LONDON -- To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return from any share investment and, as you might expect, my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market.
To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE ) has provided investors with a total return of around 3% per annum since January 2008.
Quality and value
If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators, and buy at prices that offer decent value.
So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities, and today I'm looking at�United Utilities Group� (LSE: UU ) , the regulated water and sewage utility company operating in North West England.
With the shares at 739 pence, United's market cap. is 5,036 million pounds.
This table summarises the firm's recent financial record:
Hot Healthcare Equipment Stocks For 2015: United Natural Foods Inc.(UNFI)
United Natural Foods, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, and specialty foods, as well as non-food products in the United States. It carries approximately 60,000 products, consisting of national brand, regional brand, private label, and master distribution products in 6 product categories: grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, nutritional supplements, bulk and food service products, and personal care items. The company serves approximately 17,000 customer locations primarily located across the United States, which include independently owned natural products retailers, supernatural chains, conventional supermarkets, and food service centers. Its other distribution channels include international mass market chains and buying clubs. The company also owns and operates natural products retail stores. As of August 1, 2009, it had 13 natural products retail stores located primarily in Florida. In addition, the com pany engages in the international importing, roasting, packaging, and distribution of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and snack items. It sells these items in bulk in its own packaged snack lines, EXPRESSnacks, Woodfield Farms, and Woodstock Farms, as well as through private label packaging arrangements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is natural, organic and specialty foods and non-food products distributor United Natural Foods (UNFI), which is set to release numbers on Wednesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect United Natural Foods to report revenue of $1.73 billion on earnings of 65 cents per share.
The current short interest as a percentage of the float for United Natural Foods is pretty high at 9.2%. That means that out of the 47.58 million shares in the tradable float, 4.37 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 9.5%, or by 379,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of UNFI could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts rush to cover some of their trades.
From a technical perspective, UNFI is currently trending below its 200-day moving average and just above its 50-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been uptrending a bit over the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $58.04 to its recent high of $65.84 a share. During that uptrend, shares of UNFI have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of UNFI within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade post-earnings.
If you're bullish on UNFI, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $65.84 to $67.11 a share and then above its 200-day moving average of $67.66 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 429,884 shares. If that breakout develops post-earnings, then UNFI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next majo
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Yet the ongoing challenge that Sysco has faced is the rising cost of food products. Typically, you'd expect a company Sysco's size to be able to pass those costs on to its customers. Sysco has made efforts to use its scale to impose pricing power on food producers, as margins at egg-giant Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ: CALM ) and chicken-producer Tyson (NYSE: TSN ) have fallen much more sharply. Yet Sysco has still seen greater margin compression than United Natural Foods (NASDAQ: UNFI ) , its organic-specialist peer. That may simply be due to the fact that organic prices have always been somewhat higher than conventional food, leaving United's customers more acquainted with the fluctuations in prices than Sysco's customers.
Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2014: Flexpoint Sensor Systems Inc (FLXT)
Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc.(Flexpoint), incorporated on June 11, 1992, is a development stage company. The Company is principally engaged in designing, engineering and manufacturing bend sensor technology and products using its patented Bend Sensor technology. Flexpoint manufactures, and has jointly developed, six products that are being sold and supplied to customers. Flexpoint owns nine patents, including patents on specific devices that use the Bend Sensor. The Company works with various Tier 1 (major) automotive suppliers on a variety of products that are in various stages of development and implementation.
Bend Sensor Technology
Flexpoint owns the patent rights to the Company's Bend Sensor technology through Sensitron, Inc. (Sensitron), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The Bend Sensor is a potentiometer bend sensor product consisting of a coated substrate, such as plastic, that changes electrical conductivity as it is bent in a consistent manner. Electronic systems can connect to this sensor and measure in detail the amount of bending or movement that occurs in a predictable manner. A potentiometer functions through the means of metal contacts swiping or rubbing across a resistive element. Flexpoin�� Bend Sensor potentiometer is a single layer with no mechanical assembly that makes it more reliable and smaller, and lighter in weight.
Automotive Products
Flexpoint has developed comfort seat for automobiles utilizing its patented Bend Sensortechnology and is working with Tier 1 suppliers on development of the seat and various seat related controls. Through a joint development arrangement with a Tier1supplier Flexpoint developed and delivered prototypes of the seat. Automobile manufacture has partnered with a Tier 1 supplier and is in the final stages of evaluating Flexpoint�� patented horn switch to replace their existing technology. The automobile manufacturer is also evaluating the use of the Bend Sensor as a switch to open rear! doors of SUV's and as a seat belt reminder (SBR). While working with various Tier 1 automotive suppliers the Company has developed and tested a SBR sensor that alerts the occupant of an automobile to fasten his/her seatbelt.
Flexpoint is working with multiple manufacturers to replace existing devices in the marketplace with a system superior in performance. Four separate and independent automotive suppliers and OEMs tested the Bend Sensor device for use in pedestrian impact detection device. The tests proved that the Bend Sensor device was able to detect impact with a human leg and in the event of an accident and trigger the desired safety response. Flexpoint has also developed a crash sensor, which is a series of sensors mounted in strategic places on the side and door panels of an automobile to detect an impact, as well as the speed, direction and force of the impact. This allows an onboard computer to deploy side air bags where needed. Using the same concept as the Company's automotive seat belt reminder (SBR), this device monitors cinema theater's paying customers and identifies available seats. Flexpoint has supplied a theater management firm with several prototype sensors, which have undergone extensive testing for this application.
As of December 31, 2012, Flexpoint developed and produced 20 prototype medical beds that assist in the management of bed sores. Using the Bend Sensor technology and accompanying electronics the bed is able to determine the position of the person in the bed and how they are moved. The Company has developed a vibration sensor, a rupture disc/bursting disc utilizing the Bend Sensor as the detection/alarm element of a rupture disc device, an infant bed cover using its patented sensors that is used to monitor infants in the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), toys and video gaming devices, and sports applications.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Today, FLXT has shed (-6.25%) down -0.0060 at $.0900 with 19,500 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:10AM EDT September 25, 2013).
Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. previously reported they expect to complete both Phase Two and Phase Three of development of the colonoscope application during the remainder of 2013. The company will receive milestone cash payments for each stage of the development process.
Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2014: Aeon Metals Ltd (AQR)
Aeon Metals Limited is an Australia-based company. Its principal activity is exploration of the Rawbelle tenement for porphyry copper/molybdenum mineralization near Monto, Queensland. The principal project is the Greater Whitewash Polymetallic Project, which consists of four deposits over a strike length of five kilometers and width of one kilometer. Its other projects include Kiwi Carpet, Kildare Project, Juicy Fruit, and Anomaly 7B. As of June 30, 2012, it controlled seven contiguous exploration permits for minerals (EPMs): 14628, 15920, 15921, 15922, 17001, 17702, 17060, which are 100% held by the Company and three contiguous EPMs at Kidare: 14627, 15919, and 18202. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), it drilled 37 holes for 9,112 meters, being7, 440 meters reverse circulation (RC) and 1672 meters of diamond drilling (DD) on Rawbelle tenement. As of June 30, 2012, Kiwi Carpet porphyry copper area has had 20 drill holes which returned grades of copper. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Chandler]
3. The flash euro area PMIs, due Thursday, stand out as the most market sensitive economic data from the euro area. Although the sentiment has been running ahead of real sector data, slight positive growth has replaced the recent contraction. Next Wednesday, the ECB is expected to unveil the broad details of the Asset Quality Review (AQR). This is not a stress test. It is a preliminary review of the books of the banks for which it will soon have supervisory responsibilities. Definitions of risk-weighted assets various in the euro area and some uniformity is a necessary condition of a banking union. New stress tests will be conducted next year.
Top 5 Companies To Buy For 2014: Camelot Information Systems Inc (CIS)
Camelot Information Systems Inc. (Camelot), incorporated on November 28, 2000, is a holding company. The Company is a domestic provider of enterprise application services and financial industry information technology (IT) services in China, and the Company focuses on enterprises operating in the Chinese market. The Company�� primary service lines are enterprise application services (EAS), which primarily consist of packaged software services for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software packages, and software development and maintenance services; and financial industry IT services (FIS), which primarily consist of software solutions, system support and maintenance, as well as IT consulting services for the financial industry. The Company provides services to a range of industries, including financial services, resources and energy, manufacturing and automobile, technology, as well as telecommunication, media and education.
Enterprise Application Services
The Company�� service line, enterprise application services consists of two main types of services: packaged software services and software development and maintenance services. The Company provides a range of implementation, customization and support services for packaged software systems to enterprise customers, with a focus on ERP software packages. The Company�� packaged software service has a range of coverage in terms of both industries and applications. The Company has served clients and accumulated domain expertise in resources and energy, technology, manufacturing and automobile, as well as retail, consumer and transportation. The Company provides services for systems ranging from traditional ERP systems, such as those offered by SAP and Oracle, to new dimension applications, such as customer relationship management, business intelligence, supply chain management, integration tools and manufacturing supply execution.
Packaged software services can be divided into implementation services and main! tenance services. The Company�� packaged software implementation services primarily consist of Packaged Software Integration, Solution Design, Technical Configuration and Customization, Training, Project Management and Quality Assurance and Testing. The Company�� packaged software maintenance services primarily consist of maintenance and production support services, and infrastructure management. The Company offers a range of software development, system migration and maintenance services based on technologies that are tailored to meet the specific needs of our customers. The Company�� customers include IT service providers and corporations.
Financial Industry IT Services
The Company provides a range of services and solutions along the IT value chain to our financial industry customers, including software solutions, system support and maintenance, and IT consulting services. The Company�� software solutions service offerings include intermediary business solutions for commercial banks, including teller/counter systems, channel management solutions, payment and settlement solutions, and front end communication exchange middleware; key functional systems for commercial banks, including corporate loan, commercial loan, supply chain financing, cash management, as well as internal collaboration and workflow; check image processing services for commercial banks; core life insurance solutions; risk management and anti-money laundering systems for banks; application localization and customization; data transformation and verification, and help desk support and production support.
The Company provides support and maintenance services of mainframe operating and database systems, such as IBM�� operating system and its sysplexes and subsystems, which are used by our financial industry customers. The Company�� system software support and maintenance service offerings include maintenance of core banking systems, international banking systems, mutual fund systems, and! credit c! ard systems; system installation and customization; system performance health check and investigation of performance issues; system performance tuning; evaluation of longer-term capacity needs and recommendations on the architecture of new applications based on performance expectations; system and application emergency support; installation and maintenance of performance measurement tools, and installation and maintenance of program temporary fix packages.
The Company capitalizes on its domain expertise and knowledge base in the financial services industry to provide consulting services by teaming with international IT service providers, such as IBM and Accenture. The Company�� consulting services seek to provide businesses with the flexibility and capability to respond to their customers��needs on a timely basis. The Company�� consulting service offerings include business process re-engineering; Basel II risk management; customer relationship management; financial services logical data model, and system conversion/cut-over.
The company competes with Neusoft Corporation, Digital China Holdings Limited, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys Technologies Ltd and Pactera Technology International Ltd.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Reese]
The company's petroleum products are sold in the Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and the United States.
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