Bidness Etc - Apple Inc Gets Compared to Hitler By Chinese Tech CEO

Chinese company's CEO Yeuting compares Apple Inc to Hitler in a recent video he posted in order to attract people to his company's new smartphone

One of the most recent Apple news that has attracted the public’s attention is that one of the tech companies in China, LeTV.com’s CEO has created a cartoon series to that has labeled Apple Inc as a ‘Hitler’ company in the tech world, the one who does not let other tech companies of the industry come up on the scale in the market. Jia Yueting, who created the cartoon comics and is also serving as the CEO of the tech company in China seemed rather annoyed by the success the latest iPhone makers were not letting them experience.

Through the cartoon series, he created a figure that looked like Adolf Hitler and made him wear an armband with Apple’s logo drawn on it. This helped in conveying to the public that Yueting was utterly crestfallen by the dominance that the Californian company has been practicing on a global level and how that does not let him or other companies like his climb up the ladder of success in the market. He was seen talking about it on the social media where he mentioned how unfair it was for tech companies like his as the tech giant does not leave any space for small companies in the industry.

Yueting was even seen to have posted a video about the point that he was trying to make and he even made a few comments supporting his argument in which talked about how the whole world is going crazy for Apple and its products which has badly affected the other companies trying to make a mark in the same market. He even said that people’s attitude towards the iPod makers needs to change in order to bring a positive change in sales of other tech companies.

Analysts, in general, are posting different opinions about this act of the Chinese company’s CEO saying that this was just to put a bad impact on the Californian Company’s name. However, analysts at Business Insider think differently. According to them, this stunt was carried out just to attract attention towards a new smartphone launched by none other than LeTV, the company that is currently being run by Jia Yueting.

LeTV.com is a website which has videos that entertain the whole of China with its creative videos and ideas. Over the period of time, this website has become as popular in the Asian country as YouTube all over the world. These website owners have stepped into the smartphone industry only recently and as reports say, the phones that the company is making are highly inspired by the designs that Apple owns.

Bidness Etc - Zack analysts reiterate hold rating on Cerner stock

Cerner stock got its hold rating reissued by Zacks with target price of $70

On Thursday research note, Zacks issued a rating of Hold on Cerner’s stock with a price objective of $70. Its target price specifies an impending $3.22% downside from the previous stock close.

Analysts at Zack wrote Cerner posted an outstanding result in the last quarter of 2014 surpassing their estimation on both lines. We are enthralled with the strong booking, earnings rise and revenue of the company in the last quarter. The close of Siemens Health services acquisition lately is most likely to expressively improve company’s capabilities by growing its variety of services and solutions and global opportunities. Zacks analysts believe that Cerner is on the urge for growth in 2015, determined by a latest business prospects and a strong pipeline. Though, Healthcare information Technology market is extremely competitive that puts substantial pressure on margins and pricing both. Furthermore, a rising proportion of low margin in technology and services resale will affect the margins more.

A number of research firms have covered CERN stock. Argus research firm analysts escalated their price target to $80 from $73 with Buy rating on Monday. Robert W. Baird updated stock of the company to an outperform rating from neutral and increased target price to $77 from $65 on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada analysts surged their price objective to $77 from $70 and assigned outperform rating to the stock. Out of 17 equity research analysts, four gave Hold rating, 12 suggested Buy and only one gave sell rating to the Cerner stock. Currently, CERN has an average price objective of $71.13 and average rating of Buy.

Cerner stock was up by 1.34% in Thursday and reached day maximum of $73.30. Almost 145,834 shares of the company exchanged hands. The company has a 52 week low and high of $48.33 and $74.83 respectively. The 200 and 50 days moving average was $64 and $71 with $25.11 billion of market cap and 48.87 prices to earnings.

The health care company last reported its quarter earnings on 10th February Tuesday. Cerner declared earnings of 47 cents per share for the period similar to analyst projection of 47 cents. It also managed to post $926 million in revenues much higher than the forecast of $904.6 million. In the prior year quarter, earnings of 39 cents per share were reported. Company’s revenue rose by 16.4% on year over year basis. Averagely, analyst believe that the Kansas city based company will managed to post earnings of $2.13 per share for the present year of 2015.

Bidness Etc - Oculus To be Launched In 2015 By Facebook

The social media company is all set to launch its virtual reality product in the upcoming months

The most talked about gadget of the year seems to be the one Facebook is currently working on the Oculus Rift. It has been announced by the social media company that this new product that the firm has been working on for quite some time will be launched by the end of the current financial year 2015. Mark Zuckerberg, who is the CEO of the tech giant, was seen declaring that the company is all set to start the sales of their upcoming project which is all ready to hit the stores.

Oculus Rift is a product that is solely based on virtual reality technology. Zuckerberg was seen talking about the product at the F8 Conference held by Facebook every year for tech and software experts. The main concern of investors, however, is whether this new venture of the company is going to prove fruitful for the social media network company or not.

Mike Schroepfer, who the CTO of Facebook, talked about the most anticipated product of the year at the F8 and tried to satisfy investors and customers alike. He was seen talking about a game that was discussed at the conference and he said that Oculus will help play that particular game in a better way. Analysts who were closely watching the steps of the company are of the opinion that the launch of the new product might be scheduled for an earlier date rather than what everyone believes it to be which means that the Rift might end up getting launched in the middle of the year as well.

Tech analysts were also seen discussing how Facebook is a social media networking platform and for some entity like that to come up with a virtual reality product like that seems rather unlikely. The company has a virtual reality past in which the media firm was seen fiddling with the Farmville project. Thus, for a company like that to come up with an actual VR product is quite amusing in the eyes of the tech analysts.

For Facebook, this new product is not just another experiment but the company seems rather serious about it. The company’s plans to penetrate properly into the market with this venture are all decided and all it now needs to do is figure out how to make money out of this project and keep the investors as happy as ever.

However, according to what Zuckerberg said in the press conference, the media company will be looking towards developing itself in the VR field for the first year and it will think about making money out of it after that.

Bidness Etc - Goldman Sachs Gives a Buy Rating Prior Its iWatch Launch

Goldman Sachs presented its scenario analysis on Apple (APPL). The analysis primarily indicates that possibly a favorable risk-reward profile awaits, the bear case price is thus $81 (which is almost 24% down the persisting level) and the bull case share price is expected to go as high as $151 (which is almost 41.5% up)

According to analyst Bill Shope, on ann year-to-date basis the shares of Apple have appreciated by 33.2% and since April 2013, it has appreciated by 91.3%. The prime reason for this growth revolves around their astonishing performance in terms of the announcements they made in the product and platform domain. This includes major breakthroughs like Apple pay, iPhone 6, Apple Watch etc. This seems like a far more established base than what many investors perceived a year back.

This is not the end of a good phase but moreover the shares were sold off by about 10.3% when compared to their 2014 highs. This has led to many investors wondering about what to expect from the company in 2015. Many thoughts cross their mind such as the running of shares, too far and too abruptly or would Apple Watch would be successful in giving the boost to the company’s share. This report will comprise a brief overview of the swing factors that can have an impact on Apple hare price in 2015. A catalyst map for the upcoming year will also be discussed that will focus on various scenarios regarding the financial and product metrics.

According to Shope’s consensus, the risk-reward profile of the company shares seems to be extremely favorable. Hence, he gives a Buy rating to Apple with an approximate target price compounding to $124.

The much-anticipated gold version of the Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) watch is finally about to arrive. The watch is approximately worth $5,000, but since this was not enough for the tech giants. A diamond studded watch is about to be launched which is priced at $30,000.

Mervis Diamond Importers are impatiently waiting to get customized orders for the watch. The watch is made out of 8 rows of diamonds studded in an 18-carat rose gold band. This company has been associated with apple for a long time in terms of providing Apple with diamonds for their devices. A diamond encrusted iPod shuffle was released in 2007. A few years later a diamond encrusted iPad was released. One fantastic outcome being that Apple is now making a diamond watch that is wearable rather than making iPad’s with diamonds on it.

Such products are not demanded in a high quantity, but companies that specialize in making such products gain huge amounts of profits within the few pieces that are sold.

Since everyone does not have an extra $5,000 or $30,000 to spare, a normal Apple watch can still be bought by everyone for $349. The reports that came in recently stated that the manufacturing of the obnoxiously priced watch will begin in January, it is said to be released by the end of quarter 1 2015. The company hopes to get 5 million watches ready by the launch date.

Mervis and other third parties must be grieved about the release date as they will miss out on the Christmas Shopping season sales of the diamond studded watch.

Bidness Etc - Verizon Will Take Pre-Orders For Samsung Galaxy S6 From April 1

Verizon along with other network carriers are trying to sail Samsung's boat

April is turning into a year full of surprises. With the launch of the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy flagship Smartphone S6, the stakes are already very high. Many companies are coming up with strategies to intrigue buyers. Previously, T-Mobile announced that it will offer one year free Netflix subscription to all those who buy the smartphone from them. This turned out to be fairly catchy campaign, but the thing that has halted their growth is Verizon Communications preorder strategy.

Today, Samsung has notified all those who are anticipating the launch of the company’s flagship smartphone Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will be unveiled in the United States of America on April 10th. This is not it, but the device will simultaneously be launched in 20 other countries as well. The company has plans to unveil this device in several other countries in the times to come.

Some of the biggest networks carriers in the United States like Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile etc. have said that they will initiate the process of pre-order soon for both the upcoming devices. However, buyers who prefer to get these Galaxy S6 smartphones from Verizon stores need to keep the date in mind for preorders so that they do not encounter any issue later.

On the other hand, if you wish to buy the smartphone from AT&T and T-Mobile then the preorder dates start from tomorrow. The company has also unveiled the prices of Samsung’s latest flagship range.

According to Verizon news, the network carrier has confirmed that the preorders for Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will begin from the 1st of April. The company has not revealed how much the devices will be available on a contractual basis. Moreover, users also anticipate the prices for the company’s Edge equipment installment plan.

Samsung unveiled their much-hyped flagship smartphones at the Mobile World Congress held at Barcelona, Spain. This was a great platform for the company to showcase their product and intrigue the entire tech fraternity. According to sources, after the first look of this device at the conference, carriers have already asked the company to supply 20 million units. This is a great breakthrough for the company who has not been doing quite well in the market for a long period of time.

Many analysts believe that this is a do or die situation for Samsung because if they are not able to deliver a smartphone that matches industry standards then survival will not be possible for them considering their current state. Network carriers, on the other hand, are working towards making this tenure easier for them.

Bidness Etc - Norfolk Southern Reports Q4 Earnings

Railroad topped the Street’s forecast of earnings but missed revenue estimates

U.S. premier transportation company, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) announced on Monday its last quarterly financial result, as the company topped the Street’s forecast for earnings but fell short of the net sales forecast.

The American railroad’s total railway operating revenues plunged 0.3% on year-on-year to $2.87 billion in the last quarter of 2014, from $2.88 million. The company fell short of market expectation of $2.94 billion revenues

Net revenues of the company for the fourth quarter of 2014 were $5.11 million ($1.64 per share), compared to $5.13 ($1.65 per share) million in the same quarter last year, year-on-year fall of 0.4%. Earnings per share of the company remained flat over the periods of time, beating the Street’s forecast of $1.63 EPS.

"Norfolk Southern delivered another solid quarter of financial performance, capping a record-setting year during which our company achieved its best results for revenues, operating income, net income, earnings per share, and operating ratio," Norfolk CEO Wick Moorman said in the quarterly earnings report.

General Merchandise segment’s revenue rose 3.45% YoY to $1.67 billion in the fourth quarter, from $1.622 million, the chemical product’s transportation increase by 11% YoY. This section of General Merchandise segment contributes a major portion of the revenues. The agricultural product’s transportation fell by 2% YoY.

Intermodal segment’s sales grew 5% YoY to $649 million in the last quarter on 2014, while Coal segment’s sales plumped 15.3%, from $641 million to $543 million over the same period.

Due to growth in the General Merchandize and Intermodal segments of the company, the railroad’s volumes surged 4%.

Railway Operating Expenses fell by 1.05% YoY in the last quarter, from 2,000 million to 1979 million while Income from Railway Operations mounted 1.13%. According to the company, due to poor exports and decline in Coal segment’s volumes the revenues fell.

The company is primarily involved in transportation of raw materials, intermediate goods, and finished products via rail carriers through interchange from and to US in Southeast, East, and Midwest. Its share price mounted 1.20% to 106.04 at 3.20PM EST in New York after the company announced its quarterly result.

The main operations of the company involve Coal, Railroad operations, General Merchandise, Non-carrier operations and Passenger operations. Norfolk Southern Corporation also transports freight overseas through multiple ports from Atlantic and Gulf Coast. The Company also provides logistics services along with offering intermodal network, mainly for the eastern half in States.

Bidness Etc - Apple Acquires FoundationDB to bolster iMessage and iAD

Apple acquires a database "FoundationDB" to make its software mechanism seamless.

Apple Inc (AAPL) which has become a symbol of class and poise where most of us have tried to get our hands on the company’s miraculous products? The company is constantly trying to come up with innovative Apple products and services among which Apple iPhone has become an all-time favorite of consumers. Apart from their products the company is always coming up with new services that can allow them to increase their user friendliness. iMessage and Facetime are one of those features that have certainly engaged users and made the iPhone experience worthwhile.

Apple has recently acquired a startup known as “FoundationDB” that is currently working on developing it's extremely fast database; this indicates that the global tech giant that might allow them to make their software based service like iMessage far more efficient.

The company has agreed to buy FoundationDB that is a startup based in Virginia that is known for its popular database technology. The software has the ability to manage huge amounts of information stored in a digital manner at a very fast pace.

These technologies tend to be fruitful for companies that have an ecosystem that is data reliant. Moreover, it is also beneficial for those companies that tweak digital ads for the web-based platform.

The news of this acquisition was revealed by TechCrunch, a popular web platform that reports tech related issues.

A spokesperson belonging to Apple has confirmed about this deal making the conventional statement the company always makes an acquisition: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.” However, no further information was given. Moreover, officials from FoundationDB did not comment on the subject whatsoever.

According to Peter Goldmacher, who works with Aerospike Inc. a rival of Foundation DB states that such sort of database are primarily used by companies to process massive amounts of information at a very fast rate without the need of investing a massive amount on powerful computer servers as well as hire employees to serve the purpose.

Mr. Goldmacher only suggested that this sort of technology can assist AAPL in two ways. Firstly, it can make the company’s text messaging service iMessage extremely efficient as well as make IAD the digital advertisement platform more stable and convenient.

At this stage the company has not really unveiled the financials of this deal however. In general FoundationDB has been successful in raising a massive amount of $22.7 million. This also includes an amount of $17 million which they gathered in the fiscal year of 2013.

Bidness Etc - Toyota's Mexico Plant To Make Its Way Soon

Toyota to establish an assembly center in Mexico

Toyota Motor is focusing on expansion. Thus, for the same reason is coming up with ways to come up with an assembly plant situated in Mexico. The board of directors at Toyota is coming up with ways to get the Mexico-based center approved so that the work can initiate in May 2015. The company officials who have knowledge of the company’s plan stated to Reuters.

According to sources, this plant will be a massive breakthrough for the company as the company will be able to start the production of the Corolla Sedans by 2009. Many other companies in the automotive business have been making massive investments to kick off their businesses in the right direction. Volkswagen has also worked on a similar project and now Toyota is also in the race where the company will invest more than $1 billion in this venture.

However, the company is going to the strategy of its president, Akio Toyoda who believes that expansion on such a massive scale can cause the quality of the product to suffer. Toyoda believes when the company starts the production on such a mass scale then quality goes down and quantity only remains. In 2009, the company encountered a similar experience when they had to encounter a crisis due to expansion compromising on quality.

Toyoda now changed his approach and started the search for a site in Mexico that could help them increase the production. Moreover, he also encouraged executives at Toyota to increase the production overall.

Through what it seems like now, Toyota Motor Corp (ADR) (NYSE:TM) just wants to stream in money and for this the company is not even hesitant to invest hefty amounts. Assembly plants are the only things that can increase production and stream in revenues. So Toyota’s effort will be beneficial to them. However, no one knows yet why Toyoda has completely changed his mindset.

"We are always evaluating our production capacity in Mexico, and in North America generally, to keep it in line with local market demand, but no such decision has been made at this time," reported Toyota’s spokesman Itsuki Kurosu

Toyota company is also looking up for more land so that they can go global on a large scale. The change in strategy indicates that the company at this stage wants to get money. Obviously, increasing production results in a decline in terms of quality and Toyota is all set to embrace this fact.

Hence soon will be able to see an assembly plant that adds to the portfolio of Toyota resulting in more compact Corolla Sedans.

Bidness Etc - Toyota Trades on High Share Price

Toyota Motors experiences a high share price after a hyped-up trading session which ended after settling the price of the share at $136.6

Toyota Motors has experienced an all-time high share price on the stock index which has shown that the bulls have succeeded in leaving behind the bears. The auto making company has managed to hit the 52-week high range of the share price on Wednesday, 18th March 2015 according to a news article released by American Banking News. The stock of the company kept a fluctuating pace throughout the day in which the highest point that the share price reached went up to $139.24 and the lowest point was recorded at $138.82. The volume of shares that was recorded during the trading session came around at 180,274. On Tuesday, 17th March 2015 the share price has closed at $136.96.

Different analyst firms have covered the stock of the company and have suggested various ratings accordingly. The equity analysts at Jefferies Group have, however, decline the target on the share price of the stock and suggested a ‘buy’ rating to the firm’s shares. The same equity analysts firm has previously given a ‘hold’ rating to the company in a research note that was released by the firm on 2nd March 2015. Around three analyst firms,, have suggested a rating of a ‘hold’ to the company’s stock whereas four have given a ‘buy’ rating. Out of twenty analysts who covered the stock of the Japanese company, only one analyst firm has given the rating of a ‘strong buy’ to the company’s shares. If the company’s stock is studied closely, it will become evident that the Toyota stock has an average rating of a ‘buy’ from all the analysts and an average price target of $138.95.

Toyota Motors has a 52-week high average of the share price recorded at $140.59 and the 52-week low of the company has been disclosed at $103.38. As for the 50 day moving average of the stock of the company, a price of $133 was recorded. The 200 day moving average of the shares of the Japanese firm has been noted at $124.

Currently, Toyota Company has a market value recorded up to $219.31 billion. The price to earnings ratio that has been disclosed by the stock index has been reported at a ratio of 13.24.

The Japanese company released its quarterly earnings for the last quarter of 2014 on Wednesday, 11th February 2015. Earnings per share that were recorded by the company came around at $3.15 for the fourth quarter. This EPS was lesser than the expectations of analysts at Thomson Reuters who had made a prediction for the EPS to be $3.16.

Bidness Etc - Tag Heuer To Collaborate With Intel For Android Smart Watches

Tag Heuer and Intel together seek to give a tough time to Apple Watch

Smart watches are the new must-haves where all companies are trying to come up with their version of it. After the launch of Apple Watch, many companies seek to give the iOS compatible watch a tough time.

Tag Heuer, the leading French brand that designs premiere watches also seeks to come up with a smart watch of its own that will be using Google’s android operating system along with Intel to give a tough time to the overhyped Apple Watch.

The company has so far only revealed its intentions of releasing a smart watch. However, they have not really acknowledged about the devices functionalities, design, capabilities or pricing. They have mentioned that the smart watch will be the first ever luxury smart watch in the history of Android wearable technology and will make its way to the user in the fourth quarter FY15.

Apple Watch has created immense disruption in the market where it will be priced from $350 to $17,000. The highest price for Apple watch is the 18K gold version that will be available for sale from April 24. Many investors and rivals are keeping a close watch on Apple so that they can come up with better products and services.

The issue with Apple Watch is fairly simple. The watch will only be compatible with Apple’s smartphone, iPhone. So any user who does not own an Apple iPhone and seeks to but an Apple Watch will need to invest in two products at the same time. However, if a luxury smart watch is launched by Tag Heuer then the watch will be compatible with the several phones Google’s operating system Android.

Intel, on the other hand, is also optimistic about this venture as they believe that smart watches will soar to newer heights in the times to come. "Tag Heuer’s decision to partner with technology companies to deliver a smartwatch ... will likely be the first of many similar deals," reports Ben Woods of CCS Insight.

"With Apple Watch hitting the market it's no longer viable for Swiss watchmakers to bury their heads in the sand. Now Tag Heuer has signalled its intention to enter the smartwatch market we are certain others will follow."

Several other companies like Gucci who are well known in the fashion world are working on wearable devices that will change the game for them and open up new possibilities for them. However, Apple’s market is not at stake since it caters to a fairly different pool of users that will not be bothered by better Android based wearable products.

Bidness Etc - Novartis Accused Of Sexual Discrimination

Novartis sexually discriminates female workers by giving them fewer growth opportunities

Novartis, the popular pharmaceutical company is on an inconsistent stage now where a lawsuit has been filed against them by their former employees. According to the lawsuit, a class action will also be taken against the company.

The company has been accused of discriminating against women. The women employees at Novartis claimed that on a regular basis they were denied a pay scale on par with the men in the organization. Moreover, they were not given any promotion or monetary rewards on their performance.

This is not the first time when Novartis is found to be involved in such an activity. Five years ago the company was accused of gender discrimination by some of the female sales workers at the organization. The company was liable to pay an amount of $152.5 million back then. Novartis has now ignited a similar controversy all over again.

Basically, this lawsuit has been filed by two ladies who primarily worked on the Alcon eye-care products segment. They accused the company of many the environment dominated by the opposite gender and also accused them of making the environment fairly hostile to the women working in the office. Moreover, they also limited the opportunities of growth for women employees restricting them from opting for executive positions. The case has been filed in the district of New York.

According to the petition filed. At Novartis, less than 15% of the women have occupied position as the senior executive management which surely indicates that the company is involved in gender discrimination. Moreover, women are never given their destined rights even if they are capable and have the talent.

Even when the performances of workers are evaluated at Novartis, women are downgraded in terms of performance. When the performance reaches the executive board, they usually tend to manipulate it since the executive leadership is filled with male members.

However, Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) defends itself by saying that it ensures a healthy working environment and does not discriminate on the basis of the gender. The spokeswoman at Novartis stated: “deeply committed to equal employment opportunity for all employees and to preventing discrimination.” Moreover, they also accused the employees who have filed the lawsuit to be involved in ill activities that violated the company’s code of conduct. They were terminated due to the “serious violations”.

Hence, in a nutshell, Novartis is again encountering a similar issue which can cause them to lose a hefty amount. It is too early to predict whether the company was involved in discrimination

Bidness Etc - Shares of Halliburton Sold By Traders on Showing Strength

Shares of the Halliburton were seen to be traded off as the share price increased on Wednesday, 18th March 2015

On Wednesday, 19th March 2015 Halliburton saw the trade inside the company’s stock index to have increased by a mile due the strength of the share price. According to a research note released by Analyst Rating News, it was observed that the company recorded an inflow of $75.26 million on the upticks of the stock exchange. As for the downticks that were recorded on the same day, the outflow was recorded at an amount of $113.35 million. The total money that was reported to have flown out of the company by end of the trading session was $38.09 million.

Halliburton Company was of the biggest companies to have experienced such a huge amount of money flowing out of the stock. Analyst Rating News analysts recorded that the company came around as being the 13th company on the list of companies which had the highest outflow of money for the day.

The oil field services company initiated the trade with a share price of$40.06 on the stock index. After being through a heated up trading session, the share price saw an increment in the share price by $1.31 reaching up to a price of $41.59, thus closing the day at a higher price and showing all the signs of strength. This change in the company’s share price has been marked as a very positive change keeping in mind the oil prices on a global level.

Quite a lot of financial firms have covered the stock of Halliburton Company and given different ratings and opinions on the company’s stock. Financial company Oppenheimer has analysts who have downgraded the share price of the oil field service providing company as previously the same firm granted the company a price target of $64.00 and now it has been lowered to an amount of $60.00. A rating of an ‘outperform’ has also been granted to the oil company. This research note was released on 12th March 2015. On the other hand, Vetr analysts have a completely different view on the stock activities of the company as they have increased the price target of the oil drilling company to $47.25 and have also improved their ratings on the firm from a ‘buy’ to a ‘strong buy’ now. This research on the company from Vetr analysts was made on 10th March 2015. BMO Capital analysts have also upgraded the ratings on the company in which they suggested an ‘outperform’ rating on the shares and gave a price target of $53.00, mentioning the details submitted in a research note on 18th February 2015.

Bidness Etc - Reason Why Chesapeake Energy’s Stock Faces Downfall

Chesapeake Energy witnessed a downfall in oil prices by 1.86% as the dollar becomes stronger

According to the most recent news, Chesapeake Energy Corporation has been facing a downfall due to which the company has failed to maintain its position in today's stock market. In the most recent trading session which was held and the company went through on Tuesday 19th March 2015, the trend was observed that the company downgraded on the stock index by a massive 1.86% which resulted in the share price settling at an unnerving price of $13.70. Oil price in the market has fallen by a huge difference and the dollar has yet again gained strength, which has resulted in the company facing even a bigger loss by the trade that it does on a global level.

The supply of oil field services that the company works to provide has been lessened over the past few quarters during which the company has faced ups and downs in the stock price which has brought a negative impact on the company’s business.

As for the oil stock for current situation in the oil industry, it has been recorded that the crude oil available in the market per one barrel is amounted up to $43.04 which shows a huge fall in price by a huge 1.19%. On the other hand, Brent crude oil which has also been witnessing a fall in the price over the past few weeks has fallen to a price of $52.80 per one barrel, according to the oil prices available on CNBC.com.

If looked at the production and output received from the United States alone, an all year high output has been recorded which has stayed this way for quite some time now. Due to this change in the oil market, the oil prices in America have been experiencing greater low than ever before which are something that the country has not seen before. According to the Wall Street Journal, the country is currently facing a really difficult time in the oil industry.

Considering the oil price news, the industry has been deemed as really uncertain for the past few quarters as in February, a certain kind of stability was recorded by the oil companies but as March began, the same unpredictability was seen in which the oil prices again started even lower than before.

On the other hand, various analysts have rated the stock of the energy company and given different ratings. Analysts at Global Hunter Securities have re-issued ratings on the company by suggesting a ‘neutral’ rating on the stock from a previous ‘sell’ rating. Moreover, analysts from TheStreetRatings gave a ‘hold’ rating to the company.

Bidness Etc - Facebook Simplifies Legislations Regarding Banned Explicit Content

Facebook has outlined rules regarding banned content in order to make the platform safer.

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) the social media giant has been working on its strategies to counter the propagation of explicit content from its website. The initiate is on par with the companies aim to combat posts that are controversial in nature. The company seeks to curb its support for nudity and militant organizations without rupturing its status as an organization that allows users to connect with the masses globally.

Facebook has decided to modify its community standards where they have provided certain examples of content that will not be published on Facebook. Hence, Facebook will no longer entertain any content that propagates threats, hatred, and criminal related activities.

Facebook has restricted such groups which promote criminal activities on its platform. These groups cannot access the platform to promote their message. However, the company has now decided to eliminate any such posts that side such organizations.

Revenge porn which basically means anything that is shared without the users consent or in vengeance will also be forbidden from the platform. However, nude paintings and sculptures, women nursing their infants and other similar images will be allowed whatsoever.

This initiate is on par with the company’s decision to combat sexual harassment or bullying through its platform. Previously, users have complained about privacy related issues through social media platform. This will allow them to settle down and eliminate to a great extent.

“Having a voice is not some absolute state. It’s not the case that you either have a voice or you don’t,” reported the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg believes that the social media giant is not modifying its standards and policies but is working towards a healthier environment by instilling guidance.

“People rightfully want to know what content we will take down, what controversial content we'll leave up, and why,” Zuckerberg stated.

Facebook is an independent channel that does not cater to violence. The company seeks to facilitate the interest of their users which is only possible by providing them a safer gateway to connectivity.

The company will not cater to extremism of any form or provide a platform for extremist organizations to promote their message through them. These legislations will be implemented for all users irrespective of the agenda they seek to cater.

Hence, Facebook has taken a wise step to overcoming nudity and explicit content. However, many similar initiates were taken earlier to combat such issues but they didn’t prove to be of much use. The problem with such platforms is that the user base is so massive that it becomes extremely hard to scrutinize the content and readily propagate it.

Bidness Etc - Berkshire Hathaway Misses 4QFY14 Estimated Investments

Berkshire Hathaway, that is owned by successful entrepreneur Warren Buffet, experiences a decline in investments in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.A) reported a lower-than-expected fourth-quarter 2014 (4QFY14) earnings after the market closed, as the earnings from investment in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNFS) grew less-than-expected during the quarter.

Net earnings of the Massachusetts-based company were $4.16 billion ($2,529 per share) for 4QFY14, compared to $4.99 billion ($3,035 per share) in 4QFY13.
On a year-over-year basis, net earnings declined 16.63%. Operating earnings, which excludes investment effects per share, plummeted 10.73% YoY to $2,412 in the quarter from $2,702 in the same period last year. The company fell short of analyst’s estimate for operating earnings per share of $2,702.
Mr. Buffett, who took over Berkshire almost 50 years ago, plans to make this year celebratory. He expanded underperforming textile firm into huge corporate group, which operates in the food, apparel, electric utilities, retailing, real estate and railroads. He adopted a strategy to acquire insurance companies and use their premiums for share acquisition and picks.
Although many business segments benefited from rebounding US economy, BNFS, one of the largest railroads in the world, underperformed last quarter. The shipment delays and poor service to the customers during the quarter affected the earnings.
Net earnings at BNFS climbed 2% YoY to $3.87 billion for FY14. Operating earnings that were recorded by the company in the fourth quarter earnings came around at $2,412 while the analysts at Bloomberg had made the estimations on the earnings to be $2,702. The company saw a fall of 17% in the results that were gathered in the last quarter of 2014, but the company did seem to be discouraged by the news.
Mr. Buffet has spent around five decades in the company and still feels hopeful about facing the fall that the firm is currently facing. He has the experience of building up a company from the scratch as he did it with Berkshire and still feels capable of facing the difficult time that the company is in currently.
In the 4Q report of 2014, the company reported a loss of investment in two of the biggest businesses currently working under Berkshire. The company received total investment of $880 million for the year.
The loss of investment was reported due to the falling value of the dollar in the global market.
On the other hand, profits of the company experienced a rise from $325 million to $358 million on a year to year basis.

Bidness Etc - Why Tesla Motors Should Not Be Taken Over By Apple Inc

In the most recent press conference that was held by Apple Inc on 9th March 2015, various questions were raised by the shareholders whether the company plans to take over Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) from the massive revenue that the company makes in every quarter. These questions, however, were completely ignored by the CEO of the company which created a feeling of doubt among the investors and created a feel of uncertainty among them about the future plans of the company.
Apple Inc scheduled the press release to launch it's new Apple Watch which is smart watch with many unique features that have not been offered by any other tech company before. During the press conference at the launch, many shareholders kept the topic of merging of the two companies alive by asking the CEO pressing questions about his plans for acquisitions but Cook was too smart to avoid the questions and the topic was hence dismissed.
One more question was raised by an Apple user who was also a Tesla fan and he inquired if the company had any plans to buy some stake in the auto making company to which Cook skillfully replied that he would like the auto-making firm to work with other automakers in the industry and collectively use the tech company’s new infotainment system for the cars called the CarPlay in which the car drivers will be able to connect their iPhones to the dashboard of their automobiles and freely make a video call to anyone, thus avoiding the real question.
According to the analysts at Bidness ETC, even though it is great to know that Apple is thinking about taking shares of Tesla, this will not work very well in the company’s favor as it is yet not automotive company and will take a lot of time to finally establish itself in the industry by which getting into the auto industry by taking the electric car makers’ shares will not be a wise move.
Many similarities between the companies have become evident in the past couple of years and this is a fact that cannot be denied. The most prominent of the similarity between the two giants is that both have been bringing huge changes to their particular industries by being extremely innovative in whatever that they do.
Nevertheless, both the companies have different aims and goals which are why the decision of a merger has been deemed as improvident.

Bidness Etc - Tesla Motors Stock Drops after Rumors of Delay in Gigafactory Project

Tesla Motors faced a sudden downfall in the price of the shares as soon as the rumors were seen to spread in the air about the company’s Gigafactory project coming to an unexpected hold. These rumors were backed up by an unknown source but the share price was not reluctant to drop and a decline of 3.36% was seen in the trading session held on Friday, 6th March 10, 2015. Two prominent news sources confirmed that the project has been postponed due some internal problems that the company as going through regarding the change of plans in the design and architecture of the plant.
Tesla however, conveyed through a spokesperson that the above-stated news was just rumors that were putting a bad impact on the shares of the company and that none of it was true. Alexis Georgeson, who is a spokeswoman of Tesla Motors, confirmed that the project was still in the process of getting established and dismissed the rumors saying that the Gigafactory project was going just as planned and no delay was seen in the construction at all. She also added that the auto-making company was currently engaged in other projects as well with various other companies and firms.
On the other hand, Tesla has also been on the news for cutting down jobs in its Chinese industry as the expected outcome from the Chinese market could not be reached. The company has recently started to lessen the job positions in its Chinese company.
The classic automakers were seen to make an announcement of cutting off one eighty jobs out of a total of 600 from the work base that the company has created in China. However, there are two opinions as to why the company needs to cut off jobs in the first place. Some researchers say that the company needs to take this step in order to meet the changes that have been decided to carry out in the structure of the business. On the other hand, some reports and analysts are of the opinion that the company is taking this step to meet the decline in sales that has been faced by the firm in the past quarter from the Asian country.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has been going through a difficult financial time in China because the Chinese people have come to believe that a Tesla car is not easy to recharge and the mechanisms of the car are not fully understandable by them.

Bidness Etc - Coca-Cola Company Experiences Low Share Price

Coca-Cola Company has noticed a fall in the share price by 0.19% as of Thursday, 19th February 2015. The shares of the company opened at the price of $41.75 at the start of the trading session, reaching the highest point of the day at $41.8. The lowest point that the shares experienced was recorded at $41.47 and the shares finally closed at $41.73 after an excessively active activity at the trading house. The total points that the share price fell by throughout the trading session were 0.08.
The shares were recorded to be 9,789,765 by the end of the day, with a 52-week high of the company coming at $45 and 52-week low being calculated at $36.89. The company has a total of 43,801,300 outstanding shares. The beverage making company’s market cap value has been reported at $182,782 million.
A couple of equity firms have commented on the share price of the company. According to the financial analysts, at Zacks, the coke company has been giving the rating 3 with the shares declared to be ‘neutral’. Wall Street analysts have given the company an estimated rating of 2.32.
According to the latest suggestions of 7 different analysts, the company has received a ‘hold’ rating, whereas one equity firm has given the company the ratings of a ‘buy’. As for four Wall Street analysts, the company’s shares have received the ratings of a ‘strong buy’. Two firms presented the company’s counter at the trade the ratings of a ‘buy’.
The coke company’s price target has been estimated by several financial firms to be $45.11. The target price is also expected to fall or rise by $2.21 from the price that has been predicted. As for the future predictions, the price target could face the lowest point at $41 and the highest point at $48.
In addition to that, the company also presented the list of insider buying and selling to the Exchange Commission in which it was reported that the Vice President of the company sold a total number of 381,500 shares at the share price of $43.12 as on 9th December 2014. The total number of transactions made according to the insider report had a value of $16,450,280.
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is an Atlanta-based, American company. It works in manufacturing and selling non-alcoholic drinks. The company started back in 1892 and is currently under the leadership of Muhtar Kent, who is the CEO of the giant.

Bidness Etc - MAU Metric System Deemed Useless In Comparing Facebook With Twitter

MAU metric system has been declared to be useless in comparing different social media forums, according to analysts at BidnessETC. Social media networks like Facebook and Twitter have always managed to create a stir in the stock market with the increasing number of users and also due to the revenue generation that is being done in a huge amount. These companies are so huge in volumes that they are capable of making great changes in the stock industry by reaching milestones that no social media company has reached before.
Due to the rapidly increasing user-base, these social websites have been the talk of many analysts and investors over the period of time. The two most prominent social networks that are compared every now and then are Twitter and Facebook. In a comparison between these two, Facebook is always agreed to have more active users and popularity that Twitter which has made the analysts take a look at the facts.
Experts and analysts have studied these two companies thoroughly and have declared that both the companies have completely different business goals and plans due to which rationally they cannot be compared. Nevertheless, generally when analysts are seen to be making a comparison between the two companies, the main source that helps them find out who is better is out of using the single metric source called Monthly Active Users. These MAUs have been the only source through which the analysts are seen to make judgments about which network is more efficient or which one is more popular.
Over a period of short time, Twitter has faced many difficulties in the financial market and one of the main reasons for this that has been disclosed by analysts is the MAU system which has always helped Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) dominate the website that promotes the blogging culture. MAU results usually comment on how the social networking giant has been successful in thwarting Twitter in the social media industry, something that has also put a bad impact on company’s business.
Analysts are now of the opinion that the MAU system is not a reliable source to make judgments about which company is better and which one is not doing a good job in the social industry and for people who wish to analyze the popularity and social stature of both the companies, analysts have advised not to use the single Monthly Active User method.

Bidness Etc - HBO to Collaborate With Apple for Launch of HBO Now

An interesting rumor has been caught wandering in the tech streets that says that HBO is planning to sign a deal of partnership with Apple for its new streaming channel called ‘HBO Now’. This new streaming venture of the media channel is to be launched in April 2015 and the media company has already been rumored to be having thoughts about partnering with the tech firm. According to a report published by International Business Times, the entertainment channel owned by Time Warner is planning to make Apple one of the companies that will be there at the time of the launch of the new streaming media channel.
The streaming service that HBO is all set to launch after a month is one of the most anticipated services that the channel has so far produced. One of the main reasons for the hype that is being created for the service is that it is also collaborating with the fifth season of the show called ‘Game Of Thrones’ which has boosted the popularity of the streaming service by a mile.
HBO Now is HBO’s new media venture which will be a streaming service given to subscribers who will subscribe yearly and monthly. HBO has also partnered with Major League Baseball Advanced Media for upcoming online channel.
The new service of the media channel will be easily accessible to users as subscription process will be easy for the customers and they will not have to contact any third party for the purpose. Customers wish to subscribe can contact HBO directly and the subscription prices will be as low as $15.00 per month. For customers who do not contact HBO directly will be offered prices that are not much different that will prove to be convenient for the people who wish to use this new service.
This new service of the media company will also be available through Verizon Communications and Comcast Corporation.
Warner Bros have also declared that the company is not planning to work on gathering up new distributors for its new streaming channel in order to reach the sales target that has been decided by the company. Companies like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Xbox and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) will be made as distributors by HBO so that more and more audience is directed towards this new attempt of the media company. HBO Now is looking towards the target a total number of 10 million subscribers who which it needs to reach out to even more people in order to turn into a raging success.

Bidness Etc - Verizon Plans to Sell Off Wireless Assets

Verizon Communications has been seen in working towards selling off more of the company's wireless assets. Prior to that, the company announced in a press conference that the it will now work towards lessening its user-base by 21%. Having said that, the 'on-core' assets that the company own are now made available for sale to the buyers, only if they pay the right price in exchange.
At a Media and Telecom Conference held on 2nd March 2015, the CFO of the wireless providing company, Fran Shammo, declared the the firm is all set to lessen the load off its shoulders of its wireless assets which are not necessarily needed by the company in near future.
Shammo also added that the company owns the asset that are not strategically beneficial for the firm's future plans and the company needs to dispose of off them to elevate its revenue generation in the long term. He said that if there is an asset that will 'return shareholder value' then the company will get rid of it as soon as possible.

In February, the telecom company disclosed that it plans to sell off its wireless assets of three important states to Frontier Communication Corp in exchange of $10.54 billion. Once the above-mentioned transaction is carried out, the New Jersey-based company will have its user base lessened by one-fourth.
The three states have important FiOS footprint up to 51% and the company has also spent around $7 billion to improve the network system in these areas to FiOS based network from the copper network. Shammo, however, disclosed that the FiOS footprint network was seemingly smaller than the other markets.
He said that Texas, California and Florida bear an island property whereas FiOS footprint is just a part of that, hence its smaller than the copper network as it is more widely established there.
On the other hand, Verizon Communications is heavily burdened with debt. According to analysts, the wireless company will work towards lessening its debts by the sales of these wireless assets. Nevertheless, the sales can also help in buying more spectrum for the auction that is to be held in 2016, or it can also help in backing up the share repurchase program.
Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) has been planning a huge share purchase program by the end of which the company will be the sole owner of a 100 million shares.This plan is to be executed before the end of year 2017.

Bidness Etc - Tesla Advises Customers against Customization of Cars

Last week, Tesla Motors submitted the company’s final report to Securities Exchange Commission in which the company was seen to have advised its customers to not opt for customization of their cars. This, to the customers, was a surprising factor to which the company explained that this customization of cars is expected to put a bad impact on the car making business of the firm in near future. The company has told the customers to buy the cars as the company is producing and not take customization as an option as now the company will be making a decrease in producing customized cars.
The electric car makers have related customization of cars to ‘hacking’ as they believe that car buyers who wish to have their cars made according to their wants will be satisfied for a little time only and it will not be long before they start having problems with the functionality of their cars and it might cause damage to the system of cars that Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) is creating. By systems, the company means the safety systems of the company’s car as being the creators and producers of the system, the company knows the durability that they carry.
The automakers also added in the filing to the SEC that the electric system that its cars carry does not go along with the customer’s idea and demand for customization. They’ve also given emphasis to c advising the customers to stay away from practices that damage their cars.
As for the analysts, quite a few are of the opinion that this cautionary announcement by the company is just a note of warning for its customers that should be taken into consideration. However, some analysts are also suggesting that this act of the company shows that the Tesla Motors has a weak standing in the financial market and there are possibilities for the company to face a decline in the future. Analysts also believe that these warnings are due to the fact that the company cars are expected to create problems in the future for its users by not being durable and reliable.
The auto making company faced a downfall in the price of the shares by 3% in the trading session on Monday 2nd March, but the shares saw a definite increase in price on Tuesday, 3rd March 4, 2015 after a successful trading session in the open market.

Bidness Etc - Toyota Motors Receives a Hold Rating by Jefferies Group

Analysts at Jefferies Group have made coverage on the shares of Toyota Motors and decreased their ratings on the company's stock. Previously, the analysts at Jefferies had given a rating of ‘buy' to the company shares and now they have lowered their ratings and given the company a ‘hold' rating which is expected to put a bad impact on the stock in near future. The analysts have also lowered the price target of the shares of the auto making company which can be observed as a negative sign for investors.
Jefferies Group was also seen to change their ratings on other goods and companies in the past few days. The analyst firm has increased its price target on Ceragon Network Limited to $1.20 to $1.15, with a ‘hold' rating on the stock.
As for Toyota's (NYSE: TM) downgraded ratings, the main reason why analysts are lowering their price targets on the company's stock market is believed to the weak guidance report that the automakers have given the investors for the current quarter. Jefferies believe that the company will be ‘underperforming' in the coming quarters as it has been following a weak path of going forward which is also going to affect its future sales and overall profit. As for the stock value of the Japanese firm, a decline of 1% was seen on Friday, 27th February 2015.
Similarly, analysts at Zacks have suggested a ‘neutral' rating for the company's stock and set a price target of $137.00 on the shares.
According to the stock report of the past few months, Toyota Motors (NYSE: TM) has been experiencing higher high and higher lows witnessing constant highs in the share value and breaking all records. But these highs have now started to show signs of collapsing which, according to analysts, is going to make the investors think twice about keeping the company's share and will encourage them to sell it.
On Monday 2nd, Muto makers arch, the shares of Th automakers opened at $135.37. The company has a one-year high of $138.70 and a one-year low of $103.38. The stock of the company has 200 day moving price estimated at $122 and 50 day moving average estimated at $131.00.
The classic automakers announced their quarterly earnings report for the last quarter of 2014 on 11th February 2015 in which they declared an EPS of $3.15 which was only slightly lower than the EPS predicted by analysts.

Bidness Etc - Verizon Communication Witnesses an Increase in Short Interest Shares

Verizon Communication has experienced a significant rise in the short interest of shares in February. According to a report submitted by AnalystRatings.net, on 13th February a total number of 123,732,913 shares were reported to be short interest shares marking an increase of 165.8% as compared to the short interest shares recorded on January 30th 2015 which were 46,546,521 in total.
The short interest shares currently have a ratio of5.6 days based on an average volume of 22,140,274 shares. As of the report, around 3.0% short shares of the company have been sold.
Other than that, Verizon’s SVP Anthony Skiadas sold 2708 shares in a transaction made on 17th February 2015 in which the share price at the time of selling was $49.02 and the total amount collected by the end of the transaction amounted to $132,746.16. The company submitted the details of this transaction to Securities Exchange Commission.
On Monday, the company had a share price of $49.45 at the time the stock market opened. The wireless system provider has a 52 week high of $53.66 and a 52-week low of $45.09. The 50 day moving estimate for the firm has been recorded at $48.11 and the 200 moving estimate is $48.73. The New Jersey-based company has market value of $205.5 billion and the price to earnings ratio has been reported as 20.40.
A few equity analysts have covered the stock of the telecom company. In a research note presented on 9th February 2015, CitiGroup’s analysts declared that the shares of the company should be given a ‘neutral’ rating and a price target of $51.00. Equity analyst from JP Morgan Chase & Co decreased their price target on the shares of Verizon from $57.00 to $55.00 and gave an ‘overweight’ rating to the shares as of a stock report presented on Monday, 2nd February 2015. Financial analysts at Canaccord Genuity decreased their price target on the shares of the company from $56.00 to $54.00, suggesting a ‘buy’ rating to the firm’s shares. TheStreet analysts lessened their ratings on the shares of Verizon from a rating of ‘buy’ to a ‘hold’ rating. A total number of twelve equity analysts have presented the company’s shares with a ‘hold’ rating whereas ten analysts have given a ‘buy’ rating to the American company’s shares.
Verizon Communication (NYSE: VZ) is a company that provides wireless services to over 125 million users.

Bidness Etc - Tesla Motors Doubles Workforce

Tesla Motors is seen to be expanding its business as it is employing new people for new projects quite rapidly. According to a report by Wall Street, the company has set goals to hit new highs in the upcoming quarters for which it is currently working to hire more and expand more. A company that was founded only a decade ago has been flying high with the production and sales of electric cars and plans to continue with the success.
Growth of the company has increased briskly in the past couple of years. The company’s development is evident from its past sales as in 2012, the automakers only managed to sell a few thousand Model S sedans, while in 2014 the electric car makers were successful in selling around 30,000 electric vehicles.
Analysts are of the opinion that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is not ready yet to back down and this is something that should interest the investors and the company’s fans alike.
According to analysts at Wall Street, the electric car making company has on track in expanding in business and its workforce by double the number of employees that it had last year.
Currently, Tesla aims at stepping into the already established markets and take huge steps to enter places that it has not yet reached. For that purpose, the American company has raised its workforce from a total of 5,859 employees in 2013 to 10,161 workers in 2014, marking an eminent rise in the employees of the company.
In a press conference held at the start of 2015, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk declared that Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is trying to steal the auto company’s employees for the purpose a classified car project, by hiring them on a higher pay scale. These employees, according to Musk, were the most talented employees of the company and he complained that Apple was stealing them from his company by offering them huge bonuses and around a 60% raise in salaries.
However, a report by Bloomberg states that Tesla has been successful in hiring around 160 Apple employees which are more in number than the workers Apple has taken away from the automakers.
Elon Musk also mentioned in a recent conference that it is a probability that the company’s sales stay under expectations for the next five years, up until the time when around a million electric vehicles will be getting produced by the company, a statement that shows that Tesla is working hard to increase its volume of production.

Bidness Etc - Bank of America Slashes PT of Tesla Motors

After slashing off Tesla Motors’ price target, Bank of America has initiated many doubts and queries regarding the stocks of the electric car manufacturer. BofA adjusted the price target this week for the company to $65 at a discount of 68% upon its current trading stock price.
This raised several question on the future prospects of Tesla Motors Inc's (NASDAQ: TSLA). The report comes as a surprise to investors of Tesla Motors. It shocked many shareholders of the carmaker. The Wall Street, however, is mostly bullish on the company’s stock.
BoA’s analyst, John Lovallo, announced: “We believe Tesla has seemingly managed to offset a steady stream of negative news and weak financial results by issuing long-term targets that, in our view, are often quite difficult to fathom. We believe that barring a significant reset in investor expectations, this strategy is certain to lose its luster, particularly considering what we see as the long road of challenging financial results and cash burn that lie ahead.”
Mr. Lovallo has based his opinions on the financial metrics of the automobile company. He contends that Tesla’s stock is fairly priced as per its valuation, before the company launched its celebrated Model S in fiscal year 2013.
Tesla stock price increased exponentially however as the giant company’s CEO Elon Musk has promised over the years regarding its progress and innovation. Mr. Lovallo, however, who is also known as “the biggest Tesla bear on the Street,” claimed that the expectations are unreal, and suggests to discount these assurances from the valuation in order to get a clearer picture.
Tesla Motors’ progress however did reduce from a once being a thriving stock to just an automobile manufacturing company over the last year. The company’s earnings also fell short as of market expectations in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. The company also delivered 4% fewer cars in 4Q than FY14 guidance.
Further criticizing the company, BoA analyst claimed that Mr. Musk’s company has always been successful in “crafting and re-crafting” its story. While adding further, he stated: “Lovallo calls out Tesla for its 'latest effort to shift investor focus away from disappointing financial results' — stationary storage, using the company's battery technology. But I don't think Tesla is talking up stationary storage because it wants to tell investors to zig when they should be zagging.”
Despite the Street being fairly bullish on the Tesla’s stock, 13 analysts out of the 22 who cover Tesla suggested a Buy, whereas six recommended a Hold. The stock is currently being traded at a share price of $203.76, down by 0.17% as of 7:42 PM on Thursday. The average target price or 12-month assigned to the stock of the electric car company by the analysts is $261.68.

Bidness Etc - Sears Holdings Announces Unsatisfying Quarterly Earnings

Sears Holdings reported its 4Q earnings for the year 2014 on Thursday 2015 along with its full year earning report which was seemingly disappointing for the investors. The company has been seeing a decline for quite some time now, with the 4Q of 2014 adding one more unsatisfactory quarter to the previous ten quarters that have consistently reported a decrease in earnings.
The loss recorded in 4QFY14 came around at $159 million which was observed to be a lesser loss as compared to the same quarter of 2013, in which a loss of $358 million was disclosed. However, losses for the year have seen an increase from $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion as compared to the year before 2014.
The multi-national firm declared its 4Q earning in a report on Thursday to have amounted up to $125 million which was seen to have risen for the first time since the last quarter of 2012. These earnings of the company, however, were the actual earnings before the subtraction of tax, interest, and depreciation.
The company's revenue witnessed a fall of 24% to 1.8 billion. Financial analysts, on the other hand, had expected the loss to be of $1.87 on the capital of $8.31 billion.
Shareholders of Sears faced a loss of $1.50 per share, which previously was a loss of $3.58 in the 4Q of 2013. The total loss from the decline in price of diluted shares was $15.82, a widened amount from $12.87 which was the loss recorded in the fiscal year of 2013.
As for the sales of the company in the fourth quarter, an evident fall was recorded in which the sales came around at $8.1 billion as compared to the previous sales of $10.6 billion. As for the yearly report, the downfall of the sales was seen from $36.2 billion to $31.2 billion.
Due to the consistent decline in the company's stature, Sears Holdings has been closing down its stores for the past year in order to transform its conventional departmental stores into a personalized way to shop, supported by a special membership, called Shop Your Way. The American company has also reduced its ownership of Sears Canada due to the fall in revenue generation and sales.
The reason Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD) managed to narrow down its previously increasing losses was due to better insurance policies and asset configuration as well as improved advertisements and marketing. The company is further expecting and working towards making its sales better and get through this struggling financial time gradually.