I thought the concept of open innovation was just theory. When a behemoth, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), just took another step closer to fully embrace openness, I was surprised.
Open innovation is the concept of freely allowing access to knowledge resources and other factors that can benefit a firm. However, this form of innovation can be described as collaborative innovation.
Collaborative innovation allows firms such as Microsoft to pursue innovation outside of its boundaries. According to the article, it appears that Microsoft used to be tightly held. For instance, no one would have expected Microsoft to have Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on its .NET Foundation technical steering committee. This strategic alliance can be beneficial for both firms as the learning and knowledge transfer take place between both companies. Since both companies tend to compete in the same space, the strategic alliance can be considered a form of related diversification, where the synergies between both companies should be realized. The only negative thing to worry about is the size of both companies could hinder the progress if the internal cultures in the alliance do not mesh (I can cite hundreds of academic studies on this paragraph alone, but it will confuse you more than help you).
stock market trading game: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.(NCLH)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Teresa Rivas]
Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH) was up nearly 7% on Wednesday afternoon, following its fourth-quarter earnings report.
Norwegian said that it earned 56 cents a share, a penny ahead of analysts’ expectations. Revenue rose 8.5% to $1.13 billion, also squeaking past the $1.11 billion consensus estimate.
For the full year, Norwegian said it expects to earn between $3.75 and $3.85 a share, with a midpoint a penny above the $3.79 average analyst estimate. It’s first-quarter EPS guidance of 36 cents also came in ahead of the 34-cent consensus.
Instinet analyst Harry Curtiswrites that after recent missteps, it was “vital” for Norwegian’s forecast to meet expectations but not seem too optimistic, a balancing act he believes the company achieved.
He reiterated a Buy rating and $52 price target on the stock:
NCLHs 2017 EPS outlook ($3.75 to $3.85) brackets our forecast ($3.75) and the Streets ($3.79). However, we believe there could be upside to that range, given the positive booking and pricing trends so far this year. We remain positive on the shares of NCLH, which we believe should continue to outperform through 2017.
Norwegian was recently up 6.8% to $51.49.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
The stock market once again proved its resiliency on Wednesday, bouncing back from extensive declines early in the session to recover most of its losses. The Dow Jones Industrials actually managed to post yet another record close with a modest gain, and although other major market benchmarks suffered declines, they weren’t significant. Moreover, some favorable news from certain pockets of the market helped bolster investor confidence. Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL), Lantheus Holdings (NASDAQ:LNTH), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NASDAQ:NCLH) were among the top performers on the day. Below, we’ll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Carnival have dropped 4.2% to $43.74 at 2:39 p.m. today, while Royal Caribbean Cruise (RCL) has tumbled 5.6% to $66.15, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is off 4.3% at $38.63.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: NCLH) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.37 per share on revenue of $1.10 billion.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: JAZZ) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $2.31 per share on revenue of $338.86 million.
stock market trading game: Kronos Worldwide Inc(KRO)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Monica Gerson]
Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: KRO) is projected to post a quarterly loss at $0.13 per share on revenue of $308.50 million.
Energen Corporation (NYSE: EGN) is estimated to post a quarterly loss at $0.67 per share on revenue of $122.91 million.
stock market trading game: Fidelity Southern Corporation(LION)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Lisa Levin]
Here is the list of stocks going ex-dividend on Monday.
AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE: ATR) – $0.3200 dividend, 1.6780 percent yield. AptarGroup reported weaker-than-expected Q3 results on Thursday.
Fidelity Southern Corporation (NASDAQ: LION) – $0.1200 dividend, 2.6359 percent yield. The company, based in Atlanta, Georgia, provides financial products and services for customers.
Apple Hospitality REIT Inc (NYSE: APLE) – $0.1000 dividend, 6.5826 percent yield. Apple Hospitality REIT, based in Richmond, Virginia, operates as a subsidiary of Apple REIT Companies.
Targa Resources Corp (NYSE: TRGP) – $0.9100 dividend, 7.7299 percent yield. The Houston, Texas-based company provides midstream natura
stock market trading game: Biotricity (BTCY)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By James E. Brumley]
While the economy’s natural — and recurring — cycles favor different kinds of stocks at different times, not every great trend is necessarily a cyclical one. Sometimes, a trend is rooted in a technological development that changes cultural norms. The advent of the smartphone, for example, has made constant connectivity to the world around part of how we live our daily lives.
These mega-trends present tremendous opportunities for investors too, provided they’re savvy enough to see them coming and play them the right way.
One such mega-trend newly underway right now is the proliferation of wearables… devices that meld clothing (often a wrist-worn device) and technology to perform a function that couldn’t be performed otherwise. Much of the same technology that made the smartphone possible are now ushering in wearables.
It’s not been a smooth beginning. however.
While the buzz was strong and expectations reached a peak two years ago when Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT) was all the rage and in the wake of its IPO, the company’s growth wasn’t to be sustained. The company is struggling to muster any growth now, and FIT shares have fallen to a tenth of their value seen in late-2015, when the euphoria was strongest.
Fitbit’s slowdown has been mirrored by other companies in the space. The wearables market only grew 3.1% in Q3 of 2016.
On the flipside, while the debacle of Fitbit — the wearable industry’s iconic company — has been a painful, it’s also been a learning experience. And, it’s not as if the slowdown is unfurling without the wearables market never reaching a respectable size. International Data Corporation estimates were 23 million ‘wearables’ delivered in the third quarter of last year alone.
Moreover, the fizzling of the market hasn’t turned into a reason to swear off wearables as an investment opportunity… quite the opposite, actually. It’s just now become considerably clearer what consumers want an
- [By Matthew Briar]
In October, medical technology developer Biotricity Inc. (OTCMKTS:BTCY) announced part of its heart-monitoring hardware received the necessary 501k clearance from the Food & Drug Administration. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that the company is nearing the end of the R&D journey with its bioflux device, which provides caregivers round-the-clock monitoring of a heart patient’s vital stats. BTCY could have the device on the market within a matter of weeks, putting the organization into a multi-billion dollar market with a platform like no other.
And yet, heart-monitoring is only going to be a part of what the company does.
Another news later that same month was a not-so-subtle reminder…. Biotricity Inc. is already eyeing the entry into other markets aside from the cardiac market that would benefit from remote monitoring.
One has to back-track to the September 29th press release to set the stage. That’s when the company announced it would take the same basic remote-monitoring technology and apply it to fetal monitoring and sleep apnea, at least. The way the PR read left open the possibility to even more medically-related uses.
For some it may have been a read-it-and-forget-it affair. Lots of companies announce their intentions, and then get around to doing it whenever they feel like it, IF they feel like it. Biotricity wasn’t just blowing smoke though. In October the company announced that its primary development partner — the University of Calgary — and it laid out specific plans to create ‘remote monitoring mobile devices in a number of clinical settings, including peri-operative medicine, maternal/fetal medicine and acute and chronic care medicine in order to facilitate the application of “smart” medical grade wearables to the hospital and out-patient settings.’
This second mention of the idea suggests it’s going to happen sooner than later, even as the company continues to push bioflux to
- [By James E. Brumley]
These are two of the key stumbling blocks Fitbit hit, and the two big stumbling blocks Biotricity Inc (OTCMKTS:BTCY) has completely sidestepped.
For the unfamiliar, Biotricity is the developer of two different but related wearable, 24/7 heart monitoring technologies. The device called bioflux is for use by caregivers in a clinical setting, remotely transmitting detailed information about the heart’s functioning which can then be analyzed by caregivers. The device known as biolife serves individuals outside of a clinical setting, largely doing the same chore. The advantage of the technology is mobility, without sacrificing accuracy.
- [By James E. Brumley]
Biotricity Inc (OTCMKTS:BTCY), a developer of remote health-monitoring devices, reminded us not so gently today that while it’s waiting on the last of the necessary approvals from the FDA for its hardware, it’s still moving the ball downfield (so to speak). That is to say, it’s already lined up a manufacturer for its so-called Bioflux cardiac monitor for when the last green light is given, and it’s a good one…. Providence Enterprise . That’s the same company that makes some of the equipment and goods within your sight right now.
Biotricity is the name behind two pieces of technology, both of which are nearing the end of their development. One is the aforementioned Bioflux, and the other is called biolife…. the latter for use by individuals outside of a clinical setting. Neither is on the market yet, but both are projected to be on the market this year. In fact, the company demonstrated its IoT-connected bioflux at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in Barcelona, Spain a couple of weeks ago. The crowd liked what it saw.
The marketable version of the device isn’t available yet; it’s still going through the approval process. The company recently filed a 510k request with the FDA for its bioflux technology (the 510k path is for medical devices rather than drugs, and as such doesn’t require a lot of regulatory deliberation), and has heard back from the FDA about a key part of the device already – it got the green light. Another arm of the FDA must look at other aspects of the device, and that portion of the review takes longer.
Still, the company is rightfully optimistic, so much so that it’s already lined up a company to manufacture the Bioflux device once the final approval and final specs are in. That company is Providence Enterprise, which has a long history in making drug delivery and diagnostic equipment, as well as plenty of experience making electronics. The Bioflux will be a blend of both capabilities.
It’s in
- [By Matthew Briar]
Biotricity Inc (OTCMKTS:BTCY) announced on Tuesday morning it was teaming up with Global to Local (G2L) to develop remote monitoring solutions that not only work, but serve the underserved (medically speaking) community. This partnership is of particular interest to current and would-be BTCY investors, as it will likely validate the crux of the work the company has done thus far.
Biotricity is the developer of two different though related technologies. One is called bioflux, and the other is called biolife. Both are heart-monitoring devices… the former for use by caregivers in a clinical setting, while the latter is for use by individuals outside of a clinical setting. Neither is on the market yet, but both are projected to be on the market next year. The company recently filed a 510k request with the FDA for its bioflux technology (the 510k path is for medical devices rather than drugs, and as such doesn’t require a lot of regulatory deliberation), and has heard back from the FDA about a key part of the device already – it got the green light. Another arm of the FDA must look at other aspects of the device.
The technology is unique, in that it not only provides stunningly accurate detailed information about a patient’s heart function, but it constantly feeds that data – remotely – to a caregiver and monitor that can make good use of that data. In August the company announced AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) would be handling the wireless (cellular) connectivity between clinics and patients’ bioflux devices.
It’s a breakthrough, for many reasons, not the least of which is that remote monitoring lowers overall healthcare costs for those patients, and ultimately, for insurers.
The hardware is not yet available on a commercial basis, but it is being tested in a clinical setting. The Global to Local partnership will be another field test of sorts, validating the work Biotricity has performed on the R&D front.
The organization says
stock market trading game: Tuesday Morning Corp.(TUES)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Monica Gerson]
Tuesday Morning (NASDAQ: TUES) shares gained 4.87% to create a new 52-week high of $14.63. Tuesday Morning shares have jumped 110.09% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 18.17% in the same period.
- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap closeout home decor retailer Tuesday Morning Corporation (NASDAQ: TUES) reported Q4 and fiscal 2017 earnings before the market opened on Thursday. Q4net sales were $223.6 million versus $222.8 million as the Company’s sales comparison to the prior year is impacted by the net closure of 20 stores during the current fiscal year.Comparable store sales increased 1.8% compared to the same period a year ago, and were comprised of a 2.6% increase in customer transactions, partially offset by a 0.8% decrease in average ticket. The Company operated 731 stores at the end of the fiscal year, which is a decrease of 20 stores from the prior year period.The net loss was $17.3 million versusa net loss of $3.9 million.
