As the market grinds down toward the end of the summer, we’re seeing the typical seasonal malaise when a number of good companies quietly drift down to 52-week lows. And the selling may not be over. The S&P 500 has historically been the weakest in September, dropping an average of -1.3%. The good news: stocks really build a head of steam after that. The S&P 500 typically rises +0.7% in October, followed by average monthly gains of +1.5%, +1.9% and +2.1% in each of the next three months. Savvy investors always keep some cash on hand for… Read More

As the market grinds down toward the end of the summer, we’re seeing the typical seasonal malaise when a number of good companies quietly drift down to 52-week lows. And the selling may not be over. The S&P 500 has historically been the weakest in September, dropping an average of -1.3%. The good news: stocks really build a head of steam after that. The S&P 500 typically rises +0.7% in October, followed by average monthly gains of +1.5%, +1.9% and +2.1% in each of the next three months. Savvy investors always keep some cash on hand for these summer doldrums, as it can be a fertile time to start researching unloved stocks that should find new appreciation as summer turns to fall. Here are four names hitting new 52-week lows on Friday that should be quite appealing for long-term investors. MedcoHealth Solutions (NYSE: MHS) Earlier this summer, we saw a considerable dust-up between CVS (NYSE: CVS) and Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) as those two firms fought over a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) contract. As we looked into the PBM sector in June, we saw still-considerable growth prospects,… Read More

Throughout the last winter and spring, solar stocks fell deeper and deeper out of favor. Investors fretted about a sharp slowdown in government subsidies right at a time when many companies were expanding their factories to boost output. Prices for solar panels and other components were in freefall as inventories piled up. But industry executives in China had a hunch that they could find ample demand for their rising output. They were right. Demand is better than many had expected, and this sector is now in rally mode. In the last three months, Jinko Solar (NYSE: JKS),… Read More

Throughout the last winter and spring, solar stocks fell deeper and deeper out of favor. Investors fretted about a sharp slowdown in government subsidies right at a time when many companies were expanding their factories to boost output. Prices for solar panels and other components were in freefall as inventories piled up. But industry executives in China had a hunch that they could find ample demand for their rising output. They were right. Demand is better than many had expected, and this sector is now in rally mode. In the last three months, Jinko Solar (NYSE: JKS), Solarfun (NYSE: SLF), ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) and Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) have all risen by at least +40%. If you missed those moves, ample opportunities remain for some of the other industry players. Jinko sets the tone Little-known Jinko Solar has single-handedly established a more bullish tone for the entire sector. The May, 2010 IPO was flat-lining around $10 two months ago, but has since surged nearly +150% thanks to recent blowout earnings. The company turns re-processed and virgin silicon into solar panels and… Read More

Throughout the summer, a clear theme has emerged. High-tech companies have reported generally solid results, and yet shares in the sector keep drifting down toward 52-week lows. Despite their considerable cash balances, investors have grown increasingly concerned that sector growth will stall out. That’s why Intel’s (Nasdaq: INTC) just-announced decision to buy security software vendor McAfee (NYSE: MFE) is so important. It’s a clear sign that these tech titans will use their balance sheets to help alleviate those growth concerns. Short -term implications The fact that Intel is paying a… Read More

Throughout the summer, a clear theme has emerged. High-tech companies have reported generally solid results, and yet shares in the sector keep drifting down toward 52-week lows. Despite their considerable cash balances, investors have grown increasingly concerned that sector growth will stall out. That’s why Intel’s (Nasdaq: INTC) just-announced decision to buy security software vendor McAfee (NYSE: MFE) is so important. It’s a clear sign that these tech titans will use their balance sheets to help alleviate those growth concerns. Short -term implications The fact that Intel is paying a +60% premium to Wednesday’s close tells you that private market valuations are often far higher than the value these companies are getting as public entities. It’s also noteworthy that Intel’s offer of $48 a share is just above McAfee’s 52-week trading range. Generally speaking, buyout offers must exceed that threshold to avoid accusations that a company is being sold on the cheap while it is out of favor. Then again, McAfee’s shares haven’t seen $48 since the dot-com era of 1999. McAfee’s board would have been hard-pressed to reject this offer,… Read More

I’ve mentioned before that I often go off the beaten path to find the best income investments in my High-Yield Investing and High-Yield International newsletters. These days you have to — remember that the common stocks in the S&P 500 yield only 2% on average. Luckily, there… Read More

This is a tricky market for income investors. Bonds are selling at historically low yields and high prices. The 10-year Treasury bond currently pays a miniscule 2.6% and a three-year CD pays about 1.8% on average. Meanwhile… Read More

It’s been an absolutely brutal summer for the for-profit education stocks. In late June, the Senate began investigating whether for-profit academic institutions such as Apollo Group (Nasdaq: APOL) were a worthwhile use of taxpayer funds for student loans when their students have higher-than-average loan default rates. Senate investigators also questioned whether all of these institutions even offered academic benefits of sufficient value to justify such a high number of student loans. Then, in early July, the Department of Education (DOE) began to look into these issues as well, as rumors swirled that some of these firms might… Read More

It’s been an absolutely brutal summer for the for-profit education stocks. In late June, the Senate began investigating whether for-profit academic institutions such as Apollo Group (Nasdaq: APOL) were a worthwhile use of taxpayer funds for student loans when their students have higher-than-average loan default rates. Senate investigators also questioned whether all of these institutions even offered academic benefits of sufficient value to justify such a high number of student loans. Then, in early July, the Department of Education (DOE) began to look into these issues as well, as rumors swirled that some of these firms might run into trouble if the scrutiny got even more intense. Well, that day has arrived. The DOE has just released data that show a number of these institutions are seeing their students default on loans at an alarming rate. The DOE established a 45% payback rate as the threshold that is deemed acceptable. As the chart below indicates, one can guess which schools passed the test simply by seeing what stocks are rising and which are falling in Monday trading. Several institutions exceeded that threshold, and are seeing their shares move… Read More

There are some stocks you just buy and hold forever. These stocks represent businesses so fundamental to the daily lives of so many people, they deserve to be at the core of any serious long-term investor’s portfolio. Buy them, never sell… Read More

When a trade turns sour, smart investors stand by their convictions and use any share price weakness to build a bigger position. And that’s just what George Soros is doing with his investment in electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Shares touched a new intra-day low on Monday, but Soros is holding firm. According to TickerSpy.com, he owns more than three million shares, and his last move was as a buyer of another 299,000 shares. Soros isn’t looking like much of a market timer these days, as shares of Best Buy… Read More

When a trade turns sour, smart investors stand by their convictions and use any share price weakness to build a bigger position. And that’s just what George Soros is doing with his investment in electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Shares touched a new intra-day low on Monday, but Soros is holding firm. According to TickerSpy.com, he owns more than three million shares, and his last move was as a buyer of another 299,000 shares. Soros isn’t looking like much of a market timer these days, as shares of Best Buy have fallen by nearly -25% during the past three months. But the legendary fund manager is focused on an important basic fact. This retailer isn’t hurting from increased competition (and indeed now has far less competition with the demise of Circuit City). Instead, demand for consumer electronics has hit a flat spot thanks to a weak economy and a lack of compelling new consumer electronics to buy. That flat spot should come to an end in a few quarters, and Soros will likely end up with a… Read More

A recent survey by Interbrand, a leading brand consulting firm, awarded top brand honors to Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO). Should this come as any surprise? Perhaps not. But what is surprising is that a new related product appears to be breathing new life into the firm’s more mature markets, while the company continues to expand at an impressive clip in faster-growing emerging markets. Just recently, Coca-Cola’s home market was seen as a liability that was dragging down more compelling growth prospects overseas, especially in the high-growth BRIC (Brazil, Russia,… Read More

A recent survey by Interbrand, a leading brand consulting firm, awarded top brand honors to Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO). Should this come as any surprise? Perhaps not. But what is surprising is that a new related product appears to be breathing new life into the firm’s more mature markets, while the company continues to expand at an impressive clip in faster-growing emerging markets. Just recently, Coca-Cola’s home market was seen as a liability that was dragging down more compelling growth prospects overseas, especially in the high-growth BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries and those quickly developing a new class of mass consumers. But then, almost completely out of nowhere, Coke Zero came along. The zero-calorie take on the company’s flagship beverage pushed volume growth up a couple of percent in North America — a notable reversal of an extended period of flat volume trends. Second quarter results released late in July saw total worldwide volume increase +5% — even ahead of even the company’s own expectations. Volumes led by the flagship Coca-Cola brand grew +5% as well. The Interbrand survey cited above placed… Read More

Many companies are handling these tough times in a defensive crouch. Keeping sales stable and expenses at a minimum enables them to survive until the economy gets back on its feet. But select companies are able to take advantage of these challenging times, aggressively… Read More