Best Chemical Companies To Buy For 2015

Best Chemical Companies To Buy For 2015: Tronox Ltd (TROX)

Tronox Limited, incorporated on September 21, 2011, is engaged in production and marketing of titanium bearing mineral sands and titanium dioxide pigment (TiO2). The Company's TiO2 products are critical components of everyday applications, such as coatings, plastics, paper and other applications. The Company's mineral sands business consists primarily of two product streams: titanium feedstock and zircon. The Company operates in three segments: mineral sands, pigment and corporate and other. The corporate and other include its electrolytic manufacturing business. It has operations in North America, Europe, South Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. The Company operates three TiO2 facilities at the locations in Hamilton, Mississippi, Botlek, The Netherlands, and Kwinana, Western Australia, representing approximately 465,000 tons of annual TiO2 production capacity. In addition, it operates three separate mining operations: KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Sands located in South Africa , Namakwa Sands located in South Africa and the Tiwest Joint Venture located in Western Australia, which has a combined annual production capacity of approximately 723,000 tons of titanium feedstock and approximately 265,000 tons of zircon. On June 15, 2012, the existing business of Tronox Incorporated was combined with the mineral sands business under Tronox Limited.

Mineral Sand segment

The Company's minerals segment includes the exploration, mining and beneficiation of mineral sands deposits. These operations produce titanium feedstock, including ilmenite, chloride slag, slag fines and rutile, as well as zircon, pig iron and activated charcoal. Titanium feedstock is used primarily to manufacture TiO2. Zircon is a mineral which is primarily used as an opacifier in ceramic glazes for tiles, plates, dishes and industrial products.

Pigment! segment

The Company's pigment segment primarily produces and markets TiO2, and has pr oduction facilities in the United States, Australia, and the! Netherlands. TiO2 is used in a range of products due to its ability to impart whiteness, brightness and opacity. TiO2 is used in the manufacture of coatings, plastics and paper and in a range of other applications, including inks, fibers, rubber, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. TiO2 is a critical component of everyday consumer applications due to its superior ability to cover or mask other materials effectively and efficiently relative to alternative white pigments and extenders.

Corporate and other

Corporate and other is comprised of corporate activities and businesses that are no longer in operation, as well as its electrolytic manufacturing and marketing operations, all of which are located in the United States. It's electrolytic and other chemical products operations are focused on advanced battery materials, sodium chlorate and specialty boron products.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]
  Kronos Worldwide, Inc. Since 1916, Kronos Worldwide has been producing titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2), the world's primary pigment for providing whiteness, brightness and opacity. Kronos Worldwide also owns the world's largest mining operation of ilmenite, the raw material used for titanium products such as white pigment titanium oxide and titanium metal products. Citi analyst James Finnerty told clients in a note Monday that Kronos Worldwide could be a target for Tronox Ltd (NYSE: TROX) as the combined entity would account for 19% of global titanium dioxide capacity. Moreover, a buyout offer could be partially funded by a seven-year $1.5 billion term loan that Tronox Ltd secured in March, with around $700 million used to pay down existing debt. On Monday, Kronos Worldwide rose 7.96% to $18.58 (KRO has a 52 week trading range of $14.44 to $20.52 a share) for a market cap ! of $2.15 ! billion plus the stock is down 4.7% since the start of the year and up 273.1% over the past five years. Kronos Worldwide has no P/E and has a forward dividend of $0.60 for a dividend yield of 3.5%.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Under the strain of the environmental liabilities, Kerr-McGee was forced to reorganize in 2001. As a result, it eventually spun off its chemicals business and a paint pigment plant into Tronox (TROX) in 2005. That spin-off took many of Kerr-McGee's old environmental liabilities with it. Three months after it was complete, Anadarko offered to buy Kerr-McGee's oil and gas assets. Tronox was later forced to file for bankruptcy under the weight of the fines and levies.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  The “drop” mentioned in this question referred to the correction in the prices of many domestic oil producer shares that I had warned was likely during our November web chat. But on Dec. 14, just two days after our latest chat, Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) suffered a far more worrisome drop. On that day a judge ruled that Anadarko is responsible for at least $5 billion and perhaps up to $14 billion of cleanup costs related to Tronox (NYSE: TROX), which was spun out of Kerr-McGee in 2005 and subsequently declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009.

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

One Yes, One No, & One Maybe (WLT, CHTP, NBG)

What do Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHTP), National Bank of Greece (NYSE:NBG), and Walter Energy, Inc. (NYSE:WLT) have in common. They all have charts worth a much closer look right now. That's not to say they're all dropping the same bullish hint. In fact, WLT, NBG, and CHTP are all dropping distinctly-different hints as to their likely near-term future. But, trading action is trading action no matter which direction it's in. Take a look.

Yes: Truth be told, shares of the National Bank of Greece have been working on a rally for a while. It's only been recently, however, that NBG has made it clear it's not going to give up. The stock crossed above the 100-day moving average line (gray) early in the month, and has continued to peel away. Yes, National Bank of Greece hit something of a soft patch last week, but the 20-day moving average line (blue) has since stepped up to the plate as a technical floor, rekindling the uptrend yesterday day and today. Perhaps most bullish of all is the fact that NBG has started to increase volume on the way up, after it cleared the 100-day moving average line,

No: With just a quick glance, Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. doesn't look like it's doing anything other than moving sideways. The longer you study the chart of CHTP though, the more it becomes clear that it's not only losing momentum, but has already lost momentum and is developing a downtrend.

The chart tells the story. Though the first three quarters of the year were very bullish one for the stock, with CHTP shares running from a low of $0.76 to a high of $3.30 hit in early September. Since then, however, shares have moved back under the key 20-day (blue) and 50-day (purple) moving average lines, and are putting pressure on the 100-day line as a floor. Although the bearish clincher would be a close under the 100-day line (gray) at $2.81, we've already seen the 20-day line cross under the 50-day average line for the first time in months, telling us the undertow for Chelsea Therapeutics International has already shifted for the worst.

Best Long Term Companies To Watch For 2015

Maybe: Believe it or not, there's a rebound brewing from the coal industry. It's not a big one, but it's decent... decent enough to push Walter Energy, Inc. shares up 50% since June. In the meantime, all the key moving averages have made bullish crossovers, and even started to act as a floor. But, if WLT can hurdle one more line in the sand, that should really fan the bullish flames.

That line? It's the $16.34 mark, where WLT shares have been peaking since early September. But, the stock's been making higher lows that whole time, leading shares into a very tight space between support and resistance. Something's got to give seen, and considering Walter Energy shares have seen much higher volume on 'up' days than 'down' days of late, the odds say $16.34.

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Best Net Payout Yield Companies To Own For 2015

Best Net Payout Yield Companies To Own For 2015: Leidos Holdings Inc (LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (Leidos), incorporated on August 12, 2005, is a science and technology solutions company focused on delivering solutions primarily in the areas of national security, health and engineering. The Company is a holding company whose direct 100%-owned subsidiary is Leidos, Inc., which delivers science and technology solutions in the areas of national security, health and engineering to agencies of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the intelligence community, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and other United States Government civil agencies, state and local government agencies, foreign governments and customers across a variety of commercial markets. The Company's segments include Health and Engineering and National Security Solutions. On September 27, 2013, Leidos completed the separation of its technical services and enterprise information technology services business into an independent, publicly traded company named Scie nce Applications International Corporation.

The Company's National Security Solutions segment provides solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space and cyberspace for the United States intelligence community, the DoD, the military services and the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its solutions deliver technology, intelligence systems, data analytics, cyber solutions, and intelligence analysis and operations support to critical missions around the world. The Company's Health and Engineering segment provides health systems integration services to implement and optimize the use of electronic health records, apply data analytics and behavioral health research to help enable customers to improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes, detect and prevent diseases, enhance scientific discovery, and reduce costs to the healthc! are system. Leidos also provides engineering services and solutions focused on solving energy, environmental and infrastruct ure challenges. These include solutions in energy generation! , efficiency and management, environmental services, securing critical infrastructure, and designing and building construction projects.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Leidos Holdings Inc.(LDOS) said fiscal first-quarter earnings slumped 52%, as revenue declined amid what the company described as a continued constrained federal funding environment. Shares dropped 3.5% to $36.61 premarket.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leidos Holdings (NYSE: LDOS) was down as well, falling 18.17 percent to $35.33 after the company announced its COO would leave, while releasing worse than expected guidance.

• [By Steve Symington]

  What: Shares of Leidos Holdings,  (NYSE: LDOS  )  or formerly Science Applications International -- fell more than 18% Thursday after the national security, health, and engineering solutions company turned in better-than-expected fiscal 2014 fourth-quarter results, but followed with disappointing guidance and announced the departure of its Chief Operating Officer.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Iron Mountain have fallen 2.3% to $25.72 today, while comparable have been mixed. Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has ticked up 0.6% to $46.28 and Amdocs (DOX) has risen 0.8% to $37.20. Maximus (MMS), on the other hand, has fallen 1.2% to $46.22 and Xerox (XRX) is off 0.3% to $10.62.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-net-payout-yield-companies-to-own-for-2015.html

Top 5 Recreation Companies To Buy Right Now

Top 5 Recreation Companies To Buy Right Now: Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (SWHC)

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Smith & Wesson), incorporated on June 17, 1991, is a manufacturer of firearms. The Company manufactures a range of handguns, modern sporting rifles, hunting rifles, black powder firearms, handcuffs, and firearm-related products and accessories for sale to a range of customers, including gun enthusiasts, collectors, hunters, sportsmen, competitive shooters, individuals desiring home and personal protection, law enforcement and security agencies and officers, and military agencies in the United States and globally. It sell its products under the Smith & Wesson brand, the M&P brand, the Thompson/Center brand, and the Walther brand. The Company manufactures its firearm products at its facilities in Springfield, Massachusetts and Houlton, Maine. On July 26, 2012, it sold all of the assets of Smith & Wesson Security Solutions, Inc.

Firearms

During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company introdu ced multiple new handgun and modern sporting rifle models, and one new bolt action rifle platform. The Company's rifle introductions included the addition of the M&P15 300 Whisper to the Company's line of modern sporting rifles. As of April 30, 2012, the Company participated in three categories of the long-gun market and both core categories of the handgun market.

Handguns

The Company manufactures an variety of handgun models that include revolvers and pistols. A revolver is a handgun with a cylinder that holds the ammunition in a series of rotating chambers that are successively aligned with the barrel of the firearm during each firing cycle. There are two general types of revolvers: single-action and double-action. The Company's small-frame revolvers have been carried by law enforcement personnel and personal defense-minded c! itizens. The Company's revolvers are available in a variety of models and calibers, with applications in virtually all profe ssional and personal markets.

The Company's M! &P15 Series of modern sporting rifles are designed to satisfy the functionality and reliability needs of global military, law enforcement, and security personnel. These rifles are also popular as sporting target rifles and are sold to consumers through the Company's sporting good distributors, retailers, and dealers. The Company has a range of product portfolio of modern sporting rifles, which includes a lower price-point, sport model, a .22 caliber model, and a fully automatic model designed for the exclusive use of military and law enforcement agencies throughout the world.

Hunting Firearms

The Company manufactures three lines of bolt-action rifles under its Thompson/Center brand consisting of several models in each line. The Company's hunting rifles are offered in 16 different calibers. Bolt-action rifles operate by the cycling of a bolt handle that allows for both the loading and unloading of rounds through a magazine fed system.

D uring fiscal 2012, the Company introduced the Dimension bolt action rifle platform. Under the Company's Thompson/Center brand, the Company also offers seven models of American-made single shot black powder, or muzzle loader, firearms. The Company offers eight models of interchangeable, single shot firearm systems that deliver numerous gun, barrel, caliber configurations, and finishes. These systems can be configured as a center-fire rifle, rim-fire rifle, shotgun, black powder firearm, or single-shot handgun for use across the entire range of big- and small-game hunting.

Handcuffs

The Company manufactures handcuffs and restraints in the United States. The Company fabricates these products from the carbon or stainless steel.

Smith & Wesson Academy

Through the Smith & Wesson Academy, the Company! offers i! nstruction designed to meet the training needs of law enforcement and security customers worldwide. Classes are conducted at the Company's facility in Springfield, Massachusetts or o! n locatio! n around the world.

Specialty Services

The Company's services include forging, heat treating, finishing, and plating. It provides services to third-party customers.

The Company competes with Ruger,Taurus, Beretta, Glock, Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, Bushmaster, Rock River, Stag Arms, DPMS, Browning, Marlin, Remington, Ruger, Savage, Weatherby, CVA, Traditions, and Winchester.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  www.gopro.com Plenty of stocks go up and down in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets. Let's go over some of last week's best and worst performers. TubeMogul (TUBE) -- Up 47 percent last week The biggest winner among Nasdaq-listed stocks was TubeMogul, surprising the market with a profit in its first quarter as a public company. TubeMogul is trying to raise the bar when it comes to online video advertising, and its first time out with fresh financials is impressive. Revenue more than doubled, and TubeMogul's profit of 4 cents a share flabbergasted the pros, who were bracing for a deficit of 15 cents a share. Its guidance suggests that TubeMogul will revert back to a deficit during the next two quarters, but the market was still impressed by the healthy revenue and ad spend growth in its outlook for the balance of the year. GoPro (GPRO) -- Up 20 percent last week The leading maker of wearable cameras is going to the dogs. GoPro moved higher after introducing a new canine camera harness. GoPro's Fetch is a harness that offers a pair of mount locations for GoPro's high-def HERO cameras. The adjustable mount can be worn by dogs as small as 15 pounds, but it remains to be seen if PETA and ! other ani! mal activists object to having cameras mounted on canines in the first place. Mobileye (MBLY) -- Up 15 percent last week Self-driving cars may be closer than we think. Shares of Mobileye -- a Jerusalem-based leader in camera-based advanced driver assistance systems, moved higher after analysts initiated coverage with favorable ratings. Barclays Capital (BCS), Citigroup (C), Morgan Stanley (JPM) and Robert W. Baird were among the analysts chiming in on the recently public company with upbeat outlooks. Mobileye's cameras make cars smarter, bringing us one step closer to automobiles that drive themselves. Smith & Wesson (SWHC) -- Down 15 percent las

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Smith & Wesson (SWHC) has plunged 11% to $11.65 after beating earnings by a penny but lowering its full-year forecast well below the Street consensus. Smith & Wesson cited high inventories and sluggish sales as the problem.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-recreation-companies-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Top 10 Growth Companies To Own For 2015

Top 10 Growth Companies To Own For 2015: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul R. La Monica]

  Lee added that the company is testing the use of tablets in some of its restaurants to improve efficiency. It's a move that other casual dining chains, most notably Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), is experimenting with as well.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-10-growth-companies-to-own-for-2015.html

Hot Integrated Utility Companies For 2014

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL  ) recently launched "Chromebooks for Work," a new subscription service to encourage the enterprise adoption of Chromebooks. The service costs $50 annually per device, and gives enterprise customers access to Google's advanced Chrome OS management features and support.

Chromebooks. Source: Google.

Google is making it clear that Chromebooks, which can cost less than $200, aren't just for students anymore. In its updated service, Google introduces a single sign-on across multiple enterprise services which use the SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) standard. This feature is useful for companies which don't want to be fully dependent on Google's apps, and allows users to switch quickly between work and personal accounts for BYOD (bring your own device) purposes.

Google's new management console also allows network administrators to install or block certain apps, change network access levels for certain users, customize homepage designs, and even push bookmarks to users' Chromebooks and mobile devices. In a blog post, Google states that Chromebooks' cloud-based infrastructure reduces the IT setup time for a business to "a matter of days," and notes that businesses like Woolworths, Auberge Resorts, and Chapters Health have all equipped their workers with Chromebooks.

Top Sliver Companies To Watch For 2015: Nuveen Tax-Advantaged Total Return Strategy Fund (JTA)

Nuveen Tax-Advantaged Total Return Strategy Fund operates as a diversified and closed-end management investment company. The fund primarily invests in dividend-paying common stocks. It also invests in senior loans, U.S corporate bonds, notes and debentures, convertible debt securities, as well as high yield debt securities. Its portfolio primarily includes investments in oil and gas, diversified telecommunication, services, diversified financial services, tobacco, insurance, aerospace and defense, metals and mining, commercial banks, electric utilities, thrifts and mortagage finance, and paper and forest product sectors. Nuveen Tax-Advantaged Total Return Strategy Fund was organized in 2003 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  According to a Gabelli Funds report, managed distribution policies offer several advantages, including:1. Lower difference between the fund�� market price and its NAV per share.2. Provides support during periods when the stock market is in a decline.3. Provides a measurable performance target for the investment adviser.Below are several high-yield funds from CEFA that have a managed distribution policy (yields as of December 16):Aberdeen Australia Eqty (IAF)- Distribution Yield: 10.4%- Income Yield: 3.46%Bexil Advisers LLC� (DNI)- Distribution Yield: 11.1%- Income Yield: 3.56%BlackRock En Capital&Inc (CII)- Distribution Yield: 8.78%- Income Yield: 2.34%Cornerstone Strat Value (CLM)- Distribution Yield: 18.77%- Income Yield: 1.83%Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)- Distribution Yield: 19.10%- Income Yield: 0.85%Delaware Inv Div & Inc (DDF)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 5.26%Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB)- Distribution Yield: 7.58%- Income Yield: 1.54%Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT)- Distribution Yield: 9.45%- Income Yield: 2.84%MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)- Distribution Yield: 9.60%- Income Yield: 5.73%Nuveen Tx-Adv TR Strat (JTA)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 3.12%TCW Strategic Income (TSI)- Distribution Yield: 10.54%- Income Yield: 7.88%Zweig Total Return (ZTR)- Distribution Yield: 7.27%- Income Yield: 1.95%As noted in the Gabelli report, a managed distribution policy may create confusion regarding the true current yield since the reported yield includes the return of capital portion. You can see the disparity above between the income yield and the distribution (reported) yield.If you are looking for a sustainable and growing dividend, you may want to consider some blue-chip dividend stocks such as these with a Free Cash Flow Payout less than 50%, 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases and a 2%+ yield:3M Co. (MMM) is a diversified global company provides enhanced product functionality in electronics, health care, industrial, consumer

Hot Integrated Utility Companies For 2014: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSM)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based company principally engaged in the research, development, manufacture and distribution of integrated circuit (IC) related products. The Company operates its businesses through wafer manufacture, mask production, wafer testing and packaging components. The Company also involves in the provision of production management, customer services and design services. Its products and services are applied in the manufacture of personal computers and peripheral products, information related products, wire and wireless communication systems, automobile and industrial equipment, as well as consumer electronic products, such as digital disk players, digital televisions (TVs), game consoles, digital cameras, among others. Its customers include Altera, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Analog Devices, Freescale, NXP and Texas Instruments, among others. In July 2010, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. acquired mechanical and engineering equipment from ASML HONG KONG LTD. In September 2010, the Company acquired a set of equipments from ASML HONG KONG LTD. In December 2010, the Company acquired a set of equipment from TOKYO ELECTRON LTD., KLA-TENCOR CORP. and NOVELLUS SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL,B.V. In January 2011, the Company announced that it had acquired a set of equipment from KLA-TENCOR CORP., a set of equipment and facility, and another set of equipment from VARIAN SEMI. EQUIP. ASSOCIATES GmbH. In March 2011, the Company acquired a set of equipments from Rudolph Technologies, Inc.In March 2011, the Company acquired a set of equipments from Rudolph Technologies, Inc. In May 2011, it acquired a set of equipments form APPLIED MATERIALS SOUTH EAST ASIA PACIFIC LTD., Hamatech APE Gmbh and CO. KG, TOKYO ELECTRON LTD., DAINIPPON SCREEN MFG. CO., LTD., and VARIAN SEMI. EQUIP. ASSOCIATES GMBH.

TSMC's customers include semiconductor companies, ranging from fabless semiconductor and systems companies, such as Advanced Micro Devices, In! c., Altera Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor Inc., MediaTek Inc., nVidia Corporation and Qualcomm Incorporated, to integrated device manufacturers, such as LSI Corporation, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Inc. Fabless semiconductor and system companies accounted for approximately 80%, and integrated device manufacturers accounted for approximately 20% of its net sales as of December 31, 2009.

The Company manufactures semiconductors using CMOS and BiCMOS processes. The BiCMOS process combines the speed of the bipolar circuitry and the power consumption and density of the CMOS circuitry. It uses the CMOS process to manufacture logic semiconductors, memory semiconductors, including static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, mixed-signal/ radio frequency (RF) semiconductors, which combine analog and digital circuitry in a single semiconductor, micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS), which combines micrometer featured mechanical parts, analog and digital circuitry in a single semiconductor, and embedded memory semiconductors, which combine logic and memory in a single semiconductor. The BiCMOS process is used to make high-end mixed-signal and other types of semiconductors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend]

  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) has a market capitalization of $85.85 billion. The company employs 39,267 people, generates revenue of $16.931 billion and has a net income of $5.550 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $10.448 billion. The EBITDA margin is 61.71 percent (the operating margin is 34.84 percent and the net profit margin 32.78 percent).

• [By Ashraf Eassa]

  On the other hand, Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM  ) and Samsung, the two remaining leading-edge foundries, are claiming that their 14/16-nanometer process technologies will be in high volume production during 2015. If we look at what has been announced so far in the way of products and timelines, we can get a sense of Intel's competitive position:

• [By Ashraf Eassa]

  Is the tide turning?
  According to Digitimes, chip manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM  ) , or TSMC, has apparently begun to see an uptick in orders from PC-levered names such as AMD (NYSE: AMD  ) and NVIDIA. (Intel builds its chips at its own manufacturing plants). While this is mildly positive for TSMC, which is also levered to the fast-growing mobile markets, it could end up being very positive for Intel and the PC-levered names in general.

Hot Integrated Utility Companies For 2014: Andatee China Marine Fuel Services Corporation(AMCF)

Andatee China Marine Fuel Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, storage, distribution, and wholesale purchase, and sale of blended marine fuel oil for cargo and fishing vessels primarily in Tianjin City, and Liaoning, Shandong, and Zhejiang Provinces in the People?s Republic of China. It sells its products through distributors, as well as to retail customers. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Dalian, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Andatee China Marine Fuel Services (NASDAQ: AMCF) shares surged 70.29% to $2.98 after the company reported Q2 results.

  Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST) shares climbed 30.97% to $93.84. Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and Monster Beverage announced a long-term strategic partnership. As part of the deal, Coca-Cola will buy a 16.7% equity stake in Monster.

Hot Integrated Utility Companies For 2014: Endeavour Silver Corporation(EXK)

Endeavour Silver Corp., a mid-cap silver mining company, focuses on the growth of its silver production, reserves, and resources in Mexico and Chile. It principally holds interests in two producing silver mines in Mexico, including the Guanacevi mine, located in Durango State; and the Guanajuato mine located in Guanajuato State. Endeavour Silver Corp. was formerly known as Endeavour Gold Corp. and changed its name on September 14, 2004. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zacks]

  Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic materials sector include Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE: EXK), Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (NYSE: FSM) and MAG Silver Corp. (AMEX:MVG). All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).���

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top losers in the sector included Endeavour Silver (NYSE: EXK), off 4 percent, and Hecla Mining Co (NYSE: HL), down 3.5 percent.

  Top Headline
  Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) posted a profit in the first quarter. Halliburton swung to a quarterly profit of $622 million, or $0.73 per share, versus a year-ago loss of $18 million, or $0.02 per share. Its income from continuing operations came in at $0.73 per share. Its total revenue climbed to $7.35 billion versus $6.97 billion. However, analysts were estimating earnings of $0.72 per share on revenue of $7.26 billion.

Hot Integrated Utility Companies For 2014: Westpac Banking Corp (WEBNF)

Westpac Banking Corporation is a banking company. It operates through three divisions: Australian Financial Services (AFS), Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB) and Westpac New Zealand. AFS consists of Westpac�� retail and business banking operations in Australia, and includes Westpac Retail & Business Banking (Westpac RBB), St.George Banking Group and BT Financial Group Australia (BFTG). Westpac RBB is responsible for sales and service for consumer, small-to-medium enterprise customers and commercial customers under the Westpac brands. St.George is responsible for sales, and service for its consumer, business and corporate customers in Australia under brands, such as St.George and BankSA. BTFG is Westpac�� Australian wealth management division. In January 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of Lloyds Banking Group Plc�� Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia Limited, and its Australian corporate loan portfolio, BOS International (Australia) Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Inman]

  Earnings season continued in Australia as Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) � (WEBNF) �fell 1.2% after the country�� second-largest bank by market value reported lower-than-expected revenue, offsetting a cash profit that exceeded forecasts.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Stocks in Australia fell early Thursday, pressured by a drop in the country's currency to a three-month low below 90 U.S. cents, and by losses on Wall Street overnight on concerns about tapering of monetary stimulus. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) fell 28 points, or 0.5%, to 5,246, led by losses in the heavily weighted financial sector. There, shares of Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) lost 1.2%, National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) declined 1%, and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) shed 0.7%. Shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) sank 14% after the company warned it expects to post an underlying loss before tax of $250 million to $300 million for the six months ending Dec. 31. The carrier said trading conditions saw a marked deterioration, particularly in November with both passenger loads and yields "below the already negative trends for the year to date."

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks started Monday trade higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) up 0.8% at 5,206.40 after a strong finish for Wall Street at the end of last week. Resource shares got a lift from gains for commodities prices since the previous trading session, with strong advances for gold and copper and a more than 2% rise for New York-traded crude-oil futures. Among the leading gainers, Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) added 1.2%, Oil Search Ltd. (AU:OSH) (OISHF) climbed 1.3%, and gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) and Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) improved by 3.9% and 6.4%, respectively. The heavily weighted banking sector also enjoyed solid gains, with Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) up 1%, Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) trading 1.3% higher, and National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) rising 1.1% as the U.K.'s Sunday Times reported the lender is considering a 拢2 billion ($3.3 billion) float of its British operations, which the report said had dragged on NAB's results in recent years.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Stocks in Australia gave up ground early Tuesday before the country's central bank issued its final interest-rate decision of the year. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) shed 0.2% to 5,271.10, with financial stocks mixed ahead a widely expected decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to leave its benchmark rate at 2.5%. Westpac Banking Corp. shares (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) gave up 0.3% and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) shed 0.1%, but National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) tacked on 0.3%. Gold stocks were hit, dropping after gold futures fell by more than 2% overnight on concerns about a pullback in monetary stimulus by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Shares of gold miner Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) lost 6.4%, Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) fell 6.7%, and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) slid 9.7%.

Top 5 Mid Cap Stocks To Own For 2014

Small cap poultry processing stock Sanderson Farms, Inc (NASDAQ: SAFM), who�� potential peers include mid cap Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (NASDAQ: PPC) and large cap Tyson Foods, Inc (NYSE: TSN), has elevated short interest of 39.09% according to Highshortinterest.com. Its worth noting though that mid cap Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is actually the most shorted stock on the market as it has short interest of 61.64%�after it and Tyson Foods, Inc battled for control of Hillshire Brands�with the latter ultimately prevailing last summer.

Why is Sanderson Farms, Inc Being Shorted?

Small cap Sanderson Farms is a fully integrated poultry processing company�involved in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items.

Top 5 Stocks To Own For 2015: OraSure Technologies Inc.(OSUR)

OraSure Technologies, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and sells oral fluid diagnostic products and specimen collection devices in the United States and internationally. It also manufactures and sells medical devices used for the removal of benign skin lesions by cryosurgery or freezing. The company offers OraQuick ADVANCE HIV-1/2, a point-of-care qualitative test for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and type 2; OraQuick HCV, a point-of-care qualitative test for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus; OraSure QuickFlu Rapid Flu A&B Test, a point-of-care qualitative test for antibodies to influenza Types A and B, including H1N1 infections; OraSure, an oral fluid collection device for the detection of antibodies to HIV-1 in an oral fluid sample in a laboratory setting; and Intercept, an oral fluid collection device for oral fluid drugs of abuse testing in a laboratory setting. In addition, it provides MICRO-PLATE DOA Assays that are used to detect the drugs in an oral fluid sample collected with intercept device; cryosurgical freezing systems for the removal of warts and other benign skin lesions; and cryosurgical systems for the removal of common and plantar warts. Further, OraSure Technologies sells immunoassay tests and reagents for insurance risk assessment, substance abuse testing, and forensic toxicology applications; an oral fluid Western blot HIV-1 confirmatory test for confirming positive HIV-1 test results obtained from the use of OraSure collection device; and Q.E.D., a point-of-care saliva alcohol test. The company sells its products through direct sales, strategic collaborations, and distributors to clinical laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community-based and other public health organizations, distributors, government agencies, physicians? offices, and commercial and industrial entities. It has collaboration agreement with Merck & Co. Inc. OraSure Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Beth lehem, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Progress has also been made on the diagnostic front. The FDA approved OraSure Technologies' (NASDAQ: OSUR  ) OraQuick home HIV test in July 2012. OraQuick allows an individual to use a mouth swab and find out the results within 40 minutes. The test hasn't exactly leaped off store shelves as of yet, though. OraSure reported only $1.5 million in gross sales for the OraQuick home test during the most recent quarter.

Top 5 Mid Cap Stocks To Own For 2014: Vision Industries Corp (VIIC)

Vision Industries Corp. (Vision), incorporated on May 11, 2004, is a manufacturer of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid powered Class 8 trucks and terminal tractors. Vision operates in the short-haul, drayage trucking category (the movement of containerized cargo over a short distance, typically less than 50 miles, from a port to an intermodal facility, such as a rail yard). The Company�� products include the Tyrano, a short-haul Class 8 tractor, and the Zero-TT, a single axle terminal tractor co-developed with Cargotec USA, the maker of terminal tractors.

The Company markets its vehicles to drayage operators at the twin Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and plans to expand its target market nationally to all fleet operators, owner-operators and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Vision aims to target drayage trucking fleet operators who operate in the eight deep-water ports (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Houston, Savanah, New York and New Jersey). Fleets which operate at these locations usually have predetermine routes, travel less than 50-mile (from Port to rail yard or distribution center) and have a return to base duty-cycle.

Tyrano

The Vision Tyrano is a lass 8 Zero-Emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell / Electric Hybrid heavy-duty truck designed to move containerized cargo from port to rail yard. With a GCVWR the Tyrano uses Lithium-ion batteries to power an electric motor and Hydrogen fuel cells to extend its range. The Vision Tyrano was designed for short-distance containerized cargo movement with trade corridor communities in mind.

Vision (Zero-TT) Terminal Tractors

The Zero-Emission Terminal Tractor (Zero-TT) is a Class 8 facility-only Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Hybrid vehicle. GCVWR and is designed to move the heavy containerized cargo inside a Port facility or central distribution center. The Zero-TT is designed to operate for two full eight-hour shifts with refillable hydrogen tanks.

Cheetah

The Cheetah Supercar is a zero-emission passenger sports car prototype. This sports car is using Vision�� hybrid hydrogen drive system which can deliver 425 horsepower and 1,350 feet /lbs of torque.

The Company competes with Bosch, Delphi, Siemens, Visteon, Quantum, Dynetek Industries Ltd., Lincoln Composites, Structural Composites Inc, Linde AG, Air Products and Energy Conversion Devices.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap green stocks Vision Industries Corp (OTCMKTS: VIIC), Bravo Enterprises Ltd (OTCMKTS: OGNG) and Kleangas Energy Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: KGET) have reported recent news and/or they are being promoted. Of course, it goes without saying that small cap green stocks tend to be more volatile that other types of investments. So will investors and traders alike see some greenbacks from these green stocks? Here is a quick reality check:

Top 5 Mid Cap Stocks To Own For 2014: Orbotech Ltd.(ORBK)

Orbotech Ltd. engages in designing, developing, manufacturing, marketing, and servicing yield-enhancing and production solutions for specialized applications in the supply chain of the electronics industry. The company?s products include automated optical inspection (AOI), automated optical repair, laser direct imaging, digital legend printing, laser drilling, laser plotters, computer-aided manufacturing, and engineering solutions for printed circuit boards (PCBs) and other electronics component manufacturing; and AOI, test, repair, and process monitoring systems for flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing. It also develops and markets character recognition solutions and services primarily to banks, financial institutions, and other payment processing institutions for use in check and healthcare payment processing. In addition, the company is involved in the research and development of products for the deposition of anti-reflective coating on crystalline silicon photovolta ic wafers for solar energy panels. It primarily serves manufacturer of PCB, FPD, liquid crystal displays, and other electronic components worldwide. The company was formerly known as Optrotech Ltd. and changed its name to Orbotech Ltd. as a result of its merger with Orbot Systems Ltd. in October 1992. Orbotech Ltd. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Yavne, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By John Emerson]

  Orbotech (ORBK) and Rudolph Technologies (RTEC) Sizable Net-Nets in the AOI Sector

  As noted previously, I rode the elevator up and then back down on Camtek (CAMT), a tiny Israeli automated optical inspection (AOI) company. By late 2008 the company had fallen to below $1 per share. Both of Camtek�� larger rivals, RTEC and ORBK, had dropped to absurdly low levels by November 2008. I used the opportunity to switch out of CAMT and some of my other losing propositions in favor of these superior companies. In the process, I created a large amount of tax loss carry-forwards which would allow me to minimize my future taxation when I decided to sell these cyclical entities.

• [By John Emerson]

  AOI companies had little in the way of competition since they held a specialty niche and their systems were protected by patents. Years of R&D would be required to unseat them by way of technological superiority; therefore it made more sense for a larger company to assimilate them should they wish to enter the AOI sector. That said, CAMT was much smaller than its archrival Orbitech (ORBK) in the PCB AOI sector; thus their key to long term growth lied in their penetration into the rapidly expanding semiconductor AOI sector. In that area, their main completion was August Semiconductor.

Top 5 Mid Cap Stocks To Own For 2014: Cardiovascular Systems Inc.(CSII)

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on developing and commercializing minimally invasive treatment solutions for vascular disease. Its primary products include catheter-based platforms, such as the Diamondback 360�PAD System, the Diamondback Predator 360�PAD System, and Stealth 360�PAD System that are used for the treatment of a range of plaque types in leg arteries above and below the knee. The PAD Systems consists of a single-use catheter that travels over its proprietary ViperWire guidewire and are used in conjunction with a reusable external control unit or a saline infusion pump. It markets and sells its products through direct sales force to hospitals and office based laboratories in the United States. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Oberweis]

  Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSII) sells devices (called atherectomy devices) that remove the plaque altogether versus traditional angioplasty devices that push the plaque into the vessel.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, medical device company Cardiovascular Systems (NASDAQ: CSII  ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

• [By Todd Campbell]

  So far I've outlined the reasons for the robust returns last year at diabetes device maker Dexcom and cardiovascular device play Cardiovascular Systems (NASDAQ: CSII  ) . That brings us to No. 3 in my series,�Abiomed (NASDAQ: ABMD  ) , a company that saw its latest product line propel its shares 98% higher in 2013.

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014

On Tuesday, lightly traded small cap biodiesel stock Methes Energies International Ltd (NASDAQ: MEIL) soared 53.78% on record production figures, meaning its worth taking a closer look at whether that surge was actually warranted plus look at the performance of�potential peers like biodiesel stock Renewable Energy Group Inc (NASDAQ: REGI) and biofuel ETF the ELEMENTS MLCX Biofuels Index TR ETN (NYSEArca: FUE).

What is Methes Energies International?

Small cap Methes Energies International is a renewable energy company offering products and services to biodiesel fuel producers both in�Canada and the US that is produced at its production facility in Mississauga, Ontario, and at its 13 MGY facility in Sombra, Ontario. Among Methes Energies International�� services are selling commodities to its network of biodiesel producers, selling their biodiesel production and providing clients with proprietary software to operate and control their processors. In addition, the company�remotely monitors the quality and characteristics of its clients' production, upgrades and repairs their processors and advises clients on adjusting their processes to use varying feedstock to improve the quality of their biodiesel.

Hot Promising Companies To Own In Right Now: Ormat Technologies Inc.(ORA)

Ormat Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the geothermal and recovered energy power business in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Electricity and Product. The Electricity segment develops, builds, owns, and operates geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants; and sells the electricity. The Product segment designs, manufactures, and sells power units for geothermal and recovered energy-based electricity generation; fossil fuel powered turbo-generators; and heavy duty direct-current generators. It also provides services relating to the engineering, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance of geothermal and recovered energy power plants. This segment serves contractors and geothermal power plant owners and operators; and interstate natural gas pipeline owners and operators, gas processing plant owners and operators, cement plant owners and operators, and companies in other energy-intens ive industrial processes. The company was founded in 1965 and is based in Reno, Nevada. Ormat Technologies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Ormat Industries Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marie Mawad]

  Orange SA (ORA), France�� biggest phone company, agreed to sell its Dominican Republic unit to Altice, a cable and telecommunications investor, for $1.4 billion.

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014: Integrated Silicon Solution Inc.(ISSI)

Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, designs and markets integrated circuits for digital consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications, mobile communications, automotive electronics, and industrial markets. Its primary products include low and medium density DRAM; and high speed and low power SRAM. The company?s low and medium density DRAM products are used in wireless local area networks (WLANs), base stations, networking switches and routers, fiber to the home (FTTH), DSL and cable modems, set top boxes, digital cameras, MP3, flat panel TVs, LCD TVs, HDTVs, video phones, Voice over Internet Protocol, printers, disk drives, tape drives, audio/video equipment, instrumentation, global positioning systems (GPS), telematics, infotainment, smart meters, and other applications. Its SRAM products are used in WLANs, cell phones, base stations, networking switches and routers, FTTH, DSL modems, LCD TVs, set-top boxes, GPS systems, instrumen tation, engine control systems, medical equipment, telematics, audio and video equipment, satellite radio, POS terminals, fax machines, copiers, tape drives, and other applications. Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. also designs and markets application specific standard products, including high performance serial EEPROMs for use in TVs, networking systems, modems, telephone sets, security systems, video games, automobiles, and other consumer products; and SmartCards that have applications in transportation passes, payment cards, health care cards, and other cards that store secure data. The company markets and sells its products in Asia, the United States, and Europe through direct sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors. Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Basic guidelines
  In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Integrated Silicon Solution (Nasdaq: ISSI  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Integrated Silicon Solution doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, not so great. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 7.0%, and inventory increased 43.7%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks potentially problematic. Revenue grew 20.0%, and inventory grew 43.7%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks OK but not great. Revenue dropped 1.8%, and inventory dropped 0.8%.

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP  ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP) surged 17.73% to $14.21. The volume of Checkpoint Systems shares traded was 525% higher than normal. Checkpoint announced its intent to extend the filing date of its annual report.

• [By ovenerio]

  But the firm must continue working hard because growth remains below management's expectations from a few years ago. Competition includes Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (CKP), R-pac International Corporation, and SML Group Limited.

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014: Barry Callebaut AG (BARN)

Barry Callebaut AG is a Switzerland-based producer of cocoa, chocolate and confectionery products. The Company�� manufacturing process involves all stages of the cocoa and chocolate value chain from the sourcing of raw materials to the delivery of the finished products. The Company operates three geographical segments, including Europe, Americas and Asia-Pacific, as well as its business segment Global Sourcing & Cocoa. The Global Sourcing & Cocoa business segment is responsible for the procurement of ingredients for chocolate production, including mainly cocoa, as well as sugar, dairy and nuts as common ingredients, as well as the Company's cocoa processing business. The Company serves the food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to professional or artisanal users of chocolate. The Company operates more than 50 chocolate and cocoa factories, and is present in over 30 countries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Elan Corp. jumped 8.4 percent in Dublin after authorizing the process of its sale. Hochtief AG gained the most in four months after the German builder said it will buy as much as 260 million euros ($346 million) of its own shares. Michelin & Cie, Europe�� largest tiremaker, added 4.7 percent after data on its website showed tire demand surged in Brazil last month. Barry Callebaut AG (BARN) lost 3.4 percent after the maker of bulk chocolate sold about $302 million of new shares.

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014: Streamtrack Inc (STTK)

StreamTrack, Inc. (StreamTrack), formerly Lux Digital Pictures, Inc., incorporated on May 6, 2008, is a digital media and technology services company. StreamTrack provides streaming and advertising services through its RadioLoyalty Platform to over 1,100 Internet and terrestrial radio stations and other broadcast content providers. It has developed a video in-steam technology that enables radio broadcasters to enhance the end users experience. StreamTrack is also developing additional Internet products and Internet and mobile technologies, including WatchThis, a merchandising in-stream technology to provide Internet Protocol (IP) television streaming services, advertising and e-commerce services. In May 2012, the Company acquired the entire WatchThis business and assets. On August 31, 2012, it acquired RadioLoyalty, Inc.

Within StreamTrack Digital, the Company is specializes in traffic whether its display, video, mobile, lead gen, search or social. Its short message service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS) Delivery Platform manages SMS and MMS campaigns, MMS event boards, mobile Websites and has a detailed reporting engine.

The Company�� revenue is principally derived from advertising services. The Company generates advertising revenue primarily from display and video advertising. The Company generates the majority of its advertising revenue through the delivery of advertising impressions sold on a cost per thousand (CPM) basis. Its advertising revenues are generated through its technologies from Internet-based content. The Company generated services revenues related to the management and resale of its webhosting capacity at its two facilities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Last Friday, small cap stocks Boreal Water Collection, Inc (OTCMKTS: BRWC), Streamtrack Inc (OTCMKTS: STTK) and Nexia Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: NXHD) surged 66.67%, 45.67% and 29.41%, respectively. Moreover, only one of these small cap stocks appears to be the subject of some kind of paid promotions or investor relations activities. So will these small cap stocks keep surging for the new trading week? Here is a closer look to help you decide on a trading or investing strategy:

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014: 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 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).

• [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:�

Hot Quality Companies To Buy For 2014: SLM Corporation(SLM)

SLM Corporation, through its subsidiaries, originates, acquires, finances, and services private education loans in the United States. It offers processing capabilities to educational institutions, 529 college-savings plan program management services, and a consumer savings network. The company also provides servicing, loan default aversion, and defaulted loan collection services for loans owned by the Department of Education (ED), Guarantors of FFELP Loans, and other institutions. In addition, SLM Corporation offers campus solutions, which comprise electronic billing, collection, payment and refund, and tuition payment plan administration services. The company promotes its products through the financial aid offices on campuses, as well as through direct marketing to students and their families. SLM Corporation was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Newark, Delaware.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM  ) will be keeping its quarterly dividend steady at $0.15 per share.

  The financial services company has paid this amount to investors since�March 2013, after upping the amount 20% from $0.125. Sallie Mae's latest payout will be paid on Dec. 20 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 6.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of SLM Corp (NASDAQ: SLM  ) , better known as Sallie Mae, jumped as much as 14% after announcing a new CEO and unveiling strategic plans to split into two separate companies. Shares have since given back much of their gains and are now up just 4% as of this writing.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The wild card by our take�is how this will impact SLM�Corporation (NYSE: SLM). If this is going to be a huge win for Sallie Mae it is not being reflected in the price of its stock as the stock was up only by one-cent at $24.21 late on Thursday. SLM is worth just over $10.5 billion and it is somewhat remarkable that it survived the government takeover of the industry.

• [By Sue Chang]

  SLM Corp. (SLM) �is expected to post first-quarter earnings of 55 cents a share.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of software automation company Marketo (NASDAQ: MKTO  ) surged 12% today on continued enthusiasm for its long-term growth prospects.

So what: The stock skyrocketed 75% on Friday when Marketo launched its IPO, so today's follow-up rally suggests that investor interest in the space only increasing. In fact, software gorilla Oracle�recently acquired Marketo's main rival, Eloqua, which is probably giving traders the justification they need to keep bidding up Marketo.

Now what: With such strong cloud-computing trends working in its favor, Marketo is certainly worth following. "Buyers really want to deal with category leaders," said CEO Phil Fernandez. "I think the real demand is for pure play companies in each segment. That really lets us shine as that company." Of course, given just how much growth is baked into the stock right now, I'd wait for a big hiccup before buying into that bullishness. �

Top 5 Construction Companies To Watch For 2015: North American Oil & Gas Corp (NAMG)

Calendar Dragon Inc., incorporated on April 7, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company was formed to create a new calendaring tool that incorporates a range of features not offered by other providers, all in one lean online package. Its Website www.calendardragon.com was formed to bridge the gap between current social networking, e-mail and calendaring / scheduling activities for the individual, with applications to business, government, law enforcement, and medical.

The calendardragon.com Website focuses on having each of the various windows within the interface: Contacts like an email app, traditional left location; Events & to do lists along with ability to hide / show events and to do lists with others; Calendar customizable view; Message text (thread), along with list of participants in a separate pane, and Options. During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2010, the Company did not generate any revenue.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  What�� the Catch With New Western Energy Corp? According to various disclosures, transactions of $3k and $4k have or will occur to mention New Western Energy Corp in various investment newsletters. Last Tuesday, New Western Energy Corp announced it had drilled the Anna #1 well to 1,793 ft. and the presence of coal gas was confirmed. If the quantity of gas is sufficient, the New Western Energy Corp will construct a gas gathering pipeline for no more than $200k to connect the field to the nearest sales point. Investors should be aware that the New Western Energy Corp has reported revenues of $19k (most recent reported quarter), $31k, $24k and $15k for the past four quarters along with net losses of $181k (most recent reported quarter), $1,025k, $106k and $110k.�Nevertheless and at the end of March, New Western Energy Corp had $793k in cash to cover $521k in current liabilities. That could be enough cash to sustain the company until it gets more revenue pumping in.

  North American Oil & Gas Corp (OTCBB: NAMG) Has Announced a Completed Strategic Review

  Small cap North American Oil & Gas Corp is focused on the prolific San Joaquin Basin in onshore California with existing foundation assets targeting exploration and exploitation of high impact oil and gas projects located near infrastructure and existing discoveries. On Friday, North American Oil & Gas Corp fell 1.05% to $0.940 for a market cap of $56.52 million plus NAMG is up 276% since November 2012 according to Google Finance.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

New Gold Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, extraction, processing, and reclamation of mineral properties. The company primarily explore for gold, silver, and copper deposits. Its operating properties include the Mesquite gold mine in the United States; the Cerro San Pedro gold-silver mine in Mexico; and the Peak gold-copper mine in Australia. The company also has development projects, including the New Afton gold, silver, and copper project in Canada; and a 30% interest in the El Morro copper-gold project in Chile. The company was formerly known as DRC Resources Corporation and changed its name to New Gold Inc. in June 2005. New Gold Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  On an adjusted basis, Eldorado Gold (EGO) has the longest reserve/resource life amongst our coverage companies (39 years) with Goldcorp (GG) having the longest reserve/resource life (23 years) amongst the senior producers versus the group average of 22 years. Kinross Gold (KGC) and Iamgold (IAG) have the shortest adjusted reserve/resource lives amongst the senior and mid-tier producers (18 and 14 years respectively). On a percentage basis, the companies most affected by the adjustment are New Gold (NGD) and Iamgold which both saw reserve/resource lives fall by 47% however, we note that despite the adjustment,�New Gold still has the second longest reserve/resource life in our group (37 years). Newmont Mining was the least affected by the adjustments with reserve/resource life declining by only 12% to 22 years from 25 years.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: Caseys General Stores Inc.(CASY)

Casey?s General Stores, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates convenience stores under the Casey?s General Store, HandiMart, and Just Diesel names in 11 Midwestern states, primarily Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Its stores offer foods, beverages, dairy and bakery products, sandwiches, fountain drinks, donuts, cookies, brownies, Danish rolls, ham and cheese sandwiches, pork and chicken fritters, sausage sandwiches, chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, breakfast croissants and biscuits, breakfast pizza, hash browns, quarter-pound hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and potato cheese bites. The company?s stores also provide nonfood items, which include tobacco products, health and beauty aids, school supplies, house wares, pet supplies, photo supplies, and automotive products. In addition, it offers gasoline or gasohol for sale on a self-service basis. As of July 31, 2011, the company operated 1,665 stores. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang]

  Casey�� General Stores (CASY) �is likely to post fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 53 cents a share. Strong merchandise sales were likely to have been offset by weaker fuel margin, according to analyst Ronald Bookbinder at Benchmark. He also maintained the stock�� price target at $86 on Friday.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  It�� been a mighty weird year for Casey�� General Stores (CASY). The company has had some tough quarters, but just when things are looking bleak, the team got some runners on base and drove a few home.

• [By Editor , Dividend Growth Investor]

  Casey’s General Stores (CASY) has managed to increase dividend for 14 consecutive years. Over the past decade, the company has managed to boost dividends by 19.10% per year.Yield: 1.10% (analysis)

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: AMR Corp (AAMRQ)

AMR Corporation (AMR), incorporated in October 1982, operates in the airline industry. The Company�� principal subsidiary is American Airlines, Inc. (American). As of December 31, 2011, American provided scheduled jet service to approximately 160 destinations throughout North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and Asia. AMR Eagle Holding Corporation (AMR Eagle), a wholly owned subsidiary of AMR, owns two regional airlines, which do business as American Eagle - American Eagle Airlines, Inc. and Executive Airlines, Inc. (collectively, the American Eagle carriers). American also contracts with an independently owned regional airline, which does business as AmericanConnection (the AmericanConnection carrier). As of December 31, 2011, AMR Eagle operated approximately 1,500 daily departures, offering scheduled passenger service to over 175 destinations in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

American, AMR Eagle and the AmericanConnection airline served more than 250 cities in approximately 50 countries with, on average, 3,400 daily flights and the combined network fleet numbered approximately 900 aircraft as of December 31, 2011. American Airlines is also a founding member of the oneworld alliance, which includes British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, LAN Airlines, Iberia, Qantas, JAL, Malev Hungarian, Mexicana, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines. Together, oneworld members serve 750 destinations in approximately 150 countries, with about 8,500 daily departures. American is also one of the scheduled air freight carriers in the world, providing a range of freight and mail services to shippers throughout its system onboard American�� passenger fleet.

To improve access to each other�� markets, American has established marketing relationships with other airlines and rail companies. As of December 31, 2011, American had marketing relationships with Air Berlin, Air Pacific, Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cape Air, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airl! ines, Dragonair, Deutsche Bahn German Rail, EL AL, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, GOL, Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines (JAL), Jet Airways, JetStar Airways, LAN (includes LAN Airlines, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru), Niki Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines.

American has established the AAdvantage frequent flyer program (AAdvantage). AAdvantage members earn mileage credits by flying on American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection carrier or by using services of other participants in the AAdvantage program. Mileage credits can be redeemed for free, discounted or upgraded travel on American, American Eagle or other participating airlines, or for other awards. American sells mileage credits and related services to other participants in the AAdvantage program. There are over 1,000 program participants, including a credit card issuer, hotels, car rental companies, and other products and services companies in the AAdvantage program. As of December 31, 2011, AAdvantage had approximately 69 million total members.

The Company competes with Alaska Airlines (Alaska), Delta Air Lines (Delta), Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways (JetBlue), Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines (Southwest) and AirTran Airways (Air Tran), Spirit Airlines, United Airlines (United) and Continental Airlines (Continental), US Airways and Virgin America Airlines.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Most airlines are profitable today; even bankrupt American Airlines (NASDAQOTH: AAMRQ  ) recently announced that it earned a profit (excluding one-time items) in the seasonally weak Q1. However, because the industry is cyclical, profitability today does not guarantee that these companies will remain profitable over a long period of time. For the most part, airlines are not growing rapidly, either. In fact, many are shrinking.

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Monday, in a joint announcement, merging partners AMR Corporation (NASDAQOTH: AAMRQ  ) and US Airways (NYSE: LCC  ) announced that after they have merged. Current AMR Chairman and CEO Tom Horton will serve as chairman of the board of the new company, while US Airways Chairman and CEO Doug Parker will serve as�CEO of the new American and also sit on the board of directors.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  What a wild ride it’s been for AMR Corp. (AAMRQ) shareholders. The parent of American Airlines lost 45% on the day when the DoJ said it would try to block its merger with US Airways (LCC). Then it started rising as support for the deal grew and analysts predicted as much as a 75% chance that the AMR Corp. and US Airways merger would go through.

  Associated Press

  Call it 99%. Today the DoJ announced that it would approve the merger, although the combined airline would have to give up some gates at certain airports to promote competition.

  Cowen’s Helane Becker and Conor Cunningham call it “the merger than never should been blocked.” They write:

  Despite the divestitures, the companies maintained their synergy target of $1 Bn annually by 2015. We believe the company will achieve 25% to 35% of their target in 2014. We have always been skeptical of airline synergy targets but believe the company has significant earnings potential when a single operating certificate is achieved…

  We view the settlement as positive for both the group and more importantly US Airways. The $1.0 billion synergy target is unchanged from prior guidance, despite slot divestitures at Washington National Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport, as well as gates at Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Love Field, Los Angeles International and Miami
  International. We would be a buyer of US Airways on any weakness as momentum traders will probably look to sell despite having a positive outlook on profitability going forward.

  S&P Capital IQ’s Jim Corridore reiterated his Strong Buy on US Airways:

  The Department of Justice has issued a press release outlining terms of an agreed upon settlement that will allow the merger to go through. LCC will give up 104 slots at Reagan not reserved for smaller planes, 34 slots at LaGuardia, and gates and facilities at various other airports throughout the U.S. We think the

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  On the other hand, investors who expect United Continental (NYSE: UAL  ) or American Airlines -- the product of an upcoming merger between US Airways (NYSE: LCC  ) and AMR (NASDAQOTH: AAMRQ  ) -- to follow suit are probably mistaken. Whereas Delta has achieved predictable positive free cash flow through disciplined capital allocation, United and the new American are poised to spend heavily on capex. This may prevent them from reliably generating free cash flow.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: EMC Insurance Group Inc. (EMCI)

EMC Insurance Group Inc., an insurance holding company, engages in property and casualty insurance, and reinsurance activities. It operates in two segments, Property and Casualty Insurance, and Reinsurance. The Property and Casualty Insurance segment writes commercial and personal lines of insurance with a focus on medium-sized commercial accounts. Its commercial lines of insurance products comprise automobile, property, workers� compensation, and liability, as well as other products that provide protection against burglary and theft loss, aircraft, marine, and other types of losses; and personal lines of insurance products include automobile, property, and liability. The Reinsurance segment provides reinsurance for other insurers and reinsurers. The company serves small to medium-sized businesses, institutions, and individual consumers. EMC Insurance Group Inc. sells its products through independent insurance agents. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered i n Des Moines, Iowa. EMC Insurance Group Inc. is a subsidiary of Employers Mutual Casualty Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  EMC Insurance (NASDAQ: EMCI  ) this week declared plans to keep its quarterly dividend payout steady at $0.21 per share of common stock.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: LNB Bancorp Inc.(LNBB)

LNB Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for The Lorain National Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, investment management, and trust services to individual, municipal, and corporate customers in Ohio. It offers various transaction and time deposit accounts, including demand deposits, interest-bearing checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, consumer time deposits, public time deposits, and brokered time deposits, as well as cash management services. The company also provides commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, construction and equipment loans, letters of credit, revolving lines of credit, small business administration loans, and government guaranteed loans; and residential mortgages, direct and indirect automobile loans, personal loans, second mortgages, and home equity lines of credit. In addition, it offers safe deposit boxes, night depository, U.S. savings bonds, travelers? checks, money orders, cash iers checks, automated teller machines (ATMs), debit cards, wire transfers, electronic funds transfers, and foreign drafts, as well as foreign currency, phone and Internet banking, and lockbox services. Further, the company provides bank-owned life insurance, as well as title insurance. It operates through 20 retail-banking locations and 30 ATMs in Lorain, Erie, Cuyahoga, and Summit counties in the Ohio communities of Lorain, Elyria, Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake, LaGrange, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Olmsted Township, Vermilion, Westlake, and Hudson, as well as a business development office in Cuyahoga County. The company was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Lorain, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  LNB Bancorp (LNBB)

  Over the past week there were three directors making four buys of LNB Bancorp stock.  These three directors made their buys at the price of $10.30 per share.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Commercial banking concern�LNB Bancorp� (NASDAQ: LNBB  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of a penny per share, the same rate it's paid since 2009, when it cut the payout from $0.09.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: Durata Therapeutics Inc (DRTX)

Durata Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on November 4, 2009, is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for patients with infectious diseases and acute illnesses. The Company enroll and dose patients in two global Phase III clinical trials with its product candidate, dalbavancin, for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (abSSSI). Dalbavancin is an intravenous antibiotic product candidate designed for once-weekly dosing. In addition to abSSSI, the Company focuses on the development of dalbavancin for additional indications, including osteomyelitis, diabetic foot infection and pneumonia.

As of December 31, 2011, Dalbavancin had already completed three Phase III clinical trials, in which more than 1,000 patients in total received dalbavancin. Dalbavancin achieved its primary efficacy endpoint of non-inferiority in each of these three completed Phase III clinical trials when compared to linezolid, cefazolin or vancomycin, three of the standard-of-care agents for uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections (uSSSI), and complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). Its two ongoing Phase III clinical trials are designed to compare dalbavancin to vancomycin, with an option to switch to oral linezolid, under the new FDA draft guidance.

The Company competes with Pfizer, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Theravance, Inc., Forest Laboratories, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis Ltd., The Medicines Company, Trius Therapeutics, Inc., Cempra, Inc., Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Nabriva Therapeutics AG, Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Durata Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DRTX) shares climbed 5.30% to $14.18. The volume of Durata Therapeutics shares traded was 861% higher than normal. The FDA Advisory Committee unanimously recommended the approval of Durata's Dalvance.

• [By Bob's Stocks]

  Durata Therapeutics (DRTX) is developing Dalbavancin, a once a week, intravenous antibiotic product candidate, for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, or ABSSSI. The company is expected to file a NDA (New Drug Application) at any moment and MAA (Marketing Authorization Application) at the end of 2013.

Top Media Companies To Own For 2014

Where are the rock stars in the world of exchange-traded funds?

This was the big question on the minds of trend-watching ETF pundits as they brought the Morningstar ETF Invest Conference 2013 to a close on Friday.

While the pundits agreed that Bill Gross, manager of the PIMCO Total Return ETF (BOND), is the biggest “rock star” in the fixed-income space, they also concurred that active management of “smart beta” equity ETFs will be the next big trend.

So step aside, Mr. Gross, said ETF media mavens Matt Hougan of IndexUniverse and Tom Lydon of ETF Trends at Morningstar’s “Meet the Pundits” panel on Friday. Your days as the biggest rock star in the ETF universe are numbered as smart beta awaits the emergence of rock-star equity ETF managers who will make as big a splash as rock-star mutual fund managers did in the 1980s. (Think Sir John Templeton’s Growth Fund and John Neff’s Windsor Fund.)

“The ETF business is boring. Bill Gross is our rock star. We need to do better,” Lydon said at the panel that moderator Brendan Conway of Barron’s characterized as a “no-holds-barred, rapid-fire” review of all things ETF.

10 Best Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ian Wyatt]

  And DirecTV (DTV) has shot up 20.5% as consumers flock to digital television with DVR capabilities.

  By owning shares of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), you essentially own a slice of all those stocks.

• [By Richard Band]

  Sometimes the most profitable trend changes in the investment world take place while almost everybody is looking the other way. I’m beginning to think that’s what may be happening right now with the merger of AT&T (T) and DirecTV (DTV).

Top Media Companies To Own For 2014: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  )
  Comcast may be losing cable subscribers, but it is making up for those defections with solid growth in other areas of the business. Sure, the company shed 60,000�residential video customers last quarter. But that's actually much better than Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) managed. Time Warner saw a steeper dip in its video subscribers of 4.5%, or over 550,000 customers.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Time Warner Cable is a provider of video, high-speed data, and voice services to a large customer base across the nation. The company is planning strategic acquisitions in order to grow its network. The stock has been on a bullish run and is now trading at all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been on the rise, however, investors in the company have had mixed feelings about recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, Time Warner Cable has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Time Warner Cable to OUTPERFORM.

Top Media Companies To Own For 2014: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Seeing how its initial bid of $132.50 per share ($37.3 billion) for Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) produced an immediate rejection, cable operator Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is reported to be considering sweetening its offer to somewhere in the low $140s.

• [By Pato Kehoe] o help strengthen the firm�� multi-channel subscription model by increasing the platforms for content delivery. Additionally, this strategy will balance future revenue losses in the DVD segment, as a consequence of the cheaper viewing alternatives.

  Theme Parks and Overseas Expansion

  Walt Disney Co. undoubtedly has a talent for monetizing its characters and franchises across multiple platforms, but its theme parks are the crown jewel. These are an especially attractive and unique segment in the company�� assets, mainly because they are almost impossible to replicate. The Parks and Resorts division accounts for 25% of operating profits and after the 2009 crisis, revenues have been recovering at a fast pace. During the last quarter of 2013, revenue in this segment experienced an 8.5% increase, while operating income marked a 15% rise. In fact, the company is focused on further deploying its capital towards the expansion of the Parks and Resorts business, thereby creating new growth opportunities.

  Looking forward, Walt Disney Co. is aiming to expand its operations overseas, in the emerging nations China, Russia and India. The Shanghai Disney Resort, for example, will contain a Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels and a retail, dining and entertainment venue, and is set to be China�� largest theme park by 2015. Despite possible unfavourable foreign currency translations, this firm should be able to sustain its growth given its multiple revenue sources. Furthermore, the entertainment giant has been highly successful at managing its cash flow, returning large sums of its free cash to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases. The 71.3 million repurchased shares in fiscal 2013, worth close to $4.1 billion, are expected to increase in 2014 and will range between $6 and $8 billion in returns.

  Despite the risks of the economy deteriorating and primetime ratings fall, which could affect advertising dollars and revenue generating capabi

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  'Interconnection' The better access that Netflix is getting from Comcast is known as "interconnection," a term referring to digital content's journey to an Internet service provider's gates. That path technically isn't covered by the current definition of Net neutrality, which refers to how service providers treat digital content once it's inside the gates. Comcast has promised to honor the previous rules governing Net neutrality through 2018. In a blog post last month, Hastings argued that future Net neutrality guidelines should be expanded to address interconnection issues, too. "Without strong Net neutrality, big ISPs can demand potentially escalating fees for the interconnection required to deliver high quality service," Hastings wrote. "The big ISPs can make these demands -- driving up costs and prices for everyone else -- because of their market position." Google's YouTube video site and many other websites were paying interconnection fees to Comcast before Netflix struck its own deal with the carrier. Even with the March improvements, Comcast's delivery of Netflix content lags behind several other major service providers. Cablevision (CVC), Cox, Suddenlink and Charter (CHTR) each delivered Netflix video at higher speeds than Comcast in March, according to Monday's breakdown. Netflix has interconnection deals with Cablevision, Cox and Suddenlink, although those arrangements don't require Netflix to pay fees.

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  Although these efforts have given positive results, reducing customer losses and growing revenue per customer, the firm still operates at a disadvantage in relation to wireless and cable companies . Firms such as Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) have built superior platforms for Internet access, thus offering better data speeds as well as a full complement of services.

Top Media Companies To Own For 2014: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  If other cable companies — like Charter Communications (CHTR), Cablevision (CVC) and Cox Communications — decide to merge in order to keep pace with Comcast, content providers could be under the gun once more.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Both Bow Tie and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC  ) , which owned the Clearview chain, announced yesterday they had completed the transfer of ownership of the theaters, which was first announced in April, though financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed. As the oldest cinema company in the U.S.,�Bow Tie says it now has the largest number of theater locations in the New York metropolitan area,�and operates 63 movie theaters with 388 screens in seven states.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Losing control of the Cablevision (CVC) spinoff will ultimately be better for the Dolans than if they try to go it alone.

  This scenario�� likely a long shot, but I think it makes a lot of sense.

Top Media Companies To Own For 2014: 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 Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty ImagesStephen Colbert (left) practices his network performance with Jimmy Fallon. From a fallen dot-com darling scoring a rare hat trick to a discount retailer discounting its headcount, here's a rundown of the week's smartest moves and biggest blunders in the business world. CBS (CBS) -- Winner David Letterman is leaving his late-night talk show next year, and CBS allowed only a week to pass between that announcement and naming his replacement. Stephen Colbert will take over "The Late Show." It may seem like a gutsy call. Colbert's satirical skewering of political conservatives is polarizing, even if his talk show persona is unlikely to embrace the character that made him a Comedy Central late-night star. It's still an attention-grabbing announcement and one that should benefit CBS as well as its sister company and Comedy Central parent Viacom (VIA). Time Warner (TWX) -- Loser "Game of Thrones" kicked off its highly anticipated fourth season on Time Warner's (TWX) HBO on Sunday, but it wasn't just the show's power-hungry characters that were out for blood. Online users were incensed to find an outage on HBO Go preventing them from watching the premiere for several hours. HBO Go has been a major component of the premium movie channel's success in recent years, included at no additional cost with HBO subscriptions to justify the platform's high cost relative to Netflix (NFLX) and other growing streaming video services. Subscribers expect reliability when they're paying up for a premium service, and they just didn't get it. A big reason why this outage is making news -- as HBO Go subscribers had to stay off social media to avoid spoilers -- is because there was a similar disruption last month during HBO's "True Detective." Yelp (YELP) -- Winner Yelp may not be very popular with its investors, nor with some irate merchants, but it got some love from Wall Street this week. Three analyst firms -- Oppenheimer, SunTrust and

• [By Paul Ausick]

  And it�� not just lost subscriber revenue, but lost leverage over content providers. Time Warner blamed its disputes with CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) and Journal Communications over retransmission fees for its subscriber losses in the third quarter. Content producers like CBS are demanding higher retransmission payments from cable and satellite providers and dwindling subscriber numbers knock a sizeable chunk off providers��take.

• [By Vera Yuan]

  We believe the heart and soul of Colfax is a set of operational and management tools known as the Colfax Business System (CBS) which stresses continuous improvement in all aspects of the business. Danaher fine-tuned the use of these tools, compounding shareholder capital at a 20%+ Compound Annual Growth Rate, (CAGR) since 1984 by acquiring underperforming businesses, improving revenue, margins and cash flow, and employing that cash flow to fund the next acquisition. Colfax has borrowed the Danaher playbook.

• [By Craig Jones]

  © 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

    Related Articles (CBS) Barron's Recap: The Bull Will Be Back The "New Normal" Equals More Downside For Netflix #PreMarket Primer: Friday, October 17: CDC Under Fire As Ebola Panic Grows Dow's Losing Streak Now Stands At 6 Days, S&P 500 And Nasdaq Slightly Positive Markets Rebound After Getting Crushed Intraday, Still Close Lower UPDATE: Morgan Stanley Reiterates On CBS Corporation As Estimates Are Trimmed Around the Web, We're Loving... World Cup

Top Media Companies To Own For 2014: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  The Expedia announcement follows that of DISH Network Corp. (Nasdaq: DISH) two weeks ago that it would let its customers pay in Bitcoin. DISH, which is also using the Coinbase service, has 14 million subscribers.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So, Comcast (CMCSA), consider yourself flattered, because Time Warner Cable (TWC) is copying off your homework. A couple of weeks ago, we told you about Comcast's "Great New Secret Cable Plan" to try to halt the exodus of subscribers from its services. The Comcast plan allows subscribers to sign up for: A menu of 45 or so of the most-watched, most useful cable channels The premium pay-TV channel HBO -- plus included HBO GO service for mobile devices High-speed Internet access at speeds up to 25 Mbps A subscription to XFINITY Streampix, Comcast's service for streaming video of complete seasons of popular television shows from recent years past... ... all for the low, low price of just $40 or $50 a month (depending on location). The plan was "secret" because Comcast didn't make much of an effort -- or really effort -- to publicize it. There's hardly even a mention of the plan on the company's website. In other words, it seems like Comcast would prefer to keep the new plan hush-hush so you continue paying for one of their more expensive bundles. However, word of Comcast's under-the-radar new plan get out -- nearly 5,500 DailyFinance readers printed, emailed, commented on, Tweeted, or Facebooked our story on Comcast's "Internet Plus" bundle last month. So Comcast competitor Time Warner did what any good competitor does: It copied the model and, this week, began offering a similar plan of its own: Dubbed "Starter TV with HBO," Time Warner's plan is an even more slimmed-down version of Comcast's idea. It features: "20+" cable channels, including the five biggies -- ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and PBS HBO and HBO GO and... well, actually, that's about it. At $30 a month, Time Warner handily undercuts Comcast's Internet Plus offer on price. And yet, it's hard not to wonder if customers aren't still overpaying. For one thing, Time Warner's Starter TV with HBO offer