Don't be lulled into complacency by Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) 7% pop this past week. The current quarter is shaping up to be horrendous. Dreams of seeing Apple innovate its way out of its current rut are apparently at least months away from materializing. Oh, and then there's the tech bellwether's vow to take on new debt in an ambitious plan to return more money to its stakeholders.
Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan points out that the ultimate advantage of having Apple borrow money to bankroll its beefed-up $60 billion share-buyback authorization rests in the taxable implications of the strategy.
It does makes sense on paper. Apple's stock is now yielding 3%, and its creditworthiness would probably mean that it could take on debt in this low-interest-rate environment at about the same rate. Sloan then rightfully points out that the interest Apple will pay on the debt is tax-deductible. Dividends suffer the double-taxation hit of smacking corporations and then recipients. In short, borrowing money at 3% to buy out shares yielding 3% will save Apple -- and its stakeholders -- money.
Top 10 Paper Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)
Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.
Top 10 Paper Companies To Invest In Right Now: Weatherford International Ltd(WFT)
Weatherford International Ltd. provides equipment and services used in the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. It offers artificial lift systems, which include reciprocating rod lift systems, progressing cavity pumps, gas lift systems, hydraulic lift systems, plunger lift systems, hybrid lift systems, wellhead systems, and multiphase metering systems. The company also provides drilling services, including directional drilling, ?Secure Drilling? services, well testing, drilling-with-casing and drilling-with-liner systems, and surface logging systems; and well construction services, such as tubular running services, cementing products, liner systems, swellable products, solid tubular expandable technologies, and inflatable products and accessories. In addition, it designs and manufactures drilling jars, underreamers, rotating control devices, and other pressure-control equipment used in drilling oil and nat ural gas wells; and offers a selection of in-house or third-party manufactured equipment for the drilling, completion, and work over of oil and natural gas wells for operators and drilling contractors, as well as a line of completion tools and sand screens. Further, the company provides wireline and evaluation services; and re-entry, fishing, and thru-tubing services, as well as well abandonment and wellbore cleaning services; stimulation and chemicals, including fracturing and coiled tubing technologies, cement services, chemical systems, and drilling fluids; integrated drilling services; and pipeline and specialty services. It serves independent oil and natural gas producing companies. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Bishop]
Weatherford International (WFT) is trading around $14. Weatherford is a leading provider of equipment and services to the oil and gas industry, based in Switzerland. These shares have traded in a range betwe en $10.85 to $26.25 in the last 52 weeks. The 50-day moving average is $15.46 and the 200-day moving average is $19.62. WFT is estimated to earn about 88 cents per share in 2011 and $1.67 for 2012. Analysts at UBS set a $28 price target for WFT share.
Best Mid Cap Companies For 2014: Graphic Packaging Holding Co (GPK)
Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPHC), incorporated on June 21, 2007, is a provider of packaging solutions for a variety of products to food, beverage and other consumer products companies. The Company is also a producer of folding cartons and coated unbleached kraft paperboard, coated-recycled board and multi-wall bags. The Company operates in two business segments: paperboard packaging and flexible packaging. The Company�� customers include beverage, food and other consumer products industries. The Company operates in four geographic areas: the United States/Canada, Central/South America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In December 2011, the Company combined its multi-wall bag and specialty plastics packaging businesses with the kraft paper and multi-wall bag businesses of Delta Natural Kraft, LLC and Mid-America Packaging, LLC (collectively DNK), both wholly owned subsidiaries of Capital Five Investments, LLC (CVI). Under the terms of the transaction, the Company formed a company, Graphic Flexible Packaging, LLC (GFP), in which it owns 87% interest. On April 29, 2011, the Company acquired all of the assets of Sierra Pacific Packaging, Inc. (Sierra), a producer of folding cartons, beverage carriers and corrugated boxes for the consumer packaged goods industry. In January 2013, the Company acquired Contego Packaging Holdings, Ltd.
Paperboard Packaging
The Company supplies paperboard cartons and carriers. The Company provides a range of paperboard packaging solutions for various end-use markets, such as beverage, including beer, soft drinks, energy drinks, water and juices; food, including cereal, desserts, frozen, refrigerated and microwavable foods and pet foods; prepared foods, including snacks, quick-serve foods for restaurants and food service products, and household products, including dishwasher and laundry detergent, healthcare and beauty aids, and tissues and papers. The Company produces paperboard at its mills; prints, cuts and glues (converts) the paperboard into fol! ding cartons at its converting plants; and designs and manufactures packaging machines that package bottles and cans and, to a lesser extent, non-beverage consumer products. The Company also installs its packaging machines at customer plants and provides support, service and performance monitoring of the machines. The Company offers a variety of laminated, coated and printed packaging structures that are produced from its coated unbleached kraft (CUK), coated-recycled board (CRB), kraft paper and uncoated-recycled board (URB), as well as other grades of paperboard that are purchased from third-party suppliers. The Company manufactures corrugated medium and kraft paper for sale in the open market and internal use.
Flexible Packaging
The Company�� flexible packaging segment includes multi-wall bags, plastics, labels, and the Pine Bluff, AR mill. The Company is a supplier of flexible packaging in North America. Its products include multi-wall bags, shingle wrap, plastic bags and film for building materials (such as ready-mix concrete), retort pouches (such as meals ready to go), medical test kits, batch inclusion bags and film. Its end-markets include food and agriculture, building and industrial materials, chemicals, minerals, pet foods, and pharmaceutical products. Approximately 27% of the plastics produced are consumed internally. The Company�� label business focuses on heat transfer labels and lithographic labels. The Company operates label plants, which produce labels for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, automotive, household and industrial products, detergents, and the health and beauty markets.
The Company competes with MeadWestvaco Corporation and Klabin Company.
Top 10 Paper Companies To Invest In Right Now: CenturyLink Inc.(CTL)
CenturyLink, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated communications company. The company provides a range of communications services, including voice, Internet, data, and video services in the continental United States. Its services include local exchange and long distance voice telephone services, as well as enhanced voice services, such as call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling, voicemail, selective call ringing, and call waiting; wholesale local network access services; and data services, including high-speed Internet access services, data transmission services over special circuits and private lines, and switched digital television services, as well as special access and private line services. The company also offers fiber transport, competitive local exchange carrier, security monitoring, and other communications, as well as professional and business information services. In addition, it provides other related services, such as leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and wiring; payphone services; and network database services, as well as participates in the publication of local telephone directories. Further, the company offers printing, direct mail services, and cable television services; and wireless broadband Internet access services and satellite television services. As of December 31, 2010, it operated approximately 6.5 million telephone access lines. CenturyLink, Inc was founded in 1968 and is based in Monroe, Louisiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul]
CenturyLink (CTL), provides a range of communications services, including local and long distance voice, wholesale network access, high-speed Internet access, other data services, and video services in the continental United States. The company is a member of the elite dividend aristocrats index, and has raised dividends for 37 consecutive years. In comparison to the previous two telecom players, CenturyLink has been able to cover its distributions from EPS, although its payout ratio is a scary 92.70%. Yield: 7.20%.
Top 10 Paper Companies To Invest In Right Now: Weyerhaeuser Company(WY)
Weyerhaeuser Company, a forest products company, grows and harvests trees, builds homes, and manufactures forest products worldwide. It grows and harvests trees for use as lumber, other wood and building products, and pulp and paper. The company manages 6.4 million acres of private commercial forestland; and has long-term licenses on 13.9 million acres of forestland. It also offers timber; minerals, such as rock, sand, and gravel, as well as oil and gas to construction and energy markets; logs; timberland tracts; and seed and seedlings, poles, plywood, and hardwood lumber products. In addition, the company provides structural lumber products for structural framing; engineered lumber products for floor and roof joists, and headers and beams; structural panels for structural sheathing, subflooring, and stair treading for wood products dealers, do-it-yourself retailers, builders, and industrial users. Further, it offers building products comprising cedar, decking, siding, ins ulation, rebar, and engineered lumber connectors. Additionally, the company offers fluff pulp for use in sanitary disposable products; papergrade pulp for printing and writing papers, and tissues; specialty chemical cellulose pulp for use in textiles, absorbent products, specialty packaging, and high-bulking fibers; liquid packaging board converted into containers; and slush and wet lap pulp for manufacturing paper products. It also constructs single-family houses, as well as develops residential lots and land for construction and sale; and master-planned communities with mixed-use property. The company sells its cellulose fibers products through direct sales network, and liquid packaging products directly to carton and food product packaging converters; and wood products through sales organizations and distribution facilities. Weyerhaeuser Company has been elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Federal Way, Washington.
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