A recent survey by National Retail Systems, or NRS, a privately owned third-party logistics company, reveals interesting insights into truck drivers' job preferences, including answers to key questions like what attracts them to a job and what compels them to leave one. The results could come in handy for American trucking companies that have been spending sleepless nights trying to figure out the best ways to recruit and retain drivers even as the industry battles a severe workforce shortage.�It turns out that drivers don't really care about a company's reputation as long as they get a hefty paycheck, and that a sign-on bonus fails to do what it's meant to do: attract drivers. Here are some interesting highlights from the survey.
Building a loyal team is possible
If you think truck drivers are frequent job-hoppers, you might be surprised by what the NRS found out: Out of the thousands of drivers that it surveyed, nearly 47% have either been at the same job or have changed jobs only once over the past 10 years. Yes, loyalty runs high among truck drivers.�
Hot Dow Dividend Stocks For 2015: Edp Energias de Portugal SA (EDPFY.PK)
EDP Energias de Portugal SA (EDP), incorporated in 1976, is a Portugal-based company engaged in the electric energy and gas sectors. The Company develops its activities in the business areas of generation, supply and distribution of electricity and supply and distribution of gas. The Company operates through six business units: Electricity Generation, Renewable Energies, Electricity Distribution, Electricity Supply, Gas and Brazil Operations. EDP is also present in electricity generation, supply and distribution in Brazil, Spain and the United States. In April 2008, the Company acquired EDP Renovaveis through Nuevas Energias de Occidente (NEO). In February 2008, Horizon Wind Energy, LLC, EDP�� 100%-owned subsidiary for United States wind operations, acquired from Hydra Energy, LLC, a portfolio of six early stage projects in an aggregate of 1,050 megawatts of wind capacity, located in the States of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the United States.
Electricity Generation
In Spain, EDP operates through HC Energia. Cogeneration consists of simultaneous production of power and steam using thermal technology, such as in the form of natural gas turbines. Cogenerators are usually attached to an industrial customer or services, to which they supply the electricity and steam they need. Energy generation includes a centralised energy management platform responsible for actively managing the price and volume risks for the EDP Company�� portfolio in the Iberian Peninsula.
Renewable Energies
The Company�� electricity from renewable energies is generated by its subsidiary NEO, and in the United States of America by its subsidiary Horizon Wind Energy. In July 2007, EDP acquired 100% interest in Horizon, a developer, owner and operator of wind power generation in the United States, from the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. In September 2007, Horizon owned 941 gross megawatt of operating wind projects and has 615 megawatt of projects under construction, for expected operational ! capacity of 1.556 gross megawatts (1.324 net megawatts).
Electricity Distribution
EDP develops the regulated electricity distribution activity in mainland Portugal and in Spain in the Asturias region and to a lower extent in Madrid, Valencia and Alicante. Electricity distribution activity is a regulated activity that consists in bringing the electricity, through the distribution network, from the transport network substations to the final consumption points. Within the scope of this activity, EDP builds, operates and maintains the distribution network and other installments aimed at electricity distribution, granting service quality and direct and customized assistance.
EDP Distribuicao Energia, S.A. is EDP�� company operating in the regulated distribution and supply businesses in Portugal. EDP�� distribution activity is regulated by energy service regulator (ERSE), which defines the tariffs, parameters and prices for electricity and other services in Portugal, controlling and assuring the levels of quality and service demanded by the Direccao Geral de Geologia e Energia (DGGE). EDP Distribuicao is holder of an open-ended binding license for the business of distribution of medium- and high-voltage electricity in mainland Portugal. It is also the concessionaire for almost all the low-voltage distribution network, in accordance with concession contracts with the municipalities. HC Energia operates in the regulated electricity distribution and supply business, with its natural market being the region of Asturias. HC Energia�� network covers the Asturias, Valencia, Madrid and Alicante regions.
Electricity Supply
EDP's electricity supply offers the services, such as maintenance and assistance services, services aimed at electricity quality, specialized technical services and energy efficiency services. EDP operates in Portugal through EDP Comercial, while in Spain, its electricity supply service is obtained from HC Energia or Naturgas, ! which off! ers its customers an integrated portfolio of gas and electricity products.
Gas
EDP has a presence in the gas sector in the Iberian Peninsula, through Naturgas in Spain, and through EDP Gas in Portugal. Naturgas market is the Basque Country, and Asturias, and it operates in the Spanish gas sector by providing services, such as transport, distribution and supply of gas; supply of gas in the liberalized market, and sourcing and trading.
Brazil Operations
EDP is present in Brazil through Energias do Brasil, a 62.4%-owned subsidiary. Energias do Brasil operates in the electricity generation, distribution and supply businesses.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Hunkar]
Current Dividend Yield: 6.43%
Company: Edp Energias De Portugal SA (EDPFY.PK)
Sector: Telecom
Country: AustraliaCurrent Dividend Yield: 4.68%
Sector: Electric Utilities
Country: Portugal
Hot Trucking Companies For 2014: Ibio Inc (IBIO)
iBio, Inc. (iBio), incorporated on April 17, 2008, is a biotechnology company focused on commercializing its technologies, the iBioLaunch platform for vaccines and therapeutic proteins, as well as the iBioModulator platform for vaccine enhancement. Vaccine candidates on its platform are applicable to newly emerging strains of hemagglutinin type 1 and neuraminidase type 1 (H1N1), swine-like influenza, hemagglutinin type 5 and neuraminidase type 1 (H5N1) avian influenza, yellow fever, and anthrax. The Company licenses or otherwise grants use rights to government and non-governmental organization (NGO) entities for not-for-profit applications of the intellectual property for the development or application for which they granted or were granted funding, and to Fraunhofer USA, Inc. (FhCMB) for research purposes and applications in other fields.
The Company�� platform technology is referred to as iBioLaunch technology or the iBioLaunch platform, and the category of this technology is referred to as plant-based technology or as a plant-based platform. The Company has exclusive control over, and the rights to ownership of, the intellectual property related to all human health and veterinary influenza applications of the plant-based technology developed by FhCMB. Its property consists of the technology platform pursuant, to which hydroponically grown green plants can be used for the accelerated development and manufacture of high-value proteins of interest as candidate therapeutic products and vaccines applicable to a range of disease agents, such as influenza, sleeping sickness, anthrax, plague, human papillomavirus (HPV), and veterinary influenza applications.
Through FhCMB and their funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it is developing vaccine candidates targeting pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) viruses based upon the iBioLaunch platform. These candidates have demonstrated immunogenicity and have been successfully tested in mice and ferrets for protective efficacy.! Like its candidate vaccines for seasonal influenza, its candidate vaccines for avian influenza are subunit vaccines. iBio has commercial rights to vaccine candidates developed pursuant to its business structure based on fusing a protein component of HPV called the E7 antigen, to the LicKM protein of the bacterium Clostridium thermocellum. It has commercial rights to an oral anthrax booster vaccine candidate developed by FhCMB in collaboration with the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
With just a quick glance, Ibio Inc. (NYSEMKT:IBIO) doesn't look like anything particularly special. The stock's just bouncing around, and we've not heard any particularly meaningful news from IBIO in a few weeks.
- [By Bryan Murphy]
If the name Ibio Inc. (NYSEMKT:IBIO) rings a bell, it may be because I put some bullish thoughts into print regarding the stock back on June 21st. I reiterated my optimism on July 12th. What can I say? It's fun to be right. IBIO shares have advanced 17% since my first look in late June. Then again, most of that big jump has unfurled in the last couple of days, meaning Ibio Inc. is overbought. Do we trust the breakout move, or do we fear a pullback? Answer: That depends.
Hot Trucking Companies For 2014: Meru Networks Inc.(MERU)
Meru Networks, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides wireless local area network (LAN) solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers a virtualized wireless LAN solution based on its System Director Operating System, which runs on its controllers and access points to enable enterprises to deliver business-critical applications over wireless networks. The company?s System Director Operating System provides centralized coordination and control of various access points on the network; controllers synchronize access points to optimize the user experience and manage traffic on the network; and Wi-Fi certified access points to provide network connectivity for wireless devices. It also offers Meru Networks E(z)RF application suite comprising E(z)RF Network Manager, E(z)RF Service Assurance Manager, E(z)RF Location Manager, E(z)RF OnTheGo, Spectrum Manager, and wired and wireless management solutions, which enable enterprises to configure, monitor, troubleshoot, secure, and operate virtualized wireless LAN solution. In addition, the company provides Identity Manager that simplifies enterprise network access and identity management; Wireless Intrusion Prevention System to recognize and mitigate threats; Compliance Manager to reduce the risk of security breach by protecting customer and employee personal information by extending security to the wireless network; AirFirewall to intercept and block unwanted communications as they transmit over the air, stopping them before they reach the network; and Security Gateway SG1000 to meet the demands of the Federal Information Processing Standard, 140-2 Level 3 security required by federal government agencies and other security-conscious organizations. It serves the education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, technology, finance, government, telecom, transportation, and utility markets. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Rojas var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(func]
Meru Networks Inc.(MERU), which makes networking products used to provide Wi-Fi service, said it would evaluate its options, including a potential sale, as it unveiled a restructuring plan.
- [By Eric Volkman]
Meru Networks (NASDAQ: MERU ) isn't wasting any time in finding a successor to one of its top executives. The company announced Monday it had appointed Brian McDonald to be its new CFO to replace the resigning Brett White. McDonald took up his position today, although White will remain at the firm through July 1 in order "to effect a smooth transition."
Hot Trucking Companies For 2014: pSivida Corp.(PSDV)
pSivida Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops drug delivery products for treatment of back-of-the-eye diseases that are administered by implantation, injection, or insertion. The company?s lead product candidate includes Iluvien, which is in Phase III clinical trials and delivers fluocinolone acetonide (FA) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), a cause of vision loss. It is also conducting Phase II clinical trials with Iluvien for the treatment of wet and dry form of age-related macular degeneration, and retinal vein occlusion. In addition, the company?s products include Retisert for the treatment of posterior uveitis, an autoimmune condition characterized by inflammation of the posterior of the eye that can cause sudden or gradual vision loss; and Vitrasert for cytomegalovirus retinitis, a blinding eye disease that occurs in individuals with advanced AIDS. It is developing the Latanoprost product, an injectable, bioerodible drug delivery implant i n Phase I/II dose-escalating study for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension; the Posterior Uveitis product candidate in a Phase I/II study for the treatment of posterior uveitis; BioSilicon technology system, which is nano-structured porous silicon designed for use as a drug delivery platform and to deliver smaller molecules; and Tethadur, which utilizes BioSilicon to deliver large biologic molecules, including peptides and proteins. It has strategic collaborations with Bausch & Lomb Incorporated; Alimera Sciences, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; and Intrinsiq Materials Cayman Limited. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Kell]
Specialty pharmaceutical firm pSivida Corp.(PSDV) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn’t approve a treatment for an eye disease found in patients with diabetes. The company’s stock tumbled 47% to $2 premarket, while shares of Alimera Sciences Inc.(ALIM) were down 39% to $1.66, as the treatment is licensed and sold by Alimera in other markets.
Hot Trucking Companies For 2014: Box Ships Inc.(TEU)
Box Ships Inc. owns and operates containerships. As of August 16, 2011, it operated a fleet of 7 containerships with a total carrying capacity of 33,237 twenty-foot equivalent units. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Athens, Greece.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Box Ships (NYSE: TEU) slipped 18.49% to $1.94 after the company priced 5 million units at $2.05 per unit.
China Auto Logistic (NASDAQ: CALI) shares dropped 9.06% to $3.17 after the company announced 2013 results. China Auto Logistic posted its net income of $524,260, or $0.14 per share.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Box Ships (NYSE: TEU) shares fell 20.38% to reach a new 52-week low of $1.90 after the company priced 5 million units at $2.05 per unit.
Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) shares reached a new 52-week low of $104.90. Toyota shares have dropped 4.90% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 17.50% in the same period.
- [By Eric Volkman]
TearLab (NYSE: TEU ) is looking to widen its capital base by more than $32 million in an underwritten public offering of its common stock. The company is floating 2.6 million shares at a price of $13.50 apiece. Additionally, the company's underwriters have been granted a 30-day purchase option for up to an additional 15% of the total number of shares to cover overallotments.
- [By ABN]
TAL International Group (TAL) is one of the world's largest lessors of intermodal freight containers for the shipping business with 17 offices in 11 countries and approximately 230 third-party container depot facilities in 40 countries. TAL's fleet consists of approximately 1,238,000 containers and 2,031,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
Hot Trucking Companies For 2014: Ruby Tuesday Inc.(RT)
Ruby Tuesday, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises casual dining restaurants in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and internationally. The company operates its restaurants under the Ruby Tuesday brand, as well as owns and operates one Marlin & Ray?s, one Truffles, and two Wok Hay casual dining restaurants. As of August 30, 2011, it owned and operated 746 Ruby Tuesday restaurants; and 43 domestic and 52 international franchisees operated restaurants. The company was founded in 1920 and is based in Maryville, Tennessee.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
Brinker International Casual dining stocks aren't dead as an investment category. Investors just need to know where the tasty treats can be found on the menu. Chili's Grill & Bar parent Brinker International (EAT) moved higher on Wednesday after reporting better than expected quarterly results. Company sales climbed higher, fueled by a 0.3 percent increase in comparable-restaurant sales. Its international locations fared even better. Some casual dining chains that are bucking the general downward trend and posting positive comps are doing so by discounting aggressively to keep patrons coming. But that's not Chili's game at all. Net margins actually expanded nicely at Brinker, with adjusted earnings per share climbing 18 percent during its fiscal second quarter. The 1,557-unit Chili's chain is doing just fine. But the same can't be said about its competition. Red Ink, Ruby Ink Seeing shares of Brinker open 8 percent higher after posting better than expected quarterly results may be painful for investors in Ruby Tuesday (RT) or Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants (DRI). Those two stocks took a hit the last time they offered up fresh financials. Ruby Tuesday and Red Lobster are falling out of favor with the hungry, with comps plunging 7.8 percent and 4.5 percent respectively in their latest quarters. Both companies have fallen short of Wall Street profit targets in each of their past three quarters. Brinker, on the other hand, has now surpassed bottom-line expectations in three of the past four quarters. With Ruby Tuesday's profits turning to losses and Darden so disillusioned with Red Lobster that it's looking to sell it or spin it off, it's easy to see why savvy investors looking at the casual dining sector are turning to Brinker. The stock hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday, and this could be just the beginning. Tech is the Secret Ingredient Why is Chili's succeeding at a time when profits at many of its peers are receding? Barron's argued earl
- [By CNBC]
Tony Tribble, Invision/AP Forget about Bloomin' Onions or boneless wings, for many consumers, the choice of where to dine often comes down to a different factor: which restaurant has the best booze. "Alcoholic beverages can be a key driver of traffic, differentiation, and loyalty," said David Decker, president of Consumer Edge Insight. According to the firm, two factors that keep customers coming back are "selection" and "pricing." Consumer Edge Insight recently surveyed restaurant customers to find out which casual-dining spots generated the most loyalty with their alcoholic beverages. Taking the top spot for "selection" was Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), with 29 percent of those surveyed saying they were "most likely to visit it most often due to its good selection of alcoholic beverages." Applebee's (DIN) took the second spot, with 24 percent, and Outback Steakhouse (BLMN) and T.G.I. Friday's tied for third place with 22 percent each. Prices also keep customers coming back to Buffalo Wild Wings. When asked which casual-dining brand they were "most likely to visit most often due to its good prices of alcoholic beverages," Buffalo Wild Wings came out on top with 30 percent. Chili's (EAT) was No. 2 at 23 percent, and Ruby Tuesday (RT) was third with 22 percent. Buffalo Wild Wings has always made alcohol a part of its experience, even making it part of its tagline: "Wings.Beer.Sports." The chain is the No. 1 account for more than 50 different beer brands and recently launched Game Changer, a new beer in a partnership with Redhook Brewery. Priced between cheaper domestic lagers and pricier craft beers, Game Changer became the fourth-most-popular draft beer at company-owned locations within two weeks of its release. "Among casual-dining restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings is seeing the greatest positive effect in terms of building customer loyalty with its alcohol offerings," Decker said. "There are many steps other restaurants can take to improve their alcoho
- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Wednesday
Earnings Expected From: RPM International Inc. (NYSE: RPM), Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (NYSE: RT), ADTRAN, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN), Del Frisco�� Restaurant (NASDAQ: DFRG) Economic Releases Expected: Chinese new loans, British industrial and manufacturing production and trade balance, British GDP estimateThursday
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Kristoffer Tripplaar/Alamy The bad thing about turnarounds is that sometimes turnarounds themselves can turn around. Shares of Ruby Tuesday (RT) tumbled on Friday after posting uninspiring quarterly results. The casual dining chain has been struggling in recent years, but it finally seemed to be turning the corner last year. Ruby Tuesday was starting to close underperforming eateries, and comparable-restaurant sales were starting to turn higher. It wasn't a very dazzling turnaround, but at least the chain was starting to take baby steps in the right direction. That brings us to Friday's fiscal second quarter report when Ruby Tuesday rediscovered its backpedalling ways. Flavor of the Weak It was a rough quarter for Ruby Tuesday. Revenue from continuing operations slipped to $262.7 million, well short of the $268.4 million that analysts were expecting. Closing 42 restaurants over the past year will eat into top-line growth, but Ruby Tuesday was also held back by a 1 percent decline in same-restaurant sales. The slowdown at the restaurant level was fueled by a 1.3 percent decline in traffic to the average Ruby Tuesday. That may not seem so bad, but keep in mind that comps at company-owned restaurants plunged 7.8 percent during the prior year's fiscal second quarter. Work the math back and we're talking about an 8.7 percent decline in comps over the past two years. The restaurateur managed to post a narrower deficit than it did a year earlier, but red ink is still red ink. Turnaround Denied After five consecutive quarterly deficits, Ruby Tuesday seemed to be turning the corner with a profit during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. It was coming off of back-to-back quarters of positive comparable-restaurant sales and its guidance for the quarter ending in early December called for it to stretch that streak to three straight quarters of year-over-year growth. After a couple of makeovers and menu tweaks, it seemed as if the chain had finally discovered a way to
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