Buyside articles from March 2003

Buyside archives from March 2003

Novartis: think what's possible.
March 1, 2003... Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In 2002, the Group's businesses achieved sales of CHF 32.4 billion (USD 20.9 billion) and a net income of CHF 7.3 billion (USD 4.7 billion). The Group invested...

The Cooper Companies (NYSE:COO).(Investor Fact Sheet)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... About The Company The Cooper Companies, Inc. is a rapidly growing specialty medical products company serving the vision care and women's healthcare markets with high quality products and services. CooperVision markets a broad range of...

Taming the beast.(the effects of current events on investing)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... While the lions are roaring, people are hiding in fear, duct-taping their doors and windows, loading their guns and shopping for a supply of food and t.p. that will keep them safely indoors in the event of a disaster. Public companies and...

Citizens: Citizens Banking Corporation.(Analyst Roundtable)
March 1, 2003... Citizens Banking Corporation (CBCF: NASDAQ) is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Flint, Michigan. The company had 188 banking offices and $7.5 billion in assets as of December 31,2002. The company's market area is predominantly in...

Citibank depository receipt issuers.
March 1, 2003... Citibank Depository Receipt Issuers AMERSHAM PLC Country: U.K. Exchange: NYSE Ticker: AHM CUSIP: 030719108 Ratio (Ords to ADRs): 5:1 ...

Tracking the M&A market: strategic transactions dominate today's market.(merger and acquisition)
March 1, 2003... MORE THAN 7,000 MERGER & acquisition (M&A) transactions were reported over the last 12 months, a number that's nearly twice the long-term average of approximately 3,700 deals per year. Still M&A volume fell roughly 17% in the trailing 12-months...

Aventis.(Citibank ADR Profile)(information on company, including sales activity)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... Aventis is dedicated to improving life by treating and preventing human disease through the discovery and development of innovative prescription drugs for important therapeutic areas as well as human vaccines. In 2002, Aventis generated sales...

Guiding lights: StarMine's sector champions.
March 1, 2003... About StarMine Analyst Ratings StarMine collects data on every estimate, revision and recommendation recorded by Thomson Financial First Call and generates its star ratings based on the accuracy of analyst earnings estimates. Scores are...

Euro vision.(Jack Arnoff of Pictet Eastern European Fund)
March 1, 2003... Jack Arnoff Pictet Eastern European Fund Investing abroad means doing your homework--a lot of it. After all, there are local politics, macro-economic outlooks, and risk and volatility issues to take into consideration. Fortunately for...

Team players.(Abner, Herrman and Brock Asset Management)
March 1, 2003... Abner, Herrman & Brock Asset Management Money stars have been known to fall from the firmament of the investment world within the blink of an eye, making a good case for the belief that there's safety in numbers. The managers at Abner,...

A healthy hedge.(Fariba Ghodsian of Castle Creek LifeScience Partners)
March 1, 2003... Fariba Ghodsian Castle Creek LifeScience Partners Biotechnology's constant pace of innovation makes it an enthralling sector for investment opportunities. Pushing the boundaries of discovery provides the possibility for unprecedented...

Vivus: developing innovative pharmaceutical products to improve quality-of-life.
March 1, 2003... CORPORATE SUMMARY VIVUS Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in acquiring, developing and marketing innovative products to improve quality of life disorders in men and women, with a focus on sexual dysfunction. The company is...

U.S. investors turn to Canada for unique ideas.
March 1, 2003... Perceptions of investments in Canadian-based companies are evolving as U.S. institutional investors look to Canada for "unique" and "undiscovered opportunities" and look beyond the traditional natural resources and commodities sector...

Best independent research members dominate performance rankings.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Best Independent Research (BIR), a new consortium of six independent equities research firms, announced that all of its members are among the top 10 performers in Investars' one-year performance rankings of broker-related and independent...

Taurum Capital Partners are offering a new real estate fund, the Pacific Real Estate Group.(Buyside on the buy side: who's moved on and who's moved up)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Taurum Capital Partners are offering a new real estate fund, the Pacific Real Estate Group. The fund's objective is to offer its limited partners with superior risk-adjusted returns. The fund will be offered independently, as well as being...

Waddell & Reed Financial acquired the business of Mackenzie Investment Management.(Buyside on the buy side: who's moved on and who's moved up)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Waddell & Reed Financial acquired the business of Mackenzie Investment Management. Mackenzie was a Florida-based investment management subsidiary of Toronto-based Mackenzie Financial Corp., who is the advisor of the Ivy Funds. Waddell & Reed...

Credit Suisse Asset Management.( Richard White named portfolio manager)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Credit Suisse Asset Management (CSAM) announced the appointment of Richard White to the U.K. Fixed Income team as a portfolio manager. He joins from Fidelity where he spent four years as a member of the fixed interest team and the investment...

Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.(Buyside on the buy side: who's moved on and who's moved up)(is changing the name of Franklin U.S. Aggressive Growth Fund to Franklin Flex Cap Growth Fund)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. announced that it is changing the name of Franklin U.S. Aggressive Growth Fund to Franklin Flex Cap Growth Fund. The renamed fund features an expanded range of investment strategies that include investing in...

Oppenheimer Funds (OFI), and Tremont Advisers announced the launch of two SEC-registered funds of hedge funds available exclusively to tax-exempt, institutional investors.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Oppenheimer Funds (OFI), and Tremont Advisers announced the launch of two SEC-registered funds of hedge funds available exclusively to tax-exempt, institutional investors. The funds are part of a new OFI Tremont Institutional Hedge Fund Series,...

Vanguard International Growth Fund.(Baillie Gifford Overseas added to the investment advisory team)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Vanguard International Growth Fund announced the addition of Baillie Gifford Overseas to the fund's investment advisory team. The Scotland-based investment management firm will complement the fund's existing adviser, Schroder Investment...

Gabelli Funds.(Buyside on the buy side: who's moved on and who's moved up)(launched the Gabelli Woodland Small Cap Value Fund)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Gabelli Funds launched the Gabelli Woodland Small Cap Value Fund. The new fund is a non-diversified, registered investment company, which invests primarily in smaller-capitalization companies the portfolio manager, Elizabeth Lilly, feels are...

U.S. Bank.(Buyside on the buy side: who's moved on and who's moved up)(launched a new First American Stable Asset Advisor Fund)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... U.S. Bank launched a new First American Stable Asset Advisor Fund. This fund, which is available exclusively to employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans, is a new "advisor class" of the underlying $782 million U.S. Bank Stable Asset Fund....

American Century Investments.(equity portfolios renamed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Two of American Century Investments equity portfolios will be renamed to better reflect their underlying investment processes and strategies. American Century Tax-Managed Value Fund (ACTIX) will change to American Century Capital Value and...

Janus Fund.(funds closed and merged into others)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Janus Fund 2 has been closed to new investors, and subsequently merged into the Janus Fund, which is managed by Blaine Rollins. The Janus Special Situations Fund has also been closed to new investors, and subsequently merged into the Janus...

Janus Fund 2.(personnel changes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... As part of these changes, Janus Fund 2 portfolio manager John Schreiber will become an assistant portfolio manager of Janus Mercury Fund as well as other funds and institutional products managed by Janus portfolio manager Warren Lammert. In...

Two other funds are merging because of similar investment objectives--Janus Special Situations Fund and Janus Strategic Value Fund--are both managed by David Decker.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Two other funds are merging because of similar investment objectives--Janus Special Situations Fund and Janus Strategic Value Fund--are both managed by David Decker. Once the two funds merge, the new fund will be renamed Janus Special Equity...

Caterpillar Investment Management.(subadvises Saratoga Advantage Trust Energy and Basic Materials Portfolio)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... At the start of 2003, Caterpillar Investment Management assumed subadvisory duties for the Saratoga Advantage Trust Energy & Basic Materials Portfolio. This is the second external mutual fund subadvised by Caterpillar. In June 2002, Caterpillar...

Andrew Klein, co-founder of Soleil Securities, a newly established brokerage firm, has resigned from his duties at Soundview Technology Group.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Andrew Klein, co-founder of Soleil Securities, a newly established brokerage firm, has resigned from his duties at Soundview Technology Group. He had served as the director there since its inception in 1996 as Wit Capital Group. Klein will now...

Investec Funds have approved a new advisory agreement, which will result in Guinness Atkinson Asset Management assuming management of the four Investec funds currently available to U.S. residents, if approved by the funds shareholders.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Investec Funds have approved a new advisory agreement, which will result in Guinness Atkinson Asset Management assuming management of the four Investec funds currently available to U.S. residents, if approved by the funds shareholders. The...

Asia Focus Fund.(Buyside on the buy side: who's moved on and who's moved up)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Under the proposed new arrangement, Guinness will serve as chief investment officer and Edmund Harriss, currently the manager of the Investec China & Hong Kong Fund, will join the new adviser and continue to manage that Fund, as well as the...

Corporate scandals impact businesses globally.
March 1, 2003... Concluding its eighth global study focusing on corporate fraud, Ernst & Young surveyed senior executives of leading companies in four continents and discovered that 47% of those who responded had been significantly impacted by fraud within the...

Drilling for profits: analysts see the oil industry as a safe haven for investments.
March 1, 2003... Sales of gas-glugging SUVs outpace most other vehicles. The eastern U.S. shivers in the grip of one of the coldest winters in recent memory. War with Iraq grows more likely every day. These seemingly disparate facts of American daily life...

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation: Anadarko defines the new class of super-independents.
March 1, 2003... Anadarko Petroleum Corporation 1201 Lake Robbins Dr. The Woodlands, TX 77380 Phone: 832-636-1000 Fax: 281-874-3385 APC: NYSE Price: $46.76 (as of 2/24/03) Market Cap: $11.626 Bil. Sector: Energy--Oil & Gas...

Galaxy Investments Inc. (OTCB. BB: GAXI.OB $1.25) www.galaxyenergy.com.(financial analysis)
March 1, 2003... (OTC.BB: GAXI.OB $1.25) www.galaxyenergy.com Recommendation: "BUY" February 25, 2003 A "Green Gold Play" on Non-Conventional Natural Gas Exploitation INVESTMENT CONSIDERATIONS PROS: * Company will be focusing a...

Questar.(company information)
March 1, 2003... QUESTAR'S value proposition is simple: natural gas demand in the U.S. is set to grow by 30% over the next decade, and we are prepared to exploit this growth. Our integrated, Rockies-focused assets place us at the "hub of western energy...

The best defense: the Homeland Security sector heats up.
March 1, 2003... While Congress draws its battle lines across the field of competing budget proposals and varying deficit estimates, there is only one area of spending that seems to have garnered true bipartisan support: Homeland security. The Bush...

Proxity[TM]: digital networks.(company information)
March 1, 2003... SERVICES Proxity is currently acquiring security technology that will support a full line of interoperable protection disciplines. PROXITY Proxity Digital Networks: publicly traded holding company with common shares available...

Golden opportunities: gold is one of the best counter-cyclical investments in tough times.
March 1, 2003... There are a few real nuggets buried among all those stocks that have dropped--well, like rocks. Gold investments have earned a somewhat tarnished record in recent years. Every time a minor correction hits the major indices, the most avid gold...

Kinross Gold Corporation.(financial analysis)
March 1, 2003... Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC: NYSE) is the seventh largest primary gold producer in the world. The company's share of annual production is expected to approach 2 million ounces of gold at total cash cost of approximately $200 per gold...

Life and death: biotech and medical devices combine risks and rewards.
March 1, 2003... Timing and risk assessment, always important in investment, are matters of life and death in biotechnology. Not only are drugs difficult and expensive to develop, but they then must weather the complex scrutiny of the FDA before they can even...

Steady movers: transportation offers a good ride in a sluggish market.
March 1, 2003... Transportation is a bellwether sector. Not only does it reflect the overall performance of the economy, but the activities of railroads, trucking companies and freight forwarders can signal future trends. Lately, those signals have been...

Creating the edge: Scotia Capital enjoys life at the top-tier.
March 1, 2003... The word 'complacency' is not part of Laurel Ward's vocabulary. As Scotia Capital's managing director and head of equity research her long-term plan was to solidify the firm as a top-tier, Canadian research platform. So far, she's on target....

Finning International Inc.(The Daily Edge)(information on company earnings, etc)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... COMPANY DESCRIPTION Finning International Inc. is a Canada-based corporation which sells, rents, finances and provides customer support services for Caterpillar and complementary equipment on three continents around the world. SHARE...

Strategic vision: Stephens Inc.'s research team weighs in on promising sectors for 2003.
March 1, 2003... With current national and world events creating uneasiness amongst today's investors, finding places to make money work best remains a challenge. However, for Stephens Inc., an investment banking firm located in Little Rock, Ark., discovering...

Roadway[R] Corporation.(Research Notes)(financial information on company)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... Company Rating: Overweight/Volatile Industry Fundamentals: Improving Company Description Roadway Corporation, founded in 1930 and headquartered in Akron, Ohio, is predominately a national long-haul less-than-truckload (LTL)...

Guitar Center[R].(Research Notes)(financial report)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... Company Rating: Overweight/Volatile Industry Fundamentals: Stable Company Description Guitar Center, Inc. is the nation's leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards, band instruments, and...

Invitrogen[TM]: life technologies.(company information)
March 1, 2003... Company Description Invitrogen Corp. develops, produces and sells more than 10,000 products for life sciences researchers and makers of biologics, its research kits and reagents facilitate and improve life sciences research processes such...

Filling the gap: CJS securities provides a voice to underfollowed small caps.
March 1, 2003... CJS Securities Arnie Ursaner knew the old way of doing things wasn't working. He saw firsthand how banking interests were running the Street. During a six-year stint at Bear Stearns & Co. working on over 150 public offerings, Ursaner...

DRS Technologies, INC.(CJS Securities)
March 1, 2003... DRS: NYSE RATING: BUY PAST RATING: BUY THEME: DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY Company Description: DRS designs and manufactures high-technology products and services for all branches of the U.S. military, major aerospace and defense...

Baldor electric company.(CJS Securities)
March 1, 2003... BEZ: NYSE RATING: ACCUMULATE PAST RATING: ACCUMULATE THEME: INDUSTRIAL RECOVERY Company Description: Baldor Electric designs, manufactures and markets a broad line of energy efficient motors, drives and power generators....

MIM Corporation.(financial analysis)
March 1, 2003... MIMS: NASDAQ RATING: STRONG BUY PAST RATING: STRONG BUY THEME: UNDISCOVERED VALUE Company Description: MIM is a pharmaceutical healthcare company delivering innovative pharmacy benefit, specialty pharmaceutical...

The right stuff: J.M. Dutton brings the best of the bulge brackets to small-cap research.
March 1, 2003... J.M. Dutton & Associates In an era of increased scrutiny at brokerage firms, John Dutton's philosophy is nothing if not well timed. Dutton, who has been on the Street since 1966, launched J.M. Dutton & Associates in September 2001 with a...

Alaris[R] Medical.(financial analysis)
March 1, 2003... Company Description: Alaris Medical, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, designs and manufacturers proprietary intravenous medication delivery safety and infusion therapy devices, associated needle-free disposables and related monitoring...

HPSC, Inc.(financial analysis)
March 1, 2003... HPSC, Inc. Ticker: HDR AMEX Rating: Strong Buy Company Description: HPSC, Inc., headquartered in Boston is a unique specialty/niche finance company whose core business is providing financing to licensed healthcare...

The Leather Factory, Inc.(financial evaluation)
March 1, 2003... Basis for Rating: Already a successful manufacturer and distributor of leathercrafting materials, The Leather Factory recently acquired Tandy Leather, and is now reopening its previously successful chain of retail leathercrafting stores....

Solid success: Fahnestock's research team discovers timely market opportunities.
March 1, 2003... In an era when many analysts on the Street have been kicked to the curb, the research department of Fahnestock & Co. is walking tall these days. "We've been able to perform well and avoid losses during very stressful times," says Research...

Rowan Companies, Inc.(investment evaluation)
March 1, 2003... RDC: NYSE RATING: BUY COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Rowan Companies, Inc. is a major global offshore drilling contractor, focused on the premium jackup rig sector. The company operates primarily in the Gulf of Mexico with a fleet of 22...

Royal Dutch Petroleum Company.(Equity Research)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... RD: NYSE RATING: BUY COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Royal Dutch Petroleum Company produces, refines, and markets oil and natural gas, and manufactures chemicals. The company owns 60% of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, the world's No. 3...

Conference calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2003... MARCH Roth Capital Partners 15th ANNUAL GROWTH STOCK CONFERENCE St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa Dana Point, Calif. March 16-18 Contact: conference@rothcp.com SG Cowen Securities Corp. 23rd ANNUAL...