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  • Google Could Break $670.25 By 2014 [View article]
    Very impressive forecast - a 12% move over 12-18 months. Thanks for letting me know that GOOG is "far and away the most popular internet search engine"... By the way, how about mentioning the stupid "split" when you talk about negatives? That C class is gonna trade like doo-doo.
    May 19 08:53 PM | 3 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • An Exciting New Technology That Could Take Pressure Off St. Jude Medical [View article]
    Thanks for the kind words, Moses. I think you have some good companies already. I don't follow any of them closely enough to tell you with any confidence that STJ is better. I can tell you that SYK's CEO is gone, and that raises some questions to me. NVS is cheaper, but it's larger and very pharma focused. ABT is a little more expensive and a lot larger. In fact, STJ is the smallest in terms of sales or market cap among all of these. At the margin, I like smaller companies when they are well run - law of large number issues less troubling usually. STJ is very growth focused - their investments in R&D exceed their peers BSX and MDT, though the results aren't so apparent currently. Great CEO with huge ownership and long-term focus...
    May 17 01:41 PM | 1 Like Like |Link to Comment
  • Sliced In Half: 7 Mid-Cap Disasters Worth A Look [View article]
    Thanks. I will have additional insight today...
    May 17 04:30 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Fast Casual Potential Makes Red Robin Shares An Opportunity [View article]
    Good insight, Chris. I like this new CEO, as this company wasn't being managed very well previously, but he seems to have a lot of good ideas. I think that their low customer count was a short-term phenomenon. By the way, if I heard them correctly, they are maintaining their EPS guidance despite assuming lower comps.
    May 17 04:29 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • An Exciting New Technology That Could Take Pressure Off St. Jude Medical [View article]
    Yeah, I didn't want to say this in the article, but JNJ is very focused on MedTech now, and the ABT spin-off too could be a buyer....
    May 16 11:15 PM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • An Exciting New Technology That Could Take Pressure Off St. Jude Medical [View article]
    Happyshorter, I sure appreciate your perspective. You may find it interesting that SA has just recently limited authors to just 3 AAPL submissions per rolling 30-day period.

    I wasn't trying to criticize you about not knowing STJ but rather to point out how sad it is that only 354 are signed up for alerts.
    May 16 09:22 PM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • An Exciting New Technology That Could Take Pressure Off St. Jude Medical [View article]
    Funny... Don't blame the authors - they just write about topics that the readers apparently want. I have written one AAPL article myself - it's amazing how many more people want to read about that company. You may be aware that 45K SA members subscribe to real-time alerts on AAPL. Fewer than 400 for STJ. Sadly, most readers don't like to branch out too much, but Seeking Alpha is working hard to promote articles on under-the-radar companies and will hopefully do more. With that said, STJ is hardly an unknown - it's a large-cap with a wide analyst following.
    May 16 06:20 PM | 1 Like Like |Link to Comment
  • Do Buybacks Destroy Shareholder Value? [View article]
    Thanks. Here's a link to an article he wrote for the FT:

    http://on.ft.com/L76bqZ
    May 16 02:11 PM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Biglari Holdings Annual Meeting Notes: CEO Inspires Confidence [View article]
    Thanks for the summary, Charles, and congratulations on your first article. You characterize him as "unemotional", but his dealings with CBRL strike me as anything but unemotional. I am surprised to see him investing so much capital with a board he despises and where he lacks influence.
    May 16 10:04 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Sliced In Half: 7 Mid-Cap Disasters Worth A Look [View article]
    Thanks, rv3lynn. I was aware of the technical differences. My real question is about the uses. I was under the impression that it was more than depth and pressure (the only factors you mentioned). I thought it might be things like "porosity" and other geological factors. Again, if what you say is true, it seems strange that volumes aren't down more year-over-year given the massive decline in the Haynesville. There is a trade-off, and for whatever reason EOG apparently doesn't make it. My biggest concern for CRR is that others will figure out how to do things as "well" as EOG.
    May 16 06:31 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Where Do You Value Met Pro? [View article]
    Nice job. This stock is very inexpensive in my view, especially considering that their earnings have been depressed a bit by their international expansion.
    May 15 02:01 PM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Is 9% A Realistic Long-Term Rate Of Return For U.S. Equities? [View article]
    Maybe I wasn't clear, Jack, but these expectations were after the 90s, right at the top. Extrapolation is a dangerous game. Today, people extrapolate too low - maybe not big pension funds, but individuals who think gold is safer than stocks.
    May 15 11:54 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Young Robots Lenny And Mona All Grown Up Now, But Intuitive Surgical Is No Cost Cutter [View article]
    I wasn't familiar with the article, but there are several other robotics companies in the healthcare space. A bigger direct threat could be Olympus, but I don't pay too much attention for now. The ISRG installed base is just too large.

    You should take a look at IRBT. I have been watching it for a year without yet getting involved in my model portfolio, but I sure like it here at 22.50 or so. The reason I mention is that their Ava robot has an initial application for healthcare (not surgery). The company is tough to value - requires optimism! They have the booming Roomba biz, supported by shockingly strong international adoption and fueled by LatAm this year and China next year, and they have the cratered defense and security biz. I think that this beaten-down part of their business will come out of the fiscal challenges well ultimately - it's just not that much of a dollar investment in the scheme of things.
    May 15 11:24 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Young Robots Lenny And Mona All Grown Up Now, But Intuitive Surgical Is No Cost Cutter [View article]
    Rookie IRA Investor, I have followed ISRG extremely closely since 2004. I certainly agree with your outlook and conclusion regarding the company's prospects, but I wonder about your recommendation to begin buying. Nowhere do you tie the fundamentals to valuation. I don't think it's stupidly high, but it is stretched in my view. My target a year from now is about 600, based on 28 PE and adding $52 of cash. Also, you don't tie it to technicals. ISRG is extended in my view and due for a consolidation. I recommended considering a sale or even short-sale after the company reported, suggesting on my blog that the stock would face resistance near 600. I would expect that the stock will do some work below the current 50dma near 550 (where we are), but with downside risk to 520. I know you said start now and buy on dips - that's always pretty easy to say, no?

    Additionally, one of the big drivers is that Japan has only recently approved the Da Vinci, and this could really add to the story over time (I include it in my valuation multiple).

    Finally, I am not sure of your title - perhaps the editors changed it, or maybe it was yours. I think that there is a healthy debate there, and you seem to point to it in the body of the article. I wouldn't want to conclude that it's not a cost-cutter, though. Ultimately cost to the healthcare system is dependent on outcomes. There are many studies suggesting fewer hospital days and fewer complications due to the use of Da Vinci. I think that this is especially true with more experienced users - there is a learning curve. Hospitals are financially strapped - why would they be buying these things if they didn't believe that ultimately it lowers their cost? Maybe just to keep revenue???
    May 15 09:04 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
  • Sliced In Half: 7 Mid-Cap Disasters Worth A Look [View article]
    Sales are not only down, they are gone! I am aware of the EOG and then PXD moves, and maybe this explains why CRR has entered the rosin-coated sand biz. There have been some delays there, most recently in accessing the sand, but the company will be ramping production. I think that the big part of the strategy is to upgrade those using uncoated sand and then later to be able to upgrade them from coated sand to ceramics.

    I am not aware of pressure as being the determining factor for sand vs. ceramic. I have a client who is going to talk to EOG's CEO about this later this week (I think today actually). Is there a source you can cite for this information? If it were entirely true, then their overall sales by pounds would be down, which they are not.
    May 15 06:25 AM | 0 Likes Like |Link to Comment
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