Specialty chemicals producer�Westlake Chemical� (NYSE: WLK ) �has acquired�the PVC pipe, fittings, profiles, and foundation business of CertainTeed now that�all the closing conditions, including a regulatory review, have been met.
Earlier this year Westlake agreed to pay $175 million in cash, including $22 million of working capital and closing adjustments, to buy the pipe and foundation group business of�CertainTeed, a subsidiary of French building materials specialist�Compagnie de Saint-Gobain. The purchase was seen as�enhancing Westlake's North American pipe and building products division, which does business as North American Pipe Corp.,�by adding specialty product lines, and supporting technology that it didn't currently possess.
Wetlake Chemical President and CEO�Albert Chao said:
This acquisition enhances our North American Pipe and building products portfolio by adding specialty product lines and supporting technology that we do not currently have. These new products, technologies, and a broader market reach will increase our ability to service our customers' needs and further differentiate the value of our vinyls integration strategy.
Hot Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2015: Giga-tronics Inc (GIGA)
Giga-tronics Incorporated (Giga-tronics), incorporated on March 5, 1980, includes the operations of the Giga-tronics Division and Microsource Inc. (Microsource), a wholly owned subsidiary. Giga-tronics Division designs, manufactures and markets a line of test and measurement equipment used in the development, test and maintenance of wireless communications products and systems, flight navigational equipment, electronic defense systems and automatic testing systems. These products are used primarily in the design, production, repair and maintenance of commercial telecommunications, radar, and electronic warfare equipment. The Company manufactures products used in test, measurement and control. The Company has two segments: Giga-tronics Division and Microsource. In April 2013, it completed the sale of its product line known as SCPM to Teradyne, Inc.
Giga-tronics
The Giga-tronics Division produces signal sources, generators and sweepers, and power measurement instruments for use in the microwave and radio frequency (RF) range (10 kilohertz (kHz) to 50 gigahertz (GHz)). Within each product line are a number of different models and options allowing customers to select frequency range and specialized capabilities, features and functions. The end-user markets for these products can be divided into three segments: commercial telecommunications, radar and electronic warfare. These instruments are used in the design, production, repair and maintenance and calibration of other manufacturers' products, from discrete components to complex systems.
The Giga-tronics Division also produces switch modules and interface adapters that operates with a bandwidth from direct current (DC) to optical frequencies. These switch modules may be incorporated within its customers' automated test equipment. The end-user markets for these products are primarily related to defense, aeronautics, communications, satellite and electronic warfare, commercial aviation and semiconductors.
The Microsource segment develops and manufactures a broad line of yttrium, iron, garnet (YIG) tuned oscillators, filters and microwave synthesizers, which are used by its customers in operational applications and in manufacturing a variety of microwave instruments or devices.
Giga-tronics competes with Agilent, Anritsu, EADS, Aeroflex and Rohde & Schwarz.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Giga-tronics (NASDAQ: GIGA) dropped 14.84% to $1.32. Giga-tronics' trailing-twelve-month profit margin is -30.58%.
MER Telemanagement Solutions (NASDAQ: MTSL) dropped 14.62% to $2.09 after the company terminated MVNE solution provider agreement with SBC Communications.
Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Chino Commercial Bancorp (CCBC)
Chino Commercial Bancorp, incorporated on March 2, 2006, is a bank holding company of Chino Commercial Bank, N.A. (the Bank). The Bank provides a wide variety of lending products for both businesses and consumers. The Bank offers an array of personal, consumer and commercial services generally offered by a locally-managed, independently-operated bank. The Bank provides a range of deposit instruments and general banking services, including checking, savings accounts (including money market demand accounts), certificates of deposit for both business and personal accounts; Internet banking services, such as cash management and Bill Pay; telebanking (banking by phone); and courier services. The Bank operates three full-service banking offices.
Lending Activities
Commercial loan products include lines of credit, letters of credit, term loans, equipment loans, commercial real estate loans, construction loans, accounts receivable financing, working capital financing. Financing products for individuals include auto, home equity, overdraft protection lines and, through a third party provider, MasterCard debit cards. Real estate loan products include construction loans, land loans, mini-perm commercial real estate loans, and home mortgages. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had total assets of $109.7 million and net loans of $55.2 million. Its lending activity is concentrated primarily in real estate loans, which constituted 81.3% of the Company�� loan portfolio as of December 31, 2011, and commercial loans, which constituted 17.6%, of the Company�� loan portfolio as of December 31, 2011.
Investment activities
The Company�� investment security portfolio consists of United States government agency securities, mortgaged-backed securities, municipal bonds and corporate bonds. Investment securities held to maturity are carried at cost, which equates to the unpaid principal balances adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discounts.
Sources of funds
Deposits are the Company�� primary source of funds. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� total deposits were $98.1 million. As of December 31, 2011, its deposits included demand deposits, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW), savings deposits, money market and time deposits.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Regional - Pacific Banks: This industry rose 1.54% by 10:40 am ET. The top performer in this industry was Chino Commercial Bancorp (OTC: CCBC), which gained 10.2%. Chino Commercial Bancorp's trailing-twelve-month operating margin is 27.57%.
Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Movado Group Inc. (MOV)
Movado Group, Inc. designs, sources, markets, and distributes fine watches. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers its watches under the Coach, Concord, Ebel, ESQ, Scuderia Ferrari, HUGO BOSS, Juicy Couture, Lacoste, Movado, and Tommy Hilfiger brands to jewelry store chains, department stores, independent regional jewelers, licensed partner retail stores, and a network of independent distributors. It is also involved in the after-sales service activities and shipping. In addition, Movado Group, Inc. operates retail outlet stores. As of January 31, 2013, the company operated 34 outlet stores. It operates principally in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The company was formerly known as North American Watch Corporation and changed its name to Movado Group, Inc. in 1996. Movado Group, Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Movado Group (NYSE: MOV) was also up, gaining 9.18 percent to $45.89 after the company reported upbeat Q4 earnings and issued a strong FY15 outlook.
- [By Sean Williams]
The most obvious choice is through Movado Group (NYSE: MOV ) , which uses a combination of electronic and mechanical movements through its collection. With an average price point of $300 through upwards of $2,000 per timepiece, Movado delivers to consumers the perception of a higher-end watch and delivers the sleek statement styling that many upper-income earners are looking for. Not surprisingly, Movado has blown Wall Street's EPS estimates out of the water in each of the past four quarters and attributed its 6% sales growth in the first quarter primarily to increased sales in its "accessible luxury category." Not to be forgotten, Movado also has greater than $5 per share in cash and is debt-free, giving shareholders quite the safety net and allowing Movado the luxury of boosting its dividend should it choose to do so.
- [By Andrew Marder]
Wholesale growth
On the wholesale side of the business, Fossil is really playing to its strengths. Last quarter, wholesale revenue rose 13.5%, with the European division seeing the strongest growth. That business competes most directly with the Movado Group (NYSE: MOV ) , which produces watches for most of the designers that Fossil doesn't cover. To compare, Movado's revenue was up just 6.1% last quarter. Fossil's edge came from the company's strong portfolio of brands -- which is what we're going to call a segue.
Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Franklin Resources Inc.(BEN)
Franklin Resources Inc. is a publicly owned asset management holding company. The firm provides its services to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, and partnerships. It manages, through its subsidiary, separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. The firm also launches equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds. It launches hedge funds and provides retirement plans to its clients through its subsidiaries. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe through its subsidiaries. Franklin Resources, Inc was founded in 1947 and is based in San Mateo, California with additional offices in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, Hong Kong, China, Melbourne, Australia, Sydney, Australia, Nassau, Bahamas, New York City, Paris, France, Rancho Cordova, California, and Toronto, Ontario.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Who wants in on the action?
All that said, plenty of mutual fund companies have seen the writing on the wall and are eager to come to market with active ETFs. Mutual fund giants Fidelity, Franklin Templeton (NYSE: BEN ) , Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS ) , and Legg Mason (NYSE: LM ) are just some of the companies looking to follow in PIMCO's footsteps with active ETFs. Each of these companies owes a huge portion of its profits to management fees on the billions in assets that it holds, and each recognizes the need to defend its turf by reaching into the ETF space. For Legg Mason and Franklin Templeton, which already offer closed-end mutual funds that trade on exchanges, moving to ETFs is an even shorter step.
No comments:
Post a Comment