Source: Norfolk Southern.
Shares of railroad giant Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC ) have performed extremely well lately, climbing toward all-time record highs as investors get more confident about the railroad industry's future. In particular, even though Norfolk Southern has more exposure to some of the toughest segments in the railroad sector than peers like Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP ) , its most recent earnings report showed just how well the company is adapting to changing conditions.
A quarter full of records for Norfolk SouthernNorfolk Southern's second-quarter results read like a page from the record books, as the railroad managed to set new high-water marks in a number of key measures of its financial performance. Operating revenues from its railways climbed 9% to $3 billion, and operating income jumped 22% to climb above the $1 billion mark. That sent net income to a new record of $562 million, or $1.79 per share, easily eclipsing the $1.46 per share that the company posted in the year-ago quarter.
Hot Industrial Disributor Stocks To Buy Right Now: China Life Insurance Company Limited(LFC)
China Life Insurance Company Limited provides life, annuities, accident, and health insurance products in China. Its individual life insurance and annuity products consist of whole life and term life insurance, endowment insurance, and annuities. The company also engages in the writing of life insurance business. In addition, it offers group life insurance products, including group annuity products, and group whole life and term life insurance products to enterprises and institutions, as well as universal life products. Further, the company provides short-term insurance products comprising short-term accident insurance and short-term health insurance products; accident insurance products, such as individual accident insurance and group accident insurance; and health insurance products, including defined health benefit plans, medical expense reimbursement plans, and disease specific plans. It distributes its products through its direct sales representatives and exclusive ag ents, as well as through intermediaries comprising insurance agencies and insurance brokerage companies, non-dedicated agencies, bancassurance arrangements, travel agencies, and hotels and airline sales counters. The company was founded in 1949 and is based in Beijing, China. China Life Insurance Company Limited is a subsidiary of China Life Insurance (Group) Company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Patricio Kehoe] g>Sun Life Financial Inc. (USA) (SLF), which all sport a 200% ratio. Moreover, the company�� excessive capital should allow it to maintain the above average dividend yield of 2.66% offered to shareholders.
Valuation
Over the next five years growth in the Asian market will likely boost the overall modest premium growth rate, averaging it at 2%, while the total revenue CAGR recovers to 3% after the steep declines reported since 2012. Furthermore, Manulife�� ROE will continue its current upward trend, increasing from 2013�� 10.9% to an average 12% by 2018, accompanied by the steadily expanding net margins of 16.8%. While it will take some time for the company�� growth to accelerate, I feel bullish about management�� optimism regarding its business shift, and see the dividend yield and returns on equity as solid benefits for a long term investment. Moreover, the firm is currently trading at a 10% price discount relative to the industry average of 14.0x, making it a relatively inexpensive buy.
Disclosure: Patricio Kehoe holds no position in any stocks mentioned.
Also check out: George Soros Undervalued Stocks George Soros Top Growth Companies George Soros High Yield stocks, and Stocks that George Soros keeps buyingAbout the author:Patricio KehoeA fundamental analyst at Lone Tree Analytics Currently 5.00/512345Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote)
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More GuruFocus Links Latest Guru Picks Value Strategies Warren Buffett Portfolio Ben Graham Net-Net Real Time Picks Buffett-Munger Screener Aggregated Portfolio Undervalued Predictable ETFs, Options Low P/S Companies Insider Trends 10-Year Financials 52-Week Lows In - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Top losers in the sector included China HGS Real Estate (NASDAQ: HGSH), off 4.8 percent, and China Life Insurance Co (NYSE: LFC), down 4 percent.
- [By Jim Jubak]
That 40% gain in net income is likely to be among the lower increases reported by China�� insurance companies in the next few weeks. The average growth in net income among insurers expected by analysts is 92%. I think that makes it worthwhile holding the best of these insurers��uch as Ping An and China Life (LFC), a member of my Jubak�� Picks portfolio, for these earnings reports, even though the systemic stress��nd thus risk��n China�� financial system is rising.
Best Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now: Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (REFG.PK)
Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions, incorporated on December 1, 2005, is a provider of integrated supply and distribution technology. The Company�� Seed-to-Sale (S2S) integrated solution is a management and compliance technology for growers, caregivers and dispensaries in the market. The Company also works with public officials and government agencies to expand the acceptance of medicinal cannabis, and the adoption of a legal framework where maximum market expansion is possible. The Company solves the fragmentation problem by identifying tools that are important to dispensaries, and customizing those tools specifically catered to the industry. The Company's solutions include Spark, Ghost and S2S.
Spark
The Company�� SPARK Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provides customers with enterprise-class hosted phone systems customized to fit customers��needs. SPARK's service is a fully-managed, cloud-based system. The Company offers the convenience of an online Internet Protocol (IP)-based telecommunications system while still delivering substantial savings to customers bottom line.
Ghost
By offering customers a customized, tailored mobile solution, the Company's Ghost Mobile Apps give a marketing tool with a texting and e-mail solution, keeping customers in constant contact with patients and clients. The Company creates an optimized experience in context to each device or screen size.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alan Brochstein]
Not too surprisingly, supply is starting to increase. We have seen some companies enter the space by expanding their own businesses, but there have been some reverse mergers lately too. I had mentioned Refill Energy (REFG.PK) recently (soon to be Medical Cannabis Financial Group), but earlier this month Promap (PMAP.OB) acquired 94% of Advanced Cannabis Solutions (link to 8-K). As an aside, I think that this company is worth considering given the management team and the business model. Investors should keep in the back of their mind that there are many companies that are quietly developing their business models and could become public over time, especially as the regulatory and legal landscapes improve.
Best Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ingredion Inc (INGR)
Ingredion Incorporated (Ingredion), formerly Corn Products International, Inc., incorporated on March 27, 1997, is a global manufacturer and supplier of starch and sweetener ingredients to a range of industries, including packaged food, beverage, brewing and industrial customers. The Company's product line includes starches and sweeteners, animal feed products and edible corn oil.
The Company's starch-based products include both food-grade and industrial starches. The Company's sweetener products include glucose syrups, high maltose syrups, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), caramel color, dextrose, polyols, maltodextrins and glucose and syrup solids. The Company's products are derived primarily from the processing of corn and other starch-based materials, such as tapioca, potato and rice.
Sweetener Products
The Company's sweetener products represented approximately 44% of the Company's net sales for the year ended December 31, 2012. Glucose syrups are fundamental ingredients used in food products, such as baked goods, snack foods, beverages, canned fruits, condiments, candy and other sweets, dairy products, ice cream, jams and jellies, prepared mixes and table syrups. Glucose syrups offer functionality in addition to sweetness to processed foods. High Maltose Syrup is special type of glucose syrup, which is primarily used as a fermentable sugar in brewing beers. High maltose syrups are also used in the production of confections, canning and some other food processing applications. The Company's high maltose syrups actually speeds the fermentation process, allowing brewers to increase capacity without adding capital.
High fructose corn syrup is used in a variety of consumer products, including soft drinks, fruit-flavored beverages, baked goods, dairy products, confections and other food and beverage products. In addition to sweetness and ease of use, high fructose corn syrup provides body,humectancy and aids in browning, freezing point and crystalliza! tion control.
Dextrose has a range of applications in the food and confection industries, in solutions for intravenous and other pharmaceutical applications, and numerous industrial applications like wallboard, biodegradable surface agents and moisture control agents. Dextrose functionality in foods, beverages and confectionary includes sweetness control; body and viscosity; acts as a bulking, drying and anti-caking agent; serves as a carrier; provides freezing point and crystallization control; and aids in fermentation. Dextrose is also a fermentation agent in the production of light beer. In pharmaceutical applications dextrose is used in IV solutions as well as an excipient suitable for direct compression in tableting.
Polyols products are sugar-free, reduced calorie sweeteners primarily derived from starch or sugar for the food, beverage, confectionery, industrial, personal and oral care, and nutritional supplement markets. In addition to sweetness, polyols inhibit crystallization; provide binding, humectancy and plasticity; add texture; extend shelf life; prevent moisture migration, and are an excipient suitable for tableting.
Maltodextrins and Glucose Syrup Solids products have a multitude of food applications, including formulations where liquid syrups cannot be used. Maltodextrins are resistant to browning, provide solubility, have a low hydroscopicity (do not retain moisture), and are ideal for their carrier/bulking properties. Glucose syrup solids have a bland flavor, remain clear in solution are easy to handle and provide bulking properties.
Starch Products
The Company's starch products represented approximately 37 % of the Company's net sales for 2012. Starches are an important component in a range of processed foods, where they are used for adhesions, clouding, dusting, expansion, fat replacement, freshness, gelling, glazing, mouth feel, stabilization and texture. Starches are also used in paper production to create a smooth s! urface fo! r printed communications and to improve strength in recycled papers. Specialty starches are used for enhanced drainage, fiber retention, oil and grease resistance, improved printability and biochemical oxygen demand control. Industrial starches are used in the production of construction materials, textiles, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, as well as in mining, water filtration and oil and gas drilling. Specialty starches are used for biomaterial applications including biodegradable plastics, fabric softeners and detergents, hair and skin care applications, dusting powders for surgical gloves and in the production of glass fiber and insulation.
Co-Products and others
Co-products and others accounted for 19% of the Company's net sales for 2012. Refined corn oil (from germ) is sold to packers of cooking oil and to producers of margarine, salad dressings, shortening, mayonnaise and other foods. Corn gluten feed is sold as animal feed. Corn gluten meal is sold as high protein feed for chickens, pet food and aquaculture.
The Company competes with ADM Corn Processing Division (ADM), Cargill, Inc. and Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Ingredion (NYSE: INGR ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Jeremy Bowman]
What: Shares of Ingredion (NYSE: INGR ) were down as much as 10% today after the ingredient seller cut its full-year and current-quarter EPS forecast.
Best Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now: GFI Group Inc. (GFIG)
GFI Group Inc. provides wholesale brokerage, clearing, electronic execution, and trading support products for financial markets. The company offers brokerage and trade execution services, clearing services, market data and trading platform, and other software products to institutional customers. The company provides brokerage services in fixed income derivatives, bond instruments, and other related products; financial instruments, including foreign exchange options, exotic options, non-U.S. Dollar interest rate swaps and options, repurchase agreements, forward and non-deliverable forward contracts, and government and municipal bond options; cash-based and derivative equity products, such as the U.S. domestic and international equity stocks, global depositary receipts, American depositary receipts, and equity derivatives; and cash-based and derivative commodity, and energy products comprising oil, natural gas, biofuel, electricity, wet and dry freight derivatives, dry physi cal freight, precious metals, coal, property derivatives, emissions, ethanol, and soft commodities. It also offers clearing, brokerage, settlement, and back-office services to proprietary traders, brokers, market makers, and hedge funds; provides capital to start-up trading groups, small hedge funds, market-makers, and individual traders; licenses multi-asset class electronic trading and order management software to brokers, exchanges, and traders in the commodities, fixed income, currencies, and equities markets; and offers FENICS Professional, a suite of price discovery, price distribution, trading, risk management, and straight-through processing components. The company primarily serves investment and commercial banks, large corporations, asset managers, insurance companies, hedge funds, and proprietary trading firms in the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Asia. GFI Group Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jayson Derrick]
CME Group (NYSE: CME) has agreed to acquire GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) for $4.55 per share and will immediately sell it's wholesale brokerage and clearing business back to a group led by GFI Management. CME will retain GFI Group's Trayport which provides trading software in the European energy markets as well as FENICS, a provider of price discovery, analytics, risk-management and workflow connectivity services for over the counter foreign exchange options markets. Shares of CME Group gained 0.44 percent, closing at $75.83 while shares of GFI Group surged to new 52-week highs of $4.50 before closing the day at $4.47, up 43.73 percent.
Best Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now: Discovery Minerals Ltd (DSCR)
Discovery Minerals Ltd., formerly Dhanoa Minerals Ltd., incorporated on July 11, 2005, is an exploration-stage company. The Company�� principal business is the acquisition and exploration of menial resources located in the United States, Central and South America. The Company operates in only one business segment, namely natural resource exploration, mining and recovery.
The Company does not own any properties that contain mineral reserves that are economically recoverable. The Company's projects include Turquoise Mountain Project and Yukon Mining Project.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap mining stocks Discovery Minerals Ltd (OTCMKTS: DSCR), Zinco Do Brasil Inc (OTCMKTS: ZNBR) and Amalgamated Gold and Silver Inc (OTCMKTS: BCHS) have been getting some extra attention lately as one stock surged last Friday while the other two are or have been in the past, the subject of paid promotions. It goes without saying though that small cap mining stocks tend to be riskier than your average stock. But do these three small cap mining stocks have what it takes to produce a mother lode for investors? Here is a deeper dig into all three:
Discovery Minerals Ltd (OTCMKTS: DSCR) Is Branching Out Into Mining AppsSmall cap Discovery Minerals Ltd is a production stage company formed to acquire and develop natural resource properties. Activities include gold, precious metals and petroleum minerals, including rare earth minerals production and sales. In addition, the company has initiated a new program to evaluate undervalued assets, including clean tech and alternative energy investments, for potential addition to its portfolio. On Friday, Discovery Minerals Ltd surged 25% to $0.001 for a market cap of $1.66 million plus DSCR is down 73% over the past year and down 97.1% over the past five years according to Google Finance.
Best Railroad Stocks To Buy Right Now: Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOX)
Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., formerly News Corporation, incorporated on October 23, 2003, has a portfolio of cable, broadcast, film, pay television and satellite assets spanning six continents across the globe. The Company is home to a global portfolio of cable and broadcasting networks and properties, including FOX, FX, FXX, FS1, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Sports, Fox Sports Network, National Geographic Channels, Fox Pan American Sports, MundoFox, STAR and 28 local television stations; film studio Twentieth Century Fox Film; and television production studios Twentieth Century Fox Television and Shine Group. The Company also provides content to millions of subscribers through its pay-television services in Europe and Asia, including Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia and its equity interests in BSkyB and Tata Sky.
Cable Network Programming
The Company's Cable Network Programming business includes Fox Networks, Big Ten Network, Big Ten Network, Fox Business Network, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel, Fox International Channels, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Networks, FX Networks and Productions, MundoFox, National Geographic Channels, STAR India and YES Network. Fox Networks is a unit of Fox Networks Group (FNG) and includes 43 domestic programming services in which FNG holds interests. FOX Business Network (FBN) is a financial news channel delivering real-time information. FOX Deportes is a Spanish-language sports media. FOX Deportes features soccer programming with coverage of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, Barclays Premier League, Copa Bridgestone Libertadores, Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana; coverage of the Major League Baseball regular season, All-Star Game, American League Championship Series and World Series; Golden Boy Promotions Boxing, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).
FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to deli! vering breaking news, as well as political and business news. A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the distributed network. FOX International Channels (FIC) is the Company�� international multi-media business. It develops, produces and distributes 300 wholly owned and majority owned entertainment, factual, sports, movie and lifestyle channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 44 languages. FOX Sports 1 is a national 24-hour multi-sport channel. Fox Sports Networks (FSN) is the provider of local sports.
FX Networks and Productions is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. MundoFox is a joint venture between Fox International Channels (FIC),the Company�� international multi-media business, and RCN, the Latin American television network and production company belonging to OrganizaciUn Ardila Llle (OAL). Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic channels the United States are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. Star India is a media and entertainment company operating nearly 40 channels in seven languages, including its flagship Star Plus. The YES Network is a regional sports network.
Filmed Entertainment
Filmed Entertainment business includes Twentieth Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Fox 2000, Fox 21, Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios, Fox Home Entertainment, Fox International Productions, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Television Studios and Shine Group. Twentieth Century Fox is a producers and distributors of motion picture. Twentieth Century Fox Television is a supplier of primetime television programming and entertainment content. Fox 2000 is a division of Twentieth Century Fox and the home of films such as LIFE OF PI, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, among others.
Fox 21 is a production company housed within Twentieth Century Fox Television. Fox Animation and! Blue Sky! Studios are Twentieth Century Fox's animation arm. TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions, as well as all third party distribution partners. Fox International Productions is a division of Twentieth Century Fox that focuses on regional film productions in dozens of local marketplaces around the world. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. Fox Television Studios produces scripted and unscripted programming for the United States broadcast and cable networks, and international broadcasters.
Television
The Company�� Television business includes Fox Broadcasting Network, Fox Sports, Fox Television Stations Group and MyNetworkTV. Fox Broadcasting Network is producers and distributors of motion pictures. FOX Sports is the flagship network of the FOX Sports Media Group. FOX Television Stations is a network broadcast group, consist of 28 stations in 18 markets. MyNetworkTV is a broadcast programming service.
Direct Broadcast and Satellite TV
Direct Broadcast and Satellite TV business consists of BSkyB, Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia. Sky operates the television service in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sky Deutschland AG is a pay television company in Germany and Austria with over 3.4 million subscribers. Sky offers more than 70 channels with live sports, current films, television series, kids programs, and documentaries. Sky Italia is a pay- television platform in Italy, reaching almost five million subscribers.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Carroll]
Action film GI Joe: Retaliation and animated feature The Croods continued to perform well, pulling in nearly $46 million and $33 million, respectively, at the worldwide box office this past weekend. The Croods, distributed by News Corp. (NASDAQ: FOX ) subsidiary 20th Century Fox, has now eclipsed the $400 million sales mark at the box office. GI Joe: Retaliation has notched nearly $323 million.
- [By Rich Smith]
So -- is this the end of the line for reality TV? Should we expect News Corp. (NASDAQ: FOX ) (NASDAQ: FOXA ) �to pull the plug on Idol,�and get back to writing quality, scripted television shows?
- [By Patricio Kehoe]
One factor that plays in this firm�� favor is NASCAR�� long-term contracts with major TV networks and radio stations. The most recent deal is set to launch in 2015, and will bind the motorsport brand for 10 years to NBC and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (FOX), for a total of $8.2 billion (45% annual increase over the current contract). Although a more stable economic scenario may reignite concessionary spending among customers, and cause the motorsport segment to gain popularity again, the non-existent switching costs and alternative leisure choices could be detrimental to this company. Also, ISCA�� current $87.9 million cash flow will likely be stagnated by the new Daytona Ring Project, which is expected to cost $400 million over the next five years.
- [By Anders Bylund]
The company wasn't entirely devoid of news. Netflix just signed an exclusive multiyear deal with News Corp� (NASDAQ: FOX ) subsidiary 20th Century Fox Television, which brings hit comedy New Girl�to U.S. customers with an unusually short delay. Season 1 is available today; upcoming seasons will run on Netflix as soon as the Fox run ends. Compare and contrast to the usual model, where Netflix has to wait until one year after the season finale.
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