Thanks largely to the antics of former CEO Aubrey McClendon, Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK ) has been one of the most maligned names in the energy sector. McClendon leveraged the company's future with debt, intertwined his personal finances with the company's, and engineered a land-buying program that received significant amounts of bad press topped off with negative portrayal of the industry in Matt Damon's movie, "Promised Land." The result has been a nearly 40% slide in Chesapeake Energy stock over the past two years.
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Natural gas on the rise
Despite the bad press, the overall position of the natural gas industry has never looked more promising. Companies ranging from Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE ) to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A ) are beginning to initiate programs that rely heavily on natural gas. In the case of Clean Energy, the company is undertaking a major push to create a corridor of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, filling stations across the country to allow trucks to carry freight on LNG power rather than diesel. This type of transition is likely to eventually trickle down to passenger vehicles, which currently are not fully viable as an LNG alternative. While Chesapeake Energy stock once benefited from the company's partial ownership of Clean Energy, that stake is likely to be sold to help meet debt obligations.
adidas AG designs, develops, produces, and markets through its own retail activities a range of athletic and sports lifestyle products. The Company operates in six segments: Wholesale, Retail, TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Rockport, Reebok-CCM Hockey and Other Centrally Managed Brands. adidas AG is the ultimate parent if the adidas Group. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had 169 subsidiaries worldwide. In June 2012, the Company announced that its TaylorMade-adidas Golf business segment completed the acquisition of Adams Golf, Inc.
The Wholesale segment consists of all business activities relating to the distribution of adidas and Reebok products to retail customers. The Retail segment consists of all business activities relating to the sales of adidas and Reebok products directly to consumers through own retail and own e-commerce platforms. adidas and Reebok branded products include footwear, apparel and hardware, such as bags and balls. TaylorMade-adidas Golf includes the three brands: TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth. TaylorMade designs, develops and assembles golf clubs, balls and accessories. adidas Golf branded products include footwear, apparel, and accessories. Ashworth designs and distributes men�� and women�� lifestyle sportswear. Rockport designs and markets leather footwear for men and women. Reebok-CCM Hockey designs, produces and markets hockey equipment, such as sticks and skates, as well as apparel mainly under the brand names, Reebok Hockey and CCM. The Other Centrally Managed Brands segment primarily includes the business activities of the Y-3 label, under which premium footwear and apparel are designed and distributed.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rich Duprey]
Yet it's not really what Reebok parent Adidas� (NASDAQOTH: ADDYY ) was really looking for at the moment. Ever since the sneaker maker was acquired in 2006, it's served as a drag on Adidas' performance. It was looking for Reebok to finally turn to growth this year with new footwear and clothing-line introductions.
- [By Tom Taulli]
As I pointed out about a year ago, SKUL stock would face some tough headwinds, such as:
Competition: It is intense, with operators like Beats by Dre, Incase, Urbanears, Soul, Sony (SNE), JVC, Bose and even Adidas (ADDYY). Fickleness: This is the bane of the fashion business. The Skullcandy brand isn’t too hip — that can change overnight, but success can be fleeting, too. Market Size: For the most part, Skullcandy has focused on the youth crowd, such as those who are snowboarders or skateboarders. The problem is that it’s a niche market, and one where the crowd rapidly moves on as it gets older. These issues all remain for SKUL stock, as evidenced by the steep drop in the revenues in 2013.
10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Lexmark International Inc.(LXK)
Lexmark International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and supply of printing, imaging, document workflow, and content management solutions for offices in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and the Caribbean. It offers monochrome and color laser printers, laser multifunction products, inkjet all-in-one devices, dot matrix printers, and cartridges and other supplies; and services and solutions, including maintenance, consulting, and systems integration, as well as managed print services, such as asset lifecycle management, implementation and decommissioning services, consumables management, optimization services, and utilization management. The company also provides enterprise content management (ECM) software products, including ImageNow document management, document imaging, and workflow suite that allows users to capture, process, and collaborate on important documents and inform ation, protect data integrity throughout its lifecycle, and access precise content; and industry specific workflow solutions for the healthcare, higher education, government, and financial services industries, as well as for back office functions, including accounting, human resources, contracts, and records. Its software modules include Retention Policy Manager to manage the complete lifecycle of content from creation to destruction or disposition; Business Insight, which integrates IBM Cognos to provide industry and business process dashboards, operational and ad-hoc reporting, and report design tools; workflow software that automates processing steps, simplifies work tasks, and provides real-time monitoring; and eForms module, which enables the online entry and collection of raw data in electronic forms that are accessible from Web sites and portals. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]
Lexmark International Inc.(LXK) raised its offer for Sweden-based ReadSoft AB(RSOF-B.SK) (RSOF-B.SK) following a competitive offer from Hyland Software U.K. Ltd. earlier Wednesday.
- [By Marc Bastow]
Developer, manufacturer and printing supplies distributor Lexmark (LXK) raised its quarterly dividend 20% to 36 cents per share payable June 13 to shareholders of record May 30.
LXK Dividend Yield: 3.45%
- [By Lee Jackson]
Lexmark International Inc. (NYSE: LXK) is another name that has slowly, but surely, lost its cache as an industry leader. Once one of the premiere names in high-end printers, the company continues to lose market share. It also has very little to offer in terms of innovation and new and exciting products. The stock does pay shareholders a solid 2.9% dividend. The Merrill Lynch price target is $31, and the consensus price target is $31.75. That is far below Friday’s closing price of $41.12.
- [By Rex Crum]
One of the day�� notable decliners was printing-technology company Lexmark International Inc. (LXK) , which fell more than 11% to close at $41.52
10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Newpark Resources Inc (NR)
Newpark Resources, Inc., incorporated on June 3, 1988, is a diversified oil and gas supplier providing products and services primarily to the oil and gases exploration (E&P) industry. The Company operates in three segments: fluids systems and engineering, mats and integrated services, and environmental services. The Company's Fluids Systems and Engineering segment provides customized drilling fluids solutions to E&P customers globally, operating through four geographic regions: North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America, and Asia Pacific. The Company's Mats and Integrated Services segment provides composite mat rentals, well site construction and related site services to oil and gas customers at well, production, transportation and refinery locations in the United States. The Company's Environmental Services segment processes and disposes of waste generated by E&P and industrial activity, primarily along the United States Gulf Coast. On December 31, 2012, it acquired operations of Alliance Drilling Fluids, LLC
Fluids Systems and Engineering
The Company's Fluids Systems and Engineering business offers customized solutions, including technical drilling projects involving complex subsurface conditions, such as horizontal, directional, geologically deep or deep water drilling. These projects require increased monitoring and critical engineering support of the fluids system during the drilling process. The Company provides drilling fluids products and technical services to markets in North America, EMEA, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region. The Company also provides completion services and equipment rental to customers in Oklahoma and Texas. The Company has industrial mineral grinding operations for barite. The Company grinds barite and other industrial minerals at facilities in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, New Iberia, Louisiana and Dyersburg, Tennessee. The Company uses the resulting products in its drilling fluids business, and also sell! s them to third party users, including other drilling fluids companies. The Company also sells a variety of other minerals, principally to third party industrial (non oil and gas) markets, from its main plant in Houston, Texas and from the plant in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
Mats and Integrated Services
The Company provides mat rentals, location construction and related well sites services to E&P customers in the Northeast United States, onshore United States Gulf Coast, and Rocky Mountain regions, and mat rentals to the petrochemical industry in the United States and the utility industry in the United Kingdom. These mats provide environmental protection and ensure all-weather access to sites with unstable soil conditions. The Company manufactures its DuraBase Advanced Composite Mats for sales, as well as for uses in its domestic and international rental operations. The Company's marketing efforts for this product remain focused in principal oil and gas industry markets which include the Asia Pacific, Latin America, EMEA, as well as markets outside the E&P sector in the United States and Europe.
Environmental Services
The Company processes and disposes of waste generated by its oil and gas customers. Primary revenue sources include onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico drilling waste management, as well as reclamation services. Additionally, the Company provides disposal services in the West Texas market. The Company operates six receiving and transfers facilities located along the United States Gulf Coast. E&P waste is collected at the transfer facilities from drilling and production operations located offshore, onshore and within inland waters. Waste is accumulated at the transfer facilities and moved by barge through the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the Company's processing and transfer facility at Port Arthur, Texas, and, if not recycled, is trucked to injection disposal facilities. Any remaining material is injected, after further processing, into envir! onmentall! y secure geologic formations. Under permits from Texas state regulatory agencies, the Company operates waste disposal facilities in Jefferson County, Texas (Fannett and Big Hill). The Fannett site is the Company's primary facility for disposing of E&P waste. Utilizing this same technology, the Company also receives and disposes of non-hazardous industrial waste at the Big Hill facility, principally from generators in the United States Gulf Coast market, including refiners, manufacturers, service companies and industrial municipalities that produce waste. These non-hazardous waste streams are injected into a separate well utilizing the same low-pressure injection technology. The Company also disposes of non-hazardous industrial waste.
The Company competes with Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of energy service provider Newpark Resources (NYSE: NR ) jumped 17% today after the company released earnings.
So what: Revenue was up 7.7%, to $283 million in the first quarter, and net income jumped 11.1%, to $17.4 million, or $0.18 per share. Analysts only expected $278 million in revenue, and earnings of $0.17 per share, and the slight beat was enough to send shares higher. It didn't hurt that the report was accompanied by a $50 million share repurchase plan, which indicates that management is bullish on the company's long-term future.�
10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: PetroChina Company Limited(PTR)
PetroChina Company Limited produces and distributes oil and gas in the People?s Republic of China. It operates in four segments: Exploration and Production, Refining and Chemicals, Marketing, and Natural Gas and Pipeline. The Exploration and Production segment explores, develops, produces, and markets crude oil and natural gas, oilsands, and coalbed methane. As of December 31, 2010, it had 11,278 million barrels of proved reserves of crude oil; and 65,503 billion cubic feet of proved reserves of natural gas. The Refining and Chemicals segment engages in the refining of crude oil and petroleum products; and production and marketing of petrochemical products, derivative petrochemical products, and other chemical products. This segment?s product line comprises processed crude oil, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, ethylene, synthetic resins, synthetic fiber materials, polymers, synthetic rubber, and urea. The Marketing segment involves in the marketing of refined products and tradi ng businesses. It operated 17,996 service stations. The Natural Gas and Pipeline segment engages in the transmission of natural gas, crude oil, and refined products; and the sale of natural gas. It had a total length of 56,840 kilometers (km) of oil and gas pipelines, including 32,801 km of natural gas pipelines, 14,782 km of crude oil pipelines, and 9,257 km of refined product pipelines. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. PetroChina Company Limited is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By MARKETWATCH]
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks opened higher on Tuesday, as global investors look ahead to U.S. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen's first public remarks later in the day. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) rose 0.7% to 21,722.66. Asia's largest oil and gas company -- PetroChina Co. Ltd (HK:857) (PTR) -- climbed 2%, after the company said it has found a large natural-gas reserve in China's southwestern Sichuan basin, with 308 cubic meters of technically recoverable gas. Cnooc Ltd. (HK:883) (CEO) , China's largest offshore oil and gas producer, jumped 3.3%, while top refiner China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (HK:386) (SNP) also added 1.6%. Oilfield-equipment shares also benefited from the rally, as China Oilfield Services Ltd. (HK:2883) (CHOLF) gained 1.7%. Huadian Fuxin Energy Corp. Ltd. (HK:816) , the renewable-energy unit of Chinese state-owned power giant China Huadian Corp., jumped 3.2%, after the company said last week it had raised 1.18 billion Hong Kong dollars (about $152 million) through a sale of shares to institutional investors. Waste-management and energy company China Everbright International Ltd. (HK:257) (CHFFF) advanced 2.4%, and China Datang Renewable Power Co. Ltd. (HK:1798) tacked on
10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Coach Inc (COH)
Coach, Inc. (Coach), incorporated in June 2000, is a marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men. Coach�� product offerings include women�� and men�� bag, accessories, business cases, footwear, wearables, jewelry, sunwear, travel bags, watches and fragrance. The Company operates in two segments: Direct-to-Consumer and Indirect. Accessories include women�� and men�� small leather goods, novelty accessories and women�� and men�� belts. Women�� small leather goods, which coordinate with its handbags, include money pieces, wristlets, and cosmetic cases. Men�� small leather goods consist primarily of wallets and card cases. Novelty accessories include time management and electronic accessories. Key rings and charms are also included in this category. Men�� handbag collections include business cases, computer bags, messenger-style bags and totes. Footwear is distributed through select Coach retail stores, coach.com and about 1,000 United States department stores. Wearables category is comprised of jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats and scarves, including both cold weather and fashion.
The Company�� Jewelry category is comprised of bangle bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings offered in both sterling silver and non-precious metals. Marchon Eyewear, Inc. (Marchon) is the Coach�� eyewear licensee. Coach sunglasses are sold in Coach retail stores and coach.com, department stores, select sunglass retailers and optical retailers in major markets. The travel collections are comprised of luggage and related accessories, such as travel kits and valet trays. Movado Group, Inc. (Movado) is the Company�� watch licensee, which develops a collection of watches.
Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (Estee Lauder), through its subsidiary, Aramis Inc., is Coach�� fragrance licensee. Fragrance is distributed through Coach retail stores, coach.com and about 4,000 United States department stores and 500 international locations. Coach offers four women�� fragrance col! lections and one men�� fragrance. The women�� fragrance collections include eau de perfume spray, eau de toilette spray, purse spray, body lotion and body splashes.
Direct-to-Consumer Segment
The Direct-to-Consumer segment consists of channels that provide the Company with immediate, controlled access to consumers: Coach-operated stores in North America; Japan; Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and the Internet. This segment represented approximately 89% of Coach�� total net sales during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), with North American stores and the Internet, Coach Japan and Coach China contributing approximately 63%, 18% and 6% of total net sales, respectively. Coach stores are located in regional shopping centers and metropolitan areas throughout the United States and Canada. The retail stores carry an assortment of products. Its stores are located in locations, such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto.
Coach�� factory stores serve as a means to sell manufactured-for-factory-store product, including factory exclusives, as well as discontinued and irregular inventory outside the retail channel. These stores operate under the Coach Factory name. Coach�� factory store design, visual presentations and customer service levels support. Coach views its Website as a key communications vehicle for the brand to promote traffic in Coach retail stores and department store locations. Its online store provides a showcase environment where consumers can browse through a selected offering of the latest styles and colors.
Coach Japan operates department store shop-in-shop locations and freestanding flagship, retail and factory stores, as well as an e-commerce Website. Flagship stores offer an assortment of Coach products that are located in select shopping districts throughout Japan. Coach China operates department store shop-in-shop locations, as well as freestanding flagship, retail and factory sto! res. Flag! ship stores, which offer an assortment of Coach products, are located in select shopping districts throughout Hong Kong and mainland China. Coach Singapore and Taiwan operate department store shop-in-shop locations as well as freestanding flagship, retail and factory stores. Flagship stores, which offer a range of assortment of Coach products, are located in select shopping districts in Singapore and Taiwan.
The Reed Krakoff brand represents New American luxury primarily for handbags, accessories and ready-to-wear. Reed Krakoff operates department store shop-in-shop locations, freestanding flagship stores, as well as an e-commerce Website at reedkrakoff.com. Flagship stores, which offer an assortment of Reed Krakoff products, are located in select shopping districts in the United States and Japan.
Indirect Segment
The Indirect segment represented approximately 11% of total net sales in fiscal 2012, with United States Wholesale and Coach International representing approximately 6% and 4% of total net sales, respectively. The Indirect segment also includes royalties earned on licensed product. U.S. Wholesale channel offers access to Coach products to consumers who prefer shopping at department stores. Coach products are also available on macys.com, dillards.com, bloomingdales.com, lordandtaylor.com, belk.com, vonmaur.com and nordstrom.com. Coach�� products are sold in approximately 990 wholesale locations in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. wholesale customers are Macy�� (including Bloomingdale��), Dillard��, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Carson�� and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Coach International channel represents sales to international wholesale distributors and authorized retailers. Coach has developed relationships with a select group of distributors who sell Coach products through department stores and freestanding retail locations in over 20 countries. Coach�� network of international distributors serves various markets: South Korea, US & T! erritorie! s, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Singapore, UAE, France, China, Macau, Indonesia, Kuwait, Bahamas, Aruba, Vietnam, New Zealand, Bahrain, India and Brazil.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
Alamy Sometime, companies can make brilliant moves; other times, things don't work out quite as planned. From an airline overpaying its departing CEO to a new way to eat a waffle in the morning, here's a rundown of this week's best and worst results from the business world. Cedar Fair (FUN) -- Winner There were plenty of reasons to expect amusement park operator Cedar Fair to post lower revenue than it did a year earlier. The crowd-drawing Easter holiday slipped into the first quarter this year. Cedar Fair sold ones of its parks. There was one week less in the second quarter than during last year's period. More importantly, rival Six Flags (SIX) posted a 3 percent decline in revenue during the same period a few days ago. However, the parent company of Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm came through with a 1 percent uptick in revenue as guest spending was more than enough to offset the slowing turnstile clicks. This may be a small step, but it's welcome at a time when it faced the same fierce headwinds that many of its coaster rides do. J.C. Penney (JCP) -- Loser Activist investor Bill Ackman is raising a stink at J.C. Penney. Has he forgotten what happened the last time? Ackman is frustrated that the chain has stuck to former CEO Mike Ullman as its interim helmsman for too long. He wants the stumbling retailer to rush the process and bring another former J.C. Penney CEO to step in as chairman of the board. The problem here is that it was Ackman that pushed for J.C. Penney to bring on Apple Store mastermind Ron Johnson to rescue the chain two years ago. The makeover went terribly, and sales fell sharply as Johnson's moves alienated loyal shoppers without wooing new customers. Ackman is an accomplished investor, but it's hard to take him seriously here. Yum! Brands (YUM) -- Winner The parent company behind Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut made the cut in this weekly column last week after introducing a fast casual concept called KFC eleven that upgrades the me
- [By Michael Flannelly]
According to Cantor Fitzgerald analysts, Coach, Inc. (COH) has a bit of momentum going into the holiday season and beyond, plus an attractive current valuation. As such, the analysts initiated coverage on the luxury accessories designer with a bullish rating on Thursday.
The analysts rate COH as “Buy” and see shares reaching $66. This price target suggests a 21.5% upside to the stock’s Wednesday closing price of $54.30.
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Allegra Perry said, “Given the prospect of visible results as early as Holiday 2013 and improved momentum thereafter, the current discounted valuation (13.9x, near a low-point since the financial crisis) offers a compelling opportunity to enter a high quality luxury turnaround story, in our view. Beyond FY14E, improved trends in North America coupled with strong growth in international markets and the on-going share buyback program should help drive a return to double digit earnings growth from FY15E. The stock is also well-supported by yield, with the highest free cash flow yield in our coverage universe (c.6.3%) and one of the highest dividend yields (c.2.4%).”
Coach shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Thursday. The stock is down 2.18% year-to-date.
- [By Louis Navellier]
Of course, I’d also like to alert you to these big blue chips that have fallen in the eyes of the analyst community before they disappoint with their earnings reports.
Avon Products (AVP): In the past three months, analysts have slashed their estimates by 19%. Avon Products is expected to see sales fall 8.1% and earnings plunge 18.9%. AVP is a sell. Coach (COH): In the past three months, analysts have reduced their estimates by 11%. Coach is now headed towards a 1.1% drop in sales and an 8.9% drop in earnings. COH is a sell. Hess (HES): In the past three months, analysts have slashed their estimates by 19%. Hess is due to post a 75% year-on-year drop in sales and just 7.5% annual earnings growth. HES is a hold. H&R Block (HRB): In the past two months, analysts have slashed their estimates from a profit of 1 cent per share to a loss of 8 cents per share. HRB is a hold. Target (TGT): In the past two months, analysts have cut their estimates by 15%. Target is now expected to see sales retreat 2.8% over last year and earnings fall nearly 16%. TGT is a sell. Now a lot can happen in the weeks between now and these earnings announcements, so there is a chance that some of these will firm up before then. However, in the meantime I see no reason to hold stocks that are underperforming their peers, especially when so many premium stocks are still on sale.
10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Domtar Corp (UFS)
Domtar Corporation, incorporated on August 16, 2006, designs, manufactures, markets and distributes a range of fiber-based products, including communication papers, specialty and packaging papers and adult incontinence products. The Company operates in three business segments: Pulp and Paper, Distribution and Personal Care. Its Pulp and Paper segment consists of the manufacturing, sale and distribution of communication, specialty and packaging papers, as well as softwood, fluff and hardwood market pulp. The Company�� Distribution segment includes the purchasing, warehousing, sale and distribution of its paper products and those of other manufacturers. These products include business and printing papers, certain industrial products and printing supplies. Its Personal Care segment consists of the manufacturing, sale and distribution of adult incontinence products.The Company is an integrated marketer and manufacturer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America for a variety of customers, including merchants, retail outlets, stationers, printers, publishers, converters and end-users. The Company produces incontinence care products marketed primarily under the Attends brand. The Company owns and operates Ariva. On May 10, 2012, the Company acquired EAM Corporation. In June 2013, the Company announced the completion of its acquisition of Xerox Corp paper and print media products business in the United States and Canada. In July 2013, Domtar Corp announced that completion of the acquisition of Associated Hygienic Products (AHP) from DSG International. In January 2014, the Company acquired Laboratorios Indas, SAU.
Pulp and Paper
The Company produces 4.2 million metric tons of hardwood, softwood and fluff pulp at 12 of its 13 mills. The majority of its pulp is consumed internally to manufacture paper and consumer products, with the balance being sold as market pulp. The Company also purchases papergrade pulp from third parties. The Company has 10 pulp and paper mills (eight in the! United States and two in Canada), with an annual paper production capacity of approximately 3.4 million tons of uncoated freesheet paper. Its paper manufacturing operations are supported by 15 converting and distribution operations, including a network of 12 plants located offsite of its paper making operations. In addition, it has forms manufacturing operations at three offsite converting and distribution operations. Approximately 81% of its paper production capacity is in the United States, and the remaining 19% is located in Canada.
The Company produces market pulp in excess of its internal requirements at its three non-integrated pulp mills in Kamloops, Dryden, and Plymouth, as well as at its pulp and paper mills in Espanola, Ashdown, Hawesville, Windsor, Marlboro and Nekoosa. The Company sells approximately 1.6 million metric tons of pulp per year depending on market conditions. Approximately 50% of its trade pulp production capacity is in the United States, and the remaining 50% is located in Canada. The fiber used by its pulp and paper mills in the United States is hardwood and softwood, both being readily available in the market from multiple third-party sources. The fiber used at its Windsor pulp and paper mill is hardwood originating from a variety of sources, including purchases on the open market in Canada and the United States, contracts with Quebec wood producers��marketing boards, public land where it has wood supply allocations and from its private lands. The softwood and hardwood fiber for its Espanola pulp and paper mill and the softwood fiber for its Dryden pulp mill, is obtained from third parties, directly or indirectly from public lands, through designated wood supply allocations for the pulp mills. The fiber used at the Company�� Kamloops pulp mill is all softwood, originating from third-party sawmilling operations in the southern-interior part of British Columbia.
The Company uses various chemical compounds in its pulp and paper manufacturing facili! ties that! it purchases, primarily on a central basis, through contracts. For pulp manufacturing, it uses numerous chemicals, including caustic soda, sodium chlorate, sulfuric acid, lime and peroxide. For paper manufacturing, it also uses several chemical products, including starch, precipitated calcium carbonate, optical brighteners, dyes and aluminum sulfate. It owns power generating assets, including steam turbines, at all of its integrated pulp and paper mills, as well as hydro assets at four locations: Espanola, Ottawa-Hull, Nekoosa and Rothschild. The Company�� business papers include copy and electronic imaging papers, which are used with ink jet and laser printers, photocopiers and plain-paper fax machines, as well as computer papers, preprinted forms and digital papers. These products are primarily for office and home use. The Company�� commercial printing and publishing papers include uncoated freesheet papers, such as offset papers and opaques. These uncoated freesheet grades are used in sheet and roll fed offset presses across the spectrum of commercial printing end-uses, including digital printing. Its publishing papers include tradebook and lightweight uncoated papers used primarily in book publishing applications, such as textbooks, dictionaries, catalogs, magazines, hard cover novels and financial documents. Design papers, a sub-group of commercial printing and publishing papers, have features of color, brightness and texture and are targeted towards graphic artists, design and advertising agencies, primarily for special brochures and annual reports. These products also include base papers that are converted into finished products, such as envelopes, tablets, business forms and data processing/computer forms.
The Company also produces paper for several specialty and packaging markets. These products consist primarily of base stock for thermal printing, flexible packaging, food packaging, medical gowns and drapes, sandpapers backing, carbonless printing, labels and other coating a! nd lamina! ting applications. The Company also manufactures papers for industrial and specialty applications, including carrier papers, treated papers, security papers and specialized printing and converting applications. The Company sells business papers primarily to paper stationers, merchants, office equipment manufacturers and retail outlets. The Company distributes uncoated commercial printing and publishing papers to end-users and commercial printers, mainly through paper merchants, as well as selling directly to converters. The Company sells its specialty and packaging papers mainly to converters, who apply a further production process, such as coating, laminating, folding or waxing to its papers before selling them to a variety of specialized end-users.
Distribution
The Company's Distribution business involves the purchasing, warehousing, sale and distribution of the Company's various products and those of other manufacturers. These products include business, printing and publishing papers and certain packaging products. These products are sold to diverse customer base, which includes small, medium and large commercial printers, publishers, quick copy firms, catalog and retail companies and institutional entities. The Company's Distribution business operates in the United States and Canada under a single banner and umbrella name, Ariva. Ariva operates throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest areas from 16 locations in the United States, including 12 distribution centers serving customers across North America.
Personal Care
The Company's Personal Care business sells and manufactures adult incontinence products and distributes disposable washcloths marketed primarily under the Attends brand name. The Company is a supplier of adult incontinence products sold into North America and Northern Europe, selling to hospitals (acute cares) and nursing homes (long-term care) and the Company has a growing presence in the homecare and retail channels. The C! ompany op! erates two manufacturing facilities, with each having the ability to produce multiple product categories. The Company also has a research and development facility and production lines which manufacture high quality airlaid and ultrathin laminated absorbent cores.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rich Duprey]
Specialty paper maker�Domtar� (NYSE: UFS ) �wrote it all down yesterday: it�will pay a�regular quarterly dividend�of $0.55 per share that's 22% higher than the $0.45 per share payout it made last quarter. Shareholders of record on June 14 will receive the new dividend rate at the close of business on July 15.
- [By Saibus Research]
Weyerhaeuser is the largest forest products real estate investment trust in the United States. Weyerhaeuser grows and harvests trees, builds homes and makes a range of forest products essential to everyday lives. The company has undergone a dramatic level of strategic and organizational level change over the past several years in the wake of its debt-funded hostile takeover of Willamette Industries in 2002. In 2006, Weyerhaeuser agreed to spin off its fine paper business under a split-off transaction with Domtar (UFS). Under the terms of the deal, Weyerhaeuser would spin-off the fine paper business and the business would merge with Domtar Inc to create Domtar Corporation. Weyerhaeuser has four business segments as follows:
- [By Maxx Chatsko]
CAPS, a stock-tracking game developed by The Motley Fool, is a great way to keep track of long-term picks even when they fall off of your watchlist.�In the following video, Fool.com contributor and active CAPS community member, Maxx Chatsko, explains why he hasn't given up on his CAPS pick of�Domtar� (NYSE: UFS ) . He believes this company's progress has not been adequately rewarded by the market in the last six months, but feels as confident as ever that it presents a great opportunity for investors hunting for a great dividend or an undervalued and under-the-radar growth opportunity. You can follow all of his CAPS picks by clicking on the link in the disclosure below.�
10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Stifel Financial Corporation(SF)
Stifel Financial Corp., a financial holding company, operates as a retail and institutional brokerage, and investment banking company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Global Wealth Management segment offers securities transaction, brokerage, and investment services, including equity securities; fixed income securities, which comprise municipal, corporate, and government agency securities; preferred stocks; and unit investment trusts. This segment also provides managed fee-based products; and insurance and annuity products, as well as securities-based lending services. In addition, it offers retail and commercial banking services to private and corporate clients, including personal loan programs, such as fixed and variable mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, personal loans, loans secured by certificates of deposit or savings, and securities-based loans; and commercial lending programs, such as small business loans, commercial real estate loa ns, lines of credit, credit cards, term loans, and inventory and receivables financing. As of December 31, 2011, this segment operated a network of 1,833 financial advisors located in 291 branch offices in 44 states and the District of Columbia; and 154 independent contractors. Its Institutional Group segment offers research, equity, and fixed income institutional sales and trading, investment banking, public finance, and syndicate services. This segment distributes equity research products to institutional investors; provides financial advisory services principally with respect to mergers and acquisitions, and the execution of public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities; and coordinates marketing, distribution, pricing, and stabilization of managed equity and debt offerings. It serves individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Stifel Financial Corp.(SF) agreed to buy Legg Mason Inc.'s(LM) investment-advisory and trust-services unit, which manages more than $9 billion in assets, the companies said. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.