If you don't like your cell phone service, you can usually switch, and aggressive competition that includes a promise by two major carriers to pay your contract termination fees has made this easier than ever. If you don't like your bank, there are probably a dozen within driving distance that would be happy to have you. Don't like the airline you flew on for your last vacation? Just book with someone else next time.
But if you don't like your cable TV or Internet provider (and in many cases these services are bundled by the same company), you're pretty much stuck with it. Since these services are necessarily limited by the reach of their service network, the best way for big cable companies to grow in recent years has been to simply buy smaller cable companies.
The limit of that consolidation might finally be tested by last night's news that Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA ) (NASDAQ: CMCSK ) has made an offer to buy Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC ) for $45.2 billion. According to Reuters, the new company would boast roughly 30 million video subscribers after divesting about 3 million. That's more than half of the 56.4 million American cable video subscribers last reported by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and it's still about a third of the total pay-TV market when DISH Network's 20 million subscribers and DirecTV's�14 million subscribers are added to the tally.
Best Communications Equipment Companies To Watch For 2015: eBay Inc.(EBAY)
eBay Inc. provides online platforms, services, and tools to help individuals and merchants in online and mobile commerce and payments in the United States and internationally. Its Marketplaces segment operates ecommerce platform eBay.com; vertical shopping sites, such as StubHub, Fashion, Motors, and Half.com; and classifieds Websites, including Den Bl�Avis, BilBasen, Gumtree, Kijiji, LoQUo, Marktplaats.nl, mobile.de, Alamaula, Rent.com, eBay Anuncios, eBay Kleinanzeigen, and eBay Annunci, as well as provides advertising services. The company?s Payments segment offers payment and settlement services for consumers and merchants on and off eBay Websites and other merchant Websites. This segment operates PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments online and through mobile devices; Bill Me Later that enables the United States merchants to offer, the United States consumers to obtain, credit at the point of sale for ecommerce and mobile tra nsactions; Zong, which allows users with mobile phones to purchase digital goods and have the transactions charged to their phone bill; and BillSAFE that enables customers pay for purchases upon receipt of an invoice. Its GSI segment offers an ecommerce services suite for enterprise clients that operate in general merchandise categories, including apparel, sporting goods, toys and baby, health and beauty, and home; and marketing services comprising full-service digital agency, enterprise email marketing, mobile advertising, affiliate marketing, advertisement retargeting, and in-depth analytics services. The company also offers X.commerce platform that provides software developers access to the company?s applications programming interfaces to develop functionality for various merchants; and Magento Connect, which allows developers to market and sell add-on functionality and solutions to merchants that use a Magento storefront. eBay Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquarter ed in San Jose, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Douglas A. McIntyre]
Several�very well-known apps are not on either top five list, but�each must get millions of downloads a month. Twitter, weather apps, Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P), eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), Gmail, Pinterest, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Skype and Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) already rule across the PC, tablet and smartphone “ecosystems.” None of these is likely to lose popularity, and some probably will gain more.
- [By Wallace Witkowski]
Other notable earnings fall toward the tech end of the spectrum with reports from Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) , Intel Corp. (INTC) , International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) , eBay Inc. (EBAY) and Google Inc. (GOOG) .
- [By Buck Hartzell]
eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY ) various businesses are growing quite nicely at the moment, but I'm surprisingly disappointed with the company nonetheless. Recently, it has become very obvious that investor capital is flowing into the pockets of insiders. C'mon eBay, it's not 1999 anymore.
Top Internet Stocks To Buy For 2014: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)
IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brian Stelter]
I hesitated, but she insisted that I come to the headquarters of Barry Diller's IAC (IACI) for an in-person demonstration of the product, which she called an "online TV platform." Once I was there, I understood. "Surprisingly high-quality signal," I scribbled in my notebook. "Place- and time-shifting!"
Top Internet Stocks To Buy For 2014: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)
Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Hill]
Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ) made it official this week when it announced that it had acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer promised "not to screw it up." What will the acquisition mean for Yahoo!? What will the deal mean for Tumblr? And what will the deal mean for investors? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts tackle those questions.
- [By Alex Dumortier, CFA]
Time to exit Yahoo?
Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ) announced yesterday that it had agreed to repurchase 40 million of its own shares from activist hedge fund manager Third Point, led by Dan Loeb. Yahoo! will pay $29.11 per share (last Friday's closing price), and the transaction reduces Third Point's position by approximately two-thirds to roughly 20 million shares (less than 2% of the common shares outstanding). The three Yahoo! directors nominated by Third Point, including Loeb himself, will step down from the board at the end of the month. - [By Tim Beyers]
After 18 months on the job, Fred Amoroso won't seek re-election to Yahoo!'s (NASDAQ: YHOO ) board of directors. He'll continue to serve as a director through the company's annual meeting on June 25 but has resigned as chairman. Former eBay executive Maynard Webb Jr. has assumed the role on an interim basis, Yahoo! said in a press release.
Top Internet Stocks To Buy For 2014: Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)
Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Briton Ryle]
Right now, the value of gold is very much in question. Of course, we could say the same thing about a growth stock like Amazon.com (AMZN).
How can a company that lost money in two of the last four quarters (and is expected to lose money in the current quarter) trade with a forward P/E of 115 and carry a $317 share price?
- [By Dan Caplinger]
What's coming
Moreover, more tax increases look likely to hit ordinary Americans in the near future. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) has been making agreements with an increasing number of states to collect sales tax on online purchases, and a federal law could subject Amazon, eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY ) , and other online sellers with the obligation to collect taxes. That has helped Best Buy (NYSE: BBY ) and other competing brick-and-mortar retailers, but it means consumers pay more in overall tax. Technically, most taxpayers already owe uncollected sales taxes to their respective states, but few states enforce those provisions vigorously. With state and local sales taxes representing 12 days' worth of the average American's tax burden, increases would have a small but significant impact on many people. - [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
Getty Images Shares of LeapFrog (LF) opened lower on Thursday after posting uninspiring quarterly results. By market close, it was down almost 9 percent. The leading maker of electronic learning toys for children had warned investors that it would disappoint during the seasonally potent holiday quarter. Back in November, it stunned the market by forecasting sales to drop by 9 percent to 17 percent. It turned out to be a lot worse. From Learning Leader to Laggard Sales plunged 24 percent to $186.7 million, well short of the $215.4 million that analysts were expecting. LeapFrog broke even on an adjusted basis, missing Wall Street projections calling for a small profit. LeapFrog knows that young children have abandoned its signature handheld learning toys for apps on full-function tablets. Its own entry into the tablet game failed to generate material buzz in a market that's now overrun with cheap kid-friendly devices. Retailers also didn't help by discounting its entry-level LeapPad2 tablet in December to drive traffic to their stores, a move that disrupted the value proposition of its more expensive higher margin LeapPad2 Power and LeapPad Ultra. LeapFrog used to be on top of the toy world. It was the toast of the industry in 2011 with the debut of its original LeapPad tablet. The rugged touchscreen device didn't surf the Web nor fire up third-party apps, but it dovetailed nicely with its proven ecosystem of learning programs, including storybooks where the words get more complex as a child's aptitude grows. Parents flocked to the brand, and by mid-November of that year LeapPad was the most requested toy on Walmart's (WMT) layaway program. Demand outstripped supply, and by early December, bids for the learning tablet on eBay were roughly twice the suggested retail price. LeapFrog was ready in 2012. It introduced the enhanced LeapPad2, making sure that there were plenty of both tablets available for shoppers. LeapFrog was thriving, but the success didn't
- [By John Reeves]
In the following video, Motley Fool contributor John Reeves takes investors through three major Internet trends happening in 2013 that could be big market drivers. He discusses the continuing smartphone boom and why we're nowhere near market saturation, tells us about who stands to benefit the most from unstoppable tablet sales, and gives investors one metric that shows just how big the global market is becoming for the top 10 Internet properties in the world, such as Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) , Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) , and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ) .
Top Internet Stocks To Buy For 2014: Google Inc.(GOOG)
Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Newman]
Finally, any tech company needs to be spreading its bets across a variety of future platforms. Google� (NASDAQ: GOOG ) is the epitome of this approach. While advertising remains Google's revenue generator, the company has its tendrils in self-driving cars and computerized glasses; $1 billion in renewable energy, including a recent acquisition of a kite-power start-up; and a growing presence in fiber TV and Internet. While many of these projects might flop, similar to Facebook's attempt at a��smartphone operating system, diversifying in future research is as good of an idea as it is for your own investment portfolio.
- [By Alex Planes]
At this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced iWork for iCloud, a direct competitive volley against Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) and (to a lesser extent) Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) in cloud-based productivity software. Chipping away at Microsoft's long-standing dominance with Office would go a long way toward eliminating the Windows-maker as a significant competitive threat in the mobile world. More recently, Apple partnered with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX ) HBO GO and Disney's (NYSE: DIS ) WatchESPN to allow its TV set-top box users access to more diverse on-demand content. Even though Apple has come under significant pressure as the mobile space saturates, its shares are still worth looking into at today's prices.
- [By Hal Lindon]
After a brief morning decline, S&P 500 futures are approaching the all time high of 1809.25. The index, lead by technology stocks Apple (NASDAQ: APPL), which has broken out of 18 day trading range and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), which has exceeded its former all time high (1053.19) by 8.31 points in Tuesday's trading.
- [By Jeff Reeves]
Keeping with the Internet theme, Baidu (BIDU) should be no stranger to momentum investors out there. The stock has long been crowed about as being the ��ext Google (GOOG)��because of its dominance in Chinese search and advertising, among other things.
Top Internet Stocks To Buy For 2014: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)
Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Flannelly]
Nomura Securities analysts initiated coverage on Symantec Corporation (SYMC) early on Wednesday, giving the stock a “Neutral” rating because its upside is already priced into its current valuation.
The analysts see shares of SYMC reaching $29, which suggests a 14.6% upside to the stock’s Tuesday closing price of $25.30.
Nomura Securities analyst Frederick Grieb commented, “In the early innings of a classic turnaround story, but upside largely priced In. We initiate coverage of Symantec (SYMC) with a Neutral rating and a 12-month target price of $29. Symantec is a leading vender in the security and storage markets, but has struggled to grow market share post its 2005 acquisition of VERITAS. The company has faced competitive pressures in its core markets, with ‘freemium’ antivirus software pressuring the consumer business, while the storage business has been challenged by enterprise migration to Windows and Linux from Solaris and UNIX. Despite these headwinds, we are launching coverage of Symantec with a Neutral rating, as we believe management will be able to improve the business by increasing margins (perhaps to +33%) and longer-term organic growth through a combination of simplifying management structures and a better strategy to incentivize the sales force. However, given the stock�� 33% increase YTD, due in part to multiple expansion (P/E up 18% YTD), we believe much of the upside from this turnaround is already baked in. FY14E EPS starts at $1.2; FY15E EPS starts at $2.18.”
Symantec Corp shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Wednesday. The stock is up 34.43% year-to-date.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) were down 13.42 percent to $18.10 after the company fired President and Chief Executive Steve Bennett and appointed director Michael Brown as interim president and CEO. UBS downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral and lowered the price target from $27.00 to $21.00.
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