LONDON --�Remember the good old days when investors held banking shares for their safe dividend income? The financial crash shattered that. More recently, banking stocks have been a recovery play for those investors brave enough to bet that the eurozone crisis wouldn't blow up in their faces. It's been a remarkably successful bet.
But if you're hankering for a safer play on the banking sector and yearn for those reliable dividends, it's worth having a look at�HSBC� (LSE: HSBA ) (NYSE: HBC ) . After recent broker upgrades, its shares are on a prospective yield of 5%, with a 4.2% historic yield in the bag. That's well ahead of�Standard Chartered�and�Barclays,�the other two dividend-paying banks. And HSBC surely has the safest dividend in the sector.
Safety in numbers
It's not just that HSBC is the second largest company on the FTSE 100, with a market cap roughly equal to the other four banks put together. HSBC's global footprint underpins its safety. With over 6,000 offices in 80 countries, its worldwide reach provides a strong competitive advantage to capture international trade flows and service multinational corporations.
Market Vectors Steel ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the NYSE Arca Steel Index (STEEL or the Index) by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates STEEL. STEEL, calculated by the NYSE Alternext, is a modified market capitalization-weighted index consisting of publicly traded companies predominantly involved in the production of steel products or mining and processing of iron ore. The Index includes companies primarily involved in a variety of activities related to steel production, including the operation of manufacturing mills and fabrication of steel products. Companies eligible for inclusion in Index should be engaged in solar power and related products and services, deriving at least 66% of revenues from it with market cap exceeding $100 million, and should have three-month trading volume equal to or greater than $1 million per day. Its investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
On Monday, Goldman Sachs upgraded the whole steel sector from Cautious to Neutral and specifically upgraded small cap and mid cap steel stocks AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS), United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) and Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) to Buy with price targets of $6, $30 and $22, respectively, but should you go for one of these individual steel stocks or for the Market Vectors Steel ETF (NYSEARCA: SLX)? To begin with, Goldman Sachs says that the�supply-demand fundamentals for steel are starting to look more appealing as some supply has been taken out plus they have a very bearish view on input costs (as in iron ore)���which bodes well for steel producers in the long run. Moreover, recently filed trade cases could provide some tailwind���if they are successful.�Of course a rising tide can lift all ships, but Goldman Sachs suggests that you go for the following�small cap or mid cap steel stocks:�
- [By Ben Levisohn]
In our late October report on X, we noted the Company was “scratching the surface” on operational improvement, and we expected shares to edge higher over the near term. While X shares have appreciated by 16% since that report vs. the S&P 500 of +4% and the [Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX)] of +3%, we believe shares have more room to run based on our positive carbon hot-rolled steel pricing revisions for 2014: meaningful raw material cost tailwinds (coal, scrap, iron ore); low Street EPS and EBITDA expectations for 2014-2015; an ever-increasing interest rate environment (benefits for pension exposure); more evidence of European macro stability; and above-average likelihood of incremental operational efficiency announcements such as a joint venture or tolling agreement with Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI).
Top Income Companies To Invest In Right Now: Esterline Technologies Corp (ESL)
Esterline Technologies Corporation (Esterline) is a manufacturing company serving aerospace and defense customers. The Company designs, manufactures and markets engineered products and systems. It operates in three segments: Avionics & Controls, Sensors & Systems, and Advanced Materials, including thermally engineered components and specialized elastomers and other complex materials, for aerospace and defense markets. Its products are mission-critical equipment, which have been designed into particular military and commercial platforms. It has divested non-core businesses operating as Pressure Systems, Inc., Muirhead Aerospace and Traxsys Input Products Limited. In July 2011, the Company acquired Souriau Group. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed acquisition of Joslyn Sunbank Company, LLC, a unit of Meggitt PLC.
Avionics & Controls
The Company�� Avionics & Controls business segment includes avionics systems, control systems, interface technologies and communication systems capabilities. Avionics systems designs and develops cockpit systems integration and avionics subsystems for commercial and military applications. Control systems designs and manufactures technology interface systems for military and commercial aircraft and land- and sea-based military vehicles. Interface technologies manufactures and develops custom control panels and input systems for medical, industrial, military and casino gaming industries. Communication systems designs and manufactures military audio and data products for severe battlefield environments. In addition, communication systems designs and manufactures secure voice and data switching systems for military airborne, ground-based, and shipboard applications. It is engaged in positioning systems (GPS), head-up displays, enhanced vision systems, and electronic flight management systems that are used in a range of control and display applications. In addition, it develops, manufactures and markets technology interface ! systems for commercial and military aircraft. These products include lighted push-button and rotary switches, keyboards, lighted indicators, panels and displays. Its products have been integrated into aircraft designs, including Boeing commercial aircraft platform in production. It manufactures control sticks, grips and wheels, as well as specialized switching systems. In this area, it serves commercial and military aviation, and airborne and ground-based military equipment manufacturing customers.
The Company�� products are incorporated in a range of platforms ranging from military helicopters, fighters and transports, to commercial wide- and narrow-body, regional and business jets. During fiscal year ended October 29, 2010 (fiscal 2010), its customers for these products included BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Canadian Commercial Corp., Hawker Beechcraft, Honeywell, Hamilton Sunstrand, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, and Sikorsky. It is also a supplier in custom input integration with a range of keyboard, switch and input technologies for specialized medical equipment, communications systems and comparable equipment for military applications. These products include custom keyboards, keypads, and input devices that integrate cursor control devices, bar-code scanners, displays, video, and voice activation. It also produces instruments that are used for point-of-use and point-of-care in vivo diagnostics. It has developed a range of technologies, including plastic and vinyl membranes that protect high-use switches and fully depressible buttons, and backlit elastomer switch coverings that are resistant to exposure from harsh chemicals. During fiscal 2010, its customers for these products included Alere, Dictaphone, DRS Tactical Systems, General Electric, IDEXX Laboratories, Jabil Circuit, Philips, Roche, Siemens, and WMS.
The Company designs and manufactures military personal communication equipment, primarily headsets. It is a sole supplier of active noise reduction (ANR)! headsets! to the British Army�� tracked and wheeled vehicle fleets under the Bowman communication system program. In the United States, it supplies ANR headsets to the U.S. Army�� tracked and wheeled vehicle fleets under the vehicle intercom system (VIS) and VIS-X programs comprising over 200,000 vehicles, and it is supplier to the United States Marine Corps for their M-ATV fleet. It is ANR headset supplier to the Canadian Army. During fiscal 2010, its customers for these products included Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Simex Defense, Sanmina-SCI, and the British Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The Company competes with Astronautics, BAE, Bose, ELBIT, EMS, Eaton, GE Aerospace, Honeywell, IAI, L-3, Otto Controls, RAFI, Rockwell Collins, SELEX, Telephonics, Thales, Ultra Electronics, Universal Avionics Systems Corporation and Zodiac.
Sensors & Systems
The Company�� Sensors & Systems business segment includes power systems and advanced sensors capabilities. It develops and manufactures temperature, pressure and speed sensors, electrical power switching, control and data communication devices, and other related systems for aerospace and defense customers. It is a supplier of temperature probes for use on all versions of the General Electric/Snecma CFM-56 jet engine. The customers for its products in this business segment are jet engine manufacturers and airframe manufacturers. During fiscal 2010, some of its customers for these products included The Boeing Company, Bombardier, Dassault, Eurocopter, Flame, General Electric, Honeywell, Rolls Royce, and SAFRAN.
The Company competes with Ametek, Eaton, Goodrich, Hamilton Sundstrand, MPC Products, Meggitt, STPI-Deutsch, Tyco and Zodiac.
Advanced Materials
The Company�� Advanced Materials business segment includes engineered materials and defense technologies capabilities. It develops and manufactures elastomer products used in a range of commercial aerospace, space, and military appl! ications,! and engineered thermal components for commercial aerospace and industrial applications. It also develops and manufactures combustible ordnance and countermeasures for military applications. It specializes in the development of formulations for silicone rubber and other elastomer products. Its elastomer products are engineered to address specific customer requirements where high temperature, high pressure, caustic, abrasive and other difficult eis critical. These products include clamping devices, thermal fire barrier insulation products, sealing systems, tubing and coverings designed in custom-molded shapes. It is a the United States supplier of performance elastomer products to the aerospace industry, with its customers for these products being jet and rocket engine manufacturers, commercial and military airframe manufacturers, as well as commercial airlines. During fiscal 2010, its customers included Alliant Techsystems, The Boeing Company, Honeywell, KAPCO, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Pattonair. It also develops and manufactures lightweight metallic insulation systems for aerospace and marine applications. Its commercial aerospace programs include the 737, A320, and A380 series aircraft and the V2500 and BR710 engines. Its insulation material is used on diesel engine manifolds for earthmoving and agricultural applications. In addition, it specializes in the development of thermal protection for fire, nuclear, and petro-chemical industries. It designs and manufactures temperature components for industrial and marine markets. Its manufacturing processes consist of cutting, pressing, and welding stainless steel, Inconel and titanium fabrications. During fiscal 2010, its customers of these products included Airbus, The Boeing Company, Goodrich, GKN Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Pattonair, Rolls Royce, Short Brothers, Spirit AeroSystems, and Volvo.
The Company develops and manufactures combustible ordnance and warfare countermeasure devices for military customers. It manufactures ! molded fi! ber cartridge cases, mortar increments, igniter tubes and other combustible ordnance components for the United States Department of Defense. It also monitors safety metrics to ensure compliance. It is a supplier of combustible casings utilized by the United States Armed Forces. These products include the combustible case for the United States Army�� new generation 155 millimeters Modular Artillery Charge System, the 120 millimeters combustible case used with the main armament system on the United States Army and Marine Corps��M1-A1/2 tanks, and the 60 millimeters, 81 millimeters and 120 millimeters combustible mortar increments. It is a supplier of United States Army of infrared decoy flares used by aircraft to help protect against radar and infrared guided missiles. In addition it is a supplier of infrared decoy flares to the MoD and other international defense agencies.
The Company competes with Chemring, Doncasters, Hitemp, J&M, JPR Hutchinson, Kmass, Dunlop Standard Aerospace Group, Rheinmetall, Trelleborg, ULVA and UMPCO.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Monica Gerson]
Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $1.40 per share on revenue of $516.57 million.
Aceto (NASDAQ: ACET) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $134.23 million.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Since the initial drop, shares of United Tech have bounced back a bit. They’re down 0.8% at $106.93 at 12:03 p.m. That drop puts it out of step with other industrial stocks, which have been stronger today. General Electric (GE), for instance, has gained 1.1% to $24.16, Honeywell International (HON) has ticked up 0.2% to $83.19, Esterline (ESL) has risen 0.7% to $80.45 and Northrop Grumman (NOC) is up 0.6% at $95.87.
Top Income Companies To Invest In Right Now: PHI Inc.(PHII)
PHI, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides helicopter transportation services to the integrated energy, and independent exploration and production companies primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Oil and Gas, Air Medical, and Technical Services. The Oil and Gas segment provides helicopter services to oil and gas exploration and production companies, and other offshore oil service companies primarily for routine transportation of personnel and equipment; transportation of personnel during medical and safety emergencies; and evacuation of personnel during the threat of hurricanes and other adverse weather conditions. The Air Medical segment provides air medical transportation services for hospitals and emergency service agencies in 17 states. The Technical Services segment offers helicopter repair and overhaul services for existing flight operations customers. It also operates 5 aircrafts for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or operated 259 aircrafts, including 167 aircrafts by Oil and Gas segment, 86 aircrafts by Air Medical segment, and 6 for other operations. The company was formerly known as Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. and changed its name to PHI, Inc. in December 2005. PHI, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is based in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Advisors' Opinion: Top Income Companies To Invest In Right Now: Sandridge Energy Inc.(SD)
SandRidge Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an independent natural gas and oil company in the United States. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas properties. Its Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil reserves with focus on the Mid-Continent and Permian Basin. This segment also operates leasehold positions in the West Texas Overthrust (WTO), Gulf Coast, and Gulf of Mexico. The company?s Drilling and Oil Field Services segment is involved in the contract drilling of oil and natural gas wells primarily in the west Texas region. This segment also offers oil field services, including providing pulling units, trucking, rental tools, location, and road construction and roustabout services. Its Midstream Gas Services segment engages in purchasing, gathering, treating, and selling natural gas in west Texas. As of December 31, 2011, its estimated proved reserv es were 470.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, of which approximately 52% were oil. The company also had interests in 5,043 gross producing wells, as well as in approximately 2,695,000 gross acres under lease. In addition, it had 21 rigs drilling in the Mid-Continent and 15 rigs drilling in the Permian Basin. SandRidge Energy, Inc. is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Matt DiLallo]
You can make a lot of money by following the advice of a billionaire. That's why I think you should follow what Leon Cooperman, the billionaire and founder of hedge fund Omega Advisors, has to say about two energy stocks. I've been following both companies for quite some time, and I agree: Both LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE ) and SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD ) have the potential to make investors a lot of money.
- [By Matt DiLallo]
Other formations with significant oil resources are still emerging. In the Mississippi Lime formation of Oklahoma and Kansas, SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD ) believes it can drill 11,000 wells over the next 18 years. The company more than doubled its production year over year and it has an ambitious plan to continue growing.
- [By Aaron Levitt]
Featuring decent reserves and production along with low share prices, consider these energy stocks to buy now — five names that could be some of your portfolio�� biggest future winners.
Energy Stocks Under $10 to Buy Now:�SandRidge Energy (SD) First on our list of cheap energy stocks under $10 a share is a company whose fortunes have changed thanks to shareholder and hedge fund activism.
Top Income Companies To Invest In Right Now: Potlatch Corporation(PCH)
Potlatch Corporation operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and manages timberlands located in Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the United States. The Resource Management Division manages its timberlands, harvests timber, procures other wood fiber, sells logs and leases land for hunting and other recreational activity. The Real Estate Division develops and sells land parcels, as well as invests in timberlands. The Wood Products Division manufactures lumber, plywood, and particleboard in Arkansas, Idaho, Michigan, and Minnesota. This segment's products are sold to wholesalers primarily for use in home building and other construction activities. Potlatch was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Spokane, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Caplinger]
In Weyerhaeuser's report, watch for the company to discuss any plans for potential buyout activity. With tight supplies, smaller rivals Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE: LPX ) or Potlatch (NASDAQ: PCH ) might make good targets for the larger Weyerhaeuser or Plum Creek to look at for expansion. Even though those companies have seen their shares rise dramatically as well, it might be worth paying up in order to secure long-term assets that could produce strong growth for Weyerhaeuser.
- [By Saibus Research]
WY and the majority of the timber, forest and paper products companies have a track record of unimpressive returns on capital, cyclical revenue and profit trends, heavy use of capital expenditures, and significant environmental regulation. We also think that WY's conversion to a REIT was a mistake. Morningstar Investment Research's Timber, Forest and Paper Products analyst Dan Rohr said it best when he rated WY and its Timber REIT peers Rayonier (RYN), Potlatch (PCH) and Plum Creek (PCL) as not possessing any economic moat. That probably explains why we only have an ancillary exposure to this industry for our proprietary portfolio based on our holdings in Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP) and Cintas (CTAS). Brookfield's Timber segment only accounts for 5% of its Fund Flows from operations and Cintas's document management business is suffering from reduced prices on recycled paper. At least Cintas Document Management only accounts for 8% of Cintas's revenue.
- [By Dividends4Life]
Potlatch Corporation (PCH) operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and manages timberlands located in Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin. December 6th the company increased its quarterly dividend 13% to $0.35 per share. The dividend is payable December 31, 2013 to stockholders of record on December 17, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.5%.
Top Income Companies To Invest In Right Now: Emulex Corp (ELX)
Emulex Corporation (Emulex) is a provider of a range of network convergence solutions that connect servers, storage, and networks within the data center. The Company�� product portfolio includes Host Bus Adapters (HBAs), Converged Network Adapters (CNAs), Network Interface Cards (NICs), mezzanine cards for blade servers, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), embedded storage bridges, routers, and switches, Input/Output Controllers (IOCs), and connectivity management solutions. The Company is a designer, developer and supplier of HBAs, CNAs, NICs, mezzanine cards, Pass-Through Modules (PTM), embedded storage switches, embedded bridges, embedded routers, I/O ASICs, switch-on-a-chip (SOC) ASICs, Internet Baseboard management controllers (iBMC��) and connectivity management solutions. On August 25, 2010, Emulex acquired ServerEngines Corporation. In February 2013, Emulex acquired 89% ownership of Endace Ltd. In April 2013, Emulex Corp announced the completion of acquisition of Endace Limited.
Host Server Products
The Company�� Host Server Products include the development of chip level and board level server-based I/O adapters, including HBAs, Universal Converged Network Adapters (UCNAs), and mezzanine cards that connect servers and storage to networks using a range of products. Its products support Internet protocol (IP) and storage networking, including transmission control protocol (TCP)/IP, Internet small computer system interface (iSCSI), network attached storage (NAS), Fibre Channel, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). Host Server Products (HSP) include LightPulse HBAs, OneConnecttm UCNAs, custom form factor solutions for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) blade servers, and ASICs. These products enable servers to connect to local area networks (LANs), storage area networks (SANs), and NAS by offloading data communication processing tasks from the server as information is delivered and sent to the network.
Its Fibre Channel H! BAs connect host computers to a Fibre Channel network. The Company�� adapters support a range of operating systems and host computer system interfaces, including Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) and PCI Express-based platforms. Its Fibre Channel HBA offerings include single, dual, and quad port adapters at throughput speeds of two gigabyte per second, four gigabyte per second, and eight gigabyte per second for use in enterprise, large, medium, and small-sized organizations. The Emulex OneConnect UCNA is a single chip 10 gigabyte per second Ethernet platform designed to address the challenges of data center networks. The Emulex UCNA platform enables data center managers to consolidate multiple one gigabyte per second Ethernet links on to a single 10 gigabyte per second Ethernet link. Emulex HBAs and UCNAs are based upon its internally developed Fibre Channel and Ethernet IOCs. In addition, these IOCs can be used in embedded I/O environments, such as disk and tape storage arrays and storage appliances. Revenues from these applications are included in the Company�� Embedded Storage Products.
Embedded Storage Products
The Company�� Embedded Storage Products include the development of chip level, board level, and box level array based products that are deployed inside storage arrays, tape libraries, and other storage products to provide connectivity and protocol emulation functions. These products include embedded IOCs, I/O Processors (IOPs), SOCs, embedded bridges (FC/SATA/SAS), and embedded routers (FC/SATA/SAS). Emulex offers a range of integrated, embedded storage networking products for enterprise storage systems that deliver improved performance, reliability and storage connectivity. InSpeed is an advanced switching architecture that results in a single chip capable of handling multiple Fibre Channel devices operating at two, four, or eight gigabyte per second speeds. Its embedded router and bridge products consist of chip and firmware solutions.
! The Compa! ny competes with QLogic Corporation, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Intel Corporation, Chelsio Communications, Inc., Mellanox Technologies, Ltd., LSI, Marvell Technology Group Ltd., Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. and PMC-Sierra, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
Mid cap networking solutions company Brocade Communications Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: BRCD) has pretty much been a sleeper for investors since the dot.com bust, but that has changed over the past year���meaning its worth revisiting the stock along with potential performance benchmarks�like QLogic Corporation (NASDAQ: QLGC), Emulex Corporation (NYSE: ELX) and iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: IGN). I should mention that we have recently Brocade Communications Systems to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio because the company has successfully transitioned from being a hardware company to supporting virtual networks via software and it continues to offer best-of-breed technology.
- [By Eric Volkman]
A top-level promotion has taken place at Emulex (NYSE: ELX ) . The company announced that it has appointed Jeffrey Benck to be its CEO, effective immediately. He replaces James McCluney, who was named executive chairman of the board. In turn, McCluney displaces ex-chairman Paul Folino, who is to continue to serve as a director.
