Zale (NYSE: ZLC ) is a specialty retailer of fine jewelry that has 1064 stores and 630 kiosks across North America. If you have ever walked through a mall, then you're familiar with the name Zale. With strong brand name recognition and the company swinging to a profit in fiscal-year 2013, you would think Zale should present a quality investment opportunity. While this is a possibility, there are several reasons why one much larger jewelry company should present a better long-term investment opportunity.
Recent results
Zale saw net earnings of $10.0 million in fiscal year 2013 versus a net loss of $27.3 million in fiscal year 2012. The improved performance was primarily due to a 60 bps improvement in gross margin (thanks to stable commodity costs) and a $21.5 million decline in interest expenses. However, SG&A expenses increased $14.0 million; these expenses are expected to remain high since they're necessary to help drive growth.
2013 was impressive, and it might indicate the beginning of a turnaround on the bottom line. However, keep in mind that other than in 2013, Zale has reported losses since 2008.
Top Safest Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Vision Industries Corp (VIIC)
Vision Industries Corp. (Vision), incorporated on May 11, 2004, is a manufacturer of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid powered Class 8 trucks and terminal tractors. Vision operates in the short-haul, drayage trucking category (the movement of containerized cargo over a short distance, typically less than 50 miles, from a port to an intermodal facility, such as a rail yard). The Company�� products include the Tyrano, a short-haul Class 8 tractor, and the Zero-TT, a single axle terminal tractor co-developed with Cargotec USA, the maker of terminal tractors.
The Company markets its vehicles to drayage operators at the twin Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and plans to expand its target market nationally to all fleet operators, owner-operators and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Vision aims to target drayage trucking fleet operators who operate in the eight deep-water ports (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Houston, Savanah, New York and New Jersey). Fleets which operate at these locations usually have predetermine routes, travel less than 50-mile (from Port to rail yard or distribution center) and have a return to base duty-cycle.
Tyrano
The Vision Tyrano is a lass 8 Zero-Emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell / Electric Hybrid heavy-duty truck designed to move containerized cargo from port to rail yard. With a GCVWR the Tyrano uses Lithium-ion batteries to power an electric motor and Hydrogen fuel cells to extend its range. The Vision Tyrano was designed for short-distance containerized cargo movement with trade corridor communities in mind.
Vision (Zero-TT) Terminal Tractors
The Zero-Emission Terminal Tractor (Zero-TT) is a Class 8 facility-only Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Hybrid vehicle. GCVWR and is designed to move the heavy containerized cargo inside a Port facility or central distribution center. The Zero-TT is designed to operate for two full eight-hour shifts with refillable hydrogen tanks.
The Cheetah Supercar is a zero-emission passenger sports car prototype. This sports car is using Vision�� hybrid hydrogen drive system which can deliver 425 horsepower and 1,350 feet /lbs of torque.
The Company competes with Bosch, Delphi, Siemens, Visteon, Quantum, Dynetek Industries Ltd., Lincoln Composites, Structural Composites Inc, Linde AG, Air Products and Energy Conversion Devices.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap green stocks Vision Industries Corp (OTCMKTS: VIIC), Bravo Enterprises Ltd (OTCMKTS: OGNG) and Kleangas Energy Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: KGET) have reported recent news and/or they are being promoted. Of course, it goes without saying that small cap green stocks tend to be more volatile that other types of investments. So will investors and traders alike see some greenbacks from these green stocks? Here is a quick reality check:
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: TrustCo Bank Corp NY(TRST)
TrustCo Bank Corp NY operates as the holding company for Trustco Bank that provides general banking services to individuals, partnerships, and corporations. The company primarily involves in accepting deposits, and making loans and investments. It also serves as the executor of estates and trustee of personal trusts; provides asset and wealth management, estate planning and related advice, and custodial services; and acts as the trustee for various types of employee benefit plans, and corporate pension and profit sharing trusts. In addition, the company operates a real estate investment trust that acquires, holds, and manages real estate mortgage assets, including residential mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities. As of December, 2010, it operated 141 automatic teller machines and 134 banking offices in Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Ulster, Warren, Washington, and Westchester counties in New York ; Charlotte, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, and Volusia counties in Florida; Bennington County in Vermont; Berkshire County in Massachusetts; and Bergen County in New Jersey. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Glenville, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Munarriz]
Monday
The market kicks off with TrustCo (NASDAQ: TRST ) reporting quarterly results on Monday. Many of the "too big to fail" institutions reported in recent days, but now it's time to check out some of the regional players. TrustCo has 138 offices through the Northeast and Florida, watching over $4.3 billion in assets.
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Ishares Msci Singapore Ews (EWS)
iShares MSCI Singapore Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Singaporean market, as measured by the MSCI Singapore Index (the Index).
The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Singaporean equity market. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. iShares MSCI Singapore Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Doug Fabian]
The country seems to have been boosted by an unexpected rise in manufacturing and gains in the service sector. One way to invest in Singapore is through the iShares MSCI Singapore ETF (EWS).
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Carrols Restaurant Group Inc.(TAST)
Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., through its subsidiary, Carrols Corporation, owns and operates quick-casual and quick-service restaurants. It operates restaurants under the Burger King, Pollo Tropical, and Taco Cabana names. As of January 1, 2012, the company owned and operated 547 restaurants, including 298 Burger King, 91 Pollo Tropical and 158 Taco Cabana restaurants in 17 states in the United States. It also franchised 36 restaurants in Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Honduras, Trinidad, the Bahamas, and Venezuela, as well as in college campuses in Florida. The company was formerly known as Carrols Holdings Corporation and changed its name to Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. in November 2006. Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Syracuse, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James Brumley]
Larger restaurant chains can handle the lull. A less liquid small-cap name like Carrols Restaurant Group (TAST), however, feels the pain pretty intensely. That’s why shares are down about 8% this month.
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)
Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was maintained as a Buy but was removed from the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.
Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $79 price target at Argus.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Suburban sprawl
With more than 8,200 locations stretched across 46 states, Family Dollar is the second-largest dollar store chain, behind industry leader Dollar General (NYSE: DG ) , which boasts more than 11,300 stores, and firmly ahead of No. 3 player Dollar Tree's (NASDAQ: DLTR ) �5,100 stores. - [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-305703{display:none}.cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-305703,#postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-305703{width:570px;height:411px;display:block} NEW YORK -- The fight for penny pinchers is intensifying. Dollar Tree (DLTR) said Monday it is buying rival discounter Family Dollar (FDO) for $8.5 billion, significantly broadening its reach as it looks to fend off Walmart, which has been stepping up its courtship of lower-income customers The deal makes Dollar Tree the biggest player in the dollar store segment, with its more than 13,000 combined locations eclipsing current leader Dollar General (DG), which has about 11,300. Dollar stores grew during the recession as people across income groups searched for cheaper options. To attract a broader array of customers, they also expanded their offerings to include more groceries and brand-name products, instead of just the party favors and other knickknacks people often associated with them. More recently, however, sales at dollar stores have been suffering because the lower-income customers who go to them are facing persistent job instability and slow wage growth in the aftermath of the recession. Walmart Stores (WMT) and Kroger (KR) also have been opening smaller store formats to directly compete with dollar stores. During its current fiscal year, Walmart plans to open 270 to 300 smaller outlets designed to cater to shoppers looking for more convenience. Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors, said because the Dollar Tree deal will allow the company to lower expenses by merging its operations, it will ultimately be able to lower prices to better compete with Walmart. "Now they're going to take the fight back to Walmart," Sozzi said. The deal also gives Dollar Tree more flexibility. Dollar Tree is true to its name, with everything in its stores costing just a buck. The fixed pricing has helped attract more customer
- [By Rich Duprey]
The dollar store operator at the center of a takeover bidding battle between two rival chains on Thursday reported fiscal 2015 first quarter earnings that were nearly cut in half as new pricing policies took effect. As Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO ) continues struggling to turn around its operations, the subpar performance raises a legitimate question: Just what do Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR ) and Dollar General (NYSE: DG ) continue see in the chain that makes them think it's so valuable?
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Eastern Virginia Bankshares Inc.(EVBS)
Eastern Virginia Bankshares, Inc. operates as the holding company for EVB, a state-chartered community bank that provides a range of personal and commercial banking services to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses primarily in eastern Virginia. The company offers various interest-bearing deposits, including checking, savings, money market, and certificate of deposit and other time deposit accounts, as well as noninterest-bearing demand deposits. It also provides commercial business, industrial, agricultural, one-to-four family residential real estate, multi-family residential real estate, construction, farmland, non-farm and non-residential real estate, and consumer loans. In addition, the company, through the subsidiaries of its bank, offers investment brokerage services; originates and sells residential mortgages; underwrites and sells title insurance to mortgage loan customers; and sells various insurance products as an agent. As of December 31, 2010, it own ed and operated 24 full-service branch offices that serve customers in Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, Hanover, Henrico, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Middlesex, New Kent, Richmond, Northumberland, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex counties, as well as in the city of Colonial Heights. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Tappahannock, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bristol Voss]
Eastern Virginia Bankshares (Nasdaq: EVBS) is a bank holding company. It received $24 million in financial bailout funds, but it's been released from its agreement with regulators because it raised enough money through private placement. Its $66.7 million market cap puts it in the middle of the group, although its share price is currently the lowest at just over $6. It has a forward P/E of 9.2, but its 1.1% dividend yield is the least of the three. Net income and earnings were down for the most recent quarter, mainly on charge-offs for non-performing and uncollectible assets and other losses.
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