Someone who reads my articles asked me this question:
Hi Geoff,
I wanted to ask you if you could give me an example of valuing a company with "Owner Earnings" that Buffett speaks about in his annual reports��I would like to know how do you believe he accounts for the valuation of the company if it is indeed growing?... what does he do if the company is indeed growing earnings (or free cash flow) at a 15% - 20% clip or better?
Since I�� not really going to answer the question you asked ��simply because I don�� think Warren Buffett values stocks that way ��I will give you a helpful rule of thumb for valuing fast growing businesses. We��l use your example of a company growing 20% a year. Growth rates above 20% a year are hard to sustain. So there�� little point incorporating them into a valuation.
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2015: Cooper Companies Inc (COO)
The Cooper Companies, Inc., incorporated on March 4, 1980, is a global medical device company. The Company operates through two business units, CooperVision, Inc. and CooperSurgical, Inc. CooperVision is a global manufacturer providing products for contact lens wearers. CooperSurgical focuses on supplying women's health clinicians with products and treatment options to improve the delivery of healthcare to women.
CooperVision develops, manufactures and markets a range of monthly, two-week and single-use contact lenses, featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision's products are designed to solve vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia and ocular dryness with a collection of spherical, toric and multifocal contact lenses. CooperVision's products are primarily manufactured at its facilities located in Hampshire, United Kingdom, Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, and Scottsville, New York. CooperVision distributes products from West Henrietta, New York, Fareham, United Kingdom, Liege, Belgium, and various smaller international distribution facilities. Under the Biofinity brand, CooperVision has launched monthly silicone hydrogel spherical, toric and multifocal lens products. CooperVision has also launched two-week silicone hydrogel spherical and toric lens products under its Avaira brand. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013), the Company launched MyDay, its single-use spherical silicone hydrogel lens, in Europe. CooperVision's Proclear line of spherical, toric and multifocal lenses are manufactured with omafilcon, a material that incorporates Phosphorylcholine (PC) Technology that helps enhance tissue-device compatibility.
CooperSurgical offers an array of products used in the care and treatment of women's health. The Company participates in the women's healthcare market through offering quality products, technologies and service to clinicians worldwide. CooperSurgical collaborates with clinicians to identify products and new technologies from dis! posable products to instruments and equipment. The result is a portfolio of products that aid in the delivery of improved clinical outcomes that healthcare professionals use routinely in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide spectrum of women's health issues.
The Company competes with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., CIBA Vision, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon Endo-Surgery and Ethicon Women's Health and Urology companies, Gyrus ACMI and Covidien.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Victor Selva]
The company has a very attractive current ratio of 33.03% which is higher than its comps: Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX), Cardinal Health Inc (CAH), Cooper Companies (COO) and Luxottica Group S.p.A. (LUX).
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2015: Community Bank System Inc (CBU)
Community Bank System, Inc., incorporated on April 15, 1983, which wholly owns five subsidiaries: Community Bank, N.A. (the Bank), Benefit Plans Administrative Services, Inc. (BPAS), CFSI Closeout Corp. (CFSICC), First of Jermyn Realty Company, Inc. (FJRC) and Town & Country Agency LLC (T&C). The Bank operates as a community bank providing a range of banking and financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank operates 179 full-service branches throughout 35 counties of Upstate New York, where it operates as Community Bank, N.A. and five counties of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where it is known as First Liberty Bank & Trust, offering a range of commercial and retail banking services. BPAS provides administration, consulting and actuarial services to sponsors of employee benefit plans. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired eight branch-banking locations across its Northeast Pennsylvania markets from Bank of America, N.A.Five of the branches are located in Luzerne County, one is located in Lackawanna County and two are located in Carbon County.
On July 20, 2012, the Bank completed its acquisition of 16 retail branches in Central, Northern and Western New York from HSBC Bank USA, N.A. (HSBC), acquiring approximately $106 million in loans and $697 million of deposits. On September 7, 2012, it completed its acquisition of three branches in Western New York from First Niagara Bank, N.A. (First Niagara), acquiring approximately $54 million of loans and $101 million of deposits.
Lending Activities
As of December 31, 2012, the Bank�� loan portfolio included consumer mortgage loans, business lending, Consumer indirect, Consumer direct and Home equity. Consumer indirect and direct loans consist of personal loans originated both in the branch network and in automobile, marine and recreational vehicle dealerships. Approximately 68% of loans outstanding as of December 31, 2012, were made to consumers ! borrowing on an installment, line of credit or residential mortgage loan basis. The consumer mortgage portion of the Company�� loan portfolio is comprised of fixed (98%) and adjustable rate (2%) residential lending and includes no exposure to subprime, Alt-A or other higher-risk mortgage products. The combined total of general-purpose business lending, including agricultural-related and dealer floor plans, as well as mortgages on commercial property, is characterized as the Company�� business lending activity.
Investment Activities
As of December 31, 2012, the Bank�� investment securities included held-to-maturity, available-for-sale and Other securities. As of December 31, 2012, its held-to-maturity portfolio included U.S. Treasury and agency securities, Obligations of state and political subdivisions, Government agency mortgage-backed securities, Corporate debt securities and Other securities. Its Other Securities included Federal Home Loan Bank common stock, Federal Reserve Bank common stock and Other equity securities.
Sources of Funds
The Bank utilizes a variety of funding sources to support the earning asset base. Overall funding is comprised of three primary sources that possess a variety of maturity, stability, and price characteristics: deposits of individuals, partnerships and corporations (IPC deposits), municipal deposits that are collateralized for amounts not covered by FDIC insurance (public funds) and external borrowings. The various types of deposits offered by the Bank include Noninterest checking deposits, Interest checking deposits, Regular savings deposits, Money market deposits and Time deposits. Borrowing sources for the Company include the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) and Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as well as access to the brokered certificate of deposit (CD) and repurchase markets through relationships with primary market security dealers.
Subsidiary Activities
The Compan! y�� sub! sidiary, BPAS owns three subsidiaries, Benefit Plans Administrative Services LLC (BPA), a provider of defined contribution plan administration services; Harbridge Consulting Group LLC (Harbridge), a provider of actuarial and benefit consulting services, and Hand Benefits & Trust Company (HB&T), a provider of Collective Investment Fund administration and institutional trust services. HB&T owns two subsidiaries, Flex Corp. (Flex), a provider of administration, servicing and marketing of various flexible employee benefit programs and Hand Securities, Inc. (HSI), an introducing broker dealer. The Company also wholly owns two unconsolidated subsidiary business trusts formed for the purpose of issuing mandatorily redeemable preferred securities.
The Bank owns subsidiaries, such as CBNA Insurance Agency, Inc. (CBNA Insurance), CBNA Preferred Funding Corporation (PFC), CBNA Treasury Management Corporation (TMC), Community Investment Services, Inc. (CISI), First Liberty Service Corp. (FLSC), Nottingham Advisors, Inc. (Nottingham), Brilie Corporation (Brilie), and Western Catskill Realty, LLC (WCR). CBNA Insurance is a full-service insurance agency offering primarily property and casualty products. PFC primarily acts as an investor in residential real estate loans. TMC provides cash management, investment, and treasury services to the Bank. CISI provides broker-dealer and investment advisory services. FLSC provides banking-related services to the Pennsylvania branches of the Bank. Nottingham provides asset management services to individuals, corporate pension and profit sharing plans, and foundations. Brilie and WCR are inactive companies.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By GURUFOCUS]
Community Bank System Inc. (CBU) operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides banking and financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. August 21st the company increased its quarterly dividend 3.7% to $0.28 per share. The dividend is payable October 10, 2013 to shareholders of record as of September 16, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.3%.
Best Restaurant Companies To Buy Right Now: Dow Treasuries(DV)
DeVry Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides educational services worldwide. The company operates various institutions, including Advanced Academics, American University of the Caribbean, Becker Professional Education, Carrington College and Carrington College California, Chamberlain College of Nursing, DeVry Brasil, DeVry University, and Ross University. These institutions offer an array of programs in business, healthcare, and technology, as well as serve students in middle school through postsecondary education, and accounting and finance professionals. It offers career-oriented associate, bachelor?s, and master?s degree programs in technology, science, business, arts, and nursing; medical and veterinary medical education; and undergraduate and graduate programs focused in business management, nursing, law, and engineering, as well as online learning solutions for middle and high school education. The company also prepares students for careers in healthcare th rough certificate, associate, and bachelor?s degree programs; and candidates for the certified public accountant examination, chartered financial analyst professional certification examinations, and the project management professional certification examination, as well as provides continuing professional education programs and seminars in accounting and finance. DeVry Inc. was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Bill Smith]
Competition
ESI competes with many other for-profit ventures, including:
Other for-profit educators, such as: Strayer (STRA), Apollo (APOL), DeVry (DV), Capella (CPLA), Corinthian Colleges (COCO), and Career Education Corporation (CECO)Traditional colleges/universitiesCommunity colleges
Sales, EBITDA and Earnings
ESI has steadily increased revenue and earnings. In the last decade they've grown revenue at 20.8%; EBITDA at 34.4%; FCF at 22.5%, and Book Value at 8.5%.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
The filing, however, hasn’t had much of an impact. Shares of ITT Educational Services have dropped just 3.4% this week but have gained 95% so far in 2013. Corinthian Colleges (COCO), on the other hand, has dropped 27% this year, while DeVry Education (DV) has gained 50% and Apollo Education (APOL) has advanced 30%.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shres of Corinthian have dropped 4.2% to $1.96 but don’t seem to be hitting other for profit universities. ITT Educational Services (ESI) has gained 2.2% to $31, Apollo Group (APOL) has risen 0.7% to $20.44 and Devry (DV) is up 0.9% at $31.95.
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2015: Sempra Energy(SRE)
Sempra Energy, together with its subsidiaries, develops new energy infrastructure, operates utilities, and provides energy-related products and services worldwide. It operates in six segments: SDG&E, SoCalGas, Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage, Sempra LNG (liquefied natural gas), and Sempra Commodities. The SDG&E segment has electric and natural gas franchises that locate, operate, and maintain facilities for the transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, street and highway lighting, and direct access customers. The SoCalGas segment has natural gas franchises that locate, operate, and maintain facilities for the transmission and distribution of natural gas to electric generation, wholesale, large commercial, industrial, and enhanced oil recovery customers. The Sempra Generation segment involves in the generation and wholesale distribution of electricity through a fleet of natural gas-fired power generati on facilities in Arizona, Nevada, and Indiana, as well as Mexico with a total capacity of 2,513 megawatts. The Sempra Pipelines & Storage segment operates 1,883 miles of distribution pipelines, 224 miles of transmission pipelines, and 3 compressor stations in Mexico; operates Mobile Gas, a natural gas distribution utility located in Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama; and operates natural gas storage facilities in Washington County of Alabama and Simpson County of Mississippi. The Sempra LNG segment involves in the receipt, storage, and vaporization of LNG, as well as the purchase and sale of natural gas. It operates Energia Costa Azul LNG receipt terminal in Baja California, Mexico, as well as Cameron LNG receipt terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. The Sempra Commodities segment engages in the commodities-marketing business. Sempra Energy has operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered i n San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Caplinger]
ConEd has taken steps toward bolstering its non-regulated business, entering into a partnership with Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE ) to take 50% ownership of two of Sempra's solar farms in Nevada and Arizona. Still, one consequence of moving toward deregulated opportunities is that they can create more volatility in earnings, which could make it harder for ConEd to feel comfortable with future dividend hikes.
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2015: Mentor Graphics Corporation(MENT)
Mentor Graphics Corporation provides electronic design automation software and hardware solutions to automate the design, analysis, and testing of complex electro-mechanical systems, electronic hardware, and embedded systems software. It offers ModelSim, a hardware description language mixed-language digital simulator; Questa tool for the verification of systems and ICs; analog/mixed signal simulators, including Eldo, ADVance MS, and ADiT tools; and Veloce, a hardware emulation system. The company also provides Calibre DRC and Calibre LVS physical verification tools; Calibre xRC and xACT transistor-level extraction and device modeling tools; Calibre lithography tools; Calibre PERC tool for checking the electrical design of an IC; and Olympus-SoC place and route solution. In addition, it offers Expedition Series PCB design products; PADS, a PCB design and layout solution; I/O Designer that integrates FPGA input/output planning with PCB design tools; XtremePCB tool for simul taneous design; XtremeAR, a PCB routing product; and FloTHERM, a 3D computational fluid dynamics software. Further, the company provides software tools for the design of complex wire harness systems and automotive electronic components; and a suite of real-time operating systems, Linux and Android products, middleware, and associated development and debugging tools for developing embedded software. Additionally, it offers software support, hardware support, and customer training services; professional consulting services; and methodology development and refinement services to improve product development processes. The company sells and licenses its products through direct sales force, distributors, and sales representatives primarily to large companies in military and aerospace, communications, computer, consumer electronics, semiconductor, networking, multimedia, and transportation industries worldwide. Mentor Graphics Corporation was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Steven Russolillo]
WATCH FOR:�Weekly Jobless Claims (8:30 a.m. Eastern Time): seen 310K; previously 297K. May Markit “Flash” PMI (9:45). April Existing Home Sales (10:00): seen +2.0% at 2.68M; previously -0.2% at 4.59M. April Leading Index (10:00): seen +0.5%; previously +0.8%. May Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Survey (11:00): seen 8; previously 7. Aeropostale, Best Buy(BBY), Borcade, Buckle, Dollar Tree(DLTR), GameStop(GME), Gap(GPS), Hewlett-Packard(HPQ), Marvell Tech(MRVL), Mentor Graphics(MENT), Ross Stores(ROST) and TiVo are among companies scheduled to report quarterly results.
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2015: Stericycle Inc (SRCL)
Stericycle, Inc., incorporated on March 21, 1989, is in the business of managing regulated waste and providing an array of related and complementary services. The Company operates in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The regulated waste services the Company provides include medical waste disposal, its Steri-Safe medical waste and compliance program, its Clinical Services program, its Bio Systems reusable sharps disposal management services, pharmaceutical waste disposal, and hazardous waste disposal. In addition to the Company's regulated waste services, the Company offers regulated recall and returns management services, patient communication services, and medical safety products. The Company's regulated recall and returns management services consist of a number of solutions for a variety of businesses but consist primarily of managing the recall, withdrawal or return of expired or recalled products and pharmaceuticals. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it completed 41 acquisitions, of which 17 were domestic businesses and 24 were international businesses in Latin America, Europe, and Japan. In August 2013, Stericycle Inc acquired Eclipse Marketing.
The Company also provides communication services to healthcare providers to improve office productivity and communications with patients. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's worldwide networks included a total of 153 processing facilities, 141 transfer sites, and 64 recall and returns or communication services facilities. The Company serves approximately 541,000 customers worldwide, of which approximately 16,500 are large-quantity generators, such as hospitals, blood banks and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and approximately 524,500 are small-quantity generators, such as outpatient clinics, medical and dental offices, long-term and sub-acute care facilities, veterinary offices, municipalities and retail pharmacies. For large-quantity generat! ors of regulated waste such as hospitals and for pharmaceutical companies and distributors, the Company offers its regulated waste management services; its Bio Systems reusable sharps disposal management services; its pharmaceutical waste services; its Integrated Waste Stream Solutions (IWSS) program; a variety of products and services for infection control; its regulated recall and returns management services for expired or recalled products and pharmaceuticals, and variety of patient communication services. For small-quantity generators of regulated waste such as doctors' offices or retail pharmacies, the Company offers its Steri-Safe OSHA, HIPAA compliance, and clinical services programs.
The Company supplies specially designed reusable leak-resistant and puncture-resistant plastic containers to most of its large-quantity customers and many of its larger small-quantity customers. The Company collects containers or corrugated boxes of regulated waste from its customers depending upon customer requirements, contract terms and volume of waste generated. The waste is then transported directly to one of the Company's processing facilities or to one of its transfer stations where it is combined with other regulated waste and transported to a processing facility. The Company collects some expired or recalled products, but more typically, customer ships them directly to its processing facilities. Upon arrival at a processing facility, containers or boxes of regulated waste are typically scanned to verify that they do not contain any unacceptable substances like radioactive material. The regulated waste is then processed using one of the Company's various treatment or processing technologies. Upon completion of the particular process, the resulting waste or incinerator ash is transported for resource recovery, recycling or disposal in a landfill owned by an unaffiliated third party. The Company provides complete documentation to its customers for all regulated waste that the Company collect in ac! cordance ! with applicable regulations and customer requirements.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Jonas Elmerraji]
We're seeing the exact same setup in shares of Stericycle (SRCL), but with one big difference: This stock hasn't broken out yet. Stericycle is another ascending triangle pattern, in this case with a resistance level at $120. A breakout above that $120 price ceiling is the signal that it's time to take this trade.
Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of buyers and sellers. Triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable – instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.
That $120 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant -- the move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.
Don't be early on the SRCL trade.
- [By Jason Moser]
I owe my love of investing to my father. And with that in mind, I give you the Father's Day Portfolio. These are 10 stocks that remind me of my dad, and together they will form a formidable, market-beating team that will offer investors outstanding returns for years to come.
Dick's Sporting Goods� (NYSE: DKS ) is a family affair. CEO Edward Stack is the son of founder Richard Stack, and he owns close to 18%�of the shares outstanding. I like what this company has done and where it's headed. It controls 8.5% of the tremendous sporting-goods market. Boston Beer� (NYSE: SAM ) �seems an appropriate call here. Having a beer with your dad is one of the great moments in life, and given that this company sold more than 50 beer varieties under the Samuel Adams brand in 2012, chances are pretty darn good that there may be a Sam Adams in Dad's fridge. My dad drives a�Ford� (NYSE: F ) Expedition, and he's owned a few other Fords in his life. Every time I see the blue oval I think of him, and I think this company will play a big part in the fast-changing automobile market.� I smile so wide it looks like I have a coat hanger in my mouth when I see my dad using his iPhone and iPad, courtesy of�Apple. The guy turned 71 this Father's Day (happy birthday, Dad!) and he's embraced technology like a 15-year-old. We all know that if you have a question these days you can just ask�Google. These guys do a lot of things well, but search and maps are their specialty. It's not just iDevices for my dad, either. He loves his new Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon.com, not to mention the fact that he can order just about anything from the e-commerce giant. My dad's a doctor, and�St. Jude Medical� (NYSE: STJ ) is a device company that has a wonderfully diverse product mix. From heart devices to strokes, Parkinson's, and migraines, �this company is playing a big role in up-and-coming medical technology. Shout-out No. 1 to our Ge - [By Holly LaFon]
Stericycle (SRCL) alone operates globally and generates close to $2 billion in annual revenues. Despite Stericycle's strong business performance during the recently reported quarter, the stock detracted from performance, partially driven by headlines of rumored regulatory action related to one of the Company's incinerators. We believe the issue is not meaningful to results and we would be willing to add to shares on pullbacks related to this. Stericycle's stock trades in the mid to high-颅��eens EBITDA range, but the company routinely purchases smaller competitors for just 3X-颅��X EBITDA. This accretion is a byproduct of Stericycle's competitive positioning and we believe it paves a multi-颅��ear runway for double-颅��igit growth.
- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
First up is $10 billion medial waste disposal company Stericycle (SRCL). While SRCL has more or less only kept pace with the broad market in 2013, shares are at the point where they're looking primed to pop into December trading. Here's why.
Stericycle is currently forming an ascending triangle setup, a bullish price pattern that's formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares at $120 and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as SRCL bounces in between those two technically-important price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above the $120 level. When that breakout happens, we've got a buy signal.
Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable – instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.
That $57 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant -- the move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.
Since HSBC is a longer-term pattern, the 200-day moving average is the spot to keep a stop loss after buying. It's been a pretty good proxy for support on the way up.
Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Own For 2015: New Jersey Resources Corp (NJR)
New Jersey Resources Corporation (NJR), incorporated in 1981, is an energy services holding company providing retail and wholesale energy services to customers in states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada. NJR's subsidiaries and businesses include New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV), NJR Energy Services (NJRES) and NJR Energy Holdings Corporation (NJREH). NJNG is a local natural gas distribution company, which provides regulated retail natural gas service to approximately 500,100 residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets. NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV) comprises the Company's Clean Energy Ventures segment and reports the results of operations and assets related to the Company's capital investments in renewable energy projects, including commercial and residential solar projects, as well as on-shore wind projects through a 19.9% interest in OwnEnergy. NJRES maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts. NJRES also provides wholesale energy management services to other energy companies and natural gas producers. NJRES comprises the Company's Energy Services segment. NJREH invests in energy-related ventures through its subsidiaries, NJNR Pipeline Company (Pipeline), which holds the Company's 5.53% ownership interest in Iroquois Gas Transmission L.P. (Iroquois) and NJR Steckman Ridge Storage Company, which holds the Company's 50% combined interest in Steckman Ridge GP, LLC and Steckman Ridge, LP (collectively, Steckman Ridge), a natural gas storage facility. Iroquois and Steckman Ridge comprise the Company's Energy Holdings segment.
NJR has retail and other operations (Retail and Other). NJR Retail Holdings (Retail Holdings) is consolidates the Company's unregulated retail operations. Retail Holdings consi! sts of wholly owned subsidiaries, including NJR Home Services (NJRHS), a company which provides heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) service repair and contract services to approximately 134,900 customers, as well as solar installation projects; Commercial Realty & Resources (CR&R), a company that holds and develops commercial real estate holds and develops commercial real estate, and NJR Plumbing Services (NJRPS), a company that provides plumbing repair and installation services.
NJR Energy Investments (NJREI) is an unregulated affiliate, which consolidates the Company's unregulated energy-related investments. NJREI includes the wholly owned subsidiaries, including NJR Investment, a company which makes and holds energy-related investments, through equity instruments of public companies. NJR Energy Corporation (NJR Energy), a company that invests in energy-related ventures. NJR Service an unregulated company, which provides shared administrative services, including corporate communications, financial and planning, internal audit, legal, human resources and information technology for NJR and all subsidiaries.
The Company operates within four reportable business segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services and Energy Holdings. The Natural Gas Distribution segment consists of regulated energy and off-system, capacity and storage management operations. The Clean Energy Ventures segment consists of capital investments in renewable energy projects. The Energy Services segment consists of unregulated wholesale energy operations. The Energy Holdings segment consists of investments in the midstream natural gas market, such as natural gas transportation and storage facilities.
Natural Gas Distribution
NJNG provides natural gas service to approximately 500,100 customers. NJNG's service territory is in New Jersey's Monmouth and Ocean counties and parts of Burlington, Morris, Middlesex and Sussex counties. It encompasses 1,516 sq! uare mile! s, covering 105 municipalities with an population of 1.4 million people. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), NJNG added 6,704 new customers and added natural gas heat and other services to another 539 existing customers. During fiscal 2012, NJNG's gas supply portfolio consists of long-term (over seven months), winter-term (November through March) and short-term (seven months or less) contracts. During fiscal 2012 , NJNG purchased gas from approximately one hundred suppliers under contracts ranging from one day to one year and purchased over 10% of its natural gas from two suppliers. NJNG maintains agreements for firm transportation and storage capacity with several interstate pipeline companies. NJNG receives natural gas at eight citygate stations located in Middlesex, Morris and Passaic counties in New Jersey.
The pipeline companies, which provide firm contract transportation service for NJNG and supply the above pipelines are ANR Pipeline Company (ANR), Iroquois Gas Transmission L.P., Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, Dominion Transmission Corporation (Dominion) and Columbia Gulf Transmission Company. In addition, NJNG has storage and related transportation contracts, which provide additional maximum daily deliverability to NJNG's citygate stations of 102,941 decatherm from storage fields in its Northeast market area.
Clean Energy Ventures
NJRCEV is an unregulated company, which invests, owns and operates renewable energy projects located in the State of New Jersey and owns an interest in an on-shore wind project developer. NJRCEV invests in, owns and operates residential and commercial solar installations in the State of New Jersey. As of September 30, 2012 , NJRCEV has placed a total of 35.9 megawatts of solar assets into service, including a combination of residential and commercial rooftop and ground mount solar systems.
Energy Services
NJRES provides unregulated wholesale energy services and engages in! the busi! ness of optimizing natural gas storage and transportation assets. The rights to these assets are acquired in anticipation of delivering natural gas or performing asset management activities for the Company's customers or in conjunction with identifying arbitrage opportunities that exist in the marketplace. These activities are conducted in the market areas, which include states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada.
NJRES has developed a portfolio of natural gas storage and transportation capacity in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada. NJRES also participates in park-and-loan transactions with pipeline and storage counterparties, where NJRES will park (store) natural gas to be redelivered to NJRES at a later date or borrow to be returned to the pipeline or storage field at a later date. NJRES has built a portfolio of customers, including local distribution companies, industrial companies, electric generators, retail aggregators, natural gas producers and other wholesale marketing companies.
Energy Holdings
Energy Holdings include investments in natural gas transportation and storage assets and is consisted of NJNR Pipeline, which consists of its 5.53% equity investment in Iroquois Gas Transmission System, which is a 412 -mile natural gas pipeline from the New York-Canadian border to Long Island, New York, and NJR Steckman Ridge Storage Company, which holds the Company's 50% equity investment in Steckman Ridge. Steckman Ridge is a partnership, jointly owned and controlled by subsidiaries of the Company and subsidiaries of Spectra Energy Corporation, which built, owns and operates a 17.7 billion cubic feet natural gas storage facility in western Pennsylvania.
Other Business Operations
Retail and Other operations consist of the unregulated affiliates, including NJRHS, which provides HVAC service, sales and ! installat! ion of appliances to approximately 134,900 customers, as well as installation of solar equipment, and CR&R, which holds and develops commercial real estate. As of September 30, 2012 , CR&R's real estate portfolio consisted of 27 acres of undeveloped land in Monmouth County, 52 acres of undeveloped land in Atlantic County, and a 56,400 -square-foot office building on five acres of land in Monmouth County. NJR Investment invests in and holds certain energy-related investments, through equity instruments of public companies. NJR Energy invests in energy-related ventures. NJR Service provides shared administrative and financial services to the Company and all its subsidiaries.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Charles Carlson]
One somewhat surprising stock on the list is a utility, New Jersey Resources (NJR). Utilities don't typically score well in our Quadrix system, as a result of their slow-growth ways.
- [By Diane Alter]
Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September
Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packaging products in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good - [By Seth Jayson]
When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR ) .
- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Earnings Releases Expected:�Nuance Communications, New Jersey Resources Corporation (NYSE: NJR), Laclede Group, Inc. (NYSE: LG)
Economic Releases Expected:�U.S. pending home sales, Italian trade balance, Swiss employment level
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