It's been a long time coming for both natural gas and solar as viable sources of energy in the United States. Both have been struggling with a lack of consumer and industrial buy-in, but both could be right around the corner. Is either one standing out at the moment?
The debate is on
In the following video, Motley Fool analysts Joel South and Taylor Muckerman each weigh in on how natural gas and solar have been performing lately and which companies are taking the lead. Both options have made progress recently, with Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE ) building out its "America's Natural Gas Highway" initiative and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR ) producing more efficient solar panels.
Has Clean Energy Fuels solved the "chicken-or-the-egg" debate?
The movement toward alternative energy is gaining momentum. One potential opportunity in this field is Clean Energy Fuels, which focuses its natural gas efforts primarily on trucking and fleets. It's poised to make a big impact on an essential industry. Learn everything you need to know about Clean Energy Fuels in The Motley Fool's premium research report on the company. Just click here now to claim your copy today.
Best Restaurant Stocks To Invest In 2015: Blackstone Mortgage Trust Inc (BXMT)
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., formerly Capital Trust, Inc. is a self-managed, real estate finance and investment management company that specializes in credit sensitive financial products. The Company�� investment programs are focused on loans and securities backed by commercial real estate assets. The Company invests for its own account and for third parties through a series of investment management vehicles. Capital Trust, Inc. conducts its operations as a real estate investment trust (REIT). In December 2012, the Company announced that an affiliate of Blackstone completed the previously announced acquisition of its investment management business, operated through its subsidiary, CT Investment Management Co., LLC (CTIMCO).
As of December 31, 2009, its $1.8 billion of interest earning assets were comprised of $1.1 billion of loans receivable, including $17.5 million of loans classified as held-for-sale, and $715.2 million of securities. These include 20 impaired loans with an aggregate net book value of $131.0 million ($608.4 million gross carrying value, net of $477.4 million of reserves), and 11 impaired securities with an aggregate net book value of $27.4 million ($145.7 million gross carrying value, against which it has recorded other-than-temporary impairments of $118.3 million).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
Top Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Kinder Morgan Management LLC (KMR)
Kinder Morgan Management, LLC is a limited partner in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P (KMP), and manages and controls its business and affairs pursuant to a delegation of control agreement. Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., of which Kinder Morgan, Inc. indirectly owns all of the outstanding common equity, is the general partner of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP). Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., pursuant to a delegation of control agreement among the Company, Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc. and KMP, has delegated to the Company, to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law and KMP�� limited partnership agreement, all of its rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of KMP, subject to the general partner�� right to approve specified actions.
KPM is a pipeline limited partnerships in the United States. KMP owns an investment in or operates approximately 28,000 miles of pipelines and 180 terminals. Its pipelines transport products, such as natural gas, crude oil, gasoline, and CO2, and its terminals store petroleum products and chemicals and handle materials like coal. Almost all of Kinder Morgan assets are owned by KMP, KMP operates in five business segments : Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, CO2, Terminals and Kinder Morgan Canada.
Kinder Morgan is a transporter and marketer of carbon dioxide in North America. It delivers approximately 1.3 billion cubic feet per day of CO2 through about 1,300 miles of pipelines. It is an oil producer in Texas, producing over 55,000 barrels of oil per day at the SACROC Unit and the Yates Field in the Permian Basin. In addition to CO2 pipelines and oil producing fields, this business segment owns interests in and operates CO2 source fields, natural gas and gasoline processing plants, and a crude oil pipeline. Kinder Morgan owns and operates approximately 24,000 miles of gas pipelines in the Rocky Mountains, the Midwest and Texas. Through its Products Pipelines business unit, it transports over two million barre! ls per day of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, natural gas liquids and other fuels through more than 8,000 miles of pipelines. The Company also has approximately 50 liquids terminals in this business segment that store fuels and offer blending services for ethanol and other products.
Kinder Morgan have more than 180 terminals that store petroleum products and chemicals, and handle bulk materials like coal, petroleum coke and steel products. Kinder Morgan operates a number of pipeline systems and terminal facilities in Canada including the Trans Mountain pipeline, the Express and Platte pipelines, the Cochin pipeline, the Puget Sound and the Trans Mountain Jet Fuel pipelines, the Westridge marine terminal, the Vancouver Wharves terminal in British Columbia and the North Forty terminal in Edmonton, Alberta.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
And finally, there are the Kinder Morgan triplets, Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) and Kinder Morgan Management (KMR) and Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP), which fell 6%, 4.7% and 3%, respectively today. The reason for the drop: a press release from Hedgeye Risk Management, which called Kinder Morgan “a house of cards,” and said to expect a report on Sept. 10, explaining why. Deutsche Bank came out with its own note today defending Kinder Morgan, but the damage was done. Considering that Hedgeye’s Kevin Kaiser (and our own Andrew Bary) got Linn Energy (LINE) right, you can see why.
Top Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Mack-Cali Realty Corporation (CLI)
Mack-Cali Realty Corporation is a real estate investment trust (REIT). It engages in the leasing, management, acquisition, development, and construction of commercial real estate properties in the United States. The firm invests in the real estate markets of the United States primarily in the northeastern United States, as well as in the District of Columbia. It primarily invests in office and office/flex buildings, totaling approximately 30.0 million square feet, and developable land. The firm�s properties also include industrial/warehouse buildings, retail properties, a hotel, and parcels of land leased. Mack-Cali Realty was incorporated in 1994 and is based in Cranford, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Mack-Cali Realty (NYSE: CLI) shares reached a new 52-week low of $19.12. Mack-Cali's PEG ratio is -2.63.
Rocket Fuel (NASDAQ: FUEL) shares dipped 11.85% to touch a new 52-week low of $41.74 on Q3 results.
- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
- [By Dan Burrows]
Mack-Cali Realty (CLI)
CLI Price/LFCF: 6.5
CLI Dividend Yield: 5.5%Real estate investment trusts are dividend stocks that tend to have firehoses of levered free cash. That’s because once a month, every month, the rent checks and get paid and those payments pile up.
Top Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Science Applications International Corp (SAIC)
Science Applications International Corporation, formerly SAIC Gemini, Inc., incorporated on February 1, 2013, is a scientific, engineering, and technology applications company. The Company uses its domain knowledge to solve problems in national security, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure, and health. The Company serves customers in the United States Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the United States Department of Homeland Security, other United States Government civil agencies and selected commercial markets. The Company provides services in two segments: government segment and commercial segment. Its government segment provides an array of technical services and solutions, primarily to United States federal, state and local government agencies and foreign governments. Its commercial segment provides technology-driven consulting, systems integration and outsourcing services and solutions in selected commercial markets.
Services
The Company provides systems development, technical and consulting services to federal, state, local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, further promoting efficiency and effectiveness in preventing and controlling crime through systems, such as CODIS and LEO. The Company safeguards business-critical information, systems, and Websites with information security assessments and public key infrastructure solutions. The Company simplifies access to government goods and services through pre-negotiated federal contract vehicles. It provides government, commercial, and international clients with solutions to complex financial and resource problems. The Company provides geospatial products, services, and solutions for several industries, including agriculture, utility and defense. It provides a comprehensive portfolio of technology and domain specific solutions to its federal, state and local government and commercial health customers.
The Company helps companies to y operate, maintain, and manage wid! ely dispersed assets through consulting, enterprise asset management (EAM), help desk services and network services. The Company supports all phases for drug development: discovery, pre-clinical and clinical development and operations and compliance. It develops technologies, engineer solutions and provide analytical systems for maritime markets. It helps organizations improve product quality, more accurately determine product development or production schedule/cost, and increase productivity. The Company helps National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the military, space and intelligence communities transition to faster, better and cheaper business processes through applied research & technology; information systems, and modeling and simulation. The Company offers corporate and individual training services ranging from elearning to training evaluation.
Aviation
The Company supports commercial and government customers with the latest aviation technology products. The Company�� products include Model 3800 Autopilot, FODetect , AeroPlanner, Memory Unit Tactical Air Crew Training System (MUTACTS), and SAIC Mission Planning System (MPS). The Model 3800 Autopilot is designed for installation in high-performance jet and turboprop aircraft but will function well in a range of fixed-wing aircraft. FODetect is an automated system that provides continuous monitoring with high-resolution and high-speed detection of foreign object debris (FOD) on critical aircraft operating areas. AeroPlanner provides a common tactical picture between control and combat systems by accessing parallel data from naval tactical data systems and retransmitting serially into multiple formats. SAIC's MUTACTS provides quick, accurate and post-flight review and analysis of military aircraft training missions. SAIC MPS consists of a line of simple to use computerized aircraft mission planning systems available for aircraft around the world.
Geospatial Products
The Company o! ffers a f! amily of geospatial solutions to support and gather GIS information for defense, intelligence and commercial customers. Its products include AeroPlanner.com, GRGlobe, GeoRover Software Products, ike 504, Percept, and WebCentric Geospatial Collaboration. AeroPlanner.com is a comprehensive flight-planning application for pilots of all levels. The GRGlobe desktop application brings core GIS functionality to a three dimensional (3D) globe environment providing the ability to create, edit, and visualize GIS data natively while supporting multiple formats such, as KML, shapefile and geodatabase. GeoRover geospatial software products are designed and sold as extensions of plug-in to the ArcMap component of Esri ArcGIS software versions 8.x and 9.x. The ike 504 is a handheld, GIS-related device that provides operators with methods to collect geospatial information on a target, including GPS coordinates and a photograph from a position up to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away. The SAIC Percept suite connects essential business information with real-world infrastructure and properties data. WebCentric Geospatial Collaboration is a Web-based, commercial-off-the-shelf geospatial presentation tool providing to dimensional (2D), 3D, and four dimensional (4D) views.
Ocean and Marine Systems
The Company develops marine products. These products monitor global climate change and marine meteorology, chart and analyze hydrographic data, and help to manage waste and control pollution. iTs products include COBIA Buoy, SAIC Tsunami Buoy (STB) Systems, ISS-2000, Survey Analysis and area Based EditoR (SABER), Incident Command Tool for Drinking Water Protection (ICWater), Plastics Waste Processor (PWP), Compress Melt Unit (CMU) Mod 0, Compress Melt Unit (CMU) Mod 1: Plastics Waste Processor, Large and Small Pulpers, Large and Small Pulpers, 10 GPM Oily Waste Polishing Unit, Topside and Dockside Chlorinators, and Ship Dechlorinator. COBIA Buoy is designed as a modular and fully reconfigurable buoy platform b! ased on t! echnologically advanced maritime expertise. SAIC Tsunami Buoy (STB) Systems are an enhanced version of the buoy system in use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's DART detection system. The ISS-2000 Integrated Survey System was designed for professional hydrographers and surveyors and supports a range of high-performance, shallow-water survey operations. SABER is a tool for processing, editing, updating, viewing and analyzing hydrographic survey data. ICWater is designed to model drinking water contamination in real-time for a rapid, effective emergency response.
Rugged Hardware
The Company�� rugged hardware provides a range of commercial off-the-shelf equipment, as well as specialized custom-designed solutions, for installation into harsh tactical and industrial environments. Its products include Quicklock Cargo Restraint System, Passive LINK Tap (PLT), 1RU 8 Circuit Rugged Power Distribution Assembly (PDA), 1RU Fixed Expansion Chassis, 2RU Rugged cPCI Chassis High-Security Firewall System, Rugged Large liquid-crystal display (LCD) Color Flat Panel Displays (FPDs), Rugged Small LCD FPDs, Neptune 2 Rack Unit Workstation Consoles, and Rugged TigerShark Workstation Consoles. PLT provides a common tactical picture between control and combat systems by accessing parallel data from naval tactical data systems and retransmitting serially into multiple formats. The Quicklock Cargo Restraint System allows for secure tie-down of almost any cargo shape and is designed to prevent damage to and loss of equipment while in transit.
Safety and Security
The Company offers a variety of products to enhance safety and security in transportation, military, emergency response and other applications. Its product includes VACIS Cargo and Vehicle Inspection Systems, VACIS IP6500 FullScan Integrated Inspection System, VACIS XPL Passenger Vehicle Scanning System, and All-Terrain VACIS Imaging System. The Company�� VACIS systems scan cargo containers, tru! cks, cars! and other vehicles to help authorities search for weapons, nuclear material, narcotics, undeclared goods and other contraband at cargo terminals, border crossings, military facilities and other checkpoints. The VACIS IP6500 system safely scans occupied trucks and other vehicles of all sizes. The VACIS XPL system safely scans occupied cars and and other light vehicles.
Simulation
The Company provides a range of simulation products using in system engineering, software engineering, component engineering, signal and image processing, and custom system integration. Its products include OLIVE: On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment, RADSIM Radar Simulation 3.0, Reconfigurable Tactical Operations Simulator (RTOS), Non-Rated Crew Member Manned Module (NCM3), RC-12X Cockpit Procedural Trainer (CPT), Common Driver Trainer (CDT) Product Line, Combat Training Center-Instrumentation Systems (CTC-IS), STK/Missile Modeling Tools (STK/MMT), Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) Systems, Common Vehicle System (CVS) Kit, CVS Abrams Adapter Kit, CVS Bradley Adapter Kit, Wireless Independent Target System (WITS), MK-19 Simulator Player Unit, Wireless Individual Weapon System (W-IWS), Mini MILES, Air Defense Weapons Systems (ADWS) MILES Kits, and Aviation Tactical Engagement Simulation System (AV-TESS). The Aviation Tactical Engagement Simulation System (AV-TESS) provides a flexible, training solution, tracking and weapons simulation system, and supports live force-on-force and force-on-target training and the evaluation and testing of new air vehicles and weapons systems. The Wireless Independent Target System (WITS) provides noncombat vehicles and targets, such as trucks, bridges and buildings, with a high-fidelity detection system for real-time casualty assessment.
Software
The Company is an SEI Partner for the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) project, a collaborative effort to provide models for achieving product and process improvement. Its products inc! lude Voic! e Identity Biometric Services (VIBES), Scale2Insight, Secure Multi-Tenancy, Advanced Analytics Suite, TeraText Database System, SIAM, Antfarm, EMTOOLS, MICHELLE, Enterprise Energy Dashboard, GeoRover Software Products, GeoViz- WebCentric GeoSpatial Collaboration, ISS-2000, Survey Analysis and area Based EditoR (SABER), AIMES, ISRCrossCue, RAVE, Omnifluent Suite of Human Language Technology Products, Flexible Tax Manager, SCOPTIMA Supply Chain Software, and Supply Operations Control System (SOCS). The Supply Operations Control System (SOCS) is a personal computer (PC) based inventory management system, and provides asset visibility, inventory control and supply support. SCOPTIMA Supply Chain Software is a secure, Web-enabled inventory system planner that provides demand forecasting to support efficient management and replenishment of large inventories of spare parts for aircraft and other platforms.
Transportation Products
The Company�� transportation systems helps companies and government agencies around the world improve efficiency, enhance safety and security, reduce errors and cut costs. Its products include Integrated Container Information System (ICIS), Intelligent Intermodal Solutions (IIS), Gatestand Driver Kiosk, CraneView Crane-Mounted OCR System, RailView Digital Video Recording System for Locomotives, and Transportation Visibility and Metrics System (TransVM). The RailView system continuously records digital video and key events as the locomotive travels, providing a reliable record for analysis of rail incidents. The CraneView system automatically identifies containers and records stow positions as the containers are moved by quay cranes in real time.
Advisors' Opinion:- [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)
Subscribe to Validea here��/p>
- [By alicet236]
Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) Reached the Five-Year Low of $32.20
The prices of Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) shares have declined to close to the five-year low of $32.20, which is 26.3% off the five-year high of $39.88. Science Applications International Corp is owned by one Guru we are tracking. Among them, 1 have added to their positions during the past quarter. Zero reduced their positions. Science Applications International Corp has a market cap of $2.76 billion; its shares were traded at around $32.20 with a P/E ratio of 18.50 and P/S ratio of 0.45. The dividend yield of Science Applications International Corp stocks is 0.87%.
- [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]
Science Applications International Corp.(SAIC) said its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 23%, as the government contractor posted weaker revenue that was partly offset by lower expenses related to its spinoff by the former SAIC Inc. last year and other one-time items.
Top Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Axiall Corp (AXLL)
Axiall Corporation (Axiall), formerly Georgia Gulf Corporation, incorporated on April 16, 1984, is a manufacturer and an international marketer of chlorovinyl and aromatic chemicals and also manufacture and market vinyl-based building and home improvement products. The Company operates in three business segments: Chlorovinyls segment consists of two product groups: Electrovinyls products, which are composed of chlorine, caustic soda, ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and vinyl resins; and Compound products, which are composed of vinyl compounds, compound additives and plasticizers; Building Products segment consists of two primary product groups: Window and Door Profiles and Mouldings, and Outdoor Building Products, which consists of siding, pipe and pipe fittings and deck, fence and rail products, and Aromatics segment also contains two commodity chemical product groups: cumene; and phenol and acetone. In January 2013, the combined company formed by uniting Georgia Gulf with PPG's former commodity chemicals business is named Axiall Corporation.
Chlorovinyls segment
The chlorovinyls segment consists of an integrated chain of products, which including chlor-alkali and derivative products (chlorine, caustic soda, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), vinyl resins, ethylene dichloride, chlorinated solvents, calcium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid and phosgene derivatives and compound products (vinyl compounds and compound additives and plasticizers). In North America, the Company is one of the producers of VCM, vinyl resins, and vinyl compounds.
During the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 45%t of its vinyl resins production was sold into the United States and Canadian merchant markets where its vinyl resins were used in a variety of flexible and rigid vinyl end-use applications. During 2012, the largest end-uses of its products were for pipe and pipe fittings, siding, extruded sheet and film and window profiles. Approximately 24% of its pro! duction was sold into the export market, and approximately 31% of its vinyl resins were used internally in the manufacture of its vinyl compounds and vinyl building products. During 2012, the Company used substantially all of its VCM production in the manufacture of vinyl resins in its PVC manufacturing operations. The Company sells all of its caustic soda to customers domestically and overseas in numerous industries, with the pulp and paper, chemical and alumina industries constituting its markets. Other markets for its caustic soda include soap and detergents and the water treatment industries.
Vinyl compounds are highly customized formulations that offer specific end-use properties based on customer-determined manufacturing specifications that enable its customers to utilize them directly in their manufacturing processes to fabricate their finished products. The Company produces flexible and rigid compounds, which are used in many different applications, including wire and cable insulation and jacketing, electrical outlet boxes and pipe fittings, window and furniture profiles and food-grade and general-purpose bottles. It also supplies chlorinated vinyl compounds (CPVC), to the extrusion and injection molding markets, mainly for production of hot water pipe and pipe fittings. The Company produces lubricants, stabilizers, impact modifiers and process aids used in the production of compounds, and which are part of the typical compound formulations. The majority of its additives and plasticizers are consumed internally.
Building Products Segment
The Window and Door Profiles and Mouldings Products have a level of customization based on customer specifications, whereas Outdoor Building Products are based more on industry standards. The Company manufactures and extrude vinyl window profiles, including frames, sashes, trim and other components, as well as vinyl patio door components and fabricated patio doors, which are sold primarily to window and door fabricators. I! ts sales ! are primarily to the custom segment of the vinyl window profile market with the profile design customized to a window fabricator's specific requirements. It manufactures and markets extruded decorative mouldings and millwork. Its decorative trim products are used for interior mouldings, such as crown, base and chair rail. For exterior mouldings, its products are used in applications, such as brick mouldings, and as components used in the fabrication of doors, windows and spas. This product line includes a series of offerings, such as bendable trim and paintable/stainable trim.
The Company�� outdoor building products (OBP) include siding; pipe and pipe fittings; and deck, fence, and rail. It manufactures vinyl siding, and it also offers a range of accessories, including vinyl soffit, aluminum soffit, fascia and trim and molded vent mounts and exterior shutters. These additional product offerings to its existing offerings include rich, dark, color-fast shades, as well as a siding system, which enables siding panels to withstand harsh wind conditions. It manufactures pipe and pipe fittings for the municipal and electrical markets, as well as pipe for plumbing applications. Its municipal pipe and pipe fittings product lines are used in potable water applications, as well as in storm and sewer applications. Its plumbing lines are used in residential and industrial applications to move storm and sanitary wastewater from the building to the municipal sewer at the property line. This product line is focused on at drain, waste and vent applications. Electrical, pipe, conduit and fittings are available in a range of sizes and configurations, to meet the needs of both commercial and residential applications.
The Company manufactures vinyl deck products that are sold by distributors and used primarily by professionally installed market segments. The Company�� deck product lines are positioned as a lower-maintenance alternative to conventional wood products.
Aromatics Seg! ment
The aromatics segment is integrated and consists of cumene and phenol/acetone products. Phenol/acetone products are co-products made from cumene in the same production process. The Company�� aromatic products are primarily commodity based products. It operates cumene plant located in Pasadena, Texas. About 28 % of its cumene was consumed internally, during 2012, to produce phenol and acetone. Cumene is used as an intermediate to make phenol and acetone and specialty chemicals and can be sold as an additive for gasoline blending.
Phenol is sold to a base of customers who are producers of a range of phenolic resins, engineering plastics and specialty chemicals. Phenolic resins are used as adhesives for wood products, such as plywood and Oriented Strand Board (OSB). Engineering plastics are used in compact discs, digital video discs, automobiles, household appliances, electronics and protective coating applications. It also sells phenol for use in insulation, electrical parts, oil additives and chemical intermediates. Acetone is a chemical used primarily in the production of acrylic resins, engineering plastics and industrial solvents. The Company sells the majority of its acetone into the acrylic resins market, where it is used in the manufacture of various plastics and coatings used for signage, automotive parts, household appliances, paints and industrial coatings. Other uses range from solvents for automotive and industrial applications to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Axiall (NYSE: AXLL ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Axiall missed estimates on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share. - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Thursday, basic materials shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 1.20 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Axiall (NYSE: AXLL), Materion (NYSE: MTRN), Huntsman (NYSE: HUN) and Joy Global (NYSE: JOY). - [By Johanna Bennett]
Dow isn�� the only chemical play gaining on the news. �Axiall (AXLL) rose 9.3% to $49.58 in Monday market action. Olin (OLN) rose 6.1% to $26.36. And Westlake Chemical (WLK) rose 2.2% to $115.10.
Top Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Sierra Wireless Inc. (SWIR)
Sierra Wireless, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cellular wireless solutions to the machine-to-machine (M2M) and connected device markets in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through two segments, Mobile Computing and Machine-to-Machine. It offers AirPrime embedded wireless modules, which are used to wirelessly enable various products and solutions by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); and AirLink intelligent gateways that are rugged and industrial-grade wireless terminals for M2M and mobile applications to public safety, transportation, field service, energy, industrial, and financial organizations. The company�s AirVantage M2M cloud platform provides secure, scalable, and device-to-cloud infrastructure for M2M applications. It also provides professional services to OEM customers during their product development and launch process. The company offers its products to consumer electronics, networking equipment, automotiv e, energy, security, sales and payment, industrial control and monitoring, fleet management, field service, and healthcare industries. It sells its products and solutions through various indirect channels, such as OEMs, wireless operators, distributors, and value-added resellers. Sierra Wireless, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Richmond, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By rusticnomad]
There can't be a superior time to purchase Sierra Wireless (SWIR), the chip creator which is on track to profit from the development in Cisco's (CSCO) Internet of Things.
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap machine-to-machine (M2M) stock Elecsys Corp (NASDAQ: ESYS) jumped 8.99% yesterday and is up 254% over the past year, meaning it might be time to take a closer look at the stock and its performance verses other small cap M2M stocks like Digi International Inc (NASDAQ: DGII), Numerex Corp (NASDAQ: NMRX) and Sierra Wireless, Inc (NASDAQ: SWIR). First of all though, I should mention that machine-to-machine (M2M) broadly refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the same type and this can be through any type of technology ranging from instruments to networks to applications that create connections between devices.
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