On March 17, 2011 a hedge fund manager and contributor on the show Fast Money on CNBC thinks CVS stock is a value. He sees major costs savings going forward due to the merger with Caremark.
”If you look at the sum of the part analysis the stock should trade $42-$46 over the next 12-18 months.”
Other top hedge fund managers including George Soros, Joel Greenblatt of Gotham Asset Management and John Keeley, of Keeley Asset Management also hold it.
The stock price has dropped slightly since that time due to an earnings report by Walgreens that disappointed analysts.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
ACTC announces 2010 year-end results.
Advanced Cell Technology announced its 2010 year-end results on March 21, 2011. The stock price dropped a little bit after the announcement. I purchased some more shares of ACTC on March 23rd at the lower price.
Below is a summary of the company's announcements provided by Business Wire.
--Company Eliminates $20 Million of Indebtedness and Liabilities in 2010 Fourth Quarter
--Receives Unqualified Audit Opinion
--Company To Host Conference Call at 9 am EDT Today
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. ("ACT"; OTC Bulletin Board: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today 2010 year-end results for the period ended December 31, 2010. The Company utilized $8.8 million in cash for operations during the year, compared to $5.1 million in the year-earlier period. The increase in cash utilization resulted primarily from activities related to IND filings and approvals surrounding the Company's RPE programs. ACT ended the year with cash and cash equivalents of $15.9 million and less than $1 million of debt, compared to $2.5 million in cash and cash equivalents and $8.4 million of debt in the year-earlier period. Since September, 2009, the Company has eliminated more than $34 million in indebtedness, including $20 million of indebtedness and liabilities in the 2010 fourth quarter.
Some of the highlights of 2010 include:
Improved balance sheet. The Company substantially improved its balance sheet by eliminating approximately $8.2 million in convertible debentures. ACT also ended fiscal 2010 in the strongest financial condition in the Company's history, with sufficient cash to fund operations through mid-2012. The Company received an unqualified opinion, consistent with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), from its outside auditors.
Received Clearance to Commence Phase I/II trial in Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy. ACT received FDA clearance for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter clinical trial using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to treat patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD), one of the most common forms of juvenile macular degeneration in the world. The decision removed the clinical hold that the FDA had placed on the trial in late 2009 in order to complete their review.
Received Clearance to Commence Phase I/II Trial in Dry AMD. ACT received FDA clearance only 30 days after filing its IND application to treat Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from hESCs. Dry AMD is the most common form of macular degeneration in the world. There are currently no treatments available for this prevalent disease of an aging global population. Dry AMD represents a substantial global market opportunity and afflicts between 10-15 million Americans, and as many Europeans.
Received Orphan Drug Designation from FDA. ACT was granted orphan drug designation for the company's hESC-derived hRPE cells for use in the treatment of SMD. As a result, the Company is eligible to receive a number of benefits, including tax credits, access to grant funding for clinical trials, accelerated FDA approval and allowance for marketing exclusivity after drug approval for a period of as long as seven years. The Company also received a Positive Opinion for Orphan Drug Designation from European Medicines Agency in March, 2011.
Received Controlling Patents for hESC-derived RPE cells. ACT was granted three U.S. Patents which together broadly cover the use manufacturing of human RPE cells from hESC lines, as well as the use of hESC-derived RPE cells for treating retinal degenerative diseases, including AMD and Stargardt's Disease. The company continues to make progress towards obtaining patent protection to cover its RPE program and product opportunities in Europe and other important jurisdictions.
Received Significant Financial Commitment from Institutional Investor. The Company entered into a $25 million non-convertible stock purchase agreement with Socius CG II, Ltd., a subsidiary of Socius Capital Group ("Socius"). Socius, based in New York and Los Angeles, has made investments in a number of emerging life sciences companies. To date, ACT has sold Socius $4 million of Preferred Stock.
"2010 was a transformative year for the Company, as it received FDA clearance to commence two landmark human studies using a cell therapy derived from embryonic stem cells," said Gary Rabin, ACT's interim Chairman and CEO. "While receiving these clearances represented a tremendous achievement for the Company, our ability to dramatically improve our balance sheet was equally important, as we now have the ability to complete these two trials without seeking additional capital. We believe that ACT has never been better positioned to develop its promising stem cell-based technologies."
Conference Call:
The Company will hold a conference call at 9 a.m. EDT today during which it will discuss 2010 results and its corporate update. Interested parties should dial 1-800-931-6358 (domestically) or (212)231-2900 (internationally). A replay of the call will be available for two weeks and can be accessed by dialing 1-800-633-8284 (domestically) or 1(402)977-9140 (internationally), using passcode 21515792.
The call will also be available live by webcast at ACT's website at: http://advancedcell.com/
Below is a summary of the company's announcements provided by Business Wire.
--Company Eliminates $20 Million of Indebtedness and Liabilities in 2010 Fourth Quarter
--Receives Unqualified Audit Opinion
--Company To Host Conference Call at 9 am EDT Today
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. ("ACT"; OTC Bulletin Board: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today 2010 year-end results for the period ended December 31, 2010. The Company utilized $8.8 million in cash for operations during the year, compared to $5.1 million in the year-earlier period. The increase in cash utilization resulted primarily from activities related to IND filings and approvals surrounding the Company's RPE programs. ACT ended the year with cash and cash equivalents of $15.9 million and less than $1 million of debt, compared to $2.5 million in cash and cash equivalents and $8.4 million of debt in the year-earlier period. Since September, 2009, the Company has eliminated more than $34 million in indebtedness, including $20 million of indebtedness and liabilities in the 2010 fourth quarter.
Some of the highlights of 2010 include:
Improved balance sheet. The Company substantially improved its balance sheet by eliminating approximately $8.2 million in convertible debentures. ACT also ended fiscal 2010 in the strongest financial condition in the Company's history, with sufficient cash to fund operations through mid-2012. The Company received an unqualified opinion, consistent with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), from its outside auditors.
Received Clearance to Commence Phase I/II trial in Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy. ACT received FDA clearance for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter clinical trial using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to treat patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD), one of the most common forms of juvenile macular degeneration in the world. The decision removed the clinical hold that the FDA had placed on the trial in late 2009 in order to complete their review.
Received Clearance to Commence Phase I/II Trial in Dry AMD. ACT received FDA clearance only 30 days after filing its IND application to treat Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from hESCs. Dry AMD is the most common form of macular degeneration in the world. There are currently no treatments available for this prevalent disease of an aging global population. Dry AMD represents a substantial global market opportunity and afflicts between 10-15 million Americans, and as many Europeans.
Received Orphan Drug Designation from FDA. ACT was granted orphan drug designation for the company's hESC-derived hRPE cells for use in the treatment of SMD. As a result, the Company is eligible to receive a number of benefits, including tax credits, access to grant funding for clinical trials, accelerated FDA approval and allowance for marketing exclusivity after drug approval for a period of as long as seven years. The Company also received a Positive Opinion for Orphan Drug Designation from European Medicines Agency in March, 2011.
Received Controlling Patents for hESC-derived RPE cells. ACT was granted three U.S. Patents which together broadly cover the use manufacturing of human RPE cells from hESC lines, as well as the use of hESC-derived RPE cells for treating retinal degenerative diseases, including AMD and Stargardt's Disease. The company continues to make progress towards obtaining patent protection to cover its RPE program and product opportunities in Europe and other important jurisdictions.
Received Significant Financial Commitment from Institutional Investor. The Company entered into a $25 million non-convertible stock purchase agreement with Socius CG II, Ltd., a subsidiary of Socius Capital Group ("Socius"). Socius, based in New York and Los Angeles, has made investments in a number of emerging life sciences companies. To date, ACT has sold Socius $4 million of Preferred Stock.
"2010 was a transformative year for the Company, as it received FDA clearance to commence two landmark human studies using a cell therapy derived from embryonic stem cells," said Gary Rabin, ACT's interim Chairman and CEO. "While receiving these clearances represented a tremendous achievement for the Company, our ability to dramatically improve our balance sheet was equally important, as we now have the ability to complete these two trials without seeking additional capital. We believe that ACT has never been better positioned to develop its promising stem cell-based technologies."
Conference Call:
The Company will hold a conference call at 9 a.m. EDT today during which it will discuss 2010 results and its corporate update. Interested parties should dial 1-800-931-6358 (domestically) or (212)231-2900 (internationally). A replay of the call will be available for two weeks and can be accessed by dialing 1-800-633-8284 (domestically) or 1(402)977-9140 (internationally), using passcode 21515792.
The call will also be available live by webcast at ACT's website at: http://advancedcell.com/
Friday, March 18, 2011
Paper-related stocks. Response to comments.
I am not too familiar with paper company stocks. The main companies of which I am aware are PKG (a cardboard packaging company) and International Paper Company (IP).
An article at SeekingAlpha.com describes different types of paper products and provides a list of some paper companies.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/249590-paper-paper-products-industry-two-companies-stand-out
An article at SeekingAlpha.com describes different types of paper products and provides a list of some paper companies.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/249590-paper-paper-products-industry-two-companies-stand-out
Coffee bean prices rise. Response to comment.
Coffee bean prices have been going up and according to the article at the following link the prices are near 13-year highs.
http://www.konacoffeeroasting.com/coffee-prices-in-2011-continue-sharp-increase/
And a list of some coffee stocks can be found at
And recently Green Mountain Coffee stock price surged higher on the news that it had entered into a deal with Starbucks. Green Mountain makes K cups for the Keurig coffee maker.
As a side note cocoa prices have also been increases. So the price of chocolate has also been increasing.
http://www.konacoffeeroasting.com/coffee-prices-in-2011-continue-sharp-increase/
And a list of some coffee stocks can be found at
And recently Green Mountain Coffee stock price surged higher on the news that it had entered into a deal with Starbucks. Green Mountain makes K cups for the Keurig coffee maker.
As a side note cocoa prices have also been increases. So the price of chocolate has also been increasing.
Dave Wilson. S&P 500 has a correlation to assets owned by the U.S. government.
Below is a column that he wrote on March 4, 2011 regarding the correlation between the increase in the amount of assets owned by the Federal government and the rise in the S&P 500.
S&P 500’s Link to Fed Assets Seen as Warning Sign: Chart of Day
2011-03-04 15:58:50.543 GMT
By David Wilson
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks are tracking a surge in
the Federal Reserve’s assets too closely for comfort, according
to Albert Edwards, a global strategist at Societe Generale.
The CHART OF THE DAY compares the Standard & Poor’s 500
Index with the total assets held by the Fed since stocks began
their current bull market about two years ago. Edwards included
a similar chart today in a report.
Yesterday’s close for the S&P 500 was 97 percent above its
low on March 9, 2009. The central bank’s holdings of Treasury
securities, mortgage-related debt and other investments rose
during the period by 34 percent to a record $2.55 trillion.
Two rounds of bond purchases, known as quantitative easing,
were largely responsible for the jump in Fed assets. The buying
also pushed stocks higher, contributing to an economic recovery,
Edwards wrote.
“We will see whether this patient can keep up its frenetic
Irish jig in the absence of extreme stimulants,” he wrote. The
second round of quantitative easing, totaling $600 billion, is
due to end in June.
Bill Gross, Pacific Investment Management Co.’s co-chief
investment officer, wrote this week that share prices and bond
yields “are resting on an artificial foundation” built by the
Fed’s debt purchases. An end to the easing is likely to hurt
stocks and lift yields, he wrote in a monthly commentary.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
VXX I wish I had held on. ACTC conference call on Monday. Dividend stocks.
Since my last post on March 12, 2011 I have not made any transactions. I wish I had made a few prior to the two days that there big losses in the markets in the past 10 days. I think "Ouch" is the best word to describe it.
I mentioned that I had sold my VXX shares after having a gain. Yesterday the VXX shares were selling over $38 each which would have allowed me to gain about $10 per share. Today they are $35-plus. However, I sold them on March 3, 2011 at $30.90 per share.
The VXX shares are for pessimists. Things go bad in the world (ex. broken nuclear reactors or unrest in the Middle East) and the volatility in the markets go up. Then up goes VXX.
ACTC. I am currently hoping that the price of ACTC shares will drop slightly so that I can purchase a few more shares. The company has scheduled a conference call on Monday, March 21st at 9:00 a.m. to discuss its fourth quarter results so I am unlikely to see a price drop prior to the call.
Dividends. I am also going to research some dividend paying stocks. CTL, BGS, FNF and MCY are a few of the stocks that I am considering but have not purchased yet. I am also considering buying NLY or more CIM.
I mentioned that I had sold my VXX shares after having a gain. Yesterday the VXX shares were selling over $38 each which would have allowed me to gain about $10 per share. Today they are $35-plus. However, I sold them on March 3, 2011 at $30.90 per share.
The VXX shares are for pessimists. Things go bad in the world (ex. broken nuclear reactors or unrest in the Middle East) and the volatility in the markets go up. Then up goes VXX.
ACTC. I am currently hoping that the price of ACTC shares will drop slightly so that I can purchase a few more shares. The company has scheduled a conference call on Monday, March 21st at 9:00 a.m. to discuss its fourth quarter results so I am unlikely to see a price drop prior to the call.
Dividends. I am also going to research some dividend paying stocks. CTL, BGS, FNF and MCY are a few of the stocks that I am considering but have not purchased yet. I am also considering buying NLY or more CIM.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Update. ACTC. VXX. And all other holdings (including losers).
Bought more shares of ACTC this week. During the week the stock dropped from 17 cents per share down to 12 cents. The company then put out a press release saying that the company was unaware of any reason for the drop in the stock price. Within an hour of the press release the stock price had risen to 15 cents and by the next day it had returned to 17 cents per share. I missed the drop and purchased in the mid-16 cent range.
I bought LEI as oil prices has been going up. Purchased shares at $3.95. Sold it six days later at $4.60 per share. On March 7th it hit a high of $5.19 and it closed on March 11th at $3.26. POSITIVE result.
VXX. On February 10, 2011 I bought shares of VXX because I thought the various issues in the Middle East would increase the volatility. I bought shares at 28.46. I set a stop limit and my shares were sold on March 3rd at $30.90 per share. Over the next few days VXX steadily increased and on March 11th it closed at $33.01 although during the week it had been as high as $34.60 per share. My stop limit kept me from gaining an extra two or three dollars per share but I didn't have a loss. POSITIVE result.
Flowserve (FLS). Purchased shares of FLS on October 27 and 28. Received the dividend from this stock on January 14th and sold it on March 3rd. On March 11 the stock was up from the previous day's market close however it was still $7 lower than the price I sold it for on March 3rd. POSITIVE result.
JDSU. After the company reported this week on March 8th I bought shares as the stock dropped. I had hoped that the stock price would rebound the next day. That hasn't happened yet. Although the stock is not much lower than the price at which I purchased it. NEGATIVE result so far.
Rackspace is a company involved with cloud computing. I purchased shares of RAX on October 6, 2010 and set a stop limit on the stock which caused them to be sold on March 9, 2011. The selling price was $13 per share more than my cost basis. POSITIVE result.
Long-term holdings.
Four of the nine stocks that remain in my portfolio had overall positive returns as of the close of the markets on March 11, 2011. Those four stocks are ACTC, CIM (which has 15% dividend), CADX and FSUMF.
These four stocks are stocks that I hope to hold for the long term. CIM is a realty investment trust with a good dividend. Once interest rates begin going up it is likely that the returns on CIM and the dividend will go down.
CADX is a pharmaceutical company that will sell ibuprofen that is administered by IV.
FSUMF is an iron ore company in Australia.
My losers so far are DRYS, PVCT, SQNM and MOTR $12.50 July 2011 calls. SQNM may be releasing a Downs Syndrome test that is more accurate and safer than current tests. Dryships is an shipping and oil exploration company.
I bought LEI as oil prices has been going up. Purchased shares at $3.95. Sold it six days later at $4.60 per share. On March 7th it hit a high of $5.19 and it closed on March 11th at $3.26. POSITIVE result.
VXX. On February 10, 2011 I bought shares of VXX because I thought the various issues in the Middle East would increase the volatility. I bought shares at 28.46. I set a stop limit and my shares were sold on March 3rd at $30.90 per share. Over the next few days VXX steadily increased and on March 11th it closed at $33.01 although during the week it had been as high as $34.60 per share. My stop limit kept me from gaining an extra two or three dollars per share but I didn't have a loss. POSITIVE result.
Flowserve (FLS). Purchased shares of FLS on October 27 and 28. Received the dividend from this stock on January 14th and sold it on March 3rd. On March 11 the stock was up from the previous day's market close however it was still $7 lower than the price I sold it for on March 3rd. POSITIVE result.
JDSU. After the company reported this week on March 8th I bought shares as the stock dropped. I had hoped that the stock price would rebound the next day. That hasn't happened yet. Although the stock is not much lower than the price at which I purchased it. NEGATIVE result so far.
Rackspace is a company involved with cloud computing. I purchased shares of RAX on October 6, 2010 and set a stop limit on the stock which caused them to be sold on March 9, 2011. The selling price was $13 per share more than my cost basis. POSITIVE result.
Long-term holdings.
Four of the nine stocks that remain in my portfolio had overall positive returns as of the close of the markets on March 11, 2011. Those four stocks are ACTC, CIM (which has 15% dividend), CADX and FSUMF.
These four stocks are stocks that I hope to hold for the long term. CIM is a realty investment trust with a good dividend. Once interest rates begin going up it is likely that the returns on CIM and the dividend will go down.
CADX is a pharmaceutical company that will sell ibuprofen that is administered by IV.
FSUMF is an iron ore company in Australia.
My losers so far are DRYS, PVCT, SQNM and MOTR $12.50 July 2011 calls. SQNM may be releasing a Downs Syndrome test that is more accurate and safer than current tests. Dryships is an shipping and oil exploration company.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
ACTC - Advanced Cell Technology
The past few days with ACTC have been bad. The company posted a press release today that it is unaware of any reason for the stock price to have dropped the way it has recently. So it is either a good time to buy ACTC stock or a warning.
I am hoping that this is just an opportunity to buy and in a few months/years this price drop will be something that will make me laugh.
I am hoping that this is just an opportunity to buy and in a few months/years this price drop will be something that will make me laugh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)