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Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 4

Sheldon Liber — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST

Filed under: Competitive Strategy, Ford Motor (F), Market Matters, FedEx Corp (FDX), United Parcel'B' (UPS), Options, Wells Fargo (WFC), Chasing Value[TM], Stocks to Buy, E*TRADE (ETFC), EZCORP (EZPW)

Fourteen stocks have been reviewed so far with eight of them potential contenders for 2010. These include some picks from 2009, some old dependables and a few more on the speculative side.

During the year I have written on occasion about selling put options (naked puts) because the premiums offered were very generous and from my perspective assumed market collapse. This was reflected in my July post Serious Money: The world's dumbest market

Today I am considering four naked puts and two more stocks. The options are all based on stocks now in review.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 4

Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chasing Value: EZ-Corp's Australian move

Sheldon Liber — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: International Markets, Competitive Strategy, Money and Finance Today, Chasing Value[TM], Stocks to Buy, Best Stocks for 2009, EZCORP (EZPW)

Perhaps EZCorp (NASDAQ: EZPW) will have to create a section for surfboards and snakebite kits to accommodate the customers they hope to gain in Australia by investing in pawn shop operators, Cash Converters International Ltd.

The Texas based pawn shop and check cashing company invested $45 million for a 30% stake in the Cash Converters getting two seats on the board and making a grand leap half way around the world. Just last year they bought outright a Mexican company, expanding their North American operations.

Last December EZCorp was included on my list of nine suggestions for 2009. Since that time it has remained one of the two laggards. I still believe in the company that continues to expand, using its own cash as it maintains a very low level of debt.

Continue reading Chasing Value: EZ-Corp's Australian move

Chasing Value: EZ-Corp's Australian move originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chasing Value: 2009 picks 731% better than S&P -- 2nd quarter review

Sheldon Liber — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Rants and Raves, Competitive Strategy, General Electric (GE), Diageo plc (DEO), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Wells Fargo (WFC), Chasing Value[TM], Commodities, Anglo American (AAUKY), S and P 500, DJIA, Stocks to Buy, Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG), NASDAQ, Annaly Capital Management (NLY), Best Stocks for 2009, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), EZCORP (EZPW)

The second quarter is now behind us and for the most part it was a positive one in terms of the market pushing higher almost 40%. This is the second review of my 2009 stock picks through June 30 (see: Chasing Value: 9 picks for 2009 -- APC, GE, ISRG, WFC and more). There was a lot of talk about green shoots this past quarter as Wall Street was looking for any small bit of optimistic data to support the market.

The federal printing presses continued to run at full speed pushing the dollar lower and oil prices higher. While the feds were printing money to cover their deficits, the States do not have that same luxury and many of them are having trouble balancing their budgets to the tune of billions of dollars.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2009 picks 731% better than S&P -- 2nd quarter review

Chasing Value: 2009 picks 731% better than S&P -- 2nd quarter review originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chasing Value: Job losses could equal pawn shop gains -- CSH, EZPW

Sheldon Liber — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: Consumer Experience, Competitive Strategy, Chasing Value[TM], Best Stocks for 2008, Recession, Best Stocks for 2009

Sometime in the future the economy will recover, maybe not with staggering gains, but it will recover. Ah, but you ask when? Well, trying to forecast that, would really be sticking my neck out.

If you are an avid reader then you have seen some predictions that speak of a recovery in the spring and some that push it out as far as 2011. Tough business that prediction business.

All that is well and good, but let me get to something that I do feel comfortable predicting, or at least repeating the daily news: UNEMPLOYMENT WILL BE GETTING A LOT WORSE in 2009. Who will benefit from this? I expect the church pews and bar stools will be in full use. I also think pawn shops, those lenders of last resort (excepting your local loan shark) will be doing a booming business.

The two most prominent pawn shops that are expanding organically and by acquisition are Cash America (NYSE: CSH) and EZCorp Inc. (NASDAQ: EZPW). Both are down this year but beating the indices by a fair margin.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Job losses could equal pawn shop gains -- CSH, EZPW

Chasing Value: Job losses could equal pawn shop gains -- CSH, EZPW originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mergers I'd like to see -- Harrah's (HET) and EZCorp (EZPW)

Tom Barlow — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Harrah's Entertainment (HET)

Most mergers are driven by the notion, sometimes wildly mistaken, that the combination will bring both a competitive advantage. Some pairs of companies, however, seem so intuitively right for one another, no bottom-line considerations should be allowed to interfere with their matrimony. Like a presidential candidate and a lobbyist's pocket, these two belong together.

I read recently that the average Las Vegas visitor leaves behind around $200 in gambling losses. However, in my flights back from Vegas I've noticed that many passengers still have their diamond rings, fine luggage and iPods, which tells me they haven't been wrung completely dry.

For companies such as Harrah's Entertainments (NYSE: HET), that's just opportunity lost, so I have a suggestion for how Harrah's could improve its take. Simply merge with EZCorp (NASDAQ: EZPW), operator of a chain of 82 EZPAWN pawn shops, which offer short-term credit to needy individuals based on personal property collateral, as well as 334 EZMoney stores offering pay advances.

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