Recent Buys and current news

July News is in so far. On 7/6/10 I purchased EOS, FSC and PFE $8.00 each company. On 7/13/10 I purchased ED, IBM, BPT at $8.00 each. My june statement has arrived. Equities and stock for June $351.11 value at may end was $261.44. Dividends for the month Jumped to $2.25 from .79 cents the period before.


    My top three holdings for June were GE 1.594 Shares $22.99, 2nd IGD 1.9271 shares $20.06, and #3 is AOD 3.7947 shares $18.78. Top 3 dividends in June were AOD .44 cents , FRO .25 cents, DO Special Dividend .13 cents Regular Dividend .01 cent. Total of 12 buys for June. Total 33 dividends collected in June.

Well thatis it for now cheers all.

Wowzers Were did da time go.............

     I stumbled across my password the other day finally can do some updated. The wife had a heart attack I had to sell all that had at folio investing and recover the family. I now have a roth ira through sharebuilder.com Get ya own Account here. I am still using the same investing style as before. I put in 50.00 every payday and invest $5.00 for each day that I work (Kinda like a reward for having to go to work and deal with all the drama everyday that goes with work). With that being said my first deposit was on 4-16-2010. My account today stands at $346.21. I am a subscriber to the plan so I pay a flat $12.00 per month for 12 trades per month. I am long 52 different holdings in what I think is a pretty diversified portfolio. My current Holdings ranked by the amount held in the account 1 being my biggest holding and 52 being my smallest.

    My current holdings include the following, AOD, IGD, MRK, WMT, TNH, FRO, DO, GE, XOM, INTC,  PHK, EOS, PTY, DPD, IID, PHT, GDX, NLY, BMY, CTL, VNQ, CFP, CAH, KMB, O, PEP, SYY, CAT, PG, TPZ, ESD, LQD, EOI, ABT, PGX, JNK, PFF, VWO, GGN, MMM, IGI, BDX, XLF,  BAX, FSC, SPY, PFE, ED, KMP, BPT, IBM, AND BP.Those are all my holdings that i plan to stick with for now and the ones I talk about on my blog. In my challenge to beat the company sponsored 401k.

         I try to invest with a huge focus on dividends and reinvesting of the dividends you can not beat having your money working for you. Most of the time if a holding cuts its dividend I will sell it the next chance I get (however different in the case of bp). As this stock i am not sure what to do with so I will just hold it for the time being.

       Dividends Paid this month include, INTC, PFE, WMT, DO on 6-1-2010, LQD, PFF on 6-7-2010, JNK on 6-9-2010, IBM on 6-9-2010, XOM, MMM on 6-14-2010, ED, IGD, IID, and O on 6-15-2010 and CTL on 6-21-2010. All dividends are automatically reinvested back into the same stock they come from.

       I purchased DO, IGI, FRO, GDX and PHT on the 6-01-2010 value $5.00 each. On 6-8-210 I purchased AOD 2.05 shares for $13.00 and 1.1321 shares of IGD for $12.00. On 6-15-210 I purchased 0.3422 shares of MRK for $12.00 and 0.2525 shares of WMT for $13.00. And next week I plan to purchase on Tuesday $12.00 worth of IBM and $13.00 worth of ED.

      It seems like it is taken for ever to get this going all over again, but I know Rome wasn't built in a day. So I be using this blog to share my thoughts and current investments. Feel free to follow along with me as I try to once again build a nest egg of money working for me.

Why Cancer Research Could Benefit Pharma ETFs

Billions of dollars are being poured into cancer-fighting drugs. But it’s not just to find a cure – it’s also to gain market share in one of the most untapped markets, from a pharmaceutical standpoint. The related ETFs could benefit no matter which company discovers a drug first.

After largely ignoring the disease, virtually every large pharmaceutical company seems to have discovered cancer now that more about the disease is known. A substantial portion of the smaller biotechnology companies are focused on it, as well. Combined, the two industries are pumping billions of dollars into the development of drugs to fight off the disease, reports Andrew Pollack for The New York Times.

Two industry trends are pushing the move:

• Recent scientific discoveries have suggested new targets for cancer drug researchers to attack
• Drug companies are experiencing declining profits from staple drugs such as Lipitor; the high prices that cancer drugs can command are proving to be alluring
• Cancer patients are often desperate for drugs while insurers could face outrage if they denied payments, so drug makers can charge hefty sums for medicines – even those that don’t work very well

Gardener Harris for The New York Times reports that a settlement has been reached regarding the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (PFE) over the company’s illegal promotion of its now-withdrawn painkiller, Bextra. The $2.3 billion fine is the largest-ever levied for Medicare and Medicaid fraud, and the agreement also includes some promotional practices involving other Pfizer drugs — Zyvox, Geodon and Lyrica.

• PowerShares Dynamic Pharmaceuticals (PJP): up 3.9% year-to-date



• iShares Dow Jones U.S. Pharmaceuticals (IHE): up 10.2% year-to-date



• SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals (XPH): up 8.7% year-to-date






Disclosure I am long PFE shares.

Deere & Company (DE) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.28

The Deere & Company Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $.28 a
share on common stock, payable May 1, 2009, to stockholders of record on March 31, 2009.

Deere & Company manufactures and distributes products and services for agriculture and forestry worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Agricultural Equipment, Commercial and Consumer Equipment, Construction and Forestry, and Credit. The Agricultural Equipment segment offers a line of farm equipment and related service parts, including tractors; combine, cotton, and sugarcane harvesters; tillage, seeding, and soil preparation machinery; sprayers; hay and forage equipment; integrated agricultural management systems technology; and precision agricultural irrigation equipment.

The Commercial and Consumer Equipment segment provides equipment, products, and service parts for commercial and residential uses, such as tractors for lawn, garden, commercial, and utility purposes; mowing equipment, including walk-behind mowers; golf course equipment; utility vehicles; landscape and nursery products; irrigation equipment; and other outdoor power products. The Construction and Forestry segment offers a range of machines and service parts used in construction, earthmoving, material handling, and timber harvesting, including backhoe loaders; crawler dozers and loaders; four-wheel-drive loaders; excavators; motor graders; articulated dump trucks; landscape loaders; skid-steer loaders; and log skidders, feller bunchers, log loaders, log forwarders, log harvesters, and related attachments. Its products and services are marketed primarily through independent retail dealer networks and retail outlets.

The Credit segment primarily finances sales and leases by dealers of new and used agricultural, commercial and consumer, and construction and forestry equipment. It also provides wholesale financing to dealers of the foregoing equipment, provides operating loans, finances retail revolving charge accounts, offers certain crop risk mitigation products, and invests in wind energy generation. Deere & Company was founded in 1837 and is based in Moline, Illinois.

Disclosure I am long DE shares

Pocketing Nice Dividends with Hot Small-Caps

If you’ve unfamiliar with my prior columns, you might not know that I focus primarily in the small-cap space – both in my specialist areas of healthcare and biotech and other sectors, too.

Typically, small-cap stocks purchased for capital appreciation and big gains more so than they are sought for dividends income.

But I’m actually a big fan of dividends, and the stability of the income they bring as well.

So is there a way to keep an eye on growth and earn solid, steady income at the same time? Usually, the two don’t go hand-in-hand – especially not in the small-cap sector.

But that doesn’t mean to say that it’s impossible to grab the best of both worlds.

There is a way to load your portfolio with outstanding profit potential and generate income too. Here’s how I found them, and three stocks that are perfectly suited to do the job.

Digging For Dividends

I’m not a market timer so I’m not going to tell you that now is the time to get out of equities before the market turns lower.

But what I will say is that with the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 (small-cap) indexes having blasted off their lows by 58% and 67% respectively, it makes sense to get a bit more defensive.

The reason is two-fold – and very simple: Owning dividend-paying stocks generates income and improves a portfolio’s return over the long-term.

However, it’s hard to find good small-cap companies that pay dividends. Smaller companies usually pour any excess cash back into the business to help it grow, rather than distributing it back to shareholders.

In fact, of more than 7,400 stocks with market caps under $1 billion, only 1,356 pay dividends. And if you want a meaningful dividend yield – let’s say 3% – the number decreases to less than 800.

I further whittled down the list to companies with high current ratios, low debt, and profit expectations to help ensure that dividends would continue to get paid.

I also stayed away from companies that paid a very high dividend. Companies with yields approaching 10% or higher may find those payouts unsustainable if business continues to be difficult.

Yes, if you want a higher potential reward, you do need to take on more risk. But buying stocks with sky-high dividends is riskier than those with solid but more sensible yields.

Here are three of the best from my small-cap dividend stock screen…

A Trio Of Small-Cap Dividend Stocks

• WD-40 Company (Nasdaq: WDFC):

The company makes everyone’s favorite industrial lubricant – WD-40 – plus household cleaners and other products. Through the first nine months of its fiscal year, it generated $18 million in profits and boasts $36 million in cash versus $21 million in debt. Earnings per share are expected to grow 13% in fiscal 2010.

Current dividend yield: 3.4%

• American Ecology Corporation (Nasdaq: ECOL):

The firm handles America’s hazardous waste. Not a great business if you’re the guy with the rubber gloves moving barrels of the stuff. But not bad if you’re an investor – particularly a new one, given that the shares have endured a beating over the past year. ECOL is profitable, has $24 million in cash and no debt. Over the first six months of 2009, it generated $17 million in cash from operations. So far it has paid out over $6 million in the form of dividends.

Current dividend yield: 4%

• CDI Corporation (NYSE: CDI):

The company provides engineering and information technology staffing services. With so many businesses cutting jobs, it’s had a tough time over the past year. But it’s still profitable, with earnings per share expected to nearly double next year. It has $77 million in cash, no debt and generated $10 million in cash from operations.

Current dividend yield 3.6%.

If you have any small-caps paying dividends in your portfolio, use the “Comments” link below to let me know which ones are your favorites and I’ll run a follow-up column, featuring stocks sent in by readers. Be sure to tell me why you like the stocks, too.

Hoping your longs go up and your shorts go down.

Disclosure I am long ECOL shares.

Dover (DOV) Boosts Qtr Dividend 4% to $0.26

Diversified manufacturer Dover Corp. (DOV) said Thursday it increased its quarterly cash dividend by 4 percent to 26 cents per share from 25 cents.

The increased dividend will be paid on Sept. 15 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 31.

Shares fell 15 cents to $33.86 in afternoon trading.

Disclosure I am long DOV shares.

Snap-on Incorporated (SNA) Declares Quarterly Dividend

The Snap-on Incorporated (SNA) board of directors declared today a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.30 per share payable September 8, 2009 to shareholders of record on August 17, 2009. Snap-on has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends, without interruption or reduction, since 1939.

Disclosure I am long SNA shares.

Snap-on's (SNA) Second-quarter Profit Slips

Snap-on Inc. (SNA-Quote) said Friday that second-quarter earnings fell to $37.4 million, or 65 cents a share, from $66.9 million, or $1.15 a share, in the same period a year ago. Sales at the Kenosha, Wisc.-based tool maker were $590 million in the quarter, down from the year-earlier $766 million. Analysts polled by FactSet Research expected, on average, earnings of 65 cents a share and sales of $607 million. Snap-on said it still sees third-quarter sales and earnings declining year over year.

Disclosure I am long SNA shares.

Baxter International (BAX) Raises Buyback By $2B, Declares Dividend

Baxter International (BAX - Quote) said its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $2 billion of the company’s common stock, which is expected to be executed upon completion of the company’s existing share repurchase program. Baxter has less than $300 million remaining under its previous $2 billion share repurchase authorization from March 2008.

Baxter also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share of Baxter common stock. This payment represents a continuation of the current rate. The quarterly dividend is payable on October 1, 2009, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 10, 2009.

Baxter is a global medical products and services company with expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The company’s main competitors include Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BDX - Quote) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Quote). Baxter’s products are primarily life-sustaining, an insulation against the current economic turmoil. We believe that investors will benefit by adding this stock to your portfolio. As such, we continue to rate Baxter a ‘Buy’.

Disclosure I am long BAX and JNJ shares.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) 2Q profit down 17 percent

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT - Quote) said its second-quarter earnings fell nearly 17 percent, as large pension expenses created by the financial crisis continued to dig into the defense contractor's bottom line.

The results come as Lockheed, which makes fighter jets and other military hardware, and the rest of the defense industry continue to digest the effects of a broad shift in spending priorities at the Pentagon, their biggest customer.

The Bethesda, Md.-based maker of fighter jets earned $734 million, or $1.88 per share. It made $882 million, or $2.15 per share last year. Revenue rose about 2 percent to $11.24 billion.

For Lockheed, that would mean capping production of its F-22s-- which costs $140 million each--at 187 jets. The company has said it accepts that decision, but the Obama administration and Congress are in a fierce battle over attempts by lawmakers to add hundreds of millions more dollars to the budget for additional planes.

The budget could also help Lockheed, as the Pentagon plans to accelerate production of the company's newer F-35 fighter. The military eventually expects to buy 2,450 of the jets, with foreign governments considering purchases of another several hundred.

Bruce Tanner, Lockheed's chief financial officer, said in an interview that the company has not lobbied for more F-22s since Defense Secretary Robert Gates made his budget announcement in April.

"We would love to build more F-22s, but the customer needs to decide whether that is what they want to do or not," Tanner said.

Lockheed has warned that losing the F-22 would lead to thousands of job losses when the production line ends at its Marietta, Ga. plant in 2012 under current plan. Tanner said funding for additional jets could prompt the company to add jobs.

Some of Obama's budget proposals have already been felt. The cancellation of Lockheed's contract to build new helicopters to carry the president and a communications satellite have taken $2.5 billion out of the company's $79 billion backlog of orders, Tanner said.

The company's aerospace unit, which makes the F-22 along with other fighters and cargo planes, had seen its sales dip in recent quarters as it shifts from making the aging F-16 to the F-35. But the division posted a seven percent sales increase in the second quarter, driven by higher results in both the F-35 and the F-16, which Lockheed still sells to foreign governments.

Sales were lower in its business selling services to government agencies, which Tanner said was the result of problems on some programs and protests by competitors that delayed sales on contracts for special forces and at a government nuclear facility. The division's sales were down 6 percent to $3 billion.

Lockheed's space division, which makes satellites and other equipment, saw sales drop 7 percent to $2 billion while its military electronics unit sales dipped 1 percent to $3 billion.

In the second quarter, the pension expense was $115 million. That lowered earnings by $75 million, or 19 cents per share this period while one-time gains from land sales and tax gains a year ago added 19 cents. The company said in January that pension expenses would be higher each quarter this year because of a drop in the retiree fund's value.

The results still beat analyst expectations of $1.81 per share and revenue of $11.14 billion.

Lockheed held to its 2009 earnings outlook of between $7.15 and $7.35 per share on revenue between $44.7 billion and $45.7 billion. Analysts are looking for stronger results of $7.41 per share on $45.36 billion in revenue.

Its shares tumbled $4.67, or 5.7 percent, to $77.44 in morning trading.

Under President Barack Obama's 2010 budget, the military is spending more on weapons to fight insurgencies in places like Iraq and less on weapons designed for conventional wars.

For Lockheed, that would mean capping production of its F-22s-- which costs $140 million each--at 187 jets. The company has said it accepts that decision, but the Obama administration and Congress are in a fierce battle over attempts by lawmakers to add hundreds of millions more dollars to the budget for additional planes.

The budget could also help Lockheed, as the Pentagon plans to accelerate production of the company's newer F-35 fighter. The military eventually expects to buy 2,450 of the jets, with foreign governments considering purchases of another several hundred.

Bruce Tanner, Lockheed's chief financial officer, said in an interview that the company has not lobbied for more F-22s since Defense Secretary Robert Gates made his budget announcement in April.

"We would love to build more F-22s, but the customer needs to decide whether that is what they want to do or not," Tanner said.

Lockheed has warned that losing the F-22 would lead to thousands of job losses when the production line ends at its Marietta, Ga. plant in 2012 under current plan. Tanner said funding for additional jets could prompt the company to add jobs.

Some of Obama's budget proposals have already been felt. The cancellation of Lockheed's contract to build new helicopters to carry the president and a communications satellite have taken $2.5 billion out of the company's $79 billion backlog of orders, Tanner said.

The company's aerospace unit, which makes the F-22 along with other fighters and cargo planes, had seen its sales dip in recent quarters as it shifts from making the aging F-16 to the F-35. But the division posted a seven percent sales increase in the second quarter, driven by higher results in both the F-35 and the F-16, which Lockheed still sells to foreign governments.

Sales were lower in its business selling services to government agencies, which Tanner said was the result of problems on some programs and protests by competitors that delayed sales on contracts for special forces and at a government nuclear facility. The division's sales were down 6 percent to $3 billion.

Lockheed's space division, which makes satellites and other equipment, saw sales drop 7 percent to $2 billion while its military electronics unit sales dipped 1 percent to $3 billion.

Disclosure I am long LMT shares in my industrial goods folio.

Caterpillar Delivers Second-Quarter Profit and Increases 2009 Profit Outlook

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT - Quote) today reported a second-quarter profit of $0.60 per share, down $1.14 per share from the second quarter of 2008. Excluding redundancy costs, profit was $0.72 per share. Redundancy costs related to reducing employment were $85 million before tax or $0.12 per share in the quarter. Sales and revenues of $7.975 billion were down 41 percent from $13.624 billion in the second quarter 2008.

"Our profit this quarter, despite the sharp decline in sales, is a tribute to Team Caterpillar's response to this severe global recession and the continued deployment of our economic trough strategy," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Owens. "There is still a great deal of economic uncertainty in the world, but we are seeing signs of stabilization that we hope will set the foundation for an eventual recovery. Credit markets have improved significantly. Fiscal policy and monetary stimulus have been introduced around the world, and we are seeing signs, particularly in China, that they are beginning to work. In addition, we've seen many key commodity prices increase from their lows in the first quarter, and they are holding in a range that is usually positive for investment," said Owens.

"With our dedicated employees, strong dealer network and supply base, great lineup of products and the increasing impact of integrated service businesses, I am more confident than ever that we will strengthen our industry leadership as we work through this recession," Owens added.

The second-quarter profit of $371 million was down $735 million from $1.106 billion in the second quarter of 2008. The decline was largely a result of lower sales volume and $85 million of redundancy costs. These negative impacts were partially offset by lower Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) and Research and Development (R&D) expenses, favorable price realization, LIFO inventory decrement benefits and a lower tax rate.

In addition to profit, Caterpillar is highly focused on delivering positive cash flow in 2009 and is committed to its $3 billion inventory reduction goal for the year. Utilizing the Caterpillar Production System (CPS) with 6 Sigma, the company reduced inventory in the second quarter by more than $800 million, and through the first half of the year inventory has declined by more than $1.6 billion.

"In addition to our ability to generate solid profits in this economic climate, I'm pleased with our work to generate positive cash flow and maintain considerable financial strength during this challenging period," Owens said.

Outlook

The company is updating its outlook for 2009 by tightening the sales and revenues range and improving profit expectations. For sales and revenues, the range has been tightened to $32 billion to $36 billion. The 2009 profit outlook is a range of $0.40 to $1.50 per share including redundancy costs of about $0.75 per share. Excluding redundancy costs, profit is forecast to be between $1.15 and $2.25 per share.

"Team Caterpillar is now halfway through one of the most challenging years in the company's history," Owens said. "Our 2009 sales have been hurt by weak end-user demand and significant reductions in dealer inventory. In fact, dealers have reduced their machine inventories by about $1.5 billion through the first half of the year and could reach close to $3 billion by year-end. As tough as this year has been, the improved profit outlook is a tangible sign of what happens when the entire team is pulling in the same direction and deploying the trough strategy we put in place over the past four years. We are very pleased with the way our people have stepped up and responded to this extraordinary period of economic turmoil," Owens said.

For more than 80 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making progress possible and driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. With 2008 sales and revenues of $51.324 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services. More information is available at: www.cat.com.

Disclosure I am long CAT shares in my industrial goods folio.

Baxter (BAX)2Q profit rises 8 percent on margins

Specialty drug and medical device maker Baxter International Inc. (BAX-Quote) said Thursday its profit rose 8 percent in the second quarter on better margins, more than offsetting a decline in sales.

The company's broad mix of medically necessary products -- including blood plasma, kidney dialysis treatments and cancer drugs -- continued to post solid returns, leading the company to boost its 2009 earnings outlook.

"These results and also the outlook for the year validate the strength of the diversified healthcare model and reinforce our confidence in achieving longer-term objectives," said CEO Robert Parkinson.

The company earned $587 million, or 96 cents per share, up from profit of $544 million, or 85 cents per share, in the same period a year ago. Sales fell 2 percent to $3.12 billion from $3.19 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected profit of 94 cents per share on revenue of $3.12 billion.

Worldwide sales fell 2 percent to $3.1 billion mainly because of a lower benefit from foreign currency exchange rates. Excluding that, the company said sales would have grown 9 percent. U.S. sales grew 7 percent to $1.3 billion.

Baxter said revenue from its largest unit, BioScience, grew 2 percent to $1.4 billion. The unit sells antibody therapies and plasma proteins, which saw sales increase more than 20 percent.

Revenue from Baxter's medication delivery business fell 3 percent to $1.1 billion. That unit includes dialysis treatments, anesthesia products and injectable drugs.

Baxter is one of a handful of companies working on a vaccine for the swine flu, which has appeared in 37,000 cases in the U.S., with more than 200 deaths.

Parkinson said the company is completing production of several batches of the vaccine which should be ready to ship by later this month or early August. Baxter expects to see a $30 to $40 million revenue boost from sales of the vaccine this year, according to Parkinson.

Looking ahead, Baxter International Inc. expects third-quarter adjusted profit between 95 cents and 97 cents per share, while analysts expect profit of 96 cents per share.

Baxter also boosted its full-year earnings-per-share outlook to a range of $3.76 and $3.80, from a prior forecast of $3.72 and $3.78. Analysts expect profit of $3.77 per share.

Company shares rose $2.12, or 4 percent, to $55.21 in morning trading.

Disclosure I am long BAX shares in Healthcare Folio.

US government to pay for Swine flu vaccine campaign, My Picks Baxter International Inc.(BAX), GlaxoSmithKline plc(GSK)

The U.S. government will pay for any vaccination program against the H1N1 swine flu, and may encourage schools to help vaccinate children, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Thursday.

The government is also considering buying even more antiviral drugs, including more of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) inhaled drug Relenza and pediatric doses of Roche AG's Tamiflu, officials told a swine flu "summit" at the National Institutes of Health.

Sebelius said plans were on track for a mid-October vaccination program, and she urged states and territories to get plans in place now. It will likely run alongside the annual seasonal flu vaccine campaign and may include schools and other non-traditional sites as vaccination centers.

"At mid-October we might have as much as 100 million doses of vaccine," HHS vaccine expert Dr. Bruce Gellin told the meeting.

My Favorite Medical Instrustment and supply company is Baxter International inc. (BAX)

Baxter International Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products for people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. The company operates through three segments: BioScience, Medication Delivery, and Renal.

The BioScience segment manufactures recombinant and plasma-based proteins to treat hemophilia and other bleeding disorders; plasma-based therapies to treat immune deficiencies, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, burns and shock, and other chronic and acute blood-related conditions; products for regenerative medicine, such as biosurgery products and technologies used in adult stem-cell therapies; and vaccines.

The Medication Delivery segment manufactures intravenous solutions and administration sets; premixed drugs and drug-reconstitution systems; pre-filled vials and syringes for injectable drugs, intravenous nutrition products; infusion pumps; and inhalation anesthetics. This segment also offers products and services related to pharmacy compounding, drug formulation, and packaging technologies.

The Renal segment provides products to treat end-stage renal disease and irreversible kidney failure. This segment also offers solutions and other products for peritoneal dialysis, a home-based therapy and product for hemodialysis, which is conducted in a hospital or clinic. Baxter International Inc. has collaborations with HHD LLC, DEKA Products Limited Partnership, and DEKA Research and Development Corp. for the development of a home hemodialysis machine.

It markets its products to hospitals, kidney dialysis centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors' offices, clinical and medical research laboratories, and patients at home under physician supervision. The company was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.

Disclosure I am long Both GSK and BAX in my healthcare folio. Currently I am up 17.56% year to date.

Snap-on (SNA) unit wins $12.1M in military work

A division of a Snap-on Inc. subsidiary has been awarded a five-year, $12.1 million contract to supply industrial tools and related equipment for maintenance work to the U.S. Army.

The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract was awarded July 1 to Snap-on Industrial, a division of IDSC Holding LLC, the U.S. Department of Defense said. IDSC Holding is a subsidiary of Kenosha-based Snap-on Inc. (SNA), a manufacturer of professional tools and automotive diagnostic equipment.

Snap-on Industrial will supply tool loads for forward repair systems, which are mobile maintenance shops used by the military. Work is to be performed in Kenosha with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2014.


Disclosure I am long SNA shares in my industrial goods folio currently down 4.93%.
Stock has over $6.00 per share cash on hand, dividends paid out each quarter.

American Ecology (ECOL) takes garbage in, sends profits out

One FSB 100 company has grown by grabbing a giant share of something almost nobody else wants to touch -- garbage. Not just any trash, but gooey oil-refinery sludge, contaminated Superfund mystery material and radioactive protective clothing. American Ecology (ECOL) specializes in processing (and in some cases recycling) some of the nastiest hazardous waste there is, including low-level radioactive waste and PCBs.

In this highly regulated industry, waste-management companies must follow detailed Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for transporting, processing and disposing of various hazardous-waste products. For example, regulations spell out how far disposal sites must be located from groundwater.

Recycling -- and the sale of the recycled material -- is a growth area for trash-disposal companies, according to Lynn Brown, a spokesperson for industry giant Waste Management (WMI) in Houston.

"Our goal for 2020 is to triple the amount of materials we recycle," Brown says. As with most large waste-disposal companies, Waste Management handles very little hazardous material, creating an opening for smaller firms.

"We're very excited about it," Romano says. "We believe there is a substantial market for reclaimed oil -- and also for metals recycled from refineries."

The company also maximizes efficiencies by sometimes using one type of waste to treat another. For example, bleach sent for disposal can be used to break down some of the organic chemicals from gasoline spill-related waste.

"Treating waste with waste is efficient, and we're always looking for opportunities to do that," Romano says.

Over the past three years, the company has invested in a fleet of 450 railcars, some specially built, to move hazardous waste to Idaho from as far away as New Jersey. American Ecology is now transporting more than a million tons of chromite-contaminated material from Jersey City to Grand View, Idaho, where the company operates a 1,300-acre disposal site. The waste comes from a former chrome factory that dumped its industrial trash in its backyard before environmental regulations took effect. About half of American Ecology's business comes from such "legacy" sites.

Investing in infrastructure has paid off. American Ecology showed record growth last year, processing 1.2 million tons of waste in 2008, a 7% increase. Revenues were $176 million, with net income up 11%, to $1.18 a share.

"Our services are necessary in good times and bad," Romano says. He has his eye on President Obama's proposal to reinstate the oil-industry tax, which would create a billion-dollar annual fund for environmental cleanup. "Many of these sites will take years," he adds.

In the meantime, it appears that American Ecology with continue to clean up.

Disclosure I am long a Both ECOL and WMI shares in my Industrial goods folio., currently up 2.9% ytd on these 2 stocks, plus dividends.

Ampco-Pittsburgh (AP) sets regular dividend of 18 cents

Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. (AP-Quote) on Monday declared a regular quarterly dividend of 18 cents.

The Pittsburgh-based industrial equipment maker said the dividend will be payable July 31 to shareholders of record July 15.

Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and sell custom-engineered equipment in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Forged and Cast Rolls, and Air and Liquid Processing. The Forged and Cast Rolls segment produces forged hardened steel rolls used in cold rolling by producers of steel, aluminum, and other metals; and cast rolls for hot and cold strip mills, medium/heavy section mills, and plate mills. It supplies cast rolls to the metal working industry.

The Air and Liquid Processing segment manufactures finned tube and plate finned heat exchange coils for the commercial and industrial construction, as well as for process and utility industries; custom air handling systems used in commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings; and a line of centrifugal pumps for the refrigeration, power generation, and marine defense industries. The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Disclosure I am long AP shares in my Industrial Goods Folio.

Cobham, Northrop Grumman Get 2.4 Billion U.S. Army Deal

Cobham and Northrop Grumman(NOC) have been selected to provide the VIS-X Vehicular Intercommunication System Expanded for the U.S. Army, Cobham said Monday. The companies will be required to deliver up to 500 VIS-X systems per month during the first year following completion of first article testing and up to 2,000 systems per month in subsequent years. The total value of the 10-year contract has an anticipated not-to-exceed ceiling of $2.4 billion, of which Cobham's share is 50%.

Disclosure I am long NOC shares in my industrial goods folio.

Lilly Declares Third-Quarter Dividend $0.49 cents per share

The board of directors of Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) today declared a dividend for the third quarter of 2009 of $0.49 a share on outstanding common stock. This is the same dividend as was paid in the first and second quarters and maintains the annual indicated dividend rate for 2009 of $1.96 per share.

The dividend is payable September 10, 2009, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 15, 2009.

About Lilly

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

Disclosure I am Long LLY shares in my Healthcare Folio.

Medtronic raises dividend 9%, to buy back 60 Million more shares

Medical device maker Medtronic Inc. said Thursday its board of directors increased its dividend by 9 percent to an annual rate of 82 cents. The increase raises the quarterly amount to 20.5 cents.

The increase is effective for the 2010 fiscal year. The quarterly dividend is payable July 31 to shareholders of record as of July 10.

The board also approved the buyback of an additional 60 million shares of common stock under a current plan. The company has about 1.12 billion shares of common stock outstanding.

Shares of Medtronic rose 74 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $33.67 in afternoon trading.

ABOUT MEDTRONIC(MDT)

Founded in 1949, Medtronic has grown to become the world's largest independent medical technology company. At the core of all we do is our Mission: to alleviate pain, restore health and extend life. It provides a clear path for all employees as we work together to take Medtronic to the next level.

Medtronic was first incorporated April 23, 1957 and became a public company as the result of a convertible debenture offering. The first shares were issued under these debentures on December 17, 1959 to our company founders, Earl Bakken and Palmer Hermundslie. Medtronic shares were traded Over-the-Counter (OTC) until we were listed on the NASDAQ in 1964. Medtronic began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on November 21, 1977 and continues to be traded on the NYSE today under the ticker symbol MDT.

Disclosure I am long MDT shares.

Caterpillar sets 42-cent quarterly dividend, Despite "Worst Economic Crisis Since the Great Depression"

Caterpillar Inc's (CAT - News) chief executive said on Wednesday there was a good chance revenues would return to the $50 billion mark they topped last year "in the next five years" -- though he warned that progress toward the goal "won't come smoothly."

Speaking at the annual shareholder meeting, Jim Owens said he thought there was "an 80 percent chance some time in the next five years of going back above the $50 billion threshold."

Caterpillar, which reported its first quarterly loss in 17 years two months ago, expects sales of between $31.5 billion and $38.5 billion in 2009, down from $51.3 billion in 2008.

That would be the worst one-year revenue decline since the 1930s.

Sales of the company's distinctive yellow construction and mining machinery have tumbled as result of lower commodity prices and lower oil production.

As in previous years, the meeting drew critics protesting Caterpillar's sales to Israel, whose defense forces have used the company's equipment as part of its effort to put down the Palestinian uprising.

But the protesters did not disrupt the meeting as they have previous gatherings -- even after a resolution they supported failed to pass, which would have forced Caterpillar to publish a report on foreign military sales.

Caterpillar contends that such sales accounted for about $30 million in sales in 2008, or about 0.06 percent of total revenue, and that it believes it would be an inappropriate use of the company's resources to complete the requested report.

All seven shareholder proposals up for vote this year failed to garner enough support, including a push to split the position of chair and CEO and to elect directors annually.

Owens took the unusual step last week of writing to institutional investors as a group to explain the company's opposition to four of the seven items stockholders were voting on.

"Changing our governance practices and corporate structure, as contemplated by the stockholder proposals presented below, will only divert attention and resources," Owens wrote.

"While these types of proposals may have merit at some companies, for the reasons provided below, we strongly encourage you to afford Caterpillar the benefit of individual consideration."

Caterpillar shares were little changed in after-hours trading after closing down 1.62 percent at $37.62.

For more than 80 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making progress possible and driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. With 2008 sales and revenues of $51.324 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services.

Disclosure I am long CAT shares