With the markets in a tailspin over events
in China and Greece, I thought it would be good to get some commentary
on the global industrial economy. The earnings call at aluminum and
alumina producer Alcoa (NYSE:AA)
is a great place to start. Its management always delivers solid
guidance on its end markets, and what it says has direct relevance to
industrial bellwethers General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) and United Technologies Corporation. Let's take a look at Alcoa's recent results and take a deeper dive into what's going on with the global economy.
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All great corporations have great men
behind them who shape the management philosophy of the company, and
there is no doubt who it is at FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX).
Founder, Chairman, President and CEO Fred Smith created the company in
1971 and his influence can be directly seen in the ongoing operations of
the company today. With this in mind, let's take a look at Smith's
development of FedEx and why it may have led to the company
outperforming its rivals in the last few years.
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The good news is spice-and-seasonings business McCormick & Company (NYSE:MKC)
is achieving most of its objectives in 2015. The bad news is currency
effects continue to erode its reported sales and profit generation. With
this in mind, let's take a closer look at what is actually going on
with its sales trends and earnings. The company reported Q2 results on
July 1 and gave an updated 2015 outlook.
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The latest third-quarter results from MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM)
confirmed the company's position as a potential recovery play, but it
also underlined how difficult its end markets are at present. In short,
it was a mixed bag of results. Let's take a closer look at the good and
bad in the quarter.
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After a difficult 2014 in which the company underperformed the S&P 500 index by nearly 14%, AZZ (NYSE:AZZ)
is ahead of the index by more than 8% on a year-to-date basis.
Essentially, AZZ's management has addressed a number of issues that
plagued the company last year, and the market is warming to its plan to
expand its steel galvanizing operations. In this context, let's take a
look at its recent first-quarter results and what they indicate for the
company's prospects.
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By now, most investors in General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE)
will be aware of management's plans to shift the company toward
generating 90% of its profits from industrial operations by 2018.
Alongside this move, General Electric is also busy trying to generate
orders for three key technologies. All three are within its core
operations, and their success will help convince the market that CEO
Jeff Immelt has put the company on the right track.
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Are you looking to buy into the idea that
the agricultural sector is going to bottom out this year? If so, you
would be in good company, because Warren Buffett has been buying stock in agricultural machinery giant Deere & Co. (NYSE:DE).
But is that the best stock for individual investors? Which stock in the
sector should you prefer, and why? Let's look at the leading candidates
in the agricultural machinery sector and some of their key metrics for
2015 and 2016.
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Assessing the greatest business contribution Jack Welch has made to General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)
is a worthy endeavor from an academic perspective, but what does it
mean for contemporary investors? In reality, the company is vastly
different from the one that Welch left in 2001, but there are still many
conclusions from Welch's time that are relevant to the company today.
Let's take a look at Welch's tenure and what it means to current
investors in the stock
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3M Company (NYSE:MMM)
is an exceptionally well-run business, but is it a great stock for your
portfolio? It has industry-leading margins and productivity, but also a
valuation to match. What it boils down to is whether you think the
company can sustain the excellence of its execution. Let's take a closer
look.
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Whisper it quietly but General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)
just found $1.8 billion for investors. Essentially, the company now
expects cost synergies from the intended integration of Alstom to
produce $3 billion in annual cost savings by the fifth year, up from a
previous target of $1.2 billion. With CEO Jeff Immelt outlining the
details at the Electrical Products Group conference at the end of May, I
thought it would be a good time to look at what he said, and why the
news is so important for GE investors.
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On the same day that United Parcel Service Inc (NYSE:UPS)
released its first-quarter earnings, Moody's changed its outlook on the
company's debt to negative. It's never a good sign when a credit rating
agency lowers its outlook on a company's debt, and investors in the
stock might be concerned that the bond market knows something that the
equity market doesn't. With that said, what are investors to make of
Moody's move?
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Since 2009, the global economic
recovery has been uneven and unpredictable. Possibly the worst hit
segment of the economy was the commercial construction sector which has
certainly seen its share of ups and downs over the years. However,
uncertainty often creates opportunities for forward-thinking investors.
Let's take a look at the dynamics in the sector and the stocks that
could benefit from an extended recovery.
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