Honeymoon over for new BlackBerry CEO?

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis.

Description: BlackBerry shares have enjoyed a solid start to 2014. But the stock fell Thursday after being downgraded to a ‘sell.’ With lackluster quarterly results expected Friday, is time running out for John Chen to turn around the company? Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 28, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/03/27/investing-the-buzz-blackberry-smartphone-apple-iphone-john-chen.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: How should… Read more »

Candy Crush IPO to raise billions

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: King Digital, the creator of the insanely popular Candy Crush Saga game, is going public. CNN’s Samuel Burke speaks with subway riders on how addictive the game is. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 24, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/24/candy-crush-ipo-kin-social-media-game-smartphone.cnnmoney/index.html  Questions for Discussions: How does Candy Crush generate revenue? Do you think the company is… Read more »

As whiskey market consolidates, a skirmish in Tennessee

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis.

Description: The bourbon bubble continues to expand, and a handful of multinationals strengthens its collective grip on the whiskey market. Source: Fortune.com Date: Mar 27, 2014 Link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/03/27/tennessee-whiskey/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for discussion: Describe the competitive landscape in this industry. Is it likely to be opened up by government legislation to greater competition as happened with craft… Read more »

Zuckerberg to Buffett Show Rich Owners Dominating Big M&A Deals

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: The megarich are dominating U.S. megadeals. Seven of the 15 U.S. takeover bids worth more than $10 billion since January 2013 were initiated by firms founded and controlled by one of the 200 wealthiest men in the world, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Last month Facebook Inc. (FB)’s Mark Zuckerberg, who has a… Read more »

More Coffee, Please: Cafés Are Growing Faster Than Their Fast-Food Peers

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: If you’ve tracked how much money you spent at coffee shops in the past few years, there’s a good chance it has gone up. The trend is reflected in rising same-store sales at Starbucks (SBUX) (8 percent in 2013) and Dunkin’ Donuts (DNKN) (3.4 percent). Even if you prefer a boutique coffee shop, it’s hard to… Read more »

Red Lobster, Olive Garden still a mess

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis.

Description: Darden Restaurants wants to spin off struggling Red Lobster. But Olive Garden is not doing well either. The entire company is missing the restaurant stock rally this year. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/03/21/investing-the-buzz-darden-restaurants-red-lobster-olive-garden-longhorn.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why is Darden stock underperforming in comparison to other restaurants? Is the… Read more »

Japan’s Jeff Bezos on $900M Viber buy

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani explains why the $900 million purchase of messaging app Viber was a smart business move and how it will differ from Facebook’s Whatsapp. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/21/ceo-rakuten-hiroshi-mikitani-japan-viper-app-ecommerce.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What is the basis for the acquisition price paid for Viber? Do you… Read more »

Who Needs Banks? PayPal and Lending Club Want to Make Small Business Loans

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Financial Planning.

Description: Lots of companies have tried to use technology to improve small business lending with data, collecting information about merchants from their social media profiles, online accounting software, and reviews to help lenders decide whether to make loans. Alternative companies such as OnDeck and Kabbage have succeeded at increasing loan volumes and speeding approval times. But… Read more »

This company loves the snow

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: Let it snow. Douglas Dynamics, a maker of snow plows, loves the winter weather. It reported strong earnings and its stock (ticker symbol PLOW) is up on the news. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 05, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/03/11/buzz-douglas-dynamics-snow-plows.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Is it likely the firm would experience increases year over year… Read more »

Dividend Stocks Fall on Rising Rate Forecast: EcoPulse

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators.

Description: Shares of high-dividend-yielding companies are trading near the lowest level in almost three years relative to the market, as the prospect of higher interest rates makes these stocks less attractive to investors. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Mar 14, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-14/dividend-stocks-fall-on-rising-rate-forecast-ecopulse.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons for investor rotation into and out of these… Read more »