There is a big brouhaha in the rare earth metals sector. China, which produces 97% of these metals, has reportedly limited exports for 2011. Rare earth metals are necessary for everything from high powered wind turbines to iPhones.

As companies are scrambling to fill the gap, many have soared on the news. Here are some worldwide leaders, as reported by CNBC.com:

• U.S. Molycorp (MCP), which went public over the summer, is up 200%, and now trading at $49.90. Both Sumitomo (SMTOY) and Hitachi (HIT) have recently made deals with Molycorp. Molycorp plans to break ground on a new $500 million facility and expects to be extracting ore in late 2011.

Continue reading Rare Earth Metals: Which Companies to Watch in 2011?

Rare Earth Metals: Which Companies to Watch in 2011? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) closed at $4.66. On February 3 MOT is scheduled to report earnings, provide a financial outlook and discuss its cash position. MOT preannounced EPS on January 14. MOT February 5 straddle is priced at 79c. February option implied volatility is at 78; March is at 71; above its 26-week average of 67, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Hitachi Ltd (NYSE: HIT) closed at $33.95. HIT forecast a record $7.8 billion annual loss and says it may cut as many as 7,000 jobs. HIT March option implied volatility of 56 is above its 26-week average of 52, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Continue reading Options Update: Technology companies' volatility elevated

Options Update: Technology companies' volatility elevated originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Electric (NYSE: GE) closed at $20.35 Tuesday. GE November option implied volatility of 52 is above its 26-week average of 32 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Siemens (NYSE: SI) closed at $63.97 Tuesday. SI November option implied volatility of 86 is above its 26-week average of 37 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) closed at $18.71 Tuesday. PHG November option implied volatility of 68 is above its 26-week average of 43.

United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) closed at $50.95 Tuesday. UTX November option implied volatility of 53 is above its 26-week average of 33.

Hitachi Ltd (NYSE: HIT) closed at $51.63 Tuesday. HIT November option implied volatility of 71 is above its 26-week average of 36 according to Track Data.

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) closed at $28.85 Tuesday. HON November option implied volatility of 66 is above its 26-week average of 37.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Option Update: Global industrials volatility suggests continued price movement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hitachi may try to dump hard drive division originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The US government hopes that a large number of nuclear plants will be built in the US over the next 20 years to cut the country's need for oil. But GE (NYSE: GE) CEO Jeffrey Immelt says they will not be built without incentives from the Feds.

According to the FT, "Immelt said only five to 10 US nuclear power projects were likely to go ahead unless there was a carbon-pricing framework to create incentives for utilities to build more." That may be true, but GE should be quiet about championing aid for building those facilities. GE and Hitachi (NYSE: HIT) have a joint venture to build nuclear plants, and the parties would not want to be seen as sell-serving.

The comments raise a difficult issue. The government and utilities both know that the long-term future of cheap oil looks bad. But building nuclear plants take years, is expensive, and requires passing government safety standards. Over the next decade it may actually be cheaper to continue to use fossil fuels even it the price of oil stays high.

GE will make a lot of money on the move to nuclear fuel, but that does not mean that its call for government help is wrong.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

GE wants incentives to help nuclear energy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As firms become increasingly dependent on efficient and secure access to enterprise data, the advantages of a unified architectural approach to database management become increasingly apparent. There is an outfit in Oceanport, New Jersey noted for the degree to which its systems employ that approach.

CommVault Systems (NASDAQ: CVLT) provides data management software and related services. Its unified suite of applications is used for enterprise-wide data migration, backup, archiving, data replication and disaster recovery. The firm serves customers in manufacturing, financial services, health care, transportation and the public sector. It has strategic partnerships with Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Hitachi (NYSE: HIT), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Network Appliance (NASDAQ: NTAP), Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL) and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL).

The firm pleased investors last week, when it announced fiscal Q4 EPS of 14 cents and revenues of $42.6 million. Analysts had been expecting 12 cents and $42.0 million. Management also guided FY08 EPS to 55-57 cents (56 cent consensus) and FY08 revenues to $191-$193 million ($191.19M consensus). In discussing the solid quarterly results and favorable outlook, the CEO noted that the company is seeing broader deployment of its full suite of products across a broader spectrum of deal sizes. CVLT shares popped on the news and subsequently moved into the initial stages of a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern. Prices frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling when they entered them. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with three "strong buys," four "buys" and two "holds." Analysts see a 27% growth rate, through the next year. The CVLT Sales Growth rate (31.48%), Return on Assets (18.77%) and Return on Investment (55.11%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages.

Institutional investors hold about 73% of the outstanding shares. Since going public last September, the stock has traded between $14.74 and $20.85. A stop-loss of $14.80 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com.

CommVault Systems: Maximizing the efficiency of database management originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 May 2007 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If necessary, most of us could probably find a place to rent a T.V. If our needs ran more toward aerial lifts, industrial hoists and excavators, though, what then? Well, there is a firm headquartered in Baton Rouge that has them shined up and waiting.

H&E Equipment Services Inc. (NASDAQ: HEES) is a heavy equipment services company, operating 48 facilities throughout the United States. The firm rents out aerial platform equipment, cranes, earthmoving vehicles and industrial lift trucks. It also sells new and used equipment and provides maintenance services. Customers include industrial concerns, construction contractors, public utilities and municipalities. H&E deals with equipment from numerous manufacturers, including Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Ford (NYSE: F), Deere (NYSE: DE) and Hitachi (NYSE: HIT).

The company had good news for investors last week, when it reported Q1 EPS of 32 cents and revenues of $209.7 million. Analysts had been expecting 29 cents and $205.6 million. Management also guided FY07 EPS to $1.63-$1.85 ($1.82 consensus) and FY07 revenues to $900-$920 million ($901.22M consensus). Banc of America Securities subsequently reiterated its "buy" recommendation on the issue and raised its price target to $30.

Continue reading H&E Equipment Services: Need to rent a boom truck?

H&E Equipment Services: Need to rent a boom truck? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 May 2007 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Semiconductor IPOs have been hit-or-miss over the years, but that's not stopping AuthenTec, which recently filed to go public.

The company develops mixed-signal semiconductors that allow for fingerprint authentication sensors. The company has shipped over 15 million sensors and is integrated in over 150 laptops, desktops and peripherals. There are even 6 million mobile phones with AuthenTec chips.

The company has more than 100 customers, including biggies like Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), LG Electronics and Toshiba.

AuthenTec also has great timing. In light of recent security breaches, the company's technologies should be a big help.

And, the company is growing like a weed. Revenues increased from $19.2 million in 2005 to $33.2 million in 2006.

That should get the attention of investors.

The lead underwriter is Lehman Brothers and the proposed ticker symbol is "AUTH." You can find the filing at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

An AuthenTec IPO -- security or paranoia? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that General Motors Corporation's (NYSE: GM) CEO Rick Wagoner expressed caution about the possibility of General Motors adding new brands or US manufacturing plants to its portfolio, remarks that are likely to quash expectations of an imminent GM bid for cross-town rival DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE: DCX).
• According to the Financial Times, Nikko Cordial's largest investor has rejected Citigroup Inc's (NYSE: C) $11B takeover bid.
• Also in the Financial Times, 3M Corporation (NYSE: MMM) has filed infringement lawsuits against Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) and Lenovo (LNVGY), and others, including Hitachi Ltd ADR (NYSE: HIT), CDW Corporation (NASDAQ: CDWC) and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd (NYSE: MC).

• India's Economic Times reported that Wipro Ltd ADS (NYSE: WIT) is said to be close to acquiring an unnamed U.S. aerospace services company for about $90M.
• According to the U.K. Times, Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) has said it is willing to team up with private equity firms to pursue deals.

Newspaper wrap-up 3-8-07: Nikko investor rejects Citiroup offer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Companies start to believe their own PR hype. Investors push a stock past logical limits. A company seems about to break down or break out. These are just a few things that can signal a stock with attitude. And... that attitude can be good or bad for the stock price, since attitude always catches up with reality. At least on Wall Street, that is.

Stocks with attitude CAT, DE, HIT, MTW originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.