| Newly-Public RailAmerica Simply Has Too Much Debt Bill Simpson submits: Bill Simpson wrote an analysis of RailAmerica (RA) to TradingIPOs subscribers on October 7. In their debut Wednesday, October 14, shares traded for less than $14, well below initial expectations of $16 to $18 per share. The text of Mr. Simpson's original writeup follows:Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Mercedes, Honda, Toyota Best in Customer Retention - J.D. Power TheCarConnection.com submits: By Richard Read During economic times like these, customer retention has given some automakers an edge in the marketplace. Though studies have suggested that brand loyalty is a thing of the past, J.D. Power's new Customer Retention Survey shows a whopping 67% of Mercedes-Benz buyers remain loyal to the company, with Honda (64%) and Toyota (61%) following close behind. At the bottom? Saturn (25%), Suzuki (24%), and way down in the single-digits, Saab, at just 9%. We might blame that on the brand's potential wind-down, but with Pontiac still at 28%, it looks like Saab just can't catch a break.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Boeing Flies Higher With Global Growth Invest With An Edge submits: By Brandon Clay Boeing (BA) is on the short list of great American companies. I remember seeing mockups of the new 777s in Everett, Washington in 2006 inside the largest building by volume in the world. Boeing’s heritage as the premier US-based airplane manufacturer is impressive.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Why There's No Rush for General Motors IPO Wall Street Strategies submits:For the first time since 2007, General Motors (MTLQQ.PK) reported a profitable quarter. Helped by its bankruptcy proceedings and other cost savings, the Company capitalized on a rebound in the auto industry to report an $865 million profit. The Company reported that strength overseas; coupled by a rebound in North America (particularly the United States) helped to boost the Company’s bottom line. Cost savings across the board helped the Company to post the almost $900 million profit. Auto sales around the world have been boosted by government programs as well as various incentives from the Company themselves; however, these are expected to decrease in the next few months. The Company is cycling some pretty easy comparisons when the Company was slashing production, idling plants, in an effort to stave off bankruptcy.The Company has paid back almost $7 billion to the U.S. government, but that money is still only a fraction of the money the U.S. tax payer invested in the Company. The U.S. taxpayer still owns approximately 80% of the auto giant and CFO Chris Liddell and CEO Ed Whitacre have both said that it is not a race to go public. They are going to wait for the right time (both in the market and for the Company). Becoming a publicly traded company again is important, but it is not the end game for the Company. GM is trying to make cars that people want to buy, and over the past year, the new models that have been released (Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet) are really drawing more customers. Despite being the midst of dropping four brands from its lineup, its total market share in both the United States and the world (compared to the end of the first quarter) was flat at 18.4% and 11.2% respectively.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
BMW CEO Discusses Q2 Results - Earnings Call Transcript BMW (BAMXY.PK)Q2 Earnings CallAugust 3, 2010 10:00 am ETComplete Story » seekingalpha.com |