At the bottom of J.C. Penney's (JCP) Q1 blowup could be something as simple as the concept that U.S. consumers like their deals, according to Stacey Widlitz. The Ron Johnson-led strategy of reclaiming pricing by cutting out promotions backfired as traffic at stores fell off dramatically. While new brands and a transformation "ahead of schedule" could still click, the burning question is do investors have the patience to wait for it? JCP -15.2% premarket. [View news story]
It didn't backfire at all. The new pricing strategy is allowing them to get new brands that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to get. http://goo.gl/zLLVD
11 Takeaways From JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's Annual Letter [View article]
Well, my view is that if you're relying on growth, then JPM at these levels isn't bad. If you're relying on valuations, Dimon is saying the valuation level is too high for JPM to buy back shares. Considering there are other (admittedly less well-run) competitors trading at very significant discounts, those competitors have better downside protection.
For FMD, I did pick up more shares at this level. I don't know if there are other things going on that we don't know about it. Seems likely that the market is at least somewhat reacting to upcoming hearings and proposed government policies on student lending that won't be implemented. Probably also in response to JPM getting out of the business, though it was a very small part of JPM's business. Could be more to it, but I haven't seen anything else, so I'm inclined to think it may just be more market fluctuations.
11 Takeaways From JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's Annual Letter [View article]
Oh yes, JPM's stock is extremely cheap below tangible book. Dimon is one of the few CEOs who very clearly understand that they should only be buying back shares when shares are extremely cheap.
Groupon (GRPN) is "not a coupon company," writes Rocky Agrawal following the firm's Q4 restatement, it's "essentially a sub-prime lender that does zero risk assessment." Agrawal slates Groupon for a variety of sins and estimates it has $500-$750M in off-balance sheet liabilities. He also reckons the stock could head to zero within 36 months. [View news story]
You may want to read Rocky's just recent announcement that he's joining Groupon: http://blog.agrawals.org April Fools joke or no?
Looking Past Investment Day Euphoria: The Long Case For J.C. Penney [View article]
Won't happen. You've got Ackman and Roth controlling 37% of the company and a host of other large hedge funds that currently have small positions in the stock. Those funds would buy on any major dip. Everyone loves Johnson and the new team and know it will take some time to deliver, but they're confident he will deliver and that will support the stock price.
6 Month Insider Buy Follow-Up: How The 13 Stocks Did [View article]
Just to be clear, I don't recommend going out to buy any of the insider stocks highlighted in this or any other article. I'm just identifying the large buys and providing superficial comments. I don't filter them other than for level of buys. It's up to the reader to make their own judgments.
He had four sales in December of last year between $65 and $73. It seems that those sales were for end of the year tax planning purposes. His sales in late 2010 were at all-time highs for the stock at the time. His new purchase was nine months later after a big price run-up and then market-related drop. It seems obvious with his latest purchase that he believes shares are undervalued. It also appears that you can draw little comparison to his earlier sales due to the significantly different factors at that time.
The article raises enough questions for me to not be interested in the name any further. I've seen big CEO buys from other Chinese frauds, so I won't rely on KGJI's insider buy alone to in any way prove that it is not a fraud.
Would Apple Take a Bite Out of Barnes & Noble? [View article]
Just a note that I wrote this article before the news came out that there is potentially some conflict between Malone and Riggio. www.nypost.com/p/news/...
I don't know how serious this rumor is, but it's worth noting that some analyst have higher price targets than $17 on the stock.
At the bottom of J.C. Penney's (JCP) Q1 blowup could be something as simple as the concept that U.S. consumers like their deals, according to Stacey Widlitz. The Ron Johnson-led strategy of reclaiming pricing by cutting out promotions backfired as traffic at stores fell off dramatically. While new brands and a transformation "ahead of schedule" could still click, the burning question is do investors have the patience to wait for it? JCP -15.2% premarket. [View news story]
11 Takeaways From JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's Annual Letter [View article]
For FMD, I did pick up more shares at this level. I don't know if there are other things going on that we don't know about it. Seems likely that the market is at least somewhat reacting to upcoming hearings and proposed government policies on student lending that won't be implemented. Probably also in response to JPM getting out of the business, though it was a very small part of JPM's business. Could be more to it, but I haven't seen anything else, so I'm inclined to think it may just be more market fluctuations.
11 Takeaways From JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's Annual Letter [View article]
Groupon (GRPN) is "not a coupon company," writes Rocky Agrawal following the firm's Q4 restatement, it's "essentially a sub-prime lender that does zero risk assessment." Agrawal slates Groupon for a variety of sins and estimates it has $500-$750M in off-balance sheet liabilities. He also reckons the stock could head to zero within 36 months. [View news story]
Looking Past Investment Day Euphoria: The Long Case For J.C. Penney [View article]
A Guide To Managing Risk [View article]
Why Tompkins Financial Is Not A Good Dividend Play [View article]
How Much Is Jeremy Lin Worth To MSG? [View article]
Ford's Valuation, Earnings Make It A Perfect Buy [View article]
6 Month Insider Buy Follow-Up: How The 13 Stocks Did [View article]
8 Recent CFO Buys of Small-Cap Stocks [View article]
He had four sales in December of last year between $65 and $73. It seems that those sales were for end of the year tax planning purposes. His sales in late 2010 were at all-time highs for the stock at the time. His new purchase was nine months later after a big price run-up and then market-related drop. It seems obvious with his latest purchase that he believes shares are undervalued. It also appears that you can draw little comparison to his earlier sales due to the significantly different factors at that time.
What Hedge Fund Managers Are Doing With Bank of America [View article]
4 Stocks With Recent CEO Buys of at Least $100,000 [View article]
Their quarter was pretty good with unexpected investment gains and decent losses relative to their exposure.
4 Stocks With Recent CEO Buys of at Least $100,000 [View article]
The article raises enough questions for me to not be interested in the name any further. I've seen big CEO buys from other Chinese frauds, so I won't rely on KGJI's insider buy alone to in any way prove that it is not a fraud.
Would Apple Take a Bite Out of Barnes & Noble? [View article]
I don't know how serious this rumor is, but it's worth noting that some analyst have higher price targets than $17 on the stock.