On Friday, Madison Square Garden (NASDAQ: MSG ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.
As a premier entertainment venue, Madison Square Garden relies on the success of the teams that call it home. On that front, favorable news has boosted the business recently, and the stock has followed suit as investors take notice. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Madison Square Garden over the past quarter, and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.
Stats on Madison Square Garden
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�Analyst EPS Estimate
Hot Communications Equipment Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pepsico Inc.(PEP)
PepsiCo, Inc. engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of foods, snacks, and carbonated and non-carbonated beverages worldwide. The company operates in four divisions: PepsiCo Americas Foods (PAF); PepsiCo Americas Beverages (PAB); PepsiCo Europe; and PepsiCo Asia, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA). The PAF division offers Lay?s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and dips, Cheetos cheese flavored snacks, Fritos corn chips, Quaker Chewy granola bars, and SunChips multigrain snacks in North America; Quaker oatmeal, Aunt Jemima mixes and syrups, Cap?n Crunch cereal, Quaker grits, and Life cereal, as well as Rice-A-Roni, Pasta Roni, and Near East side dishes in North America; and various snack foods under Doritos, Marias Gamesa, Cheetos, Ruffles, Emperador, Saladitas, Sabritas, and Lay?s brands in Latin America. The PAB division provides carbonated soft drinks, beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7UP, Tropicana Pure Premium, Electropura, Sierra Mist, Epura, and Mirinda brands; ready-to-drink tea, coffee, and water products through joint ventures with Unilever and Starbucks; and sells concentrate to authorized bottlers, and branded finished goods directly to independent distributors and retailers. This division also manufactures third-party brands, such as Dr Pepper, Crush, Rock Star, and Muscle Milk. The PepsiCo Europe division offers Frito Lay Snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices, and Quaker foods in Europe. The AMEA division provides snack food under the Lay?s, Kurkure, Chipsy, Doritos, Smith?s, Cheetos, Red Rock Deli, and Ruffles brands; Quaker-brand cereals and snacks; and beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under the Pepsi, Mirinda, 7UP, and Mountain Dew brands. PepsiCo, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Taulli]
Pepsi (PEP) stock has provided shareholders with a nice gain of about 22% so far this year. That PEP stock return is far better than the return for rival Coca Cola (KO), which has only gained around 8%.
- [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
Pepsi provides convenient and affordable beverage and food items to consumers in a multitude of countries around the world. The company has scored a win over chief rival The Coca-Cola Co., taking the soft drink business at the more than 975 U.S. locations of Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.�The stock has been moving higher in recent years, but is now pulling back. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising, which has left investors optimistic about earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Pepsi has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Pepsi to OUTPERFORM.
- [By Patricio Kehoe]
The first on the list is The Coca-Cola Company (KO), in which Citadel disclosed a $267 million stake with over 6.46 million shares. The Coca-Cola Company is the best global brand (in terms of brand equity) and the world麓s largest producer of soft drinks. The company sells products in more than 200 countries and owns or licenses more than 500 brands. It operates in a highly competitive industry with PepsiCo (PEP), Nestle (NSRGY), Groupe Danone (GPDNF), Kraft Foods (KRFT) and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPS). Due to this, the firm's strategy is to use its brands and financial strength to achieve long-term growth. Additionally, it has created an extensive and well-organized global distribution system, which cannot be replicated by any of its competitors at least at a reasonable cost. It has a proven commitment to returning cash to investors, with a current dividend yield of 2.94% which is considered quite good to protect investors' purchasing power.
Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Polycom Inc.(PLCM)
Polycom, Inc. provides communications equipment that enables businesses, telecommunications service providers, governmental and educational institutions, and healthcare customers to conduct video, voice, data, and Web communications. The company offers network infrastructure, including conferencing infrastructure, distributed media applications, management applications, recording and streaming security, and remote access for universal video collaboration; unified communications (UC) group systems, which include immersive telepresence, group video, and group voice systems that enable geographically dispersed individuals to communicate; UC personal devices comprising desktop video devices, desktop voice, and wireless local area network products that extend HD voice, video, and content to desktops, home offices, mobile users, and branch sites. It also provides various services, including assessments, implementation services, network consulting services, usage and adoption ser vices, wireless services application integration, and advanced project management services. The company sells its products through a network of channel partners, including distributors, value-added resellers, system integrators, communications services providers, and retailers in North America, Central America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. Polycom, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Planes]
What: Shares of Polycom (NASDAQ: PLCM ) have fallen by 13% today. Yesterday, the company's CEO resigned abruptly, which came amid allegations of some "irregularities" in the former exec's expense reports. That, along with with some disappointing guidance in last afternoon's earnings report, has sent analysts scurrying from the stock.
- [By Victor Selva]
On Feb. 3, the billionaire investor George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) bought Polycom Inc. (PLCM) at an average price of $11.72 and currently holds 9,400,708 shares of the stock. This trade makes me feel that he is betting in favor of the communications equipment sub-industry. So let's take a look at this company and try to explain to investors the reasons this is an apparently appealing investment opportunity in an industry that is becoming concentrated and globalized, dominated by large players like Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Qualcomm (QCOM).
Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Invacare Corporation (IVC)
Invacare Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes medical equipment and supplies for non-acute care environment, including the home health care, retail, and extended care markets worldwide. The company offers mobility and seating products, including power wheelchairs, custom manual wheelchairs, personal mobility products, and seating and positioning products; lifestyle products, such as manual wheelchairs, personal care products, homecare beds, pressure relieving mattresses, and patient transport products; and respiratory therapy products comprising non-delivery oxygen, stationary oxygen concentrators, and aerosol products and oxygen accessories. It also provides assistance in the collection of outstanding co-pays, rental capabilities, software, and technology to streamline efficiencies, repair services, and replacement parts. In addition, the company distributes medical supplies, including ostomy, incontinence, diabetic, enteral, wound care, and urology products , as well as home medical equipment, including lifestyle products. Further, it manufactures and markets healthcare furnishings comprising beds, case goods, and patient handling equipment for the long-term care markets; specialty clinical recliners for dialysis and oncology clinics; and other home medical equipment and accessory products. Additionally, the company offers home medical equipment for rent. It serves home health care and medical equipment providers, distributors, and government locations through its sales force, telesales associates, and various organizations of independent manufacturers� representatives and distributors. Invacare Corporation was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Invacare (IVC) designs, manufactures and distributes a line of health care products for the non-acute care environment, including the home health care, retail and extended care markets. This stock closed up 2.3% at $16.73 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 218,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 143,188
Volume % Change: 75%From a technical perspective, IVC jumped higher here right above some near-term support at $16 with above-average volume. This move briefly pushed shares of IVC into breakout territory, since the stock flirted with some past resistance at $16.81. This move is also close to pushing shares of IVC above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading price action, that has seen IVC trade between $14.92 on the downside and $16.81 on the upside.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in IVC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $15.75 and then once it sustains a move or close above Monday's high of $16.84 with volume that's near or above 143,188 shares. If we get that move soon, then IVC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $18.24 to $19.15.
- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Thursday, healthcare shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.16 percent. Top decliners in the sector included Clearfield (NASDAQ: CLFD), down 15.30 percent, and Invacare (NYSE: IVC), off 16.77 percent.
Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: O'Reilly Automotive Inc.(ORLY)
O?Reilly Automotive, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the retail of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the United States. The company?s stores provide new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, including alternators, starters, fuel pumps, water pumps, brake system components, batteries, belts, hoses, chassis parts, and engine parts; maintenance items comprising oil, antifreeze, fluids, filters, wiper blades, lighting, engine additives, and appearance products; and accessories, such as floor mats, seat covers, and truck accessories. Its stores also offer auto body paint and related materials, automotive tools, and professional service provider service equipment. The company?s stores sell its brand name and private label products for domestic and imported automobiles, vans, and trucks to do-it-yourself customers and professional service providers. As of March 31, 2011, it operated 3,613 stores. The company was foun ded in 1957 and is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY ) is attempting to put some turbo into its stock with an expansion of its existing repurchase program. The company's board has authorized an enlargement of the initiative by $500 million, bringing its total amount to $3.5 billion. The additional half-billion is in force for a period of three years, effective immediately.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of AutoZone have fallen 1.7% to $531.87 at 11:52 a.m., while Advance Auto Part (AAP) has dropped 1.6% to $121.27 and O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY) has declined 0.9% to $147.25. Pep Boys (PBY), however, has bucked the selling–its shares have gained 1.9% to $10.57.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
It’s time for investors to downshift their expectations on O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY).
Bloomberg NewsHeading into last night’s earnings report, O’Reilly had returned 50% this year including reinvested dividends, easily besting peers Autozone (AZO), which had returned 22%, Genuine Parts (GPC), which has returned 26%, and Advance Auto Parts (AAP), which had returned 38%,� thanks in large part to a 25% gain in the last month due to its purchase of General Parts International. Clearly, investors thought O’Reilly had something going for it its competitors did not.
They were wrong. O’Reilly beat earnings estimates by two penny’s but that included as much as a 9 cent gain thanks to its tax rate, while its same-store sales came in at 4.6%, below consensus of 5.4%. As a result, O’Reilly’s shares have plunged 7% to $124.93 today at 2:42 p.m.
JPMorgan’s Christopher Horvers and team say investors should have seen this coming:
Despite AZO and AAP both missing same-store-sales forecasts recently and GPC calling out significant weakness in DIY, the market had seemingly absolved ORLY of any complicity and drove the stock to near a 52-week high into the print. Clearly the company�� performance vs. peers over the past year supported that view but the recent widespread weakness in consumer spending and peer commentary suggested that this time could be different. Also, like our preview on GNC, ORLY drew a ��hort straw��given that they report early in the retail season…
…the stock level and premium valuation vs. peers (4-7 P/E turns higher than AAP and AZO) suggest that the pressure on the stock is likely to be greater than the 3% miss against Street operating income estimates.
Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Sutor Technology Group Ltd (SUTR)
Sutor Technology Group Limited, incorporated on May 1, 1997, manufacture fine finished steel products. The Company utilizes a range of processes and technological methodologies to converts steel manufactured by third parties into fine finished steel products. The Company's product offerings are focused on finished steel products, specifically hot-dip galvanized steel (HDG steel), and pre-painted galvanized steel, or PPGI. In addition, the Company produces acid pickled steel (AP steel), and cold-rolled steel. The Company's three operating segments are categorized according to the Company's three operating subsidiaries, which include Changshu Huaye, which manufactures and sells HDG steel and PPGI products; Jiangsu Cold-Rolled, which manufactures and sells HDG steel, AP steel and cold-rolled steel, and Ningbo Zhehua, which manufactures and sells welded steel pipe products.
The Company sells its products to customers who operate primarily in the solar energy, appliances, automobile, construction, infrastructure, medical equipment and water resource industries. The Company's primary export markets are Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. The Company's manufacturing facilities, located in Changshu, China, have three HDG steel production lines, one PPGI production line, one AP steel production line and one cold-rolled steel line. The Company's products include HDG steel, PPGI, AP steel, cold-rolled steel and welded steel pipe products. The Company's HDG steel and PPGI products are primarily manufactured by Changshu Huaye and the Company's AP steel and cold-rolled steel products are primarily manufactured by Jiangsu Cold-Rolled.
HDG Steel
The Company manufactures corrosion-resistant and zinc-coated HDG steel in different dimensions and using different materials and specifications by its customers. HDG steel products are manufactured from steel substrate of cold-rolled or hot-rolled pickled coils by applying zinc to the surface of the material to enhance its! corrosion protection. HDG steel products are principally used in the electrical household appliances and construction markets. Sales of HDG steel products amounted to approximately 451,269 MT in fiscal year 2012, representing approximately 63.8% of the Company's total revenue. The Company's HDG steel products are manufactured by Changshu Huaye and Jiangsu Cold-Rolled. Changshu Huaye produces only HDG of cold-rolled steel.
PPGI Products
PPGI products are made to order based on customer specifications. The Company's PPGI products��specification generally ranges from 700mm to 1250mm in width and from 0.2mm to 1.2mm in thickness. The Company's PPGI products are used in solar energy, appliances and construction materials. The Company produces its PPGI by color-coating on HDG of cold-rolled steel and then coating them in various colors according to customer requirements. The Company's PPGI production line is equipped with the twice baking and coating technology, which together with indirect heating, enhances the color coated layers adhesion to the galvanized zinc layer.
AP Steel
Acid pickling is a process that removes scales and oxides from the steel surface by pickling, cold rolling and annealing. AP steel products are used as a raw material for cold-rolled steel strip, HDG steel, as well as components of automobile and manufacturing equipment. AP steel products come in several different dimensions and using different materials and different specifications.
Full-Hard, Cold-rolled Steel Products
Full-hard cold-rolled steel strips are treated in an annealing process and are used to produce HDG of cold-rolled steel. The Company produces full-hard cold-rolled steel strips through a reverse cold rolling mill.
Welded Steel Pipe Products
The Company's subsidiary Ningbo Zhehua has one advanced Joint Center of Excellence (JCOE) production line for large-diameter, double-side, submerged-arc welded steel pipes, t! hree US L! incoln production lines for spiral seam, double-side, submerged-arc welded steel pipes, and two REF production lines for roll-bending, double-side, submerged-arc welded steel pipes. Ningbo Zhehua is specialized in manufacturing large-diameter, double-side, submerged-arc welded steel pipes and spiral seam steel pipes. The finished products are used for oil and gas transmission, municipal water supply projects, sewage treatment projects, and piling.
The Company competes with ArcelorMittal and Posco Steel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Sutor Technology Group (NASDAQ: SUTR) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.10 per share on revenue of $152.96 million.
Le Gaga Holdings (NASDAQ: GAGA) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings.
- [By James E. Brumley]
To tell the truth, I had almost forgotten about Sutor Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:SUTR) after posting my "right stock, wrong time" speech back on the 9th. While I loved the way SUTR had broken past a horizontal ceiling at $1.83 after several weeks' worth of trying, the bullish move itself was a little overheated and looked like it was setting up a near-term pullback. Only after that dip would the stock be a healthy buy again.
Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURN)
Zurich Insurance Group Limited is a Switzerland-based holding company engaged in the insurance sector. The Company provides a range of general and life insurance products and services for individuals, small business, mid-sized and large-sized companies, and multinational corporations. The Company offers its products and services through three business segments, namely General Insurance, Global life and Farmers. The General Insurance segment offers motor, home and commercial products and services for individuals, as well as small and large business. The Global life segment offers life insurance, savings, investment and pensions solutions. The Farmers segment includes farmers management services, which provides non-claims management services to the farmers exchange, as well as Farmers Re business, which includes reinsurance assumed from the Farmers Exchange by the Company's group. Furthermore, the Company provides reinsurance and insurance business considered as non-core business. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Namitha Jagadeesh]
Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURN) lost 3.6 percent after second-quarter profit missed analysts��estimates. Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) declined the most in seven weeks as Europe�� second-biggest clothing retailer reported worse-than-expected sales. BG Group Plc, which derives 20 percent of its oil-and-gas production from Egypt, slipped 2.4 percent as the death toll from nationwide violence in the most populous Arab country climbed above 500.
Top 10 Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Organovo Holdings Inc (ONVO)
Organovo Holdings, Inc. (Organovo), formerly Real Estate Restoration & Rental, Inc., incorporated in 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company has developed and is commercializing a platform technology for the generation of three-dimensional (3D) human tissues that can be employed in drug discovery and development, biological research, and as therapeutic implants for the treatment of damaged or degenerating tissues and organs. On December 28, 2011, Real Estate Restoration and Rental, Inc.�� (RERR) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which RERR merged with its, wholly owned subsidiary, Organovo (Merger Sub). On February 8, 2012, the Company merged with and into Organovo Acquisition Corp. (Acquisition Corp.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Organovo, with the Company surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Organovo Holdings (the Merger). As a result of the Merger, Organovo acquired the business of Organovo, Inc.
The Company has collaborative research agreements with Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer) and United Therapeutic Corporation (Unither). As of March 31, 2012, it has five federal grants, including Small Business Innovation Research grants and developed the NovoGen MMX Bioprinter (its first-generation 3D bioprinter). The Company is engaged in the development of specific 3D human tissues to aid Pfizer in discovery of therapies in two areas of interest. In addition, in October 2011, it entered into a research agreement with Unither to establish and conduct a research program to discover treatments for pulmonary hypertension using its NovoGen MMX Bioprinter technology. Additionally, under the research agreement with Unither, the Company granted Unither an option to acquire from the Company a worldwide, royalty-bearing license in certain intellectual property created under the research agreement solely for use in the treatment or prevention of pulmonary hypertension and all other lung diseases.
The Company�� NovoGen MMX Bioprinter is an automate! d device that enables the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) living tissues comprised of mammalian cells. A custom graphic user interface (GUI) facilitates the 3D design and execution of scripts that direct precision movement of the dispensing heads to deposit cellular building blocks (bio-ink) or supporting hydrogel. The Company is using a third party manufacturer, Invetech Pty., of Melbourne, Australia, to manufacture its NovoGen MMX Bioprinter. Its bioprinting technology and surrounding intellectual property and commercial rights serve as a platform for product generation across multiple markets that employ cell- and tissue-based products and services.
The Company competes with Organogenesis, Advanced BioHealing, Tengion, Genzyme, HumaCyte and Cytograft Tissue Engineering.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Steve Symington]
To answer that question, remember what our fellow Fool Isaac Pino reminded us a few weeks ago:�high-end production 3-D printers from companies like 3D Systems, Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS ) , and ExOne (NASDAQ: XONE ) are capable of using dozens of materials to print infinitely more complicated items including shoes, saws, guitar bodies, and other functioning tools with moving parts.�Heck, 3-D bioprinting specialist�Organovo (NYSEMKT: ONVO ) is currently working feverishly on perfecting the process of designing and creating functional human tissue which -- putting inevitable regulatory hurdles for using the technology aside -- could obviously change the health care world as we know it.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
The stock market fought its way back from early losses on Friday, with investors taking heart from positive economic data, even as they prepared for the beginning of a new earnings season in the next couple of weeks. At least for now, it appears that policy makers will do their utmost to prevent any huge disruption in the stock market, and that boded well for shareholders today. In particular, shares of Universal Display (NASDAQ: OLED ) , Taseko Mines (NYSEMKT: TGB ) , and Organovo Holdings (NYSEMKT: ONVO ) were among the best performers of the day, with their excitement helping to carry the whole market higher.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Organovo Holdings (NYSE: ONVO) was also up, gaining 2.54 percent to $9.28. The rise in the shares may be attributed to Thursday's Computerworld Article on 3D printed liver coming in 2014.
- [By James E. Brumley]
It's certainly not the way I would have likes for things to shake out with Organovo Holdings Inc. (NYSEMKT:ONVO), but I'm not going to complain - it's pointed in the right direction. More important, for anybody who's been wanting into an ONVO trade but wasn't sure where the right entry spot was, today's move is it, with just one little caveat.