NorthWestern Corporation (...

Airline stocks are enjoying a sharp upswing today. The industry is recovering strongly as fuel prices tumble. And investors are also encouraged by the Delta (NYSE:DAL) and Northwest (NYSE:NWA) merger. But Andrew Snyder says this remains a high-risk sector for stock investors.

More from Today’s Financial News:

After nearly a decade of getting kicked around by the nation’s investors, airlines are finally starting to get some positive attention. More importantly, the barrens of the friendly skies are finally starting to look like profitable ventures.

Notice, however, that I “starting” to “look” like profitable ventures. As of last quarter, the only major airline to post a profit was AMR Corp. (NYSE:AMR), the owner of American Airlines. And its earnings were a mere pittance of total revenues.

All the rest, companies like Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV), Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), and United Airlines (NYSE:UAUA), all lost significant

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Thursday October 30, 2008 Navivest

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) and Northwest Airlines, Inc. (NWA) completed their merger yesterday, after they got the go ahead from the justice department. The news that both companies were in merger talks first leaked on February 11, 2008.

Under the all-stock $2.6 billion dollar deal, Northwest Airlines (NWA) is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta. The merger creates the world’s largest airline.

Northwest Airlines (NWA) stockholders will receive 1.25 Delta (DAL) shares for each Northwest Airlines (NWA) share they own and based on Delta’s (DAL) closing stock price on Oct. 29, 2008, this exchange ratio works out to $9.99 for each Northwest Airlines (NWA) common share.

Tags: Northwest Airlines  Delta Airlines  Merger

 

Northwest Bancorp, Inc. (NWSB) shares have been holding their ground in higher territory since originally being featured as a Zacks momentum stock on Sep 9.

Northwest's estimates have also been holding up, an impressive feat in this environment. The current-year estimate stands at $1.21 per share, while the next-year estimate is pegged at $1.50, a 24% earnings growth projection.

With shares trading around the $28 level, this stock has a forward P/E multiple of 23X, a premium to the overall market.

With the higher valuations, Northwest will need to continue to grow its earnings to support more share appreciation. Take a look at the chart below.

Updates to Previous Momentum Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU) just posted amazing third-quarter results. The company's share price is trading sharply lower on the year, creating an opportunity to purchase shares in

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Any natural resources company will admit that the permitting process to get activities underway is difficult and time-consuming. Given a solid plan of attack and good will with the permitting agencies, the process can move forward with a minimum amount of delay and expense. Solid management and a desire to work toward a common goal is the key to getting operations under way sooner rather than later. Timing an investment to when the process is nearing completion is the key.

Canadian Zinc Corp., an exploration and development mining company, works to find, develop and exploit mineral deposits primarily in Canada. The company is currently advancing mine permitting and development activities in the Northwest Territories of Canada.

Although the permitting process for new or existing mines is generally a long and arduous one, Canadian Zinc is making significant progress in all areas. Its primary mining project, Prairie Creek, is a reclamation and enhancement

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Shares of Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) jumped 10.63% on Wednesday morning after chief executive Doug Steenland said that he expected the merger with Delta Airlines (DAL) to be wrapped up by the end of this year in spite of opposition from labor unions.

He added that Northwest can reap profit if crude oil price stabilizes near the $100-mark. According to Reuters, Steenland refuted any doubts that the credit crunch will cast a shadow on the merged airline as the entity would have $6 billion in cash on closing.

Delta is also up 11.14% a day after AP reported that airline stocks were some of the star performers in the third quarter, with most major carriers clocking double-digit percentage hikes.

"NWA" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"DAL" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

It was a reversal of fortunes during Thursday trading on the on the Canadian markets as the big board stocks managed to squeeze out modest gains, while the junior bourse saw nothing but red.

Delta Airlines, Inc. (DAL) is on the verge of a very lucrative merger with Northwest Airlines. The carrier's international expansion strategy is working as analysts estimates have been rising. Delta is now the fastest growing major carrier in the United States.

Company Description

Delta Air Lines is an international airline with more destinations than any other global carrier. The company offers flights to approximately 311 cities in 52 countries. Delta added 60 new international flights in the past year, making it the fastest growing U.S. airline. The company employs more than 55,000 people, carries a market cap of $2.6 billion, and his headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors Recommend Delta-Northwest Merger

On September 15th Delta announced that proxy advisors recommended Delta shareholders should vote for the proposed all-stock merger with Northwest Airlines. If the merger is approved by shareholders, the

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Northwest Bancorp. (NWSB) reported impressive second-quarter results in July that included a big jump in earnings from last year. Analysts have raised their guidance in response to the strong performance, and the company's share price recently broke above a key short-term level of resistance.

Northwest Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Northwest Savings Bank, a regional bank that offers banking and financial services. The company was founded in 1896, has a market cap of $1.38 billion and is headquartered in Warren, Pennsylvania.

Second-Quarter Results

Bucking the trend in the financial sector and gaining a boost from the recent bailout of Fannie and Freddie, shares of Northwest Bancorp have been posting impressive gains for the last 2 months. The company's second-quarter results helped showcase its ability to sidestep some of the problems that have been plaguing other financial companies.

Net income

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A fluid more valuable than oil, and playable in the stock market? That pretty much describes water, and Ryan Connors of Boenning and Scattergood is an expert in water companies.

“The trends driving water are very long-term,” he told CNBC. “Most people, when they think of water, they think of brushing their teeth or doing their dishes, and the reality is, water is very much an industrial commodity.”

Recommendations:

So how to play in water?

Conservative plays:

“There are really two different sides to the industry,” he said. “One is the water-utility side, which would be more suitable for more conservative investors; two of the companies that we like there, that do have some scale, are Aqua America

AQUA AMERICA INC WTR 17.38 UNCH 0 NYSE...