News Corporation (NASDAQ:NWSA) recently hit 52 week peak price $17.05, opened at $16.25 scored +6.03% closed $19.96. NWSA traded on over 29.20 million shares in comparison to average volume of 14.93 million shares.
NWSA has earnings of $2.74 billion and made $33.01 billion sales for the last 12 months. Its quarter to quarter sales remained 3.15%. The company has 2.62 billion of outstanding shares and 2.24 billion shares were floated in the market.
NWSA has an insider ownership at 0.09% and institutional ownership remained 84.28%. Its return on investment (ROI) for the last 12 month was 6.37% as compare to its return on equity (ROE) of 10.84% for the last 12 months.
The price moved ahead +13.50% from the mean of 20 days, +16.15% from 50 and went up +22.55% from 200 days average price. Company��s performance for the week was +8.79%, +13.14% for month and yearly performance remained 31.07%.
Its price volatility for a month remained 2.95% whereas volatility for a week noted as 3.88% having beta of 1.48. Company��s price to sales ratio for last 12 months was 1.35 while its price to book ratio for the most recent quarter was 1.68 and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) remained 5.71 billion for the past twelve months.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Get An Even Better Deal On AFSI Than Director Decarlo Did
There’s an old saying on Wall Street about insider buying: there are many possible reasons to sell a stock, but only one reason to buy. Back on December 22, AmTrust Financial Services Inc’s Director, Donald T. Decarlo, invested $23,800.00 into 1,000 shares of AFSI, for a cost per share of $23.80. Bargain hunters tend to pay particular attention to insider buys like this one, because presumably the only reason an insider would take their hard-earned cash and use it to buy stock of their company in the open market, is that they expect to make money.
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In trading on Wednesday, bargain hunters could buy shares of AmTrust Financial Services Inc (NASD: AFSI) and achieve a cost basis even cheaper than Decarlo, with shares changing hands as low as $23.79 per share. AmTrust Financial Services Inc shares are currently trading up about 0.1% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of AFSI shares, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, AFSI’s low point in its 52 week range is $17.33 per share, with $27.63 as the 52 week high point �� that compares with a last trade of $23.95. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months:
The current annualized dividend paid by AmTrust Financial Services Inc is $0.36/share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend has an upcoming ex-date of 12/30/2011. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for AFSI, which can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend with approx. 1.5% annualized yield is likely to continue.
AFSI operates in the Insurance Brokers sector, among companies like Hanover Insurance Group Inc (NYSE: THG) which is off about 0.2% today, and Harleysville Group, Inc. (NASD: HGIC) trading lower by about 0.4%. Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of AFSI, versus THG and HGIC.
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Click here to find out which 9 other dividend bargains you can buy cheaper than insiders, at DividendChannel.com ?
In trading on Wednesday, bargain hunters could buy shares of AmTrust Financial Services Inc (NASD: AFSI) and achieve a cost basis even cheaper than Decarlo, with shares changing hands as low as $23.79 per share. AmTrust Financial Services Inc shares are currently trading up about 0.1% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of AFSI shares, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, AFSI’s low point in its 52 week range is $17.33 per share, with $27.63 as the 52 week high point �� that compares with a last trade of $23.95. By comparison, below is a table showing the prices at which insider buying was recorded over the last six months:
| Purchased | Insider | Title | Shares | Price/Share | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/22/2011 | Donald T. Decarlo | Director | 1,000 | $23.80 | $23,800.00 |
AFSI operates in the Insurance Brokers sector, among companies like Hanover Insurance Group Inc (NYSE: THG) which is off about 0.2% today, and Harleysville Group, Inc. (NASD: HGIC) trading lower by about 0.4%. Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of AFSI, versus THG and HGIC.
Special Offer: Fi! nd out w hat Dave Moenning is holding in the ETF Channel Flexible Growth Investment Portfolio with a special 20% off coupon from Forbes and 30 Days Free.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
1 Reason Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's Earnings Aren't So Hot
It takes money to make money. Most investors know that, but with business media so focused on the "how much," very few investors bother to ask, "How fast?"
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 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (Nasdaq: CBRL ) .
Let's break this down
In this series, we measure how swiftly a company turns cash into goods or services and back into cash. We'll use a quick, relatively foolproof tool known as the cash conversion cycle, or CCC for short.
Why does the CCC matter? The less time it takes a firm to convert outgoing cash into incoming cash, the more powerful and flexible its profit engine is. The less money tied up in inventory and accounts receivable, the more available to grow the company, pay investors, or both.
To calculate the cash conversion cycle, add days inventory outstanding to days sales outstanding, then subtract days payable outstanding. Like golf, the lower your score here, the better.
Here's the CCC for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, alongside the comparable figures from a few competitors and peers.
While I find peer comparisons useful, I'm most interested in comparing a company's CCC to its prior performance. Here's where I believe all investors need to become trend-watchers. Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for an increase in the CCC, but all things being equal, I want to see this number stay steady or move downward over time.
Considering the numbers on a quarterly basis, the CCC trend at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store looks OK. At 31.4 days, it is 6.3 days worse than the average of the past eight quarters. Investors will want to keep an eye on this for the future to make sure it doesn't stray too far in the wrong direction. With both 12-month and quarterly CCC running worse than average, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store gets low marks in this cash-conversion checkup.
Though the CCC can take a little work to calculate, it's definitely worth watching every quarter. You'll be better informed about potential problems, and you'll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home run stocks that provide the market's best returns.
To stay on top of the CCC for your favorite companies, just use the handy links below to add companies to your free watchlist.
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 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (Nasdaq: CBRL ) .
Let's break this down
In this series, we measure how swiftly a company turns cash into goods or services and back into cash. We'll use a quick, relatively foolproof tool known as the cash conversion cycle, or CCC for short.
Why does the CCC matter? The less time it takes a firm to convert outgoing cash into incoming cash, the more powerful and flexible its profit engine is. The less money tied up in inventory and accounts receivable, the more available to grow the company, pay investors, or both.
To calculate the cash conversion cycle, add days inventory outstanding to days sales outstanding, then subtract days payable outstanding. Like golf, the lower your score here, the better.
Here's the CCC for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, alongside the comparable figures from a few competitors and peers.
Company | TTM Revenue | TTM CCC |
|---|---|---|
| Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | $2,434 | ?31 |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG ) | $2,155 | ?(8) |
| Chees! ecake Fa ctory (Nasdaq: CAKE ) | $1,697 | ?2 |
| Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI ) | $7,636 | ?3 |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. TTM = trailing 12 months.
For younger, fast-growth companies, the CCC can give you valuable insight into the sustainability of that growth. A company that's taking longer to make cash may need to tap financing to keep its momentum. For older, mature companies, the CCC can tell you how well the company is managed. Firms that begin to lose control of the CCC may be losing their clout with their suppliers (who might be demanding stricter payment terms) and customers (who might be demanding more generous terms). This can sometimes be an important signal of future distress -- one most investors are likely to miss.While I find peer comparisons useful, I'm most interested in comparing a company's CCC to its prior performance. Here's where I believe all investors need to become trend-watchers. Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for an increase in the CCC, but all things being equal, I want to see this number stay steady or move downward over time.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.
Because of the seasonality in some businesses, the CCC for the TTM period may not be strictly comparable to the fiscal-year periods shown in the chart. Even the steadiest-looking businesses on an annual basis will experience some quarterly fluctuations in the CCC. To get an understanding of the usual ebb and flow at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, consult the quarterly period chart below.Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. FQ = fiscal quarter.
On a 12-month basis, the trend at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store looks less than great. At 30.6 days, it is 8.8 days worse than the five-year average of 21.8 days. The biggest contributor to that degradation was DIO, which worsened 14.8 days when compared to the five-year average.Considering the numbers on a quarterly basis, the CCC trend at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store looks OK. At 31.4 days, it is 6.3 days worse than the average of the past eight quarters. Investors will want to keep an eye on this for the future to make sure it doesn't stray too far in the wrong direction. With both 12-month and quarterly CCC running worse than average, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store gets low marks in this cash-conversion checkup.
Though the CCC can take a little work to calculate, it's definitely worth watching every quarter. You'll be better informed about potential problems, and you'll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home run stocks that provide the market's best returns.
To stay on top of the CCC for your favorite companies, just use the handy links below to add companies to your free watchlist.
- Add Cracker Barrel Old Country Store to My Watchlist.
- Add Chipotle Mexican Grill to My Watchlist.
- Add The Cheesecake Factory to My Watchlist.
- Add Darden Restaurants to My Watchlist.
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