The Oklahoman reported last week about a movement out of Oklahoma City to get the United States Postal Service to switch from gasoline and diesel to natural-gas-powered vehicles. Natural gas is cheaper than either of those two fuels right now, which would be good for the USPS, but the real story here is in the power of demand. In this video, Fool.com contributor Aimee Duffy takes a look at what would happen if the Post Office pursued this idea.
The movement toward alternative energy is gaining momentum. One potential opportunity in this field is Clean Energy Fuels, which focuses its natural gas efforts primarily on trucking and fleets. It's poised to make a big impact on an essential industry. Learn everything you need to know about Clean Energy Fuels in The Motley Fool's premium research report on the company. Just click here now to claim your copy today.
Best Cheap Stocks To Own For 2014: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)
Rent-A-Center, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, primarily engages in leasing household durable goods to customers on a rent-to-own basis. The company?s stores offer durable products, such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, and furniture and accessories under flexible rental purchase agreements that allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed upon rental period. It also provides merchandise on an installment sales basis in its stores. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 3,008 company-owned stores in the United States, and in Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, including 42 retail installment sales stores under the names ?Get It Now? and ?Home Choice?; and 18 rent-to-own stores located in Canada under the ?Rent-A-Centre? name. It also operates 209 franchised rent-to-own stores in 32 states under the ColorTyme trade name; and 384 kiosk locations under the ?RAC Acceptance? model. In addition, the company, th rough its ColorTyme?s franchised stores, offers custom rims and tires for sale or rental under the trade names ?RimTyme? or ?ColorTyme Custom Wheels?. Rent-A-Center, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Stuart]
Rent-A-Center(RCII), the largest rent-to-own operator in the U.S., rents furniture and electronics to low- to middle-income customers.
The company has struggled in the past three months, underperforming its closest competitor, Aaron's Rents(AAN), by over 25%. While Aaron's has executed flawlessly, Rent-A-Center has not, as the company missed earnings estimates. Management blamed the first-quarter fallout on poor weather conditions in February and limited availability of refund-anticipation loans for consumers. Despite the hiccup, management has stuck to its 2011 guidance of $2.90 to $3.10 in EPS, equating to revenue growth of 5% to 7% and earnings-per-share growth of 3% to 10%.
Key initiatives to boost growth, such as RAC Acceptance (kiosks in third-party stores that arrange rent-to-own programs) are in place. Management has done a good job of managing its debt position and recently boosted the dividend by 167% (now at a 2.2% yield). If management can achieve $3 in EPS for the full year, the stock looks cheap, trading at just 9.7 times earnings (a discount to 15 times P/E for Aaron's). TheStreet Ratings has a $41 price target on shares of Rent-A-Center.
Best Cheap Stocks To Own For 2014: Hewlett-Packard Company(HPQ)
Hewlett-Packard Company and its subsidiaries provide products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as well as to the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. Its Personal Systems Group segment offers commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, calculators and other related accessories, and software and services for the commercial and consumer markets. The company?s Services segment provides consulting, outsourcing, and technology services to infrastructure, applications, and business process domains. Its Imaging and Printing Group segment provides consumer and commercial printer hardware, supplies, media, and scanning devices, such as inkjet and Web solutions, laser jet and enterprise solutions, managed enterprise solutions, graphics solutions, and printer supplies. The company?s Enterprise Servers, Storage, and Networking segment offers industry standard s ervers, business critical systems, storage platforms, and networking products, including switches, routers, wireless LAN, and TippingPoint network security products. Its HP Software segment provides enterprise IT management software, information management solutions, and security intelligence/risk management solutions. The company?s HP Financial Services segment offers leasing, financing, utility programs, and asset recovery services; and financial asset management services for enterprise customers, as well as specialized financial services to SMBs, and educational and governmental entities. Hewlett-Packard Company also provides business intelligence solutions that enable businesses to standardize on consistent data management schemes, connect and share data across the enterprise, and apply analytics, as well as licenses its specific technology to third parties. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) was the worst story of all 30 DJIA stocks in 2013. Unfortunately, what was bad is expected to get worse in 2013. With a downside price target of $13.53, HP shares are now expected to fall just over 5%, even with this yielding 3.5% now. HP’s woes do not stop with the Autonomy acquisition woes. Meg Whitman has fired many employees but warned that a real turnaround might not take hold until all the way into 2016. We expect more asset sales and ultimately more layoffs. HP’s position was not helped out after it became known that famous short sellers are continuing to bet against this PC and IT-services giant.
- [By Smart Money]
Forward P/E: 9.2.
Five-year average forward P/E: 13.8.
Discount to five-year average: 33%.
As the world's biggest maker of personal computers and printers, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) has two knocks against it -- neither of its major markets is particularly attractive these days, says Kim Caughey, senior analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.
"In the PC market, HP is fighting deflation," Caughey says. "Next year's hardware is always going to be faster, better, cheaper."
The Palo Alto, Calif., company's printer and printing business is suffering as companies downsize, she says; fewer workers translates into less printing.
Even worse is what could happen to HP's margins as demand grows for tiny, cheap netbook computers. "I'm looking into people's pockets and I believe they will be sending their kids back to school with netbooks," says Caughey. "The (profit) margin on netbooks is terrible."
That's part of the bigger problem with a company as consumer-focused as HP. If folks don't have the money, they can't spend it. For that reason, Caughey thinks Hewlett-Packard's shares, while valued at a low multiple, are unattractive.
- [By Jim Cramer]
Nope, not the one to own in 2011. I think that HP has taken a step backward and is now ripe for the pickings of every other company in the space, whether it be . Accenture (ACN) on the consulting side or . EMC (EMC) on the server side or Oracle (ORCL) with Sun on the hardware and software side or Apple (AAPL) on the PC side. I just don't see this company doing anything this year, and I really don't understand the strategy or the vision, in part because of a new CEO who hasn't explained it yet and in part because of the old CEO who left on such a bad note. I don't see a pickup in earnings and I think that the stock could finish lower than it starts. Call it $40. I hope I am wrong because I think that 2011 will be a good year for tech in general, but not for this company.
5 Best Prefered Stocks To Own For 2014: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)
Kohl?s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. The company?s stores offer private and exclusive, as well as national branded apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and children; soft home products, such as sheets and pillows; and housewares primarily to middle-income customers. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 1,089 stores in 49 states. The company also offers on-line shopping on its Web site at Kohls.com. Kohl?s Corporation was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dug]
With its value-priced merchandise, private label, and brand-name goods, Kohl's is part department store and part discounter. "It's not quite as high-end as Macy's, or as low as Wal-Mart," says Resendes. The near-term outlook for retailers is gloomy, but Kohl's should be in a good position when the economy rebounds, he says. "A lot of consumers have migrated to Wal-Mart in terms of price, but they'll migrate back up, and a natural first stop is going to be Kohl's." Another plus: Kohl's doesn't offer store credit cards, "so defaults aren't hanging over its head," says Resendes. "That will be a great strength when we exit this economic turmoil." He sees a 25 percent upside to the company's shares, which recently traded at $38.
- [By Kevin1977]
Kohl’s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. KSS recently traded at $45.1 and has a 2.2% dividend yield. KSS lost 1.7% during the past 12 months. The stock has a market cap of $12.7 billion, P/E ratio of 11.3 and forward P/E ratio of 8.9. The stock has total debt/equity ratio of 0.24 and Beta of 0.93.
Best Cheap Stocks To Own For 2014: TranSwitch Corporation(TXCC)
Transwitch Corporation designs, develops, and supplies semiconductor and intellectual property solutions for voice, data, and video communications equipment. The company provides integrated multi-core network processor system-on-a-chip (SoC) and software solutions for fixed, 3G and 4G mobile, VoIP, and multimedia infrastructures. It offers converged network infrastructure products, including infrastructure VoIP processors comprising Entropia series of processors for wire-line and wireless carrier equipment; EoS/EoPDH mappers and framers for formats and data speeds in the access portion of the network; tributary switches that enable traffic to be switched or re-arranged; and carrier Ethernet solutions consisting of Ethernet controllers and switches, as well as circuit emulation and clock recovery devices. The company also provides FTTx protocol processors, such as mustang, a system-on-chip solution for EPON optical network unit equipment; COLT processor, a system-on-chip so lution for the optical line terminator equipment; and Diplomat-ONT product, an integrated SoC solution for GPON ONU applications, as well as access VoIP processors and access controllers. In addition, it offers broadband customer premises equipment, including multi-service communications processors comprising Atlanta processor, a multi-service SoC for customer premises equipment that supports toll-quality telephone voice, fax, and routing functionality; and HDMI, displayport, HDP, and Ethernet IP cores for consumer electronics, home network equipment, and industrial and automotive applications. The company serves public network systems OEMs, WAN and LAN equipment OEMs, Internet-oriented OEMs, and communications test and performance measurement equipment OEMs, as well as government, university, and private laboratories. It sells its products through direct sales force, independent distributors, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Brush]
If you find yourself craving more high-definition video on your smartphone or tablet computer or if you've been checking out 3D televisions -- the next big trend -- you already know why TranSwitch (TXCC) stock should be a winner over the next few years.
Once a techmania darling, trading at more than $500 a share, TranSwitch crashed and burned along with so many other Internet stocks. It has been all but left for dead since. Wall Street analysts are predicting the stock will actually have fallen to $2 a year from now, from recent levels of around $2.60, according to Thomson Reuters.
What they're missing is that TranSwitch has revamped its chip offerings so they support high-definition video connections in TVs, PC and game monitors, smartphones, tablets and video cameras. This exposes the company to some big consumer trends. Another new product line supports gear that connects homes, offices and smartphones to the Internet.
Those analysts and other investors don't put much faith in these new products. So why should you? Because the right kinds of insiders have been accumulating stock. Many of the new products are scheduled to hit the market over the next three months and generate meaningful sales by the fourth quarter. So now is the time to buy.
Of course, we don't know for sure that TranSwitch's new products will catch on. But behind the scenes, they've been licensed by the likes of Intel (INTC), International Business Machines (IBM), Texas Instruments (TXN) and Analog Devices (ADI), Ted Chung, the TranSwitch vice president of global business development, tells me. That suggests TranSwitch may work its way into the Apple (AAPL) iGadget ecosystem, says Northland Capital Markets analyst Richard Shannon. That would be a game-changer for tiny TranSwitch, but the markets for its new products are so big that it probably can win even without such an advantage.
- [By Michael Brush]
If you find yourself craving more high-definition video on your smartphone or tablet computer or if you've been checking out 3D televisions -- the next big trend -- you already know why TranSwitch (TXCC) stock should be a winner over the next few years.
Once a techmania darling, trading at more than $500 a share, TranSwitch crashed and burned along with so many other Internet stocks. It has been all but left for dead since. Wall Street analysts are predicting the stock will actually have fallen to $2 a year from now, from recent levels of around $2.60, according to Thomson Reuters.
What they're missing is that TranSwitch has revamped its chip offerings so they support high-definition video connections in TVs, PC and game monitors, smartphones, tablets and video cameras. This exposes the company to some big consumer trends. Another new product line supports gear that connects homes, offices and smartphones to the Internet.
Those analysts and other investors don't put much faith in these new products. So why should you? Because the right kinds of insiders have been accumulating stock. Many of the new products are scheduled to hit the market over the next three months and generate meaningful sales by the fourth quarter. So now is the time to buy.
Of course, we don't know for sure that TranSwitch's new products will catch on. But behind the scenes, they've been licensed by the likes of Intel (INTC), International Business Machines (IBM), Texas Instruments (TXN) and Analog Devices (ADI), Ted Chung, the TranSwitch vice president of global business development, tells me. That suggests TranSwitch may work its way into the Apple (AAPL) iGadget ecosystem, says Northland Capital Markets analyst Richard Shannon. That would be a game-changer for tiny TranSwitch, but the markets for its new products are so big that it probably can win even without such an advantage
Best Cheap Stocks To Own For 2014: Ur Energy Inc(URG)
Ur-Energy Inc., an exploration stage junior mining company, engages in the identification, acquisition, evaluation, exploration, and development of uranium mineral properties. The company has 13 projects located in Wyoming and Nebraska, the United States; and 3 exploration projects located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada. Its landholdings cover approximately 90,000 acres in the United States and approximately 140,000 acres in Canada. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Louis]
Junior mining company UR-Energy Inc.(URG) has watched its stock increase 73% in the past 12 months. Currently trading at $1.64, URG has more than doubled its 52-week low of 73 cents, and is a great choice for penny stock investors.
Best Cheap Stocks To Own For 2014: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Hughes]
International Business Machines (IBM) -- our aggressive pick for the year -- is one of the world's most dominant technology companies, with annual revenues of $105 billion and net income of $16 billion.
- [By Paul]
IBM. Emerging markets are a big growth driver for this computer systems and software provider. Not only that, Resendes says, IBM has "a bullet-proof balance sheet that will allow it to weather the current storm and position it for superior growth and profitability in the long term." He thinks the stock, which recently traded at $93, is worth $120 a share: ''There are some obvious companies that offer much bigger discounts, but you have to incorporate the safety factor. You're getting a premium company here that's a good spot to be in within the tech space."
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