Ex-dividend dates are very important to dividend investors, since you must purchase a stock prior to its ex-dividend date in order to receive its upcoming dividend payout. For more information, check out Everything Investors Need to Know About Ex-Dividend Dates.
Below we highlight seven big-name stocks going ex-dividend on Wednesday, October 1.
1. Toronto-Dominion BankToronto-Dominion Bank (TD
American Express (AXP
Harley-Davidson is recalling all 2014 Touring bikes, including the Road King, pictured here. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Harley-Davidson is recalling about 126,000 motorcycles over a problem with the clutch that could cause crashes. The recall applies to all model year 2014 Touring bikes, including the three-wheeled trikes and custom designed bikes.
Last October, Harley-Davidson (HOG) recalled a smaller number of 2014 Touring motorcycles for an issue with the same part.
The hydraulic clutch may not disengage and the bike could crash, likely by tipping over, spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim said.
Harley-Davidson has connected 19 accidents and no serious injuries to the issue. Several of the accidents occurred during the company's safety testing, she said.
The fix involves rebuilding the master clutch cylinder and takes less than an hour.
Owners were sent a letter about the recall in the last week.
Separately, the company is recalling about 1,400 Street bikes for a possible fuel tank leak. No injuries or accidents were reported.
The models are the 2015 XG500 and XG750.
The company said dealers would inspect the tank, determine if it is faulty, and, if necessary, order a replacement tank.
Hear the new electric Harley-Davidson
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Today I want to show you a company that has just made one of the smartest acquisitions of the year, as its share price climbs to reflect this deal's potential.
The company is among the best in an industry that's often overlooked, but offers incredible profit opportunities for those who know how to invest.
I'm talking about fleet and fuel management.
You see, most 18-wheelers have a fuel capacity of 200 to 300 gallons, and with gas and diesel costing $3.40/gallon and up, long-haul truck drivers are regularly shelling out $1,000 and more to fill up.
And the fleets of business and government vans, box trucks, and cars that clog our streets are spending millions of dollars on gas every day, too.
Tracking and controlling all this is unimaginably complex for the owners of these fleets. Further, the temptation for drivers (or gas station cashiers) to siphon off some of these billions for themselves must be enormous.
Therefore, the profit potential for firms that can help fleet owners cut costs and deter theft is also vast.
If you followed my advice when I first recommended FleetCor back in May 2013, then you were there first - and you're sitting on gains of 90%+.
I'm always telling you folks that mergers and acquisitions are some of the best ways to spark a company's growth and its share price... and here's proof.
FleetCor Technologies (NYSE: FLT) Is Making All the Right MovesWhen I reintroduced you to FleetCorback in March, I told you that this digital-payments company was "making all the right moves."
And that was well before this latest deal. On Aug. 12, FleetCor announced that it had picked up corporate card company Comdata in a $3.45 billion deal. The acquisition puts FleetCor in several new and growing business lines, including healthcare payments and virtual cards.
The Comdata deal dramatically raises FleetCor's heft. It brings in 20,000 customers who make about $54 billion in payments annually with Comdata's products.
However, those virtual cards are the most intriguing part of this deal, and here's why.
Virtual cards are a relatively new and rapidly growing technology. They allow accounts-payable departments to pay their vendors more efficiently, more quickly, and more accurately.
And I think FleetCor will be able to quickly offer Comdata's virtual card services through its already robust trucking and fleet markets. Drivers will be able to leave their wallets on the dashboard while pumping gas or getting their brakes fixed - payments will all be taken care of virtually.
Here's how FleetCor's core business works.
The company provides fuel cards and other payment services that help its customers - mostly trucking companies and fleet owners - track and control costs. FleetCor charges its customers a monthly fee and levies vendors (gas stations, repair shops, etc.) a service charge when those drivers fill up.
This is all about using sophisticated software and advanced algorithms to provide payment security.
What I really like about this company is that it is big in the wealthy and growing energy sector - and it isn't a strictly domestic affair.
FleetCor counts energy companies like ARCO, BP, and Chevron among its major customers - and in 2013 more than 49% of its sales came from outside the United States. Moreover, it has acquired more than 60 companies around the world over the past decade, including ones in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and Russia.
And Comdata isn't FleetCor's only recent tech-minded acquisition. The Norcross, Ga.-based firm recently picked up two telematics companies: NexTraq in October and Masternaut in June.
In a way, fleet telematics is sort of like a CB system for the twenty-first century. With telematics, fleet owners can better control costs through real-time vehicle tracking, route optimization, job dispatch, and fuel usage monitoring. And this is all done through GPS, mobile, and satellite technology.
Instead of the "company" talking to drivers via CB, the company now "talks" to the rigs themselves.
Can driverless trucks be far behind? They're already being used in Australia - and tested in Germany and Japan.
FleetCor Just Hit the Accelerator - Here's How to InvestDon't expect FleetCor to slow down now. Chairman and CEO Ron Clarke sounded bullish about further growth even after the Comdata pickup - his company's largest acquisition yet.
"We do have some other late-inning deals that we like," he told B2B information site PYMNTS.com following the deal. "So if the deal is right and fits the screen... we'll keep buying things. And to the extent that we feel overleveraged or out of capacity, we'll slow down. But we are still looking at some other deals today."
Knowing not only when to buy but also when to slow down is a sign of good leadership - that slowing down is harder than it looks. Remember my Tech-Wealth System Rule No. 1: Great Companies Have Great Operations.
The biggest part of "great operations" is great leadership. We've got that here. Clarke hails from tech giant General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE). He also was a leader at Automatic Data Processing LLC (Nasdaq: ADP), the computer services company known for its closely watched jobs reports.
And we've got some very nice financials and share-price growth as well.
Trading at roughly $146, FleetCor has a market cap of $12.18 billion and operating margins of 47.4%. It has a 24.6% return on equity (ROE) and a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 40.9. And last year, it brought in $530.5 million in free cash flow.
Besides the Comdata acquisition, the latest share-price driver is FleetCor's impressive second-quarter earnings report. Driven by organic growth and acquisitions, in the quarter ended June 30, the company reported net revenue of $273.5 million, up 23.8% from the year-ago period. Net income was at $88.5 million, up 21.1%.
With gas prices still high, trucking companies and fleet owners continue to look for ways to control costs and eliminate fraud - so the long-term trends favor FleetCor.
And thanks to impressive earnings-per-share growth - up 32% annually over the past three years - I see the stock rising at least another 15% in two years.
In the meantime, because the stock is so frothy right now and the market so jumpy, here's how to invest in FLT stock for maximum profit.
I recommend you use my "Cowboy Split" strategy here. Pick up half your intended position now, another quarter in October, and the final quarter if there's a market correction.
Folks who bought in back in May 2013 have already been very amply rewarded - and so have those who engaged in March (they've got gains of 30%). FleetCor will continue filling their portfolio's tank - and yours, too - for years to come.
More from Michael Robinson: Silver is so vital in consumer electronics, solar power, and even healthcare that it's become a "Miracle Material" that is literally changing our lives. And investing in silver with this one stock can yield 70% gains - or more...
It's no secret that Michael Kors' (NYSE: KORS ) success in North America has negatively affected Coach (NYSE: COH ) . In fact, earlier this year, Coach even admitted that Michael Kors was a direct cause of its poor performance, saying that it had lost market share to Michael Kors in the handbag space. However, as many anticipate and hope for a Coach turnaround, and place their bets on strong international growth, there is one initiative from Michael Kors that should be terrifying for Coach investors.
Its been ugly for Coach
Coach and Michael Kors are both luxury designers with a large North American presence. At the end of Coach's fiscal 2013 report, Coach as a company was more than twice the size of Michael Kors by revenue. However, as of both company's most recent quarters, the gap had closed, and these are two companies of near similar size by sales.
Michael Kors' performance can be traced to consistent revenue growth in excess of 50% annually. Meanwhile, Coach's struggles can be traced to North America, a region where comparable sales have fallen by double digits throughout most of the last year. There is a direct correlation between the success of Michael Kors, and the struggles of Coach.
Coach combats Kors with international growth
During Coach's last fiscal year its revenue fell 5.3%, a far contrast from the 6.6% growth in the year prior. Perhaps the only bright spot for Coach has been international performance, a segment that saw growth of 5.5% during the company's last year.
Specifically, 34% of Coach's annual revenue comes from 35 countries outside North America, mainly China, Japan, and countries in Europe, but the company is also expanding aggressively in other regions throughout Asia and South America.
According to Coach's annual report, it has historically expanded internationally by forming joint ventures or distributor relationships to build market presence, and then by acquiring its partner's interest. It did this with Sumitomo Corporation in 2005 to form Coach Japan; Hackett Limited to expand its European operations; and also to enter Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea; and to form Coach China, among others. Notably, Coach continues this strategy today, and noted in its 10-K plans to expand in China, Japan, and Europe in the coming years.
What's so terrifying?
With all things considered, Coach has clearly taken to international markets to combat Michael Kors' growing dominance in North America. But the problem is, Michael Kors is becoming a major problem for Coach in international markets as well. Specifically, Coach's international growth last year of 5.5% was cut in half from the year prior, perhaps because Michael Kors is becoming relevant in many of Coach's key international markets.
Michael Kors reported $106.6 million during its last quarter in international sales, coming from Europe and Japan; Coach created more than $1.64 billion in international sales last year. Importantly, Michael Kors' comparable sales growth during its last quarter in Europe and Japan were 54.2% and 48.8%, respectively, growth that has been consistent for the better part of 12 months. While Coach does not disclose revenue by specific regions outside of North America, the company has named Europe, Japan, and China as key developed international markets for the company. Therefore, given what Michael Kors has done to Coach in North America, its success in Europe and Japan should be terrifying for Coach investors.
Michael Kors' international business is much smaller and nowhere near as developed as Coach's, but investors must take notice that Coach's international sales growth did slow last year despite rapid expansion, and like North America, Michael Kors' growth was explosive.
Furthermore, Michael Kors already said in its 10-K that expanding in Europe and Japan remains a key goal looking ahead, and while the company is yet to make its presence felt in China, it should be noted that more than 40% of its goods are manufactured in China. Hence, Michael Kors has a presence, or partnerships, and if it chooses to follow the same expansion path of Coach, acquiring the controlling interest in these Chinese businesses, Michael Kors could likely gain a quick boost in China.
Thus, Michael Kors' continued expansion and growth in Coach's key international markets should be terrifying for investors in the latter. When combined with the likelihood of Michael Kors entering China, Coach's investment value becomes decimated.
Foolish thoughts
Before investing in Coach, investors must consider that the company's only bright spots come outside the U.S., markets where Michael Kors is expanding rapidly.
In retrospect, if Michael Kors decides to enter China -- along with South America and continued European expansion -- Coach's international growth could ultimately decline, or perform similarly to its poor performance in North America. While speculative, Michael Kors' comparable sales growth in Europe and Japan serve as proof that its brand has global appeal, far beyond North America. For Coach investors, this fact is not only disheartening, but scary as Michael Kors enters these markets, and considers it a top priority in the years ahead.
You can't afford to miss this
"Made in China" -- an all too familiar phrase. But not for much longer: There's a radical new technology out there, one that's already being employed by the U.S. Air Force, BMW and even Nike. Respected publications like The Economist have compared this disruptive invention to the steam engine and the printing press; Business Insider calls it "the next trillion dollar industry." Watch The Motley Fool's shocking video presentation to learn about the next great wave of technological innovation, one that will bring an end to "Made in China" for good. Click here!
Source: Social Security Administration.
Social Security is an important part of nearly every American's retirement planning, but for those who suffer a disability during their careers, Social Security disability benefits are even more important to help make ends meet. Unfortunately for the millions of Americans who need disability benefits, the process of applying for and receiving Social Security disability is often a long one.
If you need disability benefits, you probably can't afford to wait too long. But few people know what they can do to try to streamline the process. While there are no guarantees that you can avoid all the delays involved, a few simple tips can improve your odds of a quicker decision on your disability claim.
Why Social Security is fraught with delays
The biggest problem with Social Security disability is that there are so many people making claims for benefits. Last year, about 3 million people applied for disability, and the Social Security Administration ended up denying about two-thirds of those claims.
With that amount of traffic moving through the system, even getting an initial decision takes longer than you'd think. Actually making your initial claim is relatively easy, with online application options available to handle your needs once you've gathered all the necessary information on your end. Entering that information to provide it to the SSA can take just an hour or so. You can also set up an appointment with a live person at a Social Security branch office or arrange a call for a representative to take your information over the phone.
Given how quickly you can apply for Social Security disability, it's a shock to learn that just getting an initial approval or rejection from the SSA typically takes between three and six months, unless you can qualify to receive an expedited review due to what's known as a compassionate allowance. If your award is approved, then you'll get pay dating back to the date on which the SSA says you were disabled, less the required five-month waiting period and subject to a maximum 12-month retroactive period prior to the time of your application. And remember: that's a best-case scenario that assumes your initial claim is approved.
The even longer process of appealing a denied Social Security disability claim
Things get even worse if your initial disability claim is denied. A multi-step appeals process is available to those whose have their applications rejected, and many people have initial denials reversed.
But huge backlogs plague the system of administrative law judges and other appellate venues. With nearly a million people waiting for hearings, it can take more than a year just to have your case heard. What that means is that you have to be prepared not to receive benefits for years, only later to get a lump sum that will make you whole for all the years during which you didn't get any payments.
Source: Social Security Administration.
How to minimize your wait for Social Security disability
If you want to shorten your waiting time for Social Security disability benefits, your best bet is to make your initial claim as straightforward and simple as possible. Make sure you have all the paperwork you'll need available and in good order so that the administrator overseeing your case doesn't have to do any extra work to evaluate your claim. Get documentation for your medical condition and its impact on your ability to do not only the job you've worked in most recently but also other types of employment for which you'd be qualified. Remember that you'll only receive Social Security disability if you're unable to work and you can't adjust to other types of work -- you're not entitled to partial benefits for short-term or partial disability.
Meanwhile, if your disability claim is complicated, it makes sense to get professional help right away. If you don't, then simple common mistakes can lead to those year-long delays even before you get a true evaluation of the merits of your case. Add in even more years of delays further in the process, and it's easy to understand why so many disability cases are closed not by awarding benefits but because the initial claimant dies before the claim is resolved.
The Social Security disability process takes longer than it should, and many of those suffering from disabilities can't afford the delay involved. But even though you can't eliminate waiting periods, taking simple steps to make your claim easier to handle should pay off in the long run.
How to get even more income during retirement
Social Security plays a key role in your financial security, but it's not the only way to boost your retirement income. In our brand-new free report, our retirement experts give their insight on a simple strategy to take advantage of a little-known IRS rule that can help ensure a more comfortable retirement for you and your family. Click here to get your copy today.
Shares of PVH (PVH) are flying off the shelves after the owner of Calvin Klein and other brands easily topped estimates, with CEO Emanuel Chirico giving some of the credit to a revamped JC Penney (JCP).
REUTERS PVH reported a profit of $1.51 a share, topping the Street consensus for $1.43. PVH also said it would earn between $2.45 and $2.50 during the third quarter, straddling forecasts for $2.48. Gross margins increased to 53.4% to 52.2%.
Citigroup’s Kate McShane calls PVH’s financial results a “nice fall kick-off.” She explains why:
Though PVH shares up ~8% over the past month, we expect the stock to move up on the beat & maintained guidance, indicating mgmt confidence in the back half of the year, despite continued macro caution. Recall that PVH has a long history of guiding conservatively, & we still see potential upside from ongoing strength in CK, Heritage imprvmts, & Europe.
In an interview with Jim Cramer, CEO Chirico gave some of the credit to improvements at JC Penney–”back on track”–and Kohl’s (KSS), where he said PVH sales were firming.
Shares of PVH have gained 9.3% to $128.03 at 11:23 a.m., while JC Penney has risen 4.1% to $11.05 and Kohl’s has advanced 1.9% to $60.28.
There isn't a lot of talk about insurance in school. So when we become adults, we're left to consider the dizzying array of insurance policies on our own and wonder if we need all of them, just some, or none of them. It's almost as confusing as learning the Pythagorean theorem and the periodic table of elements. So if you're new to the world of insurance or you could use a brush-up tutorial, here is a somewhat subjective list of the types of insurance you absolutely need, types you may want and those you definitely don't want to buy. Insurance You Need Homeowners insurance. If you own a house, your bank will require you to have homeowners insurance. In fact, "if someone loses their homeowners insurance for some reason – cancellation, nonpayment, nonrenewal, then the bank is notified," says Dan Weedin, an insurance consultant in Seattle. "They will immediately place their own insurance in it and bill the homeowner. Then they will give the homeowner a chance to get their own. The bank will not allow it to go uninsured for any length of time." Unless you've paid off your mortgage, there's really no way out of homeowners insurance. Auto insurance. This is another must-have. In fact, it's against the law to drive without some sort of coverage. If you're caught driving without insurance, you probably won't go to jail, but your driver's license will likely be suspended and you'll be fined. Health insurance. If you are 25 or younger, you don't need to buy health insurance, assuming you're still covered on your parents' policy. But otherwise, add it to your list. According to Healthcare.gov, in 2014, if you don't have health insurance, you'll have to pay whichever is higher: either 1 percent of your yearly household income or $95 per uninsured adult ($47.50 per child under 18). In 2015, the fee will be 2 percent of your income or $325 per person, and in 2016, it'll be 2.5 percent of your income or $695 per person. In 2017 and beyond, the fee will be adjusted for inflation. Insurance You May Need Disability insurance. Regi Armstrong, president of Armstrong Wealth Management Group in Florence, South Carolina, casts his vote for disability insurance as something everyone should consider getting. "Disability insurance replaces one's income if we become incapacitated during our working years," he says. "It's very important when only one person in the household has an income or one has a much larger income than their spouse." Life insurance. Generally, people buy a life insurance policy after they're married or have a child. As Laura Adams, a senior analyst at InsuranceQuotes.com, says, "It's critical when your death would create a financial hardship for those you leave behind." Adams also points out that there may be some unmarried, childless people who should get life insurance. "For instance, if you cosigned a car loan, student loan or credit card with a family member or friend, they would be responsible for the entire debt if you died," she says. Umbrella insurance. Think of this as insurance for your insurance. "It's an extra amount of liability coverage in $1 million increments that protects over and above your personal and auto liabilities if they become exhausted," says Weedin, who thinks middle-class individuals and families and those in the upper middle class and higher should consider umbrella insurance. "Generally, a family can add this policy for between $250 to $300 a year," he adds. Whether you need umbrella insurance depends on what you have to lose and how concerned you are about getting hit with a lawsuit. After all, even if you aren't worth millions, somebody could sue you as if you were. That worry is why umbrella insurance exists. "It's very important for those who might be the targets of lawsuits, like physicians and business owners," Armstrong says. Insurance You Don't Need Credit card insurance. In general, stay away from any type of coverage that would pay off a credit account, whether it's a credit card, mortgage or car loan, Adams says. "You can get this coverage by having enough regular disability or life insurance and avoid this duplicate coverage," she says. True, many homeowners who don't have a large enough down payment are required to buy private mortgage insurance and pay it monthly until the loan balance reaches 78 percent of the original value of the home. But otherwise, these types of credit insurance are only good deals for the insurer. For instance, credit card insurance, which kicks in if you have trouble making your payments due to, say, job loss, won't pay off the entire debt on your credit card – it will just make your monthly minimum payment for you. And some people say it's challenging to get credit card issuers to actually make those payments. Credit card fraud insurance. People who worry about credit card theft and are fearful that they'll be on the hook for thousands of dollars of fraudulent purchases tend to purchase this. But the odds that you'd have to pay in this scenario are virtually nonexistent. "It's typically overkill," Adams says. "Your maximum liability is limited to $50." This applies to all credit cards. Life insurance for a child. Some people buy these policies in case the unthinkable happens to their child, figuring at least there will be money for a funeral. But your child would be far better off if you had a brighter outlook and put that money into a college savings account. Look at it this way: Insurance exists to help you replace or recover what you've lost. The more expensive that loss is, the more likely you need insurance. That's why homeowners, auto, health and life insurance are so important, and things like an extended warranty on an appliance are a waste of money. But life insurance for the loss of a child? No insurance policy will help you recover from that.
