Penn Mutual Life Insurance said Thursday that it had hit an important milestone in its work with Hearsay Social, a provider of social-media platforms, which could serve as a case study in how financial firms can rapidly and comprehensively embrace new technology.
“We have a roughly 50% adoption rate of Hearsay Social among our registered reps, and that is great for us,” said Robert Bonsall, assistant vice president of interactive marketing at Penn Mutual, in an interview. “We’ve been really pushing it.”
That’s not necessarily what some might expect would be the case for a 167-year-old insurance firm.
“It’s interesting. Companies with a long legacy of building businesses and client relations, like us, are embracing technology. We are being very progressive in how we enable advisors with tools like Hearsay Social,” Bonsall explained.
Penn Mutual worked with another social media vendor but switched to Hearsay to move “from the defensive aspect of being compliant by monitoring social media to being both compliant and engaging with consumers – playing defense and offense,” he said.
Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch For 2015: Synaptics Inc (SYNA)
Synaptics Incorporated is a developer and supplier of custom-designed human interface solutions that enable people to interact with a range of mobile computing, communications, entertainment, and other electronic devices. The Company focuses on the personal computer ( PC) market, primarily notebook computers, including ultrabooks, the markets for digital lifestyle products, including mobile smartphones and feature phones, the tablet market, and other select electronic device markets with its customized human interface solutions. The Company generally supplies its human interface solutions to its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers through their contract manufacturers, which take delivery of its products and pay the Company directly for them.
The Company provides custom human interface solutions for navigation, cursor control, and multimedia controls for many of the world�� premier PC OEMs. In addition to notebook applications, other PC product applications for its technology include peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, and monitors, as well as remote control devices for desktops, PCs, and digital home applications. Its solutions for the PC market include the TouchPad, the ClickPad, the TouchStyk, and dual pointing solutions. The Company�� tablet includes the ClearPad Series 7. In August 2012, it acquired Pacinian and the Video Display Operation of Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
TouchPad
TouchPad provides a method for screen navigation, cursor movement, and gestures and provides a platform for interactive input for both the consumer and corporate markets. TouchPad solutions offer various advanced features, including Scrolling, Customizable tap zones, performance of entertainment, productivity, and media tasks, tapping and dragging of icons, and device Interaction. The Company�� TouchPad solutions are available in a variety of sizes, electrical interfaces, and thicknesses.
ClickPad
The Company�� ClickPad introduces! a clickable mechanical design to the TouchPad application. Its ClickPad is activated by pressing down on the internal tact switch to perform a left- or right-button click and provides feedback similar to pressing a physical button. The latest version of ClickPad features ClickEQ, which is a mechanical solution.
ForcePad
The Company's ForcePad is a thinner version of the Company's ClickPad, which introduces a new dimension in control through the addition of variable force sensitivity. ForcePad is designed to provide consistent performance across OEM models through its design intelligence and self-calibration features.
Dual Pointing Solutions
The dual pointing solutions offer a TouchPad with a pointing stick in a single notebook computer. Its dual pointing solutions also provide the end user the ability to use both interfaces interchangeably. The Company has developed two solutions for use in the dual pointing market. Its first solution integrates all the electronics for controlling a third-party resistive strain gauge pointing stick onto its TouchPad PCB. Its second dual pointing solution uses its TouchStyk and offers the OEM integration. The second solution is a completely modular design, allowing OEMs to offer TouchPad-only, TouchStyk-only, or dual pointing solutions on a build-to-order basis.
TouchStyk
The Company�� TouchStyk is a pointing stick interface solution for PC notebooks. TouchStyk is an integrated module that uses capacitive technology similar to that of its TouchPad. TouchStyk is enabled with press-to-select and tap-to-click capabilities and can be integrated into multiple computing and communications devices.
NavPoint
The Company�� NavPoint solution offers TouchPad functionality for small form factor devices in accessing and managing content in handheld devices through navigation controls. It also includes short- and long-distance scrolling features, tapping, and mouse-like cursor navigation.
ClearPadThe Company�� ClearPad touchscreen solutions consist of a transparent, thin capacitive sensor, which is a discrete sensor, that can be placed over any display, such as an liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Its ClearPad Series 3 can provide full-time tracking of ten or more fingers simultaneously and features stylus support and support for various sensor configurations, including discrete sensors, sensor-on-lens, which includes sensor electrodes patterned on the bottom of the glass cover lens; on-cell, which includes sensor electrodes patterned on the display glass, and in-cell, which includes sensor electrodes patterned inside the LCD glass.
The Company�� ClearPad Series 4 products combines its capacitive multi-touch technology with a device�� display driver in a single-chip solution delivering advanced display noise management and capacitive sensing performance. Its ClearPad Series 7 products are designed for large touchscreen market for products more closely related to clamshell notebooks, slates, tablets, and similar devices. The Company�� ClearPad Series 7 products include single-chip touchscreen solutions and multi-chip touchscreen solutions designed for devices, such as gaming applications.
FlexPad
This capacitive sensing interface is mounted beneath a mechanical keypad, and allows the keypad surface to be used for advanced scrolling and navigation features, character entry, and advanced gesture input on handheld devices. With navigation functionality similar to a touch pad, FlexPad offers interface and industrial design differentiation.
ClearButtons
The Company�� ClearButtons product is an extension of its core capacitive sensing technology that has been used in TouchPad solutions for notebook PCs, mobile smartphones, and feature phones. ClearButtons is a sensor that can be mounted under plastic, providing OEMs with integration and design options for scrolling and b! uttons.
TouchButtons
The Company�� TouchButtons product provides capacitive button and scrolling controls for an interface solution designed to replace mechanical buttons. Button arrays and ScrollStrips can be programmed to perform various functions, such as controls for multimedia, display and device settings in notebook PCs, multimedia keyboards, MP3 players, digital photo frames, monitors, and other digital lifestyle products. TouchButton interfaces are designed for integration under the plastic face of a device, allowing for a sealed, durable, and thin design, which can be coupled with light emitting diode (LED) animation.
ThinTouchTM
The Company�� ThinTouch, is a design technology that delivers a full keyboard solution that is 40% thinner than traditional keyboard solutions. ThinTouch provides design architecture that facilitates backlighting.
Proximity Sensing
The Company�� proximity sensing technology enables users to interact with consumer electronics without touch. With this technology, sensors in a device, such as a notebook PC, mobile phone, peripheral, or digital photo frame, sense the presence of a user�� hand to activate a function, such as illuminating LEDs for discoverable buttons or waking devices from power-saving mode.
Dual Mode
The Company�� Dual Mode-enabled TouchPad interface allows a user to switch between cursor control and icon-based control on the TouchPad surface. In default mode, a Dual Mode-enabled TouchPad provides the same cursor control for on-screen navigation as a standard TouchPad. When the user taps on a launch icon located on the TouchPad surface, control icons illuminate on the TouchPad surface.
ChiralMotion Gesture
The Company�� ChiralMotion Gesture technology can be applied for continuous circular motion to initiate precise and fine-tuned scrolling on any two-dimensional input surface, such as its TouchPad and ClearPad solutions. ChiralMoti! on Gestur! e technology is suited for small handheld products, such as feature-rich mobile handsets, personal navigation systems, and personal media players that require easy access for entertainment, music, and other digital files.
Synaptics Gesture Suite
The Company�� Synaptics Gesture Suite (SGSTM) provides users with an intuitive way to interact with their notebook computers. SGS was developed by analyzing the most common workflows from entertainment activities, such as viewing photos and listening to music, to productivity activities, such as accessing e-mails and presentations. SGS represents a portfolio of gestures available on its interface solutions. These gestures are compatible with a range of Microsoft Windows and Linux applications. Gestures in the market include Pinch, Rotate, ChiralMotion Scrolling, Two-Finger Scrolling, Three-Finger Flick, Three-Finger Down, and Four-Finger Flick.
Enhanced Gesture Recognition
Synaptics�� Enhanced Gesture Recognition is a suite of ClearPad gestures included in its firmware. Customers can easily enable SingleTouch gestures, such as Tap, Double Tap, Press, and Flick; DualTouch gestures, such as Pinch and Pivot Rotate, and multi-finger gestures for ClearPad directly from its touch module firmware. No additional ssoftware is required on the host processor to implement these gestures.
Dual Mode for TouchPad
The Company's Dual Mode-enabled TouchPad interface allows a user to switch between cursor control and icon-based controls on the TouchPad surface. In default mode, a Dual Mode-enabled TouchPad provides the same cursor control for on-screen navigation as a standard TouchPad.
The Company competes with Alps Electric, Elan Microelectronics, Atmel, Cypress and Melfas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of Synaptics (NASDAQ: SYNA ) climbed 11% today after the touch-screen technologist raised its outlook for the current quarter. �
- [By jaggom]
In January, chip creator Synaptics (SYNA) was being scorned on the Street after blended second-quarter results, and was the subject of a downsize by Oppenheimer because of its high valuation. Slice to the present, and Wall Street analysts now anticipate that Synaptics will hit $100 from its present levels of around $60.
- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
What: Shares of Synaptics (NASDAQ: SYNA ) have popped by as much as 18% today after the company posted solid quarterly earnings and provided upbeat guidance thanks to design wins at Samsung.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Medivation Inc.(MDVN)
Medivation, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer, Alzheimer?s disease, and Huntington disease. The company?s product candidates under clinical development include MDV3100, which is in Phase 3 development for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer; and dimebon, which is in Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer?s disease and Huntington disease. It has collaboration agreements with Pfizer Inc. to develop and commercialize dimebon; and Astellas Pharma Inc. to develop and commercialize MDV3100. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in San Francisco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN) shot up 9.84 percent to $83.26 after the company and Astellas reported final results from the Phase 3 PREVAIL trial of Enzalutamide. Credit Suisse lifted the price target on the stock from $80.00 to $95.00. - [By Sean Williams]
Friday brought equally good news for Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN ) and its advanced prostate cancer drug Xtandi, which also received a positive opinion from the EMA's advisory panel. This really shouldn't come as a surprise as Medivation's oral prostate cancer treatment won FDA approval months early in the U.S., and the 4.8 months of extended median survival it delivered compared to the placebo is remarkable for such an advanced stage disease.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: EMC Insurance Group Inc. (EMCI)
EMC Insurance Group Inc., an insurance holding company, engages in property and casualty insurance, and reinsurance activities. It operates in two segments, Property and Casualty Insurance, and Reinsurance. The Property and Casualty Insurance segment writes commercial and personal lines of insurance with a focus on medium-sized commercial accounts. Its commercial lines of insurance products comprise automobile, property, workers� compensation, and liability, as well as other products that provide protection against burglary and theft loss, aircraft, marine, and other types of losses; and personal lines of insurance products include automobile, property, and liability. The Reinsurance segment provides reinsurance for other insurers and reinsurers. The company serves small to medium-sized businesses, institutions, and individual consumers. EMC Insurance Group Inc. sells its products through independent insurance agents. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered i n Des Moines, Iowa. EMC Insurance Group Inc. is a subsidiary of Employers Mutual Casualty Company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Caroline Bennett]
EMC Insurance (NASDAQ: EMCI ) this week declared plans to keep its quarterly dividend payout steady at $0.21 per share of common stock.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd (IMUC)
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., incorporated on March 20, 1987, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company. The Company is engaged in developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of cancers, such as brain, ovarian and other solid tumors. Immunotherapy is an approach to treat cancer in which a patient�� own immune system is stimulated to target tumor antigens, which are molecular signals that the immune system uses to identify foreign bodies. The Company�� products include ICT-107, ICT-140, ICT-120, ICT-109 and DIAAD. ICT-107, the pipeline product, is a Phase II therapeutic dendritic cell (DC) vaccine for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the common and lethal type of brain cancer. ICT-107 is designed to activate a patient�� immune system to target six different tumor-associated antigens. In February 2012, it acquired a world-wide license from the University of Pennsylvania and The John Hopkins University (JHU).
The Company in addition to ICT-107, is also developing other therapeutic DC vaccines: ICT-140 for ovarian cancer and ICT-121 for recurrent GBM. ICT-140 targets seven tumor-associated antigens expressed on ovarian cancer cells. ICT-107 is a DC vaccine that targets six different tumor-associated antigens that are found on patients��tumor cells; four of the six antigens are expressed on CSCs. The therapeutic vaccine is used subsequent to conventional therapy or concomitantly with chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed GBM. ICT-140 is a DC vaccine that targets seven different ovarian cancer antigens. ICT-121 is a DC vaccine that targets CD133 antigens; it has the potential to be a universal cancer vaccine because CD133 is widely expressed on CSCs from a majority of cancers. Data from this small study demonstrated that ICT-109 had a statistically ability to discriminate between cancerous and non-cancerous samples, suggesting the potential to detect pancreatic and lung cancer in plasma and serum study sets. The DIAAD (differential immunization for an! tigen and antibody discovery) platform it acquired from Molecular Discoveries utilizes immunological tolerization to accelerate the discovery of the molecular differences between diseased cells and their normal counterparts. The monoclonal antibodies produced by DIAAD provide the basis for the discovery and development of its potential diagnostic and therapeutic products.
The Company competes with Dendreon, Oncothyreon, Galena, Bavarian Nordic and Immunovaccine, Northwest Biotherapeutics, Prima Biomed, DCPrime, Roche/Genentech, Seattle Genetics, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Immunogen.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics (NYSE: IMUC) dropped 11.05% to $1.3699. ImmunoCellular's trailing-twelve-month ROE is -59.80%.
Posted-In: market losersNews Movers & Shakers Intraday Update Markets
- [By Smith On Stocks]
Using my assumptions, the common of Agenus might be worth about $7.00 per share in early 2014 based on the royalties from the Glaxo vaccines and the net operating loss carry forward even if every other asset in the company were valued at zero. However, there may be substantial value in Agenus' internal vaccine programs in recurrent and newly diagnosed glioblastoma and the genital herpes vaccine. Based on a comparison to peer companies like Northwest Biotherapeutics (NWBO) and ImmunoCellular Therapeutics (IMUC), I believe that the internal programs at Agenus currently may be worth $150 million or $4.45 per share. Adding this to the value of the MAGE A-3 vaccine could produce a stock price of $11.00 in early 2014.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: (LVMUY)
LVMH Mo� Hennessy - Louis Vuitton SA engages in the manufacture and sale of luxury products. Its wine and spirits product line comprises champagne, sparkling and still wines, cognac, and other spirits primarily under the Mo� & Chandon, Dom P�ignon, Mercier, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Ch�eau d?Yquem, Ch�eau Cheval Blanc, Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, and Belvedere brand names. The company offers fashion and leather goods consisting of trunks, leather goods, ready-to-wear, shoes, watches, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses, and books principally under the Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Loewe, C�ine, Kenzo, Givenchy, Thomas Pink, Pucci, and Berluti brand names. Its perfumes and cosmetics product line includes fragrances, make-up, and skincare products under the Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, Kenzo Parfums, Fendi Parfums, Make Up For Ever, Parfums Loewe, Fresh, and Acqua di Parma brand names. The company also offers watche s and jewelry under the TAG Heuer, Hublot, Bulgari, Zenith, Montres Dior, De Beers, and Fred brand names. In addition, it operates retail stores under the brand names of DFS, Miami Cruiseline, Sephora, Samaritaine, and Le Bon March�for travelers. As of December 31, 2011, the company operated 3,040 stores worldwide. LVMH Mo� Hennessy - Louis Vuitton SA is based in Paris, France.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ted Cooper]
Revamped offering
Coach is revamping its product lines in an effort to reverse the declining sales trend in North America. The company installed Stuart Vevers last September to serve as creative director. Vevers is a renowned luxury leather goods designer who previously transformed design at Mulberry (LSE: MUL ) and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (NASDAQOTH: LVMUY ) -owned Loewe, with additional experience at Bottega Veneta, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton. He was named Accessory Designer of the Year at the 2006 British Fashion Awards for his work at Mulberry.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Guggenheim S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (RPG)
Rydex S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the performance of the S&P 500/Citigroup Pure Growth Index (the Index). The S Index is narrow in focus, containing only those S&P 500 companies with strong growth characteristics as selected by Standard & Poor��. The Index contains approximately one-third of the equities of the S&P 500 Index.
The Fund uses a passive management strategy to track the performance of the Index. The Fund invests in substantially all of the securities in the Index in approximately the same proportions as in the Index. The Fund's investment advisor is Rydex Investments.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Yesterday, small cap geothermal stock U.S. Geothermal Inc (NYSEMKT: HTM) produced a geyser of a return when it surged 26.79%, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock verses the performance of other geothermal stocks like small cap Ormat Technologies, Inc (NYSE: ORA) and mid cap Calpine Corporation (NYSE: CPN).�First of all, I should mention there are some other geothermal stocks out there like Alterra Power Corp (CVE: AXY) and Ram Power Corp (TSE: RPG) who have their primary listing on Canadian exchanges with secondary ones on the OTC���meaning they may not be a good deal for American investors or easy to invest in. Second, U.S. Geothermal Inc itself is a good geothermal proxy as its�focused on developing, owning, and operating clean, sustainable electric power from geothermal energy resources and its�operating geothermal power projects at Neal Hot Springs, Oregon; San Emidio, Nevada; and Raft River, Idaho plus El Ceibillo, an advanced stage, geothermal prospect located within a 24,710 acre energy rights concession area near Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd (ENH)
Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. underwrites specialty lines of personal and commercial property and casualty insurance and reinsurance worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment provides agriculture insurance covering traditional multi-peril crop insurance, crop hail, livestock risk protection, and other agriculture risk management products; and professional lines of insurance products, including directors� and officers� liability, errors and omissions, employment practices liability, environmental liability, and pension trust liability insurance. This segment also offers casualty and other specialty insurance products for third party liability; hospital medical professional liability; contract and commercial surety; and workers� compensation, as well as property insurance primarily for earthquake and flood coverage. The Reinsurance segment provides catastrophe reinsurance for catastrophic perils primarily for pro perty and workers� compensation business; property reinsurance for property insurance policies; and casualty reinsurance for third party liability exposures, such as automobile, professional, directors� and officers�, and umbrella liabilities, as well as for workers� compensation. This segment also offers aerospace reinsurance covering hull, aircraft liability, and aircraft products; marine reinsurance of bluewater and brownwater hull, and cargo risks; surety reinsurance for contract and commercial surety, and fidelity insurers; agriculture reinsurance for risks associated with the production of food and fiber; and personal accident and terrorism reinsurance products. The company distributes its products through independent agents, and insurance and reinsurance brokers. Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Aspen Insurance Holdings (NYSE: AHL) shares shot up 11.33 percent to $43.83 after Endurance Specialty Holdings (NYSE: ENH) offered to buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50 per share in a cash and stock deal.
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