Our panelists give you the scoop on all the inside business information before you hear it anywhere else in The Informer segment:
Mike Ozanian, senior editor: This is the first time since World War II that companies are paying out more in dividends than they are making in revenue. Some of the dangerous companies are Verizon (VZ), Dow Chemical (DOW), Donnelly & Sons (DNY), HJ Heinz (HNZ) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY).
Bruce Upbin, senior editor: Shouldn't the risks be reduced as the economy recovers?
Mike Ozanian: Yes it should, but some of these companies like Verizon are paying five times more in dividends than they're making. Stocks that are safe are Du Pont (DD), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), SBC Communications (SBC), Deluxe Corp (DLX), and Philip Morris (MO).
David Asman: Well, we're talking safe bets. Nothing sounds better than a competitor to Viagra.
Leigh Gallagher, staff writer: Eli Lilly (LLY) is the company that invented Prozac. Lilly right now is down about 32%. But there is one blockbuster that's about to break out. Its anti-impotence drug, Cialis, kicks in quicker than Viagra and lasts longer.
Bruce Upbin: But hasn't this drug had some setbacks?
Leigh Gallagher: Yes, these approvals are taking a little bit longer but they're going to come through.
David Asman: Okay Bruce let's move on to you.
Bruce Upbin: Sporting goods and golf equipment has been a nothing category for a number of years. All these golf courses have been built under the expectation that people will start playing. But people haven't been playing. So I think Callaway Golf (ELY), a maker of golf clubs and golf balls, is going to be in the rough for a while.
David Asman: Do they make the clubs that Tiger Woods uses?
Bruce Upbin: No, Tiger is playing with Nike woods right now.
Makers and Breakers
IDEC Pharmaceuticals (IDPH)
Brian Clifford, SunAmerica Asset Management: Maker
IDEC Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology franchise. This is a company with a pretty clear earnings trajectory over the next couple of years. They have one product in the market and they're in the process of launching another one.
Elizabeth MacDonald, senior editor: Maker
I love this stock. They're the makers of Rituxin, a drug for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. You take it intravenously. Also its net income doubled last year. It's trading at 59 times earnings and trading at $35.
Mike Ozanian, senior editor: Breaker
I have to be a breaker on this. This stock is very expensive. Its three biggest competitors have products up for approval this year that will compete directly with its core product and that makes me nervous.
David Asman: Okay Brian, let's move on to your second pick.
Patterson Energy (PTEN)
Brian Clifford, SunAmerica Asset Management: Maker
Patterson Energy has a leading market share in land drilling, with exposure to increased activity in the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding area.
Mike Ozanian: Maker
I'm a maker. I realize the stock has been zooming up and insiders have been selling, but the company has no debt on its balance sheet.
Elizabeth MacDonald: Maker
I like this stock too. It's net income cash flow is coming in very very strong. And they've bolstered their drills so they can now dig even deeper.
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