Saturday, July 12, 2014

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014

Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil both recently announced incredibly expensive, incredibly ambitious offshore projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The massive oil reserves that exist beneath the ocean floor are increasingly being targeted by the oil majors in their quest to increase production. In this video, Fool.com contributor Aimee Duffy looks at the company's behind three new offshore innovations that will make big oil's big challenge safer, and more efficient.

National Oilwell Varco is perhaps the safest investment in the energy sector due to its industry-dominating market share. This company is poised to profit in a big way; its customers are both increasing the number of new drilling rigs and updating aging fleets of offshore rigs. To help determine if it could be a good fit for your portfolio, you're invited to check out The Motley Fool's premium research report featuring in-depth analysis on whether NOV is a buy today. For instant access to this valuable investor's resource, simply click here now to claim your copy.

Top Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: Bristow Group Inc (BRS)

Bristow Group Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides helicopter services to the offshore energy industry primarily in Europe, West Africa, North America, Australia, and internationally. Its helicopters are used principally to transport personnel between onshore bases and offshore platforms, drilling rigs, and installations, as well as to transport time-sensitive equipment to offshore locations. The company also offers helicopter flight training services to commercial pilots and flight instructors through its Bristow Academy with facilities in Titusville, Florida; Concord, California; New Iberia, Louisiana and Gloucestershire, England. In addition, it provides military training; and helicopter repair, engineering support, aircraft leasing, airport management, and search and rescue services. Bristow Group provides its helicopter services to integrated, national, and independent oil and gas companies. As of March 31, 2011, it operated a fleet of 569 aircraft. The comp any was founded in 1969 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By J. Royden Ward]

    Based in Houston and founded in 1969, Bristow Group (BRS) has major transportation operations in the US Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea.

    Bristow also operates in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and Trinidad.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Bristow Group (NYSE: BRS  ) reported earnings on May 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Bristow Group beat expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.(EDU)

New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. provides private educational services primarily in the People?s Republic of China. It offers a range of educational programs, services, and products consisting primarily of English and other foreign language training; test preparation courses for admissions and assessment tests; primary and secondary school education; development and distribution of educational content; software and other technology; and online education. The company?s language training courses primarily consist of various types of English language training courses, and other foreign languages, including German, Japanese, French, Korean, and Spanish. It offers test preparation courses for language and entrance exams used by educational institutions in the United States, the People?s Republic of China, and commonwealth countries. The company also operates primary and secondary schools in Yangzhou. In addition, New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. deve lops and edits content for educational materials for language training and test preparation, such as books, software, CD-ROMs, magazines, and other periodicals. It distributes these materials through various distribution channels consisting of own classrooms and bookstores, as well as third-party distributors. Further, the company offers various online education programs on its Web site, koolearn.com. Additionally, it provides consulting services to help students through the application and admission process for overseas educational institutions, as well as post-secondary educational programs to help students seek career opportunities; and operates two pre-schools. The company offers educational services under the ?New Oriental? brand name. As of May 31, 2010, it offered education programs, services, and products through a network of 48 schools, 319 learning centers, and 25 bookstores. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Belinda Cao]

    New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (EDU), China�� largest private educational company, fell 11 percent last week to a one-month low of $16.07. Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Ella Ji said April 2 that students may avoid large gatherings because of the flu, impacting New Oriental.

  • [By Mark Skousen]

    Millions of Chinese are learning English, the international language of commerce, and preparing for exams. Those are the two principal occupations of New Oriental Education & Technology Group (EDU).

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading DOWN
    Shares of New Oriental Education & Technology Group (NYSE: EDU) were 9.62 percent to $23.48 after the company reported FQ3 results. New Oriental's quarterly net income surged 50.2% y/y to US$42.1 million versus US$28.0 million.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Basilea Pharmaceutica AG (BSLN)

Basilea Pharmaceutica AG is a Switzerland-based company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. The Company focuses on pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas of bacterial infections, fungal infections and oncology. The Company has a range of drugs to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections, systemic fungal infections and drug-resistant tumors. The Company�� anti-infectives, including isavuconazole and ceftobiprole are in late-stage clinical development, while the novel antibiotic, BAL30072 and the oncology compound, BAL101553 are in clinical phase I. The Company�� subsidiaries include Basilea Pharmaceutica China Ltd., Basilea Pharmaceuticals A/S, Basilea Pharma SAS, Basilea Pharmaceutica Deutschland GmbH, Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd., BPh Investitionen Ltd., Basilea Medical Ltd. and Basilea Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Corinne Gretler]

    Basilea Pharmaceutica AG (BSLN) increased 2.1 percent to 107.10 francs. The Swiss drug developer said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted orphan-drug designation to its isavuconazole for the treatment of zygomycosis, a life-threatening fungal infection.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Brunswick Corp (BC)

Brunswick Corporation (Brunswick), incorporated on December 31, 1907, is a worldwide designer, manufacturer and marketer of recreation products, including marine engines, boats, fitness equipment and bowling and billiards equipment. Brunswick�� engine products include outboard, sterndrive and inboard engines; trolling motors; propellers; engine control systems, and marine parts and accessories. The Company�� boat offerings include fiberglass boats; sportfishing convertibles and motoryachts; offshore fishing boats; aluminum fishing boats, and pontoon and deck boats. Brunswick�� fitness products include both cardiovascular and strength training equipment for the commercial and consumer markets. Brunswick�� bowling products include capital equipment, aftermarket and consumer goods. The Company also sells a range of billiards tables and other gaming tables and accessories. In addition, the Company owns and operates Brunswick bowling family entertainment centers in the United States and other countries. In August 2013, Brunswick Corporation completed the sale of the Hatteras and CABO brands of motoryachts and sportfishing convertibles to Navis HCY Acquisition.

The Company, through its Brunswick Financial Services Corporation (BFS) subsidiary, owns a 49% interest in a joint venture, Brunswick Acceptance Company, LLC (BAC). CDF Ventures, LLC (CDFV), a subsidiary of GE Capital Corporation, owns the remaining 51%. Under the terms of the joint venture agreement, BAC provides secured wholesale inventory floorplan financing to the Company�� engine and boat dealers.

Marine Engine Segment

Mercury Marine manufactures and markets a range of sterndrive propulsion systems, inboard engines and outboard engines under the Mercury, Mercury MerCruiser, Mariner, Mercury Racing, Mercury SportJet and Mercury Jet Drive, MotorGuide, Axius and Zeus brand names. In addition, Mercury Marine manufactures and markets marine parts and accessories under the Quicksilver, Mercury Precision! Parts, Mercury Propellers, Attwood, Land ����Sea, Kellogg Marine Supply, Diversified Marine Products, Sea Choice and MotorGuide brand names, including marine electronics and control integration systems, steering systems, instruments, controls, propellers, trolling motors, service parts and marine lubricants. Mercury Marine�� sterndrive engines, inboard engines and outboard engines are sold to independent boat builders, local, state and foreign governments, and to the Company�� Boat segment. In addition, Mercury Marine�� outboard engines are sold to end-users through a global network of more than 7,000 marine dealers and distributors, specialty marine retailers and marine service centers.

Mercury Marine, through Cummins MerCruiser Diesel Marine LLC (CMD), a joint venture between Brunswick�� Mercury Marine division and Cummins Marine, a division of Cummins Inc., supplies integrated diesel propulsion systems to the worldwide recreational and commercial marine markets, including the Company�� Boat segment. Mercury Marine manufactures two-stroke OptiMax outboard engines ranging from 75 to 300 horsepower, all of which feature Mercury�� direct fuel injection (DFI) technology, and four-stroke outboard engine include Verado, a collection of supercharged outboards ranging from 150 to 350 horsepower, and Mercury Marine's naturally aspirated four-stroke outboards, ranging from 2.5 to 150 horsepower including the introduction of the 150 FourStroke, which is quickly becoming known for its light weight, fuel efficiency and performance. In addition, most of Mercury�� sterndrive and inboard engines are available with catalyst exhaust monitoring and treatment systems.

Mercury Marine�� sterndrive and outboard engines are produced domestically in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with outboard engines also produced internationally in China and Japan. Mercury Marine manufactures 40, 50 and 60 horsepower four-stroke outboard engines in a facility in China, and produces smaller outboard en! gines in ! Japan pursuant to a joint venture with its partner, Tohatsu Corporation. CMD manufactures diesel marine propulsion systems in South Carolina.

Mercury Marine also operates a remanufacturing business for engines and service parts in Wisconsin. In addition, Mercury Marine has an equity ownership interest in a company that manufactures boats under the brand names Bella, Flipper and Aquador in Finland. Mercury Marine also has an interest in a company that manufactures boats under the brand names Bella, Flipper and Aquador in Finland. Mercury Marine�� parts and accessories distribution businesses include Land ����Sea, Kellogg Marine Supply and Diversified Marine Products. These businesses are the distributors of marine parts and accessories throughout North America.

Boat Segment

The Boat Group consists of the boat brands, such Sea Ray yachts, sport yachts, sport cruisers and runabouts; Bayliner sport cruisers and runabouts; Meridian motoryachts; Boston Whaler, Lund and Trophy fiberglass fishing boats, and Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris FloteBote, Lowe, Lund, Princecraft, Suncruiser and Triton aluminum fishing, utility, pontoon and deck boats. The Boat Group also includes a commercial and governmental sales unit that sells products to commercial customers, as well as the United States Government and state, local and foreign governments. The Boat Group procures most of its outboard engines, gasoline sterndrive engines and gasoline inboard engines from Brunswick�� Marine Engine segment.

The Boat Group has active manufacturing facilities in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Canada, Mexico and Portugal, as well as additional inactive manufacturing facilities in Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee. The Boat Group utilizes contract manufacturing facilities in Argentina and Poland. The Boat Group has constructed a manufacturing plant in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, which has nearly 150,000 square feet of man! ufacturin! g space. The Boat Group�� products are sold to end-users through a worldwide network of approximately 2,850 dealers and distributors, each of which carries one or more of Brunswick�� boat brands.

Fitness Segment

Brunswick�� Fitness segment consists of its Life Fitness division (Life Fitness), which designs, manufactures and markets a range of cardiovascular fitness equipment (including treadmills, total body cross-trainers, stair climbers and stationary exercise bicycles) and strength-training equipment under the Life Fitness and Hammer Strength brands. Life Fitness��commercial sales customers include health clubs, fitness facilities operated by professional sports teams, the military, governmental agencies, corporations, hotels, schools and universities. Consumer products are available at specialty retailers, select mass merchants, sporting goods stores, through international distributors, and on Life Fitness��Website. The Fitness segment�� principal manufacturing facilities are located in Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Hungary. Life Fitness distributes its products worldwide from regional warehouses and production facilities.

Bowling & Billiards Segment

The Bowling & Billiards segment consists of the Brunswick Bowling & Billiards division (BB&B). BB&B is a worldwide designer, manufacturer and marketer of bowling products. BB&B's bowling products business designs, manufactures and markets a variety of bowling products, including capital equipment (such as automatic pinsetters and scoring devices), bowling balls and aftermarket products (such as lane machines, pinsetter parts, lane conditioners and lane cleaners). Through licensing arrangements, BB&B also offers an array of bowling consumer products, including bowling shoes, bags and accessories.

BB&B operates 95 bowling centers in the United States, Canada and Europe. BB&B retail bowling centers offer bowling and, depending on size and location, may also offer activities a! nd facili! ties: restaurants, lounges, snack bars, billiards, video and redemption games, laser tag, pro shops and meeting and party rooms. Of the Company's 95 bowling centers, 42 have been converted into Brunswick Zones, which are bowling centers that offer an array of active entertainment activities for its guests. BB&B designs and/or markets billiards tables, table tennis tables, air powered table hockey games, billiard balls, cues and other gaming tables, as well as game room furniture and related accessories, under the Brunswick and Contender brands. BB&B's primary manufacturing and distribution facilities are located in Michigan, Wisconsin, Hungary and Mexico. Brunswick�� bowling and billiards products are sold through a variety of channels, including distributors, dealers, mass merchandisers, bowling centers and retailers, and directly to consumers on the Internet and through other outlets.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Calling all cash flows
    When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Brunswick (NYSE: BC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Camelot Information Systems Inc (CIS)

Camelot Information Systems Inc. (Camelot), incorporated on November 28, 2000, is a holding company. The Company is a domestic provider of enterprise application services and financial industry information technology (IT) services in China, and the Company focuses on enterprises operating in the Chinese market. The Company�� primary service lines are enterprise application services (EAS), which primarily consist of packaged software services for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software packages, and software development and maintenance services; and financial industry IT services (FIS), which primarily consist of software solutions, system support and maintenance, as well as IT consulting services for the financial industry. The Company provides services to a range of industries, including financial services, resources and energy, manufacturing and automobile, technology, as well as telecommunication, media and education.

Enterprise Application Services

The Company�� service line, enterprise application services consists of two main types of services: packaged software services and software development and maintenance services. The Company provides a range of implementation, customization and support services for packaged software systems to enterprise customers, with a focus on ERP software packages. The Company�� packaged software service has a range of coverage in terms of both industries and applications. The Company has served clients and accumulated domain expertise in resources and energy, technology, manufacturing and automobile, as well as retail, consumer and transportation. The Company provides services for systems ranging from traditional ERP systems, such as those offered by SAP and Oracle, to new dimension applications, such as customer relationship management, business intelligence, supply chain management, integration tools and manufacturing supply execution.

Packaged software services can be divided into implementation services and main! tenance services. The Company�� packaged software implementation services primarily consist of Packaged Software Integration, Solution Design, Technical Configuration and Customization, Training, Project Management and Quality Assurance and Testing. The Company�� packaged software maintenance services primarily consist of maintenance and production support services, and infrastructure management. The Company offers a range of software development, system migration and maintenance services based on technologies that are tailored to meet the specific needs of our customers. The Company�� customers include IT service providers and corporations.

Financial Industry IT Services

The Company provides a range of services and solutions along the IT value chain to our financial industry customers, including software solutions, system support and maintenance, and IT consulting services. The Company�� software solutions service offerings include intermediary business solutions for commercial banks, including teller/counter systems, channel management solutions, payment and settlement solutions, and front end communication exchange middleware; key functional systems for commercial banks, including corporate loan, commercial loan, supply chain financing, cash management, as well as internal collaboration and workflow; check image processing services for commercial banks; core life insurance solutions; risk management and anti-money laundering systems for banks; application localization and customization; data transformation and verification, and help desk support and production support.

The Company provides support and maintenance services of mainframe operating and database systems, such as IBM�� operating system and its sysplexes and subsystems, which are used by our financial industry customers. The Company�� system software support and maintenance service offerings include maintenance of core banking systems, international banking systems, mutual fund systems, and! credit c! ard systems; system installation and customization; system performance health check and investigation of performance issues; system performance tuning; evaluation of longer-term capacity needs and recommendations on the architecture of new applications based on performance expectations; system and application emergency support; installation and maintenance of performance measurement tools, and installation and maintenance of program temporary fix packages.

The Company capitalizes on its domain expertise and knowledge base in the financial services industry to provide consulting services by teaming with international IT service providers, such as IBM and Accenture. The Company�� consulting services seek to provide businesses with the flexibility and capability to respond to their customers��needs on a timely basis. The Company�� consulting service offerings include business process re-engineering; Basel II risk management; customer relationship management; financial services logical data model, and system conversion/cut-over.

The company competes with Neusoft Corporation, Digital China Holdings Limited, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys Technologies Ltd and Pactera Technology International Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Reese]

    The company's petroleum products are sold in the Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Nobility Homes Inc. (NOBH)

Nobility Homes, Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells a line of manufactured homes in Florida. It offers homes under the trade names of Kingswood, Springwood, Springwood Special, Tropic Isle Special, Regency Manor Special, and Special Edition. The company sells its manufactured homes through a network of its own retail sales centers; and to independent manufactured home retail dealers and manufactured home communities on a wholesale basis. It also provides retail insurance services, which involves placing various types of insurance, including property and casualty, automobile, and extended home warranty coverage, with insurance underwriters on behalf of its customers in connection with their purchase and financing of manufactured homes. As of October 31, 2009, the company operated 15 retail sales centers in north and central Florida. Nobility Homes, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Ocala, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Vanina Egea]

    Nobility Homes Inc. (NOBH)

    Finally, Gabelli reported owning 234.950 shares of Nobility Homes, sized at 5.97% of the company�� shares outstanding and 0.01% of Gabelli�� portfolio. The company has a market cap of $44.63 million, with a P/E of 59.6 and P/S of 2.41.

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