The just-released 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill from the House Appropriations Committee fails to give the Securities and Exchange Commission the additional resources it needs to perform “critically important” investor protection functions, namely boosting the number of advisor exams, advocates say.
The 1,582-page proposal, which was released late Monday and is expected to come up for a vote Wednesday, includes $1.35 billion for the SEC, which is $29 million more than the agency’s fiscal year 2013 budget but $324 million below the Obama administration’s budget request. That request included funding that would have allowed the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations to hire 250 additional advisor examiners.
Neil Simon, vice president for government relations at the Investment Adviser Association in Washington, says that IAA is “disappointed” that the budget allotted to the SEC falls short in providing the agency with the additional resources to add staff “so that it can increase its oversight of investment advisory firms."
Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In 2015: Weight Watchers International Inc(WTW)
Weight Watchers International, Inc. provides weight management services worldwide. It offers various services and products that are built upon its weight management plans comprising nutritional, exercise, and behavioral tools and approaches. The company, through its WeightWatchers.com offerings, provides two Internet subscription products, Weight Watchers Online and Weight Watchers eTools. Weight Watchers Online provides online content, functionality, resources, and interactive Web based weight management plans. Weight Watchers eTools is an Internet weight management tool for the Weight Watchers meetings members that helps to manage the day-to-day aspects of weight management plan online, discover various food options, stay informed, and keep track of their weight management efforts. Weight Watchers International also sells various products that complement its weight management plans, such as bars, snacks, cookbooks, food and restaurant guides with PointsPlus values, Weigh t Watchers magazines, and PointsPlus calculators primarily to its members and franchisees. In addition, it offers iPhone application, which provides subscribers with access to a suite of weight-loss tools, as well as helpful content; and iPad application, which provides subscribers with access to a set of recipe tools. The company was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Weight Watchers International (WTW) has plunged 8.9% to $26.79 despite raising its full year forecast as the weight-loss company continues to lose members.
- [By John Reese]
Indeed, in 2013, the Greenblatt-based portfolio has bounced back strong, returning more than 50%. Below is a look at its current holdings.
EBIX, Inc. (EBIX)
Western Refining (WNR)
DirecTV (DTV)
ITT Educational Services (ESI)
Science Applications International (SAIC)
Weight Watchers International (WTW)
ConocoPhillips (COP)
AmSurg Corp. (AMSG)
PDL BioPharma (PDLI)
AFC Enterprises (AFCE)
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Top 5 Managed Healthcare Companies To Watch For 2014: Affymetrix Inc.(AFFX)
Affymetrix, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, sale, and servicing of consumables and systems for genetic analysis in the life sciences and clinical healthcare markets primarily in the United States, Europe, Japan. The company provides integrated GeneChip microarray platform, which includes disposable DNA probe arrays (chips) consisting of nucleic acid sequences, certain reagents for use with the probe arrays, a scanner and other instruments used to process the probe arrays, and software to analyze and manage genomic or genetic information obtained from the probe arrays. It also offers GeneTitan, an instrument system that runs genotyping and gene expression array plates; and GeneAtlas, an instrument for low-to-medium throughput that provides hybridization and array processing with microwell-based labware, as well as a line of multiplex assays to serve the discovery and the validation markets. In addition, the company provides reagent kits, including ExoSAP-IT fo r a reagent for the clean-up of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products used in downstream applications, such as DNA sequencing or single-nucleotide polymorphisms analysis; and HotStart-IT reagents that utilize a novel primer binding protein to inhibit primer dimer formation with results in sensitive and consistent amplification for PCR. Its products are used primarily in genotyping and gene expression applications. The company sells its products directly to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics, and consumer products companies; academic research centers, government research laboratories, private foundation laboratories, and clinical reference laboratories in North America and Europe, as well as through life science supply specialists acting as authorized distributors in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. Affymetrix, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
It's in the genes
Elsewhere in the market, however,�Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX ) tumbled more than 13% after preannouncing first-quarter earnings that missed even its own expectations. It blamed "headwinds" in its gene expression business everywhere it does business, though it suffered a particular shortfall in Japan. The Fool's Sean Williams thinks that may indicate more than a one-off performance issue because of the global nature of the miss Affymetrix suffered. - [By Bryan Murphy]
What do Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE:DGX) and Affymetrix, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFFX) know that the rest of the healthcare industry doesn't seem to know yet? In simplest terms, AFFX and DGX seem to have come to grips with the reality that there's so much information out there in the diagnostic and treatment world that caregivers are actually stumbling over it. The end result is not only care that's not better than it was in the recent past, but perhaps less effective than it used to be simply because of information overload and/or a lack of understanding of what to do with all sorts of data.
Top 5 Managed Healthcare Companies To Watch For 2014: El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc (LOCO)
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., formerly EPL Holdings, Inc., incorporated in 1999, own, operate and franchise restaurants specializing in marinated, flame-grilled chicken. During the fiscal year ended December 28, 2005 (fiscal 2005), the Company's restaurant system had 340 restaurants, consisting of 146 company-operated and 194 franchised restaurants, located principally in California, with additional restaurants in Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Illinois. In fiscal 2005, the Company closed one company-operated and one franchised restaurant and it opened six company-operated and seven franchised restaurants. The Company's restaurant is a freestanding building ranging from approximately 2,200 to 2,600 square feet with seating for approximately 60 customers and offering drive-thru convenience.
The Company's menu features flame-grilled chicken and includes approximately 50 items, most of which it prepares from scratch. The Company serves a range of individual and family-size chicken meals, which include flour or corn tortillas, salsas and a range of side orders, such as Spanish rice and pinto beans. In addition, the Company offers a range of Mexican-inspired entrees featuring marinated, flame-grilled chicken as the central ingredient, including its specialty Pollo Bowl, Pollo Salads, signature burritos, chicken quesadillas, chicken tortilla soup and chicken tacos.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dimitra DeFotis]
In related news, fowl is fair fare:�El Pollo Loco (LOCO) shares fell 13% and continued their descent in the aftermarket. Shares of�El Pollo Loco, a quick-serve restaurant concept based in California, soared 56% in its public offering Friday. The craziness prompted MarketWatch to post ratings for fast-food joints, with investors in mind.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
christianz1969/Flickr Americans lately have been transferring their love of fast-casual restaurant food to stocks of companies in the segment. Late last month, "better burger" specialist The Habit Restaurants (HABT) launched an initial public offering that doubled in price within hours of hitting the market. Like a meal from one of The Habit's more traditional fast-food rivals, though, the feeling of satisfaction didn't last: The shares started to drop after the initial euphoria. But that isn't stopping other fast-casual operators from listing on the exchange. They're finding, though, what works in the kitchen isn't necessarily successful on the market. IPOh Yes IPOs of fast-casual chain operators are coming to the market faster than you can get a refill at a soda machine. This year alone has seen the market debut not only of The Habit, but also the Mediterranean-flavored Zoe's Kitchen (ZOES) and West Coast chicken griller El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), among others. Like The Habit, the stocks of the latter two saw impressive first-day rises (although they didn't pop quite as high as those of the burger purveyor). Why the excitement? Some of it can certainly be ascribed to the IPO market itself, which has had a frothy year. As of this writing, 262 companies have gone public, a 25 percent rise over the same period of 2013. In terms of total proceeds from IPOs, 2014 is set to be the best year for at least the past decade. Building a Better Burrito But likely a bigger factor is that the fast-casual segment has one great model that investors are hoping the newcomers can at least partially replicate -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG). Since going public in 2006, the stock of the now-ubiquitous chain has gone through the roof. Its IPO was priced at $22 a share and doubled in its first day of trading. Since then, its shares have ballooned -- at the moment, they trade at nearly $660, for a hard-to-believe 2,900-plus-percent rise from the issue price. It's not t
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
www.elpolloloco.com One of this year's hottest initial public offerings is a quick-service restaurant chain that prides itself on its grilled citrus-marinated chicken. El Pollo Loco (LOCO) has seen its stock more than double since it went public at $15 in July. The California-based eatery had its first chance to impress investors with its first quarterly report as a public company on Thursday. It didn't disappoint. Sales inched 6.3 percent higher to $86.9 million, fueled primarily by a 5.4 percent increase in system-wide comparable-restaurant sales. Adjusted earnings climbed 10 percent to $6.1 million -- or 16 cents a share. The results were in line with analyst targets of 16 cents a share in net income on $86.4 million in sales. This isn't the kind of monster growth that investors associate with stocks that double within two months of storming out of the IPO gate, but El Pollo Loco now has the ammo to begin expanding its reach beyond the 401 locations open at the end of June. For investors, El Pollo Loco offers an opportunity to cash in on the fast-casual trend that's been faring better than traditional fast-food chains or casual-dining establishments. Spreading Its Wings Going public has its challenges. It forces companies to live up to Wall Street's quarterly expectations, and that can often get in the way of carrying out long-term growth plans. However, trading publicly gives a company the ability to tap equity markets to raise capital. It also helps validate brands, and that's a pretty big deal for a consumer-facing restaurant operator that relies on third-party franchisees to help build out its empire. A majority of its eateries -- 233 locations, or 58 percent -- are owned and operated by franchisees. Expansion has been slow until now. El Pollo Loco had 347 locations when it originally tried but ultimately failed to go public in 2006. Growing your store count by 16 percent through eight years isn't very impressive. El Pollo Loco had 398 restauran
Top 5 Managed Healthcare Companies To Watch For 2014: Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC)
Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited is financing by way of loans for the purchase or construction of residential houses, commercial real estate and certain other purposes in India. The Company has a network of approximately 330 offices (which includes 83 offices of its wholly owned distribution company HDFC Sales Private Limited) catering to over 2,400 towns & cities spread across the country. It also has offices in Dubai, London and Singapore and service associates in the Middle East region, to provide housing loans and property advisory services to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). Its product range includes loans for purchase and construction of a residential unit, purchase of plot, home improvement loans, home extension loans, non-residential premises loans for professionals and loan against property, while its flexible repayment options include Step Up Repayment Facility (SURF) and Flexible Loan Installment Plan (FLIP). Advisors' Opinion:- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
Vanguard favors India with investments in Infosys Ltd. (NSE: INFY), Reliance Industries Ltd. (NSE: RELIANCE), and Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (NSE: HDFC) ranking among its top 20.
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