BLUD, NHPR - Stocks To Watch

 BLUD, Immucor Inc.

BLUD manufactures and sells a complete line of reagents and systems used by hospitals, reference laboratories and donor centers to detect and identify certain properties of the cell and serum components of blood prior to transfusion. BLUDmarkets a complete family of automated instrumentation for all of its market segments.

BLUD recently reported financial results for its fiscal 2011 third quarter ended February 28, 2011.

Highlights Include:

– Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $83.3 million, an increase of 4% from the prior year quarter

— Gross margin was 70.8% in the quarter compared with 69.2% in the prior year quarter

— Diluted earnings per share totaled $0.32 in the quarter compared with $0.28 for the same period last year

- Cash flow from operations for the nine months ended February 28, 2011 was $73.7 million compared with $55.5 million in the prior year

—Worldwide instrument orders for the third quarter of fiscal year 2011 were 31 Echo orders and 39 NEO orders

BLUD’s Galileo Echo is a third generation instrument designed to help blood banks of all sizes and volumes answer their call. For better technology, higher functionality, better control, more flexibility and speed.

BLUD’s Galileo NEO was recently launched worldwide which is a fourth-generation, fully-automated blood bank instrument designed for the high-volume laboratory, bringing new functionality to improve day-to-day efficiencies. NEO delivers the highest type-and-screen throughput in the market. True continuous access allows operators to add samples or resources anytime.

BLUD is narrowing its revenue expectations for fiscal 2011 and now expects consolidated revenue in the range of $328 million to $330 million. Consolidated gross margins are expected to be toward the top end of the previous guidance range of 69.5% to 71.0%, and diluted earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $1.18 to $1.20, which exceeds previous expectations.

More about BLUD at www.immucor.com

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 NHPR, National Health Partners, Inc., NHPR.OB

In America, the health insurance plans are simply too expensive to be affordable to most people as it has become one of the largest monthly expenses. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people, including children are left without any adequate health insurance cover whatsoever.

Living without health insurance is a risk no one should have to take.

The need for affordable healthcare alternatives has never been greater.

NHPR is a national healthcare savings organization that provides discount healthcare membership programs to uninsured and underinsured people through a national healthcare savings network called "CARExpress."

NHPR's CARExpress is one of the largest networks of hospitals, doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare providers in the country and is comprised of over 1,000,000 medical professionals that belong to such PPOs as CareMark and Aetna.

NHPR's primary target customer group is the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance of any kind. The company's secondary target customer group includes the millions of Americans who lack complete health insurance coverage.

NHPR recently reported the launch of a new network marketing program by one of its strategic partners, Xpress Healthcare, LLC.

Xpress Healthcare has teamed up with CARExpress in an effort to revolutionize the discount healthcare industry while at the same time bringing financial freedom to families across the nation.

By the end of the second quarter of 2011, Xpress Healthcare anticipates adding over 100 new brokers both participating in and promoting NHPR's CARExpress program and should enroll over 2,500 new members. The company also expects its growth to accelerate in the 3rd quarter as it anticipates recruiting an additional 200 new brokers which should generate over 10,000 new CARExpress sales.

According to NHPR, offering tremendous growth potential, Xpress Healthcare is well positioned to become the leading marketing arm for its CARExpress and now Strong Sales are projected for 2nd Quarter from this new strategic partnership.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States in 2009 (Issued on September 2010).

- The percentage of people without health insurance increased to 16.7 percent in 2009 from 15.4 percent in 2008. The number of uninsured people increased to 50.7 million in 2009 from 46.3 million in 2008.

- The number of people with health insurance decreased to 253.6 million in 2009 from 255.1 million in 2008. This was the first year that the number of people with health insurance has decreased since 1987, the first year that comparable health insurance data were collected. The number of people covered by private health insurance decreased to 194.5 million in 2009 from 201.0 million in 2008. The number of people covered by government health insurance increased to 93.2 million in 2009 from 87.4 million in 2008.

- Between 2008 and 2009, the percentage of people covered by private health insurance decreased from 66.7 percent to 63.9 percent.

- The percentage of people covered by employment-based health insurance decreased to 55.8 percent in 2009, from 58.5 percent in 2008. The percentage of people covered by employment-based health insurance is the lowest since 1987, the first year that comparable health insurance data were collected. The number of people covered by employment-based health insurance decreased to 169.7 million in 2009, from 176.3 million in 2008.

- Between 2008 and 2009, the uninsured rate and the number of uninsured for non-Hispanic Whites increased from 10.8 percent and 21.3 million to 12.0 percent and 23.7 million. The uninsured rate and the number of uninsured for Blacks increased from 19.1 percent and 7.3 million to 21.0 percent and 8.1 million.

SOURCE: http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf


More about NHPR at www.nationalhealthpartners.com