King Stumbles Out Of the Gate

This week, King (NYSE: KING  ) , maker of the smash hit mobile game Candy Crush Saga, went public at $22.50 per share. This was a widely anticipated IPO, yet shares immediately pulled back. Investors have been concerned at how heavily dependent the company is on its one single hit, with its second and third top performers falling way behind the success of Candy Crush, despite all being very similar variations of the same game.

Investors have also been concerned about King's "freemium" business model, where gamers play for free, and then buy in-app purchases. Comparisons to Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) were unavoidable, as the company also went public after the success of a freemium model game, and then performed poorly as a stock after its IPO.

In this segment from Friday's Tech Teardown, host Erin Kennedy and Motley Fool tech and telecom bureau chief Evan Niu discuss the mobile gaming business and how difficult it can be for a company to create a second blockbuster despite the massive success of its first. Evan also discusses the major risks investors in King face today.

The biggest thing to come out of Silicon Valley in years
If you thought the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad were amazing, just wait until you see this. One hundred of Apple's top engineers are busy building one in a secret lab. And an ABI Research report predicts 485 million of them could be sold over the next decade. But you can invest in it right now... for just a fraction of the price of AAPL stock. Click here to get the full story in this eye-opening new report.

The Internet Fund Avoiding Facebook, Rest Of Bubble 2.0

 Have you heard the one about the Internet fund that's afraid of dot-coms?

It sounds like a bad money manager joke, but that's actually the best way to describe the Kinetics Internet Fund. "Truthfully, if we changed the name, we'd probably get more money," says cofounder and portfolio manager Peter Doyle, jacket slung over a chair in a conference room at his midtown Manhattan office.

Doyle's quip has two meanings: His Internet Fund was once the darling of Wall Street–one of the top-performing mutual funds of 1998 and 1999. But it crashed and burned a lot of investors, falling from $1.4 billion in assets in early 2000 to as low as $188 million by 2002.

But Doyle is not just referring to his fund's lingering tech-bubble taint–he's also speaking about his alternative approach.

Despite its seemingly self-evident name and legacy as the first ever Internet-focused mutual fund, there aren't many websites left in Doyle's 56-company portfolio today. Instead Doyle is proving that in the current bubbly environment for stocks of social networks and mobile apps, the best way to make money from the Net is old-fashioned: value stocks with long product life cycles, deep content libraries, ample cash flow–and ideally a billionaire behind the wheel.

Hot High Tech Stocks For 2014

Kinetics Internet has a mere $180 million in assets and is one of eight mutual funds, including the much larger Paradigm Fund, run by $9.7 billion Horizon Kinetics. In 2013 it ranked among the top-performing equity mutual funds, logging a 44% gain. Since its inception in 1996 the fund's 16% average annual return has more than doubled that of the S&P 500. Its 1.8% expense ratio is steep, but that has more to do with its size than costs. Turnover at the no-load fund is a mere 8%.

Kinetics Internet doesn't own any Facebook stock because Doyle, 51, says he doesn't feel comfortable investing in a site so exposed to the whims of popular opinion–let alone one that is spending $19 billion on WhatsApp, a messaging service with only $20 million in revenues.

"Maybe WhatsApp is a great investment," he says. "But I've got my doubts, and certainly handing over $15 billion in stock tells you what they think about their company. They're not interested in buying back their shares; they're giving them away."

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now

Bruce Smith/AP WASHINGTON -- U.S. factories orders climbed in November, led by a surge in aircraft demand. And businesses stepped up spending on machinery, computers and other long-lasting goods, a sign of investment that could fuel economic growth. Factory orders rose 1.8 percent in November, the Commerce Department said Monday. That follows a 0.5 percent decrease in October. Orders received by manufacturers totaled a seasonally adjusted $497.8 billion in November, the highest level on records dating to 1992. Orders have increased 2.5 percent over the past 12 months. The improvements could signal accelerating growth in 2014. Americans are buying more cars and homes, increasing demand for steel, furniture and other goods. That has led factories to hire more workers, generating additional economic momentum. Still, overall economic growth remains modest by historical standards. And though factory orders have strengthened in recent months, their growth rate has slowed during the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. A 21.8 percent jump in volatile aircraft orders drove the November gains. But orders rose in many other categories, a sign of strength at factories and confidence among companies. Core capital goods, a proxy for business investment, rose 1 percent. Economists watch this category because it excludes volatile orders for aircraft and defense equipment. Demand also rose for construction machinery, computers, communications equipment, furniture and motor vehicle parts. Most of the gains occurred in long-lasting goods, which increased 3.4 percent in November. Orders for nondurable goods such as food products, clothing and paper rose a modest 0.3 percent. Separate economic reports indicate that manufacturing has remained strong and could drive further growth. Factory activity in December remained near a 2½-year high, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The trade group said last week that its index of manufacturing activity slipped to 57 in from 57.3 in November. That's still the second-highest reading since April 2011. And any reading above 50 signals growth. Manufacturers have also bolstered hiring in recent months. Factories added 66,000 jobs from July through November, according to government's employment reports. The government releases its December employment report Friday.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Resolute Forest Products Inc (RFP)

Resolute Forest Products Inc., AbitibiBowater Inc., is a global forest products company. The Company�� products include newsprint, commercial printing papers, market pulp and wood products. The Company owns or operates pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea. On November 7, 2011, it began doing business as Resolute Forest Products. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or operated 18 pulp and paper mills and 23 wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea. The Company�� segments include newsprint, coated papers, specialty papers, market pulp and wood products. On January 14, 2011, it acquired the noncontrolling interest in Augusta Newsprint Company (ANC). In April 2012, the Company held approximately 48.8% of the outstanding shares of Fibrek Inc. In December 2012, the Company purchased Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited. oklyn Power Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  There's no foolproof way to know the future for Resolute Forest Products (NYSE: RFP  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

• [By George Putnam]

  Resolute Forest Products (RFP), formerly known as AbitibiBowater, entered into bankruptcy in early 2009, weighed down by roughly $6 billion in debt.

• [By Saibus Research]

  Consolidation has been incremental in the paper and forest products industry. In May 2012, Resolute Forest Products (RFP) (formerly AbitibiBowater) announced that it had acquired 50.1% of Fibrek and acquired the remaining 49.9% in August. 2011 saw International Paper (IP) announce a hostile takeover of Temple-Inland and after offering $32/share in cash as well as the assumption of $600M of TIN's debt, IP was able to close the deal in February 2012. 2011 also saw Rock-Tenn (RKT) acquire Smurfit-Stone to create the number two player in the linerboard segment with 20% market share, trailing only International Paper's 40%. We see these moves as a prudent step to consolidation in the industry as certain types of paper such as newsprint and uncoated free sheet (office paper) are seeing falling demand due to increased use of digital resources.

• [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 Resolute Forest Products (NYSE: RFP  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)

Crown Holdings, Inc., incorporated on February 7, 2003, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and sale of packaging products for consumer goods. Its business is organized within three divisions: Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Its segments within the Americas Division are Americas Beverage and North America Food. Its segments within the European Division are European Beverage and European Food. Americas Beverage includes beverage can operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. North America Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in the United States and Canada. European Beverage includes beverage can operations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. European Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in Europe and Africa. Its Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage and non-beverage can operations, primarily food cans and specialty packaging. As of December 31, 2012, it acquired Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd.

The Company supplies beverage cans and ends and other packaging products to a range of beverage and beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Cott Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Heineken, National Beverage and Pepsi-Cola, among others. The Company manufactures a range of food cans and ends, including two-and three-piece cans in numerous shapes and sizes, and sells food cans to food marketers, such as Bonduelle, Cecab, ConAgra, Continentale, Mars, Simmons Foods, Nestle, Princes Group and Stockmeyer, among others.

The Company offers a range of metal vacuum closures and sealing equipment. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procte! r & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others.

Americas Division

The Americas Division includes operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Colombia and Mexico. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The Americas Beverage segment manufactures aluminum beverage cans and ends and steel crowns, referred to as bottle caps. The North America Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends and metal vacuum closures.

European Division

The European Division includes operations in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The European Beverage segment manufactures steel and aluminum beverage cans and ends. The European Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends, and metal vacuum closures.

Asia Pacific division

The Company's Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage can operations in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and non-beverage can operations, primarily including food cans and specialty packaging in China, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As of December 31, 2012, the division operated 32 plants in six countries.

The Company competes with Ardagh Group, Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Can-Pack S.A., Metal Container Corporation, Mivisa Envases S.A.U., Rexam PLC and Silgan Holdings Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Crown Holdings Inc.(CCK) cut its third-quarter earnings guidance on lower end-user demand in some of the food-and-beverage packaging company’s markets, including European food cans and North American beverage cans.

Top 5 Growth Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Greif Inc (GEF)

Greif, Inc., incorporated on January 25, 1926, is a producer of industrial packaging products and services with manufacturing facilities located in over 50 countries. The Company offers a line of industrial packaging products, such as steel, fiber and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles and reconditioned containers, and services such as container lifecycle management, blending, filling and other packaging services, logistics and warehousing. It also produces containerboard and corrugated products for niche markets in North America. It sells timber to third parties from its timberland in the south-eastern United States. It has four segments: Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services, Flexible Products & Services, Paper Packaging and Land Management.

Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services

In the Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services, the Company is a provider of rigid industrial packaging products, including steel, fiber and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles and reconditioned containers, and services, such as container lifecycle management, blending, filling and other packaging services, logistics and warehousing. It sells industrial packaging products to customers in industries, such as chemicals, paints and pigments, food and beverage, petroleum, industrial coatings, agricultural, pharmaceutical and mineral, among others.

Flexible Products and Services segment

In the Flexible Products and Services segment, the Company is a producer of flexible intermediate bulk containers and a North American provider of industrial and consumer multiwall bag products. Its flexible intermediate bulk containers consist of a polypropylene-based woven fabric that is partly produced at its production sites, as well as sourced from strategic regional sup! pliers. Its industrial and consumer multiwall bag products are used to ship a range of industrial and consumer products, such as seed, fertilizers, chemicals, concrete, flour, sugar, feed, pet foods, popcorn, charcoal and salt, primarily for the agricultural, chemical, building products and food industries.

Paper Packaging segment

In the Paper Packaging segment, the Company sells containerboard, corrugated sheets and other corrugated products to customers in North America in industries such as packaging, automotive, food and building products. Its corrugated container products are used to ship such products as home appliances, small machinery, grocery products, building products, automotive components, books and furniture, as well as numerous other applications. Operations related to industrial and consumer multiwall bag products have been reclassified to Flexible Products and Services segment.

Land Management segment

In the Land Management segment, the Company is focused on the active harvesting and regeneration of the United States timber properties to achieve long-term yields. It also sells, from time to time, timberland and special use land, which consists of surplus land, HBU land and development land. As of October 31, 2013, it owned approximately 252,475 acres of timber property in the southeastern United States and approximately 10,300 acres of timber property in Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  For those of you wondering if Greif Brothers Cooperage has any relation to Greif (GEF) ��yes. It has every relation. It�� the same exact company. And it�� still in pretty much the same business. They used to just make barrels. Now they make all kinds of different drums, containers, etc. That�� not a very big change for a company to make over 60 years or so.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Weyerhaeuser Company(WY)

Weyerhaeuser Company, a forest products company, grows and harvests trees, builds homes, and manufactures forest products worldwide. It grows and harvests trees for use as lumber, other wood and building products, and pulp and paper. The company manages 6.4 million acres of private commercial forestland; and has long-term licenses on 13.9 million acres of forestland. It also offers timber; minerals, such as rock, sand, and gravel, as well as oil and gas to construction and energy markets; logs; timberland tracts; and seed and seedlings, poles, plywood, and hardwood lumber products. In addition, the company provides structural lumber products for structural framing; engineered lumber products for floor and roof joists, and headers and beams; structural panels for structural sheathing, subflooring, and stair treading for wood products dealers, do-it-yourself retailers, builders, and industrial users. Further, it offers building products comprising cedar, decking, siding, ins ulation, rebar, and engineered lumber connectors. Additionally, the company offers fluff pulp for use in sanitary disposable products; papergrade pulp for printing and writing papers, and tissues; specialty chemical cellulose pulp for use in textiles, absorbent products, specialty packaging, and high-bulking fibers; liquid packaging board converted into containers; and slush and wet lap pulp for manufacturing paper products. It also constructs single-family houses, as well as develops residential lots and land for construction and sale; and master-planned communities with mixed-use property. The company sells its cellulose fibers products through direct sales network, and liquid packaging products directly to carton and food product packaging converters; and wood products through sales organizations and distribution facilities. Weyerhaeuser Company has been elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Federal Way, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Why are REITs under fire?
  Congress has been looking at a number of potential revenue-raising measures lately, so provisions that involve corporate tax breaks are a natural place to look. Moreover, many companies have been looking to take advantage of REIT status for all or a part of their operations, leading to concerns that the REIT format is being abused. Forest-products and timber giant Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY  ) converted itself to a REIT back in 2010, using its extensive timberland holdings as justification for the move. But recently, even casino operator Penn National Gaming has looked into putting its real-property holdings into a separate REIT as a possible tax-savings mechanism, with the company having gained the support of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week to take the step toward REIT status.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Iberpapel Gestion SA (IBG)

Iberpapel Gestion SA is a Spain-based holding company engaged in the paper industry. The Company operates through three divisions: Forestry, involved in the acquisition and cultivation of eucalyptus plantations in Argentina, Uruguay and Spain; Industrial, focused on the production of bleached pulp and paper products, and Commercial, specialized on the distribution of products such as printing and photocopy paper, offset paper, light-coated paper, laser printing paper, paper bags and envelopes. The Company�� subsidiaries include Distribuidora Papelera SA, Moliner Dominguez y Cia SA, Ibereucaliptos SA, Papelera Guipuzcoana de Zicunaga SA, Central de Suministros de Artes Graficas Papel SA and Copaimex SA, among others. The Company�� major shareholders include ONCHENA, SL and BESTINVER GESTION, SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The top contributing stock for the quarter was Saft Groupe (XPAR:SAFT).� The company has two main divisions: the Specialty Battery Group (SBG), which makes lithium batteries for various end markets including satellites, utility meters and military applications; and the Industrial Battery Group (IBG), which produces rechargeable nickel and lithium-ion batteries for industrial back-up power, aviation, rail, telecom and energy storage industries.�

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  The top contributing stock for the quarter was Saft Groupe (XPAR:SAFT).� The company has two main divisions: the Specialty Battery Group (SBG), which makes lithium batteries for various end markets including satellites, utility meters and military applications; and the Industrial Battery Group (IBG), which produces rechargeable nickel and lithium-ion batteries for industrial back-up power, aviation, rail, telecom and energy storage industries.�

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: UPM-Kymmene Corporation (UPM1V)

UPM-Kymmene Corporation is a Finland-based paper and forest products company. The Company operates, along with its subsidiaries, in three segments: the Energy and Pulp segment is divided into three units: Energy, which includes the Company�� hydropower plant and shares in energy companies; Pulp, which includes the Company�� pulp mills, and Foster and Timber, which includes forests, wood procurement, sawmills and further processing; the Paper segment includes the Company�� paper mills, producing magazine paper, newsprint, fine papers, and specialty papers, and the Engineered materials segment is structured into two units: Label, which includes label-stock factories and slitting, and distribution terminals, and Plywood, which includes plywood mills. The Company�� other operations include the wood plastic composite unit, development units and logistic services. On October 2, 2013, it completed the sale of the wood processing mill in Aigrefeuille d'Aunis, to Groupe FP Bois. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  UPM-Kymmene (UPM1V), a rival maker of paper, dropped 1.9 percent to 10.23 euros.

  Aryzta surged 4 percent to 60.45 Swiss francs, the biggest gain since March 28. The owner of bakery brands including Delice de France and Otis Spunkmeyer posted full-year revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($6.1 billion), beating analysts��estimates of 4.43 billion euros. The company also forecast a double-digit percentage gain in 2014 earnings.

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  UPM-Kymmene Oyj (UPM1V) fell 3.9 percent to 12.18 euros. UBS AG lowered Europe�� second-largest papermaker to sell from neutral. The brokerage said that demand for the company�� product will not recover in Europe and that the industry will probably reduce its capacity next year.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Bemis Company Inc (BMS)

Bemis Company, Inc., incorporated on May 18, 1885, is a manufacturer of packaging products and pressure sensitive materials. The Company's business activities are organized around its three reportable business segments, U.S. Packaging , Global Packaging and Pressure Sensitive Materials. The majority of the Company�� products are sold to customers in the food industry. Other customers include companies businesses, such as chemical, agribusiness, medical, pharmaceutical, personal care, electronics, automotive, construction, graphic industries and other consumer goods. In July 2013, Bemis Company Inc acquired all of the common stock of Foshan New Changsheng Plastics Films Co., LTD.

The Company�� flexible packaging businesses has a technical base in polymer chemistry, film extrusion, coating, laminating, printing, and converting. The Company�� pressure sensitive materials business specializes in adhesive technologies. On August 22, 2012, the Company acquired two flexible packaging businesses in Australia and New Zealand.

U.S. Packaging segment

The U.S. Packaging segment represents all food, consumer, and industrial products packaging-related manufacturing operations located in the United States. This segment manufactures multilayer polymer, blown and cast film structures to produce packaging sold for food and personal care product applications as well as non-food applications. Additional products include custom thermoformed packaging, and multiwall paper bags. Markets for these products include processed and fresh meat, liquids, frozen foods, cereals, snacks, cheese, coffee, condiments, candy, pet food, bakery, seed, lawn and garden, tissue, fresh produce, personal care and hygiene, disposable diapers, agribusiness, and minerals. This segment has 35 manufacturing plants located in 16 states, of which 32 are owned directly by the Company or its subsidiaries and three are leased from outside parties.

Global Packaging segment

The ! Global Packaging segment includes all packaging-related manufacturing operations located outside of the United States as well as global medical device and pharmaceutical packaging manufacturing operations. This segment manufactures multilayer polymer, blown and cast film structures to produce packaging sold for a variety of food, medical, pharmaceutical, personal care, and industrial applications. Additional products include injection molded plastic and folding carton packaging. Markets for these products include processed and fresh meat, liquids, snacks, cheese, coffee, condiments, candy, bakery, tissue, fresh produce, personal care and hygiene, disposable diapers, agribusiness, pharmaceutical, and medical devices. This segment has 32 manufacturing plants located in three United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and ten non-United States countries, of which 26 are owned directly by the Company or its subsidiaries and six are leased from outside parties.

Pressure Sensitive Materials segment

The Pressure Sensitive Materials segment is a global manufacturer of pressure sensitive adhesive coated paper and film substrates sold into label, graphic, and technical product markets. Products for label markets include narrow-Web rolls of pressure sensitive paper, film, and metalized film printing stocks used in high-speed printing and die-cutting. Products for graphic markets include pressure sensitive films used for decorative signage through computer-aided plotters, digital and screen printers, and photographic overlaminate and mounting materials including optically clear films with built-in ultraviolet (UV) inhibitors. Products for technical markets include micro-thin film adhesives used in delicate electronic parts assembly and pressure sensitive applications utilizing foam and tape based stocks to perform fastening and mounting functions. This segment has seven manufacturing plants located in three states and two non-United States countries, all of which are owned directly b! y the Com! pany or its subsidiaries.

The Company competes with Amcor Limited, Berry Plastics Corporation, Bryce Corporation, Exopack Company, Hood Packaging Corporation, Printpack, Inc., Sealed Air Corporation, Sonoco Products Company, Wihuri OY, Winpak ltd, 3M, Acucote, Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation, FLEXcon Corporation, Green Bay Packaging Inc., Ricoh Company, Ltd., Ritrama Inc., Spinnaker Industries, Inc., Technicote Inc., UPM-Kymmene Corporation, and Wausau Coated Products Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jessica Alling]

  Leaders and laggards
  Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) is at the top of the class this morning with a 5.19% gain following some extremely encouraging news about its latest experimental drug,�lambrolizumab. Aimed at unleashing the powers of a patient's own immune system, the drug disables the immune system cells' prevention method that curbs its attack on cancer cells -- a protein called the programmed death 1 receptor, or PD-1. Merck's drug has shown a 38% rate in tumor reduction in patients with advanced melanoma, and up to 52% in patients who received the highest dosage of the drug. Though the patients have not undergone the trial for a long enough period yet, the results are attracting attention for matching the current treatments from two Bristol-Meyers Squibb (NYSE: BMS  ) drugs, Yervoy and nivolumab, with potentially milder side effects. The news is great for Merck investors, as the company has only played a small part in oncology treatments to date.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Looking to increase its presence and market share in Asia, specialty packaging maker Bemis (NYSE: BMS  ) announced today it was acquiring a Chinese manufacturer of specialty films, Foshan New Changsheng Plastics Films.�

• [By The Part-time Investor]

  The following stocks met the criteria in January of 2008 and were put into the initial portfolio:

  Abbot Labs (ABT)Advanced data processing (ADP)Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC)Bank of America (BAC)BB&T Corp. (BBT)Bemis Company (BMS)Anheuser Busch (BUD)The Chubb Corporation (CB)Clorox (CLX)Comerica Inc. (CMA)Diebold Inc. (DBD)Emerson Electronics (EMR)First Dollar Corp. (FDO)First Third BanCorp. (FITB)Gannett Co, Inc. (GCI)General Electric (GE)Hershey (HSY)Illinois Tools Works (ITW)Johnson and Johnson (JNJ)Leggett and Platt (LEG)Eli Lilly (LLY)La-Z-Boy (LZB)McDonald's (MCD)Marsh and Ilsley (MI)M&T Bancorp (MTB)PepsiCo (PEP)Pfizer (PFE)Procter & Gamble (PG)Pentair Ltd. (PNR)Regions Financial Corp. (RF)Rohm and Haas (ROH)RPM International (RPM)Sherwin Williams (SHW)Sysco Corp. (SYY)UDR Inc. (UDR)

  Historical quotes were taken from Yahoo Finance. $10,000 was put into each position, to the nearest whole share, so a total of $349,262.89 was invested. From 1/15/08 through 5/16/13 all dividends were reinvested back into the stock that paid them. If a dividend cut was announced, that stock was sold on the ex-div date of the new, lower dividend.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: International Paper Co (IP)

International Paper Company (International Paper), incorporated on June 23, 1941, is a global paper and packaging company, with primary markets and manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. The Company operates in four segments: Industrial Packaging, Printing Papers, Consumer Packaging and Distribution. As of December 31, 2012, in the United States, the Company operated 28 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 187 converting and packaging plants, 18 recycling plants and three bag facilities. Production facilities as of December 31, 2012 in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America included 11 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 65 converting and packaging plants, and two recycling plants. It distribute printing, packaging, graphic arts, maintenance and industrial products principally through over 88 distribution branches in the United States and 32 distribution branches located in Canada, Mexico and Asia. As of December 31, 2012, it owned or managed approximately 327,000 acres of forestland in Brazil and had, through licenses and forest management agreements, harvesting rights on government-owned forestlands in Russia. On July 2, 2012, it sold Ontario and Oxnard (Hueneme), California containerboard mills to New-Indy Containerboard LLC, and its New Johnsonville, Tennessee containerboard mill to Hood Container Corporation. On January 3, 2013, it acquired joint venture partner, Sabanci Holding.

Industrial Packaging

International Paper is a manufacturer of containerboard in the United States. Its production capacity is about 14 million tons annually. The Company�� products include linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium and saturating kraft. About 80% of its production is converted domestically into corrugated boxes and other packaging by its 178 United States container plants. In addition, it recycles approximately one million tons of old corrugated containers (OCC) and mixed and white paper through ! our 20 recycling plants. In Europe, our operations include one recycled fiber containerboard mill in Morocco and 20 container plants in France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco. In Asia, its operations include 19 container plants in China and additional container plants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its container plants are supported by regional design centers, which offer total packaging solutions and supply chain initiatives.

Printing Papers

International Paper is a producer of printing and writing papers. Products in this segment include uncoated and coated papers, uncoated bristols and pulp. This business produces papers for use in copiers, desktop and laser printers and digital imaging. End use applications include advertising and promotional materials, such as brochures, pamphlets, greeting cards, books, annual reports and direct mail. Uncoated papers also produce a variety of grades that are converted by its customers into envelopes, tablets, business forms and file folders. Uncoated papers are sold under private label and International Paper brand names that include Hammermill, Springhill, Williamsburg, Postmark, Accent, Great White, Chamex, Ballet, Rey, Pol and Svetocopy. The mills producing uncoated papers are located in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, Brazil and India. The mills have uncoated paper production capacity of approximately five million tons annually.

Pulp products include fluff, and southern softwood pulp, as well as southern and birch hardwood paper pulps. These products are produced in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, and Brazil and are sold around the world. International Paper facilities have annual dried pulp capacity of about 1.7 million tons.

Consumer Packaging

International Paper is a producer of solid bleached sulfate board with annual United States production capacity of about 1.7 million tons. Its coated paperboard business produces coated paperboard for a variety of packag! ing and c! ommercial printing end uses. Its Everest, Fortress, and Starcote brands are used in packaging applications for everyday products, such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, computer software and tobacco products. Its Carolina brand is used in commercial printing end uses, such as greeting cards, paperback book covers, lottery tickets, direct mail and point-of-purchase advertising. Its United States capacity is supplemented by about 365,000 tons of capacity at its mills producing coated board in Poland and Russia and by its International Paper & Sun Cartonboard Co., Ltd. joint venture in China, which has annual capacity of 1.0 million tons. Its Foodservice business produces cups, lids, food containers and plates through three domestic plants and four international facilities.

Distribution

xpedx, the Company�� North American merchant distribution business, distributes products and services to a number of customer markets, including commercial printers with printing papers and graphic pre-press, printing presses and post-press equipment; building services and away-from-home markets with facility supplies; manufacturers with packaging supplies and equipment, and to a number of customers, it provides distribution capabilities, including warehousing and delivery services. xpedx is the wholesale distribution marketer in these customer and product segments in North America, operating 108 warehouse locations in the United States and Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Diane Alter]

  Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September

  Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packaging products in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)

Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

  Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

  When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.

Top 10 Paper Companies To Buy Right Now: Domtar Corp (UFS)

Domtar Corporation, incorporated on August 16, 2006, designs, manufactures, markets and distributes a range of fiber-based products, including communication papers, specialty and packaging papers and adult incontinence products. The Company operates in three business segments: Pulp and Paper, Distribution and Personal Care. Its Pulp and Paper segment consists of the manufacturing, sale and distribution of communication, specialty and packaging papers, as well as softwood, fluff and hardwood market pulp. The Company�� Distribution segment includes the purchasing, warehousing, sale and distribution of its paper products and those of other manufacturers. These products include business and printing papers, certain industrial products and printing supplies. Its Personal Care segment consists of the manufacturing, sale and distribution of adult incontinence products.The Company is an integrated marketer and manufacturer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America for a variety of customers, including merchants, retail outlets, stationers, printers, publishers, converters and end-users. The Company produces incontinence care products marketed primarily under the Attends brand. The Company owns and operates Ariva. On May 10, 2012, the Company acquired EAM Corporation. In June 2013, the Company announced the completion of its acquisition of Xerox Corp paper and print media products business in the United States and Canada. In July 2013, Domtar Corp announced that completion of the acquisition of Associated Hygienic Products (AHP) from DSG International. In January 2014, the Company acquired Laboratorios Indas, SAU.

Pulp and Paper

The Company produces 4.2 million metric tons of hardwood, softwood and fluff pulp at 12 of its 13 mills. The majority of its pulp is consumed internally to manufacture paper and consumer products, with the balance being sold as market pulp. The Company also purchases papergrade pulp from third parties. The Company has 10 pulp and paper mills (eight in the! United States and two in Canada), with an annual paper production capacity of approximately 3.4 million tons of uncoated freesheet paper. Its paper manufacturing operations are supported by 15 converting and distribution operations, including a network of 12 plants located offsite of its paper making operations. In addition, it has forms manufacturing operations at three offsite converting and distribution operations. Approximately 81% of its paper production capacity is in the United States, and the remaining 19% is located in Canada.

The Company produces market pulp in excess of its internal requirements at its three non-integrated pulp mills in Kamloops, Dryden, and Plymouth, as well as at its pulp and paper mills in Espanola, Ashdown, Hawesville, Windsor, Marlboro and Nekoosa. The Company sells approximately 1.6 million metric tons of pulp per year depending on market conditions. Approximately 50% of its trade pulp production capacity is in the United States, and the remaining 50% is located in Canada. The fiber used by its pulp and paper mills in the United States is hardwood and softwood, both being readily available in the market from multiple third-party sources. The fiber used at its Windsor pulp and paper mill is hardwood originating from a variety of sources, including purchases on the open market in Canada and the United States, contracts with Quebec wood producers��marketing boards, public land where it has wood supply allocations and from its private lands. The softwood and hardwood fiber for its Espanola pulp and paper mill and the softwood fiber for its Dryden pulp mill, is obtained from third parties, directly or indirectly from public lands, through designated wood supply allocations for the pulp mills. The fiber used at the Company�� Kamloops pulp mill is all softwood, originating from third-party sawmilling operations in the southern-interior part of British Columbia.

The Company uses various chemical compounds in its pulp and paper manufacturing facili! ties that! it purchases, primarily on a central basis, through contracts. For pulp manufacturing, it uses numerous chemicals, including caustic soda, sodium chlorate, sulfuric acid, lime and peroxide. For paper manufacturing, it also uses several chemical products, including starch, precipitated calcium carbonate, optical brighteners, dyes and aluminum sulfate. It owns power generating assets, including steam turbines, at all of its integrated pulp and paper mills, as well as hydro assets at four locations: Espanola, Ottawa-Hull, Nekoosa and Rothschild. The Company�� business papers include copy and electronic imaging papers, which are used with ink jet and laser printers, photocopiers and plain-paper fax machines, as well as computer papers, preprinted forms and digital papers. These products are primarily for office and home use. The Company�� commercial printing and publishing papers include uncoated freesheet papers, such as offset papers and opaques. These uncoated freesheet grades are used in sheet and roll fed offset presses across the spectrum of commercial printing end-uses, including digital printing. Its publishing papers include tradebook and lightweight uncoated papers used primarily in book publishing applications, such as textbooks, dictionaries, catalogs, magazines, hard cover novels and financial documents. Design papers, a sub-group of commercial printing and publishing papers, have features of color, brightness and texture and are targeted towards graphic artists, design and advertising agencies, primarily for special brochures and annual reports. These products also include base papers that are converted into finished products, such as envelopes, tablets, business forms and data processing/computer forms.

The Company also produces paper for several specialty and packaging markets. These products consist primarily of base stock for thermal printing, flexible packaging, food packaging, medical gowns and drapes, sandpapers backing, carbonless printing, labels and other coating a! nd lamina! ting applications. The Company also manufactures papers for industrial and specialty applications, including carrier papers, treated papers, security papers and specialized printing and converting applications. The Company sells business papers primarily to paper stationers, merchants, office equipment manufacturers and retail outlets. The Company distributes uncoated commercial printing and publishing papers to end-users and commercial printers, mainly through paper merchants, as well as selling directly to converters. The Company sells its specialty and packaging papers mainly to converters, who apply a further production process, such as coating, laminating, folding or waxing to its papers before selling them to a variety of specialized end-users.

Distribution

The Company's Distribution business involves the purchasing, warehousing, sale and distribution of the Company's various products and those of other manufacturers. These products include business, printing and publishing papers and certain packaging products. These products are sold to diverse customer base, which includes small, medium and large commercial printers, publishers, quick copy firms, catalog and retail companies and institutional entities. The Company's Distribution business operates in the United States and Canada under a single banner and umbrella name, Ariva. Ariva operates throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest areas from 16 locations in the United States, including 12 distribution centers serving customers across North America.

Personal Care

The Company's Personal Care business sells and manufactures adult incontinence products and distributes disposable washcloths marketed primarily under the Attends brand name. The Company is a supplier of adult incontinence products sold into North America and Northern Europe, selling to hospitals (acute cares) and nursing homes (long-term care) and the Company has a growing presence in the homecare and retail channels. The C! ompany op! erates two manufacturing facilities, with each having the ability to produce multiple product categories. The Company also has a research and development facility and production lines which manufacture high quality airlaid and ultrathin laminated absorbent cores.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Saibus Research]

  Weyerhaeuser is the largest forest products real estate investment trust in the United States. Weyerhaeuser grows and harvests trees, builds homes and makes a range of forest products essential to everyday lives. The company has undergone a dramatic level of strategic and organizational level change over the past several years in the wake of its debt-funded hostile takeover of Willamette Industries in 2002. In 2006, Weyerhaeuser agreed to spin off its fine paper business under a split-off transaction with Domtar (UFS). Under the terms of the deal, Weyerhaeuser would spin-off the fine paper business and the business would merge with Domtar Inc to create Domtar Corporation. Weyerhaeuser has four business segments as follows:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Specialty paper maker�Domtar� (NYSE: UFS  ) �wrote it all down yesterday: it�will pay a�regular quarterly dividend�of $0.55 per share that's 22% higher than the $0.45 per share payout it made last quarter. Shareholders of record on June 14 will receive the new dividend rate at the close of business on July 15.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  CAPS, a stock-tracking game developed by The Motley Fool, is a great way to keep track of long-term picks even when they fall off of your watchlist.�In the following video, Fool.com contributor and active CAPS community member, Maxx Chatsko, explains why he hasn't given up on his CAPS pick of�Domtar� (NYSE: UFS  ) . He believes this company's progress has not been adequately rewarded by the market in the last six months, but feels as confident as ever that it presents a great opportunity for investors hunting for a great dividend or an undervalued and under-the-radar growth opportunity. You can follow all of his CAPS picks by clicking on the link in the disclosure below.�

IRS to Treat Bitcoin as Property for Tax Purposes

Bitcoin’s vagabond days may be drawing to a close.

The IRS on Tuesday issued a notice saying it would treat virtual currency such as bitcoin as property for federal tax purposes. “General tax principles applicable to property transactions apply to transactions using virtual currency.”

Bitcoin users who have operated largely without government oversight since the digital currency’s introduction in 2009 now have to think about tax implications and reporting.

They may be subject to capital gains taxes, in contrast to individual traders in international currency markets, who treat gains and losses as real income when filing tax returns.

The bitcoin decision has a number of implications laid out by the IRS in a set of frequently asked questions.

Wages paid to employees in virtual currency are taxable to the employee. An employer must report these on a W-2 form. And they are subject to federal income tax withholding and payroll taxes.

In addition, payments using virtual currency made to independent contractors and other service providers are taxable, and self-employment tax rules generally apply. Payers normally must issue Form 1099.

The character of gain or loss from the sale or exchange of virtual currency depends on whether the virtual currency is a capital asset — like stocks, bonds and other investment property — in the hands of the taxpayer.

If it is, a taxpayer generally realizes capital gain or loss.

If the sale or exchange of virtual currency is not a capital asset in the taxpayer’s hands—e.g., inventory and other property held mainly for sale to customers in a trade or business—the taxpayer generally realizes ordinary gain or loss.

In addition, payment made using virtual currency is subject to information reporting to the same extent as any other payment made in property. 

 

Disney's Numerous Future Potential Growth Catalysts

Source: Disney.com.

Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) recently announced a lot of news at once. This news includes a third installment to the Cars franchise, a second installment to The Incredibles franchise, and new information about Star Wars: Episode VII. Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion back in 2012, giving it the rights to the Star Wars franchise. 

Future installments
Cars 3 and The Incredibles 2 are both set to be released after 2015. In order to determine the potential for these two films, we must look at past results.

The original Cars had a production budget of $120 million. It grossed $244 million at the domestic box office and $462 million at the worldwide box office.

The sequel, Cars 2, didn't perform as well at the domestic box office, but it performed better than the original at the worldwide box office. This likely stemmed from the movie taking place overseas. This seemed to be a strategic move by Disney, but domestic moviegoers felt let down. Cars 2 had a production budget of $200 million. It grossed $191 million at the domestic box office and $560 million at the worldwide box office. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if Disney goes for the domestic or international moviegoer. 

The Incredibles had a production budget of just $92 million. It went on to gross $261 million at the domestic box office and $631 million at the worldwide box office.

Then there's Star Wars.

Star Wars news
Disney hasn't given much away, but there are some clues. These clues include that some very familiar faces will be in Star Wars: Episode VII and that there will be a trio of new young leads. The only character that we know is certainly returning is R2-D2.

We also know that JJ Abrams is the director, that John Williams is still the composer, and that Disney's open auditions called for a street smart orphan girl in her late teens as well as a smart and capable male in his late teens or early 20s. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, Adam Driver will play the villain.

Disney's approach of dropping small hints every once in a while is brilliant. In marketing, it has been proven that this is an effective approach, as it heightens consumer excitement. 

Other reasons to consider Disney
In addition to the above potential growth catalysts, which should further improve brand recognition, Disney owns ABC, ESPN, and all Disney channels; it's a retailer; and it's a theme park operator. This diversification is what makes Disney so attractive to many investors. If one segment falters, another sector often picks up the slack. Below is a breakdown of revenue per segment for fiscal-year 2013:

Fiscal Year 2013

Revenue

Media Networks	$20.36 Billion
Parks and Resorts	$14.09 Billion
Studio Entertainment	$5.98 Billion
Consumer Products	$3.56 Billion
Interactive	$1.06 Billion

Source: Statista.com

Disney's future potential with Cars, The Incredibles, and Star Wars franchises can lead to revenue gains in each segment. In addition to aforementioned growth potential areas, these brands can be leveraged to the television market, implemented in theme parks, and be made into video games. Therefore, these brands go well beyond the box office.  

Of course, Star Wars: Episode VII should be a massive success. The movie wouldn't even have to impress moviegoers to sell tickets. The brand is that strong. And in addition to future installments for the Cars and The Incredibles franchises, Frozen will have a sequel and a show on Broadway, and Shanghai Disney Resort is set to open on Dec. 31, 2015. Shanghai is a wealthy and highly populated city with more than 14 million people -- a very good combination for Disney.

Disney also stacks up well against entertainment giants Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) and Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOXA  ) . First, consider top-line performances over the past year:

DIS Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts. 

Twenty-First Century Fox has grown its top line the fastest, and that should be recognized. However, Twenty-First Century Fox doesn't have anything close to what Disney has in future growth catalysts.

Twenty-First Century Fox did deliver a 15% increase in revenue in the second quarter, primarily thanks to the inclusion of Sky Deutschland revenue and a 14% boost in affiliate revenue growth in its Cable Networking Program segment. 

In regards to filmed entertainment and future brand potential, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Walking with Dinosaurs don't compare to what Disney has to offer. 

Furthermore, while Twenty-First Century Fox is impressive, it doesn't compare to Disney in merchandising potential. With all the aforementioned movie brands, Disney will have extraordinary merchandising opportunities, especially with Star Wars. 

As far as Time Warner goes, it has been growing the slowest, but it does offer a 1.9% dividend yield, higher than Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox at 1.1% and 0.8%, respectively. This might entice dividend investors, but Disney is very capable of increasing capital returns to shareholders in the future.

Time Warner's fourth-quarter revenue improved 5% to $8.6 billion in the fourth quarter. TBS (cables #1 network in primetime among adults 18-49), TNT (#2 network in total day among adults 25-54), and HBO (most Primetime Emmy Awards of any network) all performed well. Warner Bros. delivered hits Gravity and Her.  

Looking ahead, The Lego Movie may inspire a sequel, and 300: Rise of an Empire continues a successful brand. However, while everything is well at Time Warner, its brands can't be leveraged to the same extent that Disney can leverage its brands. 

The Foolish takeaway
Disney has several potential future growth catalysts, partially in thanks to the ability to leverage some of these brands across all segments: added installments to Cars and The Incredibles, a sequel and Broadway show for Frozen, Star Wars: Episode VII, and Shanghai Disney Resort. While nothing is a guarantee, it would be difficult to find another company that is so fiscally sound and "mature" while also offering significant future growth potential. However, please do your own research prior to making any investment decisions. 

Disney is very impressive, but it's not Motley Fool's top pick for the year....
There's a huge difference between a good stock and a stock that can make you rich. The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for 2014, and it's one of those stocks that could make you rich. You can find out which stock it is in the special free report "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2014." Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

 

Fears of rising rates killing bull overblown?

NEW YORK — Will rising interest rates crush stocks? Wall Street bears fear the worst. But history says the fear is overblown.

The performance of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index in periods when the 10-year Treasury note is rising has actually been positive, according to an analysis by Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ.

Last week, stocks hit a rough patch when Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the Fed could start hiking short-term rates, currently pegged near 0%, within six months of the end of its bond-buying program. That pushed up the timetable for the first rate hike to as early as April 2015, sooner than the late-2015 date Wall Street was expecting. It also nudged long-term rates higher.

U.S. stocks kicked off the new week with a weaker tone, with the S&P 500 shedding 0.5% Monday.

TRACK YOUR STOCKS: Get real-time quotes with our free Portfolio Tracker

While low rates have been the main driving force behind the stock market's big move since the March 2009 low, an environment of slowly rising rates may not be as damaging as investors might think.

The 10-year Treasury note ticked down to 2.73% Monday, up from its 2014 low of 2.58% but below the 3.03% yield at the end of 2013.

Some quick statistics:

• Commodities, stocks and real estate investment trusts all posted positive monthly returns, on average, during months when the yield on the 10-year note was rising, data since the end of 1976 show. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% per month.

"Commodities, stocks and REITs are natural inflation hedges," says Stovall. "Higher rates are (also) usually a sign of improved economic conditions."

• The S&P 500 didn't start to feel the pain of higher rates and suffer median monthly declines until the 10-year note rose above 6%, data since 1953 show.

"6% is the line in the sand," says Stovall.

But he throws in a caveat: "This time around stock prices may not wait until the 10-year note hits 6%, sin! ce the climb started from such a low level," says Stovall. The speed at which the 10-year note rises is also key. The faster rates rise, the more potential for stocks to react badly, he adds.

The good news: Stocks have risen a median 1.9% monthly when rates were rising and the 10-year was below 3%, as it is now, the data show.

• Cyclical stocks fare best. When rates are rising, stocks that are economically sensitive, or those that do well when the economy is improving, post the best performance. Since 1970, the best average monthly returns were posted by tech stocks (+0.76%), energy names (+0.72%) and materials shares (+0.58%), S&P Capital IQ data show.

The laggards? Rate-sensitive stocks, such as telecom services (-0.17%), financials (-0.25%) and utilities (-0.66%).

The muted rise in yields so far is not a major threat to stocks, but that could change quickly, says Richard Suttmeier, chief market strategist at ValueEngine.com.

"The higher the yields rise on long-term government bonds the more expensive the stock market gets vs. bonds," he says. "If yields on the 30-year bond spike to, say, 5%, investors will likely want to lock in a sure thing and buy bonds. Rising rates will eventually be an impediment to stocks, but we are not there yet."

NCAA $1 Billion Bracket: What to Do (and Not Do) If You Win

It seems nearly unimaginable to actually win the lottery. Odds are often one in 270 million, but for the lucky one or few of each lotto winning there are instant empires built. Now there is something even larger than Friday night’s $353 million Power Ball lottery. There is an NCAA $1 billion prize for whoever can pick the perfect bracket.

The $1 billion bracket is sponsored by Quicken Loans, but it is insured by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A). Yahoo! Sports even has a sign-up page. What is so different about winning the NCAA bracket versus the lottery is not actually the size. Whether you win $1 billion or $353 million, chances are high that this is dynasty money. The real difference is that millions of people each year throw away endless money at the lottery, never winning a dime. The NCAA bracket is open to anyone. So, what to do if you win?

24/7 Wall St. recently came up with a 12-step what to do (and not do) plan for lottery winners. The reality is that this plan is almost the exact same plan that anyone who wins the bracket should do. It is also the same plan that anyone who wins a big legal judgment or unexpectedly inherits a lot of money should follow.

Top Long Term Stocks To Watch For 2014

Can you imagine winning millions of dollars, or hundreds of millions of dollars, and then ending up bankrupt in a few short years? It happens. 24/7 Wall St. does not want this to happen to you.

Among the actions you must immediately take are securing your position, getting proper financial and tax advice before you even go get the money, protecting yourself from friends and family (and even from yourself) and many other things.

Again, the odds of winning a lottery are astounding. A figure thrown around about the odds of winning the $1 billion NCAA bracket from USA Today Sports has been put at one in 9.2 quintillion. That does not seem right, and certainly many people have decided to run algorithms and programs out the you-know-what to try to better predict the outcomes of each and every game.

Many people will be thinking about (and talking about) what they would do if they win the $353 million lottery or the $1 billion NCAA bracket. 24/7 Wall St. already has a guide of what winners should do immediately. With great success comes great responsibility.

VOICES: Yellen takes charge at the Fed

WASHINGTON — When Janet Yellen stepped to the podium for her first news conference as Federal Reserve chair on Wednesday, she had something to prove.

Not because she's the first woman to lead the world's most powerful central bank in its 100-year history.

But because she has been widely labeled a "dove."

In Fedspeak, a dove is a someone who cares more about lowering unemployment than heading off potential inflation, and so is more likely to keep interest rates low to spur economic activity. A hawk is the opposite — a policymaker more inclined to raise rates sooner because of the fear of inflation.

FED: Changes guidance on raising rates

With the economy and job market improving but still far weaker than normal nearly five years after the end of the Great Recession, Yellen has a twofold mission. She has to prove her inflation-fighting bona fides while assuring those sensitive financial markets that low interest rates aren't going away anytime soon.

Yellen, who pushed the Fed to increase public communication while serving as vice chair to former Fed chief Ben Bernanke, generally achieved those aims, calmly and affably providing grist for doves and hawks alike.

But she also learned how easily her words can move markets. When she suggested, perhaps inadvertently, that short-term interest rates may rise sooner than most economists expect, she sent stocks swooning.

Fed news conferences are a relatively new phenomenon, started by Bernanke in 2011 in an effort to make the often cryptic ways of the Fed more accessible. The Brooklyn-born Yellen appeared a tad nervous at first. As she entered the press room to a blaze of lights and whirring cameras, she seemed to stumble slightly as she ascended to the podium.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Own Right Now

While Bernanke was, by turns, professorial and genial with reporters, Yellen was matter-of-fact as she met the! news media after presiding at her first Fed meeting. Always meticulous in her preparation, she read stiffly from her statement. But then Yellen took off her glasses and settled into a comfortable back-and-forth with reporters packed into an ornate room at Fed headquarters.

Yellen has often said that she became an economist to help people, and that was palpable. She said that "unemployment and long-term unemployment remain significant concerns,concerns that are hardly theoretical.

Stubborn long-term unemployment is a big reason why Yellen wants the Fed to keep short-term interest rates near zero after the Fed likely ends its monthly bond-buying stimulus program later this year.

Yellen also had encouraging words for the hawks, noting the job market has improved enough for the Fed to continue to wind down its bond buying.

Her balancing act got a bit wobbly when she was asked to clarify the Fed's statement that short-term rates would remain low for "a considerable time" after the bond-buying ends. Yellen said a considerable time could mean six months, a shorter period than many economists anticipated. Markets rapidly plunged.

Economist Paul Edelstein of IHS Global Insight called it "a rookie gaffe." UBS' Maury Harris said Yellen may have sent investors mixed messages. It was a quick lesson for Yellen about the market-rattling potential of even her most offhand comments.

But the new Fed chief seems ready to take responsibility for her actions. "In many ways," she told reporters, "I feel the buck stops with me."

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2014

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc.(CBST)

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products that address unmet medical needs in the acute care environment. The company markets CUBICIN (daptomycin for injection), a once-daily, bactericidal, intravenous, antibiotic with activity against gram-positive organisms, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. Its clinical development product pipeline consists of CXA-201, which is in the phase III clinical trial for patients with complicated urinary tract infections; and in phase II clinical trial for patients with complicated abdominal infections. The company is also developing CXA-201 for the treatment of hospital acquired pneumonia. In addition, its product under development comprises CB-183,315, an oral, bactericidal lipopeptide with in vitro bactericidal activity against C. difficile, for the treatment of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Further , the company?s pre-clinical programs include therapies to treat various bacterial infections and agents to treat acute pain. Additionally, it promotes MERREM I.V. (meropenem for injection), a carbapenem class intravenous antibiotic, in the United States under a commercial services agreement with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP; and DIFICID as the treatment for CDAD in adults under the co-promotion agreement with Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The company also has collaborations with Forma Therapeutics, Inc. to discover and develop antibacterial compounds; an agreement with the Broad Institute to transform natural products discovery; a collaboration with Hydra Biosciences, Inc., to develop ion channel drugs; and a collaboration agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for the development and commercialization of Alnylam's RNAi therapeutics as a therapy for t! he treatment of respiratory syncytial virus. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Lexington, Ma s sachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CBST  ) , a biopharmaceutical company devoted to developing acute care therapies, added 12% following the announcement of its second-quarter earnings results.

• [By Jake Keator]

  Shares of Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CBST  ) exploded upward on Friday, finishing up over 9%. The company reported strong second-quarter results Thursday, beating average analyst estimates for both revenue and EPS. Total net revenues were $258.8 million, up 12.2% over Q2 2012, while non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.42. Average analyst estimates were $254.73 million for revenue and EPS of $0.38.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST) share price is the beneficiary of an upgrade yesterday. Leerink Swann analyst Marko Kozul believes the biotech is headed to $76.

• [By Alyssa Oursler]

  Another company with a megatrend in its corner is Cubist Pharmaceuticals (CBST) — the midcap stock that will replace Smithfield Foods in the S&P 400.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-biotech-stocks-to-invest-in-2014.html

Top 10 Stocks To Watch For 2014

Top 10 Stocks To Watch For 2014: MAKO Surgical Corp.(MAKO)

MAKO Surgical Corp., a medical device company, markets its advanced robotic arm solution and orthopedic implants for orthopedic procedures in the United States and internationally. The company offers MAKOplasty, a restorative surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to treat patient specific osteoarthritic disease. It also provides robotic arm interactive orthopedic system (RIO) consisting of a tactile robotic arm utilizing an integrated bone cutting instrument; and a patient specific visualization component, which offers pre-operative and intra-operative guidance to the orthopedic surgeon, enabling tissue sparing bone removal, and accurate implant insertion and alignment. The company?s MAKOplasty partial knee arthroplasty solution enables resurfacing of one or two specific diseased compartments of the joint, preserving more soft tissue and healthy bone of the knee; and MAKOplasty Total Hip Arthroplasty, a surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to pe rform total hip arthroplasty. In addition, it offers tactile guidance system, which allows orthopedic surgeons to treat degenerative knee osteoarthritis from early-stage unicompartmental degeneration through mid-stage multicompartmental degeneration with a modular knee implant system; and RESTORIS family of implants for use in single and bicompartmental knee resurfacing procedures. The company markets its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent orthopedic product agents and distributors. MAKO Surgical Corp. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Intuitive Surgical's stock has been battered by worse-than-expected third-quarter results, which included the first year-over-year quarterly revenue decline in company history, coming on the heels of an underwhelming! second quarter this summer. Fool contributor Rupert Hargreaves notes that the FDA's initiated an investigation on Intuitive's da Vinci surgical robotics systems, after it found several discrepancies in its incident reports. As a result, quarterly sales of the da Vinci declined from 155 units to 101 units, a drop that can only be partly blamed on slowing demand for medical devices in the U.S. Intuitive may have underperformed compared to recently acquired MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO  ) and Accuray (NASDAQ: ARAY  ) over the past year, but it remains the 800-pound gorilla among these industry peers.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The companies that are hit hardest by the tax are those that are already unprofitable even before paying the new levy. For up-and-coming robotics-maker MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO  ) , which has already lost $32.5 million on revenue of slightly more than $100 million over the past 12 months, imposing what could be up to $2.3 million in additional medical-device taxes not only adds insult to injury but threatens MAKO's ability to keep growing.

• [By Steve Symington]

  With that in mind, here are two small cap stocks which are trading significantly below their 52-week-highs, and why I think you should buy them before they bounce back:

  Company Market Cap % Below 52-Week-High Recent Price CAPS Rating
  (out of five)  InvenSense (NYSE: INVN  ) $854 million 45% $10.15 *****  MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO  ) $532 million 74% $11.27 *****

  Source: Motley Fool CAPS

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-stocks-to-watch-for-2014.html

One Year's Enough

Given the likelihood of major supply and delivery problems that this company may face this year, MoneyShow's Jim Jubak has decided to sell his position, nearly a year since he first purchased shares.

I'm going to sell ENI S.p.A. (E) out of my Dividend Income portfolio today. The dividend portfolio is too energy-heavy for my liking at the moment, given that I think oil prices are likely to be flat to lower in 2014, and given the likelihood of major supply and delivery disruptions this year. ENI—with its exposure to supply problems in Libya, Nigeria, Mozambique, and former (so far at least) Soviet republics such as Kazakhstan, and its exposure on the demand side to the less-than-robustly growing Italian economy—currently offers an unattractive mixture of risk and reward.

When I bought ENI just about a year ago (March 25, 2013) for the portfolio, it traded at $46.04. It closed last week at $48.31, after getting some benefit from the "Ukrainian-sanctions-weren't-as-bad-as-expected" bounce. (ENI closed up 1.32% yesterday, on March 17.) I don't see the ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) moving significantly higher than yesterday's price over the next year and there's a good chance that supply disruptions, continued slow growth in Italy, and a modest decline in oil prices could take the ADRs lower.

Last year, the ADRs, which pay dividends twice a year in December and May, paid a yield of 4.9%. That's attractive—and since the Italian government still owns 30% of the company, there's little chance that the company will cut dividends—unless the stock falls in price.

Since my March 25, 2013 purchase, this position shows capital appreciation of 4.03% (as of the close on March 17) and dividends of 4.9%, for a total return of 9% in a few days less than a year.

Full disclosure: I don't own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this post in my personal portfolio. When in 2010 I started the mutual fund I manage, Jubak Global Equity Fund, I liquidated all my individual stock holdings and put the money into the fund. The fund may or may not now own positions in any stock mentioned in this post. The fund did not own shares of ENI as of the end of December. For a full list of the stocks in the fund see the fund's portfolio here.

Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now

Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is ! headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  News Corp (NWS)   (NWSA)  added 8.4%. The media company said late Thursday its fiscal second-quarter profit slid to $150 million, or 26 cents a share, from $1.4 billion, or $2.42 a share, a year ago. Last year's earnings were affected by a $1.3 billion gain from an acquisition. But on an adjusted basis, it earned 31 cents a share, ahead of the 21-cent profit forecast by analysts. News Corp is the parent of MarketWatch, the publisher of this report.

• [By Pato Kehoe]

  Quality video content has continuously increased in value over the past years, and this firm has a made a point of following the money trail by producing and broadcasting an ample amount of high quality products. From award winning shows like "Modern Family" or "The Simpsons," to its popular sports programming, Twenty-First Century Fox has constantly satisfied the market's thirst for entertainment. The News Corp (NWSA) spin-off, for one, was a highly beneficial strategy for this company, setting it apart as a pure-play entertainment firm. By concentrating resources and management on the cable network business and shaking off Rupert Murdoch's print segment, the firm was able to boost its EBITDA growth as well as its return on capital (ROC). The current metrics of 28.80% and 154% respectively are quite impressive and will be highly beneficial for investors if they can be sustained.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-media-stocks-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: KMP) announced on Monday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire American Petroleum Tankers (APT) and State Class Tankers (SCT) for nearly $1 billion in a combined transaction value. Monday’s move will be a big one for shipping tankers in the oil and gas sector.

The acquisition is from affiliates of Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) and Cerberus Capital Management. APT and SCT are both in the marine transportation of crude oil, condensate and refined products in the United States domestic trade. The total sum is for $962 million in cash.

Where this gets interesting is that Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE: KMI), the general partner of KMP, has agreed to waive its incentive distribution amounts of $16 million in 2014, $19 million in 2015 and $6 million in 2016 to facilitate the transaction.

APT’s fleet consists of five medium range tankers with 330,000 barrels of cargo capacity each. The APT fleet average of four years is also said to be one of the youngest fleet in the industry. Each is also operating under long-term time charters with high-quality counterparties and with an average remaining term of approximately four years plus renewal options of two years.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: UniTek Global Services Inc.(UNTK)

UniTek Global Services, Inc. provides outsourced infrastructure and technical services to the wireless and wireline telecommunications, satellite television, and broadband cable industries in the United States and Canada. Its services include network engineering and design services for underground plant construction, aerial infrastructure, and multi-dwelling content delivery; and construction and project management services for the cable and wireline telecommunication industries, which comprise systems engineering, aerial and underground construction, regular maintenance of the distribution facilities and networks, emergency services for accidents or storm damage, routine replacements, and upgrades of network overhauls. The company?s services also include comprehensive installation and fulfillment services that comprise residential and commercial installation, warehousing/logistics, call centers, inventory management, customer service compliance, fleet management, and ris k and safety related services. In addition, it offers wireless telecommunication infrastructure services, which include communications infrastructure equipment construction and installation; radio frequency and network design, and engineering; radio transmission base station installation and modification; in-building network design, engineering, and construction; and site acquisition services. Further, the company provides systems integration services for communications projects for transportation, public safety, entertainment, hospitality, and enterprise-grade commercial real estate projects. UniTek Global Services, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Wednesday

  Earnings Expected From: Accretive Health, Inc (NYSE: AH), Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON), UniTek Global Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNTK) Economic Releases Expected: Eurozone interest rate decision and PPI data, US National Employment Report, British construction PMI

  Thursday

• [By CRWE]

  UniTek Global Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:UNTK), a premier provider of permanently outsourced infrastructure services to the telecommunications, broadband cable, wireless, two-way radio, transportation, public safety and satellite industries, reported that Chief Financial Officer and Co-Manager of the Interim Office of the CEO, Ronald J. Lejman, will present at the Credit Suisse Engineering & Construction Conference on Thursday, June 7th at 1:55 p.m. Eastern time.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: ENGlobal Corporation (ENG)

ENGlobal Corporation provides engineering and professional services principally to the energy sector in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Engineering and Construction, and Automation. The Engineering and Construction segment offers services relating to the development, management, and execution of projects requiring professional engineering and related project services primarily to the midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry, as well as to chemical and petrochemical manufacturers, utilities, and alternative energy developers. Its services include conceptual studies, project definition, cost estimating, engineering design, environmental compliance, material procurement, project management, facility inspection, and construction management. This segment also provides engineering, design, electrical and instrument installation, and operation and maintenance services for facilities to government, public sector, and internat ional facilities. The Automation segment offers services related to the design, fabrication, and implementation of process distributed control and analyzer systems, advanced automation, information technology, and heat tracing projects primarily to the upstream and downstream sectors. This segment also designs, assembles, integrates, and services control and instrumentation systems for specific applications in energy and processing related industries. ENGlobal Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  
  The Rise and Fall of Tontine Asset Management and ENGlobal (ENG)

  
  Gendell rarely conducted interviews, almost never publicizing his stock selections or his theories in regard to investing. The average investor had never heard of him or his hedge fund; however anyone who tracked money managers closely, was well aware the outstanding returns which were flowing into the pockets of the clients at Tontine. In 2003 and 2004, Gendell recorded near miraculous gains, approximately doubling the value of his portfolios, in back to back years.

Best High Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Alumina Ltd (AWCMF)

Alumina Limited (Alumina), is an Australia-based company. The Company is the holding company of WMC Group. Alumina is engaged in investing in bauxite mining, alumina refining and selected aluminum smelting operations, through its 40% ownership of Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC). The Company�� partner, Alcoa, owns the remaining 60% of AWAC, and is the manager. The Company�� subsidiaries include Alumina Finance Limited, Alumina Holdings (USA) Inc., Alumina International Holdings Pty. Ltd., Alumina Brazil Holdings Pty Ltd, Alumina Limited Do Brasil SA, Alumina (U.S.A.) Inc., Butia Participacoes SA, Westminer Acquisition (U.K.) Limited, Westminer International (U.K.) Limited and Westminer (Investments) B.V. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks lost hold of early gains Monday. Retailer shares traded mostly weaker, but an advance for miners limited the losses after many base-metals futures rose on the back of better-than-expected U.S. jobs data. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) slipped 0.1% to 5,182.40 after opening higher. In early moves, Myer Holdings Ltd. (AU:MYR) fell 0.7%, David Jones Ltd. (AU:DJS) (DVDJF) lost 1.1%, and Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (AU:HVN) (HNORY) traded 1% lower. In the mining space, BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) added 0.5%, Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.7%, Alumina Ltd. (AU:AWC) (AWCMF) improved by 1%, and Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) jumped 2.2%. Shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) rose briefly but then moved the flat line, holding firm after sharp losses last week. Chris Bowen, who serves as the Labor Party's shadow treasurer, said the struggling airline was "effectively" too big to fail. Meanwhile, shares of QBE Insurance Group Ltd. (AU:QBE)

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: 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 Tim Gallagher]

  Mosaic (MOS), Agrium (AGU), Intrepid Potash (IPI) and CF Industries (CF) have been moving and trading hand-in-hand, with AGU, BHP and Rentech Nitrogen Partners LP (RNF) trading the best, losing the least and rebounding the most since July 30th. IPI has sold off a lot more in the post-news period, as would be expected from a smaller, less established company with mine projects still in development. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) announced plans to proceed with its Jansen Mine Project in Saskatchewan, Canada, potentially tapping the largest and longest-lasting supply in the world known at this time. Scotiabank (BNS) recently commented on Jansen, stating that the added supply "could add the equivalent of 18%-20% of the potash market over recent years." Nearly all of the companies mentioned have had a pretty predictable mix of upgrades and downgrades. That's what makes a market.

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  After Mosaic's (NYSE: MOS  ) and PotashCorp's (NYSE: POT  ) impressive quarterly numbers, investors' expectations from CF Industries (NYSE: CF  ) and Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) unsurprisingly ran high. While CF's stock gained 4% in the week prior to its earnings announcement, Agrium's stock tacked on 6% before release. Unfortunately, expectations fell flat on their faces. The result: All four stocks have stopped short in their tracks, leaving investors sulking. The $64,000 question is: What should investors make of the situation and what should they do now?

• [By Sara Murphy]

  Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) is all smiles in its 2012 annual report, highlighting the fact that it had expanded its retail presence in southern Brazil. Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) shows in its 2012 10-K that it derives nearly 20% of its net sales from Brazil, and identifies only currency risk in that market.

• [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.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: Kilroy Realty Corp (KRC)

Kilroy Realty Corporation, incorporated on September 13, 1996, is a self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company focuses on office and industrial submarkets along the West Coast. The Company owns, develops, acquires and manages real estate assets, consisting primarily of Class A real estate properties in the coastal regions of Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego County, the San Francisco Bay Area and greater Seattle. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� portfolio consisted of 104 office buildings (the Office Properties) and 39 industrial buildings (the Industrial Properties). The Company owns its interests in all of its Office Properties and Industrial Properties through the Kilroy Realty, L.P. (the Operating Partnership) and Kilroy Realty Finance Partnership, L.P. (the Finance Partnership). In March 2012, the Company purchased Menlo Corporate Center in Menlo Park, California. In June 2012, the Company purchased two office properties in the Lake Union submarket of Seattle. In January 2013, the Company purchsed Westlake Terry, a two building 320,399 square-foot office property. In September 2013, the Company announced it has completed the purchase of a 13.8 acre Class A office campus in the coastal Del Mar sub-market of San Diego. Effective September 19, 2013, Kilroy Realty Corp acquired The Heights, a owner and operator of an office campus. In January 2014, Kilroy Realty Corp completed the disposition of 13 San Diego office properties in two tranches. In January 2014, Kilroy Realty Corp acquired from The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences an approximate four-acre parcel near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood.

On January 28, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 250 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA. On April 21, 2011, the Company acquired four buildings in 10210, 10220 and 10230 NE Points Drive; 3933 Lake Washington Boulevard NE, Kirkland, WA. On May 12, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 10770 Water! idge Circle, San Diego, CA. On June 3, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 601 108th Avenue N.E., Bellevue, WA. On June 9, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 4040 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, CA. On September 15, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 201 Third Street, San Francisco, CA. On November 15, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 301 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA. On December 15, 2011, the Company acquired one building in 370 Third Street, San Francisco, CA. In December 2011, it commenced redevelopment at one of its acquired properties in San Francisco. On January 30, 2012, the Company sold 15004 Innovation Drive, San Diego, CA and 10243 Genetic Center Drive, San Diego, CA. In September 2011, the Company disposed of its interest in 10350 Barnes Canyon and 10120 Pacific Heights Drive, San Diego, CA. In December 2011, the Company disposed of interest in 2031 E. Mariposa Avenue, Los Angeles, CA.

The Company conducts substantially all of its operations through the Operating Partnership of which as of December 31, 2011, it owned a 97.2% general partnership interest. Kilroy Realty Finance, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is the sole general partner of the Finance Partnership. The Company conducts substantially all of its development activities through Kilroy Services, LLC (KSLLC), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Operating Partnership. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include Kilroy Realty TRS, Inc., Kilroy Realty Management, L.P., Kilroy RB, LLC, Kilroy RB II, LLC, Kilroy Realty Northside Drive, LLC and Kilroy Realty 303, LLC. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� tenants included Intuit, Inc., Bridgepoint Education, Inc., Delta Dental of California, AMN Healthcare, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Fish & Richardson P.C., Scripps Health and Epson America, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Real estate investment trust�Kilroy Realty� (NYSE: KRC  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.35 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2009.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: Clarke(t)

T.Clarke plc, a building services contractor, provides electrical and mechanical installation services and supplies associated equipment. The company offers information communications technology (ICT) services in the areas of structured cabling and connectivity, network infrastructure and security, networked energy management, data centre infrastructure, and managed and support services; facilities management services, such as preventative, reactive, and planned maintenance solutions; and green technologies services, which comprise photovoltaics, rainwater harvesting, biomass boilers, ground source heating, air source heating, wind turbines, lighting, and carbon reduction audit services. It also provides massive reading station redevelopment, cross rail, border rail link, and underground power upgrade services for the rail sector; lifecycle building services combining mechanical and electrical works with ICT for utilities and technologies sectors; lifecycle services for ho tel and residential sectors, which include electrical, ICT, and mechanical systems design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance; and mechanical and electrical contracting services for education, healthcare, government/local authority, retail and leisure, stadiums, transport, towers, media, and residential sectors. In addition, the company manufactures and prefabricates elements of an installation, as well as engineering components. T.Clarke plc was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The common problem of telecom payouts
  Inevitably, when you look at payout ratios -- the amount a company pays out in dividends compared to its earnings -- two companies pop up with potential warning signs: Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) and AT&T (NYSE: T  ) . Verizon in particular looks the most problematic, with trailing dividends equal to five times stated trailing earnings, according to figures from Yahoo! Finance. AT&T weighs in at "only" 137% of net income paid out in dividends.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  The U.S. telecom space has generated more than its share of headlines over the last 12 months amid a wave of massive mergers. And, while that's been plenty exciting in this usually dull space, the real competition might just be getting started. With plenty of fresh capital and spectrum to boot,�Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) is taking dead aim at the two largest incumbents in in this space --�AT&T (NYSE: T  ) and�Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) , much to consumers' delight. So what's Sprint's master plan? In this video, Fool contributor Andrew Tonner talks about how Sprint could quickly change the game in the U.S. telecom space.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I argued that Apple should wrestle Sprint away from SoftBank two months ago on the thesis that Apple can't afford for Sprint to follow its larger wireless carriers -- AT&T (NYSE: T  ) and Verizon Wireless -- into tiered data plans. Apple needs unlimited connectivity to keep buyers of its iPads and iPhones engaged. Google also has plenty to gain, and not just to champion its Android platform.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: Electro Scientific Industries Inc (ESIO)

Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (ESI) incorporated on April 19, 1949, is a supplier of laser-based manufacturing solutions for the microtechnology industry. The Company operates high-technology manufacturing equipment, which consists of products that are organized in three groups: interconnect & microfabrication, semiconductor and components. The Company�� laser systems enable precise structuring of micron to submicron features in components and devices which are used in a wide variety of end products in the consumer electronics, computer, semiconductor, communications and other markets. Its laser microfabrication systems allow microelectronics, semiconductor, and other microtechnology manufacturers to physically alter select device features during high-volume production. In June 2012, it acquired Eolite Systems.

The Company�� laser-based systems improve production yields or enable improved performance for flexible and rigid high density interconnect printed circuit boards, semiconductor devices, light emitting diodes (LEDs), advanced semiconductor packaging, touch-panel glass, flat panel liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and other high value components. Additionally, it produces high-capacity test and inspection equipment that is critical to control process during the production of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). Its equipment ensures that each component meets the electrical and physical tolerances required to perform properly. Lastly, it produces systems that use photonic technology to perform precision inspection for control and defect identification. The Company�� Interconnect & Microfabrication Group products address an expanding number of applications and materials on a broad set of substrates, including panels, continuous-feed reels, and discrete three dimensional components or devices.

Interconnect Via Drilling

For electrical interconnect applications, The Company�� laser via micro fabrication systems target applications that require the ! highest accuracy and smallest via (hole) dimensions to create electrical connections between layers in flexible circuits, high-density circuit boards and IC packages. The Company�� microvia drilling technology addresses the rapidly changing applications in IC packages, multichip modules and HDI circuit boards. Its ultraviolet (UV) laser processing systems employ technology in lasers, optics and motion control.

Advanced Microfabrication

The Company offers several platforms that enable customers to perform precision drilling, scribing, cutting, etching, routing or marking on many different types of materials and devices including glass, metal, plastic, paint and ceramics. It also offer laser ablation systems that ablate material for identification and analysis applications, including forensics, mineral analysis and research.

Semiconductor Group (SG)

The Company�� Semiconductor Group products address multiple applications that utilize laser energy to process materials on wafer-based substrates. This includes traditional silicon wafers, LEDs wafers, and new ultrathin silicon wafers used in the three-dimensional (3D) packaging applications. Semiconductor Memory Yield Improvement Systems includes semiconductor memory yield improvement products are designed to cost-effectively enable post-repair yield improvements in the manufacturing of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) memory devices.

3D Semiconductor Wafer Processing

The 3D chip packaging technologies is driving the need for silicon wafers to become thinner in order to allow for stacking of wafers within the same packaging geometry. As wafers become thinner, they become more challenging to cut into discrete chips using traditional mechanical saws. The Company�� model 9900 uses a laser to dice ultra-thin silicon wafers, those with a thickness of 50 microns or below, and to singulate interposers. In addition, this platform can be used to scribe next generation thin film ! materials! that lend themselves to laser processing.

LED Wafer Scribing

The Company�� AccuScribe line of sapphire wafer scribing systems is a key component in the manufacture of LEDs. During production, LEDs are created on a thin wafer of synthetic sapphire crystal that must be broken into individual units at the end of the process. The brittle nature of the sapphire wafer requires that it be carefully cut in order to prevent unwanted fractures, yield losses, and lower light output when the wafer is broken apart into discrete LEDs. The AccuScribe systems use a laser to scribe the wafer with a precise groove between individual LEDs. When mechanical force is applied to the wafer, it fractures along these grooves and allows the wafer to be split apart into discrete LEDs. These systems are capable of scribing both standard and high brightness designs for general illumination applications. In addition, this platform can be used to address singulation of various LED packaging materials.

LCD Repair

The Comapny's laser LCD repair systems are critical to improving yields in the manufacture of flat panel displays. During production, individual pixels of a display may develop electrical defects that result in no light emission or the emission of only a steady white light. To correct these defects, flat panel display producers employ a laser repair process to isolate the electrical defects during production by cutting the inputs to the pixel. Its laser systems are primarily sold to the manufacturers of LCD repair tools as a key component of their products.

Semiconductor Systems

The products include industry wafer marking equipment, wafer and circuit trim tools, and LCD repair tools. Wafer marking equipment is used for serialization and wafer identification by both manufacturers of semiconductor wafers and within semiconductor fabs. Wafer and circuit trim tools are laser systems that adjust the electrical performance of semiconductor devic! es or hyb! rid circuits by removing a precise amount of material from one or more circuit components.

Components Group (CG)

The Company designs and manufactures products that combine high-speed small parts handling technology with real-time control systems to provide automated, cost-effective inspection solutions for manufacturers of MLCC and other passive components such as capacitor arrays, inductors, resistors, varistors and hybrid circuits. These components, produced in quantities of trillions of units per year, process analog, digital and high-frequency signals and are used in all electronic products.

The Company provides several types of products and solutions in this market. Its MLCC test systems employ high-speed handling and positioning techniques to precisely load, test and sort MLCCs based on their electrical energy storage capacity, or capacitance, and their electrical energy leakage, or dissipation factor. Its 35XX series is the productive tester. Its 3510 model enables high speed testing of the industry�� smallest metric 0402 capacitors used primarily in advanced cell phone and tablet designs. It also produces consumable products, such as carrier plates and termination belts, both of which are used to hold MLCCs during the manufacturing and testing process.

The Company competes with Mechanics, Ltd., LPKF Laser & Electronics AG, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Orbotech Ltd., InnoLas Systems GmbH, DISCO Corporation, Laser Solutions, Inc., Quantel USA, Inc., Humo Laboratory, Ltd. and HOYA Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ: ESIO  ) has a new division under its corporate wing. The company has inked a definitive agreement to purchase the semiconductor systems unit of GSI Group (NASDAQ: GSIG  ) . The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Electro Scientific (NASDAQ: ESIO  ) popped briefly today, up by 11% at the high, after the company reported earnings.

  So what: Revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter totaled $39.6 million, which translated into a non-GAAP net loss of $1 million, or $0.03 per share. Both figures came out better than expected, as consensus estimates were calling for $38.1 million in revenue and an adjusted loss of $0.07 per share.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: Terra Nitrogen Company L.P.(TNH)

Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. engages in the production and sale of nitrogen fertilizer products for agricultural and industrial applications. The company primarily offers anhydrous ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate solutions. Its customers for fertilizer products include dealers, national farm retail chains, and distributors. Terra Nitrogen GP Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. was founded in 1991 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois. Terra Nitrogen Company, LP. operates as a subsidiary of Terra Industries Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  5. Terra Nitrogen Company

  The nitrogen fertilizer MLPs were easily the worst performing MLP category, with Terra Nitrogen Company (NYSE: TNH) rounding out the five worst performers of 2013 — down 33 percent for the year. Based on the past year’s distributions, the annualized yield is 11.5 percent but, as with CVR Partners, this yield is expected to decline because of continuing weakness in the nitrogen fertilizer market.  
  

  (Follow Robert Rapier on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.)

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Mr. Market is right about this one
  Is the market just overreacting? It may be difficult to believe, but profits really could take a nosedive if natural gas continues its upward trend. Consider that natural gas represented about 70% of production costs for Terra Nitrogen (NYSE: TNH  ) in 2012. Perhaps more worrisome is the fact that costs of goods sold were 36% higher in 2011 -- when the average price paid for natural gas was almost exactly that of current monthly prices. ��

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Terra Nitrogen (NYSE: TNH  ) is also helping things grow. The maker of nitrogen fertilizer products declared a quarterly distribution of $4.68 a unit, and that's a 29% increase over its prior disbursement. With earnings and sales improving during the first three months of the year, it's making more than enough to cover the hefty declaration.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.(REGN)

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes pharmaceutical products for the treatment of serious medical conditions in the United States. The company?s commercial product includes ARCALYST (rilonacept) injection for subcutaneous use for the treatment of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, including familial cold auto-inflammatory syndrome and muckle-wells syndrome in adults and children. Its products under Phase III clinical development stage consist of VEGF Trap-Eye, an aflibercept ophthalmic solution developed using intraocular delivery for the treatment of serious eye diseases; ARCALYST for the prevention of gout flares in patients initiating uric acid-lowering treatment; and Aflibercept (VEGF Trap), which is developed in oncology. The company?s earlier stage clinical programs include various human antibodies, such as REGN727 for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction, REGN88 for rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis; REGN668 for atopic dermatitis and asthma; REGN421 and REGN910 for oncology; REGN475 for the treatment of pain; and REGN728 and REGN846. It also conducts preclinical research programs in the areas of oncology and angiogenesis, ophthalmology, metabolic and related diseases, muscle diseases and disorders, inflammation and immune diseases, bone and cartilage, pain, cardiovascular diseases, and infectious diseases. The company distributes its products through third party service providers. It has strategic collaboration with sanofi-aventis Group to discover, develop, and commercialize human monoclonal antibodies; and Bayer HealthCare LLC to develop and commercialize VEGF Trap. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in Tarrytown, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Gilead gained 104% in 2013, besting Amgen‘s (AMGN) 35% rise, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals�(REGN) 61% advance, and Biogen Idec�(BIIB) 91% increase but lagging Celgene’s (CELG) 115% rise.

Hot Shipping Companies To Invest In 2015: Deutsche Bank AG(DB)

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft provides investment, financial, and related products and services. The company?s Corporate and Investment Bank division engages in the origination, sale, structuring, and trading of bonds, equities and equity-linked products, exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives, foreign exchange, money market instruments, securitized instruments, and commodities to sovereign countries and multinational organizations; and medium-sized companies and multinational corporations. It also offers mergers and acquisitions advisory, corporate finance, and transaction banking, as well as trade finance, cash management, and trust and securities services for financial institutions and other companies. The company?s Private Clients and Asset Management division provides mutual funds and alternative investment products; manages real estate and infrastructure investments and private equity funds; offers advisory and portfolio management services to insurance companies; and provides investment solutions to institutional customers, high net worth individuals, and families. This division also offers a range of banking products and services, including current accounts, deposits and loans, and investment management and pension products to private and self-employed individuals, and small to medium-sized businesses. Its Corporate Investments division?s principal investment activities comprise private equity and venture capital investments, corporate real estate investments, a minority stake in Deutsche Postbank AG, credit exposures, and other non-strategic investments. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 3,083 branches in approximately 74 countries worldwide, including 2,087 in Germany. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By William Patalon III]

  LNG closed yesterday at $39.70. Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) recently boosted its near-term target price on the stock from $39 to $47 - a potential gain of 18% from current levels and 59% from where we recommended it.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) unit Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase's (NYSE: JPM  ) J.P. Morgan, and the Securities arms of Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) and Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB  ) are the joint book-running managers for the offering, which is expected to close on July 30.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  The lead book-running managers for the issue are Morgan Stanley (NYSE: WFC  ) , Barclays, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) , and the Securities units of Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank. (NYSE: DB  )