Best Safest Companies To Buy Right Now

Best Safest Companies To Buy Right Now: Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG)

Fortress Investment Group LLC (Fortress) is a global investment management firm. Its offering of alternative investment products includes private equity funds, liquid hedge funds and credit funds. In addition, it offers traditional investment products. As of December 31, 2011, it managed alternative assets in three businesses: Private Equity, Liquid Hedge Funds and Credit Funds. Private Equity is a business, which manages assets under management (AUM) consisted of two business segments: private equity funds, which make investments in debt and equity securities of public or privately held entities in North America and Western Europe, and publicly traded alternative investment vehicles, which it refer to as Castles, which invest in real estate and real estate related debt investments. Liquid Hedge Funds invest globally in fixed income, currency, equity and commodity markets and related derivatives. Credit Funds is a business, which manages AUM consisted of two business segme nts: credit hedge funds which make investments in assets, opportunistic lending situations and securities, on a global basis and throughout the capital structure, as well as non-Fortress originated funds, for which Fortress has been retained as manager as part of an advisory business, and credit private equity (PE) funds, which are consisted of a family of credit opportunities funds focused on investing in distressed and undervalued assets, a range of long dated value funds focused on investing in undervalued assets with cash flows and long investment horizons, a range of real assets funds focused on investing in tangible and intangible assets in four principal categories (real estate, capital assets and natural resources), a family of Asia funds, including Japan real estate funds and an Asian investor based global opportunities fund, and a range of real estate ! opportunities funds.

Private Equity Funds

The Company's private equity business is made up of a series of funds named the Fortress Investment Funds! and organized to make control-oriented investments in cash flow generating, asset-based businesses in North America and Western Europe. Investors in its private equity funds contractually commit capital at the outset of a fund, which is then drawn down as investment opportunities become available, generally over a one to three year investment period. Management fees of 1% to 1.5% are generally charged on committed capital during the investment period of a new fund, and then on invested capital (or net asset value (NAV), if lower). It also earns a 10% to 25% share of the profits on each realized investment in a fund.

The Company manages two companies: Newcastle Investment Corp. and Eurocastle Investment Limited, which it calls its Castles. It earns management fees from each Castle equal to 1.5% of the company's equity. In addition, it earns incentive income equal to 25% of the company's funds from operations (FFO) in excess of specified returns to the Compa ny's shareholders. In addition to these fees, it also receives from the Castles, for services provided, options to purchase shares of their common stock in connection with each of their common stock offerings.

Liquid Hedge Funds

The Fortress Macro Funds, and Fortress's legacy macro-strategy funds, the Drawbridge Global Macro Funds, apply an investment process based on macroeconomic fundamental, market momentum and technical analyses. The funds have the flexibility to allocate capital dynamically across a range of global strategies, markets and instruments as opportunities change, and are designed to take advantage of a range of sources of market, economic and pricing data to generate trading ideas. The fund invests in developed markets; they also invest in emerging markets if market conditions present opportunities for attrac! tive retu! rns. The funds pursue global macro directional and relative value strategies. Management fees are charged based o n the AUM of the Fortress Macro Funds at a rate between 1.5%! and 2% a! nnually, depending on the investment and liquidity terms elected by investors. It earns incentive income of between 15% and 25% of the fund's profits, generally payable annually, depending on the investment and liquidity terms elected by investors. In other words, an incentive income payment establishes a high water mark, such that the fund must earn a cumulative positive return from that point forward in order for Fortress to earn incentive income. Investors in the Fortress Macro Funds may invest with the right to redeem without paying any redemption fee either monthly, quarterly, or annually after three years. Investors with three-year liquidity may redeem annually before three years, subject to an early redemption fee payable to the funds.

The Fortress Asia Macro Funds invest in global fixed income, commodities, currency and equity markets, and their related derivatives, thematically related to the Asia-Pacific region through a fundamental macroeconomic str ategy, which focuses on liquid investments. The funds' investment program focuses on global trading and capital flows. Management fee rates for these funds range from 1.5% to 2% and it earns incentive income equal to 20% of their profits. Commodities Funds invests across multiple sectors within the commodity asset class ranging from energy to metals to agriculture and within the cyclical, industrial, and commodity equity universe. Management fee rates for these funds range from 1.5% to 2% and it earns incentive income equal to 20% of their profits. The Fortress Partners Fund's investments are made both in Fortress Funds and in funds managed by other managers, and in direct investments that are sourced either by Fortress personnel or by third parties with whom it has relationships. Management fee rates for these funds range from 1% to 1.5% an! d it earn! s incentive income generally equal to 20% of the profits from direct investments only.

Credit Funds

The Company's credit hedge funds are designed to exploi! t pricing! anomalies, which exist between the public and private finance markets. It has developed a network consisted of internal and external resources to source transactions for the funds. The funds are able to invest in a range of financial instruments, ranging from assets, opportunistic lending situations and securities throughout the capital structure with a value orientation.

The Drawbridge Special Opportunities Funds form the core of the Company's credit hedge fund investing strategy. The funds acquire a portfolio of investments throughout the United States, Western Europe and the Pacific region. Management fees are charged based on the AUM of the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Funds at a rate generally equal to 2% annually. It earns incentive income of 20% of the fund's profits, payable annually, and subject to achieving cumulative positive returns since the prior incentive income payment. Investors in the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Funds may redeem annually on December 31. The Worden Funds invest in a portfolio of undervalued and distressed investments in North America and Western Europe, but also in Australia, Asia and elsewhere on an opportunistic basis. Management fees are charged based on the AUM of the Worden Funds at a rate generally equal to 2% annually. It earns incentive income of 20% of the funds' profits.

The Company's credit PE funds are of families of funds. They have management fee rates between 1% and 1.5% and generate incentive income of between 10% and 20% of a fund's profits subject to the fund achieving a minimum return as a whole. Fortress through Fortress Credit Opportunities Funds make opportunistic credit-related investments. In addition to its Fortress Investment Fund family of funds, it has a private equity fund product, the Long Dated ! Value fam! ily of funds, which focuses on making investments with long dated cash flows. Its Real Assets Funds invest in tangible and intangible assets. The investment program of these funds focuses on di! rect inve! stments in four principal investment categories: real estate, capital assets and natural resources, but also may include indirect investments in the form of interests in real estate investment trusts (REITs), master limited partnerships, corporate securities, debt securities and debt obligations, including those that provide equity upside, as well as options, royalties, residuals and other call rights. The investments are located in North America and Western Europe. Fortress Japan Opportunity Funds focus to invest in Japanese real estate-related performing, sub-performing and non-performing loans, securities and similar instruments. Real Estate Opportunities Funds make opportunistic commercial real estate investments.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Nonetheless, it's my job to come up with “cheap” stocks — that is, stocks with a low nominal share price — that are also value plays — meaning they’re trading at a low P/E multiple. I’m limiting my field to stocks trading for less than 10 — it won't be easy, but here goes.

  Cheap Stocks to Buy: Fortress Investment Group (FIG)

  If you look at the major publicly traded investment managers who invest in private equity — Blackstone Group (BX), KKR (KKR), Apollo Global Management (APO) and Carlyle Group (CG) — you'll notice that all but Fortress have stock prices in the $20s and $30s. FIG is one of those cheap stocks that's traded below $10 since September 2008. It went public at $18.50 in February of that year, hitting its all-time high of $37 in its first day of trading. It's been downhill ever since.

• [By Dakin Campbell]

  Servicing rights on at least $1 trillion of mortgages will trade in the next two years, Jay Bray, chief execu! tive offi! cer of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NSM), a servicer majority owned by Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG), said last month. The private-equity firm said in July it raised a $1.1 billion fund to buy the contracts.

• [By Amanda Alix]

  This turn of events worked in favor of Fortress Investment Group's (NYSE: FIG  ) portfolio, which held the former Centex Corp, the subprime mortgage lending unit of a Texas homebuilder. That company is now Nationstar, which is definitely doing its fair share to add to its parent's bottom line. Also owned by Fortress is Newcastle Investment (NYSE: NCT  ) , the diversified REIT with an involvement in almost anything to do with real estate, whether residential or commercial.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-safest-companies-to-buy-right-now.html