Halliburton Restarted as an “Outperform” at Wells Fargo (HAL)

Oilfield services giant Halliburton Company (HAL) on Wednesday saw its coverage resumed with an “Outperform” rating by analysts at Wells Fargo.

The firm also set a $35 to $37 valuation range on HAL, which represents an expected 17% to 24% upside to the stock’s Tuesday closing price of $29.84.

A Wells analyst commented, “We view HAL as a solid #2 Oilfield Service company that is well run, well capitalized, and could provide significant upside earnings surprises over the next few quarters. We think HAL is attractively valued following a selloff of the group.”

Halliburton shares were mostly flat in premarket trading Wednesday.

The Bottom Line
We had removed Halliburton from our “recommended” list July 22, 2008 when the shares were trading at $48.91. The company has a dividend yield of 1.21%, based on last night’s closing stock price of $29.84. The stock has technical support in the $26 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $32-$34 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Halliburton Company (HAL) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

CEOs: Cut more jobs, make more money
A study reveals an unsettling trend from the Great Recession: Not only did many CEOs get raises while laying off workers, those who cut more got bigger pay packages.

The car insurer customers like best
We’re less happy with car insurance companies this year, a new survey says. Higher rates are partly to blame. Yet the best-liked company doesn’t have the lowest rates.

SEC probes "quote stuffing" practices: Schapiro
(Reuters)
Reuters – U.S. regulators are probing certain practices around “quote stuffing,” where large numbers of rapid-fire stock orders are placed and canceled almost immediately, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro said on Tuesday.

Paul’s Tips on Car GAP Insurance

We don’t hear much about gap insurance, but it is a common expense for people that finance a car. Gap insurance covers the gap, or difference, between your car’s actual value and what you still owe on it, in the event it is stolen or totaled in an accident.

Most lease contracts already include GAP coverage, but check to be sure it’s in the lease agreement. If you are considering purchasing gap insurance from the dealer, you may want to consider checking with your existing auto insurance policy to see if you are already covered. If not, you still may actually get a better deal from your auto insurance carrier anyway. Dealers will usually offer car gap insurance at the time of your purchase, often rolling it into your monthly car payment. However, the cost is almost always higher than if you obtained the coverage on your own. Also, be sure to understand what’s covered and excluded in your policy.

I personally hate the process of going to the dealer to buy a car, but I know many enjoy the endless time spent going gaga over the different styles and options available these days. If only people gave their finances this sort of attention, then they wouldn’t be worrying about they’re going to afford the monthly payments after bringing that new car home.

Paul Rubillo is the founder and CEO of Dividend.com.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

Goldman Sachs Restarts Schlumberger as a “Buy” (SLB)

Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Limited (SLB) on Tuesday saw its coverage re-initiated with a “Buy” rating by analysts at Goldman Sachs.

The firm also set a $68 price target on SLB shares, which represents an expected upside of 18.5% from the stock’s Friday closing price of $57.37.

Goldman noted that Schlumberger has fallen out of favor as of late, but will likely gain market share on the international scene. The analyst also noted SLB will soon realize savings from restructuring plans, noting it could regain the premium multiple it enjoyed during the big 2006-2008 upcycle.

Schlumberger shares fell 27 cemts, or -0.5%, in premarket trading Tuesday.

The Bottom Line
We have avoided the shares of SLB since we began our early June 2008 coverage, when the stock was trading at $101.94. The company has a 1.46% dividend yield, based on Friday’s closing stock price of $57.37. The stock has technical support in the $52-$53 price area. If the shares can continue their recent ascent, we see overhead resistance around the $60-$63 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Schlumberger Limited (SLB) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

Oracle Names Former HP CEO Mark Hurd as New Co-President (ORCL)

Enterprise software giant Oracle Corporation (ORCL) on Tuesday announced it has hired former Hewlett Packard (HPQ) CEO Mark Hurd as a co-president.

Hurd, who was fired from HP last month amid a sexual harassment scandal, was also named to Oracle’s board of directors. The company also announced that Charles Phillips, a co-president and a board member, has resigned from Oracle.

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said in a statement that “Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he’ll do even better at Oracle.”

Oracle shares rose $1.72, or +7.5%, in premarket trading Tuesday.

The Bottom Line
We had removed shares of ORCL from our recommended list back on May 4, when the stock was trading at $26.01. Shares of ORCL have a .87% dividend yield, based on Friday’s closing stock price of $22.92. The stock has technical support in the $21 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $25-$26 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Oracle Corporation (ORCL) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

SEC sees surge in fraud tip-offs: report
(Reuters)
Reuters – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has seen a surge in tip-offs concerning alleged corporate fraud as the Financial Reforms Act offers millions of dollars in bounty payments to whistleblowers, the Wall Street Journal said.

European stocks soar on US data; dollar breaches 85 yen
(AFP)

AFP – European equities surged on Friday and the dollar jumped above 85 yen as financial markets welcomed a better-than-expected payrolls report in the United States.

Goldcorp to Buy Andean Resources for $3.4 Billion (GG)

Gold producer Goldcorp Inc. (GG) on Friday said it would acquire fellow gold miner Andean Resources for around US$3.4 billion.

Andean’s principal asset is the Cerro Negro gold project in in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina. That mining project reported indicated resources of 2.54 million ounces of gold and 23.56 million ounces of silver.

The deal represents a 35% premium to Andean’s Thursday closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Goldcorp shares fell 45 cents, or -1%, in premarket trading Friday.

The Bottom Line
Shares of GG have a .41% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing stock price of $43.80. The stock has technical support in the $39-$40 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $46-$47 price levels. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Goldcorp Inc. (GG) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.