Traditional brick and mortar retailers seem to face more intense online competition every year. Given the challenging consumer spending environment��articularly during the highly promotional holiday shopping period��013 was an especially tough year for many.
The weak holiday sales have resulted in numerous downgrades of retail stocks. Among them was PetSmart (PETM), the leading retailer of pet products and services in North America, which was downgraded by several analysts last month, citing weaker holiday traffic trends and expectations for increased online competition ahead.
However, PETM has been fairly unscathed by the growing dominance of online retailers over the years. The simple reason for this is the fact that no one has been able to stay in the business of selling 50 pound bags of dog food at a discount while also providing free shipping for very long. Additionally, demand for its products tends to be fairly inelastic and less affected by consumer spending trends.
10 Best Casino Stocks To Own For 2015: Hansen Medical Inc.(HNSN)
Hansen Medical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells medical robotics designed for positioning, manipulation, and control of catheters and catheter-based technologies. The company?s products comprise the Sensei Robotic Catheter System and its related Artisan and Lynx catheters. It offers Sensei Robotic Catheter systems and Artisan catheters for manipulation, positioning, and control of mapping catheters during electrophysiology procedures. The company also provides robotic platforms consisting of the Magellan Robotic System and the NorthStar Robotic Catheter for the treatment of vascular disease. In addition, it offers CoHesion 3D Visualization Module, a software interface that provide physicians with 3D visualization to augment their ability to move a catheter throughout the heart, as well as control the placement of the catheter in specific locations. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States; and through direct sales force and dis tributors primarily in the European Union and internationally. It has a joint development agreement and co-marketing agreement with St. Jude Medical, Inc. for the development of CoHesion 3D Visualization Module; and a collaboration agreement with Philips Medical Systems Nederland B.V. to co-develop integrated products for use in the diagnosing and treatment of arrhythmias. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Yesterday, small cap medical robotics stock MAKO Surgical Corp (NASDAQ: MAKO) soared 82.19% after it was announced that Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) would acquire it���meaning it might be time to take a closer look at large cap medical robotics leader Intuitive Surgical, Inc (NASDAQ: ISRG) along with small caps Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) and Hansen Medical, Inc (NASDAQ: HNSN). MAKO Surgical Corp�markets both its RIO Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System and proprietary RESTORIS family of implants to surgeons for a procedure called MAKOplastythat provides a less invasive method for knee resurfacing and a new procedure for Total Hip Arthroplasty.�Stryker Corporation, whose medical technologies include reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products, agreed to pay $1.65 billion or $30 a share for a massive 86%�premium for MAKO Surgical Corp. That�� sounds great for investors unless you are an investor who go in the stock back in 2011 and early 2012 when shares hit as high as the�$43 level.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2014: Sovran Self Storage Inc.(SSS)
Sovran Self Storage, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). It engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of self-storage properties in the United States. The company?s self-storage properties offer storage space to residential and commercial users, as well as offer outside storage for automobiles, recreational vehicles, and boats. As of February 15, 2007, it owned and managed 328 properties, consisting of approximately 20.3 million net rentable square feet in 22 states. Sovran Self Storage has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to income tax to the extent it distributes at least 90% of taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Williamsville, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Self-storage REIT�Sovran Self Storage (NYSE: SSS ) announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.53 per share, a 10% increase from the payout it made to investors last quarter of $0.48 per share.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2014: Nordson Corporation(NDSN)
Nordson Corporation manufactures equipment used for precision dispensing, testing and inspection, and surface preparation and curing. Its Adhesive Dispensing Systems segment manufactures equipment for applying adhesives, lotions, and liquids to disposable products; automated adhesive dispensing systems for the food and beverage, and packaged goods industries; hot melt and cold glue adhesive dispensing systems for the paper and paperboard converting industries; adhesive and sealant dispensing systems for bonding or sealing plastic, metal, and wood products; and laminating and coating systems to manufacture continuous-roll goods in the nonwovens, textile, paper, and flexible-packaging industries. The company?s Advanced Technology Systems segment comprises automated gas plasma treatment systems used to clean and condition surfaces for the semiconductor, medical, and printed circuit board industries; controlled manual and automated systems for applying materials in customer pr ocesses requiring precision and material conservation; ultraviolet equipment used in curing and drying operations for specialty coatings, semiconductor materials, and paints; and bond testing and automated optical and x-ray inspection systems used in the semiconductor and printed circuit board industries. Its Industrial Coating Systems segment provides automated and manual dispensing systems used for applying coatings, paint, finishes, sealants, and other materials. Nordson Corporation markets its products in the United States and internationally through a direct sales force, as well as through qualified distributors and sales representatives. It serves various markets, including the appliance, automotive, bookbinding, container, converting, electronics, food and beverage, furniture, life sciences and medical, metal finishing, non woven, packaging, and semiconductor industries. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Westlake, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of industrial product manufacturer Nordson (NASDAQ: NDSN ) dropped as much as 10% today after the company reported fiscal second-quarter earnings.
- [By Lauren Pollock]
Nordson Corp.'s(NDSN) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 12% on weaker demand, though the maker of dispensing equipment noted improvement in recent order trends.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2014: Lydall Inc. (LDL)
Lydall, Inc. designs and manufactures specialty engineered products for the thermal/acoustical, filtration/separation, and bio/medical applications worldwide. The company operates through Performance Materials, Thermal/Acoustical Metals, and Thermal/Acoustical Fibers segments. The Performance Materials Segment offers filtration media solutions for air, fluid power, and industrial applications, such as clean-space, commercial, industrial and residential HVAC, power generation, and industrial processes. This segment also provides industrial thermal insulation media and products for the cryogenic, building products, appliance, and high temperature insulation markets. In addition, it offers life sciences filtration products for life science applications, including biopharmaceutical pre-filtration and clarification, diagnostic and analytical testing, respiratory protection, life protection, medical air filtration, drinking water filtration, and high purity process filtration. T he Thermal/Acoustical Metals segment provides engineered products, such as thermal and acoustical shielding solutions to assist in noise and heat abatement within the transportation sector. The Thermal/Acoustical Fibers segment offers thermal and acoustical insulating solutions comprising organic and inorganic fiber composites for the automotive and truck markets. The company also provides specialty products for blood filtration devices and blood transfusion single-use containers; and designs and manufactures single-use solutions for cell growth, frozen storage, and fluid handling, as well as equipment for bioprocessing applications. Lydall sells its products primarily to original equipment manufacturers and tier-one suppliers. The company was founded in 1913 and is based in Manchester, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Conglomerates: This industry moved up 8.21% by 11:30 am. The top performer in this industry was Lydall (NYSE: LDL), which gained 2%. Lydall is expected to report its Q3 earnings on November 5, 2014.
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