The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) is down following some mixed economic releases and a poor earnings release from Merck (NYSE: MRK ) . As of 1:10 p.m. EDT the Dow is down 91 points, or 0.61%, to 14,749. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC ) is down 10 points to 1,587.
There were three U.S. economic releases today.
Report
Period
Result
Previous
ADP private-sector employment
April
119,000
131,000
Institute for Supply Management PMI
April
50.7%
51.3%
Mast Therapeutics, Inc., formerly ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated in December 1995, is a development-stage company biopharmaceutical company focused on developing product candidates. The Company's product candidate is ANX-188, a rheologic, antithrombotic and cytoprotective agent that improves microvascular blood flow and has application in treating a range of diseases and conditions, such as complications arising from sickle cell disease. As of December 31, 2011, the Company also is developing ANX-514, a detergent-free formulation of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. The Company offers ANX-188 (purified poloxamer 188), ANX-514 (docetaxel for injectable emulsion) and Exelbine (vinorelbine injectable emulsion). In April 2011, the Company acquired SynthRx, Inc. In February 2014, Mast Therapeutics Inc completed its acquisition of Aires Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Aires became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mast Therapeutics.
ANX-188 (purified poloxamer 188)
ANX-188 is an aqueous solution of a purified form of poloxamer 188. Poloxamer 188 (P1880, is a nonionic, block copolymer that has been found to improve microvascular blood flow by reducing viscosity, particularly under low shear conditions, and by reducing adhesive frictional forces. The Company�� purified form of P188 (purified P188), which is the active ingredient in ANX-188, was designed to eliminate certain low molecular weight substances present in P188 (non-purified), which is primarily responsible for the moderate to moderately severe elevations in serum creatinine levels (acute renal dysfunction) observed in prior clinical studies of P188 (non-purified). Purified P188 has been evaluated in multiple clinical studies by a prior sponsor, including a 255-patient, phase III study.
ANX-514 (docetaxel for injectable emulsion)
ANX-514 is a detergent-free emulsion formulation of docetaxel, an intravenously-injected chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat solid tumors. Taxotere, a branded form! ulation of docetaxel, is approved to treat breast, non-small cell lung, prostate, gastric, and head and neck cancers. ANX-514 was designed to have clinically comparable release of docetaxel relative to Taxotere while eliminating the presence of polysorbate 80 and ethanol, both of which are used to solubilize docetaxel in the Taxotere formulation. The ANX-514 formulation solubilizes docetaxel using oil droplets consists of a combination of non-toxic excipients. Docetaxel is contained within these oil droplets and can be administered intravenously without using detergents as pharmaceutical vehicles. Once in central circulation, the emulsion is metabolized rapidly, leaving chemically-identical active ingredient to exert its cytotoxic effect. ANX-514 may reduce the incidence and severity of hypersensitivity reactions and delay the onset of fluid retention.
Exelbine (vinorelbine injectable emulsion)
Exelbine is an emulsion formulation of the chemotherapy drug vinorelbine. Navelbine, a branded formulation of vinorelbine, is approved in the United States to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin, and approved in the European Union to treat non-small cell lung cancer and advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
In August 2011, the Company received a complete response letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that it could not approve the Exelbine Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in its present form and that the bioequivalence study would need to be repeated because the authenticity of the drug products used in the bioequivalence trial could not be verified in accordance with FDA standards. However, the Company elected to discontinue independent development of Exelbine and as of December 31, 2011, the Company was seeking a partner or outside investor for the program to complete the necessary bioequivalence study.
The Company competes with GlaxoSmithKline, Provenge and Pfizer.
Advisors' Opinion: Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc (RHP)
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (Ryman), incorporated on June 21, 2012, is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company�� segments consist of Hospitality, which include its hotel properties and the results of hotel operations, and Opry and Attractions, which includes its Grand Ole Opry assets, WSM-AM and its Nashville attractions. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Ryman�� owned assets included a network of four upscale, meetings-focused resorts totaling 7,795 rooms that were managed by lodging operator Marriott International, Inc. (Marriott) under the Gaylord Hotels brand. These four resorts, Gaylord Hotels properties, consist of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee (Gaylord Opryland), the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center near Orlando, Florida (Gaylord Palms), the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center near Dallas, Texas (Gaylord Texan) and the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center near Washington D.C. (Gaylord National). Other owned assets managed by Marriott include Gaylord Springs Golf Links (Gaylord Springs), the Wildhorse Saloon, the General Jackson Showboat (General Jackson) and the Inn at Opryland, a 303-room overflow hotel adjacent to Gaylord Opryland. It also owns and operates a ranger of media and entertainment assets, including the Grand Ole Opry, the weekly showcase of country music�� performers for nearly 90 years; the Ryman Auditorium, the storied former home of the Grand Ole Opry located in downtown Nashville; and WSM-AM, the Opry�� radio home.
Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center - Nashville, Tennessee
Gaylord Opryland is a convention destinations in the United States based upon number of rooms, exhibit space and conventions held. Designed with gardens and expansive atrium areas, the resort is situated on approximately 172 acres in the Opryland complex. As of Gaylord Opryland has a range of themed restaurants, retail outlets, and a full-service spa with 27,000 square feet of sp! ace and 12 treatment rooms. It also serves as a destination resort for vacationers due to its proximity to the Grand Ole Opry, the General Jackson Showboat, the Gaylord Springs Golf Links (Gaylord�� 18-hole championship golf course), and other attractions in the Nashville area. Gaylord Opryland has 2,882 signature guest rooms, four ballrooms with approximately 127,000 square feet, 111 banquet/meeting rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 640,000 square feet.
Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center - Kissimmee, Florida
During 2012, Gaylord Palms had 1,406 signature guest rooms, three ballrooms with approximately 76,000 square feet, 76 banquet/meeting rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 400,000 square feet. The resort is situated on a 65-acre site in Osceola County, Florida. Gaylord Palms has a range of themed restaurants, retail outlets and a full-service spa, with 20,000 square feet of dedicated space and 25 treatment rooms. It also has a resort pool and a 2-story sports bar complex opened at Gaylord Palms. Hotel guests also have golf privileges at Falcon�� Fire Golf Club.
Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center - Grapevine, Texas
Gaylord Texan is situated on approximately 85 acres and is located approximately six minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The hotel features an expansive atrium, 1,511 signature guest rooms, three ballrooms with approximately 85,000 square feet, 70 banquet/meeting rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 400,000 square feet. The property also includes a range of themed restaurants, retail outlets and a full-service spa with 25,000 square feet of dedicated space and 12 treatment rooms. Guests also have access to the adjacent Cowboys Golf Club. The Company has Glass Cactus entertainment complex, an approximately 39,000 square feet venue with a performance stage, dance floor, and a two-story! outdoor ! deck, on land we own adjacent to the hotel.
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center - National Harbor, Maryland
Gaylord National is situated on approximately 42 acres of land located on the Potomac River in Prince George�� County, Maryland, eight miles south of Washington. During 2012, the hotel had 1,996 signature guest rooms, four ballrooms with approximately 103,000 square feet, 82 conference and breakout rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 470,000 square feet. The hotel complex includes an 18-story glass atrium, a 20,000 square foot spa and fitness center with 12 treatment rooms, and entertainment options, such as restaurants, shops, and a two-story rooftop nightclub.
Inn at Opryland
The Company also owns the Inn at Opryland, which is located across the street from Gaylord Opryland. During 2012, the hotel had 303 rooms and approximately 14,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a platform for country music. The Opry features a live country music show with performances every Friday and Saturday night, as well as additional weekly performances on a seasonal basis. The Opry House, home of the Grand Ole Opry, seats approximately 4,400 and is located in the Opryland complex. Each week, the Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live to millions of country lifestyle consumers on radio via WSM-AM and Sirius/XM Radio and streamed on the Internet. Special episodes of the Grand Ole Opry are also broadcast on television via the Great American Country network. The show has been broadcast since 1925 on WSM-AM, making it the longest running live radio program in the United States. In addition to performances by its members, the Grand Ole Opry presents performances by many other country music artists.
Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium is designated as a National Historic Landmark. The former home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditor! ium re-op! ened for concerts and musical productions.
The General Jackson Showboat
The Company owns the General Jackson Showboat, a 300-foot, four-deck paddle wheel showboat, on the Cumberland River, which flows past the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville. Its Victorian Theatre can seat 600 people for banquets and 1,000 people for theater-style presentations. The showboat stages Broadway-style shows and other theatrical productions. The General Jackson is one of many sources of entertainment that is available to conventions held at Gaylord Opryland. During the day, it operates cruises, primarily serving tourists visiting the Gaylord Opryland complex and the Nashville area.
Gaylord Springs
Gaylord Springs consists of 40,000 square-foot antebellum-style clubhouse offers meeting space for up to 500 guests. Marriott assumed the management of the day-to-day operations of Gaylord Springs.
The Wildhorse Saloon
The Company has owned the Wildhorse Saloon, a country music performance venue on Second Avenue in downtown Nashville. The three-story facility includes a dance floor of approximately 2,000 square feet, as well as a restaurant and banquet facility that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests.
WSM-AM
WSM-AM is broadcast from the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville and has a country music format. WSM-AM station�� signal transmits 50,000 watt transmitter.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Jim Royal]
The latest buy for my Special Situations portfolio is Ryman Hospitality (NYSE: RHP ) . The company operates four of the top 10 largest convention hotels in the U.S., and it converted to a REIT late last year, making it more likely to trade for a higher multiple. In March, I bought $2,000 of the stock, and it has since done little but go down. But Ryman is a solid company with premier properties that deserves to trade at a premium to peers, rather than a steep discount. So I'm adding another $1,000 to my position.
Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: RealNetworks Inc.(RNWK)
RealNetworks, Inc. provides network-delivered digital media products and services to manage, play, and share digital media in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It develops and markets software products and services that enable the creation, distribution, and consumption of digital media, including audio and video. The company?s Core Products segment develops and provides software as a service (SaaS) services, including ring-back tone, music-on-demand, video-on-demand, and messaging services for mobile carriers; and e-commerce services, such as business intelligence, subscriber management, and billing for carrier customers. It also licenses Helix server software that allows companies and institutions to broadcast live and on-demand audio, video, and other multimedia programming to users over the Internet. In addition, this segment provides professional and systems integration services; and SuperPass, a subscription service, which provides consumers with acces s to a range of digital entertainment content. Its Emerging Products segment offers RealPlayer, a media player software, which include features and services that enable consumers to discover, play, download, manage, and edit digital video. The company?s Games segment is involved in developing, publishing, licensing, and distributing casual games, such as board, card, puzzle, word, and hidden-object games for PC?s, social networks, mobile handsets, and smartphones through digital download, online subscription play, third-party portals, social networks, and mobile devices. It distributes games principally in North America, Europe, and Latin America through the company?s own Websites, which are operated under the GameHouse, Zylom, and Atrativa brands, and through Websites owned or managed by third parties. RealNetworks, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Carol Hymowitz]
CEOs who aren�� comfortable around technology and digital trends will have difficulty setting strategy for the future, said Dawn Lepore, former CEO of Drugstore.com and a director at AOL Inc., TJX Cos. (TJX) and RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK)
Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Southwest Airlines Co (LUV)
Southwest Airlines Co., incorporated on March 9, 1967, operates Southwest Airlines, a passenger airline, which provides scheduled air transportation in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was serving 72 cities in 37 states throughout the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company added addition services in two new states and three new cities: Charleston, South Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Newark, New Jersey. Southwest provides point-to-point. On May 2, 2011, the Company acquired AirTran Holdings, Inc. (AirTran).
AirTran�� route system provides hub-and-spoke, rather than point-to-point, service, with approximately half of AirTran�� flights originating or terminating at its hub in Atlanta, Georgia. AirTran also serves a range of markets with non-stop service from bases of operation in Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Orlando, Florida. As of December 31, 2011, AirTran was serving 68 United States and near-international destinations, including San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, The Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Bermuda. As of January 31, 2012, AirTran served 65 destinations. During 2011, approximately 71% of Southwest�� customers flew non-stop, and Southwest�� average aircraft trip stage length was 664 miles with an average duration of approximately 1.8 hours.
As of December 31, 2011, Southwest offered 25 weekday roundtrips from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby, 13 weekday roundtrips from Phoenix to Las Vegas, 13 weekday roundtrips from Burbank to Oakland, and 12 weekday roundtrips from Los Angeles International to Oakland. Southwest offers connecting service opportunities from over 60 Southwest cities to different Volaris airports in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Mexico City (MEX), Mexico City-Toluca (TLC), Morelia, and Zacatecas. The Company�� International Connect portal conducts two separate transac! tions: one with Southwest�� reservation system and one with Volaris�� reservation system.
Southwest bundles fares into three categories: Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select. Wanna Get Away fares are lowest fares. Business Select fares are refundable and changeable, and funds may be applied toward future travel on Southwest. Business Select fares also include additional perks, such as priority boarding, a frequent flyer point multiplier, priority security and ticket counter access in select airports, and one complimentary adult beverage coupon for the day of travel. The Company�� Internet Website, southwest.com, is the avenue for Southwest Customers to purchase tickets online. During 2011, southwest.com accounted for approximately 78% of all Southwest bookings. During 2011, approximately 84% of Southwest�� Passenger revenues came through its Website, including revenues from SWABIZ, the Company�� business travel reservation Web page.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Ben Levisohn]
The airports that experienced the largest change in share by a major operator were either: 1) on the endangered hub list (e.g. Cincinnati, Memphis and soon-to-be Cleveland); 2) targeted by a low fare airline (e.g. JetBlue (JBLU) in Boston and Fort Lauderdale, Southwest (LUV) in Baltimore and Denver, among others); or 3) Washington Reagan National and New York LaGuardia which reflected the 2012 slot/gate swap between Delta and US Airways. We are of the view that the majority of these actions were/are margin accretive as US airlines focus on redeploying their assets to airports where they can maximize returns.
- [By Michele Lerner, The Motley Fool]
Alan Diaz/APAmerican Airlines did better at staying on schedule last year than it did in 2012, when it accused pilots of a work slowdown. DALLAS -- A big drop in customer complaints helped U.S. airlines post their best ratings ever even though more flights were late and more bags were mishandled, according to a report released Monday by university researchers. Virgin America topped the ratings, and three regional airlines scored at the bottom. Among the four biggest airlines, Delta Air Lines (DAL) ranked best followed by Southwest (LUV), American (AAL) and United (UAL), according to researchers from Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The researchers have graded airlines since 1991 on government figures for on-time performance, mishandled bags, bumping passengers, and complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Their key findings: On-Time Performance: Airlines operated 78.4 percent of their flights on time in 2013, down from 81.8 percent in 2012. Best: Hawaiian Airlines (HA); worst: American Eagle. Only two airlines improved: American Airlines and United. Bag Handling: The rate of lost, stolen or delayed bags rose 5 percent. Best: Virgin America; worst: American Eagle. Bumping: The rate of bumping passengers from flights fell 8 percent. Best: JetBlue Airways (JBLU); worst: SkyWest (SKYW). Complaints: Consumer complaints to the government dropped 15 percent in 2013 after rising 20 percent the year before. Best: Southwest Airlines; worst: Frontier (RJET). One of the report's authors, Wichita State business professor Dean Headley, credited the drop in complaints partly to United Airlines. The company suffered several computer-network outages and grounded hundreds of flights in 2012 when it combined the United and Continental computer networks after a merger, but "got their act together" in 2013, he said. Headley said the drop in complaints might also reflect "a certain amount of resignation" that "it's neve
Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Unilever NV (UNA)
Unilever N.V. (NV) is a supplier of fast moving consumer goods. The two parent companies, NV and Unilever PLC (PLC), together with their group companies, operate as the Unilever Group (Unilever). The Company�� four product areas are Personal Care, Foods, Refreshment and Home Care. The Company's personal care, which includes sales of skincare and haircare products, deodorants and oral care products; foods, which includes sales of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads; refreshment, which includes sales of ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products and nutritionally enhanced staples sold in developing markets and home care, which includes sales of home care products, such as laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars and a range of cleaning products.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Inyoung Hwang]
Unilever (UNA) slipped 2.8 percent to 27.94 euros after saying sales growth slowed as trading in emerging markets deteriorated at a faster rate. Underlying group sales for the three months will rise 3 percent to 3.5 percent, the maker of Lipton tea and Dove soap said late yesterday in a statement. That compares with 5 percent growth in both the first half and second quarter.
Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cirrus Logic Inc.(CRUS)
Cirrus Logic, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, develops high-precision analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) for audio and energy markets worldwide. The company offers analog and mixed-signal audio converter and audio digital signal processor (DSP) products, which include analog-to-digital converters (ADCs); digital-to-analog converters (DACs); chips for integrating ADCs and DACs into an IC; digital interface ICs; volume controls; and digital amplifiers, as well as audio DSPs for consumer electronics applications. Its audio products are used in various consumer applications, including portable media players, smartphones, tablets, AVRs, DVD and Blu-ray disc players, home theater systems, set-top boxes, MP3 players, gaming devices, sound cards, and digital televisions; professional applications comprising digital mixing consoles, multitrack digital recorders, and effects processors; automotive applications consisting of amplifiers, satellite radio systems, telematics, and multi-speaker car-audio systems; and networked digital audio applications. The company also provides high-precision analog and mixed-signal ICs for energy control, energy measurement, and energy exploration applications; and ICs, board-level modules, and hybrids under the Apex Precision Power brand name for high-power pulse width modulation (PWM) and power amplifier applications; and proprietary products, which include ADCs, DACs, linear amplifiers, PWM amplifiers, and amplifier ICs; and system reference designs. Its energy products are used in digital utility meters, power supplies, lighting ballasts, motor control, energy exploration, and high-power systems. The company sells its products primarily to through direct sales force, external sales representatives, and distributors. Cirrus Logic, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Caplinger]
Beyond the Dow, earnings also had a big impact. Cirrus Logic (NASDAQ: CRUS ) has plunged nearly 14% after releasing preliminary figures for its just-ended fiscal fourth quarter. The major supplier for Apple cited "a decreased forecast for a high volume product" as justifying its warning for both the previous and current quarters, and a Wall Street analyst followed suit with a downgrade of Cirrus stock. Apple also dropped further, with its 4.7% decline leading the stock to flirt with the $400 level, which it hasn't breached since late 2011.
Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ralcorp Holdings Inc.(RAH)
Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. engages in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing private-brand food products, ready-to-eat cereal products, and other regional and value-brand food products. Its products include ready-to-eat and hot cereals; nutritional and cereal bars; snack mixes, corn-based chips, and extruded corn snack products; crackers and cookies; snack nuts; chocolate candy; salad dressings; mayonnaise; peanut butter; jams and jellies; syrups; sauces; frozen griddle products, including pancakes, waffles, and French toast; frozen biscuits and other frozen pre-baked products, such as breads and rolls; frozen and refrigerated doughs; and dry pasta. The company offers its products under various brands, including Post, Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Post Selects, Great Grains, Spoon Size, Grape-Nuts, Honeycomb, 3 Minute Brand, Ralston, Parco, Lofthouse, Krusteaz, Panne Provincio, Major Peters?, Medallion, Ry Krisp, Champagne, Monet, Rippin? Good, Hoody?s, Linette, JERO, Flavor House, Nutcracker, Pennsylvania Dutch, Heartland, Golden Grain, Anthony?s, Pasta Lensi, Ronco, and Mueller?s. It also develops, manufactures, and markets emulations of various types of branded food products to retailers, mass merchandisers, and drug stores to sell under their own store brands or under value-brands. Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. sells its products to retail chains, mass merchandisers, grocery wholesalers, warehouse club stores, drugstores, restaurant chains, and foodservice distributors in the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe, and southeast Asia. It offers its products through a broker network, internal sales staff, independent sales agency, a network of third party warehouses, and independent truck lines. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Will Ashworth]
Post’s debt has risen substantially since its separation from Ralcorp (RAH) in February 2012. Including its $370 million acquisition of the Dakota Growers Pasta Company announced Sept. 16, Post has spent $717 million moving into other areas of the food industry beyond cereal.
- [By Louis Navellier]
A $15.5 billion business that employs 34,800 worldwide, ConAgra is the fourth largest player in the Processed & Packaged Goods industry. In early 2013, ConAgra completed its buyout of Ralcorp Holdings (RAH) making the combined company one of the largest packaged food players on the continent.
