Saturday, January 31, 2015

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014

America's fracking boom is one of the strongest megatrends in the global economy and offers long-term investors many ways to build immense wealth and income. This article is designed to highlight a new MLP (master limited partnership) whose specialized niche is likely to experience strong growth for many years to come. This growth will secure and grow a generous yield and strong capital gains as well.�

Fracking sand: pick and shovels for the new gold rush
Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations involves high-pressure water breaking apart rock that contains oil and gas. A single well typically cost $4 million to $12 million to drill and so E&P (exploration and production) companies want to make sure to maximize the output of each well.

This is were the use of proppants comes in. These are substances such as sand or ceramics that "prop" open the cracks in the rock and help maximize the flow of oil and gas. The majority of the proppant market is supplied by sand, which is lower cost than ceramics. Which brings me to the opportunity I want to bring to the attention of investors. �

Top Dow Dividend Stocks To Own For 2015: Renaissance Oil Corp (ROE)

Renaissance Oil Corp, formerly San Antonio Ventures Inc., is developing a diversified shale and mature fields portfolio for development in Mexico and Spain. The Company is partnered with Grupo SAMCA, a diverse industrial with operations in energy, mining, industrial minerals, agriculture, environmental and various other business lines in Spain. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Mark Skousen]

    Business is booming. In its most recent quarterly report, enrollment rose 12%, revenues jumped 25% to more than $1 billion, and operating income more than doubled. EDU enjoys a 17.7% profit margin and return on equity (ROE) of 21%. It has no debt and more than $1 billion cash in the bank.

  • [By Holly LaFon]

    Question: What is your view on Travelers (TRV)�� competitive advantage? How troubling is the huge fixed-income portion of their investment portfolio (in relation to future inflation)? How much do you like Jay Fishman? I really like the fact they are aggressively repurchasing shares and the fact that it is trading at book value, which I estimate to earn around 13% (ROE).

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Australian Dollar(AU)

AngloGold Ashanti Limited primarily engages in the exploration and production of gold. It also produces silver, uranium oxide, and sulfuric acid. The company conducts gold-mining operations in South Africa; continental Africa, including Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania; Australia; and the Americas, which include Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. It also has mining or exploration operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Colombia. As of December 31, 2010, the company had proved and probable gold reserves of 71.2 million ounces. The company has a strategic alliance with Thani Dubai Mining Limited to explore, develop, and operate mines across the Middle East and parts of North Africa. AngloGold Ashanti Limited, formerly known as Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company Limited, was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Daniel Putnam]

    First, and most important, earnings estimates are stabilizing. In the past sixty days, 2013 estimates for the major gold miners have begun to tick up. In most cases, the increase is very modest. For instance, Goldcorp‘s (GG) EPS estimates have climbed from $0.91 to $0.95, while Barrick Gold‘s (ABX) have inched up from $2.57 to $2.64. Newmont Mining (NEM), Anglogold Ashanti (AU), and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) have shown similar gains. This positive rate of change marks a significant departure from the steady stream of bad news investors have had to endure in recent years.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: First Majestic Silver Corp.(AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the production, development, exploration, and acquisition of mineral properties with a focus on silver in Mexico. The company owns interests in La Encantada Silver Mine comprising 4,076 hectares of mining rights and 1,343 hectares of surface land located in Coahuila; La Parrilla Silver Mine consisting of mining concessions covering an area of 69,867 hectares; and San Martin Silver Mine comprising approximately 7,841 hectares of mineral rights and approximately 1,300 hectares of surface land rights located in Jalisco. It also holds interests in Del Toro Silver Mine consisting of 393 contiguous hectares of mining claims and an additional 129 hectares of surface rights located in Zacatecas; Real de Catorce Silver Project comprising 22 mining concessions covering 6,327 hectares located in San Luis Potosi state; and Jalisco Group of Properties consisting of mining claims totalling 5,240 hectares located in Jalisco. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Doug Ehrman]

    It is no secret that precious metals companies have been taking a pounding for some time now. The SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) and iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV  ) , the gold and silver ETFs, have been hard hit and operating companies like First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) have been hit even harder. Through all of these struggles, and in some cases because of them, one precious metals company continues to look attractive for the long term: Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) .

  • [By Zacks]

    Originally posted here...

      Most Popular Earnings Expectations For The Week Of July 14: Big Banks, Tech Giants And More GT Advanced Technologies Down Sharply On iPhone Production Concerns UPDATE: Barclays Upgrades Apple, Has High Expectations For Near Term Perrigo Rumored To Be On Block; 'Market Source' Sees 25% Premium 9 IPOs To Watch For This Week
  • [By Lisa Levin] Related AG Morning Market Losers First Majestic Silver (AG) in Focus: Stock Rises 5.9% - Tale of the Tape Related ARCI Top 4 Stocks In The Electronics Stores Industry With The Highest ROE Morning Market Movers

    The Dow jumped 0.77% to 17,074.40, while the NASDAQ composite index rose 0.47% to 4,436.25. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 0.53% to 1,978.08.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Pershing Gold Corp (PGLC)

Pershing Gold Corporation, incorporated on August 2, 2007, is a gold and precious metals exploration company. The Company is pursuing exploration and development opportunities primarily in Nevada. It is focused on exploration at its Relief Canyon properties in Pershing County in northwestern Nevada. None of the Company�� properties contain proven and probable reserves, and all of its activities on all of its properties are exploratory in nature. The Company seeks properties with known mineralization that are in an advanced stage of exploration and have previously undergone some drilling but are under-explored. It is focused on exploration of the Relief Canyon properties, recommissioning the Relief Canyon gold processing facility and, if economically feasible, commencing mining at the Relief Canyon Mine.

Relief Canyon Mine Property

The Company�� Relief Canyon properties totals approximately 25,000 acres and consists of approximately 940 owned unpatented mining claims, 120 owned millsite claims, 170 leased unpatented mining claims, and leased and subleased private lands. The Company drilled 44 holes for approximately 28,500 feet in 2013. This drilling was on land adjacent to the current deposit and focused on extending and upgrading the existing deposit. In January 2013 the Company reported 32,541,000 tons of mineralized material at an average grade of 0.017 ounces of gold per ton and a cut-off grade of 0.0046 ounces of gold per ton.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By ValueInvestor7]

    I listen to investing advice from self-made billionaire investors, and I try to ignore advice from everyone else. I suspect readers on this website will appreciate this, where thankfully the Focus is still Gurus. To this end, I bring you the instructive story of Pershing Gold Corp (PGLC) and Levon Resources (TSE: LVN) (LVNVF).

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Top 5 Media Companies To Own For 2014

Online donations to U.S. nonprofit groups are growing much faster than other types of gifts, according to new research by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Chronicle found that online donations in 2012 grew to $2.1 billion, a 14% increase from the previous year, based on information provided by online-fundraising processors Blackbaud, Network for Good and PayPal.

Online giving to the country’s biggest charitable groups also grew by 14%, it said.

Meanwhile, the Chronicle noted, total donations grew only 3.5%, or 1.5% adjusted for inflation, according to Giving USA's yearly study.

Notwithstanding continued growth, online giving still accounts for only a small fraction of most charities’ budgets. According to the Chronicle’s research, the median share is just 2.1% of all donations from private sources for the large charities surveyed.

That’s changing. Nearly three-quarters of the groups surveyed had a goal for online donations to account for more than 10% of their overall fundraising efforts in coming years, and about a fifth expected Internet gifts to account for as much as 20% of their overall donations.

Best Recreation Companies To Invest In 2015: CBS Corporation(CBS)

CBS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mass media company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Entertainment segment distributes a schedule of news and public affairs broadcasts, sports, and entertainment programming; produces, acquires, and distributes programming, including series, specials, news, and public affairs; produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures across various genres; and operates online content networks for information and entertainment. Its Cable Networks segment owns and operates multiplexed channels that offers subscription program services, including recently released theatrical feature films, original series, documentaries, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports-related programming, and special events; and CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour cable program service related to college sports. This segment also owns and manages Smithsonian Networks, which operates Smithsonian Channel, a basic cab le service in the United States. The company?s Publishing segment publishes and distributes adult and children?s consumer books in printed, audio, and digital formats. Its Local Broadcasting segment owns 29 broadcast television stations; owns and operates 130 radio stations in 28 U.S. markets and related online properties; and owns local Websites that combine television and radio local media brands online to provide the latest news, traffic, weather, and sports information, as well as local discounts, directories, and reviews. The company?s Outdoor segment sells advertising space on various media, including billboards, transit shelters and other street furniture, buses, rail systems, mall kiosks, stadium signage, and in retail stores. CBS Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    The recent spat between Time Warner Cable and CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) that resulted in a month-long blackout of CBS stations from Time Warner in several markets over a dispute on retransmission fees is yet another signal that traditional cable and satellite providers may be suffering more than we think. CBS was reportedly demanding a payment of $2 a month per subscriber and Time Warner was offering $1 or less.

  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    AP, Showtime From a high-end apparel retailer making a down-market move to the leading video service adding to its growing library, here are the wonders and blunders of the week. Amazon.com (AMZN) -- Winner Apple (AAPL) may have hit the market with the new iPad Air on Friday, but it was Amazon making the most of the launch -- to promote its own platform. Amazon has spent most of the week pushing its new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HDX tablet at the top of the popular e-tailer's home page, pitting it against the iPad Air. Amazon points out that its Kindle Fire HDX is 20 percent lighter, packs 950,000 more pixels, and will set shoppers back $120 less than the somewhat comparable iPad Air. You have to admire Amazon's moxie here. Apple just moved more than 14 million iPads in its latest quarter -- and that was the older models during a non-holiday quarter. Amazon's willing to butt heads with the top brand in tablets, and it's doing it on a site that it knows will be getting very busy in the coming weeks as holiday shoppers begin to research the best tablet to buy this season. Well played, Amazon. lululemon ahtletica (LULU) -- Blunder When it comes to selling high-end yoga clothing, no one does it as well as lululemon athletica. Sure, there was that embarrassing episode earlier this year where its black Luon yoga pants were too sheer, resulting in the departure of its head of merchandising. However, how do you justify filling that opening by bringing in Kmart's head of apparel to be your new chief products officer? Kmart has struggled with years of declining comps, and it's a lackluster discount department store chain. Even if she was more than qualified for the gig, investor -- and more dangerously customer -- perceptions may mark down lululemon's image. Pitney Bowes (PBI) -- Winner Metered mail may be a fading industry, but that didn't stop Pitney Bowes from hitting a fresh 52-week high this week after posting encouraging quarterly results. The key here is tha

  • [By Paul R. La Monica]

    In fact, Netflix may soon top another milestone. The company is now worth $28 billion ... slightly less than the $30 billion market value for television network owner CBS (CBS). (It reminds me of the classic line by Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone in "The Godfather, Part II" about how big their criminal operation had become: "We're bigger than U.S. Steel!" Sadly, this movie is not available for streaming on Netflix.)

Top 5 Media Companies To Own For 2014: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

  • [By Rich Smith]

    This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX  ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

    It's been a solid year for Thompson Reuters (TRI); since the calendar flipped over to January, this $30 billion financial media firm has rallied more than 22%. But don't worry if you've missed out on the move -- TRI looks well-positioned for higher levels thanks to the pattern that's been setting up in shares.

    Thompson Reuters is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a bullish setup that's formed by horizontal resistance above shares at the $35.50 level and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as TRI bounces in between those two technically-important price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a confirmed breakout above that $35.50 price level. When the breakout happens, it's time to be a buyer.

    TRI closed above the $35.50 level in yesterday's session, but it's a little early to call it a breakout just yet. If shares can hold above that breakout level all through today's session, then the buy signal is worth heeding.

  • [By Monica Wolfe]

    Thomson Reuters (TRI)

    On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

Top 5 Media Companies To Own For 2014: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Beyers]

    Pain and Gain from Viacom's (NASDAQ: VIA  ) Paramount Studios ranked second, with $7.6 million at the gate, while 42 from Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) Warner Bros. studio earned $6.2 million, according to figures compiled by Box Office Mojo.

  • [By Doug Ehrman]

    Anyone who watches a lot of sports will note that an increasing amount of sports programming has moved to cable channels. Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) broadcasts NBA playoff games on Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) TNT network, and even in Chicago, most Blackhawks games have been aired on NBC SportsNet, rather than on NBC itself. This shift is happening because sports programming is one area that viewers want to watch in real time, meaning that waiting for rebroadcasts, repackaging, or recapping doesn't have the same appeal. Sports may be the last frontier of cable and satellite providers, so a softening relationship with the NFL could have a huge impact on DIRECTV stock over the coming years. This is a critical issue to watch, but in the meantime, you can thank the gridiron gladiators for the stock's recent touchdown dance.

Top 5 Media Companies To Own For 2014: 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 Corey Rosenbloom]

    We’ll skip News Corp. (NWSA) and focus on the other names for candidates.

    Specifically, Newmont Mining (NEM) has formed an interesting retracement to compress again between the 20- and 50-day EMAs:

  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    News Corp. is a multimedia giant that is able to reach and affect audiences all over the world. The stock has been a big winner over the last several years and is currently digesting gains for a strong run. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have been upbeat as earnings and revenue figures have been rising. Relative to its strong peers and sector, News Corp. has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for News Corp. to continue to OUTPERFORM.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWSA) shares gained 0.61% to touch a new 52-week high of $18.13. 21st Century Fox announced its plans to sell its 47% stake in Star China TV.

  • [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

    News Corp(NWSA) acquired Handpicked Cos., a luxury-shopping website in the U.K., continuing the newspaper publisher’s push into new online tools and resources. Handpicked, which launched its website in 2007, sells home decor, children’s toys and gifts. News Corp said the site’s offerings will be promoted through two of News Corp’s U.K. publications, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

September existing home sales fall 1.9%

Existing home sales slipped 1.9% in September due to higher mortgage rates and prices, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

The association says sales of re-sold homes fell 1.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.29 million. That's down from a pace of 5.39 million in August, which was revised lower. The sales pace in August equaled July's pace. Both were the highest in four years and consistent with a healthy market.

The report comes amid signs of slowing in the housing recovery.

Nationwide, home values were up 1.2% in the third quarter from the second, Zillow data show. That's down from a 2.5% jump in the second quarter from the first.

Higher interest rates, fewer investor buyers and more homes for sale are all contributing to smaller price gains, economists say.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Own For 2015

Last week, 30-year fixed rate loans averaged 4.28%, up from 3.37% a year ago, Freddie Mac said.

The government shutdown that ended last week and the related debate over raising the debt ceiling will also likely have an adverse effect on October home sales, says Leslie Appleton-Young, economist for the California Association of Realtors.

The association said last week that California home sales declined in September for the second straight month.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Monday, January 26, 2015

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Invest In 2014

We continue to buy and patiently harvest broadly diversified portfolios of undervalued stocks for their long-term appreciation potential, says Jason Clark; in The Prudent Speculator, he looks at three consumer-related ideas.

Shares of Hasbro (HAS) advanced 10% after the maker and seller of toys reported earnings and revenue that beat analyst expectations.

HAS reported earnings of $1.31 per share, versus consensus estimates for $1.28, on revenue of $1.37 billion. Period results were supported by cost control initiatives and strong international sales.

We boosted our Target Price for HAS to $56 and we note that the stock still yields 3%, despite the handsome gains enjoyed this year.

PetMed Express (PETS) announced that its fiscal Q2 net income climbed 5% on increased reorders, higher online sales, and lower operating expenses.

However, EPS came in a penny light of analyst expectations and shares of the pet pharmacy company were pummeled, dropping more than 12% on the news. We still like PETS' solid balance sheet, cash flow generation, and 4.6% dividend yield.

10 Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tyler Crowe]

    Talk to your CFO if you experience bloating
    This quarter, Nabors, Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) , and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) have all struggled in their pressure-pumping businesses because of oversupply in the current market. According to Nabors CEO Anthony Petrello, this has led to a very competitive market: "It is not unusual to bid frac jobs against 20 other pumpers, and sometimes as many as 35 show up. We have seen some instances of competitors winning bids with economics that at least from our perspective appear to be near cash break-even."

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Invest In 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was maintained as a Buy but was removed from the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.

    Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $79 price target at Argus.

  • [By ANUP SINGH]

    Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) is among the most successful single-price-point retailers in the U.S. It operates more than 4,842 stores across 48 states in the U.S. and five Provinces in Canada. The chart below shows that the company has been performing consistently well over the past five years.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Invest In 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    The rush to cut costs has been felt the hardest by mining-industry suppliers, including Caterpillar (CAT) and Joy Global�(JOY), Graf and Levental say, because cancelling orders for new equipment is one of the easiest ways to cut costs.

  • [By Anders Bylund]

    This uncertainty and story-focused action have turned a boring bank stock into the most volatile ticker on the Dow. It sports a five-year beta value of 2.4, far ahead of the market average of one. The Dow's second- and third-highest beta values belong to Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) and Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) , at 2.1 and 1.9, respectively.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies To Invest In 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    Corporate earnings took a back seat today to the Fed�� latest policy decision. Still, quarterly financial results, and other news sent shares of McCormick & Co. (MKC) and Tupperware (TUP), falling during regular market hours�Here�� a rundown of several of today�� moves:

  • [By Jonathan Berr]

    Multilevel marketing (MLM) groups such as Herbalife operate through independent sales representatives, who earn money both through the sales of product and by recruiting other people to join their team. This business model — which is used by scores of companies, including�Pampered Chef, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Tupperware (TUP) and Mary Kay Cosmetics — is legal provided that actual products are sold.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Top 5 Promising Stocks To Buy Right Now

CINCINNATI ��AOL founder and venture capitalist Steve Case is on the road ��again ��this time promising winners of his tech start-up tour in four cities that his company will invest $100,000 each in their small businesses.

But that's not all: The entrepreneurs also will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington to pitch their ideas to his company, Revolution venture capital, meet other investors and get the chance to raise even more money.

The four-cities-in-four-days tour ��Detroit on June 24, Pittsburgh on June 25, Cincinnati on June 26 and Nashville on June 27 ��is part of Case's Rise of the Rest initiative, in which he seeks out promising start-ups beyond California's Silicon Valley. He started the program in October 2012.

"Sixty years ago, for example, Detroit was essentially what Silicon Valley is today," Case said in a January interview with Silicon Valley Business Journal. "It was the most vibrant entrepreneurial region in the country, arguably in the world. The technology of the day was the automobile and it was on fire, growing like crazy."

Top High Dividend Companies To Invest In Right Now: DineEquity Inc (DIN)

DineEquity, Inc., incorporated on May 07, 1976, owns franchise and operate two restaurant concepts: Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, (Applebee's), in the bar and grill segment of the casual dining category of the restaurant industry, and International House of Pancakes (IHOP), in the family dining category of the restaurant industry. As of December 31, 2012, the franchise operations segment consisted of 2,011 restaurants operated by Applebee's franchisees in the United States, one United States territory and 15 foreign countries and 1,569 restaurants operated by IHOP franchisees and area licensees in the United States, two United States territories and five foreign countries. As of December 31, 2012, the Company restaurant operations segment consisted of 23 Applebee's Company-operated restaurants, 10 IHOP Company-operated restaurants and two IHOP restaurants reacquired from franchisees and operated by IHOP on a temporary basis until refranchised. Financing operations revenue primarily consists of interest income from the financing of franchise fees and equipment leases, as well as sales of equipment associated with refranchised IHOP restaurants and a portion of franchise fees for restaurants taken back from franchisees not allocated to IHOP intellectual property. In October 2012, it completed the refranchising program and completed the transitioning to a 99% franchised restaurant system.

Applebee's

The Company develops, franchises and operates restaurants in the bar and grill segment of the casual dining category of the restaurant industry under the name Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar. As of December 31, 2012, 68 franchise groups operated 2,011 of these restaurants and 23 restaurants were Company-operated. The restaurants were located in 49 states, one United States territory and 15 countries outside of the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2012, 20 domestic franchise restaurants opened, six domestic franchise restaurants closed. 154 Company-operated! restaurants were franchised. The number of restaurants held by an individual franchisee ranges from one to 438 restaurants. As of December 31, 2012, it is focusing on international franchising primarily in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Mediterranean/Middle East. As of December 31, 2012, there were 149 international Applebee's franchise restaurants. During 2012, 14 international franchise restaurants opened and 13 international franchise restaurants closed.

IHOP

The Company develops franchises and operates restaurants in the family dining category of the restaurant industry under the names IHOP and International House of Pancakes. As of December 31, 2012 there were a total of 1,581 IHOP restaurants of which 1,404 were subject to franchise agreements, 165 were subject to area license agreements, 10 were Company-operated restaurants and two restaurants were reacquired from franchisees and operated by IHOP on a temporary basis. The Company owns and operates 10 IHOP restaurants in the Cincinnati market area primarily to test new remodel programs, operating procedures, products, technology, cooking platforms and service models. IHOP restaurants are located in all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands and internationally in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates. As of December 31, 2012, the area licensee for the state of Florida and certain counties in Georgia operated or sub-franchised a total of 152 IHOP restaurants, and the area licensees for the province of British Columbia, Canada operated or sub-franchised a total of 13 IHOP restaurants. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had signed commitments and options from franchisees to build 245 IHOP restaurants over the next 17 years, comprised of 5 restaurants under single-restaurant or non-traditional development agreements, 120 restaurants under multi-restaurant development agreements and 63 restaurants! under in! ternational development agreements. As of December 31, 2012, there were 1,525 domestic IHOP franchise and area license restaurants. During 2012, its franchisees and area licensees opened 40 domestic franchise restaurants and 17 domestic franchise and area license restaurants were closed. As of December 31, 2012, there were 44 international IHOP franchise and area license restaurants. During 2012, its franchisees opened eight international franchise restaurants and no restaurants were closed.

The Company competes with Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Ruby Tuesday's, Denny's, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Bob Evans Restaurants.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Restaurant chain operator DineEquity (NYSE: DIN  ) will pay a second-quarter dividend of $0.75 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after it reinstated its dividend, the company announced yesterday.

Top 5 Promising Stocks To Buy Right Now: NuStar GP Holdings LLC (NSH)

NuStar GP Holdings, LLC (NuStar GP Holdings), incorporated on June 06, 2000, conducts operations through its indirect ownership interests in NuStar Energy L.P. (NuStar Energy). NuStar Energy is engaged in the terminalling and storage of petroleum products, the transportation of petroleum products and anhydrous ammonia, and petroleum refining and marketing. The Company operates in three segments: NuStar Energy�� Storage Segment, NuStar Energy�� Pipeline Segment and NuStar Energy�� Asphalt and Fuels Marketing Segment. On January 1, 2013, NuStar Energy sold the San Antonio Refinery and related assets, which included inventory, a terminal in Elmendorf, Texas and a pipeline connecting the terminal and refinery. On December 13, 2012, NuStar Energy completed its acquisition of the TexStar Crude Oil Assets (as defined below), including 100% of the partnership interest in TexStar Crude Oil Pipeline, LP, from TexStar Midstream Services, LP and certain of its affiliates.

NuStar Energy has terminal and storage facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, including St. Eustatius in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and Turkey. NuStar Energy L.P.'s asphalt refineries, refined product terminals, petroleum and specialty liquids storage and terminaling operations, and crude oil storage tank facilities are predominantly located on waterways that are easily accessible by barge or vessel. On September 28, 2012, NuStar Energy sold a 50% ownership interest (the Asphalt Sale) in NuStar Asphalt LLC (Asphalt JV), previously a wholly owned subsidiary of NuStar Energy, to an affiliate of Lindsay Goldberg LLC (Lindsay Goldberg), a private investment firm.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Robert Rapier]

    NuStar Energy does have a publicly traded general partner in�NuStar GP Holdings�(NYSE: NSH) which went public in 2006. The GP pays a lower dividend at 5.8 percent, but has significantly outperformed the limited partner since it went public:

  • [By Robert Rapier]

    But it is important to note that ETE also has interests in Sunoco Logistics Partners (NYSE: SXL) and Regency Energy Partners (NYSE: RGP).

    Finally, consider NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS) and its general partner NuStar GP Holdings (NYSE: NSH). Like ETE, NSH went public in 2006 and has also significantly outperformed its limited partner since:


    The vast majority of partnerships don’t have a publicly-traded GP. But in each of these three cases in which the GP is publicly traded, the GP tends to outperform the LP units on long-term gains, an advantage somewhat offset by the typically higher LP yield.

Top 5 Promising Stocks To Buy Right Now: Grana y Montero SAA (GRAM)

Grana y Montero SAA is a Peru-based holding company primarily engaged in the four business areas: Construction and Engineering Industry, Real Estate, Oil Services, and Operation of Public Concessions and Business Support Services. Through its subsidiaries, the Company provides such services as the development and management of real estate properties and leisure facilities; the exploration, production and sale of oil, natural gas and its derivates; the storage and distribution of combustibles; information technology services; engineering consultancy; the operation and maintenance of rails and roads concessions; as well as the execution and management of projects related to the generation of electric power; among others. The Company owns such subsidiaries as GMD SA, Concar SA, Survial SA, Norvial SA and Promotores Asociados de Inmobiliarios SA, among others. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By alicet236]

    Grana y Montero SAA (GRAM) Reached the Five-Year Low of $20.90

    The prices of Grana y Montero SAA (GRAM) shares have declined to close to the five-year low of $20.90, which is 17.3% off the five-year high of $22.14. Grana y Montero SAA is owned by four Gurus we are tracking. Among them, four have added to their positions during the past quarter. Zero reduced their positions. Grana y Montero SAA was established in Peru on August 12, 1996 as a result of the equity spin-off of Inversiones GyM S. Grana Y Montero Saa has a market cap of $2.75 billion; its shares were traded at around $20.90 with a P/E ratio of 24.60 and P/S ratio of 1.24.

Top 5 Promising Stocks To Buy Right Now: Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX)

Market Vectors Steel ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the NYSE Arca Steel Index (STEEL or the Index) by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates STEEL. STEEL, calculated by the NYSE Alternext, is a modified market capitalization-weighted index consisting of publicly traded companies predominantly involved in the production of steel products or mining and processing of iron ore. The Index includes companies primarily involved in a variety of activities related to steel production, including the operation of manufacturing mills and fabrication of steel products. Companies eligible for inclusion in Index should be engaged in solar power and related products and services, deriving at least 66% of revenues from it with market cap exceeding $100 million, and should have three-month trading volume equal to or greater than $1 million per day. Its investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    On Monday, Goldman Sachs upgraded the whole steel sector from Cautious to Neutral and specifically upgraded small cap and mid cap steel stocks AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS), United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) and Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) to Buy with price targets of $6, $30 and $22, respectively, but should you go for one of these individual steel stocks or for the Market Vectors Steel ETF (NYSEARCA: SLX)? To begin with, Goldman Sachs says that the�supply-demand fundamentals for steel are starting to look more appealing as some supply has been taken out plus they have a very bearish view on input costs (as in iron ore)���which bodes well for steel producers in the long run. Moreover, recently filed trade cases could provide some tailwind���if they are successful.�Of course a rising tide can lift all ships, but Goldman Sachs suggests that you go for the following�small cap or mid cap steel stocks:�

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    In our late October report on X, we noted the Company was “scratching the surface” on operational improvement, and we expected shares to edge higher over the near term. While X shares have appreciated by 16% since that report vs. the S&P 500 of +4% and the [Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX)] of +3%, we believe shares have more room to run based on our positive carbon hot-rolled steel pricing revisions for 2014: meaningful raw material cost tailwinds (coal, scrap, iron ore); low Street EPS and EBITDA expectations for 2014-2015; an ever-increasing interest rate environment (benefits for pension exposure); more evidence of European macro stability; and above-average likelihood of incremental operational efficiency announcements such as a joint venture or tolling agreement with Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI).

5 Rocket Stocks to Buy in November

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- The weather may be starting to chill across much of the country, but that's certainly not the case on Wall Street. Mr. Market is still heating things up.

>>5 Big Stocks to Trade for Big Gains

While most investors were distracted by the government shutdown last month, the S&P 500 churned out a whopping 4.5% gain for October. A strong October isn't out of the ordinary; the fourth quarter is statistically the most fruitful one for investors. But considering the 23.5% rally that the S&P has pushed out year-to-date, that's really saying something.

So with stocks looking auspicious as November kicks off, let's take a look at five new Rocket Stock names.

For the uninitiated, "Rocket Stocks" are our list of companies with short-term gain catalysts and longer-term growth potential. To find them, I run a weekly quantitative screen that seeks out stocks with a combination of analyst upgrades and positive earnings surprises to identify rising analyst expectations, a bullish signal for stocks in any market. After all, where analysts' expectations are increasing, institutional cash often follows. In the last 221 weeks, our weekly list of five plays has outperformed the S&P 500 by 90.2%.

>>5 Dividend Boosters That Could Really Pay Off

Without further ado, here's a look at this week's Rocket Stocks.

PepsiCo

First up is PepsiCo (PEP), the $130 billion food and beverage giant. Pepsi may be best-known for its namesake soft drink brand, but the firm is also one of the biggest snack food makers in the world thanks to its Frito Lay unit. In total, the firm earns around half of its revenue from food and the other half from beverages.

>>5 Stocks Poised to Break Out

Pepsi's diversification provides some separation from Coca-Cola (KO), the top contender in the non-alcoholic beverage space. Each firm, though, owns a stellar distribution apparatus, which in Pepsi's case can be dual purposed for both the beverage and food business. That logistics expertise provides cost savings that rival firms can't match.

Meanwhile, the firm has been searching out other ways to acquire advantages through scale. Pepsi bought its two main North American bottlers in 2010, a deal that's kept more profits in-house and provided more nimble manufacturing abilities for a swifter marketing machine. As consumers in emerging markets increase their consumption of packaged beverages and snack foods to become more in line with the West, Pepsi has some big growth opportunities ahead of it.

Already, the firm's inroads in China and India are looking promising for investors -- and with rising expectations ringing in from analysts this week, we're betting on shares.

Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) isn't what it once was. And that's a good thing for investors.

>>3 Stocks in Breakout Territory

Abbott split off its legacy pharmaceutical business from the rest of its efforts on Jan. 1, leaving pharma in the hands of AbbVie (ABBV). The remaining "New Abbott" manufactures medical devices, nutritional products, diagnostic equipment and some generic drugs. While that business lacks the massive cash flows that pharmaceuticals provided, it also lacks the patent cliff discount that's been hoisted on the industry.

The medical business offers some attractive positioning in its own right. Powerhouse offerings such as Xience stents and high-margin nutritional brands generate plenty of free cash flow, and the firm is already much leaner after applying its spin-off proceeds to its debt load. That debt load, incidentally, has been reduced from $20 billion at the start of the year to a much more manageable $7.9 billion as of the most recent quarter. Going forward, more of that cash should be allocated to dividends; for now, ABT's payout weighs in at a 2.4% yield.

An aging baby boomer population in the U.S. should provide a big tailwind for Abbott in the years to come. Coupled with massive cost-savings efforts, ABT should generate significant multiplying power in its bottom line – at this point, too many one-time spinoff charges are still baked into the 2013 pie to give investors fair metrics.

Nike

2013 has been a stellar year for athletic apparel giant Nike (NKE). The $68 billion stock has rallied more than 47% since the calendar flipped over to January, besting the broad market by a factor of two. And while it's hard to call Nike cheap at current prices, Nike's big long-term growth opportunities justify the premium.

>>3 Big Stocks on Traders' Radars

Nike owns one of the most valuable brands in the world, a fact that guarantees premium pricing for the firm's huge array of footwear and clothes. With football season now well underway, investors should start seeing the benefits of the five-year apparel contract Nike penned with the NFL -- but that's not the big growth story in this stock. For that, you have to travel a bit further. Specifically, Nike's growth is taking place in emerging markets like China, India, and Latin America, where burgeoning middle-class populations are increasing demand for "attainable status symbols" (such as a pair of trainers with a big swoosh on the side).

Size comes with some big advantages, and Nike's pricing power over its retailers is the biggest one. Because athleticwear retailers rely on Nike to stock their shelves, the firm is still able to command higher price tags for its products, and retailers will take lower margins in exchange for consistent inventory turnover. A fortress balance sheet with a solid net cash position rounds out the picture in this apparel giant.

Kroger

Kroger's (KR) business may not be quite as exciting as Nike's is to consumers, but its stock has actually been more exciting in 2013. Shares of the grocer are up 64% since the first trading day in January. There's no question that Kroger is the best-in-breed grocery stock right now, but the firm's current valuation doesn't show it.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Kroger is a 130 year-old grocer that operates more than 2,400 supermarkets, 750 convenience stores, and 325 jewelry stores under a handful of popular brands. Those marquees include Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Kwik Shop and Turkey Hill in addition to the firm's namesake stores; Harris Teeter is set to join the mix later this year.

There aren't many advantages in the grocery business, but Kroger has found the few that really work well. For starters, the firm manufactures almost half of its private label products itself, a level of expertise that cuts out the middleman on the fattest-margin offerings. Gasoline is another lynchpin of KR's success. The firm uses fuel as a loss leader to pull in customers at nearly half of its locations. While many peers have copied that strategy, the existence of gas infrastructure at such a large percentage of its locations gives Kroger some built-in advantages. In many cases, rivals don't have the option to add fuel to as many of their own stores.

So, with rising analyst sentiment in Kroger this week, we're betting on shares of this Rocket Stock.

Weyerhaeuser

Timber REIT Weyerhaeuser (WY) is basically a leveraged bet on the housing sector -- one with hugely tax advantaged income streams. Weyerhaeuser owns 6 million acres of timberland concentrated in the South and the Pacific Northwest, which it uses to parlay into wood products, cellulose fibers, and real estate. The biggest part of the business, timber harvesting, doesn't get taxed. Instead, at least 90% of earnings must be passed onto investors in the form of dividend income.

>>4 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

Best Net Payout Yield Stocks For 2015

By transforming itself from a paper and packaging company into a timber REIT during the height of the great recession, Weyerhaeuser dramatically changed its attractiveness (even if it didn't hugely change its assets). Timber is a very cyclical commodity, and with wood prices coming off of weak demand in the years following the housing bust, WY's positioning is starting to look desirable again.

Like many real estate investment trusts, Weyerhaeuser's balance sheet is more leveraged than a conventional corporation; the combination of a capital-intense business and the requirement to pay out retained income to shareholders make it a certain amount of leverage necessary. With around $3.7 billion in net debt, Weyerhaeuser's borrowing costs are reasonable for its size, and small enough to keep net margins close to 10% last quarter.

As demand for timber products creeps higher, so too should WY's share price.

To see all of this week's Rocket Stocks in action, check out the Rocket Stocks portfolio at Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.


RELATED LINKS:



>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now



>>5 Stocks Rising on Big Volume



>>5 Stocks Under $10 to Trade for Breakouts

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji


Saturday, January 24, 2015

Best Cheap Companies To Buy For 2015

Best Cheap Companies To Buy For 2015: MEDIWARE Information Systems Inc.(MEDW)

Mediware Information Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, and marketing of software solutions targeting specific processes within healthcare institutions. The company offers software systems consisting of company's proprietary application software, and third-party licensed software and hardware. It licenses, implements, and supports clinical and performance management, blood donor, and blood and biologic management products in the United States; and medication management solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa. The company?s blood and biologics management solutions include HCLL Transfusion and HCLL Donor, which address blood donor recruitment, blood processing, and transfusion activities for hospitals and medical centers; BloodSafe suite of hardware and software that enable healthcare facilities to store, monitor, distribute, and track blood products; LifeTrak software for blood centers; a nd BiologiCare, a bone, tissue, and cellular product tracking software. Its medication management products comprise WORx, a pharmacy information system to manage inpatient and outpatient pharmacy operations; MediCOE, a physician order entry module; MediMAR, a nurse point-of-care administration and bedside documentation module; MediREC, which assists in achieving compliance with a Joint Commission mandate; and pharmacy management and electronic prescribing systems. The company?s performance management products include InSight software that tracks performance metrics to assist healthcare managers to manage performance. It also provides software installation and maintenance services, as well as billing and collection services to home infusion and home/durable medical equipment markets. The company markets its products primarily through its direct sales force. Mediw! are Information Systems, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Mediware Information Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:MEDW) plans to acquire the assets of Indianapolis-based Strategic Healthcare Group LLC (SHG), a leading provider of blood management consulting, education and informatics solutions.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-cheap-companies-to-buy-for-2015-3.html

Friday, January 23, 2015

IKEA a flat-packed pop culture piece

It's an IKEA world. We just assemble it.

Want proof? Google the word IKEA: 108 million hits.

Design ideas, add-on upscale furniture feet and drawer pulls, cool customizations known as hacks, shopping tips, parodies, a fan site, a movie about a filmmaker who lived in an IKEA store and even a TV show — in its fourth season — wryly called Easy to Assemble.

Try searching an American furniture company on Google: Not so much, maybe a few million hits.

And: No parodies, no films, and no fan clubs for the American furniture companies.

Google is not the only measure of IKEA's might: The Dutch company with Swedish roots is the world's largest furniture manufacturer.

IKEA has more than 100,000 employees in more than 44 countries and revenues of more than $27 billion euros. The company projects its earning will increase by as much as 85 percent by 2020 and its store count will go from around 300 to around 500 during the same time frame.

Thank Riverton, N.J., resident Sharla Floyd and other consumers for the brand's growth.

A consultant to non-profits who works from home, she likes the "functional, practical furniture" which blends well with other styles, allowing her to "re-purpose" other decorating finds and furnishings.

She said the arrival of children, now ages 3 and 1, plus a recent move from a tiny bungalow to a rambling fixer-upper four times larger, spurred her to look to IKEA for furnishings.

"They were the genesis," she said of the kids.

Floyd lays out all of the wooden furniture pieces and organizes the hardware, carefully studying the assembly diagram several times — IKEA famously avoids words in its instructions since it ships to so many countries.

She's never had an issue with assembly, but encountering some issues during assembly seems a fairly common issue. There's a helpline as a last resort, or you can pay IKEA or someone else to assemble the furniture for you.

While she often has something in mind when she visits th! e South Philly store, she does like to roam and take in the "visual" room presentations in the showroom. She seldom looks at the catalog or online before going.

"I want to hunt it down in the store," Floyd said.

Mike Zambotti is furnishing his second-floor Voorhees, N.J., apartment, mostly from scratch. He turned to IKEA because the price was good — $119 for a bed frame and headboard — and it was easy to transport and get up stairs.

Sharla Floyd and her daughter Anna, 1, sit on an IKEA couch, Oct. 20, 2013 in Riverton, N.J. Children spurred Floyd to consider less expensive, durable goods from the furniture maker.(Photo: Gannett/Jodi Samsel, (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post)

Unlike Target, another company that sells flat-pack furniture, IKEA displays all of its furniture assembled, allowing shoppers to picture how a room might look, said Zambotti.

As well as the Tyrsil bed — IKEA names all of its furniture lines — he bought a mattress which came rolled up to fit in his car, a lamp and pillows.

Assembly was a bit of a challenge for Zambotti, a bank employee in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The headboard went on backwards the first time. The pre-drilled holes in the support slats did not seem to align right, so the bed was put together without screws meant to hold the slats in place. All told, assembly took about an hour and 45 minutes.

"Assembling IKEA furniture together is a great litmus test on a relationship," he said of the chore he completed with his girlfriend.

"If you can do three pieces of furniture of varying skill levels, you can make it as a couple," said Zambotti, sounding as though he meant it.

Caren Fitzpatrick, a Somers Point, N.J., resident, called the IKEA furniture she bought to! furnish ! a son's room 27 years ago "junk" and "terrible." Fitzpatrick also hated that all the sizes were originally in metric. She avoided the brand for years as a result.

But a few years ago, she began buying IKEA for storage — closets, shelves, cubes — and now she's a convert.

"It went together well and helped us fill our house quickly," said Fitzpatrick, who likes how the IKEA integrates with her mid-century modern pieces.

Kristie Barnett, a Nashville-based designer who blogs as "The Decorologist," has built a business helping clients integrate IKEA into their homes, especially the storage items.

Her clients tend to be under 40 and many like to add paint or custom hardware to dress up the IKEA pieces, she said.

There's such a demand for IKEA in her area that an upstart business feeds the demand. Modern Nash goes to an official IKEA store in Atlanta — four hours away — once a week and brings the flat-pack furniture back and then assembles it in client's homes for a fee.

"There's nothing at their price point for value and quality," said Barnett.

What does IKEA stand for?

IKEA is an acronym. I is for Ingvar and K is for Kamprad, the first and last name of the founder of IKEA stores. E is for Elmtaryd, the name of the farm in Sweden where Ingvar Kamprad grew up. A is for Agunnaryd, the name of the village near Kamprad's boyhood home.

While the company has Swedish roots going back to 1943, it actually is operated from the Netherlands. Flat-pack design began in the mid-1950s. The first American store was opened in 1985 in suburban Philadelphia.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Best Promising Stocks To Watch For 2015

Best Promising Stocks To Watch For 2015: Frontier Communications Company(FTR)

Frontier Communications Corporation, a communications company, provides regulated and unregulated voice, data, and video services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in the United States. It offers local and long distance voice services, including basic telephone wireline services to residential and business customers; switched access services that allow other carriers to use the facilities to originate and terminate their long distance voice and data traffic; and directory services that provide white and yellow page directories for residential and business listings. The company also provides data and Internet services, which include residential services comprising high-speed Internet, dial up Internet, portal and e-mail products, and hard drive back-up services; and commercial and carriers services, such as metro Ethernet; dedicated Internet; Internet protocol, optical, multiprotocol label switching, and TDM data transport services. In addition, it offers di rect broadcast satellite services and fiber optic video services, as well as provides online access to video content, entertainment, and news available on the worldwide Web through its Web site myfitv.com. The company was formerly known as Citizens Communications Company and changed its name to Frontier Communications Corporation in July 2008. Frontier Communications Corporation was founded in 1927 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Shares of Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR) got a boost, shooting up 9.09 percent to $4.80 after AT&T (NYSE: T) announced its plans to sell its Wireline Residential and Business Services and associated assets in Connecticut to Frontier for $2 billion in cash.

  • [By Selena Maranjian]

    Gotham Asset Management reduced its stake in lots of companies, including Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR  ! ) . Frontier, like Windstream, is a high-yielding rural telecom specialist. It's weighed down with considerable debt, and though it is shifting its business focus, favoring business customers now, it's been posting declining revenue lately. Its credit rating took a hit in recent months as well.

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-promising-stocks-to-watch-for-2015.html

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Best Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Chinese stocks fell in early Thursday action ahead of closely watched manufacturing data, with bank shares extending losses amid concerns over the health of major mainland China lenders. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) lost 0.8% to 22,828.57, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index off 1%, while the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) dropped 0.5%. Coming a day after reports of climbing bad loans at the largest mainland Chinese banks, the People's Bank of China declined to add liquidity to the financial system Thursday, according to Dow Jones Newswires. In Hong Kong trade, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (HK:1398) (IDCBF) (CN:601398) fell 1.1%, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. (HK:1288) (ACGBF) (CN:601288) gave up 2%, China Construction Bank Corp. (HK:939) (CICHF) (CN:601939) retreated 1.4%, and Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988) (BACHY) (CN:601988) traded 0.9% lower. Losses were somewhat milder in Shanghai, where ICBC eased 0.3%, AgBank traded off 0.4%, and Bank of China declined 0.7%. The moves came ahead of a preliminary reading of China's manufacturing activity for October, due out later in the morning from HSBC and Markit.

Top 5 Defense Stocks To Invest In Right Now: The Bancorp Inc.(TBBK)

The Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for The Bancorp Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking and related products and services to small and mid-size businesses and their principals. The company?s deposit products include checking accounts, savings accounts, health savings accounts, money market accounts, individual retirement accounts, certificates of deposit, and stored value and payroll cards, as well as commercial accounts, such as general commercial checking, small business checking, business savings, and business money market accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial term loans, commercial mortgage loans, commercial lines of credit, 1-4 family construction loans, direct lease financing, and commercial construction, acquisition, and development loans; and consumer loans comprising loans for consumers to finance personal residences, automobiles, home improvements, and for other purposes. The company also provides other banking serv ices, which include private label banking and merchant card processing services; and Internet banking services. It serves Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, and Lehigh counties in Pennsylvania; New Castle county in Delaware; and Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Ocean, and Cape May counties in New Jersey. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    The Bancorp (TBBK) plunged 30% to $11.37 this week, earning it the honor of the biggest loser in the Russell 2000. The Bancorp said in a filing that the FDIC had demanded it to more to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act.

Best Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corp (WMC)

Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corporation is focused on investing in, financing and managing primarily residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), which are not issued or guaranteed by a United States Government agency or federally chartered corporation, or non-Agency RMBS. The Company also focuses on investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and other asset-backed securities (ABS), as well as RMBS for which a United States Government agency or federally chartered corporation guarantees payments of principal and interest on the securities, or Agency RMBS.

The Company is managed and advised by Western Asset Management Company. As of June 12, 2009, the Company had not made any investments.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lawrence Meyers]

    Today, we’re looking at three dividend stocks with sky-high dividend yields to see whether they’re safe.

    Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corporation (WMC)

    Dividend Yield: 19.8%

  • [By Amanda Alix]

    Second-quarter upset
    As if that news wasn't bad enough, book value took a nasty hit, too. The drop from $12.87 at the end of March to $10.20 at the end of June was huge, even considering the $0.34 dividend paid on June 10. Earlier in the day, Deutsche Bank had downgraded a handful of mREITs, including Western Asset Mortgage (NYSE: WMC  ) , based on book value declines of up to 16% during the second quarter. CYS, even factoring in its payout, suffered a drop of closer to 19%.

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Western Asset Mortgage Capital (NYSE: WMC  ) is also beefing up its yield. The REIT that snaps up residential mortgage-backed securities and shells out most of the housing payments to its stakeholders is boosting its quarterly rate by 5% to $0.95 a share.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Western Asset Mortgage Capital (NYSE: WMC  ) has shaved its dividend. The company has declared a payout for its Q2 of $0.90 per share, to be paid on July 29 to shareholders of record as of July 1. That amount is $0.05, or 5%, lower than the mortgage REIT's previous distribution of $0.95, which was handed out at the end of April.

Best Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: United States Steel Corporation(X)

United States Steel Corporation produces and sells steel mill products in North America and Central Europe. It operates in three segments: Flat-rolled Products (Flat-rolled), U. S. Steel Europe (USSE), and Tubular Products (Tubular). The Flat-rolled segment offers slabs, rounds, strip mill plates, sheets, and tin mill products, as well as iron ore and coke. This segment serves service center, conversion, transportation, construction, container, and appliance and electrical markets in North America. The USSE segment offers slabs, sheets, strip mill plates, tin mill products, and spiral welded pipes, as well as heating radiators and refractory ceramic materials. This segment serves the European construction, service center, conversion, container, transportation, and appliance and electrical, as well as and oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. The Tubular segment offers seamless and electric resistance welded steel casing and tubing; and standard, and line pipe and mechanical tubing. It primarily serves customers in the oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. The company also provides transportation services, including railroad and barge operations. In addition, it owns, develops, and manages various real estate assets, which include approximately 200,000 acres of surface rights primarily in Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania; participates in joint ventures that are developing real estate projects in Alabama, Maryland, and Illinois; and owns approximately 4,000 acres of land in Ontario, Canada. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    The news has hit Nucor’s shares today. Its stock has dropped 1.4% to $51.30, even as U.S. Steel (X) has gained 0.3% to $27.20, AK Steel (AKS) has gained 1.2% to $6.10 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) has decline 0.1% to $18.95. Encana is little changes at $17.95.

  • [By Teresa Rivas]

    Shares of United States Steel (X) were climbing nearly 4% after hours, following the company�� second-quarter earnings report.

    The company swung to a loss of $78 million, or 54 cents a share, well ahead of the 79 cents that analysts expected the company to lose. However, revenue tumbled 11.7% to $4.43 billion, below the consensus of $4.58 billion.

    The company said that results at its flat-rolled and tubular unites should improve, but warned a planned blast furnace outage would weigh on its European segment in the third quarter.

    It said it expected its other businesses to decrease or stay flat from the second quarter.

    The shares are barely in the black for the past year, trailing the broader market.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    For the second quarter in a row, and the fifth over its last seven frames, metallurgy giant U.S. Steel (NYSE: X  ) has posted a net loss. The company's Q2 saw it record net sales of $4.4 billion, down from $5.0 billion in the same period the previous year. Net loss was $78 million ($0.54 per diluted share), compared to Q2 2012's profit of $101 million ($0.62).

Best Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: Alps Jefferies TR/J CRB Global Commodty Eq Idx (CRBQ)

Jefferies | TR/J CRB Global Commodity Equity Index Fund (the Fund), formerly Thomson Reuters/Jefferies CRB Global Commodity Equity Index Fund, is an exchange traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the Thomson Reuters/Jefferies In-The-Ground CRB Global Commodity Equity Index (the Index). The Index is a modified capitalization-weighted, float-adjusted, rules-based index designed to track the overall performance of a global universe of listed companies engaged in the production and distribution of commodities and commodity-related products and services in the sectors, such as agriculture, base/industrial metals, energy and precious metals. ALPS Advisors, Inc. is the investment adviser for the Fund. Arrow Investment Advisors, LLC is the investment sub-adviser for the Fund. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Richard Stavros]

    Whereas in the 1970s there were limited ways to hedge against inflation, now there is a cornucopia of currency and international commodities instruments that can not only hedge against inflation but other global shocks, such as market bubbles and even war.

    And it is these very scenarios that investors have been worried about. Since the beginning of the year, stocks, bonds and just about any investment you can think of have gyrated wildly at various times amid concerns of war, inflation and the possibility that the U.S. equity market is overvalued and headed for a correction.

    In response, some market analysts in Bloomberg news reports have offered any number of wildly unsubstantiated statements for why investors should ignore today’s perils. They dismiss the danger posed by Russia�� annexation of Ukraine�� Crimea region (��utin will stop short of other countries or war with the West��. They also argue that the Federal Reserve chairwoman misspoke (��anet Yellen really didn�� mean a rate hike is coming soon. Inflation is under control. It was a rookie mistake��.

    For my money, here’s the most outrageous: The Shiller Cyclically adjusted P/E metric which has predicted the 1929, 2000 and 2007 downturns doesn�� apply (��uggests only a slightly expensive market with low to moderate returns going forward on average��.

    With new records being set by the S&P 500 in the last few months, it stands to reason that some investors have not needed much convincing to stay all in and buying. This mindset has prevailed, even as the impact of a Russian war or conflict, runaway inflation or a market correction could be devastating to investor portfolios, taking years to recover.

    If you��e never thought of certain investments as “insurance,” it�� time to start now. Protecting wealth is as important as building wealth. And as previously mentioned, we have found that the Inflation Survival Letter�� Thri

Monday, January 19, 2015

Top Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2014

The team became more wary of Admiral (LSE:ADM) after the 2011 turbulence in the stock price, after a scare about the potential for large personal injury claims. While the 2011 claims ratio eventually turned out to be fine, it caused a revision in our view of the quality of the name. The combination of the stock�� recovery, and long-term concerns about the effect of autonomous driving on the motor insurance industry, caused us to reduce and then exit the position.From MS Global Franchise Fund (Trades, Portfolio)�� Second Quarter 2014 Commentary.Also check out: MS Global Franchise Fund Undervalued Stocks MS Global Franchise Fund Top Growth Companies MS Global Franchise Fund High Yield stocks, and Stocks that MS Global Franchise Fund keeps buying Currently 0.00/512345

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Best Mid Cap Stocks For 2015: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Daniel Miller]

    The U.S. economy has rebounded gradually, which is more than the rest of the world can say. Unfortunately for Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) , which derives the majority of its profits internationally, a global rebound can't come soon enough. The stock is down about 22% over the last 12 months and sits at a price to earnings ratio well below its historical average. Caterpillar recently released its first-quarter information, which disappointed investors but its stock price remained unaffected ��it even rose in the days after the earnings release. Does this mean Caterpillar stock has finally bottomed out, giving investors a chance to buy in?

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    Not surprisingly, commodity makers and related stocks were the worst performers among the blue chips. Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) fell the most, dropping 3.2%. The earthmoving-equipment company is highly dependent on demand in China, and slowing growth will weigh on the stock. Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) was down 2.2% for a similar reason as it needs a strong construction market and demand for aluminum in China to boost prices for the metal. Alcoa already reported earnings to a tepid response from the market last week, while Caterpillar will report next Monday. Analysts expect EPS of $1.44 on revenue of $13.81. Both figures are significantly down from a year ago.

Top Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

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

  • [By Steven Russolillo]

    WATCH FOR:�Weekly Jobless Claims (8:30 a.m. Eastern Time): seen 310K; previously 297K. May Markit “Flash” PMI (9:45). April Existing Home Sales (10:00): seen +2.0% at 2.68M; previously -0.2% at 4.59M. April Leading Index (10:00): seen +0.5%; previously +0.8%. May Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Survey (11:00): seen 8; previously 7. Aeropostale, Best Buy(BBY), Borcade, Buckle, Dollar Tree(DLTR), GameStop(GME), Gap(GPS), Hewlett-Packard(HPQ), Marvell Tech(MRVL), Mentor Graphics(MENT), Ross Stores(ROST) and TiVo are among companies scheduled to report quarterly results.

Top Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.03 per share on revenue of $623.34 million.

    Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.12 per share on revenue of $779.02 million.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Shares of Herbalife have gained 0.9% to $79.51 this morning in pre-open trading. Its shares have gained 139% this year, a nice gain, but lagging Nu Skin Enterprises 271% rise. Avon Products�(AVP), another multi-level marketer, has gained 21% so far this year, while Tupperware Brands�(TUP) has risen 49%.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.

Top Undervalued Stocks To Own For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) reported earnings on July 19. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Schlumberger met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) saw short interest rise 12.5% to 14 million shares, about 1% of Schlumberger�� float. The largest oilfield services company reported fourth-quarter results last week and posted higher EPS and revenues than it did a year ago.

  • [By Maxx Chatsko]

    Industry ties
    The company's management team has deep roots in the energy industry, specifically in oilfield services. President and CEO Gary Kolstad spent 21 years at Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) before joining CARBO, while Don Conkle, vice president of marketing and sales, spent 26 years at the same firm. No wonder Schlumberger is one of the top two customers for this proppant manufacturer. Both served in various roles at the company and are well versed in the ebbs and flows of the energy industry, which should serve investors well through the rocky environment of falling natural gas drilling activity.

  • [By reports.droy]

    In a recent article from the Financial Times, GE's Oil and Gas division head Lorenzo Simonelli stated that the company had started to become a major player in the oil and gas industry, taking market share from the "big four" in the industry- Schlumberger (SLB), Halliburton (HAL), Weatherford (WFT) and Baker Hughes (BHI). Although it still remains smaller than the big four it does have a promising future ahead.