Out Fox The $treet

A couple of weeks ago, Energy XXI ( NASDAQ: EXXI     ) bought EPL Oil & Gas ( NYSE: EPL     ) in an accretive deal that initially sent the stock down. The stock has recovered to pre-announcement levels, but the deal suggests a more premium pricing for the stock is due, instead of scraping along the bottom near three-year lows. Energy XXI is a leading oil and natural gas production firm on the Gulf of Mexico shelf. The company has a history of growing via acquiring and exploiting the assets for increased production and reserves. The oil-heavy producer continues to expand reserves and significantly repurchase shares below net asset value, or NAV. Read the full article here . Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

The transformation of Sears Holdings ( NASDAQ: SHLD     ) continues to progress with the recent news that the spin off of Lands' End will occur on April 4. The company will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "LE." The move has long been speculated by investors who have been awaiting Sears Holdings' divestment of non-core retail operations stuck within the giant conglomerate. Based on Lands' End's recent results, it appears that this move isn't happening soon enough. While many investors fret over Sears unloading a profitable business unit, the stalled growth at Lands' End suggests the retailer needs to regain its own identity and capital structure to prosper. Read the full article here . Disclosure: Long SHLD. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Summary Bitcoin troubles haven't dented virtual currency demand. Overstock.com Bitcoin sales have exceeded estimates. Solution providers need to provide payment options for multiple virtual currencies. With the bankruptcy filing of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox and potential loss of 850,000 bitcoins worth nearly $500 million, the Bitcoin market got a rude awakening to the risks involved in virtual currencies. On top of that, the supposed founder of the Bitcoin was identified and failed to back up those claims, leaving investors unsure of the origins of the concept. The shroud of secrecy and fraud isn't helpful for the development of the cryptocurrency. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

With the stock getting hit today, it's worth a refresher on the valuation of American Airlines (AAL). Sure the stock has jumped from $24 to $36 since the merger with U.S. Airways was competed back in December, but the new airline expects to make nearly $6 next year. With the stock trading at only 6x earnings expectations, it still trades like the old airlines that faced extreme competition and wouldn't have been this profitable in the first place. Why shouldn't a healthy industry trade at a multiple of 10x earnings, at least? The only disagreement is that Cramer says the deal shouldn't have been approved, but I tend to disagree. The U.S. needs a healthy airline industry in order to update facilities and expand and the only way this is possible was via consolidation. The country now has 3 legacy airlines along with a very strong Southwest Airlines (LUV) . Cramer might be correct about several routes lacking competition, but the discount airlines will work over the next...

The recent IPO of Rice Energy ( NYSE: RICE     ) brought investors an exploration and production firm with substantial growth in the Marcellus shale. With all of the hype recently on cloud software and biotech stocks, the company hasn't gotten the deserved attention. Rice Energy is a unique energy firm that claims to be the first of the shale generation with the youngest management team in the industry. The company has a highly concentrated acreage position in the core areas of the Marcellus and Utica. Read the full article here . Disclosure: Long ANR. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Summary MasterCard has lost momentum after several years of substantial gains. High operating margins are attracting competitive threats. Virtual currencies offer lower costs. Back in January, Stone Fox Capital warned that the MasterCard Incorporated ( MA ) stock split could signal a top in the stock. The company followed up the split with an earnings miss that further hit the stock. Suddenly, a stock that had ridden an uptrend for several years faces the reality that a bullish trend doesn't mean a never ending stock gain. MasterCard is the second largest payment processing network behind Visa ( V ) . The company connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, and businesses in more than 210 countries around the globe. Even after the recent stock weakness, MasterCard is still worth around $90 billion. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

After reporting that net asset value, or NAV, jumped to nearly $15, why would the stock of GSV Capital Corp. ( NASDAQ: GSVC     ) plunge nearly 10% to below $12? GSV Capital is a business development corporation that invests in pre-IPO, venture-backed firms. The company has a portfolio of nearly 50 investments with a focus on social media, education tech, and big data. The investment firm competes in the industry against Firsthand Technology Value Fund ( NASDAQ: SVVC     ) and other venture firms for the investment positions and investor dollars. The goal of the two funds is to provide regular investors the opportunity to participate in the pre-IPO markets. Read the full article here . Disclosure: Long GSVC. Please review the disclaimer for more details.