Two bits of news today... One
good, one bad.
First, the good: a follow-up on
my canning project with my friend Jenny. It was a success, and it was a lot
of fun! The only problem now is that I smell like garlic and vinegar. Could
be worse, eh?
The second bit of news is a bit
unnerving. My mom called yesterday afternoon to tell me that someone stole
her wallet. She works at a community college in Maryland, and had left her
desk to check on some students.
By the time she got back, her
wallet was missing. She immediately canceled her
credit cards and got in touch with her bank.
Within 20-25 minutes, someone
had tried to use her bank card, and it had been rejected, thankfully.
But here's the interesting
part... The first thing whoever took her wallet tried to do was pay a cellphone bill. That's even scarier than just some kid
trying to buy an expensive pair of sneakers or a big-screen TV.
Folks are getting desperate.
High unemployment, high food
costs, high fuel costs -- people are being forced to make difficult
decisions, and now some people are resorting to theft.
I'm not excusing these folks by
any means. I'm trying to warn you that things could get much worse.
Crime in
America is going to explode. It already is in some neighborhoods... even my mom's. Her neighbor's
car was broken into and a work bag was stolen. His laptop was long gone. A coworker's car window was smashed at a local -- and
private -- golf course and her purse was stolen.
Protecting your property is
getting harder and harder.
Now my mom will have to jump
through all kinds of hoops to get a new bank card, ID and health insurance
policy.
On the chat rooms and on the comments
pages of these high-profile flash-mob stories, people are clamoring
for a national concealed handgun law. I've seen comments like, "Thank
God I live in Texas." People are ready to defend themselves.
Crime in
America Pays
Indeed, look at how well one gunmaker is doing since the beginning of the year...
Over the past 52 weeks, Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. (RGR:NYSE)
has climbed more than 112%. Operating and profit margins look great for the
most-recent quarter, and the company has no debt.
No wonder, with quarterly
revenues up 23.7% year-over-year. In fact, RGR has averaged 17% growth in
earnings over the past four quarters. This is a solid company that's still a
great value, even as it's hitting fresh highs.
RGR is a great defensive stock in more ways than one.
In fall, 2008, the company traded at a low of $5.91 per share. Nine months
later, the stock was trading at $14.26.
Share prices didn't stop there.
Now shares are headed for $30 a share, and the economic and fear-laced
situation isn't letting up anytime soon.
Ruger
stock is heading into uncharted waters. Analysts see great
things for this stock over the next year, but where prices end up is anyone's
guess. Could RGR hit $60 a share? Maybe... We don't know for sure.
Revenue estimates are predicting
a huge bump up this year, from $255.21 million in 2010 to $298.91 million in
2011, and $320.25 million in 2012.
At the rate RGR is besting
earnings estimates, these numbers are well within reach.
Editor's Note: Taipan is
raising a red flag. One of our insiders -- a U.S. dollar expert -- believes
the U.S. will very soon see riots like those we saw in London.
Anything could be the trigger
that sets off these riots.
Sara Nunnally
Taipan Publishing Group
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