Tobacco

The S&P 500 traded in positive territory for most of session on Wednesday, but sellers came in around 2:25pm, as the index neared its intraday high of 1298.61. The S&P proceeded to drop 11.47 points to close at 1287.14 – down 8.38 on the day. The Sector Breakdown for Wednesday's session...

Many Americans might hesitate to admit it, but tobacco is one of this country's longest-surviving industries. Legislation, heavy excise taxes, class-action suits and higher consciousness about smoking's ill effects on health have failed to send the product the way of the dodo. Reynolds American (...

Philip Morris USA (NYSE: MO) said that a federal judge in Florida yesterday dismissed a medical monitoring class action case because plaintiffs failed to allege a legally proper claim for medical monitoring.

On CNBC's Mad Money Lightning Round OT, Jim Cramer said that he is a buyer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: HOT). He explained that this stock traded sharply lower lately, despite the fact that the management reiterated several times that the business is good. Starwood Hotels...

In times of uncertainty, investors look to high-dividend paying stocks for some sort of normalcy. Every investor looks for dividends to juice yields and returns, as dividends are an important source of income for many, especially retirees. We also want to be playing the same game the "smart money...

Philip Morris USA (NYSE: MO) filed a civil lawsuit on Friday against 17 retailers in the Miami area for selling counterfeit Marlboro® cigarettes. This lawsuit is part of a multi-faceted campaign by PM USA aimed at combating the sale of counterfeit Marlboro® cigarettes in south Florida.

Cusick's Corner The market is now just off its best levels but for the most part we are seeing a market bounce on positive headlines and the shorts are stepping aside at this stage. Now this can be expected to happen over the next few sessions, especially since the market just was brutalized over...

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is out with a research note on tobacco stocks, particularly Lorillard (NYSE: LO). It has a $124 price target on shares. In a note to clients Bank of America Merrill Lynch writes, "Tobacco stocks, particularly Lorillard, have seen some relief in the last couple of...

Cusick's Corner I am not going to try to pick a bottom here but the landscape of the market is bearish. This move to the downside has potentially raised consumer hopes that this recent pullback in crude might (and I stress MIGHT) be reflected at the pump but I am not holding my breath. The equity...

Deutsche Bank is maintaining its $98 price target and its Hold rating on Lorillard (NYSE: LO) following the company's recent volatility due to a TPSAC flare-up. According to Deutsche Bank, “TPSAC is expected to post a revised menthol report by June 22, to be discussed at July 21 meeting… Revisions...

The following stocks hit new 52-week highs in Wednesday's trading session 1) Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrances (NASDAQ: ULTA): Shares of Ulta hit a 52-week high of $59.40 in Wednesday's trading session. The stock closed at $57.03. The year-to-date performance of Ulta has been a gain of 67.7...

Deutsche Bank has a Hold rating and a $88 price target on shares of Lorillard (NYSE: LO). In a note to clients, Deutsche Bank writes, "Our view remains a ban is not the most likely outcome, but visibility is low, and one cannot overlook that the advisory panel has made a negative recommendation....

Goldman Sachs is maintaining its Buy rating and its $74 price target on Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) in spite of minor price cuts taking place in Spain. Says Goldman Sachs, in the report, “Imperial Tobacco issued a profit warning today in response to the recent price cuts in Spain....

The following stocks hit new 52-week highs in Monday's trading session: 1) Greif (NYSE: GEF): Shares of Greif hit a 52-week high of $67.36 in Monday's trading session. The stock closed at $67.04. The year-to-date performance of Greif has been a gain of 9%. 2) Raptor Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: RPTP...

Below are the top large-cap cigarettes stocks on the NYSE, the NASDAQ and the AMEX in terms of operating margin. The trailing-twelve-month operating margin at Lorillard Inc (NYSE: LO) is 44.91%. LO's revenue for the same period is $4.19 billion. The trailing-twelve-month operating margin at...