For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – February 10, 2010 – Zacks Equity Research highlights AMERCO (UHAL) as the Bull of the Day and The Hain Celestial Group (HAIN) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) and Comcast Corp. (CMCSA).
Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5506
Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:
AMERCO (UHAL) is the parent company of U-Haul International, the largest consumer truck rental company in the world. It is also the second largest self-storage company in North America.
The impact of the decline in housing and a decrease in apartment occupancy rates appears to have ended. Third quarter transactions improved as the quarter progressed.
Based on a low valuation of EBITDAL and discounting the aforesaid factors, we continue to rate the stock Outperform with a price target of $60.00 a share.
The recent economic downturn has been exerting pressure on consumer disposable incomes triggering a shift in focus from higher priced organic products to cheaper private label brands. Consequently, retailers and distributors are being compelled to reduce inventories, thus exerting pressure on sales growth at The Hain Celestial Group (HAIN).
Moreover, in the natural and organic foods market, Hain Celestial faces intense price competition from big players, which could also negatively impact the company’s sales and margins. However, HAIN’s strategic investments and sustained effort to contain costs, increase productivity and enhance cash flows and margins has enabled it to weather the downturn to some extent.
That said, we downgrade our recommendation to Underperform and set a price target of $13 per share. The company currently has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell).
Latest Posts on the Zacks Analyst Blog:
Switched Digital Video Thriving
Switched Digital Video (SDV) technology is likely to boom in near future as more and more large cable MSOs in the U.S. are gradually moving towards overall services convergence. SDV technology distributes digital video content through cable network in a cost-effective manner so that additional uses can be made using the free bandwidth.
Cable MSOs are opting to deliver IP-based and cross-platform video services, and support more targeted advertising. Deployment of SDV will free up bandwidth that can be used to offer high-definition TV channels (HDTV), HD video-on-demand programs, and DOCSIS 3.0.
Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), the second largest cable TV operator in the U.S., is the pioneer in deploying large scale SDV technology. The company is rolling out SDV in three major markets of Los Angeles, New York City, and Dallas that together account for above 6 million subscribers for the company. Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) also started implementing SDV technology.
Recently, Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest cable MSO in the U.S., also hinted that the company may follow suit in near future. Comcast had earlier given trial with SDV but put it into back burner.
The SDV platform can also be utilized by cable MSOs for other applications like IPTV and the upcoming 3DTV services. Using the SDV technology, cable operators can deliver both real-time and on-demand video services to IPTV set-top boxes, personal computer, and mobile handsets.
Get the full analysis of all these stocks by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=5507.
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