The Federal Reserve recently approved regulations to help credit card customers avoid getting hit with heavy late fines when they miss their scheduled payments. The new rules block credit card companies from charging more than $25 for late payments except in extreme circumstances (if a consumer has shown a pattern of “repeated” violations or if a card issuer can show that a higher fee reasonably offsets its own costs in dealing with the violation). Also, creditors can no longer charge customers for not using their cards. This move follows recent changes where card issuers were prohibited from hiking interest rates on existing balances as long as customers paid their bills on time. Credit card companies must also now notify customers at least 45 days in advance of interest rate increases and most fee changes. Be sure to check your credit card statements carefully in the event your credit card issuer is not following through on these new changes. As for today’s start to the new market week, we saw sellers take charge, stunting optimism there would a follow-up rally to Friday’s move. Hewlett-Packard ( HPQ ) saw a pop from its $10 billion stock buyback announcement. I have repeatedly said that buybacks are not as attractive as Wall Street always likes to make them out to be. Boosting their dividends to a respectable level (HPQ currently has a .84% dividend yield) would have been a great move in my book, but the company decided to go in a different direction. Commodity plays like CF Industries ( CF ) and U.S. Steel ( X ) moved lower as did financial names PNC Financial ( PNC ) and Prudential ( PRU ) . Volume could be a definite issue this week as the end of summer vacation period wraps up over the next week or so. We are still unable to put together strong volume sessions on the upside with any consistent basis. We will certainly be looking over our recommended names for any further potential changes we think need to be made to our industry-leading Best Dividend Stocks list. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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Market Wrap-Up for Aug.30 (HPQ, PNC, PRU, CF, X, more)

Raven Industries Inc. ( RAVN ) delivered a net income of $12.9 million, or 72 cents per share in its first quarter, ended April 30, 2010, up from $9.2 million or 51 cents per share in the year-ago period. The company exceeded the Zacks Consensus estimate of 52 cents. The earnings climb of 41% was more pronounced than the 23% earnings rise delivered in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. Factors like Raven’s improving markets, operational efficiencies and higher productivity, and introduction of Slingshot technology were instrumental to growth. Revenues in the quarter were $85 million, up 30% from $65.2 million in the year-ago period. The increase was driven by robust performance across all segments, led by Engineered Films with sales growth of 92%, closely followed by the Aerostar segment with sales growth of 78%. Expenses increased year over year on an absolute basis, with cost of goods sold (COGS) up 29% and selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) increasing 15%. However, when expressed as a percentage of revenues, COGS decreased 63 basis points and SG&A decreased 84 basis points in the quarter compared with the prior-year quarter, reflecting Raven’s focus on cutting down costs to the bone. Consequently, gross margin expanded 63 basis points and operating margin climbed 130 basis points compared with the year-ago period. Segment Performance Applied Technology revenues increased by 12% to $32.9 million. Operating income at the segment was $12.4 million, up 29% from the year-ago level. Results were aided by the strong response to Raven’s Slingshot information management platform. Revenues at the Engineered Films segment increased by an impressive 92% to $25.6 million in the quarter, driven by improving markets such as energy, construction and agriculture. Operating income was $4.1 million, a 52% improvement over the year-earlier period. The Electronic Systems segment posted revenues of $16.3 million in the reported quarter, up 1% from the year-earlier period. Despite delivering positive results, this segment lagged the performance of the other segments. The lackluster result at the segment may partly be attributable to weak Avionics performance given the reduced demand from commercial airlines. However, a new order at the segment, aided by increased sourcing of assemblies to Raven’s Applied Technology Division, somewhat mitigated the loss. Growing demand for aerostats boosted the Aerostar segment’s revenues by 78% to $11.7 million and operating income by 87% to $2.2 million compared with the year-ago period. Financial Position Raven had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $49.5 million as of…

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Raven Industries Soars Past – Analyst Blog

Filed under: International Markets , Newsletters , Stocks to Buy , Israel “Israel-based Shamir Optical Industries ( SHMR ) makes lenses for eyeglasses, focusing on progressive lenses (also called no-line bifocals); it also sells finished lenses directly to opticians and provides design services to other lens manufacturers,” says income specialist Carla Pasternak . The editor of High Yield International asserts, “The shares of this small cap company are attractively valued and carry a juicy 6% yield. “Like many foreign companies, Shamir pays dividends once per year. The stock paid a $0.61 dividend in December 2009, which was a +150% increase over the 2008 dividend and translates to a solid 6.4% yield. Continue reading Shamir Optical (SHMR): Visionary Value? Shamir Optical (SHMR): Visionary Value? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

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Shamir Optical (SHMR): Visionary Value?

We have been getting asked if last week’s sell-off was a major “buying opportunity”. Despite what appeared to be a significant pullback, many of the names that are currently on our “recommended” list, did not see much of any major correction to speak of. Many of the momentum growth-style names that we see moving double-digits were opportunities, but only if you are skilled enough and have the discipline to be a nimble trader. Is there a better opportunity coming? I certainly see lots of danger on the horizon that could trigger further downside, but we will need to continue to monitor the names on our list and continue to go through our data to be sure our “Best Dividend Stocks” list is positioned well for when those events possibly occur. In the meantime, the markets were able to shake off a bit of early selling to trade a bit higher, but by day’s end the indices closed lower for the most part. Commodity-related names like U.S. Steel ( X ) , CF Industries ( CF ) , and Consol Energy ( CNX ) did not participate much in the intraday bounce and lagged most of the day. Also trading poorly were financial plays Mastercard ( MA ) , Visa ( V ) , and Blackrock ( BLK ) . Names that did manage to buck the downtrend included Hasbro ( HAS ) , ConocoPhillips ( COP ) , and Darden Restaurants ( DRI ) . Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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Market Wrap-Up for May 11 (MA, V, BLK, CNX, X, CF, COP, more

Here are some of the biggest dividend stock winners and losers from the week that just ended. Company Fri. Close Weekly % Change Administaff Inc. ( ASF ) $25.46 +15.00% Fidelity National Information Services Inc. ( FIS ) $28.76 +9.40% Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc ( DPS ) $35.72 +9.14% Best Buy Co. Inc. ( BBY ) $41.03 -9.86% General Electric Company ( GE ) $16.88 -10.50% Charles Schwab Corporation (The) ( SCHW ) $17.22 -10.73% Schlumberger ( SLB ) $62.86 -11.99% Peabody Energy Corporation ( BTU ) $40.93 -12.39% CF Industries Holdings Inc. ( CF ) $73.30 -12.39% Aflac ( AFL ) $44.27 -13.13% Consol Energy ( CNX ) $38.34 -14.19% Masco Corporation ( MAS ) $13.66 -15.83% Bucyrus International Inc. ( BUCY ) $52.36 -16.72% Dow Chemical ( DOW ) $25.50 -17.29% Guess? Inc. ( GES ) $37.61 -18.01% Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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Dividend Stock Leaders and Laggards from the Week of May 3-7 (DPS, BTU, SLB, BBY, GE, DOW, more)

Someone stole 300 pounds of copper wire and tools from Rock Hill Industries, and they used the busin Thieves use golf cart to steal copper, tools from Rock Hill Industries

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Thieves use golf cart to steal copper, tools from Rock Hill Industries

May 1 – Three months ended March 31 Net profit 953.3 vs 701.0 Net sales 14,711.3 vs 9,083.9 NOTE: Alok Industries Ltd is a textiles firm. Keywords: ALOK IND RESULT/ three months ended march Indias Alok Ind Jan-Mar net up 36 pct

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Indias Alok Ind Jan-Mar net up 36 pct

JDA Software Group Inc. ( JDAS ) reported 2010 first-quarter results after the closing bell on Tuesday. The company reported a GAAP net loss of $4.3 million, compared to a GAAP net income of $2.6 million in the year-ago quarter. However, excluding special items, pro forma earnings per share came in at 31 cents, which topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8 cents. Shares of the company gained nearly 1% in early morning trade on the Nasdaq.  JDA Software is a provider of enterprise solutions designed to enable planning, optimization and execution of supply chain processes. The company offers its solutions to its worldwide customer base of more than 6,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesaler-distributors and services industries companies.  The Scottsdale, AZ-based JDA recorded a strong 58.0% growth in revenues to $131.6 million, compared to $83.3 million in the year-ago period. Product revenue grew by 47.1% year-over-year to $85.8 million primarily driven by a 70.2% growth in software license and subscription revenues from the Americas region coupled with a 32.7% growth in maintenance revenue. Services revenue also witnessed an impressive 83.3% growth to $45.8 million mainly due to higher revenues from consulting.  JDA recorded a 58.4% year-over-year growth in gross profit to $78.9 million primarily due to solid revenues. However, the company posted an operating loss of $253,000, compared to an

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JDA Software Outperforms – Analyst Blog

Roper Industries, Inc. ( ROP ) announced that adjusted earnings (excluding acquisition related inventory charge of 3 cents) for the first quarter were 65 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 65 cents. Earnings were up 10.2% year over year from 59 cents. The company reported higher sales, increased order growth, impressive cash flow and consistent focus on working capital management and improved margins. The Verathon acquisition added double-digit sales growth and performed very well in its first full quarter as part of Roper’s Scientific and Industrial Imaging segment, the company said. Moreover, Roper Industries acquired the Heartscape product line and expects to complete additional acquisitions during the year. Gross margins increased to 52.3% in the quarter from 49.7% in the year-ago period, reflecting strong execution and a higher margin business mix. Margins improved in three of the four segments, leading to overall higher margins for the company. The gross profit margin for the Industrial Technology segment improved to 49.9% from 48% in the year-ago period. The Scientific & Industrial Imaging margin improved to 59.5% from 54.4% in the year-ago period, while RF Technology improved to 49.7% from 47.4%. This was partially offset by the Energy Systems & Controls segment margin of 50.6%, which fell from 51.9% reported last year. Adjusted operating income of $104.6 million (excluding restructuring expenses and acquisition-related inventory charge) was up 15.5% from the previous year on improved sales. Although, the selling and administrative costs increased 8.8% year over year, the adjusted operating margin came in at 19.6% in the quarter, an improvement of 170 basis points year over year. Revenue First quarter revenues of $534.4 million were up 5.7% year over year, of which 7% of the growth came from Acquisitions/Divestitures and 2% from favorable foreign currency gain. However, this was partially offset by a negative organic growth rate of 3%. By segment, Scientific & Industrial Imaging and Industrial Technology segments performed well in the quarter as sales increased 54.8% and 3.6%, respectively. However, this was partially offset by segment sales at RF Technology and Energy Systems & Controls, which fell 11.3% and 0.9%, respectively. Revenues increased primarily due to better-than-expected customer orders, which increased 20% over the prior-year quarter of $471.6 million to a record $567.2 million. Of this 20% growth, 8% came from Acquisitions/Divestitures, 2% from favorable foreign currency gain and 10% from organic growth. Roper Industries witnessed an increase in orders for each of its four segments. Balance Sheet & Cash Flow Roper Industries ended the quarter with $191.3 million in cash and equivalents and $1.12 billion in long-term debt (including the current portion). Operating cash flow was a record $95.1 million in the quarter, an increase of 88% over the prior-year quarter. During the quarter, EBITDA increased to $130 million, or 24.3% of sales. Free Cash Flow of $89 million was 17% of sales and 148% of net earnings. Guidance Raised As a result of its strong first quarter performance and improving order trends, Roper Industries lifted its full year 2010 earnings per share guidance to $2.95 – $3.10 from the previously expected $2.83 – $3.03. The company also

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In-Line Quarter for Roper – Analyst Blog

April 15 – PPG Industries Inc: * Sees 2010 capital spending of $300 million to $350 million * Sees 2010 pension contribution of $240 million * CEO says not aware of any ‘notable’ inventory building in ‘most’ of end-use markets * Says demand re PPG Industries Q1 2010 conference call details

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PPG Industries Q1 2010 conference call details

Given the critical sustainability factor in the current sluggish economic recovery, we have recently downgraded our recommendation on Amerisafe Inc. ( AMSF ) to Underperform.   Amerisafe’s fourth quarter operating earnings of 32 cents per share came in substantially short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 58 cents. This also compares unfavorably with earnings of 94 cents in the prior-year quarter. Results for the reported quarter exclude net realized after-tax capital gains and losses.   Results deteriorated due to a year-over-year decrease in top line and an increase in expenses. For the reported quarter, the adjustment of current accident year loss ratio resulted in an additional loss and loss adjustment expense (LAE) of $12.1 million. The current accident year loss ratio adjustment was primarily driven by severe claims occurring in the reported quarter.   Headquartered in DeRidder, Louisiana, Amerisafe Inc. is a specialty provider of workers’ compensation insurance, which markets and underwrites its insurance through its subsidiaries.   Amerisafe’s focus on providing workers’ compensation insurance to employers engaged in hazardous industries results in fewer but more severe claims than many other workers’ compensation insurance companies.   Additionally, employers engaged in hazardous industries pay substantially higher than average rates for workers’ compensation insurance due to the inherent dangers in the workplace.   Amerisafe has a history of profitable underwriting in these industries. The policy renewal rates of the company on voluntary business were 91.1% in 2006, 90.8% in 2007, 91.7% in 2008 and 91.8% in 2009. We believe that the company’s specialized knowledge and extensive experience of insuring employers engaged in hazardous industries will help it serve its policyholders better, leading to enhanced employer loyalty and policy retention.   However, the workers’ compensation industry is cyclical in nature and influenced by many factors including price competition, natural and man-made disasters, changes in interest rates and general economic conditions.   Currently, the workers’ compensation insurance industry

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Amerisafe Lowered to Underperform – Analyst Blog

Metals recycler Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. ( SCHN ) said late Wednesday that it swung to a second quarter profit, helped by a big jump in revenue fueled by higher demand for its metals and auto parts products. The Portland, OR-based company reported fiscal second quarter net income of $17.5 million, or 62 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $7 million, or 25 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue jumped 39% from last year, to $564.3 million. On average, Wall Street analysts expected a smaller profit of 48 cents per share, on lower revenue of $511.3 million. Schnitzer Steel shares were mostly flat in premarket trading Thursday. The Bottom Line We removed shares of SCHN back on July 24, 2008, when the stock was trading at $79.57. The company has a .12% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing stock price of $54.42. The stock has technical support in the $47-$50 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $57-$60 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now. Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. ( SCHN ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .

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Schnitzer Steel Swings to Q2 Profit as Revenue Rises Dramatically (SCHN)