Market Volatility Strategy: Collars

10 Best Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now

In finance, the term "collar" usually refers to a risk management strategy called a "protective collar"; however, the use of collars for other situations is less publicized. With a little effort and information, traders can use the collar concept to manage risk and, in some cases, increase returns. This article compares protective and bullish collar strategies in terms of how they can help investors manage risk and increase returns.

How Protective Collars Work
This strategy is often used to hedge against the risk of loss on a long stock position or an entire equity portfolio by using index options. It can also be used to hedge interest rate movements by both borrowers and lenders by using caps and floors.

Protective collars are considered a bearish to neutral strategy. The loss in a protective collar is limited, as is the upside.

An equity collar is created by selling an equal number of call options and buying the same number of put options on a long stock position. Call options give purchasers the right, but not the obligation, to purchase the stock at the determined price called strike price. Put options give purchasers the right, but not the obligation, to sell the stock at the strike price. The premium, which is the cost of the options from the call sale, is applied toward the put purchase, thus reducing the overall premium paid for the position. Market pundits recommend this strategy when there is neutrality of the share price following a period when the share price is increasing; it is designed to protect profits rather than increase returns.

For example, let's say that Jack purchased 100 shares of XYZ some time ago for $22 per share. Let's also assume that it is July and that XYZ is currently trading at $30. Considering recent market volatility, Jack is uncertain about the future direction of XYZ shares, so we can say that he is neutral to bearish. If he were truly bearish, he would sell his shares to protect his $8/share profit; but he is not sure, so he is going to hang in there and enter into a collar to hedge his position.

The mechanics of this strategy would be for Jack to purchase one out-of-the-money put contract and sell one out-of-the-money call contract, as each option represents 100 shares of the underlying stock. Jack feels that once November is over there will be less uncertainty in the market, and he would like to collar his position at least through November. Jack finds that XYZ presently has options trading in October and January.

To accomplish his objective, Jack decides on a January option collar. He finds that the January $27.50 put option (meaning a put option expires in January with a strike price of $27.50) is trading at $2.95, and the January $35 call option is trading at $2. Jack's transaction is:

Buy to open, the opening of the long position, one January $27.50 put option at a cost of $295 (premium of $2.95 * 100 shares) Sell to open, the opening of the short position, one January $35 call option for $200 ( premium of $2 * 100 shares) Jack is out of pocket (or has a net debit of) $95 ($200 - $295 = -$95) It's difficult to pinpoint Jack's exact maximum profit and/or loss, as many things could transpire.

Let's look at the three possible outcomes for Jack once January arrives:

XYZ is trading at $50 per share: As Jack is short the January $35 call, it is most likely that his shares were called at $35. With the shares currently trading at $50, he has lost $15 per share from the call option he sold, and his out-of-pocket cost, $95, on the collar. We can say that this is a bad situation for Jack's pocket. However, we cannot forget that Jack purchased his original shares at $22, and they were called (sold) at $35, which gives him a capital gain of $13 per share plus any dividends he earned along the way, minus his out-of-pocket costs on the collar. His total profit from the collar is ($35 - $22) * 100 - $95 = $1,205.
XYZ is trading at $30 per share. In this scenario, neither the put nor the call is in the money. They both expired worthless. So Jack is back where he was in July minus his out-of-pocket costs for the collar.
XYZ is trading at $10 per share. The call option expired worthless. However, Jack's long put has increased in value by at least $17.50 per share (the intrinsic value). He can sell his put and pocket the profit to offset what he has lost on the value of his XYZ shares. He can also actually put the XYZ shares to the put writer and receive $27.50 per share for stock that is currently trading in the market for $10. Jack's strategy would depend on how he feels about the direction of XYZ shares. If he is bullish, he might want to collect his put option profit, hold onto the shares and wait for XYZ to rise back up. If he is bearish, he might want to put the shares to the put writer, take the money and run. As opposed to collaring positions individually, some investors look to index options to protect an entire portfolio. When using index options to hedge a portfolio, the numbers work a bit differently but the concept is the same. You are buying the put to protect profits and selling the call to offset the cost of the put.

Not so commonly discussed are collars designed to manage the type of interest rate exposure present in adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). This situation involves two groups with opposing risks. The lender runs the risk of interest rates declining and causing a drop in profits. The borrower runs the risk of interest rates increasing, which will increase his or her loan payments.

OTC derivative instruments, which resemble calls and puts, are referred to as caps and floors. Interest rate caps are contracts that set an upper limit on the interest a borrower would pay on a floating-rate loan. Interest rate floors are similar to caps in the way that puts compare to calls: they protect the holder from interest rate declines. End users can trade floors and caps to construct a protective collar, which is similar to what Jack did to protect his investment in XYZ.

The Bullish Collar at Work
The bullish collar also deserves mention in the collars category. The bullish collar involves the simultaneous purchase of an out-of-the-money call option and sale of an out-of-the-money put option. This is an appropriate strategy when one is bullish about the stock but expects a moderately lower stock price and wishes to purchase the shares at that lower price. Being long the call protects a trader from missing out on an unexpected increase in the stock price, with the sale of the put offsetting the cost of the call and possibly facilitating a purchase at the desired lower price.

If Jack is generally bullish on OPQ shares, which are trading at $20, but thinks the price is a little high, he might enter into a bullish collar by buying the January $27.50 call at 73 cents and selling the January $15 put at $1.04. In this case, he would enjoy $1.04 - 73 cents = 31 cents in his pocket from the difference in the premiums.

The possible outcomes at expiration would be:

OPQ above $27.50 at expiration: Jack would exercise his call (or sell the call for a profit, if he did not want to take delivery of the actual shares) and his put would expire worthless. OPQ below $15 at expiration: Jack's short put would be exercised by the buyer and the call would expire worthless. He would be required to purchase the OPQ shares at $15. Because of his initial profit, the difference in the call and put premium, his cost per share would actually be $15 - 31 cents = $14.69. OPQ between $15 and $27.50 at expiration: Both of Jack's options would expire worthless. He would get to keep the small profit he made when he entered into the collar, which is 31 cents per share. The Bottom Line
In summary, these strategies are only two of many that fall under the heading of collars. As financial creativity increases, so do collar strategies. Other types of collar strategies exist and they vary in difficulty, but the two strategies presented here are a good starting point for any trader who is thinking of diving into the world of collar strategies.

Top 10 Value Stocks To Buy Right Now

Top 10 Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  This isn't some growing new industry set to take the world further into the 21st century. It's an old concept that hasn't innovated, won't innovate, and will slowly but surely die out over this century. When I walk into a Walgreens, I see a miniature Target (TGT), a more expensive Dollar Tree (DLTR), and a provider of prescriptions in a world where everything is becoming mail order.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The other stock the firm likes is Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR). The company's shares have lost about 4.6% since reporting an earnings per share (EPS) miss for the third quarter and the Sterne Agee analysts see the lower price as a "great entry point" for buying the stock. Dollar Tree raised fiscal year 2013 EPS guidance from a range of $2.66 to $2.77 to a new range of $2.72 to $2.78, effectively raising the mid-point by $0.04. Sterne Agee reiterated its Buy ratin! g on the stock with a price target of $63. Dollar Tree's shares are trading down nearly 0.4% at $55.99 in a 52-week range of $37.47 to $60.19.

• [By Ben Eisen]

  Perpetually struggling department store J.C. Penney Co. (JCP)  said it expects a sales boost this holiday season as it returns to a promotional strategy. But for the most part, retailers including Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR)  , GameStop Corp. (GME)   and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF)   gave dour outlooks in their earnings reports.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-value-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html

Best and Worst Buys of April 2014

If you clear out your closets of all the things you're no longer using and sell them -- as I suggest in Five Ways to Make Money From Spring Cleaning -- you'll have extra cash to purchase what you need (or perhaps really want). Fortunately, April is a great time to find deals on several things. Here's what you can expect to find on sale during the month, and what you should wait a little longer to buy.

SEE ALSO: Best Buys of Spring What's on sale now ...

Athletic shoes. As the weather starts to warm up, retailers lower prices on athletic shoes as an incentive to get consumers to buy a new pair as they head outside to exercise. You can expect discounts of 15% to 45%, according to CreditDonkey.com.

Cookware. Look for great sales on cookware in April as retailers lower prices for wedding and graduation season, says Offers.com Vice President Howard Schaffer. Expect discounts of up to 50%, he says.

Gym memberships. Gyms tend to see a surge of new members at the beginning of the year when people typically resolve to lose weight. Now that the fitness buzz has calmed down and warm weather is in sight, gyms are looking to attract new customers, Schaffer says. So now is a good time to look for discounts if you didn't join a gym earlier in the year.

Spring apparel. April is when we start to see sales on spring apparel, says RetailMeNot merchandiser Eliza Bellock. She expects clothing discounts of up to 40% this month, plus an extra 15% to 25% off as we get closer to Easter (April 20). According to dealnews.com, you'll find even deeper discounts in May. But the selection might be smaller then.

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Summer travel. April can be your last big chance to find a great deal on summer travel, Schaffer says. The best bargains on cruises and hotel rooms pop up before the summer months hit, so take advantage of lower prices by booking travel in April, he says.

Tires and car-care products. A nastier-than-usual winter has meant that many people have yet to take snow tires off their vehicles, says RetailMeNot car specialist Ryan Ambler. This has prompted manufacturers to offer discounts on all-season tires earlier, he says. Those discounts are generally in the form of rebates. For instance, at Tire Rack you can get an $80 mail-in rebate on Goodyear/Dunlop tires through May 31.

Vacuums. If you're desperate for a new vacuum for your spring cleaning, you can get one on sale in April and May before new models debut in June, according to CreditDonkey.com. Discounts typically range from 20% to 25%. However, to get an even better deal, wait until November. Dealnews.com has found by searching its monthly archive of sales data that there are almost twice as many good deals on these handy home appliances in November than in April, and discounts range from 25% to 40%.

Xbox One. Dealnews.com expects to see steeper discounts than the 10%-off deals that already have surfaced on this gaming system because it's been on the market for several months now and it's being outsold by Sony's PlayStation 4.

Wait a little longer to buy ...

Grills and patio furniture. Although grills and patio furniture have started appearing in furniture and home-improvement stores, don't rush to buy outdoor items now. You won't see prices drop until July, Schaffer says. To get a really good deal on a grill or patio furniture (50% off or more), wait until the end of summer.

Mattresses. If you can wait a month to buy a mattress, you'll see discounts of 50% or more during Memorial Day sales in May, according to dealnews.com.

How King Digital Stacks Up Against Other IPO Duds (Hint: It's King!)

King Digital Entertainment's(KING) first day of trading was a dud. The stock fell 15.56%, making it the worst debut for an initial public offering so far this year.

Such stumbles are rare for high-profile IPOs. Indeed, King is the only tech or internet IPO to finish its first day of trading down this year, an inauspicious beginning for a company that rode its ”Candy Crush Saga” game to $567.6 million in profit last year.

Before today, the past fifteen months have been among the best for U.S. IPOs in several years. The number of IPOs listing in the U.S. is at highest level since the dot-com bubble burst; U.S. exchanges are landing their highest percentage of IPOs world-wide since 2000; and shares of recent IPOs, on the average, have outperformed the broader market.

But all that didn’t matter for King Digital.

How else did the company fall short? Our friends over at Dealogic compiled some charts for us before the close.

Here are the other tech or internet IPO this year. Note how all of them ended their first day of trading in positive territory:

 

Here’s a look at the top first-day performers among tech and Internet IPOs since 2012. Facebook(FB) doesn’t make the list after finishing essentially flat its first day of trading. But shares of the social network are now up nearly 60% from its IPO price.

 

Here are the worst first-day performances for tech and Internet IPOs since 2012 before today, according to Dealogic. King Digital is now the fifth-worst:

Top 10 Solar Stocks For 2014

 

Here are the top IPOs this year across all sectors, based on their gains on their first day of trading:

 

And here’s Dealogic’s data on the 10 worst debuts this year, before today. King Digital trumps them all:

3 Reasons a Roth IRA Might Be Wrong for You

Alamy Many financial advisers believe that Roth individual retirement accounts are the best way available for you to save for retirement. With income tax rates having gone up in 2013 and with further increases potentially on the horizon, a retirement account that promises tax-free treatment not only while your money is invested within the account but also when you decide to make distributions is extremely valuable. Yet choosing a Roth IRA over other retirement-saving choices comes at a cost -- and for many taxpayers, it's too high a price to pay. Your Tax Rate Isn't Going to Get Any Higher The general idea behind a Roth IRA is that by making after-tax contributions, you get the benefit of tax-free growth throughout your career and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. But the tradeoff is that you give up the potential deduction you might be eligible to receive by making contributions to a traditional IRA or 401(k) account. Whether that tradeoff is worth it depends on several factors, but the most important compares your current tax rate with what you expect to pay after you retire. If you're in the prime of your career and have earnings that put you in the maximum tax bracket, the value of getting a tax deduction on traditional retirement-account contributions is extremely high. So using a Roth and giving up that deduction doesn't make much sense. For those who are just getting started and are in low tax brackets, it's a lot easier to justify giving up a smaller deduction now in exchange for big tax savings later. Your Employer Gives You a Better Deal Roth IRAs don't offer one thing that many workers get from their 401(k) plans: matching contributions from their employers. If you only have a limited amount to save for retirement, your first priority should generally be to contribute to your workplace 401(k) at least to maximize your employer match. After you've claimed all the free money your employer is willing to give, then it can be smart to look at a Roth as a secondary option. But with many employers offering matching contributions when you contribute as much as 6 percent or more of your salary, doing both 401(k) and a Roth might be more than you can afford. You're Scared of Washington What the tax laws give, tax law changes can take away. For instance, the latest administration budget proposal would set maximums on the amount of tax-favored retirement savings that you can set aside, as well as other provisions that would impose required minimum distributions on Roth IRAs for the first time. Some analysts worry that more substantive changes could be next, including potentially adding a surtax to Roth IRA distributions to effectively remove their tax-free status. The advantage of traditional IRAs is that you grab your deduction up front, making it impossible for lawmakers to take it away later. Although most believe that the chances of major Roth IRA changes are remote, those who are risk-averse should consider that possibility in choosing their retirement vehicle.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Watch Right Now: Oleo e Gas Participacoes SA (OGXP3)

Oleo e Gas Participacoes SA, formerly Centennial Asset Participacao Corumba SA, is a Brazil-based company involved in the oil and natural gas industry. The Company and its subsidiaries are primarily engaged in the research, mining, refining, processing, trade and transportation of oil and natural gas. The Company's subsidiaries participated in a number of concessions in the Brazil and Colombia. On November 21, 2013, processing of judicial recovery was approved for the Company and OGX Petroleo e Gas SA, following decision of the Corporate Court of Capital of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rajhkumar K Shaaw]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index retreated 0.3 percent to 1,027.27, extending its weekly slump to 1.4 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) slid to the lowest level in seven weeks as Great Wall Motor Co. (601633) tumbled 10 percent after earnings missed analysts' estimates. Oil company OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA (OGXP3) sank 19 percent, pacing losses in Brazil's Ibovespa. The rupiah strengthened the most since Sept. 19.

• [By Harry Suhartono]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.3 percent to 1,004.66. OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA (OGXP3) plunged to a record low in Sao Paulo as two people with knowledge of the matter said the oil producer is considering filing for bankruptcy protection within a month. India's rupee snapped a three-day gain. Polish yields sank to an eight-week low on bets Zyta Gilowska's successor on the central bank's rate-setting panel will be reluctant to tighten monetary policy in 2014.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-oil-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

AT&T Inc. Dividend Stock Analysis

10 Best Performing Stocks To Watch Right Now

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of AT&T Inc. (T). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis: Company Description: AT&T Inc. (formerly SBC Communications) provides telephone and broadband service and holds full ownership of AT&T Mobility.

Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Avg. High Yield Price 2. 20-Year DCF Price 3. Avg. P/E Price 4. Graham Number T is trading at a discount to only 3.) above. Since T's tangible book value is not meaningful, a Graham number can not be calculated. The stock is trading at a 11.6% premium to its calculated fair value of $28.64. T did not earn any Stars in this section. Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Free Cash Flow Payout 2. Debt To Total Capital 3. Key Metrics 4. Dividend Growth Rate 5. Years of Div. Growth 6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% T earned one Star in this section for 3.) above and earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1984 and has increased its dividend payments for 31 consecutive years. Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. NPV MMA Diff. 2. Years to > MMA T earned a Star in this section for its NPV MMA Diff. of the $1,161. This amount is in excess of the $500 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as T has. The stock's current yield of 5.76% exceeds the 3.68% estimated 20-year average MMA rate. Memberships and Peers: T is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) with a 6.9% yield, Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) with a 0.0% yield and Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) with a 4.6% yield. Conclusion: T did not earn any Stars in the Fair Value section, earned one Star in the Dividend Analytical Data section and earned one Star in the Dividend Income vs. MMA section for a total of two Stars. This quantitatively ranks T as a 2-Star Weak stock. Using my D4L-PreScreen.xls model, I determined the share price would need to increase to $41.91 before T's NPV MMA Differential decreased to the $500 minimum that I look for in a stock with 31 years of consecutive dividend increases. At that price the stock would yield 4.4%. Resetting the D4L-PreScreen.xls model and solving for the dividend growth rate needed to generate the target $500 NPV MMA Differential, the calculated rate is -0.8%. This dividend growth rate is lower than the 2.2% used in this analysis, thus providing a margin of safety. T has a risk rating of 1.75 which classifies it as a Medium risk stock. The gains in consumer wireless and broadband should continue to outpace losses of wireline customers. After its failed attempt to acquire T-Mobile, T has been adding wireless spectrum and has the liquidity to continue to grow. The company has been investing heavily in LTE since 2011 in order to enhance its position in the market. Investors looking for yield in solid companies have run T's stock price up. It is currently trading above my calculated fair value price of $28.64. I will continue to look for opportunities to add to my position. Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. The above quantitative stock analysis, including the Star rating, is mechanically calculated and is based on historical information. The analysis assumes the stock will perform in the future as it has in the past. This is generally never true. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. See my Disclaimer for more information. Full Disclosure: At the time of this writing, I was long in T (2.1% of my Dividend Growth Portfolio). See a list of all my dividend growth holdings here. Related Articles: - Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) Dividend Stock Analysis - McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Dividend Stock Analysis - Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) Dividend Stock Analysis - ConocoPhillips Co. (COP) Dividend Stock Analysis - More Stock Analysis

Also check out: Dividends4Life Undervalued Stocks Dividends4Life Top Growth Companies Dividends4Life High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Dividends4Life keeps buying

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Friday, March 21, 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… More from MoneyShow.com: What's Next for Gold Stocks? Go for the Gold What's the Upside for Gold and Silver? Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014 Asian stocks rose, paring this week�� losses, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. led technology shares higher and mining companies rebounded. TSMC, as the biggest contract maker of chips is known, jumped 6.6 percent in Taipei after forecasting record quarterly sales. Rio Tinto Group, the world�� No. 2 mining company, climbed 4.3 percent in Sydney after a six-day, 11 percent decline. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd., the world�� No. 1 lender by market value, rose 4 percent amid speculation China will widen the yuan�� trading band next week. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained 0.5 percent to 136.43 as of 6:12 p.m. in Tokyo, reversing a decline of 0.3 percent. A gauge of material producers in the measure increased 1.4 percent, paring its weekly loss to 4 percent. ��he sell-down looks overdone,��said Daphne Roth, Singapore-based head of Asia equity research at ABN Amro Private Bank, which oversees about $207 billion. ��e still see that global economic growth will pick up in the second half of the year, although positive economic surprises from the U.S. will likely be fewer. Equities as an asset class still look cheap.�� Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Globecomm Systems Inc. (GCOM) Globecomm Systems Inc. engages in the provision of satellite-based network solutions to government, communications service providers, commercial enterprises, and media and content broadcasters in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It offers access products for providing data, voice, and video transport services; hosted application products for back office applications services; and professional services, including advisory and consulting services. The company also provides life cycle support services comprising installation, network monitoring, help desk, maintenance, and professional engineering services that supports access and hosted products; and infrastructure solutions, such as design, engineering, and installation of ground segment systems and networks, which are used in communications and media delivery networks. In addition, it offers fixed satellite terminals under the Summit brand; transportable satellite terminals under the Explorer brand; and network management systems to manage, monitor, and control networks under the AxxSys brand name, as well as systems design and integration products. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. Advisors' Opinion: [By Rich Smith] Instead, the winners who will compete among themselves to fulfill the $45 million firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract include privately held Bluewater Communications Group LLC, small-cap Globecomm Systems (NASDAQ: GCOM  ) , and TVC Communications LLC, of Annville, Penn., a small subsidiary of larger electronics distributor WESCO International (NYSE: WCC  ) . All three will now be competing against each other to win the Pentagon's business on individual task orders for the Cisco and other HD equipment on order. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Agilysys Inc.(AGYS) Agilysys, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) solutions to corporate and public-sector customers primarily in North America. It operates in three segments: Hospitality Solutions Group (HSG), Retail Solutions Group (RSG), and Technology Solutions Group (TSG). The HSG segment offers application software and services that streamline management of operations, property, and inventory for customers in the gaming, hotel and resort, cruise lines, food management services, and sports and entertainment markets. The RSG segment provides solutions for retailers to enhance productivity, operational efficiency, technology utilization, customer satisfaction, and in-store profitability that comprise customized pricing, inventory, and customer relationship management systems. This segment also offers implementation plans and supplies the hardware package required to operate the systems, including servers, receipt printers, point-of-sale terminals, and wireless devices for in-store use by retail store associates. The TSG segment provides various solutions that comprise enterprise architecture, infrastructure optimization, storage and resource management, identity management, and business continuity for the finance, government, healthcare, telecommunications, education, and other industries. The company was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Solon, Ohio. Advisors' Opinion: [By Evan Niu, CFA] What: Shares of Agilysys (NASDAQ: AGYS  ) have soared today by as much as 11% after the company reported earnings. So what: Revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter rose 21% to $63 million, with the company's retail segment driving nearly all of those gains. Non-GAAP net income per share came in at $0.15, swinging into the black relative to the $0.16 per share adjusted loss a year ago. CEO James Dennedy said the company outperformed its expectations for the year. Hot Canadian Companies To Buy Right Now: Revett Mining Company Inc (RVM) Revett Mining Co Inc, formerly Revett Minerals Inc., is a silver-copper producer. The Company owns and operates the producing Troy Mine and the development-stage Rock Creek project; both properties are located in northwestern Montana. Troy is an underground copper and silver mine. Rock Creek is a development-stage underground copper and silver project. Revett Silver owns all of Troy and Rock Creek through two wholly owned Montana subsidiaries, Troy Mine Inc. and RC Resources Inc., respectively. Rock Creek is located in Sanders County, Montana, approximately 5 miles northeast of the town of Noxon. The Troy Mine is located in Lincoln County, Montana. During the year ended December 31, 2011, RC Resources Inc. acquired eight claims (the JE claims) and staked an additional 200 claims (the Lost Girl claims) northwest of Rock Creek increasing the property position at Rock Creek by approximately 4,000 acres. Advisors' Opinion: [By James E. Brumley] If you've never heard of Revett Minerals Inc. (NYSEMKT:RVM) before right now, don't worry about it - you're not alone. The $25 million silver and copper miner doesn't have enough size to merit much media attention, and to make things more difficult, silver and miner has spent the better part of 2013 being out of favor. Yet, things are slowing changing for RVM and its shareholders.... for the better. Though a little more work needs to be done, this stock's knocking on the door of a monster breakout. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: 3D Systems Corp. (DDD) 3D Systems Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and servicing of 3D printers and related products, print materials, and services. The company�s principle print engines comprise stereolithography, selective laser sintering, multi-jet modeling, film transfer imaging, selective laser melting, and plastic jet printers. Its 3D printers convert data input from computer-aided design software or 3D scanning and sculpting devices to produce physical objects from engineered plastic, metal, and composite print materials. The company also blends, markets, sells, and distributes various consumables, engineered plastics, metal materials, and composites; and offers various software tools, as well as pre-sale and post-sale services, including applications development, installation, warranty, and maintenance. In addition, it provides custom parts services, such as precision plastic and metal parts service and assembly capabilit ies. The company markets its stereolithography materials under the Accura and RenShape; laser sintering materials under the DuraForm, CastForm, and LaserForm; and materials for professional printers under the VisiJet brands. It primarily serves manufacturers of automotive, aerospace, computer, electronic, defense, education, consumer, energy and healthcare products, as well as original equipment manufacturers, government agencies, universities, and independent service bureaus. The company sells its products and services through its direct sales organization, sales agents, resellers, and distributors primarily in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. 3D Systems Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Advisors' Opinion: [By Steve Symington] Then again, I did originally suggest both 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD  ) and Stratasys could be potential suitors, but noted at the time that an acquisition by the former might be unlikely considering MakerBot was already competing directly with 3D Systems own consumer-oriented Cube printers. And while 3D Systems has so far remained mum regarding specific sales numbers for the Cube, it certainly can't hurt that the devices are set to be sold through Staples both online and at its brick and mortar locations by the end of this month. [By Jake L'Ecuyer] Equities Trading DOWN Shares of 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) were down 14.04 percent to $65.14 after the company lowered its quarterly earnings outlook. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Black Box Corporation(BBOX) Black Box Corporation provides network infrastructure services for communications systems worldwide. Its services include design, installation, integration, monitoring, and maintenance of voice, data, and integrated communications systems. The company also offers voice communications solutions, technology product solutions, premises cabling, and other data-related services, as well as provides technical support services for its solutions, which include hotline services, consultation, site surveys, design and engineering, project management, single-site and multi-site installations, remote monitoring, and certification and maintenance of voice, data, and integrated communication solutions. It sells its products and services to small organizations, corporations, and institutions through its catalogs, on-site services offices, and Internet Web site. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Lawrence, Pennsylvania. Advisors' Opinion: [By Rich Duprey] Communications specialist�Black Box (NASDAQ: BBOX  ) announced today its third-quarter dividend of $0.09 per share, the same rate it paid last month after raising the quarterly payout 12.5% from $0.08 per share. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.(RPTP) Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. operates as a biotechnology company in the United States. The company is dedicated to speeding the delivery of new treatment options to patients by working to improve existing therapeutics through the application of highly specialized drug targeting platforms and formulation expertise. Its clinical stage development products include DR Cysteamine, which is in phase IIb for the treatment of cystinosis; phase IIa for the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; and phase II for the treatment of Huntington?s disease. Raptor?s clinical-stage products also include Convivia that is in Phase IIa stage for the potential management of acetaldehyde toxicity due to alcohol consumption; and Tezampanel and NGX 426, which completed phase I stage for the treatment of migraine and pain. Its preclinical product candidates comprise HepTide for the treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatitis; WntTide for the treatment of breast cancer; NeuroTrans for the treatmen t of neurodegenerative diseases; and Tezampanel and NGX 426 for the treatment of Thrombosis and Spasticity Disorder. Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. is headquartered in Novato, California. Advisors' Opinion: [By Jake L'Ecuyer] Equities Trading UP Raptor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RPTP) shot up 16.62 percent to $17.40 after the company announced positive clinical results with RP103 in Huntington's disease Phase 2/3 trial. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: TSR Inc.(TSRI) TSR, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides contract computer programming services to commercial customers, and state and local government agencies in the metropolitan New York area, New England, and the mid-Atlantic region. It offers technical computer personnel to supplement in-house information technology capabilities. The company provides its staffing services in the areas of mainframe and mid-range computer operations, personal computers and client-server support, Internet and e-commerce operations, voice and data communications, and help desk support capabilities. TSR, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is based in Hauppauge, New York. Advisors' Opinion: [By Geoff Gannon] ay. TSRI is typical of the kinds of net-nets you find on this list. The number of net-nets with five straight years of profits is about a dozen stocks. TSR is one of them. It is controlled by the founder. He formed the company 42 years ago. And he still owns 46% of the company today. Other companies on the list of profitable net-nets also involve one man (or one family) control. These include: 路 Micropac (MPAD) 路 ADDvantage Technologies (AEY) 路 Solitron Devices (SODI) 路 OPT-Sciences (OPST) Micropac Micropac is 76% owned by Heinz-Werner Hempel. He�� a German businessman. You can see the German company he founded here. He�� had control of Micropac for a long-time. I don�� have an exact number in front of me. But I would guess it�� been something like 25 years. ADDvantage ADDvantage Technologies is controlled by the Chymiak brothers. See the company�� April 4 press release explaining their decision to turn over the CEO position to an outsider. Regardless, the Chymiaks still control 47% of the company. Ken Chymiak is now chairman. And David Chymiak is still a director and now the company�� chief technology officer. Clearly, it�� still their company. By the way, the name ADDvantage Technologies has nothing to do with the Chymiaks. Today�� AEY really traces its roots to a private company called Tulsat. The Chymiak brothers acquired that company about 27 years ago. So, effectively, when you buy shares of AEY you are buying into a 27-year-old family-controlled company. That�� pretty typical in the world of net-nets. Solitron Solitron Devices is 29% owned by Shevach Saraf. He has been the CEO for 20 years. The post-bankruptcy Solitron has never known another CEO. Before the bankruptcy, Solitron was a much bigger, much different company. So even though we are not talking about the founder here ��and even though 70% of the company�� shares are not held by the CEO Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Blue Nile Inc.(NILE) Blue Nile, Inc. operates as an online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry worldwide. Its fine jewelry selection includes diamond, gemstone, platinum, gold, pearl and sterling silver jewelry, and accessories, as well as wedding bands, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and watches. Blue Nile, Inc. sells its products through the Web sites bluenile.com, bluenile.ca, and bluenile.co.uk. The company was formerly known as Internet Diamonds, Inc. and changed its name to Blue Nile, Inc. in November 1999. Blue Nile, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Advisors' Opinion: [By Holly LaFon] We think the next chapter of Internet growth will be driven by increasing broadband penetration and mobile 3G rollouts globally. Baron invests in the global Internet in two ways: 1) U.S. based Internet companies that have substantial international businesses, and 2) foreign based Internet companies. Several Baron portfolio holdings such as Google, Inc. and priceline.com, Inc. receive 50% or more of their revenues outside the U.S., and we think the faster growth of Internet access in emerging economies will be a substantial benefit to these companies. Other Baron portfolio companies such as LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD) and Blue Nile, Inc. (NILE) are also accelerating their efforts to penetrate international markets in 2012 and beyond. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation(BKBK) Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation operates as the holding company for Britton & Koontz Bank, National Association that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Adams and Warren Counties, Mississippi, and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as well as in the adjoining counties and parishes in Mississippi and Louisiana. The company offers various deposit products, including personal and commercial checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, non-interest bearing deposits, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; real estate construction, residential, and other loans; installment loans; consumer loans; and overdrafts. In addition, the company provides automated clearinghouse services; safe deposit box facilities; brokerage services; automated teller machines; cash management services, including remote deposit, money transfer, direct de posit payroll, and sweep accounts; VISA credit cards; and letters of credit. As of May 17, 2011, it operated three full service offices in Natchez, two in Vicksburg, Mississippi; three in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and a loan production office in Central, Louisiana. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Natchez, Mississippi. Advisors' Opinion: [By Tim Melvin] HBCP recently announced a deal to buy Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation (BKBK) in a deal that will add eight branches and more than $300 million of assets to the bank. It also gains access to the Mississippi marketplace and increases Home Bancorp’s deposit base in Baton Rouge. Best Asian Companies To Invest In 2014: Assured Guaranty Ltd(AGO) Assured Guaranty Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides credit protection products to public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance markets in the United States and internationally. The company offers insurance, reinsurance, and credit derivative products that protect holders of debt instruments and other monetary obligations from defaults in scheduled payments, including scheduled interest and principal payments. It provides policies issued directly to the holders of insured obligations at time of issuance and those issued in the secondary market; and assumed reinsurance contracts written to third parties. The company insures various types of securities, including taxable and tax-exempt obligations issued by the United States or municipal governmental authorities, utility districts, or facilities; notes or bonds issued to finance international infrastructure projects; and asset-backed securities issued by special purpose entities. Assured Guaranty Ltd. markets its credit protection products directly to issuers and underwriters of public finance, infrastructure, and structured finance securities, as well as to investors in such debt obligations. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Advisors' Opinion: [By John Maxfield] Maxfield: As I noted in the introduction, this was one of the most contentious legal battles to spawn from the financial crisis. What made this case so much more acrimonious than, say, the lawsuits brought against Bank of America by other monolines such as Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO  ) and Syncora Holdings? Given some of the adverse rulings that went against Bank of America toward the tail end, was it a mistake for the bank's attorneys to string the case along as opposed to settle it, and thereby avoid the potentially damaging legal precedent? Thursday, March 20, 2014 Hot Performing Stocks To Own For 2014 Hot Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Providence Resources Corp (PV) Providence Resources Corp. (Providence) is a Canada-based exploration stage company engaged in the evaluation and exploration of its interests in the Iron Range property (the property) located in south-eastern British Columbia near the community of Creston. The Iron Range Project is located near Creston, in Southeastern British Columbia, and spans 56,200 hectares (560 square kilometers). The project is a Joint Venture between Providence Resources (60%) and Eagle Plains Resources Ltd (40%) and has no underlying royalties or encumbrances. The Iron Range property covers over 50 kilometers(km) strike length of the Iron Mountain Fault (IMF) complex which consists of a number of north-striking faults which occur across an east-west extent of about three kilometers and a strike extent of approximately 90 kilometers. Advisors' Opinion: [By John McCamant] Of interest, INCY's guidance assumes no meaningful contribution from a Jakafi approval in polycythemia vera (PV), which could occur before yearend. PV is a type of blood cancer. source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-performing-stocks-to-own-for-2014.html Wednesday, March 19, 2014 Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now Hot China Stocks To Own Right Now: TAL Education Group(XRS) TAL Education Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides K-12 after-school tutoring services in the People?s Republic of China. It offers tutoring services to K-12 students covering various academic subjects, including mathematics, English, Chinese, physics, chemistry, and biology. The company provides tutoring services through small classes; personalized premium services, such as one-on-one tutoring; and online course offerings. As of May 31, 2011, it operated a network of 199 physical learning centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Xi?an; and eduu.com, an online education platform for online courses. The company also offers education and management consulting services, as well as sells software. It operates under the Xueersi brand. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. Advisors' Opinion: [By Lisa Levin] TAL Education Group (NYSE: XRS) shares rose 4.30% to $20.86. The volume of TAL Education Group shares traded was 318% higher than normal. TAL Education's PEG ratio is 1.14. source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-china-stocks-to-own-right-now.html Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Vodafone's Strategy and Its Acquisition of ONO The British mobile operator Vodafone (VOD) confirmed the acquisition of Spanish cable operator ONO for € 7.2 billion ($ 10 billion), including around € 3.3 billion in debt. By so doing, Vodafone continues its strategy of expanding operations to fixed-line, pay-tv and broadband services, while saving money through the operations of its own networks. With the recent acquisition, financed by the $ 130 billion sale of Verizon Wireless (VZ) in the US, Vodafone adds 1.9 million clients to its customer base in Spain totaling 17.2 million, second to Teléfonica (TEF), which counts 24.9 million, and ahead of ORANGE (ORAN), that has 14.4 million customers. According to Antonio Coimbra, Vodafone´s CEO in Spain, there are strong indicators that favor the acquisition: Clients tend to prefer an operator with a value proposition that includes more than one service. The business complemented each other through technological and commercial convergences. Economies of scale and upside potential in the market. In addition to that, it is worth mentioning that mobile revenues are declining in Europe due to intense competition, the willingness of customers to pay for voice services is decreasing, and regulatory restrictions on call-termination rates are cutting into sales. All of them are good reasons to look for new, though related, businesses. Vodafone moves in Until recently, the company was considered as concentrating in pure mobile business solutions; in fact, Vodafone is the world´s second largest mobile carrier behind China Mobiles (CHL). However, it seems that Vodafone decided to pursue a strategy that focus on (a) adding services to its existing portfolio in Europe and (b) expanding activities in emerging markets. With respect to (a), last year Vodafone acquired Kabel Deutschland in Germany for € 7.7 billion, enabling the British operator access to 8.5 million connected households and potential customers for combined packages of phone (fixed and mobile lines), internet and TV subscriptions. The recent acquisition of ONO seems to be a similar move. Vodafone had already made other offers for the privately-held ONO, all of them below € 7 billion, last year; having not accepted any of those offers, ONO was in the process of preparing for an IPO. In 2013, the Spanish company published an increase in revenues of 1.6% to € 1.6 billion although EBITDA dropped almost 9% to € 686 million, quite in line with the recession that was living the Spanish economy. In relation to Vodafone´s expanding activities in emerging markets, particularly in India and in Africa, analysts have been cautious due to high risks and volatility associated with exposure to political instability, foreign exchange risks and regulatory issues. Furthermore, the operator recently announced plans to invest $ 11.67 billion in its fixed and mobile networks in the next years in order to improve customer service and enterprise service divisions. Vodafone is betting that by providing a differentiated service will grow its customer base. Market Reaction In NASDAQ, the stock was 1.57% higher at midday with a price of $ 37.58, reflecting the deal was well-considered by investors. Analysts were expecting news on expected savings from the synergies and those savings were projected at € 2 billion, a bit more than first thought. Most of the savings are coming from cost and capital spending after integration costs. It is important to highlight that Vodafone did not included another €1 billion of estimated cross-selling gains. Financial Indicators All in all, when compared with other industry peers, financial ratios of Vodafone show a strong company. Looking at the EV/EBITDA ratio, that indicates how well a company is managed and, hence, if it could be a take-over target, Vodafone gets a 6.52 which is above Verizon´s (4.74), Telefónica´s (5.73) and Orange´s (4.89). When analyzing how leveraged Vodafone is, we again find a pretty strong company with a debt/equity ratio of 40.42, which in turn compares well with Verizon´s 98.11, Telefónica´s 220.87 and Orange´s 147.51. Finally, we see that shareholders of Vodafone receive good returns from their investments in the company when compared with other companies as Vodafone´s ROE is of 26, Verizon´s 26.03, Telefónica´s 18.02 and Orange´s 8.09. Conclusion We think that the acquisition of ONO goes in the right direction because it will allow Vodafone to gain market share, to save good money in cost and capital spending and to produce cross-selling, which could translates into a growing customer base along with increasing revenues. Moreover, the challenges that face the industry, especially in Europe, are huge in terms of investments, customer acquisition and cut rates. Therefore, providing bundled services such as fixed and mobile phone lines, TV and broadband subscriptions looks good as a way to expand the portfolio of services and taking advantage of synergies in costly infrastructure and carrying services. For the long-term, we foresee that the industry will tend to concentrate due to economies of scale though regulatory issues may put a stop somewhere. Vodafone seems to be preparing for such a scenario. Currently 0.00/512345 Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes) Subscribe via Email Subscribe RSS Comments Please leave your comment: More GuruFocus Links Latest Guru Picks Value Strategies Warren Buffett Portfolio Ben Graham Net-Net Real Time Picks Buffett-Munger Screener Aggregated Portfolio Undervalued Predictable ETFs, Options Low P/S Companies Insider Trends 10-Year Financials 52-Week Lows Interactive Charts Model Portfolios DCF Calculator RSS Feed Monthly Newsletters The All-In-One Screener Portfolio Tracking Tool MORE GURUFOCUS LINKS Latest Guru Picks Value Strategies Warren Buffett Portfolio Ben Graham Net-Net Real Time Picks Buffett-Munger Screener Aggregated Portfolio Undervalued Predictable ETFs, Options Low P/S Companies Insider Trends 10-Year Financials 52-Week Lows Interactive Charts Model Portfolios DCF Calculator RSS Feed Monthly Newsletters The All-In-One Screener Portfolio Tracking Tool VOD STOCK PRICE CHART 37.54 (1y: +8%) $(function(){var seriesOptions=[],yAxisOptions=[],name='VOD',display='';Highcharts.setOptions({global:{useUTC:true}});var d=new Date();$current_day=d.getDay();if($current_day==5||$current_day==0||$current_day==6){day=4;}else{day=7;} seriesOptions[0]={id:name,animation:false,color:'#4572A7',lineWidth:1,name:name.toUpperCase()+' stock price',threshold:null,data:[[1363582800000,34.882],[1363669200000,35.382],[1363755600000,34.932],[1363842000000,34.77],[1363928400000,35.007],[1364187600000,35.482],[1364274000000,35.769],[1364360400000,35.269],[1364446800000,35.469],[1364792400000,35.394],[1364878800000,36.724],[1364965200000,35.07],[1365051600000,35.182],[1365138000000,35.145],[1365397200000,35.632],[1365483600000,35.856],[1365570000000,36.344],[1365656400000,36.556],[1365742800000,36.718],[1366002000000,36.256],[1366088400000,36.531],[1366174800000,35.956],[1366261200000,36.843],[1366347600000,36.956],[1366606800000,37.143],[1366693200000,37.218],[1366779600000,36.962],[1366866000000,38.005],[1366952400000,38.254],[1367211600000,38.204],[1367298000000,38.204],[1367384400000,38.142],[1367470800000,37.543],[1367557200000,37.892],[1367816400000,37.667],[1367902800000,37.842],[1367989200000,37.642],[1368075600000,37.293],[1368162000000,37.617],[1368421200000,37.043],[1368507600000,37.118],[1368594000000,37.343],[1368680400000,37.655],[1368766800000,37.755],[1369026000000,37.592],[1369112400000,37.717],[1369198800000,36.631],[1369285200000,36.668],[1369371600000,36.981],[1369717200000,36.968],[1369803600000,36.631],[1369890000000,36.806],[1369976400000,36.169],[1370235600000,36.019],[1370322000000,36.631],[1370408400000,36.069],[1370494800000,36.781],[1370581200000,37.043],[1370840400000,37.293],[1370926800000,37.293],[1371013200000,35.12],[1371099600000,35.369],[1371186000000,35.17],[1371445200000,35.669],[1371531600000,35.856],[1371618000000,34.845],[1371704400000,34.233],[1371790800000,34.058],[1372050000000,34.112],[1372136400000,34.97],[1372222800000,35.232],[1372309200000,35.494],[1372395600000,35.9],[1372654800000,35.894],[1372741200000,35.794],[1372827600000,35.869],[1373000400000,35.944],[1373259600000,35.9],[1373346000000,35.994],[1373432400000,35.956],[1373518800000,36.593],[1373605200000,36.843],[1373864400000,36.781],[13739508! 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800000,46.! 297],[1384927200000,45.361],[1385013600000,46.354],[1385100000000,46.322],[1385359200000,46.148],[1385445600000,46.16],[1385532000000,46.422],[1385704800000,46.322],[1385964000000,46.173],[1386050400000,46.173],[1386136800000,45.948],[1386223200000,45.91],[1386309600000,47.109],[1386568800000,47.646],[1386655200000,47.446],[1386741600000,47.072],[1386828000000,46.772],[1386914400000,45.96],[1387173600000,46.135],[1387260000000,46.229],[138734 Saturday, March 15, 2014 Top Gas Stocks For 2014 Top Gas Stocks For 2014: Turcas Petrol AS (TRCAS) Turcas Petrol AS (Turcas) is a Turkey-based integrated energy holding company that operates in the fields of fuel distribution, oil refining, power generation & trading, and import & wholesale of natural gas. The joint venture company, Shell & Turcas Petrol AS (STAS), carries out the Company's fuel distribution activities through a network of gas stations, delivering services across Turkey. Its Oil refining and petroleum production is undertaken by SOCAR & Turcas Energy (STEAS). The Company operates its power generation, trading and distribution activities through Turcas Energy Holding. The import, export and wholesale of natural gas are handled by Turcas Gas Trading. Advisors' Opinion: [By Lyubov Pronina] Akbank sank 4.2 percent in Istanbul, falling for a sixth straight day, the longest streak in almost two months. Turcas Petrol AS (TRCAS) lost 1.6 percent after the Turkish energy company said Finance Ministry officials started an inspection at its venture with Royal Dutch Shell Plc. source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-gas-stocks-for-2014-2.html Friday, March 14, 2014 Best Chemical Stocks To Own Right Now Best Chemical Stocks To Own Right Now: Agrium Inc.(AGU) Agrium Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces and markets agricultural nutrients, industrial products, and specialty products worldwide, as well as involves in the retail supply of agricultural products and services in North and South Americas. The company?s Retail segment markets crop nutrient products, including nitrogen, phosphate, potash, sulphur, and micronutrients; crop protection products, such as herbicides, fungicides, adjuvants, and insecticides; and seeds. This segment also offers agronomic services, as well as product application, soil and leaf tissue testing and analysis, and crop scouting services. This segment operates 1,192 outlets in the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. The company?s Wholesale segment produces, markets, and distributes nitrogen, phosphate, potash, sulphate, and other crop nutrient products for agricultural and industrial customers. This segment also owns and operates facilities that upgrade ammonia t o other nitrogen products, such as urea, nitric acid, and ammonium nitrate, as well as provides Rainbow plant food products. Agrium?s Advanced Technologies segment produces and markets controlled-release crop nutrients and micronutrients for the agriculture, specialty agriculture, professional turf, horticulture, and consumer lawn and garden markets. The company was formerly known as Cominco Fertilizers Ltd. and changed its name to Agrium Inc. in 1995. Agrium Inc. was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Advisors' Opinion: [By Rich Duprey] Canpotex, the cartel's rival North American potash marketing association, comprised of Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) , PotashCorp (NYSE: POT  ) , and Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) , is a major supplier of potash to Brazil, with some analysts estimating it owns 38% of the market! . In years past, Latin America -- primarily the Brazilian market -- has comprised as much as 26% of Canpotex's potash sales. [By Ben Levisohn] Potash Corp of Saskatchewan (POT), for instance, lost 16% last year, while Mosaic (MOS) dropped 15%, Intrepid Potash (IPI) plunged 26% and Agrium (AGU) declined 5.9%. source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-chemical-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html Thursday, March 13, 2014 Best Growth Stocks To Own For 2014 Best Growth Stocks To Own For 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG) Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Advisors' Opinion: [By James Brumley] How so? In November, Smith & Nephew unveiled a biocomposite material for use in arthroscopic surgeries — the Healicoil suture anchor — and just last week the company announced encouraging results from a third-party study of its negative-pressure wound therapy system used on closed surgical incisions. It sounds minor, but that tech! nology could open a big door for Smith & Nephew as well as SNN stock owners. Medical Devices: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) shares took a big hit late last week following its fourth-quarter numbers, but bear in mind that ISRG stock had been through an overheated run-up in the days before that. Even with Friday’s 6% selloff, Intuitive Surgical shares are up 7% year-to-date — a paradigm shift compared to 2013′s 21% slide. [By John Kell] Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday’s session are Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG), Juniper Networks Inc.(JNPR) and Microsoft Corp.(MSFT) [By Wallace Witkowski] Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG)  is expected to report adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of $3.82 a share on revenue of $558 million. [By Monica Gerson] Luna Innovations (NASDAQ: LUNA) jumped 95.45% to $2.58 as the company announced its plans to sell its shape-sensing technology to Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG). source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-growth-stocks-to-own-for-2014.html Saturday, March 8, 2014 Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015 Utility operator�Portland General Electric� (NYSE: POR  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.275 per share, a near-2% increase over last quarter's payout of $0.27 per share. The board of directors said the quarterly dividend is payable on July 15 to the holders of record at the close of business on June 25. Portland General Electric President and CEO Jim Piro said, "PGE's strong operations, prudent financial management, and focus on delivering value to both our customers and our shareholders makes it possible to provide the seventh consecutive annual dividend increase since going public in 2006." The regular dividend payment equates to a $1.10-per-share annual dividend, yielding 3.5% based on the closing price of Portland General Electric's' stock on May 22. POR Dividend data by YCharts Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (MTD) Mettler-Toledo International Inc. supplies precision instruments and services worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations, and Other. It offers weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial, packaging, logistics, and food retailing applications; analytical instruments for use in life science; automated chemistry solutions used in drug and chemical compound discovery and development; and metal detection and other end-of-line inspection systems used in production and packaging for food, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Its laboratory instruments include laboratory balances, pipettes, titrators, thermal analysis systems, and other analytical instruments comprising pH meters, density and refractometry instruments, moisture analyzers, as well as laboratory software, automated chemistry solutions, and process analytic instruments. The company�s industrial solutions comprise in dustrial weighing instruments, industrial terminals, automatic identification and data capture solutions, vehicle scale systems, industrial software, and product inspection systems. Its retail solutions consist of multiple weighing and food labeling solutions, such as stand-alone scales, and networked scales and software for handling fresh goods, such as meats, vegetables, fruits, and cheeses. The company serves the life science industry covering pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and independent research organizations; food and beverage producers; food retailers; chemical, specialty chemical, and cosmetics companies; transportation and logistics, metals, and electronics industries; and the academic community. It markets its products through its direct sales force, as well as through indirect distribution channels. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Columbus, Ohio. 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 Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE: MTD  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: NCI Inc.(NCIT) NCI, Inc. provides information technology (IT) and professional services and solutions to the United States Federal Government defense, intelligence, and civilian agencies. It offers enterprise systems management services, including infrastructure operations and management; outsourcing and managed; infrastructure consolidation and modernization; public/private cloud computing; planning and disaster recovery; virtual desktop infrastructure; application and network management; network design, implementation, and migration; network monitoring and performance evaluation; multi-site environments; and data center modernization and consolidation. The company also provides network engineering services comprising architecture development and design; protocol and topology optimization; disaster response planning and recovery; installation, test, and evaluation; network configuration and compliance audit; network security evaluation; protocol and topology optimization; reliability an d contingency assessment; requirements analysis; redundant routing/switching solutions; and enterprise vulnerability management. In addition, it offers cybersecurity and information assurance services consisting of intrusion detection/prevention system development; public key infrastructure implementation; certification and accreditation; computer forensics and ediscovery; policy and procedures development; threat assessment and mitigation; products evaluation and integration; security test and evaluation; cybersecurity fusion centers; and risk management and continuous monitoring. Further, the company provides software development and systems engineering services; program management and lifecycle support services; professional engineering, logistics, and support services; health IT and informatics services; and modeling, simulation, and training services. NCI, Inc. is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Advisors' Opinion: [By CRWE] NCI, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCIT) will issue its third quarter 2012 financial results after the market closes on Wednesday, October 31, 2012. Management will then discuss the results, as well as operating trends and future performance expectations, on a conference call beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Top 10 Asian Stocks To Buy For 2015: AOL Inc (AOL) AOL Inc. (AOL) is a global Web services company with a range of brands and offerings, and a global audience. The Company�� business spans online content, products and services, which it offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. Its business operations are focused on AOL Properties and Third Party Network. AOL Properties include its owned and operated content, products and services in the Content, Local, Paid Services and Consumer Applications strategy areas in addition to its AOL Ventures offerings. AOL Properties also include co-branded Websites owned by third parties. It generates advertising revenues from AOL Properties through the sale of display advertising and search and contextual advertising. It offers a range of display advertising, including text and banner advertising, mobile, video and rich media advertising, sponsorship of content offerings, and local and classified advertising. It also generates revenues through its subscription access service. It also generates revenues from subscriptions to other products and services. It also generates advertising revenues through the sale of advertising on third-party Websites, which it refers to as the Third Party Network. It markets its offerings to advertisers on both AOL Properties and the Third Party Network under the brand AOL Advertising. It markets its offerings to publishers on the Third Party Network under the brand Advertising.com and also market offerings as video advertisements distributed through goviral A/S (goviral) and 5 Minutes Ltd (5min Media). On January 22, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of StudioNow, Inc. On September 28, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of 5min Media. On September 28, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of Thing Labs, Inc. On September 29, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of TechCrunch, Inc. On December 15, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of Pictela, Inc. On December 20, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of About.me, Inc. On! January 31, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of goviral A/S. On February 26, 2010, the Company sold buy.at to Digital Window Limited. On June 16, 2010, the Company sold Bebo, Inc. On July 8, 2010, the Company completed the sale of ICQ operations (ICQ). During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company sold its investments in Kayak Software Corporation and Brightcove, Inc. AOL Properties AOL Media offerings include original content produced through its network of content creators, which includes professional journalists from media, freelance writers and bloggers, content, which it licenses from third parties and aggregations of user-generated content. Its content offerings are made available to audiences through sites, such as the AOL.com homepage, as well as to audiences branded properties, such as Engadget, TechCrunch, PopEater, Moviefone, AOL Shopping, AOL Autos, AOL Travel, AOL Real Estate, MapQuest and StyleList. Its Seed.com platform allows writers and photographers to submit original content for its editors to review and publish on AOL Properties or on third party sites. The Company has developed and acquired platforms, which are designed to facilitate the production, aggregation, distribution and consumption of local content. This local content includes professional editorial content, user-generated content and business listings. Its local offerings include Patch, which is a community-specific news and information platform dedicated to providing local coverage for individual towns and communities; MapQuest, which is an online mapping and directions service, and City�� Best, which provides local entertainment information for metropolitan areas. It offers a range of consumer applications, including a range of communications products and services. Its consumer applications offerings include AOL Mail, which is an e-mail services in the United States; AIM, which is an instant messaging service in the United States; and a range of mobile offerin! gs, which! extend its content, products and services to a range of digital devices. The Company offers AOL Search on AOL Properties. It provides its consumers with a general, Internet-based search experience, which utilizes Google�� organic Web search results and additional links on the search results and third-party content and information, as well as provides a range of search-related features, such as suggesting related searches to help users refine their search queries. It also provides consumers with relevant paid text-based search advertising through its relationship with Google, in which it provides consumers sponsored link ads in response to their search queries. It offers vertical search services and mobile search services on AOL Properties. The Company offers contextually relevant advertising, which is generated based on the content of the AOL Properties Webpage the consumer is viewing. It also offers MapQuest, a service, which provides maps, turn by turn driving directions and other location-based information for consumers globally. During 2010, it launched a new MapQuest platform, which simplified the user interface and included enhanced features. In addition, it provides local directory listings through its AOL Yellow Pages product, which listings are provided by a third party and from which AOL receives a revenue share. The Company�� subscription service has been its subscription access service, including narrow-band (telephone dial-up) access to the Internet. Computer tools and maintenance services, online technical support, anti-virus software, identity theft protection, online and social media privacy and reputation monitoring services, diet fitness services, online learning and other lifestyle services are offered on a subscription basis. Content, products and services on AOL Properties are available to online consumers. The Company�� AOL-brand subscription access service, which it offers to consumers in the United States for a monthly fee, is a val! uable dis! tribution channel for AOL Properties. As of December 31, 2010, it had 3.9 million AOL-brand access subscribers in the United States. In addition to its content, products and services, which are available to all online consumers, an AOL-brand access subscription provides members with dial-up access to the Internet. It offers Internet access services under the CompuServe and Netscape brands. Its access service partners are Level 3 Communications, LLC and MCI Communications Services, Inc., who provides it with modem networks and related services for a substantial portion of its subscription access service. The Company also distributes AOL Properties through a range of other channels, including agreements with manufacturers of digital devices and other consumer electronics, broadband access providers and mobile carriers. AOL also distributes its content, products and services directly to consumers on the open Web and through the Apple Apps Store. Additional distribution channels include toolbars, widgets, co-branded portals and Websites, and third-party Websites and social networks that link to AOL Properties. It also utilizes search engine marketing and search engine optimization as distribution methods. In addition, it makes available open standards and protocols for use by third-party developers. It generates advertising revenues from AOL Properties through the sale of display advertising and search and contextual advertising. Third Party Network The Company generates advertising revenues through the sale of advertising on third party Websites. Its advertising offerings on the Third Party Network consists of the sale of display advertising and also includes search and contextual advertising. It markets its offerings to publishers on the Third Party Network under the brand Advertising.com and also market offerings as video advertisements distributed through goviral and 5 Minutes Ltd. Its revenues in the Third Party Network are generated from the advertising invent! ory acqui! red from publishers. The Third Party Network includes a display advertising interface, which gives advertisers the ability to target and control the delivery of their advertisements and provides advertisers and agencies with relevant display analytics and measurement tools. It focuses to utilize self-service systems. For its publishers, inclusion in the Third Party Network offers a range of tools and technologies. It aims to develop its relationships with publishers and advertisers. The Company utilizes a scheduling, optimization and delivery technology, which optimize advertisement placements across the Third Party Network and the available inventory on AOL Properties. AdLearn allows performance to be analyzed and advertisement placement to be optimized based on specific objectives, including click-through rate, conversion rate, sales volume and other metrics. In addition to advertising and subscription revenues, it also generates fee, license and other revenues. It generates fees from its consumer applications associated with mobile e-mail and instant messaging functionality from mobile carriers. Through MapQuest�� business-to-business services, it generates licensing revenue from third-party customers. It also generates revenues by licensing its ad serving technology to third parties, through its subsidiary, ADTECH AG. The Company competes with Yahoo! Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corporation�� MSN, IAC/Interactive Corp., Facebook, Inc., Twitter, Inc., News Corporation, WPP plc and ValueClick, Inc. Advisors' Opinion: [By Igor Novgorodtsev] Combining Perion's and Conduit's number allows us to compare a "new Perion" to its peer group: AVG, IACI, AOL (AOL), and Blucora (BCOR). The numbers are nothing short of incredible demonstrating how grossly the new company is underpriced. [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET] AOL is dealing with death of dial-up the best that it can. It has made several key acquisitions to increase its Internet presence as it embarks on its return to relevance. However, its ad revenues pale in comparison to giants Google (NASDAQ:GOOG),�Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), and Yahoo�(NASDAQ:YHOO). [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET] AOL provides informational content and entertainment to a growing user base around the world. Patch, the local news site spearheaded by AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong, may finally be either sold or closed down after Armstrong�� 4-year journey to guide the unit to profitability has failed. The stock has been surging higher in recent times and is now trading sideways as it digests gains from a recent explosive move higher. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have been optimistic as earnings and revenue figures have been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, AOL has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for AOL to OUTPERFORM. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Encore Capital Group Inc(ECPG) Encore Capital Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in consumer debt buying and recovery business primarily in the United States. The company purchases and manages portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables, such as consumers? unpaid financial commitments to credit originators, including banks, credit unions, consumer finance companies, commercial retailers, auto finance companies, and telecommunication companies; and receivables subject to bankruptcy proceedings or consumer bankruptcy receivables. It also provides bankruptcy services to the finance industry, such as negotiating bankruptcy plans, monitoring and managing consumer?s compliance with bankruptcy plans, and recommending courses of action to clients in case of a deviation from a bankruptcy plan. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Advisors' Opinion: [By Sally Jones] Today�� diverse companies were chosen for their speculative enterprises. Both companies deal in the territory of what if. If Encore Capital Group Inc. (ECPG) can collect more from a huge portfolio of consumer debt, the company would grow. If Sophiris Bio Inc. (SPHS), a 10-person biopharm, is successful in competing to provide relief for prostate BPH symptoms, the company would soar. [By Lawrence Meyers] The other good news is on pages 10, 11 and 15. Delinquencies are rising, as are collections. If debt balances increase, you would expect delinquencies to rise as well. That bodes well for the big-time players in debt collection, Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRAA) and Encore Capital Group (ECPG). Both just reported robust growth in collections, revenues, and net income. They’re also making large international acquisitions. I love both companies and think they’re are undervalued. [By John Udovich] Small cap debt collection stocks like�Asta Funding, Inc (NASDAQ: ASFI), Encore Capital Group, Inc (NASDAQ: ECPG) and Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc (NASDAQ: PRAA) could be the latest target of a government shakedown or crackdown as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said this week that�before it formally proposes any rules for debt collection, it wants to hear how collectors verify borrowers' information and communicate with consumers. In other words, debt collectors could be restricted from using text messages, social media or other Internet-based tools in their pursuit to collect debts. With about one in 10 Americans coming out of the financial crisis with some debt in collection, investing in small cap�debt collection stocks has been profitable for investors. However, there is no timeline for when any new rules might be released for review or come into effect. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: lime energy co.(LIME) Lime Energy Co. provides energy engineering, consulting, and implementation solutions to the commercial, industrial, utilities, governmental, and energy services markets in the United States. The company?s energy efficiency solutions enable its clients to reduce energy-related expenditures and the impact of their energy use on the environment. Its services include energy consulting, integrated energy engineering, and multi-measure project development and implementation; mechanical/electrical upgrade services; water conservation; weatherization; and renewables across a range of facilities, including office buildings, manufacturing plants, retail sites, mixed use complexes, and large government sites. The company?s energy consulting and technical services comprise utility program management and implementation, energy project development, energy engineering, consulting, and planning. Lime Energy Co. also provides energy asset development and management services comprising p roject feasibility and technology assessment; sourcing, qualifying, and structuring investment opportunities; project financing; design and construction process management; and asset management. Its customers include commercial and industrial businesses, property owners and managers, utilities, energy service companies, government entities, and educational institutions. The company was formerly known as Electric City Corp. and changed its name to Lime Energy Co. in September 2006. Lime Energy Co. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina. Advisors' Opinion: [By Bryan Murphy] The trick to profitable trading (though few great traders would ever admit it) is being in the right place at the right time. To do that, however, requires a great deal of patience waiting on the market's best "would be" trades to begin that potential moves. Enter MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ:MNKD) and Lime Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LIME)... two of the market's almost-great ideas right now. Though neither is off and running, both LIME and MNKD are on the verge and worth putting on your watchlist. Here's what we need to see for both to become worth taking a swing on. [By CRWE] Lime Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LIME) reported their addition to NSTAR�� Municipal Program, which incentivizes municipalities to implement energy efficiency measures. The pre-selection of energy efficiency contractors is intended to streamline the procurement process for the municipalities that NSTAR currently serves. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: SunCoke Energy Partners LP (SXCP) SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P., incorporated on July 30, 2012, manufactures coke, which is used in the blast furnace production of steel. The Company's sponsor owns the remaining 35% interest in each of Haverhill and Middletown. The Company's sponsor, through its subsidiary, owns a 55.9% partnership interest in the Company owns and controls its general partner which holds a 2% general partner interest in the Company. The Company's cokemaking ovens utilize efficient, modern heat recovery technology designed to combust the coal's volatile components liberated during the cokemaking process and use the resulting heat to create steam or electricity for sale. The Company operates in cokemaking facilities located in Ohio. In September 2013, SunCoke Energy Partners, L.P completed its acquisition of Lakeshore Coal Handling Corporation. In October 2013, the Company acquired Kanawha River Terminals LLC (KRT). The Company licenses this advanced heat recovery cokemaking process from its sponsor. The Company's sponsor designed, developed and built, and owns and operates five cokemaking facilities in the United States, including Haverhill and Middletown with an aggregate coke production capacity of approximately 4.2 million tons per year and designed and operates one cokemaking facility in Vitoria, Brazil with a coke production capacity of approximately 1.7 million tons per year. Approximately 90% or 17.5 million tons, was for blast furnace steelmaking operations and the remaining 10% was for foundry and other non-steelmaking operations. The Company's cokemaking capacity represents stated capacity for the production of blast furnace coke. The Middletown capacity on a run of oven basis is approximately 578,000 tons per year. The first phase of the Company's Haverhill facility or Haverhill 1, includes steam generation facilities which use hot flue gas from the cokemaking process to produce steam. The steam is sold to a third-party pursuant to a steam supply and purchase agreement. The Company! 's Middletown facility and the second phase of the Company's Haverhill facility, or Haverhill 2, include cogeneration plants that use the hot flue gas created by the cokemaking process to generate electricity. The electricity is either sold into the regional power market or to AK Steel pursuant to energy sales agreements. The Company has Approximately 400 acres in Franklin Furnace (Scioto County), Ohio, on which the Haverhill cokemaking facility is located and 250 acres in Middletown (Butler County), Ohio near AK Steel�� Middletown Works facility, on which the Middletown cokemaking facility is located. Advisors' Opinion: [By Aimee Duffy] But this too is starting to shift. If you look at the most-recent IPOs on the New York Stock Exchange, you'll find many corners of the energy industry represented: Tallgrass Energy Partners�-- Natural gas midstream, debuted May 14 KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  ) -- Shuttle tankers, debuted April 10 SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP  ) -- Coal/coke making, debuted Jan. 18 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- Mid-continent refining, debuted Jan. 17 There have also been a few MLP-related funds to hit the market this year, including Global X Junior MLP ETF�and Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund. [By Robert Rapier] There were a half a dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) by master limited partnerships in the first half of the year, and all but one are now in the green while one has nearly doubled in value. The first MLP IPO of 2013 debuted on Jan. 15. USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC), which I mentioned in last week’s issue, provides compression services for the oil and gas industry. Units have advanced 36 percent since the IPO, and at the current price yield 7.3 percent. The day after the USA Compression Partners IPO, CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) made its debut.  CVRR was spun off from CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), and both companies remain majority-owned by Carl Icahn. CVR Refining’s primary assets are two refineries located in Kansas and Oklahoma with a combined processing capacity of approximately 185,000 barrels per day (bpd). These refineries are strategically located near the major Cushing, Oklahoma shipment and storage hub, with easy access to discounted feedstock from the nearby Permian basin, as well as the Bakken shale and Canadian oil sands. But refiners have struggled with diminished margins in 2013 because of a much lower Brent-WTI differential. After the recently concluded second quarter, CVRR declared a distribution of $1.35 per unit, bringing its per-unit distributions for the first half of the year to $2.93. At the same time, CVR Refining lowered its annual distribution target to a range of $4.10 to $4.80 per unit. This was lower than the outlook issued in March, when it foresaw annual distributions of $5.50 to $6.50. CVRR units slid on the news, and are presently trading slightly below the $25 IPO price. The lower end of the revised forecast implies distributions of $1.17 per unit in the second half of the year, for a forward annualized yield of 10 percent based on the recent $23.50 unit price. SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP) was the third IPO to debut during a very busy third week of January. SXCP is the first M Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Emak SpA (EM) Emak SpA is an Italy-based company primarily engaged in the manufacture of outdoor power equipment for gardening, forestry, agriculture and industry. The Company�� portfolio includes chainsaws, brush cutters, lawnmowers, garden tractors, water pumps, high pressure washers, transporters, rotary cultivators, motor hoes and power cutters, among others. It also manufactures spare parts, accessories and protective clothing. The Company sells its products under various brand names, such as Oleo-Mac, Efco, Bertolini, Nibbi and Staub. Emak SpA directly manages distribution in the Italian market and it sells products, through its commercial subsidiaries, in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, the countries of Benelux, Poland, Ukraine, among others.The Company is controlled by Yama SpA, which is an industrial holding company. Advisors' Opinion: [By Federico Zaldua] Brookfield Infrastructure has a number of potentially profitable areas for investment around the world but, above all, in infrastructure hungry Emerging Markets (EM) such as Brazil. According to Credit Suisse analysts, in Brazil, funds can be invested at Funds From Operations (FFO) yields above 12%. Therefore, the company's ability to grow its distribution yield, whether through acquisitions or organically, is critical to evaluate the company's value. Moreover, the currently conservative dividend payout ratio should allow Brookfield Infrastructure to self-finance on going opportunities. [By Canadian Value] For 20+ years there has been a coherent growth story around Emerging Markets (EM), where the label "Emerging Market" had real meaning within a common knowledge perspective. Today ��not so much. Today the story is that it was easy money from the Fed that drove global growth, EM or otherwise. Today the story is that Emerging Markets are just the levered beneficiaries or victims of Fed monetary policy, no different than anyone else�� [By Holly LaFon] As true value investors, Brandes oft en moves against the crowd amid markets' constantly changing performance cycles. Take the recent equity market weakness in a number of emerging market (EM) countries for example. Over the last year, while macroeconomic and geopolitical concerns cast a cloud of uncertainty over the asset class in general, we started to see some interesting investment opportunities at the company level as a result of such market weakness. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Yelp Inc (YELP) Yelp Inc., incorporated on September 03, 2004, connects people with great local businesses. Its users have contributed a total of approximately 36.0 million cumulative reviews of almost every type of local business, from restaurants, boutiques and salons to dentists, mechanics and plumbers. Its platform provides local businesses with a range of free and paid services, which help them to engage with consumers at moment when they are deciding where to spend their money. The Company generates revenue from local advertising, brand advertising and other services. As of December 31, 2012, the Company was active in 53 Yelp markets in the United States and 44 Yelp markets internationally. Effective July 18, 2013, Yelp Inc acquired SeatMe Inc, which is a developer of restaurant and nightlife categories reservation applications. Local Business The Company enables businesses to create a free online business account and claim the page for each of their business locations. Business representatives can verify their affiliation with the business through an automated telephone verification process, which requires that they be reachable at the phone number, which is publicly displayed for their business listing on its platform. With their free business accounts, businesses can view business trends, message customers, update information and offer Yelp Deals. Its listing solution eliminates search advertising from the businesses��profile pages and allows them to incorporate a video clip or photo slide show on the pages. It allows local businesses to promote themselves as a sponsored search result on its platform or on related business pages. The Company�� Yelp Deals product allows local business owners to create promotional discounted deals for their products and services, which are marketed to consumers through its platform. Yelp Deals have a fee structure based solely on transaction volume with no upfront costs, and it earns a fee based on the discounted price of each deal so! ld. It processes all customer payments and remits to the business the revenue share of any Yelp Deal purchased. It offers both e-mail deals, which are focused on demand generation and deals on its platform that are focused on demand fulfillment where businesses can target intent-driven consumers who are specifically searching for a product or service on its platform. The Company�� Gift Certificates product allows local business owners to sell full price gift certificates directly to customers through their business profile page. The business chooses the price points to offer, and the buyer may purchase a Gift Certificate in one of those amounts. The Company earns a fee based on the amount of the Gift Certificate sold. The Company processes all consumer payments and remit to the business the revenue share of any Gift Certificate purchased. National/Brand Advertisers The Company offers its advertising solution for national brands that want to improve their local presence. These solutions consist of search and display ads (both graphic and text) on its Website, which are typically sold to advertisers on a per-impression basis. Its national advertisers include brands in the automobile, financial services, logistics, consumer goods and health and fitness industries. Transaction Partners The Company�� partnership, through a written agreement, with OpenTable provides consumers the ability to reserve seats directly on the business listing pages of restaurants, which participate in OpenTable�� network. Its partnership, through a written agreement, with Orbitz allows consumers to book rooms directly on the business listing pages of hotels, which affiliate with Orbitz. The Company competes with Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Advisors' Opinion: [By Rich Smith] www.bettermoneyhabits.com In 2013, the American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked Bank of America (BAC) below JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Citigroup (C), and Wells Fargo (WFC) for overall customer satisfaction. A 2012 J.D. Power report on mortgage lenders ranked Bank of America dead last out of a field of 14 contenders. And a poll of banking customers conducted in 2013 -- this time asking customers their opinions of 30 banks -- came to precisely the same conclusion. So, what's a bank to do when its reputation is this deep in the dumper? The first step should obviously be damage control -- burnishing the bank's reputation by any means possible. And the second step ought to be taking action to address the reasons that customers hate the bank in the first place. Bank of America's recent alliance with Khan Academy accomplishes both of these things. Khan Gets Kudos Few websites boast a reputation as good as that of Khan Academy, the totally free, nonprofit site that former hedge fund analyst Sal Khan set up in 2006 to help teach kids (and adults) about everything from basic mathematics to the Federal Reserve's policy of quantitative easing. PCMag.com rates Khan Academy 4.5 stars (out of 5) as "a place where you can learn, or simply refresh your learning, in dozens of subjects." Yelp.com (YELP) gives Khan 4.5 stars, with one reviewer exclaiming: "I wish I could give it 10 stars." So when Bank of America teamed up with Khan Academy last April to build bettermoneyhabits.com, it picked the right "halo" to bask in. The substance looks pretty good, too. In a release announcing the site's opening, Bank of America boasted that its new website would offer "free, self-paced, easy-to-understand resources to develop better money habits" -- and would provide these resources not just free but also "commercial-free." And the website's open to anyone, not just Bank of America customers. From Bad Reputation to Good, Untainted Advice [By Evan Niu, CFA and Eric Bleeker, CFA] Shares of social reviewer�Yelp� (NYSE: YELP  ) have been on a run so far this year, tapping all-time highs near $60 per share. That rally has translated into frothy valuation figures, as investors are now banking on major growth in the years ahead. The mobile business continues to grow, but Yelp's advertising business is far from immune. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Spreadtrum Communications Inc.(SPRD) Spreadtrum Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops, and markets baseband processor and RF transceiver solutions for wireless communications and mobile television markets. It offers a portfolio of integrated baseband processor solutions that support a range of wireless communications standards, including global system for mobile communication (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), and high speed packet access (HSPA), as well as offer an array of multimedia capabilities, such as MP3 digital audio playback, touch screen, JAVA acceleration, digital camera support, motion JPEG, MPEG4, AVS and H.264 digital video playback, and 64-channel polyphonic ringtone playback. The company also provides single-chip CMOS multi-mode RF transceivers that perform across various standards covering GSM/GP RS, EDGE, wideband code division multiple access, TD-SCDMA, and high speed uplink/downlink packet access. In addition, it designs, develops, and markets a CMMB-based channel demodulator and audio/video decoder processor solution for the mobile television market. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors to brand manufacturers, independent design houses, and original design manufacturers primarily in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China. Advisors' Opinion: [By Bloomberg News] The Bloomberg China-US 55 Index (CH55BN), the measure of the most- traded U.S.-listed Chinese companies, added 0.2 percent in New York yesterday. Spreadtrum Communications Inc. (SPRD) gained after Bank of America Corp. said rising smartphone use will boost Asian semiconductor makers. [By Dan Radovsky] Chinese semiconductor maker Spreadtrum (NASDAQ: SPRD  ) has received a buyout offer valued at up to $1.5 billion from Tsinghua Unigroup, a subsidiary of Chinese government-owned Tsinghua Holdings, Spreadtrum announced today. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Retail Opportunity Investments Corp.(ROIC) Retail Opportunity Investments Corp., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of necessity-based community and neighborhood shopping centers in the eastern and western regions of the United States. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio consisted of 30 owned retail properties totaling approximately 3.2 million square feet of gross leasable area. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The company is based in White Plains, New York. Advisors' Opinion: [By David Trainer] Kroger (KR) is one of my favorite stocks held by All Cap Blend ETFs and mutual funds and earns my Attractive rating. Kroger has grown profits (NOPAT) consistently since 1998 with a compounded annual growth rate of 8%. While Kroger's return on invested capital (ROIC) of 7% may not be top of the heap, its cost of capital (WACC) is less than 5%, allowing it to achieve positive economic earnings that have grown at a rate of 45% compounded annually since the financial crisis in 2008. Despite KR's excellent past few years, the stock is still trading at ~$37.63/share, giving KR a price to economic book value ratio of 0.7, implying that the market expects KR's profits to permanently decline by 30%. Judging by KR's past few years and its recent acquisition of expanding rival Harris Teeter (HTSI), this looks extremely unlikely, and investors should jump on while the stock still trades at a discount. [By Brian Pacampara] Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, shopping center REIT Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. (NASDAQ: ROIC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking. [By Holly LaFon] Our disciplined, risk-averse approach has often left us looking up at benchmarks during dynamic bull markets. In a more historically typical market cycle, 2013�� results would have given us less to explain or complain about. But these calendar-year results came after several portfolios underperformed their benchmarks in 2012 and 2011. The last three years, then, have left us increasingly frustrated, even as the reasons behind these underperformances are clear. Small-cap companies with high returns on invested capital (ROIC) and low-debt balance sheets have, as a group, underperformed their more leveraged counterparts. In addition, more economically sensitive cyclical sectors, including Energy, Industrials, Materials, and Information Technology��ave trailed more defensive areas (such as Utilities) and less conservatively capitalized, higher-yielding vehicles (e.g., REITs and MLPs) where we have little if any exposure. Over the last several years, we have found many of what we think are highly attractive opportunities in cyclical sectors and/or in companies with strong balance sheets and high ROIC. Most have had only limited participation in the rally that began in March 2009. There have also been industries, such as precious metals & mining, that did very well in the initial phase of the recovery following the Financial Crisis before they began to correct sharply in 2011 and are yet to recover. So while nearly all sectors and industries across all asset classes did well in 2013, companies with many of the qualities that we look for have not yet led for long. Our approach leads us to conservatively capitalized companies with high ROIC and strong cash flow characteristics, among other attributes. Investors have still not gravitated to these kinds of companies in comparatively large numbers. However, it�� worth mentioning that many quality small-cap companies did very well on an absolute basis in 2013, particularly in the year�� last eight months. [By David Trainer] Pilgrim's Pride Corp (PPC) is another one of my least favorite holdings in FVL. PPC is not a bad company. Its return on invested capital (ROIC) of 9% puts it near the median of all the companies we cover. The issue for PPC is its valuation. To justify its price of ~$17/share, PPC would need to grow after-tax profit (NOPAT) by 12% compounded annually. There is not a lot of value in this stock or this "value" index. Hot Building Product Companies To Own For 2015: Vector Group Ltd (VGR) Vector Group Ltd is a holding company. The Company operates in Tobacco and Real Estate. The Tobacco segment consists of the manufacture and sale of cigarettes. The Real Estate segment includes the Company�� investments in consolidated and non-consolidated real estate businesses. The Company is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States through its Liggett Group LLC (Liggett) and Vector Tobacco Inc. (Vector Tobacco) subsidiaries, and the real estate business through its New Valley LLC (New Valley) subsidiary, which is seeking to acquire additional operating companies and real estate properties. New Valley has real estate-related investments, including Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC (Douglas Elliman Realty) (50% interest), New Valley Oaktree Chelsea Eleven LLC (40% interest) and Fifty Third-Five Building LLC (50% interest), Sesto Holdings S.r.L (7.2% interest), MS/WG 1107 Broadway Holdings LLC (1107 Broadway) (5% interest), NV SOCAL LLC (26% interest) and HFZ East 68th Street (18% interest), where other partners hold interests. As of February 15, 2012, 52 of the 54 units in the Chelsea Eleven LLC real estate development had been sold. During the year ended December, 31, 2011, New Valley invested in MS/WG 1107 Broadway Holdings LLC for an approximate indirect 5% interest. In September 2011, MS/WG 1107 Broadway Holdings LLC acquired the 1107 Broadway property in Manhattan, New York. In February 2011, New Valley invested in Lofts 21 LLC for an approximate 12% interest. In October 2011, New Valley invested in Hill Street Partners LLP (Hill) for an approximate 17.39% interest. Hill purchased a 37% interest in Hill Street SEP (Hotel Taiwana), which owns a hotel located in St. Barts, French West Indies. The hotel consists of 30 suites, six pools, a restaurant, lounge and gym. The purpose of the investment is to renovate and the sell the hotel in its entirety or as hotel-condos. In December 2011, New Valley invested in a condominium conversion project for an approximate 1! 8% interest. The building is a 12-story, 105,000 square foot residential rental building located on 68th Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. Tobacco Operations Liggett is the operating successor to Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. During 2011, Liggett was a manufacturer of cigarettes in the United States. Liggett�� manufacturing facilities are located in Mebane, North Carolina where it manufactures most of Vector Tobacco�� cigarettes pursuant to a contract manufacturing agreement. As of December 31, 2011, Liggett and Vector Tobacco have no foreign operations. The Company�� tobacco subsidiaries manufacture and sell cigarettes in the United States. Liggett produces cigarettes in approximately 118 combinations of length, style and packaging. Liggett�� brand portfolio includes PYRAMID, GRAND PRIX , LIGGETT SELECT , EVE and USA and various Partner Brands and private label brands. Liggett Vector Brands LLC (LVB), which coordinates its tobacco subsidiaries��sales and marketing efforts, along with certain support functions, has an agreement with Circle K Stores, Inc., which operates more than 3,300 convenience stores in the United States under the Circle K and Mac�� names, to supply MONTEGO, a deep discount brand, exclusively for the Circle K and Mac�� stores. The MONTEGO brand was offered under LVB's Partner Brands program. LVB also has an agreement with Sunoco Inc., which operates approximately 675 Sunoco APlus branded convenience stores in the United States, to manufacture SILVER EAGLE. SILVER EAGLE, a deep discount brand, is exclusive to Sunoco and was the second brand to be offered under LVB's Partner Brands program. Liggett also manufactures BRONSON cigarettes as part of a multi-year Partner Brands agreement with QuikTrip, a convenience store chain with more than 580 stores. New Valley LLC New Valley is engaged in the real estate business and is seeking to acquire additional real estate properties an! d operati! ng companies. New Valley owns a 50% interest in Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC, which operates residential brokerage company in the New York City metropolitan area. New Valley also holds an investment in a 450-acre approved master planned community in Palm Springs, California (Escena), holds investment interests in various real estate projects in Manhattan, New York, southern California and Milan, Italy through both debt and equity investments. Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC Douglas Elliman Realty is engaged in the real estate brokerage business through its two subsidiaries which conduct business as Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The two brokerage companies have 62 offices with approximately 3,975 real estate agents in the metropolitan New York area. The Long Island brokerage operation, is the residential brokerage company on Long Island with 44 offices and approximately 1,850 real estate agents. During 2011, the Long Island brokerage operation closed approximately 6,163 transactions. Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate acts as a broker in residential real estate transactions. Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate also offers relocation services to employers, which provide a variety of specialized services primarily concerned with facilitating the resettlement of transferred employees. These services include sales and marketing of transferees��existing homes for their corporate employer, assistance in finding homes, moving services, educational and school placement counseling, customized videos, property marketing assistance, rental assistance, area tours, international relocation, group move services, marketing and management of foreclosed properties, career counseling, spouse/partner employment assistance, and financial services. Clients can select these programs and services on a fee basis according to their needs. DE Capital Mortgage LLC primarily originates loans for purchases of properties located on Long Island, New York City and Westchester. Approx! imately o! ne-half of these loans are for home sales transactions, in which Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate acts as a broker. Douglas Elliman Realty is also engaged in the management of cooperatives, condominiums and apartments though its subsidiary, Residential Management Group, LLC, which conducts business as Douglas Elliman Property Management and is a manager of apartments, cooperatives and condominiums in the New York metropolitan area. Residential Management Group provides service third-party fee management for approximately 350 properties, representing approximately 47,000 units in New York The Company competes with Philip Morris USA Inc., Reynolds America Inc., Lorillard Tobacco Company, Commonwealth Brands, Inc., Century-21, ERA, RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, GMAC Home Services and NRT LLC. Advisors' Opinion: [By Dan Dzombak] Vector Group (NYSE: VGR  ) is the third-highest-yielding dividend stock in June with a trailing yield of 9.9%. The company has two main businesse: tobacco and real estate. The company manufactures and sells cigarettes through its Liggett Group and Vector Tobacco subsidiaries under the Pyramid, Grand Prix, Liggett Select, and Eve brands. The company is the fourth-largest cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. behind giants Altria (NYSE: MO  ) , Lorillard, and Reynolds American. There are some advantages to being small. Vector has a cost advantage stemming from the settlement between Vector and the U.S.: The company does not have to make annual payments unless its market share exceeds 1.65% of the U.S. market. As such, the company positions its brands as discount cigarettes to capitalize on its advantage. [By alicet236] Vector Group Ltd. (VGR): President and CEO Howard M Lorber sold 300,000 Shares President and CEO of Vector Group, Ltd. (VGR) Howard M Lorber sold 300,000 shares on Dec. 19 at an average price of $16.3. Vector Group Ltd. is a Delaware Corporation. It operates as a holding company and is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States through its subsidiaries, Liggett Group LLC and Vector Tobacco Inc. Vector Group. It has a market cap of $1.55 billion; its shares were traded at around $16.38 with and P/S ratio of 1.44. The dividend yield of Vector Group stocks is 9.54%. Vector Group Ltd. had an annual average earnings growth of 15.60% over the past 10 years. [By Alex Planes] At the time of the breakup, the American Tobacco Trust controlled or held significant interests in 65 subsidiary companies in the United States, as well as two British companies. These interests were eventually separated into 14 different tobacco companies, of which four became an American tobacco oligopoly to replace the monopoly: R. J. Reynolds (now Reynolds American), Liggett and Myers (now Vector Group (NYSE: VGR  ) ), Lorillard (NYSE: LO  ) , and a diminished American Tobacco. 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