Weekly highlight of top insider buys: Hillenbrand Inc. (HI, Financial), EXCO Resources Inc. (XCO), Avnet Inc. (AVT), Sotheby’s (BID) News Corp. (NWS)
For the complete list of stocks that were bought by their company executives, go to: Insider Buys.
HILLENBRAND INC (HI): Director Rayj Hillenbrand Bought 50,000 Shares
Director of HILLENBRAND INC (HI), Rayj Hillenbrand, bought 50,000 shares last week at an average price of $15.89. HILLENBRAND INC. is the holding company for Batesville Casket Company, a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns selection room display fixturing and other personalization and memorialization products. HILLENBRAND INC has a market cap of $957.58 million; its shares were traded at around $15.89 with and P/S ratio of 1.41. The dividend yield of HILLENBRAND INC stocks is 4.73%.
Hillenbrand, Inc. recently declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $$0.185 per share on the company's common stock, which is a 1.4 percent increase over the previous quarterly rate of $0.1825 per share. The dividend is payable on the last day of 2008.
Director Rayj Hillenbrand bought 50,000 shares total of HI stock on 12/08 through 12/09, at the average price of $16.47; the price of the stock has decreased by 3.52% since. He also bought 8,600 shares of HI stock on 12/05. Senior V.P. Gen. Counsel & Sec John R Zerkle and Director Tom Johnson bought 1,000 shares of HI stock on in December and August respectively; the price per share has increased almost 5% since the last buy. Director W August Hillenbrand sold 311,333 shares of HI stock on 12/08/2008 at the average price of $16.06; the price of the stock has decreased by 1.06% since.
EXCO Resources Inc. (XCO): Director Robert Lee Stillwell Bought 50,000 Shares
Director of EXCO Resources Inc. (XCO), Robert Lee Stillwell, bought 50,000 shares on 12/10/2008 at an average price of $8.2. EXCO Resources Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the acquisition, development, and exploitation of onshore North American oil and natural gas properties. EXCO targets acquisitions of onshore North American oil and natural gas properties with particular emphasis on Appalachia Eastern and Western Texas, Mid Continent and the Rocky Mountain regions. The Company's primary goal is to build value for their shareholders by acquiring quality properties and to enhance the value of assets through control of operations property development and reduction of costs. EXCO Resources Inc. has a market cap of $1.27 billion; its shares were traded at around $8.2 with a P/E ratio of 6.46 and P/S ratio of 1.4.
As of this third quarter, EXCO Resources Inc. had a total revenue of $431,208 thousand, a gross profit of $335,737 thousand, and a net income of $146,329 thousand.
EXCO Resources Inc. is owned by 2 Gurus, as of 9/30/08. Ron Baron owns 1,737,200 shares that account for 0.18% of the $15.41 billion portfolio of Baron Funds. John Keeley owns 4,435,623 shares, which accounts for 0.8% of the $9.04 billion portfolio of Keeley Fund Management. In the same quarter, Ruane Cunniff sold out his holdings.
Director Robert Lee Stillwell bought 50,000 shares of XCO stock on 12/10/08 at the average price of $8.44; the price of the stock has decreased by almost 3% since. Director Earl Ellis bought twice as many shares total in November; the price per share has increased more than 60% since. Director Corporate Opportunities F Ares , VP, Chief Accounting Officer Mark E Wilson , and VP, General Counsel, Secretary William L Boeing bought shares of XCO in the last two months; the price per share has increased by more than 20% since the last by.
Avnet Inc. (AVT): Senior VP and CFO Raymond Sadowski Bought 20,000 Shares
Senior VP and CFO of Avnet Inc. (AVT), Raymond Sadowski, bought 20,000 shares on 12/05/2008 at an average price of $16.2. Avnet Inc. is one of the world's largest industrial distributors of electronic components and computer products. The company is a vital link in the chain that connects suppliers of semiconductors, interconnect products, and passive and electromechanical devices to original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers that design and build the electronic equipment for end-market use and to other industrial customers. The company markets distributes and optimizes the supply-chain and provides design-chain services for the products of the world's leading electronic component suppliers enterprise computer manufacturers and embedded subsystem providers. Avnet Inc. has a market cap of $2.26 billion; its shares were traded at around $16.2 with a P/E ratio of 4.74 and P/S ratio of 0.13. Avnet Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 25% over the past 5 years.
On October 23, 2008, Avnet Inc. reported a revenue of $4.49 billion for its first quarter fiscal 2009. This is an increase of 9.7% over the first quarter fiscal 2008. The net income for first quarter fiscal 2009 was $92.8 million, compared to the $105.5 million net income of first quarter fiscal 2008.
As of 9/30/08, Avnet Inc. is owned by 4 Gurus. Arnold Schneider owns 1,941,268 shares, a position which accounts for 2.13% of the $2.25 billion portfolio of Schneider Capital Management. Robert Rodriguez owns 3,152,600 shares, which accounts for 0.91% of the $760 million portfolio of FPA Capital. NWQ Managers owns 1,099,149 shares which account for 0.13% of the $20.62 billion portfolio of NWQ Investment Management Co. Kenneth Fisher owns 88,000 shares that account for 0.01% of the $31.63 billion portfolio of Fisher Asset Management, LLC. In the same quarter, Chris Davis sold out his holdings.
Chairman and CEO, Director Roy Vallee bought 50,001 shares of AVT stock on 12/02/2008 at the average price of $13.88; the price of the stock has increased by 16.71% since. Senior VP and CFO Raymond Sadowski bought 20,000 shares of AVT stock three days later at the average price of $13.95; the price of the stock has increased by 16.13% since.
President of Avnet Logistics James Neal Smith bought 9,237 shares of AVT stock in November; the price per share has increased more than 30% since. Senior Vice President and COO Richard P Hamada and Director Lawrence W Clarkson sold less than 10,00 shares of AVT stock in September and August respectively; the price per share has decreased by 4% since the last sell.
Sotheby's (BID): Director Dennis M Weibling Bought 15,000 Shares
Director of Sotheby's (BID), Dennis M Weibling, bought 15,000 shares on 12/09/2008 at an average price of $10.91. Sotheby's Holdings Inc. is the world's second largest auctioneer of fine arts, antiques, and collectibles, offering property in collecting categories, among them paintings, jewelry, decorative arts, and books. The Company operates in countries with principal salesrooms located in New York and London. The company also regularly conducts auctions in other salesrooms around the world including Australia, Hong Kong, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Singapore. Sotheby's has a market cap of $609.66 million; its shares were traded at around $10.91 with a P/E ratio of 4.69 and P/S ratio of 0.66. The dividend yield of Sotheby's stocks is 6.62%. Sotheby's had an annual average earning growth of 18.6% over the past 10 years.
For the quarter that ended on 9/30/08, Sotheby’s had a total revenue of $75,973 thousand, a gross profit of $180,137 thousand, and a net income of $46,218 thousand.
Sotheby's is owned by 4 Gurus. As of 9/30/08, Bruce Sherman owns 4,917,247 shares, a position that accounts for 1.98% of the $4.99 billion portfolio of Private Capital Management. Ron Baron owns 4,333,300 shares that for 0.56% of the $15.41 billion portfolio of Baron Funds. HOTCHKIS & WILEY owns 1,028,952 shares, which make up 0.14% of the $15.02 billion portfolio of HOTCHKIS & WILEY Capital Management LLC. John Rogers owns 5,394,673 shares, which is 1.6% of the $6.74 billion portfolio of ARIEL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC.
Director Dennis M Weibling and Director John M Angelo bought 15,000 shares of BID stock in December and November respectively; the price of the stock has increased by almost 9% since the last buy. The latter also bought 5,000 shares of BID stock in September; the price per share has decreased by more than 50% since. Chairman of the Board, Director Michael I Sovern bought 4,000 shares in November; the price of the stock has increased by 20.42% since.
News Corp. (NWS): Director Mark V Hurd Bought 17,000 Shares
Director of News Corp. (NWS), Mark V Hurd, bought 17,000 shares on 12/11/2008 at an average price of $8.46. News Corporation's diversified global operations include the production and distribution of motion pictures and television programming, television satellite and cable broadcasting, the publication of newspapers, magazines, and books, the production and distribution of promotional and advertising products and services, the development of digital broadcasting and conditional access and subscriber management systems, and the creation and distribution of popular on-line programming. News Corp. has a market cap of $22.89 billion; its shares were traded at around $8.46 with a P/E ratio of 7.06 and P/S ratio of 0.69. The dividend yield of News Corp. stocks is 1.37%. News Corp. had an annual average earning growth of 5.7% over the past 10 years.
As of 9/30/08, News Corp. is owned by 3 Gurus. Seth Klarman bought 1,599,800 shares, which is 1.19% of the $1.64 billion portfolio of The Baupost Group. Chris Davis owns 115,000 shares, which accounts for less than 0.01% of the $74.87 billion portfolio of Davis Selected Advisers. Tom Gayner owns 55,300 shares, a position which accounts for 0.04% of the $1.53 billion portfolio of Markel Gayner Asset Management Corp. George Soros sold out his holdings in same quarter.
Director Mark V Hurd bought 17,000 shares of NWS stock in December; the price of the stock has decreased by 2.76% since. Director Thomas J Perkins bought 700 shares of NWS stock in August at the average price of $14.04; the price of the stock has decreased by almost 40% since. Director Thomas J Perkins sold 6,000 shares of NWS stock on in September at the average price of $14.14; the price of the stock has decreased by more than 40% since.
For the complete list of stocks that were bought by their company executives, go to: Insider Buys.
HILLENBRAND INC (HI): Director Rayj Hillenbrand Bought 50,000 Shares
Director of HILLENBRAND INC (HI), Rayj Hillenbrand, bought 50,000 shares last week at an average price of $15.89. HILLENBRAND INC. is the holding company for Batesville Casket Company, a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns selection room display fixturing and other personalization and memorialization products. HILLENBRAND INC has a market cap of $957.58 million; its shares were traded at around $15.89 with and P/S ratio of 1.41. The dividend yield of HILLENBRAND INC stocks is 4.73%.
Hillenbrand, Inc. recently declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $$0.185 per share on the company's common stock, which is a 1.4 percent increase over the previous quarterly rate of $0.1825 per share. The dividend is payable on the last day of 2008.
Director Rayj Hillenbrand bought 50,000 shares total of HI stock on 12/08 through 12/09, at the average price of $16.47; the price of the stock has decreased by 3.52% since. He also bought 8,600 shares of HI stock on 12/05. Senior V.P. Gen. Counsel & Sec John R Zerkle and Director Tom Johnson bought 1,000 shares of HI stock on in December and August respectively; the price per share has increased almost 5% since the last buy. Director W August Hillenbrand sold 311,333 shares of HI stock on 12/08/2008 at the average price of $16.06; the price of the stock has decreased by 1.06% since.
EXCO Resources Inc. (XCO): Director Robert Lee Stillwell Bought 50,000 Shares
Director of EXCO Resources Inc. (XCO), Robert Lee Stillwell, bought 50,000 shares on 12/10/2008 at an average price of $8.2. EXCO Resources Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the acquisition, development, and exploitation of onshore North American oil and natural gas properties. EXCO targets acquisitions of onshore North American oil and natural gas properties with particular emphasis on Appalachia Eastern and Western Texas, Mid Continent and the Rocky Mountain regions. The Company's primary goal is to build value for their shareholders by acquiring quality properties and to enhance the value of assets through control of operations property development and reduction of costs. EXCO Resources Inc. has a market cap of $1.27 billion; its shares were traded at around $8.2 with a P/E ratio of 6.46 and P/S ratio of 1.4.
As of this third quarter, EXCO Resources Inc. had a total revenue of $431,208 thousand, a gross profit of $335,737 thousand, and a net income of $146,329 thousand.
EXCO Resources Inc. is owned by 2 Gurus, as of 9/30/08. Ron Baron owns 1,737,200 shares that account for 0.18% of the $15.41 billion portfolio of Baron Funds. John Keeley owns 4,435,623 shares, which accounts for 0.8% of the $9.04 billion portfolio of Keeley Fund Management. In the same quarter, Ruane Cunniff sold out his holdings.
Director Robert Lee Stillwell bought 50,000 shares of XCO stock on 12/10/08 at the average price of $8.44; the price of the stock has decreased by almost 3% since. Director Earl Ellis bought twice as many shares total in November; the price per share has increased more than 60% since. Director Corporate Opportunities F Ares , VP, Chief Accounting Officer Mark E Wilson , and VP, General Counsel, Secretary William L Boeing bought shares of XCO in the last two months; the price per share has increased by more than 20% since the last by.
Avnet Inc. (AVT): Senior VP and CFO Raymond Sadowski Bought 20,000 Shares
Senior VP and CFO of Avnet Inc. (AVT), Raymond Sadowski, bought 20,000 shares on 12/05/2008 at an average price of $16.2. Avnet Inc. is one of the world's largest industrial distributors of electronic components and computer products. The company is a vital link in the chain that connects suppliers of semiconductors, interconnect products, and passive and electromechanical devices to original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers that design and build the electronic equipment for end-market use and to other industrial customers. The company markets distributes and optimizes the supply-chain and provides design-chain services for the products of the world's leading electronic component suppliers enterprise computer manufacturers and embedded subsystem providers. Avnet Inc. has a market cap of $2.26 billion; its shares were traded at around $16.2 with a P/E ratio of 4.74 and P/S ratio of 0.13. Avnet Inc. had an annual average earning growth of 25% over the past 5 years.
On October 23, 2008, Avnet Inc. reported a revenue of $4.49 billion for its first quarter fiscal 2009. This is an increase of 9.7% over the first quarter fiscal 2008. The net income for first quarter fiscal 2009 was $92.8 million, compared to the $105.5 million net income of first quarter fiscal 2008.
As of 9/30/08, Avnet Inc. is owned by 4 Gurus. Arnold Schneider owns 1,941,268 shares, a position which accounts for 2.13% of the $2.25 billion portfolio of Schneider Capital Management. Robert Rodriguez owns 3,152,600 shares, which accounts for 0.91% of the $760 million portfolio of FPA Capital. NWQ Managers owns 1,099,149 shares which account for 0.13% of the $20.62 billion portfolio of NWQ Investment Management Co. Kenneth Fisher owns 88,000 shares that account for 0.01% of the $31.63 billion portfolio of Fisher Asset Management, LLC. In the same quarter, Chris Davis sold out his holdings.
Chairman and CEO, Director Roy Vallee bought 50,001 shares of AVT stock on 12/02/2008 at the average price of $13.88; the price of the stock has increased by 16.71% since. Senior VP and CFO Raymond Sadowski bought 20,000 shares of AVT stock three days later at the average price of $13.95; the price of the stock has increased by 16.13% since.
President of Avnet Logistics James Neal Smith bought 9,237 shares of AVT stock in November; the price per share has increased more than 30% since. Senior Vice President and COO Richard P Hamada and Director Lawrence W Clarkson sold less than 10,00 shares of AVT stock in September and August respectively; the price per share has decreased by 4% since the last sell.
Sotheby's (BID): Director Dennis M Weibling Bought 15,000 Shares
Director of Sotheby's (BID), Dennis M Weibling, bought 15,000 shares on 12/09/2008 at an average price of $10.91. Sotheby's Holdings Inc. is the world's second largest auctioneer of fine arts, antiques, and collectibles, offering property in collecting categories, among them paintings, jewelry, decorative arts, and books. The Company operates in countries with principal salesrooms located in New York and London. The company also regularly conducts auctions in other salesrooms around the world including Australia, Hong Kong, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Singapore. Sotheby's has a market cap of $609.66 million; its shares were traded at around $10.91 with a P/E ratio of 4.69 and P/S ratio of 0.66. The dividend yield of Sotheby's stocks is 6.62%. Sotheby's had an annual average earning growth of 18.6% over the past 10 years.
For the quarter that ended on 9/30/08, Sotheby’s had a total revenue of $75,973 thousand, a gross profit of $180,137 thousand, and a net income of $46,218 thousand.
Sotheby's is owned by 4 Gurus. As of 9/30/08, Bruce Sherman owns 4,917,247 shares, a position that accounts for 1.98% of the $4.99 billion portfolio of Private Capital Management. Ron Baron owns 4,333,300 shares that for 0.56% of the $15.41 billion portfolio of Baron Funds. HOTCHKIS & WILEY owns 1,028,952 shares, which make up 0.14% of the $15.02 billion portfolio of HOTCHKIS & WILEY Capital Management LLC. John Rogers owns 5,394,673 shares, which is 1.6% of the $6.74 billion portfolio of ARIEL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC.
Director Dennis M Weibling and Director John M Angelo bought 15,000 shares of BID stock in December and November respectively; the price of the stock has increased by almost 9% since the last buy. The latter also bought 5,000 shares of BID stock in September; the price per share has decreased by more than 50% since. Chairman of the Board, Director Michael I Sovern bought 4,000 shares in November; the price of the stock has increased by 20.42% since.
News Corp. (NWS): Director Mark V Hurd Bought 17,000 Shares
Director of News Corp. (NWS), Mark V Hurd, bought 17,000 shares on 12/11/2008 at an average price of $8.46. News Corporation's diversified global operations include the production and distribution of motion pictures and television programming, television satellite and cable broadcasting, the publication of newspapers, magazines, and books, the production and distribution of promotional and advertising products and services, the development of digital broadcasting and conditional access and subscriber management systems, and the creation and distribution of popular on-line programming. News Corp. has a market cap of $22.89 billion; its shares were traded at around $8.46 with a P/E ratio of 7.06 and P/S ratio of 0.69. The dividend yield of News Corp. stocks is 1.37%. News Corp. had an annual average earning growth of 5.7% over the past 10 years.
As of 9/30/08, News Corp. is owned by 3 Gurus. Seth Klarman bought 1,599,800 shares, which is 1.19% of the $1.64 billion portfolio of The Baupost Group. Chris Davis owns 115,000 shares, which accounts for less than 0.01% of the $74.87 billion portfolio of Davis Selected Advisers. Tom Gayner owns 55,300 shares, a position which accounts for 0.04% of the $1.53 billion portfolio of Markel Gayner Asset Management Corp. George Soros sold out his holdings in same quarter.
Director Mark V Hurd bought 17,000 shares of NWS stock in December; the price of the stock has decreased by 2.76% since. Director Thomas J Perkins bought 700 shares of NWS stock in August at the average price of $14.04; the price of the stock has decreased by almost 40% since. Director Thomas J Perkins sold 6,000 shares of NWS stock on in September at the average price of $14.14; the price of the stock has decreased by more than 40% since.
