dividends paid

TEMPUR-PEDIC $25.53 (New York symbol TPX; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (800-878-8889; www.tempurpedic.com; Shares outstanding: 63.5 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; No dividends paid) makes and distributes Swedish mattresses and neck pillows made from its proprietary Tempur material, which conforms to the body to provide support and help alleviate pressure points.

Tempur-Pedic’s shares are down 70.8% since they hit an all-time high of $87.43 in April 2012.

The decline came despite a strong 2012 first quarter in which Tempur-Pedic’s earnings per share rose 26.5%, to $0.86 from $0.68 a year earlier, and sales rose 18.0%, to $384.4 million from $325.8 million.

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INTUITIVE SURGICAL $549.36 (Nasdaq symbol ISRG; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (515-507-5000; www.intuitivesurgical.com; Shares outstanding: 39.7 million; Market cap: $21.8 billion; No dividends paid) makes the da Vinci, a computerized surgical system.

Guided by a miniature camera connected to a 3-D monitor, surgeons use the da Vinci to operate by remotely manipulating tiny robotic arms. This process is safer and much less invasive than regular surgery, and helps cut a patient’s recovery time and post-operative discomfort. It also reduces scarring and infection risk.

In the three months ended March 31, 2012, Intuitive earned $143.5 million, or $3.63 a share. That’s up 37.8% from $104.1 million, or $2.66 a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 27.6%, to $495.2 million from $388.1 million. Intuitive is debt-free, and holds cash of $2.4 billion, or $60.45 a share.

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ADOBE SYSTEMS $31.43 (Nasdaq symbol ADBE; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-536-6000; www.adobe.com; Shares outstanding: 491.8 million; Market cap: $15.5 billion; No dividends paid) is teaming up with NBC to stream events live from the Olympic Summer Games in London to mobile device users in the U.S. for free. Comcast Corp. owns NBC, which has the U.S. television rights to the London Olympics.

NBC has launched two applications using Adobe technology. Both include software that measures user traffic and offers targeted advertising.

The first app, NBC Olympics Live Extra, will let customers of cable, satellite and telephone companies live-stream competitions and events. The other app, called NBC Olympics, will provide additional information, such as TV and online schedules, live results and highlights.

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AMAZON.COM $217.47 (Nasdaq symbol AMZN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (206- 266-1000; www.amazon.com; Shares outstanding: 450.5 million; Market cap: $98.0 billion; No dividends paid) has reportedly agreed to buy 3-D mapping company UpNext.

UpNext offers interactive, threedimensional maps. Users can “drop down” into streets and tap objects to bring up information, directions or different viewpoints.

Offering its own mapping capability through UpNext will let Amazon take full advantage of rising demand for mobile ads. As well, the company may be working on a smartphone, and it could use UpNext on that device.

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FIRSTSERVICE CORP. $27.65 (Toronto symbol FSV; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-960-9500; www.firstservice.com; Shares outstanding: 28.7 million; Market cap: $793.6 million; No dividends paid) serves the following areas of the real estate market: commercial real estate, residential property management, and property improvement. FirstService has more than 23,000 employees worldwide.

FirstService’s revenue rose 2.4% in the three months ended March 31, 2012, to $490.1 million from $478.4 million a year earlier (all figures except share price in U.S. dollars). Excluding one-time items, the company lost $0.10 a share, compared to a profit of $0.14 a share.

Revenue increased at two of FirstService’s three divisions: commercial real estate (up 9%) and residential property management (up 14%).

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AEROPOSTALE INC. $20.26 (New York symbol ARO; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (646-485-5410; www.aeropostale.com; Shares outstanding: 81.3 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; No dividends paid) has hired 15-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz as a celebrity endorser.

Ms. Moretz has recently appeared in movies such as Dark Shadows and Hugo. She also starred in the cult hit Kick-Ass.

Over the last few quarters, Aeropostale has focused on more fashionable clothing instead of the basics. The company hopes Ms. Moretz will draw attention to these products and boost its sales.

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NEW GOLD $9.84 (Toronto symbol NGD; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (888-315- 9715; www.newgold.com; Shares outstanding: 461.7 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; No dividends paid) has started up its fourth mine. The $765- million New Afton gold mine in B.C. processed the first ore through its mill on June 28, 2012. New Gold’s target for commercial production at New Afton, defined as 30 days of operation at 60% capacity (or 6,600 tonnes per day) remains August 2012.

New Afton should produce an average of 85,000 ounces of gold and 75 million pounds of copper annually over its 12-year life.

There is still room to expand the mine’s reserves and increase its production through exploration drilling.

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NCR CORP. $21 (New York symbol NCR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 158.8 million; Market cap: $3.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ncr.com) has paid an undisclosed sum for three Brazilian firms that make cash registers and other point-of-sale equipment for restaurants. These purchases should help NCR increase its share of this market, which is growing by 10% a year. Restaurant spending should also keep rising in Brazil, particularly because the country is hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. NCR is a buy.
FAIR ISAAC CORP. $42.44 (New York symbol FICO; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (415-472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 34.3 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 0.2%) makes FICO Scores, the computer program that dominates the market for software that businesses use to evaluate customer creditworthiness. The company is also profiting by selling software that helps credit card issuers control fraud and analyze their clients’ spending patterns. In its fiscal 2012 second quarter, which ended March 31, 2012, Fair Isaac’s earnings per share excluding one-time items jumped 41.0%, to $0.55 from $0.39. The company’s ongoing cost cuts were a major reason for the increase. Sales rose 4.4%, to $159.5 million from $152.8 million. Fair Isaac spends around 10% of its sales on research. That lets it keep producing innovative new products that help it stay ahead of its competitors....
FORTRESS PAPER $19.87 (Toronto symbol FTP; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-888-820-3888; www.fortresspaper.com; Shares outstanding: 14.3 million; Market cap: $284.1 million; No dividends paid) has moved up over 20% since early June, mostly on a couple of positive developments. First, Fortress’s facility in Thurso, Quebec, which it bought in early 2010, is now operating at 92% capacity. The pulp is meeting customer specifications, and shipments to China are increasing. Second, the company’s Landqart banknote division in Switzerland has announced that a customer has reinstated a significant order that had been postponed. That should take up the excess capacity at the plant....