Pitney Bowes Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI  ) reported earnings on Jan. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Pitney Bowes beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue contracted and GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
Pitney Bowes booked revenue of $1.29 billion. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $1.27 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.34 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.56. The four earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.49 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.55 for Q4 were 57% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.29 per share. (The prior-year quarter included $1.04 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.)

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 49.6%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 15.2%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.6%, 1,060 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.19 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.50.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $4.75 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.93.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 292 members out of 357 rating the stock outperform, and 65 members rating it underperform. Among 102 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 91 give Pitney Bowes a green thumbs-up, and 11 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Pitney Bowes is outperform, with an average price target of $15.00.

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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Now in 175 Countries

Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) Kindle Paperwhite is now available to customers in more than 175 countries and territories worldwide. Available in WI-FI only and WI-FI + 3G models, the Kindle Paperwhite lets customers use the device in nine languages -- Brazilian Portugese, French, English, British English, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese.�

Launched in October 2012, Kindle Paperwhite contains 62% more pixels and 25% more contrast than the previous generation Kindle. As with all Kindles, the Paperwhtie device comes pre-registered with customers' Amazon accounts and instant access to the Kindle Store.�Customers can order Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi only for $139 and Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi + 3G for $199.

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Under Armour Nails It

Shares of Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) are up more than 5% this afternoon after the company reported beating analysts' expectations in the fourth quarter. The athletic apparel brand provided strong sales over the fourth quarter, and seemed to be untouched by the weak customer demand that plagued other retailers over the holidays. The company has recently set its sights on an increase in sales from its footwear division, and that goal played out well over the last quarter. Here's a rundown of the results, and what investors should be looking for over the next year.

Fourth-quarter success
Under Armour made a strong push when it needed one, and revenue climbed 25% in the quarter, resulting in a 25% gain over the course of 2012. Earnings per share rose 52% to $0.47, beating expectations of $0.46. The jump in revenue marked the 11th straight quarter of 20% or higher increases, and highlights why the company is trading at a P/E close to 50.

Sales of footwear, which the company has focused on recently, increased 43% and accounted for 9% of the company's total sales. In the third quarter, the company said that it still felt like it was in the early stages of breaking into much of the footwear market. CEO and founder Kevin Plank said, "Our [market] share in Running is in the low single digits, but we're in the early stage of growth and just now finding the right cadence in this $6 billion category in the U.S. alone." So far, the company has focused on its cleated footwear market share, but an increase in running shoes could mean big earnings around the corner.

Finally, Under Armour saw a nice turnaround in free cash over the last year, with capital expenditures from 2011's purchase of its new headquarters finished up. That coupled with a big lift in cash from operations -- up to $200 million from 2011's $15 million�-- giving Under Armour plenty of cash to work with in 2013.

The coming competition
It's going to need that spare cash, too, as footwear is a dicey game. By entering into competition in the world of running, Under Armour is making a bold move against Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) , which is still the king of footwear. In the three months that ended in November, Nike earned $1.5 billion in revenue on footwear in North America alone. That's just shy of Under Armour's full-year revenue, which came in at $1.8 billion. Until now, Under Armour has merely bumped up against Nike, which only does about a third of its business in apparel.

Stiffer competition could mean that Under Armour starts to lose out on its gross margin due to competitive pressure. Gross margin fell over a percentage point in the fourth quarter due to an increase in shipping and a shift in product mix. The company managed to avoid having its bottom line affected by increasing efficiency at the selling, general, and administrative level, which cut more than 3.5 percentage points off those costs. Right now, strong margins are helping Under Armour afford its high valuation, and investors should watch closely for any signs of increased competition, which could severely impact the share price.

Under Armour may also see more competition from lululemon athletica,�which has a similarly high valuation. Recently, Under Armour's management team has talked about the value of the women's business to the company's long-term growth. Right now, the biggest product lines have been sports bras and base layers, but that may change as the company is focused on new product development.

The bottom line
Under Armour posted a solid quarter of growth, and it continues to make a push for new market share without the usual margin depression that comes with that kind of move. But the next year is going to present new challenges for the company, as it starts to rub up against the well-defined walls around Nike and the oddly flexible walls of Lululemon. That's not necessarily going to hurt margins, but I'd be shocked if gross margins finished 2013 at their current position.

Investors should also watch for strong growth in the footwear department. Under Armour will have sunk a decent chunk of time and cash into developing footwear to compete with the other big boys, and a failure on that front would be a massive setback. If there's one spot to watch in 2013, it's shoes.

More expert advice from The Motley Fool
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Imperial Tobacco Group Falls on Revised First-Half Forecasts

LONDON -- Shares dropped in�Imperial Tobacco� (LSE: IMT  ) (NASDAQOTH: ITYBY  ) �this morning to 2,357 pence, down 4.5% in early trade after closing last night at 2,466 pence.�

This followed first-quarter results that reported market trends worsening in key areas, including the EU and Russia, with rising illicit trade blamed for the declines in legal market size. As such, management expects first-half adjusted operating profit to be down year on year, with 55% anticipated to be delivered in the second half, while full-year results remain in line with expectations.�

Q1 did see growth over the whole portfolio, though, with net revenue up 12% and volume growth 10% in key strategic brands�Davidoff,�Gauloises,�West, and�JPS. Fine-cut tobacco saw 9% increases in both categories, while Scandinavia's snus business saw 40% and 33%�in net revenue and volume growth respectively. Cigars remained stable in net revenue, while volume growth rose 3%.

Overall, this led to total tobacco net revenue rising over 2%, with price mix improvement of 3.5%. Stick equivalent volumes decreased 1%.

However, estimations of the aforementioned EU decline put the legal stick equivalent market size down 5% and the legal cigarette market size dropped off 7%, leading chief executive Alison Cooper to comment:�"This reinforces the importance of our two focus areas for 2013: further investing behind our key total tobacco assets and geographies; and accelerating our cost optimisation program, providing funds for investment and mitigation for the full year given the current European environment."

Cooper continued:�"Challenging environments also present opportunities; our focus on the consumer, our total tobacco portfolio and new consumer experiences are key to realizing those opportunities and continuing to drive sustainable quality growth."

Elsewhere in the news this morning, Imperial Tobacco announced the appointment of Mark Williamson as deputy chairman of the Board. Williamson joined the Board in July 2007 and was appointed senior independent nonexecutive director in 2012, a role which he will continue to perform.

Additionally, Imperial's finance director Bob Dyrbus has informed the Board of his intention to retire, following 25 years with the company as a senior executive. Chairman Iain Napier commented: "I would like to thank Bob for the huge contribution he's made to our success. As well as taking overall responsibility for the effective financial management and control of the Group for many years, Bob's played a key role in expanding our international operations through acquisitions that have created significant value for our shareholders."

Imperial Tobacco forms a significant part of the holdings of�Neil Woodford, the City analyst who manages to beat the FTSE year after year. As such,�his choices are well worth taking a look at�-- and today's drop-off in the share price might well create a buying opportunity for a FTSE 100 company well regarded by the master investor.

If you want to learn more of his investments, then the FREE Motley Fool report "8 Shares Held by Britain's Super-Investor"�lists in detail seven of Woodford's favored companies, on top of Imperial. It will only be available for a limited period, so�click here�to get your copy delivered to your inbox.

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U.S. Consumer Spending Up Slight 0.2%, Biggest Income Gain in 8 Years

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. consumers increased their spending in December at a slower pace, while their income grew by the largest amount in eight years. Income surged because companies rushed to pay dividends before income taxes increased on high-earners.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that consumer spending rose 0.2 percent last month. That's slightly slower than the 0.4 percent increase in November.

Income jumped 2.6 percent in December from November. Companies accelerated dividend payments to beat the January rise in income tax rates. It was the biggest gain since December 2004.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity, is expected to slow this year. That's because consumers are receiving less take-home pay starting this month.

Congress and the White House reached a deal on Jan. 1 to prevent income taxes from rising on all but the wealthiest Americans. But they allowed a temporary reduction in Social Security taxes to expire this year. That means a person earning $50,000 a year will have about $1,000 less to spend in 2013. A household with two high-paid workers will have up to $4,500 less.

The diminished pay could slow consumer spending and economic growth at a precarious moment.

The economy unexpectedly shrank in the October-December period at an annual rate of 0.1 percent, Commerce said Wednesday. The dip was a reminder of the economy's vulnerability as automatic cuts in government spending loom.

Some analysts have estimated that the roughly $120 billion in higher Social Security taxes could subtract up to 0.7 percentage point from growth this year.

And other policy decisions in Washington could slow growth further.

The agreement on the fiscal cliff averted income tax cuts on most consumers. But it only delayed across-the-board government spending cuts for two months. The cuts are set to take effect on March 1 if no agreement is reached to avert them.

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it was keeping all its aggressive stimulus programs in place. These include $85 billion a month in bond purchases. The purchases are intended to keep long-term interest rates down to encourage spending, boost growth and reduce still-high unemployment.

The Fed also left its target for short-term rates at a record low and said it would stay there at least until unemployment, now at 7.8 percent, stays above 6.5 percent. Many economists think unemployment remained at 7.8 percent in January. The January jobs report will be released Friday.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Your Ticket to Canada - Follow the Money… And Welcome A New Job & Lifestyle

Have you ever imagined starting fresh abroad? Wouldn’t it be great to transfer your skills, earn a superior salary while enjoying a high quality of life and leisure time? Well, if you feel its time for a change then read on…

This article focuses on the province of Alberta in the Western region of Canada, which is currently entering a remarkable growth cycle and creating quality job opportunities for workers and their families who are looking to relocate.

Where?

Alberta is home to the Rocky Mountains, West Edmonton Mall, the Calgary Stampede and the massive growth engine we call the Oil Sands. The province is Canada’s economic powerhouse spanning 661,848 square kilometers comprising a unique landscape made up of prairies, rivers and lakes throughout. The Rocky Mountains form the western border to British Columbia. This rich area is dotted with pristine glacier lakes and abundant wildlife such as bear, elk, sheep and deer.

Dip your paddle in the fresh, glacier water and travel downstream to unspoiled emerald green lakes. Tether your canoe and enjoy a picnic on a secluded, grassy shore or drop by one of the many artisan cafes to enjoy a hearty lunch prepared from local ingredients. Adventures wait in every season.

Alberta is a popular tourist spot for worldwide travelers that share a love of nature with the 3.8 Million diverse and multicultural people that call the province home. You’ll find ample room in this welcoming province for everyone.

And with direct flights from Alberta to all the major U.S. hubs, it’s easy to visit relatives back home or have them join you for an exploration in Canada.

Map: www.education.canada.com 

Why?

Why is Alberta a good place to relocate to?

To put it simply, Alberta’s economy is expanding and the labor force is shrinking. Alberta needs more workers to fill almost every category of job.

With economic ties to the U.S., Canadian employers embrace the opportunity to work with folks from the States. Canadians and Americans alike have a strong work ethics, as well as value their free time and family time making it a priority to strike harmony between the two.

The new occupational demand and supply outlook (2011-2021) forecasts that Alberta will generate over 606,000 jobs and approximately 492,000 new workers will join the labor force by 2021. It also predicts that the province could face a cumulative labor shortage of up to 114,000 workers across all sectors by 2021, up from the previous shortage of 77,000 workers forecast two years ago.

“There’s no way around it, Canada’s petroleum industry will struggle to find the workers it needs over the next 10 years,” said Cheryl Knight, the council’s executive director and CEO.

Strong employment growth is expected to continue through 2014 at an annual average of just under two per cent. The unemployment rate is expected to drop to 4.5 per cent by 2014. This decrease in the unemployment rate could lead to labor shortages in specific high-growth industries and occupations.

Source: Government of Alberta Human Services

Economy

Alberta has capitalized on strengths in agriculture, energy, forestry and industrial products to develop a diverse economy. As Canada's energy province, Alberta is home to more than 60 percent of the country's conventional crude oil reserves and all of its heavy oil and oil sands reserves.

Other key industries include petrochemicals, agriculture and agri-food, forestry and wood products, tourism, information and communication technology, nanotechnology and microsystems, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and health technology and services.

Alberta is the only province in Canada with no provincial sales tax and our personal income tax is the lowest in Canada. This positive business climate attracts investment and allows Alberta businesses to compete successfully around the world.

Alberta’s economic advantages include:

• A young, skilled and productive workforce
• A strong commitment to innovation and knowledge-based industries
• A highly competitive business environment
• No provincial retail sales tax and the lowest personal tax rate in Canada
• A modern and efficient infrastructure
• An abundance of natural resources
• A financially responsible provincial government

Source: www.albertacanada.com

 

Quick Facts

• On average, the province’s 3.8 million people are the youngest of all Canadian provinces, with a median age of 35.8 years.
• One of every six Albertans was born outside of Canada.
• Over the past 20 years, Alberta’s economy has led the nation in average annual economic growth, and is poised to lead again in economic growth by 2012.
• The energy sector is Alberta’s driving economic force and is supported by other key industry sectors: petrochemicals, agriculture and agri-food, forest products, industrial machinery and metal fabrication, tourism, and information and communications technology.
• Alberta’s international airports in Edmonton and Calgary provide excellent air service to both domestic and international destinations.

Source: www.energy.alberta.ca

Housing, Wages and Happiness:

“Canada has a brilliant future. Alberta is vital, and growth in Alberta is vital, for Canada’s jobs growth and prosperity in the future,” the Canadian Finance Minister said, later adding: “In many ways, Alberta is the centre of the Canadian economy today.”

Are you Happy? The United States ranks 11th  whereas Canada is ranked 5th happiest country in the world, according to the UN’s World Happiness Ranking on the social and economic wellbeing of nations.

It finds the world has, broadly speaking, become a “little happier” in the past three decades, as living standards have risen.

What’s not to be happy about? Living in a country that is safe, clean, has excellent health care, remains affordable and offers growth and opportunity in the workplace is envious to especially for those that come from beleaguered countries or unstable economies.

How Much Does it Cost to Live In Alberta? Alberta is currently the most affordable province to live in all of Canada. Here you have the highest incomes and lowest taxes, making your money stretch the farthest.

Alberta: attractive affordability spurs housing market activity
Alberta's housing affordability levels remained attractive in the first quarter of 2012, with RBC's measures for the province standing among the lowest, if not the lowest, across the country. A strong provincial economy and relatively affordable housing pushed home resale activity up 11.5 per cent year-over-year. As Alberta continues to lead the country in economic growth this year, RBC expects brisk housing activity to persevere.

• The long-awaited resurgence of Calgary's housing market appears to have launched in recent months. Home resales were up a notable 7.4 per cent in the first quarter, compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. Still, home prices have remained flat, for the most part, keeping housing affordability in check, with some of the best levels among Canada's largest cities. RBC expects the home resale market resurgence to continue through the remainder of the year.

Average, minimum and maximum rental rates based on House rental listings posted by Edmonton property owners / managers over the past year 2011-2012: 

Bedrooms:	Average:	Minimum:	Maximum:
n/a	$1,163	$175	$2,100
1	$810	$401	$1,750
2	$1,112	$500	$3,300
3	$1,496	$495	$3,200
4	$1,777	$430	$4,795
5	$1,895	$650	$3,600
6	$2,303	$1,495	$3,000
7	$2,395	$2,395	$2,395

Canadian Cities Average House Prices
January 2012

City	Average House Price	12 Month Change
Vancouver, BC	$752,000	- 1.3 %
Toronto, Ont	$464,000	+ 8.5 %
Calgary, Alb	$382,000	- 3.1 %
Ottawa, Ont	$350,000	+ 6.0 %
Montreal, Que	$311,000	+ 5.6 %
Regina, Sask	$285,000	+ 9.5 %
Halifax, NS	$259,000	+ 2.9 %
Fredericton, NB	$159,000	+ 10.7 %

 
---------------Wage Snapshot

PROVINCIAL TOTALS

$24.84 combined hourly average

 OCCUPATION TITLEFood Service Supervisors38.0$13.2812% Farm Supervisors and Specialized Livestock Workers44.0$18.619.9%

Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians

39.6$33.029.8% Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics42.0$31.419.1%

Inspectors in Public and Environmental Health and Occupational Health and Safety

37.7$37.107.2% Mechanical Engineers39.9$47.606.7% Oil and Gas Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers and Related Workers48.4$26.986.0% Truck Drivers47.7$25.695.9% Welders and Related Machine Operators41.5$32.254.8% Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers42.7$21.554.3% Human Resources Managers38.4$47.92

4.0%

Note: Only those vacancy rates greater than the provincial/regional totals are reported in these tables. Source: 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Alberta Human Services.

When?

  

Housing in Alberta is ranked in the #1 position for affordability based on income versus the cost of living.  At 32.7% of the median Alberta salary going to pay for housing, coupled with low interest rates, you can buy property at bargain prices.

Source RBC Report Q3 2012 http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/images/HA-Canada-1122-2012.jpg With a growing economy, spectacular nature and an easy transition from life in the States, Alberta is not only a smart place, but a welcoming place to make home.

Whether you are looking to move to Canada for a career opportunity or seeking a safe haven for your investment capital, Alberta is the definitive choice. There is no doubt the right time, is right now. 

 

4 Stocks Betting on Super Bowl Sunday

There are three certainties heading into Sunday night's Super Bowl.

• A Harbaugh brother will win.
• A Harbaugh brother will lose.
• A lot of people will be tuning in just for the commercials.

Yes, the ads have become a big part of the country's most-watched event of the year. CBS�is reportedly collecting a record $3.7 million to $3.8 million for every 30-second slot during the NFL championship game.

Most of the advertisers are gargantuan food, beverage, and car companies. There is little that they can accomplish in a brief clip of airtime that will excite investors. However, there are more than a few small and medium-size publicly traded companies that will be in the mix this year. Let's go over four in particular that investors may want to keep an eye on.

Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM  )
RIM shares are tanking after the BlackBerry 10 unveiling, and predictably so. However, now many consumers will get their first glimpse at the fading smartphone maker's new devices and the bar-raising features of its new mobile operating system. This could very well be RIM's last chance to matter, and the ad will have to wow consumers now that the presentation didn't wow investors.

SodaStream (NASDAQ: SODA  )
CBS rejected SodaStream's original ad, which reportedly poked fun at the old cola war ads starring Pepsi and Coke truck drivers. Plan B for SodaStream is a tweaked version of its recent "SodaStream Effect" spot, in which exploding bottles illustrate the eco-friendly nature of making fresh soda at home. SodaStream's coming off what should have been a monster holiday quarter, but we'll know when it reports next month.

Gildan Activewear (NYSE: GIL  )
The Wall Street Journal reports that this Canadian T-shirt maker spent just $1 million advertising in the United States last year. It's going to spend that several times over on Sunday night with its first Super Bowl spot.

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY  )
The consumer electronics giant has snapped up Super Bowl ads before, but this time the superstore chain has a new CEO and a desperate need to regain its relevance. Hopefully it won't spend its costly 30 seconds marketing another add-on service that shoppers clearly don't want.

Score big in 2013
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Can Rudolph Technologies Beat These Numbers?

Rudolph Technologies (Nasdaq: RTEC  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 4. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Rudolph Technologies's revenues will increase 30.3% and EPS will increase 26.7%.

The average estimate for revenue is $56.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.19.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Rudolph Technologies recorded revenue of $62.2 million. GAAP reported sales were 50% higher than the prior-year quarter's $41.4 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.25. GAAP EPS of $0.20 for Q3 were 25% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.16 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 53.3%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 19.4%, 690 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.7%, 210 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $221.0 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.74.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 89 members out of 95 rating the stock outperform, and six members rating it underperform. Among 25 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 24 give Rudolph Technologies a green thumbs-up, and one give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Rudolph Technologies is outperform, with an average price target of $14.30.

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• Add Rudolph Technologies to My Watchlist.

1 Reason to Expect Big Things from CLARCOR

Here at The Motley Fool, I've long cautioned investors to keep a close eye on inventory levels. It's a part of my standard diligence when searching for the market's best stocks. I think a quarterly checkup can help you spot potential problems. For many companies, products that sit on the shelves too long can become big trouble. Stale inventory may be sold for lower prices, hurting profitability. In extreme cases, it may be written off completely and sent to the shredder.

Basic guidelines
In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at CLARCOR (NYSE: CLC  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is CLARCOR doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, not so great. Trailing-12-month revenue decreased 0.4%, and inventory increased 5.5%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks potentially problematic. Revenue dropped 4.8%, and inventory increased 5.5%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks healthy. Revenue grew 2.2%, and inventory grew 0.3%.

Advanced inventory
I don't stop my checkup there, because the type of inventory can matter even more than the overall quantity. There's even one type of inventory bulge we sometimes like to see. You can check for it by examining the quarterly filings to evaluate the different kinds of inventory: raw materials, work-in-progress inventory, and finished goods. (Some companies report the first two types as a single category.)

A company ramping up for increased demand may increase raw materials and work-in-progress inventory at a faster rate when it expects robust future growth. As such, we might consider oversized growth in those categories to offer a clue to a brighter future, and a clue that most other investors will miss. We call it "positive inventory divergence."

On the other hand, if we see a big increase in finished goods, that often means product isn't moving as well as expected, and it's time to hunker down with the filings and conference calls to find out why.

What's going on with the inventory at CLARCOR? I chart the details below for both quarterly and 12-month periods.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of latest fully reported quarter. Dollar amounts in millions. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of latest fully reported quarter. Dollar amounts in millions. FQ = fiscal quarter.

Let's dig into the inventory specifics. On a trailing-12-month basis, work-in-progress inventory was the fastest-growing segment, up 13.0%. On a sequential-quarter basis, raw materials inventory was the fastest-growing segment, up 2.4%. Although CLARCOR shows inventory growth that outpaces revenue growth, the company may also display positive inventory divergence, suggesting that management sees increased demand on the horizon.

Foolish bottom line
When you're doing your research, remember that aggregate numbers such as inventory balances often mask situations that are more complex than they appear. Even the detailed numbers don't give us the final word. When in doubt, listen to the conference call, or contact investor relations. What at first looks like a problem may actually signal a stock that will provide great returns. And what might look hunky-dory at first glance could actually be warning you to cut your losses before the rest of the Street wises up.

Looking for alternatives to CLARCOR? It takes more than great companies to build a fortune for the future. Learn the basic financial habits of millionaires next door and get focused stock ideas in our free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add CLARCOR �to My Watchlist.

Standard Pacific Earnings: An Early Look

With hundreds of companies having already reported quarterly results, we're now in the heart of earnings season. The key to making smart investment decisions with stocks releasing their quarter reports is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed, knee-jerk reaction that turns out to be exactly the wrong move to the news.

Let's turn to Standard Pacific (NYSE: SPF  ) . The homebuilder has suffered through the long housing bust, but finally, some signs of life are emerging, and the stock has reacted very favorably to the news. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Standard Pacific over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report on Thursday.

Stats on Standard Pacific

Analyst EPS Estimate	$0.07
Change From Year-Ago EPS	75%
Revenue Estimate	$373 million
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	27.2%
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	2

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Can Standard Pacific keep building?
Analysts have been rock-solid on their ideas about Standard Pacific, with earnings-per-share estimates not budging at all in the past three months. Investors, though, have been increasingly optimistic, as the shares have soared more than 22% just since late October.

Across the industry, homebuilders have seen massive improvement in the past year. The positive combination of rock-bottom mortgage rates and the perception that home prices have flattened have greatly boosted the amount of home-shopping traffic, especially among cash-rich investor-buyers who've raced in to pick up bargains in particularly hard-hit areas. With Standard Pacific based in Southern California and serving many formerly hot markets like Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, it's primed to benefit more than many more broadly diversified companies.

Standard Pacific has had to overcome some obstacles that its peers haven't. By aiming at the middle and higher end of the market, KB Home (NYSE: KBH  ) and Lennar (NYSE: LEN  ) have seen improving delivery rates, sale prices, and margins combine to produce better results, capitalizing on the fact that high-end households haven't been hurt as badly by the recession. But Standard Pacific and Hovnanian (NYSE: HOV  ) have more of an entry-level focus, and their customer base got crushed by the housing bust and economic recession. So positive news and rising new orders for Standard Pacific are exceptional, and if the company can continue that trend this quarter, it could mean a turning point in the market.

The key for Standard Pacific's earnings report is to remember that the stock has already priced in substantial gains for the homebuilder. Anything that falls short of those high expectations could lead to shares giving back a big part of those gains.�

Build your portfolio
Regardless of what area of the market you focus on, the best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. In our free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," we name stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of.�Click here now�to keep reading.

Click here to add Standard Pacific to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

How CEOs Inspire Passionate Employees

In the following video, Motley Fool analyst Brendan Byrnes sits down with Maynard Webb, author of Rebooting Work: Transform How You Work in the Age of Entrepreneurship.

Finding innovative companies to invest in for the new age of entrepreneurship can be as easy as investing in your own backyard. Our free report, "3 American Companies Set to Dominate the World," shows you how. Click here to get your free copy before it's gone.

Brendan Byrnes: So how can employers specifically get that out of their employees? Obviously not everyone is going to be self-employed. How can employers drive that and get people to achieve both goals?

Maynard Webb: Well, I think employers need to realize they have to get voted onto the team everyday just like employees do. The more that employers can build an environment that challenges people, helps them learn and grow, they'll become the employer of choice more than ever before.

How Student Loans Could Ruin the Economy

If you have student debt, sending in those monthly payments might be a pain. But even if you don't have any student debt, it's becoming clearer that the student debt issue will become a problem for you and the economy at large. Why?

The amount of debt and delinquency�rates keeps growing, and without major policy changes, it will keep weighing down growth.

Joining the crowd
When the recession hit, we could look at growing enrollment rates in higher education to comfort ourselves that even if the economy wasn't looking bright, there would be plenty of bright people in the future to lift it out of its funk. Unfortunately, a lot of these students who took on debt have had trouble repaying it. Now these financial obligations hold back their spending and might require higher intervention.

A new report from the Fair Isaac Corporation� (NYSE: FICO  ) -- the same company that developed the ubiquitous credit score -- sums up the situation in several graphics after analyzing data from 10 million credit files. From the 81% of us who don't have student debt to the nearly 1% of us who hold more than $100,000 in student debt, this issue needs further examination.

The opposite of deleveraging
In March of last year, the average student debt balance was found to be $23,300 by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In October, average debt for the class of 2011 was reported at $26,500 by the Institute for College Access and Success. Now, FICO reports that the average student debt is $27,250:

Source: FICO, "Is Growing Student Loan Debt Impacting Credit Risk?" Jan. 2013.

While consumers learned lessons from overextending their credit during the recession and average credit card and auto debt fell, average student-loan debt increased 58% since 2005. Deleveraging and shedding excess debt is an important step in getting the economy right-side-up, but student loans are working against this. As former students pay back loans, they have less money to spend on new houses, iPhones, and business ventures.

Fewer are paying on time
And those missed iPhone sales are assuming that student debt holders are even paying off their loans. The delinquency rate for student loans as reported by the Department of Education in September was 13.4% for the 2009 cohort and a whopping 22.4% at for-profit institutions. The FICO study found even scarier figures for loans between 2010 and 2012:

Source:�FICO, "Is Growing Student Loan Debt Impacting Credit Risk?" Jan. 2013.

More than 25% of student loans became delinquent. With the entire student-debt market near or already above $1 trillion, depending on the source, that's a lot of potential losses. Taking even a conservative figure of 10% of those loans being discharged, that's $100 billion in losses. But for whom?

Who gets the rotten apple?
Mostly, the federal government. Since July 2010, under the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, private companies like Sallie Mae� (NASDAQ: SLM  ) have not handed out any new Federal Family Education Loan Program loans, which the federal government insured against default. But companies do offer private education loans, which Sallie Mae estimates paid for 4% of undergraduate costs in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, Sallie Mae itself originated $2.7 billion in private education loans, and, given the risks associated with student loans, 91% of these had a cosigner.

While companies can't originate any new FFELP loans, they do still service them. The largest holders in 2011 besides Sallie Mae, which holds $115 billion, were�Nelnet� (NYSE: NNI  ) and Citigroup's� (NYSE: C  ) �Citibank, with $25 billion, and�Wells Fargo� (NYSE: WFC  ) , with $18 billion. Only Nelnet's holdings increased from 2010, while the other companies reduced their holdings by at least 10%.

What is $100 billion to the federal government? Take a look at the automatic cuts our government fought so hard over, only to delay decisions for a few months. If a new agreement is not put into place, defense cuts in 2013 will be $42.7 billion. Both domestic and defense cuts after 2013 will be $54.7 billion per year. Absorbing losses from bad student loans would be the subject of a major argument in Congress.

Why student debt is special
And if losses aren't discharged by the government, there is little freedom for student debt holders. Student debt has a special status and can't easily be discharged through bankruptcy. The government can garnish wages and hold onto tax refunds. And the Department of Education hires collections agencies and pays them up to 20% of the collection amount recovered.

The choices now seem to be either let the government absorb the losses or keep the ball and chain of student debt lashed to the country's economic growth. Both seem tough to swallow.

The decline in Wells Fargo's seemingly risky student-debt holdings speaks to its dedication to solid, conservative banking. But with its stock trading at a premium to the rest of the industry, is there still room to buy, or is it time to cash in your gains? To help you figure out whether Wells Fargo is a buy today, I invite you to download our premium research report from one of The Motley Fool's top banking analysts. Click here now for instant access to this in-depth take on Wells Fargo.

Next in BP Spill Saga: Civil Trial That Could Cost Billions

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Now that a $4 billion plea deal has resolved BP's (NYSE: BP  ) criminal liability for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill nearly three years ago, the company will turn its focus to a trial that could potentially cost it billions of dollars more in civil penalties.

At the conclusion of a hearing Tuesday that included emotional testimony and a�BP�executive's apology, a federal judge agreed to let the London-based oil giant plead guilty to manslaughter charges for the April 2010 deaths of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig and pay the record amount of criminal penalties.

What the plea deal approved by U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance doesn't resolve, though, is the federal government's civil claims against�BP.

A trial scheduled to start Feb. 25 is designed to identify the causes of BP's well blowout, which triggered the deadly rig explosion and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The first phase of the trial also is designed to assign percentages of blame to�BP�and its partners in the ill-fated drilling project.

BP�and the Justice Department have engaged in settlement talks that could resolve the civil claims against�BP�by the federal government and Gulf states before trial.

David Uhlmann, a University of Michigan law professor and former chief of the Justice Department's environmental crimes section, said it's reasonable to expect a civil settlement with the Justice Department to cost�BP�more than twice as much as the criminal settlement.

"There is tremendous incentive for both sides to settle," Uhlmann said, noting that�BP�would face much larger civil penalties if the government can convince the trial judge that the company acted with gross negligence before the deadly blowout.

Vance noted that the company already has racked up more than $24 billion in spill-related expenses and has estimated it will pay a total of $42 billion to fully resolve its liability for the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP�agreed in November to plead guilty to charges involving the workers' deaths and for lying to Congress about the size of the spill from its broken well, which spewed more than 200 million gallons of oil. Much of it ended up in the Gulf and soiled the shorelines of several states. The company could have withdrawn from the agreement if Vance had rejected it. The judge said the $4 billion criminal settlement is "just punishment" for�BP, even though the company could have paid far more without going broke. In accepting the deal, Vance also cited the risk that a trial could result in a much lower fine for�BP, one potentially capped by law at $8.2 million.

The criminal settlement calls for�BP�to pay nearly $1.3 billion in fines. The largest previous corporate criminal penalty assessed by the Justice Department was a $1.2 billion fine against drug maker Pfizer in 2009.

The plea deal also includes payments of nearly $2.4 billion to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $350 million to the National Academy of Sciences. The two groups will administer the money to fund Gulf restoration and oil spill prevention projects.

The $4 billion in total penalties are 160 times greater than the $25 million fine that Exxon paid for the 1989 Valdez spill in Alaska, Vance noted.

Before she ruled, the judge heard an apology from a�BP�executive and emotional testimony from relatives of the 11 workers who died when BP's blown-out Macondo well triggered an explosion on the rig and started the spill.

"I've heard and I truly understand your feelings and the losses you suffered," Vance told the family members.

Keith Jones, whose 28-year-old son, Gordon, died in the rig explosion, said $4 billion isn't adequate punishment.

"It is petty cash to�BP," he told Vance. "Their stock went up after this plea deal was announced."

Billy Anderson, whose 35-year-old son, Jason, of Midfield, Texas, died in the blast, recalled the trauma of watching the disaster play out on television.

"These men suffered a horrendous death," he said. "They were basically cremated alive and not at their choice."

BP�America vice president Luke Keller apologized to the relatives of the workers who died and for the spill's environmental damage to the Gulf Coast.

"BP�knows there is nothing we can say to diminish their loss," he said. "The lives lost and those forever changed will stay with us. We are truly sorry."

A series of government investigations have blamed the blowout on time-saving, cost-cutting decisions by�BP�and its partners on the drilling project.

Most of the families of rig workers who were killed or injured in the explosion already have settled their claims against�BP, through a process separate from this plea deal.

BP�also has separately agreed to a settlement with lawyers for Gulf Coast residents and businesses who claim the spill cost them money.�BP�estimates the deal with private attorneys will cost the company roughly $7.8 billion.

The Justice Department also has reached a settlement with rig owner Transocean (NYSE: RIG  ) that resolves the government's civil and criminal claims over the Swiss-based company's role in the disaster.

Transocean agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating the Clean Water Act and pay $1.4 billion in civil and criminal penalties. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo has scheduled a Feb. 14 hearing to decide whether to accept that criminal settlement. A different judge will decide whether to accept Transocean's civil settlement.

In other criminal cases, four current or former�BP�employees have been indicted.�BP�rig supervisors Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine are charged with manslaughter, accused of repeatedly disregarding abnormal high-pressure readings that should have been glaring indications of trouble just before the blowout.

David Rainey, BP's former vice president of exploration for the Gulf of Mexico, was charged with withholding information from Congress about the amount of oil that was gushing from the well.

Former�BP�engineer Kurt Mix was charged with deleting text messages about the company's spill response.

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How Did This Major Utility Fare in 2012?

Despite a drop in revenue and a pullback in usage in the residential sector, Southern Co (NYSE: SO  ) was able to drive 6.8% growth in its bottom line. Assisted a bit by the industrial sector and lower maintenance expenses, Southern Co. avoided a disappointing showing in the face of more moderate temperatures compared to a feverish 2011. The company's CEO believes 2013 should be strong��-- the back-half specifically --�for operations and shareholders,�as the company continues to focus on its revitalization of nuclear power. What does this mean for peers who are still in the reporting on-deck circle? Motley Fool analyst explains.

Utilities have been downtrodden compared to the market lately. Is now a great entry point into a dividend heavyweight?

As the nation moves increasingly toward clean energy, Exelon is perfectly positioned to capitalize on having the largest nuclear fleet in North America. Combine this strength with an increased focus on renewable energy, and EXC's recent merger with Constellation places�Exelon and its best-in-class dividend on a short list of top utilities. To determine if Exelon is a good long-term fit for your portfolio, you're invited to check out The Motley Fool's premium research report on the company. Simply�click here now�for instant access.

3 Reasons to Sell Pandora Today

Pandora (NYSE: P  ) shares slipped 2% yesterday after an analyst downgrade.

Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter may have bumped his target price from $10 to $11.50, but that's not a compliment when the stock closed higher than that on Monday. His rating on the music-discovery speedster is being cut from outperform to neutral.

Let's break this down into the three reasons that Pandora may be heading lower in the coming weeks.

1. The stock has moved too high, too fast
There's really only one reason an analyst would raise a price target but slash a rating, and that's when a stock has shot higher in a hurry. The stock has soared by roughly 60% since bottoming out two months ago.

Have the gains been warranted? The climate has been kind for online companies, but we can't forget that Pandora took a hit in early December after posting uninspiring quarterly results. Pandora really didn't earn this 60% pop.

"Shares have likely benefited from recent positive reports from Google and Netflix," Pachter argues, and there's some truth to that.

Netflix� (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) ,�Pandora, and Google's� (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) �YouTube are the only three companies serving more than a billion hours of digital content, and both Netflix and Google came through with blowout quarterly results earlier this month.

However, the comparisons should pretty much end there.

Google is a very profitable search engine. YouTube is a small part of its business, and it's widely believed to be a drag on margins. Netflix�now has more than 33 million streaming accounts, and that's premium customers who have made the company surprisingly profitable despite the stiff content licensing fees and costly bandwidth.

Pandora doesn't have the benefits that have made Google and Netflix shine. Yes, Pandora's growing faster than either company, but analysts see nothing but red ink in the near future given Pandora's steep music royalty obligations.

2. Apple isn't going away
Pandora's stock has been vulnerable as reports of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) introducing a streaming service surface.

It's easy to be apprehensive. Apple is the country's leading music retailer, and that's without selling a single CD. If the digital music giant sets its sights on streaming -- and all indications point to Apple lining up licensing rights with the major labels these days -- it's going to leave a mark.

Pachter expects Apple to announce its service early this year. He sees it taking as much as 15% share from Pandora, though the one thing holding it back will be the likely lack of support for Google's Android. The move would limit the service's mobile appeal to iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners.

3. Sirius XM has quietly arrived
Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI  ) finally introduced its streaming customized radio platform late last week. It's still in beta, but one can't ignore a company with 23.9 million satellite radio subscribers. These are folks who actually pay to hear audio content, and the same can't be said for most of Pandora's 67.1 million active listeners.

This is where Pandora is the most vulnerable.

Sirius XM has had a hard time selling stand-alone online radio subscriptions at its lofty $14.49-a-month price tag, but it only charges customers paying that same $14.49 a month for receiver-based satellite radio just $3.50 a month more for streaming access.

Between the live channel streams, on-demand content, and now MySXM personalized radio, Sirius XM has a pretty compelling value proposition for audio buffs. Drivers who are already paying the company for access on the road will be encouraged to pay a little more to keep streaming everywhere they go.

MySXM won't be a threat to Pandora's freeloaders, but it will make it harder for the company to convert those listeners into paying Pandora One customers. At a time when Pandora is bellyaching about the high music royalties that it has to shell out, Apple and Sirius XM are about to join Spotify in stealing away premium subscribers from Pandora.

Streaming on
One can always argue that Pandora's 60% pop was the handiwork of the stock simply being too cheap when it was trading for a little more than $7 in November. There's certainly some truth to that, but the fundamentals haven't exactly improved. Yes, the growth metrics that followed for the months of November and December were healthy, but Pandora's guidance for the holiday quarter was disappointing.

The impressive year-over-year growth spurts will dry up quickly given the recent sequential stagnancy. Red ink and a model that relies too heavily on advertising aren't good looks when premium services are the ones being rewarded by investors.

Pandora's still growing, but the growing pains are also starting to show.

Panned aura
Pandora has won millions of devotees among music fans but few supporters on Wall Street. The online jukebox has put up dramatic growth numbers in its listenership, and seems to be redefining the way we consume music, a transformation that's only likely to grow. But high royalty rates and competition from all corners threatens to silence this upstart before it ever grabs the microphone. Can Pandora translate success with its listeners into a prosperous business model that will deliver for investors? Learn about the key opportunities and potential pitfalls facing the upstart radio streamer in The Motley Fool's new premium research report. Not only will you get the kind of insight normally found from high-priced Wall Street brokerages, but you'll also receive a year's worth of free updates. All you have to do is click here now to activate your subscription to this invaluable investor's resource.

Why Ashland Shares Slipped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of chemical maker Ashland (NYSE: ASH  ) were decomposing today, falling as much as 11% after the company came up short in its preliminary earnings report.

So what: Weak demand in emerging markets and a dramatic drop in the price of guar hurt the company. The company took a $31 million loss on straight guar, and overall revenue fell 3% to $1.87 billion, below estimates of $1.9 billion. Earnings per share also missed expectations by $0.27, falling 6.7% to $1.12 per share. CEO James O'Brien expressed his disappointment with the quarter but added: "The biggest issues affecting our performance have been addressed. The inventory issue with the straight guar is now behind us."

Now what: Consumer markets was one bright spot in the report, with a 34% EBITDA increase, and with the guar problems in the past, the company looks poised for growth again. O'Brien also noted that weak volumes in parts of the Specialty Ingredients business have returned to normal levels in January. I'd expect a better report next time quarter as the problems look temporary, and Ashland has a consistent record of topping earnings estimates.

Stay up to date on Ashland. Add the company to your Watchlist by clicking right here.�

New Head of Warner Bros. Named

Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) has named the next CEO of its Warner Bros. film production unit. Stepping into the role will be Kevin Tsujihara, replacing current chief Barry Meyer. Tsujihara will assume the post March 1; Meyer will continue to serve in his current function as chairman of the division until the end of the year.

Tsujihara is a longtime executive at the company, most recently serving as president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. He has been in that position since 2005, and started at the company in 1994 as director, special projects, finance. As president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, he oversees the company's home video, digital distribution, video games, anti-piracy, and emerging technology operations.

Tsujihara was quoted in the company press release as saying, "We're at a pivotal moment in the histories of Hollywood and entertainment: technology is changing the canvas we use to create theatrical releases; home entertainment is rapidly evolving; and the definition of television now includes viewing across a wide range of devices and services. But in my mind one thing remains clear and constant: Warner Bros.' unmatched ability to tell stories that inspire, educate, and entertain global audiences."

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Oil Slightly Higher After Mixed Economic Reports

NEW YORK (AP) -- The price of oil rose Monday after a strong durable goods report in the U.S.

Demand for long-lasting manufactured goods rose sharply in December with gains in volatile aircraft orders, the Commerce Department said. But the number of pending home sales fell last month after hitting a 2-and-a-half-year high in November.

Benchmark oil rose 56 cents to finish at $96.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

It's a big week for U.S. economic indicators. In addition to Monday's data, the government will release reports on weekly jobless claims, unemployment, and fourth-quarter growth. And the Federal Reserve's policy committee holds a two-day meeting that concludes on Wednesday.

At the pump, the average price for a gallon of gas rose over the weekend to $3.35, the highest level since the second week of December.

Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, rose 20 cents to end at $113.48 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

• Wholesale gasoline rose 6 cents to finish at $2.94 per gallon.
• Natural gas fell 16 cents to end at $3.29 per 1,000 cubic feet.
• Heating oil rose about half a cent to finish at $3.06 a gallon.

Can You Trust the Cash Flow at Peregrine Semiconductor?

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Peregrine Semiconductor (Nasdaq: PSMI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. FCF = free cash flow. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over the past 12 months, Peregrine Semiconductor generated $6.7 million cash while it booked a net loss of $1.1 million. That means it turned 3.8% of its revenue into FCF. That sounds OK.

All cash is not equal
Unfortunately, the cash flow statement isn't immune from nonsense, either. That's why it pays to take a close look at the components of cash flow from operations, to make sure that the cash flows are of high quality. What does that mean? To me, it means they need to be real and replicable in the upcoming quarters, rather than being offset by continual cash outflows that don't appear on the income statement (such as major capital expenditures).

For instance, cash flow based on cash net income and adjustments for non-cash income-statement expenses (like depreciation) is generally favorable. An increase in cash flow based on stiffing your suppliers (by increasing accounts payable for the short term) or shortchanging Uncle Sam on taxes will come back to bite investors later. The same goes for decreasing accounts receivable; this is good to see, but it's ordinary in recessionary times, and you can only increase collections so much. Finally, adding stock-based compensation expense back to cash flows is questionable when a company hands out a lot of equity to employees and uses cash in later periods to buy back those shares.

So how does the cash flow at Peregrine Semiconductor look? Take a peek at the chart below, which flags questionable cash flow sources with a red bar.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. TTM = trailing 12 months.

When I say "questionable cash flow sources," I mean items such as changes in taxes payable, tax benefits from stock options, and asset sales, among others. That's not to say that companies booking these as sources of cash flow are weak, or are engaging in any sort of wrongdoing, or that everything that comes up questionable in my graph is automatically bad news. But whenever a company is getting more than, say, 10% of its cash from operations from these dubious sources, investors ought to make sure to refer to the filings and dig in.

With 23.6% of operating cash flow coming from questionable sources, Peregrine Semiconductor investors should take a closer look at the underlying numbers. Within the questionable cash flow figure plotted in the TTM period above, stock-based compensation and related tax benefits provided the biggest boost, at 18.7% of cash flow from operations. Overall, the biggest drag on FCF came from capital expenditures, which consumed 69.2% of cash from operations.

A Foolish final thought
Most investors don't keep tabs on their companies' cash flow. I think that's a mistake. If you take the time to read past the headlines and crack a filing now and then, you're in a much better position to spot potential trouble early. Better yet, you'll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home-run stocks that provide the market's best returns.

Is Peregrine Semiconductor the best semiconductor stock for you? You may be missing something obvious. Check out the semiconductor company that Motley Fool analysts expect to lead "The Next Trillion-dollar Revolution." Click here for instant access to this free report.

We can help you keep tabs on your companies with My Watchlist, our free, personalized stock tracking service.

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Check This to Find Out Whether Arbitron Is Going to Bomb

There's no foolproof way to know the future for Arbitron (NYSE: ARB  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball
In this series, we use accounts receivable and days sales outstanding to judge a company's current health and future prospects. It's an important step in separating the pretenders from the market's best stocks. Alone, AR -- the amount of money owed the company -- and DSO -- the number of days' worth of sales owed to the company -- don't tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can, at times, suggest a desperate company that's trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like Arbitron do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don't like revenue shortfalls, and employees don't like reporting them to their superiors.

Is Arbitron sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter receivables, but I've plotted both above.

Watching the trends
When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars indicates a trend worth worrying about. Arbitron's latest average DSO stands at 49.0 days, and the end-of-quarter figure is 48.7 days. Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, and business needs can require occasional fluctuations, but all things being equal, I like to see this figure stay steady. So, let's get back to our original question: Based on DSO and sales, does Arbitron look like it might miss its numbers in the next quarter or two?

The numbers don't paint a clear picture. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, Arbitron's year-over-year revenue grew 8.3%, and its AR grew 22.9%. That's a yellow flag. End-of-quarter DSO increased 13.4% over the prior-year quarter. It was down 8.9% versus the prior quarter. That demands a good explanation. Still, I'm no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

Looking for alternatives to Arbitron? It takes more than great companies to build a fortune for the future. Learn the basic financial habits of millionaires next door and get focused stock ideas in our free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add Arbitron to My Watchlist.

Bernanke Keeping Foot on Stimulus Pedal

Ben Bernanke's term as chairman of the Federal Reserve expires one year from Thursday. Sometime between now and then, he's likely to take his foot off the gas pedal of financial stimulus that is helping to fuel the still-weak U.S. recovery and begin tapping on the brakes.

First appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006 and given a second four-year term as chairman by President Barack Obama, Bernanke hasn't signaled whether he'd like a third term as head of the nation's central bank if Obama pressed him to stay.

But speculation abounds that the former Princeton economics professor is ready to call it quits.

The central bank under Bernanke has kept interest rates ultra-low for more than four years.

At the same time, the Fed has effectively been printing money to buy hundreds of billions of dollars of mortgage-backed and U.S. Treasury securities, further holding down rates and pumping new money into the economy.

Many economists credit such policies for helping to keep the deepest U.S. downturn since the Great Recession from being far worse.

But the chief danger of such easy-money policies is inflation.

It's been tame so far, but at some point it's bound to roar back -- which is why a time will come for Bernanke and fellow Fed members to begin to unwind years of financial stimulus by halting the bond purchases and raising interest rates again.

No one knows just when -- but it probably won't be at the two-day Fed meeting that began in Washington today.

Instead, the Fed is expected to push on with its efforts to spur growth so long as economic inflation remains in check and unemployment stays so high.

Janet Yellen, the vice chairman of the Fed, is seen as most likely to be offered the top position by Obama if Bernanke retires.

In the Age of Entrepreneurship, Paternalism is Long Gone

In the following video interview, Brendan Byrnes sits down with Maynard Webb, author of the book Rebooting Work: Transform How You Work in the Age of Entrepreneurship.�They begin by discussing work models that have become outdated or ceased to exist over time, oftentimes to the disadvantage of the individual. This is especially true when it comes to preparing for retirement, considering that people no longer hold one job for life and pensions are increasingly a thing of the past.�In The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," we name stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of.�Click here now�to keep reading.

The transcript below is lightly edited.

Brendan: Hey Fools, I'm Brendan Byrnes and I'm joined today by Maynard Webb, the author of Rebooting Work: Transform How You Work in the Age of Entrepreneurship.

First of all, thank you so much for your time Maynard.

Maynard: It's nice to be here.

Brendan: So my first question is overall in the book you tackle these outdated models of work that no longer sync up with kind of the individual's goals or maybe the companies goals. What's an example of that?

Maynard: Well, I think the age of paternalism and paternalistic companies is long gone. People no longer have jobs for life, most of us don't have pensions, those are all examples of outdated models of work where you're at one company forever, that's just gone!

Does The Street Have United Parcel Service Figured Out?

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 31. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict United Parcel Service's revenues will expand 1.9% and EPS will expand 7.8%.

The average estimate for revenue is $14.44 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.38.

Revenue details
Last quarter, United Parcel Service recorded revenue of $13.07 billion. GAAP reported sales were 0.7% lower than the prior-year quarter's $13.17 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.06. GAAP EPS of $0.48 for Q3 were 56% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.09 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 17.3%, 670 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.9%, 670 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.6%, 450 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $53.99 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.58.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,607 members out of 1,818 rating the stock outperform, and 211 members rating it underperform. Among 506 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 464 give United Parcel Service a green thumbs-up, and 42 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on United Parcel Service is outperform, with an average price target of $83.85.

Looking for alternatives to United Parcel Service? It takes more than great companies to build a fortune for the future. Learn the basic financial habits of millionaires next door and get focused stock ideas in our free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add United Parcel Service to My Watchlist.

Coming Soon: Female Health Earnings

Female Health (Nasdaq: FHCO  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on Jan. 30. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Female Health's revenues will grow 14.3% and EPS will grow 22.2%.

The average estimate for revenue is $9.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.11.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Female Health booked revenue of $9.9 million. GAAP reported sales were 39% higher than the prior-year quarter's $7.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.29. GAAP EPS of $0.28 for Q4 were 75% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.16 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 58.0%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 32.1%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 82.6%, 1,910 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $37.4 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.52.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 304 members out of 313 rating the stock outperform, and nine members rating it underperform. Among 63 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 63 give Female Health a green thumbs-up, and give it a red thumbs-down.

Can your portfolio provide you with enough income to last through retirement? You'll need more than Female Health. Learn how to maximize your investment income and "Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add Female Health to My Watchlist.

Norfolk Southern to Spend $2 Billion on Capital Projects in 2013

On Monday, railroad operator Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC  ) announced an ambitious plan for investing in its own infrastructure. Over the course of 2013, the company intends to spend $2 billion making capital improvements to "maintain the safety and quality of our existing franchise, improve service quality and performance, achieve operational efficiencies and productivity improvements, and support business growth," said CEO Wick Moorman in a statement.

In the press release, Norfolk Southern described about 90% of this investment in detail:

• $831 million to replace and maintain rails, crossties, ballast, and bridges.
• $420 million to purchase new or overhaul existing locomotives and railroad cars.
• $229 million for "the continued implementation of positive train control," which aims to increase safety.
• $203 million for investments in facilities and terminals.
• $84 million to "increase main line capacity, accommodate traffic growth, and provide" matching funds for "public-private partnership investments such as CREATE in Chicago and the Crescent Corridor."
• $57 million for new and upgraded systems and computers.

In all, the $2 billion figure represents an 11% decline�from last year's capital expenditures, or a 7.4% decline from 2011 levels.

link

Futures Flat; Best Buy Rising, Jos A Bank Falling

APBargain?

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index are essentially flat this morning, ahead of Monday’s opening bell.

On the rise are shares of retailer Best Buy (BBY), up 4% in early trading. The company was upgraded to Buy at BB&T Capital, as Patrick Sullivan at Dow Jones Newswires writes:

[BB&T] likes CEO Hubert Joly’s new management team, sees room for margin growth as competitors steal some market share from Apple�products and expects tax rules to level playing field with Amazon. Finally firm says that with retailer’s “depressed current valuation and the very negative investor sentiment surrounding the stock provide an attractive entry point.”

Best Buy’s stock is down about 38% in the past year, though it’s up 40% in the past month. Not one for the faint-hearted.

Hess (HES) stock is up about 6% after two pieces of news this morning: It said it would exit the oil refining business to “complete its transformation from an integrated oil and gas company to one that is predominantly an exploration and production company and be able to redeploy substantial additional capital to fund its future growth opportunities,” according to CEO John Hess. In a separate statement, Hess said that Elliott Associates intends to buy up to $800 million of Hess’ stock.

Also rising are shares of Caterpillar (CAT), up 2.4% after it reported earnings that beat estimates:

The recovery in U.S. building and a wave of emerging-market infrastructure projects are softening the effect of cutbacks in mining capital expenditure. U.S.�construction spending�climbed 7.7 percent in November, the latest government data show.Brazil�plans to spend 1 trillion reais ($491 billion) on projects ahead of the 2014 soccer�World Cup�and 2016 Olympics. China�s next premier,�Li Keqiang, is championing urbanization in what is already the world�s biggest user of construction equipment.

Falling premarket are shares of Jos A Bank (JOSB) after the retailer said it expects its fiscal year 2012 profit to be about 20% lower than 2011. CEO Neal Black seemed to blame everything and everyone — including his customers — for the decline:

Total company sales for the year will be up, but not enough to offset higher marketing expenses and lower gross margin…The fourth quarter started out slowly, as the first two weeks of fiscal November were negatively impacted by the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the distractions created by the presidential election and the uncertainty of the fiscal cliff. Going into the critical holiday selling season, starting on Black Friday, we believed we had a strong marketing and promotional strategy for the period. However, many of the promotional items and a large part of our holiday assortment were items that sell best in cold weather and the weather was unseasonably warm. Historically, we have had strength with these types of items, but our customers (specifically at our stores) didn’t respond as well to our promotional offers as they had in the past.

He added that despite the disappointments, fourth-quarter and full-year results will still be “very profitable.”

Hershey Earnings Are on Deck

Hershey (NYSE: HSY  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 31. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Hershey's revenues will expand 8.8% and EPS will expand 7.1%.

The average estimate for revenue is $1.71 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.75.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Hershey chalked up revenue of $1.75 billion. GAAP reported sales were 7.5% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.62 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.87. GAAP EPS of $0.77 for Q3 were 10% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.86 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 42.8%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 19.0%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.1%, 200 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $6.60 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.24.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 528 members out of 633 rating the stock outperform, and 105 members rating it underperform. Among 193 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 171 give Hershey a green thumbs-up, and 22 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Hershey is outperform, with an average price target of $72.93.

Can your portfolio provide you with enough income to last through retirement? You'll need more than Hershey. Learn how to maximize your investment income and "Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add Hershey to My Watchlist.

Top Stocks To Buy For 1/28/2013-2

Teck Resources Limited NYSE:TCK advanced 0.20%, closed at $55.11 and its overall trading volume during the last session was 3.18 million shares. The net profit margin was 23.84% while 5year income growth rate remained 25.28%.

Rio Tinto plc (ADR) NYSE:RIO gained 0.14%, closed at $69.73 and its overall trading volume during the last session was 2.96 million shares. The net profit margin was 20.28% while 5year income growth rate remained 14.21%.

IAMGOLD Corporation (USA) NYSE:IAG surged 2.60%, closed at $16.99 and its overall trading volume during the last session was 2.27 million shares. The net profit margin was 9.03% while 5year income growth rate remained 44.37%.

Potash Corp./Saskatchewan (USA) NYSE:POT jumped 0.14%, closed at $138.91 and its overall trading volume during the last session was 1.93 million shares. The net profit margin was 26.91% while 5year income growth rate remained 27.95%.

Cameco Corporation (USA) NYSE:CCJ grew 1.33%, closed at $37.41 and its overall trading volume during the last session was 1.69 million shares. The net profit margin was 22.48% while 5year income growth rate remained 20.78%.

Currency Trading:China Yuan Reference Rate Falls Most Since August 2010 After Trade Deficit – Bloomberg

Bloomberg

China Yuan Reference Rate Falls Most Since August 2010 After Trade Deficit Bloomberg China's central bank weakened its daily fixing for the yuan by the most since August 2010 after the government reported the biggest trade deficit in at least 22 years. The currency fell the most in seven weeks as People's Bank of China Governor Zhou … RPT-WRAPUP 1-China c.bank eyes freer yuan, policy flexibilityReuters China central bank eyes freer yuan, policy flexibilityChicago Tribune China Yuan Down Late On PBOC Guidance, February Trade DeficitWall Street Journal Financial Times -CNBC.com all 367 news articles »

{currency trading} – Forex News

What You Need to Know About SINA in 2013

SINA, once known as a Chinese web portal company, has ballooned into much more over the past few years -- and investors should take note. The company has a diversified package of services including a content portal, micro-blogging website, and online games. Some of these services are growing and building ad revenue while others are falling behind the competition.�

Just like U.S. tech companies, SINA�is struggling to finds its way in a mobile world. To make things even more difficult, it needs to walk a fine line with China's strict censorship laws.�

To help Fools understand the complex�interworkings�of this company, we've put together a brief slideshow on what SINA�does, how it makes its money, and what future prospects the company is working toward.

What You Need to Know About Sina in 2013

SINA�is still transitioning from a content company to a social, mobile one. In the next few years, it is likely to see its prominence as the former "Yahoo! of China" decline -- and with it, its advertising revenue. But that shouldn't scare investors.

It's likely that all of China's 564 million desktop Internet users and 420 million mobile users know what SINA�and its products are. So even if the company hasn't quite figured out how to make money from mobile, it has made the right investments. It is strengthening its Weibo platform and brand by stealing and testing out American ideas in China.

However, Chinese censorship may ruin SINA's�American partnerships and business interests outside of China. Luckily, the country has more than 1.3 billion people and SINA has yet to reach them all. By the time it does, we believe SINA�won't just be profitable, but will also be a social company at heart.�

More Expert Advice from The Motley Fool

Zynga's post-IPO performance has been dreadful, and investors are beginning to wonder if it's "game over" for this newly public company. Being so closely tied to the world's largest social network can be a blessing and a curse. You can learn everything you need to know about Zynga and whether it's a buy or a sell in our new premium research report. Don't even think about picking up shares before you read what our top analysts have to say about Zynga. Click here to access your copy.

Top Stocks For 1/27/2013-4

Reported by: Eric CRWE Newswire Middle East correspondent

The Japanese Yen surged in overnight trading as traders and Japanese exporters took a fresh position in the currency benefiting from yesterday’s decline. The yen moved up to 109.67 against euro in London’s trading session. It advanced 0.1 percent to 85.41 against the US dollar whereas it rose 0.5 percent against the Australian dollar to 77.03 in the overnight market.

The pair USD/EUR also gained to $1.2848 from $1.2885 in the overnight market.

The Yen performed on news that Japanese government has decided not to intervene in recent bullish rally of the Yen. The US dollar on the other hand performed on the latest positive data depicting Philadelphia’s high economic growth as Philadelphia general economic index surged to 7.2 in August as compared to 5.1 for the month of July. The state’s jobless claims have also reduced to 478,000 to 484,000 in previous week.

The dollar index which shows dollar movement against its six major counterpart currencies gained 0.2 percent to 82.632.

The Australian dollar plunged against 16 of its major counterpart currencies as the Australian employment rate for skilled worker dropped by 0.3 percent in August. Australian dollar declined 0.4 percent to 90.16 against US dollar.

Crude oil traded on bearish sentiment as sweet crude futures contracts for September delivery dropped by 19 cents to $75.58 per barrel at the start of Singapore’s Globex electronic Session. Bernt Crude on ICE futures exchange also declined by 33 cents to $76.6 per barrel in London’s trading session.

However crude oil futures in New York Mercantile Exchange moved up by 0.7 percent in the overnight trading session but later dropped due to rise in crude oil inventory reported by American Petroleum Institute.

3 Shares Set to Beat the FTSE 100 Today

LONDON -- Having only just broken the 6,200 level yesterday, the FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE  ) is now heading steadily for 6,300, standing 10 points higher to 6,275 as of 9:40 a.m. EST. Will it make it by the end of the week? With half a day to go, I wouldn't bet against it.

Growing optimism from China has been partly behind recent market optimism, though Japan is still suffering from deflation, with a consumer price index of -0.1% having just been reported.

Companies within the various FTSE indexes continue to push upward. We look at three responding well to good news today.

Charles Stanley (LSE: CAY  )
Charles Stanley Group shares are up 1.6% today to 334 pence after the investment firm released an interim update covering the three months to Dec. 31 and on to Jan. 25. The company now has client funds to the tune of 16.4 billion pounds under management, up 4.6% from 15.6 billion pounds at the end of September.

Revenue for the third quarter was up 13.5% to 31.1 million pounds, although that is in comparison with a poor quarter last year. For the nine months, revenue was up 3.4%. A fairly flat year overall is expected this year, but there is strong earnings growth forecast for the next two years.

Globo (LSE: GBO  )
Mobile telecom services provider Globo saw its shares bounce 9.4% to 30.35 pence this morning. They're up more than 50% since mid-December. The driver today was a trading update for the year to Dec. 31, which told of market-beating performance. Revenue is expected to be up about 28% to 58 million euros, with EBITDA expected to rise by 42% to at least 29 million euros.

Forecasts for the next two years are pretty strong, too, but it's going to be back to the drawing board for the analysts now -- and it looks like the only way they can revise their expectations is upwards.

Brightside (LSE: BRT  )
Shares in Brightside Group have risen 0.6% to 22.25 pence on the release of a trading update ahead of full-year results. The AIM-listed insurance broker "expects to report significant growth in turnover and profit in line with market expectations," with total policy sales up 5% on the previous year.

Brightside has reported nice earnings growth over the past few years, with forecasts for this year suggesting a 45% jump in earnings per share. There's a 2% dividend yield expected from shares on a price-to-earnings ratio of only 7.4.

Daily gains from shares can all play their part in making you your first million. But the real secret to becoming rich from shares is simple long-term investing in fundamentally sound companies and letting steady growth and dividends power your wealth upward. If you don't think making a million is feasible, read this free Motley Fool report and see if you change your mind. The report won't cost you a penny, so click here to have a copy delivered to your inbox while it's still available.

Top Stocks For 1/27/2013-1

GreenHouse Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:GRHU) has retained Rubenstein Public Relations to generate media exposure for GreenHouse Holdings’ efficient and environmentally sustainable innovations.

According to John Galt, Executive Chairman of GreenHouse Holdings, “As a sustainable solutions integrator, we deliver world-class products and systems to a diverse clientele, ranging from single households to industries, communities and entire countries.”

Richard Rubenstein, president of Rubenstein Public Relations, said, “GreenHouse Holdings’ holistic approach to sustainable design solutions is increasingly in demand to reduce carbon emissions and provide a cleaner and more secure environment. We will implement a business-focused media relations program to position GreenHouse Holdings as an authority and categorical leader in the clean-tech industry.”

Based in San Diego, California, GreenHouse Holdings is a sustainable solutions integrator with a variety of services that address needs ranging from alternative/renewable energy and energy conservation to cost effective, rapidly deployable infrastructure and sustainable construction. GreenHouse Holdings provides solutions for single households, corporations, communities, regions, and the federal government that mitigate disposal costs and convert waste streams into valuable resources.

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Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Limited (Nasdaq:XSEL) announced its unaudited financial results for the first half year ended June 30, 2010. Net revenue was $27.1 million (excluding discontinued operations). Adjusted EBITDA was $0.9 million. Net loss attributable to XSEL was $0.3 million.

Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Limited engages in the production of television programs, the placement of advertising, the provision of advertising services, market research, and the publication of magazines with a focus on sports and entertainment in the People�s Republic of China, including Hong Kong. It operates in three segments: Broadcast, Print, and Advertising.

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Rainmaker Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:RMKR) announced a one-year renewal of its agreement with its global software and services client for telesales and an expansion that doubles the size of the current program. Under the agreement, Rainmaker will manage all sales leads in North America for this client, providing inbound customer response management and outbound telemarketing services.

Rainmaker Systems, Inc. provides sales and marketing solutions, combining hosted application software, and execution services to enterprises operating in the computer hardware and software, telecommunications, and financial services industries.

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Neptune Technologies & Bioresources, Inc. (Nasdaq:NEPT) reported on Dec 6, 2010 on the exercise of Acasti Series II, III and V warrants and Neptune Call-Options on Acasti shares (the “Calls”) for total gross proceeds of $4,623,403. These proceeds come from the exercise of 3,285,530 Series II Warrants at a price of $0.40, 3,000,000 Series III Warrants at a price of $0.40 and 3,000,000 Series V Warrants at a price of $0.30 as well as from the exercise of 2,418,381 Calls at a price of $0.50, resulting in the issuance of 11,703,911 Acasti class A shares. Following the above exercises, the number of Acasti class A shares issued and outstanding is 59,174,444.

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of products derived from marine biomasses for the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.