The figurative cauldron containing recently revealed federal government shenanigans just might be overflowing. Indeed, some significant transgressions are now going essentially unreported.
You of course have heard about the IRS's targeting of conservative groups for what I'll euphemistically call special attention. Ditto the Justice Department's violations of journalists' privacy. And regardless of your political persuasion, you likely were taken aback last week by the news that the National Security Agency has possibly been collecting metadata records of your phone calls.
But I'm willing to wager that some Fools -- who obviously constitute an attentive set -- are unaware that the Environmental Protection Agency has also allegedly been discriminating against conservatives in the area of fee collections. Conversely, their liberal counterparts have been receiving fee waivers at an alarming rate. The fees have been tied to Freedom of Information Act requests by the media, think tanks, and non-profit activists. And, since no other government agency has a greater effect on fossil fuel companies, attention to EPA machinations should be de rigueur for energy investors.
Hot Airline Companies To Buy Right Now: Rhino Resource Partners LP(RNO)
Rhino Resource Partners LP produces, processes, and sells coal of various steam and metallurgical grades in the United States. The company holds interests in various surface and underground coal mines located in Central Appalachia, Northern Appalachia, the Illinois Basin, and the Western Bituminous region. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 10 mines, including 5 underground and 5 surface mines located in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. The company markets its steam coal primarily to electric utility companies as fuel for their steam-powered generators; and metallurgical coal for steel and coke producers. It also engages in mining limestone from reserves located at its Sands Hill mining complex and sells it as aggregate to various construction companies and road builders. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Lexington, Kentucky.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Namitha Jagadeesh]
Peugeot gained 3.7 percent to 10.61 euros after two people familiar with the matter said CEO Philippe Varin plans to step down next year and hire former Renault SA (RNO) Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares as his replacement. Pierre-Olivier Salmon, a Peugeot spokesman, declined to comment. Europe�� second-largest carmaker is also likely to benefit from the Iran accord. Peugeot sold 458,000 vehicles in Iran in 2011, before the trade sanctions, making it the company�� second-biggest market after France.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Coal producer�Rhino Resource Partners� (NYSE: RNO ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.445 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past four quarters after cutting the payout 7% from $0.48 per share.
- [By Dorothee Tschampa]
Volkswagen AG (VOW) (VOW), PSA Peugeot Citroen (UG) and Renault SA (RNO) (RNO), Europe�� three largest carmakers, all dropped 5 percent or more after preliminary data showed Chinese manufacturing is unexpectedly contracting.
Top 5 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: CenturyLink Inc.(CTL)
CenturyLink, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated communications company. The company provides a range of communications services, including voice, Internet, data, and video services in the continental United States. Its services include local exchange and long distance voice telephone services, as well as enhanced voice services, such as call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling, voicemail, selective call ringing, and call waiting; wholesale local network access services; and data services, including high-speed Internet access services, data transmission services over special circuits and private lines, and switched digital television services, as well as special access and private line services. The company also offers fiber transport, competitive local exchange carrier, security monitoring, and other communications, as well as professional and business information services. In addition, it provides other related services, such as leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and wiring; payphone services; and network database services, as well as participates in the publication of local telephone directories. Further, the company offers printing, direct mail services, and cable television services; and wireless broadband Internet access services and satellite television services. As of December 31, 2010, it operated approximately 6.5 million telephone access lines. CenturyLink, Inc was founded in 1968 and is based in Monroe, Louisiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]
Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Avg. High Yield Price 2. 20-Year DCF Price 3. Avg. P/E Price 4. Graham Number T is trading at a discount to only 3.) above. Since T's tangible book value is not meaningful, a Graham number can not be calculated. The stock is trading at a 11.6% premium to its calculated fair value of $28.64. T did not earn any Stars in this section. Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Free Cash Flow Payout 2. Debt To Total Capital 3. Key Metrics 4. Dividend Growth Rate 5. Years of Div. Growth 6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% T earned one Star in this section for 3.) above and earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1984 and has increased its dividend payments for 31 consecutive years. Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. NPV MMA Diff. 2. Years to > MMA T earned a Star in this section for its NPV MMA Diff. of the $1,161. This amount is in excess of the $500 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as T has. The stock's current yield of 5.76% exceeds the 3.68% estimated 20-year average MMA rate. Memberships and Peers: T is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: CenturyLink, I
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Consider: The S&P 500 telecom sector has dropped 0.3% at 12:53 p.m., even as the S&P 500 has gained 0.1% and the S&P 500 utilities sector has advanced 0.1%. But telecom is a weird grouping. For starters, there are just five telecom stocks in the S&P 500: Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T), CenturyLink (CTL), Frontier Communications (FTR) and�Windstream Holdings (WIN).
- [By Muhammad Bazil]
Windstream has the highest debt/equity ratio of all direct competitors, as well as from the industry. Companies like Verizon (VZ) and CenturyLink (CTL), have a debt to equity ratio which is slightly above the industry average of 0.92, while AT&T (T) has a debt/equity ratio of 0.88, which is lower than the industry average. A debt/equity ratio demonstrates how many times a company's long-term debt exceeds its equity. A higher proportion of debt compared to equity leads to higher volatility in earnings and increases the probability that a company may default on debt due to higher financial leverage. Given that Windstream has been very acquisitive over the past few years, the financial risk is fairly explained by the company's inability to increase its profits through debt financing. However, the ratio is extremely high.
- [By Anders Bylund]
So even after all the hacking and slashing, France Telecom's yield is orders of magnitude richer than American contemporaries AT&T (NYSE: T ) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ ) . It's fully comparable to the high-yield payouts of rural American telecoms such as CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL ) and Windstream (NASDAQ: WIN ) , but with the added bonus of growth plans in emerging markets. The French stock strikes a unique balance between generous yields, large-scale operations, and vibrant growth plans.
Top 5 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: iShares Transportation Average ETF (IYT)
iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones Transportation Average Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the transportation sector of the United States equity market, and includes companies in primary groups, such as airlines, trucking, railroads, air freight, transportation services and industrial services.
The Index is subset of the Dow Jones U.S Total Market Index. The components stocks are weighted based on the price of the component securities, with the highest priced securities generally having higher weighting in the Index. The Index is adjusted to reflect changes in capitalization resulting from mergers, acquisitions, stock rights, substitutions and other capital events. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Gary Jakacky]
One of the real powerful forces behind this four and half year cyclical bull market has been the Dow Jones Transportation Average. After terrorizing "Dow Theorists" for nearly a year in 2012 by "refusing to confirm" new highs in the industrials, the Transports caught their second wind and ripped to new highs shortly after the new year began. A chart of the iShares Dow Jones Transportation ETF (IYT) shows this clearly. Since last January it has beaten back every attempt at a major correction:
Top 5 Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch For 2014: Active Control Techn (ACTV)
The Active Network, Inc. provides organization-based cloud computing applications services to business customers in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers ActiveWorks, an organization-based cloud computing platform, which transforms the way organizers record, track, manage, and share information regarding activities and events. Its ActiveWorks back-office system pulls customers� participant management, operational reporting, volunteer management, and service and payment processing functions into one hosted system. The company also provides consulting services, which consist primarily of business mapping, project management services, and guidance on best practices in using its services; and implementation services, including system set-up and configuration, and data conversion, as well as develops customized training and education programs relating to both the use and administration of its services. It serves a range of customers, including communit y and sports organizations, large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, federal and state government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other related entities. The company was formerly known as Racegate.com, Inc. and changed its name to The Active Network, Inc. in May 2001. The Active Network, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Luke Jacobi]
The Active Network (NYSE: ACTV) closed up 25.53 percent to $14.31 after the company agreed to be taken private by Vista Equity Partners for $1.05 billion.
- [By Selena Maranjian]
The biggest new holdings are Liberty Media�and AbbVie. Other new holdings of interest include The Active Network (NYSE: ACTV ) , which specializes in online registrations for endurance events such as marathons and triathlons. The company recently signed a three-year deal with Ironman, and its most recent quarterly earnings report featured revenue up 12% and shrinking losses. Some have questioned the company's solvency, while others like its valuation.
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