NEW YORK (AP) -- Lehman Brothers Holdings (NASDAQOTH: LEHMQ ) said Friday that it will receive about $474.4 million for selling some of the IOUs of its brokerage arm as the former investment bank seeks to repay billions to creditors.
The general unsecured claims are being sold for 44.75 percent of their face value of $1.06 billion. Earlier this month, Lehman Brothers agreed to sell $4.22 billion in claims against Lehman Brothers for proceeds of $1.88 billion -- 44.5 percent of face value.
A bankruptcy court judge in April approved settlements that cleared the way for the remnants of Lehman to repay its customer claims in full. Holders of unsecured claims will be repaid based on whatever is left following the completion of customer claims.
Lehman's $639 billion bankruptcy in September of 2008 was the largest ever in U.S. history. Lehman's individual retail customers were repaid in the first few days of the brokerage's liquidation. But it took several years of talks before Lehman, its holding company and its European arm could agree on how claims for larger customers of each unit, such as hedge funds or institutional investors, would be paid.
Hot Logistics Companies To Buy For 2015: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)
McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By abirk] and operates in approximately 34,000 restaurants in 120 countries around the world. Recently, most of the company's growth efforts has been concentrated abroad, and international growth has been booming.
However, the company has the resources and innovative muscle to acclimate itself to the challenge. It now needs to exhibit the patience and determination to keep experimenting with its menu and alternative revenue streams to preserve its vaunted, decades-long success.
Raining Dividends
McDonald�� is a dividend rich company. The dividend has grown from $2.05 a share in 2009 to $3.12 for 2013, a CAGR of 11%. The payout ratio has crept up from 49% in 2009 to 56% (projected) in 2013, which still leaves the company plenty of room to grow their dividend.
It is one of the highest-yielding stocks in the sector, and its current dividend yield is close to 3.4%. The company has a long history of growing its quarterly dividend, and its annual dividend increase comes after the third quarter of the year. At the moment, the stock pays an annual dividend of $3.24, up from $3.04 for the last year. Due to the solid dividend yield, the stock has attracted a large number of investors over the last few years.
Partnership Plans
McDonald�� Corp. is partnering with Kraft Foods Group Inc. (KRFT). to sell McCafe packaged coffee in U.S. grocery stores in various test markets. The coffee will be sold this year in whole-bean, ground and single-cup formats for use in brewers such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR)'s Keurig machines.
McDonald�� has been selling its McCafe beverages in its restaurants for several years, an effort to compete with big java-selling chains such as Starbucks Corp (SBUX) and Dunkin��Brands Group Inc. (DNKN). The move has been one of McDonald�� more successful initiatives in recent years.
Plans in India
MCD has a relatively small market in India, so the beef-centric fast-food chain plans
- [By Jim Jubak]
Energy stocks, well, I don�� see oil moving up a whole lot. It doesn�� look like it is going to be necessarily a bad time for energy stocks because oil is going to be dropping, but I don�� see a whole lot of energy in the sector. But the real problem, I think, is consumer stocks. These are kind of like the safe stocks that people go to when they want to be in the market but they��e a little worried about the market. You know the stocks I mean, McDonald�� (MCD), Coca-Cola (KO), Pepsi (PEP), the companies that have theoretically steadily growing earnings. The problem is we��e had a lot of bad news from those stocks in the fourth quarter and in, sort of, month-to-month figures from companies like McDonald�� for January and February that we��e not seeing much in the way of growth. Two problems there, one of which is sort of general, which is that we��e not seeing a whole lot of increases in growth, sort of acceleration in the growth rate in emerging markets. In fact, we have seen a deceleration, and that has had an effect on companies like McDonald��. The other is that we��e battling some individual, or sector trends, so that McDonald��, for example, is fighting against a lot more competition, in the sense that, for some percentage of the market, they are really not very exciting anymore as destination restaurants. For Coke and Pepsi, we��e dealing with the fact that cola drinks and sweetened fizzy drinks, in general, are sort of losing market share, again, losing some pizzazz. If you look at all of these sectors and say, ��kay, so what�� going to drive the market higher from here,��a lot of the sectors that were doing the job in January, and the first half of February, seem to have run out of gas, and that may leave us with very little, other than technology, and it�� hard to see technology being sufficient in and of itself to drive the market from here and that is what I �� look for in the week ahead, what�� our leaders
- [By Matt Thalman]
Shares of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) are down 0.8% this afternoon on news that a Janney analyst has downgraded the stock. Mark Kalinowski reduced the stock's rating from "buy" to "neutral" and lowered his earnings-per-share estimate for the year by $0.03 to $5.68. While the lower EPS estimate doesn't matter that much -- it was a small move, and the average analyst polled by FactSet pegs full-year earnings at $5.69 -- investors are worried because Kalinowski believes this summer's U.S. sales may come in much lower than what investors are currently predicting. Kalinowski lowered his same-store sales numbers from 2% to 1.1% for June and from 2% to 1.5% for July.�
Hot Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: West Marine Inc (WMAR)
West Marine, Inc., incorporated in September 1993, is a specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories. The Company offers an assortment of merchandise for the boat and for the boater. It operates in three segments: Stores, Port Supply and Direct-to-Customer. The Company sells to both retail and wholesale customers in its Stores segment. In addition, the Company has three franchised stores in Turkey. The Company�� Port Supply segment is its wholesale segment. The Company�� Direct-to-Customer, which includes e-commerce, catalog and call center transactions. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Stores segment generated approximately 90% of its net revenues. During 2011, products shipped to Port Supply customers directly from its warehouses represented approximately 4% of its net revenues.
During 2011, its Direct Sales segment offered customers around the world more than 75,000 products and accounted for the remaining 6% of its net revenues. Private label products, which the Company sells under the West Marine, Black Tip, Third Reef, Pure Oceans, Lifesling, SeaVolt and Seafit brand names, usually are manufactured in Asia, the United States and Europe.
Stores Segment
During 2011, the Company opened six stores while closing 14 stores. In December 2011, it opened its Fort Lauderdale Boating Superstore, a 50,000 square foot flagship. Its flagship stores ranging in size from 21,000 to 50,000 square feet, offering an array of merchandise typically about 16,000 items, as well as displays designed to help customers make informed product selections. It also operates large format stores, standard-sized stores and smaller Express stores. Its large format stores range from 13,000 to 19,000 square feet and carry about 11,000 items. The standard-sized stores typically range from 6,000 to 12,000 square feet and carry over 6,000 items. Express stores typically range from 2,500 to 3,000 square feet and carry over 4,000 items, mainly hardware and other supplies needed! for day-to-day boat maintenance and repairs.
Port Supply Segment
Port Supply customers include businesses involved in boat sales, boat building, boat commissioning and repair, yacht chartering, marina operations and other boating-related activities. In addition, Port Supply sells to government and industrial customers who use its products for boating and non-boating purposes. Port Supply, the Company�� wholesale segment, serves wholesale customers seeking convenience and a larger assortment of products than those carried by typical distributors.
Direct-to-Customer Segment
The Company�� e-commerce Website provides its customers with access to a selection of approximately 75,000 products, product advisor tips and technical information, over 450 product videos and customer-submitted product reviews. This segment also provides customers with access to knowledgeable technical advisors who can assist its customers in understanding the various uses and applications of the products it sell. It operates a virtual call center from which its associates assist its customers by taking calls from their homes or from its support center in Watsonville, California. Its virtual call center supports sales generated through its e-commerce Website, catalogs and stores and provides customer service offerings.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Interactive Buyside]
West Marine (Nasdaq: WMAR) is an undervalued retailer. The company is going through a change in focus from a bricks and mortar boat product retailer to a fully integrated retail and wholesale business through bricks and clicks, targeting the boating and water enthusiast customer. Recent results have been affected by a severe rainy and cool spring which hurt boat usage and delayed the start of the season. The company has accelerated cash investments to build larger more productive stores and expand its ecommerce abilities, consequently affecting free cash flow short term. The stock lacks sponsorship as there is only one research report written on the company by a small boutique firm. The stock trades at only book value despite the company being the leading industry player with a solid balance sheet and significant net cash position.
Hot Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Citi Trends Inc (CTRN)
Citi Trends, Inc., incorporate on March 3, 1999, is a retailer of urban fashion apparel and accessories for the entire family. The Company offers branded apparel from national brands, as well as private label apparel, accessories and a limited assortment of home decor items. As of February 2, 2013, the Company operated 513 stores in both urban and rural markets in 29 states. The Company�� stores average approximately 10,700 square feet of selling space and are located in neighborhood shopping centers. The Company also offers products under its brands, such as Diva Blue, Red Ape, Vintage Harlem and Lil Ms Hollywood. The Company�� store offers a variety of products for men and women, as well as children. During the fiscal years ended February 2, 2013 (fiscal 2012), the Company opened four new stores.
The Company's merchandise includes apparel, accessories and home decor. Within apparel, the Company offers fashion sportswear for men, women and children, including offerings for newborns, infants, toddlers, boys and girls. Accessories include handbags, jewelry, footwear, belts, intimate apparel and sleepwear. All merchandise sold in the Company's stores is shipped directly from its distribution centers in Darlington, South Carolina and Roland, Oklahoma.
The Company competes with TJX Companies, Inc., Ross Stores, Inc., The Cato Corporation, Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp., Rainbow, Dots, It's Fashion!, Simply Fashions, Wal-Mart and Target, Kmart.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Citi Trends (Nasdaq: CTRN ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Hot Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Office Depot Inc.(ODP)
Office Depot, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies office products and services. Its North American Retail division sells an assortment of merchandise, such as general office supplies, computer supplies, business machines and related supplies, and office furniture under various labels, including Office Depot, Viking Office Products, Foray, Ativa, Break Escapes, Niceday, and Worklife through its chain of office supply stores. It also provides printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services, as well as personal computer support and network installation service. As of December 25, 2010, this division operated 1,147 office supply stores in the United States and Canada. The company?s North American Business Solutions division sells nationally branded and private brand office supplies, technology products, furniture, and services to small- to medium-sized customers through a dedicated sales force, catalogs, and Internet. Its International division sells o ffice products and services through direct mail catalogs, contract sales forces, Internet sites, and retail stores using a mix of company-owned operations, joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, alliances, and other arrangements. As of December 25, 2010, it sold its office products to customers in 53 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This division operated, through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities, 97 retail stores in France, Hungary, South Korea, and Sweden; and participates under licensing and merchandise arrangements in South Korea, Thailand, India, Israel, Japan, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Office Depot (ODP) has plunged 17% to $4.45 after missing earnings and revenue forecasts.�Home Depot (HD), however, has gained 2.2% to $79.60 after beating forecasts by two cents thanks to a stronger U.S. housing market.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Ever since private-equity firm Starboard Value became Office Depot's (NYSE: ODP ) largest shareholder late last year, the two have been butting heads over replacing the company's board members. A court ruling firmly setting the date of the office-supply retailer's annual meeting has both sides claiming victory.
- [By Lawrence Meyers]
My editor asked if I thought it was too early to call a bottom on Office Depot (ODP). The answer is “yes.”
And “no.”
Hot Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Cato Corp (CATO)
The Cato Corporation (Cato) is a women�� fashion specialty retailer. As of January 28, 2012, the Company operated 1,288 fashion specialty stores in 31 states, principally in the southeastern United States, under the names Cato, Cato Fashions, Cato Plus, It�� Fashion, It�� Fashion Metro and Versona Accessories. It operates in two segments: stores and Credit. The Company�� stores offer a assortment of on-trend apparel and accessory items in primarily junior/missy, plus sizes, girls sizes 7 to 16, men�� and kids sizes newborn to seven. Its merchandise lines include dressy, career, and casual sportswear, dresses, coats, shoes, lingerie, costume jewelry, handbags, men�� wear and lines for kids and newborns. Its merchandise is sold under its private label and is produced by various vendors in accordance with the Company�� specifications.
The Company offers its own credit card and a layaway plan to make the purchase of its merchandise convenient for its customers. The Company�� stores are located in the southeastern United States in a variety of markets ranging from small towns to metropolitan areas with trade area populations of 20,000 or more. Stores average approximately 4,500 square feet in size. The Company offers its own credit card, which accounted for 4.8% of retail sales during the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2012).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Reuters]
Joshua Lott/Getty Images NEW YORK -- Several major U.S. retailers posted disappointing sales for November after cautious shoppers pinched their pennies at the start of a shorter holiday season. Some of the companies that reported sales gains ramped up bargains to bring in shoppers who appeared hesitant to splurge. Costco Wholesale (COST) said Thursday that sales at stores open at least a year rose 2 percent, below the 3.3 percent increase analysts were looking for, according to Thomson Reuters. The warehouse club chain said consumer electronics sales fell. Same-store sales at L Brands (LTD), owner of the Victoria's Secret lingerie chain, also came in below expectations. Its drop of 5.5 percent was far deeper than the 1.1 percent decline analysts were projecting. Wall Street analysts are expecting 11 top retailers to report a 2.7 percent increase in same-store sales for November, according to Thomson Reuters. Excluding drugstore operators, which get two-thirds of revenue from prescriptions, that gain is estimated at 2.3 percent. Gap (GPS) will report its November sales after U.S. markets close. Retailers have been contending with low consumer confidence and the need to prod shoppers with bargains this holiday season, which has six fewer days because of a late Thanksgiving. The National Retail Federation on Sunday said U.S. shoppers had spent 2.9 percent less this year over the Thanksgiving weekend, the kickoff to the holiday season. The Conference Board, an industry group, said last week that U.S. consumer confidence fell in November after a sharp drop in October as Americans worried about their future jobs and earnings prospects. Earlier this week, J.C. Penney (JCP) reported a 10.1 percent comparable sales increase, partially reversing a disastrous decline in 2012, but the department store chain had to resort to aggressive bargains. The "environment will remain as competitive" through the holiday season, Chief Executive Officer Myron Ullman said. I
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
The Cato (NYSE: CATO) was down, falling 6.35 percent to $28.19 on Q4 results. Cato reported its Q4 earnings of $0.13 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $0.13 per share. Cato Corporation expects FY14 earnings of $1.47 to $1.66 per share, versus estimates of $1.86 per share.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Clothing retailer�Cato� (NYSE: CATO ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.05 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after paying a special dividend of $1.00 per share in December.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
The Cato (NYSE: CATO) was down, falling 11.89 percent to $26.52 on Q4 results. Cato reported its Q4 earnings of $0.13 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $0.13 per share. Cato Corporation expects FY14 earnings of $1.47 to $1.66 per share, versus estimates of $1.86 per share.
Hot Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: J.C. Penney Company Inc. Holding Company(JCP)
J. C. Penney Company, Inc., through its subsidiary, J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc., operates department stores in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company sells family apparel and footwear, accessories, fine and fashion jewelry, beauty products, and home furnishings. It also provides various services, such as styling salon, optical, portrait photography, and custom decorating. The company also sells its products through its Internet Web site, jcp.com. J. C. Penney Company, Inc. has strategic alliance with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. As of December 7, 2011, it operated approximately 1,100 department stores. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Plano, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
Our focused income strategy is proving successful. Today, 62% of the Fund's net assets are in cash and cash equivalents. Sears (SHLD) bonds maturing in 2018 are the Fund's largest non-cash holding, at 23% of net assets, followed by the preferred stock of Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac, at 6% of net assets, and J.C. Penney (JCP) bonds maturing between 2015 and 2017, at 4% of net assets. MBIA bonds were sold in the period, resulting in an above average return.
- [By Matt Thalman]
Outside the Dow, one big loser is J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP ) , as shares are currently down 8.1%. After four straight days in which its share price fell 10.5%, the retailer's management team released a statement saying that it is pleased with holiday sales figures, but it didn't release any actual numbers. The lack of information has investors speculating that the holiday shopping season wasn't as good as the company makes it sound, and thus shares are tumbling. The problem for J.C. Penney is that right now it's better to say nothing at all than to say just a little.��
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