It is really bad news for a company of Micron Technology’s (MU) stature when you hear that one of its products, the DRAM, is on the way down due to low demand. Not to mention that it has just announced a new module of the product for release later this year (companies can thank the smart phone and tablet PC demand for the lesser need for huge HDDs and the sort) and was only saved by a company going bankrupt. However, Micron has much to gain from Elpida Memory’s bankruptcy aside from taking out one of the more active competitors on the market (more on that in a few paragraphs).

So, how is Micron coping with one of its prime products going down the drain and becoming untenable within the next few quarters? Surprisingly well. One investment firm recently rated the stock as “outperform”. Another firm even went as far as to give it a “buy” rating in its research report (having to do with Elpida). This does not seem to be the overall sentiment, as several analysts have had different opinions about this company, though. That could be your warning signal right there – several experts can’t seem to agree on what exactly the stock is worth.

However, this flux for Micron does not seem to be the case for rival companies. Integrated Silicon Solution (ISSI) just had a “buy” rating reaffirmed by another rating company.To continue reading, click here.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) is a stalwart integrated oil company that offers very little risk to its investors. Exxon Mobil is the largest publicly owned oil company in the world, with stable earnings and a very consistent stock price that has remained between $67 to $87 over the past 52 weeks.

Currently at the year to date low of about $81, Exxon Mobil stock has stayed steady in the mid $80 range since the beginning of 2012. In the five months since January, investors have pushed Exxon shares against the apparent price ceiling of $87 no less than seven times. Along with the Standard & Poor’s assessment of low qualitative risk, Exxon Mobil deals out a healthy dividend rate of $2.28 per share. Given these factors, I believe Exxon Mobil has prepared itself for sustainable growth. Coupled with the nature of oil and gas prices as summer approaches, I think Exxon Mobil is a valuable stock to own.

Due to regulation from the US Environmental Protection Agency, oil companies like Exxon Mobil must use a special blend of gas for the summer season, putting a cap on vapor pressure in gasoline. Oil refineries often are forced to shut down at the beginning of the season so they can adjust the refinery to the new blend of gasoline they need to produce. This temporarily lowers the supply of oil, and thus gasoline produced by companies like Exxon Mobil. As driving vacation season comes with summer, the demand for gasoline increases in the United States and the final outcome is a rise in the price of gasoline.To continue reading, click here.

Integrating television, video and music streaming, and web browsing has revolutionized how people receive and view their favorite TV shows, movies, music, video clips, photos, and more. And as people become more used to the convenience of accessing both television and the Internet on one device, the more they will demand it in the future. As a result, telecom companies like Windstream (WIN), Verizon (VZ), Comcast (CMCSA), AT&T (T), and Charter Communications (CHTR)have all had to adapt to meet customers’ changing needs.

Windstream’s Merge

In this article, I argue that Windstream’s new Merge service is a killer deal for frugal investors like me! In March 2012, Windstream introduced Merge, a high-speed Internet entertainment service that provides high speed Internet with access to free and paid Internet content. Customers can access paid movie and television streaming services like Netflix, Huluplus, and free services like music streaming from Pandora with a click of a button instead of having to visit the websites to sign in. This also allows people to view or listen to media from their television instead of crowding around a small computer or smartphone screen.

With Merge, customers can download movies, television shows, and other content found online directly to their television or computer. The company has also started producing its own web-only series, ‘On the Mark,’ which customers can download from both Facebook (FB) and Youtube. The show, an introspective look at pop culture and television, hosted by journalist Mark Steines, will air every other week for the next six months. To continue reading, click here.

Although natural gas prices remain depressed in the U.S. due to unusually low demand, companies like BP that continue to focus resources on these plays will be in a better position to compete as liquid reserves are depleted. The net margin on dry gas from unconventional plays only grows as fracking becomes more sophisticated, and BP, with its experience and deep R&D budget, is prepared to exploit these opportunities. Given BP’s focus on exploration and production and divestiture of non-core assets in its latest annual report (pdf), it appears that BP’s leadership is well aware of the need to be dexterous in the coming years, and won’t be swayed by a temporary downswing in commodity prices.

Although in the U.S. dry gas prices decreased 8% in 2011 over 2010, in Europe prices increased an average of 33% for the same period. BP’s global reach helped offset losses and storage costs for a commodity that had very low demand stateside. Despite growing calls for stronger carbon policies in OECD countries, BP is predicting (pdf) that oil and gas consumption will fall only slightly in the coming decades, from 57% today to 53% in 2030.

BP believes (pdf) that natural gas will be the fastest growing fossil fuel over the next 15 years, and has plans to exploit this resource through agreements with the governments of Oman, Algeria, and Indonesia. Seeing that the future of profit does not lie in solar, BP is preparing (pdf) to exit solar and focus on exploration and production of carbon resources. To continue reading, click here.

For the past several years, Sprint Nextel (S) has endured some difficult financial circumstances which, despite its best efforts, have resulted in continued losses entering the second quarter of 2012. Sprint reported a loss of $863 million in the first quarter of 2012, which comes on the heels of its dismal 2011 that saw it lose a reported $1.3 billion.

As a result of the continued losses sustained by Sprint, its share price dropped from its 52 week high of $6 in June, 2011 all the way down to $2 in December, 2011.

Although it may be easy to discount Sprint as a lost cause with no substantial upside, recent news and the rise in Sprint’s customer base have begun to show that it is on the rebound. As a result its share price, after finding its floor during the middle of 2011, has started to rise.

Despite the first quarter losses reported by Sprint, there was also an abundance of good news including a reported 5% rise in growth for the first quarter of 2012. This growth was the result of the additional 1.1 million net new customers that joined the Sprint network in the first quarter of 2012.

This is great news for Sprint as its figures surpassed AT&T (T), which reported 736,000 net new customers for the first quarter and Verizon (VZ), which reported 734,000 net new customers for the same time period.

A significant factor to Sprint’s substantial rise in new customers was its entry into the Apple (AAPL) iPhone market. To continue reading, click here.

In the Barrick Gold (ABX) 2011 annual report, President and CEO Aaron Regent noted that (pdf) while the value of the oldest gold bullion ETF – the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) – had increased by 260% since the ETF went public in 2005. Barrick’s net income had increased by 900% and operating cash flow was up by 500%. Unfortunately for Barrick Gold shareholders, the share price has gained only 72% over the seven year time period and investors have picked up another 10% or so in dividends. One way to look at the under-performance by Barrick shares is that there is a significant amount of unrealized value in the company’s gold mining operations.

As the world’s largest gold mining company, Barrick benefits significantly from economies of scale. The company’s cash production cost per ounce of $460 in 2011 was one of – if not the – lowest in the industry. In comparison, the second largest gold mining company, Newmont Mining (NEM) reported a cost of $591 per ounce in 2011. Gold Corp (GG) – considered to be one of the most efficient gold producers – reported cash cost per ounce of $534 for the year. Going into 2012, cost for the mining companies are expected to increase somewhat dramatically – at least $100 per ounce – and the cost advantages of Barrick Gold may turn out to be significant, depending on what happens with the price of gold.

The combination of very good growth numbers in 2011 – revenue up by 30% and adjusted net income up by 33% – and a declining share price over the last year has left Barrick Gold trading at just 8.3 times the consensus 2012 earnings forecast. To continue reading, click here.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) is a high-priced stock with plenty of value, and I believe it is only going to climb higher in the coming months and years. The price is right around $52 and I believe it is worth every penny. The company owns both prescription and over-the-counter products, and there are several opportunities in its pipeline. With a focus on dermatology, it does not run the risk that many other biotech companies face. However, it is conducting research in the neurology market, so those uncomfortable with a focus on only dermatology have no reason to worry.

The company’s OTC product line includes skin and hair care, pain relief, vitamins, topical care, and other items. It includes brands such as CeraVe, Hissyfit, Dermaglow, Ultra, Dermaveen, Nyal, Dr. Renaud, Kinerase, and Dr. LeWinn’s. In addition to the company’s profitable OTC line, there are also a number of pharmaceutical grade products in the pipeline, including products in Phase II and Phase III trials. These include treatments for psoriasis, acne, and fungal infections.

There are several reasons I believe Valeant is a heavy hitter, and the first is its recent announcement that it will be moving its headquarters from Toronto to Quebec. The goal is to establish a state-of-the-art center for dermatology in the new location. A lofty goal such as this proves the company considers itself stable enough to focus on growth and is looking toward the future. Combined with its overall diversity and not-as-tumultuous focus, Valeant is a great investment. To continue reading, click here.

Recently, Exxon Mobil (XOM) announced its intentions to partner with ConocoPhillips (COP), BP (BP) and the Alaska Pipeline Project to work toward commercializing the North Slope natural gas resources in Alaska. There is a huge amount of unutilized natural gas resources in Alaska, and Exxon is a forerunner in the move to find new energy sources such as this in order to meet the ever rising demand for energy.

A development that may work in favor of Exxon is the recent decision of the Russian government to cancel the export tax for new shelf projects. This will directly benefit Exxon’s activities with Rosneft in the Arctic region by boosting the profits earned from this endeavor.

A dispute that Exxon has somehow managed to get into the middle of is between the Baghdad and Kurdistan governments. The underlying problem here is that Kurdistan is a semi-autonomous state that has been in conflict with Baghdad regarding oil rights in their respective regions for a long time. Recently, the government of Baghdad went as far to declare any foreign contracts made with Kurdistan regarding oil will be deemed illegal. As Exxon has existing contracts with Kurdistan in this regard, tensions flared with Baghdad vowing to put an end to all such agreements. The long-term ramifications of this have caused unrest in the minds of many stockholders, especially as the area continues to be a volatile one for American investment.

More recent news has revealed that Baghdad may be willing to respect these existing agreements to a certain degree. To continue reading, click here.

Annaly Capital Management (NLY), the largest mortgage REIT listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has been wowing investors and analysts for 15 years – practically a lifetime compared to the creation of many REITs only a few short years ago.

Size matters – at least I’d like to think so in this case – as Annaly Capital is comprised also of five wholly-owned subsidiaries, one of which manages two other REITs. This diversity allows risk to be spread, and has kept Annaly on the list of top REITs in the country and the world. Since the current Great Recession started in 2008, however, many investors shudder when they hear the words “too big to fail” and the impact of that echoing in their empty bank vaults. Annaly is not aiming to be associated with such a thought.

There are those analysts who have been closely watching Annaly’s continued strong dividends as one of the indicators of its terrific growth potential. In fact, many mortgage REITs has been seen in this positive light, and I would like nothing better than for this prophecy to be realized. There’s no reason it couldn’t be, or at least there are reasons why this is possible. After a slow start for its first few years of trading, Annaly Capital’s returns surpassed those of REITs in S&P Financials, the S&P 500, and MSCI US REIT Index, eventually augmenting its growth multiplicatively. It becomes difficult to argue with that level of success for such a sustained period.

Annaly’s sheer size, indicated in part by a market cap of over $15 billion, points to this potential. To continue reading, click here.

There are dozens of ideas being bandied about dealing with how Netflix (NFLX) should address increasing competition and rebuild a loyal following. That includes partnering with cable providers, which could bode well for the entertainment video giant that has long been seen as overvalued by investors.

When Netflix came onto the scene in 1997, it was a darling in the eyes of consumers and investors alike. It was rewarded with a fast-growing subscriber base, as also eager investors, that drove the stock above $300. However, as quickly as it rose, it fell, and now it is trying to redefine its self to its customers and to investors. To help it with these goals, Netflix should consider partnering with cable companies, according to a report released this week by Moody’s Investors Service.

As Moody’s correctly points out, such a partnership could open another sales channel that could lead to an increase in subscribers. I believe that Netflix is in dire need of having as many avenues as possible to deliver its service so a partnership can help it tap into a market of potential customers that it had not previously been able to access. This is imperative if it wants to increase its membership numbers. Netflix’s huge misstep last year with regards to running up its charges on subscribers resulted in a significant loss of customers.

The company increased subscription rates by as much as 60%, and simultaneously set the stage for the exodus of almost 1 million customers. To continue reading, click here.

Boeing (BA) operates in the aerospace and defense industries. It has grown significantly over the years to become one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. Investors have found Boeing to be an attractive option for returns and growth. In this article, I will analyze the financial aspects and performance indicators of this company which have allowed it to become such a strong contender in the stock market.

Boeing has been showing signs of great stability even during the global financial crisis. Sales and income of the company were growing and the investors were getting high returns. This is basically one of the reasons why I have found Boeing to be a good investment option. There are few stocks which can offer high yields and steady returns to investors even when the global economy is facing problems. The financial highlights from the last year suggest that the company will now move steadily forward once the market stabilizes itself.

Market capitalization at the current price is almost $6 billion and the average trading volume is nearly 5 million shares. There are approximately 746 million shares outstanding in the market. Earnings per share (EPS) are more than $5 while the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is above 14. The dividend yield is above 2% and the last dividend paid by the company was 44 cents per share. The dividend yield and the earnings are what basically attracted investors in the stock market. Boeing has announced dividends regularly and returns have been increasing with growth in sales and income. To continue reading, click here.