Mergers, Acquisitions , Splits & Spinoffs.......

[Deleted]

ABT completed their Spinoff of ABBV.
ABT has taken a hit in stock price today equal to the Pricing of ABBV.

This was a 1 for 1 Spinoff. Every share of ABT gave you a share of ABBV.

[The Virginian]

I posted comments in the Dividend Thread DI - I missed this post yesterday - I wasn't aware of the Spinoff at all until I logged into my Brokerage account this morning and discovered I had shares of a new company in it.

[The Virginian]

NEW YORK (AP) — Hormel Foods apparently has a hankering for a peanut butter and bacon sandwich. The company primarily known for Spam and other cured, smoked and deli meats said Thursday that it's buying Skippy, the country's No. 2 peanut butter brand, in its biggest-ever acquisition.

Skippy, which was introduced in 1932 and is a staple in American pantries, is intended to increase Hormel's presence in the center of the supermarket where nonperishable foods are sold. It also gives the Austin, Minn.-based company a stronger footing in international markets. Skippy is sold in about 30 countries and is the leading peanut butter brand in China, where Hormel has been trying to build up its Spam business for the past several years.

Hormel, which also makes canned chili, sausages and pepperoni, currently gets the vast majority of its sales in the U.S., with only about 4 percent of revenue coming from abroad. Now the company is hoping that Skippy, which it's buying from Unilever for $700 million, will help it expand at home and overseas.

In a conference call with analysts, CEO Jeffrey Ettinger noted that peanuts and peanut oil are popular in China. And although peanut butter is not yet a household staple there, he said it is growing rapidly.

Back at home, Ettinger said peanut butter is already regarded as a convenient and affordable source of protein and that Hormel would apply its innovation skills and "take Skippy out of the jar" for use in other products such as packaged snack foods.

For example, he noted that the company recently introduced pepperoni sticks as part of a push to grow its snacks business. With Spam, the company is testing shelf-stable, microwavable meals, such as jambalaya made with Spam. It's also considering a variety of macaroni and cheese made with Spam.

"That concept of taking (Skippy) out of the jar echoes a similar concept we're trying with taking Spam out of the can," Ettinger said in an interview.

For now, there are 11 varieties of Skippy in the U.S., including low-fat and natural varieties. Hormel noted that Skippy is the leading brand in the faster-growing subcategory of natural peanut butter. Overall, Skippy has about 17 percent of the U.S. peanut butter market, according to Euromonitor International. Jif, owned by J.M. Smucker Co., is the largest brand with about 37 percent of the market.

Although Skippy is "a good fit" with its other packaged foods, Ettinger said Hormel still needs to figure out how to handle its merchandising of Skippy in stores, such as whether to display it next to other items.

Swings in peanut butter prices have made growth volatile in recent years, but Skippy sales on average have increased about 4 percent annually on a normalized basis, according to a spokesman for Unilever. The American Peanut Council estimates that Americans eat an average of nearly 4 pounds of peanut butter a year.

Hormel expects annual Skippy sales of about $370 million, with almost $100 million of that from outside the U.S. Ettinger expects Skippy sales to grow in the low single digits domestically and in the high single digits overseas.

The deal includes Skippy manufacturing plants in Little Rock, Ark., and Weifang, China. Hormel Foods Corp. said that it expects the deal to modestly add to its fiscal 2013 results and add 13 cents to 17 cents per share to fiscal 2014 earnings.

The transaction, which still needs regulatory approval, is expected to close in two parts. The domestic closing is expected by the second quarter and the China business is expected to close by the end of the year.

As Hormel continues to grow, Ettinger said future acquisitions could be larger than they have been in recent years. "It's an $8 billion company now. You have to move the needle," he said.

Unilever, based in the Netherlands and the U.K., is one of the largest consumer products companies in the world. It makes Vaseline, Dove soaps and Lipton tea. The company had indicated last year it was considering selling Skippy as part of a strategic review.

Hormel shares were up 4 percent at $33.28.

hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-03-Hormel-Skippy/id-8a2f99525278496297a3febf6ff12c3c

[The Virginian]

LO - Lorillard INC. is doing a 3 for 1 stock Split later this month

Re-posted - from Dividend Stock thread.

[The Virginian]

I found a Stock Split Calender I did not previously know of. Thought I would share:

investing.money.msn.com/investments/calendar/stock-splits

[The Virginian]

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc is considering buying India's Agila Specialties, the injectable-medicines unit of Indian drug supplier Strides Arcolab Ltd, for a possible price of $2 billion, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

Pfizer is doing due diligence and a deal could be reached this quarter, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.

A Pfizer spokeswoman said the company does not comment on market rumors or speculation.

Agila makes cancer treatments and antibiotics, Bloomberg said.

Pfizer shares were up 23 cents at $26.75 on the New York Stock Exchange.

[The Virginian]

J&J shops feminine products business - WSJ

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson is shopping a business that makes women's products such as Stayfree and Carefree pads, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the process.

J&J is looking to sell the unit as it eliminates businesses that are not aligned with its growth priorities, the Journal said.

The feminine products business, which also makes K-Y lubricant, could appeal to a private equity buyer, one of the people told the Journal.

A J&J spokesman could not be reached by Reuters for comment.

New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J has been going through a transition under its new Chief Executive, Alex Gorsky. It is launching new prescription drugs while battling manufacturing problems in its consumer business and shedding some products.

J&J's women's health unit had about $1.6 billion in global sales, down 9 percent from the 2011 period.


Wish they would just do a Spin Off - !

[The Virginian]

 JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank among those interviewed-sources

* Private equity-backed IPOsthis year have so far been successful

By Greg Roumeliotis

NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Quintiles Transnational Corp, the largest provider of contract research for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, is speaking to banks about a potential initial public offering, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Quintiles has held "bake-off" talks with banks this week to appoint bookrunners for an IPO, the people said on condition of anonymity because the discussions are confidential. JPMorgan Chase & Co and Deutsche Bank AG are among the banks vying for a role, one of the people added.

Private equity firms Bain Capital LLC and TPG Capital LP became the lead investors in Quintiles in January 2008 after One Equity Partners sold its stake in the Durham, North Carolina-based company. Britain's 3i Group Plc and Singapore's Temasek Holdings are also investors in Quintiles.

"Quintiles routinely evaluates its capital strategy, and it is our policy not to comment on these matters," Quintiles spokesman Phil Bridges said.

Bain and TPG declined to comment while 3i and Temasek did not immediately respond to a request for comment. JPMorgan declined to comment and Deutsche Bank did not respond to a request for comment.

Regulatory filings from publicly listed 3i show that the private equity firm valued its 7 percent stake in Quintiles at 109 million pounds at the end of March 2009, implying an equity value for Quintiles of 1.56 billion pounds ($2.46 billion).

By the end of March 2012, 3i valued its stake, that had dropped to 4.9 percent, at 86 million pounds, implying an equity value for Quintiles of 1.76 billion pounds ($2.77 billion). Nevertheless, an IPO could value the company substantially above or below such mark-to-market estimates.

Quintiles refinanced a $2 billion loan in December on more favorable terms and also took on $475 million in new debt earlier in 2012 to pay Dividends to its private equity owners, according to notes by credit rating agencies.

Quintiles relies on pharmaceutical companies outsourcing more of their non-core research functions. It recorded net service revenue of about $3.5 billion for the 12 months to the end of June 2012, according to Moody's Investors Service Inc.

Private equity-backed IPOs have put in a strong showing since the start of the year, prompting more buyout firms to consider a stock market flotation as a way to exit their investment.

On Thursday, another IPO of a Bain-backed company, Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc, raised $222 million. Investors drove the shares of the company, which is the largest U.S. child-care provider, up as much as 30 percent in its first day of trading.

Last week, cruise line operator Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd's shares rose 32 percent in their stock market debut following an IPO of the company, which counts TPG and Apollo Global Management LLC among its investors.

[The Virginian]

Jan 28 (Reuters) - Veggie Grill raised $20 million from current stakeholders and new investors to bolster its expansion and capitalize on the growing popularity of healthy dining options, the Santa Monica, California-based restaurant company said on Monday.

It is the fourth round of equity funding for the vegetarian restaurant chain, whose menu includes dishes such as the "All Hail Kale" salad. The privately-held company declined to disclose its valuation.

The investment lands amid growing interest in restaurants that put greater emphasis on healthy food made with ingredients such as organic produce, antibiotic-free meats and vegetable protein. Chains in that group range from national players such as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc and Panera Bread Co to upstarts Lyfe Kitchen and True Food Kitchen.

Veggie Grill plans to open new restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Seattle during the first half of this year.

The company doubled its restaurant count to 16 last year and is on track to double that number again within the next 18 months, executives said.

A substantial portion of the capital from the latest round came from Brentwood Associates, a California-based private equity firm.

Brentwood has a "substantial" minority position in Veggie Grill and is its largest single shareholder. Bill Barnum, a Brentwood partner, and Rahul Aggarwal, its managing director, will join Veggie Grill's board of directors

[The Virginian]

Plywood maker Boise Cascade soars after IPO
By ALEX VEIGABy ALEX VEIGA,

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Riding a U.S. housing recovery and a booming stock market, Boise Cascade, a maker of plywood and other building materials, jumped 25 percent in its market debut Wednesday.

It's the latest solid first-day gain for an IPO, boding well for other companies that want to raise money by going public. Cruise company Norwegian Cruise Line rose 30 percent in its Jan. 18 debut, and has kept rising. Child care provider Bright Horizons gained 27 percent on Jan. 25. Homebuilder Tri Pointe added 12 percent on Jan. 31.

"It's a very healthy IPO market," said Francis Gaskins, president of researcher IPOdesktop. "The lake is rising in terms of the stock market and that brings in IPOs, and in that context, IPOs generally do quite well."

The Dow Jones industrial average, a stock market bellwether, had closed above 14,000 on Friday for the first time since the financial crisis.

When Wall Street rolls out the red carpet for companies like Boise Cascade Co. and others looking to tap the markets for money, it can have a ripple effect across the economy. Selling shares gives companies funds that they can use to grow their business and add more employees.

That path has been a difficult one since the financial crisis broke in 2007, however. Wild swings in stock market prices made investors and companies more nervous about going public, weighing on deal volume. Still, a handful of big debuts, such as the Facebook Inc. IPO last May and General Motors Co.'s return to the public markets in 2010, helped put a gloss on the market and raised the total dollar value of IPOs.

So far this year, 13 companies have raised $5.5 billion in U.S. initial public offerings of stock, according to data provider Dealogic. That's up sixfold from $909 million raised by eight companies in the same stretch last year. In all of 2012, 145 IPOs raised $47.2 billion, though IPOs all but dried up late in the year as concern over the "fiscal cliff" mounted. Lawmakers' deal over taxes at the beginning of January averted the steep tax increases and spending cuts that would have kicked in, helping rally the stock market and unthaw the IPO market.

A burst of companies went public last month — it was the biggest January, by amount of money raised, on record dating back to 1993, said data provider Dealogic. But almost half that money came from the IPO of Zoetis, Pfizer's animal health business. It raised almost $2.6 billion in the largest IPO since Facebook's $16 billion debut.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. raised $514 million, while TRI Pointe Homes LLC gained $268 million in its IPO and Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC $222 million.

Investors may have been particularly drawn to Boise Cascade and TRI Pointe as a way to bet on the housing recovery. Home sales and prices have routinely been setting multiyear highs as they come back from the real estate collapse, fueled by improvements in the job market and the overall economy, coupled with low interest rates.

Shares in the 13 biggest publicly traded U.S. builders remain well off their peak prices from 2005, during the housing boom. Still, their stocks, on average, more than doubled in 2012.

That supports demand for real estate-related IPOs, Gaskins said.

And more is likely coming. Another homebuilder, Taylor Morrison Home Corp., filed documents for an initial public offering in December. The Scottsdale, Ariz., company hopes to raise up to $250 million.

Boise Cascade isn't a homebuilder itself. Originally formed in 1913, Boise Cascade makes plywood and other wood products and building materials, supplying about 4,500 wholesalers, home improvement centers, retail lumberyards and other customers. It bought office supply chain OfficeMax in 2003. That company then sold its paper and wood products division to Madison Dearborn Partners LLC. The private equity firm took Boise Cascade to market and still owns about 70 percent of the Boise, Idaho, company after the IPO. Office supply chain OfficeMax Inc. also kept a 20 percent stake.

Boise Cascade raised $247.1 million in its IPO, which was more than it expected, from selling 11.8 million shares for $21 each. It had initially set a price range of $16 to $18, and raised that to $18 to $20 on Tuesday in a signal of healthy demand. Boise Cascade plans to use $25 million to repay debt and the rest for general corporate purposes.

Trading under the "BCC" ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange, Boise Cascade's stock gained $5.15 to close at $26.15.


hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-06-Boise%20Cascade-IPO/id-56ba5b6ace6348fa8556ee271de69a73

_____

[The Virginian]

DDD - 3 D Printers is spliting their stock as of 25 Feb 2013 !

PLEASE BE AWARE - There is a bit of a bubble in 3-D printers right now - but they are definitely poised for the future. I haven't bought any stock yet but I do hope to in the near future!

3D Systems Corp

DDD

Feb 25

3-2

Feb 5

No

[The Virginian]

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Office supply companies OfficeMax Inc and Office Depot Inc are in advanced talks to merge, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The deal is expected to be a stock-for-stock transaction, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday, adding that the precise terms could not be learned.

The deal is not yet done, and talks could still fall apart, the Journal reported. An announcement could come as early as this week, the Journal added, citing the sources.

A spokesperson for each company could not be reached for immediate comment.

www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/officedepot-officemax-idUSWEN007TR20130218?feedType=RSS&feedName=mergersNews&rpc=76

[The Virginian]

 

<SPAN class="articleLocatio

n">Feb 21 (Reuters) - Oil and gas producer Linn Energy LLC said it would buy Berry Petroleum Co in an all-stock deal valued at $4.3 billion including debt, giving it more exposure to lucrative liquids that will help it raise production by 30 percent.</P></SPAN>

Berry shareholders will receive the equivalent of about $46.24 per share, a 19.8 percent premium to the stock's closing price of $38.59 on Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

I just Sold Linn (LINE) yesterday - Bad Timing on my part !

</SPAN>

[2kids10horses]

Why did you sell LINE?

[The Virginian]

Why did you sell LINE?

I had read some reports of possible accounting problems. I now wish I hadn't of sold it but better safe than sorry.

[The Virginian]

An Old article but it is intresting. I have been looking for a reliable source for upcoming stock splits. I think it has a lot of potential for making money. My latestest stock was DDD which I didn't buy until the day of the split but for some reason it really tanked that morning and I got a great deal. By the next day it not only recovered it went up about $5 per share.

In most cases it seems there is a bump up after a split, maybe people who couldn't afford it see it as an opportunity at a lower price but it seems to be an intresting way of making money.


By Neil Macneale, 2-for-1 Stock Split Newsletter

Our portfolio is comprised of stocks that have announced 2-for-1 stock splits. Each month, we look at all of the companies that have announced splits, and then based on their fundamentals, we select one to add to our model portfolio.

Here's a look at our last two portfolio editions -- retailers TJX Companies (TJX 0.00%) and Ross Stores (ROST 0.00%). We recommend purchase of both.<!--EndofExcerptMarker-->

TJX, better known as TJ Maxx and Marshalls, is a discount retailer and is my pick for this month. Ross Stores, the #2 discount retailer in the U.S., was our portfolio purchase last month and continues to rate a buy.

ROST is a growth stock with several value stock characteristics boosting its score on the 2 for 1 ranking formula.

Its 17.2 PE is lower than the 20.1 average PE for the S&P 500 and is certainly very reasonable for a stock producing a 27.7% average earnings growth rate over the last five years.

TJX is No.1 at about three times the size of Ross in sales and number of stores. Just because it's bigger doesn't necessarily mean it's better, but in this case, it looks at least as good.

Like Ross, TJX has outstanding returns on assets, investment, and equity; well above its peers and the overall market.

For me, this indication of sound management is enough, but at TJX there is also well below market volatility, a reasonable dividend at 1.16%, and an average annual earnings growth rate of 18% over the last five years.

One might question the wisdom of buying two such similar companies back-to-back. In this case, the fact that both companies are doing well and have seen fit to announce splits boosts my confidence that neither is a flash in the pan.

Having positions in two companies that make such good sense in tough economic times will spread the risk in the event one or the other should stumble, however unlikely that may be.

[The Virginian]

This is a list from the 2 for 1 Newsletter:



2-for-1.com/splits-2/

This page is updated every Friday afternoon and contains a list of all splits 2 for 1 and greater since 2005. Click on a symbol for more info on a stock.

Company               Symbol   Ratio    Payable   Announced-------               ------   -------  -------   ---------Franklin Electric     FELE     2 for 1  03/18/13  02/22/13Trimble Navigation    TRMB     2 for 1  03/20/13  02/11/13Saneamento Basico     SBS      2 for 1  01/23/13  01/10/13Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD     2 for 1  01/25/13  12/10/12ProAssurance Corp     PRA      2 for 1  12/29/12  12/05/12Holly Energy P., L.P. HEP      2 for 1  01/16/13  11/29/12Nike Inc.             NKE      2 for 1  12/24/12  11/15/12Minerals Tech, Inc.   MTX      2 for 1  12/11/12  11/14/12Lorillard, Inc.       LO       3 for 1  01/15/13  11/13/12Haemonetics           HAE      2 for 1  11/30/12  10/29/12Homestreet            HMST     2 for 1  11/07/12  10/25/12Stepan Company        SCL      2 for 1  12/14/12  10/24/12Geospace Tech. Corp   GEOS     2 for 1  10/18/12  10/05/12Air Methods Corp.     AIRM     3 for 1  12/28/12  09/28/12Shinhan Financial Grp SHG      2 for 1  10/15/12  09/11/12Catamaran             CTRX     2 for 1  10/01/12  09/06/12Magellan Midstream LP MMP      2 for 1  10/12/12  08/30/12Medivation Inc        MDVN     2 for 1  09/21/12  08/28/12LKQ Corp              LKQ      2 for 1  09/18/12  08/17/12Plains All Am. Pipeln PAA      2 for 1  10/01/12  08/16/12Tronox Ltd            TROX     5 for 1  07/25/12  06/29/12Under Armour          UA       2 for 1  07/09/12  06/11/12Dollar Tree           DLTR     2 for 1  06/26/12  05/29/12CME Group             CME      2 for 1  07/20/12  05/24/12Raven Industries      RAVN     2 for 1  06/25/12  06/23/12Blyth Industries      BTH      2 for 1  06/15/12  05/16/12Dormam Products       DORM     2 for 1  06/15/12  05/16/12Advisory Board        ABCO     2 for 1  06/18/12  05/01/12Coca-Cola             KO       2 for 1  08/10/12  04/25/12FMC Corp.             FMC      2 for 1  05/24/12  04/24/12Google                GOOG     2 for 1  na        04/12/12Valhi                 VHI      3 for 1  05/10/12  03/15/12Copart                CPRT     2 for 1  03/28/12  03/12/12Ascena Retail         ASNA     2 for 1  04/03/12  03/08/12Delta Natural Gas     DGAS     2 for 1  05/01/12  02/21/12Alaska Air Group      ALK      2 for 1  03/16/12  02/16/12ONEOK                 OKE      2 for 1  06/01/12  02/15/12Donaldson Co.         DCI      2 for 1  03/23/12  01/27/12Monster Beverage      MNST     2 for 1  02/15/12  01/11/12TJX Cos.              TJX      2 for 1  02/02/12  01/05/12Cabot Oil & Gas       COG      2 for 1  01/25/12  01/03/12Ross Stores           ROST     2 for 1  12/15/11  11/17/11Estee Lauder          EL       2 for 1  01/20/12  11/03/11Phamasset             VRUS     2 for 1  08/31/11  08/09/11Eastman Chemical      EMN      2 for 1  10/03/11  08/05/11Clearwater Paper      CLW      2 for 1  08/26/11  07/28/11Quality Systems       QSII     2 for 1  10/06/11  07/28/11RGC Resources         RGCO     2 for 1  09/01/11  07/25/11Polaris Industries    PII      2 for 1  09/12/11  07/20/11Bank of the Ozarks    OZRK     2 for 1  08/16/11  07/19/11HMS Holdings          HMSY     3 for 1  08/16/11  07/11/11Triumph Group         TGI      2 for 1  07/14/11  06/09/11Clean Harbors         CLH      2 for 1  07/26/11  06/08/11ONEOK Partners        OKS      2 for 1  07/12/11  06/07/11Polycom               PLCM     2 for 1  07/01/11  06/01/11Cerner                CERN     2 for 1  06/24/11  05/31/11II-VI                 IIVI     2 for 1  06/03/11  05/17/11MAXIMUS               MMS      2 for 1  06/30/11  05/09/11Oceaneering Internat. OII      2 for 1  06/10/11  05/09/11Six Flags Ent.        SIX      2 for 1  06/27/11  05/05/11Church & Dwight       CHD      2 for 1  06/01/11  05/05/11CSX                   CSX      3 for 1  06/15/11  05/04/11Assisted Living Cpts  ALC      2 for 1  06/15/11  05/03/11Fortinet              FTNT     2 for 1  06/01/11  04/29/11Lincoln Electric      LECO     2 for 1  05/31/11  04/29/113D Systems            TDSC     2 for 1  05/18/11  04/28/11Kronos Worldwide      KRO      2 for 1  05/20/11  04/26/11Fastenal              FAST     2 for 1  05/20/11  04/19/11California Water      CWT      2 for 1  06/10/11  04/05/11Alexion Pharma        ALXN     2 for 1  05/20/11  03/30/11Lululemon Athletica   LULU     2 for 1  N/A       03/28/11United Stationers     USTR     2 for 1  05/31/11  03/01/11Nordson Corp.         NDSN     2 for 1  04/12/11  03/01/11FMC Technologies      FTI      2 for 1  03/31/11  02/25/11Herbalife             HLF      2 for 1  05/17/11  02/23/11Enbridge Energy Partn EEP      2 for 1  04/21/11  02/22/11Lear Corp.            LEA      2 for 1  03/17/11  02/17/11RF Industries         RFIL     2 for 1  04/15/11  02/11/11MassMutual Corp. Inv. MCI      2 for 1  02/18/11  01/27/11Potash Saskatchewan   POT      3 for 1  02/24/11  01/27/11Destination Maternity DEST     2 for 1  03/01/11  01/27/11Eaton Corp.           ETN      2 for 1  03/01/11  01/27/11Whiting Petroleum     WLL      2 for 1  02/21/11  01/26/11Ball Corp.            BLL      2 for 1  02/15/11  01/26/11Wisconsin Energy      WEC      2 for 1  03/01/11  01/21/11Tanger Factory Outlet SKT      2 for 1  01/24/11  01/05/11Advent Software       ADVS     2 for 1  01/18/11  12/13/10Hormel Foods          HRL      2 for 1  02/14/11  12/13/10Freeport-McMoRan      FCX      2 for 1  02/01/11  12/09/10Patriot Transport     PATR     3 for 1  01/17/11  12/01/10Riverbed Technology   RVBD     2 for 1  11/08/10  10/21/10Reynolds American     RAI      2 for 1  11/15/10  10/15/10SXC Health Solutions  SXCI     2 for 1  09/17/10  09/02/10ResMed                RMD      2 for 1  08/30/10  08/05/10Tractor Supply Co.    TSCO     2 for 1  09/02/10  07/29/10Danaher               DHR      2 for 1  06/11/10  05/12/10Lufkin Industries     LUFK     2 for 1  06/01/10  05/05/10Express Scripts       ESRX     2 for 1  06/07/10  05/05/10Inergy Holdings       NRGP     3 for 1  05/24/10  05/04/10General Mills         GIS      2 for 1  06/08/10  05/03/10Green Mountain Coffee GMCR     3 for 1  05/17/10  04/28/10Decker Outdoor Corp.  DECK     3 for 1      June  04/23/10Amer. Spectrum Realty AQQ      2 for 1  05/10/10  04/20/10Edwards Lifesciences  EW       2 for 1  05/17/10  04/12/10BioReference Labs     BRLI     2 for 1  04/21/10  04/07/10ASA Limited           ASA      3 for 1  05/03/10  04/05/10Silgan Holdings       SLGN     2 for 1  05/03/10  03/29/10BioSpecifics Tech     BSTC     2 for 1  n/a       03/25/10NetLogic Microsystems NETL     2 for 1  03/20/10  02/17/10Core Laboratories     CLB      2 for 1  07/07/10  02/10/10

[The Virginian]

MARCH 2013

<Previous Month

This Month's Calendar

Next Month>

COMPANY	SYMBOL	SPLIT EFFECTIVE	RATIO	ANNOUNCED	OPTIONABLE
Splits Payable: Mar 18
Franklin Electric Co Inc	FELE	Mar 19	2-1	Feb 22	No
Jarden Corp	JAH	Mar 19	3-2	Feb 14	No
Splits Payable: Mar 20
Trimble Navigation Ltd	TRMB	Mar 21	2-1	Feb 11	No

[ModE98]

Fannie, Freddie may merge some operations. The Federal Housing Finance Agency is working on a plan to merge some of the operations of Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB) in a new venture that would be separate from the two firms and could lay the groundwork for eventually replacing them. Initially, the venture would consolidate some of the "back-office" operations that Fannie and Freddie duplicate.

Credit:  Seeking Alpha "Wall Street Breakfast" news.

[The Virginian]

Colgate Announces 2-For-1 Stock Split and 10% Dividend Increase Effective 2nd Quarter 2013

Reflecting the Company’s positive outlook, the Board of Directors of Colgate-Palmolive Company CL today approved a two-for-one split of the Company’s common stock to be effected through a stock dividend and increased the ongoing quarterly cash dividend by 10%, both effective in second quarter 2013 as described below.

Ian Cook, Colgate’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Colgate finished 2012 with excellent growth momentum worldwide, driven by broad new product success. Today’s actions demonstrate our confidence in the continued strong and profitable growth of Colgate’s global business.”

The record date for the two-for-one split is the close of business on April 23, 2013, with share distribution scheduled for May 15, 2013. As a result of the split, shareholders will receive one additional share of Colgate common stock, par value $1.00, for each share they hold as of the record date. Total shares outstanding will increase from approximately 468 million to 936 million.

The higher quarterly dividend of $0.68 per share on a pre-split basis, up from $0.62, is to be paid May 15, 2013 to shareholders of record as of April 23, 2013. On an annualized basis, the new rate is $2.72 per share (or $1.36 after giving effect to the split).

About Colgate-Palmolive: Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Speed Stick, Lady Speed Stick, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom’s of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet. For more information about Colgate’s global business, visit the Company’s web site at www.colgatepalmolive.com. To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® oral health education program, please visit www.colgatebsbf.com. CL-

 

[Deleted]

Sweeet.

[The Virginian]

Don't own the stock directly but it is in a fund I own.

[The Virginian]

 Private-equity backed West Corp said it expects its initial public offering of 21.28 million shares to be priced at between $22 and $25 each.

At the mid point of the expected price range, the company will raise up to $500 million in proceeds, a majority of which will be used to redeem its senior subordinated notes.

West Corp provides conferencing services and other communications technology and services to a variety of clients, including hospitals, public safety organizations and corporations.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company expects to list on the NASDAQ under the symbol "WSTC", it said in an amended filing with the U.S. regulators.

The company, which first filed for an IPO in 2009, said that Goldman Sachs and  Morgan Stanley  are the lead underwriters for the offering.

The company, which was acquired in 2006 by a group led by private equity firms THL and Quadrangle Group LLC for $3.34 billion, reported net income of $125.5 million on revenue of $2.64 billion for 2012.

 

 

[The Virginian]

March 21 (Reuters) - Salesforce.com Inc said on Thursday its board of directors had approved a 4-for-1 stock split as its shares continued an almost unbroken four-year ascent.

Since early 2009, shares of the cloud-based sales and marketing software company have more than quadrupled under Chief Executive Marc Benioff, who has funneled resources toward gaining market share and led the company's expansion into the social media sector.

Salesforce shares were up 0.5 percent at $173.74 after hours, after having risen as much as 2 percent.

The record date for the stock split is the close of business on April 3. The number of shares is expected to increase from 400 million to 1.6 billion, the company said.

[The Virginian]

By Steven Russolillo

<DL style="WIDTH: 262px" class="wp-caption alignright caption-alignright "><DT class=wp-caption-dt></DT><DD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right" class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd">S&P Dow Jones Indices</DD><DD style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" class=wp-caption-dd>Click for bigger image</DD></DL>

Stock splits could be poised for a comeback.

Salesforce.com Inc. CRM +1.81%last night announced a four-for-one stock split, a move that will create more shares outstanding for the Web-based business-software company, each at a lower price. The decision, which comes as the overall market continues to hover around record highs and companies are flush with cash, prompted at least one analyst to wonder whether Salesforce will kick off a fresh wave of stock splits for S&P 500 companies not seen since the 1990s.

“Companies are more comfortable with higher priced stocks then they historically were,” says Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “If prices continue up (or at least hold their ground), I would expect an increase in splits as some boards continue to keep their stock in an investor friendly price range.”

Companies typically split their stock to make shares more affordable to smaller investors, among other reasons. Considering Salesforce shares closed at $172.73 yesterday prior to the announcement, the split could make the price look more appealing and increase the stock’s trading volume.

The decision comes as stock splits have largely been shunned by companies in recent years. As WSJ’s Matt Jarzemsky reported earlier this month, stock splits were a thing of the 1990s that have since gone the wayside of Starter jackets and Reebok Pump sneakers. Many more companies were splitting their stocks in the 1990s and early 2000s as opposed to the post-financial-crisis period over the past four years.

But now, major indexes at trading at record highs and stock prices getting more expensive by the day, creating an environment that could be ripe for stock splits to make a return.

There are currently 113 companies in the S&P 500 whose stock prices are at least $75, the highest amount since at least since 1980, according to Silverblatt. By comparison, only 12 S&P 500 companies have stock prices of $10 and under, the lowest amount since 2006.

Rumors circulated earlier this month that Apple Inc. AAPL +1.71%was toying with splitting its stock, a move that could’ve potentially juiced what has been a fledgling stock price for the past six months. Apple didn’t split its stock and those rumors have since diminished.

Critics of stock splits say they do nothing to actually boost a company’s fundamentals. The impact on a company’s valuation is negligible and, some argue, they create superficial demand for shares that has a short shelf life.

In the 4-for-1 stock split Salesforce announced, each shareholder by the April 3 close will receive three additional shares for every outstanding share held on the record date. These additional shares will be distributed on April 17, and trading will begin on a split-adjusted basis on April 18. The move will increase Salesforce’s shares outstanding to 1.6 billion, from 400 million.

Salesforce’s move drew praise from Jim Cramer, who called it a smart move. From Cramer:

I think Salesforce.com’s $170 stock is simply too treacherous to own, not because of how the company’s doing, which is fabulously, but because of how poorly the security trades. It is too thin and too unwieldy. Plus, it is endlessly footballed around by the hedge-fund community. Salesforce.com is a target — one that is so easily knocked down by shorts, so easily raided and so easily trashed that perhaps only a 4-for-1 may be able to stem the attacks. Put simply, I think they will go elsewhere for their prey if this stock no longer trades like at ten-pin in a Professional Bowlers Association tour. It will cease to be a frightening stock to own.

The question now is whether more companies will start following in Salesforce’s footsteps.

[The Virginian]

Reuters) - Eye care company Bausch & Lomb Holdings Inc, owned by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, filed with U.S. regulators to raise upto $100 million in an initial public offering.

The proposed IPO could raise as much as $1.5 billion and is expected to value Bausch & Lomb at about $9 billion to $10 billion, Reuters reported earlier in March.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the company said J.P.Morgan, BofA Merrill Lynch and Citigroup were the lead underwriters of the offering. ()

Warburg Pincus continues to explore a private sale of the company and is working with Goldman Sachs to find a buyer, a source had told Reuters.

Founded in 1853, Rochester, New York-based Bausch & Lomb makes contact lenses, eye drugs and surgical equipment and sells its products in more than 100 countries.

It was taken private by Warburg Pincus in 2007 for about $4.5 billion, including $830 million of debt, after it fell out of Wall Street's favor because of product recalls, big charges and restatements of earnings. Warburg Pincus committed over $1 billion of equity toward the buyout.

The filing did not reveal how many shares would be on sale or their expected price.

The amount of money a company says it plans to raise in its first IPO filings is used to calculate registration fees. The final size of the IPO could be different.

[The Virginian]

Satellite-television giant DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV  ) has employed Latin America as its growth driver over the past couple of years, and it's been a wonderful partnership. The company has gained millions of subscribers in the region while its North American business faces the same challenges felt by competitor DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) and other service providers. Recently, DIRECTV courted Vivendi-owned GTV, a Brazilian broadband player with 10% of the market share. However, the deal recently crumbled over disagreement on price. This left some analysts thinking now may be an appropriate time for DIRECTV and DISH Network to join forces. What would that look like?

A history of not merging
The DIRECTV-DISH merger is not a new concept at all. The two companies actually tried to do it back in 2002, but regulators determined it was not in the best interest of free markets. This wouldn't be the same situation today, though, given the formidable competition from streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon.com, in addition to traditional cable companies.

But why would the two companies want to merge? DIRECTV CEO Mike White said the two companies do, in fact, have strong potential synergies.

Two different strategies, same goal
Both DISH and DIRECTV have taken significant, though very different, strides to navigate the changing tides of content distribution. DIRECTV has taken what I consider to be a more traditional, risk-averse strategy of expanding into emerging markets -- mainly Latin America. This has, as I mentioned, led to explosive subscriber growth quarter after quarter, even if ARPUs have suffered because of low price points and exchange rates. DIRECTV's shares are currently trading at an all-time high.

DISH, on the other hand, took the risky road, and it has yet to pay off. The company has been aggressively attempting to build out its own broadband network, with some degree of success. But what it really needs is a partner. The company recently made an offer for Clearwire that came in at a premium to Sprint Nextel's offer, but most believe Clearwire will ultimately go to the latter. This leaves DISH in a tricky position -- it has billions invested in valuable spectrum, years of regulatory shuffling and positioning, and meanwhile, lackluster subscriber numbers in its U.S. market. If DISH is eventually able to launch its wireless network and compete head-on with telecoms, it would be a major value driver going forward, but this leaves little to be excited about in the short term.

So by merging with DIRECTV, DISH would solve its core business stagnation. The resulting company would easily be the satellite-television overlord of the Americas, with plenty of cash flow from both its higher ARPU North American subscribers, and its rapidly increasing Latin American operations.

DIRECTV, on the other hand, would get the spectrum and broadband play, possibly even more valuable than its proposed acquisition of GTV.

Many, including Investment bank Macquarie, think this merger makes more sense now than ever and could be right around the corner.

Good, bad, indifferent?
Some of the benefits to the proposed company, and hopefully its stock, would be the typical increased operating efficiencies and scale. Marketing spend could be reduced and cutthroat pricing may be alleviated, though the company would still need to stay competitive with cable and streaming options.

But the real benefits of this merger are long-term implications. DISH Chairman Charlie Ergen mentioned that the power in this business currently lies with content providers over distributors. This leaves the satellite and cable companies in a difficult position -- a mature market with commodity like properties facing fierce competition from the infinite ability of the Internet. Even DIRECTV, a company I have been a long time fan of, doesn't have the exposure it needs to this disruptive force to remain competitive over the long term.

The immediate winners of the merger would be DISH shareholders, who would probably see a sharp premium to the current stock price. Macquarie analysts think DIRECTV would pay as much as $50  per share for DISH, compared with today's price of less than $35. DIRECTV shareholders may have to wait much longer for their own benefits.

While this proposed merger may be the best for the businesses involved, I would prefer to own cash-flow-winning DIRECTV today and for a few more years, without DIS

[The Virginian]

Never heard of this company but it seems with a 10-1 Reverse split they just wrote their own Obituary !

TULSA, Okla., March 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Syntroleum Corporation ("Syntroleum" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:SYNM -8.22%, news) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a 1-for-10 reverse split of its common stock. As previously disclosed in the Form 8-K filed June 28, 2012, the Company's stockholders voted to grant discretion to the Board of Directors to effect a reverse stock split of the Company's common stock at any ratio between 1-for-2 and 1-for-10, with the final decision to be determined by the Company's Board of Directors in its discretion.

Syntroleum currently intends for the reverse stock split to become effective after the close of trading on Thursday, April 11, 2013. The Company's common stock is expected to begin trading on a split adjusted basis on the Nasdaq Capital Market ("Nasdaq") at the opening of trading on Friday, April 12, 2013, subject to the final determination of Nasdaq. Syntroleum's common stock will continue trading on Nasdaq under its ticker symbol "SYNM" but the Company will trade under a new CUSIP number.

As a result of the reverse stock split, every ten shares of Syntroleum's old common stock will be converted into one share of Syntroleum's new common stock. Fractional shares resulting from the reverse stock split will be settled by cash payment from the Company's transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC ("AST"). The amount of the cash payment will be determined based on the closing market price of the common stock as reported on Nasdaq on March 22, 2013. Receipt of the cash payment is conditional upon submission of a letter by the Company's stockholders to AST and, where shares are held in certificated form, the surrender of all old certificate(s).

AST will send instructions to stockholders of record regarding the exchange of certificates for common stock and the process for receiving a cash payment in lieu of fractional shares.

About Syntroleum (Nasdaq:SYNM -8.22%, news)

Syntroleum Corporation owns the Syntroleum® Process for Fischer-Tropsch (FT +0.63%, news) conversion of synthesis gas into liquid hydrocarbons, the Synfining® Process for upgrading FT liquid hydrocarbons into refined petroleum products, and the Bio-Synfining® technology for converting renewable feedstocks into drop-in fuels. Syntroleum has a 50% interest in Dynamic Fuels, LLC, which operates a 75 million gallon per year renewable fuels facility located in Geismar, Louisiana utilizing its Bio-Synfining® technology. For additional information, visit the Company's web site at www.syntroleum.com

[The Virginian]

 General Electric Co said it will buy oilfield services provider Lufkin Industries Inc for about $3.3 billion.

The offer values Lufkin at $88.50 per share, representing a premium of 38 percent to the stock's Friday close.

[The Virginian]

A.O. Smith increases dividend; stock split ahead

MILWAUKEE (AP) - The A. O. Smith Corp. is increasing its quarterly dividend by 20 percent and planning a stock split following an annual meeting of shareholders Monday.

The Milwaukee-based technology company's new dividend of 24 cents per share will be paid on May 14 to shareholders of record as of April 29. That is up from its most recent dividend of 20 cents per share.

A.O. Smith said this is the eighth consecutive year that it has increased its quarterly cash dividend.

The company also said that it is planning a 2-for-1 stock split after shareholders approved an increase in its shares outstanding. Holders of the company's common stock and class A common stock will receive one additional share of such class of stock for every share held as of April 30.

The move will increase the total number of outstanding shares to 92.7 million.

Shares of the company ended trading down 4 percent, or $2.82, at $67.02 as the broader markets also sold off. The stock is up about 52 percent in the past year.

money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20130415&id=16355693