On Thursday, stocks continued to fall, as news from Iraq suggested that the nation could be descending into another civil war. With oil prices soaring, and the geopolitical situation in the Middle East becoming murkier, investors appear reluctant to bid prices higher into record territory. Even with today's bad news pulling major-market benchmarks down around 1% today, some stocks managed to post solid gains, with Southcross Energy Partners (NYSE: SXE), Lands' End (LE -1.15%), and Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR.DL) among the better performers in the stock market Thursday.
Image credit Flickr/Lindsey G.
Southcross Energy Partners jumped 14% as the master limited partnership announced that it would acquire a portion of the assets of privately held TexStar Midstream Services for $450 million in cash and Southcross units. Southcross believes that the transaction will add to the amount of cash flow the MLP will have to distribute in the first year after the combination is complete, and the two companies expect to reap economies of scale in the key Eagle Ford region, as well as capital-expenditure savings and other benefits from synergies of the combined operations. By creating a fully integrated midstream company with an emphasis on the Eagle Ford, Southcross is positioning itself for growth at what could be a perfect time.
Lands' End gained 8% as the apparel retailer made its first report as a separate publicly traded entity. Revenue rose 3.6% on a same-store sales gain of 3.4%, but net income jumped by almost half as the company boosted its gross margins, and showed the success of its independent marketing and merchandising efforts. Now that the company has been set free of its ailing former department-store parent, Lands' End should be able to refocus shoppers' attention on its multichannel strategies, combining the value of its e-commerce and catalog business with the convenience of store locations to build on its early success.
Keurig Green Mountain rose another 4%. Traders pointed to ongoing behavior in the stock that has proven baffling to those seeking rational explanations for abrupt moves lately, but news earlier this week that the company would sell single-serve coffee offerings at Subway sandwich shops gave shareholders in Keurig Green Mountain a huge vote of confidence for the prospects for its future growth. The big question for Keurig is whether its Keurig Cold system will have the same success as its hot-beverage counterpart; but for now, investors appear secure that the company's future remains bright.
