Best Tiny Stocks For 2015: March 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014

It Gets Worse, BlackBerry Investors

At least one BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY ) worrywart is growing even more concerned.

The analysts at Detwiler Fenton are reporting that a wave of returns for BlackBerry's Z10 smartphone is now exceeding actual sales at several key retailers.

Negative net sales is a phenomenon that Detwiler Fenton argues it has never seen before so soon after a major product launch.

To be fair, Detwiler Fenton has been seeing BlackBerry through blood-colored glasses for some time. It even finds a way to rain on BlackBerry's parade when the news appears to be positive. When BlackBerry announced last month that a single customer order a million BlackBerry 10 devices -- its biggest order in company history -- Detwiler Fenton found a way to spin that as a negative.

After a little digging around, the analysts at Detwiler Fenton suggest that it was international distributor Brightstar placing the beefy order. Verizon (NYSE: VZ ) is a company that relies on Brightstar when it doesn't want to take on the risk behind an unproven product.

Hot Cheapest Stocks To Buy Right Now

"Verizon doesn't believe this well be a strong seller since it normally tries to allocate hot product on its own," Detwiler Fenton analysts concluded last month.

Even bulls didn't see the Z10 as a game changer out of the gate. The market knew that BlackBerry was going to have a hard time with the Z10, the first handset fueled by the company's improved BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system. The BlackBerry brand has diminished in popularity as Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android and Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) iOS account for the lion's share of the phones out there.

However, it's hard to believe that early adopters -- likely the most devoted of BlackBerry loyalists -- are turning on the device so quickly.

The complaints from those reportedly returning their Z10s range include a lack of app developer support, poor mapping, and an unintuitive interface.

Developer support was a well-known problem going in. Google and Apple didn't attract hundreds of thousands of app developers until they achieved the critical mass that justified the effort to code for the Android and iOS platform. Microsoft has had to sweeten the pot for important app makers to port their applications for Windows Phone. Many important developers will rightfully wait on the sidelines until they see if BB10 is the real deal. Buyers should've known that.

Then we get to the interface knocks that fly in the face of the first wave of critical reviews that gushed about some of the new mobile platform's bar-raising features.

There certainly appears to be some truth to the bumpy launch for BlackBerry's make-or-break device, but investors will want to be careful about believing the extremely positive or negative accounts until we get real numbers.

When tech titans battle, it gets ugly
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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Rentrak: Measuring Media

Our latest featured stock is a global media measurement and distribution company serving the entertainment, television, and advertising industries, notes small-cap expert Jim Oberweis, Jr., editor of The Oberweis Report.

Rentrak (RENT) offers technology that merges television viewership, advanced demographics, and actual consumer behavior information across multiple platforms, devices, and distribution channels.

Rentrak processes and aggregates data from hundreds of billions of transactions from multiple screens wherever entertainment content is viewed, whether at the box office, on a television screen, over the Internet, on a smart phone, or other portable device.

It measures these transactions whether purchased, rented, recorded, downloaded, or streamed from multiple channels. These content databases measure viewership across every screen and are fused with third-party consumer segmentation and purchase databases.

By linking multiscreen viewership information with information about the products those viewers consume and prefer, Rentrak provides its clients with the knowledge necessary to more precisely target their advertising.

Its clients include content producers, distributors, advertisers, and advertising agencies. On January 16, CBS became the first major broadcast network to subscribe to Rentrak's service.

In the company's latest reported third quarter, sales increased approximately 27% to $31.6 million from $24.9 million in the third quarter of last year. Rentrak Corp. reported earnings per share of $.12 in the latest reported third quarter, versus a loss in the same quarter of last year.

Clients of Oberweis Asset Management own approximately 16,000 shares. These shares may be appropriate for risk-oriented investors.

Subscribe to The Oberweis Report here…

Friday, March 28, 2014

8 Key Tips to Keep HNW Clients Happy

Andrea Blackwelder, CFP, ChFC, co-founder of Wisdom Wealth Strategies in Denver, Colo., has worked with all types of clients over the years. But at this point in her career, she says "working with affluent people and the complex situations they bring is where it gets really fun.”

Here are seven tips she shared about working with the high-net-worth crowd:

Tip No. 1: Knowledge and education pay off.

Become a comprehensive planning expert so you can speak with them about a range of topics and recognize when issues or opportunities arise." I don’t prepare taxes; I don’t do estate planning, but I’m knowledgeable in them so they don’t need a complete team of resources and have one person who has a good knowledge of all those different areas."

Tip No. 2: It's not about you.

You have to take yourself out of the equation. You can’t have an ego. It has to be about them and their needs, first and foremost.

Tip No. 3: Tell them exactly what you want.

Be specific when you ask for referrals. "Tell clients about the types of people you can help and who fit your skill set. Ask to work with people who have the ability to improve their financial situation and test your skills."

Tip No. 4: Communication is key.

You have to be really good at communicating with people, making them feel comfortable, making them feel it’s OK to share things that society says you don’t talk about, like money and debt. So, having the ability to get them to open up a little bit is important.

Tip No. 5: Find a niche.

Blackwelder has found that she works especially well with pilots and engineers. “There’s something about my mentality and my personality that appeals to them. They’re in a very tight network of people and when they’re happy with my work, word gets around.”

Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014

Tip No. 6: Organize targeted events.

Rather than having an event for all of my clients, I’ll have very small, targeted events. I haven’t had a lot of success hosting a happy hour and inviting all the clients. I don’t think they feel special. Where if you have a very targeted event, they know each other, they know who’s going to be there, they’re comfortable and they feel special because you planned for them.

Tip No. 7: They aren't that different.

They don’t need marble floors; they don’t need leather upholstery; they don’t need your office to be special and fancy. They may be a bit more sophisticated but at the end of the day, they still want great service, they still want to be treated as a unique individual, they still want personalized attention, they will want to know you have their best interest at heart.

Tip No. 8: Don't be a product pusher.

Become out-of-the-box and solution-oriented, not sales-oriented. Because these people have seen every sales strategy you’re ever going to try. They’re looking for guidance, for creating a team approach, not being sold an annuity or a product or a life insurance policy or anything like that. You’re the product.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

A Waste Management Giant and Its Recipe for Success

Best Biotech Stocks For 2014

The waste management industry is subject to various environmental, health, safety and transportation regulations on the federal and state levels in the U.S., which present an entry barrier for new competitors. However, for companies who already own the required licenses, operating in this industry brings profitable returns. This is the case of US Ecology Inc. (ECOL), which provides waste management and recycling services to manufacturing, industrial and energy-related sectors. The company's five waste sites treat hazardous and non-hazardous industrial waste, as well as radioactive and PCB waste. In addition, the company´s Robstown treatment plant in Texas counts with a thermal desorption unit that treats refinery sludge.

In the following sections I will show you that we are dealing with a very profitable growth stock, that has an above average ROE rate of 13.89%, and operates with a net margin of 15.99%.

Holding a Strong Position in the Market

ECOL has two revenue streams. Business contracts to treat customers' periodic disposal needs on the one hand, and event-driven services that apply to special projects or cleanup work on the other.

Furthermore, the company has a wide economic moat largely stemming from three factors: its efficient scale, its high switching costs and its intangible assets. Of the 20 commercial hazardous-waste landfills operational in the U.S., the majority are run by US Ecology and its main competitors Waste Management Inc. (WM), and Clean Harbors Inc. (CLH). With barriers to entry stemming from regulatory permits, and a limited market size, ECOL has managed to achieve an efficient scale in the market with five hazardous waste-sides. The company's intangible assets consist of long-term regulatory permits, which enable US Ecology to posses a "gatekeeper privilege" regarding barriers to new entrants. In addition, customer switching costs are high, thus further adding to the firm's ability to sustain growth in the long term.

Good Investments and New Management Should Ensure Profitable Growth

A range of new treatment services should also help ensure profitable growth for coming years. For example, the Texas facility which operates a new thermal desorption technology for oil refinery sludge since 2008 has been responsible for 10% of revenue and is expected to keep growing.

New management should also ensure expansion and growth opportunities in the near future. The promotion of Jeff Feeler to CEO and Eric Gerratt to CFO, with the guidance of former CEO Steve Romano, has boosted management to achieve higher operating income growth in coming years.

Furthermore, the Stablex acquisition in 2010 demonstrated to be a good investment, and is projected to contribute to ROIC expansion over the long term. This acquisition expanded ECOL's disposal network with a facility in Montreal and therefore expanded the company's geographic reach.

A Profitable Future Ahead

Everything indicates that ECOL is a stock with great growth potential and therefore a great investment opportunity. The company's metrics are significantly above the industry average, and investment gurus such as Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) have been buying up shares as of late.

As shown in the following chart, a positive trend in revenue growth and net income over the past years has boosted the ROC rate up to a fair 36.9% rate.

In addition, the firm's operating margin rate of 26.32% should ensure ample room for new investments. Furthermore, coming years should be profitable as shown by a revenue growth rate of 23.20%. Also, a solid EPS growth rate of 35.60%, far above the industry median, reinforces my bullish stance regarding ECOL. Hence I feel shareholders will strongly benefit from holding this stock, while those seeking to invest in the waste management industry cannot go wrong with ECOL.

Disclosure: Damian Illia holds no position in any stocks mentioned.

About the author:Damian IlliaA fundamental analyst at Lonetreeanalytics.com constantly looking for value and income investments.

Visit Damian Illia's Website

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

2 Big Tech Stocks Bouncing Higher

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>5 Stocks Ready for Breakouts

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. That's especially true now that earnings season is officially underway. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Zynga

Nearest Resistance: $5.80 
Nearest Support: $4.60 
Catalyst: Tech Stock Bounce

Zynga (ZNGA) is one of a large number of technology names that's bouncing this afternoon after getting sold off in yesterday's session. But that's not exactly a conviction buy signal. Despite a nearly 3% pop as of this afternoon, the fade in ZNGA and other tech titans over the course of today's trading is a big indication that buyers are struggling to cope with excess supply of shares that's coming in at current prices.

From a technical standpoint, ZNGA is sandwiched in between resistance at $5.80 and support at $4.60. While this stock's proximity to support (and distance from resistance) would normally be a pretty attractive place to buy, momentum continues to bleed out in ZNGA this week. If $4.60 gets violated in the next few sessions, then $3.40 could be the next big support level on the horizon.

Plug Power

Nearest Resistance: $12 
Nearest Support: $6 
Catalyst: Tech Stock Bounce

Another big technology name that's bouncing this afternoon is fuel cell maker Plug Power (PLUG). Despite its small-cap valuation, Plug Power has been one of the highest volume trading vehicles in the last couple of months, fuelled by a jaw-dropping 286% rally year-to-date. And now, with shares up another 5.6% this afternoon, the question is whether it still makes sense to be a buyer here.

Today, PLUG is showing traders a pretty critical test of trend line support at the $6 level. If shares can bounce here and hold their uptrend, then we've got a big buy signal that's likely to drive shares to retest highs in the double-digits. In spite of March's correction in PLUG, shares still have relative strength that's stomping the broad market right now, and that's a good side indication that the rally isn't over yet.

Don't be early on this trade. I wouldn't put money in PLUG unless it can score a meaningful bounce above $6 in the next couple of sessions.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.  

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Chuck Royce - Small-Cap Opportunities in a Bull Market

Top Biotech Stocks To Buy For 2014

Source: roycefunds

Also check out: Chuck Royce Undervalued Stocks Chuck Royce Top Growth Companies Chuck Royce High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Chuck Royce keeps buying
About the author:Grass Hopper

Visit Grass Hopper's Website

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Friday, March 21, 2014

13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips

Popular Posts: 2 Top Travel Stocks Trading Under $102 Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy Today – QIHU, YYAMZN: Amazon Stock Price May Already Be in Its Prime Recent Posts: Under Armour Stock Split Heats Up UA Even More 13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips YHOO: Yahoo Stock Is More Than Just Alibaba Bounce View All Posts

Not again” is the sentiment I’m hearing from investors today.So if you’re feeling about the same, take heart that you’re not alone. Last Thursday marked the steepest drop in U.S. stocks in over a month, placing the S&P 500 in the red for 2014 so far.

The drops were driven by two primary factors: (1) Worries about Russia’s posturing over Ukraine and its Crimea region and (2) Weaker-than-forecast data from China for January and February. In both cases, Wall Street is simply reacting emotionally.

I know it can be worrisome (and even difficult) to experience a market day like that. If you’re feeling nervous, the best thing you can do is sit tight in your stocks. This is not the time to make a knee-jerk reaction, like selling out of your positions. That’s the fastest way to ensure you lose. Instead, here’s what you can do:

If you subscribe to any of my newsletters, you’re already on the right track. I test and retest all of my formulas and data daily in order to recommend only the top companies in anticipation that the market would begin to narrow and have emotional swings just like we experienced today.

I consider my Buy List stocks to be the best on the market, whether you’re looking to invest in blue chips, up-and-comers, or emerging market plays. If you’re not currently a subscriber or are invested in a stock that’s not on any of my Buy Lists, not to worry. My free Portfolio Grader stock screening tool rates some 5,000 stocks by fundamental health and quantitative strength and is a great resource during times of uncertainty.

So if you’re feeling nervous, run all of your positions through Portfolio Grader and take note of their letter grades. If one is an A-, B-, or C-rated stock, you should be in good shape to continue holding it. If it is a D- or F-rated stock, you should consider selling that position into strength. Like I said, I never advocate selling in a panic, but you can wait for the market to bounce back before taking profits.

If you’re more risk tolerant, a drop is a buying opportunity. What we saw was a kneejerk reaction to news that doesn’t really affect most top companies combined with profit taking. So I’m going to go out there and take this opportunity to pick up premium stocks on the cheap and I advise you do the same.

To get you started, here are 13 of the top-rated Portfolio Grader stocks that pulled back last week:

nav11 13 Lucky Stocks To Buy On Dips

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Top 5 US Companies To Buy Right Now

Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH ) had a challenging if ultimately disappointing 2013. The company has relentlessly pursued various mergers and acquisitions in hopes of leveraging its significant portfolio of airwaves to create a national broadband network. In the first couple months of 2014, the situation has only become more difficult. Luckily, Dish Network's operating business remains strong, with average revenue per user, or ARPU, rising healthily and generating needed cash flow for the nation's third largest pay-TV provider. Investors and analysts are not ultimately interested in Dish's core satellite TV business -- they want to know if and how the company will make its leap into head-on competition with the major telecoms. Is Dish any closer to its ambitious goal today?

Hurdles
With preliminary approval to use its spectrum in launching a broadband network, Dish is theoretically in a strong position to achieve its goal. The last big step remaining is to find a partner. In 2013, that partner could have been Sprint, LightSquared, T-Mobile, or others, but nearly every battle that Dish has waged on the M&A front has ended in defeat. This leaves the company in a difficult place and with fewer and fewer options.

Top 5 US Companies To Buy Right Now: Enersys (ENS)

EnerSys manufactures, markets, and distributes industrial batteries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It offers reserve power products that are used for backup power for the continuous operation of critical applications in telecommunications systems, uninterruptible power systems applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, and in other specialty power applications, including security systems; starting, lighting, and ignition applications; switchgear and electrical control systems used in electric utilities and energy pipelines; and commercial aircraft, satellites, military aircraft, submarines, ships, and tactical vehicles. The company also offers motive power products that are used to provide power for manufacturing, warehousing, and other material handling equipment, including electric industrial forklift trucks, mining equipment, and diesel locomotive starting and other rail equipment. In addition, it offers industrial battery re lated products, such as chargers, power equipment, and battery accessories, as well as provides related after-market and customer-support services. EnerSys markets and sells its reserve power batteries principally under the ABSL, ABSL Power, ABSL Space, ArmaSafePlus, Cyclon, DataSafe, Genesis, Hawker, Huada, Odyssey, Oerlikon Battery, PowerSafe, and SuperSafe brand names; and motive power batteries primarily under the Douglas Battery, Express, Fiamm Motive Power, General Battery, Hawker, Huada, and Ironclad brand names through a network of distributors, independent representatives, and its internal sales force. The company was formerly known as Yuasa, Inc. and changed its name to EnerSys in January 2001 to reflect its focus on the energy systems business. EnerSys was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Smith]
This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature a pair of downgrades, for toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK ) and electrical equipment maker EnerSys (NYSE: ENS ) alike. But the news isn't all bad, so before we address those two, let's take a look at why one analyst thinks that...
[By Michael Flannelly]
Early on Wednesday, industrial battery manufacturer EnerSys (ENS) entered into an agreement to acquire Purcell Systems for $115 million.

EnerSys expects the transaction to be accretive to its earnings by 15 to 20 cents per share in the first year. The company will finance the purchase of the Spokane, Washington-based company with existing cash and credit facilities.

Purcell Systems is a manufacturer of “thermally managed electronic equipment and battery cabinet enclosures for customers globally in telecommunication, broadband, utility, rail and military applications.”

EnerSys shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Wednesday. The stock is up 48.1% year-to-date.

Top 5 US Companies To Buy Right Now: Centene Corporation (CNC)

Centene Corporation provides multi-line healthcare programs and services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Medicaid Managed Care and Specialty Services. The Medicaid Managed Care segment provides Medicaid and Medicaid-related health plan coverage to individuals through government subsidized programs, including Medicaid, the State children�s health insurance program, long-term care, foster care, and Medicare special needs plans, as well as aged, blind, or disabled programs. Its health plans provide primary and specialty physician care, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, transportation assistance, emergency and urgent care, vision care, prenatal care, dental care, laboratory and x-ray services, immunizations, prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs, home health and durable medical equipment, behavioral health and substance abuse services, therapies, social work services, care coordination, and 24-hour nurse advice line. The Specialty Services segment manages behavioral healthcare for members; provides health insurance to individual customers and their families; implements life and health management programs; offers long-term care services to the elderly and people with disabilities; and administers routine and medical surgical eye care benefits through its network of eye care providers. It also offers telehealth services; and claims processing, pharmacy network management, benefit design consultation, drug utilization review, formulary and rebate management, specialty and mail order pharmacy services, and patient and physician intervention services, as well as provides care management solutions that automate the clinical, administrative, and technical components of care management programs. The company offers its services through primary and specialty care physicians, hospitals, and ancillary providers. Centene Corporation was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Centene (NYSE: CNC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
[By Holly LaFon]
Importantly, we like the industry in which Centene (CNC) competes. Some of our investors might recall that one of our prior investments, Amerigroup, was acquired in 2012 by Wellpoint at a val uation that allowed us to achieve a return on investment of greater than 100% over the roughly one - year time period that we owned the shares. Medicaid managed care companies not only save states money but also offer better service; therefore, more states a re letting managed care companies run their Medicaid programs. To that end, states are expanding both the geographies carved out to managed care companies and the types of programs. The next phase of growth will come from the dual - eligible population. D uals (or dual - eligible population) are 8.3mm 3 people in the U.S. that are eligible to receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits (mainly low - income seniors). According to the Kaiser Foundation, Duals accounted for almost 40% of Medicaid spending although they made up only 15% of the Medicaid population. We believe there are ample growth opportunities for CNC and other companies to meet the challenges of managing these disparate Medicaid members for the foreseeable future.
[By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Centene (NYSE: CNC ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top High Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: ManpowerGroup(MAN)

ManpowerGroup provides workforce solutions and services worldwide. The company offers permanent, temporary, and contract recruitment services; assessment and selection services; training and development services; outsourcing services; and workforce consulting services. It also provides professional resourcing and project-based workforce solutions in the information technology, finance, and engineering fields; talent and career management workforce solutions; and talent based outsourcing services, managed services, recruitment process outsourcing services, borderless talent solutions, and strategic workforce consulting services. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Duprey]
Hoping the situation will be anything but temporary, staffing specialist�ManpowerGroup� (NYSE: MAN ) announced Tuesday it will pay a new, higher semiannual dividend of $0.46�per share on June 14 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 3.
[By Jon C. Ogg]
ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE: MAN) was raised to Buy from Neutral and the price target was raised to $80 from $71 (versus a $73.11 close), based on encouraging signs on Europe’s macro front and also on impressive cost-cutting efforts, at Bank of America�Merrill Lynch.
[By Jonathan Buck]
The prospects of Adecco, which competes with the likes of� Manpower (MAN) and Randstad Holding (RANJY), are closely tied to growth in gross domestic product, so an improvement in the economic outlook for Europe is good news. In the euro zone, comprising the 17 countries that use the common currency, GDP shrank 0.4% in 2013, according to forecasts. It is expected to grow 1.1% in 2014. That�� an important turnaround: the euro zone has seen positive growth in on two of the past five years.

Top 5 US Companies To Buy Right Now: WellCare Helath Plans Inc.(WCG)

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides managed care services for government-sponsored health care programs in the United States. The company offers Medicaid plans, including plans for beneficiaries of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs; Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs; and ABD programs and state-based programs, such as Children?s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) and Family Health Plus (FHP) programs for qualifying families who are not eligible for Medicaid. The TANF program provides assistance to low-income families with children; and ABD and SSI programs provide assistance to low-income aged, blind, or disabled individuals. It also provides Medicare, a federal health insurance program; Medicare Advantage, a Medicare?s managed care alternative to original Medicare that provides individuals standard Medicare benefits directly through Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and coordinated care plans, which are administered through health m aintenance organizations and require members to seek health care services and select a primary care physician from a network of health care providers. In addition, the company provides prescription drug plans comprising the Medicare Part D program that offers national in-network prescription drug coverage to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. As of December 31, 2011, it served approximately 2,562,000 members. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]
Dara Biosciences Inc.(DARA) signed a Medicare Part D prescription drug reimbursement agreement with Wellcare Health Plans Inc.(WCG), providing its Soltamox breast-cancer drug with access to the managed-care company’s extensive network. The pharmaceutical company’s shares rose 19% to $3.45 premarket.
[By Russ Fischer]
WellCare Health Plans (WCG)
Healthcare segment. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides managed care services for government-sponsored health care programs in the United States. The company should be a significant beneficiary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
[By Ben Levisohn]
WellCare Health Plans (WCG) has fallen 4.4% to $59.50 after the health insurer missed earnings forecasts and offered disappointed guidance for 2014.
[By Sue Chang]
WellCare Health Plans Inc. (WCG) �is likely to post earnings of $1.51 a share in the third quarter.

Top 5 US Companies To Buy Right Now: UGI Corporation (UGI)

UGI Corporation distributes, stores, transports, and markets energy products and related services in the United States and internationally. It distributes propane to approximately 2.3 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers in 50 states through 2,100 propane distribution locations; and sells, installs, and services propane appliances, including heating systems. The company also distributes liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and automobile fuel customers for space and water heating, cooking, process heat, forklifts, transportation, construction work, manufacturing, crop drying, power generation, and irrigation; and provides logistic and storage services to third-party LPG distributors. In addition, it distributes natural gas to approximately 600,000 customers primarily in the portions of 46 eastern and central Pennsylvania counties through its distribution system of 12,000 mi les of gas mains; and supplies electricity to approximately 60,000 customers in northeastern Pennsylvania through 2,100 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and 13 transmission substations. Further, the company is involved in the retail sale of natural gas, liquid fuels, and electricity to approximately 18,000 commercial and industrial customers at approximately 43,000 locations. Additionally, it operates electric generation facilities, which include solar and landfill gas facilities; a natural gas liquefaction, storage, and vaporization facility; propane storage and propane-air mixing stations; and rail transshipment terminals. The company also manages natural gas pipeline and storage contracts; and develops, owns, and operates pipelines, gathering infrastructure, and gas storage facilities. In addition, it provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and electrical contracting services. The company was founded in 1882 and is based in King of Pru ssia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Laura Brodbeck]
Monday
Earnings Releases Expected: UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), First Bancorp. (NYSE: FBP) Economic Releases Expected: �Indian services PMI, Spanish services PMI, Italian services PMI, German services PMI, eurozone services PMI, British services PMI, German CPI, US ISM non-manufacturing PMI
Tuesday

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Top 10 Cheap Companies For 2014

Top 10 Cheap Companies For 2014: Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc.(FCX)

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. engages in the exploration, mining, and production of mineral resources. The company primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and cobalt. It holds interests in various properties, located in North and South America; the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; and the Tenke Fungurume minerals district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s consolidated recoverable proven and probable reserves totaled 120.5 billion pounds of copper, 35.5 million ounces of gold, 3.39 billion pounds of molybdenum, 325.0 million ounces of silver, and 0.75 billion pounds of cobalt. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Laura Brodbeck]
Stocks moving in the Premarket included:
Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) gained 0.60 percent in premarket trade after losing 2.86 percent over the past week. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) was up 0.56 percent in premarket trade after falling 1.12 percent on Tuesday. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (NYSE: FCX) lost 1.01 percent in premarket trade after falling 9.44 percent over the past five days. Motorola Solutions Inc (NYSE: MSI) was down 0.85 percent in premarket trade after losing 0.53 percent on Tuesday.
Earnings
[By Paul Ausick]
The country's two largest copper miners, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) and Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) have refused to pay the new tax claiming that it violates their existing contracts. The government backed off a bit last week, saying that it would "consider reducing the duty for miners who are 'serious' about smelting their mineral concentrates in the country before shipping the metals to buyers abroad," according to report in! The Wall Street Journal.
[By Lee Jackson]
Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) has been battered as investors have fled mining companies. The company is planning to enter the U.S. oil and gas space, which could truly make it a powerhouse. The company reported strong third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations convincingly. Fourth-quarter earnings were solid, but sales numbers were slightly lower than expected. Investors are paid a solid 3.5% dividend. Jefferies has a $45 price target for the stock, and the consensus is posted at $39.85. The stock closed Thursday at $33.68.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-cheap-companies-for-2014.html

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Gold Miners: A Junior Trio

A primary factor driving gold right now is the huge flow of gold from Western speculators to Eastern savers, also known as the battle of "paper gold" versus "real gold," explains metals sector specialist Brien Lundin, editor of Gold Newsletter.

We've seen a historic shift in Asian demand. Not just bargain hunting, but a major surge in everyday buying that refuses to wane.

From 2000 to 2008, the major rallies in gold occurred whenever—for whatever reason—the Western and Eastern markets were both buying. We haven't seen this phenomenon since the rebound from the credit crisis of 2008. Now we may be seeing it again.

Meanwhile, the sentiment for gold, silver, and the mining stocks is improving rapidly. More broadly, junior companies are becoming more confident in getting back to work as their share prices improve.

With its acquisition of PMI Gold now complete, Asanko Gold (TSX:AKG) is embarking on the task of putting the newly enlarged company's multi-million-ounce gold resource into production.

I like Asanko's aggressive move into the ranks of mid-tier gold producers. Even in the current, volatile market for gold, Asanko's scalable, open-pittable deposits in Ghana give the company a clear view to cash flow in the next couple of years.

The fact that it has financing in place, and will move forward toward production while most of the world's undeveloped gold resources will continue to lie fallow, separates Asanko from the pack. It continues to be a buy.

With an exploration update from its Akarca project in Turkey, a royalty deal on the Timok copper-gold properties in Serbia, and the closing of an option on its Koonenberry project in Australia, Eurasian Minerals (SCT:EMX) reminded investors how faithful it is to the prospect generator model of mining exploration.

These latest also remind us how nimble this management team can be and how much news flow the company generates, even during unsteady times. It remains a solid bet on the long-term prospects for precious and base metals and a buy.

A new buy recommendation, Midland Exploration (MIDLF) is a well-funded junior explorer with a wealth of great projects in mining-friendly Quebec.

Midland is a prospect generator, one that has had great success attracting partners to fund exploration work on its many projects. Management runs a tight ship, and its miserly cash burn rate gives it the ability to survive, and even thrive, in the current market turmoil.

Its projects run the gamut, from gold, to platinum-group metals, to base metals, and rare earths. Many of these properties are in the backyard of world-class metals deposits.

In short, Midland offers a winning combination of great projects, news flow, and the potential for an explosive share price move, should one of its JV partners hit paydirt. It's a strong buy and a solid addition to our buy list.

Subscribe to Gold Newsletter here…

Monday, March 17, 2014

Keurig Green Mountain Added to the S&P 500

After markets closed on Friday, Standard & Poors announced several changes in its indexes. The big news in the announcement was the addition of Keurig Green Mountain Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) to the S&P 500 Index effective after the close on March 21. Keurig replaces WPX Energy Inc. (NYSE: WPX). WPX will take Keurig's place on the S&P MidCap 400 Index.

Getting added to the S&P 500 is always good news for a stock because there is so much demand for index funds. Keurig shares rose 2.45% to $116.03 in after-hours trading on Friday. The shares are likely to add even a bit more during Monday's regular session. The shares were up

Keurig's been on something of roll in the last six weeks. First there was the deal with The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO). The beverage giant will acquire 10% of Keurig and enter an exclusive partnership with the smaller company for the production and sale of branded Coke products in Keurig's planned single-serve cold beverage dispenser.

On Friday, Keurig announced that it had killed its exclusive deal with Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) for super-premium coffee packed in K-Cups. Keurig struck a new deal with Peet's Coffee, a division of privately held Joh. A Benckiser, a German firm that also owns coffee companies D.E. Master Blenders 1753 and Caribou Coffee. The deal will put Peet's-branded K-Cups in more than 12,000 U.S. stores.

Top 10 China Stocks For 2014

When Keurig reported earnings results in early February, the company forecast sales growth in 2014 in the high single digits with more growth coming in the second half of the year. The company reached an all-time intraday high on February 20 at $124.42, and the current consensus price target on the stock is around $125.10, implying a potential gain of just 0.6%. That price target should go up some now that the company's stock is included in the S&P 500.

Keurig's shares closed at $113.25 on Friday, up 6.7% on the day. They’ve risen nearly 50% this year and have a 52-week range of $52.58 to $124.42.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Top Insurance Stocks For 2014

Top Insurance Stocks For 2014: Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd (AHL)

Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited (Aspen Holdings), incorporated on May 23, 2002, is a holding company. The Company conducts insurance and reinsurance business through its subsidiaries in three jurisdictions: Aspen Insurance UK Limited (Aspen U.K.) and Aspen Underwriting Limited (AUL), corporate member of Syndicate 4711 at Lloyd's of London (United Kingdom), Aspen Bermuda Limited (Aspen Bermuda) and Aspen Specialty Insurance Company (Aspen Specialty) and Aspen American Insurance Company (AAIC). Aspen UK. also has branches in Paris (France), Zurich (Switzerland), Dublin (Ireland), Cologne (Germany), Singapore, Australia and Canada. It operates in the global markets for property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. It manages its insurance and reinsurance businesses as two distinct underwriting segments, Aspen Insurance and Aspen Reinsurance (Aspen Re), to serve its global customer base. Its insurance segment is consisted of property, casualty, marine, energy and transp ortation insurance and financial and professional lines insurance. Its reinsurance segment is consisted of property reinsurance (catastrophe and other), casualty reinsurance and specialty reinsurance. In April 2013, the reinsurance segment of the Company announced the formation of a new division, Aspen Capital Markets.

In the Company's insurance segment, property, casualty and financial and professional lines insurance business is written in the London Market through Aspen U.K. and in the United States through Aspen Specialty and AAIC. Its marine, energy and transportation insurance business is written through Aspen U.K. and AUL, which is the corporate member of Syndicate 4711 at Lloyd's of London (Lloyd's), managed by Aspen Managing Agency Limited (AMAL). It also writes casualty business through AUL. In reinsurance, property reinsurance business is assumed by As! pen Bermuda and Aspen U.K. The property reinsurance business written in the United States is wr itten by Aspen Re America and ARA-CA as reinsurance intermed! iaries with offices in Connecticut, Illinois, Florida, New York, Georgia and California. The business written in the United States is produced by Aspen Re America.

Reinsurance

The Company's reinsurance segment consists of property catastrophe reinsurance, other property reinsurance (risk excess, pro rata, risk solutions and facultative), casualty reinsurance (the United States treaty, international treaty and global facultative) and specialty reinsurance (credit and surety, structured, agriculture and specialty). Property catastrophe reinsurance is written on a treaty excess of loss basis where it provides protection to an insurer for an agreed portion of the total losses from a single event in excess of a specified loss amount. In the event of a loss, contracts provide for coverage of a second occurrence following the payment of a premium to reinstate the coverage under the contract, which is referred to as a reinstatement premium. The coverage p rovided under excess of loss reinsurance contracts may be on a global basis or limited in scope to selected regions or geographical areas.

Other property reinsurance includes risk excess of loss and proportional treaty reinsurance, facultative or single risk reinsurance and its risk solutions business. Risk excess of loss reinsurance provides coverage to a reinsured where it experiences a loss in excess of its retention level on a single risk basis. Proportional contracts involve close client relationships, including regular audits of the cedants' data. Its risk solutions business writes property insurance risks for a select group of the United States program managers. Casualty reinsurance is written on an excess of loss, proportional and facultative basis and consists of the United States treaty, international treaty and casualty facultative. Its United State! s treaty ! business consists of exposures to workers' compensation (including catastrophe), medical ma lpractice, general liability, auto liability, professional l! iability ! and excess liability, including umbrella liability. Its international treaty business reinsures exposures respect to general liability, auto liability, professional liability, workers' compensation and excess liability.

Specialty reinsurance is written on an excess of loss and proportional basis and consists of credit and surety reinsurance, structured risks, agriculture reinsurance and other specialty lines. Its credit and surety reinsurance business consists of trade credit reinsurance, international surety reinsurance (mainly European, Japanese and Latin American risks and excluding the United States) and a political risks portfolio. Its agricultural reinsurance business is written on a treaty basis covering crop and multi-peril business. Other specialty lines include reinsurance treaties and some insurance policies covering policyholders' interests in marine, energy, liability aviation, space, contingency, terrorism, nuclear, personal accident and crop r einsurance. A percentage of the property reinsurance contracts it writes exclude coverage for losses arising from the peril of terrorism. These contracts exclude coverage protecting against nuclear, biological or chemical attack.

The Company competes Arch Capital Group Ltd., Axis Capital Holdings Limited (Axis), Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. (Endurance), Everest Re Group Limited, Lancashire Holdings Limited, Montpelier Re Holdings Limited, PartnerRe Ltd., Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd., Renaissance Re Holdings Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., XL Capital Ltd. (XL) and various Lloyd's syndicates.

Insurance

The Company's insurance segment consists of property insurance, casualty insurance, marine, energy and transportation insurance and financial and professional lines insurance. Its property insurance line comprises the! United K! ingdom commercial property and construction business and the United States property business. Property insurance provides physical damage and business interruption! coverage! for losses arising from weather, fire, theft and other causes. The United States commercial property team covers mercantile, manufacturing, municipal and commercial real estate business. The United States property also includes its program business, which writes property insurance risks for a select group of the United States program managers. The United Kingdom commercial team's client base is predominantly the United Kingdom institutional property owners, middle market corporates and public sector clients.

The Company's casualty insurance line comprises commercial liability, global excess casualty, the United States casualty insurance and environmental liability, written on a primary, quota share and facultative basis. Commercial liability is written in the United Kingdom and provides employers' liability coverage and public liability coverage for insureds domiciled in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The global excess casualty line comprises risk-manage d insureds globally and covers risks at points, including general liability, commercial and residential construction liability, life science, railroads, trucking, product and public liability and associated types of cover found in general liability policies in the global insurance market. The United States casualty account consists of lines written within the general liability and umbrella liability insurance sectors. Coverage on its general liability line is offered on those risks that are miscellaneous, products liability, contractors (general contractors and artisans), real estate and retail risks and other general liability business. The United States environmental account provides contractors' pollution liability and pollution legal liability across industry segments that have environmental regulatory drivers and contractual requirements for covera! ge, inclu! ding real estate and public entities, contractors and engineers, energy contractors and environmental contractors and consultants. The business is written in both the primar! y and exc! ess insurance markets.

The Company's marine, energy and transportation insurance line comprises marine, energy and construction (M.E.C.) liability, energy physical damage, marine hull, specie, inland marine and ocean risks and aviation, written on a primary, quota share and facultative basis. The M.E.C. liability business includes marine liability cover related to the liabilities of ship-owners and port operators, including reinsurance of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (P&I Clubs). It also provides liability cover for companies in the oil and gas sector, both onshore and offshore and in the power generation and the United States commercial construction sectors. Energy physical damage provides insurance cover against physical damage losses in addition to Operators Extra Expenses (OEE) for companies operating in the oil and gas exploration and production sector. The marine hull team insures physical damage for ships (including war and associated perils) and rel ated marine assets. The specie business line focuses on the insurance of property items on an all risks basis, including fine art, general and bank related specie, jewelers' block and armored car. The inland marine and ocean cargo team writes business covering builders' construction risk, contractors' equipment, transportation and ocean cargo risks in addition to exhibition, fine arts and museums insurance.

The aviation team writes physical damage insurance on hulls and spares (including war and associated perils) and comprehensive legal liability for airlines, smaller operators of airline equipment, airports and associated business and non-critical component part manufacturers. It also provides aviation hull deductible cover. Its financial and professional lines comprise financial institutions, professional liability (includ! ing manag! ement and technology liability), financial and political risks and the United States surety risks, written on a primary, qu ota share and facultative basis. Its financial institutions ! business ! is written on both a primary and excess of loss basis and consists of professional liability, crime insurance and directors' and officers' (D&O) cover. It covers financial institutions, including commercial and investment banks, asset managers, insurance companies, stockbrokers and insureds with hybrid business models. Its professional liability business is written out of the United States (including Errors and Omissions (E&O)), the United Kingdom and Switzerland and is written on both a primary and excess of loss basis.

The Company insures a range of professions, including lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers. Its management and technology liability teams write on both a primary and excess basis D&O insurance, technology-related policies in the areas of network privacy, misuse of data and cyber liability and warranty and indemnity insurance in connection with, or to facilitate, corporate transactions. The financial and political risks team writes business covering the credit/default risk on a range of project and trade transactions, as well as political risks, terrorism (including multi-year war on land cover), piracy and kidnap and ransom (K&R). It writes financial and political risks globally but with concentrations in a range of countries, such as Russia, China, Brazil, the Netherlands and United States. Its surety team writes commercial surety risks, admiralty bonds and similar maritime undertakings, including federal and public official bonds, license and permits and fiduciary and miscellaneous bonds and privately owned companies in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sally Jones] % over 12 months, Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd. has a market cap of $2.63 billion; its shares were traded at around $40.06 with a P/E ratio of 13.50. The dividen! d yield i! s 1.80%.
The GuruFocus analysis for AHL shows six warning signs.
Track historical share pricing, revenue and net income:
[ Enlarge Image ]
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Arnold Schneider reduced his position by 89.42%, selling 109,081 shares at an average price of $36.77, for a gain of 8.9%.
Over five quarters, Schneider has averaged a 28% gain on 166,209 shares bought at an average price of $31.34 per share. He gained 8% selling 153,305 shares at an average
source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-insurance-stocks-for-2014-2.html

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Why Ulta Salon (ULTA) Is Spiking After the Bell

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrances (ULTA) is spiking in extended trading following a better-than-expected fourth quarter.

After the bell, shares had added 6.7% to $95.50.

The beauty supplies retailer recorded revenue of $868.08 million, 14.4% higher than a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had anticipated $855.64 million in sales.

Net income of $1.09 a share was 2 cents higher than analysts' expectations. "We delivered earnings growth consistent with our expectations and made significant progress with our key growth strategies," said CEO Mary Dillon in a statement. Comparable sales increased 9.2% compared to an 8.6% gain in the year-ago quarter. Must Read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Stocks STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more. TheStreet Ratings team rates ULTA SALON COSMETCS & FRAG as a Buy with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate ULTA SALON COSMETCS & FRAG (ULTA) a BUY. This is driven by a number of strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, expanding profit margins, impressive record of earnings per share growth and compelling growth in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself." You can view the full analysis from the report here: ULTA Ratings Report STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Stock quotes in this article: ULTA

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Statoil makes gas find in Barents Sea

Norwegian oil and gas major Statoil ASA (STO) said Thursday it has made a gas discovery in the Kramsno prospect in the Barents Sea, but the exploration program around the Johan Castberg field has so far not delivered expected oil volumes.

-In 2013 Statoil launched a targeted exploration campaign around the Johan Castberg field in order to clarify additional oil potential in the area and make the development project more robust.

-The exploration campaign comprises five prospects, and Kramsno was the fourth of those.

-"The last prospect we will test in this exploration campaign is Drivis, and we will commence drilling operations right after the completion of Kramsno."

-Statoil is operator for production licence PL532 with an ownership share of 50%. The licence partners are Eni Norge AS (30%) and Petoro AS (20%).

-At 0819 GMT shares traded 0.6% lower at NOK160.10.

-Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com; Twitter: @WSJNordics

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Mash it app: Make your own music from top hits…

LOS ANGELES — Matt Serletic isn't leaving anything to chance.

He's bringing his new Zya app to the South by Southwest festival in Austin, making the rounds and spreading the word. And if anyone misses him, that's fine, he's got a truck that will be running through town as well.

"South by Southwest is the place to get noticed," he says. "It's more focused and condensed" than other shows.

His app marries gaming and music to put together an experience that lets folks make music by singing lines into the microphone of an iPad or iPhone. Zya then uses autotune technology to get it in key, and transforms the notes into a melody played by computerized guitars and pianos.

Characters in the app sing along as well, but the big twist is mashups.

You take your creation and marry it with well-known songs like Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Lady Gaga's Poker Face and Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines.

The app is free, and available so far just on the Apple platform, but the songs cost $2.99 a piece.

"This is a fun and easy way to make music, even for people who don't know how to make music," Serletic says.

Serletic, the co-founder and CEO of Music Mastermind is a songwriter and producer, (Carlos Santana's Smooth) and the former CEO of Virgin Records.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now

By John Whitefoot

Whether you’re in Pamplona, Spain or on Wall Street, when it comes to running with the bulls, the object is to stay ahead of the pack. This means not getting gouged physically or financially. However, there are an increasingly large number of investors out there right now who think they’ve got a handle on the bull market.

Why? The Federal Reserve says it won’t taper its generous $85.0-billion-per-month quantitative easing policy until the U.S. economy improves. And by that, it means—for now at least—an unemployment rate of 6.5% and an inflation rate of 2.5%.

As a result, the Federal Reserve’s easy money and artificially deflated near-record low interest rates have put the stock market front and center for income-starved investors looking for capital appreciation. As long as the Fed keeps its printing presses in overdrive, there’s no reason to think that the bull market will take a breather.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Harris Corporation (HRS)

Harris Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a communications and information technology company that serves government and commercial markets worldwide. It operates in three segments: RF Communications, Government Communications Systems, and Broadcast Communications. The RF Communications segment designs, develops, and manufactures secure radio communications products and systems for manpack, handheld, soldier-worn, vehicular, strategic fixed-site, and shipboard applications that operate in various radio frequency bands. It also offers products and solutions ranging from wireless network infrastructure solutions to portable and mobile single-band and multiband radios, and public safety-grade broadband video and data solutions for the public safety, federal, utility, commercial, and transportation markets. The Government Communications Systems segment develops, supplies, and integrates communications and information processing products, systems, and netw orks for aerospace, terrestrial, and maritime applications supporting department of defense missions. This segment also provides mission-critical communications and information processing systems for the U.S. civilian Federal market, as well as offers IT transformation, managed, and information assurance solutions. The Broadcast Communications segment provides workflow, infrastructure, and networking solutions that enable media companies to streamline workflow from production through transmission; media solutions to manage digital media workflow through software solutions for advertising, media management, digital signage, broadband, digital asset management, and play-out automation; and transmission systems for delivery of media over wireless broadcast terrestrial networks. The company also offers healthcare IT solutions, IT compliance solutions, and mission-critical managed satellite communications services. Harris Corporation was founded in 1895 and is based in Melbourne, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Smith]
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded nine new contracts on Monday worth some $1.121 billion in aggregate. The largest of these awards, however, swallowed more than 85% of the funds on offer. Split among five publicly traded companies, and one privately owned, this monster IT contract envisions paying out $960 million over the course of time to contractors:
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT ) Raytheon (NYSE: RTN ) Harris� (NYSE: HRS ) L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL ) TYBRIN Corp., a subsidiary of Jacobs Engineering Group (NYSE: JEC ) SRA International
The multiple award, indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract was awarded under the U.S. Air Force's Network-Centric Solutions-2 (NETCENTS-2) Application Services program, which the Air Force describes as being one of its primary vehicles for purchasing "sustainment, migration, integration, training, help desk support, testing and operational support" services. Over the course of the contract, the six named contactors will be the only ones entitled to bid (against each other) for task orders awarded under the umbrella IDIQ contract.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Patterson Companies Inc.(PDCO)

Patterson Companies, Inc. operates as a distributor serving the dental, companion-pet veterinarian, and rehabilitation supply markets in North America. Its Dental Supply segment provides consumable dental supplies, such as x-ray film and solutions; impression and restorative materials; hand instruments; sterilization products; anesthetics; infection control products, including protective clothing, gloves, and facemasks; paper, cotton, and disposable products; toothbrushes; dental accessories; printed office products, office filing supplies, and practice management systems; x-ray machines, handpieces, dental chairs and handpiece control units, diagnostic equipment, dental lights, compressors, chair-side restoration systems, and inter-oral cameras; practice management and clinical software; hardware and networking solutions; and patient education solutions. The company?s Veterinary Supply segment offers consumable supplies, such as lab supplies, paper goods, needles and syr inges, gauze and wound dressings, sutures, latex gloves, and orthopedic and casting products; pharmaceuticals comprising anesthetics, antibiotics, ointments, and nutraceuticals; diagnostics; biologicals, including vaccines and injectibles; and equipment and software. Its Rehabilitation Supply segment provides dressing and grooming devices, and toileting, dining, and bathing aids; braces, splints, and orthotics; exercise bands, putty, weight balls, and mats; walkers, canes, and wheelchair accessories; rolls, wedges, seating and standers, and mobility assistance products; motor stimulation products; products for heating and cooling therapies, electrical stimulation, laser, ultrasound, paraffin, iontophoresis, and therapeutic creams and lotions; and rehabilitation equipment and software. The company was formerly known as Patterson Dental Company and changed its name to Patterson Companies, Inc. in June 2004. Patterson Companies, Inc. was founded in 1877 and is based in St. Paul , Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Eric Volkman]
Patterson (NASDAQ: PDCO ) has elected not to raise its quarterly shareholder payout. The company today declared a regular stock dividend of $0.16 per share, to be paid on July 26 to shareholders of record as of July 11. That amount matches the company's previous distribution, which was paid at the end of April. Before that, Patterson handed out $0.14 per share.

Top New Stocks To Own For 2015: VCA Antech Inc (WOOF)

VCA Antech, Inc., incorporated on May 4, 1987, is a national animal healthcare company operating in the United States and Canada. The Company provides veterinary services and diagnostic testing to support veterinary cares. The Company operates in two segments: animal hospital and laboratory. Its all other category includes Vetstreet and Medical Technology operating segments. The Company sells diagnostic imaging equipment and other medical technology products and related services to the veterinary markets. The Company's animal hospitals offer a range of general medical and surgical services for companion animals, as well as specialized treatments, including advanced diagnostic services, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and cardiology. On January 31, 2012, it expanded its operations into Canada with an increased investment in Associate Veterinary Clinics (1984) Limited (AVC), which operates 44 hospitals in three Canadian provinces. On February 1, 2012, it acquired ThinkPet's, Inc. (ThinkPets). In 2012, it acquired 79 animal hospitals, including 44 with the acquisition of AVC, one laboratory and ThinkPets.

The Company provides various communication, marketing solutions and other services to the veterinary community. The Company's network of animal hospitals is supported by more than 3,000 veterinarians and had approximately 7.4 million patient visits during the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company's network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories provides testing and consulting services used by veterinarians in the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, treatment and prevention of diseases and other conditions affecting animals. The Company's network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories provides diagnostic testing for over 16,000 clients, which includes standard animal hospitals, large animal practices, universities and other government organizations. The Company's medical technology business sells digital radiography and ultrasound imaging equipment, provid! es education and training on the use of that equipment, and provides consulting and mobile imaging services.

The Company's Vetstreet business provides services to veterinary practices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the pet owning community. The Company's services to veterinary practices include subscriptions to the Company's Pro Pet Portals. The Pro Pet Portal provides an online platform for the veterinarian to offer secure individualized portals for pet owners, as well as practice Websites that are branded to the individual veterinary clinic. The Company also sells appointment reminder notices that are sent to pet owners on behalf of their clinics. The Company's services to manufacturers involve targeted marketing programs to animal hospitals whom are subscribers to the Company's Pro Pet Portal.

Animal Hospital

As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated 609 animal hospitals serving 41 states and three Canadian provinces. The Company's Animal Hospital revenue accounted for 78% of total revenue in 2012. In addition to general medical and surgical services, the Company offers specialized treatments for companion animals, including advanced diagnostic services, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and cardiology. The Company also provides pharmaceutical products for uses in the delivery of treatments by its veterinarians and pet owners. Many of the Company's animal hospitals offer additional services, including grooming, bathing and boarding. The Company also sells specialty pet products at its animal hospitals, including pet food, vitamins, therapeutic shampoos and conditioners, flea collars and sprays, and other accessory products.

Laboratory

The Company operates a veterinary diagnostic laboratory network serving all 50 states and certain areas in Canada. The Company's Laboratory revenue accounted for 16% of total revenue in 2012. The Company service a diverse customer base of over 16,000 clients, including animal! hospital! s the Company operates, which accounted for 16% of total laboratory revenue in 2012. The Company's diagnostic spectrum includes over 300 different tests in the area of chemistry, pathology, endocrinology, serology, hematology and microbiology, as well as tests specific to particular diseases. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated 55 veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The Company's laboratory network includes primary hubs that are open 24 hours per day and offer a testing menu, secondary laboratories that are open 24 hours per day and offer a testing menu servicing large metropolitan areas, and short-term assessment and treatment (STAT) laboratories that service other locations with demand sufficient to warrant nearby laboratory facilities and are open primarily during daytime hours. In 2012, the Company derived approximately 85% of its laboratory revenue from metropolitan areas, where the Company offers twice-a-day pick-up service and same-day results. In addition, in these areas the Company generally offers to report results within three hours of pick-up. Outside of these areas, the Company typically provides test results to veterinarians before 8:00 a.m. the day following pick-up.

The Company competes with IDEXX Laboratories, Demand Force, and ePet Health.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sean Williams]
Let's also not forget about the physical surgical and veterinary centers themselves. VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF ) , for instance, operates more than 600 hospitals around the U.S., as well as 55 diagnostic laboratories. Like PetSmart, VCA hasn't seen a decline in revenue in any of the past 10 years, growing sales by 212% over that timespan thanks to growth in services rendered, ample pricing power, and strong ancillary sales of premium food and vitamins from its hospitals and veterinary centers.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Corinthian Colleges Inc (COCO)

Corinthian Colleges, Inc., incorporated on July 24, 1996, is a post-secondary education company in the United States and Canada. As of June 30, 2013, the Company had a student enrollment of 81,284 and operated 97 schools in 25 states, and 14 schools in the province of Ontario, Canada. It offers a variety of diploma programs and associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. The Company�� training program areas include healthcare, criminal justice, business, mechanical, trades, and information technology. The Company�� diploma curricula includes medical assisting, medical insurance billing and coding, massage therapy, dental assisting, pharmacy technician, medical administrative assisting, surgical technology, automotive and diesel technology, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electrical, and licensed practical nursing. Its core degree curriculum includes business administration, accounting, paralegal, criminal justice, medical assisting, and registered nursing.

Diploma programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 8-12 months, depending on the course of study. Associate degree programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 24-28 months, bachelor's degree programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 48 months and master's degree programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 21 months. As of June 30, 2013, approximately 39% of its students were enrolled in diploma programs, approximately 55% of students were enrolled in associate programs, approximately 5% of students were in bachelor's programs and approximately 1% of students were in master's programs.

The Company�� career services departments assist students in preparing resumes, help them to develop a professional demeanor and other soft skills that are important in the workplace, conduct practice interview sessions, and identify prospective employers for graduates. At the Company�� Everest locations in Florida, ! Phoenix, AZ, Mesa, AZ, Springfield, MO and Ontario Metro, CA, some of its associate degree programs also articulate into a bachelor's degree in the same course of study. Master's degrees are also offered at Everest Florida in business administration and criminal justice. As of June 30, 2013, 94 out of 111 schools were operating under the Everest brand, five schools were operating under the WyoTech brand, and 12 schools were operating under the Heald brand.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Allegion plc (ALLE) will replace J. C. Penney Company Inc. in the S&P 500, J. C. Penney will replace A茅ropostale Inc. (ARO) in the S&P MidCap 400, and A茅ropostale will replace Corinthian Colleges Inc. (COCO) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Friday, November 29.
[By Ben Levisohn]
Corinthian Colleges (COCO) is tumbling today after California’s attorney general filed suit against the for-profit college for “false and predatory advertising,” among other charges.

From the AG Kamala Harris’s press release:

The complaint alleges that CCI intentionally targeted low-income, vulnerable Californians through deceptive and false advertisements and aggressive marketing campaigns that misrepresented job placement rates and school programs. CCI deployed these advertisements through persistent internet, telemarketing and television ad campaigns. The complaint further alleges that Corinthian executives knowingly misrepresented job placement rates to investors and accrediting agencies, which harmed students, investors and taxpayers.

The AP notes that the charges are similar to those that were filed by now-governor Jerry Brown in 2007 and were settled for $6.5 million.

Corinthian responded in an SEC filing:

On October 10, 2013, Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (the ��ompany,��orinthian,��e,��s��or other similar terms) was notified of a civil complaint filed against the Company and several of its subsidiaries by the California Attorney General�� Office (the ��A AG��. As previously disclosed, we have been cooperating with an investigation initiated by the CA AG in December 2012, more than nine months ago. The Company was disappointed that it was not given advance notice of the complaint, and did not have the opportunity to discuss the allegations in the complaint with the CA AG before the complaint was filed.

The Company is committed to regulatory compliance and has robust processes in place to correctly record and disclose the job placement information we receive from our graduates and their employers. The Company is proud of the career and technical education that our 15,000 employees provide to more than 80,000 students in the United States and Canada. The Company expect
[By MARKETWATCH]
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- S&P Dow Jones Indices said late Friday that J.C. Penney (JCP) would be leaving the S&P 500 (SPX) upon the close of trading Nov. 29 after its market cap no longer made it suitable for the large-cap index of stocks. It will be replaced by Allegion, a soon-to-be-public spinoff of Ingersoll-Rand (IR) , which will remain in the S&P 500. J. C. Penney will replace A茅ropostale Inc. (ARO) in the S&P MidCap 400, which in turn will replace Corinthian Colleges (COCO) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Even including an 18% recovery in price this month, J.C. Penney shares have dropped 55% this year, leaving it with a market cap of $2.7 billion. The lowest market cap stock on the index Friday was Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) . J.C. Penney shares fell 1% after hours.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cytomedix Inc (CMXI)

Cytomedix, Inc. (Cytomedix), incorporated in April 29, 1998, is a regenerative therapies company marketing and developing products within the United States and internationally .The Company commercializes cell-based technologies that harness the regenerative capacity of the human body to trigger natural healing. The Company is a commercial operation, and a robust clinical pipeline representing a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving field of regenerative medicine. Cytomedix primarily operates in the United States. Its commercial offerings are centered on its point of care platform technologies for the safe and efficient separation of blood and bone marrow to produce platelet based therapies or cell concentrates.

The Company markets and selsl two distinct platelet rich plasma (PRP) technologies, the AutoloGel System for wound care and the Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) Sytem in orthopedic and cardiovascular markets. Its clinical pipeline includes the ALDH, which are cell-based therapies (Bright Cells). In February 2012, the Company acquired Aldagen, Inc.

The AutoloGel System

The AutoloGel System is a point of care device for the production of a platelet based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient�� own blood. Using the patient�� own platelets as a therapeutic agent, AutoloGel harnesses the body�� natural healing processes to deliver growth factors, chemokines and cytokines known to promote angiogenesis and to regulate cell growth and the formation of new tissue.

Angel Product Line

The Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) System is a multi-functional cell separation device which produces concentrated platelet rich plasma for use in the operating room and clinic and is used in a range of orthopedic and cardiovascular indications. Similar to the AutoloGel System, the Angel System is a point of care device for the production of a concentrated, aseptic platelet! -based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient�� own blood. The resulting cPRP is applied at the site of injury to promote healing. The Angel product line also includes ancillary products such as phlebotomy and applicator supplies and activAT. activAT is designed to produce autologous thrombin serum from platelet poor plasma and is sold exclusively in Europe and Canada, where it provides a safe alternative to bovine-derived products.

ALDHbr Cell Technology and Development Pipeline

The ALDHbr (Bright Cell) technology is an approach to cell-based regenerative medicine and a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving regenerative medicine market, with potential clinical indications in markets with unmet medical needs such as peripheral arterial disease and ischemic stroke. The Bright Cell technology is in that it utilizes an intracellular enzyme marker to facilitate fractionation of essential regenerative cells from a patient�� bone marrow. The bone marrow fractionation process identifies and isolates active stem and progenitor cells expressing high levels of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, or ALDH, which is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of gene activities associated with cell proliferation and differentiation.

The Company�� lead product candidate, ALD-401, is an autologous preparation of Bright Cells for the post-acute treatment of ischemic stroke. ALD-401 is being evaluated in the RECOVER-Stroke clinical study, an ongoing 100-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in patients with unilateral, cerebral ischemic stroke with an NIH stroke scale score of less than 22. An additional product candidate, ALD-301, is in clinical development for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition causing reduced flow of blood and oxygen to muscles in the leg. It has completed a Phase 1/2 study of autologous ALD-301 in critical limb ischemia (CLI), a late stage condition caused by PAD. The Phase 2 PACE! (Patient! s with Intermittent Claudication Injected with ALDH Bright Cells) study is an 80 patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of ALD-301 (Bright Cells) in patients diagnosed with IC.

The Company competes with Harvest Technologies (a subsidiary of Terumo), Biomet, Arteriocyte, and Arthrex.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By James E. Brumley]
To give credit where it's due, Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have both helped shape the landscape of the hemostasis (bleeding control) market with their products, AutoloGel and TISSELL, respectively. Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH) has proverbially taken their concepts "up a notch", however, and its direct solution to a problem that CMXI and BAX can't quite solve may make ARTH the hottest trading candidate in the hemostasis space.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Volkswagen AG (VLKAF.PK)

Volkswagen AG is a Germany-based automobile manufacturer. The Company develops vehicles and components, and also produces and sells vehicles, in particular Volkswagen brand passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The Company consists of two divisions: Automotive and Financial Services division. The Automotive division is responsible for the development of vehicles and engines, the production and sale of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses, and the genuine parts business. The Financial services division's portfolio of services includes dealer and customer services in the field of financing, leasing, direct bank, insurance and fleet business. The Company's brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, Skoda, Scania and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and each brand offers a product range from low-consumption small cars to luxury class vehicles, as well as pick ups, busses and heavy trucks in the commercial vehicle sector. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Yasir Idrees]
Nokia has already taken its Here platform to the next level after it announced the Here Connected Driving service. The Here rebranding strategy of extending Nokia's location services has helped the company reach deals with companies like BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen (VLKAF.PK) and Connected Driving is what takes this to the next level.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sterlite Industries(India)

Sterlite Industries (India) Limited operates as a non-ferrous metals and mining company in India and internationally. It engages in the smelting and processing of copper and production of copper byproducts. The company?s primary products consist of copper cathode and continuos cast rods, as well as by products comprise sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoro silicic acid, gypsum, ferro sand, and slime. It also owns the Mt. Lyell copper mine at Tasmania in Australia, as well as owns various zinc assets, including Skorpion Zinc in Namibia; Black Mountain Mines in South Africa; and Lisheen Mines in Ireland. In addition, the company produces aluminum from its bauxite mines. Its aluminum products include aluminum ingots and wire rods; rolled products, such as coils and sheets; and vanadium sludge as a by-product. Further, the company smelts and produces lead and zinc, as well as produces and sells sulphuric acid to fertilizer manufacturers and other industries; and silver ingots primarily to industrial users. It operates three lead-zinc mines in the state of Rajasthan, northwest India. Additionally, it involves in power generations business. As of March 31, 2011, the company had a power generation capacity of 1,041 MW from its thermal power plants and wind power plants. The company was formerly known as Sterlite Cables Limited and changed its name to Sterlite Industries (India) Limited in 1986.The company was incorporated 1975 and is based in Mumbai, India. Sterlite Industries (India) Limited is a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources plc.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rajhkumar K Shaaw]
BNP Paribas Securities (Asia) Ltd., Macquarie Capital Securities (India) Pvt. and Ambit Capital Pvt. cut their Sensex targets as the Reserve Bank of India unexpectedly increased its benchmark interest rate to stem a record decline in the rupee and curb consumer prices in the world�� second-most populous nation. Strategists reduced their average profit estimate by 4.5 percent as higher borrowing costs threaten to worsen the slowest economic expansion since 2009.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SanDisk Corporation(SNDK)

Sandisk Corporation designs, develops, and manufactures NAND flash memory storage solutions that are used in various consumer electronics products. The company offers removable cards under the SanDisk Ultra, SanDisk Extreme, and SanDisk Extreme PRO brands; embedded products under the iNAND brand; universal serial bus (USB) flash drives under the Cruzer brand; digital media players under the Sansa brand; solid state drives under the Lightning brand; and wafers and memory components. Its removable card products are used in a range of consumer electronics devices, including mobile phones, digital cameras, gaming devices, and laptop computers; and embedded flash products are used in mobile phones, tablets, ultrabooks, eReaders, global positioning system devices, gaming systems, imaging devices, and computing platforms. The company also provides high-capacity storage solutions, such as solid-state drives that are used in lieu of hard disk drives. It offers its products to the m obile phone, consumer electronics, and computing end markets through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and retail sales channels in the Americas, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan. The company was formerly known as SunDisk Corporation and changed its name to SanDisk Corporation in August 1995. SanDisk Corporation was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Milpitas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Benjamin Pimentel]
Apple (AAPL) �shed 0.5% to close at $520.03 as the company�� new iPad Air hit the stores. Chip stocks also retreated, led by Intel Corp. (INTC) , Texas Instruments (TXN) , Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and SanDisk (SNDK) .

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd(RDY)

Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a pharmaceutical company. It produces finished dosage forms, active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, and biotechnology products. The company also conducts research in the areas of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, inflammation, and bacterial infection. In addition, it involves in the contract manufacture generic prescription and over-the-counter products for branded and generic companies in the United States. The company primarily focuses on therapeutic categories of cardiovascular, diabetes management, gastro-intestinal, and pain management. It markets its products in India, the United States, Europe, and the Russian Federation. The company has a co-development and commercialization agreement with Rheoscience A/S for the development and commercialization of Balaglitazone/DRF 2593, a partial PPAR-gamma agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes; an agreement with ClinTec Internatio nal for the development of an anti-cancer compound, DRF 1042; collaboration with the National Cancer Institute in Maryland; and an agreement with Argenta Discovery Limited for the joint development and commercialization of a novel approach to the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It also has an agreement with 7TM Pharma for drug discovery collaboration on selected drug targets; and an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc to develop and market pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, oncology, gastroenterology, and pain management. Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories Limited was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Hyderabad, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Benjamin Shepherd] We’re now into day 15 of the US government shutdown, as House Republicans stubbornly try to defund Obamacare. No matter what sort of deal is eventually struck, health care costs aren’t likely to come down any time soon. And that’s good news for generic drug makers.

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (NYSE: RDY) is one of the biggest players in generic drugs, offering more than 200 off-brand medications in the areas of cardiovascular disease, pain management and oncology, among others. In fact, this India-based company has become one of the largest makers of generics in the world, helping to drive more than 20 percent annual compounded earnings growth at the company over the past decade.