Sunday, March 31, 2013

Wall Street Journal Report-AFFY

WSJ Article

Life-threatening reactions to the anemia drug Omontys began appearing within months of when the treatment went on the market, according to a review of regulatory records.

Adverse-event reports to the Food and Drug Administration, obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, show for the first time how early the drug's worrisome reactions emerged. Omontys, from Affymax Inc. AFFY +10.89% and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. 4502.TO -2.14% Ltd., was linked to allergic reactions and respiratory distress beginning in August 2012, shortly after it went on the U.S. market in late April.

The drug, which is used in kidney dialysis patients, is now in regulatory limbo. Last month, Affymax recalled all existing lots of the drug on account of the severe reactions and deaths—a move that sent its shares plummeting. But the FDA didn't officially pull the drug from the market.

The agency is now evaluating various factors to decide whether the drug can be sold in the future. Earlier this month, Affymax said it would cut its workforce by 75% and is considering selling itself.

A total of 98 "adverse events" tied to the drug were reported to the FDA by Feb. 22 of this year, the day before the recall. There were 12 deaths among the reports to the FDA, but the cause of death wasn't specified, and the patients getting dialysis and Omontys are by definition already very sick. Takeda said there were five deaths that the companies considered in deciding to recall Omontys lots on Feb. 23.

The events included anaphylaxis, an acute allergic reaction in which the airways constrict and patients struggle to breathe, blood pressure plummets and the heart may beat erratically and be unable to pump enough blood.

Affymax's chief medical officer, Anne-Marie Duliege, said the company has complied with all regulatory requirements and that it is working closely with the FDA. She declined further comment.

Omontys, generically called peginesatide, has been used in more than 25,000 patients and is generally more convenient than other anemia drugs in that it can be infused once monthly. Other drugs generally are given a dozen or more times a month.

In an interview shortly after the lots were recalled, Affymax's chief executive, John A. Orwin, said, "In the fall, we had seen a few cases that were more severe." At that time, the company contacted the FDA about adding a warning on the drug's packaging. The company said these reactions occurred in some patients within 30 minutes of the drug's infusion.

In that interview, Mr. Orwin said the company was studying whether a manufacturing flaw, or the drug itself, was responsible for the patients' reactions. Mr. Orwin didn't respond to several requests for comment and information in recent days. Takeda said it is working closely with the FDA.

The first adverse event report was received at the FDA Aug. 14. It said Omontys was suspected as having caused a 57-year-old woman to go into a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

Within days, other cases popped up across the country as the drug began being used more broadly at U.S. dialysis centers. A report to the FDA on Aug. 17 talked about a woman hospitalized for a "hypersensitivity reaction" who struggled to breathe. Another on Aug. 20 reported that a 61-year-old man had a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

By Oct. 31 of last year, Affymax proposed to the FDA that the drug's label include a warning related to serious allergic reactions, and such language was added to the label.

Fresenius Medical Care AG, FME.XE -0.45% which operates 1,800 dialysis facilities in the U.S., said it has used Omontys in over 18,000 patients.

It said that shortly after it expanded use of the drug in February, on Feb. 11 "five adverse event reports of allergic type reactions were received," according to a company spokesman. Soon after, Fresenius decided to "pause" in its use of Omontys, the spokesman said.

Cyprus Banks



BTW. I highly recommend checking out the graphene "story'.  It is truly a break through technology.
Look into how it can increase the size of your portfolio.
Head Graphene Speed Junior Tennis Racquet (Google Affiliate Ad)


Saturday, March 30, 2013

STOCK APPRECIATION WITH DIVIDENDS







Yesterday I promised I'd get back to you with more reasons to consider Apollo Investment Corporation (AINV) for your portfolio.  But first let me mention a few things about "dividend investing".  The expression "dividend investing" implies your first priority when picking a stock is to check the dividend. Of course that's important, but always remember the dividend is only as good as the company/stock that pays it. So always consider the stock first and the dividend second.  Check this out,  http://www.dividenddetective.com/big_dividend_list.htm.  You hardcore dividend investors will think you just stepped into the pearly gates of heaven after taking a look at this list of high paying dividend stocks.  

This list is a great place to get ideas on stocks to buy.  However, don't be naive enough to think that investing in the ones that pay the most, is the way to go.  Experience has proven to me that if you were to choose solely on dividend payment alone, it could be disastrous. Companies can withdraw their dividend payment at anytime, reduce it or for that matter, go out of business.



Anyway, back to Apollo Investment Corp (AINV) and why it is worthy of consideration.

 1. Apollo Investment is one of the few companies in the business development industry that has seen consistent insider buying. Just recently, a high level executive purchased a large number of shares.

2.  Earnings growth in the past year has accelerated rapidly compared to earnings growth in the previous three years.

3. With the economy gaining momentum, revenues and earnings should continue to build and result in even higher dividends going forward.

To summarize, with net income expected to rise, strong margins and the stock trading at less than 10 times earnings, upside potential greatly outweighs downside risk. (that's a good thing in any kind of market)

Of course, the biggest selling point is that even if the stock doesn’t perform as well as expected, there is a built in buffer of 9.40 percent.


Good luck with all of your investments and enjoy this long weekend break from the market!

One more thing, please if you have any comments on how to improve this blog (its the first I've ever written)-please write a comment below.

thanks Richard


































Thursday, March 28, 2013

DIVIDEND STOCK-APOLLO INVESTMENT CORP.


                                                     DIVIDENDS BUILD WEALTH      


For all of you dividend/income investors out there, Apollo Investment Corp. (AINV) should be a serious consideration.  It is paying 9.4% and has the potential for significant stock appreciation.  Apollo is a business development company. To keep it simple, they lend and/or invest money to small and mid-sized businesses. Over the past 12 months, if you were to include their dividend of 9.4%, the return on investment is approximately 35%.




Chart forApollo Investment Corporation (AINV)
One Year Chart vs Nasdaq


Here are some things to think about:

1. The dividend is currently 9.4%.

1a. This second reason is just as important as the first, they have a dividend growth rate (annualized) of about 20% since issuing their first one in 2004.  Back then they paid a dividend of .045, today it is 20 cents/share. Between their first dividend payment and today, there have been 35 dividend payments.

2. Company’s price-to-book is 1.03

3. Its P/E is also very low, about 10.

Tomorrow, I will give you some more compelling reasons to take a look at AINV. 


Please do me a favor. I want to improve the quality of this blog (it is the first one I have ever written). Could you please leave a comment about the blog, so that I can improve it. Just click on the "comment" link below and a box will pop up  where you can write your comments. thank you so much. Richard
















Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Reasons to Buy Shares of Wendys

                                                                                                                                                              Mini Burgers with American Cheese and Pickle, 45-Piece Tray (Google Affiliate Ad)                                                             Thats right, Wendys!

                                                                   

I live in Manhattan and like any intelligent investor, I went to the company and checked it out. There is a location not far from my office on 8th Avenue and 55th Street in New York City.  It was around lunch time and the place was packed, there was a line of hungry people almost out the front door. I got on the back of the line and was pleasantly surprised how fast it moved, which enabled me to order an asiago ranch chicken sandwich and the chile-both from the value menu. They both cost about $1.29, I think. (everything costs more in NY)

You know what? Both the chile and the asiago ranch chicken sandwich were very good, especially the chile. I would definitely go back for the chile and perhaps try one of their baked potatoes with sour cream and chives. There was no question in my mind after leaving the store that Wendys offers their customers good food, at an excellent price.

In addition to the above research, my due diligence has found out, in no particular order:  

1.That their last quarterly earnings report signifigantly beat analyst's estimates (did you know this is Zacks primary focus when evaluating stocks)

2. Their net income increased by 562.3% when compared to the same quarter one year prior. (source: Streeteasy.com)

3. The company renovated 48 franchised stores in 2012 and plan to renovate 100 more in 2013 as part of an overall plan to make a good product better.

4. They have higher-quality food, at comparable prices, than both McDonald's and Burger King. Trust me, it's not even close.

5. They are in the middle of a huge promotional campaign to increase awareness of the company and their product. If you are a college basketball fan, you must have seen the voice of college basketball, Dick Vitale, in one of their commercials. Here are some others you may have noticed.

http://www.wendys.com/ads/

6. projected EBITDA is between $350-$360 million in 2013 EBITDA compared to $333 million in 2012.

7. The shares are up 18% year to date and 35% since October.

It looks like, management is making a concerted effort to increase shareholder value. I'm in!



Saturday, March 23, 2013

SHUTTERFLY and FEDERAL EXPRESS

                                                     
                                               Catch memorable moments with Shutterfly

Here's a lesson you should never forget, I certainly won't.

In my last post, I wrote about going to eat at Wendys as part of my due diligence on Wendys (WEN) stock.

Obviously the lesson is try and experience the product before buying the company. duh!

There are other ways too, that we as investors, can do our due diligence, other than just looking at the company's balance sheet.  Sometimes, we are not even trying to do so.  I was speaking to a friend of mine shortly after Christmas, who works at Federal Express (Christmas is their busiest time of the year) and he unknowingly gave me a great piece of information on a stock.  He mentioned (actually he was bitching) about how many deliveries they had been making over the holidays from a company called Shutterfly.

Company Profile:  Shutterfly, Canon Powershot SX260HS 12.1MP 20X Optical Zoom Digital Camera (Google Affiliate Ad) provides digital personalized photo products and services in the United States.  It offers a range of personalized photo-based products and services for consumers to upload, edit, enhance, organize, find, share, create, print, and preserve their memories.  The company also produces and sells photo books, greeting and stationery cards, personalized calendars, and other photo-based merchandise, including calendars, mugs, canvas prints, mouse pads, magnets, and puzzles; and photo prints of carious sizes.  In addition, it provides Shutterfly iPhone Photo App, which combines storage, viewing, and photo gift creation.
(Yahoo Finance: source of description)

A month or so later, on February 5 2013, Shutterfly (SFLY) reported a 50 percent jump in quarterly profit. On the day after Christmas, SFLY was $28.97, on Friday it closed at $43.12.
Need I say more?
Go the extra yard and do the research on what is going on with a company and you could be richly rewarded!

Please do me a favor. I want to improve the quality of this blog (it is the first one I have ever written). Could you please leave a comment about the blog, so that I can improve it. Just click on the "comment" link below and a box will pop up  where you can write your comments. thank you so much. Richard

Sunday, March 17, 2013

TOP 100 STOCKS

Stock Market Crash Long Sleeve T-Shirt (Google Affiliate Ad)
 Ranked by weighted alpha (one year) as of 3/15/13
Sym Name Weighted
Alpha
Last Change Percent High Low

ADUS Addus Homecare Corp. +169.80 10.63 +0.41 +4.01% 10.78 10.29

AEGR Aegerion Pharmaceuti +190.80 37.63 +0.22 +0.59% 38.00 36.98

AHS Amn Healthcare Servi +184.60 15.08 -0.47 -3.02% 15.66 14.89

AMRI Albany Molecular Res +233.90 9.25 -1.37 -12.90% 10.65 9.23

APFC American Pacific Cor +188.70 21.33 -0.47 -2.16% 21.76 20.84

APOG Apogee Enterprises +130.10 29.17 -0.65 -2.18% 29.74 28.62

ARL American Realty Inve +140.50 4.14 +0.53 +14.68% 4.14 3.60

AXDX Accelerate Diagnosti +178.40 6.15 +0.33 +5.67% 6.15 5.81

BBSI Barrett Business Ser +167.30 48.11 -0.06 -0.12% 49.24 47.94

BCEI Bonanza Creek Energy +137.70 40.07 +0.78 +1.99% 40.28 38.68

BITA Bitauto Holdings Lim +129.40 9.52 +0.58 +6.49% 9.52 8.90

CAR Avis Budget Group +121.00 28.10 +0.21 +0.75% 28.24 27.36

CBK Christopher & Banks +149.50 6.25 +0.24 +3.99% 6.39 6.02

CBPO China Biologic Produ +235.80 25.46 +1.06 +4.34% 25.76 24.01

CELGZ Celgene Corp. +146.30 7.27 +0.07 +0.97% 7.27 7.10

CLBH Carolina Bank Holdin +144.60 10.80 -0.30 -2.70% 11.11 10.50

CLDX Celldex Therapeutics +216.40 12.06 -0.06 -0.50% 12.25 11.85

CLVS Clovis Oncology Inc. +126.10 27.90 -0.32 -1.13% 28.27 27.40

CONN Conn's +156.00 36.74 +0.28 +0.77% 37.00 35.78

CPSS Consumer Portfolio +463.50 9.96 +0.14 +1.43% 10.07 9.73

CRAY Cray Inc +124.10 20.78 -0.28 -1.33% 21.06 20.54

CSII Cardiovascular Syste +142.90 19.60 +0.07 +0.36% 20.20 19.53

CSTE Caesarstone Sdot-Yam +147.90 24.71 +1.24 +5.28% 24.89 23.62

CSU Capital Senior Livin +210.50 26.65 -0.33 -1.22% 27.00 26.35

CSV Carriage Services +241.70 19.25 -0.36 -1.84% 19.65 19.18

DK Delek US Holdings +177.90 39.23 -0.89 -2.22% 39.60 38.98

DYAX Dyax +120.80 3.97 -0.03 -0.75% 4.09 3.97

EDAP Edap Tms S.A. +120.20 4.55 -0.07 -1.52% 4.69 4.47

FFCH First Financial Hold +110.97 21.38 unch unch 21.64 21.29

FFKT Farmers Capital Bank +174.57 17.17 unch unch 17.27 16.91

FMFC First M & F Corp. +164.04 14.21 +0.22 +1.57% 14.42 13.90

FRGI Fiesta Restaurant +127.69 24.86 -0.12 -0.48% 25.15 24.42

GASS Stealthgas +112.39 11.59 -0.04 -0.34% 11.69 11.50

GNMK Genmark Diagnostics +152.97 11.98 -0.41 -3.31% 12.13 11.40

GTN Gray Television +175.35 4.40 +0.06 +1.38% 4.45 4.30

GTN.A Gray Television +198.30 4.05 +0.28 +7.43% 4.05 3.74

GV Goldfield Corp. +252.50 4.60 +0.05 +1.10% 4.60 4.43

HIMX Himax Technologies +124.10 4.21 +0.29 +7.40% 4.22 3.84

HOVNP Hovnanian Enterprise +290.08 16.05 +0.15 +0.94% 16.25 15.95

HPTX Hyperion Therapeutic +135.10 23.35 +0.10 +0.43% 23.41 22.90

HW Headwaters Inc. +173.91 11.00 unch unch 11.14 10.96

IBCP Independent Bank Cor +201.69 6.63 +0.11 +1.69% 6.74 6.49

ICAD Icad Inc. +123.02 5.38 +0.02 +0.37% 5.56 5.30

IKAN Ikanos Communication +125.32 1.68 +0.01 +0.60% 1.69 1.59

INFI Infinity Pharmaceuti +300.05 49.37 +0.71 +1.46% 50.51 48.44

ISIS Isis Pharmaceuticals +132.47 17.66 -0.08 -0.45% 17.90 17.45

JFBI Jefferson Bancshares +164.55 5.00 +0.06 +1.21% 5.00 4.85

KERX Keryx Biopharmaceuti +130.14 7.32 -0.05 -0.68% 7.47 7.09

KMI.W Kinder Morgan Inc +147.10 4.40 -0.03 -0.68% 4.46 4.39

LCI Lannett Co Inc +153.35 9.28 -0.43 -4.43% 9.69 8.96

LEDR Market Leader Inc +128.71 8.71 unch unch 8.76 8.65

LL Lumber Liquidators +145.61 66.85 -0.71 -1.05% 67.80 66.38

LPX Louisiana-Pacific +134.02 21.69 -0.21 -0.96% 22.19 21.67

MDSO Medidata Solutions +106.30 54.49 -0.71 -1.29% 55.69 54.30

MPC Marathon Petroleum +121.56 87.93 +0.23 +0.26% 88.61 87.30

MSON Misonix +159.17 5.91 -0.08 -1.34% 6.14 5.81

MTG Mgic Investment Corp +129.60 4.91 -0.04 -0.81% 5.01 4.83

NLS Nautilus Group +151.37 6.51 -0.18 -2.69% 6.88 6.46

NSM Nationstar Mortgage +146.28 37.17 -0.43 -1.14% 37.63 36.20

NTWK Netsol Technologies +201.03 10.84 -0.64 -5.57% 11.51 10.80

NXST Nexstar Broadcasting +131.72 17.17 +0.09 +0.53% 17.41 17.03

OMX Officemax Inc. +115.41 11.77 -0.07 -0.59% 11.88 11.66

OSBC Old Second Bancorp +113.74 3.40 +0.02 +0.59% 3.45 3.32

PAMT Parametric Sound +226.41 17.06 +1.16 +7.30% 17.25 16.28

PCRX Pacira Pharmaceutica +192.61 30.08 +0.08 +0.27% 30.94 29.75

PCYC Pharmacyclics +178.59 89.91 -1.69 -1.84% 91.80 89.86

PCYO Pure Cycle Corp. +119.79 4.31 +0.01 +0.23% 4.35 4.30

PGTI Pgt +320.67 7.14 -0.09 -1.24% 7.33 6.75

PHM Pultegroup +129.06 20.75 +0.19 +0.92% 20.86 20.41

RDN Radian Group Inc. +192.55 10.04 -0.34 -3.28% 10.46 9.98

RJET Republic Airways Hol +130.33 10.89 +0.05 +0.46% 11.14 10.81

SAIA Saia +131.98 36.00 +0.26 +0.73% 36.77 35.91

SANWW S&W Seed Company +278.24 3.49 +0.33 +10.44% 3.49 2.95

SEM.W Select Medical Holdi +235.60 23.22 -0.42 -1.78% 23.22 23.19

SGI Silicon Graphics Int +96.47 14.83 -0.69 -4.45% 15.63 14.67

SLTC Selectica +123.42 9.68 +0.01 +0.10% 9.75 9.43

SNFCA Security National +363.21 8.12 +0.11 +1.37% 8.15 8.00

SNTS Santarus +216.83 16.47 -0.05 -0.30% 16.55 16.11

SOCB Southcoast Financial +197.51 5.15 +0.15 +3.00% 6.00 5.01

STRM Streamline Health +187.41 6.22 +0.05 +0.81% 6.36 6.15

SVXY Short VIX Short-Term +102.24 91.25 +0.08 +0.09% 91.78 89.22

SYRG Synergy Resources Cp +153.60 7.46 -0.13 -1.71% 7.78 7.37

TCI Transcontinental Rea +148.50 5.69 +0.09 +1.61% 5.69 5.69

THC Tenet Healthcare Cor +137.91 44.22 -0.74 -1.65% 44.97 44.21

TROVW Trovagene Inc. +145.50 2.10 -0.13 -5.83% 2.11 1.97

TVL Lin Tv Corp +178.23 10.18 -0.18 -1.74% 10.47 10.18

TWO.W Two Harbors Investme +824.94 2.84 +0.19 +7.17% 2.97 2.40

UNXL Uni-Pixel +249.96 27.97 +0.52 +1.89% 28.85 26.67

USAT USA Technologies +118.39 2.51 -0.02 -0.79% 2.60 2.50

USATZ USA Technologies +219.35 1.50 -0.10 -6.25% 1.58 1.36

USCR U S Concrete +219.06 14.01 +0.01 +0.07% 14.25 13.91

VIPS Vipshop Holdings Lim +422.89 28.48 +2.12 +8.04% 28.48 25.72

VRTS Virtus Investment +167.12 186.16 -3.03 -1.60% 191.34 185.90

VVTV Valuevision Media +95.27 3.58 -0.03 -0.83% 3.61 3.47

WAGE Wageworks Inc. +139.49 25.48 -0.44 -1.70% 26.25 24.44

WGO Winnebago Industries +146.56 21.77 -0.28 -1.27% 22.16 21.16

WSBF Waterstone Financial +172.88 8.48 -0.02 -0.24% 8.56 8.34

XIV Daily Inverse VIX +105.68 23.22 unch unch 23.34 22.70

ZIPR Ziprealty +123.34 3.35 +0.10 +3.08% 3.45 3.20

ZIV Daily Inverse VIX +108.60 30.20 -0.06 -0.20% 30.42 29.98