Investors

This Just In: Upgrades and Downgrades Wed, 22/12/2010 - 09:43 by Rich Smith At The Motley Fool, we poke plenty of fun at Wall Street analysts and their endless cycle of upgrades, downgrades, and "initiating coverage at neutral." So you might think we'd be the last people to give virtual ink to such "news." And we would be -- if that were all we were doing. Comments Read more	Here's How Healthways May Be Failing You Tue, 21/12/2010 - 22:54 by Seth Jayson Margins matter. The more Healthways (Nasdaq: HWAY) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why I check on my holdings' margins at least once a quarter. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, comparisons to sector peers and competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Healthways' competitive position could be. Comments Read more	Sara Lee Passes This Key Test Tue, 21/12/2010 - 22:37 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more
Is Eastman Kodak's Management Creating Value? Tue, 21/12/2010 - 12:32 by Dan Dzombak Warren Buffett's partner, Charlie Munger, once said, "I think I've been in the top 5% of my age cohort all my life in understanding the power of incentives, and all my life I've underestimated it. And never a year passes but I get some surprise that pushes my limit a little farther." Comments Read more	Should You Get Out of Medicis Pharmaceutical Before Next Quarter? Tue, 21/12/2010 - 12:25 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Medicis Pharmaceutical (NYSE: MRX) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more	Will Natuzzi Whiff on Revenues Next Quarter? Tue, 21/12/2010 - 12:17 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Natuzzi (NYSE: NTZ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more
Why the Street Should Love CareFusion's Earnings Tue, 21/12/2010 - 12:06 by Seth Jayson Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls. Comments Read more	Is Nike's Management Creating Value? Tue, 21/12/2010 - 12:00 by Dan Dzombak Warren Buffett's partner, Charlie Munger, once said, "I think I've been in the top 5% of my age cohort all my life in understanding the power of incentives, and all my life I've underestimated it. And never a year passes but I get some surprise that pushes my limit a little farther." Comments Read more	Get Ready for the Bounce Tue, 21/12/2010 - 10:14 by Rich Smith "Don't catch a falling knife," as the old saw commands. (Pardon my mixing a cutlery metaphor.) The idea of buying a former superstar stock at a discount price certainly has its attractions, but you've got to make sure you catch the haft -- not the blade. That's where Motley Fool CAPS comes in. Comments Read more
4 Dividend Stocks Showing You the Money Tue, 21/12/2010 - 09:57 by Rick Aristotle ... Dividend checks continue to get fatter in Corporate America, as more companies jack up their distribution rates. Readers of the Income Investor newsletter can certainly appreciate that kind of thinking. Let's take a closer look at some of the companies that inched their payouts higher this past week. Comments Read more	Why the Earnings at Synaptics Are Outstanding Tue, 21/12/2010 - 09:32 by Seth Jayson Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline. Comments Read more	Is Transocean's Stock Cheap by the Numbers? Sun, 19/12/2010 - 10:23 by Anand Chokkavelu Numbers can lie -- yet they're the best first step in determining whether a stock is a buy. In this series, we use some carefully chosen metrics to size up a stock's true value based on the following clues: Comments Read more