The upscale retailer, known for its one-of-a-kind items and luxury catalog, says it will now offer free standard shipping and free returns permanently for all domestic purchases made on its websites or at its Bergdorf Goodman and namesake stores.
The competitive move comes at a time major retailers are gearing-up for the critical holiday season, which can often make the difference between a very good year or a very bad one. For the luxury retailer, it's also a move to keep pace with some key rivals, including Nordstrom, which already offers permanent free shipping on domestic purchases and returns.
"The customer has always been at the center of the Neiman Marcus business model," says Wanda Gierhart, chief marketing officer, in a statement.
Top Transportation Stocks To Own Right Now: Apollo Gold Corporation(BRD)
Brigus Gold Corp. engages in the extraction, processing, refining, and production of gold and other by-product metals primarily in North America. The company principally produces gold and silver. It primarily owns the Black Fox Complex and Black Fox Mill properties located in the Timmins Mining District in the Province of Ontario, Canada; the Goldfields project located in the Lake Athabasca region of Saskatchewan, Canada; and the Ixhuatan property located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Brigus Gold Corp., through its joint venture, holds interests in the Ampliacion Pueblo Viejo and Loma El Mate gold exploration projects located in the Dominican Republic. The company was formerly known as Apollo Gold Corporation and changed its name to Brigus Gold Corp. in June 2010. Brigus Gold Corp. was founded in 1936 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By MONEYMORNING]
As well, Primero Mining (NYSE: PPP) bought Brigus Gold Corp (USA)(NYSE: BRD) for $220 million, and Asanko Gold (NYSEMKT: AKG) is acquiring PMI Gold Corporation (TSE: PMV).
- [By Zacks Investment Research]
It is hard to find a good play in the Zacks Industry of mining non-ferrous metals, as the industry currently has a rank of 247 out of 261. In fact, in our five mining industries, there are only two No. 1-Ranked stocks: Brigus Gold (BRD) and Impala (IMPUY.PK). Both of these are in struggling industries, but they have proven to be best-in-class thanks to improving earnings estimates. Plus, both have seen their ranks surge from holds (or worse) up to strong buy territory, suggesting either of these names might be better picks than the struggling SCCO at this time.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2014: Church & Dwight Co Inc (CHD)
Church & Dwight Co., Inc. develops, manufactures and markets a range of household, personal care and specialty products. The Company�� brands include ARM & HAMMER, (used in multiple product categories, such as baking soda, carpet deodorization and laundry detergent), TROJAN Condoms, XTRA laundry detergent, OXICLEAN pre-wash laundry additive, NAIR depilatories, FIRST RESPONSE home pregnancy and ovulation test kits, ORAJEL oral analgesics and SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes. The Company operates in three segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products segments represented approximately 72%, 19% and 9%, respectively, of the Company�� net sales. On June 28, 2011, the Company acquired the BATISTE dry shampoo brand from Vivalis, Limited. The BATISTE brand is managed principally within the Consumer International segment. On September 22, 2011, the Company, together with FMC Corporation and TATA Chemicals, formed an operating joint venture, Natronx Technologies LLC. In October 2012, it acquired Avid Health, Inc. (Avid).
The Consumer Domestic segment includes eight brands and other household and personal care products, such as SCRUB FREE, KABOOM and ORANGE GLO cleaning products, ANSWER home pregnancy and ovulation test kits, ARRID antiperspirant, and CLOSE-UP and AIM toothpastes. The Consumer International segment primarily sells a range of personal care products, some of which use the same brands as its domestic product lines, in international markets, including Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and China. The Specialty Products segment is a producer of sodium bicarbonate, which it sells together with other specialty inorganic chemicals for a variety of industrial, institutional, medical and food applications. This segment also sells a range of animal nutrition and specialty cleaning products.
Consumer Domes! tic
The Company specializes in baking soda-based products, as well as other products. In addition, this segment includes other deodorizing and household cleaning products, as well as laundry and personal care products. The Company�� household products include ARM & HAMMER Pure Baking Soda, ARM & HAMMER and XTRA Powder and Liquid Laundry Detergents, ARM & HAMMER Carpet & Room Deodorizers, ARM & HAMMER Cat Litter Deodorizer, ARM & HAMMER Clumping Cat Litters, ARM & HAMMER, FRESH�� SOFT Fabric Softeners, ARM & HAMMER Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths, ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda, SCRUB FREE Bathroom Cleaners, CLEAN SHOWER Daily Shower Cleaner, CAMEO Aluminum & Stainless Steel Cleaner, SNO BOL Toilet Bowl Cleaner, XTRA and NICE�� FLUFFY Fabric Softeners and FELINE PINE Cat Litter. The Company�� personal care products include ARM & HAMMER Toothpastes, SPINBRUSH Battery-operated Toothbrushes, MENTADENT Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, AIM Toothpaste, PEPSODENT Toothpaste, CLOSE-UP Toothpaste, RIGIDENT Denture Adhesive, ARM & HAMMER Deodorants & Antiperspirants, ARRID Antiperspirants, LADY�� CHOICE Antiperspirants, TROJAN Condoms and Vibrating Products, FIRST RESPONSE Home Pregnancy and Ovulation Test Kits, ANSWER Home Pregnancy and Ovulation Test Kits, NAIR Depilatories, Lotions, Creams and Waxes and ORAJEL Oral Analgesics.
In 2011, household products constituted approximately 65% of the Company�� Domestic Consumer sales and approximately 47% of the Company�� total sales. The Company markets its ARM & HAMMER brand laundry detergents, in both powder and liquid forms. The Company markets its XTRA laundry detergent in both powder and liquid. The Company also markets XTRA SCENTSATIONS, a concentrated liquid laundry detergent, and OXICLEAN pre-wash laundry additive. The Company markets ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Laundry Detergent and ARM & HAMMER plus OXICLEAN liquid and powder laundry detergents. In 2011 the Company launched the scented liquid detergent clinically tested safe for sensiti! ve skin u! nder the ARM & HAMMER name. The Company�� laundry products also include fabric softener sheets.
The Company markets ARM & HAMMER FRESH �� SOFT liquid fabric softener and offers another liquid fabric softener, NICE�� FLUFFY. The Company markets ARM & HAMMER Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths, a fabric softener sheet used in the clothes dryer. The Company also markets a line of cat litter products, including ARM & HAMMER Super Scoop clumping cat litter. Line extensions of Super Scoop include ARM & HAMMER Multi-Cat cat litter, designed for households with more than one cat, ARM & HAMMER Odor Alert cat litter, with crystals that change color when activated, ARM & HAMMER Essentials clumping cat litter, a corn-based scoopable litter, and ARM & HAMMER Double Duty cat litter, which eliminates both urine and feces odors on contact. In addition, the Company markets a line of household cleaning products, including CLEAN SHOWER daily shower cleaner, SCRUB FREE bathroom cleaners and SNO BOL toilet bowl cleaner. The Company also markets KABOOM bathroom cleaner and ORANGE GLO household cleaning products.
In 2011, Personal Care Products constituted approximately 35% of the Company�� Consumer Domestic sales and approximately 25% of the Company�� total sales. ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda, when used as a dentifrice, whitens and polishes teeth. The Company also manufactures in the United States and markets in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada, CLOSE-UP, PEPSODENT and AIM toothpastes, and the MENTADENT brand of toothpaste and toothbrushes. The Company markets ORAJEL oral analgesics, which includes products for adults, as well as Baby ORAJEL Cooling Cucumber Teething Gel and Baby ORAJEL Tooth and Gum Cleanser. The Company markets SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes in the United States (including Puerto Rico), the United Kingdom, Canada, China and Australia. The Company also markets SPINBRUSH Pro-Select toothbrushes; SPINBRUSH Pro-Recharge, a rechargeable toothbrush offering up ! to one we! ek of power brushes between charges, and SPINBRUSH Sonic. The Company�� deodorant and antiperspirant products are marketed under the ARM & HAMMER, ARRID and LADY�� CHOICE brand names.
TROJAN is the Company�� condom brand. Its other brands in this category include ECSTASY, TROJAN Ultra Thin condoms and TROJAN Fire and Ice Condoms. The Company also markets a series of vibrating products under the TROJAN name. The Company also markets ANSWER in the home pregnancy and ovulation test kit market. The Company also markets a home female fertility test under the FIRST RESPONSE brand name. The Company offers a range of depilatory products for women, men and teens under the NAIR brand name. In 2011 and 2012, new NAIR variants were launched. These included Cool Gel, Roll-On Milk and Honey, and Brazilian Spa Clay products. The Company markets the SIMPLY SALINE brand of nasal saline moisturizers in Europe and other parts of the world.
Consumer International
The Consumer International segment markets a variety of personal care products, household and over-the-counter products in international markets, including Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and China. Total Consumer International net sales represented approximately 19% of the Company�� consolidated net sales in 2011. Net sales of the subsidiaries located in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia accounted for 36%, 17%, 17% and 12%, respectively, of the Company�� 2011 international net sales in this segment. The Company markets depilatories and waxes, home pregnancy and ovulation test kits and oral care products in most of its international markets. The Company markets waxes and depilatory products in international locations, and TROJAN condoms in Canada and Mexico. The Company also markets SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes, primarily in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, China and Australia, and OXICLEAN, KABOOM and ORANGE GLO products primarily in Mexico and Canada. T! he Compan! y sells PEARL DROPS products in Europe, Canada and Australia, STERIMAR nasal hygiene products in a number of markets in Europe, Latin America, China and Australia, and BATISTE dry shampoo principally in the United Kingdom.
Specialty Products
The Company�� Specialty Products (SPD) segment focuses on sales to businesses and participates in three product areas: Specialty Chemicals, Animal Nutrition and Specialty Cleaners. The Company�� 99.2%-owned Brazilian subsidiary, Quimica Geral do Nordeste (QGN), is a provider of sodium bicarbonate. The Company and Occidental Petroleum Corporation are equal partners in a joint venture, Armand Products Company, which manufactures and markets potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate for sale in domestic and international markets. The potassium-based products are used in a range of applications, including agricultural products, specialty glass and ceramics, and potassium silicates. Armand Products also manufactures for the Company a potassium carbonate-based animal feed additive for sale in the dairy industry. A special grade of sodium bicarbonate, as well as sodium sesquicarbonate, is sold to the animal feed market as a feed additive for use by the dairy industry as a buffer, or antacid, for dairy cattle. The Company also markets DCAD Plus feed grade potassium carbonate, which is manufactured by the Armand Products Company as a feed additive into the animal feed market.
The Company markets MEGALAC rumen bypass fat, a nutritional supplement made from natural oils. The Company also markets BIO-CHLOR and FERMENTEN, a range of specialty feed ingredients for dairy cows. The Company also provides a line of cleaning and deodorizing products for use in commercial and industrial applications, such as office buildings, hotels, restaurants and other facilities. The Company and Safety-Kleen Corporation are equal partners in a joint venture. In North America, this joint venture distributes the Company�� product line of aqueous clea! ners alon! g with the Company�� ARMEX blast media line, which is designed for the removal of a variety of surface coatings.
The Company competes with The Procter & Gamble Company, Sun Products Corporation, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Johnson & Johnson, Ansell Limited and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Mani]
Management commentary of Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (NYSE:CHD) clearly suggests another accretive deal is forthcoming, with debt capacity, rising cash balance, halted share repurchase in the fourth quarter and lower capex signaling management is poised to strike while conditions are favorable.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Africa Studio/Shutterstock A recent class-action lawsuit accuses some of the biggest names in the deodorant business of selling deodorants as "unscented" when they really had a fragrance. "Unscented" deodorants are marketed to consumers who have sensitivity to smells and often also note they are hypoallergenic. The companies, the lawsuit alleges, should have known that the products they were selling had distinctive odors and were hardly "unscented" while consumers based their purchasing decisions on misleading labels. Among the brands named in the lawsuit as containing fragrance: Arm & Hammer, Secret, Dry Idea, Ban, Mitchum. The companies named as defendants include Church & Dwight (CHD), Procter & Gamble (PG), Dial, Henkel (HENKY) and Revlon (REV). Ingredients That Smell The lawsuit filed by Philadelphia lawyer Mark L. Rhoades accuses the companies of sealing the products so well that no consumer could tell at the store the deodorants are scented. The labeling, however, states that there is no scent even though the ingredients include chemicals with fragrances, according to the lawsuit. As an example, the lawsuit noted that Secret Outlast includes "fragrance" on its ingredients list. Arm & Hammer Essentials contains "citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil", "anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower oil", "coriandrum sativum (coriander) fruit oil" and "pelargonium graveolens geranium) flower oil." That all adds up to an unmistakable citrus odor, the lawsuit alleged. Because each purchase is relatively inexpensive, the lawsuit maintains that individual consumers, for the most part, don't bother going back to a store to seek a refund after realizing their "unscented" deodorants have a scent. So, the lawsuit is being brought on behalf of anyone who has purchased one of these deodorants that claims to be unscented while having a distinct odor. The lawsuit -- Melissa Fogarty v. Church & Dwight et al., case number 3:14-cv-07086 -- was filed i
- [By Sean Williams]
But I knew better, and so did many investors who saw P&G hardly budge following each warning.
For starters, P&G's problems weren't solely related to P&G -- they were sectorwide. Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD ) , for instance, operates globally and was forced to lower its forecast last year after consumers began buying larger amounts of lower-margin items, and following a pricing war with P&G in the laundry detergent aisle. Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB ) , the maker of Huggies diapers and Kleenex tissues, struggled as well with foreign currency translation, having $55 million in full-year profits evaporate because of an unfavorable exchange rate. The point is this was a sectorwide struggle, not just a P&G problem.
The P&G advantage
Whereas some view P&G's glass as half empty, P&G ran with this weakness as an opportunity to regain market share and further fortify its brand image. Over the past couple of quarters, it's done this through a number of key initiatives.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2014: Maximus Inc (MMS)
MAXIMUS, Inc., incorporated on October 18, 2007, provides business process services (BPS) to government health and human services agencies under its mission of Helping Government Serve the People. The Company is primarily focused on operating government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health insurance exchanges and other health care reform initiatives, Medicare, welfare-to-work, child support services and other government programs.
The Company is one of the pure-play health and human services administrative providers to governments in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The Company�� segments include Health Services and Human Services. Effective July 1, 2013, MAXIMUS, Inc. acquired Health Management Ltd.
Health Services Segment
The Company's Health Services segment provides a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services, for state, provincial and federal government programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and Health Insurance BC (British Columbia). In this segment, the Company's BPS and consulting services include government health insurance program administration; Health insurance program eligibility and enrollment services to improve access to health care for citizens and help beneficiaries make the best choice for their health insurance coverage; Eligibility and enrollment modernization for government health benefit programs; Health insurance exchange design and operations; Consumer outreach and education, including multilingual customer contact centers and multi-channel self-service options, such as Web-based portals, for easy enrollment; Application assistance and independent enrollment counseling to beneficiaries; Premium payment processing and administration, such as invoicing and reconciliation; Objective, evidence-based health appeals; Independent medical! reviews; Health plan oversight; eHealth solutions with the Medigent product suite; Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) planning and oversight, and Specialized program consulting services.
Human Services Segment
The Company's Human Services segment provides federal, national, state and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education and K-12 special education programs. The Company's services include welfare-to-work services, including eligibility determination, case management, job-readiness preparation, job search and employer outreach, job retention and career advancement, and selected educational and training services, to help disadvantaged individuals transition from government assistance programs to sustainable employment and economic independence; Full and specialized child support case management services, customer contact center operations, and program and systems consulting services; Management tools and professional consulting services for higher education institutions; K-12 special education case management solutions; Program consulting services, including independent verification and validation, cost allocation plans, repeatable management services and other specialized consulting offerings, and Tax credit and employer services.
The Company competes with Serco, Atos Origin and Ingeus.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Hilary Kramer]
This is where one of my favorite plays on the healthcare reform comes in. Maximus (MMS) provides cost-effective processing services to government health and human services agencies in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Saudi Arabia. One of its main focuses is healthcare, providing administrative services for many programs, including Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicare.
- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Tuesday
Earnings Expected From: Five Star Quality Care, Inc. (NYSE: FVE), Maximus, Inc. (NYSE: MMS), Nustar Energy (NYSE: NS), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI), DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) Economic Releases Expected: German CPI, British CPI, British PPI, US Redbook, Indian manufacturing output, Indian industrial productionWednesday
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Iron Mountain have fallen 2.3% to $25.72 today, while comparable have been mixed. Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has ticked up 0.6% to $46.28 and Amdocs (DOX) has risen 0.8% to $37.20. Maximus (MMS), on the other hand, has fallen 1.2% to $46.22 and Xerox (XRX) is off 0.3% to $10.62.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2014: Robert Half International Inc.(RHI)
Robert Half International Inc. provides staffing and risk consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Its Accountemps division offers temporary staffing in the fields of accounting, tax, and finance. The company?s OfficeTeam division places temporary and full-time office and administrative personnel, ranging from word processors to office managers. Its Robert Half Finance & Accounting division specializes in the placement of full-time accounting, financial, tax, and banking personnel. The company?s Robert Half Technology division specializes in providing information technology contract consultants; and placing full-time employees in the areas, ranging from multiple platform systems integration to end-user support, including specialists in programming, networking, systems integration, database design, and help desk support. Its Robert Half Legal division places temporary and full-time employees in attorney, paralegal, legal administrati ve, and legal secretarial positions. The company?s Robert Half Management Resources division offers senior level project professionals in the accounting and finance fields comprising chief financial officers, controllers, and senior financial analysts for various tasks, such as financial systems conversions, expansion into new markets, business process reengineering, and post-merger financial consolidation. Its Creative Group division serves clients in the areas of advertising, marketing, and Web design; and places project consultants in various positions consisting of creative directors, graphics designers, Web content developers, Web designers, media buyers, and public relations specialists. The company?s Protiviti division provides experts specializing in risk, advisory, and transactional services. Robert Half International was founded in 1948 and is based in Menlo Park, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Yates]
For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
- [By Jonathan Yates]
Even though the stock market rallied on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) and Standard & Poor's 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) surging, the long term winners will be stocks in the staffing industry such as Paychex(NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Robert Half (NYSE: RHI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
- [By Bryan Murphy]
Look out Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI), and move over Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:KELYA). Staffing 360 Solutions Inc. (OTCBB:STAF) is close to bringing the fight for market visibility to your turf, by graduating from its OTC listing to a NASDAQ listing. Once the upgrade is complete, it's going to be one more reason (in case growth wasn't enough) investors would choose STAF over RHI or KELYA to fill a void in their portfolios.
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