Stock Market News & Stocks to Watch from StraightStocks » online marketplace

eDoorways Corp. (EDWY.PK) Helps Businesses ‘Mine’ for Gold Nugget Prospects

QualityStocks — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:07:02 +0000

For small businesses in America, a huge gap exists between consumer practice and retail response. While nearly 75% of US consumers use the Internet while shopping for goods and services, only 44% of small businesses have a Web presence. In the online marketplace, small businesses tend to lag far behind the large e-retailers and local [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 9/15/09, LXRX, ALNY, EBAY, EMAN, IM, GELV

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:36:11 +0000

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Tuesday September 15, 2009 ************************************************************** Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments for human disease, obtained favorable results from recently completed Phase 1 studies of LX4211 and announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of the drug candidate in patients [...]

THQI, JAKKS, ACTG, LQDT Stock-PR Stock Report August 24, 2009

Stock-PR — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:22:28 +0000

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) August 24, 2009 announced the first gameplay details surrounding WWE(R) SmackDown(R) vs. Raw(R) 2010, the 11th edition to the distinguished fighting videogame franchise. Poised to feature the most authentic, entertaining and compelling simulation of WWE programming to date across multiple videogame platforms, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 8/17/09, FO, PETD, HTZ, SXI, SPNG, RGR

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:22:01 +0000

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Monday August 17, 2009 ************************************************************** Acushnet Company, the golf business of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), announced that on August 14, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted the company’s request for a new trial and issued other favorable decisions in its patent dispute with [...]

Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Government Properties Income Trust, Cypress Sharpridge Investments, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and LoopNet. – Press Releases

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:06:14 +0000

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 15, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Government Properties Income Trust (GOV), Cypress Sharpridge Investments (CYS), Freddie Mac (FRE), Fannie Mae (FNM) and LoopNet (LOOP).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

2 New REIT IPOs

Two new recent REIT IPOs launched in June. Government Properties Income Trust (GOV) began trading earlier this month. The company priced 10 mm shares @ $20.00 per share. The company is a subsidiary of HRPT Properties Trust, an office REIT based in Massachusetts. HRPT owns 49.9% of GOV.

GOV will focus on owning office properties leased to the US government. The company currently has 29 office properties with 3.3 million square feet. 25 of the company's properties are leased to the US government, and the remainder are leased to various state governments.

Cypress Sharpridge Investments (CYS) priced 9.1 mm shares @ $11.00 per share on June 11. Cypress invests exclusively in agency fixed and adjustable rate RMBS, which are mortgages guaranteed by the US government or a government agency, Freddie Mac (FRE), Fannie Mae (FNM).

LoopNet Market Weakens

The Federal Reserve released its Beige Book this week, and the news for LoopNet (LOOP), which operates an online marketplace for commercial real estate, remains challenging.

Commercial real estate transactions remain at historically low levels, and we expect this trend to continue to put pressure on LoopNet's operations.

The Fed noted that "commercial real estate markets continued to weaken across all Districts." This is certainly not a positive sign for LoopNet's business, and the lack of transaction activity is our primary concern regarding the company's outlook.

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About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2677

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Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=4580.

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Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

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Zacks Investment Research

LoopNet Market Weakens – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:03:06 +0000

The Federal Reserve released its Beige Book this week, and the news for LoopNet (LOOP), which operates an online marketplace for commercial real estate, remains challenging.

Commercial real estate transactions remain at historically low levels, and we expect this trend to continue to put pressure on LoopNet’s operations.

The Fed noted that "commercial real estate markets continued to weaken across all Districts." This is certainly not a positive sign for LoopNet’s business, and the lack of transaction activity is our primary concern regarding the company’s outlook.

This lack of commercial purchases and sales stems not only from lack of demand, but lack of available capital. According to the Fed, "eight Districts cited difficulty in obtaining financing as one of the primary reasons for delaying or stopping construction of new developments and for limiting sales of existing properties." This fact is troubling, as it indicates that even if asking prices continue to fall, prospective buyers may still have difficulty in lining up adequate financing.

The Richmond District noted the impact on both sellers and buyers, stating that "reduced property values were discouraging sellers from listing properties, and a lack of affordable financing was deterring buyers." As a result, the District said, "commercial sales activity remained subdued."

The lack of volume is apparent in major markets around the country. In Boston, for example, the Fed reports that "commercial real estate transactions were increasingly scarce." The situation is even worse in Dallas, where the Fed mentioned "sales transactions for commercial real estate properties are almost nonexistent."

Importantly, the Boston District reported that "financing volume for smaller commercial deals (priced below $10 million) slowed considerably through April and May, to a pace roughly half that observed in the first three months of 2009." The District noted that previously, demand for smaller deals had remained robust even while volume remained very slow for large properties.

Given the widespread deterioration in transaction volume, as well as the ongoing competition from industry peer CoStar Group (CSGP), we continue to have a negative view of LoopNet’s outlook. The shares have fallen roughly 7% since our last post in April, and we maintain our Sell rating on the shares.
Read the full analyst report on "LOOP"
Read the full analyst report on "CSGP"
Zacks Investment Research

The UpTurn, Inc. (UPTR.PK) Happy With Success of Real Estate Blog

QualityStocks — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:12:36 +0000

UpTurn, Inc., the much talked about venture to provide a new online marketplace for everyone and everything involved in real estate, is still under development. But in case you haven’t heard, the idea is to create an innovative site that is focused on people and their lifestyles, not just on property specifications like other sites. [...]

Five Reasons to Sell LoopNet – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:07:56 +0000

Shares of LoopNet, Inc. (LOOP) have traded higher in recent weeks after hitting a low in early March. The company reported first-quarter results yesterday after the close, and reinforced several reasons why we believe a lower valuation is appropriate for the shares at this time.

First, key operating metrics have now steadily weakened for four consecutive quarters. Most important among these, in our opinion, is the fact that the number of paying members has declined at an increasing year-over-year rate in each of these periods. During the first quarter, the number of paying members was down 15.8% versus the year-ago period.

Second, we expect that transaction volume in the commercial real estate industry will remain constricted in the near-term. We anticipate that weak operating fundamentals and tight credit availability will create a wide bid-ask spread, as owners are reluctant to sell at what they consider to be a low-point of the real estate cycle, and buyers are limited in their ability to pay up for properties due to a higher cost of capital.

Third, we note that the company's primary competitor, CoStar Group (CSGP), recently launched an online marketplace that competes directly with LoopNet. While we still consider LoopNet to be the dominant player, customers now have another viable option.

Fourth, beginning with its Q2-08 release, the company began issuing non-GAAP earnings guidance, excluding ongoing litigation costs and share-based compensation expenses from its EPS guidance. We believe that this shift away from the company's traditional GAAP earnings guidance may cause some confusion among investors. We do not consider the litigation expenses to be one-time in nature, and our forward earnings estimates include both litigation and share-based compensation expenses, as is standard.

Fifth, in March the company sold $50 million in convertible preferred stock to private equity investors, while giving no clear use for the proceeds of this capital raise. Management stated only that the "financing will provide LoopNet with additional resources to pursue and accelerate our growth strategy."

The convertible shares, which do not pay or accrue dividends, are convertible into 7.4 million shares of common stock at a price of $6.72 per share.

During 2008, the company repurchased 4.9 million shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $54.6 million, or approximately $11.08 per share.

We find it somewhat confusing that only a few months later management would then issue stock at a price nearly 40% below that at which it repurchased its shares. In our view, this move not only resulted in the dilution of existing shareholders, but the destruction of capital, as the company essentially bought high and sold low, and without a clear use of proceeds.

Given these issues, we recommend avoiding shares of LOOP at current levels.
Read the full analyst report on "LOOP"
Zacks Investment Research

eBay Champions Smart Ways to Shop Green

Dawn Van Zant — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:00:00 +0000

SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 4 2009 eBay (Nasdaq:EBAY), the world's leading online marketplace, today announced the launch of the eBay Green Team, a new initiative that champions smart ways to shop green and encourages more sustainable buying choices that can save consumers money and help save the planet.

Georgia Stocks

Fred Fuld — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:24:00 +0000

As one of the states with the largest manufacturing industries in the country, it is no mystery as to why Georgia ranks as one of the top consumers of energy. Some interesting facts on what is the world 28th largest economy follow:

1. The travel industry contributes around $20 billion a year to the state economy.
2. Georgia’s bioscience industry generates 15,000 jobs.
3. Over 250 bioscience companies are headquartered in the state.
4. The Georgia paper industry is second only to Alabama, and it employs 26,000 workers.
5. The state has the largest commercial forest in the country, which produce over $19 billion in revenue and employ more than 150,000 people.
6. The food processing industry generates more than 70,000 jobs, and produces sales receipt of over $16 billion a year.
7. The largest manufacturing employer is the textile-carpet industry which employs over 100,000 workers and produces more than $2.5 billion in revenue annually.
8. There are over 700 textile companies headquartered in Georgia.
9. The mining industry of non fuel minerals produces $1.8 billion in income, and it employs over 9,000 workers.
10. Georgia’s clay production amounts to 24% of total U.S. production

The following companies are headquartered in Georgia:

The Coca-Cola Company (KO) makes, delivers and sells non alcoholic beverages around the globe. The stock has a market cap of $102.17 billion, a PE of 18, a PEG of 1.61, and it pays a yield of 3.4%.

United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) is a parcel delivery firm, and it operates worldwide. The stock has a market cap of $50.95 billion, a PE of 247, a PEG of 1.36, and it pays a yield of 3.5%.

Home Depot, Inc. (HD) is a retailer of home improvement products in North America. The stock has a market cap of $34.33 billion, a PE of 10, a PEG of 1.06, and it pays a yield of 4.5%.

Southern Company (SO) produces and markets electricity in the south. The stock has a market cap of $25.79 billion. A PE of 15, a PEG of 2.74, and it pays a dividend of 5.2%.

Aflac Incorporated (AFL) is a life and health insurance company in the United States and Japan. The stock has a market cap of $20.54 billion, a PE of 12, a PEG of 0.74, and it pays a yield of 2.3%.

SunTrust Banks, Inc (STI) is a financial institution providing services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The stock has a market cap of $14.81 billion, a PE of 12, a PEG of 2.49, and it pays a yield of 7%.

Invesco Ltd. (IVZ) is an investment management company providing management services in the United States. The stock has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a PE of 9, and it pays a yield of 1.4%.

Oca Cola Enterprises, Inc. (CCE) makes, distributes and sells nonalcoholic drinks. The stock has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a PEG of 1.27 and it pays a yield of 2.5%.

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) is a distributor of industrial and automobile parts in North America. The stock has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a PE of 11, a PEG of 1.30, and it pays a yield of 5.0%.

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) is an online marketplace for the trading of securities and commodities. The stock has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a PE of 19, and a PEG of 0.67.

Don't forget to check out the stocks from the states of Wisconsin, Louisiana, Michigan, and Kentucky.

Author owns UPS.

By Stockerblog.com

Business Week’s Gene Marcial Recommends EBAY

CEO Blogger — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:48:28 +0000

Gene Marcial, Business Week’s stock-picking guru recommended EBAY today: Track his stock picks at: http://trackthepros.com/ a. Ebay is a stock that now deserves new attention b. Since October 2007, when it traded at 40, the stock’s value has tumbled nearly 50%. c. The big discount in the stock’s price relative to eBay’s vast assets and worldwide superiority in online auctions [...]