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 travel website operator TripAdvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP ) soared 15% today after its quarterly results easily topped Wall Street expectations.
So what: The stock has soared over the past year on a string of market-beating quarters, and today's Q2 results -- earnings spiked 26% on a 7% revenue increase -- are forcing analysts to up their growth estimates yet again. While that top-line growth might seem tame for a highflier, revenue from cost-per-click advertising -- which accounts for 74% of TripAdvisor's business -- surged 21% during the quarter. ��
Now what: In a conference call with analysts, management reaffirmed full-year guidance of revenue growth in the low-20's. "We are very pleased with the positive user feedback on our new Meta Display and have made great progress driving more clicks and helping partners better determine their bidding efficiencies," said CFO Julie Bradley on the call. Of course, with the stock now up a whopping 150% over its 52-week lows and trading at a forward P/E of 30, I'd wait for some of the excitement to fade before buying into that operating momentum.
Best Net Payout Yield Companies To Buy Right Now: Great Plains Energy Inc (GXP)
Great Plains Energy Incorporated (Great Plains Energy), incorporated on February 26, 2001, is a public utility holding company. The Company does not own or operate any assets other than the stock of its subsidiaries. Great Plains Energy�� wholly owned direct subsidiaries with operations or active subsidiaries includes Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L), and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company (GMO). The Company is engaged in the business segment of electric utility. The electric utility segment consists of KCP&L, a regulated utility, and GMO�� regulated utility operations, which include its Missouri Public Service and St. Joseph Light & Power (L&P) divisions. Electric utility serves approximately 825,300 customers located in western Missouri and eastern Kansas.
KCP&L is an integrated, regulated electric utility that provides electricity to customers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. KCP&L has one active wholly owned subsidiary, Kansas City Power & Light Receivables Company (Receivables Company). GMO is an integrated, regulated electric utility that provides electricity to customers in the state of Missouri. GMO also provides regulated steam service to certain customers in the St. Joseph, Missouri area. GMO wholly owns MPS Merchant Services, Inc. (MPS Merchant), which has certain long-term natural gas contracts remaining from its former non-regulated trading operations.
Customers include approximately 726,100 residences, 96,600 commercial firms, and 2,600 industrials, municipalities and other electric utilities. During the year ended December 31, 2012, electric utility�� retail revenues averaged approximately 90% of its total operating revenues. Wholesale firm power, bulk power sales and miscellaneous electric revenues accounted for the remainder of electric utility�� revenues. During 2012, electric utility�� total electric revenues were 100% of Great Plains Energy�� revenues. During 2012, electric utility�� net income accounted for approximately! 108%, of Great Plains Energy�� income from continuing operations, respectively.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP ) is keeping its dividend as level as the geographical feature in its company name. The company will distribute $0.2175 per share of its common stock on June 20 to shareholders of record as of May 20.� This amount matches the company's previous two disbursements, the most recent of which was paid in March. Before that, Great Plains handed out $0.2125.
- [By Justin Loiseau]
Reeling in rates
Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP ) shares are up 18.3% in the past year, a sign that something's going right for this Missouri/Kansas utility company. Fiscal 2013 EPS bumped up 8%, but the real gains came from regulation risk reduction. After filing for rate increases in early 2012, Great Plains got the green light from regulators to boost its 2013 prices. On the unregulated front, the utility generates 83% of its electricity from coal and 14% from nuclear power, a (recently revealed) welcome relief from natural gas' rapidly rising prices. - [By David Dittman]
Answer: It’s too soon to say what the financial impact of the Winnipeg incident will have on TransCanada. The impact for its customers, including Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) and Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP), may be more acute in the short term. TransCanada will definitely be under increased regulatory scrutiny.
I’m a fan of TransCanada for the long term. It has a solid, diverse and growing presence in North American energy infrastructure. It’s about much more than Keystone XL.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Axiall Corp (AXLL)
Axiall Corporation (Axiall), formerly Georgia Gulf Corporation, incorporated on April 16, 1984, is a manufacturer and an international marketer of chlorovinyl and aromatic chemicals and also manufacture and market vinyl-based building and home improvement products. The Company operates in three business segments: Chlorovinyls segment consists of two product groups: Electrovinyls products, which are composed of chlorine, caustic soda, ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and vinyl resins; and Compound products, which are composed of vinyl compounds, compound additives and plasticizers; Building Products segment consists of two primary product groups: Window and Door Profiles and Mouldings, and Outdoor Building Products, which consists of siding, pipe and pipe fittings and deck, fence and rail products, and Aromatics segment also contains two commodity chemical product groups: cumene; and phenol and acetone. In January 2013, the combined company formed by uniting Georgia Gulf with PPG's former commodity chemicals business is named Axiall Corporation.
Chlorovinyls segment
The chlorovinyls segment consists of an integrated chain of products, which including chlor-alkali and derivative products (chlorine, caustic soda, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), vinyl resins, ethylene dichloride, chlorinated solvents, calcium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid and phosgene derivatives and compound products (vinyl compounds and compound additives and plasticizers). In North America, the Company is one of the producers of VCM, vinyl resins, and vinyl compounds.
During the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 45%t of its vinyl resins production was sold into the United States and Canadian merchant markets where its vinyl resins were used in a variety of flexible and rigid vinyl end-use applications. During 2012, the largest end-uses of its products were for pipe and pipe fittings, siding, extruded sheet and film and window profiles. Approximately 24% of its pro! duction was sold into the export market, and approximately 31% of its vinyl resins were used internally in the manufacture of its vinyl compounds and vinyl building products. During 2012, the Company used substantially all of its VCM production in the manufacture of vinyl resins in its PVC manufacturing operations. The Company sells all of its caustic soda to customers domestically and overseas in numerous industries, with the pulp and paper, chemical and alumina industries constituting its markets. Other markets for its caustic soda include soap and detergents and the water treatment industries.
Vinyl compounds are highly customized formulations that offer specific end-use properties based on customer-determined manufacturing specifications that enable its customers to utilize them directly in their manufacturing processes to fabricate their finished products. The Company produces flexible and rigid compounds, which are used in many different applications, including wire and cable insulation and jacketing, electrical outlet boxes and pipe fittings, window and furniture profiles and food-grade and general-purpose bottles. It also supplies chlorinated vinyl compounds (CPVC), to the extrusion and injection molding markets, mainly for production of hot water pipe and pipe fittings. The Company produces lubricants, stabilizers, impact modifiers and process aids used in the production of compounds, and which are part of the typical compound formulations. The majority of its additives and plasticizers are consumed internally.
Building Products Segment
The Window and Door Profiles and Mouldings Products have a level of customization based on customer specifications, whereas Outdoor Building Products are based more on industry standards. The Company manufactures and extrude vinyl window profiles, including frames, sashes, trim and other components, as well as vinyl patio door components and fabricated patio doors, which are sold primarily to window and door fabricators. I! ts sales ! are primarily to the custom segment of the vinyl window profile market with the profile design customized to a window fabricator's specific requirements. It manufactures and markets extruded decorative mouldings and millwork. Its decorative trim products are used for interior mouldings, such as crown, base and chair rail. For exterior mouldings, its products are used in applications, such as brick mouldings, and as components used in the fabrication of doors, windows and spas. This product line includes a series of offerings, such as bendable trim and paintable/stainable trim.
The Company�� outdoor building products (OBP) include siding; pipe and pipe fittings; and deck, fence, and rail. It manufactures vinyl siding, and it also offers a range of accessories, including vinyl soffit, aluminum soffit, fascia and trim and molded vent mounts and exterior shutters. These additional product offerings to its existing offerings include rich, dark, color-fast shades, as well as a siding system, which enables siding panels to withstand harsh wind conditions. It manufactures pipe and pipe fittings for the municipal and electrical markets, as well as pipe for plumbing applications. Its municipal pipe and pipe fittings product lines are used in potable water applications, as well as in storm and sewer applications. Its plumbing lines are used in residential and industrial applications to move storm and sanitary wastewater from the building to the municipal sewer at the property line. This product line is focused on at drain, waste and vent applications. Electrical, pipe, conduit and fittings are available in a range of sizes and configurations, to meet the needs of both commercial and residential applications.
The Company manufactures vinyl deck products that are sold by distributors and used primarily by professionally installed market segments. The Company�� deck product lines are positioned as a lower-maintenance alternative to conventional wood products.
Aromatics Seg! ment
The aromatics segment is integrated and consists of cumene and phenol/acetone products. Phenol/acetone products are co-products made from cumene in the same production process. The Company�� aromatic products are primarily commodity based products. It operates cumene plant located in Pasadena, Texas. About 28 % of its cumene was consumed internally, during 2012, to produce phenol and acetone. Cumene is used as an intermediate to make phenol and acetone and specialty chemicals and can be sold as an additive for gasoline blending.
Phenol is sold to a base of customers who are producers of a range of phenolic resins, engineering plastics and specialty chemicals. Phenolic resins are used as adhesives for wood products, such as plywood and Oriented Strand Board (OSB). Engineering plastics are used in compact discs, digital video discs, automobiles, household appliances, electronics and protective coating applications. It also sells phenol for use in insulation, electrical parts, oil additives and chemical intermediates. Acetone is a chemical used primarily in the production of acrylic resins, engineering plastics and industrial solvents. The Company sells the majority of its acetone into the acrylic resins market, where it is used in the manufacture of various plastics and coatings used for signage, automotive parts, household appliances, paints and industrial coatings. Other uses range from solvents for automotive and industrial applications to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Johanna Bennett]
Dow isn�� the only chemical play gaining on the news. �Axiall (AXLL) rose 9.3% to $49.58 in Monday market action. Olin (OLN) rose 6.1% to $26.36. And Westlake Chemical (WLK) rose 2.2% to $115.10.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Specialty chemicals maker�Axiall� (NYSE: AXLL ) �announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.08 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past four quarters after reinstating the payout.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Axiall (NYSE: AXLL ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Axiall missed estimates on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: OceanFirst Financial Corp.(OCFC)
OceanFirst Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for OceanFirst Bank that provides community banking services to retail, government, and business customers primarily in Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties in New Jersey. Its deposit products include money market accounts, savings accounts, interest-bearing checking accounts, non-interest bearing accounts, and time deposits. The company?s loan portfolio comprises conventional first mortgage loans secured by one-to-four family residences, residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans, multi-family and land loans, and real estate construction loans; consumer loans, such as home equity loans and lines of credit; and commercial loans. In addition, it offers trust and asset management, and merchant check card services; and sells alternative investment products, including mutual funds, annuities, and life insurance. The company operates 22 branches, as well as a loan production office and a trust and weal th management office. OceanFirst Financial Corp. was founded in 1902 and is based in Toms River, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Wednesday, financial shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.24 percent. Top losers in the sector included IRSA Investments and Representations (NYSE: IRS), down 3.2 percent, and OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ: OCFC), off 2.5 percent.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: CONSOL Energy Inc (CNX)
CONSOL Energy Inc. (CONSOL Energy), incorporated in 1991, is a producer of coal and natural gas for global energy and raw material markets, which include the electric power generation industry and the steelmaking industry. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company produced 62.6 million tons of high-British thermal unit (Btu) bituminous coal from 12 mining complexes in the United States. In addition, it provides energy services, including river and dock services, terminal services, industrial supply services, coal waste disposal services and land resource management services. The Company operates in two segments: Coal and Gas. In July 2012, Cloud Peak Energy Inc. acquired Youngs Creek Mining Company, LLC (Youngs Creek) joint venture and other related coal and surface assets from Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (Chevron) and the Company.
Coal Operations
The principal activities of the Coal unit are mining, preparation and marketing of thermal coal, sold primarily to power generators, and metallurgical coal, sold to metal and coke producers. The Coal division consists of four reportable segments, which includes Thermal, Low Volatile Metallurgical, High Volatile Metallurgical and Other Coal. Each of these reportable segments includes a number of operating segments (mines or type of coal sold). During 2011, the Thermal aggregated segment included the Bailey, Blacksville #2, Enlow Fork, Fola Complex, Loveridge, McElroy, Miller Creek Complex, Robinson Run and Shoemaker mines. During 2011, the Low Volatile Metallurgical coal aggregated segment included the Buchanan mine. During 2011, the High Volatile Metallurgical coal aggregated segment included Bailey, Blacksville #2, Enlow Fork, Fola Complex, Loveridge, Miller Creek Complex and Robinson Run coal sales.
The Other Coal segment includes its purchased coal activities, idled mine activities, as well as various other activities assigned to the coal division but not allocated to each individual mine. During 2011, the Company! �� reserves were located in northern Appalachia (62%), the mid-western United States (17%), central Appalachia (15%), the western United States (4%), and in western Canada (2%). As of December 31, 2011, the Company had an estimated 4.5 billion tons of proven and probable reserves. During 2011, 94% of its production came from underground mines, 6% from surface mines, and 91% of its production came from mines equipped with longwall mining systems. As of December 31, 2011, CONSOL Energy operated 22 towboats, five harbor boats and a fleet of 625 barges that serve customers along the Ohio, Allegheny, Kanawha and Monongahela Rivers. During 2011, over 84% of all the coal it produced was sold under contracts with terms of one year or more.
Gas Operations
The principal activity of the Gas division is to produce pipeline methane gas for sale primarily to gas wholesalers. The Gas Division consists of four reportable segments, which include Coalbed Methane (CBM), Marcellus, Shallow Oil and Gas and Other Gas. The Other Gas segment includes its purchased gas activities, as well as various other activities assigned to the gas division but not allocated to each individual well type. Its gas division focuses on developing the Marcellus acreage position in southwest Pennsylvania, central Pennsylvania and northwest West Virginia. CONSOL Energy�� all Other segment includes terminal services, river and dock services, industrial supply services and other business activities. Its gas operations primarily produce CBM, which is a gas that resides in coal seams. The Company�� Coalbed Methane operations are located in central Appalachia in Southwest Virginia. Its CBM production also comes from northern Appalachia in northwestern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania where it drills vertical-to-horizontal CBM wells.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company had rights to extract CBM in Virginia from approximately 359,000 net CBM acres, which cover a portion of its coal reserves in Cen! tral Appa! lachia. CONSOL Energy produces gas primarily from the Pocahontas #3 seam, which is the coal seam mined by its Buchanan Mine. The Company also has right to extract CBM in northwestern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania from approximately 859,000 net CBM acres, which contains its recoverable coal reserves in Northern Appalachia. CONSOL Energy produces gas primarily from the Pittsburgh #8 coal seam.
In central Pennsylvania, the Company has the right to extract CBM from approximately 263,000 net CBM acres, which contains its recoverable coal reserves, as well as leases from other coal owners. In addition, CONSOL Energy controls 810,000 net CBM acres in Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. It also has the right to extract CBM on 139,000 net acres in the San Juan Basin, 20,000 net acres in the Powder River Basin and 92,000 net acres in eastern Ohio and central West Virginia. Its Marcellus wells are primarily horizontal wells with 2,500 to 5,000 feet of lateral length. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had the right to extract natural gas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York from approximately 361,000 net acres.
CONSOL Energy controls approximately 346,000 net acres of rights to gas in the New Albany shale in Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. The New Albany shale is a formation containing gaseous hydrocarbons, and its acreage position has thickness of 50-300 feet at an average depth of 2,500-4,000 feet. CONSOL Energy has 249,000 net acres of Chattanooga Shale. It has 457,000 net acres of Huron shale in Kentucky and Virginia. During 2011, the Company drilled 254.9 net development wells and 47 net developmental wells.
Other Operations
CONSOL Energy provides other services to its own operations and others. These include land services, industrial supply services, terminal services, including break bulk, general cargo and warehouse services, and river and dock services water services. Fairmont Supply Company, which is CONSOL Energy�� subs! idiary, i! s a general-line distributor of mining, drilling, and industrial supplies in the United States. During 2011, approximately 12.6 million tons of coal was shipped through CNX Marine Terminal Inc.�� exporting terminal in the Port of Baltimore. CONSOL Energy�� river operations, located in Monessen, Pennsylvania, transport coal from its mines, coal from other mines and non-coal commodities from river loadout facilities located primarily along the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.
As of December 31, 2011, it operated 22 towboats, five harbor boats and 625 barges. In 2011, its river vessels transported a total of 19.1 million tons of coal and other commodities, including 6.2 million tons of coal produced by CONSOL Energy mines. CONSOL Energy provides dock services for its mines, as well as for third parties at its Alicia Dock, located on the Monongahela River in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Its subsidiary CNX Water Assets LLC acquires and develops existing sources of water used to support its coal and gas operations.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
The S&P 500 fell , while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped and the small-cap Russell 2000, which hadn’t been joining the new-high party recently, dipped . Big losers included International Gaming Technology (IGT), which fell 5.6% to $16.84, Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), which dropped 4.4% to $186.04 as oil fell, Safeway (SWY), which declined 4.3% to $33.04 after it was started at Neutral by Goldman Sachs, and Consol Energy (CNX) which finished off 4% at $34.56 after Citigroup cut it to Neutral from Buy. J.C. Penney (JCP), which reports earnings on Wednesday,� managed to turn a 3% gain into a 3.5% loss.
- [By Johanna Bennett]
In a note published Friday, Goldman analysts Neil Mehta and Vinit Joshi issued a mix of outlooks for the batter coal sector, among them Buy ratings on CONSOL Energy (CNX) and SunCoke Energy (SXC) and a Sell on Arch Coal (ACI).
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Teradyne Inc.(TER)
Teradyne, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides automatic test equipment products and services worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Semiconductor Test, Systems Test Group, and Wireless Test. The Semiconductor Test segment designs, manufactures, and sells semiconductor test products and services. Its test systems are used for wafer level and device package testing. These chips are used in automotive, communications, consumer, computer, and electronic game applications. This segment provides its products to integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) that integrate the fabrication of silicon wafers into their business; fabless companies, which outsource the manufacturing of silicon wafers; foundries that cater to the processing and manufacturing of silicon wafers; and outsourced sub-assembly and test providers, which offer test and assembly services for the final packaged devices to fabless companies and IDMs. It also provides Magnum test platform that test s memory devices, such as flash memory and dynamic random access memory, as well as offers ETS platform for use by semiconductor manufacturers, and assembly and test subcontractors in the low pin count analog/mixed signal discrete markets. The Systems Test Group segment offers military/aerospace test instrumentation and systems; storage test systems for HDD manufacturers; and circuit-board test and inspection systems for electronics manufacturers of cell phones, servers, computers, Internet switches, automobiles, and military avionics systems. The Wireless Test segment designs, develops, and supports wireless test solutions for developing and manufacturing wireless devices, such as smart phones, tablets, notebooks/laptops, and personal computer peripherals. This segment offers cellular communication solution for verification and calibration of mobile devices; and products for connectivity testing. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in North Reading, Massach usetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James O'Toole]
Facebook will replace testing equipment company Teradyne Inc. (TER)in the S&P 500 and energy infrastructure firm The Williams Companies (WMB, Fortune 500) in the S&P 100.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Delaware Investments Dividend & Income Fund Inc. (DDF)
Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. is a close-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Delaware Management Holdings, Inc. It is managed by Delaware Management Business Trust. The fund invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest 65 percent of its corpus in stocks and 35% in fixed income securities. The fund primarily invests in value stocks of large cap companies. It also invests in convertible securities, preferred stocks, other equity-related securities, and real estate investment trusts. For the fixed income component of the fund�s portfolio the fund invests in high yield corporate bonds rated BB or lower in terms of quality. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P 500 Index. Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. was formed on March 25, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dividends4Life]
According to a Gabelli Funds report, managed distribution policies offer several advantages, including:1. Lower difference between the fund�� market price and its NAV per share.2. Provides support during periods when the stock market is in a decline.3. Provides a measurable performance target for the investment adviser.Below are several high-yield funds from CEFA that have a managed distribution policy (yields as of December 16):Aberdeen Australia Eqty (IAF)- Distribution Yield: 10.4%- Income Yield: 3.46%Bexil Advisers LLC� (DNI)- Distribution Yield: 11.1%- Income Yield: 3.56%BlackRock En Capital&Inc (CII)- Distribution Yield: 8.78%- Income Yield: 2.34%Cornerstone Strat Value (CLM)- Distribution Yield: 18.77%- Income Yield: 1.83%Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)- Distribution Yield: 19.10%- Income Yield: 0.85%Delaware Inv Div & Inc (DDF)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 5.26%Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB)- Distribution Yield: 7.58%- Income Yield: 1.54%Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT)- Distribution Yield: 9.45%- Income Yield: 2.84%MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)- Distribution Yield: 9.60%- Income Yield: 5.73%Nuveen Tx-Adv TR Strat (JTA)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 3.12%TCW Strategic Income (TSI)- Distribution Yield: 10.54%- Income Yield: 7.88%Zweig Total Return (ZTR)- Distribution Yield: 7.27%- Income Yield: 1.95%As noted in the Gabelli report, a managed distribution policy may create confusion regarding the true current yield since the reported yield includes the return of capital portion. You can see the disparity above between the income yield and the distribution (reported) yield.If you are looking for a sustainable and growing dividend, you may want to consider some blue-chip dividend stocks such as these with a Free Cash Flow Payout less than 50%, 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases and a 2%+ yield:3M Co. (MMM) is a diversified global company provides enhanced product functionality in electronics, health care, industrial, consumer
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: SLM Corporation(SLM)
SLM Corporation, through its subsidiaries, originates, acquires, finances, and services private education loans in the United States. It offers processing capabilities to educational institutions, 529 college-savings plan program management services, and a consumer savings network. The company also provides servicing, loan default aversion, and defaulted loan collection services for loans owned by the Department of Education (ED), Guarantors of FFELP Loans, and other institutions. In addition, SLM Corporation offers campus solutions, which comprise electronic billing, collection, payment and refund, and tuition payment plan administration services. The company promotes its products through the financial aid offices on campuses, as well as through direct marketing to students and their families. SLM Corporation was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Newark, Delaware.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
It's important to understand that for the most part, the impact on banks from the bill would be minimal. Under the Federal Direct Loan Program, the Department of Education is the lender on Stafford loans extended through the program rather than a private lender. Admittedly, rising rates on Stafford loans might make private student loans from lenders Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) look somewhat less unattractive. But increased regulation led Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) , US Bancorp (NYSE: USB ) , and several other institutions to reduce or eliminate their student lending programs, making it clear that student loans aren't enough of a money-making cash-cow to give banks an incentive to keep lending.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Supply and demand
Of course, there are plenty of interested parties who want the student-loan business to continue to grow in some form. Student-loan specialist Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM ) as well as big banks that make student loans earn substantial profits from their loans, and federal guarantees greatly reduce the risk that lenders take on with some loans, making the absolute level of interest rates much less important for certain types of lending. - [By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of SLM Corp (NASDAQ: SLM ) , better known as Sallie Mae, jumped as much as 14% after announcing a new CEO and unveiling strategic plans to split into two separate companies. Shares have since given back much of their gains and are now up just 4% as of this writing.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
The wild card by our take�is how this will impact SLM�Corporation (NYSE: SLM). If this is going to be a huge win for Sallie Mae it is not being reflected in the price of its stock as the stock was up only by one-cent at $24.21 late on Thursday. SLM is worth just over $10.5 billion and it is somewhat remarkable that it survived the government takeover of the industry.
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