecommerce and publishing.
The Company has a network of Websites under several different brands, TheKnot.com, the wedding Website, WeddingChannel.com, the wedding registry site and wedding vendor review site with nearly 350,000 reviews, TheNest.com, a site for newlyweds and new couples, and TheBump.com, a pre-natal and pregnancy Website. These sites offer content and services tailored to the engaged, newly married, and pregnant audiences. Weddings, nesting, and first-time pregnancy are information-intensive events requiring research, planning, and decision-making.
The sites provides future brides and grooms with databases that draw on thousands of articles about weddings, including planning advice, etiquette, Q&As, real wedding stories, tips on getting engaged, fashion, beauty, grooms, the wedding party, and honeymoons. TheNest.com offers information and resources on merging bank accounts and making dinner, with searchable databases for recipes, home decor, and real estate. For couples who are getting ready for a baby, the same urgent need for information surfaces, which the Company provides at TheBump.com with baby naming tools, nursery decor ideas, and a host of health and development-related information. Each of the content areas offers articles, ideas, hundreds of photo slideshows, and videos, all covering a wide range of styles,! perspectives, budgets, traditions, lifestyles and ethnicities.
Active Community Participation and Social Networking
The community areas on XO Group websites generate member involvement through message boards, blogs, and personalized interactive services. Women who are planning their weddings actively seek forums to exchange ideas and ask questions. The community areas feature 24-hour activity.
User-Generated Content
Through blogs, message boards, and photo-posting features, all XO Group sites feature many forms of user-generated content related to the particular interests of its audience. Recent brides post wedding photos, vendor reviews, and their own wedding advice for future brides. Recent home purchasers post home-buying stories, before and after photos, and photos of their own home decor ideas. Pregnant women post chronicles of their pregnancies, reviews of their doctors, photos of their nurseries, and stories of their newborns at key developmental stages.
Interactive Tools
TheKnot.com offers, personalized wedding planning tools, including checklists, budgeters, guest list managers, calendars, and reminder services. An online scrapbook gives users the ability to save favorite dresses, articles, photos, vendors, honeymoons, wedding supplies, and other planning information. After a couple�� wedding day, these personalized tools are automatically converted to its newlywed Website, TheNest.com, to help them organize their new life as a married couple. The guest list manager is used to track thank-you notes, and couples receive an entirely new checklist and budgeter to help them organize their newlywed to-dos and finances. On TheBump.com, it offers checklists, budget tools, a baby name tool, and tools to track everything from ovulation to breastfeeding. These tools are also available on mobile platforms, which provide its users the ability to modify budgets and check off tasks from the convenience of their mobile phones. !
The Company offers personal pregnancy and baby websites through TheBump.com. XO Group Websites offers tools to assist with shopping for key elements of a wedding. Its wedding planning sites highlight a searchable bridal gown database with more than 5,000 gown images from over 200 designers, plus searchable databases for bridesmaid, mother-of-the-bride, and flower girl dresses, bridal accessories, engagement and wedding rings and tuxedos. The sites also offer search tools for honeymoon resorts, jewelry, and tabletop products. Local Resource Listings
The local resource areas on XO Group websites provide access to the local wedding market through online regional guides that host nearly 21,000 local vendors who display over 28,000 profiles, highlighting offerings for reception halls, bands, florists, caterers and other wedding-related products and services across 85 local markets in North America.
One-Stop Registry Shopping Service
WeddingChannel.com is the registry site online. Its patented registry aggregation service offers couples and their guests one place to view all their gift registries via a registry system that searches approximately 4.5 million registries from many retail partners, including Macy��, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Amazon.com, Tiffany & Co., JCPenney and others. TheBump.com uses the same patented registry aggregation service to focus on baby registries, including Target, Buy Buy Baby, Diapers.com, Pottery Barn Kids and more.
The Company integrates informative content with online shops that feature an array of attendant gifts, favors, and supplies that relate to the wedding itself, as well as apparel, toys, gifts, and other goods for babies. It sells directly to consumers through its integrated shopping destinations, The Knot Wedding Shop, the WeddingChannel Store and The Bump Baby Shop. These online stores offer over 4,000 products, including cocktail napkins, wedding bubbles and bells, candy! and cook! ies, ring pillows, toasting flutes, reception decorations, table centerpieces, goblets and glasses, garters, and unity candles.
Broadband Video Content
The Knot TV is a continuous video stream that includes a range of wedding content, including shows about choosing a creative cake, hiring the videographer, planning dream honeymoons and learning about real weddings across the country. It produces video on demand content for The Knot, The Nest, and The Bump brands, covering everything from wedding fashion to home tours to mommy advice. The Knot TV On Demand provides video content from bridal fashion runway shows for brides to watch when they want, including programs on the trends in dresses, silhouettes, necklines, and accessories. Its video content is also distributed to MSN.com video, YouTube, and Sling Media. The Knot TV also features live programming with limited runs of The Knot LIVE, a weekly magazine format show.
Informative E-mail
Members of XO Group Websites subscribe to newsletters and e-mail updates, many of which are targeted with information for members in a specific stage of the wedding planning process. Other newsletters and e-mails are focused on specific topics, including honeymoon deals and personalized e-mails containing relevant local information or offers, such as bridal events or dress sample sales. E-mails are also sent to members of The Nest and The Bump with sponsored promotions and information about their stage of pregnancy or the age of their newborn.
Niche Website Network and Sister Sites
The Company also owns and operates a network of targeted websites that offer services of interest to its core audience of engaged couples. These include niche weddings sites such as ChineseWeddingsbyTheKnot.com, BeachWeddingsbyTheKnot.com, GayWeddingsbyTheKnot.com and over 300 other sites tailored to the searched-for wedding destinations and themes. The sites features local listings, forums, real wedding photos an! d local p! lanning advice.
The Company sells both the national and local editions of The Knot Weddings magazines through newsstands, bookstores, and on its Website, and it distributes local editions of The Bump pregnancy guide to doctors��offices across the country. It also offers a library of books complementing the content on its lifestages websites.
The Knot Weddings National Magazine
It publishes The Knot Weddings magazine four times a year. It features hundreds of dresses from the industry�� top designers. Also featured is an array of photos of wedding party attire and accessories, including bridesmaid, mother-of-the-bride, and flower girl dresses, as well as veils, shoes, and tuxedos.
The Knot Weddings Local Magazines
It publishes regional wedding magazines semi-annually in 17 markets in the United States. The Knot�� regional magazines combine national editorial content with up-to-date, region-specific information, including sections featuring real weddings within the market, making these publications a must-have wedding planning companion for engaged couples.
The Bump Magazine
A pocketbook-sized magazine for first-time moms, The Bump magazine features local resources and modern advice from its editors and nationally-recognized experts.
The Company sells both the national and local editions of The Knot Weddings magazines through newsstands, bookstores, and on its Website, and it distributes local editions of The Bump pregnancy guide to doctors��offices across the country. It also offers a library of books complementing the content on its lifestages Websites. It publishes The Knot Weddings magazine four times a year.
The Company publishes regional wedding magazines semi-annually in 17 markets in the United States. The Knot�� regional magazines combine national editorial content with up-to-date, region-specific information, including sections featuring real weddings within the ! market, m! aking these publications a must-have wedding planning companion for engaged couples.
A pocketbook-sized magazine for first-time moms, The Bump magazine features local resources and modern advice from our editors and nationally-recognized experts. Distributed at no charge through OB/GYN offices in 20 markets nationwide, The Bump magazine is specifically designed to connect first-time parents with the information and resources they need to prepare for a baby. It publishes The Bump magazine semi-annually.
The Company offers a library of up-to-date wedding books authored by itsChief Content Officer Carley Roney and published by divisions of Random House and Chronicle Books. Its first three-book wedding planning series published by Random House�� Broadway Books includes The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner, The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World, and The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions. These books feature information on everything a bride and groom need to know when planning their wedding and includes worksheets, checklists, etiquette, and answers to frequently asked questions. Its gift book series published by Chronicle Books includes The Knot Book of Wedding Gowns, The Knot Book of Wedding Flowers, The Knot Guide for the Mother of the Bride, and The Knot Guide for the Groom. Its second planning series, published by Random House�� Clarkson Potter, includes The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings, The Knot Book of Wedding Lists and The Knot Bridesmaid Handbook.
The Company offers a series of books for The Nest brand published by Clarkson Potter. The first book in the series, The Nest Newlywed Handbook, goes on the topics of interest to the newlywed, from changing its name to deciding how to divide up the daily chores. The second title, The Nest Home Design Handbook, is a four-color, photo-filled book on home decoration and design.
The Company competes with Brides magazine (published by Conde Nast), Bridal Guide (published by RFP LLC) ! and Marth! a Stewart Weddings.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of XO Group Inc. (XOXO) fell 16% to $10 on light volume after the weddings and pregnancy website operator reported adjusted earnings of 2 cents a share on revenue of $32.6 million, and appointed current president Michael Steib as the new chief executive, replacing David Liu, who will continue on as chairman.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares climbed around 0.22 percent in trading on Friday. Leading the sector was strength from American Public Education (NASDAQ: APEI) and XO Group (NASDAQ: XOXO). In trading on Friday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.41 percent.
Best Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Dole Food Company Inc(DOLE)
Dole Food Company, Inc. engages in sourcing, growing, processing, marketing, and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables, and food products to wholesale, retail, and institutional customers worldwide. It operates in three segments: Fresh Fruit, Fresh Vegetables, and Packaged Foods. The Fresh Fruit segment involves in growing and selling bananas under the DOLE brand name primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia; ripening and distributing DOLE and non-DOLE branded fresh produce in Europe; growing, sourcing, and selling fresh pineapples under the DOLE TROPICAL GOLD label; and exporting Chilean fruits, including grapes, apples, pears, stone fruits, and kiwifruits primarily to North America, Latin America, and Europe. The Fresh Vegetables segment engages in sourcing, harvesting, cooling, distributing, and marketing various fresh and fresh-cut vegetables, including iceberg lettuce, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, c arrots, Brussels sprouts, green onions, asparagus, snow peas, artichokes, and radishes, as well as fresh strawberries and raspberries. This segment also processes and markets value-added vegetable products, such as packaged salads and packaged fresh-cut vegetables. The Packaged Foods segment produces and markets canned pineapples, canned pineapple juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit parfaits, snack foods, and frozen fruits, as well as fruits in plastic cups, jars, and pouches. Its principal customers include mass merchandisers and supermarkets. Dole Food Company, Inc. was founded in 1851 and is based in Westlake Village, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Nau]
How would you react as a shareholder if the management of a company you owned behaved erratically and consequently pushed down the company's share price? What if after pushing down the share price, management offered to buy you out on the cheap? That is exactly what the Chairman, CEO and 40% owner of Dole (DOLE) David Murdock appears to have done.
- [By Chris Hill]
Shares of Sony (NYSE: SNE ) rise after the company's new PlayStation4 game console is priced at $399. Softbank raised its offer to buy Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S ) by $1.5 billion. Dole Food (NYSE: DOLE ) CEO David Murdock offers to buy the entire company. And bricks-and-mortar retailer GameStop (NYSE: GME ) also gets a boost from Sony's news that the new PlayStation4 will allow unlimited used-game sales. In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts discuss four stocks making big moves.
- [By Jeremy Bowman]
What: Shares of Dole Food� (NYSE: DOLE ) were looking sweeter today, gaining as much as 22% after CEO David Murdock offered to pay $12 a share for the remaining 60% of the company that he doesn't already own.
Best Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Jones Soda Co.(JSDA)
Jones Soda Co., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, markets, distributes, and licenses premium beverages primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides Jones Soda, a carbonated soft drink; Jones Zilch, a zero calories product in black cherry, pomegranate, and vanilla bean flavors; WhoopAss Energy Drink, an energy supplement drink; and WhoopAss Zero Energy Drink, an energy supplement drink with zero sugar. It also offers various products, including soda with customized labels, wearables, candy, and other items online. The company sells and distributes its products through its network of independent distributors and national retail accounts. Jones Soda Co. was founded in 1986 and is based in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Mark Lennihan/AP PepsiCo (PEP) thinks that protein drinks and low-calorie sparkling beverages to counter the slow growth of the U.S. carbonated beverage industry. "Expect to see from us an interesting number of mid- to low-calorie sparkling beverage platforms," in 2015 said Simon Lowden, Pepsi's chief marketing officer of Pepsi Beverages North America, in an interview with TheStreet. Lowden said that "Tropicana will see news around sparkling juices and waters," while "you will see protein as an ingredient come in across more and more beverages." Protein could be added to Gatorade, which will come out with more energy chews and bars. Year-to-date volume for Gatorade sports drinks have increased by a mid-single digit percentage. Coconut water, an industry that ballooned to $400 million in U.S. sales last year, according to research firm Euromonitor, is being targeted in a larger way by Pepsi aside from it leveraging its majority stake in O.N.E. coconut water. O.N.E was third in terms of 2013 annual sales in the coconut water category, behind the privately held Vita Coco and Zico, which is owned by Coca-Cola (KO). "You will see more news from us on coconut water next year as an ingredient across brands like Mountain Dew," said Lowden. A Focus on Health The healthy theme that underlies Pepsi's innovation push next year, and also recently at Coca-Cola with its Life product that has 35 percent fewer calories than a typical cola, is meant to counteract demand shifts in the carbonated soda industry. "In the last 18 months, the conversation in the U.S. has gone from 'How many calories am I taking in?' to 'Is it artificial?' " Pepsi has jumped ahead of Coca-Cola in the race to reignite consumer interest in soda by entering the emerging craft soda industry with its new brand Caleb's Kola. The naturally sweetened soda in a brown glass bottle is named after Pepsi's founder, Caleb Bradham. Available at Costco (COST) locations in Maryland, New York, Virginia and Wa
- [By John Udovich]
Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), a mid cap marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages, has been a monster of a performer since the end of the financial crisis as the stock is up around 308% over the past five years, but could new or overlooked players like small cap beverage stocks�Jones Soda Co (OTCMKTS: JSDA), Celsius Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: CELH) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) repeat that performance? A look strictly at the long term performance of all three small caps might have you thinking otherwise. After all, none of these small cap beverage stocks are profitable while�the beverage industry can be a long hard expensive slog just to increase market share by one or two points when you are competing for shelf space with industry giants like Pepsi and Coke. But past performance is just that���the past and only part of the story as there is much more to consider about these small cap beverage stocks which could also make them potential acquisition targets by larger beverage players seeking to expand their product line up with innovative products:
Best Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Celsius Holdings Inc (CELH)
Celsius Holdings, Inc., incorporated on April 26, 2005, is engaged in the development, marketing, sale and distribution of functional calorie-burning beverages under the Celsius brand name. The Company focuses to combine nutritional science with mainstream beverages by using its thermogenic (calorie-burning) MetaPlus formulation. The Company does not directly manufacture its beverages, but instead outsource the manufacturing process to established third-party co-packers. The Company provides its co-packers with flavors, ingredient blends, cans and other raw materials for its beverages purchased by the Company from various suppliers. Celsius, Inc. and Elite FX, Inc. are the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company.
The Company�� Celsius is a calorie-burning beverage. Celsius is available in seven flavors, lemon-lime, ginger ale, cola, orange and wild berry (which are carbonated) and non-carbonated green tea raspberry/acai and green tea/peach mango. Its beverages are sold in 12 ounce cans, although it has begun to market the ingredients in powdered form in individual On-The-Go packets. The Company�� customer�� include on-the-go women, age 25 to 54, who are looking for a way to burn calories and gain energy with beverages and natural alternatives to diet sodas, as well as sports enthusiasts of both sexes, who are seeking low sodium, preservative-free alternatives. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company developed its MetaPlus formulation into a powder that can be mixed with water.
The Company competes with The Coca-Cola Company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, PepsiCo, Inc., Nestl茅, Waters North America, Inc., Hansen Natural Corp., and Red Bull.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), a mid cap marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages, has been a monster of a performer since the end of the financial crisis as the stock is up around 308% over the past five years, but could new or overlooked players like small cap beverage stocks�Jones Soda Co (OTCMKTS: JSDA), Celsius Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: CELH) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) repeat that performance? A look strictly at the long term performance of all three small caps might have you thinking otherwise. After all, none of these small cap beverage stocks are profitable while�the beverage industry can be a long hard expensive slog just to increase market share by one or two points when you are competing for shelf space with industry giants like Pepsi and Coke. But past performance is just that���the past and only part of the story as there is much more to consider about these small cap beverage stocks which could also make them potential acquisition targets by larger beverage players seeking to expand their product line up with innovative products:
Best Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Monster Beverage Corp (MNST)
Monster Beverage Corporation, formerly Hansen Natural Corporation, incorporated on April 25, 1990,is a holding company. The Company develops, markets, sells and distributes alternative beverage. The alternative beverage category combines non-carbonated ready-to-drink iced teas, lemonades, juice cocktails, single-serve juices and fruit beverages, ready-to-drink dairy and coffee drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and single-serve still water (flavored, unflavored and enhanced) with new age beverages, including sodas that are considered natural, sparkling juices and flavored sparkling beverages. It has two reportable segments, namely Direct Store Delivery (DSD), whose principal products comprise energy drinks, and Warehouse (Warehouse), whose principal products comprise juice-based and soda beverages. The DSD segment develops, markets and sells products primarily through an exclusive distributor network, whereas the Warehouse segment develops, markets and sells products primarily directly to retailers. Corporate and unallocated amounts that do not relate to the DSD or Warehouse segments specifically, have been allocated to Corporate and Unallocated.
During the year ended December 31, 2012, it continued to expand its existing product lines and flavors and further develop its distribution markets. In particular, it continued to focus on developing and marketing beverages that fall within the category generally described as the alternative beverage category. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it introduced a number of new products, including Monster Rehab Tea + Orangeade + Energy, a non-carbonated energy drink with electrolytes, Monster Energy Zero Ultra, a carbonated energy drink which contains zero calories and zero sugar, bermonster Energy Brew, a non-alcoholic energy drink, manufactured using a brewed fermentation process, Hansen�� Coconut Water, in original and tropical flavors, packaged in re-sealable Tetra Prisma boxes, Peace Tea Cranberry, Pink Lemonade and Texas-Style Sweet ! Tea, ready-to-drink iced teas, Monster Cuba-Lima, a carbonated lime flavored non-alcoholic energy drink, Monster Energy Dub Edition Baller�� Blend, a carbonated punch + energy drink and Monster Energy Dub Edition Mad Dog, a carbonated punch + energy drink.
DSD Segment
Monster Energy Drinks offers products under the Monster Energy drink product line: Monster Energy, Lo-Carb Monster Energy, Monster Energy Assault, Monster Khaos, Monster M-80 (named Ripper in certain countries), Monster MIXXD, Monster Energy Absolutely Zero, Monster Energy Import and Import Light, Monster Energy Dub Edition Baller�� Blend, Monster Energy Dub Edition Mad Dog, M3 Monster Energy Super Concentrate energy drinks, bermonster Energy Brew, Monster Energy Zero Ultra and Monster Cuba-Lima.
Java Monster Coffee + Energy Drinks - A line of non-carbonated dairy based coffee + energy drinks. It offers products under the Java Monster product line: Java Monster Kona Blend, Java Monster Loca Moca, Java Monster Mean Bean, Java Monster Vanilla Light, Java Monster Irish Blend and Java Monster Toffee. Monster Energy Extra Strength Nitrous Technology Energy Drinks - A line of carbonated energy drinks containing nitrous oxide. It offer products under the Monster Energy Extra Strength Nitrous Technology product line: Super Dry, Anti Gravity and Black Ice.
-Presso Monster Coffee + Energy Drinks - A line of non-carbonated dairy based coffee + energy drinks. It offers products under the X-Presso Monster coffee + energy drinks product line: X-Presso Monster Hammer and X-Presso Monster Midnite.
Monster Rehab Tea + Energy Drinks - A line of non-carbonated energy drinks with electrolytes. It offers products under the Monster Rehab drink line: Monster Rehab Tea + Lemonade + Energy, Monster Rehab Rojo Tea + Energy, Monster Rehab Green Tea + Energy, Monster Rehab Protean + Energy and Monster Rehab Tea + Orangeade + Energy.
Worx Energy Energy Shots - A line of energy suppleme! nts which! contains zero calories and zero sugar. It offers products under the Worx Energy energy shot product line: Original Formula and Extra Strength.
Peace Tea Iced Teas - A line of ready-to-drink iced teas. It offers products under the Peace Tea product line: green tea, imported Ceylon tea, sweet lemon tea, razzleberry tea, cranberry tea, pink lemonade tea, Texas-style sweet tea and Caddy Shack tea + lemonade.
Warehouse Segment
Hansen�� brand sodas have been a natural soda brand on the West Coast of the United States for more than 30 years and are made with natural flavors. Hansen�� brand sodas, sweetened with cane sugar, and Hansen�� Diet Sodas, sweetened with Splenda no calorie sweetener and Acesulfame-K, contain no preservatives, sodium, caffeine or artificial colorings. It offers sodas under the Hansen�� brand name: Hansen�� Sodas, Hansen�� Diet Sodas and Hansen�� Natural Mixers, as well as Hansen�� Sparkling Waters, in a variety of flavors.
Its Blue Sky products contain no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, caffeine (other than its Blue Sky energy drinks) or artificial coloring and are made with sugar and natural flavors. It offers products under the Blue Sky product line: Blue Sky Natural Soda, Blue Sky Zero Calorie Sodas (sweetened with Truvia brand stevia extract, an all natural sweetener), Blue Sky Premium Sodas, Blue Sky Organic Natural Sodas, Blue Sky Seltzer Waters, Blue Sky Blue Energy drinks, Blue Sky Zero Calorie Blue Energy drinks, Blue Sky Caf Energy drinks and Blue Sky Recover Energy drinks.
Its original Hansen�� energy drinks compete in the functional beverage category, namely, beverages that provide a benefit in addition to simply delivering refreshment. It offers products under the Hansen�� energy drink product line: Hansen�� Natural Energy Pro, Hansen�� Energy Diet Red and Hansen�� Natural Stamina Pro.
Its fruit juice product line includes Hansen�� Natural Apple Juice, Ha! nsen�� ! Natural Grape Juice, White Grape Juice, Pineapple Juice, Apple Grape Juice, Apple Strawberry Juice, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Cranberry-Apple Juice, Cranberry-Grape Juice, Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, and Organic Apple Juice. In March 2012, it added Hansen�� Natural Apple Orange Pineapple Juice which contains 100% juice as well as 120% of the United States Recommended Daily Allowances (the USRDA) for vitamin C. It also offer Hansen�� Natural Lo-Cal juice cocktails, a line of all natural, low-calorie cocktails in four flavors. The Lo-Cal juice cocktails are sweetened with Truvia sweetener. Hansen�� juice products compete in the shelf-stable juice category.
It offers a number of aseptically packed boxed juice products, including its dual-branded multi-vitamin 100% juice line, which itsell in conjunction with Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) through Costco stores. It offers its Hansen�� Natural line of multi-vitamin 100% juices to other customers. These multi-vitamin juices contain eleven essential vitamins and six essential minerals and are available in a variety of flavors. In February 2012, it added Hansen�� Natural Organic Apple Juice, a 100% USDA Certified Organic Apple Juice with 100% of the USRDA for vitamin C.
Its Hansen�� Junior Juice product line is a 100% juice line targeted at toddlers and preschoolers. These juices have added calcium and all flavors contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C. It also offers organic juices as well as Hansen�� Organic Junior Water, a lightly flavored reduced calorie beverage, both of which contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C. In addition, it offers Junior Juice Coconut Water Twist, a line of fruit and coconut water juices containing 100% of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C.
Its Hubert�� Lemonade is a line of premium ready-to-drink lemonades. Hubert�� Lemonade is sweetened with cane sugar and Truvia sweetener. Hubert�� Lemonade i! s all nat! ural and contains no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, or artificial colorings. It offers products under the Hubert�� Lemonade product line: Strawberry Lemonade, Limeade, Mango Lemonade, Honey Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade and Original Lemonade. It added Cherry Limeade and Blackberry Lemonade flavors to the product line in February 2012 and October 2012, respectively. In July 2012, it introduced 4-count multi-packs of select flavors.
Hubert�� Half & Half is sweetened with cane sugar and Truvia sweetener, and contains no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or artificial colorings. Its Fruit and Tea Stix product line is an all-natural, low-calorie powder drink mix line, sweetened naturally with Truvia sweetener. Its Angeleno Aguas Frescas is a line of premium ready-to-drink aguas frescas. Angeleno Aguas Frescas are sweetened with cane sugar and real fruit juice and contain no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, or artificial colorings. It offers flavors under the Angeleno Aguas Frescas product line: Mango, Melon, Pineapple, Jamaica (Hibiscus) and Tamarindo. Its Hansen�� Natural PRE products include a line of prebiotic and probiotic digestive wellness ready-to-drink beverages and powder drink mixes, containing specially formulated blends by Jarrow Formulas. PRE prebiotic ready-to-drink beverages are sweetened with either cane sugar or stevia. PRE probiotic powder drink mixes are sweetened with cane sugar and stevia. In March 2012, it introduced Hansen�� Natural Coconut Water, a line of premium 100% Coconut Waters available in Pure and Tropical flavors.
The Company competes with TCCC, PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo), The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (the DPS Group), Red Bull Gmbh, Kraft Foods, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Nestle Beverage Company, Tree Top Inc. (Tree Top), Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. (Ocean Spray), Red Bull, Rockstar, Full Throttle, No Fear, Amp, Adrenaline Rush, NOS, Venom, Redline, 180, Red Devil, Rip It, Xenergy, 5-Hour Energy ! Shots, Mi! O Energy, Stacker 2, VPX Redline Energy Shots, Red Bull, Rockstar, Burn, V-Energy, Lucozade, Adrenaline Rush, Power Play, Mother, Hell, Shock, Tiger, Boost, Gladiator, TNT, Shark, Hot 6, Nalu, Battery, Bullit, Flash Up, Black, Non-Stop, Bomba, Semtex, Starbucks Frappuccino, Starbucks Double Shot, Starbucks Double Shot Energy Plus Coffee , other Starbucks coffee drinks, Rockstar Roasted, Seattle�� Best, illy issimo coffee, Full Throttle Coffee, Arizona, Lipton, Snapple, Nestea, Xing Tea, Honest Tea, Gold Peak Tea, Fuze Tea, the DPS Group, Cott Corporation and National Beverage Corporation, Jones Soda Co., Crystal Geyser, J.M. Smucker Company, Reeds, Inc., Zevia, Tree Top, Mott��, Martinelli��, Welch��, Ocean Spray, Tropicana, Minute Maid, Langers, Apple , Eve, Seneca, Northland, Juicy Juice, Old Orchard, Calypso, Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid, Cabana, Tropicana, Newman�� Own, Vita Coco, ZICO and O.N.E.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Anders Bylund]
The long-term investment king should be familiar to longtime Fool readers. Energy drink giant Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST ) , formerly known as Hansen Natural, crushed all comers with a 22,200% return. That's nearly 72% per year on a sustained 10-year run, though the pace slowed down considerably in the back half of this jaw-dropping jump. Monster shares have "only" tripled in the last five years, which sounds weak only when compared to the nearly 60-bagger return of the previous five years.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Barry Lewis/Alamy A flat soda is bad, but for Coca-Cola (KO) investors, a flat stock chart is even worse. The world's largest beverage company's stock is trading marginally higher in 2014, and while that's enough to keep an impressive streak alive -- six consecutive years of higher closing prices -- it's undeniable that Coca-Cola's business is in a funk. Sluggish soda sales that are being barely offset by growth initiatives in new beverage lines are taking a toll on Coca-Cola. Revenue and gross profit declined through the first nine months of 2014, and the former market darling is now cutting costs to keep its profitability on track. Coca-Cola will be laying off as many as 2,000 employees in the coming weeks, sources are telling the Wall Street Journal. The days of shuttling execs around in fancy limos and springing for lavish Wall Street parties are being set aside for now. The stock may be on a six-year winning streak, but Coca-Cola's going to have to bounce back if it wants to stretch that record to seven in 2015. Taking Names We're not drinking soda in this country the way we used to, and that's a problem for more than just Coca-Cola. Industry watcher Beverage Digest has been reporting shrinking consumption in the U.S. for nine consecutive years. An occasional gimmicky rollout blurs the trend. For Coca-Cola, we saw that earlier this year with its "Share a Coke" campaign, which featured cans bearing names or terms of endearment. However, even with that kind of spike, we saw Coca-Cola's case volume shrink 1 percent in this country during the third quarter relative to the same period a year earlier. Coca-Cola may consider itself lucky. Rival PepsiCo (PEP) saw its carbonated-soft-drink volume slip 1.5 percent in North America in its latest quarter. A couple of years ago the concern could've been that folks were bypassing soda in bottles and cans to make carbonated beverages at home, but no one's making that argument now that SodaStream (SODA) is getting
- [By Blake Bos]
Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST ) has announced that it is instituting a $200 million share-buyback program. This comes only a short time after the company spent $727 million on share repurchases in the second half of 2012. Is this the right move for the company? Why aren't we seeing buybacks at the same level as the ones we saw last year? In this video, Motley Fool consumer-goods analyst Blake Bos tells us whether this move is good news for investors.
- [By Michael Hamlett Jr]
Coca-Cola (KO) takes a 17% stake in Monster Beverage Corp (MNST), causing MNST shares to jump nearly 30%. This seems like a very smart strategic play by KO, conservatively entering into the energy drink market while limiting MNST expansion into the non-energy drink market. This helps KO develop a new revenue stream, testing the waters before diving completely in.
Best Consumer Stocks To Own Right Now: Church & Dwight Co Inc (CHD)
Church & Dwight Co., Inc. develops, manufactures and markets a range of household, personal care and specialty products. The Company�� brands include ARM & HAMMER, (used in multiple product categories, such as baking soda, carpet deodorization and laundry detergent), TROJAN Condoms, XTRA laundry detergent, OXICLEAN pre-wash laundry additive, NAIR depilatories, FIRST RESPONSE home pregnancy and ovulation test kits, ORAJEL oral analgesics and SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes. The Company operates in three segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products segments represented approximately 72%, 19% and 9%, respectively, of the Company�� net sales. On June 28, 2011, the Company acquired the BATISTE dry shampoo brand from Vivalis, Limited. The BATISTE brand is managed principally within the Consumer International segment. On September 22, 2011, the Company, together with FMC Corporation and TATA Chemicals, formed an operating joint venture, Natronx Technologies LLC. In October 2012, it acquired Avid Health, Inc. (Avid).
The Consumer Domestic segment includes eight brands and other household and personal care products, such as SCRUB FREE, KABOOM and ORANGE GLO cleaning products, ANSWER home pregnancy and ovulation test kits, ARRID antiperspirant, and CLOSE-UP and AIM toothpastes. The Consumer International segment primarily sells a range of personal care products, some of which use the same brands as its domestic product lines, in international markets, including Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and China. The Specialty Products segment is a producer of sodium bicarbonate, which it sells together with other specialty inorganic chemicals for a variety of industrial, institutional, medical and food applications. This segment also sells a range of animal nutrition and specialty cleaning products.
Consumer Domes! tic
The Company specializes in baking soda-based products, as well as other products. In addition, this segment includes other deodorizing and household cleaning products, as well as laundry and personal care products. The Company�� household products include ARM & HAMMER Pure Baking Soda, ARM & HAMMER and XTRA Powder and Liquid Laundry Detergents, ARM & HAMMER Carpet & Room Deodorizers, ARM & HAMMER Cat Litter Deodorizer, ARM & HAMMER Clumping Cat Litters, ARM & HAMMER, FRESH�� SOFT Fabric Softeners, ARM & HAMMER Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths, ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda, SCRUB FREE Bathroom Cleaners, CLEAN SHOWER Daily Shower Cleaner, CAMEO Aluminum & Stainless Steel Cleaner, SNO BOL Toilet Bowl Cleaner, XTRA and NICE�� FLUFFY Fabric Softeners and FELINE PINE Cat Litter. The Company�� personal care products include ARM & HAMMER Toothpastes, SPINBRUSH Battery-operated Toothbrushes, MENTADENT Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, AIM Toothpaste, PEPSODENT Toothpaste, CLOSE-UP Toothpaste, RIGIDENT Denture Adhesive, ARM & HAMMER Deodorants & Antiperspirants, ARRID Antiperspirants, LADY�� CHOICE Antiperspirants, TROJAN Condoms and Vibrating Products, FIRST RESPONSE Home Pregnancy and Ovulation Test Kits, ANSWER Home Pregnancy and Ovulation Test Kits, NAIR Depilatories, Lotions, Creams and Waxes and ORAJEL Oral Analgesics.
In 2011, household products constituted approximately 65% of the Company�� Domestic Consumer sales and approximately 47% of the Company�� total sales. The Company markets its ARM & HAMMER brand laundry detergents, in both powder and liquid forms. The Company markets its XTRA laundry detergent in both powder and liquid. The Company also markets XTRA SCENTSATIONS, a concentrated liquid laundry detergent, and OXICLEAN pre-wash laundry additive. The Company markets ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Laundry Detergent and ARM & HAMMER plus OXICLEAN liquid and powder laundry detergents. In 2011 the Company launched the scented liquid detergent clinically tested safe for sensiti! ve skin u! nder the ARM & HAMMER name. The Company�� laundry products also include fabric softener sheets.
The Company markets ARM & HAMMER FRESH �� SOFT liquid fabric softener and offers another liquid fabric softener, NICE�� FLUFFY. The Company markets ARM & HAMMER Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths, a fabric softener sheet used in the clothes dryer. The Company also markets a line of cat litter products, including ARM & HAMMER Super Scoop clumping cat litter. Line extensions of Super Scoop include ARM & HAMMER Multi-Cat cat litter, designed for households with more than one cat, ARM & HAMMER Odor Alert cat litter, with crystals that change color when activated, ARM & HAMMER Essentials clumping cat litter, a corn-based scoopable litter, and ARM & HAMMER Double Duty cat litter, which eliminates both urine and feces odors on contact. In addition, the Company markets a line of household cleaning products, including CLEAN SHOWER daily shower cleaner, SCRUB FREE bathroom cleaners and SNO BOL toilet bowl cleaner. The Company also markets KABOOM bathroom cleaner and ORANGE GLO household cleaning products.
In 2011, Personal Care Products constituted approximately 35% of the Company�� Consumer Domestic sales and approximately 25% of the Company�� total sales. ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda, when used as a dentifrice, whitens and polishes teeth. The Company also manufactures in the United States and markets in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada, CLOSE-UP, PEPSODENT and AIM toothpastes, and the MENTADENT brand of toothpaste and toothbrushes. The Company markets ORAJEL oral analgesics, which includes products for adults, as well as Baby ORAJEL Cooling Cucumber Teething Gel and Baby ORAJEL Tooth and Gum Cleanser. The Company markets SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes in the United States (including Puerto Rico), the United Kingdom, Canada, China and Australia. The Company also markets SPINBRUSH Pro-Select toothbrushes; SPINBRUSH Pro-Recharge, a rechargeable toothbrush offering up ! to one we! ek of power brushes between charges, and SPINBRUSH Sonic. The Company�� deodorant and antiperspirant products are marketed under the ARM & HAMMER, ARRID and LADY�� CHOICE brand names.
TROJAN is the Company�� condom brand. Its other brands in this category include ECSTASY, TROJAN Ultra Thin condoms and TROJAN Fire and Ice Condoms. The Company also markets a series of vibrating products under the TROJAN name. The Company also markets ANSWER in the home pregnancy and ovulation test kit market. The Company also markets a home female fertility test under the FIRST RESPONSE brand name. The Company offers a range of depilatory products for women, men and teens under the NAIR brand name. In 2011 and 2012, new NAIR variants were launched. These included Cool Gel, Roll-On Milk and Honey, and Brazilian Spa Clay products. The Company markets the SIMPLY SALINE brand of nasal saline moisturizers in Europe and other parts of the world.
Consumer International
The Consumer International segment markets a variety of personal care products, household and over-the-counter products in international markets, including Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and China. Total Consumer International net sales represented approximately 19% of the Company�� consolidated net sales in 2011. Net sales of the subsidiaries located in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia accounted for 36%, 17%, 17% and 12%, respectively, of the Company�� 2011 international net sales in this segment. The Company markets depilatories and waxes, home pregnancy and ovulation test kits and oral care products in most of its international markets. The Company markets waxes and depilatory products in international locations, and TROJAN condoms in Canada and Mexico. The Company also markets SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes, primarily in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, China and Australia, and OXICLEAN, KABOOM and ORANGE GLO products primarily in Mexico and Canada. T! he Compan! y sells PEARL DROPS products in Europe, Canada and Australia, STERIMAR nasal hygiene products in a number of markets in Europe, Latin America, China and Australia, and BATISTE dry shampoo principally in the United Kingdom.
Specialty Products
The Company�� Specialty Products (SPD) segment focuses on sales to businesses and participates in three product areas: Specialty Chemicals, Animal Nutrition and Specialty Cleaners. The Company�� 99.2%-owned Brazilian subsidiary, Quimica Geral do Nordeste (QGN), is a provider of sodium bicarbonate. The Company and Occidental Petroleum Corporation are equal partners in a joint venture, Armand Products Company, which manufactures and markets potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate for sale in domestic and international markets. The potassium-based products are used in a range of applications, including agricultural products, specialty glass and ceramics, and potassium silicates. Armand Products also manufactures for the Company a potassium carbonate-based animal feed additive for sale in the dairy industry. A special grade of sodium bicarbonate, as well as sodium sesquicarbonate, is sold to the animal feed market as a feed additive for use by the dairy industry as a buffer, or antacid, for dairy cattle. The Company also markets DCAD Plus feed grade potassium carbonate, which is manufactured by the Armand Products Company as a feed additive into the animal feed market.
The Company markets MEGALAC rumen bypass fat, a nutritional supplement made from natural oils. The Company also markets BIO-CHLOR and FERMENTEN, a range of specialty feed ingredients for dairy cows. The Company also provides a line of cleaning and deodorizing products for use in commercial and industrial applications, such as office buildings, hotels, restaurants and other facilities. The Company and Safety-Kleen Corporation are equal partners in a joint venture. In North America, this joint venture distributes the Company�� product line of aqueous clea! ners alon! g with the Company�� ARMEX blast media line, which is designed for the removal of a variety of surface coatings.
The Company competes with The Procter & Gamble Company, Sun Products Corporation, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Johnson & Johnson, Ansell Limited and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Joseph Solitro]
Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD ) , the company behind very popular brands such as Arm & Hammer, Trojan, First Response, and Oxi Clean, has watched its stock outperform the overall market in 2014 and earnings have played a key role. Another strong report could add fuel to the rally, and its first-quarter results are due out in a couple of days. Let's take a look at the most recent earnings release, expectations for the upcoming report, and take a quick look at one of its top competitors, Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG ) , to determine if we should buy in right now or if we should wait to see what the quarter holds.�
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