Is Illumina's Stock Expensive or Cheap by the Numbers?

Numbers can lie -- but they're the best first step in determining whether a stock is a buy. In this series, we use some carefully chosen metrics to size up a stock's true value based on the following clues:

• The current price multiples.
• The consistency of past earnings and cash flow.
• How much growth we can expect.

Let's see what those numbers can tell us about how expensive or cheap Illumina (Nasdaq: ILMN  ) might be.

The current price multiples
First, we'll look at most investors' favorite metric: the P/E ratio. It divides the company's share price by its earnings per share -- the lower, the better.

Then, we'll take things up a notch with a more advanced metric: enterprise value to unlevered free cash flow. This divides the company's enterprise value (basically, its market cap plus its debt, minus its cash) by its unlevered free cash flow (its free cash flow, adding back the interest payments on its debt). Like the P/E, the lower this number is, the better.

Analysts argue about which is more important -- earnings or cash flow. Who cares? A good buy ideally has low multiples on both.

Illumina has a P/E ratio of 31.9 and an EV/FCF ratio of 11.4 over the trailing 12 months. If we stretch and compare current valuations to the five-year averages for earnings and free cash flow, Illumina has a P/E ratio of 359.3 and a five-year EV/FCF ratio of 24.4.

A positive one-year ratio under 10 for both metrics is ideal (at least in my opinion). For a five-year metric, under 20 is ideal.

Illumina is zero for four on hitting the ideal targets, but let's see how it compares against some competitors and industry mates.?

< p align="center">1-Year EV/FCF

Company	1-Year P/E	5-Year P/E	5-Year EV/FCF
Illumina	31.9	11.4	359.3	24.4
Affymetrix (Nasdaq: AFFX  )	NM	5.8	NM	9.3
Life Technologies (Nasdaq: LIFE  )	20.0	13.0	41.6	17.8
Luminex (Nasdaq: LMNX  )	60.8	27.3	123.9	87.2

Source: S&P Capital IQ; NM = not meaningful because of losses.

Numerically, we've seen how Illumina's valuation rates on both an absolute and relative basis. Next, let's examine...

The consistency of past earnings and cash flow
An ideal company will be consistently strong in its earnings and cash flow generation.

In the past five years, Illumina's net income margin has ranged from -81.7% to 13.4%. In that same time frame, unlevered free cash flow margin has ranged from 0% to 27.2%.

How do those figures compare with those of the company's peers? See for yourself:

Source: S&P Capital IQ; margin ranges are combined.

Additionally, over the last five years, Illumina has tallied up four years of positive earnings and five years of positive free cash flow.

Next, let's figure out...

How much growth we can expect
Analysts tend to comically ! overstat e their five-year growth estimates. If you accept them at face value, you will overpay for stocks. But while you should definitely take the analysts' prognostications with a grain of salt, they can still provide a useful starting point when compared to similar numbers from a company's closest rivals.

Let's start by seeing what this company's done over the past five years. In that time period, Illumina has put up past EPS growth rates of 25.4%. Meanwhile, Wall Street's analysts expect future growth rates of 18%.

Here's how Illumina compares to its peers for trailing five-year growth (because of losses, the trailing growth rates for Affymetrix and Luminex aren't meaningful):

Source: S&P Capital IQ; EPS growth shown.

And here's how it measures up with regard to the growth analysts expect over the next five years:

Source: S&P Capital IQ; estimates for EPS growth.

The bottom line
The pile of numbers we've plowed through has shown us the price multiples shares of Illumina?are trading at, the volatility of its operational performance, and what kind of growth profile it has -- both on an absolute and a relative basis.

The more consistent a company's performance has been and the more growth we can expect, the more we should be willing to pay. We've gone well beyond looking at a 31.9 P/E ratio, and we see that its EV/FCF ratios are much more attractive. This is due to (1) free cash flows exceeding earnings, and (2) a net cash balance (i.e., more cash than debt). One thing to remember, though, is that free cash flow takes out Illumina's cash acquisitions (that hits later in the cash flow statement).

Looking at Illum! ina's ma rgins, there really was only one negative number ... the scary -81.7% figure. The back story is that earnings were hit by acquired in-process research and development in 2007. Otherwise, Illumina's margins are positive and its growth over the last five years has been strong.

Note that Illumina has been a Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation since 2008, but so far we've only looked at the initial numbers. If you find Illumina's numbers or story compelling, don't stop. Continue your due diligence process until you're confident one way or the other. As a start, add it to My Watchlist to find all of our Foolish analysis.

To see the stocks that I've researched beyond the initial numbers and bought in my public real-money portfolio, click here.

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Fire Sale in Solar Sector (GE)

Fotowatio, a Spanish firm owned by a consortium including General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), has purchased several solar farms from US firm MMA Renewable Ventures, a unit of Municipal Mortgage & Equity LLC, aka MuniMae. MuniMae missed an SEC-imposed deadline for filing its 2006 10-K, and was delisted from the NYSE. It was required to restate its financial statements for 2004, 2005, and 2006. MuniMae shares now trade over-the-counter, and the company has been shedding assets to raise cash.

The sale of its renewable ventures business will bring MuniMae $19.7 million, and includes a 14-MW solar farm at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base and more than 400 MW of new development.? Fotowatio claims to have invested more than $880 million in solar projects since 2006, and has plans to add as much as $3.2 billion more by 2012.

This investment is not even a blip on GE’s radar. Fotowatio does not even appear by name in the company’s 10-K for 2008. Still, renewables are high on GE’s agenda, and deals like this one for distressed properties are no-brainers. It may be bottom-feeding, but it’s cheap and could pay off someday. At least, that’s probably what GE thinks.

Paul Ausick
March 3, 2009

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Why the Dow Popped Today

After a down day yesterday, all three major indices were up about a percent today:

Index	Change	Ending Value
Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI  )	+135.63 [1.12%]	12,287.04
S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC  )	+13.38 [1.07%]	1,263.02
Nasdaq (INDEX: ^IXIC  )	+23.76 [0.92%]	2,613.74

In other indicator news, oil was up slightly to just under $100 a barrel, the yield on 10-year treasury bonds were down slightly to 1.9%, and gold fell for the sixth straight day to $1,548.40 an ounce.

Today's Italian long-term bond auction that helped spook the market yesterday had a "meh" result. The yields Italy got were lower than last month's auction, but still around 7% on 10-year debt. At least there were buyers!

Jobless-claims data was also positive, but if I had to pick one news event that was the biggest driver of the market today, it would be the National Association of Realtors' pending sales index. The November index came in 5.9% over last year's (and 7.3% above October's reading). The index is at a one-and-a-half year high.

Looking at individual stocks, the biggest winners predictably had some tie to housing. In the S&P 500, the top two and four of the six biggest winners were housing-related: Masco (NYSE: MAS  ) [8.5%], Pulte (NYSE: PHM  ) [5.9%], Lennar [4.6%], and DR Horton [4.4%].

In the Dow, all 30 stocks were up, but Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) [3.3%] and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) [2.2%] were the leaders. Because of their financial dealings, their stocks generally get boosts from favorable housing and Europe news.

Today's market news was a boost to our portfolios, but remember to keep things in perspective and invest for the long term -- think in years and decades, not days and months. For a stock that The Motley Fool's chief investment officer believes has a long, prosperous future ahead of it, check out our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Get access to the report and find out the name of this legendary company.

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ETF Investors: Seven New Etfs To Look Forward To In 2012 (TUR, USCI, SPY, DIA, VTI)

Innovation has been a dominant theme in the ETFindustry and this year, 2011, has shaped out to be perhaps the mostexciting one yet. Growth is the other key ingredient for success and theexchange-traded universe has seen an abundance of new product launches;veteran issuers and newcomers alike haveexpanded their product lineups with dozens upon dozens offirst-to-market products, while also making plans for more excitingofferings in the near future [see ETF Launch Center]. With over 1,400 funds to choose from at the moment, investorsare surely looking forward to the expansion of the "toolkit" as the ETFstructure has demonstrated its effectiveness in allowing for easy, andtransparent, access to a multitude of asset classes that were previouslyout-of-reach for many. In light of this, we have picked out sevenintriguing filings that are currently on deck and could hit the marketsometime in 2012 [for more ETF insights, sign up for our free ETF newsletter]:

EG Shares Turkey Small Cap ETF

This exciting proposal, filed by EG Shares, will seek to replicatethe price and yield performance of the INDXX Turkey Small Cap Index. Thefund will fill a void for those seeking targeted exposure to Turkey'srobust economey; this ETF will feature an underlying portfolio thatconsists of 30 small cap equities that are domiciled in Turkey and have amarket capitalization between $100 million and $2 billion. Turkey ishome to a growing service based economy, which separates it from manyother emerging market countries which are dependent on the productionand export of commodities. Rising levels of urbanization along withfavorable demographic trends are two good reasons for why many investorsshould be excited for this proposed small cap Turkey ETF. This new ETFwould allow for? "pure play" exposure to the local economy, whereas thecurrent offering by iShares, the MSCI Turkey Index Fund (NYSEARCA:TUR), holds a top-heavy portfolio dominated by large cap, multinational stocks [see T! urkey ET F Looks Delicious].

USCF Asian Commodity Basket Fund

The issuer behind the popular "contango-killer", the United States Commodity Index Fund (NYSEARCA:USCI),has made plans to beef up its product lineup with an exciting offeringthat is sure to please investors with bullish prospects for Asia.

Theproposed Asian Commodity Basket Fund would include exposure tocommodities that are deemed to maintain systemic importance to Asianeconomies, including the three major behemoths in the region: China,Japan, and India. Booming populations and rapid urbanization have beenimportant drivers of commodity prices in recent years as developingAsian economies have developed an insatiable appetite for naturalresources [see Special Report: In Search Of The Best Commodity ETF]. The construction of the underlying index of commodity futures willtake into account a number of different factors, including: globalproduction/consumption levels in Asian countries, as well as taking intoaccount whether Asian economies are either net importers of exportersof a particular commodity.

ProShares USD Covered Bond

Fixed income instruments have seen a surge in popularity as investorsare seeking out safety in anticipation of continuing market turmoil.Amidst the uncertainty, ProShares has laid out plans for a one-of-a-kindbond offering that is sure to please defensive-minded investors; thisETF will be designed to track the USD Covered Bond Index, which iscomprised of U.S. dollar-denominated fixed income securities.The underlying holdings are "Covered Bonds" which are debt instrumentsissued by a financial institution that are secured by a pool offinancial assets, most commonly through a "cover pool" of mortgages orpublic-sector loans [see also International Bond ETFs: Cruising Through All The Options].Covered bonds also distinguish themselves from traditional debtsecurities because the bondholders have a senior claim against the coverpool in the event of a default by the issuing financial in! stitutio n.

Global X Farmland & Timber ETF

Global X, one of the fastest growing ETF issuers, has filed for aspecialized fund that allows for investors to favorably positionthemselves in anticipation of growing demand for food and shelter. ThisETF will track the Solactive Global Farmland & Timberland Index,which consists of the largest and most liquid companies engaged in thefarmland and timberland industry. This ETF could be a good choice forcurrent income investors as the companies that own farmland andtimberland areas tend to pay relatively higher dividends than thebusinesses which produce goods from these locations [see Futures Free Commodity ETFdb Portfolio ].

PIMCO Foreign Currency Strategy ETF

Industry giant PIMCO is planning to roll out an actively-managedcurrency ETF, expanding its product lineup beyond traditional fixedincome offerings.

This intriguing fund will investin the currencies of foreign countries, with a focus on those that arelikely to outperform the U.S. dollar over the long term. To achieve thisobjective, PIMCO will evaluate other currencies based on a number offundamental factors including: relative interest rates, inflation rates,exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, trade and current accountbalances, as well as legal and political developments. This ETF mayserve as a valuable diversifying agent in investors' portfolios as itwill include both developed market and emerging market currencies [see Getting Creative With Currency ETFs].

First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund

First Trust is planning on launching a sector-specific ETF that mayappeal to conservative investors with a bullish outlook on the energysector [see Energy Bull ETFdb Portfolio]. The First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund wouldinvest in U.S. and Canadian companies deemed to be engaged in the energyinfrastructure segment of the energy and utilities sectors. Theunderlying portfolio will feature ex! posure t o common stocks, depositaryreceipts, master limited partnerships ("MLPs"), MLP I-shares, MLPrelated entities, pipeline and power utility companies, Canadian energyinfrastructure companies and Canadian Energy Infrastructure Trusts("CEITs"). This could be a good choice for investors looking to accessthe "safer" corner of the energy market; firms that own and operateenergy infrastructure, such as pipelines and storage tanks, generaterevenues that are not impacted materially by changes in crude oil ornatural gas prices [see MLP ETFs: Fact And Fiction].

German Hedged Equity Fund

New York-based WisdomTree is planning to bring to market an ETFfocusing on the robust German economy, while at the same time avoidingthe potentially adverse impacts of fluctuations in the currency market.This proposed fund will track the WisdomTree Germany Hedged EquityIndex, which offers investors exposure to German equity markets while atthe time offsetting exposure to fluctuations of the value relative tothe U.S. dollar. The index will consist of German securities that have aminimum market cap of at least $1 billion and the underlying securitieswill be weighted by aggregate dividends. The fund's methodology, whichstrips out exposure to the euro, may appeal to investors who wantexposure to German companies but believe that the euro will be weakeningagainst the dollar [see Three Long/Short Ideas For Euro Zone Debt Drama].

Written By Stoyan Bojinov From ETF Database Disclosure: No Positions

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Wall Street's Best Hidden Stocks

When asked for the secret of his success, baseball player Wee Willie Keeler replied, "Hit 'em where they ain't." What worked for Willie at the plate applies equally well in investing.?

Seeking stocks that others ignore, shun, or simply forget gives individual investors like you an edge over the professionals. When Wall Street turns a blind eye, you have a chance to get in before these stocks get discovered -- or rediscovered -- and start taking off.?

Below, we'll check out companies with only a handful of analyst coverage, then pair our list with the opinions of the?Motley Fool CAPS?community. A stock that garners CAPS' top ratings but hasn't yet caught analysts' attention could be your next home run investment.

Stock	CAPS Rating (out of 5)	No. of Wall St. Picks	P/E Ratio
American Capital Agency (Nasdaq: AGNC  )	****	4	4.6
Great Panther Silver (AMEX: GPL  )	****	1	26.7
NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq: NXPI  )	*****	5	8.8

Source: Yahoo! Finance; Motley Fool CAPS.

Remember, without much analyst support, you'll have to do your own scouting to see whether these stocks deserve a spot on your portfolio's roster. Don't just buy or sell them based solely on their appearance here.?

Putting a roof over your head
The National Association of Realtors lowered by 14% its estimates on the numbe! r of exi sting homes sold since 2007 because a glitch in its system led it to double-count some sales and include some new-home sales in its figures. Worse, foreclosures are still an albatross on the industry, with almost half of all home sales in November being either short sales or sales of bank-owned properties. That, coupled with persistently high unemployment levels, led the Federal Reserve to reiterate its commitment to keeping interest rates artificially low.

Although quality mortgage REITs like American Capital Agency benefit from the low interest rate environment by making money on the difference between short- and long-term rates (the spread), borrowing low-cost short-term money and investing it long term for higher returns, mREITs try to juice their returns further by deploying leverage. ARMOUR Residential REIT (NYSE: ARR  ) , Newcastle Investment (NYSE: NCT  ) , and others take on debt to bolster returns, but in so doing, expose themselves?to greater risk in the event the spread narrows.

With American Capital Agency carrying a dividend that yields close to 20%, CAPS member?badducky is satisfied while watching how it all plays out: "I have been sitting on this dividend for over a year, and it's been one of my happy stories of the stagnant market. I don't know how much longer this dividend will continue, but I love getting paid to wait and see."

Let us know in the comments section below or on the?American Capital Agency CAPS page?if you think this will continue paying such juicy dividends, then add it to your watchlist to be notified of the latest developments.

This stock is still precious
A series of misfortune and missteps led Great Panther Silver to badly miss earnings, but as one of the great undiscovered silver opportunities out there, it has the chance to be a big win for investors in 2012, of which I consider myself one.

The miner suffer! ed from lower-grade ore than it was accustomed to finding.?The problem first arose in the second quarter and spilled over into the third, leading to an 18% decrease in silver equivalent ounce production. Then one of its metal traders had smelter issues that led to delays in concentrate shipments. But it's been a difficult year for a number of silver and gold miners; even Coeur d'Alene Mines (NYSE: CDE  ) , which has held up reasonably well, is still trading lower now than where it started the year.

CAPS member MajorBob04 is willing to wait for Great Panther to pounce: "Any hint of good news will turn the fading stock price around. May take a couple quarters, but I expect good results soon."

Dig into the thoughts of other investors on the Great Panther Silver CAPS page and add?the miner to your watchlist, then let us know in the comments section below whether it will make the return trip up.

Deep freeze
While Identive Group (Nasdaq: INVE  ) is flat from where I picked it to outperform the market earlier this summer, the small but growing near-field communications industry is one that strikes my imagination.

Near-field communications, or NFC, is a technology that allows communication over very short distances -- typically just a few centimeters. Using a smartphone, a user can touch the phone to an NFC tag and immediately be connected to a website, dial a phone number, or launch an app to show information such as business details or points of?interest.

That's why investors might want to pay closer attention to NXP Semiconductors, a leader in the NFC niche. It recently paired up with Identive to produce an NFC tag that will be able to be read through glass, making the technology even more useful for consumers who want to access displayed data by waving their cell phones in front of it. And because it consumes only 144 bytes of memory, cell-phone makers can! preload their phones with promotional URL addresses or other content.

While I've also rated NXP on CAPS to outperform the broad market indexes and aacole finds near-field communications to be a "game changer," the chip maker is involved in more than just that specialty, which makes it an interesting play.

The stock's low profile also presents an opportunity to enter a position while it's still discounted, as it trades at less than half its 52-week high. Add NXP to the Fool's free portfolio tracker and tell us on the NXP Semiconductors CAPS page whether it's near enough to be a great portfolio addition.

Swing for the fences
If you're looking for other hidden stock opportunities to help you get one up on Wall Street, then grab a copy of this free report. In it, you'll find five?stocks?the Fool owns and you should too, including one top-notch technology stock.?Just click here to get yours today?-- it's totally free.

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Chimera Investment Declares Quarterly Dividend – (CIM, BCS, LNC, CSE)

Chimera Investment Corporation NYSE:CIM, recently declared that its Board of Directors announced the fourth quarter 2011 common stock cash dividend of 11 cents per common share. The said dividend is payable January 26, 2012 to common stockholders of record on December 29, 2011. Company��s ex-dividend date is December 27, 2011.

Company��s share price remained unchanged on Dec 23 EST and closed near $2.74. Company��s volume was 9.19 million shares which is above from its average volume of 12.68 million shares. Company��s current stock price is moving above its 52 week low by 15.13% and its below its 52 week high by 29.14%.

Barclays PLC (ADR) NYSE:BCS, share price increased 0.62% or $0.07 on Dec 23 EST and closed near $ 11.33. Company��s volume was 3.08 million shares which is below its average volume of 4.98 million shares. Company��s current stock price is moving above its 52 week low by 35.20% and its below its 52 week high by 46.88%.

 

Lincoln National Corporation NYSE:LNC, share price increased 3.08% or $0.59 on Dec 23 EST and closed near $ 19.72. Company��s volume was 2.98 million shares which is below from its average volume of 5.81 million shares. Company��s current stock price is moving above its 52 week low by 43.91% and its below its 52 week high by 39.26%.

 

CapitalSource, Inc. NYSE:CSE, share price decreased 0.46% or $0.03 on Dec 23 EST and closed near $ 6.51. Company��s volume was 2.55 million shares which is below from its average volume of 3.67 million shares. Company��s current stock price is moving above its 52 week low by 28.65% and its below its 52 week high by 20.22%.

 

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Samsung Gets its Chat On with ChatON

Galaxy S II details may be coming tomorrow, but that's not the only announcement the company is making this week.

In addition to the long-awaited smartphone, Samsung is prepping a new cross-platform mobile chat service called ChatON. According to TechCrunch, the service is expected to launch in September and will be showcased at the IFA Conference this week.

ChatON will reportedly support a variety of mobile operating systems, including Android (NASDAQ: GOOG), iOS (NASDAQ: AAPL), and BlackBerry (NASDAQ: RIMM). The former was a no-brainer, but Samsung's decision to make ChatON for other platforms is just one of the many ways that tech companies are attempting to invade each other's worlds.

But that's not all. ChatON will also infiltrate our PCs with a Web-based client. Not surprisingly, users can chat privately one-on-one, participate in group chats, share photos and video, and send voice messages. (It's like an early-generation Skype!)

While ChatON isn't likely to blow its competitors out of the water, the service is scheduled to launch in more than 120 countries and 62 languages, giving Samsung a fighting chance out of the gate.

Follow me @LouisBedigian

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Sometimes Bowed, Never Broken: DJIA Ekes Out Gain

The Homeric journey that equities have set themselves on progressed into a third straight week in Monday’s trading, this time posting one of those incremental improvements that’s looked like the mortar in the wall of worry the Wall Street has been climbing. The S&P 500 Index (GSPC)climbed to itshighest value since Nov. 4, finishing the session at 982.

The index recorded its ninth advance in the previous 11 trading sessions, dating back to the cusp of earnings season, when Goldman Sachs (GS)started to rally, a gain that’s carried the stock up 16%.

The bullshave waged most of their assault with a series of quick sprints interspersed withhand-to-handskirmishes with the bears.In four of the last six trading sessions, including Monday’s 3-point advance that carried the S&Pto 982 points, the index has risen by a fraction of a percentage point. Most of the success has been realized in twotrading session last week thatimproved the index 2.3% and 1.1%, and cumulatively added 33 points to the rise.

Monday’s season featured some muted reactions to second-quarter results, including a fraction of a point improvement in Honeywell (HON)following an uneven earnings performance that included full-year guidance to the low end of its range of estimates. RadioShack (RSH)lost nearly 7%, relinquishing much of the gains etched Friday on two upgrades, after failing to impress analysts with its quarterly performance.

The pace of the earningsparade picks up Tuesday, but there’s no guarantee that investors are going to respond any more constructively. U.S. Steel (X)is slated to record its second consecutively quarterly loss amid one of the worst downturns in the market for raw materials.

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How to Fix Thanksgiving Meal Disasters

There��s a good reason Thanksgiving comes but once a year: Pulling off the orchestrated feat of a stuffed bird, and whipping up a dozen sides and baked desserts for a crowd isn��t easy. With that much food cooking simultaneously, it’s highly likely that something will go very wrong.

Worse, there isn’t always a fast fix. You can��t exactly pop another turkey in the oven at the last minute, and most grocery stores aren��t open for you to pick up an extra bag of cranberries or a replacement pie.

The good news is that you don’t have to serve an over-dry turkey, or that you can��t salvage lumpy gravy. Here��s how chefs and home cooks suggest salvaging common Thanksgiving meal disasters:

The problem: Lumpy gravy

As we mentioned ina previous article,?either put the gravy through a quick pass in the blender or let it drain through a sieve. That will break up and/or remove the larger lumps.

The problem: Not enough food

��Rather than serving the meal family style, you can plate out the dishes,�� says registered dietician Jackie Newgent, author of ?��Big Green Cookbook.�� ��Your guests will feel like they��re getting exceptional service.�� This way, everyone gets a little of everything.

The problem: Frozen turkey

Real Simple suggests putting the bird in a cold-water bath, breast-side down, and in its original packaging. This can speed things along, with results in as little as a half hour.

The problem: Oven malfunction

Make a plan for what needs to be in the oven when, for how long, and at what temp. Then do a dry run to make sure the various pans all fit. Mint.com reader Wendy Pierce says the first Thanksgiving she cooked (for 18 people!) she took her turkey pan to the supermarket to make sure the bird would fit.? ��I got everything ready and went to put the bird in the oven and the door wouldn’t close — the pan was too big!�� she says. ��I ! ended up waking up my husband and he went out back of our building and banged the lip of the iron pan up so it would fit.��

The problem: Dry turkey

The best measures are preventative, including basting and brining, but Frugal Foodie is a big believer in gravy as another impromptu fixer. Make sure there��s plenty on hand to offset the dryness. It also helps to let the cooked bird rest for at least 30 minutes after taking it out of the oven, which lets the juices redistribute.

The problem: Thin cranberry sauce.

Add fresh fruit, Newgent says. ��Stir in fresh chopped orange or tangerine segments,�� she says. ��Add a pinch of cinnamon or mint, if you wish, and sprinkle with some of the citrus zest.�� Frugal Foodie has also added fresh apples, and chopped dried apricots to her cranberry sauce.

The problem: Sink backup

Roto-Rooter reports a 51% increase in calls on the day after Thanksgiving, largely to remove clogs of kitchen scraps that shouldn��t have made it down the drain in the first place. “If you notice trouble, don��t put anything else down the drain and don��t try to use a chemical drain cleaner,”?says ServiceMagic.com. It��s unlikely to work and more likely to leave the sink-full of chemicals you��d rather not have near the food.

The problem: Too much salt.

If it��s the turkey, try a fast rinse and drain to get the salt off the skin. For the sides, try adding other components to make the dish seem less salty. ��Check your freezer for any package of plain frozen veggies, like spinach, peas, or carrots. Steam them for a minute on the stovetop or in the microwave, and then puree them in a food processor with the potatoes,�� Newgent says.

 

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Better-than-expected housing reports push the S&P into the black

A number of housing stocks caught fire Thursday on better-than-expected homes data, helping send the S&P 500 back to positive territory on the year. The benchmark index has one last trading day to determine if 2011 will be punctuated with black ink or red.

Pending home sales for November were up 7.3% month-over-month vs. a much more cautious 1.5% forecast. Sales also were 7% better than the same period a year ago and now are at their highest point since April 2010.

Homebuilding stocks responded with a resounding rallying cry. KB Home (NYSE:KBH) was up 6.15%, PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM) gained 6.05% and Lennar (NYSE:LEN) climbed 4.64%. Home improvement product maker Masco (NYSE:MAS) jumped 8.41%, while home improvement retailers Lowe��s (NYSE:LOW) and Home Depot were up a more modest 2.47% and 1.16%, respectively.

Joining in Thursday��s revelry for different reasons was Diamond Foods (NASDAQ:DMND). Shares soared 7% on rumors that hedge fund manager David Einhorn might have invested in Diamond Foods. The move is a much-needed breath of fresh air for DMND shareholders, who saw their investments lose as much as 60% since initial reports came out concerning Diamond��s accounting practices. However, the stock is up in double digits for December, including some wild mid-month gyrations.

Boeing (NYSE:BA) could declare 2011 the “Year of the Deal” after Thursday, when the U.S. government agreed to a large aircraft sale to Saudi Arabia, which will include 84 new Boeing-made F-15 combat jets. The contract, worth almost $30 billion, also will task the company with bringing 70 existing aircraft up to date. Boeing stock budged just more than 1% Thursday but is up almost 20% in the past three months as the company has announced record-breaking deals with Southwest (NYSE:LUV), Em! irates a nd Indonesia��s Lion Air airlines.

Three Up

• Owens Corning (NYSE:OC): Up 7.21% ($1.95) to $29.
• Elan (NYSE:ELN): Up 5.64% (74 cents) to $13.86.
• Bank of America (NYSE:BAC): Up 3.21% (17 cents) to $5.46.

Three Down

• Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ:DECK): Down 8% ($6.76) to $77.69.
• Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN): Down 5.48% ($1.24) to $21.38.
• Fusion-IO (NYSE:FIO): Down 4.71% ($1.20) to $24.26.

As of this writing, Kyle Woodley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. Check out our list of previous IP Market Recaps.

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Housing Markets That Rose and Fell the Most This Year

It is no secret that the national housing market has gotten even worse this year. With each passing month, it seems that most measures pointed to further weakening. Although there are a few exceptions at the state and local level, the wave of foreclosures is still so large that most markets cannot stage price recoveries. And the portion of underwater home mortgages is now over a fifth of the entire home market. 24/7 Wall St. examined the nation's metropolitan areas that had the biggest gains in home prices from January to October of this year and those that had the worst.

Home markets that continued to see steep price drops are generally those with higher-than-average foreclosure rates and, usually, higher-than-normal unemployment. Markets with price appreciation, on the other hand, are generally marked by below average unemployment rates and by home values that never fell a great deal during the recession. The reason prices held up relatively well during the recession is because housing prices peaked much later in those areas than the national peak in 2006, keeping demand relatively level.

Bloomington, Ind., is a prime example. Home values in the metropolitan statistical area did not peak until the second quarter of 2010, nearly three years after the national average. That means demand remained good through the recession. Since that peak, values have dropped only 3.7%. Compared to a national market where prices have dropped by nearly a third since 2006, this decline is nominal. Bloomington shares another characteristic with home markets that have done well. Its unemployment rate is only 7.3%, nearly two full points below the national average as of October.

A prime example at the other end of the market is the Reno-Sparks metro area. Home prices peaked early, in the first quarter of 2006. This is probably because of the Nevada building boom, which also hit neighboring Las Vegas-Paradise metro area. Home inventory was so large that the numbers of vacant homes grew rapidly, even before! the rec ession officially began. Since their peak, home prices in Reno-Sparks have plummeted more than 51% by October, and they continue to fall to this day. There is not a strong employment base to support home prices and sales. Unemployment in the Reno area is 12.1%.

24/7 Wall St. relied on?CoreLogic’s?Home Price Index?to identify the metropolitan statistical areas that increased and decreased the most from January to October of this year. CoreLogic also provided Foreclosure data for the 384 MSAs the company tracks. Data reflecting the amount each housing market is down from its peak value is from Fiserv-Case Shiller. Unemployment data for October of this year is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

24/7 Wall St. found, as it reviewed the housing markets in 384 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, that those regions that survived the recession the best economically have begun to see a rebound in home prices. Markets marred by high unemployment and sharp drops in home prices have usually not recovered at all.

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But buyers beware -- other hot luxury offerings have fizzled

You might have seen Michael Kors judging alongside host Heidi Klum on the popular show ��Project Runway.” And if you have enough money, you might have bought some of his luxurious handbags, shoes and watches.

Now you can buy stock in his company, simply called Michael Kors (NYSE:KORS), which has come public today. The IPO priced at $20, which was above the $17-$19 price range. The underwriters included Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

As expected, there was lots of demand for KORS shares, with shares gaining more than 24% to end the day at $24.87.

Michael Kors is one of the world��s top lifestyle luxury brands. Its focus is on the jet-set crowd — or at least those who pretend to be a part of it. Some of the notable customers include Angelina Jolie, Blake Lively, Penelope Cruz and even Michelle Obama.

Michael Kors sells its offerings through a variety of channels. For example, it has a distribution footprint with retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue (NYSE:SKS), Neiman Marcus, Harrods, Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) and Macy��s (NYSE:M). But Michael Kors also has its own chain of stores, with 169 locations in North America and 34 in Europe and Japan.

Even with the sluggish economy, affluent consumers have had few problems, and they certainly want premium brands. The result is that Michael Kors has been growing at a hefty clip. In fiscal 2011, revenues hit $803.3 million, up 58.1% from the same period a year ago. Net income was $72.5 million, and same-store sales increased 48.2% for the past year.

True, the fashion industry is extremely ri! sky. A t op brand can easily become pass��. Yet Michael Kors consistently has been an innovator since the early 1980s. In other words, it��s a good bet that Michael Kors’ momentum will continue.

But with all the excitement the IPO has garnered, it probably is a good idea to wait before buying any shares. Typically, a hot offering eventually will fizzle out as the buzz subsides. After all, other luxury IPOs this year, such as Prada and Ferragamo (both trade in foreign markets), have shown muted performances since their hot offerings.

Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog ��IPOPlaybook,�� a site dedicated to the hottest news and rumors about initial public offerings. He is also the author of ��All About Short Selling�� and ��All About Commodities.�� Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli. As of this writing, he did not own a position in any of the aforementioned stocks.

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Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. at its Peak Price of the Year - NYSE:TNH

Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. (NYSE:TNH) achieved its new 52 week high price of $134.80 where it was opened at $131.57 UP +2.81 points or +2.14% by closing at $133.98 TNH transacted shares during the day were over 73,917.00 shares however it has an average volume of 52,243.00 shares.

TNH has a market capitalization $2.50 billion and an enterprise value at $2.28 billion. Trailing twelve months price to sales ratio of the stock was 3.90 while price to book ratio in most recent quarter was 9.96. In profitability ratios, net profit margin in past twelve months appeared at 44.97% whereas operating profit margin for the same period at 45.00%.

The company made a return on asset of 59.97% in past twelve months and return on equity of 124.06% for similar period. In the period of trailing 12 months it generated revenue amounted to $641.80 million gaining $34.35 revenue per share. Its year over year, quarterly growth of revenue was 65.00% holding 256.60% quarterly earnings growth.

According to preceding quarter balance sheet results, the company had $221.70 million cash in hand making cash per share at 11.87. Moreover its current ratio according to same quarter results was 4.54 and book value per share was 13.45.

Looking at the trading information, the stock price history displayed that its S&P500 52 Week Change illustrated 17.80% where the stock current price exhibited up beat from its 50 day moving average price of $122.36 and remained below from its 200 Day Moving Average price of $113.32.

TNH holds 18.68 million outstanding shares with 4.61 million floating shares where insider possessed 75.07% and institutions kept 6.00%.

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Fitch Revises France Rating To Negative Outlook

France’s AAA rating, which has been threatened?for months by concerns about a Europe recession, eurozone?contagion, and its debt level moved closer to perilous levels, as Fitch reexamined it rating. The credit agency also said it would review six other nations for downgrade.

In a note, Fitch reported

Fitch Ratings has today affirmed France’s Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) as well as its senior debt at ‘AAA’. Fitch has also simultaneously affirmed France’s Country Ceiling at ‘AAA’ and the Short-term foreign currency rating at ‘F1+’. The rating Outlook on the Long-term rating is revised to Negative from Stable.

The concern,?however, was

government debt to GDP is currently projected by Fitch under its baseline scenario to peak in 2014 at around 92%, higher than any other ‘AAA’-rated?sovereign with the exception of the UK and US and significantly?higher than other ‘AAA’-rated Euro Area peers.

Despite comments to the contrary by EU region leaders, no viable?bailout fund has been created, which makes contagion more likely if?Italy or Spain falters. There is no present evidence that the IMF has the capital to exercise a bailout of its own. The?ECB has it will support the region’s banks, but not sovereign nations. That says very little. If the value of?the national debt of Spain or Italy is undermined by a default, the danger to regional banks is extreme.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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Find the Perfect Gaming Stock for Your Portfolio

Not all investors are created equal. Factors and metrics can matter differently for each of us, and as a beginner, it's important to decide which are essential to you before investing your hard-earned cash in a business.

Let's take a look at three companies in the gaming sector -- Wynn Resorts (NYSE: WYNN  ) , Melco Crown Entertainment (NYSE: MPEL  ) , and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) -- to see which one is right for you.

Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts' executives own 16.1% of the company. That means they have nearly $2.2 billion of their own money on the line. It isn't the highest ownership in the industry, but when you pair that with top-flight management, the company makes a great stable choice for a somewhat volatile sector. Wynn also pays a dividend, which indicates they have investors' best interests at heart.

Melco Crown Entertainment
Another set of important metrics (especially for gaming companies) is how much cash the casinos are generating (using property EBITDA) versus the value of the company (using enterprise value, or EV). Fellow Fool Travis Hoium recently took a look at these companies using this metric. Below are the results of what he found (you can click here to get more details):

Company	EV/EBITDA
Melco Crown Entertainment	8.19
Wynn Resorts	9.62
Las Vegas Sands	11.54

Source: "The Best Stock in Gaming."

What that boils down to is that, of the companies above, Melco Crown is currently bringing in the most earnings for i! nvestors relative to how much the company is being valued by the market. This could mean big bucks for investors down the road if valuations relative to EBITDA rise to the levels of their competitors over time.

Las Vegas Sands
Las Vegas Sands owns casinos in multiple U.S. locations, Macau, and Singapore. That doesn't really sound exciting until you realize that LVS is the only company mentioned in this article with a presence in all three of the world's top gambling markets. While the domestic market hasn't been faring well the last few years, there is plenty of growth opportunity internationally. And with Las Vegas Sands enjoying dibs on one of the two only casinos allowed to operate in Singapore until 2017, investors should consider getting in while the company has a head start.

Perfection is subjective, Fool
Of the companies above, I like Wynn the best. But as we saw, Travis prefers Melco Crown. And to really get motley on you, Fool Austin Smith is loving Las Vegas Sands right now. Each company has something different to offer investors, but which one do you like for your own portfolio? Click below to add it to your Watchlist:

• Add?Wynn?Resorts?to My Watchlist.
• Add?Penn?National?Gaming?to My Watchlist.
• Add?Melco?Crown?Entertainment?to My Watchlist.
• Add?MGM?Resorts?International?to My Watchlist.
• Add?Las?Vegas?Sands?to My Watchlist.

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United Kingdom GDP Report Disappoints, Forcing BOE to Rethink Monetary Policy

Technology outsourcing and consulting service provider Accenture plc (ACN) has kick-started the new year with yet another acquisition. Recently, it completed the acquisition of Germany-based customer relationship management (CRM) and mobility software provider CAS Computer AG. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

CAS Computer provides software applications that facilitate organizations to better manage their trade promotions, retail executions and customer service. The company’s services are specifically targeted at organizations operating in the consumer products industry.

Accenture will integrate the new unit under its software business, but will use the CAS brand name. Following the acquisition, Accenture will be able to capitalize on CAS Computer’s intellectual property and its global customer base.

The acquisition will help in the rapid adaptability of Accenture’s CRM service suite, particularly by customers in the retail segment. The improved solutions will enable retailers to efficiently build an in-store strategy through improved product promotions and marketing within the store, thereby boosting sales.

In November 2010, Accenture took over Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd. aka Mogenesis, which provides mobile software services and licenses the same to organizations in China. With this acquisition, Accenture’s Embedded Software Services business was enriched with Mogenesis’ rich intellectual properties, extended geographical reach and broad customer base.

Apart from these, the acquisition of Knowledge Rules Inc. and Ariba’s Sourcing unit afew months backstrengthened Accenture’s product portfolio, augmentingthe standard of its consulting and outsourcing services, thereby increasing customer demand.

With technology spending on the rebound, demand has been on an uptrend in recent months, enabling the company to beat the ! Zacks Co nsensus Estimate in the last quarter. Even more encouraging was the increase in new business, which seems to indicate that spending is likely to be sustained or grow from these levels.

Moreover, increase in revenue and earnings guidance for fiscal 2011 was also encouraging. Accenture is also working with tech giants such as International Business Machines Inc. (IBM) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) on a common platform to provide technology services to Hilton Worldwide, a global hospitality company. This has strengthened the company’s industry exposure.

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5 prolific Mercedes cars from years gone by

The Mercedes-Benz SSK. The name means Super Sport Kurz, or “Super Sport Short” in German, the model, which was built between 1928 and 1932, was capable of extreme performance, which it realised when it won numerous competitions. At the time, it was one of the most highly regarded sports cars although it was a wheelbase of an early Mercedes-Benz S.

The Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen was produced in the tail end of the 1930s derived from a recent car at the time. The significant difference was the engine as the Grand Prix race car had a lower engine, a V12, which was able to reduce drag.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. This was a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive. The grand tourer was built in England, more specifically Woking, Surrey and Portsmouth. Mercedes-Benz owned almost half of the McLaren Group at the time. The car sold between the years 2003 and 2009. Some commentators said they classed it as a GT.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This series of luxury sedans was a introduced, along with the W116 S-Class in 1972. It continued on from former models who go a long way back, to the mid 1950s. The S-Class is Mercedes-Benz’s flagship and has introduced many of the brand’s technologies such as drivetrain technologies.

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class. This sporty, utility SUV was brought to the market in 1997. However, it was officially listed a 1998 model. Its success didn’t occur overnight but it eventually proved successful in the Us and Mexican markets. With regards to its size it is larger tan a GLK lass but smaller than a GL-Class, a model with a platform that it shares. At one point, it was also being built in Austria, with an eye on he European market. This was before it moved to a part of the US market.

Mercedes service Manchester will keep your car running for years to come.

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British Airways, New FAA Rules: Hot Trends

Popular searches on the Internet Thursday include British Airways as the airline's parent IAG will buy Lufthansa's British Midland subsidiary in a deal valued at 172.5 million pounds, or $270 million.

British Airways beat out rival bidder Virgin Atlantic for BMI. IAG will get another 56 daily take-off and landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport. The runway slots are highly coveted after plans to build a third runway at Europe's busiest airport were cancelled.

New FAA rules is trending as the Federal Aviation Administration announced new rules that attempt to fight pilot fatigue.

New rules will require that pilots receive a minimum of 10-hour rest periods before flights, including the opportunity for eight hours of sleep. This was increased from the previous eight-hour minimum total rest period.

The rules will be phased in slowly over the next two years, since there is a high cost involved. The FAA estimates the new rules will cost the industry $297 million over 10 years.

Chicago Sun-Times is another popular search on the Web Thursday. Investment firm Wrapports agreed to buy Sun-Times Media Holdings, the company that owns the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, though the sale is reported to total about $20 million with no assumption of debt. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. Wrapports, which is led by Timothy Knight, former Newsday media executive, and Michael Ferro, chief of private-equity firm Merrick Ventures, has a strong focus on digital media.

Sun-Times Media struggled with bankruptcy in 2009. Just this month, it began charging heavy users of its Web sites.

The chatter on Main Street (a.k.a. Google, Yahoo! and other search sites) is always of interest to investors on Wall Street. Thus, each day, TheStreet compiles the stories that are trend! ing on t he Web, and highlights the news that could make stocks move.

.

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Convergys Passes This Key Test

There's no foolproof way to know the future for Convergys (NYSE: CVG  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball
In this series, we use accounts receivable and days sales outstanding to judge a company's current health and future prospects. It's an important step in separating the pretenders from the market's best stocks. Alone, AR -- the amount of money owed the company -- and DSO -- the number of days' worth of sales owed to the company -- don't tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can also suggest a desperate company that's trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like Convergys do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don't like revenue shortfalls, and employees don't like reporting them to their superiors.

Is Convergys sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter receivables, but I'v! e plotte d both above.

Watching the trends
When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars indicates a trend worth worrying about. As another reality check, it's reasonable to consider what a normal DSO figure might look like in this space.

Company	LFQ Revenue	DSO
?Convergys	$577	59
?Total System Services	$460	47
?Alliance Data Systems	$845	58
?Oracle	$8,374	59

Source: S&P Capital IQ. DSO calculated from average AR. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. LFQ = last fiscal quarter. Dollar figures in millions.

Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, so don't consider this the final word -- just a way to add some context to the numbers. But let's get back to our original question: Will Convergys miss its numbers in the next quarter or two?

I don't think so. AR and DSO look healthy. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, Convergys' year-over-year revenue grew 3.8%, and its AR grew 6.3%. That looks OK. End-of-quarter DSO increased 2.5% over the prior-year quarter. It was up 1.3% versus the prior quarter. Still, I'm no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

What now?
I use this kind of analysis to figure out which investme! nts I ne ed to watch more closely as I hunt the market's best returns. However, some investors actively seek out companies on the wrong side of AR trends in order to sell them short, profiting when they eventually fall. Which way would you play this one? Let us know in the comments below, or keep up with the stocks mentioned in this article by tracking them in our free watchlist service, My Watchlist.

• Add Convergys to My Watchlist.
• Add Total System Services to My Watchlist.
• Add Alliance Data Systems to My Watchlist.
• Add Oracle to My Watchlist.

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Carlisle Companies Publicized Earnings after approaching Top Price - CSL

Carlisle Companies, Inc. (NYSE:CSL) recently hit 52 week peak price $42.64, opened at $38.38 scored +9.32% closed $42.47. CSL traded on over 1.74 million shares in comparison to average volume of 246,652 million shares.

CSL has earnings of $139.80 million and made $2.55 billion sales for the last 12 months. Its quarter to quarter sales remained 10.21%. The company has 60.99 million of outstanding shares and 60.28 million shares were floated in the market.

CSL has an insider ownership at 0.15% and institutional ownership remained 84.33%. Its return on investment (ROI) for the last 12 month was 8.53% as compare to its return on equity (ROE) of 11.14% for the last 12 months.

The price moved ahead +7.23% from the mean of 20 days, +7.24% from 50 and went up 18.70% from 200 days average price. Company��s performance for the week was 12.62%, +5.31% for month and yearly performance remained 26.51%.

Its price volatility for a month remained 2.53% whereas volatility for a week noted as 4.26% having beta of 0.87. Company��s price to sales ratio for last 12 months was 1.02 while its price to book ratio for the most recent quarter was 1.96 and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) remained $296.90 million for the past twelve months.

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ASTC, CLNO, WBSN, JKHY, SHLM - Stock Watch From DrStockPick.com!

Astrotech is one of the first space commerce companies and remains a strong entrepreneurial force in the aerospace industry. We are leaders in identifying, developing and marketing space technology for commercial use. Our ASO business unit serves our government and commercial satellite and spacecraft customers with pre-launch services on the eastern and western range. 1st Detect Corporation is developing what we believe is a breakthrough Miniature Chemical Detector, while Astrogenetix, Inc. is a biotechnology company utilizing microgravity as a research platform for drug discovery and development.

Astrotech Subsidiary Awarded $2.2 Million Task Order for NASA Mission

Astrotech Space Operations Secures Task Order Under NASA Eastern Range Contract

Astrotech Corporation (Nasdaq:ASTC), a leading provider of commercial aerospace services, announced that its Astrotech Space Operations (ASO) subsidiary has won a fully-funded task order under the previously announced indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for payload processing support at the Eastern Range. The Company will provide facilities and payload processing services from its Titusville, Florida location in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission scheduled to launch in September 2012.

��We look forward to furthering our partnership with NASA through support of the RBSP mission,�� stated Don M. White Jr., Senior Vice President and General Manager of Astrotech Space Operations. ��Astrotech is proud to continue playing a critical role in the success of NASA��s science missions by providing processing services and state-of-the-art facilities.��

On July 26, 2010 Astrotech announced the award of a $9.5 million indefinite delivery, indefinite qu! antity c ontract with NASA for payload processing support services associated with potential future missions. RBSP is the third mission awarded to Astrotech under the IDIQ contract. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is part of NASA��s Living With a Star Geospace program to explore fundamental processes that operate throughout the solar system. RBSP is being designed to help NASA understand the sun��s influence on the Earth and near-Earth space by studying the planet��s radiation belts on various scales of space and time.

From Titusville, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, Astrotech Space Operations provides all support necessary for government and commercial customers to successfully process their satellite hardware for launch, including advance planning; use of unique facilities; and spacecraft checkout, encapsulation, fueling, and transport. In its 30 year history, ASO has supported the processing of more than 290 spacecraft without impacting a customer��s launch schedule.

Biomass is very advantageous because it comes out from a total natural process and source and is not harmful in any way. Many of us don��t know what biomass actually is and how beneficial it is for human��s survival. Today the pollution rate has increased to more than 100 times than the past decades, and this is greatly damaging our ozone layer and it is effecting global warming in return. We burn different types of products and chemicals to produce electricity, fuel, and many other day to day usage materials in our lives that are constantly damaging the ozone layer.

In addition, landfill space is precious. But the fact remains that humans make waste and it has to go somewhere. The more we can do to reduce, reuse and recycle the less we have to worry about where our garbage goes. The more we can do to divert waste away from the landfill the less of our landsc! ape will be taken up by landfills. In fact, most of our big cities now have run out of space and pay to have their garbage hauled out into the heartland adding insult to injury. If you live in southern California there’s a good chance that your garbage ends up in Arizona. If you live in New York it probably ends up in western Pennsylvania.

Cleantech Transit Inc. (��Cleantech��) (OTC.BB:CLNO) was founded to capitalize on technology advances and manufacturing opportunities in the growing clean energy public transportation sector. The Company has expanded its focus to invest directly in specific green projects that could maximize shareholder value. Recognizing the many economic and operational advances of converting wood waste into renewable sources of energy, Cleantech Transit Inc. has selected to invest in Phoenix Energy (www.phoenixenergy.net).

Cleantech Transit, Inc. is pleased to announce it has met its funding requirement to secure the Company��s ability to earn in 25% of the 500KW Merced Project.

The Company is in the final stages of closing its initial interest in the Merced Project and is currently working on completing the necessary documentation and expects closing the transaction soon. As previously announced Cleantech has the option to earn up to 40% of the Merced Project and the Company plans to continue to work towards increasing its interest in the Merced Project as they move ahead.

To discover more about CLNO, please visit: http://www.cleantechtransitinc.com/

Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBSN) confirms plans to release its third quarter 2011 financial results after the market close on October 25, 2011. Management will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast to discuss the results at 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. To participate in the confere! nce call , investors should dial 866-757-5630 (domestic) or 707-287-9356 (international) 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. A simultaneous audio-only webcast of the call may be accessed on the internet at www.websense.com/investors.

Websense, Inc. provides unified Web, data, and email content security solutions to protect data and users from cyber-threats, information leaks, legal liability, and productivity loss.

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY) announced that its JHA Payment Processing Solutions? (PPS) division added 20 credit unions to its client roster during fiscal year 2011. Nineteen of these credit unions elected to replace a competitive ATM, debit, and credit card processing solution with a PPS solution and one launched a new card program.

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JHA) provides integrated computer systems and services for in-house and outsourced data processing to commercial banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions primarily in the United States.

A. Schulman, Inc, (Nasdaq:SHLM) announced that is expanding the range of its specialty antibacterial and antimicrobial masterbatch solutions to meet a wider variety of application needs in the packaging, consumer products and medical markets. The Company’s Polybatch ABACT antibacterial masterbatches inhibit the growth of microorganisms that can cause odors, discoloration, the formation of mildew, or deterioration in the physical properties of plastics. Its Polybatch AMIC antimicrobial masterbatches protect against bacteria and fungus. Utilizing silver ion technologies, A. Schulman’s antibacterials and antimicrobials are designed to provide consumers with peace of mind and an added layer of protection.

A. Schulman, Inc. suppli! es plast ic compounds and resins to consumer products, industrial, automotive, and packaging markets.

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How Long Will Gold Miners Lag Bullion Prices?

As we have previously discussed, the gold miners continue to lag behind bullion prices.? In the past six months, the SPDR Gold Shares ETF has increased by nearly 10%, while the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF has declined by 5%.? The disconnect continues as traders feel uneasy about equities and elevated gold prices.? When it comes to panic and confusion, cash is still king on Wall Street.? However, another well-known investor is endorsing gold mining companies, a sign that gold miners may finally catch up to bullion prices.

Hedge-fund manager and Greenlight Capital chairman, David Einhorn, believes that the growing disconnect between gold miners and bullion prices will reverse course.? He said, ��A substantial disconnect has developed between the price of gold and the mining companies.? With gold at today��s price, the mining companies have the potential to generate double-digit free cash flow returns and offer attractive risk-adjusted returns even if gold does not advance further.? Since we believe gold will continue to rise, we expect gold stocks to do even better.��

Investing Insights: How Will the Yen Intervention Affect Precious Metals?

Mr. Einhorn, who is also the President of Greenlight Capital, cut his gold commodity holdings in the third quarter and moved those funds into the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF.? According to Bloomberg, in a regulatory filing on October 31, Greenlight Capital states, ��Given the challenging macroeconomic environment, we intend, for the foreseeable future, to continue holding a significant position in gold and other macro hedges in the form of options on higher interest rates and foreign exchange rates, short positions in sovereign debt and sovereign credit default swaps.��? We also believe that gold should be held as a hedge against the macro headwinds facing the world.? On Monday, MF Global filed for bankruptcy after placing highly leveraged bets on euro zone debt.? What��s troubling, is that th! e compan y had credit default swaps, but since the 50% Greek haircut was classified as voluntary, it did not count as a credit event, so the credit default swap insurance was rendered useless. Gold remains the ultimate insurance.

Several miners are not waiting for the disconnect to end in order to provide shareholders with returns.? Last week, Barrick Gold announced a 25% increase in its dividend payout.? IBTimes reports, ��Over the last five years, Barrick has had a consistent track record of returning more capital to shareholders, increasing its dividend by more than 170% on a quarterly basis.��? Strong earnings and operating cash flows have allowed miners to offer increasing dividends.? Earlier this year, Newmont made a popular move with shareholders by linking its dividend to the price of gold.? After the second quarter, Yamana Gold increased its dividend by 50%.? Along with Mr. Einhorn, gold miners believe that gold prices will rise, and it shows by the dividend policies taking place in the industry.? Furthermore, gold futures traded in New York may rise 12% to $1,950 an ounce by the end of the first quarter, according to the median of estimates collected by Bloomberg.? The predictions are from eight of the top ten analysts tracked by Bloomberg over the past eight quarters. ?Higher or even stable gold prices provide a bullish scenario for the miners. ?A scenario that investors are quickly positioning themselves for, in order to take advantage of the coming correction between miners and bullion prices.

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