Keith Speights

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• J.C. Penney: By the Numbers and Beyond the Numbers

  By Keith Speights - June 14, 2012 | Tickers: DDS, JCP, KSS, M, SKS

  Ron Johnson assumed the helm at J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) one year ago. There was a high level of enthusiasm when Johnson joined the struggling retailer. Many hoped that he would be able to bring some of the magic he helped create at Apple over to JCP.  Unfortunately, the magic hasn’t materialized yet.

  There are two perspectives on Ron Johnson’s leadership at JCP over the last year more »

• High-Priced Wal-Mart?

  By Keith Speights - June 13, 2012 | Tickers: COST, PSMT, TGT, WMT |

  Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is known as the home of “everyday low prices.”  The company has achieved success for nearly 50 years by offering a wide selection of products at great values. The stock recently hit an all-time high. Yet at least one brokerage lists Wal-Mart as a “large cap value” stock. But is Wal-Mart actually priced at a value now or is it on the high end? Let’s take more »

• Why Insurers are Smart to Keep Parts of ObamaCare

  By Keith Speights - June 13, 2012 | Tickers: AET, CI, HUM, UNH, WLP |

  Insurance companies are often accused of making decisions that only benefit themselves to the detriment of their customers. That’s probably because insurance companies often do make decisions that only benefit themselves to the detriment of their customers. But now, lo and behold, we have an example of insurers taking a stand that benefits their customers.

  UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), Aetna (NYSE: AET), and Humana (NYSE: HUM) have all committed more »

• Cummins Still Firing on All Cylinders

  By Keith Speights - June 12, 2012 | Tickers: CAT, CMI, NAV, PCAR |

  Last week Wells Fargo downgraded Cummins (NYSE: CMI) from an “outperform” rating to “market perform”. Cummins was downgraded based on Wells Fargo’s view that expected NAFTA truck industry production cuts will hurt earnings in the near term and that there were no signs of overall market improvement.

  Cummins has been a favorite stock of mine in the past, so I was curious to take another look at the company more »

• Bright White at the End of the Tunnel for Europe

  By Keith Speights - June 11, 2012 | Tickers: DD, HUN, KRO

  Little Orphan Annie sang that the sun would come out tomorrow. With regards to Europe, I’m not sure about her timing, but her premise will ultimately prove to be correct. Europe will recover. Its economies will pick up steam. The sun will come out.

  It isn’t too soon to for investors to be looking for opportunities to profit from Europe’s recovery. One potential stock for consideration is more »

• Concerns about Coinstar

  By Keith Speights - June 9, 2012 | Tickers: AMZN, CSTR, CMCSA, SBUX, WMT

  I’m bullish on Coinstar (NASDAQ: CSTR). I thought I needed to say that up front with a headline that includes the word “concerns.” Coinstar has enjoyed a great run so far in 2011. My expectations are that it will continue to do so throughout the year.
  
  But we can view a stock positively yet still have concerns. Have you ever bought a stock and truly had no concerns whatsoever more »

• 4 Reminders from Tempur-Pedic

  By Keith Speights - June 8, 2012 | Tickers: BBRY, BP, GMCR, NFLX, TPX |

  How the mighty can fall. In April, Tempur-Pedic (NYSE: TPX) was up over 60% for the year. The stock attracted quite a bit of attention from investors. Investor's Business Daily listed Tempur-Pedic in its top 50 stocks. That was then.
  
  Tempur-Pedic is currently trading over 60% less than its starting point in January. If you’re keeping count, that is a swing of more than 120% in two months more »

• Will FLIR Fly?

  By Keith Speights - June 7, 2012 | Tickers: FLIR, GRMN, LLL, ROP

  FLIR Systems (NASDAQ: FLIR) stock skyrocketed over the past ten years. Shares of the infrared technology company soared from less than $5 in 2002 to a high of over $40 in 2008. The stock has come down significantly from those lofty heights, though, and now trades for less than $22 per share. Is FLIR’s successful run a thing of the past or can the stock fly high again?
  
  My more »

• 3 Reasons to Love Microsoft

  By Keith Speights - June 6, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, IBM, MSFT, ORCL |

  I can sympathize with those who hate Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). The company hasn’t always used its power in nice ways. Windows takes too long to start up. Who can forget the awful Microsoft Office talking paper clip? (Sorry to remind those of you who had forgotten.) And don’t get me started on MSNBC.
  
  The stock price has spent more time over the last five years below its current more »

• Silver Lining in the Clouds

  By Keith Speights - June 4, 2012 | Tickers: HL, SLV, PAAS, SLW, SVM

  While the markets have been stormy lately, there is a silver lining in the clouds. One company that fits the silver lining bill nicely is Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW). While the S&P 500 fell nearly 2.5% last Friday, Silver Wheaton gained over 4.5% and is up over 15% in the past few weeks.
  
  There are three reasons that Silver Wheaton is a good pick for investors even more »

• Stumped over Seagate

  By Keith Speights - May 25, 2012 | Tickers: FIO, LSI, SNDK, STX, WDC |

  Why is Seagate (NASDAQ: STX) priced so low? Sure, certain stocks become undervalued from time to time in the natural ebb and flow of the financial world. I’m stumped, though, as to why Seagate isn’t trading higher – much higher. Either I am totally missing something or this stock presents a fantastic value right now. Let’s examine Seagate from three perspectives to see if I’m missing something more »

• What's Warren Buffett Watching?

  By Keith Speights - May 24, 2012 | Tickers: CMCSA, DTV, DISH, TWX |

  Do you suppose Warren Buffett watches much television? Maybe he likes an outdoor show like Deadliest Catch. Perhaps he enjoys Dancing With the Stars. For all I know, he might watch The Bachelorette. After all, Motley Fool editor LouAnn Lofton wrote a best-selling book based on the premise that Warren Buffett invests like a girl. Perhaps he watches TV like a girl, too. Regardless, if he watches television at all more »

• Winner of the Toy Wars

  By Keith Speights - May 24, 2012 | Tickers: HAS, LF, MAT, DIS |

  The toy business is a real doll-eat-doll world.

  Two major players battle each other daily to win the hearts of kids and the dollars of parents. Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) and Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT), with market caps of $4.46 billion and $10.51 billion, respectively, dominate the toy market. LeapFrog (NYSE: LF) is smaller, with a market cap of $670 million, but has been gaining ground with its educational toys more »

• Show Growth, Slow Growth, and Flow Growth

  By Keith Speights - May 23, 2012 | Tickers: CMCSA, DTV, GE, NFLX |

  Growth is great. Earnings growth powers stock prices. Revenue growth is key to earnings growth. Equity growth is a strong predictor for future earnings growth. Most investors love those stocks that consistently demonstrate strong growth in earnings, revenue and equity. A lot of investors avoid stocks that don’t have rapid growth in those areas, but opportunities exist to capitalize on such stocks.

  One stock among these that deserves investors more »

• Unbelievable Things you have to Believe to Bet Against Schlumberger

  By Keith Speights - May 19, 2012 | Tickers: BHI, HAL, SLB, USO, WFT |

  This time it’s different. How many times have these words been spoken yet ultimately proven to be false? I propose we take advantage of this pattern. What if we found a stock for which things would have to be very different than in the past for it not to go up in the longer term? One stock that I think fits the bill is the giant oil services firm more »

• This Stock is Loaded with Potential

  By Keith Speights - May 16, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, IBM, MODL, MSFT, NUAN

  Richard Branson, Henry Ford, Ray Kroc. Successes or failures?  All of them built great business empires. But all of them at one point were looked at as failures. Each one dropped out before completing high school. Yet they each possessed incredible potential. And they ultimately fulfilled that potential.
  
  I thought about these men as I researched my short list of companies that I consider to be candidates to “graduate” to more »

• One Stock at the Top of its Class

  By Keith Speights - May 15, 2012 | Tickers: ADS, AXP, DFS, MA, V

  No matter which school, no matter which year – every graduating class has its standout students. The accomplishments of these individuals put these students clearly at the top of the class. The same is true in the world of investing. There are certain stocks that stand out at the top of their class.

  In my previous post, I noted that there are a few stocks that are ready to graduate to more »

• Ready for Graduation Day: Advance Auto Parts

  By Keith Speights - May 13, 2012 | Tickers: AAP, AZO, ORLY, PBY

  It’s the time of year for graduations. High school seniors are preparing to leave their youth behind and move to adulthood. College seniors are hoping to enter the world of work. Even kindergarteners are graduating, ready for that last summer before going to big kids' school. I think there are a handful of companies ready to graduate also. These companies are very successful but have not advanced to the more »

• A Second Chance at One that Got Away?

  By Keith Speights - May 11, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, BRCM, INTC, QCOM, TXN |

  It’s not a good idea to buy a stock on hearsay. But sometimes what someone has to say about a company is worth hearing. Back in 1994 an engineer with one of our vendors shared with me how much he enjoyed working for his employer and how excited he was about the company’s prospects. He didn’t divulge any insider information, but his enthusiasm clearly showed. Before he more »

• A Clear and Cloudy View on Citrix

  By Keith Speights - May 11, 2012 | Tickers: CSCO, CTXS, MSFT, VMW

  Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) keeps on confounding its critics. The company reported Q1 results in April that beat expectations. Revenue was up 20% year over year. Although GAAP net income was down slightly compared to the same quarter last year, adjusted earnings per share were up by 18% versus last year. What is more impressive than Citrix Systems’ quarterly numbers is its vision for the future and ability to execute more »

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