This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines include new buy ratings for a pair of specialty retailers, Coach (NYSE: COH ) and Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO ) . Meanwhile in mining, Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX ) suffers a downgrade. Let's dive right in, beginning with why...
Coach is fashionable again
The day dawned bright for Coach investors Wednesday, as analysts at CLSA upped their rating to "buy" in response to a strong earnings report featuring 7% first-quarter sales growth and a 10% bump in earnings per share.
In each case, these numbers beat estimates, and analysts were particularly enthused over Coach's 40% jump in sales in China. But does all this mean that you should now follow their advice, and rush out and buy yourself some Coach shares?
Best Specialty Retail Companies For 2014: Xerium Technologies Inc.(XRM)
Xerium Technologies, Inc. manufactures and supplies consumable products used in the production of paper clothing and roll covers primarily in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Clothing and Roll Covers. The Clothing segment provides various types of industrial textiles used on paper-making machines and other industrial applications. This segment offers forming fabrics, press felts, and dryer fabrics; and fabrics used in other industrial applications, such as pulp, steel, plastics, leather, and textiles manufacturing. The Roll Covers segment manufactures, refurbishes, and replaces roll covers for working rolls, including vacuum rolls and press rolls; calendar rolls; and coater rolls that are used on paper-making machines. This segment also refurbishes previously installed roll covers; provides mechanical maintenance and repair services for the internal mechanisms of rolls used on paper-making machines; and manufactures a nd repairs spreader rolls. The company markets its products through its direct sales force under Huyck Wangner, Weavexx, Stowe Woodward, Mount Hope, Robec, and Xibe brand names. Xerium Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Best Specialty Retail Companies For 2014: SkyPeople Fruit Juice Inc.(SPU)
SkyPeople Fruit Juice, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production and sale of fruit juice concentrates, fruit beverages, and other fruit related products in the People?s Republic of China. It offers fruit concentrates, such as fruit purees, concentrated fruit purees, and concentrated apple, pear, and kiwifruit juices; fruit juice and fruit cider beverages that include apple juice, pear juice, kiwifruit juice, mulberry juice, kiwifruit cider, and mulberry cider; and other fruit related products, such as organic and non-organic fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, dried fruits, preserved fruits, fructose, concentrated turnjujube juice, kiwifruit seeds, and apple spice. The company sells its products directly to hotels, supermarkets, whole sellers, and other outlets, as well as to end-users; and through distributors and trade Web sites. SkyPeople Fruit Juice, Inc. also exports its products to the United States, the European Union, South Korea, Russia, and the Middl e East. The company is headquartered in Xi?an, the People?s Republic of China.
Top 5 Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: Wireless Telecom Group Inc.(WTT)
Wireless Telecom Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and supply of noise source products, electronic testing and measurement instruments, and passive components to commercial customers, the U.S. Government, and prime defense contractors. The company offers a range of noise source products, including components and instruments that are primarily used as a method of testing to determine if communications systems are capable of receiving the information being transmitted; and a line of broadband test equipment to cable television and cable modem industries for measuring CATV equipment, data-over-cables, and digital TVs. Its noise source products are used as a reference standard in test instruments that measure unwanted noise and interference in devices and components utilized in various communications equipment; coupled with other electronic devices for use as a means of jamming, blocking, and disturbing enemy radar and other commu nications; and used in radar systems as part of built-in test equipment to monitor the radar receiver and in satellite communications. The company also designs and produces electronic testing and measuring instruments, including power meters; passive inter modulation test equipment for cellular transmission signals; voltmeters; capacitance meters; audio and modulation meters; and accessory products. In addition, it designs and manufactures passive microwave components for the wireless infrastructure market and for other commercial, aerospace, and military markets. The company?s passive components are used in microwave systems, UMTS, PCS and cellular communications base stations, television transmitters, avionic systems, and medical electronics. It markets its products through its in-house sales people, as well as through manufacturers? representatives and distributors worldwide. Wireless Telecom Group, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.< /p>
Best Specialty Retail Companies For 2014: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as an independent clinical laboratory company in the United States. The company offers a range of testing services used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis, and in the monitoring and treatment of disease, as well as specialty testing services. Its routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid tests, Pap tests, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. The company?s specialty tests and related services comprise viral load measurements, genotyping and phenotyping, and host genetic factors for managing and treating HIV infections; cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular genetic tests for diagnostic genetics; oncology tests for diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and treatments; clinical trials testing for pharmaceutical companies, which conducts clinical research trials on diag nostic assays; forensic identity testing used in criminal proceedings and parentage evaluation services, as well as testing services in reconstruction cases; allergy testing; and occupational testing for the detection of drug and alcohol abuse. Its customers include independent physicians and physician groups, hospitals, managed care organizations, governmental agencies, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and other independent clinical laboratories. The company operates a network of 51 primary laboratories and approximately 1,700 patient service centers. In addition, it delivers a co-branded electronic health records Lite solution for physician practices. The company works with university, hospital, and academic institutions, such as Duke University, The Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, and Yale University to license and commercialize new diagnostic tests. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Burlingto n, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Vita]
Laboratory Corporation of America (LH), or LabCorp, is one of the largest independent medical lab operators in the U.S., with more than 1,700 patient service centers that provide everything from run-of-the-mill blood tests to more specialized genoic and oncology testing.
With analyst sentiment rising in shares of this $8.5 billion firm, it makes sense for investors to give LabCorp a closer look in 2012. In a business where size matters, LabCorp’s scale is a serious advantage — one that provides shareholders with some semblance of an economic moat in an otherwise commoditized business. By and large, patients don’t care where they get their medical tests done; as long as the lab is covered by their insurance, location is the deciding factor. As a result, LabCorp’s hard-to-replicate network makes this business look significantly less attractive to new potential rivals.
That being said, the massive power wielded by insurance companies is a major concern for firms like LabCorp. Insurers negotiate pricing for lab tests across their networks, giving them pricing power over LH.
At the same time, though, LabCorp’s push toward more advanced, proprietary tests gives the firm much less exposure to low-margin work and limits the risks of unfavorable insurance company negotiations.
One big bet on LabCorp comes from Larry Robbins’ Glenview Capital Management; as of the most recently reported quarter, the stock comprised 1.1% of the total portfolio.
Best Specialty Retail Companies For 2014: Home Federal Bancorp Inc. of Louisiana(HFBL)
Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana operates as the holding company for Home Federal Bank, which provides financial services to individuals, corporate entities, and other organizations in northwest Louisiana. The company?s deposit products include savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market accounts, and certificate accounts, as well as passbook savings, certificates of deposit, and demand deposit accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises real estate loans, such as one to four family residential loans; commercial-real estate loans; multi-family residential loans; commercial business loans; land loans; construction loans; home equity and second mortgage loans; equity lines of credit; and consumer loans, including loans secured by deposit accounts, automobile loans, and other unsecured loans. The company also offers wealth management services. As of December 7, 2010, it operated through its main office, two branch offices, and one agency office in Shreveport, Louisiana. T he company is based in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Best Specialty Retail Companies For 2014: Dee Valley Water(DVW.L)
Dee Valley Group plc, through its subsidiary, Dee Valley Water plc, provides water services in north east Wales and west Cheshire. The company supplies potable water to approximately 110,000 households; and 8,000 commercial, industrial, and business customers. It operates 28 pumping stations and provides both drinking and non drinking water. The company supplies water from a network of eight impounding reservoirs and two underground sources. Dee Valley Group plc is based in Wrexham, the United Kingdom.
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