LONDON -- Unilever (LSE: ULVR ) (NYSE: UL ) is an Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant. The company was formed in 1930 and today employs more than 100,000 people. It is the seventh-largest company in the FTSE 100 by market capitalization.
The largest part of Unilever is its personal-care business, owning brands such as Brylcreem, Lynx, Dove, and Timotei. Second is the foods division: Hellmann's, Knorr, and Pot Noodle are all Unilever brands. Then there are household products such as Persil, Cif, and Domestos.
These brands are a crucial part of Unilever's success. For supermarkets, they are must-stock products. This helps to secure favourable terms for Unilever.
For consumers, Unilever's brands are well known and loved. This makes it very difficult and expensive for other products to compete.
Unilever is one of the strongest companies on the market today.
Dividend power
Income investors want shares that are able to increase their dividends faster than inflation. This means that the income stream produced becomes more valuable to the shareholder year after year.
Top 10 Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Buy Right Now: Fortinet Inc (FTNT)
Fortinet, Inc. (Fortinet), incorporated November 28, 2000, provides network security solutions. Through the Company�� products and subscription services, Fortinet provides integrated and protection against security threats for enterprises, service providers and governmental entities worldwide. Its flagship Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution consists of its FortiGate physical and virtual appliance products that provide a range of security and networking functions, including firewall, virtual private networking (VPN), application control, antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, vulnerability management, antispam, wireless controller, and wide area network (WAN) acceleration. In addition, the Company offers virtual appliances for the FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, FortiWeb, FortiMail, and FortiScan product lines. On December 7, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of XDN, Inc. (XDN), a privately held company that provides cloud-based content delivery solutions. On March 8, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of IntruGuard Devices, Inc. (IntruGuard), a supplier of Intelligent Availability Protection Systems.
FortiGate appliances, from the FortiGate-20 for small businesses and branch offices to the FortiGate-5000 series for big enterprises and service providers, are based on its technology platform. This platform includes its FortiASICs, which are specifically designed for accelerated processing of security and networking functions, and its FortiOS operating system, which provides the foundation for all of its security functions. Its FortiGuard security subscription services provide end-customers with access to dynamic updates to its application control, anti-malware, intrusion prevention, Web filtering and anti-spam functionality based on intelligence gathered by its dedicated FortiGuard Labs team. By combining multiple security and networking functions with its purpose-built FortiASIC and FortiOS, its FortiGate UTM/NGFW solution delivers broad protect! ion against dynamic security threats while reducing the operational burden and costs associated with managing multiple point products. As of December 31, 2012, the Company has shipped over 1,100,000 appliances via more than 10,000 channel partners to more than 150,000 end-customers worldwide, including a majority of the 2012 Fortune Global 100.
Fortinet complements its FortiGate product line with the FortiManager product family, which enables end-customers to manage the system configuration and security functions of multiple FortiGate devices from a centralized console, as well as the FortiAnalyzer product family, which enables collection, analysis and archiving of content and log data generated by its products. The Company also offers other product lines that provide additional protection, such as: FortiAP, secure wireless access points; FortiWeb, security for Web-based applications; FortiMail, multi-featured, high performance messaging security; FortiDB, centrally managed database-specific security; FortiClient, endpoint security for desktops, laptops and mobile devices and that is primarily used in conjunction with its FortiGate appliances; FortiScan, endpoint vulnerability assessment and remediation; FortiSwitch, Ethernet switches; FortiBridge, bypass appliances to help ensure network availability; FortiAuthenticator, scalable secure authentication for enterprise networks; FortiBalancer, optimizing the availability and performance of mobile, cloud, and enterprise applications; FortiCache, reducing the cost of and impact of cached Internet content; FortiDNS, providing secure DNS caching; FortiDDoS, protection against denial of service attack, and FortiVoice, business telephone communication.
FortiGate
The Company�� flagship FortiGate physical and virtual appliances offer a set of security and networking functions, including firewall, VPN, application control, antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, antispam and WAN acceleration. All FortiGate models a! re based ! on its operating system, FortiOS, and all FortiGate physical appliances include its FortiASICs to accelerate content and network security features implemented within FortiOS. FortiGate platforms can be centrally managed through both embedded Web-based and command line interfaces, as well as through FortiManager, which provides central management architecture for thousands of FortiGate physical and virtual appliances.
By combining multiple network security functions in its purpose-built security platform, the FortiGate provides high protection capabilities and deployment flexibility while reducing the operational burden and costs associated with managing multiple point products. Through FortiGuard security subscription services, its products enable end-customers to add security functionality as required by their evolving business needs and the changing threat landscape. By purchasing FortiGuard security subscription services, end-customers obtain coverage and access to regular updates for application control, antivirus, IPS, Web filtering and anti-spam functions for their FortiGate appliances. With over 30 models in the FortiGate product line, FortiGate is designed to address security requirements for small- to mid-sized businesses, remote offices, enterprises, and service providers.
The FortiGate-20 through -100 series models are designed for perimeter protection for small- to mid-sized businesses, remote offices of distributed organizations and as customer premises equipment for service providers. Optional wireless LAN (WLAN), integration is available for the FortiGate-20, -40, -60 and -80 models, marketed as FortiWiFi, delivering additional network access and security for wireless environments. The FortiGate-200 through -800 series models are designed for perimeter deployment in mid-sized to enterprise networks. These products offer increased capacity and scalability designed to provide high network performance while delivering the same broad security suite as all FortiGate m! odels. Ad! ditionally, the FortiGate-300 -600 and -800 models provide hardware modularity, allowing end-customers the flexibility to customize solutions to their requirements. The FortiGate-1000 through -5000 series models deliver high performance and scalable network security functionality for perimeter, data center and core deployment in enterprise and service provider networks. Additionally, these products provide hardware modularity, allowing end-customers the flexibility to customize solutions to their requirements. Some products within the FortiGate-3000 and -5000 series leverage Advanced Mezzanine Card, or AMC, industry standards for hardware modularization to support the advanced networking requirements of enterprises and service providers, including high-speed networking, WAN connectivity, and network attached storage connectivity. The FortiGate-3950B platform also leverages its Fortinet Mezzanine Card (FMC), that provides hardware modularity to give end-customers the ability to add additional firewall and/or intrusion prevention performance, or the number of interfaces, as their network security needs evolve.
FortiGate System Virtualization (VDOM)
The Company�� FortiOS operating system offers system virtualization capabilities - to divide a security appliance into multiple, separately provisioned and managed instances. This capability is deployed in all of its FortiGate products as its virtual domain (VDOM) feature, where administrators have the ability to segment a single FortiGate appliance platform into multiple FortiGate instances.
FortiManager
The Company�� FortiManager family of products provides a central management solution for its FortiGate products, including the range of network and security features offered within FortiOS. One FortiManager product can manage thousands of FortiGate units, and also provides central management for FortiClient software. FortiManager facilitates the coordination of policy-based provisioning, device configurat! ion and o! perating system revision management, as well as network security monitoring and device control.
FortiAnalyzer
The Company�� FortiAnalyzer family provides network logging, analyzing, and reporting products that securely aggregate content and log data from itsr FortiGate devices and other Fortinet products as well as third-party devices to enable network logging, analysis and reporting. Additional functions such as vulnerability assessments and traffic analysis provide additional value for customers seeking to control and monitor their network infrastructure and security policies. A full range of content and log data, including traffic, event, virus, attack, Web content, and email data may be archived, filtered and mined for compliance or historical analysis purposes. Its FortiAnalyzer product family comes with a suite of standard reports as well as the ability to customize reports. The Company also offers
FortiGuard Security Subscription Services
The Company�� FortiGuard Labs global threat research team, comprised of over 150 professionals, uses automated processes to identify emerging threats, collects threat samples, and replicates, reviews and characterizes attacks. Based on this research, the Company develops updates for virus signatures, attack definitions, scanning engines, and other security solution components to distribute to end-customers through its FortiGuard global distribution network. Its FortiGuard security subscription services are designed to allow the Company to quickly deliver new threat detection capabilities to end-customers worldwide as new threats evolve. End-customers purchase FortiGuard security subscription services in advance, typically for a one year term, to obtain coverage and access to regular updates for application control, antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, and anti-spam functions for its FortiGate products; antivirus, Web filtering and anti-spam functions for its FortiClient software; antivirus and a! nti-spam ! functions for its FortiMail products; vulnerability management for its FortiGate, FortiAnalyzer and FortiScan products, database functions for its FortiDB appliance, and Web functions for its FortiWeb appliances. The Company provides FortiGuard services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
FortiCare Technical Support Services
The Company�� FortiCare services are its technical support services for the software, firmware and hardware in its products. In addition to its standard support service offering, the Company offers a service that offers faster response times and dedicated support oriented toward accounts. Its standard technical support offering for its products, channel partners often provide first level support to the end-customer, especially for small and mid-sized end-customers, and the Company typically provides second and third level support to its end-customers. The Company also provides knowledge management tools and customer self-help portals to help augment its support capabilities in an efficient and scalable manner. The company provides technical support to partners and end-customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week through regional technical support managers located worldwide.
Training Services
The Company offers training services to its end-customers and channel partners through its training department and authorized training partners. The Company has also implemented a training certification program to ensure an understanding of its products and services.
Professional Services
The Company offers professional services to end-customers primarily for implementations where technical resources are required. Its professional services consultants help in the design of deployments of its products and work closely with end-customer engineers, managers and other project team members to implement its products according to design, utilizing network analysis tools, attack simulation software and scripts.
Th! e Company! competes with Cisco Systems, Inc., Juniper Networks, Inc., Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., McAfee, Inc. , SonicWALL, Inc., and Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
Deutsche Bank also listed Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT) and Informatica Corp. (NASDAQ: INFA) as the three most controversial stocks. These three literally generated the most hallway, and probably bar-stool, debates at the conference.
- [By Anders Bylund]
Nobody seems to expect another round of consolidation in the space. Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT ) has gained 4.8% today, but other data security experts have stayed flat or traded down. Fortinet always looked like a reasonable takeout target, particularly since the company parted ways with longtime CFO Ken Goldman last year. The Sourcefire deal paints a slightly larger target on Fortinet's back, but you have to wonder who would be able to pay a buyout premium on top of Fortinet's $3.5 billion market cap. Most of the big boys have already picked their positions in the security space, to the point where even Intel has jumped into the game.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
5. In security
Shares of Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT ) tumbled 13% on Thursday after the company issued problematic guidance.The network security provider sees a first-quarter profit of $0.10 a share on $134 million to $136 million in revenue. The refreshed guidance falls short of where Wall Street's perched, as analysts were targeting net income of $0.12 a share with more than $140 million on the top line.
Hot Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Metabolix Inc.(MBLX)
Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company, develops and commercializes technologies for the production of polymers and chemicals in plants and in microbes. It offers a proprietary microbial fermentation system to produce a family of polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates under the Mirel brand. Mirel holds biodegradability characteristics; and would be used in a range of commercial applications, including products used in agriculture and horticulture, compost and organic waste diversion bags, marine and aquatic applications, consumer products, business equipment and durable goods, and general packaging materials. The company also develops a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals, and energy from crops, such as switchgrass, oilseeds, and sugarcane. It has a strategic alliance with ADM Polymer Corporation. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBLX) isn't exactly a name hat turns heads within the investment community. With a market cap of only $54.6 million, even big news from the company isn't a game-changer for the market. And, the fact that traders have a tough time defining what the company "does" hasn't helped the MBLX cause much either. Yet, the size of the company and the service it provides don't change the fact that the bullish Metabolix switch got flipped all the way to the on position on Tuesday.
- [By James E. Brumley]
If you'd rather spend your hard-earned dollars on some bargain-priced stocks rather than face the Black Friday mania at the malls (wise choice, by the way), then you've come to the right place. And, you may want to start you bargain hunt with Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBLX) and Unwired Planet Inc. (NASDAQ:UPIP). Both names have been unduly beaten up in recent weeks, and better still, it looks like UPIP and MBLX, are ready to recover... in spades. That's an important detail, as a bargain is only a bargain if it's something actually worth owning. Take a look.
Hot Supermarket Stocks For 2014: The Hanover Insurance Group Inc.(THG)
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, underwrites commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance coverage in the United States. It operates in three segments: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, and Other Property and Casualty. The Commercial Lines segment provides coverage for commercial multiple peril; commercial automobile; workers? compensation; and other commercial coverages, including specialty program business, inland marine, and bonds, as well as umbrella, general liability, fire, specialty property, and professional and management liability. The Personal Lines segment offers coverage for personal automobile, homeowners, and other personal lines, such as inland marine, umbrella, fire, personal watercraft, and earthquake. The Other Property and Casualty segment provides investment advisory services; and manages assets for unaffiliated institutions, such as insurance companies, retirement plans, and foundations. The company sells its p roducts and services through a network of independent agents. The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. was founded in 1844 and is headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dividends4Life]
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (THG) underwrites commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance coverage in the United States. December 6th the company increased its quarterly dividend 12% to $0.37 per share. The dividend is payable December 27, 2013, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 16, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.4%.
Hot Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Conn's Inc.(CONN)
Conn?s, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home appliances, consumer electronics, home office equipment, lawn and garden products, mattresses, and furniture in the United States. Its home appliances products include refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and room air conditioners; consumer electronics products consist of LED, LCD, plasma, DLP and 3-D televisions, camcorders, digital cameras, Blu-ray and DVD players, video game equipment, portable audio, MP3 players, GPS devices, and home theater products; and furniture and mattresses include living room, bedroom, and dining room furniture. The company's products also comprise lawn and garden equipment, which includes lawn mowers, lawn tractors, and handheld equipment; and home office equipment, including computers, notebooks, and computer accessories. It also offers repair service agreements and customer credit programs, including installment and revolving credit account programs, and various credit insurance products. In addition, the company sells its products online. As of January 20, 2012, it operated 70 retail locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Beaumont, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Conns (Nasdaq: CONN ) reported earnings on June 6. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended April 30 (Q1), Conns beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share. - [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
It's been a rough year for consumer electronics retailers, and Conn's (CONN) investors know all about it. The same stock that soared 157 percent higher in 2013 has surrendered more than 40 percent of its value so far in 2014. The turnaround that investors were betting on for the industry failed to materialize. It also may not seem like a good omen for Conn's that larger peer Best Buy (BBY) posted disappointing financial results last week. However, Conn's is growing, while Best Buy is retreating. Analysts see sales and earnings rocketing higher at a double-digit rate. It will be interesting to see if what's eating Best Buy is also nibbling on Conn's. Wednesday -- Homebuilders on Parade
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Best Buy had searched far and wide for a new helmsman. The Frenchman had to secure a foreign work visa just to start the job. Saving a struggling bricks-and-mortar chain was never going to be easy. The "showrooming" trend was -- and is -- going strong, with more and more people checking out products at local stores before turning around and buying them for less online. The irony is rich here: Best Buy sells the smartphones that make showrooming possible. And they sell the tablets, e-readers, and portable media players that have spurred the growth of digitally delivered media, and dried up the markets for CDs, video games and DVDs. In short, Best Buy is selling the products that make Best Buy less necessary. Despite the challenge, Joly's attack plan gained traction. His five-point "Renew Blue" strategy sought to make the chain relevant again by reinvigorating the customer experience, attracting dynamic hires, cutting costs so that it could pass savings on to shoppers, and making other improvements. Investors and employees bought into Joly's vision, but customers weren't so quick to play along. Selling the Future It's easy to wonder why the stock more than tripled last year. By the time the fiscal year was through we saw Best Buy's revenue, comparable store sales, adjusted earnings, and operating margins all decline for the year. Best Buy wasn't in better shape than it was a year earlier. It was doing worse in nearly every facet of the game. Even some trends that were working for other consumer electronics retailers -- like the appliance and furniture sales that helped Conn's (CONN) and hhgregg (HGG) as housing began to boom again -- failed to make much of a difference at Best Buy. Best Buy's report on Thursday paints a mixed portrait. It predicts same-store sales will continue to decline through the next two quarters, and that's not what Wall Street wanted to hear. However, Best Buy's strong profitability during the first quarter suggests that the compan
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