Expedia (EXPE) stock was hit with a downgrade from�Deutsche Bank�analyst Ross Sandler yesterday. Sandler bumped EXPE stock from���uy��to ��old��and dropped his Expedia stock price target from $66 to $51.
On the news, EXPE plunged by 6% and has lost another 1% so far today. That brings year-to-date losses to almost 22% for Expedia stock.
Sandler noted some major headwinds for EXPE, including an increased competitive environment. He also warned that abrupt management changes at the company’s Hotels.com division may signal more problems ahead.
But have investors have already factored bad news into Expedia stock?�To see, let�� take a look at the pros and cons:
EXPE ProsStrong Portfolio: Expedia has massive scale, with supply from about 200,000 hotels, 300 airlines and various car rentals and cruise lines. And EXPE sites — which�include Hotwire.com, Hotels.com, CarRentals.com and more, on top of the Expedia namesake — get�about 50 million unique visitors every month. Plus, EXPE also owns a majority stake in eLong (LONG), which is the second largest online travel company in China.
Best Promising Stocks To Watch For 2015: Kulicke and Soffa Industries Inc.(KLIC)
Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and expendable tools used to assemble semiconductor devices, including integrated circuits, high and low powered discrete devices, light-emitting diodes, and power modules. It also services, maintains, repairs, and upgrades its equipment. The company operates in two segments, Equipment and Expendable Tools. The Equipment segment manufactures and sells a line of ball bonders, heavy wire wedge bonders, stud bumpers, and die bonders. Its Ball bonders are used to connect very fine wires, primarily made of gold or copper, between the bond pads of the semiconductor device or die, and the leads on its package; Heavy wire wedge bonders are used in the power semiconductor and automotive power module markets; and Die bonders are used to attach a die to the substrate or lead frame, which will house the semiconductor device. This segment?s Stud bumpers mechanically apply bumps to die, while still in the wafer format, for some variants of the flip chip assembly process. The Expendable Tools segment manufactures and sells various expendable tools for a range of semiconductor packaging applications. Its products include capillaries, bonding wedges, and saw blades. The company?s customers primarily comprise semiconductor device manufacturers, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers, other electronics manufacturers, and automotive electronics suppliers in the United States and the Asia/Pacific region. Kulicke and Soffa Industries sells its products through manufacturers? representatives and distributors. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Singapore.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC) shares shot up 8.95 percent to $13.76 after the company reported upbeat Q2 earnings and issued a strong Q3 revenue forecast. - [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, chip equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Own Right Now: C.R. Bard Inc. (BCR)
C. R. Bard, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and sale of medical, surgical, diagnostic, and patient care devices worldwide. It offers vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialty products. The company?s vascular products include percutaneous transluminal angioplasty catheters, chronic total occlusions catheters, guidewires, introducers, and accessories; peripheral vascular stents and stent grafts, vena cava filters, and biopsy devices; electrophysiology products, such as electrophysiology laboratory systems and diagnostic, therapeutic, and temporary pacing electrode catheters; and fabrics, meshes, and implantable vascular grafts. Its urology products comprise infection control Foley catheters to reduce the rate of urinary tract infections; surgical slings to treat stress urinary incontinence; fecal incontinence products; natural and synthetic devices to treat pelvic floor and vaginal prolapse; brachyt herapy services, devices, and radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer; intermittent urinary drainage catheters, and urine monitoring and collection systems; ureteral stents; specialty devices for ureteroscopic procedures and stone removal; and catheter stabilization devices. The company?s oncology products consist of specialty vascular access catheters and ports, vascular access ultrasound devices, dialysis access catheters, and enteral feeding devices to treat and manage various cancers, and other diseases and disorders. Its surgical specialty products include implanted patches and fixation systems for hernia and other soft tissue repairs; irrigation devices for orthopedic, laparoscopic, and gynecological procedures; and products for topical hemostasis. C. R. Bard sells its products directly and through distributors to hospitals, individual health care professionals, extended care facilities, and alternate site facilities. The company was founded in 1907 and is based in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Back in February, my colleague David Englander noted that a potential buyout was one reason to buy shares of Rochester Medical (ROCM). Today, Rochester agreed to be purchased by CR Bard (BCR) for $262 million.
- [By Eric Volkman]
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX ) has made a strong move deeper into the business of electrophysiology -- the study of electrical phemomena, and how they are related to the functions of the body. The company announced�that it inked an agreement to purchase Bard EP, the electrophysiology division of C.R. Bard (NYSE: BCR ) . The price is $275 million in cash.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Own Right Now: Cigna Corp (CI)
Cigna Corporation (Cigna), incorporated on November 3, 1981, is a holding company. Cigna is a global health service company, with insurance subsidiaries that are providers of medical, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and related products and services. In the United States, these products and services are offered through employers and other groups, and in selected international markets, Cigna offers supplemental health, life and accident insurance products and international health care coverage and services to businesses, governmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals. The Company also has certain run-off operations, including a Run-off Reinsurance segment. Cigna�� revenues are derived from premiums, fees, mail order pharmacy, other revenues and investment income. Cigna operates in five segments: Health Care, Disability and Life, International, Run-off Reinsurance, and Other Operations, including Corporate-owned Life Insurance. On January 31, 2012, Cigna acquired HealthSpring, Inc. On November 30, 2011, the Company acquired FirstAssist Group Holdings Limited. In August 2012, the Company acquired Great American Supplemental Benefits from American Financial Group, Inc. In January 2013, the Company acquired select Arcadian and Humana Medicare Advantage plans in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In September 2013, Cigna Corporation completed its acquisition of Alegis Care, a portfolio company of Triton Pacific Capital Partners. Effective September 3, 2013, Cigna Corp acquired Home Physicians Management LLC.
Health Care
Cigna�� Health Care segment (Cigna HealthCare) offers insured and self-insured medical, dental, behavioral health, vision, and prescription drug benefit plans, health advocacy programs and other products and services that may be integrated to provide health care benefit programs. Cigna HealthCare companies offer these products and services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the United States Virgin Islands. Cigna offers a ! range of products and services to employers and other groups that sponsor group health plans. With the exception of Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Medicare, Voluntary and stop loss products, each of Cigna HealthCare�� products is offered with alternative funding options. Cigna may sell multiple products under the same funding arrangement to the same employer. Approximately 85% of the Company�� medical customers are enrolled in self-insured plans, with the remainder split between guaranteed cost and experience-rated insured plans. Approximately 90% of its medical customers are enrolled in self-insured and experience-rated plans. Cigna also offers guaranteed cost medical and dental insurance to individuals. Cigna HealthCare offers a product line of indemnity managed care benefit plans on an insured (guaranteed cost or experience-rated) or self-insured basis. The Network, Network Open Access, and Open Access Plus In-Network products cover only those services provided by Cigna HealthCare participating health care professionals (in-network) and emergency services provided by non-participating health care professionals (out-of-network). The Network point of service (POS), Network POS Open Access and Open Access Plus plans (OAP) cover health care services provided by participating, and non-participating health care professionals.
Cigna HealthCare offers a Preferred Provider Plans (PPO) product line that features a national network. Like Network and Open Access Plus Plans, the PPO product line is offered on an insured (guaranteed cost or experience-rated) or self-insured basis. Cigna HealthCare offers the Cigna Choice Fund suite of products, including Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). Cigna HealthCare offers stop loss insurance coverage for self-insured plans. This stop loss coverage reimburses the plan for claims in excess of a predetermined amount, either for individuals (specific) or the entire group (aggregate), ! or both. ! Cigna HealthCare provides Taft-Hartley trusts and other entities access to its national provider network and provides claim re-pricing and other services. Cigna HealthCare�� voluntary medical products are offered to employers with 51 or more eligible employees. As a result of the acquisition of HealthSpring, Cigna operates Medicare Advantage coordinated care plans in 11 states and the District of Columbia. Under the Medicare program, Medicare-eligible beneficiaries may receive health care benefits, including prescription drugs, through a managed care health plan, such as the Company�� coordinated care plans, and The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimburse the Company pursuant to a risk adjustment payment methodology.
Cigna�� Medicare Part D prescription drug program, Cigna Medicare Rx, provides a number of plan options, as well as service and information support to Medicare and Medicaid eligible customers. Cigna Medicare Rx is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Cigna HealthCare offers medical management, disease management, and other health advocacy services to employers and other plan sponsors. These services are offered to customers covered under Cigna HealthCare administered plans, as well as individuals covered under plans insured and/or administered by competing insurers/third-party administrators. Cigna�� onsite services include more than 75 health centers and the annual administration of more than 400,000 biometric screenings, as well as approximately 2,200 wellness seminars each year. As a result of the acquisition of HealthSpring, Cigna operates three LivingWell Health Centers, where Medicare customers can receive care from physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, and nurses educators. Cigna arranges for behavioral health care services for customers through its network of participating behavioral health care professionals. Cigna offers behavioral health care case management services, employee assistance programs (EAP), and wor! k/life pr! ograms to employers, Government entities and other groups sponsoring health benefit plans. As of December 31, 2011, Cigna�� behavioral national network had approximately 108,000 access points to psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers and approximately 9,000 facilities and clinics.
Cigna Pharmacy Management offers prescription drug plans to its insured and self-funded customers both in conjunction with its medical products and on a stand-alone basis. With a network of over 62,000 contracted pharmacies, Cigna Pharmacy Management is a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) offering clinical integration programs, specialty pharmacy solutions and home delivery of prescription medicines. Cigna�� specialty pharmacy outcome management program, TheraCare, manages specialty conditions. TheraCare is coordinated with other Cigna health advocacy programs and all data is captured for analysis and reporting. Cigna Dental Health offers a variety of dental care products, including dental health maintenance organization plans (Dental HMO), dental preferred provider organization (DPPO) plans, dental exclusive provider organization plans, traditional dental indemnity plans and a dental discount program. As of December 31, 2011, Cigna Dental Health customers totaled approximately 10.9 million. Managed dental care products are offered in 38 states for Dental HMO and 43 states and the District of Columbia for Dental PPO through a network of independent health care professionals that have contracted with Cigna Dental Health to provide dental services. Cigna Dental Health customers access care from the dental PPO network in the United States and one of the dental HMO networks in the United States, with approximately 235,500 DPPO-contracted access points (approximately 92,000 health care professionals) and approximately 58,000 dental HMO-contracted access points (approximately 16,500 health care professionals).
Disability and Life
Cigna�� Disability and Life segment (Cign! a Disabil! ity and Life) provides insurance products and their related services, such as group long-term and short-term disability insurance, group life insurance and accident and specialty insurance. These products and services are provided by subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation. Cigna Disability and Life markets products in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands and Canada. Cigna Disability and Life also provides assistance to employees in returning to work and assistance to their employers in managing the cost of employee disability. Cigna Disability and Life offers personal accident insurance coverage, which consists primarily of accidental death and dismemberment and travel accident insurance to employers. Group accident insurance may be employer-paid or employee-paid. Cigna Disability and Life also offers specialty insurance services that consist primarily of disability and life, accident, and hospital indemnity products to professional or trade associations and financial institutions.
International
CIGNA�� International segment (CIGNA International) offers supplemental health, life and accident insurance products, as well as international health care products and services. These products and services are provided by subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including foreign operating entities. Cigna International provides employers, affinity groups and individuals with local and global health care and related financial protection programs. Supplemental health products provide a specified payment for a range of health risks and include personal accident, accidental death, critical illness, hospitalization, travel, dental, cancer and other dread disease coverages. Term life, as well as variable universal life insurance and other savings products are also included in the product portfolio. Cigna International�� supplemental health, life and accident insurance products are offered in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the European Un! ion, Chin! a, New Zealand, Thailand and Turkey. In China, Cigna International owns a 50% interest in a joint venture through, which its products and services are offered. Cigna International�� health care businesses primarily consist of products and services to meet the needs of local and multinational companies and organizations and their local and globally mobile employees and dependents. These products and services include insurance and administrative services for medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, and disability risks. In addition, Cigna International�� health care businesses include products and services, which are primarily provided through group benefits programs to employees of businesses and other organizations in the United Kingdom and Spain. These products and services include medical indemnity insurance coverage, with some offerings having managed care or administrative service aspects.
Run-off Reinsurance
Cigna�� reinsurance segment reinsured guaranteed minimum death benefits (GMDB) (also known as variable annuity death benefits (VADBe)), under certain variable annuities issued by other insurance companies. These variable annuities are investments in mutual funds combined with a death benefit. The Company purchased retrocessional protection that covers approximately 5% of the assumed risks. The Company also maintains a dynamic hedge program. Cigna also reinsured guaranteed minimum income benefits (GMIB) under certain variable annuities issued by other insurance companies. These variable annuities are investments in mutual funds combined with minimum income and death benefits. These products under Cigna�� Run-off Reinsurance segment were sold principally in North America and Europe through a sales force and through intermediaries.
Other Operations
The principal products of the Corporate-owned Life Insurance (COLI) business are permanent insurance contracts sold to corporations to provide coverage on the lives ! of certai! n employees for the purpose of funding employer-paid future benefit obligations. The principal services provided by the COLI business are issuance and administration of the insurance policies. COLI policies provide a death benefit for which Cigna collects fees to cover mortality risk. COLI policies also allow policy owners to borrow against a portion of their cash surrender value.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
Cigna Corp.‘s (NYSE: CI) solid business momentum and strong Medicare Advantage and International segment positioning continue to leave a positive risk-reward level, with the stock trading at a low 9.5 times 2014 earnings per share estimates. The J.P. Morgan analysts particularly like the name, given Cigna’s below-average exposure to the 2014 health care reform uncertainty. They raise their price target from $78 to $87. The consensus price target for the stock is $85. Investors are paid a tiny 0.1% dividend.
- [By Keith Speights]
Anthem, which is owned by WellPoint (NYSE: WLP ) , for example, required prior authorizations only 2.14% of the time. Cigna (NYSE: CI ) and Aetna (NYSE: AET ) have higher frequencies -- 4.74% and 5.42%, respectively. Humana (NYSE: HUM ) is even higher, but still in the single digits with a 8.42% prior authorization rate. Of the publicly traded insurers, only UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH ) requires prior authorizations more than 10% of the time, with a rate of 12.43%.
- [By Monica Wolfe]
Cigna (CI)
David Einhorn�� fifth largest position is in Cigna Corp where he holds 4,974,174 shares, representing 1.74% of the company�� shares outstanding and 6.8% of his total portfolio.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Own Right Now: Integrys Energy Group(TEG)
Integrys Energy Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a regulated electric and natural gas utility company in the United States and Canada. It provides natural gas utility services in Chicago, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. As of December 31, 2009, the company served approximately 1,669,000 residential, commercial and industrial, transportation, and other customers. It had approximately 22,000 miles of natural gas distribution mains; and approximately 1,010 miles of natural gas transmission mains. The company also generates and distributes electric energy form coal, natural gas, fuel oil, hydroelectric, and wind resources in Wisconsin and Michigan. It served approximately 489,000 residential, commercial and industrial, wholesale, and other customers. In addition, Integrys Energy offers nonregulated energy supply and services; and electric transmission services. The company was formerly known as WPS Resources Corporation and changed its name to Integrys En ergy Group, Inc. in February 2007. Integrys Energy Group, Inc. was founded in 1883 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
Last up is Integrys Energy Group (TEG), the sole downside name we're looking at this week. Even though December is historically a great month to own stocks, that doesn't mean that it's universally a great month to own all stocks. And TEG looks "toppy" at this point.
Integrys is currently forming a head and shoulders top, a bearish setup that indicates exhaustion among buyers. The pattern is formed by two swing highs that hit their head around the same level (the shoulders), separated by a higher high (the head). The sell signal comes on a move through the neckline, which is currently sloping through $52. TEG is actually a "nested" pattern, which means that the right shoulder is a complete head and shoudlers pattern itself on a shorter-timeframe. Since the downside has already triggered on the right shoulder, we should expect a test of the longer-term neckline soon.
Lest you think that the head and shoulders is too well known to be worth trading, the research suggests otherwise: a recent academic study conducted by the Federal Reserve Board of New York found that the results of 10,000 computer-simulated head-and-shoulders trades resulted in "profits [that] would have been both statistically and economically significant."
That's good reason to keep this stock in your crosshairs in the days ahead; a break below the neckline is a short signal.
To see this week's trades in action, check out the Technical Setups for the Week portfolio on Stockpickr.
-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.
- [By Justin Loiseau]
Other utilities are following suit, pushing hard to turn coal into "clean coal." Integrys (NYSE: TEG ) currently has a $17 million rate request on the table to add coal dust collectors to an 824 MW facility, a move that would put the utility one step closer to covering environmental costs.
- [By David Dittman]
Participation was still robust, thanks to a highly engaged group of readers.
Utility stocks set the pace for the broader market over the first six months of 2014, as fears of rising interest rates abated and companies produced solid first-quarter financial and operating numbers.
Second-quarter reporting season will get underway later in July, with most management teams posting results in early August.
There�� also been significant mergers-and-acquisitions rumor and activity, notably surrounding the telecom space. And Wisconsin Energy Corp (NYSE: WEC) last week announced a deal to buy UF Portfolio Holding Integrys Energy Group Inc (NYSE: TEG) for $9.1 billion in cash, stock and assumed debt.
Canadian stocks are back to their winning ways thus far in 2014, with the S&P/TSX Composite Index posting a 12.5 percent total return in US dollar terms from Dec. 31, 2013, through June 30, 2014. The S&P 500 Index is up 7.1 percent, the MSCI World Index 6.6 percent.
The loonie, meanwhile, was strong in June, bouncing back to near USD0.94 and having an essentially neutral impact for US-based investors��returns for the first six months of the year.
The Australia dollar pushed out to an eight-month high earlier this week, as Chinese PMI data showed some stabilization in the economy for that key trading partner. Although iron ore prices remain depressed, several LNG projects coming on line in coming months should give a boost to Australian exports.
Aussie strength has had a clear positive impact for US-based investors who are long Australian stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Index trailed the S&P 500 and the MSCI World Index with a 3 percent return in local terms. Accounting for the impact of a stronger aussie on US investors��holdings, the S&P/ASX was up 8.8 percent from Dec. 31, 2013, through June 30, 2014.
Here are highlights in the form of a slightly edited transcript from the July 2 ��une��AE/ - [By Garrett Cook]
Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG) shares shot up 12.90 percent to $68.81 after Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC) announced its plans to acquire Integrys Energy Group in a deal valued at $9.1 billion.
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