NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- All three major indices closed near the highs of the day on Friday.
On CNBC's "Fast Money" TV show, Guy Adami, managing director of stockmonster.com, said Exxon Mobil (XOM) could still have upside potential, but those looking to buy now are a "little late to the game."
Warren Buffett recently purchased 40 million shares of Exxon Mobil for $3.1 billion, so the price is naturally rising.
Brian Kelly, founder of Brian Kelly Capital, said WTI crude oil keeps going lower because more and more supply keeps coming online. He suggested shorting Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD).
Tim Seymour, managing partner of Triogem Asset Management, said he likes XOM and General Electric (GE). Stuart Frankel & Company's Steve Grasso said the refinery stocks should keep benefiting if WTI crude keeps going lower, but acknowledged the stocks seem to be getting a little too extended. Bill McDermott, co-CEO of SAP AG (SAP), was a guest on the show and said his company is very focused on China. He added that the country has a ton of potential with the cloud and in big data. McDermott said that constant innovation allows it to stay ahead of its competition and it is currently focused on growing organically, not through M&A. Seymour said emerging markets won't be able to rally without the participation of China. He added that likes SAP, Pepsico (PEP) and Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN). If China continues to lessen restrictions within the country, Grasso said he likes Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN). Kelly said he would be a buyer of J.P. Morgan (JPM) if it can break above, and hold, $55. Grasso said investors could keep buying the dip in shares of Pandora (P), but should use a 3% trailing stop-loss. Adami said GameStop (GME) will likely rally into earnings but investors should sell out and possibly even get short if it can't get through $61.
U.S. Steel (X) was the first stock on the show's "Pops & Drop" segment and Grasso said he is neither a buyer or a short-seller of the stock. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) fell 3% and Kelly said an unfavorable EPA decision will hinder it going forward. Zulily (ZU) cruised 71% higher and Adami said there's no reason for investors to buy the the stock. Jos. A. Bank Clothiers (JOSB) was up 1% and Seymour said management will continue to hunt for the best way to unlock more value for shareholders. Kelly said investors should be cautious of Japanese equities after its yields jumped so high in the overnight session. He added that he is still long the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ), but suggested investors be aware of the situation. For their final trades, Seymour was a buyer of Clean Energy (CLNE) and Adami was buying Cisco Systems (CSCO). Grasso said to buy Disney (DIS) and Kelly was a buyer of iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF (EWW). -- Written by Bret Kenwell in Petoskey, Mich. Follow @BretKenwell Follow TheStreet.com on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Dun & Bradstreet Corp (DNB)
The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (D&B), incorporated on April 25, 2000, is the source of commercial information and insight on businesses, enabling customers to Decide with Confidence. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� global commercial database contained more than 220 million business records. The database is enhanced by its DUNSRight Quality Process, which transforms commercial data into valuable insight which is the foundation of its global solutions. Customers use D&B Risk Management Solutions to mitigate credit and supplier risk, increase cash flow and drive profitability; D&B Sales & Marketing Solutions to provide data management capabilities that provide marketing solutions to increase revenue from new and existing customers, and D&B Internet Solutions to convert prospects into clients by enabling business professionals to research companies, executives and industries.
The Company operates in three segments: North America (which consists of its operations in the United States and Canada); Asia Pacific (which primarily consists of its operations in Australia, Greater China, India and Asia Pacific Worldwide Network), and Europe and other International Markets (which primarily consists of its operations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Latin America and its European Worldwide Network). The Company conducts its business internationally through its wholly owned subsidiaries, majority-owned joint ventures, independent correspondents, strategic relationships through its D&B Worldwide Network and minority equity investments.
Risk Management Solutions
The Company provides traditional, value-added and supply management solutions. The Company�� Traditional Risk Management Solutions, which primarily includes its core DNBi product line, as well as reports from its database which are used primarily for making decisions about new credit applications, constituted 74% of its Risk Management Solutions revenue and 47% of its total revenue for the ye! ar ended December 31, 2012. Its Value-Added Risk Management Solutions, which constituted 20% of its Risk Management Solutions revenue and 12% of its total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012, generally support automated decision-making and portfolio management through the use of scoring and integrated software solutions. The Company�� Supply Management Solutions, which can help companies understand the financial risk of their supply chain, constituted 6% of its Risk Management Solutions revenue and 4% of its total revenue in 2012. Risk Management Solutions accounted for 63% of its total revenue in 2012.
Effective January 1, 2013, the Company began managing and reporting its North America Risk Management Solutions business as DNBi subscription plans, Non-DNBi subscription plans, and projects and other risk management solutions.
The Company�� principal Risk Management Solutions are DNBi, various business information reports, eRAM, and D&B Direct. DNBi is the Company�� interactive, customizable online application that offers customers a subscription based real time access to its complete and up-to-date global DUNSRight information, comprehensive monitoring and portfolio analysis. It is also focused on helping more customers protect their business from risk through additions of DNBi products: DNBi Corporate, offering flexible pricing options allowing credit departments of all sizes to get data and options they need and Portfolio Risk Manager for DNBi, a module which allows DNBi users to create strategic one -click analytic reports to see risk and opportunity across their customer base. Various business information reports include Business Information Report, its Comprehensive Report, and its International Report that are consumed in a transactional manner across multiple platforms, such as DNB.com. eRAM is an enterprise solution for large global and domestic customers for automated decisioning and portfolio analytics. D&B Direct is a software application programming inter! face (API! ) that enables data integration inside enterprise applications, such as ERP, and enables master data management.
Sales & Marketing Solutions
The Company�� Sales & Marketing Solutions is a customer solution set, which accounted 29% of its total revenue in 2012. Within this customer solution set, it offers traditional and value-added solutions. Its Traditional Sales & Marketing Solutions generally consist of its marketing lists and labels used by the Company�� customers in direct mail and marketing activities, its education business and its electronic licensing solutions. These solutions constituted 30% of its Sales & Marketing Solutions revenue and 9% of its total revenue in 2012. Effective January 1, 2013, The Company began managing and reporting its Internet Solutions business as part of its Traditional Sales & Marketing Solutions set. Its Value-Added Sales & Marketing Solutions generally include decision-making and customer information management solutions, including data management solutions like Optimizer (its solution to cleanse, identify and enrich its customers' client portfolios) and products introduced as part of its Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) Strategy, which integrates the Company�� data directly into the applications and platforms that its customers use every day. The Value-Added Sales & Marketing Solutions constituted 70% of Sales & Marketing Solutions revenue and 20% of its total revenue in 2012
Internet Solutions
The Company�� Internet Solutions business provides organized and easy-to-use products that address the online sales and marketing needs of professionals and businesses, including information on companies, industries and executives. Internet Solutions, primarily representing the results of its Hoover's business, accounted for 7% of its total revenue in 2012. Effective January 1, 2013, the Company began managing and reporting its Internet Solutions business as part of its Traditional Sales & Marketing Solutions set.
T! he Company competes with Equifax, Inc., Experian Information Solutions, Inc., infoGROUP, Graydon, and Sinotrust.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Geoff Gannon] street costs $80.27 a share. So $100 will buy you 1.25 shares of Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet has $5.29 in earnings per share. So, 1.25 shares would deliver $6.61 a share in earnings. We can think of $6.61 a share in earnings as the amount of present earnings your $100 can buy you in Dun & Bradstreet stock.
Coach grew revenue per share 20% over the last five years. While Dun & Bradstreet grew revenue per share 9% a year over the last five years.
Let�� imagine ��just for the sake of argument ��what would happen if Dun & Bradstreet and Coach both grew their earnings for the next five years at the same pace they grew them over the last five years.
This is how much earnings my same $100 would buy in each stock:
Coach (COH) Dun & Bradstreet (DNB) Today $4.39 $6.61 2012 $5.27 $7.20 2013 $6.32 $7.85 2014 $7.59 $8.56 2015 $9.11 $9.33 2016 $10.93 $10.17
In four years, my $100 investment in Coach would be earning nearly the same amount per year as my $100 investment in Dun & Bradstreet. And in five years, Coach�� earnings would pass Dun & Bradstreet�� earnings.
If Coach�� growth prospects still looked good in five years, the stock might have a P/E of 20. Meanwhile, Dun & Bradstreet�� growth might still be barely inching along. Actual sales growth at DNB is only around 3% a year. The per share growth is due to constant share buybacks. Check out Dun & Bradstreet�� 10-year financial summary for evidence of the mammoth stock buyback they��e done over the last decade. Shares outstanding have declined almost 40%.
Anyway, if DNB�� organic sales growth was around 3% or so five years from now ��the stock could easily have a P/E of 12. So, you could certainly imagine a scenario five years from now where Coach�� price per share is $219 ($10.93 * 20) while Dun & Bradstreet�� stock price is only $122 ($10.17 * 12).
I can�� argue with that. It�� certainly possible. Personally, I�� not at all sure a P/
- [By Geoff Gannon] ly doesn�� need working capital even when it grows say 3% a year or so. And some companies always need a ton of working capital like Lakeland (LAKE) or ADDvantage (AEY). How you feel about how those companies use working capital has a lot to do with whether or not you like those stocks long-term.
Then there are companies that have increased working capital very, very fast over the last decade or so ��but they��e also increased sales at a startling clip.
That�� Carbo.
Let�� look at where the difference between EBITDA and operating cash flow is coming from.
Cash flow from others as shown on GuruFocus�� 10-year financials page for Carbo ��I��l use this as a proxy for working capital changes ��was positive in only two years. And not by much. Usually, it�� been negative. Over the 10 years, that single line has added up to a negative $173 million. Wow.
Okay. Then there�� the difference between free cash flow and owner earnings. Owner earnings as you��l remember is Warren Buffett�� calculation of what a business could pay out to owners in cash at the end of the year ��if it stopped growing. But didn�� shrink. More on that later. For now, let�� look at the difference between Carbo�� depreciation and Carbo�� spending on property, plant and equipment.
Over the last 10 years, cap-ex has been: $546 million (or $425 million if you allow cap-ex to provide cash flow in certain years, this is a weird issue I don�� want to touch right now)
And over the last 10 years, depreciation has been: $201.52 million
That�� a big gap. We��e got some combination of Carbo underreporting economic depreciation by anywhere from $225 million to $350 million or so ��or we��e got Carbo investing something like $225 million to $350 million in growth.
Which is it?
Let�� check the growth angle first.
Over the last 10 years, Carbo has grown total sales by just under 18% a year. Now, I happen to
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Quantum Energy Ltd (QTM.AX)
Quantum Energy Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of energy saving hot water, heating, and cooling systems for residential and commercial markets in Australia and internationally. It provides solar power systems, hot water heaters, and pool heaters, as well as commercial and industrial building heaters. The company is also involved in the distribution of medical products primarily in the field of nuclear medicine. Quantum Energy Limited is based in Alexandria, Australia.
Network Exploration Ltd. is an exploration and development-stage company. The Company�� principal business activities include the exploration of minerals in its mineral properties. It focuses on base and precious metal properties in North and South America. Its activities include the process of exploring its mineral properties, reviewing and subsequently acquiring mineral properties and conducting exploration programs to determine whether these properties contain ore reserves that are recoverable. The Picha copper-silver project is located within the Tertiary Volcanic Arc of Southern Peru. The Pistala project is located east of the NW-SE trending Incapquio fault system in the Department of Tacna, Southern Peru. The Company is in the business of mineral exploration in Canada, Chile and Peru. Network Exploration Chile Limitada is its wholly owned subsidiary.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Patience Investing Inc.]
Sl. No Portfolio Style Description Annualized Performance (Net) Since Inception or Longest Period Primary Benchmark Relative Performance 1 Emerging Markets Equity Stocks of companies in emerging countries 8.35% 6.29% 2.06% 2 European Equity Stocks of companies in European countries 8.48 6.20 2.28 3 Global Balanced Mix of global stocks and bonds 7.60 6.37 1.23 4 Global Equity Stocks of U.S. & non-U.S. companies 12.40 9.24 3.16 5 Global Mid Cap Equity Stocks of mid-sized U.S. and Non-U.S. companies 3.85 6.14 -2.29 6 Global Small Cap Equity Stocks of smaller U.S. and Non-U.S. companies 6.00 6.26 -0.26 7 International Equity Stocks of non-U.S. companies 9.57 4.56 5.01 8 International Mid Cap Equity Stocks of mid-sized non-U.S. companies 5.61 5.93 -0.32 9 International Small Cap Equity Stocks of smaller non-U.S. companies 7.84 5.87 1.97 10 U.S. Mid Cap Value Equity Stocks of mid-sized U.S. companies 3.40 7.05 -3.65 11 U.S. Small Cap Value Equity Stocks of smaller U.S. companies 3.07 4.84 -1.77 12 U.S. Value Equity Stocks of U.S. companies 6.91 7.81 -0.90 Source: Compiled from http://www.brandes.com/Inv/Pages/Performance.aspx
- [By Jason Rivera]
Assets:Book Value:Reproduction Value:Current AssetsCash And Cash Equivalents506506Accounts Receivable (Net)3,6193,076Inventories10,0006,000Deferred Income Taxes919460Prepaid Expenses799400Total Current Assets15,8439,986PP&E Net2,4151,449Equity and Other Investments4,5763,432Intangible Assets3,1391,570Deferred Income Taxes991496Total Assets26,96417,387
Number of shares is 7,383.
- [By Holly LaFon]
The MSCI World ex U.S. Small Cap Index (Net) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure global developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. The MSCI Small Cap Indices target 40% of the eligible Small Cap universe within each industry group, within each country. MSCI defines the Small Cap universe as all listed securities that have a market capitalization in the range of USD200-1,500 million. This benchmark calculates reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes using Luxembourg tax rates. This index is unmanaged and investors cannot invest directly in this index.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Brooks Automation Inc.(BRKS)
Brooks Automation, Inc. provides automation, vacuum, and instrumentation solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, life sciences, and clean energy markets worldwide. The company?s Brooks Product Solutions segment provides a range of products critical to technology equipment productivity and availability. This segment?s products include atmospheric and vacuum tool automation systems, atmospheric and vacuum robots and robotic modules, and cryogenic vacuum pumping, thermal management, and vacuum measurement solutions, which are used to create, measure, and control critical process vacuum applications. Its Brooks Life Science Systems segment offers automated sample management systems, including automated sample storage, automated blood fractionation equipment, sample preparation and handling equipment, consumables, parts, and support services to various life science customers, including pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, biobanks, national laboratories, rese arch institutes, and research universities. The company?s Brooks Global Services segment provides a range of support services, including on and off-site repair services, on and off-site diagnostic support services, and installation services to enable the customers to maximize process tool uptime and productivity. This segment also offers spare part support services to end-user customers. Brooks Automation, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Lauren Pollock]
Brooks Automation Inc.'s(BRKS) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 95% as the technology-products company’s revenue slipped on weak demand from semiconductor customers and a much smaller tax benefit. Results beat expectations, but the company gave a weak outlook for the first quarter. Shares edged lower.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Suburban Propane Partners L.P.(SPH)
Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail marketing and distribution of propane, fuel oil, and refined fuels. Its Propane segment is involved in the distribution of propane to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, as well as in the wholesale distribution to industrial end users. This segment offers propane primarily for space heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying in the residential and commercial markets; for use as a motor fuel in internal combustion engines to power over-the-road vehicles, forklifts, and stationary engines, as well as to fire furnaces and as a cutting gas to the industrial customers; and for tobacco curing, crop drying, poultry brooding, and weed control in the agricultural markets. The company?s Fuel Oil and Refined Fuels segment engages in the retail distribution of fuel oil, diesel, kerosene, and gasoline to residential and commercial customers primarily for use as a sourc e of heat in homes and buildings. Its Natural Gas and Electricity segment markets natural gas and electricity to residential and small commercial customers in the deregulated energy markets of New York and Pennsylvania. The company also sells, installs, and services of a range of home comfort equipment, including whole-house heating products, air cleaners, humidifiers, hearth products, and space heaters; and sells and installs natural gas and propane gas grills, fireplaces, and related accessories and supplies through retail stores. As of September 24, 2011, it served approximately 750,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers primarily in the east and west coast regions of the United States, including Alaska, as well as operated 2 retail stores in the northwest and northeast regions in the United States. Suburban Energy Services Group LLC serves as a general partner of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Whippany, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dan Caplinger]
Ferrellgas Partners (NYSE: FGP ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, and shares of the propane distributor have jumped to two-year highs recently. Yet with a somewhat different exposure to the industry than rivals AmeriGas (NYSE: APU ) and Suburban Propane (NYSE: SPH ) , will Ferrellgas earnings be able to grow enough to make optimistic investors satisfied?
- [By Traders Reserve]
Suburban Propane (SPH) does one thing ��it distributes propane ��and while the stock is down because sales are booming and profits are not. Revenue in 2012 was up almost 65% I 2012 (in part due to an acquisition), and will be up another 10% or more in 2013 despite the fall in most prices. I expect this to turn around this year, in part because of increased supplies of propane from shale fields.
- [By Vanin Aegea]
Investors are very often turned off by a cyclical business. Nonetheless, such behavior gives investors the chance to take a position in a profitable business model at a low entry price. With a recent boom in the U.S. market, prices are not expected to be in the low end. Let us look at AGL Resources (GAS) and Suburban Propane (SPH) to see whether any of them offer a profitable business model at a low entry price.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Rand Logistics Inc.(RLOG)
Rand Logistics, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides bulk freight shipping services in the Great Lakes region. It offers domestic port-to-port services and River Class bulk freight shipping services in Canada and the United States. The company operates a fleet of 12 self-unloading bulk carriers, including 3 integrated tug/barge units and 3 conventional bulk carriers. Its vessels operate under the U.S. Jones Act, which reserves domestic waterborne commerce to vessels that are U.S. owned, built, and crewed; and the Canada Marine Act that requires only Canadian registered and crewed ships to operate between Canadian ports. The company services the construction, electric utility, integrated steel, and food industries through the transportation of limestone, coal, iron ore, salt, grain, and other dry bulk commodities. Rand Logistics, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in New York, New York.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Stockland(SGP.AX)
Stockland Corporation Limited engages in the development and management of real estate projects in mainland Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. It invests in retail, office, industrial, and office park properties, as well as residential properties and retirement living facilities. The company also offers property trust management and property management services. Stockland Corporation was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: P.F.Chang's China Bistro Inc.(PFCB)
P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of restaurants in the United States. The company owns and operates two restaurant concepts, P.F. Chang's China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Diner. As of January 1, 2012, it owned and operated 204 full service Bistro restaurants and 170 quick-casual Pei Wei restaurants; and operated 15 Bistro restaurants in Mexico, the Middle East and Puerto Rico under development and licensing agreements. P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Class Editori(CLE.MI)
Class Editori SpA engages in newspapers, magazines, digital satellite television (TV), digital terrestrial TV, radio, and electronic publishing businesses. The company publishes newspapers that provide news, features, and information of interest to economists, lawyers, tax specialists, bankers, and other professionals; and various magazines for business professionals and consumers. It also operates Class CNBC, an Italian business TV channel, which provides activities and events of Italian stock exchange and Davos world economic forum; Class TV Msnbc, a terrestrial digital information TV channel that offers information on the lives of Italians and weather news; ClassHorseTV, which provides horse events; and Class TV Moda, an Italian fashion channel that offers international events, fashion shows, and interviews with fashion celebrities and VIP guests at fashion shows, as well as other TV channels, such as Class Life. In addition, the company provides a mix of classical musi c and Italian, and international financial news. Further, it supplies data, information, and financial news through various platforms, including cable, satellite, Intranet, and the Internet. Class Editori SpA was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.
Best Clean Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: Bally Technologies Inc (BYI)
Bally Technologies, Inc. (Bally), incorporated on September 30, 1968, is a global gaming company, which designs, manufactures, operates, and distributes advanced technology-based gaming devices, systems, server-based solutions, custom mobile applications, and interactive applications. The Company also provides hardware, including spinning-reel and video gaming devices, specialty gaming devices, and wide-area progressive systems. The Company supports customers include land-based, riverboat, and Native American casinos, video lottery and central determination markets. The Company derives its revenue from sale of gaming devices and related equipment, parts and conversion kits; operation of linked progressive systems, video lottery and centrally determined systems, and the rental of gaming devices and content, and sale and support of specialized systems-based software, hardware and interactive products and related recurring maintenance revenue. In July 2011, the Company acquired MacroView Labs, a company in mobile-application development and mobile platforms for the casino gaming industry.
Game Cabinet Hardware
The Company's Pro Series is available in upright, slant, spinning-reel, curve, V32 and V22/32 formats. They come with features, such as the touch-screen, iDeck. The Company can configure the top-box in Pro Series cabinets in a range of ways, including with upright wheel, as a hammerhead with an oversized 32-inch cinematic display, using the commanding digital ladder 32-inch high definition (HD) video display, and the soon to be released 42-inch vertical display. The Pro Curve Upright, which emulates a spinning-reel cabinet, but is actually a video slot machine with a curved LCD display, features a video-reel technology.
Game Platform
The Company support two gaming platforms; the ALPHA and the ALPHA 2. ALPHA and ALPHA 2 were designed to support industry protocols, as well as various kinds of game bonuses and multi-denomination, multi-game and mu! lti-pay table game configurations. It can operate with stand-alone, local, and progressive products. The ALPHA 2 platform incorporated all the attributes of ALPHA, which featured a layered architecture and modular design, as well as INTEL Core 2 processor; four gigabytes of dual-channel memory; Realtek HD audio, and video technology. ALPHA 2 supports both game content, as well as network and server-based applications. It is operable with the Bally Command Center, which will allow downloadable access to the Company's game content through a central server.
Game Development and Game Content
The Company's game content features original themes, licensed themes using brands, and adaptations of Bally brands, such as Cash Spin, Hot Shot, Quick Hit, and Blazing 7s. The Company has deployed its game content across wide-area progressive, local-area, and near-area progressive slots, spinning-reel and video gaming devices, specialty gaming devices, and multi-suite games. The Company's game-development teams cover the globe, with centers in Arizona, California, Nevada, Australia, and India. In addition, the Company has partnered with brands, such as Michael Jackson, GREASE, Betty Boop, and the Playboy franchise. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company introduced new levels of iDeck interaction on games, such as All That Jazz, Total Blast, and Fish'n for Loot. These games enable players to use the iDeck as an arcade-like device. Players touch and play a virtual piano on All That Jazz. Fish'n for Loot and Total Blast introduced the Company's new U-Shoot virtual shooting gallery bonus-game play mechanic, in which the player touches the iDeck to create weapons for shooting at targets on the main game screens.
Game Parts and Conversion Kits
The Company's gaming device customers purchase replacement parts, upgrades, game conversion kits, and other products from the Company. The Company's Pro Series cabinets, with their all-digital display! s and iDe! ck digital, configurable touch-screen button deck, make game conversions not to change the button configuration or replace game glass.
Maintenance, Trade, and Resale Market
The Company offers a 90-day parts, labor, and performance warranty/guarantee for new gaming devices. The Company provides after-sale services to its customers, including customer education programs, an around-the-clock customer service telephone hotline, a Website for technical support, field service-support programs, and spare parts programs. The Company sells used gaming devices, including products made by the Company, as well as those produced by its competitors. The Company acquires used devices as trade-ins toward the purchase of new gaming devices.
Gaming Operations
Through the Company's Gaming Operations, the Company offers gaming operators a range of rental options for its gaming devices and content. The Company offers its customers gaming devices featuring a common jackpot or prize awards that can be linked (within a casino, in a local-area network, or among multiple casinos within a market or jurisdiction) in a wide-area network. The Company offers progressive gaming devices to customers under a daily-fee arrangement based on a percentage of the money wagered on the participating gaming devices. In many cases, the Company uses a portion of these revenues to fund the ultimate payment of the jackpot awards. The Company markets its linked progressive systems under titles such as Betty Boop's Love Meter, Golden Pharaoh, Money Vault, Instant Fortune, Ultimate Tower of Power, Quarter Million$, Millionaire Sevens and 1,000,000 Degrees. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had a total of 1,792 linked progressive systems.
The Company offers a range of non-linked games and content on a rental basis for either a fixed daily fees or a fee based on the percentage of the net win generated by the gaming device. Many of these games are available as both wide-area progressive! s (WAP) a! nd flat-fee near-area progressives (NAP). This category includes both gaming devices, in which the Company retains ownership and charges a daily fees for the use of the gaming device, and gaming devices its customers purchase which are classified as game sales revenue. Gaming devices, in which the Company retains ownership and charges a daily fees, include rental and maintenance of the gaming device and licensing of the game content. For gaming devices the Company's customers purchase, the Company provides the game content under a usage-fee arrangement, which results in a lower daily-fee than leasing the entire gaming device. The Company markets its rental and daily-fee games under titles, including greases, Michael Jackson King of Pop, Money Vault, Money Talks, Golden Pharaoh, Cash Spin Jackpot, Money Wheel, Vegas Hits Roadtrip, Betty Boop's Love Meter, Cash Spin, Hot Spin, Vegas Hits, Cash Wizard, Ultimate Tower of Power, Hot Shot Progressive Cash Wheel, Fireball, 77777 Jackpot, Reel Money, Hot Shot Progressive, Quick Hit Platinum, Reel Winners, Hee Haw, and Monte Carlo. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had a total installed base of rental and daily fee games of 14,890 units.
The Company offers video and spinning-reel devices, which can operates either as stand-alone devices or as units, which interact with (or can be monitored by) a central system maintained by government agencies. The financial model for this market requires the Company to build, deploy, and maintain the devices, along with providing the related equipment in return for a share of the net win generated by the device for a contractually fixed period of time. As of June 30, 2012, the Company earned recurring revenue from its installed base of 9,281 video lottery devices operated by New York State Lottery (NYSL). The Company also earns recurring revenues from 2,437 video lottery devices deployed at horseracing and other gaming facilities under agreements with the Delaware State Lottery Commission and Maryland State Lottery ! Commissio! n.
The Company offers video and spinning-reel devices, which connects to a central server, which determines the outcome of the games. These systems operate in Native American casinos in Washington, Oklahoma, and Florida, as well as Mexico. In each case, for the use of the Company's central determination software, the Company receives either a fixed daily fee or a percentage of the net wins generated by the devices connected to the system. As of June 30, 2012, the total installed base of gaming devices connected to the Company's centrally determined systems totaled 47,633. In Mexico, the Company sells gaming devices for an upfront fees, and classify the purchases as game sales revenues. The Company also derives a daily fee equal to a percentage of the net win for providing a system network, gaming content, and monitoring, maintenance and consulting. As of June 30, 2012, 9,449 of the total installed base of gaming devices connected to the Company's centrally determined systems were deployed in Mexico. Included in the total installed base of centrally determined games in Mexico are 6,981 iVIEW in-game player-communication units installed in non-Bally games, in which the Company charges a system connection fee.
System Solutions
The Company offers core, slot, casino and table management systems (collectively, casino management systems). The Company's comprehensive suite of technology solutions provides gaming operations of every size with a range of marketing, data management and analysis, accounting, player tracking, security, and other software applications and tools to more manage their operations. The Company also provides technologies to deploy a networked, server-based gaming environment, complete with a command center solution for centralized management and control. Version 11 provides gaming operators with easy-to-use graphical interfaces; vertical and horizontal scalability; distributed architectures, and support for multiple languages and currencies. As of Ju! ne 30, 20! 12, there were more than 300 casinos that have installed Version 11.
The Company partners with its customers to help them add network and server-based solutions to their existing systems, whether on a floor-wide basis, in smaller sections of the floor, or on selected banks of games. The Company's Systems business comprises three facets: hardware, including the Company's iVIEW and Display Manager (DM) player-user-interface devices and specialized system-based products; software and services, including licenses of the Company's core systems and suite of player tracking, bonusing, and marketing applications and customized system solutions, and maintenance, providing access to future enhancements or upgrades to the system software for a fee based on a percent of the license fee.
The system-based hardware and software products in the Company's casino management systems offer gaming operators benefits, including player-loyalty solutions, which are comparable to frequent guest programs found in other leisure and retail industries; database marketing and table-game accounting solutions, including the calculation of all revenue and expense-related items, and cage and credit accountability for all extensions of cage and credit cash balancing functions. The Company designed and deployed these systems in both domestic and international markets so that they would be and adaptable to foreign languages and currencies.
The Company's solutions, which support Gaming Standard Association (GSA) protocols, operate on common platforms, such as Windows, AS/400 (iSeries), Linux, and UNIX. By supporting these platforms, the Company allows its customers to choose a technology solution. The Company designs its slot-management systems with features for handling slots monitoring, accounting, and operations, as well as bonusing, sweepstakes, promotions, cashless transfer, ticketing, jackpots, promotional coupons, redemptions, and soft count. The Bally Business Intelligence applications, which! span acr! oss all the Company's casino management systems, bring data analytics to a gaming operator's key executive and marketing-management teams.
The Company's server-based iVIEW network serves as a way to communicate with players directly at the point-of-play. This network allows gaming operators to present messages in a split or full screen format on the main game display of any touch-screen- equipped gaming device. The Company's iVIEW network also works with the Company's Bally Command Center for server-based download of content, its Elite Bonusing Suite of floor-wide bonusing applications, its Bally CoolSign media management solution, and other new technologies under development. iVIEW and iVIEW DM work on almost any manufacturers' gaming devices that have a touch screen and are backward and forward compatible.
The iVIEW DM solution is for marketing to players at the point of play. This picture-in-picture-style technology facilitates enhanced communication and customer-service functions, such as beverage service, floor mapping, and real-time perishable promotions without interrupting game play. iVIEW DM also used to create excitement on the casino floor with floor-wide bonusing events; game-in-games; second-chance-to-win games; floor-wide slot tournaments; interactive virtual racing events; time-based promotions; targeted, customized player messaging, and bonuses on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. iVIEW and iVIEW DM can even work in conjunction with the casino's player data to offer customized content based on gender, age, and provide player preferences. The Company can implement iVIEW DM across entire gaming floors, in smaller sections of floors, or bank-by-bank based on casino operator preference and capital budgets. Bonusing applications on the Elite Bonusing Suite server allow operators to tailor and automate promotions using server-based applications, such as Virtual Racing, DM Tournaments, U-Spin Bonusing, Power Winners, Dynamic Random Bonusing, Video Poker Bonusing,! iVIEW Me! ssaging, Flex Rewards and Lucky Match Bonusing. Bally CoolSign is the gaming industry's gaming centric media management tool, which enables gaming promotions and/or gaming information, triggered through any of the Company's products, to be displayed onto any digital display in the casino resort or the casino enterprise.
The Company's server-based command center enables gaming operators to download marketing content on iVIEW and iVIEW DM displays. They can also configure gaming device pay tables and game play options, deliver new game content and game libraries, and perform updates of game firmware, such as ticket printers and bill acceptors through a central server, rather than having to implement updates on each device.
Interactive Solutions
Bally Interactive encompasses the Company's mobile and online initiatives and related product offerings, which provide operators a range of solutions. The Company's online solutions are designed to enable casino operators the ability to offer players a online gaming experience through the Company's iGaming Platform and Remote Gaming Server on computers or mobile devices. The Company's open, cloud-based iGaming Platform, enable operators to choose poker, slot, table, and other gaming content from various providers. This content is delivered through the Company's Remote Gaming Server, allowing access to the entire library of games and one-time integration.
The Company offers or has created mobile apps and mobile Websites for dozens of casinos globally. The Company's apps are designed as casino concierge apps, providing operators the opportunity to attract new players, enhance their patrons' casino resort visit, and sell more to them through their phones or mobile tablets. Apps can include casino games, player's club sign-up and account information, hyper-targeted offers, show previews, room and restaurant bookings, feedback surveys, menus, interactive maps, and many other features. Utilizing the Company's cloud-b! ased mobi! le technology platform, casinos can manage their portfolio of mobile Websites and native apps for iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, BlackBerry, and other devices from a single content management system.
The Company competes with International Game Technology, Game Technology Ltd., Aristocrat Leisure Limited, Aruze Gaming America, Inc., GTECH Holdings Corporation, Konami Co. Ltd., Novomatic AG, Recreativos Franco, S.A., Unidesa Gaming and Systems, and WMS Industries, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Travis Hoium]
Consolidation among gaming suppliers is continuing, and now it's with an eye on the future of online gaming. Earlier this year, Scientific Games said it would buy WMS Industries�for $1.5 billion, creating a company with lottery equipment and slot machines. Today, Bally Technologies (NYSE: BYI ) agreed �to buy SHFL entertainment (NASDAQ: SHFL ) for $1.3 billion, or $23.25 per share, creating a casino supplier that can offer nearly all products or services needed to run a casino.�
- [By Rich Duprey]
Gaming specialist Bally Technologies (NYSE: BYI ) has teamed up with U.K.-based payment processor Optimal Payments to offer online gamblers�payment options and related services.
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