CST Brands (CST -0.4%) - the spinoff of Valero's (VLO) convenience store business (for those in the Mid-Atlantic, think Wawa's superstores) - is again lower on its 2nd day of trading. Not a fan of the business model, Wilson Wang nevertheless says the low valuation has him interested. He's waiting first to see if institutional holders - Valero owners who have no interest in owning a retail operation - dump their stakes and create an even more enticing valuation (the Joel Greenblatt scenario). [View news story]
Of course another way of looking at VLO: The glut of oil coming down the pipe will cut the margins of refiners, thus the price of the stock may drop or at least linger. Retail business spinoff might do better, ie., CST.
CST Brands (CST -0.4%) - the spinoff of Valero's (VLO) convenience store business (for those in the Mid-Atlantic, think Wawa's superstores) - is again lower on its 2nd day of trading. Not a fan of the business model, Wilson Wang nevertheless says the low valuation has him interested. He's waiting first to see if institutional holders - Valero owners who have no interest in owning a retail operation - dump their stakes and create an even more enticing valuation (the Joel Greenblatt scenario). [View news story]
I think CST will be officially listed on the NYSE on May 1. So my question is: what happens to the price of VLO after the spinoff. The VLO-WI is now sitting at 36. Does that mean VLO will open on May 1 at 36 bucks.
Johnson & Johnson's New Diabetes Drug And Its Competitors [View article]
Agree with Jean:
This from a NYTimes article three days ago about this drug:
But the drug, whose generic name is canagliflozin, also has potentially serious side effects. The clinical trials revealed some signs of elevated stroke risk and a small increase in patients’ experiencing heart attacks within the first 30 days of taking the medicine. The drug also was shown to raise LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels, although it also raised the level of HDL, or “good” cholesterol.
However, an F.D.A. spokeswoman said Friday that the significance of those findings was unclear, and the label of the drug includes no warnings about heart attacks or strokes. The F.D.A. is requiring Johnson & Johnson to conduct five post-marketing studies, including a clinical trial to determine more definitively if the drug increases those risks.
The F.D.A. said the drug’s most common side effects were vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections.
In January, an F.D.A. advisory panel voted 10 to 5 in favor of approval. But panel members called on Johnson & Johnson to closely monitor patients enrolled in long-term safety studies. Some of the members said they did not think the drug should be prescribed to people with moderate kidney disease.
Invokana is in a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. They block the action of the sodium-glucose co-transporter 2, which puts sugar removed from the blood by the kidneys back into the bloodstream.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration rejected another drug in that class, dapagliflozin from Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, because of safety concerns, including a possible increased risk of breast and bladder cancers. But it was approved in Europe in November under the name Forxiga.
Nice post mister-ugly. Kombucha is sometimes hard to find in our Whole Foods store in Chapel Hill. They frequently run out. The display of Virgils on the end aisles was nice. Now.............. if we could just see a little movement in the stock.
eBay Takes Price Wars To Amazon: Who Wins? [View article]
Different class of customers on Amazon. Ebay will have a lot of catching up to do and IMHO will never catch up with eBay. I sell products on both Amazon and eBay. My sales on Amazon are beginning to surpass my sales on eBay and I have free shipping for the same products on eBay but not on Amazon. Ebay is quickly turning into an Alibaba. There are an increasing number of foreign sellers now peddling their products on eBay. Would love to see the stats.
Amazon (AMZN) is the new eBay (EBAY): just as eBay merchants have long griped over rising Marketplaces/PayPal fees, Amazon's 3rd-party sellers have become agitated over a string of fee hikes - both for Amazon's cut on merchant sales, and for related services. 3rd-party sales now make up 39% of Amazon's unit sales, and have been lifting its gross margin. eBay could benefit from the backlash - one firm estimates it costs $2.72 to sell a $10 item on eBay vs. $3.92 on Amazon - but as eBay knows all too well, complaining and leaving are two different things. [View news story]
We prefer selling on Amazon although we sell on eBay also and have for about 10 years. The difference in customers is glaring. A much better customer base on Amazon compared to eBay. We report buyer abuse on eBay at least a couple of times per month. We have reported buyers with abusive and foul language, threats, and even black mail. "If you don't pay return shipping we will leave negative feedback" even though it says buyer responsible for return shipping. We never get this with our products on Amazon which are identical to what we sell on eBay.
Chris REED would be smart to sell the company. Wouldn't surprise me if that is now in the works. Great product and distribution all over the country. Lots of shelf space for their products in our local Whole Foods Store here in Chapel Hill. Lots of competition from other companies selling the Kombucha product.
Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL): Q4 EPS of -$0.22. Revenue of $352M misses by $46M. (PR) [View news story]
Earnings and revenue in the wrong direction given all that is happening in the oil market. If you can't earn good money in this market best to find something else.
Williams Partners Reports First-Quarter 2013 Financial Results, Updated Guidance [View article]
CST Brands (CST -0.4%) - the spinoff of Valero's (VLO) convenience store business (for those in the Mid-Atlantic, think Wawa's superstores) - is again lower on its 2nd day of trading. Not a fan of the business model, Wilson Wang nevertheless says the low valuation has him interested. He's waiting first to see if institutional holders - Valero owners who have no interest in owning a retail operation - dump their stakes and create an even more enticing valuation (the Joel Greenblatt scenario). [View news story]
CST Brands (CST -0.4%) - the spinoff of Valero's (VLO) convenience store business (for those in the Mid-Atlantic, think Wawa's superstores) - is again lower on its 2nd day of trading. Not a fan of the business model, Wilson Wang nevertheless says the low valuation has him interested. He's waiting first to see if institutional holders - Valero owners who have no interest in owning a retail operation - dump their stakes and create an even more enticing valuation (the Joel Greenblatt scenario). [View news story]
Low of 29.85 so far on this Friday trading day.
Undervalued Indicators For Big Oil [View article]
Valero's Upside Case Has Not Been Reached [View article]
Special Situation: CST Brands [View article]
Special Situation: CST Brands [View article]
Johnson & Johnson's New Diabetes Drug And Its Competitors [View article]
This from a NYTimes article three days ago about this drug:
But the drug, whose generic name is canagliflozin, also has potentially serious side effects. The clinical trials revealed some signs of elevated stroke risk and a small increase in patients’ experiencing heart attacks within the first 30 days of taking the medicine. The drug also was shown to raise LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels, although it also raised the level of HDL, or “good” cholesterol.
However, an F.D.A. spokeswoman said Friday that the significance of those findings was unclear, and the label of the drug includes no warnings about heart attacks or strokes. The F.D.A. is requiring Johnson & Johnson to conduct five post-marketing studies, including a clinical trial to determine more definitively if the drug increases those risks.
The F.D.A. said the drug’s most common side effects were vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections.
In January, an F.D.A. advisory panel voted 10 to 5 in favor of approval. But panel members called on Johnson & Johnson to closely monitor patients enrolled in long-term safety studies. Some of the members said they did not think the drug should be prescribed to people with moderate kidney disease.
Invokana is in a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. They block the action of the sodium-glucose co-transporter 2, which puts sugar removed from the blood by the kidneys back into the bloodstream.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration rejected another drug in that class, dapagliflozin from Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, because of safety concerns, including a possible increased risk of breast and bladder cancers. But it was approved in Europe in November under the name Forxiga.
Reed's CEO Discusses Q4 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript [View article]
eBay Takes Price Wars To Amazon: Who Wins? [View article]
Amazon (AMZN) is the new eBay (EBAY): just as eBay merchants have long griped over rising Marketplaces/PayPal fees, Amazon's 3rd-party sellers have become agitated over a string of fee hikes - both for Amazon's cut on merchant sales, and for related services. 3rd-party sales now make up 39% of Amazon's unit sales, and have been lifting its gross margin. eBay could benefit from the backlash - one firm estimates it costs $2.72 to sell a $10 item on eBay vs. $3.92 on Amazon - but as eBay knows all too well, complaining and leaving are two different things. [View news story]
Ford Powering Up [View article]
Why Reeds Is Still Undervalued [View article]
Why Reeds Is Still Undervalued [View article]
Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL): Q4 EPS of -$0.22. Revenue of $352M misses by $46M. (PR) [View news story]