The clock continues to tick down toward Oct. 1, when enrollment opens in state-run health exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Source: White House on Flickr.
As we examined three weeks ago, there are a lot of factors yet to tackle to ensure that health-insurance enrollment for individuals runs smoothly. One gigantic hurdle in that equation is in ensuring that all of the cloud-based technology is properly in place and capable of accessing multiple government divisions such as Social Security, Medicaid, and the IRS, all at once. Since the passing of the PPACA, also known as Obamacare, in 2010 through the end of March 2013, the Government Accountability Office reported $394 million in contract expenses just to meet the huge technological needs of the state-run exchanges.
However, there's another side to the equation of getting America ready for open enrollment under Obamacare: the educational aspects.
Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: CME Group Inc.(CME)
CME Group Inc. operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX regulatory exchanges worldwide. The company provides a range of products available across various asset classes, including futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, foreign exchange, weather, and real estate. It offers various products that provide a means of hedging, speculation, and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency, credit risk, and changes in the prices of commodities. CME Group owns and operates clearing house, CME Clearing, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts and counter derivatives transactions; and also engages in real estate operations. Its primary trade execution facilities consist of its CME Globex electronic trading platform and open outcry trading floors, as well as privately negotiated transact ions that are cleared and settled through its clearing house. In addition, the company offers market data services comprising live quotes, delayed quotes, market reports, and historical data services, as well as involves in index services business. CME Group?s customer base includes professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, and governments. It has strategic partnerships with BM&FBOVESPA S.A., Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, Singapore Exchange Limited, Green Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., as well as joint venture agreement with Dow Jones & Company. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. CME Group was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
Within equities, we believe that most companies will be negatively impacted by rising interest rates, but we did identify some exceptions. For example, the CME Group is a Chicago-based operator of numerous trading exchanges including a large volume of 铿�ed income futures contracts. Higher interest rates and greater interest rate volatility tends to be a catalyst for greater trading volumes, and hence, greater revenue for CME (CME). The company was our top-performing U.S. investment in the last three months with gains of nearly 30%. The insurance industry is another area that we believe can offer resilience in the face of rising rates. This quarter we added to our positions in Manulife Financial in Canada, AmTrust Financial in the U.S., and introduced U.K.-based Aon to our international portfolio. Many of our insurance companies enjoyed strong performance this quarter and helped offset the declines suffered within the 铿�ed income portfolio.
- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Monday
Earnings Releases Expected: Black Hills Corporation (NYSE: BKH), CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CME), Leapfrog Enterprises (NYSE: LF), Hill International, Inc. (NYSE: HIL) Economic Releases Expected: eurozone manufacturing PMI, British construction PMI, US factory orders, Chinese services PMI, Indian services PMITuesday
- [By Jose Pagliery]
Consider the startup's latest round of funding. It raised $30 million from a band of investors that included CME Group (CME), which runs the Chicago and New York mercantile exchanges.
Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cellcom Israel Ltd.(CEL)
Cellcom Israel Ltd. provides cellular communications services in Israel. It offers basic and advanced cellular telephone services, text and multimedia messaging services, and advanced cellular content and data services. The company?s basic cellular telephony services include voice mail, cellular fax, call waiting, call forwarding, caller identification, collect call, conference calling, ?Talk 2?, additional number services, and collect call services; and outbound and inbound roaming services. It also provides value-added services comprising Cellcom volume that includes downloadable content, such as music, games, on-net-reality programs, drama series, and video games; SMS and MMS services to send and receive text, photos, multimedia, and animation messages; access to third party application providers for notification of roadway speed detectors, mange vehicle fleets, and enable subscribers to manage and operate time clocks and various controllers for industrial, agricultural , and commercial purposes; video calls to communicate with each other through video applications; zone services for calls initiated from a specific location; location-based services; voice-based information services; text-based information services and interactive information services, including news headlines, sports results, and traffic and weather reports; and data services to access handsets, cellular modems, laptops, tablets, and cellular routers, as well as Internet based payment services. In addition, the company sells handsets, modems, routers, tablets, and laptops, as well as provides repair and replacement services; and offers landline telephony, transmission, and data services through its approximately 1,500 kilometers of inland fiber-optic infrastructure and complementary microwave links to selected business customers. As of March 31, 2011, it provided its services to approximately 3.395 million subscribers. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Netanya, Israel.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Cellcom Israel (NYSE: CEL ) is getting a new CFO.
Following the company's successful merger with Netvision, current Chief Financial Officer Yaacov Heen is declaring his mission accomplished, and says he intends to resign his post on Sept. 17 after 16 years with the company. At that time, Cellcom says it will bring on Shlomi Fruhling, the former VP for strategy and finance at Netvision, to become the merged company's new CFO on Sept. 18.
Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: bluebird bio Inc (BLUE)
bluebird bio, Inc., incorporated on April 16, 1992, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, the Company is focused on transforming the lives of patients with severe genetic and orphan diseases using gene therapy. Gene therapy seeks to introduce a functional copy of the defective gene into a patient�� own cells, a process called gene transfer. Through gene transfer, a functional copy of the mutated gene is delivered to the patient�� cells, thereby correcting the underlying genetic defect that causes aberrant gene expression. As of December 31, 2012, the Company is conducting a Phase I/II clinical study in France evaluating an earlier generation of its LentiGlobin vector for the treatment of �-thalassemia major and SCD. Initial proof-of-concept data from this study were published in Nature. During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company plans to initiate an extension of this study under a revised protocol for LentiGlobin, which the Company refers to as the HGB-205 Study. The Company also plans o initiate a second Phase I/II clinical program in the United States for LentiGlobin, which the Company refers to as the HGB-204 Study, for �-thalassemia major. In March 2013, the Company entered into a strategic collaboration with Celgene Corporation, or Celgene, to discover, develop and commercialize, disease-altering gene therapies in oncology.
Its gene therapy platform is based on viral vectors that utilize a modified, non-replicating version of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) virus, that has been stripped of all of the components required for it to self-replicate and infect additional cells. The HIV-1 virus is part of the lentivirus family of viruses, as a result of which the Company refer to its vectors as lentiviral vectors. Its lentiviral vectors are used to introduce a functional copy of a gene to the patient�� own isolated blood stem cells, called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which reside in a patient�� bone marrow and are capable of differentiating int! o a wide range of cell types. HSCs are dividing cells, thus its approach allows for sustained expression of the modified gene as the Company is able to take advantage of a lifetime of replication of the gene-modified HSCs. Additionally, the Company has developed a cell-based vector manufacturing process that is both reproducible and scalable.
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Adrenoleukodystrophy is a rare X-linked, inherited, neurological disorder that is often fatal. ALD is caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene which encodes for a protein called the ALD protein (ALDP), which plays a critical role in the breakdown and metabolism of long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA). Without functional ALDP, VLCFA accumulate in cells including neural cells in which they cause damage to the myelin sheath, a protective and insulating membrane that surrounds nerve cells in the brain. This damage can result in decreased motor coordination and function, visual and hearing disturbances, the loss of cognitive function, dementia, seizures, adrenal dysfunction and other complications, including death. ALD is divided into various sub-segments with three main phenotypes that impact brain function: CCALD (Childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, AMN (Adrenomyeloneuropathy) and ACALD (Adult Cerebral ALD).
�-thalassemia
�-thalassemia is a rare hereditary blood disorder caused by a genetic abnormality of the �-globin gene resulting in defective red blood cells (RBCs). Genetic mutations cause the absence or reduced production of the beta chains of hemoglobin, or �-globin, thereby preventing the proper formation of hemoglobin A, which normally accounts for greater than 95% of the hemoglobin in the blood of adults. Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein in the blood that carries oxygen from the respiratory organs to the rest of the body. Hemoglobin A consists of four chains-two chains each of a-globin and �-globin. Normally existing at an approximate 1:1 ratio, genetic mutations that impair t! he produc! tion of �-globin can lead to a relative excess of a-globin, premature death of red blood cells. The clinical implications of the a-globin/�-globin imbalance are two-fold: first, patients lack sufficient RBCs and hemoglobin to effectively transport oxygen throughout the body and can become severely anemic; and second, the shortened life span and ineffective production of RBCs can lead to other complications such as splenomegaly, marrow expansion, bone deformities, and iron overload in organs.
Sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary blood disorder resulting from a mutation in the �-globin gene that causes polymerization of hemoglobin proteins and abnormal red blood cell function. The disease is characterized by anemia, vaso-occlusive pain crisis (a common complication of SCD in which there is severe pain due to obstructed blood flow in the bones, joints, lungs, liver, spleen, kidney, eye, or central nervous system), infections, stroke, overall poor life and early death in a subset of patients. Under low-oxygen conditions, which are exacerbated by the red blood cell abnormalities, the mutant hemoglobin aggregates causing the RBCs to take on a sickle shape (sickle cells), which causes them to aggregate and obstruct small blood vessels, thereby restricting blood flow to organs resulting in pain, cell death and organ damage. If oxygen levels are restored, the hemoglobin can disaggregate and the RBCs return to their normal shape, but over time, the sickling damages the cell membrane and the cells fail to return to the normal shape even in high-oxygen conditions.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Bluebird Bio (NASDAQ: BLUE) shares shot up 33.61 percent to $34.86 following the presentation of positive data on LentiGlobin BB305 at the European Hematology Association (EHA).
Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Scientific Games Corp (SGMS)
Scientific Games Corporation (Scientific Games), incorporated on July 2, 1984, is a global supplier of solutions to lottery and gaming organizations worldwide. The Company�� products and services include instant lottery games, lottery gaming systems, terminals and services, and Internet applications, as well as server-based interactive gaming machines and associated gaming control systems. The Company reports its operations in three segments: Printed Products Group, Lottery Systems Group and Diversified Gaming Group. Printed Products Group is a provider of instant lottery tickets in the world. The Company�� Lottery Systems Group is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. Its Diversified Gaming Group provides services and systems to private and public operators in the wide area gaming industry, including server-based gaming machines and sports betting systems and services. On September 23, 2011, the Company acquired Barcrest Group Limited. During 2011, the Company launched MDI Interactive, a content services powerhouse dedicated to delivering gaming solutions for the Internet, mobile and all digital things. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of WMS Industries Inc.
Printed Products
Printed Products segment is primarily consists of instant ticket lottery business. The Company generates revenue from the manufacturing and sale of instant tickets, as well as the provision of value-added services, such as game design, sales and marketing support, specialty games and promotions, inventory management and warehousing and fulfillment services. It also provides lotteries with cooperative service programs (CSPs), to help them manage and support their operations. The Company also provides licensed games, promotional entertainment and Internet-based services to the lottery industry. It operates six instant ticket printing facilities across five continents.
!The Company provides lotteries with access to some entertainment brands on lottery products through its subsidiary MDI Entertainment LLC (MDI). The Company�� licensed entertainment brands include Harley-Davidson, Major League Baseball, Monopoly, National Basketball Association, The Price is Right, Wheel-of-Fortune and World Poker Tour. It also provides branded merchandise prizes, advertising, promotional support, turnkey drawing management services and prize fulfillment programs. In addition, it offers lotteries a Web-based platform called Properties Plus, which features players clubs, reward programs, second chance promotional websites, interactive games and, subject to applicable law, a subscription system that enables players to purchase lottery games securely over the Internet. The Company owns 20% interests in LNS ad Northstar, and 49% in CSG.
Lottery Systems
The Company is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. In the United States, the Company typically provides the necessary equipment, software and maintenance services pursuant to long-term facilities. Internationally, it typically sells terminals and/or computer software to lottery authorities and may provide ongoing fee-based systems and software support services. The Company�� lottery systems business includes the supply of transaction-processing software, draw lottery games, keno, point-of-sale terminals, central site computers and communication platforms as well as ongoing operational support and maintenance services. The Company is the instant ticket validation network provider to the China Sports Lottery.
The Company has lottery systems operating in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition, it provides video lottery central monitoring, and control systems and networks primarily to lotteries an! d gaming ! regulators. It also provides software, hardware and support for sports wagering systems. The Company has 50% interest in Guard Libang, a provider of instant ticket activation and validation and inventory management systems and services.
Gaming
The Company is a provider of server-based gaming machines and systems and other products and services to operators in the gaming industry. The Company�� Gaming segment includes The Global Draw Limited (Global Draw), a supplier of server-based gaming machines and systems, and game content primarily to bookmakers that operate licensed betting offices (LBOs) in the United Kingdom, and to gaming operators outside the United Kingdom. The Gaming segment also includes Barcrest Group Limited (Barcrest) and Games Media Limited (Games Media), suppliers of gaming machines, systems and game content to pubs, bingo halls and arcades in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
The Company provides its Gaming customers with gaming machines, remote management of game content and management information, central computer systems, secure data communication and field support services. It develops its own game content, and supplements its offering with content from third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company installed approximately 23,100 LBO gaming machines in the United Kingdom, which included approximately 8,000 LBO gaming. As of December 31, 2011, it had an installed base of approximately 6,100 gaming machines in its United Kingdom pub, bingo hall and arcade business, and installed approximately 6,500 gaming machines outside of the United Kingdom. During 2011, the Company owned a 50% interest in Sciplay, a joint venture with Playtech Services (Cyprus) Limited. It also owns 29.4% interests in RCN, and 20% in Sportech.
The Compnay competes with Pollard Banknote Limited, GTECH, BI Worldwide Ltd., Alchemy3, LLC, ePrize, LLC, GTECH, Pollard, Intralot Technologies, Inc., International Lottery and Totalizator Systems, Inc.! , Inspire! d Gaming Group Limited, Danoptra Ltd, Sceptre Leisure plc, Games Warehouse Limited, International Game Technology, Lottomatica, Bally Technologies, Inc., Inspired, Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Novomatic AG, Multimedia Games, Inc., WMS Industries Inc., Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., Amaya Gaming Group, Inc., Cryptologic Ltd., IGT, Microgaming Software Systems Ltd., Net Entertainment NE AB, NYX Gaming Group, OpenBet Technology Ltd. and Playtech Limited.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of Scientific Games (NASDAQ: SGMS ) jumped 10% in late trading today after signing an important customer.
So what: The company announced that it has signed a contract extension to provide lottery gaming and instant ticket services for the Oklahoma Lottery. This was actually disclosed earlier this year,�but investors bid up shares leading up to the announcement and nearly five times the three-month average volume of shares traded hands today. �
- [By Stock Maelstrom]
We are likely approaching the last time I will be reporting on WMS Industries (WMS), the former Williams Electronics. It has agreed to be acquired by Scientific Games (SGMS) for $26 per share, plus the assumption of WMS' modest debt. The deal is scheduled to close by the end of this year. On its own, WMS is having a dismal fiscal year, which ends June 30. For this year, the company, no doubt with distracted management, earnings are likely to end at about $0.90 per share, compared with fiscal 2012's $1.31 per share. Helping drive earnings lower are additional measures the company is taking to drive up revenues, which remain well below last decade's peak. WMS' stock has flat lined the past few months at within three percent of the $26 price. There is virtually no upside, though there is downside if the deal collapses. I see no reason to get invested in WMS.
- [By Johanna Bennett]
Scientific Games (SGMS) is placing a big bet on Bally Technologies (BYI).
Early today, the seller of instant ticketing systems and game-control software announce it was buying the slot machine maker for $5.1 billion, including debt, marking the latest deal in the gaming equipment industry.
Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock’s closing price on Thursday. Scientific Games will take on $1.8 billion of Bally’s debt.
As expected, the news sent Bally�� share soaring 20% to $77.72. But investors aren�� going all in on the deal, with Scientific Games��share price down 2% to $8.33 a share.
The deal looks good on paper. As the WSJ reports:
The two companies generated combined revenue of about $3 billion in the one-year period ended March 31. The merger plan calls for $220 million of cost synergies and $25 million of capital-expenditure savings through consolidating operations and creating efficiencies across a range of activities.
Scientific Games said it expects the deal to immediately benefit the company’s per-share earnings and cash flow and help reduce the company’s leverage over the next three to four years.
This is not the first coupling for Scientific Games. In late 2013, it bagged WMS Industries, a maker of gambling equipment, for $1.42 billion, while Bally acquired fellow casino-device maker SHFL Entertainment for $1.3 billion. And in mid-July, casino-equipment maker International Game Technology (IGT) agreed to be acquired by Italian lottery-operator Gtech in a deal worth $4.7 billion.
Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Pike Electric Corp.(PIKE)
Pike Electric Corporation provides energy solutions for investor-owned, municipal, and co-operative utilities in the United States. The company?s services include siting, permitting, engineering, designing, planning, constructing, maintaining, and repairing power delivery systems, including renewable energy projects. Its planning and siting process leverages technology and the collection of environmental, cultural, land use, and scientific data to facilitate negotiations and permitting for powerlines, substations, pipelines, and renewable energy installations. The company also provides design, engineering, procurement and construction, owner engineer, project management, multi-entity coordination, grid integration, balance-of-plant, and thermal rate solutions for individual or turnkey powerline, substation, and renewable energy projects. In addition, it offers overhead and underground powerline construction, up gradation, and extension services for distribution networks a nd transmission lines with voltages up to 345kV, energized maintenance work for voltages up to 500kV; and substation construction and service. Further, Pike Electric Corporation provides a total energy solution platform, including preliminary studies, planning, siting and permitting, engineering and design, construction, procurement, and grid interconnection services. Additionally, it offers storm restoration services, which include the repair or reconstruction of parts of a distribution or sub-500 kV transmission network comprising substations, power lines, utility poles, or other components damaged during flash floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and snow, ice, or wind storms, as well as other natural disasters. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rebecca McClay]
In earnings news today, a few companies are reporting after the closing bell, including H & R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), which is up about 1%. Pike Electric Corp. (NYES: PIKE), Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), and Sigma Designs Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM) are also reporting quarterly earnings late this afternoon.
- [By Selena Maranjian]
More than a handful of smart-grid-related companies�had strong performances over the past year. Solar energy inverter maker Power-One (NASDAQ: PWER.DL ) , and utility contractor Pike Electric (NYSE: PIKE ) , both surged 44%. Power-One's gain is in large part due to its being acquired, at a premium, by Switzerland-based power and automation technology giant ABB. Some have worried about inverters becoming commoditized, but others have admired Power-One's profitability and solid balance sheet.
Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Orion Marine Group Inc(ORN)
Orion Marine Group, Inc. operates as a marine specialty contractor serving the heavy civil marine infrastructure market. The company provides a range of marine construction and specialty services on, over, and under the water along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard, the West Coast, Canada, the Caribbean Basin, and the Pacific Northwest. The company?s marine construction services include construction of marine transportation facilities, marine pipelines, bridges and causeways, and marine environmental structures. Its marine transportation facility construction projects comprise public port facilities for container ship loading and unloading; cruise ship port facilities; private terminals; recreational use marinas and docks; and other marine-based facilities. Orion Marine Group?s marine pipeline service projects consist of the installation and removal of underwater buried pipeline transmission lines; installation of pipeline intakes and outfalls for industrial facilities ; construction of pipeline outfalls for wastewater and industrial discharges; river crossing and directional drilling; and creation of hot taps and tie-ins. Its bridge and causeway projects include the construction, repair, and maintenance of bridges and causeways, as well as the development of fendering systems in marine environments; and marine environmental structure projects primarily comprise the installation of concrete mattresses to ensure erosion protection, and the installation of geotubes for wetlands and island creation. In addition, the company offers dredging services; specialty services, including salvage, demolition, surveying, towing, diving and underwater inspection, excavation, and repair; and survey services comprising surveying pipelines and performing hydrographic surveys. Its customers include federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as private commercial and industrial enterprises. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Houst on, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Orion Marine Group (NYSE: ORN ) .
Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: OceanFirst Financial Corp.(OCFC)
OceanFirst Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for OceanFirst Bank that provides community banking services to retail, government, and business customers primarily in Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties in New Jersey. Its deposit products include money market accounts, savings accounts, interest-bearing checking accounts, non-interest bearing accounts, and time deposits. The company?s loan portfolio comprises conventional first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family residences, residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans, multi-family and land loans, and real estate construction loans; consumer loans, such as home equity loans and lines of credit; and commercial loans. In addition, it offers trust and asset management, and merchant check card services; and sells alternative investment products, including mutual funds, annuities, and life insurance. The company operates 22 branches, as well as a loan production office and a trust and weal th management office. OceanFirst Financial Corp. was founded in 1902 and is based in Toms River, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Wednesday, financial shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.24 percent. Top losers in the sector included IRSA Investments and Representations (NYSE: IRS), down 3.2 percent, and OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ: OCFC), off 2.5 percent.
No comments:
Post a Comment