Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.
Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on KMG Chemicals (NYSE: KMG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top Sliver Companies For 2015: Powershares Dynamic Food & Beverage Portfolio (PBJ)
PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Food & Beverage Intellidex Index (the Food & Beverage Intellidex). The Food & Beverage Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States food and beverage companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the manufacture, sale or distribution of food and beverage products, agricultural products and products related to the development of new food technologies. These companies may include companies that sell products and services, such as meat and poultry processing, and wholesale and retail distribution and warehousing of food and food-related products, including restaurants, grocery stores, brewers, distillers and vintners, as well as companies that manufacture and distribute products, including soft drinks, packaged food products (such as cereals, pet foods and frozen foods), health food and dietary products. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.
The Food & Beverage Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Food & Beverage Intellidex. The Fund generally will invest in all of the stocks comprising the Food & Beverage Intellidex in proportion to their weightings in the Food & Beverage Intellidex. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of food and beverage companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Food & Beverage Intellidex.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap ingredients stock Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ: BCPC) jumped 22.76% yesterday on news about an acquisition, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with potential peers like small cap MGP Ingredients Inc (NASDAQ: MGPI) and the PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage ETF (NYSEARCA: PBJ).
Top 5 Income Companies To Watch For 2014: ViaSat Inc.(VSAT)
ViaSat, Inc. designs, produces, and markets satellite and other wireless communication, and networking systems for government and commercial customers. The company?s Government Systems segment offers network-centric Internet protocol (IP) based government communications systems, including tactical radio and information distribution systems that enable real-time collection and dissemination of video and data using transmission links between command centers, communications nodes, and air defense systems; information security and assurance products, which enable military and government users to communicate information securely over networks, and that secure data stored on computers and storage devices; and government satellite communication systems, such as portable, mobile, and fixed broadband modems, terminals, network access control systems, and antenna systems. The company?s Commercial Networks segment provides various satellite communication systems and ground networki ng equipment. It offers satellite network infrastructure and ground terminals to access high capacity satellites; antenna systems for terrestrial and satellite applications, such as geo-special imagery, mobile satellite communication, Ka-band gateways, and other multi-band antennas; enterprise very small aperture terminal networks and products; and mobile broadband satellite communication systems. This segment also provides satellite networking systems design and technology development, including the analysis, design, and specification of satellites and ground systems, ASIC and MMIC design and production, and wide area network compression for enterprise networks. The company?s Satellite Services segment provides wholesale and retail satellite-based broadband Internet services, as well as managed network services for the satellite communication systems of its consumer, enterprise, and mobile broadband customers. ViaSat, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Carlsb ad, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
The U.S. Department of Defense announced a half dozen new contracts benefiting the U.S. Navy Wednesday. Of these, five went to publicly traded companies, namely:
- [By Monica Gerson]
ViaSat (NASDAQ: VSAT) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.11 per share on revenue of $348.98 million.
Biodel (NASDAQ: BIOD) is expected to post a Q1 loss at $0.24 per share.
- [By John Udovich]
Jim Cramer, the host of CNBC�� Mad Money, recently touted ViaSat, Inc (NASDAQ: VSAT) as an in-flight WiFi or satellite communications related play, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of small cap in-flight WiFi provider Gogo Inc (NASDAQ: GOGO) and small cap satellite communications firm Iridium Communications Inc (NASDAQ: IRDM). I should mention that I have written about Gogo Inc in the past (Small Cap Gogo Inc (GOGO): Is There Turbulence Ahead? IRDM�and Is In-flight WiFi Stock Gogo, Inc. (GOGO) the Next Iridium?) and Cramer also touched on some of the differences between the in-flight wifi service offerings of both. Cramer also interviewed ViaSat, Inc�� CEO who said they had been waiting for a new satellite to ��isrupt��the market.
Top 5 Income Companies To Watch For 2014: LRAD Corporation(LRAD)
LRAD Corporation engages in the design, development, and commercialization of directed sound technologies and products in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company develops and delivers directed acoustic products that beam, focus, and control sound over short and long distances. It offers Long Range Acoustic Device, which creates directed acoustic beam to communicate at operational ranges in high ambient noise environments, primarily for military applications. The company also provides SoundSaber thin film magnetic speaker technology that provides high clarity throughout the audio range for emergency and mass notification, public address, and other sound applications. Its SoundSaber hardened panels are used in acoustic environments, such as hangar bays, industrial buildings, airports, and other facilities. LRAD Corporation sells its products directly to government, military, large end-users, and defense-related companies. The company was formerly known as American Technology Corporation and changed its name to LRAD Corporation in March 2010. LRAD Corporation was founded in 1980 and is based in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By gurujx]
LRAD (LRAD): CFO/Secretary Katherine McDermott Sold 38,204 Shares
CFO/Secretary Katherine McDermott sold 38,204 shares of LRAD stock on Aug. 28 at the average price of $1.57. Katherine H McDermott owns at least 17,800 shares after this. The price of the stock has decreased by 10.19% since.
Top 5 Income Companies To Watch For 2014: Canadian Utilities Ltd (CDUAF)
Canadian Utilities Limited is a holding company. The Company is engaged in Utilities (pipelines, natural gas and electricity transmission and distribution), Energy (power generation, natural gas gathering, processing, storage and liquids extraction), and Technologies (business systems solutions). The Company operates in threes segments: TCO Electric, ATCO Gas and ATCO Pipelines. ATCO Electric is engaged in the regulated business of transmitting and distributing electricity to 245 communities as well as rural areas in east-central and northern Alberta. ATCO Gas is engaged in the business of distributing natural gas throughout Alberta and in the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan. ATCO Pipelines is a regulated business engaged in the transmission of natural gas in Alberta. ATCO Pipelines receives natural gas on its pipeline system at various gas processing plants and transports it to end users within the province or other pipeline systems for export out of the province. Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Heinzl]
Contrast that with a company such as Canadian Utilities (CDUAF), whose eight price targets range from $40 to $42. (The stock closed Friday at $38.08 [Canadian]). Such tight clustering of targets indicates that analysts have a high degree of conviction about the company's future earnings, which isn't surprising for a utility that throws off predictable cash flows.
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