The Deal: Chrysler Test Drives Its IPO

NEW YORK (The Deal) -- Chrysler Group late Monday filed to return to public markets amid continuing conflict between the automaker's two primary shareholders.

Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler filed preliminary paperwork for a proposed offering that would be underwritten by JPMorgan, with Scott D. Miller of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP representing the company and William P. Rogers Jr. and William V. Fogg of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP serving as underwriter counsel.

The filing highlights both the remarkable success Chrysler has experienced since its 2009 government bailout, and the infighting that has plagued it more recently.

Chrysler emerged from Chapter 11 protection with financial support from Fiat as part of a complex deal that has resulted in the Italian carmaker steadily increasing its ownership to 58.5%. The remaining shares are owned by a union-managed trust established in 2007 to pay retiree healthcare costs. Fiat has been seeking to bring Chrysler in-house as a wholly owned unit, but the company to date has been unable to reach an agreement with the United Automobile Workers' Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association on a valuation of the remaining VEBA-owned shares. Combining the two companies would allow Fiat to access Chrysler's cash reserves to fund operations as well as make it easier for the Italian company to cut back office costs by further integrating their operations. Chrysler has enjoyed recent sales success thanks in part to new, more fuel-efficient designs borrowed from Fiat, generating a profit of $507 million in the second quarter of 2013. Sergio Marchionne, who serves as CEO of both Fiat and Chrysler, said earlier this month the trust wants upwards of $5 billion for its stake, about $2 billion more than Fiat is prepared to pay. The shares to be sold in the IPO, which represent about 16% of the Chrysler's total, are part of VEBA's stake. Despite the filing it is possible the shares will never be sold to the public. There are reasons for both sides to come to the table and resolve their dispute prior to an offering. Marchionne is eager to combine Fiat and Chrysler, and a public ownership figures to greatly complicate that process. Outside investors could advocate a strategy other than combining with Fiat, or at least demand Fiat pay up for the stake or otherwise prolong the process of merging the two companies.

But there are risks for VEBA as well. The trust is limited in the number of shares it can sell to the public, and the small float, coupled with Fiat's dominance over Chrysler's operations, could limit the appeal of the shares on the open market. Going through with the offering could risk fracturing the close working relationship between Fiat and Chrysler, which could frighten would-be investors.

Chrysler is also seen as overly-reliant on North America and lacking a presence in emerging markets, and could be more vulnerable than its rivals to a slowdown in the U.S.

Should demand from the public be tepid, the offering would serve to reinforce Fiat's view on Chrysler's valuation and make it more difficult for VEBA to demand a higher price for its remaining shares.

--Written by Lou Whiteman

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Watch Right Now

Hot Specialty Retail Stocks To Watch Right Now: CSS Industries Inc (CSS)

CSS Industries, Inc. (CSS), incorporated on November 5, 1923, is a company primarily engaged in the design, manufacture, procurement, distribution and sale of seasonal and all occasion social expression products, principally to mass market retailers. These seasonal and all occasion products include gift wrap, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, decorative tissue paper, decorations, classroom exchange Valentines, decorative ribbons and bows, floral accessories, Halloween masks, costumes, make-up and novelties, Easter egg dyes and novelties, craft and educational products, stickers, memory books, stationery, journals, notecards, infant and wedding photo albums, scrapbooks, and other gift items that commemorate life's celebrations. In September 5, 2012, it sold the Halloween portion of its Paper Magic business to Gemmy Industries (HK) Limited.

CSS' product provides its retail customers the opportunity to use a single ven dor for much of their seasonal product requirements. A substantial portion of CSS' products are manufactured, packaged and/or warehoused in 10 facilities located in the United States, with the remainder purchased primarily from manufacturers in Asia and Mexico. The Company's products are sold to its customers by national and regional account sales managers, sales representatives, product specialists and by a network of independent manufacturers' representatives. The Company's principal operating subsidiaries include Paper Magic Group, Inc. (Paper Magic), Berwick Offray LLC (Berwick Offray) and C.R. Gibson, LLC (C.R. Gibson). CSS designs, manufactures, procures, distributes and sells a range of seasonal consumer products primarily through the mass market distribution channel. Christmas products include gift wrap, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card hold! ers, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, decorative tissue paper and decorations. CSS' Valentine product offerings includ e classroom exchange Valentine cards and other related Valen! tine products, while its Easter product offerings include Dudley's brand of Easter egg dyes and related Easter seasonal products. CSS also designs and markets decorative ribbons and bows, all occasion boxed greeting cards, gift wrap, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, decorative and waxed tissue, decorative films and foils, stickers, memory books, stationery, journals, notecards, infant and wedding photo albums, scrapbooks, floral accessories and other gift and craft items to its mass market, craft, specialty and floral retail and wholesale distribution customers, and teachers' aids and other learning oriented products to the education market through mass market retailers, school supply distributors and teachers' stores. Key brands include Paper Magic, Berwick, Offray, C.R. Gibson, Markings, Creative Papers, Tapestry, Dudley's, Don Post Studios, Eureka, Learning Playground, Stickerfitti and iota. Key brands include Paper Magic, Berwick, Offray, C.R. Gibson, Markin gs, Creative Papers, Tapestry, Seastone, Dudley's, Eureka, Learning Playground and Stickerfitti.

CSS operates 10 manufacturing and/or distribution facilities located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Its boxed greeting cards are produced by Asian manufacturers to the Company's specifications. Halloween make-up and Easter egg dye products are manufactured in Asia to specific formulae by contract manufacturers who meet regulatory requirements for the formularization and packaging of such products. Ribbons and bows are primarily manufactured and warehoused in seven facilities located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas. Memory books, stationery, journals and notecards, infant and wedding photo albums, scrapbooks, and other gift items are imported from Asian manufacturers and war! ehoused a! nd distributed from a distribution facility in Florence, Alabama. Floral accessories, including pot covers, foil, waxe d tissue, shred, aisle runners, corsage bags and other paper! and film! products, are manufactured in a facility located in Milford, New Hampshire and Juarez, Mexico. Manufacturing includes gravure and flexo printing, waxing and converting. Products are warehoused and distributed from a distribution facility in Berwick, Pennsylvania. Other products including, but not limited to, decorative tissue paper, all occasion gift wrap, gift tags, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, classroom exchange Valentine products, Halloween masks, costumes and novelties, Easter products, decorations and school products are designed to the specifications of CSS and are imported primarily from Asian manufacturers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Gifts maker CSS Industries  (NYSE: CSS  )  announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.15 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2008.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-specialty-retail-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

Hot Quality Companies To Watch For 2016

Hot Quality Companies To Watch For 2016: SPS Commerce Inc.(SPSC)

SPS Commerce, Inc. provides on-demand supply chain management solutions worldwide. It offers integration, collaboration, connectivity, visibility, and data analytics over the Internet using a software-as-a-service model. SPS Commerce, Inc. provides its solutions through SPSCommerce.net, a hosted software suite that enables suppliers, retailers, distributors, and other customers to manage and fulfill orders. The company?s platform delivers various solutions to suppliers and retailers, including trading partner integration, trading partner enablement, trading partner intelligence, and various peripheral solutions. It also operates Retail Universe, a collaborative online Website that facilitates relationships and communications with members of the retail ecosystem. The company was formerly known as St. Paul Software, Inc. and changed its name to SPS Commerce, Inc. in May 2001. SPS Commerce, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  SPS Commerce (Nasdaq:SPSC), a leading provider of on-demand supply chain management solutions, and Wicresoft, a leading global IT solution service provider specializing in providing consulting, information technology and business process outsourcing, and IT infrastructure services, have partnered to provide supply chain solutions in China, Hong Kong and Japan.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-quality-companies-to-watch-for-2016-2.html

5 Best Undervalued Stocks For 2016

5 Best Undervalued Stocks For 2016: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory! management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Denbury Resources (DNR) fell 2.5% to $7.95, while Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) fell 2.2% to $37.24. Schlumberger (SLB), Nabors Industries (NBR) and Newfield Exploration (NFX) each fell 1%.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Stocks with low turnover include Philip Morris International (PM), Schlumberger (SLB), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), General Electric (GE) and Automatic Data Processing (ADP).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  We see several potential sources of continued activity as: (i) Schlumberger (SLB) may look to recapture #1 spot in revenues if Halliburton/Baker Hughes do merge; (ii) Halliburton/Baker Hughes may look to plug their seismic service gap (seismic has been the worst-performing industry sub-segment this year); (iii) Halliburton/Baker Hughes may be forced to divest US assets in order to pass antitrust review. Other potential buyers could include oilfield pure-plays, which may be looking to shift exposure away from offshore rigs and more towards completion/production technologies, or large diversified industrials seeking to capitalize on their strong relative share price performance vs. the energy industry.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-undervalued-stocks-for-2016-2.html

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 10 Canadian Stocks To Watch Right Now: Crown Castle International Corporation (CCI)

Crown Castle International Corp., through its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and leases towers and other wireless infrastructure primarily in the United States and Australia. Its infrastructure includes distributed antenna system (DAS) networks, as well as rooftop installations. The company involves in the rental of antenna space of its towers to wireless communications companies. It also provides network services relating to its towers, which primarily include antenna installations and subsequent augmentations, as well as additional services, such as site acquisition, architectural and engineering, zoning and permitting, other construction, and other services related network development. As of December 31, 2010, it owned, leased, or managed approximately 23,900 towers, including 43 completed DAS networks. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  This international focus sets American Tower apart from rivals Crown Castle (NYSE: CCI  ) and SBA Communications (NASDAQ: SBAC  ) .

• [By gurujx]

  Crown Castle International Corp (CCI) Reached the 52-Week High of $80.84

  Crown Castle International Corp is incorporated in the State of Delaware. Crown Castle International Corp has a market cap of $26.99 billion; its shares were traded at around $80.84 with a P/E ratio of 206.80 and P/S ratio of 7.74. The dividend yield of Crown Castle International Corp stocks is 1.30%. Crown Castle International Corp had an annual average earnings growth of 24.10% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Crown Castle International Corp the business predictability rank of 3.5-star.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Moreover, American Tower faces two massive rivals in Crown Castle Int! ernational (NYSE: CCI  ) and SBA Communications (NASDAQ: SBAC  ) , which operate 40,000 and 20,000 American radio towers, respectively. American Tower falls right between them, with more than 21,000 company-owned towers on American soil, and another 7,200 leased tower sites. This is a tight three-horse race, with several smaller competitors trailing far behind.

• [By Damian Illia]

  Crown Castle International Corp. (CCI) is a second-largest independent operator of wireless communication towers in the United States. It owns 40,000 tower sites in the U.S., more than 1,700 more in Australia, and 200 in Puerto Rico, and its main customers are wireless carriers such as AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), Sprint Corporation (S) and T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS). The company provides network design, radio frequency engineering and site development services as well. Since the acquisition of Global Signal Inc. in 2007, the company has grown and diversified geographically, and added efficiency and pricing control, allowing Crown Castle to compete with big rivals in the industry.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-canadian-stocks-to-watch-right-now-3.html

10 Best Restaurant Stocks To Own For 2016

10 Best Restaurant Stocks To Own For 2016: Blue Water Global Group Inc (BLUU)

Blue Water Global Group, Inc. (Blue Water), incorporated on March 3, 2011, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses on developing a chain of casual dining restaurants in tourist destinations throughout the Caribbean region. The Company's initial restaurant is going to be called Blue Water Bar & Grill and will be located in St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies.

As of February 7, 2013, the Company did not operate any restaurant properties, and did not have any ownership or leaseholds in any restaurant properties. As of February 7, 2013, the Company did not have any ownership or leaseholds in any restaurant properties.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Naturalnano Inc (OTCMKTS: NNAN), Global Payout, Inc (OTCMKTS: GOHE) and Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) were either jumping higher or diving lower yesterday. To complicate matters for investors, two of these small cap stocks have been subjects of disclosures about paid promotion or investor relation campaigns. So what will these three small caps do for the rest of this week? Here is a closer look to help you decide on a trading or investing strategy:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Last Friday, small cap Digital Brand Media & Marketing Group Inc (OTCMKTS: DBMM) surged 22.22% while Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) sank 18.42% and Medina International Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: MIHI) sank 50%. However, one of these small caps (Blue Water Global Group) appears to be reversing course in early morning trading today. So with it and the rest of these small cap stocks either sink or swim in trading this week? Here is a closer look to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:

source from Top Stocks For 2015! :http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-restaurant-stocks-to-own-for-2016.html