In Monday’s issue of Barron’s, my colleague Avi Salzman touted Morgan Stanley’s shares–and their possible total return of 25% or more–thanks to its thriving wealth-management unit. UBS added some more detail to that argument in a note Morgan Stanley’s presentation at a conference yesterday.
AFP/Getty ImagesUBS analysts Brennan Hawken and David Eads explain:
Competition for talent among WM firms seems to be declining. Mr. Gorman…highlighted ��ignificantly��lower attrition in the WM business, driven by industry wide decreased competition for talent. This supports the findings in our recent FA survey with roughly a quarter of FAs indicating recruiting was slowing down, vs only 16% in our last survey. We expect this reduced competition, plus the pending FINRA rule requiring brokers disclose comp packages to clients before soliciting them to join their new firm could reduce broker mobility.
5 Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: National Bank of Greece SA (NBG)
National Bank of Greece S.A. (the Bank), incorporated on March 30, 1841, is a Greece-based financial institution. It offers a range of integrated financial services, including corporate and investment banking, retail banking (including mortgage lending), leasing, stock brokerage, asset management and venture capital, insurance, real estate and consulting services. In addition, the Company is involved in various other businesses, including hotel and property management, real estate and information technology (IT) consulting. On May 19, 2009, the Bank established Ethniki Factors S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary. On June 8, 2009, Finansbank A.S. established Finans Faktoring Hizmetleri A.S. (Finans Factoring), a wholly owned subsidiary. On June 30, 2009, NBG Luxemburg Holding S.A. and NBG Luxfinance Holding S.A. were merged to NBG Asset Management Luxemburg S.A. On January 18, 2010, the Bank acquired 35% of the share capital of AKTOR FM. On October 16, 2009, United Bulgarian Bank A.D. (UBB) established UBB Factoring E.O.O.D., a wholly owned subsidiary of UBB. On September 15, 2009, the Bank disposed of its investment in Phosphoric Fertilizers Industry S.A.
At December 31, 2009, the Bank operated in Greece through 575 branches, one private banking unit, one unit for financial institutions and 10 specialized banking units that deal exclusively with troubled and non-performing loans. At December 31, 2009, the Bank had over 1500 automated teller machines (ATMs).
Retail Banking
The Bank offers retail customers a number of different types of deposit and investment products, as well as a range of services and products. The Bank offers a range of mortgage products, with floating, fixed, or a combination of fixed and floating interest rates. In February 2009, the Bank introduced a new floating rate product, the ESTIA MIKTO with flexible payment terms. In addition to fire and earthquake property insurance, the Bank offers an optional life insurance plan together with mortgage! s.
The Small Business Lending Unit (SBL Unit) a part of the Bank's retail banking division consists of three credit centers situated in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patrastail. The SBL Unit offers term loans geared towards medium and long-term working capital needs for the financing of asset purchases.
Corporate and Investment Banking
The Bank offers corporate accounts with overdraft facilities, foreign currency loans, variable rate loans, and currency swaps and options for corporate customers. The Bank's commercial loan portfolio in Greece comprises approximately 50,000 corporate clients, including small and medium sized enterprises. It offers the corporate clients a range of products and services, including financial and investment advisory services, deposit accounts, loans denominated in euro and other currencies, foreign exchange services, insurance products, custody arrangements and trade finance services. The Bank lends primarily in the form of credit lines, which are generally at variable rates of interest with payment terms of up to 12 months. In addition, the Bank provides letters of credit and guarantees for its clients.
The Bank�� shipping finance and syndicated loan portfolio consists of first-tier shipping groups involved in diversified shipping activities. The Bank provided project finance advisory services to the Hellenic Republic on two infrastructure projects: the new Attica Motorway and Kasteli International Airport.
Global Markets & Asset Management
The treasury activities provided by the Bank and its subsidiaries include
Greek and other sovereign securities trading, foreign exchange trading, interbank lending and borrowing in euro and other currency placements/ deposits, forward rate agreement trading, repurchase agreements, corporate bonds, and derivative products, such as options and interest rate and currency swaps. The Bank also conducts a portion of its treasury activities through its subsidia! ry CPT. A! s at December 31, 2009; CPT's portfolio comprised Greek government bonds and corporate bonds, with a total value of EUR 1.8 billion.
The Bank offers its private banking services both domestically and internationally from its international private banking units in London. The Bank offers custodian services to its foreign and domestic institutional clients who hold equity securities listed on the ATHEX or listed Greek State debt, as well as remote settlement and custody services on the Cyprus Stock Exchange. The Bank offers trade settlements, safekeeping of securities, corporate action processing, income collection, proxy voting, tax reclamation, brokerage services, customized reporting, regular market flashes and information services. The Bank also acts as global custodian to its domestic institutional clients who invest in securities outside of Greece.
The domestic fund management business is operated by NBG Asset Management, which is wholly owned by the Group. NBG Asset Management manages funds that are made available to customers through the Bank's extensive branch network. As at December 31, 2009, NBG Asset Management's total assets under management were EUR 1.9 billion.
National Securities S.A offers a range of investment services to both individual and institutional customers. In September 2009, National Securities S.A. opened a branch in Nicosia, Cyprus, to provide brokerage services to local private investors.
Turkish Operations
The Bank�� Turkish operations include the Finansbank group of companies and NBG Bank (Malta) Ltd. Finansbank's group of companies includes Finans Invest, Finans Leasing, Finans Portfolio Management, Finans Investment Trust, Finans Factoring, IBTech, Finans Pension, and Finans Consumer Finance. As at December 31, 2009, Finansbank operated through a network of 461 branches in 60 cities.
Finansbank Corporate Banking serves corporations through its eight branches in the four cities in Turkey.! Finansba! nk Commercial Banking serves medium-sized companies located in 23 cities in Turkey through its head office, four regional offices (three in Istanbul and one in Ankara) and a distribution network, which includes 61 branches.
Finansbank Investment Banking consists of project finance, corporate finance and technical consulting. Investment Banking acts as a client relations specialist while providing medium to long-term loans and other products. Finansbank Private Banking has been providing investment products and asset management services to individuals through eight private banking centers and 28 private banking corners located in Finansbank's branches in the cities throughout Turkey.
International
The Bank's international operations include the Bank's branches in Albania, Egypt and Cyprus, as well as banking subsidiaries in six countries: NBG Cyprus; Stopanska Banka A.D. in FYROM; United Bulgarian Bank A.D. in Bulgaria; Banca Romaneasca S.A., in Romania; Vojvodjanska in Serbia; and the South African Bank of Athens, as well as other subsidiaries, primarily in the leasing sector. As at December 31, 2009, the Bank had foreign branches in four countries, including one in the United Kingdom, 30 in Albania, one in Cyprus, 15 in Egypt and one in Guernsey (which closed early in 2010).
Insurance
The Bank provides insurance services to individuals and companies through the wholly owned subsidiary Ethniki Insurance Group (EI) and Finans Pension. EI offers a range of products such as life, accident and health insurance for individuals and groups, fire, catastrophe, credit, motor, marine hull and cargo insurance, and general third party liability. EI operates through a network of 2,850 tied agents and 2,620 independent insurance brokers, in addition to selling bancassurance products through the Bank's network. EI provides bancassurance products through our insurance brokerage subsidiary NBG Bancassurance S.A. (NBGB), which assumes no insurance underwr! iting ris! k, and the Bank's extensive network in Greece.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson]
After an incredible run-up this year, the broader market trend was downward this week, to the tune of 1.6%, but some of the stocks out there were hit particularly hard. In this video, Motley Fool financial analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson take a look at what was behind three big dives this week:�National Bank of Greece� (NYSE: NBG ) ,�Newcastle Investment� (NYSE: NCT ) , and�American Capital Mortgage Investment� (NASDAQ: MTGE ) .�
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Moody’s raised the rating of Greece’s government bonds to Caa3�with a “stable” outlook. Now we have five Greek banks being given credit rating upgrades as well. The one upgrade that ADR investors will want to watch is the rating on the National Bank of Greece S.A. (NYSE: NBG). Moody’s signaled that the upgrade reflects NBG’s more favorable asset-quality, funding profile and earnings than local peers. It also is based upon an expectation of further capital enhancements to address its weaker capital base.
Top Prefered Companies To Buy For 2014: Hercules Offshore Inc.(HERO)
Hercules Offshore, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides shallow-water drilling and marine services to the oil and natural gas exploration and production industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and internationally. Its services comprise oil and gas exploration and development drilling, well services, platform inspection, and maintenance and decommissioning services in various water provinces. As of May 10, 2011, the company owned and operated a fleet of 50 jackup rigs, 17 barge rigs, 65 liftboats, 3 submersible rigs, and 1 platform rig. It serves national oil and gas companies, integrated energy companies, and independent oil and natural gas operators. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Hercules Offshore (NASDAQ: HERO) dropped 14.43% to $4.92. Global Hunter downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral and cut the price target from $12.00 to $6.00.
- [By Dimitra DeFotis]
The market seems to be showing fatigue particularly with positive onshore oil service data points that may no�longer seem incremental. Investors have become especially focused on potential issues and macro concerns. We believe this phase�of enhanced risk perceptions will pass and still recommend owning selective stocks based on attractive valuations and healthy�fundamentals. Of the 16 oilfield services companies having reported their quarters to date, the share price changes have at times�been difficult to tie to specific results. �… Five of the 12 companies who have beaten earnings expectations have seen their share prices drop on the day, including Basic Energy Services (BAS) (-9.0%), Baker Hughes (BHI) (-2.5%), National Oilwell Varco (NOV) (-1.5%), Oceaneering (OII) (-4.2%), and Schlumberger (SLB) (-2.0%). Other stocks beating expectations have traded higher as expected, including Cameron International (CAM) (+4.1%), FMC Technologies (FTI) (+3.1%), Mitcham Industries (MIND) (+3.8%), Nabors Industries (NBR) (+1.2%), Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) (+1.8%), RPC (RES) (+8.4%), and Weatherford International (WFT) (+2.3%). Companies which have missed have universally seen their share prices decline, including Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) (-4.3%), Gulfmark Offshore (GLF) (-0.1%), and Hercules Offshore (HERO) (-6.9%). Halliburton (HAL) was in line and flat on the day.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, shallow-water oil and gas driller Hercules Offshore (NASDAQ: HERO ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
Top Prefered Companies To Buy For 2014: Indochine Mining Ltd (IDC)
Indochine Mining Limited is an Australia-based company developing and discovering gold and silver projects. The Company�� flagship asset is the Mt Kare gold-silver project in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Mt Kare gold-silver project is held through its wholly owned PNG subsidiary, Summit Development Limited. The deposit lies 15 kilometers from the giant Porgera gold mine, which contains approximately 30 million ounces of gold. The Company holds two packages of exploration leases in Cambodia with potential for the discovery of gold and copper deposits. The Company�� projects in Cambodia include Kratie and Ratanakiri. Its subsidiaries include Indochine Resources Limited, Indochine Resources (Cambodia) Limited, Asia Pacific Gold & Copper Company Limited, Asia Pacific Gold & Copper (Cambodia) Limited, Aries Mining Limited, Summit Development Ltd and Positive Developments Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bill Smith]
FDS operates in a highly competitive industry, some with more resources. Their competitors include:
Thomson Reuters Corp. (TRI)BloombergInteractive (IDC)MSCI Inc. (MXB)Morningstar Inc. (MORN)Track Data Corp. (TRAC)Edgar Online (EDGR)McGraw-Hill (MHP ) - [By Analyse360Degree]
On Thursday, International Data Corporation (IDC) came out with its 2014 First Quarter Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker and shed some light on the ongoing trends in the global tablet market. The figures reported by the data giant, though not very encouraging, were strong enough to bring smile on the faces of some tablet manufacturers, but Apple (AAPL), forcing us to think if this particular consumer electronic space is getting sour for the tech giant. Let�� take a look at what�� going on.
Top Prefered Companies To Buy For 2014: Generac Holdlings Inc. (GNRC)
Generac Holdings Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a range of generators and other engine powered products for the residential, light commercial, industrial, and construction markets in the United States and Canada. It offers generators and other products fueled by natural gas, liquid propane, gasoline, diesel, and Bi-Fuel under the Generac and Magnum brands. The company�s product line includes residential power products, commercial and industrial power products, and other products. Its residential power products comprise automatic residential standby generators that range in output from 6kW to 60kW; air-cooled residential standby generators, which range in outputs from 6kW to 20kW; and liquid-cooled generators that range in outputs from 20kW to 60kW. The residential power product line also includes portable generators consisting of GP series ranging from 1,850W to 17,500W for homeowners; the XG series ranging from 4,000W to 10,000W for the premium homeowner market; the XP series ranging from 4,000W to 8,000W for the professional contractor market; and the iX series ranging from 800W to 2,000W for the recreational market. The company�s industrial and commercial power products comprise light-commercial standby generators ranging from 22kW to 150kW for grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, pharmacies, retail banks, and healthcare facilities; single-engine industrial generators, which range in output from 10kW to 600kW; and generator systems ranging from 20kW air-cooled generators to 3mW modular power system for the telecommunications market, as well as aftermarket service parts and RV generators. The company sells its generators through independent residential and industrial dealers, wholesalers, national accounts, private label arrangements, retailers, catalogs, e-commerce merchants, equipment rental companies and dealers, and construction companies. Generac Holdings Inc. was founded in 1959 and is headquartere d in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Generac (NYSE: GNRC ) has reached abroad for its latest asset buy. The company announced Thursday that it inked an agreement to acquire Tower Light, an Italy-based company that develops and sells mobile light towers.
Top Prefered Companies To Buy For 2014: ANADIGICS Inc.(ANAD)
ANADIGICS, Inc. provides semiconductor solutions to the broadband wireless and wireline communications markets. Its products include radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs), tuner integrated circuits, active splitters, line amplifiers, and other components. The company?s RF power amplifier products enable mobile handsets, datacards, and other devices to access third generation (3G) wireless networks utilizing international standards, including wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high speed packet access (HSPA), code division multiple access (CDMA), and evolution data optimized (EVDO). In addition, the company provides RF power amplifiers for the fourth generation (4G) wireless services, including long term evolution (LTE) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX). ANADIGICS?s WiFi products enable connectivity for wireless mobile devices and other computing devices and its cable television (CATV) products enable fixed-point, wireline broa dband communications over cable modem and set-top box products, CATV infrastructure, and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). The company sells its products through direct sales, as well as through independent manufacturers? representatives and distributors. ANADIGICS, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
CTL stock has lagged the overall market for the past year — down 9% vs. 20% gains for the S&P 500 — and it seems that those running the show do not expect that to change anytime soon.
Stocks to Sell: Anadigics (ANAD)Anadigics (ANAD) is another company that has not kept up with the market and is seeing selling near the lows. Five insiders, including the chairman, the CEO and the CFO, have been selling stock this month. All together, they have combined to sell more than 72,000 shares of the company at very low prices.
Top Prefered Companies To Buy For 2014: Plantronics Inc.(PLT)
Plantronics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of lightweight communications headsets, telephone headset systems, and accessories for the business and consumer markets under the Plantronics name worldwide. It also offers specialty telephone products, such as telephones for the hearing impaired and other related products for people with special communication needs under the Clarity brand name. The company?s products are designed for specific markets and applications, such as offices; contact centers; mobile devices comprising mobile phones and smart phones; computer and gaming; and residential applications, as well as for other specialty applications. It sells its products through a network of distributors, retailers, wireless carriers, original equipment manufacturers, and telephony service providers. The company was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
Plantronics Inc. (NYSE: PLT) is a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers. It has pioneered new trends in audio technology, creating innovative products that allow people to simply communicate. From unified communication to Bluetooth headsets to gaming solutions, it delivers uncompromising quality, an ideal experience and extraordinary service. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100, as well as 911 dispatch, air traffic control and various mission critical applications for those on the frontline. Investors are paid a small 0.9% dividend. The J.P. Morgan target price is $49, and the consensus is set higher at $54.14. Plantronics closed Tuesday at $45.79.
- [By Sean Williams]
Can you hear me now?
Unlike YRC, which I consider to be in awful shape, audio communication solutions maker Plantronics (NYSE: PLT ) is merely a sell in my book based on its recent share price appreciation.
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