Lou Gutheil

Germany-based pharmaceutical giant Merck KGaA. (DE:MRK) announced this morning that it will be acquiring U.S.-based life sciences company Sigma -lrdrich NASDAQ:SIAL) for $17 billion, or $140 per share. Sigma-Aldrich had closed at $102.37 on Friday, 19 September, but pre-trading this morning on the heels of the announcement drove the shares to open at $137.28, an […]

We’ve talked about it for several weeks. Or should I say that everyone has talked about it for several weeks? The Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) IPO has finally taken place and its shares began trading just before noon in New York. The pre-IPO speculation is now over, the facts are in, and the post-IPO speculation has begun. […]

This is where you ask yourself, “Did I read that correctly? Wouldn’t a new app be a good thing?” Well, yes, you did read that correctly and, yes, a new app is a good thing. The problem is that the app announcement was not the only announcement about Monitise (LSE:MONI) today. The app announcement was […]

The thing that makes FedEx (NYSE:FDX) so good is that it delivers – in more ways than one. It’s worldwide reputation for delivering the goods is almost incomparable. But its commitment is, not the efficient shipment of packages, it is “producing superior financial returns for its shareowners by providing high value-added logistics, transportation, and related […]

Thalassa Holdings share price sank nearly 24% following publication of its interim results for the first half, as of 30 June, in a vivid display of the anxiety that continues to infect investors. My personal opinion is that the anxiety is not caused so much by any particular company report, but more so by concerns […]

As automotive parts manufacturers from around the world assemble for the opening of Automechanika in Frankfurt, unlisted German company ZF and U.S.-based TRW (NYSE:TRW) have announced that the former will acquire the latter for $13.5 billion in cash or $105.60 per share. TRW’s share price is currently 103.01, down less than a percentage point from Friday’s […]

With “wars and rumors of wars” continuing to grow out of the general region of the Middle East, I decided to take a look at how the fortunes and share prices of the top five contractors to the U.S. Department of Defense have been doing. It seems to me that when we talk about the […]

If someone asked that question 60 years ago, the most common answer might have been, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Asked 40 years ago, one might have replied, “The Beatles record label? I love it!” Asked 30 years ago, the answer might have been, “Do you mean the company that is making […]

The share price of mega-fast food chain McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) hit a 52-week low yesterday at 91.09 following its disappointing report on global comparable sales. Sharees opened this morning at 90.84, before rebounding enough to recover all of the loss suffered on 09 September. Keep in mind that at its current 92.64, it is still in […]

The share price of Petra Diamonds Ltd (LSE:PDL) rose by more than 8.6% today to 192.1 after the company had recovered a 232.08 carat diamond of exceptional quality from the legendary Cullinan mine in South Africa, proving that the best way to boost a diamond mining stock is by mining diamonds, especially exceptional ones. The closing […]