Hot Paper Companies For 2015

Hot Paper Companies For 2015: International Paper Co (IP)

International Paper Company (International Paper), incorporated on June 23, 1941, is a global paper and packaging company, with primary markets and manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. The Company operates in four segments: Industrial Packaging, Printing Papers, Consumer Packaging and Distribution. As of December 31, 2012, in the United States, the Company operated 28 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 187 converting and packaging plants, 18 recycling plants and three bag facilities. Production facilities as of December 31, 2012 in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America included 11 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 65 converting and packaging plants, and two recycling plants. It distribute printing, packaging, graphic arts, maintenance and industrial products principally through over 88 distribution branches in the United States and 32 distribution branches located in Canada, Mexico and Asia. As of December 31 , 2012, it owned or managed approximately 327,000 acres of forestland in Brazil and had, through licenses and forest management agreements, harvesting rights on government-owned forestlands in Russia. On July 2, 2012, it sold Ontario and Oxnard (Hueneme), California containerboard mills to New-Indy Containerboard LLC, and its New Johnsonville, Tennessee containerboard mill to Hood Container Corporation. On January 3, 2013, it acquired joint venture partner, Sabanci Holding.

Industrial Packaging

International Paper is a manufacturer of containerboard in the United States. Its production capacity is about 14 million tons annually. The Companys products include linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium and saturating kraft. About 80% of its production is converted domestically into corrugated boxes and other packaging by its 178 United States container plants. In addition, it recycles approximately one million tons of! old co rrugated containers (OCC) and mixed and white paper through ! our 20 recycling plants. In Europe, our operations include one recycled fiber containerboard mill in Morocco and 20 container plants in France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco. In Asia, its operations include 19 container plants in China and additional container plants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its container plants are supported by regional design centers, which offer total packaging solutions and supply chain initiatives.

Printing Papers

International Paper is a producer of printing and writing papers. Products in this segment include uncoated and coated papers, uncoated bristols and pulp. This business produces papers for use in copiers, desktop and laser printers and digital imaging. End use applications include advertising and promotional materials, such as brochures, pamphlets, greeting cards, books, annual reports and direct mail. Uncoated papers also produce a variety of grades that are converted by its customers into envelop es, tablets, business forms and file folders. Uncoated papers are sold under private label and International Paper brand names that include Hammermill, Springhill, Williamsburg, Postmark, Accent, Great White, Chamex, Ballet, Rey, Pol and Svetocopy. The mills producing uncoated papers are located in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, Brazil and India. The mills have uncoated paper production capacity of approximately five million tons annually.

Pulp products include fluff, and southern softwood pulp, as well as southern and birch hardwood paper pulps. These products are produced in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, and Brazil and are sold around the world. International Paper facilities have annual dried pulp capacity of about 1.7 million tons.

Consumer Packaging

International Paper is a producer of solid bleached sulfate board with annual United States production capacity of about 1.7 million tons. Its coa! ted paper! board business produces coated paperboard for a variety of packag! ing and c! ommercial printing end uses. Its Everest, Fortress, and Starcote brands are used in packaging applications for everyday products, such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, computer software and tobacco products. Its Carolina brand is used in commercial printing end uses, such as greeting cards, paperback book covers, lottery tickets, direct mail and point-of-purchase advertising. Its United States capacity is supplemented by about 365,000 tons of capacity at its mills producing coated board in Poland and Russia and by its International Paper & Sun Cartonboard Co., Ltd. joint venture in China, which has annual capacity of 1.0 million tons. Its Foodservice business produces cups, lids, food containers and plates through three domestic plants and four international facilities.

Distribution

xpedx, the Companys North American merchant distribution business, distributes products and services to a number of customer markets, including commercial printer s with printing papers and graphic pre-press, printing presses and post-press equipment; building services and away-from-home markets with facility supplies; manufacturers with packaging supplies and equipment, and to a number of customers, it provides distribution capabilities, including warehousing and delivery services. xpedx is the wholesale distribution marketer in these customer and product segments in North America, operating 108 warehouse locations in the United States and Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andy Batts]

  Forestar is a real estate and natural resources company headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company was originally founded in 1955 as Lumberman's Land Corp., which was eventually acquired by Temple-Inland, currently owned by International Paper (IP), and was spun off in late 2007 at $24 a share.

• [By Diane Alter]

  The last time a Dow shake-up caused such a stir was in April 2004, w! hen AT&am! p;T (NYSE: T), Eastman Kodak (currently in bankruptcy proceedings), and International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP) were removed and replaced with American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ).

• [By Dividend]

  International Paper (IP) has a market capitalization of $21.11 billion. The company employs 70,000 people, generates revenue of $27.833 billion and has a net income of $693.00 million. International Papers earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $3.377 billion. The EBITDA margin is 12.13 percent (the operating margin is 3.68 percent and the net profit margin 2.49 percent).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of MeadWestvaco have jumped 4.6% to $37.29 today at 3:36 p.m. Other paper packaging companies, however, aren’t getting a boost from the news or from Merrill’s upgrade. Shares of Rock-Tenn (RKT) have dipped 0.1% to $100.34, International Paper (IP) has ticked up 0.1% to $48.74and Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) is little changed at $65.40.

source from USA Best Stocks:http://www.usabeststocks.com/hot-paper-companies-for-2015.html

Tesla Motors: Yes We Can

Shares of Tesla Motors (TSLA) have dropped 4.6% this month, as investors expressed disappointment over the upstart automaker’s earnings. That drop, says Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas and team, has revived what they call the bear case in the stock, as investors fret about Tesla’s giga factory, profit margins and distribution, among other issues.

Associated Press

Jonas has a few words for Tesla bears who say “it can’t be done.” Not only has Tesla “been doing it,” its been “doing it pretty well, actually.” Jonas offers a few examples where Tesla is doing it right:

Distribution. "The dealer lobby is too powerful." Yet the CEO of the America's largest dealer group spoke publicly in support of Tesla's captive strategy. Now the FTC has voiced concerns that state laws prohibiting Tesla's stores may be harmful to competition.

25% Gross Margin. "They'll never do it." Not only did Tesla do a 25% margin in each of the past 2 qtrs, but it achieved a 100% variable gross margin YoY in 1Q. Tesla targets a 28% gross margin by 4Q. Nearly there.

Gigafactory. "You mean giggle-factory? Economies of scale don't exist with batteries." If Panasonic signs up to support Tesla's vertical integration of battery manufacturing at 10x scale, one would have to wonder how Tesla could possibly convince them to do such a thing.

Shares of Tesla have gained 1.2% to $194.48 today, all the more surprising considering that the S&P 500 has dropped 0.2% today, while General Motors (GM) has fallen 1.1% to $33.87 and Ford Motor (F) has dipped 0.1% to $15.90.

Macy's, Inc. (M) Q1 Earnings Preview: Small Bullish Surprise Coming

Macy's, Inc. (NYSE:M) is scheduled to report its first quarter 2014 sales and earnings before the opening of financial markets on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. The company will webcast a call with financial analysts and investors that day at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Wall Street anticipates that the retail leader will earn $0.59 per share for the quarter, which is $0.04 more than last year's profit of $0.54 per share. iStock expects M to hit Wall Street's consensus number, the iEstimate is $0.59, too.

Revenue, like earnings, is expected to increase, a slight 1.1% year-over-year (YoY). Macy's consensus revenue estimate for Q1 is $6.46 billion, a little more than last year's $6.39 billion.

[Related -Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) Q1 Earnings Preview: A Penny Here a Penny There]

Macy's is a retail organization operating stores and Internet Websites under two brands (Macy's and Bloomingdale's) that sell a range of merchandise, including apparel and accessories (men's, women's and children's), cosmetics, home furnishings and other consumer goods in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.

The Census Bureau's Advanced Monthly Retail Trade Report for March 2014 confirms small growth for general merchandise stores. Compared to February through April 2013, sales for general merchandise stores increased 1.1%, which is spot on for Macy's forecasted top-line growth.  Generally speaking, M outperforms the group as a whole; so, there could be some room for a little, little upside.

[Related -Macy's, Inc. (M): The One Department Store Stock You Can Trust]

Upside earnings surprises are what Macy's management has delivered 12 of the last 13 quarterly checkups. On average, the retailer earned 19.85% more than the consensus estimate.

For the most part, M's share price tagged along with surprises. Wall Street reacted positively eight of the last 13 with the stock gaining 0.16% to 9.94% in the days surrounding the earnings announcement. Meanwhile, the stock backpedaled five times by an average of -4.22%.

For retailers, the difference between an EPS bullish and bearish surprise usually comes down to margins. Macy's margins were steady in 2013 versus 2012 with gross margin of 40.12% versus 40.27%, respectively.

One minor, MINOR concern is inventory, which increased 4.69% versus YoY sales growth of 0.88%. We'd like the two line items to be in-line or for revenue to boast the higher percentage. However, the difference is so great that clearance sales go on endlessly.

Overall: Macy's, Inc.'s (NYSE:M) history, iEtimate and April's Advanced Monthly Retail Trade Report suggest earnings should be at least on target with room to the upside. 

A Horrible Chart to Trade for Wonderful Gains

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- The stock market is once again under heavy selling pressure today, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off by 139 points, the S&P 500 down by 13 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq trending lower by 32 points.

>>3 Stocks Breaking Out on Big Volume

Despite the weak action in the markets, there's one group of stocks that traders continue to come after with force. That group is what I like to call "horrible charts." These oversold, beaten-down stocks with poor-looking technicals are where all the money is being made right now as large traders chase this group looking for quick rebound moves. This is a theme and pattern in the markets that I think is going to continue to play out, since there are so many candidates for this chart pattern.

Take, for example, the run we've seen in shipping player NewLead Holdings (NEWL) over the last few days. You'll be hard-pressed to find a worse-looking chart then NEWL over the last six months. Things got so bad for this company that last Thursday it announced a 1-for-50 reverse stock split for its common shares so that the company could maintain its compliance with being listed on the Nasdaq. Shares of NEWL are soaring higher today by 80% in a tough tape -- and the stock is up much more than that when you consider that its post-split low was 39 cents per share.

>>5 Rocket Stocks Ready for Blastoff

Horrible charts are in play for various reasons. In many of these names, the short-sellers have overstayed their welcome and pushed these stocks down to absurd levels. Then when the bulls start buying, the smart short-sellers are covering quickly, causing large spikes higher. In addition, many of these stocks have entered extremely oversold territory, and there isn't anyone left willing to sell these stocks down at their depressed levels.

Many traders are unwilling to go near these ugly charts, but that's a foolish way to approach the markets since this theme is trending and working in a tough market where the usual sector trends aren't playing out. This game is all about finding trends and exploiting what's working right in front of you, even if it's something you have avoided in the past. I like to think of it as playing in the sandbox that everyone else on Wall Street is playing in. If nobody is in your sandbox, it's probably time to find another one.

One beaten-down and extremely oversold that's not going down today is Plug Power (PLUG).

As I write this, shares of PLUG are trending modestly higher by 1.4% to around $4.50 per share. Shares of Plug Power have been slammed lower by the sellers over the last three months, with shares down sharply from its 52-week high of $11.72 a share to its recent low of $3.62 a share. That's a massive slide lower and Plug Power didn't help the cause after the company recently announced some large secondary offerings.

Plug Power has a market cap of $613 million and an enterprise value of $514 million. This stock currently trades at a premium valuation, with a forward price-to-earnings of 227. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 67.6%, and for next year it's pegged at 118.2%. This is a cash-rich company, sine the total cash position on its balance sheet is $63.23 million and the total debt is just $3.61 million

Recently, Cowen upgraded shares of Plug Power to outperform from market perform. The firm mentioned that it took a tour of the company's factories and saw a high level of activity for its GenKey fuel cell product. The firm also said that strong year-to-date bookings should lead to fourth-quarter profitability, and Plug Power's strong cash position should enable it to develop new products, expand into Asia and support its expansion into the hydrogen generation market. Cowen cut its price target on PLUG to $6 from $7.50 based on higher expenses and new shares issues by the company.

From a technical perspective, shares of Plug Power has been downtrending badly over the last three months, with shares moving lower from its 52-week high of $11.72 to its recent low of $3.62 a share. That said, shares of PLUG have for now stopped its downtrend once the stock hit is low of $3.62 a share, which corresponds with a previous low back in February around $3.36 a share. This bounce off that $3.62 low could be signaling a bottom is in for shares of PLUG in the near-term and this stock is now quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

Traders should look for long-biased trades in PLUG if it manages to break out above some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.55 to $5 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 48.10 million shares. If that breakout launches soon, then PLUG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 50-day moving average of $5.93 a share. Any high-volume move above $5.93 will then give PLUG a chance to tag $7 a share.

Traders can look to buy shares of PLUG off weakness as long as it's trending above some near-term support at around $4 a share. One can also just buy PLUG off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage point from your entry.

This is a heavily shorted stock, since the current short interest as a percentage of the float for Plug Power is sits at around 20%. Those shorts have banked big coin over the last three months, but I have a sneaking feeling that they've started to cover some of their trades and are now flipping to the long side.

The bottom line: Horrible charts are working in this market, and shares of Plug Power currently have all the characteristic of a horrible chart. A solid trading opportunity could be developing for this horrible chart soon and there are already plenty of short-sellers involved in this name. If we see further strength for shares of PLUG in the near-term, then this horrible chart could turn into a great trade if it breaks out above the key resistance levels I highlighted on the chart.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Big Stocks to Trade (or Not)

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

>>Sell These 5 Toxic Stocks Before It's Too Late

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

4 Huge Stocks on Traders' Radars

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>Sell These 5 Toxic Stocks Before It's Too Late

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>5 Rocket Stocks Ready for Blastoff

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

AT&T

Nearest Resistance: $36.75

Nearest Support: $35.50

Catalyst: DirecTV Acquisition

>>5 Stocks Ready to Break Out

First up is AT&T (T), the $190 billion telecom giant that's making waves following the firm's $48.5 billion acquisition offer for DirecTV (DTV) in cash and stock. The deal is getting significant attention today, as investors try to make heads or tails of a transaction that would add significant TV subscribers to AT&T's business. If it goes through, the acquisition would make AT&T the second-largest pay TV operator in the U.S.

But the deal is far from done at this point, and we're seeing that reflected in the big premium left in shares of DTV as I write. Merger arbitrageurs are having to short AT&T to make a play on the deal, and so shares are down around 1% as I write. If AT&T can breakout above resistance at $36.76, there's a lot more upside room for shares to run higher.

AstraZeneca

Nearest Resistance: $77.50

Nearest Support: $65

Catalyst: Rejected Pfizer Bid

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

AstraZeneca (AZN) is another big name that's getting attention from a potential acquisition deal -- albeit not in a positive way. AZN is down more than 10% this afternoon, following news that the London-based pharma firm had rejected the $117 billion takeover deal from Pfizer (PFE). After Pfizer announced that it wouldn't pursue a hostile takeover, spurned shareholders are unloading the stock today.

From a technical standpoint, AZN looks somewhat "toppy" here. But the good news for bulls is that shares are fast approaching an important support level at $65. If AZN can catch a bid at that level, it could set the stage for another attempt at higher levels this summer.

DirecTV

Nearest Resistance: $87.50

Nearest Support: $77.50

Catalyst: Acquisition

>>5 Big Stocks to Trade for Gains This Summer

The other side of the AT&T deal is DirecTV (DTV), the satellite TV operator that's on the receiving end of the cash. After its announcement, there's a 11.75% premium currently left in DTV's share price, a big merger arbitrage opportunity considering the sheer dollar size of the acquisition offer. The potential risk of a deal-breaker scenario, such as regulatory approval, is the reason for the big difference between DTV's current share price and AT&T's offer value.

From a technical standpoint, shares of DTV have looked attractive for a while, bouncing higher in a textbook uptrend. Even through shares are a fair distance from support at the moment, investors who aren't risk-averse could be looking at a big opportunity in DTV right now. In the meantime, the 50-day moving average is a good place to keep a protective stop.

Rite Aid

Nearest Resistance: $8

Nearest Support: $7.50

Catalyst: Technical Setup

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

Drugstore chain Rite Aid (RAD) is enjoying a 3.3% bounce this afternoon thanks to technical strength, a move that's just the latest in a series of auspicious price moves. RAD has been bouncing its way higher in a textbook uptrending channel for the last several months, making the firm very buyable on the dips. If shares can take out resistance at $8, then it makes sense to follow buyers' show of strength. Otherwise, wait for the next pullback to trendline support before jumping into this momentum name.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.



-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

Top 10 Computer Hardware Companies To Invest In Right Now

>>Hedge Funds Hate These 5 Stocks -- Should You?

>>3 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in the names mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji