CHICAGO, Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks Equity Research highlights American Woodmark Corporation (Nasdaq:AMWD-Free Report) as the Bull of the Day and GSE Holding (NYSE:GSE-Free Report) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis ontheDISH Network Corp. (Nasdaq:DISH-Free Report), DIRECTV (Nasdaq:DTV-Free Report) and Sprint Corp. (NYSE:S-Free Report).
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Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:
American Woodmark Corporation (Nasdaq:AMWD-Free Report) reported excellent quarterly results buoyed by strong growth in new construction as well as remodeling sales channels. As a result, earnings estimates have surged, sending this cabinet maker to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
American Woodmark is a leading manufacturer and distributor of kitchen and bath cabinets for remodeling and new home construction markets.
The company manufactures cabinets under four major brands: American Woodmark, Timberlake Cabinetry, Shenandoah Cabinetry and Waypoint Living Spaces and sells more than 435 cabinet lines in a wide variety of design materials and finishes.
Its products are sold through a network of independent dealers and distributors, and directly to major builders and Lowe's and The Home Depot. The company operates 11 manufacturing facilities and 9 builder service centers across the country.
While housing markets appeared to be taking a breather of late due to increase in mortgage rates, still tight credit availability and rise in home prices, remodeling activity continued its uptrend. Further, interest rates have come down after the 'no-taper' announcement. Per Freddie Mac, fixed mortgage rates are now at their lowest levels in three months. As a result, housing markets may pick up again.
Estimates have come down substantially after ugly second quarter results, sending GSE to a Zacks Rank # 5 (Strong Sell), with an "Underperform" recommendation.
GSE Holding (NYSE:GSE-Free Report) is a manufacturer and marketer of geosynthetic lining products and services, used for environmental protection and confinement applications. Their solutions are used mainly in agriculture, aquaculture, mining, power, waste containment, wastewater, and other industrial applications. Headquartered in Houston, GSE has manufacturing facilities in the US, Chile, Germany, Thailand and Egypt. It also has sales offices throughout the world.
Total net sales for the second quarter were $108.2 million, compared to $139.2 million for the prior year period. The loss in the quarter was $6.9 million, or ($0.34) per diluted share compared to adjusted net income of $5.8 million or $0.29 per diluted share in the prior year period.
Declining EBITDA caused GSE to breach its debt covenant in respect of its total leverage. The company obtained a waiver of default from its lenders and amended the credit facility.
According to the management, very weak European economy has left the industry with excess capacity, leading to overall margin pressure.
Additional content:
DISH to Bid for LightSquared Spectrum
Recently,DISH Network Corp. (Nasdaq:DISH-Free Report) has won a favorable ruling to take part in the upcoming spectrum auction of LightSquared Inc. In May 2013, DISH offered a bid of $2.22 billion to acquire 40 MHz of wireless spectrum held by LightSquared, which is currently bankrupt. However, Harbinger Capital Partners, the principal owner of LightSquared, objected to this bid stating that DISH has resorted to fraudulent means to enter the bidding process.
Last Monday, a Manhattan bankruptcy judge approved DISH's bid and has set Nov 25, 2013 as the auction date. Earlier, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had refused the use of this particular airwave as it was interfering with the global positioning system. This has led to LightSquared's bankruptcy. Later on, the FCC conducted more tests on the spectrum and eventually permitted an auction with a few modifications.
DISH has constructed an extensive wireless/satellite spectrum base over the last couple of years. In 2012, the company purchased 2 slots of the 40 MHz S-band wireless spectrum from bankrupt TerreStar Networks Inc. and DBSD North America Inc. for a consideration of $2.9 billion. Moreover, the company owns a slot of 700 MHz airwaves. DISH is the second largest satellite TV operator in the U.S. after DIRECTV (Nasdaq:DTV-Free Report). The U.S. pay-TV market is intensely competitive. Competition emerge from the fiber-based video offerings of telecom giants, cable MSOs and online video streaming service providers.
We believe DISH's attempt to enter into the wireless market is a diversification strategy to counter pay-TV market saturation. The company enjoys the opportunity to collaborate with several established telecom or tech companies to jointly establish a wireless network. Earlier, DISH failed to acquire Sprint Corp. (NYSE:S-Free Report) from Softbank of Japan.
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