Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014

Source: Norfolk Southern.

Shares of railroad giant Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC  ) have performed extremely well lately, climbing toward all-time record highs as investors get more confident about the railroad industry's future. In particular, even though Norfolk Southern has more exposure to some of the toughest segments in the railroad sector than peers like Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , its most recent earnings report showed just how well the company is adapting to changing conditions.

A quarter full of records for Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern's second-quarter results read like a page from the record books, as the railroad managed to set new high-water marks in a number of key measures of its financial performance. Operating revenues from its railways climbed 9% to $3 billion, and operating income jumped 22% to climb above the $1 billion mark. That sent net income to a new record of $562 million, or $1.79 per share, easily eclipsing the $1.46 per share that the company posted in the year-ago quarter.

10 Best International Stocks To Invest In 2015: WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (DFE)

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund is a non-diversified fund. It seeks investment results that closely correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index.

The WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization segment of the European dividend-paying market. The Index is comprised of the companies that compose the bottom 25% of the market capitalization of the WisdomTree Europe Dividend Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew McCall]

  The European equity rebound continues and within the region the small cap stocks have been quietly performing very well. The WisdomTree Europe Small Cap Dividend ETF (NYSE: DFE) focuses on small cap stocks that pay high dividends.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO)

Cisco Systems, Inc., incorporated on December 10, 1984, designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology (IT) industry and provide services associated with these products and their use. The Company provides a line of products for transporting data, voice, and video within buildings, across campuses, and around the world. Its products are designed to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Its products are installed at enterprise businesses, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences. The Company has five segments: United States and Canada, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan. The Emerging Markets theater consists of Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In July 30, 2012, it acquired NDS Group Ltd. In October 2012, it acquired virtual networking company, vCider. In August 2011, the Company acquired Versly. In November 2011, it acquired BNI Video. In March 2012, the Company acquired Lightwire, Inc. In May 2012, the Company acquired ClearAccess. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cloupia. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cariden Technologies Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Meraki, Inc.

The Company�� product offerings fall into three categories: its core technologies, routing and switching; advanced technologies, and other products. In addition to its product offerings, the Company provides a range of service offerings, technical support services and advanced services. The advanced services program supports networking devices, applications, solutions, and complete infrastructures.

Routing

The Company offers a range of routers, from core network infrastructure for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at ho! me. Key products within its routing category are the Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco 1000, 5000, and 9000 Cisco Aggregation Services Routers (ASR), as well as the Cisco ASR 800, 1900, 2900 and 3900 Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR):; Cisco CRS-1, 7600 and Cisco CRS-3 Cisco Carrier Routing Systems (CRS). During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010 (fiscal 2010), Cisco introduced the Cisco CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (CRS-3) and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Service Provider Video

The Company�� end-to-end, digital video distribution systems and digital interactive set-top boxes enable service providers and content originators to deliver entertainment, information, and communication services to consumers and businesses around the world. Key product areas within its Service Provider Video category are: Set-Top Boxes, IP set-top boxes (both High-Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD)); Digital cable set-top boxes (both HD and SD); Cable Modem CPE (Data, EMTA, and Gateways); Videoscape Software Products and Headend Equipment (Encoders, Decoders, and Transcoders).

Switching

The Company�� switching products offer many forms of connectivity to end users, workstations, IP phones, access points, and servers, and also function as aggregators on local-area networks (LANs), metropolitan-area networks (MANs), and wide-area networks (WANs). Its switching systems employ several widely used technologies, including Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, Packet over Synchronous Optical Network, and Multiprotocol Label Switching. Many of its switches are designed to support an integrated set of advanced services, allowing organizations to be more efficient by using one switch for multiple networking functions rather than multiple switches to accomplish the same functions.

Cisco offers a family of Ethernet switching solutions from fixed-configuration switches for small and medium-sized businesses to modular switches for enterprise! s and ser! vice providers. Its fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. Key products within its switching category are the Cisco Catalyst 2960, 3560, 3750, 4500 and 6500 Series; the Cisco Nexus 2000, 3000, 5000 and 7000 Series switches; and MDS Series: MDS 9000.

Fixed-configuration switches are designed to cover a range of deployments in small and medium-sized businesses. It fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. They range from small, standalone switches to stackable models that function as a single, scalable switching unit. Modular switches are typically utilized by enterprise and service provider customers. Fixed-configuration and modular switches also include products such as optics modules which are shared across multiple product platforms.

NGN Routing

Routing technology is fundamental to the Internet, and this technology interconnects public and private IP networks for mobile, data, voice, and video applications. The Company's NGN Routing products are designed to enhance the intelligence, security, reliability, scalability, and level of performance in the transmission of information and media-rich applications. It offers a broad range of routers, from core network infrastructure and mobile Internet network for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at home. Key product areas within its NGN Routing category are, Cisco Aggregation Services Routers: Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco ASR 1000, Cisco ASR 5000 and Cisco ASR 9000. Cisco Integrated Services Routers: Cisco ISR 800, Cisco ISR 1900, Cisco ISR 2900 and Cisco ISR 3900. Cisco Carrier Routing Systems: Cisco CRS-1, Cisco CRS-3 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Security

Cisco security solutions deliver identity, network and content security solutions designed to enable customers to reduce the ! impact of! threats and realize the benefits of a mobile, collaborative, and cloud-enabled business. The products in this category span firewall, intrusion prevention, remote access, virtual private networks (VPNs), unified clients, network admission control, Web gateways, and email gateways. Its AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client solution enables users to access networks with their mobile device of choice, including laptops and smartphone-based mobile devices, while allowing organizations to manage the security risks of networks. Its cloud-based Web security service is designed to provide real-time threat protection and to prevent malware from reaching corporate networks, including roaming or mobile users. It focuses on a proactive, layered approach to counter both existing and emerging security threats. During the fiscal year ended July 28, 2012, it introduced the Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Midrange Security Appliance, Cisco Security Manager 4.3, the IPS 4500 Series, and Prime Security Manager.

Wireless

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network aims to harness the network to solve business problems, uniting high-performance wireless access across campus, branch, remote and outdoor environments. Its offerings include wireless access points (including the Cisco Aironet product family), controllers, antennas, and integrated management. The Company�� offerings provide users with simplified management and mobile device troubleshooting features which are designed to reduce operational cost and maximize flexibility and reliability. It is also investing in custom chipsets to deliver functions such as CleanAir proactive spectrum intelligence, ClientLink acceleration for mobile devices and VideoStream multicast optimization technology.

Data Center

The Company�� data center product category has been its major product category for the past two fiscal years. Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and Server Access Virtualization form the core of the Data Center product category.! Key prod! uct areas within its Data Center product category are: Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects.

Other Products

The Company�� other products category primarily consists of Linksys home networking products, certain emerging technologies, and other networking products. In addition to its product offerings, it provide a range of service offerings, including technical support services and advanced services.

The Company competes with Alcatel-Lucent; ARRIS Group, Inc.; Aruba Networks, Inc.; Avaya Inc.; Belden Inc.; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; D-Link Corporation; LM Ericsson Telephone Company; Extreme Networks, Inc.; F5 Networks, Inc.; Force10 Networks, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; International Business Machines Corporation; Juniper Networks, Inc.; LogMeIn, Inc.; Meru Networks, Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; NETGEAR, Inc.; Polycom, Inc.; Riverbed Technology, Inc.; and Symantec Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Also rising was Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) , which gained almost 1%. The company announced a minor acquisition today, spending $107 million to buy JouleX, a company that specializes in energy management for networks and data centers. Given the increased emphasis on cloud computing and big-data initiatives, the question of energy efficiency and heat management becomes crucial for enterprise customers, especially those with the greatest network and data needs that need to focus on keeping costs down.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  Blue-chip stocks that have gone on massive runs can make for difficult investment calls, and that's exactly where investors examining�Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) find themselves today. After struggling amid a slugging corporate IT spending drought, Cisco proved doubters wrong with its impressive quarterly earnings and outlook last month. But can it still be a winner for long-term investors now that it's significantly higher than several months back? Find out the answers in the following video.

• [By Benjamin Pimentel]

  Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) �also rose 1.7% to close at $27.70, while other major tech issues posted solid gains, including Cisco Systems (CSCO) � and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) �.

• [By John Buckingham]

  Interestingly, Cisco Systems (CSCO) joined the majority of companies (68.0% of the S&P 500 (SPX)), according to the latest tally from Bloomberg) that have topped estimates when it announced fiscal Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $0.53, versus forecasts of $0.51.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Hannover House Inc (HHSE)

Hannover House, Inc., formerly Target Development Group, Inc., is the parent company of Hannover House. Hannover House is a full service media company, specializing in the production and distribution of feature films onto the digital versatile disc (DVD) format for the North American retail marketplace. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had over 70 DVD titles in active distribution. In June 2012, the Company acquired nine feature films for video release in North America.

Retailers carrying Hannover House products include independently owned and operated retail video stores and book stores, including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Blockbuster Video, Borders Group, Fred Meyer Group, Hastings, SAM�� Club, Transworld Group and Wal-Mart. It also includes Internet retailers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap tech or media stocks Thinspace Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: THNS), Beamz Interactive Inc (OTCBB: BZIC) and Hannover House Inc (OTCMKTS: HHSE) have been getting some extra attention lately, but it appears that only one of these stocks has been the subject of a paid promotion. Nevertheless, all three stocks have been busy with press releases trying to get the attention of investors or traders. So are these three small cap tech or media stocks worth your attention? Here is a closer look along with a reality check:

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Sears Holdings Corporation(SHLD)

Sears Holdings Corporation operates as a specialty retailer in the United States and Canada. The company?s Kmart segment operates stores that sell merchandise under Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer labels; and Sears brand products, such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard. This segment?s stores provide consumer electronics, seasonal merchandise, outdoor living, toys, lawn and garden equipment, food and consumables, and apparel, as well as operate in-store pharmacies. Its Sears Domestic segment operates stores that sell merchandise under the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard, Lands? End, Covington, Apostrophe, and Canyon River Blues brand names. This segment?s stores provide appliances, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, outdoor living, lawn and garden equipment, home fashion products, automotive products, apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, health and beauty products, pantry goods, household products, and toys. The Sears Domestic segment also provides clothing, acces sories, footwear, and soft luggage; appliances and services to commercial customers in single-family residential construction/remodel, property management, multi-family new construction, and government/military sectors; premium appliance and plumbing fixtures to architects, designers, and new construction or remodeling customers; parts and repair services for appliances, lawn and garden equipment, consumer electronics, floor care products, and heating and cooling systems; and home improvement services. The company?s Sears Canada segment engages in the retail of apparel and other softlines. Sears Holdings Corporation operates approximately 2,172 full-line stores and 1,338 specialty retail stores in the United States; 500 full-line and specialty retail stores in Canada, as well as operates 17 floor covering stores, 1,734 catalog pick-up locations, and 108 travel offices; and kmart.com and sears.ca Websites. The company was founded in 1899 and is based in Hoffman Estates, Illi nois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  States get their tax revenue from a variety of different sources. Unlike the federal government, which relies almost solely on income taxes, most states add on property taxes and sales taxes to help finance statewide and local government expenses. The immense popularity of online marketplaces Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) and eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) show the length to which consumers will go to avoid having to pay sales taxes, as those companies have traditionally been able to avoid having to collect sales tax in most of the jurisdictions they serve. Moreover, the competitive advantage that they've gained has helped send brick-and-mortar retailers Best Buy (NYSE: BBY  ) and Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD  ) into serious difficulty, and countless small businesses suffer from the disadvantage of having to charge their customers sales taxes that those customers could avoid by going to Amazon, eBay, or other untaxed online retail sources.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy It's beginning to feel like the retail industry expects us to wrap up our Thanksgiving dinners and take them to go. Toys R Us, Best Buy (BBY), and Target (TGT) became the latest retailers to announce that they would be opening on Thursday -- or opening on Thursday -- this pivotal holiday shopping season. Toys "R" Us will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving, three hours earlier than last year. Best Buy will greet turkey-fueled shoppers at 6 p.m. with its slate of deals on consumer electronics. Target -- after opening at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving last year -- will kick open the doors to its cheap chic stores at 8 p.m. With so many retailers breaking into their holiday selling seasons on Thanksgiving, is it time to retire Black Friday? Creeping Earlier Last month it was Walmart (WMT) and Macy's (M) turning heads with their Thanksgiving night openings. Critics argued that it wasn't fair to make employees come in early on the holiday -- or to disrupt festive family fetes to woo shoppers -- but there's naturally another side to the story. Employees hungry for more hours welcome the additional time on the clock that's often paid at a higher rate than their hourly wages. They have holiday gifts to shop for too, after all. Nor are Shoppers universally panning the earlier "Black Thursday" sales. Many didn't consider it a treat to head out to stores at midnight or during the wee hours on Friday morning. Missing out on pumpkin pie, Uncle Nestor's story about how he was almost a member of The Beatles, or what should be meaningless game between the Ravens and Steelers may be easy sacrifices to make in exchange for the ability to sleep in Friday morning and still get the deals. Blame It On the Calendar Sears Holdings' (SHLD) Kmart has been opening on Thanksgiving for 22 years, and rivals didn't seem to care until the past few years. However, even Kmart came under attack earlier this year for its decision to open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving. Why is Kmart leading retail

• [By Heather Long]

  She uses her own family story to illustrate how critical it is for workers to make a living wage. Her father had a heart attack when she was 12, and her mother had to go back to work in retail at Sears (SHLD) to support the family.

• [By Matt Brownell]

  Alamy For almost as long as Christmas has been a commercialized holiday, there have been complaints about "Christmas Creep" -- the tendency for retailers to launch holiday sales and advertising earlier and earlier every year. This year, it seems to be worse than ever. We're already seeing the first commercials for Christmas shopping, and major retailers like Kmart (SHLD), Toys R Us and Walmart (WMT) are eagerly telling us what toys they expect to be top sellers this season. And Christmas is still three months away. "It does feel like the holidays begin earlier every year," says Alison Kenney Paul, head of the retail practice at Deloitte. As it turns out, there are a few reasons why Christmas Creep has been taken to new heights this year. No Presidential Election. Last year, two men stood in the way of the inexorable spread of Christmas: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. The presidential election served as a bulwark of sorts, holding the public's attention and making it more expensive for retailers to run television ads in October. This year, retailers have free rein to take over the airwaves in the fall, and you can expect them to take advantage. "Between paid political advertising and media attention, the election crowded out the ability for retailers to get their message out there earlier," says Paul. "We'll see more advertising and promotions earlier this year." A Late Black Friday. Every year, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, with Black Friday coming the next day (well, in theory). But this year, the first of November falls on a Friday, which means that Thanksgiving (Nov 28) and Black Friday (Nov. 29) are as late as they can possibly be. "It is a shorter season than last year," says Paul. "You do have this phenomenon every few years where there's fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas." Think retailers are really going to wait around until Nov. 29 to roll out their big promotional efforts? Think again. While Black Friday wil

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Nikon Corp (NINOY)

NIKON CORPORATION is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of optical products. The Company is active in four business segments. The Precision Apparatus segment offers semiconductor exposure apparatus and liquid crystal (LC) exposure apparatus. The image segment provides digital cameras, film cameras and interchangeable lens. The Instruments segment offers microscopes, measuring machines and semiconductor inspection equipment. The Others segment provides glass materials, telescopes, glasses and survey airplanes.

As of August 19, 2009, the Company held a 92.17% stake in Metis NV. The Company has 65 subsidiaries and 10 associated companies in the country and overseas markets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Unfortunately, the yen's impact on stocks has blurred the lines on investments. Look no further than down-on-its-luck camera maker Nikon (NASDAQOTH: NINOY  ) . Nikon's shares gained more than 8% over the past week due to the yen's weakness, as the company rakes in more than a quarter of its sales in Europe. Still, the stock's lost more than 43% year to date.

Best Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2014: Astea International Inc.(ATEA)

Astea International Inc. develops, markets, and supports service management software solutions worldwide. The company licenses its solutions to various companies that sell and service equipment, and/or sell and deliver professional services. It offers Astea Alliance suite that includes series of applications to address lead generation, project quotation, service and billing, and asset retirement services. Astea International Inc. integrates and optimizes business processes for campaigns, call center, depot repair, field service, logistics, projects, and sales and order processing applications; provides mobile, dynamic scheduling, portals, and business intelligence solutions; and offers infrastructure tools and services. It also provides FieldCentrix Enterprise suite, a service management solution that runs on various mobile devices, such as handheld computers, laptops and PCs, and pocket PC devices, as well as integrates with CRM and ERP applications; and features a Web-ba sed customer self-service portal, workforce optimization capabilities, and equipment-centric functionality. In addition, the company offers consulting, implementation, training, and maintenance services. Its solutions are used in information technology, medical devices and diagnostic systems, industrial controls and instrumentation, retail systems, office automation, imaging systems, facilities management, telecommunications, and other industries with equipment sales and service requirements. Astea International Inc. markets its products through a network of direct and indirect sales and services offices; and through distributors consisting of value-added resellers, system integrators, and sales agents, as well as original equipment manufacturer partners. The company was formerly known as Applied System Technologies, Inc. and changed its name to Astea International Inc. in 1992. Astea International Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Astea International (NASDAQ: ATEA) shares dropped 18.60% to $2.10 after the company reported a Q2 loss of $0.23 per share.

  NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ) fell 11.39% to $5.68 after the company announced management changes.