As I write, it’s a balmy 115 degrees.  Hot enough it seems to fry an egg on the sidewalk. While the sear of the sun can be draining… to one industry the heat of the sun does nothing but fill their wallets with money!

 

What industry am I talking about?

 

The solar energy industry of course!  The powerful sun’s rays that can burn you to a crisp in a few minutes, also deliver a nice economic benefit.  It’s a nearly free and endless supply of energy.

 

With the sun at the zenith, right now is a perfect time to examine solar stocks.   So here’s a good one to put on your radar screen, Canadian Solar (CSIQ).

 

QUICK FACTS

Ticker                                      CSIQ

Industry                                  Alternative Energy

Recent Price                         $11.34

Market Cap                            $485 m

Shares Outstanding            42.9 m

Average Volume                   351,413

Dividend Yield                       “NA”

Website                                  http://www.canadian-solar.com/

 

 

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is one of the world’s leading producers of solar modules.  They provide ingots, wafers, solar cells, modules, and power systems.  Pretty much anything solar related CSIQ has a hand in it.

 

They own eight manufacturing subsidiaries, operate in nine countries and have 9,000 employees.

 

The funny thing is… despite being called Canadian Solar, most of their operations are in China!

 

In their first quarter conference call management said Canadian Solar is a bigger player now than it was a year ago.  They believe their supply chain agreements should reflect that.

 

Renegotiating supply contracts is just one measure management is taking to increase productivity.  At the same time they are lowering their production costs.  The company is attempting to expand their profits by growing sales and holding down costs.

 

Solar companies often measure their manufacturing capacity in megawatts (MW) and gigawatts (GW).  CSIQ’s full year shipment for 2010 was 803 MW, and they expect their 2011 end of the year capacity to be 2.05 GW.  That means there is room for Canadian solar to more than double sales!

 

They’ve also set an aggressive target to obtain 10% of the global market share in the next three to five years.

 

Lofty goals, but management seems confident in their growth potential and their ability to lower production costs.

 

FINANCIALS

Last quarter, their numbers were looking strong.  Canadian Solar’s net revenue was up almost 32% to $443.4 million when compared to the prior quarter.

 

Gross Profit surged 55.8% to $65.3 million, with Gross Margin’s climbing to 14.7%.  That’s up from 12.2% a year ago.  Even net income rose to $5.9 million, with the company reporting an EPS of $0.13!  A solid quarter all around.

 

Longer term, the company is heading in the right direction.  EPS has grown from $0.24 in 2008 to a $0.60 profit in 2009, and then jumped to $1.16 at the end of 2010.  This is a company that’s having its day in the sun!

 

Now, it’s not without some struggles.

 

Sales in Japan were temporarily halted following this year’s earthquake.  They have now resumed, and management believes shipments will be back to normal levels soon.  They expect growth in Japan’s sales to resume by the third quarter.

 

The company also seems pretty proud of their U.S. team for aggressive market development.  Management said they expect to double sales to the U.S. by the end of 2011!  .

 

KEY METRICS ANALYSIS

Trailing P/E                                        8.6x

Price / Sales                                      0.29x

Return on Assets                             5.7%

Insider ownership                            N/A

Short Ratio                                         4.7x

Current Ratio                                    1.2x

Total Debt To Equity                         156x

 

RECENT EVENTS

The last few months have been big for Canadian Solar.   In May Canadian Solar and Suzhou GCL Photovoltaic Technology announced a new joint-venture.  It entails building a plant with a 600 MW wafer capacity, with a future plan of expanding the plant to a 1.2 GW output.

 

Then on June 7, 2011 Canadian Solar announced a breakthrough on some of their ELPS solar cells.  The cell efficiency is up 19.5% on monocrystalline, and 18% on polycrystalline cells.

 

CEO Shawn Qu said the ELPS cell technology is just one key ingredient in their strategy to lower production costs while simultaneously building a more efficient product.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Shawn (Xiaohua) Qu – CEO

Weiwen Chen – CFO

Gregory Spanoudakis – President, European Sales

Robert McDermott – Lead Independent Director

 

STOCK ANALYSIS

In terms of valuation CSIQ has a few interesting numbers.  Their P/E ratio is a tiny 8.9x.  Keep in mind that the average S&P 500 company trades for around 14x right now!  That means the company is as much as 57% undervalued.

 

In addition they have a lot of growth prospects.

 

CSIQ’s 52-week low was $8.25 and the 52-week high was $17.63.  Right now the stock is trading at $11.34.  The 50-day moving average is near $9.61 a share and the 200-day moving average is at $11.91.  The company has a market cap of $485 million and 42.9 million shares outstanding.

 

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The world of online travel is fierce.  This week we’re taking a look at one of the larger and more popular online travel companies.  They’ve had some big court cases fall their way recently.  As a result, many investors are looking more closely at the business… and the stock.  Give them a close look yourself.

The next exciting company to put on your radar is Orbitz Worldwide (OWW).

 

QUICK FACTS

Ticker                                      OWW

Industry                                   Travel

Recent Price                          $2.37

Market Cap                             $243 m

Shares Outstanding            102.5 m

Average Volume                    103,756

Dividend Yield                       “NA”

Website                                   www.corp.orbitz.com

 

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Last year Orbitz Worldwide (OWW) spent $217 million on marketing… so almost everybody in the world knows who they are!   In case you don’t own a TV… Orbitz is an online travel company.  Customers go online and book airline travel, hotel rooms, rental cars… anything they need for a business or vacation trip!

 

The company was founded in 2000 by a handful of major airlines looking to cash in on the growing demand for self-made travel plans.

 

The company owns a bunch of destination websites including cheaptickets.com, ebookers.com, and hotelclub.com.  All are focused on the travel sector.

 

FINANCIALS

Now, the economy hasn’t been the best recently.  Unemployment is high, and many people are struggling day to day.  As a result, nobody has money for travel.

 

The travel industry is one of the hardest hit by the last recession.

 

In early May the company announced first quarter results.  Gross bookings hit $2.9 billion up about 2% from the year earlier.  Net revenue for OWW was $184 million down about 1% and the company showed a net loss of $10 million… that’s more than double the loss from a year earlier!

 

These numbers don’t look good.

 

Management knows it… that’s why they came right out and said “We’re not satisfied with our overall Q1 results…”  CEO Barney Harford clearly has his work cut out for him.

 

Management expects next quarter revenue to be in a range of $194 to $200 million.  I can’t wait to see what they do.

 

KEY METRICS ANALYSIS

Trailing P/E                                      “NA”

Price / Sales                                      0.3

Return on Assets                             2.5%

Insider ownership                           1.0%

Short Ratio                                         7.3x

Current Ratio                                     0.5x

Total Debt To Equity                       266.2x

 

RECENT EVENTS

OWW recently won a huge court case against American Airlines who tried to pull their flights off of Orbitz’s system.  It was part of the reason sales numbers were down.  The stock jumped higher on the news.

 

In other news, OWW recently scooped up the lucrative contract to service Eurostar, the high speed train that runs from London to Paris.  They stole the business from their key competitor Expedia.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Barney Harford – CEO

Russel Hammer – CFO & Sr. Vice president

Samuel M Fulton – Sr. Vice President

Roger Liew – Sr. Vice President & CTO

 

STOCK ANALYSIS

Despite seeing an uptick on the American Airlines court case news, the stock is still in a downdraft.  Orbitz is still trading below both the 200-day and well below the 50-day moving average.

 

OWW’s 52-week low was $2.06 and the 52-week high was $7.01.  Right now the stock is trading at $2.37.  The 50-day moving average is near $2.76 a share and the 200-day moving average is at $4.59.  The company has a market cap of $243 million and 102.6 million shares outstanding.

 

Charts courtesy of stockcharts.com

 

 

This week we have an exciting write-up on a company in the biotechnology industry.  Many novel little companies are working to solve some of the world’s largest health problems… and today’s company is no different.

 

The next exciting company to put on your radar is Sangamo Biosciences (NasdaqGM: SGMO)

 

QUICK FACTS

Ticker                                        SGMO

Industry                                     Biotechnology

Recent Price                            $5.85

Market Cap                               $306m

Shares Outstanding               52.3m

Average Volume                     167,065

Dividend Yield                         N/A

Website                                    www.sangamo.com

 

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Sangamo Biosciences (SGMO) is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in DNA-binding proteins.  Essentially, the company is working to make the science fiction of gene modification a reality.

 

They’ve developed Zinc Finger DNA-binding proteins which can be used to force certain genes to turn on or off.  Sangamo has a lot of Zinc Finger irons in the fire.  They’re developing treatments for diabetic neuropathy, lateral sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and even stroke.

 

The company even has a promising Zinc finger modified T-cell product for the treatment of HIV/AIDs.

 

Look, any way you slice it their technology is complex.  However, as they develop new and radical treatments for some of the world’s largest health problems the rewards they could uncover are huge!

 

Researchers are excited about the potential of Zinc Finger DNA-binding protein treatments.  Jay A. Levy, the head of the Laboratory for Tumor and AIDS Virus Research at the University of California said, “It’s a terrific way of looking for a long-term functional cure for the virus.  This approach shows the most promise of any that I know of.”

 

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

SGMO is a biotech company, and they’re still in the process of proving their biotechnology really works.  As a result they have very small revenue from collaboration agreements and research grants.  It’s nothing to write home about.

 

The really big money will be made once one of their products is approved by the FDA!

 

The key to companies like this is comparing their Cash and Marketable Securities to any Debt that’s due.  One quick look at the latest financial statements and we see the company has over $45 million in cash and securities, and no long term debt.  Now a little more digging and we learn the company just completed a $50 million fundraising in April.

 

So their real cash balance is probably closer to $95 million – A fantastic position to be in!

 

KEY METRICS ANALYSIS

Trailing P/E                                          N/A

Price / Sales                                        19.1

Return on Assets                              -28.9%

Insider ownership                              5.7%

Short Ratio                                          18.3x

Current Ratio                                      14.2x

Total Debt To Equity                            N/A

 

RECENT EVENTS

In January the company finished up phase 2b of SB-509 testing.  That’s the drug treating moderate or severe diabetic neuropathy.  This study was undertaken to establish finalized dose and treatment schedules.  Sangamo will announce results in the second half of 2011.  Once results are in, the company can look towards potentially partnering with other drug companies.

 

On April 13, 2011, Sangamo finished an offering of 6.7 million shares raising over $50.2 million in cash.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Edward O Lanphier II – CEO & President

H Ward Wolff – CFO & Sr. Vice president

Dale Ando, M.D. – Vice President of Therapeutic Development and CMO

Philip Gregory, D. Phil – Vice President of Research and CSO

David Ichikawa – Senior Vice President of Business Development

 

STOCK ANALYSIS

Chart courtesy of stockcharts.com

 

SGMO stock has been in a downtrend for the last few weeks along with the overall market.  Just this week the stock broke below the 200-day moving average and the 50 day moving average is in a downslope.

 

SGMO’s 52-week low was $2.81 and the 52-week high was $9.15.  Right now the stock is trading at $5.95.  The 50-day moving average is near $7.01 a share and the 200-day moving average is at $6.01.  The company has a market cap of $306 million and 52.3 million shares outstanding.

 

Ask anyone what they think about the financial industry, and normally you’ll get a glum look. Over the last few years, no industry has been more hated by the stock market than the financial. While many deserve the evil eye… a few deserve a closer look.

Here’s an exciting company poised for a great future. Take a close look at Sun Bancorp, Inc. (NasdaqGS: SNBC)

 

QUICK FACTS
Ticker:                                     SNBC
Industry:                                  Banking
Recent Price:                         $3.62
Market Cap:                            $286m
Shares Outstanding :           79.2m
Average Volume:                   111,327
Dividend Yield:                       N/A
Website:                                  www.sunnb.com

 

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Sun Bancorp is… you guessed it, a bank. They’re based out of Vineland, New Jersey, and they operate a subsidiary called Sun National Bank. They have a wide variety of services for both commercial and personal banking at their 56 branches.

Sun National is a certified ‘Preferred Lender’ by the Small Business Administration and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

They do all the normal bank stuff. On the commercial side Sun National provides checking accounts, cash management, electronic banking, sweep accounts, lock boxes, remote deposits and such.

On the private consumer side Sun National offers checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as residential mortgages, construction loans, home equity, and installment loans.

Sun Bank has been listed on Forbes Magazine’s “Most Trustworthy Companies” for the past five years. Having $3.4 billion in assets certainly helps to inspire trust. .

 

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Look folks, the banking industry hasn’t been the best place to operate over the last few years. Yet those companies that survive these tough times are going to come out the other side of this long dark tunnel much better off.

Sun National made a lot of loans in the real estate industry, and now those loans are causing problems. But the company is taking the right steps to right the ship.

They’re selling off troubled assets and they went out and raised additional capital. It’s a difficult step to take, but it’s the right thing to do.

Let’s cut to the chase…

Last quarter was ugly for the company. They generated $25 million in interest income, had almost $28 million in interest expenses and took a $67 million write-off. When it was all said and done, the company posted a loss of just over $67 million.

Here’s the key.

The company is purging bad debt, and raising capital. Just last quarter they added $81 million in capital from a share sale. And they were able to sell off $174 million of bad debt.

The economy might still be shaky but Sun’s business is definitely bouncing back. Their commercial loans are the strongest they’ve been since 2009. The company also enacted a home equity sales campaign which they credit for doubling revenue generated from their customer applications in that department.

Best of all the company has $3.3 billion in assets making them money every day! Any way you slice it the future is looking brighter for the company.

 

KEY METRICS ANALYSIS

Trailing P/E:                                      N/A
Price / Sales:                                   1.9x
Return on Assets:                         -7.3%
Insider ownership:                       49.3%
Short Ratio:                                      2.1x
Current Ratio:                                   N/A
Total Debt To Equity:                        N/A

 

RECENT EVENTS

Wilbur Ross, a longtime investor worth nearly $2 billion, recently bought huge chunks of SNBC twice. Once in late March and again in April according to SNBC’s 13-d filings. His hedge fund, Invesco Private Capital, owns 12.5 million shares of SNBC, valued at nearly $58 million. That’s a big show of faith from an experienced investor.

In Q1 they closed a huge public offering of nearly 29 million common shares. Mostly to Ross and his associated funds. Those sales brought in $81.4 million.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Thomas X. Geisel – CEO & President
Bernard A. Brown – Chairman
A. Bruce Dansbury – Executive Vice President and COO
Robert B. Crowl – Executive Vice President and CFO

 

STOCK ANALYSIS

Chart Courtesy of stockcharts.com

 

As you can see, SNBC stock bounced off recent lows of just over $3.00 a share and is now flirting with the 50-day moving average. If the stock climbs above this resistance level, it’s a great positive signal for the stock.

Watch these indicators closely for any sign of moving higher… a positive sign for the company.

SNBC’s 52-week low was $3.00 and the 52-week high was $5.58. Right now the stock is trading at $3.62, just below the 50-day moving average near $3.69 a share and below the 200-day moving average of $4.33. The company has a market cap of $286 Million and 79.2 million shares outstanding.

 

This Company has it all… exciting technology, phenomenal growth, and great near term catalysts.  Take a closer look at:

Mindspeed Technologies (NasdaqGS: MSPD)

 

QUICK FACTS

Ticker:                                         MSPD

Industry:                                     Semiconductors

Recent Price:                            $8.73

Market Cap:                               $292.5m

Shares Outstanding:               33.5m

Average Volume:                      216,072

Dividend Yield:                          N/A

Website:                                     www.mindspeed.com

 

COMPANY ANALYSIS

Mindspeed Technologies (MSPD) is on the hardware side of the IT world.  They’re the people keeping our information flowing.  That’s a pretty important role in an economy that depends so heavily on instantaneous communications.  Their three product bases are Processor-Based Solutions, Analog Solutions, and WAN Communications.

Simply put, if it weren’t for companies like MSPD, we’d still be working at dialup speeds.  They provide the hardware and applications that allow businesses to process and store the information going into and out of communications systems faster and more efficiently.

Put simply, if you’re reading this report from your email or on the web, the information probably made its way through a piece of equipment using Mindspeed’s technology.

 

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Mindspeed’s revenue has stayed steady over the past year.  That’s pretty astounding considering how difficult the economic environment has been.  As of the latest quarter, the company reported revenue of $38.6 million… up slightly from the same time last year.

In addition, the company announced gross margins increasing to 63.1%.  And Non-GAAP Diluted Earnings per Share of $0.01.

MSPD also has a very strong balance sheet with more than $44.9 million cash on hand.  Best of all, management recently announced they expect to grow revenue 7% to 11% next quarter!

 

KEY METRICS ANALYSIS

Trailing P/E:                              15.2x

Price / Sales:                              1.6x

Return on Assets:                     15%

Insider ownership:                   6.2%

Short Ratio:                                 4.1x

Current Ratio:                             2.7x

Total Debt To Equity                22.5x

 

RECENT EVENTS

Mindspeed was having a rough year in 2008.  Things were looking pretty grim until a new CFO, Bret Johnson, rode into town saving the day.  Mindspeed credited their recent financial turnaround to Johnson’s influence.

Like the tall handsome hero in every western movie, now that Johnson’s work is done, he’s riding off into the sunset.  Johnson was replaced by 15-year Mindspeed veteran Kristen Schmidt.

In other news, Fiberhome Telecommunications, which specializes in – you guessed it – Telecommunications, announced their decision to use Mindspeed’s large crosspoint switch in their next-generation Optical Transport Network (OTN) product line.  It sounds complicated… and it is.  All you really need to know is that leading telecom companies are snapping up MSPD products.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Raouf Y. Halim – CEO & President

Kristen M. Schmidt – Interim CFO

Thomas J. Medrek – Sr. Vice President & GM

Gerald J. Hamilton – Sr. Vice President

Kurt F. Busch – Sr. Vice President & GM

 

STOCK ANALYSIS

Despite a depressing month in the markets MSPD stock is continuing its strong move higher.  In early January the price crossed above the 50-day moving average.  In February it blasted up above the 200-day.  Most importantly the 50-day crossed above the 200-day in late March. These are all strong buy signals for this stock.  The stock continues showing good strength, even in a weak market!

 

Chart Courtesy of stockcharts.com

MSPD’s 52-week low was $5.25 and the 52-week high was $9.66.  Right now the stock is trading at $8.73 well above the 50-day moving average near $8.45 a share and the 200-day moving average of $7.44.  The company has a market cap of $291 Million and 33.5 million shares outstanding.