ABTL autobytel.com, Inc.
ARWR Arrowhead
AVXL Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
CRM Salesforce.com, Inc.
EMIS Emisphere Technologies, Inc.
MIL Millipore Corp.
PANL Universal Display Corp.
QSFT Quest Software, Inc.
RCMT RCM Technologies, Inc.
TIII TII Industries, Inc.
VMW VMware Inc.
VNV Viacom Inc.
XEC Cimarex Energy Co.
New 52-Week Low -Friday
AEO American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
ACUR Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
AEXP American Exploration Corp.
ALVR Alvarion Ltd.
AMAR Amarillo Biosciences
AMPL Ampal-American Israel Corp.
AMRI Albany Molecular Research, Inc.
ARYX ARYx Therapeutics Inc.
ATTD Attitude Drinks Inc.
BDSI BioDelivery Sciences Intl, Inc.
BKBO BakBone Software Inc.
BSX Boston Scientific Corp.
CF CF Industries Holdings, Inc
CADX Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc.
CASB Cascade Financial Corp.
CLMS Calamos Asset Management Inc.
CMED China Medical Technologies Inc.
COCO Corinthian Colleges, Inc.
CRYP CryptoLogic Ltd.
CWCO Consolidated Water Co. Ltd.
DRYS Dry Ships Inc.
DWSN Dawson Geophysical Co.
ECOL US Ecology Inc.
EEFT Euronet Services, Inc.
EFIR EGPI Firecreek, Inc.
ELCR Electric Car Co., Inc.
ENG ENGlobal Corp.
ERII Energy Recovery Inc.
ESLR Evergreen Solar, Inc.
EURX Eurand N.V.
FFNW First Financial Northwest, Inc.
FORM FormFactor Inc.
GILD Gilead Sciences, Inc.
ICFI ICF International Inc.
IESC Integrated Electrical Services, Inc.
IFXY INFRAX Systems Inc.
INFN Infinera Corp.
INOD Innodata Corp.
KRNY Kearny Financial Corp.
LABL Multi-Color Corp.
LACO Lakes Gaming, Inc.
LIME Lime Energy Co.
LTON Linktone Ltd.
MEMS Memsic Inc.
NCEN Nacel Energy Corp.
NUBL NuMobile, Inc.
NVGN Novogen Ltd.
NWPX Northwest Pipe Co.
OPTR Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.
PBCT Peoples Bank
PNSN Penson Worldwide Inc.
RPRX Repros Therapeutics .
SHOR ShoreTel, Inc.
SIXFQ Six Flags, Inc.
SMTB Smithtown Bancorp Inc.
SOEN Solar Enertech Corp.
SRDX SurModics, Inc.
TRCR Transcend Services, Inc.
VITA Orthovita Inc.
VIVO Meridian Bioscience Inc.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
BP CEO Tony Hayward sold shares weeks before oil spill ? Buy Boycott BP Bumper Sticker
Mr Hayward, whose pay package is £4 million a year, then paid off the mortgage on his family’s mansion in Kent, which is estimated to be valued at more than £1.2 million.
There is no suggestion that he acted improperly or had prior knowledge that the company was to face the biggest setback in its history.
His decision, however, means he avoided losing more than £423,000 when BP’s share price plunged after the oil spill began six weeks ago.
Since he disposed of 223,288 shares on March 17, the company’s share price has fallen by 30 per cent. About £40 billion has been wiped off its total value. The fall has caused pain not just for BP shareholders, but also for millions of company pension funds and small investors who have money held in tracker funds.
The spill, which has still not been stemmed, has caused a serious environmental crisis and is estimated to cost BP up to £40 billion to clean up.
There was growing confidence yesterday that a new cap placed over the well was stemming the oil flow. An estimated three million litres a day had been pouring into the sea off the coast of Louisiana since the April 20 explosion, damaging marine life.
The crisis has enraged US politicians, with President Obama yesterday forced to cancel a trip to Indonesia amid a row over the White House’s response.
Mr Hayward, whose position is thought to be under threat, risked further fury by continuing plans to pay out a dividend to investors next month. Boycott BP Bumper Sticker - British Polluters Oil Spill Decal - Environmental
J. Swaie - R. Winett
His decision, however, means he avoided losing more than £423,000 when BP’s share price plunged after the oil spill began six weeks ago.
Since he disposed of 223,288 shares on March 17, the company’s share price has fallen by 30 per cent. About £40 billion has been wiped off its total value. The fall has caused pain not just for BP shareholders, but also for millions of company pension funds and small investors who have money held in tracker funds.
The spill, which has still not been stemmed, has caused a serious environmental crisis and is estimated to cost BP up to £40 billion to clean up.
There was growing confidence yesterday that a new cap placed over the well was stemming the oil flow. An estimated three million litres a day had been pouring into the sea off the coast of Louisiana since the April 20 explosion, damaging marine life.
The crisis has enraged US politicians, with President Obama yesterday forced to cancel a trip to Indonesia amid a row over the White House’s response.
Mr Hayward, whose position is thought to be under threat, risked further fury by continuing plans to pay out a dividend to investors next month. Boycott BP Bumper Sticker - British Polluters Oil Spill Decal - Environmental
J. Swaie - R. Winett
Monday, May 10, 2010
Futures jump: S&P 52.3 pts, Dow 400 pts, Nasdaq 81.25 US STOCKS-Futures soar after euro zone rescue plan
* Futures indicate S&P 500 could open up 4 pct
* Futures jump: S&P 52.3 pts, Dow 400 pts, Nasdaq 81.25
* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]
NEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures soared on Monday, and the S&P 500 could open 4 percent higher, after global leaders agreed to a $1 trillion emergency rescue package that sent the euro and European stocks surging.
* The package pledged 500 billion euros ($670 billion) in loans and loan guarantees to euro-zone countries, plus about 250 billion euros from the International Monetary Fund. The package is on the same scale as the $700 billion bailout launched by the United States to stave off the credit crisis. For details, see
* Also, the U.S. Federal Reserve reopened currency swap lines with several central banks in hopes of assuring markets of dollar liquidity, and the European Central Bank said it would buy government debt to steady investor nerves. A number of European central banks said they had already started. [ID:nLDE649051]
* S&P 500 futures SPc1 rose 52.3 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures DJc1 shot up 400 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures NDc1 gained 81.25 points.
* In Europe, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top shares advanced 6.5 percent, rebounding from its biggest weekly drop in nearly 18 months.
* The heads of leading U.S. stock market operators were called to Washington for an emergency meeting on Monday to address whether they needed to add levers to their trading systems to halt sudden plunges in individual stocks, according to a source.
* The meeting comes on the heels of last week's dramatic intraday plunge in U.S. markets that has continued to perplex investors and regulators.
* In equities news, Boeing Co (BA.N) is on track to deliver its first 787 Dreamliner, which will compete with Airbus's (EAD.PA) A380 jet, a Boeing official said Saturday.
* Stocks turned negative for the year on Friday on fears of another credit crisis stemming from Greece's souring finances and lingering questions about what triggered last week's sudden plunge.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Weekly CEO Sells stocks .....
Altera Corp. (ALTR): President and CEO John Daane sold 1,500,000 Shares
President and CEO of Altera Corp. (ALTR) John Daane sold 1,500,000 shares on 04/22/2010 at an average price of $26.08. Altera Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets programmable logic devices and associated development tools, focusing on ease of use, lower risk, and fast time-to-market. Altera Corp. has a market cap of $7.61 billion; its shares were traded at around $25.36 with a P/E ratio of 21.3 and P/S ratio of 6.4. The dividend yield of Altera Corp. stocks is 0.7%.
On April 20, Altera Corporation announced first quarter sales of $402.3 million, up 10 percent from the fourth quarter of 2009 and up 52 percent from the first quarter of 2009. New product sales increased 29 percent sequentially. First quarter net income was $153.2 million, $0.50 per diluted share, compared with net income of $103.0 million, $0.34 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2009 and $44.0 million, $0.15 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2009.
President and CEO John Daane sold 1,700,000 shares of ALTR stock in April, March and December. Acting CFO & CAO James Callas sold 2,729 shares of ALTR stock on 12/07/2009 at the average price of 22.08, the price of the stock has increased by 14.86% since. Sr. VP Business Dvlpmnt Lance Lissner sold 157,201 shares of ALTR stock in April. Sr VP & GM Penang Operation Jordan Plofsky sold 20,000 shares of ALTR stock on 04/14/2010 at the average price of 26, the price of the stock has decreased by 2.46% since.
Citigroup Inc. (C): CEO, Institutional Clients Grp John P Havens sold 597,177 Shares
CEO, Institutional Clients Grp of Citigroup Inc. (C) John P Havens sold 597,177 shares on 04/26/2010 at an average price of $4.68. Citigroup Inc, a financial services company, has some two hundred million customer accounts and does business in more than hundred countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citigroup Inc. has a market cap of $124.44 billion; its shares were traded at around $4.37 with and P/S ratio of 1.2.
On April 19, Citigroup Inc. reported first quarter 2010 net income of $4.4 billion or $0.15 per diluted share, and revenues of $25.4 billion.
CEO, Institutional Clients Grp John P Havens sold 597,177 shares of C stock on 04/26/2010 at the average price of 4.68, the price of the stock has decreased by 6.62% since. Director Judith Rodin sold 1,855 shares of C stock on 01/21/2010 at the average price of 3.34, the price of the stock has increased by 30.84% since.
Marriott International Inc. (MAR): Chairman & CEO, 10% Owner J W Jr Marriott sold 350,000 Shares
Chairman & CEO, 10% Owner of Marriott International Inc. (MAR) J W Jr Marriott sold 350,000 shares on 04/26/2010 at an average price of $37.86. Marriott International, Inc. operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott International Inc. has a market cap of $13.18 billion; its shares were traded at around $36.76 with a P/E ratio of 40 and P/S ratio of 1.3. The dividend yield of Marriott International Inc. stocks is 0.4%.
On April 22, Marriott International, Inc. reported first quarter 2010 results, exceeding its revenue per available room and diluted earnings per share (EPS) expectations. Net income was $83 million in the first quarter of 2010 compared to a reported net loss of $23 million in the year-ago quarter. Reported diluted EPS was $0.22 in the first quarter of 2010 compared to reported diluted losses per share of $0.06 in the first quarter of 2009.
Chairman & CEO, 10% Owner J W Jr Marriott sold 546, 350 shares of MAR stock in April and March. 13D Group Owning more than 10% David S Marriott, 10% Owner Richard E Marriott, 13D Group Owning more than 10% John W Marriott III, Pres/COO Ritz Carlton Hotel Co Simon Cooper, and Vice Chairman of the Company William Joseph Shaw together sold 505,582 shares of MAR stock in April and March.
Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC): Chmn/CEO Omnicom Media Group Daryl Simm sold 258,334 Shares
Chmn/CEO Omnicom Media Group of Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) Daryl Simm sold 258,334 shares on 04/22/2010 at an average price of $42.19. Omnicom Group Inc. provides corporate communications services to clients worldwide on a global, pan-regional, national and local basis. Omnicom Group Inc. has a market cap of $13.24 billion; its shares were traded at around $42.66 with a P/E ratio of 16.7 and P/S ratio of 1.1. The dividend yield of Omnicom Group Inc. stocks is 2%. Omnicom Group Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 18.2% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Omnicom Group Inc. the business predictability rank of 3-star.
On April 20, Omnicom Group Inc. announced that its net income for the first quarter of 2010 decreased 0.7% to $163.4 million from $164.5 million in the first quarter of 2009. Omnicom's diluted net income per common share in the first quarter of 2010 decreased 1.9% to $0.52 per share from $0.53 per share in the first quarter of 2009.
Chmn/CEO Omnicom Media Group Daryl Simm, President & CEO TBWA Worldwide Thomas Carroll, and President & CEO DDB Worldwide Charles E Brymer together sold378,334 shares of OMC stock in March and April.
COLLECTIVE BRANDS (PSS): Chairman, CEO and President Matthew E Rubel sold 230,300 Shares
Chairman, CEO and President of COLLECTIVE BRANDS (PSS) Matthew E Rubel sold 230,300 shares on 04/27/2010 at an average price of $26.22. Payless ShoeSource, Inc. is a family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere, dedicated to democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value. Collective Brands has a market cap of $1.52 billion; its shares were traded at around $23.45 with a P/E ratio of 17.9 and P/S ratio of 0.5.
On Mar 09, Collective Brands, Inc. reported financial results for its 2009 fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 30, 2010. The fourth quarter 2009 net loss attributable to Collective Brands, Inc. was $10.9 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $144.0 million, or $2.28 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2008. Taking adjustments(1) into account, the fourth quarter 2009 net loss attributable to Collective Brands, Inc. was $11.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, driven by significant gross margin expansion. This compares to a fourth quarter 2008 net loss of $38.1 million, or $0.60 per share.
Chairman, CEO and President Matthew E Rubel sold 230,300 shares of PSS stock on 04/27/2010 at the average price of 26.22, the price of the stock has decreased by 10.56% since. Senior Vice President Michael J Massey sold 20,400 shares of PSS stock on 03/10/2010 at the average price of 22.27, the price of the stock has increased by 5.3% since.
President and CEO of Altera Corp. (ALTR) John Daane sold 1,500,000 shares on 04/22/2010 at an average price of $26.08. Altera Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets programmable logic devices and associated development tools, focusing on ease of use, lower risk, and fast time-to-market. Altera Corp. has a market cap of $7.61 billion; its shares were traded at around $25.36 with a P/E ratio of 21.3 and P/S ratio of 6.4. The dividend yield of Altera Corp. stocks is 0.7%.
On April 20, Altera Corporation announced first quarter sales of $402.3 million, up 10 percent from the fourth quarter of 2009 and up 52 percent from the first quarter of 2009. New product sales increased 29 percent sequentially. First quarter net income was $153.2 million, $0.50 per diluted share, compared with net income of $103.0 million, $0.34 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2009 and $44.0 million, $0.15 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2009.
President and CEO John Daane sold 1,700,000 shares of ALTR stock in April, March and December. Acting CFO & CAO James Callas sold 2,729 shares of ALTR stock on 12/07/2009 at the average price of 22.08, the price of the stock has increased by 14.86% since. Sr. VP Business Dvlpmnt Lance Lissner sold 157,201 shares of ALTR stock in April. Sr VP & GM Penang Operation Jordan Plofsky sold 20,000 shares of ALTR stock on 04/14/2010 at the average price of 26, the price of the stock has decreased by 2.46% since.
Citigroup Inc. (C): CEO, Institutional Clients Grp John P Havens sold 597,177 Shares
CEO, Institutional Clients Grp of Citigroup Inc. (C) John P Havens sold 597,177 shares on 04/26/2010 at an average price of $4.68. Citigroup Inc, a financial services company, has some two hundred million customer accounts and does business in more than hundred countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citigroup Inc. has a market cap of $124.44 billion; its shares were traded at around $4.37 with and P/S ratio of 1.2.
On April 19, Citigroup Inc. reported first quarter 2010 net income of $4.4 billion or $0.15 per diluted share, and revenues of $25.4 billion.
CEO, Institutional Clients Grp John P Havens sold 597,177 shares of C stock on 04/26/2010 at the average price of 4.68, the price of the stock has decreased by 6.62% since. Director Judith Rodin sold 1,855 shares of C stock on 01/21/2010 at the average price of 3.34, the price of the stock has increased by 30.84% since.
Marriott International Inc. (MAR): Chairman & CEO, 10% Owner J W Jr Marriott sold 350,000 Shares
Chairman & CEO, 10% Owner of Marriott International Inc. (MAR) J W Jr Marriott sold 350,000 shares on 04/26/2010 at an average price of $37.86. Marriott International, Inc. operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott International Inc. has a market cap of $13.18 billion; its shares were traded at around $36.76 with a P/E ratio of 40 and P/S ratio of 1.3. The dividend yield of Marriott International Inc. stocks is 0.4%.
On April 22, Marriott International, Inc. reported first quarter 2010 results, exceeding its revenue per available room and diluted earnings per share (EPS) expectations. Net income was $83 million in the first quarter of 2010 compared to a reported net loss of $23 million in the year-ago quarter. Reported diluted EPS was $0.22 in the first quarter of 2010 compared to reported diluted losses per share of $0.06 in the first quarter of 2009.
Chairman & CEO, 10% Owner J W Jr Marriott sold 546, 350 shares of MAR stock in April and March. 13D Group Owning more than 10% David S Marriott, 10% Owner Richard E Marriott, 13D Group Owning more than 10% John W Marriott III, Pres/COO Ritz Carlton Hotel Co Simon Cooper, and Vice Chairman of the Company William Joseph Shaw together sold 505,582 shares of MAR stock in April and March.
Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC): Chmn/CEO Omnicom Media Group Daryl Simm sold 258,334 Shares
Chmn/CEO Omnicom Media Group of Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) Daryl Simm sold 258,334 shares on 04/22/2010 at an average price of $42.19. Omnicom Group Inc. provides corporate communications services to clients worldwide on a global, pan-regional, national and local basis. Omnicom Group Inc. has a market cap of $13.24 billion; its shares were traded at around $42.66 with a P/E ratio of 16.7 and P/S ratio of 1.1. The dividend yield of Omnicom Group Inc. stocks is 2%. Omnicom Group Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 18.2% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Omnicom Group Inc. the business predictability rank of 3-star.
On April 20, Omnicom Group Inc. announced that its net income for the first quarter of 2010 decreased 0.7% to $163.4 million from $164.5 million in the first quarter of 2009. Omnicom's diluted net income per common share in the first quarter of 2010 decreased 1.9% to $0.52 per share from $0.53 per share in the first quarter of 2009.
Chmn/CEO Omnicom Media Group Daryl Simm, President & CEO TBWA Worldwide Thomas Carroll, and President & CEO DDB Worldwide Charles E Brymer together sold378,334 shares of OMC stock in March and April.
COLLECTIVE BRANDS (PSS): Chairman, CEO and President Matthew E Rubel sold 230,300 Shares
Chairman, CEO and President of COLLECTIVE BRANDS (PSS) Matthew E Rubel sold 230,300 shares on 04/27/2010 at an average price of $26.22. Payless ShoeSource, Inc. is a family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere, dedicated to democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value. Collective Brands has a market cap of $1.52 billion; its shares were traded at around $23.45 with a P/E ratio of 17.9 and P/S ratio of 0.5.
On Mar 09, Collective Brands, Inc. reported financial results for its 2009 fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 30, 2010. The fourth quarter 2009 net loss attributable to Collective Brands, Inc. was $10.9 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $144.0 million, or $2.28 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2008. Taking adjustments(1) into account, the fourth quarter 2009 net loss attributable to Collective Brands, Inc. was $11.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, driven by significant gross margin expansion. This compares to a fourth quarter 2008 net loss of $38.1 million, or $0.60 per share.
Chairman, CEO and President Matthew E Rubel sold 230,300 shares of PSS stock on 04/27/2010 at the average price of 26.22, the price of the stock has decreased by 10.56% since. Senior Vice President Michael J Massey sold 20,400 shares of PSS stock on 03/10/2010 at the average price of 22.27, the price of the stock has increased by 5.3% since.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Breaking News: SEC Charges Goldman Sachs with Fraud on Subprime Mortgages, Says Goldman Misstated, Omitted Key Facts (story developing) GS down 10 % /Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (Public, NYSE:GS)
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
(Public, NYSE:GS)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Jim Cramer Buy List ...
Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO)
Baltic Trading (BALT)
Intel (INTC)
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)
SanDisk (SNDK)
Western Digital (WDC)
Apple (AAPL)
Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG)
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Anadarko Petroleum (APC)
Costco (COST)
Imax (IMAX)
ARM Holdings (ARMH)
Yahoo! (YHOO)
Exelon (EXC)
Murphy Oil (MUR)
Sell:
Merck (MRK)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Twitter will make money by advertisements ?
Twitter set to make money through advertisements
Best BUY Co., Inc.
BBY.N
$44.76
-0.33-0.73%
1:40pm GMT
Starbucks Corporation
SBUX.O
$24.36
-0.13-0.53%
1:40pm GMT
* Co. to unveil "Promoted Tweets"
Stocks | Media | Cyclical Consumer Goods | Technology
* New ad programme targets 2-10 pct of users
* Starbucks, Best Buy will run ads -- NY Times
(Adds analyst comments)
April 13 (Reuters) - Popular microblogging site Twitter is all set to unveil its advertisement model on Tuesday, which would mark its first step towards allaying concerns about its revenue generating potential.
The advertising programme known as "Promoted Tweets" will be rolled out to two to 10 percent of users via search on Twitter.com beginning Tuesday, company spokesperson Sean Garrett told Reuters.
Promoted Tweets are ordinary tweets that businesses and organizations want to highlight to a wider group of users, Garrett said.
"Users will start to see tweets promoted by our partner advertisers called out at the top of some Twitter.com search results pages," he added.
Several companies will run ads, including Best Buy (BBY.N), Virgin America and Starbucks (SBUX.O), the New York Times said on its website.
The 2-1/2-year-old Internet start-up's short text messages or "tweets" have become a global social phenomenon and the service is used by millions of people every day.
"Twitter has great potential as a marketing and advertising channel with opportunities to create viral buzz around a product or service," said Eden Zoller, analyst at technology research firm Ovum.
"The flip side of Twitter's immediacy is that if advertising messages are not very carefully positioned users can hit back at brands and in real time, and brands will have little control over this."
Twitter, a privately held company, does not report earnings, but its website says: "While our business model is in a research phase, we spend more money than we make." (Reporting by Shrutika Verma in Bangalore, Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco and Georgina Prodhan in London; editing by Simon Jessop)
Best BUY Co., Inc.
BBY.N
$44.76
-0.33-0.73%
1:40pm GMT
Starbucks Corporation
SBUX.O
$24.36
-0.13-0.53%
1:40pm GMT
* Co. to unveil "Promoted Tweets"
Stocks | Media | Cyclical Consumer Goods | Technology
* New ad programme targets 2-10 pct of users
* Starbucks, Best Buy will run ads -- NY Times
(Adds analyst comments)
April 13 (Reuters) - Popular microblogging site Twitter is all set to unveil its advertisement model on Tuesday, which would mark its first step towards allaying concerns about its revenue generating potential.
The advertising programme known as "Promoted Tweets" will be rolled out to two to 10 percent of users via search on Twitter.com beginning Tuesday, company spokesperson Sean Garrett told Reuters.
Promoted Tweets are ordinary tweets that businesses and organizations want to highlight to a wider group of users, Garrett said.
"Users will start to see tweets promoted by our partner advertisers called out at the top of some Twitter.com search results pages," he added.
Several companies will run ads, including Best Buy (BBY.N), Virgin America and Starbucks (SBUX.O), the New York Times said on its website.
The 2-1/2-year-old Internet start-up's short text messages or "tweets" have become a global social phenomenon and the service is used by millions of people every day.
"Twitter has great potential as a marketing and advertising channel with opportunities to create viral buzz around a product or service," said Eden Zoller, analyst at technology research firm Ovum.
"The flip side of Twitter's immediacy is that if advertising messages are not very carefully positioned users can hit back at brands and in real time, and brands will have little control over this."
Twitter, a privately held company, does not report earnings, but its website says: "While our business model is in a research phase, we spend more money than we make." (Reporting by Shrutika Verma in Bangalore, Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco and Georgina Prodhan in London; editing by Simon Jessop)
Monday, April 12, 2010
10 Small-Cap Funds going higher in 2010
10 Small-Cap Funds Surging in 2010
Heartland is one of those fund companies that quietly chalks up good results without much fanfare. The Milwaukee-based company, led by managers like Bill Nasgovitz, searches for stocks that are out of favor, lightly covered by analysts and trade at deep discounts. It’s a strategy that has worked well for the firm over the long haul.
That is evidenced by the $1 billion (assets) Heartland Value Plus fund (HRVIX). The fund stayed in the top 2% of its Morningstar category during the trailing three- and five-year time periods, and, over the last decade, it has averaged an annual return of 11%. All the while, it has kept turnover relatively low and taxes to a minimum.
The Heartland fund made the cut this week on a list we compiled of top-performing small-cap funds. Morningstar tracks 2,092 small-cap funds and share classes. We narrowed that universe by looking for funds that had performance track records over the trailing three- and five-year time periods that put them in the top third of their peer group. In addition, we looked for funds that didn’t levy a sales load and charged decent annual fees, or less than 1.5%. We were eventually left with 10 funds.
Back in February, we first called attention to the early 2010 returns of this category by highlighting small-cap value funds. Since then, the group has continued to do well. According to Morningstar, the average small-cap fund is up 11% this year. Only consumer discretionary, real estate and financial-sector funds have performed better in 2010.
The Heartland fund made the cut this week on a list we compiled of top-performing small-cap funds. Morningstar tracks 2,092 small-cap funds and share classes. We narrowed that universe by looking for funds that had performance track records over the trailing three- and five-year time periods that put them in the top third of their peer group. In addition, we looked for funds that didn’t levy a sales load and charged decent annual fees, or less than 1.5%. We were eventually left with 10 funds.
Back in February, we first called attention to the early 2010 returns of this category by highlighting small-cap value funds. Since then, the group has continued to do well. According to Morningstar, the average small-cap fund is up 11% this year. Only consumer discretionary, real estate and financial-sector funds have performed better in 2010.
Still, it’s important to note the risks with small caps — stocks we define as having market caps below $2 billion. Trading in these stocks can be volatile, and, as investors go down the market-cap spectrum, the stocks also become vulnerable to manipulation as liquidity issues pop up. Small companies can also have trouble getting access to capital to help them grow. When that funding disappears so, too, does the support for the stock price.
Of course, every company starts out as a small firm. Investors follow these stocks because they think they may stumble across the next Google (GOOG: 572.73, +6.51, +1.14%) or Microsoft (MSFT: 30.32, -0.02, -0.06%). Small caps can be acquisition targets for larger competitors, allowing shareholders to realize sizable gains when the deal is done at a premium. In addition, traditional value investors will say research shows that small caps and stocks trading at a discount offer the best returns over the long term.
We would suggest using several criteria when picking a fund in this space. Ideally, you want a fund that has a proven, long-term track record of picking out good small-company stocks. Although there is no strong correlation between returns and manager tenure, we would also suggest looking for fund managers who have been investing in small caps for many years, as their extended time on the job may help you sleep easier at night.
The criteria: The funds on our list are part of Morningstar’s “small” equity box category. They are open to new money, require a minimum investment under $5,000 and charge an annual expense ratio less than 1.5%. In addition, they had track records over the trailing three- and five-year time periods that put them in the top 33% of their peer group. As usual, we did not include funds that charge a sales load.
Of course, every company starts out as a small firm. Investors follow these stocks because they think they may stumble across the next Google (GOOG: 572.73, +6.51, +1.14%) or Microsoft (MSFT: 30.32, -0.02, -0.06%). Small caps can be acquisition targets for larger competitors, allowing shareholders to realize sizable gains when the deal is done at a premium. In addition, traditional value investors will say research shows that small caps and stocks trading at a discount offer the best returns over the long term.
We would suggest using several criteria when picking a fund in this space. Ideally, you want a fund that has a proven, long-term track record of picking out good small-company stocks. Although there is no strong correlation between returns and manager tenure, we would also suggest looking for fund managers who have been investing in small caps for many years, as their extended time on the job may help you sleep easier at night.
The criteria: The funds on our list are part of Morningstar’s “small” equity box category. They are open to new money, require a minimum investment under $5,000 and charge an annual expense ratio less than 1.5%. In addition, they had track records over the trailing three- and five-year time periods that put them in the top 33% of their peer group. As usual, we did not include funds that charge a sales load.
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