ConocoPhillips (COP), one of the largest oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world, recently announced that it will partner with NRG Energy and GE Capital to invest $300 million in a joint venture that will promote emerging energy technologies. ConocoPhillips has been a leader in development of new energy technologies with several of its activities focused on power generation and new technologies. Its main competitors are ExxonMobil (XOM), British Petroleum (BP), Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC) and Chevron Corporation (CVX).

We maintain a $68.44 price estimate for ConocoPhillips stock, which is roughly 10% below market price.

Continue reading ConocoPhillips Looks to Make Moves in New Energy Technologies

ConocoPhillips Looks to Make Moves in New Energy Technologies originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Venture capital firms Braemar Energy Ventures and Lightspeed Venture partners led the Series C round for Solazyme, Inc., putting $57 million in fresh capital into the company. This brings total outside financing to above $76 million for the algae-derived biofuels company ... and shows yet another sign of life for private investment in green technology.

Solazyme uses microalgae biotechnology for the production of clean fuels, green chemicals, edible oils, and wellness products. The company seeks to "answer the increasing global demand for clean and renewable sources of oil" through sustainable and scalable technologies. The company's renewable oil production process relies on industrial fermentation, in which the algae consume nonfood biomass and industrial byproducts, which the algae converts to oil. End products include renewable diesel, biodiesel, and jet fuel.

Continue reading VC firms look to make green on green with $57m play for Solazyme

VC firms look to make green on green with $57m play for Solazyme originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• CDS holders to push GM into bankruptcy despite salvage efforts? (Financial Times)
• Recession creates first April budget deficit since 1983 (BloggingStocks)
• Biofuels fall off a cliff, hard to find opportunity (Earth2Web)
• Georgia Gulf near bankruptcy (Zack's)
• More home owners unable to sell houses opt to rent them out (BloggingStocks)

Doomsday Scenario: CDS contracts to push GM into bankruptcy, recession jacks budget deficit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 May 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• A memo sent by Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) to the company's employees regarding Delta's merger talks with Northwest Airlines Corporation (NYSE: NWA) stated that that no "potential transaction meets all [of Delta's] principles." The memo, the Wall Street Journal reported, is seen as a sign that merger talks between Delta and Northwest have stalled.
• A group of 14 hospitals and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, a Wall Street trade group, asked the SEC to buy back the debt they had issued, the Wall Street Journal also reported.
• German lender HSH Nordbank has filed a lawsuit against UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) for allegedly maneuvering to saddle the German bank with troubled securities. HSH Nordbank contends that UBS sold it $500M in complex investments, which a UBS hedge fund later used as a receptacle for troubled subprime-mortgage securities, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• According to FAO Newsroom, world fertilizer production is expected to outstrip demand over the next five years and will support higher levels of food and biofuel production.

Newspaper wrap-up: Talks between Delta and Northwest hit an impasse originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For Archer Daniels it's food first, energy second originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• NutriSystem (NASDAQ: NTRI) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Lazard and to Buy from Strong Buy at Broadpoint following its lowered Q3 guidance.
  
• Jefferies downgraded shares of Endo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ENDP) to Hold from Buy after Impax Laboratories (NASDAQ: IPXL) filed a Paragraph IV challenge against Opana ER yesterday to reflect the potential for a generic version of Opana ER arriving as early as 2010 and the possibility of a similar threat against Lidoderm.
  
• Corporate Express (NYSE: CXP) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at ING, as they believe the new CEO's long-term targets are overly ambitious.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded Aventine Renewable (NYSE: AVR) and BioFuel Energy (NASDAQ: BIOF) to Neutral from Overweight, citing weaker fundamentals in ethanol pricing.

• JP Morgan downgraded Charlotte Russe (NASDAQ: CHIC) and The Wet Seal (NASDAQ: WTSLA) to Neutral from Overweight.
  
• Goldman downgraded Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ: MPWR) and Hansen Natural (NASDAQ: HANS) to Neutral from Buy; Goldman removed National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM) from its Conviction Buy List.

Analyst downgrades: NTRI, ENDP, CXP, AVR and BIOF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup initiated shares of VeraSun Energy (NYSE: VSE) and BioFuel Energy with Buy ratings, as the firm believes the ethanol industry is reaching an inflection point as profitability should be much improved in 2008.

• BioFuel (NASDAQ: BIOF) was also initiated with a Hold rating at AG Edwards on valuation and an Overweight rating at JP Morgan, who believes BioFuel has good growth prospects but trades at a discount relative to peers.

• Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Cowen, citing the company's rich valuation and mixed growth outlook.

• Cowen resumed coverage of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) with an Outperform rating, as the firm believes TTWO is positioned for a strong 2H07 given the Grand Theft Auto IV and other titles...

• CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) was initiated with a Buy rating and $12 target at Montgomery.

• Oppenheimer started shares of Chelsea Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CHTP) with a Buy rating and $12 target.

• Banc of America initiated shares of Charming Shoppes (NASDAQ: CHRS) with a Neutral rating and $11 target.

• Raymond James initiated shares of Geokinetics (AMEX: GOK) with a Market Perform rating.

• King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: KG) was initiated at Goldman Sachs with a Neutral rating and $19 target.

Analyst initiations 7-25-07: BIOF, ERTS and TTWO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Halozyme (NASDAQ: HALO) was initiated with a Buy rating and $14 target at Oppenheimer. The firm is positive on Halozyme's prospects for signing additional multi-product Enhanze deals in the next 12 months and the company's expanding internal pipeline.

• Oppenheimer also initiated shares of Rosetta Genomics (NASDAQ: ROSG) with a Buy rating and $11 target, as the firm is positive on Rosetta's intellectual property position in the emerging microRNA field related to the development and commercialization of research, diagnostic and therapeutic products, and other applications.

• Goldman Sachs resumed coverage of U.S. Steel Group (NYSE: X) with a Neutral rating.

• BioFuel Energy (NASDAQ: BIOF) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Cowen, as the firm sees a lack of catalysts until the company's plants under construction come on line in Q108...

• Brightpoint (NASDAQ: CELL) was initiated with an Outperform rating and $18 target at Credit Suisse.

• MasterCard (NYSE: MA) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Wachovia on valuation.

• Citigroup initiated shares of Signature Bank (NASDAQ: SBNY) with a Buy rating and $39 target and shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) with a Sell rating and $24 target.

• Pacific Growth Equities started shares of Altair Nanotechnologies (NASDAQ: ALTI) with a Neutral rating.

Analyst initiations 7-24-07: CELL, DFS, MA and X originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you need a reason to justify eating those luscious McDonald's French fries, how about this -- within 12 months, the fleet of trucks serving United Kingdom McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) will be fueled by the oil from their deep-fryers. The chain's 155 trucks would normally burn over 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel. Replacing this fuel will be a blend of 85% used restaurant oil, from the nation's 1,500 stores, supplemented with 15% rapeseed oil.

UK McDonald's uses a rapeseed/sunflower oil blend, free of hydrogenated fat, in its cooking. By using this oil as a fuel after its cooking life is over, the company estimates it will save 1,675 tons of carbon annually.

A McDonald's spokesperson stated that these vehicles will not emit exhaust with the aroma of French fries.

McDonald's UK truck fleet fueled with fry grease originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ConocoPhillips: Fossil fuels are permanently warming the Earth

ConocoPhillips: Fossil fuels are permanently warming the Earth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Piper Jaffray downgraded Checkfree Corp (NASDAQ: CKFR) to Market Perform from Outperform after transferring coverage of the payment processor company.
• Sprint Nextel Corp (NYSE: S) was cut to Outperform from Strong Buy at Raymond James.
• Lehman cut the semiconductor capital equipment sector to Neutral from Positive, downgrading Cascade Microtech, Inc (NASDAQ: CSCD), Novellus Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: NVLS) and Teradyne, Inc (NYSE: TER) to Equal Weight from Overweight and cut Electroglas, Inc (NASDAQ: EGLS) to Underweight from Equal Weight.

• ThinkEquity cut Jones Soda Co (NASDAQ: JSDA) to Source of Funds from Buy based on valuation.
• Goldman is now cautious on the biofuel sector, downgrading the group to Cautious from Neutral.
• William Blair downgraded shares of Medimmune, Inc (NASDAQ: MEDI) to Market Perform from Outperform.
• Credit Suisse downgraded shares of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp (NASDAQ: BGFV) to Underperform from Neutral citing valuation.
• Wachovia dropped Inkeepers USA Trust (NYSE: KPA) to Underperform from Outperform based on the acquisition from Apollo Investment Corp (AINV). Citigroup cut Inkeepers to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades 4-17-07: CKFR, JDSA, MEDI and S all downgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Like many, I'm concerned about global warming and my latest stock recommendation is a company that is actually trying to do something about it," notes Yola Edwards, a technical analyst with Internet Wealth Builder, in her review of E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co. (NYSE:DD) --- which she calls a "pioneer in embracing its social responsibilities."

Edwards notes, "The company -- which offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets that include agriculture and food, building and construction, communications, and transportation -- exemplifies the fact that environmentally-friendly alternatives have their benefits for global preservation and contribute to a company's bottom line."

In the mid-1980s, she recalls, DuPont studied data which indicated that CFC refrigerants were destroying the Earth's protective ozone layer and company officials proceeded to create successful businesses by selling substitutes.

She explains, "In 1994, company officials committed to cutting gas emissions by 40% by the year 2000 from its 1990 levels. Meeting its 2000 target, DuPont went on to set a 65% reduction goal by 2010, but has already met that target and now uses 7% less energy than in 1990 despite producing 30% more goods.

"DuPont has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% since 1991, while realizing more than $3 billion through energy conservation. Additionally, DuPont has for the most part replaced natural gas with methane from landfills in its industrial boilers."

She also points to the company's involvement in a biomass program to produce a chemical from corn called Bio-PDO which, to quote a press release, "consumes 40% less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20% versus petroleum based PDO." The resulting emission reductions, she notes, can be viewed as the equivalent of removing 22,000 cars from the road. DuPont is also working with BP PLC to develop other forms of biofuel.

She adds, "In a further effort to reach its goal of generating 10% of its total energy needs from renewable resources by 2010, DuPont Canada is assessing turbines as a renewable energy source. Analysts say that the solar energy market is growing by about 30% per year and DuPont is there, supplying the industry with eight out of ten primary materials needed to manufacture photovoltaics modules which convert sunlight to electricity."

Importantly, she favors the stock not only because of its social responsibility, but because of its financial performance, She says, "DuPont's productivity improvements continue to add to the bottom line. Company officials announced recently that 2006 earnings grew 23% to $2.88 per share from the prior year and they expect 2007 earnings growth to continue with an earnings outlook of $3.15 per share."

Technically, she adds, over the past six years the stock has been range-bound with an average price of about $45 with $5 - $6 spikes on either side of that level. And while a technical pullback to $49 "may be in order", she suggests, the longer-term consolidation may be nearing an end and any pullback should be viewed as a buying opporutnity.

The technician notes, "Since September 2006, the stock's monthly chart indicates higher highs and higher lows, with progressively higher monthly closes. "Since March 2005, the stock has been forming a saucer bottom and a monthly close above $54 would indicate an upside breakout. Once the breakout occurs the pattern's technical measurement suggests a potential target of about $69.50 over the ensuing year."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com provides a free, daily overview of the latest stock ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletters.

DuPont: Taking a lead on global warming originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've just returned from the World Money Show in Orlando where more than 10,000 investors gathered to learn about global investing. I had a chance to meet with many of the U.S. and foreign financial experts featured at the show, and over the next week I will share some of their top investment ideas. To view all of the stocks featured in this special global report, click here.

"One of my favorite long-term growth themes is biofuels," says Elliott Gue, who believes this sector is "locked in a longer-term secular bull market." Says the editor of The Energy Strategist, "Among individual stocks in the biofuels sector, investors can look at Monsanto (NYSE:MON), Potash Corp. (NYSE:POT), Mosaic (NYSE:MOS) and Syngenta (NYSE:SYT).

"My basic outlook for all of these stocks is that pullbacks of 10% to 15% are possible from time to time, but I still I regard such selloffs as outstanding buying opportunities. In addition to these selections, I'm adding PowerShares Deutsche Bank Agricultural Fund (AMEX:DBA) to my biofuel coverage.

"The DB Agricultural Fund doesn't hold any stocks at all. This fund instead buys commodity futures contracts, a market where the majority of stock investors have little or no exposure. The fund holds a quarter of its assets in corn futures, a quarter in wheat, a quarter in soybeans, and a final quarter in sugar.

"These are the most-important traded agricultural commodities. Therefore, the fund is a good play on the overall bull market in agricultural commodities I see developing in coming years.

Continue reading Global gains: Power play on global agriculture

Global gains: Power play on global agriculture originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.