New products introduced over the last week include a new small-cap dividend growth fund from WisdomTree and a new odd-lot fixed income pricing service from BondDesk and S&P Capital IQ. In addition, Direxion announced reverse and forward share splits for nine of its ETFs, and Allianz Global Investors said it will develop a global emerging market debt capability.
Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:
1) WisdomTree Launches U.S. SmallCap Dividend Growth Fund
WisdomTree announced Thursday the launch of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Growth Fund (DGRS), designed to provide exposure to small-cap dividend-paying stocks with growth characteristics; it has an expense ratio of 0.38%.
DGRS seeks to offer a diversified basket of small-cap dividend-paying securities with growth characteristics; differentiated exposure from traditional dividend funds; greater exposure to cyclical sectors leveraged to an improving U.S. economy, versus more defensive sectors; having at annual index rebalance a single stock cap of 2% and a sector cap of 25%.
10 Best Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: Amcol International Corp (ACO)
AMCOL International Corporation (AMCOL), incorporated on December 3, 1959, is focused on the development and application of minerals and technology products and services to various industrial and consumer markets. It operates in five segments: performance materials, construction technologies, energy services, transportation and corporate. Its performance materials segment previously referred to as its minerals and materials segment is a supplier of bentonite related products. Its construction technologies segment previously referred to as its environmental segment provides products for non-residential construction, environmental and infrastructure projects worldwide. Its energy services segment previously referred to as its oilfield services segment offers a range of patented technologies, products and services for both upstream and downstream oil and gas production. Its transportation segment serves domestic subsidiaries, as well as third parties, is a dry van and flatbed carrier and freight brokerage service provider.
Performance Materials Segment
The Company supplies chromite and leonardite, and operates more than 25 mining or production facilities worldwide. It mines chromite, an iron chromium oxide, from open cast mines in South Africa and transport it to our nearby processing facility. Its primary uses include metalcasting, drilling fluid additive, and agricultural applications. Its performance materials segment conducts its business through wholly owned subsidiaries and investments in affiliates and joint ventures throughout the world. It consists of four product lines: metalcasting; specialty materials; basic minerals, and pet products. Its principal products are marketed under various registered trade names, including VOLCLAY, PANTHER CREEK, PREMIUM GEL, ADDITROL, ENERSOL, and Hevi-Sand.
The Company�� metalcasting products include blended mineral binders containing sodium and calcium bentonite and organic additives sold under the trade name ADDITROL. I! n the ferrous casting market, the Company specializes in blending bentonite of various grades by themselves or with mineral binders containing sodium bentonite, calcium bentonite, seacoal and other ingredients. It also has a line of formulated additives that introduce silicon and carbon in the melt phase of the casting process. In the steel alloy casting market, it sells a chromite product with a particle size distribution specific to a customer�� needs.
The Company�� specialty materials products contain bentonite and synthetic additives offering solutions for consumer and industrial applications. It also offers products for bio-agricultural applications. The markets and applications of its specialty materials products include fabric care, personal care, basic materials and pet products. It supply high-grade, agglomerated bentonite and other mineral additives used in fabric care products. It manufactures adsorbent polymers and purified grades of bentonite for sale to manufacturers of personal skin care products. The adsorbent polymers are used to deliver high-value actives in skin-care products. Microsponge and Poly-Pore are the principal trade names under which these products are sold. Its basic minerals product line supplies minerals to a variety of markets and industrial applications, including drilling fluid additives, ferro alloys and other industrial.
The Company�� pet products include sodium bentonite-based scoopable (clumping), traditional and alternative cat litters, as well as specialty pet products sold to grocery and drug stores, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs and pet specialty stores throughout the United States. It is primarily a private-label producer of cat litter, and its products are marketed under various trade names. These products are sold solely in the United States from three principal sites from which it package and distribute finished goods. Its transportation segment provides logistics services and is a component of its capability in supplyi! ng custom! ers on a national basis.
Construction Technologies Segment
The Company�� construction technologies segment serves customers engaged in a range of construction projects, including site remediation, concrete waterproofing for underground structures, liquid containment on projects ranging from landfills to flood control, and drilling applications including foundation, slurry wall, tunneling, water well and horizontal drilling. Its construction technologies segment conducts its business through wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures throughout the world. This segment consists of four product lines: building materials; contracting services; drilling products, and lining technologies.
The Company sells lining and other products for a variety of applications, most of which are directed to preserving or remediating environmental issues. It helps customers protect ground water and soil through the sale of geosynthetic clay liner products containing bentonite. It market these products under the BENTOMAT and CLAYMAX trade names principally for lining and capping landfills, mine waste disposal sites, water and wastewater lagoons, secondary containments in tank farms, and other contaminated sites. It also provides associated geosynthetic materials for these applications, including geotextiles and drainage geocomposites.
The Company�� lining technologies product line also includes specialized technologies to mitigate vapor intrusion in new building construction. It also provides reactive capping technologies and solutions to contain residual contamination, reduce costs associated with ex-situ remedies, and aid in environmental protection. Products offered include Liquid Boot, a liquid applied vapor barrier system; REACTIVE CORE-MAT, an in-situ sediment capping material; ORGANOCLAY, which absorbs organic containments, and QUIK-SOLID, a super absorbent media.
The Company offer a variety of active and passive waterproofing and greenroof technolog! ies for u! se in protecting the building envelope of non-residential constructions, including buildings, subways, and parkway systems. Its products include VOLTEX, a waterproofing composite comprised of two polypropylene geotextiles filled with sodium bentonite; ULTRASEAL, an advanced membrane using a active polymer core, and COREFLEX, featuring heat-welded seams for protection of critical infrastructure. In addition to these membrane materials, it also provides roofing products and a variety of sealants and other accessories required to create a functional waterproofing system.
The Company drilling products are used in environmental and geotechnical drilling applications, horizontal directional drilling, mineral exploration and foundation construction. The products are used to install monitoring wells, facilitate horizontal and water well drilling, and seal abandoned exploration drill holes. VOLCLAY GROUT, HYDRAUL-EZ, BENTOGROUT and VOLCLAY TABLETS are among the trade names for products used in these applications. It also offer a range of drilling products used in the excavation of foundations for large buildings, bridges and dams; these products include SHORE PAC and PREMIUM GEL. Contracting services, which involve installation of products, are occasionally offered to customers for select projects.
Energy Services Segment
The Company�� energy services segment provides services to improve the production, costs, compliance, and environmental impact of activities performed in the oil and gas industry. Operating as CETCO Energy Services, it offer a range of patented technologies, products and services for all phases of oil and gas production, transportation, refining, and storage throughout the world. It provide both land-based and offshore water treatment, well testing, pipeline separation, nitrogen, coil tubing and other services to the oil and gas industry. The Company provides its services through subsidiaries located in Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Nigeria, the United Ki! ngdom, an! d the United States, principally in the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding on-shore area. Its principal services include water treatment, coil tubing, well testing, nitrogen services and pipeline. The Company helps customers comply with regulatory requirements by providing equipment, technologies, personnel and filtration media to treat waste water generated during oil production.
The Company's coil tubing services utilize metal piping, which comes spooled on a large reel. It provide both equipment and operating personnel to perform services ranging from acid stimulation, reverse circulation, cementing, pressure control, nitrogen injection, and other operations that involve pumping fluids into a well. Horizontal wells and shale completions are a large component of its operations. It provide equipment and personnel to help customers control well production, as well as to clean up, unload, separate, measure component flow, and dispose of fluids from oil and gas wells. Nitrogen services are provided in jetting wells that are loaded with fluid; stimulating wells, including fracturizing and acidizing; displacing completion fluids prior to perforating; inflating flotation devices for offshore installations, and pressure testing and other maintenance activities.
Transportation Segment
The Company operates a long-haul trucking business through Ameri-Co Carriers, Inc., and a freight brokerage business through Ameri-Co Logistics, Inc. primarily for delivery of finished products throughout the continental United States. These services are provided to its subsidiaries, as well as third-party customers.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
AMCOL International (NYSE: ACO ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 26. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:
The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict AMCOL International's revenues will grow 1.6% and EPS will wither -16.9%. - [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Friday, Basic Materials shares were relative leaders, up on the day by 0.78 percent. Top gainer in the sector was AMCOL International (NYSE: ACO), up 9 percent.
Top Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Tribune Co (TRBAA)
Tribune Company, incorporated on March 19, 1968, is a media and entertainment company engaged in newspaper publishing, television and radio broadcasting and entertainment through its subsidiaries. The Company�� operations are divided into two industry segments: publishing and broadcasting and entertainment. In publishing, the Company�� daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel (South Florida), Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, The Morning Call and Daily Press. The company�� broadcasting group operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable and Chicago�� WGN-AM.
Broadcasting
The Company�� broadcasting owns and operates 23 major-market television stations and reaches more than 80% of United States television households. The group is anchored by WGN America, which can be seen in more than 70 million United States households via cable and satellite services. 13 Tribune stations are affiliates of The CW. Seven are FOX affiliates.
Publishing
The Company�� newspapers include the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Tribune Media Services specializes in entertainment listings and syndication, providing news and information for print, broadcast and interactive media.
Tribune Digital
Tribune Digital manages the operations of Tribune�� daily newspapers and their associated Websites, plus all aspects of the Company�� classified advertising operations, as well as Websites for Tribune�� TV stations. Its national classified sites include CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com and Apartments.com.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Michael Lewis]
The owner of the Los Angeles Times, and recent bankruptcy court emergent,�Tribune� (NASDAQOTH: TRBAA ) �has made some interesting moves since its downfall in 2008, when the company drowned under the weight of its $13 billion debt load -- a parting gift from a leveraged buyout a year earlier. This week, the story got even more interesting, as management announced that the company would split its profitable operations (TV), and its less appealing businesses (papers), into two separate entities. While more details need to emerge before we can determine whether the company is a worthwhile investment, this unloved company could present an interesting opportunity to sophisticated investors.
- [By Brian Stelter]
Last year, when Tribune (TRBAA) was actively considering a sale, The New York Times reported that Murdoch was "weighing whether a bid would be worth the headache and regulatory battles."
Top Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)
Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
'Interconnection' The better access that Netflix is getting from Comcast is known as "interconnection," a term referring to digital content's journey to an Internet service provider's gates. That path technically isn't covered by the current definition of Net neutrality, which refers to how service providers treat digital content once it's inside the gates. Comcast has promised to honor the previous rules governing Net neutrality through 2018. In a blog post last month, Hastings argued that future Net neutrality guidelines should be expanded to address interconnection issues, too. "Without strong Net neutrality, big ISPs can demand potentially escalating fees for the interconnection required to deliver high quality service," Hastings wrote. "The big ISPs can make these demands -- driving up costs and prices for everyone else -- because of their market position." Google's YouTube video site and many other websites were paying interconnection fees to Comcast before Netflix struck its own deal with the carrier. Even with the March improvements, Comcast's delivery of Netflix content lags behind several other major service providers. Cablevision (CVC), Cox, Suddenlink and Charter (CHTR) each delivered Netflix video at higher speeds than Comcast in March, according to Monday's breakdown. Netflix has interconnection deals with Cablevision, Cox and Suddenlink, although those arrangements don't require Netflix to pay fees.
- [By Paul Ausick]
SNL Kagan noted that cable outfits like Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Cablevision Corp. (NYSE: CVC) saw subscriber losses double to 607,000. Cable�� share of the pay TV market has now fallen to 55.3%.
- [By Alyce Lomax]
All in the family
Cablevision� (NYSE: CVC ) is family-controlled, so maybe nepotism is to be expected. Recently, in a bizarre turn of events, CEO James Dolan expanded the corporate responsibilities of his wife, Kristin. Although that sounds like a clear conflict of interest, it's a little stranger still since the company had disclosed that the couple had separated. Meanwhile, Dolan's brother-in-law, Brian Sweeney, has been awarded with a promotion to spearhead corporate strategy.
Top Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: VirnetX Holding Corp(VHC)
VirnetX Holding Corporation engages in developing and commercializing software and technology solutions for securing real-time communications over the Internet. Its software and technology solutions, which include secure domain name registry and GABRIEL Connection Technology, facilitate secure communications and create a secure environment for real-time communication applications, such as instant messaging, voice over Internet protocol, smart phones, eReaders, and video conferencing. The company focuses on commercializing its technology to original equipment manufacturers within the IP-telephony, mobility, fixed-mobile convergence, and unified communications markets. VirnetX Holding Corporation was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
What: Shares of VirnetX (NYSEMKT: VHC ) have jumped today by as much as 12% after the company announced that it has identified an additional developing specification related to its 3GPP LTE, SAE project.
Top Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Chesapeake Utilities Corp (CPK)
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (Chesapeake), incorporated in 1947, is a utility company engaged in energy and other businesses. The Company operates in three segments: Regulated Energy, Unregulated Energy and Other. The Company operates regulated energy businesses through its natural gas distribution divisions in Delaware, Maryland and Florida, natural gas and electric distribution operations in Florida through Florida Public Utilities Company (FPU), and natural gas transmission operations on the Delmarva Peninsula and Florida through its subsidiaries, Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company (Eastern Shore) and Peninsula Pipeline Company, Inc. (Peninsula Pipeline), respectively. Its unregulated businesses include its natural gas marketing operation through Peninsula Energy Services Company, Inc. (PESCO); propane distribution operations through Sharp Energy, Inc. and its subsidiary Sharpgas, Inc. (collectively Sharp) and FPU�� propane distribution subsidiary, Flo-Gas Corporation; and its propane wholesale marketing operation through Xeron, Inc. (Xeron). It also has an advanced information services subsidiary, BravePoint, Inc. (BravePoint). In February 2013, Florida Public Utilities Company, a a subsidiary of the Company announced that its propane subsidiary, Flo-Gas Corporation, purchased the propane operating assets of Glades Gas Company. In June 2013, the Company acquired Eastern Shore Gas Company (ESG) and Eastern Shore Propane Company (ESP). In June 2013, Chesapeake Utilities Corp announced that it has acquired the operating assets of Austin Cox Home Services, Inc.
Regulated Energy
The Company�� regulated energy segment provides natural gas distribution service in Delaware, Maryland and Florida, electric distribution service in Florida and natural gas transmission service in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida. As of December 31, 2011, its Delaware and Maryland natural gas distribution divisions serve 53,851 residential and commercial customers and 97 industrial ! customers in central and southern Delaware and on Maryland�� eastern shore. Its Florida natural gas distribution operation consists of Chesapeake�� Florida division and FPU�� natural gas operation. As of December 31, 2011, its Florida electric distribution operation distributed electricity to 30,986 customers in four counties in northeast and northwest Florida. Eastern Shore operates a 402-mile interstate pipeline system, which transports natural gas from various points in Pennsylvania to its Delaware and Maryland natural gas distribution divisions, as well as to other utilities and industrial customers in southern Pennsylvania, Delaware and on the eastern shore of Maryland. Eastern Shore also provides swing transportation service and contract storage services. Peninsula Pipeline provides natural gas transportation service to a customer for a period of 20 years. This service is provided at a fixed monthly charge, through Peninsula Pipeline�� eight-mile pipeline located in Suwanee County, Florida.
The Company�� Delaware and Maryland natural gas distribution divisions have both firm and interruptible transportation service contracts with five interstate open access pipeline companies, including the Eastern Shore pipeline. These divisions are directly interconnected with the Eastern Shore pipeline, and have contracts with interstate pipelines upstream of Eastern Shore, including Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company LLC (Transco), Columbia Gas Transmission LLC (Columbia), Columbia Gulf Transmission Company (Gulf) and Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (TETLP). The Transco, Columbia and TETLP pipelines are directly interconnected with the Eastern Shore pipeline. The Gulf pipeline is directly interconnected with the Columbia pipeline and indirectly interconnected with the Eastern Shore pipeline.
Chesapeake�� Florida natural gas distribution division has firm transportation service contracts with Florida Gas Transmission Company (FGT) and Gulfstream Natural Gas System, LLC ! (Gulfstre! am). Eastern Shore has three contracts with Transco for a total of 7,292 dekatherms of firm peak day storage entitlements and total storage capacity of 288,003 dekatherms. Its electric distribution operation through FPU purchases all of its wholesale electricity from two suppliers: Gulf Power Company (Gulf Power) and JEA (formerly known as Jacksonville Electric Authority). The JEA contract provides generation, transmission and distribution service to northeast Florida. The Gulf Power contract provides generation, transmission and distribution service to northwest Florida.
Unregulated Energy
The Company�� unregulated energy segment provides natural gas marketing, propane distribution and propane wholesale marketing services to customers. As of December 31, 2011, its natural gas marketing subsidiary, PESCO, provided natural gas supply and supply management services to 3,080 customers in Florida and 16 customers on the Delmarva Peninsula. The gas, which PESCO sells, is delivered to retail customers through affiliated and non-affiliated local distribution company systems and transmission pipelines. PESCO bills its customers through the billing services of the regulated utilities that deliver the gas, or directly, through its own billing capabilities. As of December 31, 2011, Sharp, its propane distribution subsidiary, served 34,317 customers throughout Delaware, the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia, and southeastern Pennsylvania. Its Florida propane distribution subsidiary provides propane distribution service to 14,507 customers in parts of Florida. Xeron, its propane wholesale marketing subsidiary, markets propane to petrochemical companies, resellers and retail propane companies in the southeastern United States. Its propane distribution operations purchase propane from suppliers, including oil companies, independent producers of natural gas liquids and from Xeron. In current markets, supplies of propane from these and other sources are readily available for purchase. It! s propane! distribution operations use trucks and railroad cars to transport propane from refineries, natural gas processing plants or pipeline terminals to its bulk storage facilities.
Other
The other segment consists of its advanced information services subsidiary, other unregulated subsidiaries, which own real estate leased to Chesapeake and its subsidiaries. Its advanced information services subsidiary, BravePoint, provides domestic and a range of international clients with information technology services and solutions for both enterprise and e-business applications. Skipjack, Inc. and Eastern Shore Real Estate, Inc. own and lease office buildings in Delaware and Maryland to affiliates of Chesapeake. Chesapeake Investment Company is an affiliated investment company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Chesapeake Utilities� (NYSE: CPK ) �has declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.385 per share, a 5.5% increase over its previous payout of $0.365 per share. The dividend will be paid on July 5 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 17.�The increase raises the annualized dividend�$0.08�per share, from�$1.46, to�$1.54�per share.
Top Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: NuVasive Inc.(NUVA)
NuVasive, Inc., a medical device company, engages in the design, development, and marketing of minimally disruptive surgical products and procedures for the spine. The company?s products focus on applications for spine fusion surgery. It offers products primarily for the thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine. The company?s principal products include a minimally disruptive surgical platform called Maximum Access Surgery (MAS), as well as cervical, biologics, and motion preservation products. Its MAS platform combines four categories of product offerings, including NVM5 and NVJJB, its proprietary software-driven nerve monitoring systems; MaXcess system that provides access to the spine with minimal soft tissue disruption; specialized implants that are used for interbody disc height restoration for fusion and stabilization of the spine, as well as biologic products comprising FormaGraft, a collagen-based synthetic bone substitute and Osteocel Plus, an allograft cellular ma trix. Its biologic products also comprise AttraX, a synthetic bone graft material; and Triad, an allograft cellular matrix containing viable mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, the company offers a range of bone allograft in patented saline packaging; disposables and spine implants under the CoRoent brand name; and fixation devices, such as rods, plates, and screws. Further, it provides intra-operative monitoring services for insight into the nervous system during spine and other surgeries. Additionally, the company is developing total disc replacement devices for lateral lumbar spine and cervical spine applications. NuVasive, Inc. sells its products through directly-employed sales shareowners, independent sales agents, and distributors to surgeons and hospitals in the United States and internationally. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
It may not be as big as NuVasive, Inc. (NASDAQ:NUVA), and it might not be as sexy as MiMedx Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MDXG). But, Bacterin International Holdings Inc. (NYSEMKT:BONE) offers something to investors that MDXG and NUVA don't - can't - right now... a distinct opportunity for a lot of upside in a short amount of time.
- [By Lauren Pollock]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Bank of America Corp.(BAC), Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd.(CHTP) and NuVasive Inc.(NUVA)
Top Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.(SNTA)
Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule drug candidates for treating severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. The company has two drug candidates in clinical trials for treating multiple types of cancer and various drug candidates in the preclinical stage of development. Its oncology product portfolio includes Ganetespib, an Hsp90 inhibitor in various phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trail programs for various types of cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, hematologic cancers, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, small cell lung cancer, ocular melanoma, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and solid tumors; Elesclomol, a mitochondria-targeting agent in phase 2 clinical trails for non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, as well as in phase 1 clinical trail for acut e myeloid leukemia; STA-9584, a vascular disrupting agent in preclinical development stage for prostate cancer; and various Hsp90 inhibitors in preclinical development stage for cancers. The company?s inflammatory diseases product portfolio includes calcium release activated calcium modulator (CRACM) channel inhibitors in preclinical development stage for autoimmune diseases, respiratory conditions, and transplantation; and IL-12/23 inhibitors in lead optimization stage for autoimmune diseases. It has a license agreement with Hoffman-La Roche for the development and commercialization of compounds from CRACM. Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of Synta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SNTA ) , a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on researching and developing cancer and chronic inflammatory therapies, fell as much as 17% following an analyst downgrade after Synta disclosed the departure of its president of research & development.
- [By Keith Speights]
Hard to say goodbye
Synta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SNTA ) found out how hard it can be to say goodbye. The company's head of research and development left abruptly this week. Shares of the biotech sank 18% on the news.
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