Archive: Insurance (Property and Casualty)

CNBC Bonus Bucks Trivia: CNBC Stock Blog: On June 16, Jonathan Vyorst offered CNBC his stock picks. But which one was an exclusive “Web Extra”?

CNBC Stock Blog: On June 16, Jonathan Vyorst offered CNBC his stock picks. But which one was an exclusive “Web Extra”?

Vyorst offered two additional picks exclusively for CNBC.com

American Financial Group (AFG), a specialty insurer that sells for book value — he says it will earn close to four dollars per share this year — and Phillips Van Heusen (PVH), which owns the Calvin Klein brand, a brand that’s doing well both domestically and internationally.

AFG doesn’t show up in my models, but PVH has strong earnings momentum.

Topics: American Financial Group (AFG), Phillips Van Heusen (PVH) | No Comments

CNBC Bonus Bucks Trivia: In his Friday “Game Plan,” Cramer said banks may bottom soon. But he warned of possible “catches,” including:

In his Friday “Game Plan,” Cramer said banks may bottom soon. But he warned of possible “catches,” including:

The catch here, and there always is a catch, is that if HOV and TOL report poor numbers and the U.S. has lost more jobs, Cramer’s predicting next week would be horrible for the financials. American International Group (AIG - Annual Report), Washington Mutual (WM) Wachovia (WB - Annual Report) and Bank of America (BAC) could sink to multiyear lows.

None of the stocks fare especially well in the models I use. HOV doesn’t even make it past the screens, and Toll Brothers scores among the worst for earnings momentum and return potential.

Bank of America scores poorly for earnings quality, earnings momentum and price momentum. The same applies for Wachovia, which also ranks low for free cash flow. Washington Mutual, by contrast, has a high free cash flow ranking but is also among the worst ranked for return potential.

AIG is the only name on the list that is not a net negative in my models. Its poor scores for earnings momentum and price momentum are offset by high marks for earnings quality and free cash flow.

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

Topics: American International Group (AIG), Hovnanian (HOV), Wachovia (WB), Washington Mutual (WM) | No Comments

CNBC Bonus Bucks Trivia: On May 9, Jim Cramer assailed AIG — and its CEO Martin Sullivan. What did the Mad Money guru call the company?

On May 9, Jim Cramer assailed AIG — and its CEO Martin Sullivan. What did the Mad Money guru call the company?

After the Dow component (AIG - Annual Report) posted an $8 billion loss Thursday – dragging the whole market down with it on Friday – and said it needs to raise an additional $12.5 billion, Cramer was astounded at how far the once well-run insurer has fallen. “This company is moronic,” he said flatly.

Topics: American International Group (AIG) | No Comments

CNBC Bonus Bucks Trivia: On May 9’s “Stop Trading”, Jim Cramer warned NOT to buy certain stocks. Which one did he call a “travesty”?

On May 9’s “Stop Trading”, Jim Cramer warned NOT to buy certain stocks. Which one did he call a “travesty”?

Citigroup (C - Annual Report), AIG (AIG - Annual Report) and Circuit City (CC). Three of the worst companies America has to offer, at least that’s how Jim Cramer sees it.

But it’s AIG that takes the cake. The world’s biggest insurer has become a “travesty,” according to Cramer.

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

Topics: American International Group (AIG) | No Comments

CNBC Bonus Bucks Trivia: Web Video: On May 5, strategist James Altucher said three stocks may be the “next Berkshire Hathaways.” Name one of them.

Web Video: On May 5, strategist James Altucher said three stocks may be the “next Berkshire Hathaways.” Name one of them.

In The Next Berkshire Hathaway, Altucher names Otter Tail (OTTR), Markel (MKL), and Leucadia (LUK).

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

Topics: Leucadia (LUK), Markel (MKL), Otter Tail (OTTR) | No Comments

The Festival of Stocks

I am proud to host this edition of the Festival of Stocks. Since you are here for some stock picks, let’s get to them!

bull1.jpg Rock Your Stock rang in first with Callaway (ELY) is Hot. He says the stock is on a tear and has the fundamentals to back it up.

Rick Casterline at Once More Unto the Breach figures he can sleep when he dies. No way is he going to do it during day 3 of the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting.

wallstreetsign.jpgAverage Joe at Investment Jungle weighs in with a review of Small Cap Watch List (Track at Marketocracy) member First Regional Bancorp (FRGB). Joe and I have frequently been on the same investment page.

Project Stocks submitted Beat the Market With Only 15 Minutes of Work Each Year. The idea is to buy each year’s top performing fund and hold it for a year. Seems simplistic, but it actually has some support from recent academic research.

silvergold1.jpg Neural Market Trends wonders about the effect of financial asteroids on market trends.

Fiscal Times tells us the stocks Business Week ranks as most innovative tend to perform better.

Big Cajun Man has found a real lu-lu.

TJP at Investor Trip explains what he missed when he first got Sirius (SIRI).

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Trader’s Narrative is calling a bubble… in China.

Self Investors outlines a successful day trade in Force Protection (FRPT).

Silicon Valley Blogger offers 5 tips for evaluating your portfolio.

George at Fat Pitch Financials presents his five favorite ways to hack into the web’s resources for investors. I downloaded the Excel add-in and am looking forward to trying it out.

Sox First outlines what went wrong with the planned private equity takeover of Qantas.

And what the heck? I’ll toot my own horn by presenting my take on United Industrial Corp. (UIC).

Topics: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), Cisco Systems (CSCO), ELY, First Regional Bancorp (FRGB), Force Protection (FRPT), Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Stock Market, United Industrial (UIC), XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) | 5 Comments