Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of CapitalSource (NYSE: CSE ) soared 20% today after bank holding company PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ: PACW ) agreed to acquire the financial services specialist in a deal valued at about $2.3 billion.
So what: The deal values CapitalSource at about $11.64 per share -- 0.2837 of a PacWest share and $2.47 in cash -- and represents a premium of about 18% to its closing price on Monday. PacWest is making the move to expand its presence in southern California, and judging by its own stock's 6% bump today, Wall Street seems pleased with the price management is paying to do it.
Now what: The combined bank will be the eighth-largest in California, with about $15.4 billion in assets and 96 branches in the state. "The combination of these two franchises will create a formidable company going forward, with a strong balance sheet and capital base, attractive margins and good earnings momentum," said PacWest CEO Matt Wagner. So while CapitalSource is likely all popped out at this point, PacWest's newly boosted lending presence might be worth looking into.
Hot Restaurant Stocks For 2015: Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC(OZM)
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides investment advisory services for its clients. It invests in equity markets across the world. The firm makes its investments in alternative markets across the world. It employs quantitative and qualitative analysis to make its investments. The firm also manages a buyout fund, Och-Ziff Energy Fund. Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC was founded in 1994 and is based New York, New York with additional offices in London, United Kingdom; Hong Kong; Tokyo, Japan; Bangalore, India; and Beijing, China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James Brumley]
In the meantime, the 9%-plus dividend yield — at 40 cents per share, which is a dime better than SFL stock paid out in 2009 — is nothing to sneeze at.
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (OZM)OZM Dividend Yield: 13.6%
- [By MONEYMORNING]
Although there are many great companies to choose from in the alternative investment management space, there are two that I really like, and that investors should consider owning. The first is hedge fund titan Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (NYSE: OZM).
Hot High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Westpac Banking Corp (WEBNF)
Westpac Banking Corporation is a banking company. It operates through three divisions: Australian Financial Services (AFS), Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB) and Westpac New Zealand. AFS consists of Westpac�� retail and business banking operations in Australia, and includes Westpac Retail & Business Banking (Westpac RBB), St.George Banking Group and BT Financial Group Australia (BFTG). Westpac RBB is responsible for sales and service for consumer, small-to-medium enterprise customers and commercial customers under the Westpac brands. St.George is responsible for sales, and service for its consumer, business and corporate customers in Australia under brands, such as St.George and BankSA. BTFG is Westpac�� Australian wealth management division. In January 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of Lloyds Banking Group Plc�� Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia Limited, and its Australian corporate loan portfolio, BOS International (Australia) Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Daniel Inman]
Earnings season continued in Australia as Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) � (WEBNF) �fell 1.2% after the country�� second-largest bank by market value reported lower-than-expected revenue, offsetting a cash profit that exceeded forecasts.
- [By MARKETWATCH]
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks nudged modestly higher early Thursday, with a rebound for financials offsetting weakness in the resource space. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) advanced 0.1% to 5,361.80, as banks and brokers gained after losing ground late in the previous session on concerns about the health of major Chinese banks. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) and Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) rose 0.7% apiece, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) added 0.5%, and Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) improved by 0.5%. On the downside, losses for gold futures overnight sent Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) down 1.3% and Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) 2.3% lower. The broader mining sector was also lower, with Alumina Ltd. (AU:AWC) (AWCMF) off 2.8%, BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) down 0.5%, and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF)
- [By MARKETWATCH]
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks advanced Tuesday, as gains in market heavyweight BHP Billiton Ltd. helped push the equity benchmark toward its sixth consecutive win. The S&P/ASX 200 index (AU:XJO) rose 0.2% to 5,364.90 on strength in the mining group after BHP Billiton (AU:BHP) (BHP) raised its fiscal-year forecast for iron-ore production to 212 million metric tons following record output from its mining site in Australia's Pilbara region. BHP shares climbed 1.7%, iron-ore producer Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) rose 0.9% and Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) picked up 0.4%. Finance issues mostly higher as well, with Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) up 0.6%. But underperforming the benchmark were shares of David Jones Ltd. (AU:DJS) (DVDJF) , down 2.8% after the upscale retailer unexpectedly said late Monday its Chief Executive Paul Zahra plans to step down after three years in the position.
- [By MARKETWATCH]
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australia stocks rose early Thursday, with miners leading the way higher after a positive production report from Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) , while overall sentiment got a lift from U.S. gains overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) improved by 0.6% to 5,274.30, with shares of Rio Tinto rising 2.2% after reporting record high iron-ore shipments for 2013 and a sold gain for copper output. Rio's peers also advanced, with BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) up 1.7%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) ahead by 3.2%, and Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) adding 2.4%. Among the gold producers, Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) surged 7.2% as J.P. Morgan raised its rating on the shares to overweight from neutral. Banks weren't as lucky, however, with Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) down 0.3%, while Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) lost 0.7% each as Citibank downgraded the trio t
Hot High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: SofTech Inc (SOFT)
SofTech, Inc., incorporated on June 11, 1969,is a provider of engineering software solutions with its ProductCenter PLM (product lifecycle management) technology and its computer-aided design product CADRA offering. On May 24, 2011, the Company sold its Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) product line. In October 2013, SofTech, Inc announced that it has completed the sale of substantially all of the assets of its CADRA product line.
ProductCente
The Company's ProductCenter technology manages the engineering data and electronic files of discrete parts designed in third party design technologies offered primarily by Solidworks, Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and Autodesk. ProductCenter is an enterprise, collaborative PLM solution delivering a combination of document management, design integration, configuration control, change management, bill of materials management and integration capability with other enterprise systems. ProductCenter is designed to help companies optimize the product development process. ProductCenter provides for the secure management of product information and allows engineers and the entire design chain to manage, share, modify and track product data and documents throughout the product development lifecycle.
The Company�� ProductCenter supports engineering change management and bill of materials management for automating business processes. ProductCenter also enables integration with other business applications, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM) and customer relationship management (CRM) for continuous data exchange across the product lifecycle.
CADRA
The Company�� CADRA offering is a drafting and design software package for the professional mechanical engineer. The CADRA family of CAD/CAM products includes CADRA Design Drafting, a mechanical design documentation tool, CADRA NC, a 2 through 5 axis NC programming application, and CADRAWorks with SolidWorks p! roviding for an integrated drawing production system and three dimensional (3D)solid modeler. The CADRA family of products includes a collection of translators and software options.
The Company competes with Autodesk, Dassault, Siemens, and PTC
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap tech, mobile or cloud computing stocks SofTech, Inc (OTCMKTS: SOFT), Firstin Wireless Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: FINW) and Izea Inc (OTCMKTS: IZEA) have been getting some extra attention lately in various investment newsletters or alerts. That�� because at least one of these stocks appears to be the subject of paid third party promotions while another is the focus of an apparent investor relations campaign. Keeping that in mind, are these three tech orientated stocks going to bring profits to investors and traders or bring out the luddite in them? Here is a closer look:
- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks New China Global (OTCMKTS: NCGI), RealBiz Media Group Inc (OTCMKTS: RBIZ) and SofTech, Inc (OTCMKTS: SOFT) sank 21.11%, 14.81% and 10.89%, respectively, last Friday. Moreover, two of these three small caps have been the subject of paid promotions or investor relations activities, but this week is the start of a new trading week and anything can happen. So will these three small cap stocks keep sinking? Here is a closer look to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:
Hot High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Medbox Inc (MDBX.PK)
Medbox Inc. (Medbox) offers a machine that dispenses medication to individuals based on biometric identification (fingerprint sample). The machine allows pharmacies, hospitals, doctors' offices, and alternative medicine clinics to manage employee possession of sensitive drugs. The system also allows these clinics to demonstrate that the user visiting the machine is a registered patient and that the patient has a valid and unexpired authorization from a physician to possess and use the medicine dispensed. The Company has national and international presence with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London and Tokyo.
Medbox, through its subsidiaries, offers consulting services to the alternative medicine industry, as well as to the mini self-storage market. The Company provides consulting services primarily to individuals and groups seeking to establish new clinics and facilities, often in jurisdictions that have recently passed legislation concerning th e availability of alternative medicines, as well as existing jurisdictions, nationwide.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alan Brochstein]
Taking into account all of the data I have shared, I want to introduce my take on the most important names to follow. My initial list takes into account not only the market cap, but also business model and interest level. These are the stocks that I think merit the most attention (in alphabetical order):
CannaVest (CANV.OB)GW Pharma (GWPH)MedBox (MDBX.PK)Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA.PK)CANV doesn't really trade, as it is held closely by insiders (99.7%, including MJNA). I have a few concerns, including the valuation and some near-term financial challenges typical of a start-up with just one client looking to expand its customer base, but I like the focus and the fact that it is an SEC filer with a relatively clean history (i.e. none of the baggage of some of these other companies). I have spoken to its outsourced CFO and am impressed by his background (has been CFO or held key financial roles at publicly-traded healthcare companies). CANV is the partner to MJNA that is responsible for manufacturing the CBD (Cannibidiol, the cannabinoid in marijuana that is increasingly viewed as offering substantial medical benefits). I am very concerned about the near-term financials, but this is a pure-play with probably a two-year lead over other companies. I don't see a moat in terms of intellectual property or brands, but they have a good lead in terms of sourcing of supply and penetration into potential customers. Quite simply, they don't appear to have competition at present. The company, then, is a call option on CBD demand taking off. It appears that it could be a supplier to even Big Pharma should medical marijuana research move into the mainstream.
Hot High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Asta Funding Inc.(ASFI)
Asta Funding, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in purchasing, managing, and servicing distressed consumer receivables in the United States. Its principal portfolio includes charged-off receivables consisting of accounts that have been written-off by the originators and might have been previously serviced by collection agencies; semi-performing receivables, including accounts where the debtor is currently making partial or irregular monthly payments, but the accounts might have been written-off by the originators; performing receivables comprising accounts where the debtor is making regular monthly payments that might or might not have been delinquent in the past; and distressed consumer receivables, such as the unpaid debts of individuals to banks, finance companies, and other credit and service providers. The company?s distressed consumer receivables consist of MasterCard, Visa, and other credit card accounts, which were charged-off by the issuers or provide rs for non-payment. Asta Funding, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap debt collection stocks like�Asta Funding, Inc (NASDAQ: ASFI), Encore Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: ECPG) and Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc (NASDAQ: PRAA) could be the latest target of a government shakedown or crackdown as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said this week that�before it formally proposes any rules for debt collection, it wants to hear how collectors verify borrowers' information and communicate with consumers. In other words, debt collectors could be restricted from using text messages, social media or other Internet-based tools in their pursuit to collect debts. With about one in 10 Americans coming out of the financial crisis with some debt in collection, investing in small cap�debt collection stocks has been profitable for investors. However, there is no timeline for when any new rules might be released for review or come into effect.
- [By Tim Melvin]
There a lot of moving parts to Asta Funding (ASFI), but there appears to be a great deal of value that isn�� reflected in the current stock price. ASFI stock is trading at less than 65% of book value, but several of its debt collection assets are carried at zero cost basis and yet may have substantial value. The balance sheet is strong with more than $90 million in cash. ASFI has been moving into other businesses including disability claims to increase its growth opportunities over the next few years. It�� a fairly complex business, but it is very cheap — and the first sign of good news could send the shares a lot higher.
Hot High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Crosstex Energy Inc.(XTXI)
Crosstex Energy, Inc., through its partnership interests in Crosstex Energy, L.P., engages in the gathering, transmission, processing, and marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil in the United States. The company connects the wells of natural gas producers in its market areas to its gathering systems; processes natural gas for the removal of NGLs; fractionates NGLs; and markets and transports natural gas and NGLs. It also purchases natural gas from natural gas producers and other supply sources; and sells that natural gas to utilities, industrial consumers, other marketers, and pipelines. In addition, the company operates processing plants that process gas transported to the plants by interstate pipelines or from its own gathering systems. Further, it purchases natural gas from producers not connected to its gathering systems for resale, as well as sells natural gas on behalf of producers; and through its crude oil terminal facilities in south L ouisiana provides access for crude oil producers. As of February 8, 2012, the company operated approximately 3,300 miles of pipeline, 9 processing plants, and 3 fractionators. Crosstex Energy, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
Crosstex Energy�� (XTXI) shares are up 59.4% at $32.84 after posting a new 52-week high of $34.21. Crosstex Energy LP�� (XTEX) shares are up 38% at $28.08 after putting up a new high of $29.50 earlier.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Utilities sector was the only decliner in the US market today. Top losers in the sector included UIL Holdings (NYSE: UIL), off 2.1 percent, and Crosstex Energy (NASDAQ: XTXI), down 2.2 percent.
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