Recently Amazon (AMZN) announced that the company is expanding its Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service to Los Angeles. The service, which has existed for a few years solely in Seattle, carries an annual fee of $299 and free shipping on qualified orders. Amazon has been slow to expand the service, learning from the mistakes of failed grocery delivery companies of the past. Amazon plans to expand the service to San Francisco later this year to around 20 more markets by the end of 2014.
What does this expansion mean for Amazon, and what does it mean for companies like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and Costco?
What Amazon Fresh means for Amazon
Amazon's quest to grow revenue and ignore profits continues. The grocery delivery business is a graveyard of failed companies, with margins razor-thin and competition fierce. But if any company is capable of delivering groceries in a sustainable way, it's Amazon.
Amazon has been extremely slow and cautious with the expansion of Amazon Fresh, largely due to the tough economics of the business. In the short-term and intermediate-term Amazon Fresh will have little effect on the company's results due to the limited footprint, but if new markets prove successful Amazon Fresh could eventually bring in billions of dollars in revenue.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Watch For 2015: NTN Buzztime Inc (NTN)
NTN Buzztime, Inc. (Buzztime), incorporated in 1984, is an interactive entertainment network. The Company provides media, advertising and consumer marketing services. The Company's games, as of December 31, 2011, were available in over 3,900 locations in the United States and Canada, where they are shown on approximately 20,000 screens daily. The Company has over 2.4 million registered users and over 52 million games is played each year. The Company generates revenues by charging subscription fees for its service to its Network Subscribers and also from the sale of advertising aired on in-venue screens, as well as in conjunction with customized games. Approximately 34% of the Company's Network Subscriber venues, as of December 31, 2011, were related to national and regional restaurants and includes Wild Wings, Black Angus, Hooters, Native New Yorker and Old Chicago. In October 2011, the Company acquired the Stump! Trivia hosted live trivia business.
The Company's Buzztime Network system uses a 900 mega hertz (MHz) wireless Playmaker, a hand-held radio frequency device with a monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) display and sealed keypad that players use to enter choices and selections. The Playmakers have been manufactured primarily by a non-affiliated manufacturer in Taiwan and are a rugged combination of hardware and firmware optimized for hospitality environments. The Company also offers the Buzztime Mobile Playmaker, an application that allows its players to interact in-venue with its game content using iPhones, iPod Touches and Android phones. The Company's primary product is the distribution of a variety of multi-player interactive games that entertain and challenge a player's skill and knowledge while prompting the customer of the hospitality venue.
The Company provides premium trivia competitions during evening hours, particularly in the restaurants and sports bars. In addition to game interaction, other consumer features available on the Playmaker include player ! chat and real-time sports scores transmitted directly to the units.
The Company has developed and produced a number of interactive sports games, including predicts the Play sports games. Predict the Play sports games call for participants to predict the outcome of events before they happen, primarily in an intensive play-by-play method. One such game in this category is QB1, a live, play-along football game. In addition to the Company's Predict the Play games, the Company offers a series of pre-event prediction games. Race Day consists of two game play components: one predictive before the race and one trivia during the race.
The Company offers a suite of Playmaker only games. This suite of games is independent of the Buzztime Network and they are played directly on the Company's wireless Playmakers rather than on one of the television screens in the hospitality venue. As of December 31, 2011, the Company has Playmaker Poker, Acey Duecey, Crystal Ball and Shark Attack Playmaker only games.
The Company competes with Touchtunes Interactive Networks, The Answer Is . . . Productions Inc. and Livewire/Incredible Technologies, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By abirk]
On March 6, 2014, Buffalo Wild Wings announced its partnership with NTN Buzztime Inc. (NTN) to bring the company's BEOND tablet-based entertainment platform to all of their North America restaurant locations by the end of 2015. Buzztime's BEOND tablet lets Buffalo Wild Wings Guests order food, request songs and television programming, play games (both multi-player and arcade-style), and pay the bill.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Watch For 2015: Kaman Corporation (KAMN)
Kaman Corporation operates in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets. The company?s Industrial Distribution segment distributes products, including bearings, mechanical and electrical power transmission, fluid power, motion control, and materials handling components. The segment offers its products through approximately 200 branches, distribution centers, and call centers in the United States, including Puerto Rico, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Its Aerospace segment produces and/or markets proprietary aircraft bearings and components; and complex metallic and composite aerostructures for commercial, military, and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft. This segment also provides safing and arming solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; support for its maritime helicopters and medium-to-heavy lift helicopters; and offers engineering design, analysis, and certification services, as well as subcontracts helicopter wor k. Kaman Corporation also operates in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Bloomfield, Conn.-based Kaman Corporation (NYSE: KAMN ) looks likely to land a sizable contract with the New Zealand Ministry of Defense, the company announced late Thursday.
- [By Rich Smith]
Bloomfield, Conn.-based Kaman Corporation (NYSE: KAMN ) will have a new Chief Financial Officer soon.
On Thursday, the aircraft parts-maker announced that when current CFO William C. Denninger retires on June 30, he will quickly be succeeded (the very next day, in fact) by newly promoted Senior Vice President and CFO Robert D. Starr.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Aerospace parts manufacturer�Kaman� (NYSE: KAMN ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.16 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2011.
- [By James E. Brumley]
What do small cap stocks MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI), Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (NYSE:SKT), and Kaman Corporation (NYSE:KAMN) have in common? Absolutely nothing, on the surface, and no, it's not a setup for painfully bad punchline. There is a common thread among KAMN, SKT, and MKSI right now, however... they're all three going into my mental (though publicly-tracked) portfolio this afternoon.
Top 10 Food Companies To Watch For 2015: LCA-Vision Inc.(LCAV)
LCA-Vision Inc. provides fixed-site laser vision correction services through its LasikPlus vision centers. Its vision centers offer laser vision correction services for correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. As of December 31, 2011, the company operated 53 LasikPlus fixed-site laser vision correction centers located in metropolitan markets in the United States. LCA-Vision Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Medical Practitioners: This industry jumped 2.82% by 10:15 am. The top performer in this industry was LCA-Vision (NASDAQ: LCAV), which rose 2.9%. LCA-Vision's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $91.12 million.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Watch For 2015: DigitalGlobe Inc (DGI)
DigitalGlobe, Inc. provides commercial earth imagery products and information services worldwide. It collects imagery products and services through its QuickBird, WorldView-1, and WorldView-2 satellites, as well as aerial and satellite imagery from third party suppliers. The company offers a range of online and offline distribution options, including desktop software applications; Web services, which provide direct online access to the company�s image library; file transfer protocol; physical media, such as CD, DVD, and hard drive; and direct access program that facilitates certain customers to task and download data from its WorldView-1 and WorldView-2 satellites. Its imagery products and services support various uses, including defense, intelligence and homeland security, mapping and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, and infrastructure management. DigitalGlobe, Inc. serves defense contractors; civil government agencies; providers of location-b ased services; and various companies in energy, telecommunications, utility, forestry, mining, financial services, environmental, and agricultural industries through direct and indirect channels. The company was formerly known as EarthWatch, Incorporated and changed its name to DigitalGlobe, Inc. in August 2002. DigitalGlobe, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Longmont, Colorado. DigitalGlobe, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares dropped about 0.48 percent in trading on Friday. Top decliners in the sector included DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI), down 5.7 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 3.8 percent.
- [By Seth Jayson]
DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), DigitalGlobe missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share. - [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares dropped about 0.48 percent in trading on Friday. Top decliners in the sector included DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI), down 5.7 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 3.6 percent.
Top 5 Shipping Companies To Watch For 2015: ING Groep NV (ISP)
ING Groep N.V. (ING) is a global financial institution offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to meet the needs of the customers. The Company�� segments include banking and insurance. Banking segment includes retail Netherlands, retail Belgium, ING direct, retail central Europe (CE), retail Asia, commercial banking (excluding real estate), ING real estate and corporate line banking. Insurance segment includes insurance Benelux, insurance central and rest of Europe (CRE), insurance United States (US), Insurance US closed block VA, insurance Asia/Pacific, ING investment management (IM) and corporate line insurance. In November 2013, the Company completed the sale of ING Hipotecaria to Banco Santander (Mexico), S.A. In December 2013, the Company completed the sale of its 33.3% interest in China Merchants Fund to its joint venture partners China Merchants Bank Co Ltd and China Merchants Securities Co Ltd, and divested ING Life Korea to MBK Partners. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Stoukas]
UniCredit SpA and Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (ISP), Italy�� biggest banks, dropped more than 1 percent as the nation�� benchmark FTSE MIB Index slid 1.2 percent. Rio Tinto Group led mining companies lower after a measure of Chinese manufacturing missed a preliminary estimate. Aryzta AG rallied the most in six months as the Swiss supplier of bakery products reported results that topped projections.
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