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Today Earnings Reports Analysis : Motorola (MOT), The Procter & Gamble Company (PG), Aetna (AET), Kellogg (K), ExxonMobil (XOM), Public Service Enterprise (PEG), Assurant (AIZ), CenterPoint Energy (CNP), Eastman Kodak (EK), Aflac (AFL), Ventas (VTR)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Motorola Inc. (MOT) today declared financial results for the third quarter 2009. Quarterly net income from continuing operations was $12 million or 1 cent per share, compared to a net loss of $397 million or 18 cents per share in the prior quarter. Third quarter adjusted (excluding special items) EPS was 2 cents, easily beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a break-even quarter.[More...]

ETF Preview: Natural Gas Funds Remain Volatile After Price Drop, Oil Tops $74?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:41:54 GMT

Major market ETFs, including the SPY, DIA, UYG and others, are firmer. Stock futures are firmer but more consolidation may lie ahead for the broader stock market. Trading influences Friday will include a scheduled speech from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke[More...]

Today's Playbook On Health Insurance Stocks, Post- Public Option

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:13:00 GMT

In an astute political move, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius on Sunday said that providing citizens with the option of government-run insurance is not essential to the Obama administration's overhaul of U.S. health care. Evidently, the administration has caved on this very important issue, leaving the door open for private health insurance companies to move forward with creative products and profits for shareholders. Of course the devil will be in the details, but at fist glance Team Obama will expand health using cooperatives similar to the public/private scheme in the domestic utility industry. Here are potential winners for investors to explore. Beware using the insurance index ETFs as your vehicle, as the health care sub-sector is in play now, not all insurance stocks. Aetna (AET) $28.28/$12.3b market cap/ 0.14% American Independence Corp. (AMIC) $4.75/$40.4m market cap/0% [More...]

Biggest Declines Among S&P

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:05:02 GMT

The following is a list of the S&P 500 firms where the analysts have been cutting their expectations for the current fiscal year the most over the last month. Most likely these firms reported disappointing earnings or gave negative guidance on their conference calls. Historically, you have not wanted to be invested in companies where the analysts who follow them most closely see the earnings prospects diminishing. Also, estimates in motion tend to remain in motion. The first bit of bad news is rarely the last (the cockroach theory). This means that the current expectations, even though down from last month, are probably still to high for these firms. To weed out anomalies, only those firms that are currently expected to earn more than $0.50 in 2009 are included and only those firms where there are a minimum of three estimates in the system. If you have these stocks in your portfolio, you might want to reconsider[More...]

Problems With Constant Compound Interest (PART 3)

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:17:25 GMT

This post should end the series, at least for now. Tonight I want to talk about the limits to compounding growth. Drawing from an old article of mine freely available at TSCM, I quote the following regarding talking to management teams: What single constraint on the profitable growth of your enterprise would you eliminate if you could? Companies tend to grow very rapidly until they run into something that constrains their growth. Common constraints are: insufficient demand at current[More...]

Eight Companies Secure In Raising Their Dividends

Fri, 22 May 2009 11:45:10 GMT

People want to feel secure. National security and the military provide assurance that a country’s citizens will be protected, thus allowing them to focus their attention on other interests and endeavors.[More...]

Eight Dividend Increases In The News

Mon, 18 May 2009 15:36:33 GMT

The past several months have been characterized by tremendous volatility and a lot of negative news regarding the state of the economy as a whole.[More...]

Selling Hartford, Buying Canadian National

Sat, 16 May 2009 15:37:53 GMT

Since the last time I wrote about my portfolio, things have been volatile. Here are my actions since then: New Buys National Western Life Insurance Canadian National Railway New Sells — Hartford Financial Rebalancing Buys: Assurant (brnging it up to a double-weight) Dorel Industries Rebalancing Sells: Allstate (2) Assurant Companhia De Saneamento Basico General Dynamics Crp Genuine Parts Hartford[More...]

S&P 500 Stocks

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:35:00 GMT

The S&P 500 comprises of 500 large cap common stocks actively traded in the United States. The largees public companies that are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ are included in the S&P 500 index. The S&P 500 index was lunched in 1957 and is a value weighted index which is based on the 500 American stocks with the largest market capitalizations. The S&P 500 is the most widely followed index After the Dow Jones Industrial Average index and it is considered a barometer for the American economy. The S&P 500 index is included in the Index of Leading Indicators. There are the number of trading vehicle that are designed to follow the S&P 500 index. Hundreds of billions of US dollars have been invested in this index. The SPY (Exchange Traded Fund) is one of the most actively trading stock over the world. The Rydex,[More...]

At Assurant Investor Day

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:03:00 GMT

I own a number of insurers in my portfolio. Each of them has hard-to-replicate business models, with strong cultures, and good management teams (excluding HIG, which is merely a speculation at present). The tickers are listed below.But Assurant is the best in my opinion. Unlike many companies in the life space, their liabilities are stable. Unlike many P&C insurers, their distribution model is inexpensive, and the downside is limited. Unlike many health companies, by focusing on individuals and small groups, and not using “teaser rates,” they have had decades of constant profitability. Unlike many life companies, if the S&P 500 goes up or down, they have no direct risk.Earnings were in the $5+ range in 2007 and 2008. They should be in the same range in 2009, and with Assurant, the[More...]

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., On Your Side Column

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:47:00 GMT

Sep. 13--PROBLEM: Customer says warranty company wouldn't replace air conditioner
SOLUTION: After call from a Palm Beach Post reporter, he received a $3,495 check for a new unit.
Palm Beach Gardens resident Fred Crissman signed up for ApplianceGard, a service warranty program, for his central air conditioning, thinking $18 a month would be well worth it should his 10-year-old system break.

[More...]

Insurers won't change rescission stance

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:09:00 GMT

Insurers won't change rescission stance[More...]

Officers & Directors in News: Assurant; Citi; Northrop Grumman; Walgreens; Fortune Brands

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:55:00 GMT

Officers & Directors in News: Assurant; Citi; Northrop Grumman; Walgreens; Fortune Brands[More...]

Assurant Appoints New EVP of HR

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:45:10 GMT

New York-based Fortune 500 specialty insurance provider Assurant has appointed Sylvia Wagner as the new executive vice president of human resources and development, effective April 1, 2009.[More...]

RidgewaterEquity.Com Free Fundamental Sector &Amp; Market Research on AIZ, CF, BDK, DHR, AOD and EV

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:06:00 GMT

RidgewaterEquity.com inspires to bring the best from the internet under one roof, providing you with a one click option to view what the market, researchers and financial pundits worldwide have to say about any particular large cap stocks in any given financial environment.
Once you sign up as a free member you will have free unlimited access to all our reports, research tools and more.
We have recently begun in-depth analysis of the following equities & their respective sectors:

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New Web Service From Next Generation Insurance Group Offers College Students Easy Access to Property and Liability Coverage as They Head Back to School

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:55:00 GMT

Next Generation Insurance Group, LLC has launched a new service - CollegeRentersInsurance.com - that provides college students easy access to a reasonably-priced renters insurance product specifically designed to protect their personal property and provide for their personal liability needs.[More...]

Assurant Employee Benefits to Reinsure Shenandoah Life Insurance Company's Group Benefits Business

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:55:00 GMT

Kansas City based Assurant Employee Benefits, a national carrier of group life, disability and dental coverage, today announces it will reinsure the majority of Shenandoah Life Insurance Company's group insurance business, subject to approval by the State Corporation Commission of the Commonwealth of Virginia.[More...]

Assurant Specialty Property to Consolidate Insurance Service Centers

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:34:00 GMT

Assurant Specialty Property today announced plans to relocate certain hazard insurance servicing operations now performed at two California sites to its other service centers in Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina. The company said the consolidation would accommodate changes in the composition and location of its client base and better leverage its servicing assets.[More...]

Assurant Reports Q2 2009 Net Operating Income of $99.3 Million, or $0.84 Per Diluted Share

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Net income in the second quarter of 2009 increased 2 percent to $193.3 million, or $1.63 per diluted share, versus net income of $190.0 million, or $1.59 per diluted share, in the second quarter 2008.
The results for the quarter also reflect $6.4 million after-tax of restructuring charges.
"Clearly, we are disappointed with the operating results at Assurant Health and are taking steps to correct the situation."

[More...]

RESTAT Taps Former United Health Group Executive for CFO Position

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:03:00 GMT

RESTAT, the nation's largest privately-held Prescription Benefits Management company has selected Mark Helvick, CPA, to fill its newly created Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position.
Helvick most recently served two UnitedHealth Group subsidiaries in executive capacities, including OptumHealth Specialty Benefits, as CFO, and National Benefit Resources, Inc., as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
In addition, Helvick worked for Assurant Inc., for more than 11 years, rising to the position of Vice President and Controller for the Milwaukee-based, health and specialty insurance company.

[More...]

National Survey Shows Consumers Prefer Agents When Shopping for and Purchasing Individual Medical Insurance

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:42:00 GMT

A recent online survey of more than 1,000 consumers found that those who purchased individual medical (IM) insurance through a professional agent were significantly more satisfied with their health plans than those who bought IM insurance online.[More...]

Assurant Health Extends Patient Care Health Care Advocacy Services to All Permanent Policyholders at No Additional Cost

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:58:00 GMT

Assurant Health and Patient Care announced that as of July 1, 2009, all Assurant Health permanent policyholders have access to health care advocacy services from Patient Care at no additional cost, to help them navigate through the health care system and become better health care consumers. In July 2008, Assurant Health became the first national carrier to offer Patient Care for new individual and small group medical plans. The contract extension between Assurant Health and Patient Care to all policyholders is the first and only of its kind in the United States.[More...]

Assurant Appoints Lawrence V. Jackson to Board of Directors

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Assurant, Inc. , a premier provider of specialty insurance and insurance-related products and services, today announces the appointment of Lawrence V. Jackson, former president and chief executive officer, global procurement division, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , to its board of directors, effective July 1, 2009.[More...]

Assurant to Announce 2009 Second Quarter Results July 29, 2009 and Host Webcast Conference Call July 30

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Assurant, Inc. , a premier provider of specialty insurance and insurance-related products and services, will release 2009 second quarter financial results on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 after the market closes. The news release will be available on Assurant's Web site at www.assurant.com.[More...]