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Joseph Harry

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  • Invest in Breakfast for Healthy Returns

    By Joseph Harry - June 19, 2013 | Tickers: GIS, K, POST

    Some say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

    Companies that rely heavily on breakfast foods for revenue and earnings would likely agree. Especially since breakfast eaten at home is "thriving, representing over 80% of all breakfast occasions last year," according to Don Mulligan, CFO of General Mills (NYSE: GIS).

    So how to invest in the lucrative breakfast business?

    The General and cereal...

    Cereal is one of the more »

  • Is Amazon Winning The Cloud Wars?

    By Joseph Harry - June 19, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, GE, IBM

    Cloud computing will be a huge and growing industry going forward. The rise of the cloud will provide storage and access to massive amounts of data. Besides just storage, this data will also be interpreted and used efficiently to better industry performance and connect devices. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is emerging as a leader in cloud computing, but will they keep their lead?

    We like you more, but we have to more »

  • Is It a Good Idea to Invest in U.S. Railroads?

    By Joseph Harry - June 12, 2013 | Tickers: CSX, KSU, NSC, UNP

    Why invest in U.S. railroads? They operate in a seller's market and enjoy strong pricing power, for one. Two, they have geographically strong moats, operating in a capital-intensive industry with high barriers of entry. And lastly, they are well positioned to benefit from the North American oil and gas boom.

    Even though it can be up to five times as expensive to transport crude by train, a lack more »

  • The Big Retail Battle For The Grocery Aisle

    By Joseph Harry - June 12, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, TGT, WMT

    Groceries are big business. The US grocery business, in fact, did about $568 billion in sales last year. Food is a low-margin business, but selling groceries has been an increasing trend for many retailers. Low-margin business is right up many of these retailer's alleys -- especially if they have the economies of scale to successfully profit from volume. 

    Amazon fresh...

    Large-scale, low-margin retail can't be brought up without mentioning more »

  • Is GE the Best Industrial to Buy Now?

    By Joseph Harry - June 10, 2013 | Tickers: EMR, GE, HON

    Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) CEO David Farr is betting on a "manufacturing renaissance" in the United States. He cites oil and gas leading to cheaper energy costs as one catalyst, explaining that "from the oil and gas renaissance you're going to see a lot of investments going in -- very technology-based investments, typically," continuing by stating that (in reference to manufacturing) "now what we have left [in the U more »

  • Is This Stock a Good Buy at Current Levels?

    By Joseph Harry - June 8, 2013 | Tickers: LNG, COP, EXC

    It's been a rough five years for Exelon (NYSE: EXC).

    After a plunging share price was coupled with a dividend cut, is there any reason to buy into this beaten-down utility? 

    Export terminals, natural gas, and the fate of nuclear power...

    Back in February, Exelon's CEO Christopher Crane had the following to say:

    "Right now at our nuclear sites, we're continuing to see depressed prices at points more »

  • 2 Financially Strong Retailers To Buy Now

    By Joseph Harry - June 5, 2013 | Tickers: FL, ROST, FINL

    Is the U.S. retail industry healing? Opinions vary. Statistics provided by the International Council of Shopping Centers, or ICSC, claimed that April retail sales rose 2.7% year-over-year, while the National Retail Federation (NRF) found that sales increased 4.6% year-over-year in that same time period. NRF CEO Matt Shay opined that:

    “The slow road to recovery is turning into a sprint as retailers experienced a nice bounce more »

  • Why This Search Giant Should Make This Rumor Come True

    By Joseph Harry - May 31, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT

    Tim Cook thinks Google Glass will be a difficult sell, primarily due to its lofty price tag. He also stated that, "I don't know a lot of people that wear them that don't have to."

    So will he be right? Many assume he is betting on a smart watch to get Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) foot into the wearable technology door. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is moving full-steam ahead more »

  • Is Safeway a Value Trap?

    By Joseph Harry - May 30, 2013 | Tickers: AXP, SWY, WMT

    Safeway (NYSE: SWY) is a relatively smal company with a market cap sitting at a hair under $6 billion. The company is also discounted to the overall market, trading at just about 9 times earnings. Speaking of earnings, the company has seen its ups and downs over the years:

    Improving earnings can be chalked up as a current strength, however. Safeway, in fact, has posted profit gains in four out more »

  • Want to Own a Shopping Mall? 3 Retail REITs to Consider

    By Joseph Harry - May 29, 2013 | Tickers: CBL, GRT, PEI

    The United States is dependent on the consumer for a complete economic recovery. A recovery that brings back increasing revenues and a boost for retail. When the consumer is back in full (and sustainable) force, spending discretionary income, and not going into debt -- we may finally be fully back to normal. That's where some mall and outlet REITs may come in handy for your portfolio.

    A recently upgraded REIT more »

  • Investing in Telecoms and Their 4G Future

    By Joseph Harry - May 28, 2013 | Tickers: T, S, TMUS, VZ

    4G LTE is quickly becoming the new standard for wireless communications. 4G LTE is significant for wireless carriers because it offers speeds that are over ten times faster than the old 3G technology.

    Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is currently the leader in 4G LTE as far as size goes. With the largest LTE network in the nation, the company is also getting closer and closer to 100% LTE coverage -- with a more »

  • Riding the Display Technologies Trend

    By Joseph Harry - May 28, 2013 | Tickers: MMM, GLW, QCOM

    Display technology is becoming increasingly prevalent as the mobile revolution ramps up and more touchscreen devices come into the market to be inevitably purchased by consumers. LCD televisions increasing in size will likely also play a role, as well as the so called "7 year refresh period" in which consumers replace their old televisions, a period that some believe is soon approaching. Many companies are getting into display, so how more »

  • Will 'This Brick-And-Mortar' Giant Dominate Online?

    By Joseph Harry - May 24, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, EBAY, WMT

    The online merchant was, for a good amount of time, a unique entity. An entity that also enjoyed a unique and wide moat. Is this still the case, however?

    It seems that the drawbridge has slowly been lowered over the former online merchant moat, and now the big "brick-and-mortar" stores are crossing the bridge. The barriers of entry for online sellers is being lowered, and now retail companies like Wal-Mart more »

  • Lorillard and the Electronic Future of Big Tobacco

    By Joseph Harry - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: MO, LO, RAI

    While some think that "Big Tobacco" will eventually expand into legalized marijuana to chase growth -- this is still a highly speculative situation that isn't exactly guaranteed. While overall cigarette volumes are dropping in the U.S., tobacco companies are looking to find new ways to generate profits now. The current trend of tobacco companies primarily favors the exploration of smokeless products and other innovations such as electronic cigarettes. 

    Are more »

  • Grab Shares of This Tech Giant While They Are Still Cheap

    By Joseph Harry - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: CSCO, IBM, MSFT

    In many of my previous writings, I recommended buying "old tech" companies -- mostly due to their cheap valuations and P/E ratio compression, great financial shape, and impressive dividend increases. Two of these companies have finally started to break-out:

    While International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) has witnessed a setback due to a disappointing quarter that stunted its breakout for a reason, it seems like Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) just hasn't more »

  • Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Is Gearing up For Growth

    By Joseph Harry - May 10, 2013 | Tickers: KO, DPS, PEP

    Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS), recently reporting, was able to increase earnings in the face of slightly declining sales volumes. Price increases and cost cutting helped boost earnings, but the apparent decline in high-caloric beverages seems to pose a long-term threat. The company's president, Larry Young, addressed the issue:

    "As consumers become more aware of caloric intake and looking to make healthier choices for themselves and their families more »

  • 3 Blue Chips That May Be Cheaper Than They Seem

    By Joseph Harry - May 8, 2013 | Tickers: T, JNJ, MSFT

    When screening for investments, I often like to look at the forward price-to-earnings ratio as a metric that gives me an estimated glimpse into a company's future earnings power relative to its current price. If I find a disconnect -- when a company looks expensive when considering its trailing P/E ratio but fairly valued or even cheap when looking at its forward P/E -- I pay a little more more »

  • Drugstore Wars: Walgreen or CVS Caremark?

    By Joseph Harry - May 7, 2013 | Tickers: ABC, CVS, WAG

    Drugstores should make viable investments going forward as a way to play the demand for drugs that will inevitably increase with an aging population that's led by the baby boomers. The Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," should also fuel demand for cheaper generics, as well as generate more foot traffic in stores such as Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) and CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS)). So which drugstore makes a better investment more »

  • Is Waste Management Evolving Into an Energy Company?

    By Joseph Harry - May 3, 2013 | Tickers: FCEL, GE, WM

    Landfill gas, as a by-product of microbial activity, forms from the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste materials (trash), and consists primarily of methane as well as carbon dioxide. The biogas produced by landfills can be used as an energy source -- from fueling trucks to generating electricity. 

    Utilizing this gas for electricity can also deliver a continuous, stable source of electricity to power grids -- which is something other "green" energy sources more »

  • Was AT&T Unfairly Punished by the Market?

    By Joseph Harry - May 2, 2013 | Tickers: T, GOOG, VZ

    After recently reporting less-than-stellar revenue - down nearly 1.5% year-over-year - the sell-off in shares of AT&T (NYSE: T) began. The company also experienced some negative downgrades as well.  AT&T also looks less than exceptional next to its rival Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), which seems to be the more popular telecom company at the moment. So is there reason for AT&T to worry?

    Earnings and revenue...

    While revenue more »

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