George Soros Fund Management Stock Pick

When a legendary investor like George Soros takes a large position in a stock like electrical products manufacturer Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE: HUB-B  ) , it's usually a good idea to take notice. So why is George Soros buying stock in Hubbell Incorporated, and should you be buying too?

Soros Fund Management buys Hubbell Incorporated stock

A look at SEC filings from Soros Fund Management reveals that his investment firm had picked up 306,371 shares by the end of June, and another 311,985 shares by the end of September. At the current price of around $107, the position is worth around $66 million -- a pretty significant position.

Introducing Hubbell Incorporated

 Hubbell generates more than 80% of its sales from the US and has two operating segments:


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Deere & Company (DE) Earnings Call

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE  ) recently beat fourth-quarter estimates, but served notice that 2015 is likely to be a tough year. It's hardly surprising given the price weakness in key crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton. Ultimately the company's fortunes will be tied to the cyclicality of the farming sector, and investors should follow events closely because a potential turnaround in crop prices will likely lead to the stock moving higher. However, before you rush to take a view, here are five things management thinks you should know.

DE data by YCharts

Deere & Company guidance disappoints; farmers' cash receipts seen as key

In a nutshell, management guided toward a decline in net sales of 15% mainly due to a forecast 20% net sales decline in its agriculture and turf segment.


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Is Johnson Controls a Buy?

Johnson Controls  (NYSE: JCI  ) investors must be disappointed this year as they have watched their stock underperform the S&P 500 by nearly 14% to date in 2014, at the time of this writing. However, the poor stock price performance largely has resulted from end-market conditions rather than anything the company has done. On the contrary, the multi-industrial company's management has made a host of exciting initiatives that could propel earnings higher in the future. With these initiatives in place, and some of its end markets starting to look better, is now the time to buy into Johnson Controls?


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Is UPS a Buy?

When you decide to buy or sell stock in a company like United Parcel Service, Inc.  (NYSE: UPS  ) , there are two key questions you should ask yourself. The first is whether its earnings projections and financial numbers make the stock a good value. The second is whether you believe in the company's ability to hit the numbers. This article will deal with these considerations in turn so you can better decide whether UPS stock is a buy for you.

UPS Forecasts and historical numbers

UPS recently hosted an investor conference in which it laid out its long-term financial targets. For now, let's look at what management expects from the business in the 2015-2019 time frame.


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Chinese Dating Site Jiayuan.com (DATE) Earnings Analysis

China's largest online dating platform, Jiayuan.com International Ltd (NASDAQ: DATE  ) , is very much a company in transition and its latest earnings report reflects the changes afoot. Essentially, the company is in the process of redesigning and relaunching its mobile offering in December, and the company is looking forward to increasing the monetization of its mobile platform. Unfortunately, this shift has somewhat skewed the key metrics at the company. Here is a look at its third-quarter results, reported this morning.




Before going into detail, readers should note that Jiayuan is a Chinese company and primarily reports in RMB. All the numbers in this article will be quoted and calculated in RMB, unless otherwise stated.




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The Bearish Case for Johnson Controls Inc Stock (JCI)

Johnson Controls  (NYSE: JCI  ) investors will be buoyed by the stock's recent strong run, but can it continue? Management has ample reason to believe it can improve revenue and margin growth across its segments in 2015. I've already examined the bullish case for the stock in a previous article; now it's time to look at the bearish case.

3 bearish factors for Johnson Controls

Before going into detail, I should note that I'm positive on management's restructuring efforts and internal execution. However, the company's valuation and the potential for deterioration in China's economy -- and ultimately car sales -- suggest there may be better ways to play the other positive end-market trends the company is seeing. (More on that in a future article.)


The company's segmental income in fiscal 2014 was a roughly three-way split among the building efficiency (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), power solutions (car batteries), and automotive experience (car seating and interiors) businesses. Two of the three risks the company faces relate specifically to the auto experience segment.


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The Bullish Case for Johnson Controls (JCI) Stock

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI  ) investors have watched their stock put in a strong recovery in the last month, and the share price is only down a few percentage points on the year, as I write. About a month ago, Fools looked at just why the stock had slumped in 2014, and more recently at the five things management hopes will improve company performance. Now, it's time to look at things from another perspective and ask: What are the three things that could take the stock higher?


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United Parcel Service (UPS) Investor Conference Review

Until last week, it had been three years since United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS  ) last had an investor conference, and much had changed with its end-market conditions in the interim. At the recent conference, management updated UPS investors on its long-term outlook and on how it is adjusting to these changes. With this in mind, it's time to look at what is new with UPS and what it might mean to the shipping and logistics company's investors.



United Parcel Service's end-market trends

 Before getting into details, here is a chart of UPS' trailing-four-quarters segmental income so Fools can see the relative importance of each business.

Source: United Parcel Service Presentations.

Since 2011, there have been three separate and somewhat unexpected changes in end markets for UPS and its main rival, FedEx (NYSE: FDX  )


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Emerson Electric Earnings Call

With its recent fourth-quarter results, dividend investor favorite Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR  ) showed that it's been performing well in the face of mixed end markets. You may have already read the details of the earnings report, but now it's time to look at what management wants you to know about the company's future direction.

Global growth and dividends

There are two key things to understand about the company. First, it's largely a play on global macroeconomic conditions, with an added growth kicker from emerging-market spending on infrastructure projects. Second, it's a Dividend Aristocrat -- a company that has increased its dividend for 25 years or more. Moreover, the underlying evidence suggests that it has the potential, and management the will, to continue rewarding income-seeking investors well into the future. Let's look at five key takeaways from the earnings call in the context of these two points.


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