The benefits are obvious, but some risks are not widely appreciated. The Utilities Sector shows a disturbing trend for the 12 months ended May 2008. The Gas Utilities Industry has fared a little better than its peers during this period. The crude oil outlook is unclear. That is why opinion is divided on how gas prices may fare in future.

This small-capital stock from Fort Worth, TX has a clear location advantage. The home base is front and center of one of the most exciting natural gas fields in all of North America. The management has been sanguine in leveraging a spatial advantage fully. It has been pro-active in securing gathering and processing rights to top natural gas resources in its neighborhood.

Stock investors wary of how the markets have behaved during June 2008 will be relieved to know that this stock

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This small-capital member of the Healthcare Facilities industry from Louisville, KY has got its business model just right. Profits during the Most Recent Quarter, one of the most difficult periods in recent times for most stocks, have grown by 47%. Interestingly, gross revenues have grown by just about 20% during this period. The implied Gross Margin improvement can only be because patients and their families value the home-nursing and assisted living services very highly.

The company serves Florida, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, and Illinois, apart from Kentucky. It is also present in Alabama and Missouri. Visiting nurse facilities are recognized by Medicare. Trained care-givers are available on hourly bases or as live-in professionals. The corporation operates through subsidiaries, and has judiciously used inorganic growth options to extend its operations. It manages more than 30 certified agencies. It has established an enviable reputation for quality recuperative services. The competition in this industry is

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The six months before June 2008 have shown business diversification in very favorable light for stocks. Innumerable portfolios have come to grief because of their over-dependencies on one or the other segment of the world economy. Almost all stock investors, whether by hindsight or foresight, must look at stocks of diversified companies to weather the current market conditions until the next upswing.

Capital, human, physical and intangible resources limit diversification. A management team may wish to enter a new field of activity, but lack the capabilities to compete profitably and in sustainable ways. A wide client base gives a corporation most of the benefits of diversification, without requiring such diverse resources.

This is the case of a small-capital member of the Electronic Instrumentation & Controls Industry from Quincy, MA. Horticulture, foods, mining, aerospace, and logistics are examples of the breadth of industries which this company serves. It makes power transmission and motion

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Any time is appropriate for questioning value deliveries to customers. Corporations run by former sales people are especially vulnerable to exaggerated claims of customer loyalty. Some stock investors buy quarterly management stories about why market shares have grown faster than profits. However, stock exchange veterans prefer to see selling price increases as marks of customer preferences, above all else.

It is true that some marketing investments require more than a year to realize full returns. However, these costs invariably appear below the Gross Margin line. Hence, trends in this ratio speak volumes about the basic health of any stock. Inflation generally affects an entire industry, if not the whole sector uniformly, therefore benchmarking a stock against Gross Margins earned by direct competitors gives an X-Ray view of the state of a business.

Competition and Gross Margins are inversely related. No professional would introduce a new brand with additional customer benefits, at a

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This small-capital company from Malibu, CA deals in toys. It has a penchant for classic brands, and this has taken the company away from pure fun to products such as writing instruments. It is a demonstrative member of the Recreational Products Industry. That is why you do not have to be invested in the stock to derive great pleasure from the endeavors of this corporation.

Recent financial performance has disappointed financial analysts with hearts of steel. Net income during the Most Recent Quarter has crashed from over $3 million a year ago to just $900,000. Litigation and other expenses have made deep inroads into bottom-line business performance.

Children, collectors, and the distribution chain still have many reasons to cheer. The company has launched a new line of dolls. New and exciting video games have reached advanced stages of development. Loyal customers eagerly await a gathering stream of good news on the new

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Last Mile Logistics Group, Inc. (OTCBB: LMLG) reported an increase of 37% in revenues for the first quarter of 2008. This prosperous increase follows last year’s increase of 47% compared to the fourth quarter of 2006. Although fuel costs have increased dramatically in the past couple of months, the company’s gross margin also increased in the first quarter of 2008 by 26%, totaling $230,207. This increase is attributed to the growth in revenue and fuel surcharge agreements with customers to offset these cost increases.

Increases in revenue are attributed to business from a major new client for the home delivery of cabinets, as well as several other new customers in 2007. Despite an economic slowdown, the company has benefited from the continued outsourcing by companies to reduce their cost structure, combined with continued online purchasing of goods and electrics, which is dependent on a distribution channel that

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Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) is an interesting tale - this has been for many many years been a "hope" stock i.e. more promise than execution - I remember the hoopla surrounding it at the turn of the century ... the last time people were all hyped up about alternative energies (at the time the big fuss was about new wave car batteries and the like). This company has morphed over the years with a confusing array of business lines (trying to decide what it wanted to "be"), but recently has added a newer and more business savvy executive team, and while they still have a few business lines .... the excitement is their solar business, which has turned into the dominant line at the company. Much like First Solar (FSLR), ENER has a thin film process so by staying away from the polysilicon shortage issue they have some potential to ...