"Flagstar Bancorp (FBC), the Midwest savings bank that we recommended, as our favorite stock for 2011, remains a buy," says Mark Skousen.
The editor of Forecasts & Strategies explains, "The bank missed expected earnings, losing 74 cents per share, compared to an expected loss of 15 cents per share. But looking at the bigger picture, the news is better than those numbers reflect.
"Flagstar Bancorp technically lost $0.74 per share this year, but that's better than last year's loss of $1.53 per share. Moreover, if you look beyond the one-time charge for the sale of a bad loan portfolio, the per-share loss was only $0.06.
FBC posts
FeedInsiders and Institutions Bank on Flagstar Bancorp (FBC)
Continue reading Insiders and Institutions Bank on Flagstar Bancorp (FBC)
Top Picks 2011: Flagstar Bancorp (FBC)
This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.
"My favorite speculative stock idea for 2011 is Flagstar Bancorp (FBC), the Troy, Michigan-based bank with 165 branches in Michigan, Indiana, and Georgia," says Mark Skousen.
The editor of The Hedge Fund Trader explains, "The stock was trading for over $140 a share before the financial crisis; the stock fell to $5 a share last May, and it is now under $1.50.
Insiders Snapping Up GTX, Coca-Cola and More
If you are looking for clues telling you which stocks have a good chance of increasing in value, you might want consider watching what insiders are doing. After all, talk is cheap, but when insiders put their own money on the line, you should sit up and take note.
GTx Inc. (GTXI) topped the insider-buying charts for the week ending July 9 as insiders snapped up 5,467,860 shares of company stock at a market value of $15,310,008. During the past six months, insiders have increased their overall holdings in the company by 2.72% and now own 71.44% of GTXI stock.
Continue reading Insiders Snapping Up GTX, Coca-Cola and More
Is CNBC shrugging off Fox Business Network?
It's not that mud-slinging has already begun between financial news network CNBC and the just-launched Fox Business Network, but that's not stopping CNBC host Donny Deutsch from taking a hard look at the newest (and well-funded) kid on the block, courtesy of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (NYSE: NWS). In a recent interview with Portfolio.com, Deutsch laid out some pickings on the table, from a ruffle with conservative and feather-fluffer Ann Coulter to how he perceives the newer Fox Business Network as a competitor to the network where he already has a show -- CNBC.Deutsch's words were kind but firm, saying that the management team in charge of production at CNBC is playing its "A game" to this day and does not plan on stopping. Well, no problem -- but the level of thinking that put CNBC where it is now is not the same level of thinking that will keep it there. Roger Ailes and Fox will see to that. Deutsch says that while Murdoch and Ailes "are not dopes," CNBC has an incredible brand and business model.
Umm, so what? That is not a plan on how it's going to compete with a new network with plenty of cash to run a better business model and become an even bigger brand. I'm not saying Fox will trump all, but harping on current success does not guarantee future success. CNBC is great for many of us (myself included), but so far, I've heard very little on competitive strategy that will stave off the Fox Business Network infection. I hope CNBC has formed one, and it's under way.
After reading this teenager language-laced interview, I hope there is more meat behind CNBC's strategy than goofy analogies and references to how great past success was. I am a fan, yes -- CNBC is a daily watch for me on television. But, I also know when to get serious when a new competitor comes to town. And Fox has come to play all nine innings with a very fresh bench.
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