>>> 3D Systems : Expect to be able to double revenue over next c

Expect to be able to double revenue over next couple years through ~30% organic growth - slides
- Willing to tolerate temporary eps compression and even slight margin compressio do substantially accelerate growth rate and market share
- Continue to increase R&A and marekting spend to accelerate top line growth and extend first mover advantage

>>> Monster Beverage trading lower on renewed energy drink conce

--> Reports out this morning indicate California and NY AG may partner to investigate the co's marketing

{http://www.inquisitr.com/1095172/monster-drinks-lawsuit-says-caffeine-dangerous-if-energy-drinks-marketed-to-kids/}

Monster Drinks Lawsuit Says Caffeine Dangerous If Energy Drinks Marketed To Kids

A Monster drinks lawsuit may be possible if prosecutors discover the Monster energy drinks have been marketed to children.


As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit over Monster drinks being marketed to kids before.

The original lawsuit over the Monster drinks was actually a race to the courts. Monster apparently heard their business practices were being investigated by San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, so they preemptively sued the city. San Francisco then sued them right back.

In a statement from May of 2013, Herrera explained the reason they were investigating was solely because of Monster drinks’ caffeine levels:

“Monster Energy is unique among energy drink makers for the extent to which it targets children and youth in its marketing, despite the known risks its products pose to young people’s health and safety. Consumption of highly caffeinated energy drinks by children has been widely condemned by pediatricians and scientists, and the NCAA has banned its member institutions from providing these products even to college athletes because of the grave safety risks.”

The fight was recently renewed because a California federal judge threw out the lawsuit by Monster Beverage Corp. So now, Herrera and the New York state attorney general have banded together to file a lawsuit claiming Monster drinks are “violating state law by misbranding its drinks and marketing them to minors.” They say the Monster lawsuit is aimed to change their business:

“We are disappointed that Monster has remained defiant in marketing products to children. We hope this effort will cause the company to correct its irresponsible marketing practices.”

But company representatives claim that Monster drinks already clearly list any risk to children, with the can saying the “beverage is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women, or women who are nursing.” The warning labels also say people shouldn’t drink more than 48 ounces of the energy drink, which is the equivalent of four Monster drinks.


(NY Post) Mattress merger would be king-size pain for Sleepy’s

A pair of king-size mattress retailers are looking to make the springs squeak.
Mattress Firm — the No. 1 chain in the US, with more than 1,100 stores — is in talks to acquire Sleep Train, which dominates California, The Post first reported Tuesday night on nypost.com.
Houston-based Mattress Firm, whose shares trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “MFRM,” is looking to acquire privately held Sleep Train in an all-stock deal that could be worth upwards of $200 million, according to sources briefed on the situation.
The negotiations are ongoing, and could still fall apart, sources cautioned. Mattress Firm hasn’t yet finalized an offer for Sleep Train, according to a source.
“There’s no deal on the table,” Jennifer Ritchie, a spokeswoman for Sleep Train, said Tuesday, declining to comment further.
Mattress Firm didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Nevertheless, insiders said Sleep Train, an employee-owned chain of more than 100 stores that ranks itself as the nation’s fourth-largest, could hop into bed with Mattress Firm in the coming weeks.
The roll-up would create the only specialty mattress retailer in the US with a coast-to-coast footprint, increasing its clout with the nation’s dominant manufacturers, led by Tempur Sealy and Serta Simmons, insiders said.
The merger would likewise solidify Mattress Firm’s size advantage over Sleepy’s, the Hicksville, NY, chain that dominates the Northeast.
“This is going to turn up the pressure on Sleepy’s to grow, and you could argue that they haven’t been aggressive enough,” one industry insider said.
Sleepy’s didn’t respond to a request for comment.
With their fortunes closely tied to the sluggish US housing market, mattress retailers have been consolidating what has been a highly fragmented business in recent years.
Indeed, Mattress Firm CEO Steve Stagner has added a few notches to his bed post of late, acquiring a pair of Midwest-based chains in November that operate 44 stores combined.
In May 2012, Mattress Firm bought Mattress Giant, a rival with 180 stores in Texas and Florida.
Even as he digests those deals, Stagner is investing aggressively in advertising and employees, a strategy that lately appears to be paying off. Last month, Mattress Firm’s shares soared after it raised its financial forecast on a 46-percent profit surge.
Sleepy’s, a 55-year-old, family-owned company said to be the country’s No. 2 mattress retailer, currently operates more than 900 stores in 17 states up and down the East Coast from Maine to North Carolina.
Compared with Mattress Firm, Sleepy’s has focused on opening its own stores instead of acquiring smaller chains.
Last June, Sleepy’s announced it was expanding into Chicago with 10 new stores.

(MKR) Makor - Top Trading Ideas: BUY ASHMORE / (partial hedge with EEM)

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Makor - Top Trading Ideas: BUY ASHMORE / (partial hedge with EEM) 2014-01-15 10:58:28.635 GMT

ASHMORE GROUP (ASHM LN): GBP 3.58

We are moving Ashmore, one of our favorite global financial plays, to our “most timely list” as the stock is down 13% today. The company announced net outflows of $3.5bn in the fourth quarter to $75bn. Ashmore is one of the leading emerging markets fund/hedge fund management group. With a market cap of GBP 2.5bn ($4.2bn), and an enterprise value of GBP 2.2bn, Ashmore sells on 4.8% of AUM. While this is high on an absolute basis, Ashmore's outstanding profitability has to be taken into account. Ashmore is one of the better run investment management businesses with some of the highest profitability as measured by net earnings / AUM and lowest cost base as measured by operating expenses / AUM. With a dividend yield in excess of 4.5%, and selling on 11.5x 2015 earnings, the shares are significantly undervalued and represent a great geared way to play emerging markets as flow of funds can quickly turnaround with the performance of these markets.

FULL REPORT ATTACHED

Contributed via: Bloomberg Publisher WEB Service

Provider ID: 62b589f9e3824b47b1ee1a8ebe85505d

-0- Jan/15/2014 10:58 GMT

>>> Riverbed Technology raises and guides Q4 EPS and revs; guides Q1 revs above

Riverbed Technology raises and guides Q4 EPS and revs; guides Q1 revs above consensus 

Co issues upside guidance for Q4 (Dec), sees EPS of $0.30-0.31, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.26 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate and above previous guidance of $0.26 -0.27; sees Q4 (Dec) revs of $284-285 mln vs. $273.26 mln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate and above previous guidance of $270-276 mln

1Q14 guidance
Co issues upside guidance for Q1 (Mar), sees EPS of $0.21-0.23, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.23 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees Q1 (Mar) revs of $262-268 mln vs. $258.50 mln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.

Commentary: "...Sales in the fourth quarter exceeded our expectations across all major product lines and geographies, demonstrating strong ongoing demand and the differentiated value that we deliver to customers across our full product portfolio...

>>> Riverbed Technology Board of Directors rejects Elliott’s unsolicited proposa

Riverbed Technology Board of Directors rejects Elliott’s unsolicited proposal to acquire RVBD at $19/share

Co announced that its Board of Directors, after consideration with independent legal and financial advisors, has unanimously determined not to pursue the unsolicited proposal from Elliott Management Corporation to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Riverbed common stock for $19.00 per share, as it believes the proposal undervalues the co and is not in the best interests of shareholders.

"Earlier today, we announced favorable preliminary fourth quarter 2013 results and our first quarter 2014 view, which are indicative of the strong early traction we have achieved against our strategy." "While the Board will carefully review any credible offer made to acquire the company, any such offer must deliver value to our shareholders in excess of what we believe will be created as we execute on our growth plans and capitalize on the significant investments we have already made in that regard.

Goldman Sachs is serving as financial advisor to Riverbed and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is serving as legal advisor.

(BFW) Kosmos Energy May Move After Tullow’s Jubilee Update Disappoints

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Kosmos Energy May Move After Tullow’s Jubilee Update Disappoints 2014-01-15 13:22:41.79 GMT

By Arie Shapira Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Kosmos Energy may move after Tullow Oil reported Jubilee 2013 exit rate 100,000 b/d given recent issues w/ FPSO’s water injection system, expects 2014 production to avg 100,000 b/d. * KOS earlier said net interest in Jubilee 2014 production 24,100 b/d, similar to 2013 levels; expects to sell 8 crude oil cargoes in 2014 * Tudor Pickering says KOS likely “down a bunch today” given cut to 2014 production/EPS from Jubilee “disappointment"; would consider buying shrs closer to support value $10-shr (vs Tues. close $11.11) * RBC says expected Jubilee to test capacity of 125,000 b/d facility, update likely puts pressure on KOS shrs * KOS has 12 buys, 6 holds w/ avg PT $14 * KOS down 10% since beginning of 2013 vs EPX index up 22% * NOTE: KOS yday said Andrew Inglis, former CEO of BP E&P business, appointed CEO and chairman of board, effective March 1

For Related News and Information: First Word scrolling panel: FIRST<GO> First Word newswire: NH BFW<GO>

--Editor: Steven Fromm

To contact the reporter on this story: Arie Shapira in New York at +1-212-617-1488 or ashapira3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joanna Ossinger at +1-212-617-7789 or jossinger@bloomberg.net