"Benjamin Graham has been recognized for decades as the father of value investing; Warren Buffett was a student of Ben Graham at Columbia University and later worked for Mr. Graham for several years," notes J. Royden Ward.

The editor of the Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter explains, "We've combined Warren Buffett's and Ben Graham's investing criteria for choosing stocks and and found six high-quality companies.

"We believe that the six stocks that passed our screen each sell at sensible prices, offer reasonable appreciation potential, and provide solid dividends.

Continue reading Double Values: 6 Stocks That Meet Buffett and Graham Criteria

Double Values: 6 Stocks That Meet Buffett and Graham Criteria originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Founded in 1950, New York based American Express (AXP) is a leading global financial services company offering card payment products and travel-related services to consumers and businesses across the globe. It is now the third largest player in the U.S. in terms of card transaction volumes after Visa (V) and MasterCard (MC). It also competes with other financial institutions that have credit card services like Discover Financial (DFS) and Capital One (COH).

Continue reading Two Legs of Growth for American Express: Women and Technology

Two Legs of Growth for American Express: Women and Technology originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coach (COH) is a leading American marketer of luxury lifestyle handbags and other fashion accessories for both men and women. It is one of the most well-known accessories brands in the U.S. and also maintains a presence in select international markets. Coach competes with other premium apparel and accessories players like Polo Ralph Lauren (RL), Liz Claiborne (LIZ), and AnnTaylor (ANN), as well as high-end brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci and Prada.

We have previously discussed the potential upside to Coach from expansion in China and the increasing popularity of its "affordable luxury" brand image. (see Could Coach Replicate its Japanese Market Success in China?) However, Coach's shares sold off post earnings even as Coach beat expectations, largely because gross margin remained flat and failed to meet expectations. It seems that the market is not ready to pay more for Coach right now.

Continue reading Sizing Up Coach's Downside

Sizing Up Coach's Downside originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coca-Cola (KO) has more than $13 billion in cash.

The top five companies (according to market cap) are:

• Exxon Mobil (XOM): $398.3 billion
• Apple (AAPL): $309.0 billion
• Microsoft (MSFT): $237.5 billion
• General Electric (GE): $215.0 billion
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A): $202.5 billion

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ?

Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Boeing (BA) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Alcoa (AA) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• BP (BP) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.
• Office Depot (ODP) and Staples (SPLS) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• ON Semiconductor (ONNN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Kennametal (KMT) and Polyone (POL) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Airgas (ARG) to outperform from market perform at William Blair.
• EchoStar (SATS) to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AA, BA, BP, BSX, COH, GM, INTC, NSM, STJ, TIF, TSN, UA ...

Analyst Calls: AA, BA, BP, BSX, COH, GM, INTC, NSM, STJ, TIF, TSN, UA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you managed to catch the second elevator up in August with Coach Inc. (COH), first discussed here on April 15, 2009, at a price of $18.22, now may be a good time to consider taking some profits off the table.

After a summer dip, Coach has rocketed higher, soaring from about $40 to more than $54, tossing aside key, psychological resistance at $50.

Those investors who can tolerate the risk can hold on to their full position and go for an even bigger gain with COH.

Continue reading Coach Vaults Higher

Coach Vaults Higher originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Our recommendations at The Buyback Letter currently focus on a collection of five stocks that we believe, as a group, will outperform the market this month. So far, we have done well. Our Buyback Premium Portfolio is beating the S&P 500 by more than 68% since its inception (August 2, 2000). The portfolio is up 47.53% since inception versus a decline of 20.64% in the S&P 500 over the same time frame. For the month of September 2010, The Buyback Premium Portfolio gained 12.38% vs. a gain of 8.76% in the S&P 500.

So what's our New Premium Portfolio Recommendation? On October 1, we issued a sell recommendation on two stocks Coach (COH) and Health Net (HNT) at market. Now, we recommended using the proceeds and available cash to buy equal dollar amounts of the following two stocks at market:Family Dollar (FDO) and American Financial Group (AFG).

Continue reading Two Stocks That Could Profit from Buybacks

Two Stocks That Could Profit from Buybacks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• BB&T (BBT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• Amylin (AMLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Morton's Restaurant (MRT) to outperform from market perform.
• Check Point (CHKP) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Excel Maritime (EXM) to buy from hold.
• JinkoSolar (JKS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Compellent (CML) to overweight from neutral.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from neutral.
• Goldman upgraded Wisconsin Energy (WEC) to conviction buy from buy and American Electric (AEP) to buy from neutral.
• Motorola (MOT) was upgraded due to increasing carrier support by MKM Partners.
• Under Armour (UA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANF, BBT, COH, GPS, JCG, KKR, MOT, OSG, UA, UBS, WEC ...

Analyst Calls: ANF, BBT, COH, GPS, JCG, KKR, MOT, OSG, UA, UBS, WEC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Ignoring Europe's Lead (OI, NTRS, AAPL, MSFT, COH, ZRAN, F, LXK)

Closing Bell: Ignoring Europe's Lead (OI, NTRS, AAPL, MSFT, COH, ZRAN, F, LXK) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Our recommendations center on a collection of five stocks that we believe, as a group, will outperform the market this month; our portfolio is beating the S&P 500 by more than 58% since its inception in 2000," notes David Fried.

The editor of The Buyback Letter explains, "High-end accessories retailer, Coach (COH), is a new addition to this portfolio.

"The company is a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men. Even in a struggling economy, apparently luxury sells, as long as you're stocking the right premium products.

Continue reading Coach (COH): A 'Buyback' Favorite

Coach (COH): A 'Buyback' Favorite originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coach Is in an Uptrend

Coach Is in an Uptrend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coach (COH): A Fashionable Investment

Coach (COH): A Fashionable Investment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• American Express Co. (AXP) doubled its bottom line in Q4 while its provisions for losses fell.
• Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) warned of weakness in Q4 and lowered its guidance, sending shares lower.
• Coach Inc. (COH) better-than-expected Q2 earnings were accompanied by sales growth, but shares fell.
• Comerica Inc. (CMA) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 loss, sending shares to a 52-week high.
• CSX Corp. (CSX) posted Q4 earnings that topped estimates but its revenue fell short of expectations.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: American Express, Coach, GE, Google, IBM, McDonald's ...

Earnings Highlights: American Express, Coach, GE, Google, IBM, McDonald's ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coach Inc. (COH) is one of those plays that makes you smile, due to its sweet-spot market position, and it goes without saying that I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on April 13, 2009, at a price of $18.22.

If you bought COH in April 2009, you're up an impressive 90%. If you didn't, don't fret: there's more upside ahead with Coach.

Continue reading Coach: Back Up the Truck

Coach: Back Up the Truck originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Anyway, Coach said total sales increased 11% in the second quarter. North American same-store sales advanced over 3%. Earnings came in at 75 cents per share, 8 cents better than last year's income stat. Earnings.com says Wall Street was looking for 72 cents per share.

Continue reading Coach Sells Off on a Decent Quarter

Coach Sells Off on a Decent Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• UBS Sets Medium-Term Profit Goals
• IPO Watch: Rue21, Dollar General

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: This frustrating new market

Cramer on BloggingStocks: This frustrating new market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coach's shares are headed north

Coach's shares are headed north originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Outperform from Neutral after the close Monday. The firm believes Motorola's devices segment will approach breakeven in 2010 while operating margins in nonhandset segments will expand, and that a break-up story will reemerge. Credit Suisse raised its target on shares to $9.50 from $7.
• UBS upgraded BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) to Buy from Neutral. The firm cites BHP's leverage to iron ore, coking coal, copper, and oil for its upgrade after raising its commodity price forecasts.
• Merriman upgraded Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) to Buy from Neutral to reflect higher met coal price forecasts. The firm believes Chinese demand is strong and has a target range of $66-$72 on the stock.
• Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL) was upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.
• Coach (NYSE: COH) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AIG, COH, LMT, MOT, MVL, NOK, RTN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AIG, COH, LMT, MOT, MVL, NOK, RTN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) reported a surprise profit but is expected to return to losses next quarter.
• Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) profit and revenue were in line with expectations, sending shares lower.
• Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) posted better-than-expected earnings but other concerns drove down shares.
• eHealth Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) reported solid Q2 numbers but Wall Street was not impressed.
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) posted a smaller-than-expected Q2 loss, sending shares higher.
• JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) reported swinging to a Q2 net loss and revenues were flat.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Coach, Corning, Goodyear, Visa, Waste Management ...

Earnings highlights: Coach, Corning, Goodyear, Visa, Waste Management ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded WinTrust (NASDAQ: WTFC) to Neutral from Underperform and raised its target to $20 from $13 citing the accretive purchase of AIG (NYSE: AIG) loans and reduced risk of a capital raise.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Coach (NYSE: COH) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations product sell-throughs and margin trends will improve in the coming quarters. The firm has a $32 target on the stock.
• RBC Capital upgraded Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB) to Sector Perform from Underperform and raised its target to $33 from $29. The firm cites Campbell's recent innovation, easy volume comps, and "reasonable" consensus estimates for its upgrade.
• Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AFL, COH, CPB, DOW, MS, TTM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AFL, COH, CPB, DOW, MS, TTM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.