The PBR1000 June 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

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Welcome to the World of Stock Trading!
What is Your Risk Level?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The PBR1000 June 2015 Snapshots include news and stocks data on 1,062 companies in 15 analytical reports.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook. If you are not a current Subscriber just click here to get your 13 month subscription and download the June edition of The PBR1000 Snapshots.

The first half of 2015 was finishing pretty strong. The NASDAQ had reached new highs, the S&P500 was closing in on a new record, and the DJIA was climbing. Then the bottom dropped out on the last few trading days, especially on June 29th. The Greek drama took most of the blame, but the moderately growing US economy still feels a little fragile, and the rest of the world appears more shaky.

This sets the stage for the 2nd half of the year. Will the Federal Reserve raise interest rates once or twice, or not at all? Will there be a Greek exit? A few other Eurozone countries continue to struggle, could there be a domino effect?

Nevertheless, every month there are a significant number of gainers over the previous month and year-to-date. There are investment opportunities.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on June 30th, Month % Chg is compared to May 29th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 18 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

Table 1: The PBR1000 Stock Price Composite

Table 1 Summary: Made up of the sum of the stock prices of the 1,062 companies currently tracked by The PBR1000.

Company Price
06/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
18 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 74,815.34 -1.19 +1.12 +13.29

 

Table 2: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +75.81% to -70.73%. 361 out of 1,062 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 33.99% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 2.17%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
06/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
18 Mos
% Chg
Alliance One Intl
804 AOI 23.91 +75.81 +51.33 -21.61
HCC Insurance
760 HCC 76.84 +34.38 +43.57 +66.54
Coty
524 COTY 31.97 +28.24 +54.74 +109.64
OM Group
1059 OMG 33.60 +26.60 +12.75 -7.72
Pep Boys
874 PBY 10.13 +21.13 +24.95 +1.07

 

Table 3: The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +112.41% to -84.20%. 535 out of 1,062 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 50.38% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 0.04%

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
06/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
18 Mos
% Chg
Conn’s
1052 CONN 39.70 +7.33 +112.41 -49.55
Skechers USA
922 SKX 109.79 +3.70 +98.71 +231.39
Netflix
534 NFLX 6566.94 +5.27 +92.31 +78.43
McDermott Intl
734 MDR 5.34 -2.20 +83.51 -41.70
Pinnacle Entertainment
993 PNK 37.28 +0.84 +67.55 +43.44

 

Table 4: The PBR1000 Top 5 18 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: Range was +231.39% to -99.41%. 655 out of 1,056 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 62.03% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 7.26%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
06/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
18 Mos
% Chg
Skechers USA
922 SKX 109.79 +3.70 +98.71 +231.39
Electronic Arts
603 EA 66.50 +5.97 +41.44 +189.89
Centene
244 CNC 80.40 +6.72 +54.82 +172.73
Freescale Semiconductor
548 FSL 39.97 -11.41 +58.42 +149.03
Hawaiian Holdings
849 HA 23.75 -1.94 -8.83 +146.63

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
06/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
18 Mos
% Chg
DJIA 17,619.51 -2.17 -1.14 +6.29
NASDAQ 4,986.87 -1.64 +5.30 +19.40
S&P500 2,060.36 -2.23 +0.07 +11.47
Gold 1,173.10 -1.46 -1.00 -2.43
Silver 15.66 -6.28 +0.38 -19.15
Oil 58.67 -2.57 +10.14 -35.67

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

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(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate over $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available through freedigitalphotos.net, jscreationzs.)

The PBR1000 June 2015 Breaking News Recap

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In the Digital Age We Still Shake Hands When Making the Big Deal.

 

By Larry C. Paxton

There were the usual number of interesting acquisitions/mergers among The PBR1000 during June 2015. The energy sector saw some activity as well with the companies continuing to adjust to lower oil prices, which look like they might be here to stay.

Spin-offs were a major theme as well, with several scheduled to be concluded during the second half of the year.

The US economy continues to send mixed signals, but overall it continues to show moderate growth, and appears to be not quite as fragile. The Federal Reserve seems to indicate that if the numbers continue to show some growth that there will most likely be a very modest increase or two in interest rates in 2015.

However, on the  international scene the Greece/Eurozone drama continues. It will be difficult for all parties involved, whatever the resolution.

The revelation late in the month that the US territory of Puerto Rico also has  severe economic issues was a surprise for most of us. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related news items of note for June 2015, starting with the last active day.

Tuesday, June 30:
The PBR1000 June 2015 Monthend US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes month at 17,619.51, -1.82% from last Friday, -2.17% MTD, -0.88% QTD, -1.14% YTD.
NASDAQ closes month at 4,986.87, -1.84% from last Friday, -1.64% MTD, +1.75% QTD, +5.30% YTD.
SPX closes month at 2,060.36, -1.96% from last Friday, -2.23% MTD, -0.36% QTD, +0.07% YTD.

Apple(PBR4) launches Apple Music streaming service, men most likely to try it. $AAPL PR link.

General Electric(PBR9) selling its European Sponsor Finance unit to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking for $2.2 billion. $GE PR link.

Cisco(PBR58) announces intent to acquire privately held advanced threat protection provider OpenDNS for $635 million. $CSCO PR link.

Emerson Electric(PBR112) to spinoff Network Power as a separate public company, exploring other strategic actions. $EMR PR link.

ConAgra Foods(PBR149) announces plan to exit Private Brands operations. $CAG PR link.

Blackstone Group(PBR374) selling security services provider AlliedBarton unit to Wendel SE for $1.67 billion. $BX PR link.

JetBlue(PBR441) starts charging baggage fees, $20-35/bag. $JBLU PR link.

Asbury Automotive(PBR449) acquires Jacksonville, FL, $90 million/yr Mike Davidson Ford, to be renamed Coggin Ford. $ABG PR link.

Towers Watson(PBR613) & Willis to merge by year end in stock transaction valued at $18 billion. $TW PR link.

Brookdale Senior Living(PBR692) & HCP(PBR866) complete acquisition of 35 private pay senior living communities from Chartwell Retirement Residences for $847 million. $BKD PR link.

Nortek(PBR822) acquires private Numera’s mobile personal emergency response system/ telehealth assets. $NTK PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR874) board reviewing strategic alternatives, including sale, merger, or other plan. $PBY PR link.

Hewlett-Packard(PBR19) Enterprise Group EVP Bill Veghte leaving this summer, Antonio Neri to be EVP/GM, Chris Hsu COO upon separation from HP. $HPQ PR link.

Kroger(PBR25) President/COO Mike Ellis has retired, no successor named. $KR PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR54) promotes treasurer Christine McCarthy to CFO, Kevin Mayer named SVP/Chief Strategy Officer. $DIS PR link.

Nike(PBR98) & Chairman Phil Knight announce start of succession plan, President/CEO Mark Parker recommended. $NKE PR link.

Cummins(PBR157) Chief Technical Officer John Wall is retiring, Jennifer Rumsey is successor. $CMI PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR927) hires Troy Ellis as EVP/Supply Chain, reports to CEO, succeeds retiring John Macksood. $DPZ PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR933) hires Jeff Boyer as EVP/CFO, effective 07/27/15. $PIR PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says that at the end of the 1st quarter the US Net International Investment Position was -$6,794.0 billion, 4th quarter 2014 was -$7,019.7 billion. USDOC PR link.

Monday, June 29:
General Electric(PBR9) selling its US, Mexico, Australia, & New Zealand fleet businesses to Canada based Element Financial for $6.9 billion. $GE PR link.

Microsoft(PBR30) selling its mapping assets & making available employees to ridesharing company Uber. MarketWatch article link.

Comcast(44) NBC Universal unit reports it has terminated its business arrangements with business man/presidential candidate Donald Trump because of his derogatory statements on immigrants. $CMCSA article link.

Sysco(PBR60) terminates $8.2 billion merger agreement with US Foods(NR), announces $3 billion shares repurchase program. $SYY PR link.

Kraft Foods(PBR145) announces executive leadership team for upcoming $10 billion Kraft Heinz merger. $KRFT PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR315) completes $231 million acquisition of salsa and organic foods company Garden Fresh. $CPB PR link.

Celgene(PBR381) makes $1 billion initial $93/share investment in Juno Therapeutics(NASDAQ: JUNO) for immunotherapeutics collaboration. $CELG PR link.

Gannett(PBR458) completes TEGNA spinoff, new Gannett focus is now being largest local-to-national media company, flagship unit is USA Today. Robert Dickey is CEO. $GE PR link.

TEGNA announces completion of spinoff from Gannett(PBR458), trading as NYSE: TGNA.
$TGNA PR link.

Dresser-Rand(PBR664) gets approval by European Commission to be acquired by Germany’s Siemens AG for $7.6 billion, to close 06/30/15. $DRC PR link.

Friday, June 26:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,946.68, -0.38% from last Friday, -0.36% MTD, +0.96% QTD, +0.69% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,080.51, -0.71% from last Friday, +0.21% MTD, +3.67% QTD, +7.27% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,101.49, -0.40% from last Friday, -0.28% MTD, +1.62% QTD, +2.07% YTD.

eBay(PBR170) sets 07/17/15 for spinoff of independent publicly traded PayPal, to start trading on 07/20/15, symbol PYPL. $EBAY PR link.

NII Holdings(PBR495) has emerged from Chapter 11 Reorganization, soon to be traded on NASDAQ, symbol NIHD. $NIHDQ PR link.

Thursday, June 25:
Kroger(PBR25) increases quarterly dividend, to do 2:1 stock split 07/13/15, approves new $500 million share repurchase program. $KR PR link.

General Mills(PBR148) plans to cut up to 725 jobs as part of a restructuring. MarketWatch article link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR165) to expand R&D with opening/closing of facilities. $BMY PR link.

Rumor: Valeant Pharmaceuticals has made preliminary approach to buy Zoetis(PBR514). MarketWatch article link.

IAC(PBR669) to pursue an IPO for its dating industry The Match Group unit. Also promotes Joey Levin as IAC CEO; CFO Jeff Kip resigning, will continue to serve on interim basis. $IACI PR link.

Brinker Intl(PBR688) acquires franchisee Pepper Dining with its 103 Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurants for $106.5 million. $EAT PR link.

Target(PBR38) EVP/Chief Merchandising Officer Kathee Tesija to move to advisory role effective 07/06/15, internal/external search to start for position. $TGT PR link.

Dollar General(PBR153) appoints John Garratt as Interim CFO, effective 07/01/15, replaces retiring David Tehle. $DG PR link.

Medtronic(PBR161) promotes Geoff Martha to EVP & President, Restorative Therapies Group & Bill Burke as Chief Integration Officer for Covidien unit, both report to Chairman/CEO Omar Ishrak. $MDT PR link.

Donaldson Co(PBR780) VP/Global Operations Joe Lehman retiring 08/01/15, Rich Lewis to take role at that time. $DCI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the May Total Personal Income was at a $15.307 trillion annual rate, +0.5% over April, Personal Savings at 5.1% rate. USDOC PR link.

Wednesday, June 24:
IBM(PBR24) & Box(NYSE: BOX) form global partnership to integrate their products & services in a cloud based environment. $IBM PR link.

Zimmer(PBR506) completes $14 billion acquisition of Biomet, renamed Zimmer Biomet, to start trading as NYSE: ZBH on 06/29/15. $ZMH PR link.

Ferrellgas(BR791) completes acquisition of integrated crude oil midstream services company Bridger Logistics for $837 million. $FGP PR link.

Cree(PBR965) to restructure LED business, authorizes $500 million buyback program. $CREE PR link.

AFLAC(PBR117) hires Fred Crawford as EVP/CFO, effective 06/30/15, reports to Chairman/CEO Daniel Amos. $AFL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce in 3rd estimate says 1st Quarter 2015 Gross Domestic Product was revised from -0.7% to -0.2%, $17.693 trillion. USDOC PR link.

Tuesday, June 23:
Fun Fact: In 2014 The PBR1000 employed 33.7 million people worldwide, up 2.68% from 2013.

Verizon(PBR15) completes $50/share, $4.4 billion acquisition of digital content/advertisiing company AOL(PBR812), which is now a wholly owned subsidiary. $ANTM PR link.

Canada based mobile communications company Blackberry(NASDAQ: BBRY) and Cisco(PBR58, NASDAQ: CSCO) sign broad patent cross-licensing agreement. BlackBerry PR link.

3M(PBR92) to acquire personal protective equipment provider Capital Safety from KKR(PBR272) for $2.5 billion. $MMM PR link.

Wholly owned subsidiary Freeport-McMoRan(PBR132) Oil & Gas files for IPO, requests trading symbol FMOG. $FCX PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR393) to spinoff 430 restaurants into a separate publicly held REIT. $DRI PR link.

Netflix(PBR534) to do 7:1 stock split on 07/14/15. $NFLX PR link.

Jordan Spieth(Pro Golfer): Under Armour(PBR809) took a chance on me MarketWatch article link.

Boeing(PBR31) President/COO Dennis Muilenberg to become President/CEO on 07/01/15, Jim McNerney to remain Chairman. $BA article link.

The Dept of HUD says that May New Single-Family Home Sales were at a 546,000 annual rate, 2.2% above April, 19.5% above May 2014. HUD PR link.

Monday, June 22:
Anthem(PBR40) offers to acquire fellow health benefits company Cigna(PBR88) for $184/share, $53.8 billion. $ANTM PR link.

Cigna(PBR88) says Anthem’s(PBR40) $184/share unsolicited offer is undervalued. $CI PR link.

Pfizer(PBR53) to acquire quadrivalent meningitis ACWY vaccines Nimenrix & Mencevax from GlaxoSmithKline for $130 million. $PFE PR link.

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR55) confirms $64/share, $53.1 billion unsolicited offer to acquire Williams Cos(PBR361). $ETE PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR361) advises stockholders that the Energy Transfer Equity(PBR55) $64/share offer is undervalued. $WMB PR link.

General Mills(PBR148) to remove artificial flavors & colors from remaining 40% of cereal products by the end of 2017. $GIS PR link.

Fifth Third Bancorp(PBR345) to consolidate/sell 100 branch offices to improve efficiency. $FITB PR link.

Gannett(PBR458) soon to be spinoff broadcasting/digital provider TEGNA to trade as NYSE:TGNA starting 06/29/15. $GCI PR link.

Gannett(PBR458) announces plans after TEGNA spinoff. $GCI PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires California workers compensation insurer Monument. $AJG PR link.

Global Payments(PBR756) to roll out American Express(PBR86) OptBlue merchant program in Canada on 06/24/15. $GPN PR link.

Brookdale Senior Living(PBR692) President/CFO Mark Ohlendorf to focus on being President, COO Richard Gregory leaving 09/30/15. $BKD PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors reports that May Existing Home Sales were at a 5.35 million annual rate, +5.1% over April, median price at $228,700. NAR PR link.

Friday, June 19:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,015.95, +0.65% from last Friday, +0.03% MTD, +1.35% QTD, +1.08% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,117.00, +1.30% from last Friday, +0.93% MTD, +4.41% QTD, +8.04% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,109.00, +0.76% from last Friday, +0.12% MTD, +2.04% QTD, +2.48% YTD.

Medtronic(PBR161) has acquired assets of privately held medical device manufacturer Aptus Endosystems for $110 million. $MDT PR link.

Medtronic(PBR161) increases dividend payout, authorizes 80 million shares buyback program. $MDT PR link.

Medtronic(PBR161) acquires privately held medical device manufacturer CardioInsight Technologies for $93 million. $MDT PR link.

L Brands(PBR248) authorizes new $250 million shares buyback program. $LB PR link.

Hershey Co(PBR347) simplifies structure, makes executive leadership changes, 300 jobs to be cut. $HSY PR link.

Enbridge(PBR352) transfers $30.4 billion of Canadian pipelines & energy business to its Income Fund. $EEP PR link.

NII Holdings(PBR495) gets confirmation of Plan of Reorganization by Bankruptcy Court. $NIHDQ PR link.

Aeropostale(PBR868) EVP Design/Merchandising Emilia Fabricant is leaving, no replacement planned. $ARO PR link.

Apache Corp(PBR169) EVP/Executive Advisor to CEO Rod Eichler retiring at the end of June after 21 years with the company. $APA PR link.

Thursday, June 18:
Allstate(PBR87) pays out $178 million in May claims for 8 events. $ALL PR link.

PBF Energy(PBR138) to purchase New Orleans area 189,000 barrels/day Chalmette Refining for $322 million. $PBF PR link.

News Corp(PBR299) to cut jobs, shift resources to digital media $NWS PR link.

News Corp(PBR299) extends stockholder rights plan to 06/18/18. $NWS PR link.

Health Care REIT(PBR693) joint venture with Canada’s Revera to acquire 23 senior housing communities with 3,600 units Canada based Regal Lifestyle Communities for $623 million. $HCN PR link.

HCP(PBR866) EVP/Chief Investment Officer Paul Gallagher has resigned, effective 06/30/15. $HCP PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says May average earnings/hour was at $24.96, weekly earnings $861.12 for a 34.5 hour week. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the May Consumer Price Index was +0.4%, 0.0% over the last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, June 17:
The PBR1000 Fun Fact: Through May ThePBR1000 companies had $3.467 trillion in earnings per share over the past year, paid out $0.955 trillion in dividends, for a payout of 27.55%.

Marriott Intl(PBR210) global hotel portfolio added to TripAdvisor(NASDAQ: TRIP) Instant Booking platform in partnership. $MAR PR link.

Allergan(PBR297) to acquire facial aesthetics developer KYTHERA Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: KYTH) for $2.1 billion. $AGN PR link.

Celgene(PBR381) adds $4 billion to its $5.2 billion shares repurchase program. $CELG PR link.

Patterson Cos(PBR563) completes acquisition of production distribution company Animal Health International for $1.1 billion cash, will double revenues. $PDCO PR link.

Tesla(PBR887) partners with leading researcher to cut battery costs, report MarketWatch article link.

Hill-Rom(PBR954) to acquire privately held medical diagnostic equipment manufacturer Welch Allyn for $2.05 billion cash/stock. $HRC PR link.

Microsoft(PBR30) announces senior leadership changes to align engineering to corporate strategy. $MSFT PR link.

Priceline(PBR365) hires Maelle Gavet as EVP, Global Operation, reports to President/CEO Darren Huston. $PCLN PR link.

The US Federal Open Market Committee says the US economy is expanding moderately, anticipates small rate increase this year. FOMC PR link.

Tuesday, June 16:
Coty($COTY) buys 3 businesses from P&G(PBR32, $PG) for $12 billion. MarketWatch article link.

Starbucks(PBR164) Mobile Order & Pay service expands to 3,400 additional US stores. $SBUX PR link.

Starbucks(PBR164) to close all 23 La Boulange retail bakery locations & 2 manufacturing facilities by Sept. $SBUX PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR281) closing mortgage origination business, offer 460 employees severance packages. $DFS PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR405) files SEC Form 10 for publicly traded 4th quarter spinoff vacation ownership business named Vistana Signature Experiences. $HOT PR link.

Under Armour(PBR809) to issue Class C non-voting shares with 2:1 stock split effect. $UA PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR89) Co-COO James Murdoch to become CEO on 07/01/15, Rupert Murdoch & Lachlan Murdoch to be Executive Co-Chairman, Chase Carey Executive Vice Chairman. $FOX PR link.

Magellan Health(PBR606) hires John Littel as SVP, Government Affairs & Communications. $MGLN PR link.

US Dept of HUD reports that May Private Housing Units Bldg Permits are at a 1,275,000 annual rate, +11.8% over April, +25.4% over May 2014. USHUD PR link.

Monday, June 15:
CVS Health(PBR13) to acquire Target’s(PBR38) 1, 660 locations pharmacy/clinical services businesses for $1.9 billion, rebrand. $CVS PR link.

United Technologies(PBR45) to decide by 3rd quarter end to sell or spinoff Sikorsky Aircraft unit. $UTX PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR168) to close 175 N. American stores, reduce headquarters staff by 250. $GPS PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) to acquire $50 million/yr Boston based William Gallagher Associates Insurance Brokers. $AJG PR link.

Standard Pacific(PBR908) and Ryland Group(PBR856) to merge, form 4th largest US homebuilder. $SPF PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR483) CFO Bob Ryder is leaving, Beer Division CFO David Klein to succeed Ryder. $STZ PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR874) hires Scott Sider as CEO, effective immediately. $PBY PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1093) Chief Marketing Officer Marco Pescara given additional Merchandising responsibilities, William Schlegel employment being terminated. $LL PR link.

Friday, June 12:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,898.84, +0.28% from last Friday, -0.62% MTD, +0.69% QTD, +0.43% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,051.10, -0.34% from last Friday, -0.37% MTD, +3.06% QTD, +6.65% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,094.11, +0.06% from last Friday, -0.63% MTD, +1.27% QTD, +1.71% YTD.

FedEx(PBR61) to take a $2.2 billion charge in 4th quarter for change in pension accounting. $FDX PR link.

Reynolds American(PBR316) completes $27.4 billion acquisition of fellow cigarette manufacturer Lorillard(PBR357), British American Tobacco retains 42% ownership stake in RAI with $4.7 billion equity investment. $RAI PR link.

International Flavors & Fragrances(PBR677) to expand into cosmetics ingredients, to acquire Lucas Meyer Cosmetics for $311 million. $IFF PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the US May Producer Price Index for final demand was +0.5%, -1.1% for 12 months. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, June 11:
Google’s(PBR46, $GOOGL) next project is fixing congested cities. MarketWatch article link.

Hess(PBR114, $HES) to net $3 billion in Bakken midstream joint venture deal MarketWatch article link.

PayPal gears up to tap global payments market after split from eBay(PBR170, $EBAY). MarketWatch article link.

Whole Foods(PBR195, $WFM) lower-cost stores to be named ‘365 by Whole Foods Market’. MarketWatch article link.

HealthSouth(PBR827, $HLS) to buy in patient rehab hospital operator for $730 million. MarketWatch article link.

Tesla(PBR887) snaps up former Solyndra plant: report. MarketWatch article link.

Rupert Murdoch to step down as CEO of 21st Century Fox(PBR89, $FOX) MarketWatch article link.

Kohl’s(PBR141) announces senior executive leadership changes for CFO, COO, Chief Admin Officer, Chief Merchandise/Customer Service Officer, structure. $KSS PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR315) hires Adam Ciongoli as SVP/General Counsel, reports to president/CEO Denise Morrison. $CPB PR link.

Orbital ATK(PBR494) promotes Scott Lehr as president of Flight Systems Group, effective 07/01/15. $OA PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR874, $PBY) and GAMCO reach understanding. MarketWatch article link.

US retail sales jump 1.2% in May. MarketWatch article link.

US import prices surge 1.3% in May, flat minus fuel. MarketWatch article link.

Corporate debt continues to mount as household wealth climbs $1.3 trillion MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, June 10:
Johnston Controls(PBR65) announces it is exploring strategic options for the separation of its automotive business. $JCI PR link.

Nike(PBR98) wins NBA sponsorship deal away from Adidas MarketWatch article link.

Visteon(PBR338) hires Sachin Lawande as president/CEO, effective 06/29/15. $VC PR link.

Netflix(PBR534) shares skyrocket with talk of looming stock split. MarketWatch article link.

Hawaiian Electric(PBR639) shareholders approve acquisition by NextEra Energy(PBR181), still need regulatory approvals. $HE PR link.

Men’s Wearhouse(PBR781) gets agreement to operate 300 Macy’s(PBR97) tuxedo shops & online rentals. $MW PR link.

Dollar General(PBR153) announces Jeff Owen rejoining as EVP Store Operations. $DG PR link.

Tesla(PBR887) annual stockholders meeting highlights; CFO Deepak Ahuja to retire. MarketWatch article link.

The US Dept of the Treasury reports am $82 billion budget deficit in May. MarketWatch article link.

US healthcare spending falls 0.4% in first quarter. MarketWatch article link.

Employee compensation grew 4.9% in first quarter. MarketWatch article link.

World Bank revises 2015 global growth, forecasts US at 2.0%. WorldBank PR link.

Tuesday, June 9:
General Motors(PBR7, $GM) says not interested in merger with FiatChrysler MarketWatch article link.

General Electric(PBR9, $GE) to sell buyout unit to Canada pension fund for $12 billion MarketWatch article link.

Commercial Int’l Bank buys CitiGroup’s(PBR26, $C) Egypt retail ops MarketWatch article link.

Amazon(PBR37, $AMZN) to open fulfillment center in #Dallas, create more than 1,500 #jobs MarketWatch article link.

Prudential Financial(PBR70) authorizes $1 billion shares repurchase program over next 12 months. $PRU PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR96, $MCD) names ex-Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs as global communications officer MarketWatch article link.

Kraft Foods(PBR145) special stockholders meeting set for 07/01/15 to vote on acquisition by HJ Heinz. $KRFT PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR315, $CPB) to acquire salsa and organic foods company Garden Fresh for $231 million. MarketWatch article link.

Visteon(PBR338, $VC) completes $3.6B deal, to return up to $2.6B to shareholders MarketWatch article link.

WhiteWave Foods(PBR758) to acquire Canada based plant-based nutrition products provider Vega for $550 million. $WWAV PR link.

April job openings rise to record high of 5.38 million MarketWatch article link.

US wholesale inventories climb 0.4% in April MarketWatch article link.

Foreclosure inventory down by 25% over the last year, CoreLogic says MarketWatch article link.

Monday, June 8:
The PBR1000 May Snapshots Fact: The Market Capitalization for 05/29/15 was $21.622 trillion, the Top 10 companies totaled $3.527 trillion(16.31%), the median was $6.63 billion.

Humana(PBR71) mum on takeover talk, to stay quiet till July 29. MarketWatch article link.

Swiss based crop protection & seeds company Syngenta rejects Monsanto’s(PBR173) 2nd unsolicitied CHF449/share, $45 billion, offer. Syngenta PR link.

RR Donnelley(PBR253) completes acquisition of digital printing, publishing co Courier Corp(NASDAQ: CRRC) for $261 million. $RRD PR link.

Masco(PBR319) to spin-off Installation & Other Services assets & operations to TopBuild Corp(NYSE: BLD), to start regular trading on 07/01/15. $MAS PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR405) sells Scottsdale, AZ, luxury resort The Phoenician to Host Hotels(PBR456) for $400 million. $HOT PR link.

Host Hotels(PBR456) announces acquisition of The Phoenician, asset sales, stock repurchases, other strategic initiatives. $HST PR link.

Gannett(PBR458) board approves spin-off of TEGNA, to start trading as NYSE: TGNA on 06/29/15. $GCI PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR531) acquiring worldwide France based glass bottles & jars manufacturer Verallia from Saint-Gobain for $3.24 billion. $APO PR link.

Babcock & Wilcox(PBR637) Power Generation publicly traded spinoff to be named Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises(NYSE: BW), remaining company BWX Technologies(NYSE: BWXT), to start trading 07/01/15. $BWC PR link.

Stifel Financial(PBR885) to acquire Barclays’ Wealth and Investment Management, Americas, with its 180 US advisers managing $56 billion in client assets, to close mid November. $SF PR link.

General Cable(PBR385) CEO Gregory Kenny retiring 07/01/15, Michael McDonnell hired to be president/CEO at that time. $BGC PR link.

Friday, June 5:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,849.46, -0.90% from last Friday & MTD, +0.41% QTD, +0.15% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,068.46, -0.03% from last Friday & MTD, +3.42% QTD, +7.02% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,092.83, -0.69% from last Friday & MTD, +1.21% QTD, +1.65% YTD.

Cardinal Health(PBR27) to acquire generics/OTC medications distributor The Harvard Drug Group for $1.115 billion, to close in beginning of 2016. $CAH PR link.

Comcast(PBR44) has agreed to acquire ad tech company Visible World. MarketWatch article link.

DuPont(PBR83) Performance Chemicals spin-off The Chemours Company to begin regular trading as a separate public company on 07/01/15 with symbol NYSE: CC. $DD PR link.

Apache Corp(PBR169) completes sale of Australian subsidiary Apache Energy Limited to a consortium of private equity funds managed by Macquarie Corporate Holdings Limited and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (NYSE: BAM) for $1.9 billion. $APA PR link.

Baxter Intl(PBR179) board approves spin-off of biopharmaceuticals unit Baxalta, to begin trading as a separate public company 07/01/15, symbol NYSE: BXLT. $BAX PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR531) & Italy based insurance company Banca Carige sell Carige Vita Nuova & Carige Assicurazioni for $341 million, sign long term agreements. $APO PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires national employee benefits brokerage & consulting firm Solid Benefit Guidance. $AJG PR link.

Walmart(PBR1): Rob Walton resigns as chairman, remains a director, Greg Penner elected new chairman. $WMT PR link.

Dick’s Sporting Goods(PBR400) hires Teri List-Stoll as EVP/CFO, starts in August. $DKS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says in May Employment Situation that 280,000 new jobs were created, unemployment rate at 5.5%. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve in its April G19 report says consumer credit was up at a +7.25% annual rate, revolving credit +11.5%, nonrevolving credit +5.75%. USFRB PR link.

Thursday, June 4:
The PBR1000 Fun Fact: The PBR1000 End of May Market Capitalization Total was $21.622 trillion, +0.98% over April, +2.44% YTD, for 1,062 cos.

Amazon(PBR37) receives Most Reputable US Retailer for the 3rd year in a row by the Reputation Institute. MarketWatch article link.

Goodyear Tire(PBR137) & Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries dissolve global alliance of 4 joint ventures, provides details. $GT PR link.

Facebook(PBR327) to start rolling out Facebook Lite. $FB PR link.

CA Technologies(PBR520) acquires private test data management company Grid-Tools, terms not disclosed. $CA PR link.

Intuit’s(PBR521) QuickBooks Online passes 1 million paid subscribers. $INTU PR link.

Carlyle Group(PBR528) completes acquisition of public UK based 2,500 employee Nationwide Accident Repair Services. $CG PR link.

Magellan Health(PBR606) restructuring into 2 units, new CEO for Rx unit on 07/01/15. $MGLN PR link.

Graham Holdings(PBR610) to spin-off its Cable One subsidiary as a public company, effective 07/01/15, with symbol NYSE: CABO. $GHC PR link.

Cisco(PBR58) incoming CEO Chuck Robbins names 10 of the new executive management team. $CSCO PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR78) hires Peter Carter as EVP/Chief Legal Officer, reports to CEO Richard Anderson, effective 07/13/15. $DAL PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR176) names Tara Russell to lead new ‘fathom’ brand for global sustained social impact travel. $CCL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that Unemployment Claims for the Week Ending 05/30/15 were at 276,000, -8,000 from 05/23/15, was 314,000 a year ago. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the 1st Quarter Nonfarm Labor Productivity was at a -3.1% annual rate, output -1.6%, hrs worked +1.6%. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, June 3:
CBS Corp(PBR178) SHOWTIME unit to launch a standalone internet streaming service in early July initially to Apple(PBR4) customers for $10.99/mo. $CBS PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR500) selected by National Footbal League to deliver first global live stream of an NFL football game 10/25/15. $YHOO PR link.

Wendy’s(PBR777) authorizes $1.4 billion shares buyback program, updates 2015 & long term outlook. $WEN PR link.

E*TRADE Financial(PBR947) exceeds $50 billion in retirement assets. $ETFC PR link.

Groupon(PBR750) promotes Rich Williams to COO; CFO Jason Child leaving 07/31/15, VP Bryan Kayman named Interim CFO. $GRPN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the April International Goods and Services deficit was $40.9 billion, down $9.7 billion from March. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank releases the Beige Book, outlook generally optimistic, economy expected to grow at a modest to moderate pace. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, June 2:
GameStop(PBR287) to acquire ThinkGeek retailer parent Geeknet(NASDAQ: GKNT) for $20/share, $140 million. $GME PR link.

Anixter(PBR398) completes sale of its OEM Supply-Fasteners segment to American Industrial Partners(NR) for $380 million cash. $AXE PR link.

Energizer Holdings(PBR527) doing 10 million shares, $1.4 billion stock buyback purchase program, to carry over to Edgewell Personal Care Company after spin-off completed on 07/01/15. $ENR PR link.

Wendy’s(PBR777) completes sale of bakery business to East Balt Bakeries. $WEN PR link.

AOL(PBR812) introduces new homepage with emphasis on mobile first, video-driven destination & content. $AOL PR link.

CNA Financial(PBR263) hires Kevin Leidwinger as President/COO CNA Commercial, reports to CNA Chairman/CEO Tom Motamed, effective 06/22/15. $CNA PR link.

Hershey Co(PBR347) International President Bert Alfonso retiring by 06/30/15. $HSY PR link.

Mattel(PBR383) CEO reshuffles top execs to jumpstart turnaround. MarketWatch article link.

Carpenter Technology(PBR842) promotes SVP/CFO Tony Thene to CEO, effective 07/01/15. $CRS article link.

Cimarex Energy(PBR890) CFO Paul Korus to retire by 09/01/15, VP Mark Burford to become CFO at that time. $XEC article link.

Griffon Corp(PBR891) promotes VP/Controller Brian Harris to SVP/CFO reporting to President/COO Robert Mehmel. $GFF article link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that April New Orders for Manufactured Goods was -0.4% to $476.7 billion, was +2.2% in March. USDOC PR link.

Monday, June 1:
General Electric(PBR9) begins sale process for $40 billion chunk of U.S. lending unit. MarketWatch article link.

Microsoft(PBR30) making Windows 10 available as a free upgrade on 07/29/15. $MSFT PR link.

Intel(PBR52) to acquire field-programmable gate array technology company Altera(PBR942) for $54/share, $16.7 billion cash, to close in 6-9 months. $INTC PR link.

Enterprise Products(PBR56) to purchase all Eagle Ford Shale member interests of EFS Midstream for $2.15 billion. $EPD PR link.

Humana(PBR71) completes sale of wholly owned subsidiary Concentra to a joint venture of Select Medical & Welsh Carson for $1.055 billion cash. $HUM PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR133) completes acquisition of nearly all assets of autoparts distributor Uni-Select USA. $IEP PR link.

Dollar General(PBR153) opens its 12,000th store. $DG PR link.

PPL Corp(PBR227) completes spinoff of energy business, now focused on utility business in US & UK. $PPL PR link.

BlackRock(PBR262) & Pemex sign agreement to accelerate development of energy infrastructure projects in Mexico. $BLK PR link.

Gannett(PBR458) acquires 11 media organizations in 3 states from Digital First Media. $GCI article link.

Energizer Holdings(PBR527) split into 2 public companies gets go ahead, should be trading on NYSE under symbols ENR & EPC on 07/01/15. $ENR PR link.

Apollo Global Management(PBR531) affiliates to acquire diversified technology company OM Group(PBR1060) for $34/share cash, to close by end of 2015. $APO PR link.

Curtiss-Wright(PBR771) sells off all assets & liabilities of downstream oil & gas businesses to Sun Capital Partners Group. $CW PR link.

A. Schulman(PBR787) completes acquisition of specialty engineered plastics company Citadel Plastics for $800 million. $SHLM PR link.

Ferrellgas(PBR791) to acquire integrated crude oil midstream services company Bridger Logistics for $837 million. $FGP PR link.

Zions Bancorp(PBR824) announces restructuring plan, key leadership changes. $ZION PR link.

Crestwood Equity(PBR1005) makes organizational changes, promotes several key executives. $CEQP PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1093) explains why it relabeled products; shares bounce. MarketWatch article link.

Walt Disney Company(PBR54): James A. Rasulo to step down as CFO, effective 06/30/15. Bloomberg article link.

Two Cisco(PBR58) presidents to depart on 07/25/15. MarketWatch article link.

Cisco(PBR58) CTO Padmasree Warrior planning to leave on 07/25/15. Re/Code article link.

Time Warner Cable(PBR125) CFO William Minson leaving; William Osbourn, Matthew Siegel to serve as Acting Co-CFOs. $TWC article link.

NetApp(389) Chairman/CEO Tom Georgens resigns, EVP George Kurian promoted to CEO, lead independent director Mike Nevens elected Chairman. $NTAP article link.

Advanced Micro Devices(PBR451) hires Jim Anderson as SVP/GM Computing & Graphics business, reports to CEO Dr. Lisa Su. http://bit.ly/1KAgBjE$AMD article link.

CA Technologies(PBR520) hires Otto Berkes as Chief Technology Officer, effective 06/15/15, reports to CEO Mike Gregoire. $CA PR link.

Men’s Wearhouse(PBR781) hires Ben Baum as Chief Digital Officer, reports to CEO Doug Ewert. $MW PR link.

E*Trade(PBR947) CFO Matt Audette leaving, Mike Pizzi promoted to CFO, reports to CEO Paul Idzik. $ETFC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says April Personal Income was up $59.4B, +0.4% over March, Disposable Personal Income up +0.4%. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says April Construction Spending was at a $1,006.1B annual rate, +2.2% over March. USDOC PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the May 2015 Manufacturing PMI was at 52.8%, +1.3% from April. ISM PR link.

The PBR1000 May Stocks Index ended at 76,157.82, +0.86% over April, +2.44% YTD, for 1,062 companies.

The PBR1000 May 2015 Breaking News Recap is posted on the BLOG page. You can also click here.

 

(The PBR1000 is the premiere comparative data and reporting service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate over $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Stuart Miles.)

The PBR1000 May 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

ID-100143639 Data Analysis-adamr

Should All Decisions Be Based On Data Analysis?
When Do You Take Action Based On A Strong Hunch?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The PBR1000 May 2015 Snapshots include news and stocks data on 1,062 companies in 15 analytical reports.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook.


A unique feature of May 2015 is that after many years all the major US stock market exchanges registered new record closing highs in the same month. As temperatures rose across the US the stock markets showed less volatility, especially in the second half of May. Will that trend continue through the summer?

Key commodities also showed gains in May. But employment figures, new and used home sales, manufacturing, and many other economic indicators continue to be mixed. As a result, the Federal Reserve continues to be cautious about when it thinks it will start increasing interest rates.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on May 29th, Month % Chg is compared to April 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 17 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

Table 1: The PBR1000 Stock Price Composite

Table 1 Summary: Made up of the sum of the stock prices of the 1,062 companies currently tracked by The PBR1000.

Company Price
05/29/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
17 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 76,157.82 +0.86 +2.44 +13.36

 

Table 2: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +32.25% to -49.70%. 611 out of 1,062 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 57.53% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 0.84%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
05/29/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
17 Mos
% Chg
Conn’s
1052 CONN 36.99 +32.25 +97.91 -52.99
Humana
71 HUM 214.65 +29.62 +49.45 +107.95
Broadcom
313 BRCM 56.85 +28.61 +31.20 +91.77
Triple-S Mgmt
803 GTS 24.00 +28.21 +0.38 +23.46
Pall Corp
708 PLL 124.44 +27.87 +22.95 +45.80

 

Table 3: The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +220.00% to -77.94%. 593 out of 1,062 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 55.84% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 1.72%

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
05/29/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
17 Mos
% Chg
NII Holdings
495 NIHDQ 0.06 -8.57 +220.00 -97.67
Conn’s
1052 CONN 36.99 +32.25 +97.91 -52.99
Skechers USA
922 SKX 105.87 +17.74 +91.62 +219.56
McDermott Intl
734 MDR 5.46 +4.00 +87.63 -40.39
Netflix
534 NFLX 624.06 +12.14 +82.68 +69.50

 

Table 4: The PBR1000 Top 5 17 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: Range was +171.42% to -97.65%. 688 out of 1,057 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 65.09% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 10.60%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
05/29/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
17 Mos
% Chg
Skechers USA
922 SKX 105.87 +17.74 +91.62 +219.56
Freescale Semiconductor
548 FSL 58.09 +15.43 +78.83 +181.12
Electronic Arts
603 EA 39.09 +8.03 +33.48 +173.56
Centene
244 CNC 20.53 +21.54 +45.08 +155.56
Hawaiian Holdings
849 HA 23.08 +4.94 -7.02 +151.51

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
05/29/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
17 Mos
% Chg
DJIA 18,010.68 +0.95 +1.05 +8.65
NASDAQ 5,070.03 +2.60 +7.05 +21.39
S&P500 2,107.39 +1.05 +2.36 +14.01
Gold 1,190.50 +0.80 +0.47 -0.98
Silver 16.71 +3.40 +7.12 -13.73
Oil 60.23 +0.82 +13.07 -33.96

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate over $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available through freedigitalphotos.net, jscreationzs.)

The PBR1000 May 2015 Breaking News Recap!

ID-100259380 Strategy World-Stuart Miles

A Key The PBR1000 Growth Strategy in May 2015
Was The Use Of Mergers and Acquisitions.
What Will Be The Long Term Results?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

After the falling apart of the Comcast(PBR44)/Time Warner Cable(PBR125) merger in April, May 2015 saw a new, but not unexpected, Charter Communications(PBR320)/Time Warner Cable(PBR93) deal for $78 billion. It will be interesting to see what conditions are required for that deal to occur. But May 2015 was also a significant month for other over $10 billion dollar deals, like Avago Technology/Broadcom(PBR313), Pfizer(PBR53)/Hospira(PBR570), and Danaher(PBR139)/Pall Corp(PBR708). It was also a sad month that saw the collapse of Radio Shack(PBR619) as it goes through the bankruptcy process.

The US economy continues to give mixed signals. When the Federal Reserve will start to raise interest rates continues to be a topic of much discussion and conjecture.

The C-level suite had a lot of action as well. With active mergers and acquisitions, and mixed annual and quarterly results, this is not a big surprise.

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related news items of note for May 2015 starting with the last active day.

Friday, May 29:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,010.68, -1.21% from last Friday, +0.95% MTD, +1.32% QTD, +1.05% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,070.03, -0.38% from last Friday, +2.60% MTD, +3.45% QTD, +7.05% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,107.39, -0.88% from last Friday, +1.05% MTD, +1.91% QTD, +2.36% YTD.

Raytheon(PBR118) completes $1.9 billion investment for 80% ownership in venture with Vista Equity Partners’ Websense unit to provide cyber security services. $RTN PR link.

Dollar Tree(PBR329) to sell 330 Family Dollar(PBR252) stores to private equity fund firm Sycamore Partners, contingent on completion of acquisition. $DLTR PR link.

Harman Intl(PBR448) completes acquisition of Denmark based high end car audio systems provider Bang & Olufsen, terms not disclosed. $HAR PR link.

Harris Corp(PBR469) completes acquisition of global aerospace, defense, information & other technologies Exelis(PBR487) for $23.75/share, $4.75 billion. $HRS PR link.

Brown Shoe(PBR770) rebranding, now known as Caleres(PBR770) per 04/16/15 announcement. $CAL PR link.

Equinix(PBR852) agrees to acquire UK based data centers provider Telecity for $3.6B. MarketWatch article link.

American Express(PBR86) announces unexpected death of its president, Ed Gilligan. $AXP PR link.

International Flavors & Fragrances(PBR677) hires Alison Cornell as EVP/CFO, effective 07/08/15. $IFF article link.

The US Dept of Commerce in 2nd estimate says 1st Quarter 2015 GDP grew at a -0.7%, $17.665 trillion annual rate. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, May 28:
JPMorgan Chase(PBR20) expected to lay off more than 5,000 by next year. MarketWatch article link.

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR55) to do 2-1 stock split on 07/24/15. $ETE PR link.

Broadcom(PBR313) to be acquired by Singapore based analog semiconductor devices provider Avago Technologies(NASDAQ: AVGO) for $37 billion cash/stock. $BRCM PR link.

Crown Castle(PBR670) completes sale of Australian subsidiary to investment group headed by Macquarie Infrastructure(PBR1086) for $1.6 billion. $CCI PR link.

Alliance One Intl(PBR804) to do 1-for-10 reverse stock split effective 06/29/15. $AOI PR link.

Tesla(PBR887), Southern Co(PBR160) partner in utility-scale battery-storage projects. MarketWatch article link.

Freddie Mac(PBR33) reports that the average 30 year fixed mortgage rate is at 3.87%, fees/points at 0.6. Freddie Mac PR link.

Dollar General(PBR153) promotes COO Todd Vasos to CEO, effective 06/03/15, Rick Dreiling to remain Chairman. $DG PR link.

Hawaiian Airlines(PBR849) promotes Shannon Okinaka to EVP/CFO. $HA PR link.

Wednesday, May 27:
Ford Motor(PBR8) recalls 423,000 vehicles for potential intermittent loss of electrical power steering assist while driving. $F PR link.

CA Technologies(PBR520) to acquire Agile software development & services provider Rally Software(NYSE: RALY) for $19.50/share, $480 million. $CA PR link.

Dealerships are ‘quietly supporting’ Tesla’s(PBR887) Elon Musk MarketWatch article link.

City National Corp(PBR1045) stockholders approve merger with Royal Bank of Canada for $5.4 billion cash/stock, expected to close in 4th quarter. $CYN PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR176) hires Jim Heaney as SVP/CFO, effective 06/22/15, reports to President Christine Duffy. $CCL PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR927) names Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Digital Officer, USA VP Strategy, VP Team USA. $DPZ PR link.

Obamacare to add billions in insurance overhead costs, study says. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, May 26:
Amazon(PBR37) to create more than 6,000 jobs at its US fulfillment centers. $AMZN PR link.

Amazon(PBR37) changes tax practices in Europe. MarketWatch article link.

EMC Corp(PBR119) to acquire privately held managed cloud services company Virtustream for $1.2 billion. $EMC PR link.

AbbVie(PBR142) completes $21 billion acquisition of hematology oncology Imbruvica developer Pharmacyclics(NASDAQ: PCYC). $ABBV PR link.

Hormel Foods(PBR294) to acquire privately held natural/organic meat processor Applegate Farms for $775 million, expected to close in 60 days. $HRL PR link.

Reynolds American(PBR316) & Lorillard(PBR357) get FTC approval for merger, federal court case is final major hurdle. $RAI PR link.

Charter Communications(PBR320) to acquire Time Warner Cable(PBR125) for $78.7 billion stock/cash. $CHTR PR link.

Priceline(PBR365) to invest an additional $250 million in China online travel service Ctrip(NASDAQ: CTRP), will then have a 10.5% of a maximum allowable 15% stake. $PCLN PR link.

Brunswick(PBR577) completes sale of its Bowling Products unit to private investment firm BlueArc Capital Management, terms not disclosed. $BC PR link.

Apple(PBR4) names Jony Ive chief design officer. MarketWatch article link.

Anthem(PBR40) EVP/President Commercial/Specialty Business Division Ken Goulet retiring this summer. $ANTM PR link.

C.H. Robinson(PBR211) hires Andrew Clarke as CFO, effective 06/01/15, reports to president/CEO John Wiehoff. $CHRW PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR1002) Chief Accounting Officer Marc Swanson appointed Interim CFO effective 06/01/15 upon announcement by Jim Heaney that he is returning to the cruise industry. $SEAS PR link.

The US Dept of HUD reports that April New Single-Family Houses Sales were at a 517,000 annual rate, +6.8% over March, +26.1% over April 2014 HUD PR link.

Monday, May 25:
US Memorial Day Observed.
US Stock Exchanges Closed.

Friday, May 22:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,232.02, -0.22% from last Friday, +2.19% MTD, +2.56% QTD, +2.29% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,089.36, +0.81% from last Friday, +2.99% MTD, +3.85% QTD, +7.46% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,126.06, +0.16% from last Friday, +1.95% MTD, +2.81% QTD, +3.26% YTD.

Amgen(PBR144) terminating participation with AstraZeneca(NYSE:AZN) to co-develop & commercialize brodalumab for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis. $AMGN PR link.

Exelis(PBR487) shareholders approve acquisition by Harris Corp(PBR469) for $23.75/share, $4.75 billion cash/stock, expected to close on 05/29/15. $ENR PR link.

Energizer Holdings(PBR527) adopts limited duration shareholder rights plan in preparation for Personal Care Division spin-off. $ENR PR link.

Arch Coal(PBR671) receives continued listing standard notice from NYSE; taking steps to regain compliance with minimum share price standard. $ACI PR link.

ITT Educational(PBR1078) issues statement: ‘Day in Court Long Overdue for ITT Tech.’ $ESI PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that April Employee Avg Current Earnings were $24.87/hr, +2.2% from April 2014, $858.02/wk. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the April Consumer Price Index was +0.1% over March, -0.2% over the last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, May 21:
CVS Health(PBR13) to acquire long term care facilities pharmacy provider Omnicare(PBR408) for $98/share, $12.7 billion cash. $CVS PR link.

QUALCOMM(PBR104) initiates accelerated $5 billion share repurchase program with two financial institutions. $QCOM PR link.

Spectrum Brands(PBR529) completes acquisition of HRG Group(PBR412) Armored AutoGroup unit for $1.4 billion cash. $SPB PR link.

Graham Holdings(PBR610) sells the African American emphasis TheRoot.com to a division of Univision Interactive Media. $GHI PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires Midwest based retail insurance broker James R Weir Insurance Agency. $AJG PR link.

Chico’s FAS(PBR748) President/CEO David Dyer retiring in Spring 2016, search firm retained to find a successor. $CHS PR link.

Nortek(PBR822) CFO Almon Hall to retire at year end 2015, search among internal/external candidates begins. $NTK PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1093) founder Thomas Sullivan named Acting CEO upon the unexpected resignation of Robert Lynch. $LL PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors reports that April Existing Home Sales were at a 5.04 million annual rate, -3.3% from Marc, +6.1% from April 2014 NAR PR link.

Wednesday, May 20:
JPMorgan Chase(PBR20) announces settlements with the US Dept of Justice & the Federal Reserve related to foreign exchange activities $JPM PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR39) to file 10 new drugs by 2019, each with the potential to generate more than $1 billion in revenues. $JNJ PR link.

Scotts Miracle-Gro(PBR701) pays $300 million to Monsanto(PBR173) for RoundUp brand extension into new lawn & garden categories & geographies. $SMG PR link.

Owens & Minor(PBR285) hires P Cody Phipps as President/CEO, effective 07/01/15, succeeds retiring James Bierman. $OMI PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee releases its April meeting minutes, still wait & see on interest rates, based on employment, inflation rates. FOMC PR link.

Tuesday, May 19:
Computer Sciences Corp(PBR209) to split into 2 public companies, Global Commercial & US Public Sector, will pay special dividend of $10.50/share upon closing, expected by October. $CSC PR link.

Big Lots(PBR450) hires “Rocky” Robins, Jr, as General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, reports to President/CEO David Campisi. $BIG PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR33) in its May Economic and Housing Market Outlook sees interest rate volatility, higher home prices, slower growth. $FMCC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that April Private Housing Starts were at an annual rate of 1,135,000, +20.2% from March, +9.2% from April 2014. USDOC PR link.

Monday, May 18:
Apple(PBR4) buys high-precision GPS firm Coherent Navigation. BetaNews article link.

Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR28) growing sweetener business in central & western China with acquisition of privately held Meiweiyuan Biotechnology. $ADM PR link.

Starbucks(PBR164) & Spotify to connect music streaming service to stores, rewards members, & users. $SBUX PR link.

Hertz(PBR249) to raise car-rental rates. MarketWatch article link.

The Andersons(PBR428) purchases Kay Flo Industries’ Plant Nutrient Group, sells 200,000 tons of liquid fertilizers. $ANDE PR link.

Ascena Retail(PBR493) to acquire women’s specialty fashion retail company ANN(PBR775) for $47/share, $2 billion. $ASNA PR link.

Endo International(PBR741) to acquire private generics company Par Pharmaceutical from TPG for $8.05 billion. $ENDP PR link.

GrafTech(PBR1056) to be acquired by Brookfield Asset Management(NYSE: BAM) for a tender offer of $5.05/share, $695 million. $GTI PR link.

Amgen(PBR144) hires Jon Graham as SVP, General Counsel/Secretary, effective 07/13/15, succeeds retiring David Scott, reports to Chairman/CEO Robert Bradway. $AMGN PR link.

C.H. Robinson(PBR211) promotes Mike Short to President, Global Forwarding division, reports to CEO John Wiehoff. $CHRW PR link.

Friday, May 15:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,272.56, +0.45% from last Friday, +2.42% MTD, +2.79% QTD, +2.52% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,048.29, +0.89% from last Friday, +2.16% MTD, +3.01% QTD, +6.59% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,122.73(R), +0.31% from last Friday, +1.78% MTD, +2.65% QTD, +3.10% YTD.

TRW Automotive(PBR154) acquisition by Germany auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG for around $11 billion is completed.

Molina Healthcare(PBR375) to acquire Medicaid and MIChild assets of HealthPlus in the State of Michigan. $MOH PR link.

General Dynamics(PBR91) Gulfstream Aerospace unit President Larry Flynn retiring on 06/30/15, Mark Burns to become President. $GD PR link.

The US Federal Reserve System G17 report says that April Industrial Production decreased 0.3%, 5th consecutive monthly loss. USFRS PR link.

Thursday, May 14:
eBay(PBR170) PayPal unit to trade as NASDAQ: PYPL, its original symbol before being acquired by eBay, upon spinoff later this year. PayPal article link.

The Mosaic Co(PBR265) authorizes $1.5 billion shares repurchase program, $500 million fast tracked. $MOS PR link.

Crown Castle(PBR670) selling Australian subsidiary to investment group headed by Macquarie Infrastructure(PBR1086) for $1.6 billion. $CCI PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the April Producer Price Index fell 0.4%, last 12 mos final demand fell 1.3%. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, May 13:
Hospira(PBR570) shareholders approve acquisition by Pfizer(PBR53) for $90/share, $17 billion, expects to close in 2nd half 2015. $HSP PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR78) authorizes new $5 billion shares repurchase program to be completed by 12/31/17. $DAL PR link.

Danaher(PBR139) to acquire filtration, separation, & purification products & services provider Pall Corp(PBR708) for $127.20/share, $13.8 billion. $DHR PR link.

Danaher(PBR139) to split into two public companies, a science/technology firm, & a diversified industrial growth company. $DHR PR link.

Southwest Airlines(PBR150) announces $1.5 billion shares repurchase program. $LUV PR link.

Precision Castparts(PBR275) authorizes additional $2 billion shares repurchase program through 06/30/17. $PCP PR link.

Owens-Illinois(PBR356) to acquire largest food & beverage glass container provider in Mexico, Vitro, for $2.15 billion cash. $OI PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR361) to acquire all public equity of natural gas products/services company Williams Partners(NYSE: WPZ) in $13.8 billion stock deal. $WMB PR link.

RadioShack(PBR619) brand name & customer data auctioned off to Standard General for $26.2 million. Dallas Morning News article link.

AIG(PBR41) promotes Brian Schreiber to new position of Chief Strategy Officer, reports to President/CEO Peter Hancock. $AIG PR link.

The Mosaic Co(PBR265) to promote EVP/COO Joc O’Rourke to President/CEO on 08/05/15, succeeds James Prokopanko, who is retiring. $MOS PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that April Retail & Food Services Sales were $436.8 billion, same as March, 0.9% higher than April 2014. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says April Import Prices fell 0.3%, -10.7% last 12 mos; Export Prices fell 0.7%, -6.3% last 12 mos. USDOL PR link.

Tuesday, May 12:
Verizon(PBR15) to acquire digital content/advertising company AOL(PBR812) for $50/share, $4.4 billion. $VZ PR link.

American Express(PBR86) authorizes 150 million shares buyback program, replaces previous program. $AXP PR link.

ConAgra Foods(PBR149) has acquired Concord, NH, based 60 employee natural & organic frozen meals maker Blake’s All Natural Foods, terms not disclosed. $CAG PR link.

ITT Educational(PBR1078) disputes SEC suit filed today regarding accounting irregularities. $ESI PR link.

ITT Educational(PBR1078), CEO Modany & CFO Fitzpatrick sued by SEC on fraud charges for accounting irregularities. SEC PR link.

FMC Technologies(PBR350) promotes EVP/COO Doug Pferdehirt to President, John Gremp keeps Chairman/CEO responsibilities. $FTI PR link.

Calpine Corp(PBR391) hires Trey Griggs III as EVP/Chief Commercial Officer, effective 06/01/15, reports to President/CEO Thad Hill. $CPN PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says end of March Job Openings were at 4.99 million, was 5.14 million at the end of February. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury reports that the US Government April Receipts were at $471.8 billion, Surplus of $156.7 billion, Fiscal YTD Deficit now $282.8 billion. Treasury PR link.

Monday, May 11:
General Electric(PBR9) says it is open to concessions to get the European Union to okay the pending $13.5 billion deal for France based Alstom. MarketWatch article link.

Noble Energy(PBR467) enters Eagle Ford & Permian oil fields through acquisition of Rosetta Resources(NASDAQ: ROSE) for $2.1 billion in stock. $NBL PR link.

Comcast(PBR44) hires Carlyle Group(PBR528) executive Mike Cavanaugh to become CFO this summer. $CMCSA PR link.

Cameron Intl(PBR269) Pres/COO R Scott Rowe to become CEO on 10/05/15, Chairman/CEO Jack Moore to remain Chairman. $CAM PR link.

Tempur Sealy(PBR783) appoints COO Tim Yaggi as Interim CEO, elects Frank Doyle as Chairman. $TPX PR link.

Panera Bread(PBR794) hires former Darden(PBR393) Pres/COO Drew Madsen as President, former McDonald’s(PBR96) exec Ken Koziol as EVP. $PNRA PR link.

The US Dept of Interior conditionally approves Royal Dutch Shell Arctic drilling plan. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, May 8:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,191.11, +0.93% from last Friday, +1.97% MTD, +2.33% QTD, +2.06% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,003.55, -0.04% from last Friday, +1.26% MTD, +2.09% QTD, +5.65% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,116.10, +0.37% from last Friday, +1.47% MTD, +2.33% QTD, +2.78% YTD.

Walmart(PBR1) Canada to acquire & renovate 13 former Target(PBR38) Canada stores, add 4,900 jobs. $WMT PR link.

Swiss based crop protection & seeds company Syngenta rejects Monsanto’s(PBR173) unsolicitied CHF449/share offer, says undervalued. Syngenta PR link.

Monsanto(PBR173) makes unsolicited offer for Swiss based crop protection & seeds company Syngenta for CHF449/share. $MON PR link.

Priceline(PBR365) announces acquisition of real-time hotel analytics firm PriceMatch. $PCLN PR link.

RadioShack(PBR619) name & intellectual property up for auction on Monday, 05/11/15. MarketWatch article link.

Tempur Sealy(PBR783) stockholders do not re-elect Chairman P Andrews McLane, President/CEO Mark Sarvary, & Director Christopher Masto to board. $TPX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor in April Employment Situation reports that 148.5 million people were employed at the end of April, 8.5 million unemployed, 5.4% unemployment rate. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says March Wholesale Sales were at $441.6B, -0.2% from February, -4.0% from March 2014. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, May 7:
Starbucks(PBR164) moving Ethos Water production from California to Pennsylvania because of drought. $SBUXL PR link.

Biogen(PBR358) authorizes $5 billion shares repurchase program with no expiration date. $BIIB PR link.

Asbury Automotive(PBR449) has acquired $70 million/yr Atlanta, GA, based Capital City Nissan, to be renamed Nalley Nissan Atlanta. $ABG PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR459) to be Gevo’s(NASDAQ: GEVO) commercial launch partner for renewable alcohol-based jet fuel. $ALK PR link.

SunEdison(PBR888) to acquire 7 renewable energy portfolios & corporate platforms In Brazil, China, India, Peru, Chile, South Africa, & Uruguay. $SUNE PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1093) provides update on laminate flooring sourced from China. $LL PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR54) promotes Leslie Ferraro to President, Disney Consumer Products, reports to Chairman/CEO Robert Iger & COO Thomas Staggs. $DIS PR link.

Church & Dwight(PBR645) to promote COO/CFO Matt Farrell to CEO, effective 01/01/16, upon retirement of James Craigie, who will continue to serve as non-executive Chairman. $CHD PR link.

The US Federal Reserve in its G19 report says 1st Quarter 2015 Consumer Credit was up at a 5.5% annual rate. FRB PR link.

Wednesday, May 6:
Whole Foods(PBR195) announces plans to open new brand stores in 2016 geared towards millenial shoppers. $WFM PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR281) selling its Diners Club Italia & Diner Club Card transaction processor Dinit to Swiss private bank Corner Bank. $DFS PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR405) plans to add 50 hotels by 2019 in the Middle East. $HOT PR link.

Wendy’s(PBR777) to sell non-core bakery business, on track to sell 540 corporate restaurants to franchisees. $WEN PR link.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals(PBR986) to acquire rare diseases therapies developer Synageva BioPharma(NASDAQ: GEVA) for $230/share, $8.4 billion net cash. $ALXN PR link.

AGL Resources(PBR507) appoints EVP/CFO Andrew Evans to President/COO. Elizabeth Reese promoted to EVP/CFO. $GAS PR link.

Dynegy(PBR1000) extends employment agreement with President/CEO Robert Flexon through April 2018. $DYN PR link.

Atmel(PBR1013) CEO Steven Laub to retire as of 08/31/15, search for internal/external candidates starts. $ATML PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the 1st Quarter Labor Productivity Annual Rate was -1.9%, output -0.2%, hours worked +1.7%. USDOL PR link.

Tuesday, May 5:
Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR28) to acquire full ownership of strategically located Black Sea export terminals. $ADM PR link.

Wells Fargo(PBR29) is sued by the City of Los Angeles for opening unauthorized accounts. $WFC PR link.

HCA(PBR76) approves $1 billion shares buyback program, 3 year capital plan upped to $7.7 billion. $HCA PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) to open 4 30,000 sf Backstage pilot off-price stores in metro New York City in the fall of 2015. $M PR link.

Sprint(PBR162) reports 1.2 million net additions in 4th quarter 2014 compared to net losses of 383,000 in 4th quarter 2013. $S PR link.

Pitney Bowes(PBR579) to acquire global ecommerce solutions company Borderfree for $14/share, $395 million cash in aggregate. $PBI PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires Toronto, ON, based McDowall Associates Human Resource Consultants. $AJG PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires Calgary, AB, based employee benefits provider Vital Benefits. http://bit.ly/1c3JR6M$AJG PR link.

Occidental Petroleum(PBR107) promotes Vicki Hollub to President of Worldwide Oil & Gas operations, to succeed Stephen Chazen as CEO after a transition period. $OXY PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR166) hires Ernie Maddock as CFO & VP of Finance effective 06/01/15. $MU PR link.

Hubbell(PBR646) appoints Kevin A. Poyck, Rodd R. Ruland and Darrin S. Wegman Group Presidents for its Lighting, Construction and Energy, and Commercial and Industrial businesses, respectively, effective June 1, 2015, all report to Chairman/President/CEO David Nord. $HUBA PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that March US International Trade Exports were at $187.8 billion, Imports $239.2 billion, for a deficit of $51.4 billion, February deficit was $35.9 billion. USDOC PR link.

Monday, May 4:
Comcast(PBR44) plans to use $6.75 billion in 2015 for shares repurchase program. $CMCSA PR link.

Google(PBR46) acquires Timeful to develop scheduling apps for its products. $GOOGL PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR96) to restructure on 07/01/15 into 4 business units: US, International Lead, High-Growth, & Foundational Markets. $MCD PR link.

Coach(PBR490) completes acquisition of women’s luxury footwear designer & manufacturer Stuart Weitzman from private equity firm Sycamore Partners for up to $574 million cash. $COH PR link.

Patterson Cos(PBR563) to acquire production distribution company Animal Health International for $1.1 billion cash. $PDCO PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires Charlotte, NC, based credit union executive compensation consulting services firm Burns-Fazzi, Brock & Associates. $AJG PR link.

Ciena Corp(PBR870) to acquire network management software developer Cyan(NYSE: CYNI) for $400 million. $CIEN PR link.

Corinthian Colleges(PBR974) files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Reuters article link.

Cisco Systems(PBR58) SVP Worldwide Operations Chuck Robbins to become CEO 07/26/15; Chairman/CEO John Chambers to become Executive Chairman. $CSCO PR link.

Chesapeake Energy(PBR152) hires Frank Patterson as EVP Exploration, Land & Subsurface Technology, reports to CEO Doug Lawler. $CHK PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) hires Sean Connelly as Global Chief Information Officer. $AJG PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that March New Orders for Manufactured Goods were at $476.5 billion, +2.1% from February, 1st increase in 7 months. USDOC PR link.

Friday, May 1:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,024.06, -0.31% from last Friday, +1.03% MTD, +1.39% QTD, +1.13% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,005.39, -1.70% from last Friday, +1.29% MTD, +2.13% QTD, +5.69% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,108.29, -0.44% from last Friday, +1.09% MTD, +1.95% QTD, +2.40% YTD.

The PBR1000 April 2015 Breaking News Recap is at: Link.

Arrow Electronics(PBR129) completes acquisition of Taiwan based $500 million/yr Asian electronic component distributor ATM Electronic Corp. $ARW PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR417) President/COO Matt Levatich now President/CEO. $HOG PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR647) acquires Kansas City, MO, national healthcare human resources consulting company Integrated Healthcare Strategies. $AJG PR link.

International Flavors & Fragrances(PBR677) completes acquisition of flavors technologies company Henry H. Ottens Manufacturing. $IFF PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says March US Construction Annual Spending Rate at $966.6B, -0.6% from Feb, +2.0% from March 2014. USDOC PR link.

 

(The PBR1000 is the premiere comparative data and reporting service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate over $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Stuart Miles.)

The PBR1000 April 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

ID-100326596 World Stocks Chart-jscreationzs

Which Directions Did Your Stocks Go In April?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The PBR1000 April 2015 Snapshots include news and stocks data on 1,065 companies in 15 analytical reports.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook.


At the end of April it was good to see that the stock exchanges were in the black in all time ranges. However, the journey to get there still involved a lot of fluctuations throughout the month. One highlight was NASDAQ reaching a new high close during the month, the first time in years.

Economic indicators are still mixed. The Federal Reserve continues to be cautious about when it will inevitably have to start to increase interest rates and the rationale for doing justifying that action. This  sets the stage for May. It will be interesting to see how investors respond as a new set of indicators come out and company quarterly SEC reports are filed.

 

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on April 30th, Month % Chg is compared to March 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 16 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

Table 1: The PBR1000 Stock Price Composite

Table 1 Summary: Made up of the sum of the stock prices of the 1,065 companies currently tracked by The PBR1000.

Company Price
04/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
16 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 288,901.61 -1.76 -3.81 +17.88

 

Table 2: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +75.00% to -30.67%. 443 out of 1,065 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 41.60% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 1.12%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
04/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
16 Mos
% Chg
NII Holdings
495 NIHDQ 0.07 +75.00 +250.00 -97.45
Windstream
410 WIN 11.68 +57.84 +41.75 +46.37
Tidewater
1004 TDW 27.69 +44.67 -14.56 -53.28
iHeartRadio
396 IHRT 6.75 +42.11 -18.18 +3.37
McDermott Intl
734 MDR 5.25 +36.72 +80.41 -42.69

 

Table 3: The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +250.00% to -65.58%. 573 out of 1,065 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 53.80% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 1.09%

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
04/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
16 Mos
% Chg
NII Holdings
495 NIHDQ 0.07 +75.00 +250.00 -97.45
McDermott Intl
734 MDR 5.25 +36.72 +80.41 -42.69
Pinnacle Entertainment
993 PNK 36.76 +1.86 +65.21 +41.44
Netflix
534 NFLX 556.50 +33.55 +62.91 +51.15
Skechers USA
922 SKX 89.92 +25.05 +62.75 +171.42

 

Table 4: The PBR1000 Top 5 16 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: Range was +171.42% to -97.65%. 688 out of 1,060 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 64.91% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 9.94%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
04/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
16 Mos
% Chg
Skechers USA
922 SKX 89.92 +25.05 +62.75 +171.42
Electronic Arts
603 EA 58.09 -1.23 +23.56 +153.23
Freescale Semiconductor
548 FSL 39.09 -4.10 +54.93 +143.55
JetBlue Airways
441 JBLU 20.53 +6.65 +29.45 +140.40
Hawaiian Holdings
849 HA 23.08 +4.79 -11.40 +139.67

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
04/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
16 Mos
% Chg
DJIA 17,840.52 +0.36 +0.10 +7.62
NASDAQ 4,941.42 +0.83 +4.34 +18.31
S&P500 2,085.51 +0.85 +1.29 +12.83
Gold 1,181.10 -0.18 -0.32 -1.76
Silver 16.16 -2.65 +3.59 -16.57
Oil 59.74 +25.50 +12.15 -34.50

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate over $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available through freedigitalphotos.net, jscreationzs.)

The PBR1000: The April 2015 Breaking News Recap!

ID-100287519 Politics-Stuart Miles

The 2016 Race for the US Presidency Has Started.
What Promises for Economic and Business Growth Can We Expect?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

Activity in The PBR1000 companies during April 2015 was a bit like the start of the 2016 race for the US presidency. There was some activity, like Hillary Clinton announcing her bid and then the quiet followup with her initial road trip. On the business side perhaps Apple(PBR4) came the closest by announcing the Apple Watch and accepting initial orders. The falling apart of the Comcast(PBR44)/Time Warner Cable(PBR125) merger provided some excitement and the Mylan(PBR36) dance with Perrigo(PBR564) and Israel based Teva Pharmaceuticals has provided some entertainment, too.

Following are The PBR1000 and economic news items of note for April 2015 starting with the last active day.

Thursday, April 30:
The PBR1000 Monthly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes month at 17,840.52, -1.33% from last Friday, +0.36% MTD/QTD, +0.10% YTD.
NASDAQ closes month at 4,941.42, -2.96% from last Friday, +0.83% MTD/QTD, +4.34% YTD.
SPX closes month at 2,085.51, -1.52% from last Friday, +0.85% MTD/QTD, +1.29% YTD.

AmerisourceBergen(PBR16) authorizes $1 billion shares buyback program. $ABC PR link.

Boulevard Acquisition(NASDAQ: BLVD) to acquire AgroFresh business from Dow Chemical(PBR48) for $810 million, make it a public company. $BLVD PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR417) to begin direct distribution to Canadian independent dealers in August per agreement with current exclusive distributor. $HOG PR link.

NII Holdings(PBR495) completes $1.875 billion sale of its Nextel Mexico operations to AT&T(PBR12). $NIHDQ PR link.

Crown Castle(PBR670) to acquire Quanta Services(NYSE: PWR) subsidiary fiber networks provider Sunesys for $1.0 billion cash. $CCI PR link.

Tesla(PBR887) CEO Elon Musk announces new Tesla battery energy storage emphasis for homes & businesses. $TSLAI PR link.

Sears Holdings(PBR82) & Macerich(PBR1090) create 50/50 joint venture Involving 9 Sears properties located at Macerich malls. $MAC PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR281) promotes Julie Loeger to SVP, Chief Marketing Officer for US Cards, reports to president/COO. $DFS PR link.

Booz Allen Hamilton(PBR437) promotes VP Gary Voellger to Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, reports to President/CEO Horacio Rozanski. $BAH PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR738) promotes John Hassett to SVP Worldwide Manufacturing, reports to President/CEO Vincent Roche. $ADI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that March Personal Income & Personal Disposable Income was up less than 0.1% over February. USDOC PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR33) says homeowners who refinanced through the HARP program in 1Q15 are saving $290/mo on a $200,000 loan in the first year. $FMCC PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR33) says the Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate at 3.68% with 0.6 fees/points. $FMCC PR link.

Wednesday, April 29:
Express Scripts(PBR21) announces $5.5 billion accelerated shares repurchase transaction. $ESRX PR link.

Ashland(PBR404) completes $1.35 billion shares buyback program, authorizes a new $1 billion program to expire 12/31/17. $ASH PR link.

Perrigo(PBR564) rejects Mylan(PBR360) $75/share plus 2.3 Mylan shares offer, says still effectively below 1st offer. $PRGO PR link.

Israeli based Teva Pharmaceuticals(NYSE: TESA) sends letter to Mylan(PBR360) board justifying its $82/share, $43 billion offer. $TEVA PR link.

Mylan(PBR360) sends 3rd acquisition offer to Perrigo(PBR564), $75/share plus 2.3 Mylan shares, effective $232.23/share. $MYL PR link.

ITT Educational(PBR1078) CFO Dan Fitzpatrick retiring 10/29/15; 2015 enrollment at 51,201. $ESI PR link.

Kellogg Co(PBR188) promotes Paul Norman to President, North America, reports to Chairman/CEO John Bryant. $K PR link.

GrafTech(PBR1056) CFO Erick Asmussen leaving, VP Finance/Treasurer Quinn Coburn to also be Interim CFO. $GTI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the 1Q15 Gross Domestic Product was at 0.2% annual rate, $17.71T, down from 4Q14 2.2%. GDP PR link.

The US Federal Reserve System Open Market Committee issues its latest statement on the US economy, no set timeframe to up interest rates from 0%, long term goal is 2%. FOMC PR link.

Tuesday, April 28:
Tyson Foods(PBR80) to eliminate human antibiotics from broiler chicken flocks by 2017. $TSN PR link.

T-Mobile US(PBR115) has 1.8 million net wireless subscriber adds during 1st quarter 2015, 8th consecutive quarter over 1 million. $TMUS PR link.

MasterCard(PBR310) to acquire cloud-based analytics provider Applied Predictive Technologies for $600 million. $MA PR link.

HRG Group(PBR412) completes $1.4 billion sale of Armored AutoGroup to subsidiary Spectrum Brands(PBR529). $HRG PR link.

Iron Mountain(PBR666) to acquire Australian based digital/physical document information management firm Recall Holdings for $2 billion. $IRM PR link.

UPS(PBR50) promotes Corporate Controller/Treasurer Richard Peretz to CFO, effective 07/01/15, succeeds retiring Kurt Kuehn. $UPS PR link.

Anadarko Petroleum(PBR193) promotes Darrell Hollek to EVP, US Onshore Production & Exploration, reports to Chairman/President/CEO Al Walker. $APC PR link.

JCPenney(PBR228) board member Mary Beth West joins as EVP, Chief Customer & Marketing Officer. $JCP PR link.

Apollo Education Group(PBR668) SVP/CFO Brian Swartz resigning effective 05/15/15, Joseph D’Amico named Interim CFO. $APOL PR link.

Endo International(PBR741) hires Matthew Maletta as EVP/Chief Legal Officer, effective 05/04/15, succeeds retiring Caroline Manogue. $ENDP PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the US Homeownership Rate for 1st quarter 2015 was at 63.7%, -1.1% from 1st quarter 2014, -0.3% from 4th quarter 2014. USDOC PR link.

Monday, April 27:
Freddie Mac(PBR33) reaches the $100 billion milestone in multifamily K-Deal securitizations. $FMCC PR link.

ESPN goes to court to force Verizon(PBR15) to change pay-TV offering The Street article link.

Applied Materials(PBR335) & Tokyo Electron terminate $29 billion merger agreement per US Dept of Justice requirements. $AMAT PR link.

Applied Materials(PBR335) authorizes $3 billion 3 year shares buyback program to start in the 3rd quarter. $AMAT PR link.

Mylan(PBR360) rejects Teva Pharmaceuticals(NYSE: TEVA) $82/share, $40 billion buyout offer as undervalued & risky. $MYL PR link.

Celgene(PBR381) to acquire private biotech cancer discovery company Quanticel Pharmaceuticals for $100 million plus up to $385 million based on milestones achieved. $CELG PR link.

Corinthian Colleges(PBR974) announces cessation of effectively all operations, all campuses now closed. $COCO PR link.

Flowserve(PBR477) hires Karyn Ovelmen as EVP/CFO, effective 06/01/15. $FLS PR link.

Fortune Brands(PBR551) hires Nicholas Fink as SVP of Global Growth & Development, effective 06/01/15. http://bit.ly/1dmvCL8$FBHS PR link.

Friday, April 24:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 18,080.14, +1.42% from last Friday, +1.71% MTD/QTD, +1.44% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,092.09(R), +3.25% from last Friday, +3.90% MTD/QTD, +7.52% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,117.69(R), +1.75% from last Friday, +2.41% MTD/QTD, +2.86% YTD.

Comcast(PBR44) terminates $45 billion merger agreement with Time Warner Cable(PBR125) & transactions agreement with Charter Communications(PBR320). $CMCSA PR link.

DISH(PBR201) comments on termination of Comcast(PBR44)/Time Warner Cable(PBR125) merger. $DISH PR link.

Dover(PBR295) completes sale of its precision-engineered components Sargent Aerospace & Defense unit to RBC Bearings(NASDAQ: ROLL) for $500 million. $DOV PR link.

Mylan(PBR360) makes 2nd unsolicited bid for Perrigo(PBR564) for $60/share & 2.2 shares of Mylan, $33 billion cash/stock deal. $MYL PR link.

Perrigo(PBR564) rejects Mylan’s(PBR360) 2nd unsolicited $60 share & 2.2 shares acquisition offer saying it is less than the initial rejected offer. $PRGO PR link.

Scholastic Corp(PBR923) to sell educational technology & services business unit to Houghton Mifflin for $575 million. $SCHL PR link.

Riverbed Technology(PBR1085) acquisition by private equity firm Thomas Bravo & Ontario(Canada) Teachers Pension Plan for $21/share, $3.6 billion cash is completed, now a private company. $RVBD PR link.

Thursday, April 23:
Happy 451st Birthday, Shakespeare!

NASDAQ closes at 5,056.06, first new record close in over 15 years. NASDAQ PR link.

The US Dept of HUD reports that the March New Family Home Sales Annual Rate was at 481,000, -11.4% from February, +19.4% from March 2014. HUD PR link.

Wednesday, April 22:
45th Anniversary of Earth Day. Do something nice for the environment today.

AT&T(PBR12) reports 1.2 million total wireless net adds in 1st quarter, DIRECTV(PBR90) $67 billion acquisition on target for 2nd quarter. $T PR link.

Google(PBR46) announces Project Fi which includes a partnership with T-Mobile(PBR115) & Sprint(PBR162) to provide an optimal fast and easy wireless service. $GOOG PR link.

Coca-Cola Co(PBR59) signs additional letters of intent with Coca-Cola bottlers in refranchising effort. $KO PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) does exclusive US launch of intimate apparel brand HEIDI by model/TV personality Heidi Klum. $M PR link.

Ashland(PBR404) promotes Luis Fernandez-Moreno to SVP & President of Chemicals Group, reports to chairman/CEO. $ASH PR link.

SunEdison(PBR888) promotes Pancho Perez to EVP/COO. $SUNE PR link.

The National Association of Realtors reports that the March Existing Home Sales were at a 5.19 million annual rate, +6.1% from February, +10.4% from March 2014. NAR PR link.

Tuesday, April 21:
General Motors(PBR7) sold 2.4 million vehicles worldwide in 1st quarter 2015. $GM PR link.

Verizon(PBR15) announces new FiOS customizable pay-TV service. $VZ PR link.

Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR28) acquires corn processing plants in Bulgaria, Turkey, increases ownership stake in Hungary, for $258 million. $ADM PR link.

Humana(PBR71) acquires multi-state nurse practitioner in home visits provider Your Home Advantage, terms not disclosed. $HUM PR link.

Baker Hughes(PBR124) is cutting 17% of workforce, 10,500 positions, due to drop in oil prices. $BHI PR link.

Mylan(PBR360) is sent an $82/share, $40 billion in cash/stock offer to be acquired by Israel based Teva Pharmaceuticals(NYSE: TEVA). $MYL PR link.

Gannett(PBR458) says TEGNA is to be name of spin-off broadcasting/digital company, will trade as NYSE: TGNA. $GCI PR link.

Perrigo(PBR564) rejects unsolicited $205/share, $29 billion bid from Mylan(PBR360), says offer is undervalued. $PRGO PR link.

FMC Corp(PBR578) completes $1.8 billion acquisition of Denmark based multinational crop protection company Cheminova. $FMC PR link.

Monday, April 20:
Raytheon(PBR118) to invest $1.57 billion for majority ownership in venture with Vista Equity Partners’ Websense unit to provide cyber security services. $RTN PR link.

Groupon(PBR750) to sell 46% stake, retain a 41% stake, in Ticket Monster to partnership of KKR(PBR272)/Anchor Equity for $360 million. $GRPN PR link.

Prologis(PBR937) unit partnership to acquire real estate assets & operating platform of KTR Capital Partners for $5.9 billion. $PLD PR link.

Hyatt Hotels(PBR549) appoints Atish Shah as SVP, Interim CFO. $H PR link.

Friday, April 17:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,826.30, -1.28% from last Friday, +0.28% MTD/QTD, +0.02% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,931.81, -1.28% from last Friday, +0.63% MTD/QTD, +4.13% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,081.18, -0.99% from last Friday, +0.64% MTD/QTD, +1.08% YTD.

Ford Motor(PBR8) to invest $2.5 billion to build new engine & transmission plants in Mexico. $F PR link.

Costco(PBR18) reauthorizes up to $4 billion shares repurchase program to expire in April, 2019. $COST PR link.

Raytheon(PBR118) awarded an over $2 billion contract for an international Patriot Air & Missile Defense System. $RTN PR link.

Alpha Natural Resources(PBR478) plans to restore compliance with NYSE minimum stock price average of $1.00/share over last 30 days. $ANR PR link.

Hudson City Bancorp(PBR1022) & M&T Bank Corp(PBR516) agree to extend merger deadline from 04/30/15 to 10/31/15, waiting for regulatory approval. $HCBK PR link.

New York Times(PBR982) promotes Meredith Kopit Levien to Chief Revenue Officer, reports to President/CEO Mark Thompson. $NYT PR link.

Centrus Energy(PBR1035) SVP/COO Bob Van Namen is stepping down on 05/29/15. $LEU PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the March Current Average/Hour Earnings were at $24.86, up from February’s $24.79, up from March 2014’s $24.34. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the March Consumer Price Index-Urban was +0.2%, was -0.1% over the last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, April 16:
PPG Industries(PBR183) to do 2:1 stock split after close on 06/12/15. $PPG PR link.

Ecolab(PBR204) to acquire the Travelers North Tower in St. Paul, MN, as new world headquarters. $ECL PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR281) authorizes $2.2 billion shares repurchase program. $DFS PR link.

Alliance Data(PBR540) increases 2015 stock repurchase program from $600 million to $1 billion. $ADS PR link.

Carlyle Group(PBR528) names former WalMart(PBR1) President/CEO Mike Duke as Operating Executive for the Consumer & Retail Group. $CG PR link.

SunEdison(PBR888) hires Cathy Zoi as CEO of its Rural Electric Utility Company unit. $SUNE PR link.

Cytec Industries(PBR901) promotes Carmelo Lo Faro, PhD, to VP/Chief Technology Officer. $CYT PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the March rate for Private Housing Building Permits was at 1,039,000/year, -5.7% from February, +2.9% from March 2014 USDOC PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR33) reports that 30 year fixed rate mortgages averaged 3.67% with 0.7 point for the week ending 04/16/15, was 4.27% a year ago FreddieMac PR link.

The American Petroleum Institute reports that March petroleum deliveries averaged 19.2 million barrels/day, -0.6% from February, +3.4% from March 2014. API PR link.

Wednesday, April 15:
Happy Income Tax Day!

Panera Bread(PBR794) increases shares repurchase program to $750 million, to sell/refranchise 73 company owned stores. $PNRA PR link.

Rackspace(PBR989) hires Scott Crenshaw as SVP Strategy & Product, reports to President/CEO Taylor Rhodes. $RAX PR link.

Freddie Mac(PBR33) hires Anil Hinduja as EVP/Chief Enterprise Risk Officer, reports to CEO Donald Layton. $FMCCX PR link.

CNA Financial(PBR263) hires Andrew Pinkes to be EVP CNA Worldwide Property & Casualty, reports to Chairman/CEO Tom Motamed, effective 05/18/15. $CNA PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank reports that Industrial Production was -0.6% in March, was +0.1% in February, -1.0% annual rate, effect of oil. FRB PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank releases the April Beige Book, summary of comments from businesses. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, April 14:
CSX(PBR224) authorizes $2 billion shares repurchase program over 24 months. $CSX PR link.

Host Hotels(PBR456) announces leadership reorganization in investment team for US West & East coasts. $HSTPR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the March Producer Price Index for Final Demand, a measure of inflation, was +0.2%, after -0.5% in February, -0.8% in January, -0.8% for the past 12 months. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports in the Advance Report for Monthly Retail & Food Sales that March was at $441.4 billion, +0.9% from February, +1.3% over March 2014. USDOC PR link.

Monday, April 13:
Apple(PBR4) is estimated to have presold 1 million Apple Watches in the first weekend according to digital media analytics firm Slice Intelligence. SI PR link.

PepsiCo(PBR43) & NBA enter multiyear partnership; Chinese partner Tingyi’s Master Kong becomes basketball league beverage provider. $PEP PR link.

Sears Holding(PBR82) contributes 10 properties in 50/50 real estate partnership with Simon Property(PBR455). $SHLD PR link.

Citigroup(PBR26) CEO of Global Consumer Bank Manuel Medina-Mora retiring, Stephen Bird to succeed him on 06/01/15; other management changes announced. $C PR link.

Microsoft(PBR30) hires Kurt DelBene as EVP Corporate Strategy and Planning, reports to the CEO. $MSFT PR link.

Best Buy(PBR67) Chairman Hatim Tyabji to retire 06/09/15, CEO Hubert Joly to add role at that time. $BBY PR link.

eBay(PBR170) hires 3 executives to key leadership roles in preparation for spin-off. $EBAY PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury reports that for the 6 months through March Fiscal YTD Receipts were $1.42 trillion, Outlays $1.86 trillion, deficit $0.44 trillion. USDOT PR link.

Republican Senator from Florida Marco Rubio makes it official that he is a candidate to be the next US President. MR campaign link.

Sunday, April 12:
Former First Lady, Senator from New York, and Secretary of State Democrat Hillary Clinton announces that she is a candidate to be the next US President. HC campaign link.

Friday, April 10:
DJIA closes week at 18,057.65, +1.65% from last Thursday, +1.58% MTD/QTD, +1.31% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,995.98, +2.23% from last Thursday, +1.94% MTD/QTD, +5.49% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,102.06, +1.70% from last Thursday, +1.65% MTD/QTD, +2.10% YTD.

Ford Motor(PBR8) reports it sold 296,825 vehicles in China during the 1st quarter, up 9% from last year. $F PR link.

General Electric(PBR9) in major restructuring to sell most of its GE Capital real estate assets for $26.5 billion to Blackstone(PBRPBR374) & Wells Fargo(PBR29); authorizes $50 billion shares buyback program through 2018. $GE PR link.

Blackstone Group(PBR374) to acquire retail REIT firm Excel Trust(NYSE: EXL) for $15.85/share, $2 billion. $EXL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that the March US Import Prices Index was -0.3%, was +0.2% in February; the March US Exports Prices Index was +0.1%, was -0.2% in February. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, April 9:
eBay(PBR170) provides further information on plan to separate PayPal & working arrangements. $EBAY PR link.

Sprint(PBR162) to open 1,435 Sprint-RadioShack locations acquired by General Standard, to add 3,500 employees. $S PR link.

PG&E(PBR175) fined $1.6 billion by the California Public Utilities Commission for unsafe gas transmission lines operation, including the 2010 San Bruno pipeline rupture. CPUC PR link.

PG&E(PBR175) responds to CPUC $1.6 billion fine, says lessons will not be forgotten. $PCG PR link.

Avis Budget(PBR326) completes $160 million acquisition of largest independent Italian car rental company The Maggiore Group. $CAR PR link.

Harman Intl(PBR448) completes $780 million acquisition of private 8,000 employee $370 million/year software services company Symphony Teleca. $HAR PR link.

Acxiom(PBR1073) hires Rick Erwin to be President/GM of new division Audience Solutions, reports to CEO Scott Howe. $ACXM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says February Monthly Wholesale Sales were $444.2 billion, -0.2% from January, -1.5% from February 2014. USDOC PR link.

Wednesday, April 8:
Mylan(PBR360) bids $205/share, $29 billion cash/stock, for fellow generic drugmaker Perrigo(PBR564). $MYL PR link.

HanesBrands(PBR505) completes $200 million acquisition of seller of licensed collegiate logo apparel retailer Knights Apparel. $HBI PR link.

Netherlands based world’s 4th largest oil producer Royal Dutch Shell to acquire UK based liquid natural gas company BG Group for $70 billion in cash/stock. RDS PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases the Federal Open Market Committee minutes from the 03/17-18/15 meeting. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, April 7:
FedEx(PBR61) to acquire Netherlands based logistics provider TNT Express for $8.73/share, $4.8 billion cash. $FDX PR link.

Halliburton(PBR94) to market for sale its drill bits, directional drilling and LWD/MWD businesses in connection with its Baker Hughes(PBR124) acquisition. $HAL PR link.

International Game Techology(PBR876) $6.4 billion acquisition by Italian based GTECH completed, to keep IGT name with headquarters in London. $IGT PR link.

ABM Industries(PBR489) names SVP Treasurer Anthony Scaglione as CFO, succeeds James Lusk who is leaving. $ABM PR link.

Frontier Communications(PBR497) promotes John Lass to EVP Field Operations, reports to CEO Dan McCarthy. $FTR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor in preliminary report says that there were 5.1million US Job Openings in February, 4.9 million hires, and 4.7 million separations. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve reports that February Consumer Credit at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.6%, revolving credit at 5.0%, nonrevolving credit at 9.4%. USFRB PR link.

Monday, April 6:
Ventas(PBR707) to acquire private $2 billion/yr Ardent Health Care for $1.75 billion. $VTR PR link.

Ventas(PBR707) to spin-off post-acute/skilled nursing facility portfolio into a separate public REIT company 2nd half of 2015. $VTR PR link.

Health Care REIT(PBR693) VP Treasurer Mike Crabtree has retired as planned, Steve Schroeder promoted to the position. $HCN PR link.

Friday, April 3:
Good Friday Observed.
US Stock Exchanges Closed.

The PBR1000: The March 2015 Breaking News Recap is available. Click here for the blog post.

Tesla(PBR887) delivers 10,030 vehicles during the 1st quarter 2015, 55% more than in 2014. $TSLA PR link.

Hub Group(PBR623) promotes Vava Dimond to Chief Information Officer. $HUBG PR link.

BOK Financial(PBR1023) promotes Marc Maun to Chief Credit Officer, reports to President/CEO Steve Bradshaw. $BOKF PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that March Total Nonfarm Payroll Employment increased by only 126,000, unemployment rate stays at 5.5% USDOL PR link.

Thursday, April 2:
DJIA closes week at 17,763.24, +0.29% from last Friday, -0.07% MTD/QTD, -0.34% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,886.94, -0.09% from last Friday, -0.28% MTD/QTD, +3.19% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,066.96, +0.29% from last Friday, -0.04% MTD/QTD, +0.39% YTD.

Group 1 Automotive(PBR291) has acquired $160 million/yr Prestige Audi in N Miami Beach, FL. $GPI PR link.

Simon Property(PBR455) authorizes 24 month $2 billion shares buyback program. $SPG PR link.

Expedia(PBR496) purchasing Amgen(PBR144) Seattle waterfront campus as headquarters location in 2018. $EXPE PR link.

Dynegy(PBR1000) completes $2.8 billion acquisition of Duke Energy(PBR111) Midwest 7 MWhr commercial generation & retail assets. $DYN PR link.

Ralph Lauren(PBR337) promotes Christopher Peterson to President, Global Brands, Mitchel Kosh to Chief Administration Officer, Robert Madore to CFO. $RL PR link.

Hershey Co(PBR347) promotes President/CEO John Bilbrey to the additional post of Chairman. $HSY PR link.

Mattel(PBR383) Chairman/Interim CEO Christopher Sinclair now CEO, retains Chairman position. $MAT PR link.

Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR422) EVP Business Development P. Kelly Tompkins now EVP/CFO, Clifford Smith now EVP Business Development. $CLF PR link.

Transdigm(PBR798) hires Terrance Paradie as EVP/CFO, to succeed Greg Rufus who is retiring. $TDG PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the preliminary February International Trade Balance was $186.2 billion in exports, $221.7 billion in imports, US deficit was $35.4 billion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the February New Orders for Manufactured Goods was up 0.2% over January to $468.3B, 1st up month in 6 months. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor reports that Unemployment Insured Initial Claims were at 268,000 for the week ending 03/28/15, 20,000 less than the previous week. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, April 1:
Target(PBR38) to shut all 133 Canadian stores by 04/12/15. $TGT PR link.

AIG(PBR41) completes acquisition of Ireland’s 2nd largest health insurance provider, Laya Healthcare. $AIG PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR96) USA to increase wages on 07/01/15 to $1 above minimum wage at corporate locations, to at least $10/hr by end of 2016; also expanding employee benefits. $MCD PR link.

US Commodity Futures Trading Commission charges Kraft Foods(PBR145) & Mondelez(PBR85) with manipulation of wheat futures & cash wheat prices. CFTC PR link.

Celgene(PBR381) appoints Gerald Masoudi EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, succeeds retiring Lawrence Stein. $CELG PR link.

FMC Corp(PBR578) completes sale of Alkali Chemicals business to Tronox(PBR907) for $1.64 billion. $FMC PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR679) completes acquisition of Graco(PBR1072) Liquid Finishing business assets for $590 million cash. $CSL PR link.

Dynegy(PBR1000) completes $3.45 billion purchase of 6.3 gigawatts of power from Energy Capital Partners. $DYN PR link.

ADP(PBR220) reports that March Private Sector Employment grew by 189,000. $ADP PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce reports that the February annual construction rate was at $967.2 billion, -0.1% from January, +2.1% over February 2014. USDOC PR link.

California governor Jerry Brown issues executive order for state to reduce its water usage by 25%. CA Governor Newsroom PR link.

(The PBR1000 is the premiere comparative data and reporting service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate over $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Stuart Miles.)

The PBR1000: The March 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

ID-100174853 Buy Sell Hold Dice on Computer Stuart Miles

Buy, Hold, or Sell? Use The PBR1000
To Help You Develop Your Strategy!

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The PBR1000 March 2015 Snapshots include news and stocks data on 1,076 companies in 15 analytical reports.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook.

The “Yo-Yo Syndrome” might be in effect in 2015. January was down, February back up, and March was down. The stock exchanges had a lot of big swing days. The DJIA was up 100 or more points on 8 trading days, and there were 7 down days. The biggest swing was a loss of  333 points on March 10.   US economic growth and stability continues to be tepid and fragile as demonstrated by jobs related data.  Rumors on when the Federal Reserve Board will raise interest rates seems to cause some of the up and downs.  The Global economy  has been somewhat shaky as well. Nevertheless, as shown in the tables below, there are some excellent results coming out of the stock market games.

Let’s see if April 2015 continues the “YoYo Syndrome” trend.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on March 31st, Month % Chg is compared to February 27th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 15 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

Table 1: The PBR1000 Stock Price Composite

Table 1 Summary: Made up of the sum of the stock prices of the 1,076 companies currently tracked by The PBR1000.

Company Price
03/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
15 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 294,389.27 -1.17 -2.07 +19.99

 

Table 2: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +53.60% to -71.43%. 514 out of 1,076 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 47.77% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 0.25%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
03/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
15 Mos
% Chg
McDermott Intl
734 MDR 3.84 +53.60 +31.96 -58.08
Pinnacle Entertainment
993 PNK 36.09 +40.21 +62.20 +38.86
Herbalife
486 HLF 42.76 +37.89 +13.42 -45.67
Kraft Foods
145 KRFT 87.12 +35.99 +39.03 +61.59
Travel Centers of America
325 TA 17.44 +27.77 +38.19 +79.06

 

Table 3: The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +100.00% to -77.73%. 622 out of 1,076 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 57.81% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 1.90%

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
03/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
15 Mos
% Chg
NII Holdings
495 NIHDQ 0.04 -71.43 +100.00 -98.55
Pinnacle Entertainment
993 PNK 36.09 +40.21 +62.20 +38.86
Conn’s
1052 CONN 30.28 +17.14 +62.01 -61.52
Freescale Semiconductor
548 FSL 40.76 +12.88 +61.55 +153.96
Insperity
830 NSP 52.29 +0.95 +54.29 +44.73

 

Table 4: The PBR1000 Top 5 15 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: Range was +156.39% to -99.21%. 703 out of 1,071 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 65.64% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 10.43%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
03/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
15 Mos
% Chg
Electronic Arts
603 EA 58.82 +2.86 +25.10 +156.39
Freescale Semiconductor
548 FSL 40.76 +12.88 +61.55 +153.96
Centene
244 CNC 70.69 +15.02 +36.13 +139.79
Southwest Airlines
150 LUV 44.30 +2.45 +4.68 +135.14
Hawaiian Holdings
849 HA 22.03 +18.99 -15.45 +128.71

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
03/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
15 Mos
% Chg
DJIA 17,776.12 -1.97 -0.26 +7.24
NASDAQ 4,900.89 -1.26 +3.48 +17.34
S&P500 2,067.89 -1.74 +0.44 +11.88
Gold 1,183.20 -2.42 -0.14 -1.59
Silver 16.60 +0.24 +6.41 -14.30
Oil 47.60 -4.34 -10.64 -47.81

 

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