The very people who were making the ultimate sacrifice to fight for our freedoms were being neglected when they needed us most.
A 2007 Washington Post investigation into the lack of care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center caused outrage.
The expose began like this:
"Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold."
More recently, CNBC obtained images of another pocket of black mold invading another VA medical center. A Pittsburgh Veterans Administration employee and whistleblower says the black mold is in an air handler located in a nuclear medicine area where cancer patients get therapy.
5 Best Building Product Stocks To Own Right Now: Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd (SVNDY)
Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japan-based holding company. The Company operates in six business segments. The Convenience Store segment operates convenience stores under the name 7-Eleven through direct operation and franchising. The Super Store segment operates general supermarkets, food supermarkets and specialty stores. The Department Store segment operates department stores with a focus on Seibu. The Food Service segment is engaged in the restaurant business, the contract food business and the fast food business. The Financial-related segment is engaged in the banking service, credit card and electronic money services. The Others segment is engaged in the information technology (IT) business. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jim Jubak]
If you're a trader, you try to catch these ups and downs. If you're a longer term trader, you sort of go with Japanese equities. The one that I've got in Jubak's Picks is Toyota Motor, (TM), which trades in New York as an ADR. You can also go with something like Torre Industries (TRYIF), which trades as an ADR in New York as well as on the Tokyo exchange. They're the world's largest maker of carbon fiber, good play on exports to the aircraft and car industries. Or you can do something like Seven & I (SVNDY), the Japanese company that owns 7-Elevens around the world. So, those would be my ways to play a weak yen if you want to use Japanese equities for the week and the year ahead.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: PetSmart Inc(PETM)
PetSmart, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of products, services, and solutions for pets in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The company offers consumables, such as pet food, treats, and litter; and hardgoods, which include pet supplies and other goods comprising collars, leashes, health care supplies, grooming and beauty aids, toys, apparel, and pet beds and carriers, as well as aquariums and habitats, accessories, d�or, and filters for fish, birds, reptiles, and small pets. It also provides fresh-water fish, small birds, reptiles, and small pets; and pet services, such as grooming, including precision cuts, baths, nail trimming and grinding, and teeth brushing, as well as training, boarding, and day camp services. In addition, the company operates PetsHotels that offer boarding for dogs and cats; provides personalized pet care, an on-call veterinarian, temperature controlled rooms and suites, daily specialty treats and p lay time, and day camp services for dogs; and operates veterinary hospitals, which offer services comprising routine examinations and vaccinations, dental care, a pharmacy, and surgical procedures. As of January 29, 2012, it operated 1,232 retail stores; 192 PetsHotels; 791 veterinary hospitals under the trade name of Banfield, The Pet Hospital; and 8 hospitals operated through other third parties in Canada. The company also offers its products through an e-commerce and community site, PetSmart.com. PetSmart, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Nicole Seghetti]
PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM ) will unleash earnings on Monday. Here's what you need to watch for in the company's results.
Earnings expectations
The first issue that needs to be addressed is whether the pet-centric retailer met Wall Street's expectations. Analysts tag profits for PetSmart at $1.22 per share this quarter, down from $1.24 per share one year ago. The company projects its full-year 2013 EPS outlook in the range of $3.88 to $3.98, up from the $3.55 it earned in 2012. I'll be looking to see if the Phoenix-based retailer met its fourth-quarter and full-year 2013 EPS estimates.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Northern Tier Energy LP (NTI)
Northern Tier Energy LP, formerly Northern Tier Energy, Inc., incorporated in October 21, 2011, is an independent downstream energy company with refining, retail, and pipeline operations that serves the PADD II region of the United States. The Company operates its assets in two business segments: the refining business and the retail business. The Company owns three pipelines. The Company's operations will be conducted through, and its operating assets will be owned by, its wholly owned subsidiary, Northern Tier Energy LLC, and its subsidiaries. Effective November 12, 2013, Western Refining Inc acquired a 38.681% interest in Northern Tier Energy LP.
Refining Business
The Company�� refining business primarily consists of a 74,000 barrels per calendar day (84,500 barrels per stream day) refinery located in St. Paul Park, Minnesota. Its location allows it to distribute its refined products throughout the midwestern United States. The Company�� refinery produces a slate of refined products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and asphalt, which are then marketed to resellers and consumers primarily in the PADD II region. It also owns various storage and transportation assets, including a light products terminal, a heavy products terminal, storage tanks, rail loading/unloading facilities and a Mississippi river dock. The Company�� refining business also includes its 17% interest in the Minnesota Pipe Line Company, which owns and operates the Minnesota Pipeline, a 455,000 barrels per calendar day crude oil pipeline system that transports crude oil (primarily from Western Canada and North Dakota) for approximately 300 miles from the Enbridge pipeline hub at Clearbrook, Minnesota to its refinery.
As of March 31, 2012, the Company's storage assets included 84 hydrocarbon storage tanks with a total capacity of 3.7 million barrels (156 million gallons), 0.8 million barrels of crude oil storage and 2.9 million barrels of feedstock and product storage. The Company�� r! efinery supplies all of the gasoline and diesel sold in its company-operated and franchised convenience stores, as well as all of the gasoline and diesel sold in 90 independently owned and operated Marathon branded stores in its marketing area. The Minnesota Pipe Line Company owns the Minnesota Pipeline, a crude oil pipeline system in Minnesota that transports crude oil to the St. Paul area. The Minnesota Pipeline system has multiple lines that run approximately 300 miles from Clearbrook in Clearwater County, Minnesota to Dakota County, Minnesota, transporting crude oil received through the Enbridge pipeline connections at Clearbrook from Western Canada and North Dakota to our refinery and Koch Industries�� Flint Hills Resources refinery in Minnesota.
Retail Business
As of March 31, 2012, the Company�� retail business operated 166 convenience stores under the SuperAmerica brand and also supported 67 franchised convenience stores, which are also operated under the SuperAmerica brand. These convenience stores are located primarily in Minnesota and Wisconsin and sell various grades of gasoline and diesel, tobacco products and immediately consumable items, such as non-alcoholic beverages, beer, prepared food and a range of snacks and prepackaged items. It also owns and operates SuperMom�� Bakery, which prepares and distributes baked goods and other prepared food items for sale in its company-operated and franchised convenience stores and other third party locations.
The Company has a retail-marketing network of 233 convenience stores, as of March 31, 2012, located throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, of which it operates 166 stores and support 67 franchised stores. All of its company-operated and franchised convenience stores are operated under the SuperAmerica brand. It also owns and operates SuperMom�� Bakery, which prepares and distributes baked goods and other prepared items for sale in its retail outlets and for other third parties. Its refine! ry suppli! es all of the gasoline and diesel sold in its company-operated and franchised convenience stores. The Company has retail customers, which primarily include retail end-users, motorists and commercial drivers. It had a retail-marketing network of 233 convenience stores, as of March 31, 2012, located throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, of which it operated 166 stores and support 67 franchised stores.
The Company competes with Koch Industries��Flint Hills Resources Refinery, Holiday, Kwik Trip and Wal-Mart.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Northern Tier Energy LP (NYSE: NTI) was down, falling 7.37 percent to $18.10 after the company reported an operational issue with crude unit.�
Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 1.07 percent to $103.62, while gold traded down 0.73 percent to $1,322.40. Silver traded up 0.10 percent Monday to $21.80, while copper fell 0.54 percent to $3.30. - [By Stoyan Bojinov]
The Connecticut-based petroleum refiner, Northern Tier Energy LP (NTI), announced on Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement that would sell it off to Western Refining Inc. in a deal reportedly worth $775 million.
Northern Tier Energy said that its private equity sponsors, ACON Investments and TPG, have struck a definitive agreement that would sell all of their interests in the East Coast refining company to Texas-based Western Refining. According to sources, the deal also includes the distribution on the common shares acquired with respect to the last quarter ending on 9/30/2013; as a result, Western Refining now owns the general partner in its entirety along with a 38.7% stake in Northern Tier Energy.
Western Refining will be acquiring a refinery in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the company commented that this transaction, which was signed and closed today, would immediately be reflected in its earnings and cash flow.
Northern Tier Energy LP shares rallied higher today, gaining 3.35% as the closing bell rang.
- [By Robert Rapier] In last week’s issue I discussed the basics of the refining sector. Today I will provide an overview of four MLPs that hold refining assets.
To review, the refining sector was very profitable in 2012 thanks to unusually high crack spreads, which for many US refiners are approximated by the price differential between Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oils. For a more thorough explanation of this phenomenon, please refer to last week’s issue.
After years of trading at a $1 to $3 per barrel discount to WTI, Brent began fetching a premium a few years ago as a glut of crude developed in the mid-continent area of the US. In 2011 the Brent-WTI price differential increased to more than $25/bbl, and it remained historically high in 2012.
But pipeline capacity started to catch up this year, and the share prices of refiners retreated as the glut began to dissipate and the Brent-WTI differential shrank. In Q3 2012, the Brent-WTI differential averaged $17.43/bbl, but by Q3 of this year, the differential had fallen to $4.43/bbl. This promises bad news for refiners about to report Q3 earnings.
Many analysts downgraded the refining sector in Q3, but as the differential fell below $5/bbl it was hard to imagine that the news could get much worse. With poor Q3 results largely priced in, the differential subsequently rose back above $10/bbl, signaling better refining margins moving into Q4.
Refiners began to post earnings this past week, and as expected they were weak. Valero (NYSE: VLO) reported slightly higher revenues year-over-year, but net earnings fell more than 50 percent from a year ago. Nevertheless, they beat the extremely pessimistic expectations of analysts, and Valero shares rose on the news.
Phillips 66’s (NYSE: PSX) refining unit actually posted a loss, but its chemical business turned in a solid quarter which more than compensated for the disappointing refining results.
The rest of the refine
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks For 2014: Bolt Technology Corporation(BOLT)
Bolt Technology Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of marine seismic data acquisition equipment and underwater remotely operated robotic vehicles worldwide. It operates through four segments: Seismic Energy Sources, Underwater Cables and Connectors, Seismic Energy Source Controllers, and Underwater Robotic Vehicles. The Seismic Energy Sources segment offers marine seismic energy sources, such as marine air guns for use in seismic exploration; and replacement parts. The Underwater Cables and Connectors segment provides underwater cables, connectors, hydrophones, depth and pressure transducers, and seismic source monitoring systems. The Seismic Energy Source Controllers offers air gun controllers/synchronizers, data loggers, and auxiliary equipment. The Underwater Robotic Vehicles segment offers underwater remotely operated robotic vehicles for various underwater tasks. The company serves marine seismic exploration contractors, oil and gas companie s, defense industry, fire and rescue organizations, and educational institutions, as well as federal, state, and local governmental units. Bolt Technology Corporation markets its products directly, as well as through sales agents and a network of distributors. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Teledyne Technologies (NYSE: TDY) announced its plans to acquire Bolt Technology (NASDAQ: BOLT) for $22 per share. Bolt shares climbed 38.84% to $21.71 in the after-hours trading session, while Teledyne shares fell 0.29% to close at $97.40 yesterday.
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