Michael Carter

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• There's No Such Thing as a Halfway Nook

  By Michael Carter - May 21, 2013 | Tickers: BKS, DELL, GOOG, HPQ, MSFT

  Over $2 trillion is spent each year on acquisitions, including purchases of entire companies, divisions, or company components. However, study after study puts the failure rate of mergers and acquisitions of all variations between 70%-90%. This month's TechCrunch report, citing leaked internal documents concerning Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) possibly dropping $1 billion to take the NOOK e-reader business off Barnes & Noble’s (NYSE: BKS) hands, sent Barnes’ stock up more »

• Which is a Better Long-Term Investment, Fast Food or Restaurants?

  By Michael Carter - May 16, 2013 | Tickers: CBRL, DRI, DPZ, MCD, YUM

  If you try to narrow down one single deciding factor that favors either fast food or restaurant stocks, the metrics are all over the place. If one is going purely by share price change, then Domino’s Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) has been the better buy by far the last 5 years. However, any long-term investor knows that past performance isn’t really a good indicator of future performance. If you more »

• 3 Popular Perennial Losers of the Past 5 Years Explained

  By Michael Carter - May 3, 2013 | Tickers: APOL, NAT, SNE

  In pro sports, there are some teams that every fan knows have no chance of winning a championship or even making the playoffs until something changes dramatically. They are considered perennial losers due to poor ownership, bad business decisions, and just really bad luck. In the stock market, perennial losers also exist in similar fashion. I will discuss three popular perennial losers of the past five years in this article more »

• This Internet Company Could Be the Perfect Buy

  By Michael Carter - April 23, 2013 | Tickers: ANGI, GOOG, YELP

  Before the Internet, most customer reviews were done through publications like magazines and newspapers while the rest were done through customer comment boxes and customer service help lines. While these methods were standard, they didn’t empower the customer as much as the Internet has allowed today. Yelp (NYSE: YELP) is one of the leading online customer review websites today, and I will explain why I feel this Internet-based company more »

• A Game of Inches and Portion Sizes

  By Michael Carter - April 15, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, CMG, GRMN, MCD

  At the pro level, an inch can be the deciding factor in whether you get drafted or you go on to be pro at something other than sports. When it comes to electronics, inches are just as important. They can push electronic gadgets in and out of specific product distinctions and can launch companies past the competition. When it comes to the restaurant industry, portion sizes sometimes are the source more »

• It's Gotta Be the Shoes

  By Michael Carter - April 2, 2013 | Tickers: ADDYY, NKE, VFC

  What if I told you that the footwear industry was approaching $50 billion a year in revenue with over $20 billion coming from the US alone? Is that something you'd be interested in?

  What if I told you this same industry, which sells products that could just as easily be sold completely online instead, has still managed positive growth in sales at brick-and-mortar locations over the last 15 years more »

• 3 Stocks Immune to Corrections, Furloughs and the Unknown

  By Michael Carter - March 26, 2013 | Tickers: COST, XOM, LNKD

  The Dow Jones is currently hovering around all-time highs and the rest of the market domestically is at multi-year highs. Unemployment for the United States appears to be dropping – although slowly. However, uncertainty is still very much in the air as the largest employer in the nation, the United States government, faces the sequester and likely furloughs that could affect the more than three million employees - just over 1% of more »

• 3 Household Stocks to Renovate Your Portfolio

  By Michael Carter - March 15, 2013 | Tickers: POOL, VAL, TTS

  Typically, when the market gurus speak about playing the home improvement stocks, Home Depot and Lowe’s, with market caps of $105 billion and $43 billion, respectively, are at the top of the watch list. They have long track records of share price appreciation and consistent dividend payouts. And, in the event a natural disaster occurs that wipes out entire neighborhoods, one would think you can’t beat these two more »

• Chocolate, Not Diamonds Are Forever

  By Michael Carter - March 4, 2013 | Tickers: FLWS, AM, HSY, TIF

  Valentine’s Day has recently passed and the staple gifts like chocolates, flowers, jewelry, and cards were purchased in extremely large quantities around the world.  Average annual Valentine’s Day spending in fact is now over $13 billion annually.  Imagine how much junk food, soon-to-be dead plants, unworn necklaces and bracelets, and recycled paper that much money can buy.  Actually don’t.  Instead realize that no matter how many commercials more »

• The U.S. Isn't Ready to Go Green -- and Neither Is Your Portfolio

  By Michael Carter - February 28, 2013 | Tickers: CCJ, FSLR, FAN, SPWR

  For all their promise, alternative energy technologies remain barely close to reality, and nowhere near a necessity. As the following stocks and industries demonstrate, the U.S. isn’t ready to "go green" -- and neither is your portfolio.

  Solar

  Two of the bigger players in this sector are SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) and First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR).  The year kicked off well for SunPower when Warren Buffet endorsed the company by more »

• 3 Turnaround Stories at 3 Different Stages

  By Michael Carter - February 27, 2013 | Tickers: COH, SIX, WWE

  In basketball, when a player posts up (back against a defender), in order to shoot and score, he/she has to turn around to face the basket.  This can be achieved by turning in the air and timing the jump shot when the defender it not likely to jump and challenge the shot.  Michael Jordan perfected this to create his nearly unstoppable fade-away jumper.  The turnaround jump shot is somewhat more »

• 3 Recent IPOs Worth Considering for the Long-Term

  By Michael Carter - February 12, 2013 | Tickers: CG, FIVE, PSX

  Since 1975, there have been over 9,500 companies that have gone public with an initial public offering (IPO).  So what are the pros and cons of investing in IPOs, or at least relatively ‘new’ companies on the stock market?  The data shows that the percentage of returns on IPOs from 2000-2010 during the first five years after the IPO have a mean of 8.1% annual returns.  The data more »

• How to Make a Company Disappear 101

  By Michael Carter - February 7, 2013 | Tickers: GLW, GME, ZAGG |

  In 1983, legendary magician and illusionist, David Copperfield, made the Statue of Liberty disappear instantly in what is still today one of the greatest and most memorable tricks of all time.  In the stock market, there have been companies that have made others disappear nearly as fast by either a revolutionizing product or a superior business idea.  Other companies simply go away because their business model no longer fits in more »

• 3 Stocks That Scream Buy Despite What Analysts Say

  By Michael Carter - January 28, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, CMG, ZMH

  In 1995, one of my favorite stories of all time aired on ABC: The Langoliers.  The basic plot of the movie, based on the novel by Stephen King, is that an airplane full of passengers flies through a rip in the space-time continuum and results in the surviving crew traveling about 15 minutes into the past.  The news anchors I see on TV, author’s opinions I read about online more »

• Which Fast Food Companies Have Things Twisted?

  By Michael Carter - January 17, 2013 | Tickers: JACK, SONC, WEN

   

  Peanut butter and jelly, cinnamon and sugar, honey and ham, chicken and rice, spaghetti and meatballs, peas and carrots – these are some of the classic food pairings that just work well.  When it comes to fast food, there are some combinations that you just shouldn’t change, while every once in a while there is that one idea that revolutionizes not only the company, but the entire fast food industry more »

• Are New Year's Resolution Stocks Temporary?

  By Michael Carter - January 9, 2013 | Tickers: GNC, LTM, WTW |

  So far this year, I have hesitated on going to my gym that I frequent 4-5 times a week.  It isn’t because staying/getting fit is a dreaded resolution of mine for the New Year, but because it often is for many others.  Having more people in the gym often results in longer lines, parking difficulties, overcrowding in the common areas like locker rooms, and simply more new people more »

• Who Benefits from Rising Milk Prices?

  By Michael Carter - January 8, 2013 | Tickers: DF, DPZ, VSI |

  We just drove the DeLorean with Marty McFly to the not-too-distant future.  It is the year 2015 and after many struggles by Congress the last few years to address a new farm bill with not merely extensions, but one that is long-term and fair for all involved parties, milk prices are now over $5 a gallon and slowly rising.  This is less than what was predicted back in 2012 when more »

• What is Holding IMAX Down?

  By Michael Carter - December 27, 2012 | Tickers: IMAX, RLD, RGC

  It has now been over 3 years since the winter blockbuster Avatar began its record-smashing journey in the box office to become the first film to break $2 billion in sales worldwide.  In that same time frame, IMAX (NYSE: IMAX) has soared over 73% in share price.  It could be said that Avatar began a chain reaction for future movies to implement IMAX and 3D technologies.  With the success of more »

• Alcohol Rules for New Years

  By Michael Carter - December 24, 2012 | Tickers: BEAM, BF-B, DEO

  Every New Year’s is celebrated in numerous ways around the world.  Some take vacations to popular destinations like New York City to watch the prominent Ball Drop.  Others reserve New Year Eve parties at the growingly popular all-inclusive events that are held in many major cities around the country.  Staying at home, going to a friend’s house party, or going downtown to the local bars are some other more »

• Don't Believe the Hype

  By Michael Carter - December 17, 2012 | Tickers: MCP, NFLX, ZNGA

  Public Enemy’s hook for Don’t Believe the Hype starts up in my head when I see companies suddenly receiving positive attention and hype after suffering a rollercoaster downfall due to numerous letdowns in recent months.  What makes it worse is that the media and public opinion take a shift on major business networks and it only takes one or two analysts to get the general consensus shifting the more »

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