Out Fox The $treet

In the Q4 earnings release, Terex (NYSE: TEX ) announced the goals of earning $5 in 2015. Considering the company just reported a year of achieving $1.83, the natural question is whether the company can legitimately grow earnings that fast over the next 3 years. The company is a diversified global manufacturer of equipment focused on aerial work platforms, construction, cranes, material handling and port solutions, and materials processing. With more » Disclosure: Long TEX. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

United Rentals ( URI )  reported  record margins and utilization rates after the close yesterday. Though construction demand in the US remains weak, URI continues to report record numbers. Earnings of $.92 easily beat estimates of $.76. Rental revenue increased 19% year-over-year due mainly to a 15% increase in volume. Time utilization was 73.5% and a record for the company. At that level, the company has very little down time for the large construction and industrial equipment it rents to construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and others. Read full article at Seeking Alpha.  Disclosure: Long TEX. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Very interesting article at Economist.com about the huge transactions taking place in Farmland mainly surrounding Middle Eastern or China buyers of affordable, unproductive farmland in Africa. Most striking is the deal where Saudia Arabia is leasing land from Ethiopia and shipping the food back home. Some day this trend will likely reverse as Ethiopia catches onto the game and grows the food themselves and ships it to the Middle East for huge profits. Food is likely to be more scarce then oil/energy supplies in the future. Not to mention that the World Food Program provides Ethiopia with food that could just as easily get from the land they've just leased out. What about using that money for it instead as well? Hmm... All of these deals highlight the need for food in parts of the world and the available land in other parts. The investment increases in Sudan alone are enourmous. Stocks from farm equipment companies like Deere (DE), fertilizers like Potash (POT) and Mosiac (MOS), al...