"This is a well-funded adversary taking their time to develop very specific malware to go after very specific targets and a big payday," says Chris Petersen, chief technology officer at security intelligence firm LogRhythm. "This is organized crime applied to cybercrime."
Last April, Visa issued an alert to retailers about network intrusions targeting POS data at grocery merchants in early 2013. The technique discovered by the payment card giant involved installing a memory-parsing program on Windows-based cash register systems and back-of-house (BOH) servers. The clever piece of malware was designed to extract data from magnetic-striped payment card transactions.
10 Best Gas Stocks To Buy Right Now: Asbury Automotive Group Inc (ABG)
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (Asbury), incorporated on February 15, 2002, is an automotive retailers in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 99 franchises (79 dealership locations). It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; vehicle maintenance; replacement parts and collision repair services; new and used vehicle financing, and aftermarket products, such as insurance, warranty and service contracts. As of December 31, 2011, it offered 30 domestic and foreign brands of new vehicles. Its brand mix is weighted 84% towards luxury and mid-line import brands, with the remaining 16% consisting of domestic brands. As of December 31, 2011, it operated dealerships in 18 metropolitan markets throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2011, its retail network consisted of eight locally-branded dealership groups. As of December 31, 2011, its brand names included Nalley Automotive Group, Courtesy Autogroup, Coggin Automotive Group, Crown Automotive Company, David McDavid Auto Group, North Point Auto Group, Gray-Daniels Auto Family and Plaza Motor Company. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company sold its heavy truck business in Atlanta, Georgia, two franchises and one additional ancillary business. On May 2, 2011, the Company sold its luxury brand dealership in California. In December 2012, the Company acquired a Volkswagen and a Bentley store in the Atlanta, Georgia market.
New Vehicle Sales
As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a range of 30 American, European and Asian brands. Its new vehicle unit sales consist of the sale of new vehicles to individual retail customers (new vehicle retail) and the sale of new vehicles to commercial customers (fleet). During the year ended December 31, 2011, it sold 71,449 new vehicles through its dealerships. During 2011, new vehicle sales were 54% of its total revenues and 22% of its total gross profit. The Company�� new vehicle revenues include new vehi! cle sale and lease transactions arranged by its dealerships with third parties.
Used Vehicle Sales
The Company sells used vehicles at all of its dealership locations. Used vehicle sales include the sale of used vehicles to individual retail customers (used retail) and the sale of used vehicles to other dealers at auction (wholesale). During 2011, it sold 55,805 used retail vehicles through its dealerships. During 2011, sales of used retail vehicles accounted for approximately 25% of its total revenues. During 2011, wholesale sales represented 4% of its total revenues.
The Company�� new vehicle operations provide its used vehicle operations with a supply of trade-ins and off-lease vehicles. It also purchases a portion of its used vehicle inventory at auctions restricted to new vehicle dealers and open auctions, which offer vehicles sold by other dealers and repossessed vehicles. Its used vehicle inventory is sold as wholesale if a vehicle is not sold at retail within 60 days, except for used vehicles, which does not fit within its inventory mix. The reconditioning of used vehicles also generates revenue for its parts and service departments.
Parts and Service
Asbury sells replacement parts and provides vehicle maintenance and collision repair service at all of its franchised dealerships, for the vehicle brands sold at those dealerships. As of December 31, 2011, in addition, it maintained 25 free-standing collision repair centers either on the premises of, or in close proximity to, its dealerships. During 2011, parts and service revenues accounted for approximately 14% of its total revenues.
Finance and Insurance
The Company refers to the finance and insurance portion of its business as F&I. Through its F&I business, it arranges, and receives commissions for, third-party financing of the sale or lease of new and used vehicles to customers, as well as offers a range of aftermarket products, such as extended servi! ce contra! cts, guaranteed asset protection (GAP) debt cancellation, pre-paid maintenance and credit life and disability insurance. It also generates F&I revenues from the receipt of marketing fees paid to it under agreements with preferred lenders. During 2011, its F&I business generated approximately 3% of its total revenues. Extended service contracts cover repair work after the expiration of the manufacturer warranty. GAP debt cancellation covers the customer after a total loss for the difference between the value of the vehicle and the outstanding loan or lease obligation after insurance proceeds. Prepaid maintenance covers routine maintenance work, such as oil changes, cleaning and adjusting of brakes, multi-point vehicle inspections and tire rotations. Credit life and disability covers the remaining amounts due on an auto loan or a lease in the event of death or disability.
The Company earns sales-based commissions from third-party lenders, including manufacturer captive finance subsidiaries which arranges on behalf of its customers. It may be charged back (chargebacks) for these commissions in the event a finance contract is cancelled or repaid, typically within the first 90 days of such contract. During 2011, it arranged customer financing on approximately 70% of the vehicles it sold. The Company is a party to a range of preferred lender agreements. These payments are determined by the lenders based upon an agreed-upon earnings schedule.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Inyoung Hwang]
Fresnillo Plc (FRES) and Polymetal International Plc sank at least 7 percent to lead declines in the Stoxx 600 after the precious-metals producers were not included in the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index. Fresnillo tumbled 13 percent to 1,045 pence. Polymetal plunged 7.1 percent to 659.5 pence. African Barrick Gold Plc (ABG) also fell, losing 12 percent to 143.9 pence.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE: ABG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Jeremy Bowman]
What: Shares of Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE: ABG ) were revving up today, gaining as much as 15% after posting a strong earnings report.
5 Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Lowe's Companies Inc.(LOW)
Lowe's Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company offers a range of products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating, and property maintenance. It provides home improvement products in the categories of appliances, lumber, paint, millwork, building materials, lawn and landscape products, flooring, rough plumbing, seasonal living, tools, hardware, fashion plumbing, lighting, nursery, outdoor power equipment, cabinets and countertops, home organization, rough electrical, and home fashion, as well as boards, panel products, irrigation pipes, vinyl sidings, and ladders. The company also offers installation services through independent contractors in various product categories. Lowe's Companies serves homeowners and renters primarily consisting of do-it-yourself customers and do-it-for-me customers; and commercial business customers, who work in the construction, rep air/remodel, commercial and residential property management, or business maintenance professions. As of August 15, 2011, it operated approximately 1,725 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company also offers its products through electronic product catalogs and Lowes.com. Lowe's Companies, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is based in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Steven Russolillo]
WATCH FOR:� No major economic data on dap. American Eagle, Booz Allen, Eaton Vance(EV), Hormel Foods(HRL), L Brands(LB), Lowe's(LOW), NetApp, PetSmart(PETM), Renren(RENN), Sina, Target, Tiffany, Trina Solar(TSL) and Williams-Sonoma(WSM) are among companies scheduled to report quarterly results.
- [By Dan Moskowitz]
It's a sad fact that a shareholder friendly company is hard to come by these days. Fortunately, one company that not only continues to deliver financial rewards also happens to almost always act in the best interests of its owners. That company? National home improvement retailer�Home Depot (NYSE: HD ) �. Not only is Home Depot extremely shareholder friendly, but it also appears to be even more so than arch-rival�Lowe's (NYSE: LOW ) which also happens to be among the best of breed when it comes to putting itself in its owners shoes.�
- [By Victor Selva]
Finally, I always like to see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the return on equity. The ratio has increased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. With ROE of 25.51%, it is well above the industry mean of 9.10% and Lowe's Companies Inc. (LOW) good ratio of 14%.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Lowe's Companies (NYSE: LOW) is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.60 per share on revenue of $13.86 billion. Lowe's shares rose 1.05% to $46.00 in the after-hours trading session.
5 Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Groupon Inc (GRPN)
Groupon, Inc. (Groupon) is a local e-commerce marketplace that connects merchants to consumers by offering goods and services at a discount. Each day the Company e-mails its subscribers discounted offers for goods and services that are targeted by location and personal preferences. Consumers also access its deals directly through its Websites and mobile applications. The Company operates in two segments: North America, which represents the United States and Canada; and International, which represents the rest of its global operations. Customers purchase Groupons from the Company and redeem them with its merchants. As of September 30, 2011, the Company featured deals from over 190,000 merchants worldwide across over 190 categories of goods and services. Groupon primarily addresses the worldwide local commerce markets in the leisure, recreation, foodservice and retail sectors. In February 2012, the Company announced the launch of Groupon Thailand. In September 2012, it acquired Savored.
In May 2010, the Company acquired CityDeal Europe GmbH (CityDeal). In August 2010, the Company acquired Qpod.inc (Qpod). In November 2010, the Company acquired Ludic Labs, Inc., a company that designs and develops local marketing services. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company acquired Mobly, Inc. In February 2011, the Company launched Deal Channels, which aggregates daily deals from the same category.
The Company distributes a featured daily deal by e-mail on behalf of local merchants to subscribers. It offers daily deals from more than 40 national merchants, including Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Hyatt Regency, InterContinental Hotels, Lions Gate, Redbox, Shutterfly and Zipcar across subsets of the North American market. Daily deals that do not appear as a featured daily deal appear as Deals Nearby. Each Deal Nearby is summarized in fewer than 20 words next to the featured daily deal. Deals Nearby often extends beyond the subscriber's closest market or buying preferences.
National merchants also have used the Company�� marketplace as an alternative to traditional marketing and brand advertising. On August 19, 2010, the Company e-mailed and posted a Groupon daily deal offering $50 of apparel at Gap for $25 to 9.2 million subscribers across 85 markets in North America. It sold approximately 433,000 Groupons in 24 hours. Of the consumers who purchased Groupons, approximately 200,000 were new subscribers. As of September 30, 2011, it had 142.9 million subscribers to its daily e-mails.
Groupon NOW is a deal initiated by a merchant on demand and offered instantly to subscribers through mobile devices and its Website. Subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company launched Groupon NOW in 25 North American markets. Deal Channels aggregate daily deals from the same category and are accessible through its Website and through e-mail alerts that subscribers sign up to receive. It offers Deal Channels in home and garden and event tickets and travel. Merchants can register their deals to be included in a Deal Channel. Subscribers can use Deal Channels to focus on deals that are of interest to them.
Self-Service Deals allows the Company�� merchants to use a self-service platform to create and launch deals at their discretion. The use of the platform is free and allows merchants to establish a permanent e-commerce presence on Groupon that can be visited and followed by subscribers. The Company receives a portion of the purchase price from deals sold through Self-Service Deals based on the extent to which it marketed the deal. In December 2010, it launched Self-Service Deals in selected North American markets.
Groupon Goods enables consumers to purchase vouchers for products directly from its Website. The Company e-mails deals for Groupon Goods weekly to a targeted subscriber base. The Company offers deals for a variety of product categories, including electronics, home and garden and toys. In September 2011, the Compa! ny launch! ed Groupon Goods in select North American and International markets.
Groupon Rewards enables consumers to unlock special Groupon deals from local merchants through repeat visits. Consumers earn reward points at participating merchants by paying with the credit or debit card they have registered with the Company. Merchants set the amount the consumer must spend to unlock a reward deal, and once a consumer is eligible to unlock a deal, it automatically notifies them. The Company distributes its deals directly through several platforms: a daily e-mail, its Websites, its mobile applications and social networks.
In December 2010, the Company partnered with Redbox to offer a daily deal to their user base and it acquired over 200,000 new customers through that offer and in March 2011, it partnered with eBay to offer a daily deal to their user base and it acquired over 290,000 new customers through that offer. The featured daily deal e-mail contains one headline deal with a full-description of the deal and often contains links to More Great Deals Nearby, all of which are available within a subscriber's market.
Visitors are prompted to register as a subscriber when they first visit its Website and thereafter use the Website as a portal for featured daily deals, Deals Nearby, national deals, and where available, Deal Channels and Self-Service Deals. Consumers also access the Company�� deals through its mobile applications, which are available on the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows mobile operating systems. It launched its first mobile application in March 2010. The Company publishes its daily deals through various social networks and its notifications are adapted to the particular format of each of these social networking platforms.
Groupon competes with Google, Microsoft, Eversave, BuyWithMe and LivingSocial.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Benjamin Pimentel]
Microsoft (MSFT) �shed 0.8% to close at $38.11, while Groupon Inc. (GRPN) �slipped 1.3% to close at $8.57.
- [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 Kevin Chen]
And so far, that's remained true. While Groupon� (NASDAQ: GRPN ) seemed poised to boost its profits with Chinese growth, Alibaba's own group-buying website, Juhuasuan, may have been one reason Groupon had to close the China door.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Andy Wong/AP Alibaba (BABA) is the new belle of the dot-com ball in China. The e-commerce juggernaut pulled off a record initial public offering in September when it raised $25 billion on the way to becoming a public company. Analysts love Alibaba. They were able to initiate coverage on Wednesday, following the 40-day quiet period that follows an IPO's debut. Only one of its underwriters -- Goldman Sachs -- failed to tap it as a buy recommendation. It's easy to see the appeal. Alibaba helped 231 million active buyers place 11.3 billion orders totaling $248 billion in transactions last year, and it's just getting started. However, the stock, with its nearly $250 billion market cap, isn't cheap. Let's look at some Chinese dot-coms that have been trading longer and could be more compelling bargains. Baidu (BIDU) China's leading search engine posted another blowout quarter on Wednesday, just as analysts were gushing all over Alibaba. The company behind China's largest search engine saw revenue soar 52 percent over the prior year's third quarter. Earnings climbed just 27 percent, but that was twice as fast as analysts were expecting. Baidu is investing in low-margin online specialties including travel, video and mobile app storefronts, and that weighs on bottom-line growth. Baidu remains one of China's biggest winners. It went public nine years ago at a split-adjusted price of $2.70, and now it trades north of $200. Baidu fulfills roughly two-thirds of all queries, and it is rocking at a time when its profitability is still suppressed. 51job (JOBS) Matching employees to potential hires started out with old-school tech for 51job. It got its start by inserting weekly job listings in more than two dozen leading Chinese newspapers. Then the Internet came along, allowing 51job to convert its thick Rolodex and respected brand into a leading online recruiter. It's working: 51job is growing its revenue in the low double digits. It's trading at a reasonable 22 time
5 Best Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Target Corporation(TGT)
Target Corporation operates general merchandise stores in the United States. The company offers household essentials, including pharmacy, beauty, personal care, baby care, cleaning, and paper products; hardlines comprising music, movies, books, computer software, sporting goods, and toys, as well as electronics that comprise video game hardware and software; apparel and accessories consisting of apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, infants, and newborns; and intimate apparel, jewelry, accessories, and shoes. It also provides food and pet supplies, including dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, produce, and pet supplies; and home furnishings and d�or, such as furniture, lighting, kitchenware, small appliances, home d�or, bed and bath, home improvement, and automotive products, as well as seasonal merchandise, which include patio furniture and holiday d�or. The company sells its merchandise products under private-labe l and exclusive licensed brands. In addition, it provides in-store amenities. As of January 28, 2012, Target Corporation operated 1,763 stores in 49 states and the District of Columbia under Target and SuperTarget names. Further, it offers general merchandise through its Website, Target.com. The company distributes its merchandise through a network of distribution centers, as well as third parties and direct shipping from vendors. Additionally, it offers credit to guests through its branded proprietary credit cards, the Target Visa Credit Card and the Target Credit Card, as well as through its branded proprietary Target Debit Card. Target Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
J. Scott Applewhite/AP WASHINGTON -- A cyberattack similar to previous hacker intrusions from China penetrated computer networks for months at USIS, the government's leading security clearance contractor, before the company noticed, officials and others familiar with an FBI investigation and related official inquiries told The Associated Press. The breach, first revealed by the company and government agencies in August, compromised the private records of at least 25,000 employees at the Homeland Security Department and cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars in lost government contracts. In addition to trying to identify the perpetrators and evaluate the scale of the stolen material, the government inquiries have prompted concerns about why computer detection alarms inside the company failed to quickly notice the hackers and whether federal agencies that hired the company should have monitored its practices more closely. Former employees of the firm, U.S. Investigations Services, also have raised questions about why the company and the government failed to ensure that outdated background reports containing personal data weren't regularly purged from the company's computers. Details about the investigation and related inquiries were described by federal officials and others familiar with the case. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the continuing criminal investigation, the others because of concerns about possible litigation. A computer forensics analysis by consultants hired by the company's lawyers defended USIS' handling of the breach, noting it was the firm that reported the incident. The analysis said government agencies regularly reviewed and approved the firm's early warning system. In the analysis, submitted to federal officials in September and obtained by the AP, the consultants criticized the government's decision in August to indefinitely halt the firm's backg
- [By Douglas A. McIntyre]
Five commerce sites made the list. First among them was Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) in sixth place at 114.4 million. Ebay (NASDAQ: EBAY) sat in 12th place at 71 million. Walmart (NYSE WMT) ranked 18th at 54.1 million, and Target (NYSE: TGT) in 34th place at 34.2 million. Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) was 37th at 31 million. The data show have far back the three huge bricks and mortar retailers are compared to Amazon.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Lynn Watson/Shutterstock Last year, Target (TGT) fumbled its entry into Canada. Then, a data breach torpedoed its Christmas shopping season sales. (Maybe you heard of it?) Then it lost its CEO. It's been a litany of despair for Target shareholders, as the stock shed 13 percent over the past six months. It didn't begin or end with the revelation that hackers had broken into Target computers and stolen 40 million debit and credit card numbers. (In fact, Target shares have been trending downwards for nearly a year). But here's the good news: The breach doesn't seem to have affected Target's popularity with its customers one bit. Target Can't Be Knocked Down That's the surprising conclusion of a poll just recently released by Bloomberg, which concluded that none of the bad news that has frightened off Target investors has had much of an impact on Target customers. To the contrary, according to Bloomberg's national poll, conducted May 8-11, only about 7 percent of Target customers say they're likely to spend less at Target over the next year than they did in the previous year. Meanwhile, 85 percent say they expect to shop about as much at Target this year as they did last year. And 7 percent -- a number equal to those who say they'll spend less -- told Bloomberg that they are inclined to spend more at Target this year than they did last year. These shoppers appear to be backing up their words with actions. In Target's most recent earnings report, released in May, it was confirmed that despite the data breach, and despite the CEO's exit, Target's quarterly revenues climbed 2 percent in comparison to the previous year's quarter. If these numbers didn't sound strange enough already, you'd better sit down for this next bit. According to Bloomberg's poll, only "about half" of Target customers say they are confident that the company "will be able to keep credit and debit-card information safe from here on in." So apparently, customers are fully aware of the data br
- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
And several executives laughably claimed their systems were more secure and trustworthy than anything based on Bitcoin, which isn't even true now. Have they already forgotten the massive credit card data breach at Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) last year?
No comments:
Post a Comment