Posts for Ticker ‘FIC’

52-Week Low Club: Transport, Semiconductors & Financials (January 2, 2008)

Truckers led the drop after a fake $100 oil print and after a YRC Worldwide (NASDAQ: YRCW) acquisition write-down, pulling down Arkansas Best (NASDAQ: ABFS) and others.  With no surprise, airlines followed suit with Airtrain (AAI), AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR), Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL), Delta (NYSE: DAL), FedEx (FDX), Jetblue (NASDAQ:JBLU), Mesa Air (NASDAQ: MESA), Northwest Air (NYSE: NWA), Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV), US Air (NYSE: LCC).

Chip and tech stocks on 52-week lows: AMAT, AMD, ADTN, ARRS, ATML, BBND, CHRT, FCS, FEIC, IDTI, IM, KLAC, KLIC, LRCX, LSCC, LSI, MCRL, MRVL, MU, NSM, STM, TER, XLNX

Financial Giants on 52-Week lows: BAC, BBT, BSC, CYN, DFG, EFX, FIC, FITB, FHN, MCO, NCC, PNSN, SNV, SBP, WFC, ZION.

We kept the REIT’s and the usual suspects in retail off the list that have been here day in and day out (although many hit new 52-week lows).  Here is the huge list of others 52-week lows:

  • Automatic Data (ADP), Cardinal Health (CAH), Career Education (CECO), Diebold (NYSE: DBD), EchoStar (DISH), Superior Offshore (DEEP), Dow Chemical (DOW), Eastman Kodak (EK), Emmis (EMMS), Ford (F), Fortune Brands (FO), General Motors (GM), Hasbro (HAS), Helen of Troy (HELE), Interpublic (IPG), Mattel (MAT), McClatchy (MNI), Media General (MEG), Nortel Networks (NT), Owens Corning (OC), Paychex (OPAYX), PHH Corp. (PHH), Playboy (PLA), Radio Shack (RSH), Rite Aid (RAD), Sherwin Williams (SHW), Sprint Nextel (S), Starbucks (SBUX), Starwood Hotels (HOT), Sun Microsystems (JAVA), Symantec (SYMC), Travelzoo (TZOO), VF Corp (VFC), Warner Music Group (WMG), Waste Management (WMI), Weight Watchers (WTW), Wendy’s (WEN)

Imagine how large this list would have been if retailers and REIT’s were included.
Jon C. Ogg
January 2, 2008

Posted on: January 2, 2008 – 4:23 pm in HI/LOW, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

52-Week Low Club (CC, DBD, FIC, GTOP, IMB, MSSR, RECN, MU, RT, STI)

Some of these recovered off lows but here are some of the more active stocks that hit 52-week lows today:

  • Circuit City (NYSE: CC)… after posting wider losses and then forecasting a loss next quarter.  Even losers like them, how does a retailer lose money over Christmas????
  • Diebold (NYSE: DBD) hit a new 52-week low on a "continuing dialog" with Office of The Chief Accountant and a D.O.J. investigation into related matters.
  • Fair Isaac (NYSE: FIC) people keep asking us if FIC is the next implosion in being tied to system-wide credit woes.
  • Genitope (NASDAQ:GTOP) hit the FUBAR button after failing to meet endpoints in PHASE III.  With no revenues it’s close to biotech zombie status.
  • IndyMac Bancorp (NYSE:IMB) recovered but its subprime woes remain.
  • McCormick & Schmicks (NASDAQ:MSSR)… steakhouse sales soft in weak consumer economy.  Don’t you think the private equity firms wish they could sell those steakhouses back now????
  • Resource Connection (NASDAQ:RECN)… too few resources?  Nope, it gave employees an extra week off of paid vacation.  Those employees are some lucky SOB’s for that, but shareholders "NOT SO MUCH!!!"
  • Micron Tech (NYSE: MU) after a piss poor earnings report.  Trivia Question: Is there a worse technology business than DRAM?  It’s just like trading a commodity except the prices never seem to go up!
  • Ruby Tuesday (NYSE:RT) after a downgrade and an earnings warning, mid-level restaurant spending is weak and they don’t offer very much special.
  • SunTrust (NYSE:STI) weak again.  Maybe Buffett wishes he stayed away.

Jon C. Ogg
December 21, 2007

Join our free email distribution list to hear about other special situations, IPO previews, reorganizations, break-ups and more.

Posted on: December 21, 2007 – 4:01 pm in HI/LOW, , , , , , , , , ,

The Week of Stock Buybacks & Repurchase (COH, FIC, MIR, AVCT, HOT, AGO, HEES, CBG, TER, FDO, RWT, LH, VIGN, CSCO)

Coach (NYSE:COH) has decided that the recent stock crush is a good opportunity to announce a $1 Billion share buyback plan. This represents roughly 30 million shares, or 5-times average volume; $12 Billion market cap.

Fair Isaac (NYSE:FIC) approved a $250 million share buyback plan, compared to a market cap of $2 Billion.

Mirant Corp. (NYSE:MIR) had one of the more impressive buybacks and share retirement plans announced, although its shares fell 8% because of losses.  Mirant’s total return plan is some $4.6 Billion, which includes $1 Billion in open market purchases and a $ 1Billion accelerated buyback plan.  This has been under review for the Special Situation Investing Newsletter.

Avocent Corp. (NASDAQ:AVCT) added 3 million shares to its stock repurchase program; Avocent has repurchased 11.2 million shares of the 12 million shares previously approved. The buyback equates to $75 million more in buybacks if completed, compared to a $1.25 Billion market cap and it represents about 8 days of trading volume.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:HOT) raised its dividend and added $1 Billion to share buybacks, compared to a $10.5 Billion market cap.  This one has also been under review for the Special Situation Investing Newsletter.

Read More »

Posted on: November 9, 2007 – 12:39 pm in Stock Buybacks, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Big List of Private Equity Targets in Financial Services

There is a recent boutique research report from earlier in the week showing a list of potential private equity targets from a specialty brokerage firm that I was very positive on from even before its IPO: Keefe Bruyette & Woods (KBW).  The truth is that this company is probably only behind Goldman Sachs (GS) as far as its knowledge of what is going on in the North American financial services sector, and the argument is that KBW is considered the number one firm as far as independent coverage of the financial services sector.  It is too bad the company did not get this out at the end of last year to include many other names that have been gobbled up, but it really feels as though every firm is ‘cramming for finals’ in the M&A world with the private equity superstars.

Read More »

Posted on: May 31, 2007 – 9:32 am in Bait Shop, Banking, Financial Stocks, Mergers and Buy Outs, Private Equity, Research, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,