LONDON -- To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return from any share investment, and, as you might expect, my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market.
To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 has provided investors with a total return of around 3% per annum since January 2008.
Quality and value
If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators and buy at prices that offer decent value.
So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities, and during recent weeks I've looked at�BG Group� (LSE: BG ) ,�Rolls-Royce Holdings� (LSE: RR ) ,�WPP� (LSE: WPP ) ,�Aviva� (LSE: AV ) and�Associated British Foods� (LSE: ABF ) . This is how they scored on my total-return-potential indicators (each score in the table is out of a maximum of 5):
Top New Stocks To Watch Right Now: Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB)
Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB), incorporated on January 19, 1984, is a bank holding company. The Company has one wholly owned operating subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust (the Bank), which offers a range of deposit, loan, and related banking products, as well as brokerage services provided, through a third-party brokerage arrangement. In addition, the Company offers trust and investment management services, through its subsidiary, Bar Harbor Trust Services (Trust Services), a trust company. These products and services are offered to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities. In August 2012, the Company announced that its principal subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, acquired Border Trust Company (Border Trust), a subsidiary of Border Bancshares, Inc.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
The Bank has 12 branch offices located throughout downeast and midcoast Maine, including its principal office in Bar Harbor. The Bank�� offices are located in Hancock, Washington and Knox Counties, representing the Bank�� principal market areas. The Hancock County offices, in addition to Bar Harbor, are located in Blue Hill, Deer Isle, Ellsworth, Northeast Harbor, Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Winter Harbor. The Washington County offices are located in Milbridge, Machias, and Lubec. The Knox County office is located in Rockland. The Bank delivers its operations and technology support services from its operations center located in Ellsworth, Maine.
The Bank is a retail bank serving individual and business customers, retail establishments and restaurants, seasonal lodging, biological research laboratories, and a contingent of retirees. As a coastal bank, it serves the tourism, hospitality, lobstering, fishing, boat building and marine services industries. It also serves Maine�� wild blueberry industry through its Hancock and Washington County offices. The Bank operates in a market that includes other community banks, savings institutions, credit unions, a! nd branch offices of statewide and interstate bank holding companies located in the Bank�� market area.
The Bank offers a variety of consumer financial products and services. The Bank�� retail deposit products and services include checking accounts, interest bearing negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, club accounts, short-term and long-term certificates of deposit, health savings accounts and individual retirement accounts. Credit products and services include home mortgages, residential construction loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, credit cards, installment loans, and overdraft protection services. The Bank provides secured and unsecured installment loans for new or used automobiles, boats, recreational vehicles, mobile homes and other personal needs. The Bank also offers other customary products and services, such as safe deposit box rentals, wire transfers, check collection services, foreign currency exchange, money orders, and United States Savings Bonds redemptions.
The Bank retains Infinex Investments, Inc., (Infinex) as a third-party broker-dealer, conducting business business name Bar Harbor Financial Services. Bar Harbor Financial Services is a branch office of Infinex, an independent registered broker-dealer offering securities and insurance products that is not affiliated with the Company or its subsidiaries. Bar Harbor Financial Services principally serves the brokerage needs of individuals, including first-time purchasers and investors. It also offers a line of life insurance, annuity, and retirement products, as well as financial planning services. The Bank offers Internet banking services, including free check images and electronic bill payment, through its Website at www.BHBT.com. Additionally, the Bank offers TeleDirect, an interactive voice response system, through which customers can check account balances and activity, as well as initiate money transfers between their accounts. Automated te! ller mach! ines (ATMs) are located at each of the Bank�� 12 branch locations, as well as two machines in non-Bank locations. The Bank is also a member of Maine Cash Access, providing customers with surcharge-free access to 217 ATMs throughout the state of Maine. Visa debit cards are also offered, providing customers with free access to their deposit account balances at point of sale locations worldwide.
The Bank serves the small business market throughout downeast and midcoast Maine. It offers business loans to individuals, partnerships, corporations, and other business entities for capital construction, real estate and equipment financing, working capital, real estate development, and a range of other business purposes. Business loans are provided primarily to organizations and sole proprietors in the tourism, hospitality, healthcare, blueberry, boatbuilding, and fishing industries, as well as to other small and mid-size businesses associated with coastal communities.
The Bank offers a variety of commercial deposit accounts, including business checking and tiered money market accounts. These accounts are typically used as operating accounts or short-term savings vehicles. The Bank�� cash management services provide business customers with short-term investment opportunities through a cash management sweep program, whereby excess operating funds over established thresholds are swept into overnight securities sold under agreements to repurchase. The Bank also offers Business On Line Direct (BOLD), an Internet banking service for businesses. This service allows business clients to view their account histories, print statements, view check images, order stop payments, transfer funds between accounts, transmit automated clearing house (ACH) files, and order both domestic and foreign wire transfers. The Bank also offers remote deposit capture, enabling its business customers to deposit checks remotely. Other commercial banking services include merchant credit card processing provided throu! gh a thir! d party vendor, night depository, and coin and currency handling.
Bar Harbor Trust Services
Trust Services provides a range of trust and investment management services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and municipalities. Trust Services serves as trustee of both living trusts and trusts under wills, including revocable and irrevocable, charitable remainder and testamentary trusts, and in this capacity holds, accounts for and manages financial assets, real estate and special assets. Trust Services offers custody, estate settlement, and fiduciary tax services. Additionally, Trust Services offers employee benefit trust services, for which it acts as trustee, custodian, administrator and/or investment advisor, for employee benefit plans and for corporate, self employed, municipal and not-for-profit employers located throughout the Company�� market areas. As of December 31, 2011, Trust Services served 758 client accounts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Bar Harbor, Maine based bank holding company Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) raised its quarterly dividend 1.6% to 32 cents per share, payable on Dec. 13 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 15. The increase marks the 10th consecutive quarter of dividend increases.
BHB Dividend Yield:�3.39% - [By Marc Bastow]
Bar Harbor, Maine-based bank holding company Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) raised its quarterly dividend 1.6% to 32.5 cents per share, payable on Mar. 14 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 15.
BHB Dividend Yield: 3.37%
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Amedica Corp (AMDA)
Amedica Corporation (Amedica), incorporate on December 10, 1996, is a commercial biomaterial company focused on using its silicon nitride technology platform to develop, manufacture and sell a broad range of medical devices. The Company market spinal fusion products and are developing products for use in total hip and knee joint replacements. The Company markets its Valeo family of silicon nitride interbody spinal fusion devices in the United States and Europe for use in the cervical and thoracolumbar areas of the spine. In addition to its silicon nitride-based spinal fusion products, it markets a complementary line of non-silicon nitride spinal fusion products which allows us to provide surgeons and hospitals with a broader range of products. These products include three lines of spinal fusion devices and five types of orthobiologics, which are used by surgeons to help promote bone growth and fusion in spinal fusion procedures.
The Company�� non-silicon nitride products have accounted for approximately 70% or more of its product revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013. The Company�� also incorporating its silicon nitride technology into components for use in total hip and knee replacement product. Biomaterials are synthetic or natural biocompatible materials that are used in virtually every medical specialty to improve or preserve body functionality.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
Stocks as a whole haven't gotten the new year off on the best foot, but that's not to say every equity out there is in trouble. Indeed, some small cap stocks may actually be doing well - and poised to do well for a while - specifically because larger companies are seeing their stocks struggle. To that end, traders looking for a bullish bright spot to start the new year may want to take a closer look at Amedica Corporation (NASDAQ:AMDA), Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:THLD), and Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCMKTS:AEMD).
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Kingdee International Software Group Co Ltd (KGDEF)
Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited is an investment holding company. The principal activities of the Company and its subsidiaries are developing, manufacturing and selling of enterprise management software products and provision of software-related technical services in the People's Republic of China. The Company operates in two segments: enterprise management software business, which is engaged in the sales and implementation of enterprise management software, provision of other related services and sales of hardware related to enterprise management software arrangements, and others, which is engaged in the sales of middleware software business and provision online management services. Its subsidiaries include Beijng Kingdee System Technology Co., Ltd., Kingdee E-commerce Service (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. and others. Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.MARKETWATCH.COM]
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks trimmed their gains but held to positive territory Wednesday after data showing China's economic growth accelerated to 7.5% in the second quarter, ticking up from a 7.4% gain in the first quarter. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) inched up 0.2%, off slightly from a 0.3% advance ahead of the data, while the Shanghai Composite Index (CN:SHCOMP) dipped 0.1%. Mainland Chinese power companies posted broad gains, with Huadian Power International Corp. (HK:1071) rallying 4.2% after the company forecast its profit for the first six months of the year would jump 55% to 65% from a year earlier. Other stocks in the sector also attracted investors' interest, with Datang International Power Generation Co. (HK:0991) (DIPGF) (CN:601991) and Huaneng Power International Inc. (HK:0902) (HUNGF) (CN:600011) gaining 2.3% and 1.6%, respectively. Menswear maker China Fordoo Holdings Ltd. (HK:2399) rose 1% on its first day of trading. However, most software and gaming companies declined, with Kingdee International Software Group (HK:0268) (KGDEF) losing 1.4%, bigger rival Kingsoft Corp. (HK:3888) (KSFTF) falling 0.9%, and Forgame Holdings L
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Lam Research Corporation(LRCX)
Lam Research Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, refurbishes, and services semiconductor processing equipments used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. The company offers etch products that remove portions of various films from the wafer in the creation of semiconductor devices. Its etch products include dielectric etch, conductor etch, three-dimensional integrated circuit etch, MEMS devices, CMOS image sensors, and power devices for etching process. Lam Research Corporation also provides wafer cleaning steps that comprise post-etch and post-strip cleans, and pre-diffusion and pre-deposition cleans; and single-wafer wet clean and plasma-based bevel clean systems. The company offers its products to semiconductor manufacturers. It operates in the United States, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and the Asia Pacific. Lam Research Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Fremont, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Axler]
In addition, the company announced in December 2012 that it entered a strategic collaboration agreement on ion implant, dry-strip, etch processes, and photoresist strip applications, including material modification implants and high-dose implant strip (HDIS) with Lam Research (LRCX). Lam also agreed to acquire ACLS's dry strip intellectual property and technology for $10.7m ($8.7m received immediately, and $2.0m based on milestones). ACLS will indefinitely retain the entire service and support contracts of its dry strip installed base. In addition to the immediate financial benefits, ACLS benefits from a partnership with Lam by getting better visibility into end customer problems, and the ability to expand addressable market opportunities.
- [By Sean Williams]
Another aspect about Richard Wallace's leadership is that it's led to solid cash-flow generation and a huge net cash position on KLA's balance sheet. KLA ended the most recent quarter with more than $2.1 billion in net cash, which can be used to make acquisitions, repurchase shares, pay dividends, or simply buffer the company against normal economic contractions. Over the past three years, KLA has delivered nearly $2.1 billion in cumulative free cash flow. Comparatively speaking, this is what gives KLA its greatest edge over both Applied Materials�and Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX ) , which have a net debt position of $180 million and a net cash position of $1.06 billion.
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Genpact Limited (G)
Genpact Limited provides business process management and information technology services worldwide. It offers finance and accounting services, including accounts payable services, payment and inquiry management, order to cash services, preparation of financial statements, closing and reporting, cash management, treasury, cash flow analysis, tax return preparation, financial planning and analysis, governance, and internal controls services. The company also provides smart decision services, such analytics and research; business consulting and enterprise risk consulting services comprising internal audit, compliance advisory, regulatory advisory, enterprise, IT, and fraud risk management services; and re-engineering services. In addition, it offers supply chain and procurement services consisting of direct and indirect sourcing and procurement, demand forecasting and management, engineering, inventory optimization and planning, fleet and logistics, and aftermarket services. Further, the company provides enterprise application services comprising enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, financial management and customer relationship management solutions, and securities trading and accounting services, as well as testing, database administration, and architecture services; IT management services, including onsite and remote monitoring, management and support of the IT functions, and IT infrastructures; and collections and customer services in the areas of consumer finance, commercial finance, and mortgage services. It primarily serves banking and insurance, capital markets, consumer goods and retail, life sciences, infrastructure, manufacturing and services, and healthcare industries. Genpact Limited has a strategic partnership with Research Now. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Genpact (NYSE: G) were down 17.82 percent to $14.16 after the company issued a downbeat FY14 revenue forecast. - [By gurujx]
Genpact Ltd. (G): CFO Mohit Bhatia Sold 148,036 Shares
CFO Mohit Bhatia sold 148,036 shares of G stock on 11/19/2013 at the average price of $18.06. Mohit Bhatia owns at least 41,585 shares after this. The price of the stock has decreased by 0.22% since.
- [By Victor Selva]
Dividend growth rate (g)
The sustainable growth rate is the rate at which earnings and dividends can grow indefinitely assuming that the firm麓s debt-to-equity ratio is unchanged and it doesn麓t issue new equity.
Hot Quality Stocks To Own Right Now: Shenandoah Telecommunications Co(SHEN)
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company, a diversified telecommunications company, provides regulated and unregulated telecommunications services to end-user customers and other communications providers in the southeastern United States. It offers a suite of voice, video, and data communications services; and sells telecommunications equipment. The company?s Wireless segment provides digital wireless service to a portion of a four-state area covering the region from Harrisburg, York, and Altoona, Pennsylvania to Harrisonburg, Virginia. It owns 149 towers and leases tower space to other wireless communications providers in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This segment also offers personal communications services through a digital wireless telephone and data network. Its Wireline segment provides regulated and unregulated telephone services and leases fiber optic facilities primarily in the northern Shenandoah Valley. This segment also offers information s ervices and Internet access to customers in the northern Shenandoah Valley and surrounding areas. In addition, it is involved in the resale of long distance service for calls placed to locations outside the regulated telephone service area by telephone customers. As of December 31, 2011, this segment had approximately 1,410 dial-up customers and 12,351 digital subscriber line customers, as well as served approximately 10,483 long distance customers. The company?s Cable Television segment provides coaxial cable-based television service in the portions of Shenandoah County, Virginia, as well as in communities in West Virginia, southern and southwestern Virginia, and western Maryland. It had approximately 137,238 cable revenue generating units. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Edinburg, Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Wednesday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) and Pernix Therapeutics Holdings (NASDAQ: PTX). In trading on Wednesday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.39 percent. Top decliners in the sector included Shenandoah Telecommunications Co (NASDAQ: SHEN), off 3.3 percent, and CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP), down around 2.4 percent.
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