Posted May 9th 2009 9:00AM by Louis Navellier
Filed under: Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Toll Brothers (TOL), Taser Intl Inc (TASR), Stocks to Buy, Stocks to Sell
Just for fun, I thought I'd find a stock that loosely symbolizes each of the 7 Deadly Sins -- greed, wrath, envy, pride, lust, sloth and gluttony -- to see how it fares against my momentum criteria.
Now, I'm not saying any of these companies are bad or evil. And I don't know whether our new climate of parsimony means the "greed is good" era of the 1980s is dead. What I do know is which stocks are in a position to profit today and which aren't.
Here's a fun look at some stocks that symbolize the 7 Deadly Sins and how I expect them to perform.
Continue reading 7 stocks for 7 deadly sins
Posted Nov 24th 2008 8:12AM by Melly Alazraki
Filed under: Earnings reports, Deals, Apple Inc (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Citigroup Inc. (C), Target Corp. (TGT), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), New York Times'A' (NYT), Sprint Nextel Corp (S), Bank of America (BAC), Campbell Soup (CPB), Research in Motion (RIMM), Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is getting a
$20 billion government injection as part of a rescue package that also includes
$306 billion of U.S. government guarantees for troubled mortgages and toxic assets to stabilize the bank. Citi will issue $7 billion in preferred stock with an 8% dividend, but is barred from paying quarterly dividend to shareholders of more than 1 cents for three years. The government will also be in the charge of executive compensation. Seems the government is learning a thing or two as it goes... Citi's shares, which lost 60% of their value last week, 87% this year, jumped 56.50% in pre-open trade (7:49 am).
Citi shares popped 59% by 11:50 am.Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) added nearly 7% in pre-open trade (7:49 am) on Citi's news.
BAC shares soared 20.5% by 11:50 am. Other financials gained as well: JPM +13.3%, WFC +13.8%, MS +34.7%. Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) - usually one of the stocks touted as being more defensive -- is scheduled to report earnings this morning.
CPB shares declined 6.3% by 11:50 am after reporting slower revenue growth.Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) -- after its shares jumped nearly 25% Friday, Barclays Capital
cut its price target on Sprint's shares from $10 to $5 and said the possibility of a turnaround at the U.S. mobile service provider anytime soon was remote.
S shares jumped another 19.3% by 11:53 am. Continue reading Stocks in the news: C, BAC, TGT, CPB, S, RIMM, AAPL, TASR, SPWRA, NYT (update)
Posted Jun 20th 2008 8:05AM by Laurie Pasternack
Filed under: Newspapers, Magazines, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO), Rio Tinto plc ADS (RTP), Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
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MAJOR PAPERS:
- The Wall Street Journal reported that, in an attempt to move past its takeover battle with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) is planning a reorganization. People familiar with the matter said executives are discussing a plan to centralize numerous product groups into a global-product organization. Details may be announced next week.
- The Wall Street Journal also reported that an internal feud at Live Nation Inc (NYSE: LYV) over strategy may soon be resolved, as the concert promoter is reportedly negotiating the exit of chairman Michael Cohl.
OTHER PAPERS:
- A recommendation by an Australian commission to open Rio Tinto Group's (NYSE: RTP) Pilbara railway to third parties could cost $30B if the idea is implemented, Rio contended and the Australian reported. The National Competition Commission, which advises Australian governments on infrastructure issues, has suggested that Fortescue Metals Group be given access to certain rail lines operated by Rio Tinto.
WEB SITES:
- A joint investigation by CBC News and the Canadian Press found one-third of people shot by Taser International Inc's (NASDAQ: TASR) Tasers reportedly required some medical attention, Engadget reported.
- TechCrunch confirmed that Joshua Schachter, the founder of delicious, will resign from Yahoo!. Sources believe the near-stalled development of the new version of delicious may have played a part in his resignation.
Posted Apr 24th 2008 4:31PM by Jon Ogg
Filed under: Apple Inc (AAPL), Ford Motor (F), Taser Intl Inc (TASR), Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (POT)
Today's good news really came from issues outside of economic numbers. Many are starting to think the end of the rate cut cycle is near because of inflation concerns, and even oil saw a nice drop of over $2.00 per barrel today. The Labor Department showed weekly jobless claims for unemployment benefits declined by 33,000 last week to 342,000, and that was slightly better than expectations. The Commerce Department gave really bad news though, as new home sales fell by 8.5% in March to an annual rate of 526,000 houses, the worst in more than fifteen years. Median home prices slid more than in almost 40 years. Below are the unofficial closing levels:
- DJIA 12,843.09 (+79.87; +0.6%)
- S&P500 1,388.58 ((+8.65, +0.6%))
- NASDAQ 2,428.92 (+23.71; +0.99%)
- 10YR-TBond 3.827% (+0.097%)
- 52-WEEK LOWS
Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) managed to climb up after opening soft as many noted there
wasn't much sizzle to its guidance the stock after it blew past earnings yesterday. That didn't last and shares rose by more than 4% to $169.60 in the last minutes of the day.
Continue reading Closing Bell: US auto industry to the rescue, really
Posted Feb 14th 2008 8:40AM by Melly Alazraki
Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Baxter Intl (BAX), Boeing Co (BA), Marriott Intl'A' (MAR), Liz Claiborne (LIZ), Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
Marriott International Inc. (NYSE:
MAR)
fourth quarter earnings fell 20% to $176 million or 46 cents per share, as it took a hit from the closure of its business making cleaner burning coal for tax credits. The company posted revenue of $4.1 billion. Excluding the loss from the discontinued operations, Marriott says it earned $236 million, or 62 cents per share, beating the 62 cents expected by analysts.
UBS AG (NYSE:
UBS) on Thursday posted a
fourth-quarter net loss -- the first since 1997 -- of $11.28 billion, and a loss for the entire year, due to investments in U.S. subprime mortgages. It said it expected more problems in 2008. The results were inline with previous guidance. UBS shares are down some 5.75% in premarket trading.
Boeing Co. (NYSE:
BA) said Thursday it created a
joint venture to be formed by June with Tata Industries Ltd. to make more than $500 million in aerospace components.
Taser International Inc. (NASDAQ:
TASR) reported that
fourth-quarter earnings doubled, reaching $4.7 million, or 7 cents a share, on 61% higher revenue. Sales rose to $31 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a profit of 7 cents per share on $29 million of sales.
Continue reading Before the bell: MAR, UBS, BA, TASR, LIZ, BAX, HPQ
Posted Jan 8th 2008 4:52PM by Melly Alazraki
Filed under: Products and services, Marketing and advertising, Taser Intl Inc (TASR), Stocks to Buy
News out of
TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ:
TASR) has been ... how shall I put it ... somewhat odd as of late.
First, a few days ago, we heard of
Taser Parties. Indeed, like Tupperware Parties, Taser Parties have women gather in someone's home. They get a demo of the recent
TASER C2 and even try it out for themselves (on targets, not each other). While this isn't exactly a TASER official marketing strategy, rather a saleswoman's vision, it may not be a stretch to see the stun gun maker endorsing this as one sales tactic out of many.
In fact, TASER has already adopted the concept for its booth at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, where Taser Parties were held. TASER didn't just throw "parties" at CES, but brought
Playboy Playmates to ... ahem ... sign autographs.
But wait, that's not all in the odd tidbits realm. At CES, TASER also showcased
designer colors for the TASER C2 in addition to the classic black model: fire-engine red, blue, silver or pink. Pink, by the way, in some sort of a "girl power" thing is actually the company's biggest seller. The company also unveiled a new Taser holster in leopard print with a built-in 1 GB MP3 player (preloaded with songs from AC/DC, Shock G, Lightning Bolt and S.T.U.N. ... not really). The reason for the MP3 player, you may ask? "You're more likely to carry it, and it will be there when you need it," VP of communications Steve Tuttle said. How's that for marketing?
Continue reading What's playing on your Taser MP3 holster? 'Shock the Monkey'?
Posted Nov 21st 2007 12:36PM by Jonathan Berr
Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Kohl's Corp (KSS), Economic data, Taser Intl Inc (TASR), Federal Reserve
Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level in two years in November, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.
The figure was 76.1, above the 75 expected by economists but below October's 80.9 level, according to a
Reuters report. What a shock.
This holiday season, many consumers aren't feeling that thankful for the worst housing market in 16 years -- according to the
National Association of Realtors, housing prices fell in one-third of U.S. cities. Gas prices reaching $4 per gallon is further spooking people already nervous about the volatile stock market and the weak dollar. Oh, let's not forget about the prospect of $100 oil.
"We're facing extreme price increases in energy, and it's clear the consumer is becoming more aware of the pressures being put on them,'' Lindsey Piegza, an analyst at FTN Financial, told
Bloomberg News. "I don't expect a collapse in spending, but it will be very weak for the holidays.''
Continue reading Is it any surprise that consumer sentiment is the worst in two years?
Posted Nov 19th 2007 9:09AM by Allan Halprin
Filed under: Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Citigroup Inc. (C), Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD), Money and Finance Today, Goldman Sachs Group (GS), , Jones Soda (JSDA), Crocs Inc (CROX), Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
In the News:
Story Stocks or Fairy Tales?Some companies' growth potential causes investors to go weak in the knees, as they did for Crocs. Here are some signs of a hot prospect that's headed for an unhappy ending. As investors look for the next Google or Apple they look to story stocks like Crocs along with Jones Soda, First Solar, Krispy Kreme, Taser, Sirius & XM, Under Armour and more in hopes of making a killing in the stock market.
Story Stocks or Fairy Tales? Also:
Are These 11 Stocks 'The Next Big Thing'?
Hidden Mortgage FeesAs foreclosures continue to plague the subprime market, a little-known industry practice is further hurting homeowners who are already having trouble keeping up with their ballooning mortgage payments: excessive and questionable fees.
Struggling Homeowners Faced With Hidden Mortgage Fees | SmartMoney.com
The Greatest GiversBusinessWeek's fifth annual ranking of the top U.S. philantropists include 16 people who gave over $100 million this year. The top giver this year is billionaire investor Warren Buffett who has committed $31 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Greatest Givers In Pictures:
50 Most Generous PhilanthropistsAlso:
Philanthropy Hall of Fame which includes Paul Newman, Bob Geldof, Bono, Oprah, Jimmy Carter, Lance Armstrong and more.
Continue reading Story stocks or fairy tales?, beware hidden mortgage fees & top givers of 2007 - Today in Money 11/19
Posted Oct 4th 2007 4:13PM by Paul Foster
Filed under: Yum Brands (YUM), Options, Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
YUM! Brands (NYSE: YUM) implied volatility suggests flat earnings per share (EPS) risk:
YUM will report EPS after the close on October 8th. CIBC says "YUM's solid global portfolio leaves it on-track to meet annual guidance. We also look for a div and potential buyback increase in 2H07." YUM July option implied volatility of 34 is above its 26-week average of 27 and below a level prior to its previous EPS release in July according to Track Data, suggesting flat near term EPS risk.
Taser (NASDAQ: TASR) 81cents to $17.39 on more unconfirmed rumors of contracts wins:
Recent unconfirmed chatter is circulating about a French government win. TASR October option implied volatility of 64 is above its 26-week average of 55 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.
Daily options update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.
Posted Aug 30th 2007 10:45AM by Kevin Shult
Filed under: Before the bell, Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Good news, Motorola (MOT), Taser Intl Inc (TASR), Stocks to Buy
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Taser Int'l (TASR), Motorola (MOT), Advantest (ATE), STMicroelectronics (STM) and Joy Global (JOYG) were today's noteworthy upgrades:
- Merriman upgraded shares of Taser Int'l (NASDAQ: TASR) to Buy from Hold on valuation following the 25% decline in price since late July, accelerating law enforcement demand and upside potential from the recently launched personal TASER C2.
- Lehman upgraded shares of Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they believe increased production and opex progress in Q3 could signal a turnaround at the company's phone unit.
- Jefferies upgraded Advantest (NYSE: ATE) to Hold from Underperform on valuation.
- STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation at Bernstein.
- Stifel upgraded shares of Joy Global (NASDAQ: JOYG) to Buy from Hold following the in line Q3 report as they believe bad news is reflected in valuation...
OTHER UPGRADES:
- Idacorp (NYSE: IDA) was upgraded to Market Perform from Under Perform at Wachovia.
- UBS upgraded TDK Corp (NYSE: TDK) to Neutral from Sell.
- Wedbush raised Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) to Buy from Hold, with a $35 target, and DSW Inc. (NYSE: DSW) to Hold from Sell, with a $29 target.
- LabCorp (NYSE: LH) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Cowen.
Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).Posted Aug 30th 2007 8:37AM by Melly Alazraki
Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Deals, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO), Apple Inc (AAPL), General Electric (GE), General Motors (GM), Sears Holdings (SHLD), Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
Before the bell: Futures decline ahead of GDP data, investors uncertain about Fed Yahoo Inc's (NASDAQ:
YHOO) top sales executive, Gregory Coleman, is
leaving the company in the latest reorganization move by President Susan Decker. The reorganization is aimed to merge sales into a broader division working with customers and partners.
paidContent.org got their hands on the internal memo President Decker sent out. Some interesting points there.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:
AAPL) and Volkswagen AG are discussing the possibility of
building an "iCar" that would feature products by Apple.
General Electric (NYSE:
GE) said it is considering
pulling out of the consumer lending business in Japan due to tighter regulation that has crimped profits. The matter isn't decided yet, though.
General Motors (NYSE:
GM) of Canada will
cut about 1,000 jobs, equivalent to one shift of production at a truck plant in Oshawa, Ontario, in January as pick-up sales continue to slump. The plant produces the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pick-up trucks. The plant employs more than 3,000 workers.
Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:
SHLD) posted a
second-quarter profit that fell 40% from a year ago to $176 million, or $1.17 a share, but beat analyst forecast of $1.13 a share. The company blamed the profit fall on an increased level of discounting in the period. Revenue for the period declined to $12.2 billion. Same-store sales, declined 4.1% in the quarter -- fell 4.3% at Sears and dropped 3.8% at Kmart stores. SHLD shares are
down 4.5% in premarket trading (8:12 a.m.).
Taser (NASDAQ:
TASR) shares are up 2.94% in premarket trading (8:18 a.m.) after Merriman Curhan Ford upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy.
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:
MSFT) yesterday said it will
buy a small Chicago-based IM technology company.
Posted Aug 26th 2007 5:45PM by Gary E. Sattler
Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
Real world, futuristic technology plays can be had in the recently declared working partnership between Taser International (NASDAQ: TASR) and iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT). The team is developing machines and equipment which could revolutionize the worlds of the military, security and law enforcement, all the while seeking to take real people (in their own bodies) out of harms way.
By forming this working alliance, Taser and iRobot have accomplished two very significant things. First, iRobot has deeply jammed their foot in the door of a market sector which will only grow larger. By taking advantage of the position already secured by Taser, iRobot has eliminated years of marketing work which would have been required to gain for themselves the same position. Second, by teaming with iRobot, Taser has fulfilled a grand desire to enhance product mobility and they have done it without the time and massive capital investment which would have been required to accomplish it alone.
If you're looking for a long-term technology play with relative safety, I'd say this working alliance provides a couple good ones and remember, you're hearing that from the biggest bear on the block. ;)
Posted Jul 12th 2007 4:05PM by Kevin Shult
Filed under: Products and services, Launches, Competitive strategy, Taser Intl Inc (TASR)
TASER International (NASDAQ:
TASR) is about to put its XREP Extended Range Electro-Muscular Projectile shotgun shells into field testing,
according to Engadget. The standard 12-gauge shells have three fins on its end, similar to an arrow, and have four barbs at its tip. Upon firing, the shell, moving at approximately 300 feet per second, hits the target with same amount of juice the handheld X26 provides, but now at distance of up to 100 feet away.
Victims who so foolishly attempt to grab the projectile to pull it off will experience a wonderful sensation of what Taser called "overpowering Neuro Muscular Incapacitation" for 20 seconds. Ouch.
Despite being down 52 cents today, shares of TASER have doubled since April. Expectations for TASER to expand its product line in France have given shares a significant catalyst. Merriman Curhan Ford & Co believes investors should be more careful about choosing their entry point going forward, but still sees upside opportunities in the stock.
Field testing is expected to last 6-12 months before TASER comes out with a full production release. I, along with others who enjoy a good laugh, can not wait to see new footage of analysts who want to get shot by the new Taser product so they can fully understand the power of the non-lethal weapon.
Next Page »
One stock that deals with those in a wrathful mood is TASER International (NASDAQ: TASR). The company makes a product that will ring the wrath right out of you. In fact, its product is at the frontline of civil obedience and is now used by police squads around the country to defend us from those wrathful criminals. 
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