Top Sliver Stocks To Own For 2014

It's pretty easy to win an election if nobody's running against you.

Unfortunately for investors, this strategy dominates corporate board elections, in which insiders have almost complete control over who serves on their boards.

Who gets to choose?
At most public companies, shareholders have very little say over who serves on the board of directors. Prospective directors are almost all nominated by company insiders and compete in uncontested elections. Within this structure, shareholders have to dump money into an expensive proxy contest if they wish to put up competing candidates. Alternatively, they can express disapproval for the existing candidates by withholding votes and hoping the shunned directors will be replaced by better candidates.

But in uncontested elections, directors may not leave even when the majority of shareholders refuse to vote for them. For example, Cablevision refused to get rid of directors Thomas V. Reifenheiser, John R. Ryan, and Vincent S. Tese when they failed to receive majority support in the company's 2010 and 2012 elections. Worse, Cablevision renominated the shunned directors yet again in 2013.

Top 5 Services Companies For 2015: iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (IWV)

iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 3000 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the United States equity market. The Index serves as the underlying index for Russell 3000 Growth and Value Series, and the Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 Indexes, as well as their respective Growth and Value series. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index and consists of the 3000 largest companies domiciled in the United States and its territories.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  Over the past five years, this ETF has beaten the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) by 23 percentage points. It's outperformed the Russell 3000 (NYSEMKT: IWV  ) by 21 percentage points. And it's done the same to the eponymous S&P 500, exceeding it by 11 percentage points.

Top Sliver Stocks To Own For 2014: NIC Inc. (EGOV)

NIC Inc. provides eGovernment services that enable governments use the Internet to provide various services to businesses and citizens in the United States. It operates in two segments, Portal Outsourcing, and Software and Services. The Portal Outsourcing segment enters into long-term contracts with governments to design, build, and operate Web-based enterprise-wide portals on their behalf. These portals consist of Web sites and applications that enable businesses and citizens to access government information online and complete transactions, including applying for a permit, retrieving driver?s history records, and filing a government-mandated form or report. The Software and Services segment involves in the software development and services to state and local governments, and federal agencies; development and management of the national motor carrier pre-employment screening program; design and development of online campaign expenditure and ethics compliance systems for fe deral and state government agencies; and provision of software applications and services for electronic filings and document management for the California Secretary of State. It also provides consulting, application development, and portal management services to governments. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Olathe, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael A. Robinson]

  Indeed, NIC Inc. (Nasdaq: EGOV) is an expert at building government websites that operate flawlessly. It counts 3,500 government agencies as e-government clients.

• [By CRWE]

  NIC Inc.(NASDAQ:EGOV), the nation�� premier provider of eGovernment services, will discuss its 2012 second quarter financial results via a conference call on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT), with the news release issued at 4 p.m. (EDT) the same day.

Top Sliver Stocks To Own For 2014: Badger Daylighting Ltd (BAD)

Badger Daylighting Ltd. and its subsidiaries (Badger) provide non-destructive excavating services to the utility, transportation, industrial, engineering, construction and petroleum industries in Canada and the United States. Its key technology is the Badger Hydrovac excavator, which is used primarily for digging trenches in congested grounds. The Company�� excavation services include daylighting and potholing, slot trenching, debris removal and cleanups, maintenance and installation service pits, poles and piling holes and trench shoring/shoring. Badger slot trenching provides a non-destructive method of digging trenches for water lines, wiring and pipeline installations or excavations. Its applications include pipeline tie-ins, investigative slot trenching, installation slot trenching, drain tile trenching and line fault repairs. In November 2013, the Company acquired the business and operating assets of Fieldtek Holdings Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kim Hjelmgaard]

  There have been some good (read: bad) predictions over the years.

  Before the 2013 forum, DealBook's Andrew Ross Sorkin recalled that in 2003 the serial Davos attendee, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, said of Google: "These Google guys (co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin), they want to be billionaires and rock stars and go to conferences and all that. Let us see if they still want to run the business in two to three years."

Top Sliver Stocks To Own For 2014: Brookline Bancorp Inc.(BRKL)

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Brookline Bank, Bank Rhode Island, and The First National Bank of Ipswich, which provide commercial and retail banking services, and cash management and investment services to customers in Central New England. The company accepts various deposit products, including non-interest-bearing checking accounts, interest-bearing NOW accounts, savings accounts and money market savings accounts, certificate of deposit accounts, individual retirement accounts, and other qualified plan accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; auto loans; loans to business entities consisting of commercial lines of credit; and loans to condominium associations, as well as loans for financing equipment used by small businesses. Brookline Bancorp, Inc. also provides financing for construction and development projects, home equity, and other consumer l oans; and loans to finance coin-operated laundry, dry cleaning, and convenience store equipment and businesses. As of January 25, 2012, it operated 43 branches in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: PBCT is a member of the S&P 500 and a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index. The company's peer group includes: Bank of America Corporation (BAC) with a 0.3% yield, Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL) with a 3.7% yield and Westfield Financial Inc. (WFD) with a 3.5% yield.

• [By CRWE]

  Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) announced today that it will report third quarter earnings 2012 at the close of business Wednesday, October 24, 2012. Management will host a conference call to review this information at 1:30 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, October 25, 2012.

Top Sliver Stocks To Own For 2014: Coinstar Inc.(CSTR)

Coinstar, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides automated retail solutions primarily in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The company owns and operates self-service Redbox kiosks that enable consumers to rent or purchase movies and video games; and self-service coin-counting kiosks where consumers can convert their coin to cash, a gift card, or an E-certificate. It also engages in identifying, evaluating, building, and developing new self-service concepts in the automated retail space, which includes coffee, refurbished electronics, and photo self-service concepts. As of December 31, 2011, the company had 35,400 Redbox kiosks in 29,300 locations and 20,200 coin-counting kiosks in 19,900 locations primarily in supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchants, financial institutions, convenience stores, and restaurants. Coinstar, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Canadian Value]

  Position % of Fund Assets 1) First American Financial Corp. (FAF) 7.0% 2) Apple, Inc. (AAPL) 6.5% 3) Coinstar, Inc. (CSTR) 4.8% 4) EMC Corp. (EMC) 4.4% 5) Coach, Inc. (COH) 4.4% 6) Kohl's Corp. (KSS) 4.1% 7) Blucora, Inc. (BCOR) 4.0% 8) Tetra Tech, Inc. (TTEK) 3.1% 9) OM Group, Inc. (OMG) 3.0% 10) American International Group, Inc. (AIG) 2.8% TOTAL 44.1% One area that we believe still offers some value in the market is in high quality, large��ap technology stocks that may be momentarily out��f��avor as they transition from rapid growth to slower growth. In particular, we become interested when that transition is also accompanied by a change in capital allocation policies designed to return more cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. We believe that Apple and EMC are two of the absolute highest quality technology businesses in the world and both have recently announced very material, shareholder��friendly changes to how they will allocate capital.

Top Sliver Stocks To Own For 2014: Societe B I C SA (BB)

Societe B I C SA is a France-based company specialized in the manufacturing of stationery products, lighters and shavers. The Company's portfolio of trademark brands belong: BIC, Sheaffer, BIC Kids, Wite-out, Pimaco and Tipp-ex, among others. Channels of distribution include stationery stores, office product companies, mass-merchandisers, convenience stores, wholesalers and cash and carry outlets. It operates worldwide through numerous subsidiaries in Europe, Middle East, Africa Northern America, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. In addition, the Company provides, via BIC Graphic and Norwood PP, advertising and promotional products for marketing purposes to companies around the world, as well as a range of windsurfing boards, kayaks and others, under the brand BIC Sport. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B) and Telus Corp. advanced at least 5.5 percent as telephone stocks surged the most in more than four years. Teck Resources Ltd. and First Quantum Minerals Ltd. added more than 1.7 percent as the price of copper climbed on signs of improving growth in China and the U.S. BlackBerry Ltd. (BB), which is weighing a sale, increased 1 percent after Microsoft Corp. agreed to acquire Nokia Oyj�� handset business.

10 Best Valued Stocks For 2014

ValueAct is back on Valeant�� (VRX) board.

The drug company, now partnered with hedge fund icon Bill Ackman in a hostile takeover campaign against Allergan (AGN), announced Thursday morning that Jeffrey Ubben, ValueAct�� founder and CEO, will join its board on Oct. 1. Ubben is taking the seat vacated by ValueAct�� president, Mason Morfit, earlier this year when he won an�appointment to the board of Microsoft (MSFT).

ValueAct owns roughly 5.6% of Valeant�� stock.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Morfit�� departure from the Valeant board came amid the turbulence of Valeant�� launching of its unorthodox takeover bid for Allergan Inc. in partnership with activist William Ackman. But anyone who thought his stepping down was a sign that ValueAct was opposed to the move was apparently mistaken.

Mr. Ubben said in a statement Thursday that he supports Valeant�� ongoing effort to buy Allergan, calling it a ��erfect strategic fit.���Mr. Ubben said ValueAct has not reduced its position in Valeant since Mr. Morfit left the board in May. Instead, he said, ��e expect to increase our already substantial position��and called the stock ��ignificantly undervalued on a standalone basis.��/p>

Hot Railroad Stocks For 2015: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Another Dow component losing today because of falling commodity prices is Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) ; shares are down 2.11%. While Caterpillar does not have any direct relationship with commodities, a large portion of the company's business is selling heavy machinery to companies that mine for different commoditized metals. With the price of gold way off its highs of just under $1,800 per once, and down another 3% today, the gold miners will likely begin cutting back on expenses, which may include new equipment. Additionally, both silver and platinum are lower by more than 2.5% today and have also followed the downward slope that gold has been riding the past few weeks. �

10 Best Valued Stocks For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Janet S. Carter/AP Dollar General (DG) upped its bid for the rival Family Dollar chain and addressed an earlier roadblock, saying that it will more than double the number of stores it would shed to tamp down the antitrust concerns of its takeover target. The newest bid is worth $9.1 billion, or $80 a share, up from $78.50 a share in the previous offer. Family Dollar (FDO), based in Matthews, North Carolina, rejected the earlier bid in favor of a lesser offer of $8.5 billion from Dollar Tree (DLTR), saying that regulators were less likely to stand in the way. On Tuesday Dollar General, the country's largest dollar-store chain, said it would divest as many as 1,500 stores, well above the 700 that it had originally agreed to, in order to sidestep any anti-monopoly actions that regulators might pursue. The Goodlettsville, Tennessee, company has also said it will pay a $500 million reverse break-up fee to Family Dollar Stores if the deal hits antitrust roadblocks. Dollar General Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling said that a second antitrust review supported its prior bid, but that its offer was revised "to demonstrate the seriousness of our commitment." The businesses of Family Dollar and Dollar General are more similar than Dollar Tree's. The first two sell items at a variety of prices while at Dollar Tree, all items are a buck. Family Dollar has been looking for a lifeline after running into some financial stress, shuttering stores and cutting prices. In June one big shareholder, Carl Icahn, urged the company to put itself up for sale. Family Dollar acted one month later, accepting an offer from Chesapeake, Virginia-based Dollar Tree of $59.60 in cash and the equivalent of $14.90 in shares of Dollar Tree for each share held. The companies valued the transaction at $74.50 a share at the time. Including debt and other costs, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree estimated the deal to be worth approximately $9.2 billion. Shares of Family Dollar added 54 cents to $80.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  This isn�� some growing new industry set to take the world further into the 21st century. It�� an old concept that hasn�� innovated, won�� innovate, and will slowly but surely die out over this century. When I walk into a Walgreens, I see a miniature Target (TGT), a more expensive Dollar Tree (DLTR), and a provider of prescriptions in a world where everything is becoming mail order.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at BMO Capital downgraded Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) to Market Perform from Outperform with a price target lowered to $59 from a previous $69. Also, analysts at Jefferies maintained a Hold rating on Dollar Tree with a price target raised to $56 from a previous $51. Shares lost 0.78 percent, closing at $54.44.

• [By Aaron Smith]

  Dollar General said the deal is superior to the $74.50 per share cash and stock offer Dollar Tree (DLTR)made last month. That deal has been valued at $8.5 billion.

10 Best Valued Stocks For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, household products company Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Monica Gerson]

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

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

10 Best Valued Stocks For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Halliburton has focused much of its attention on the booming U.S. market, giving it more exposure to domestic production than more globally focused rival Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) . With domestic drilling activity having been fairly weak lately, Halliburton's U.S. concentration has raised concerns among investors, as land-based rig counts have fallen sharply. But with efficiency gains from multi-pad drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, bulls hope that rig counts don't accurately reflect actual production activity and therefore that Halliburton's earnings will hold up better than some expect.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Even though the country has so much oil, it has struggled to keep up production growth and has asked for outside help. This week, Venezuela has signed financing deals with Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) , Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , and Russia's Rosneft that will total $5.6 to expand production. The country hopes to increase production from 3 to 5 million barrels per day by 2015.

Top Chemical Companies For 2014

When Syria uses chemical warfare or Iran threatens to launch missiles, it puts the collective world on edge, pushes stock markets over the edge and launches oil prices off the charts. The mere mention of Middle East mayhem has been known to spur investors to sell and seek shelter from a potential storm of profit-taking.

Unrest in oil-rich parts of the world has been a part of history seemingly forever. Although Syria, the latest Middle Eastern country on the global radar, accounts for just 0.5% (half a million barrels per day) of world production, it's the domino effect that has investors on pins and needles.  

Syria's allegiance with Iran, a potential civil war in Iraq, and continuous tension in Egypt--home to the oil-transporting Suez Canal -- puts about 3.5 million barrels a day at risk. Any escalation could trigger economic sanctions, sending the price of oil back to the $150 mark or more.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In 2015: Celanese Corporation (CE)

Celanese Corporation, a technology and specialty materials company, engages in manufacture and sale of value-added chemicals, thermoplastic polymers, and other chemical-based products. It operates through four business segments: Advanced Engineered Materials, Consumer Specialties, Industrial Specialties, and Acetyl Intermediates. The Advanced Engineered Materials segment offers specialty polymers for application in automotive, medical, and electronics products, as well as other consumer and industrial applications. The Consumer Specialties segment provides cellulose acetate flake, film, and tow that are primarily used in filter products applications; Sunett, a sweetener; and food protection ingredients, such as sorbates and sorbic acid for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. The Industrial Specialties segment produces emulsions and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) performance polymers. Its emulsions products are used in applications, such as paints and coatings, adhesives, construction, glass fiber, textiles, and paper; and EVA performance polymers are used in flexible packaging films, lamination film products, hot melt adhesives, medical products, automotive, carpeting and photovoltaic cells. The Acetyl Intermediates segment offers acetyl products, including acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomer, acetic anhydride, and acetate esters for use as starting materials for colorants, paints, adhesives, coatings, and medicines. It also provides organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical products. The company offers its products directly, as well as through distributors and electronic marketplaces in North America, Europe, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and South America. Celanese Corporation was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Celanese (NYSE: CE) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.04 per share on revenue of $1.59 billion.

  Posted-In: Earnings scheduleEarnings News Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Magic Diligence]

  Given this fact, and the fact that consumer electronics (CE) is a cyclical industry, flash supply and demand balance is very tenuous. Frantic production to catch up to demand often leads to dramatic over-supply when the CE market cools off. One needs only to look at SanDisk's financials to see this. The company swung from a $917 dollar operations loss in 2008 to a $1.5 billion dollar profit in 2011, and which was then cut in half to just a $700 million profit the following year!

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Celanese (NYSE: CE  ) will have to pony up a significantly higher amount of money for its shareholder payouts. The company has declared a common stock dividend of $0.18 per share, to be paid on August 15 to shareholders of record as of August 5. That amount is exactly double the company's previous distribution of $0.09.

Top Chemical Companies For 2014: PetroLogistics LP (PDH)

PetroLogistics LP owns and operates propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility. The Company is located in the vicinity of the Houston Ship Channel. As of April 23, 2012, the Company had an annual production capacity of approximately 1.45 billion pounds of propylene. Its PDH facility uses a CATOFIN dehydrogenation technology pursuant to a fully-paid license from CB&I Lummus. It derives its sales from three different sources: propylene sales, hydrogen sales, and mixed stream of butane and butylenes (C4 mix stream) and heavier hydrocarbons (C5+ stream) sales.

Contracted Propylene Sales

The Company has propylene sales contracts with The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc. (Total), and INEOS Olefins and Polymers USA (INEOS), each of which use the propylene it supplies in the acrylic acid, polypropylene and acrylonitrile plants. Effective January 1, 2012, it added BASF Corporation (BASF) and LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LyondellBasell) as additional contracted customers. It delivers propylene to these customers through its integrated pipeline system, which connects its facility to the Dow and Total plants and the LyondellBasell system, and through interconnected third-party pipelines, which connect its facility to INEOS and BASF and to other potential propylene customers.

Spot-Market Propylene Sales

Through the Company�� integrated pipeline system, the Company accesses other consumers of propylene, which it is able to supply on a spot basis with its excess production capacity. It manages its contract and spot portfolio.

Hydrogen Gas Sales

As part of the PDH process, the Company produces commercial quantities of hydrogen. Hydrogen is consumed in refinery processes, including fuel desulphurization.

C4 Mix/C5+ Streams Sales

The Company produces commercial quantities of C4 mix/C5+ streams. It sells the C4 mix stream to specialty chemical consumers or refiners and these customers tran! sport the purchased volumes from its facility by truck. The C5+ stream, which is heavy in aromatics, is transported by its pipeline to a Kinder Morgan terminal, and then sold to Texas Aromatics for use in the chemical or gasoline markets.

The Company competes with Enterprise, Chevron Phillips, ExxonMobil Chemical, Shell Chemical, Flint Hills and the Williams Companies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of propane company PetroLogistics (NYSE: PDH  ) fell as much as 10% today after reporting earnings.

  So what: Sales dropped 18% from a year ago to $159.4 million but the company swung to a net income of $41.4 million. On an adjusted basis net income fell from $64.4 million a year ago to $37.8 million in the second quarter. �

• [By Seth Jayson]

  PetroLogistics (NYSE: PDH  ) reported earnings on July 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

• [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 PetroLogistics (NYSE: PDH  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Chemical Companies For 2014: Incitec Pivot Ltd (ICPVY)

Incitec Pivot Limited is engaged in the manufacture, trading and distribution of fertilizers, industrial explosives, and chemicals. It operates in two segments: fertilizers, which include Incitec Pivot Fertilisers(IPF), Southern Cross International (SCI), and Fertilisers Elimination (Elim) and explosives, which includes Dyno Nobel Americas (DNA), Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific (DNAP), and Explosives Eliminations (Elim). IPF manufactures products, such as urea, ammonia and single super phosphate. DNA manufactures and sells industrial explosives and related products and services to the mining, quarrying and construction industries and also manufactures agricultural chemicals. SCI manufactures ammonium phosphates and distributes manufactured fertilizer product to wholesaler. DNAP manufactures industrial explosives and related products and services to the mining industry in the Asia Pacific region. In December 2011, it acquired a 49% interest in Maine Drilling Group. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks fell early Wednesday, tracking a weak lead from the U.S. but with a few blue-chip miners higher after gains for some commodities overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) retreated 0.4% to 5,237.80 after similar losses for the main Wall Street indexes, with the Australian benchmark trading around its lowest level since October. Among the major decliners, Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) lost 2.5%, Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (AU:HVN) (HNORY) gave up 1.3%, and Incitec Pivot Ltd. (AU:IPL) (ICPVY) fell 1.8%. Santos Ltd. (AU:STO) (STOSF) fell 2.6% on indication it will miss its lowered production guidance for 2013, according to the Australian Financial Review. On the upside, top miners BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively, while Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) traded 1% higher. Shares of global shopping-mall developer Westfield Group Australia (AU:WDC) (WEFIF) were on halt

Top Chemical Companies For 2014: Sigma-Aldrich Corp (SIAL)

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, incorporated in May 12, 1975, is a life science and high technology company. The Company develops, manufactures, purchases and distributes the range of chemicals, biochemicals and equipment available globally and also provides global biopharmaceutical testing services. These chemical products, kits and services are used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development and as key components in pharmaceutical, diagnostic and other high technology manufacturing. As of December 31, 2012, the Company offered approximately 45,000 equipment products. On January 31, 2012, the Company completed its acquisition of all of interest of BioReliance, a provider of global biopharmaceutical testing services. On April 2, 2012, the Company acquired Research Organics, a supplier of purity biochemicals.

The Company provides products and services that focus on research customers that use smaller quantities of its products in basic life science and high-technology research and development (R&D); manufacturing customers that use its products in quantities in lab-stage development and manufacturing; life science customers who use its biopharmaceutical testing services to facilitate the development, manufacturing and commercialization of biological drugs, and industrial and diagnostic companies that use its products in range of forms of assays and testing, as well as in clinical diagnostics. The Company has a customer base of commercial laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, industrial companies, universities, diagnostics companies, biotechnology companies, electronics companies, hospitals, governmental institutions and non-profit organizations located in the United States and globally.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Any company that creates products and relies on other companies to use and distribute them will inevitably forge strong relationships with its customers. It's an important thing to look into when investing, yet easy to overlook. Investors should know whether customers are reliable, which are leaned on the most, and if the company they own is too dependent on any customer (or a select few). Bioprocessing product company Repligen (NASDAQ: RGEN  ) may make consumables that are the lifeline of the biotech industry, but its customer relationships are absolutely critical for smooth operations. Let's look at how the company interacts with the Life Sciences division of General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) , EMD Millipore from Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) , and Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ: SIAL  ) -- the three most important customers.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ: SIAL) shares shot up 33.2 percent to $136.40 after Germany's Merck KGaA (OTC: MKGAY) announced its plans to acquire Sigma-Aldrich for $140 per share in cash.

Top Chemical Companies For 2014: LyondellBasell Industries NV(LYB)

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. manufacturers and sells chemicals and polymers, refines crude oil, produces gasoline blending components, and develops and licenses technologies for production of polymers. The company?s Olefins and Polyolefins segment offers olefins, including ethylene, propylene, and butadiene; aromatics, such as benzene and toluene; polyolefins, which comprise polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, and linear low-density polyethylene; specialty polyolefins, including catalloy process resins, PP compounds, and polybutene-1 resins; and ethylene derivatives, which comprise ethanol. Its Intermediates and Derivatives segment provides propylene oxide (PO); PO co-products, including styrene monomers and TBA derivative isobutylene; PO derivatives, such as propylene glycol, propylene glycol ethers, and butanediol; acetyls, such as methanol, acetic acid, and vinyl acetate monomers; ethylene derivatives, which comprise ethylene oxide , ethylene glycol, and ethylene glycol ethers; and flavor and fragrance chemicals. The company?s Refining and Oxyfuels segment offers gasoline and components, ultra low sulfur diesel, jet fuel, and lube oils; diesel, feedstock, fuel oil, gasoline, and bitumen; and gasoline blending components, including methyl tertiary butyl ether, ethyl tertiary butyl ether, and alkylate. Its Technology segment develops and licenses polyolefin and other process technologies. This segment also develops, manufactures, and sells polyolefin catalysts, as well as provides technology services, which comprise safety reviews, training and start-up assistance, engineering services for process and product improvements, and manufacturing troubleshooting. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. has operations in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. is a subsidiary of Prochemie GmbH.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Staas]

  Holland-based petrochemical outfit LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) remains the best bet for income-seeking investors to profit from persistently weak ethane prices in North America.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Basic materials shares gained 0.10 percent in trading on Friday. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included DRDGOLD (NYSE: DRD), up 7.4 percent, and LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE: LYB), up 4.5 percent.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Moving opposite of technology, basic materials shares rose 0.19 percent in trading on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included DRDGOLD (NYSE: DRD), up seven percent, and LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE: LYB), up 4.3 percent.

• [By Lu Wang]

  Bulls say stocks such as Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., DuPont Co. (DD) and LyondellBasell Industries NV (LYB) will continue to rebound as manufacturing expands in China, Europe and the U.S., spurring the fastest profit growth in three years for raw-material producers. Bears says the gains will be short-lived because the commodities super cycle is over and demand for metals and chemicals isn�� growing fast enough at a time when everything from copper to nickel and corn head into surpluses in the next year.

Top Chemical Companies For 2014: 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�� TiO2 products are critical components of everyday applications, such as coatings, plastics, paper and other applications. The Company�� 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 production 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�� electrolytic and other chemical products operations are focused on advanced battery materials, sodium chlorate and specialty boron products.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Stamford, Conn.-based Tronox Limited (NYSE: TROX  ) has a new CFO.

  Tronox announced this week that it has hired former Rio Tinto business development officer Katherine C. Harper to become its new Chief Financial Officer. In a statement, company CEO Tom Casey expressed confidence that "her deep knowledge� in both sectors [the global mining and chemical industries], as well as her work in international financial markets will help drive Tronox's strategic vision of growth and profitability."

• [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�� old environmental liabilities with it. Three months after it was complete, Anadarko offered to buy Kerr-McGee�� oil and gas assets. Tronox was later forced to file for bankruptcy under the weight of the fines and levies.

Top Chemical Companies For 2014: Israel Corporation Ltd (ILCO)

Israel Corporation Ltd is an Israel-based holding company. The Company operates mainly through its subsidiaries: Israel Chemicals Ltd, operating in the areas of fertilizers and special chemicals; Oil Refineries Ltd, engaged in crude oil refining, production of fuel products, raw materials for the petrochemical industry and materials for the plastics industry; ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd, operating in the shipping lines��industry through use of tankers, offering delegation, Customs clearance, overland transport, distribution, warehousing, insurance, container terminals, marine terminal operation services and logistic services; I.C. Power Ltd, engaged in the production and sale of electricity, as well as in activities intended for the construction and operation of power stations, and Other subsidiaries, engaged in advanced technology, vehicles, infrastructures for electric-powered vehicles, and clean energy. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Claudia Maedler]

  The DFM General Index (DFMGI) climbed 4.8 percent to 2,659.93, the highest close since Aug. 26. The measure had plunged as much as 15 percent since reaching a five-year high on Aug. 25 on concern the U.S. would launch a military strike against Syria. Emaar Properties PJSC (EMAAR), the stock with the biggest weighting on the index, jumped 4.7 percent, while Deyaar Development (DEYAAR) PJSC surged 9.1 percent. Israel Corp. (ILCO) led gains in Tel Aviv.

Best Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now

Knowing your particular traveling style can make your adventures to exotic locations run more smoothly. Each style brings advantages and disadvantages; do you know yours?

If you are a Vacationer with limited travel time, you will probably be staying in more expensive hotels and eating most of your meals out in tourist-priced restaurants. Organized tours with a paid guide will appeal to you instead of venturing out on your own by taking local transport and being armed with a personal travel book and your own maps.

If you are a Visitor, you might have a little longer time frame in which to enjoy a place and perhaps you have found that you like to do more things independently. You probably speak some survival phrases in the native tongue and will choose to dine in local eateries.

As a Veteran Traveler, you will have no time limit on your travels other than the country's visa restrictions. It is likely that you have a working knowledge of the local language and an individual traveling style based on internal motivation. A Veteran will be more inclined to hire a private driver and shop in the local markets for supplies, and is not afraid of eating native specialties sold by street vendors.

Top 5 Mid Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ignite Restaurant Group Inc (IRG)

Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc., incorporated on February 4, 2002, operates two restaurant brands, Joe's Crab Shack (Joe's) and Brick House Tavern + Tap (Brick House). The Company�� Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap operate in a diverse set of markets across the United States. Joe's Crab Shack is a national chain of casual seafood restaurants serving a variety of seafood items, with an emphasis on crab. Brick House Tavern + Tap is a casual restaurant brand that provides guests a gastro pub experience by offering a blend of menu items. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned and operated 144 restaurants in 33 states. In September 2013, Ignite Restaurant Group Inc announced the opening of its newest Joe's Crab Shack restaurant, located in Newark, New Jersey.

Joe's Crab Shack

The Company�� Joe's Crab Shack offers an outdoor patio for guests to enjoy eating and drinking and a children's playground. Joe's also has many locations that are located on waterfront property. Interior design elements include a nautical, vacation theme to invoke memories of beach vacations and a genuine crab shack experience. Joe's Crab Shack restaurants have over 200 seats. Many of the Company�� restaurants also include a small gift shop where guests can purchase souvenirs to commemorate their dining experience. Joe's Crab Shack also leverages its crab-forward menu with other crab items, including Made-From-Scratch Crab Cakes, Crab Nachos and Crazy-Good Crab Dip. In addition to its core crab-focused menu, Joe's also offers a range of entrees featuring a variety of seafood, including the Get Stuffed Snapper, Surf 'N Turf Burger and The Big Hook Up, as well as a range of traditional seafood entrees like the Fisherman's Platter. Joe's also offers several out of water options, such as Pan Fried Cheesy Chicken and Whiskey Smoked Ribs. In addition, alcoholic beverages include the Shark Bite, Category 5 Hurricane and Mason Jar cocktails emerging as guests' top choices. Joe's menu inc! ludes more than 29 items made with either Queen, Snow, Dungeness or King Crabs sourced from government regulated and sustainable fisheries. Its menu offers 14 appetizers, including Made-From-Scratch Crab Cakes, Crab Nachos and Crazy-Good Crab Dip, and over 50 entrees, including Steampots, Crab in a Bucket, Skillet Paella, Stuffed Snapper and out of water options like Whiskey Smoked Ribs.

Brick House Tavern + Tap

The Company�� Brick House's interior decor includes custom lighting, dark mahogany woods, open sight lines, high definition television (HD TVs), and an inviting fireplace. In addition to a traditional dining room and bar area, Brick House also offers large communal tables and a section of leather recliners positioned in front of large HD TVs, where guests receive their own TV tray for dining. Outdoor seating is also available on the patio or around an open fire pit at nearly all locations. Both food and beverages are served by personable and engaging service staff. The typical Brick House restaurant is approximately 8,500 square feet and averages approximately 250 seats, which includes both traditional tables and seating options. Brick House offers its guests a selection of contemporary tavern food. Brick House's menu includes 17 appetizers and over 53 entrees. Handcrafted appetizers include Deviled Eggs, Meatloaf Sliders, Brick Pizza, Meat and Cheese Board and Fried Stuffed Olives. Brick House offers an array of burgers, including The Kobe, which is hand formed from American Wagyu beef. Guests can also choose from a selection of homemade entrees, such as Drunken Chops, BBQ Baby Backs, Chicken & Waffles, and its Prime Rib Sandwich. In addition, Brick House's Brick Burgers, include the Gun Show Burger and the Black & Bleu Burger. Brick House's beverage selection includes imported and domestic beers along with hand-pulled cask beer. All Brick House restaurants have a bar that supports a variety of liquor drinks, wine and beer cocktails like the Shandy and Bee Sting, a! s well as! specialty cocktails like the Dark & Stormy, Moscow Mule and The Zombie.

The Company competes with Red Lobster, Bonefish Grill, Landry's Seafood, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, BJ's Restaurants, Yard House, Cheesecake Factory, Bravo Brio and Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee's, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Texas Roadhouse and Outback Steakhouse.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Margins matter. The more Ignite Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: IRG  ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Ignite Restaurant Group's competitive position could be.

• [By Victor Selva]

  The firm is currently Zacks Rank # 3 - Hold, and it also has a longer-term recommendation of ��nderperfom.��For investors looking for a Zacks Rank # 1 ��Strong Buy, Ignite Restaurant Group Inc. (IRG) and The Wendy's Company (WEN) could be the options.

Best Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now: BAB Inc (BABB)

BAB, Inc., incorporated on July 12, 2000, franchises and licenses bagel and muffin retail units under the Big Apple Bagel (BAB) and My Favorite Muffin (MFM) trade names. At November 30, 2012, the Company had 100 franchise units and 6 licensed units in operation in 24 states. The Company additionally derives income from the sale of its trademark bagels, muffins and coffee through nontraditional channels of distribution including under licensing agreements with Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard, Kaleidoscoops, Green Beans Coffee, Sodexo and through direct home delivery of specialty muffin gift baskets and coffee. The Company has two wholly owned subsidiaries: BAB Systems, Inc. (Systems) and BAB Operations, Inc. (Operations). At November 30, 2012, the Company had 100 franchise units and six licensed units in operation in 24 states.

The Company additionally derives income from the sale of its trademark bagels, muffins and coffee through nontraditional channels of distribution including under licensing agreements with Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard, Kaleidoscoops, Green Beans Coffee, Sodexo and through direct home delivery of specialty muffin gift baskets and coffee. The BAB franchised brand consists of units operating as Big Apple Bagels, featuring daily baked bagels, flavored cream cheeses, premium coffees, gourmet bagel sandwiches and other related products. Licensed BAB units serve the Company's par-baked frozen bagel and related products baked daily. BAB units are primarily concentrated in the Midwest and Western United States. The MFM brand consists of units operating as My Favorite Muffin, featuring a variety of freshly baked muffins, coffees and related products, and units operating as My Favorite Muffin and Bagel Cafe, featuring these products as well as a variety of specialty bagel sandwiches and related products.

The Company�� BAB offering franchises in all 50 states, its initial development focus is targeted for the Midwest, specifically Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. A! s part of its introductory development plan, BAB will be donating 10% of the initial franchise fee from its 50 SweetDuet units to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, of which BAB is a corporate sponsor. SweetDuet, as its name implies, is a fusion concept, pairing self-serve frozen yogurt with BAB's exclusive line of My Favorite Muffin gourmet muffins, broadening the shop's offering and therefore differentiating itself from the numerous frozen yogurt outlets already populating the market. SweetDuet shops include BAB's Brewster's Coffee and a streamlined breakfast menu. The concept is designed to work in 1600 square feet of space.

BAB franchised stores daily bake a variety of fresh bagels and offer up to 11 varieties of cream cheese spreads. Stores also offer a variety of breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches, salads, soups, various dessert items, fruit smoothies, gourmet coffees and other beverages. A typical BAB store is in an area with a mix of both residential and commercial properties and ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. The Company's current store design is approximately 1,800 square feet, with seating capacity for 20 to 30 persons, and includes approximately 750 square feet devoted to production and baking. A satellite store is typically smaller than a production store, averaging 800 to 1,200 square feet. Although franchise stores may vary in size from other franchise stores, store layout is generally consistent.

MFM franchised stores daily bake 20 to 25 varieties of muffins from over 250 recipes, plus a variety of bagels. They also serve gourmet coffees, beverages and, at My Favorite Muffin and Bagel Cafe locations, a variety of bagel sandwiches and related products. The typical MFM store design is approximately 1,800 square feet, with seating capacity for 20 to 30 persons.The Company advertises its franchising opportunities in directories, newspapers and the Internet.

The Company competes with Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Panera Bread Company and Brue! gger's Ba! gel Bakery.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, BABB remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.800 thus far (ref. google finance July 11, 2013).

  For the quarter ended May 31, 2013, BAB had revenues of $658,000 and net income of $125,000, or $0.02 per share, versus revenues of $826,000 and net income of $267,000, or $0.04 per share, for the same quarter last year. For the quarter ended May 31, 2012, the Company received a $171,000 payment for the buyout of the Franchise Agreement from its Minot, ND franchisee so the franchisee could pursue its other business interests associated with the local energy boom. In that acceptance by the Company of the voluntary buyout is unique, no such transaction occurred nor was such income earned in the quarter ended May 31, 2013.

Best Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now: Sodexo SA (SW)

Sodexo SA, (formerly Sodexho Alliance SA), is a global provider of services in three primary business areas: The On-site Services Solutions offer various services that range from food services to construction management, reception to the maintenance of scanners and laboratory equipment, management of data centers, leisure cruises and provides housekeeping to rehabilitation services at correctional facilities. The Motivation Solutions division provides passes and vouchers, comprising Restaurant Pass, Gift Pass, Sport Pass, Training Voucher, Service Card and Book Card, among others. The Company also provides Personal and Home Services in the form of childcare, tutoring, concierge services and in-home service care facilities. The Company is present in 80 countries in a number of geographic areas, such as North America, South America, Continental Europe and United Kingdom and Ireland. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Glenwoods]

  Recently giant food conglomerate, Cargill announced it had partnered with the Swiss biosynthetic pharmaceutical company, Evolva (EVE:SW), to develop a more consistent and less expensive stevia sweetener via Evolva�� microbial fermentation-based process.� This is big news for the future of stevia because a microbial fermentation-based process does not have to rely on soil conditions or weather, and stevia can be manufactured anywhere, thus having the potential of guaranteeing an endless supply line of stevia.� Through the microbial fermentation, the manufacturer has the capability to process the key sweet individual components of stevia using low-cost plant sugars, and allows for the individual components of stevia, regardless of how minute, to be developed creating blends in any volume, which then could open the door for these manufacturers to fine-tune its stevia to local tastes.� But what would be most attractive is that, because the fermentation process does not require the entire plant, the method could conceivably shave upwards of 70% off the cost of producing stevia extracts.�

Best Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc (PLKI)

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc, formerly AFC Enterprises, Inc. incorporated on July 27, 1992, develops, operates, and franchises quick-service restaurants (QSRs or restaurants) under the trade names Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (collectively Popeyes). Within Popeyes, it manages two business segments: franchise operations and ompany-operated restaurants. Within the QSR industry, Popeyes distinguishes itself with a Louisiana style menu, which features spicy chicken, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, fried shrimp and other seafood, red beans and rice and other regional items. As of December 25, 2012, the Company operated and franchised 2,104 Popeyes restaurants in 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Cayman Islands and 26 foreign countries. As of December 25, 2012, of its 1,634 domestic franchised restaurants, approximately 70% were concentrated in Texas, California, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Virginia and Mississippi. Of its 425 international franchised restaurants, approximately 60% were located in Korea, Canada, and Turkey. Of its 45 Company-operated restaurants, approximately 80% were concentrated in Louisiana and Tennessee. In November 2012, the Company acquired 27 restaurants in Minnesota and California.

As of December 25, 2012, the Company had 340 franchisees operating restaurants within the Popeyes system. During the fiscal year ended December 25, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Popeyes system opened 141 restaurants, which included 75 domestic and 65 international restaurants. During fiscal 2011, the Popeyes system permanently closed 75 restaurants, resulting in 66 net restaurant openings, compared to 65 net openings. As of December 25, 2012, it leased 12 restaurants and subleased 44 restaurants to franchisees. In addition, it leased three properties to unrelated third parties. Of the restaurants leased or subleased to franchisees, 29 were located in Texas and 16 were located in Georgia. On November 7, 2012,! the Company entered into a new agreement with the King Features Syndicate Division of Hearst Holdings, Inc., licensor of the Popeye the Sailorman and associated cartoon characters.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mark Yagalla]

  As the fast-food wars heat up, restaurants are getting more creative with their menu items. One item that is getting a lot of attention is the waffle. Two restaurant chains that have introduced their own variations of the waffle are Taco Bell, owned by Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM  ) �and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (NASDAQ: PLKI  ) . Taco Bell has made the Waffle Taco a centerpiece of its new breakfast menu. Meanwhile, Popeyes is bringing back its popular Chicken Waffle Tenders. Could the waffle be the answer and boost same-store sales for these restaurants? If it is the answer, expect to see more variations of the waffle on many more menu boards.

• [By Sue Chang]

  Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. (PLKI) �is expected to report first-quarter earnings of 45 cents a share.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy Fried chicken and waffles is a staple menu item at countless soul food and comfort food restaurants, but that's not stopping Burger King (BKW) from trying to give the meal a fast-food spin. Burger King is testing a new sandwich in the Northeast that takes the breaded chicken patty used in its Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich from its King Deals Value Menu and replaces the bun with a split waffle. Burger King's Chicken & Waffle Sandwich isn't as hearty as the meal that it's based on. It's selling for as little as $2.29. But the chain's latest attempt to turn heads with a unique menu item will at least attract curious nibblers if it does decide to broaden the offering across the country. Waffling About Burger King isn't the first popular chain to attempt to reinvent this classic dish. As Nation's Restaurant News points out, last summer, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLKI) offered Chicken Waffle Tenders -- consisting of chicken tenders dipped in a vanilla maple-scented waffle batter, served with a honey maple dipping sauce. DineEquity's (DIN) IHOP did it three years ago by combining its chicken strips with Belgian waffle quarters. Yum! Brands (YUM) tried to breathe new life into its breakfast business last summer by testing a Waffle Taco -- an egg, sausage, and waffle breakfast sandwich. Even if it doesn't succeed -- and some of the early taste tests haven't been very flattering to the chain's new sandwich -- it's at least comforting to see that Burger King isn't just copying McDonald's (MCD) the way that it has for the past couple of years. Burger King followed McDonald's in offering fancy coffee drinks, fresh fruit smoothies, and popcorn chicken. It has gone on to roll out doppelgangers of the Egg McMuffin and McRib sandwiches. In November, it introduced the Big King, which any patron will quickly recognize as a body double to the Big Mac. Then again, it's not as if following McDonald's lead is such a clever idea right now. The world's largest re

Best Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now: Richoux Group PLC (RIC)

Richoux Group plc is a United Kingdom-based company engaged in the operation of restaurants. The Company has three segments: Richoux, Villagio Zippers and Dean�� Diner. Richoux restaurants operate in the areas of central London. The restaurants are open all day for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The restaurants also offers patisserie. Zippers is a spacious, stylish and contemporary restaurant with a relaxed ambience. Dean's Diner offers a range of freshly prepared dishes. Villagio is a modern local Italian restaurant with a menu suitable for the whole family. The Company�� subsidiaries include Newultra Limited and Richoux Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  
  Richmont Mines Inc. (RIC)

  Down 70% over 12 months, Richmont Mines Inc. has a market cap of $56.23 billion, and trades with a P/B of 0.60.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Richmont Mines (RIC) engages in the mining, exploration and development of mining properties, principally gold in Canada. This stock closed up 2.4% to $1.68 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $1.61-$1.68
  
  52-Week Range: $1.31-$5.50
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 76,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 101,786

  From a technical perspective, RIC bounced higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $1.59 with decent upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $1.31 to its recent high of $1.71. During that move, shares of RIC have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of RIC within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if RIC manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $1.71 to $1.80 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in RIC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $1.59 or above more near-term support levels at $1.50 to $1.44 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 101,786 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then RIC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.10 to $2.20. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give RIC a chance to tag its 200-day moving average at $2.48.

Best Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now: Planet Platinum Ltd (PPN)

Planet Platinum Limited is an Australia-based company engaged in the operation of Showgirls Bar 20 and the on-going rental of property in Elsternwick. The Company operates in two segments: hospitality and entertainment and property rental businesses. The Company�� hospitality and entertainment segment comprises operations of Showgirls Bar 20 in Melbourne and is engaged in the nightclub through the provision of beverages and adult entertainment. Property segment comprise maintaining of rental property at Home Street, Elsternwick. The Company continues to receive lease rentals from its Home Street property. The investment property is located at 12 Home Street, Elsternwick Victoria. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]

  Americans consume a lot of chicken. It estimated that Americans consume about 81 pounds of poultry per year, per capita. With there being upwards of 310 million people living in the United States, it is no wonder why poultry production is big business. Two of the biggest names in poultry production are Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) and Pilgrim's Pride (NASDAQ: PPN).

Best Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now

Stocks lost ground on Friday, with the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) down 0.2%, while the narrower, price-weighted Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) gained 0.1%. Still, with a very respectable 1.7% weekly gain, the S&P 500 managed to claw back most of last week's losses.

It's all about the rates
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, will hold its rate-setting meeting. There is next to no chance of a change in interest rates, but investors will be watching closely for any indications regarding the Fed's quantitative easing (bond-buying) program, which is currently running at $85 billion per month. The market's perception is that QE has been a major contributing factor to the stock market's impressive rally since its March 2009 low; that perception is probably correct. As a result, any hint of an "early" withdrawal or reduction in QE could send jitters through the market.

The minutes of the FOMC's last meeting, which was held on March 19-20, showed that the Fed was preparing to taper its QE program as early as this summer -- much earlier than the markets had anticipated. However, some of the key economic data released subsequent to that meeting, including March employment data and last Friday's first-quarter GDP report, have not been encouraging. The U.S. economy added just 88,000 jobs to nonfarm payrolls in March -- too little to make any dent in the unemployment rate. As a result, the FOMC may have become more dove-ish since then.

5 Best Insurance Stocks To Own For 2015: SearchCore Inc (SRER)

SearchCore, Inc., formerly General Cannabis, Inc., incorporated in 2003, is a technology service provider. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was engaged in the medicinal cannabis industry. The Company assists the physicians, dispensaries, and end-users within the medicinal cannabis industry in finding each other and in advertising their businesses. All of its operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiaries. On January 5, 2012, WeedMaps, LLC (WeedMaps) acquired substantially all the assets of MMJMenu, LLC. On October 31, 2011, General Merchant Solutions, Inc. discontinued all retail credit card processing operations. On January 11, 2011, the Company acquired all the assets of Revyv, LLC. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired Sports Asylum, Inc. In February 2013, it acquired ModularHomes.com.

WeedMaps Media, Inc. is its wholly owned subsidiary, and its primary operation is the Internet Website, www.weedmaps.com. WeedMaps.com is an online finder site service that allows patients to find local medical cannabis dispensaries, which are also referred to as collectives. Dispensaries are locations where patients who have received letters of recommendation from a healthcare provider can purchase medicinal cannabis, as well as a variety of other non-cannabis related items including, but not limited to, apparel accessories, posters, bumper stickers, concert tickets, books and musical compact disc�� (CD��).

General Marketing Solutions, Inc. is its wholly owned subsidiary, and its primary operation is the Internet Website, www.cannabiscenters.com. General Management Solutions, Inc. is its wholly owned subsidiary that oversees and provides all of the human resources issues for employees, including hiring, terminating and employee benefits. The Company has two additional wholly owned subsidiaries; General Processing Corporation, CannaCenters Corporation (CannaCenters), and two subsidiaries, namely LV Luxuries Incorporated (which operated as makeup.com) and General ! Health Solutions, Inc. (CannaCenters.com).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap communications or Internet stocks American Community Development Group Inc (OTCMKTS: ACYD), Globalstar, Inc (OTCMKTS: GSAT) and SearchCore Inc (OTCMKTS: SRER) have been rather quiet lately for investors after making some noise back in September. Nevertheless, all three are still getting some mentions in various investment newsletters or alerts and not because they are the subject of paid promotions. So are these small cap stocks about to make some noise? Here is a closer look:

Best Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Helen of Troy Limited(HELE)

Helen of Troy Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, import, marketing, and distribution of brand-name consumer products primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It operates in three segments: Personal Care, Housewares, and Healthcare/Home Environment. The Personal Care segment offers hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, hair setters, shavers, mirrors, hot air brushes, home hair clippers and trimmers, paraffin baths, massage cushions, footbaths, body massagers, brushes, combs, hair accessories, liquid and aerosol hair styling products, men?s fragrances, men?s and women?s antiperspirants and deodorants, liquid and bar soaps, shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments, foot powder, body powder, and skin care products. The Housewares segment provides kitchen tools, cutlery, bar and wine accessories, household cleaning tools, food storage containers, tea kettles, trash cans, storage an d organization products, hand tools, gardening tools, kitchen mitts and trivets, barbeque tools, and rechargeable lighting products, as well as baby and toddler care products, including convertible high chair. The Healthcare/Home Environment segment offers humidifiers, de-humidifiers, vaporizers, thermometers, air purifiers, fans, portable heaters, heating pads, and electronic mosquito traps. The company sells its products primarily through mass merchandisers, drugstore chains, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, catalogs, grocery stores, specialty stores, beauty supply retailers, e-commerce retailers, wholesalers, and various types of distributors, as well as directly online to end user consumers. Helen of Troy Limited was founded in 1968 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Helen of Troy Ltd (HELE) �shares rose 1.3% to $49.20 on light volume after reporting third-quarter earnings of $1.16 a share on revenue of $380.7 million. Analysts had forecast earnings of $1.09 a share on revenue of $378.9 million.

• [By Canadian Value]

  NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sachem Head Capital Management today sent a letter to the Board of Directors of leading consumer goods company Helen of Troy Limited (HELE). In the letter, Sachem Head outlines its belief that Helen of Troy shares are materially undervalued, highlighting the Board's apparent unwillingness to respond to recent inquiries regarding potential strategic combinations, and recommending actions for the Board of Directors to undertake to maximize value for the shareholders, including a thorough and legitimate review of strategic alternatives.

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

  Helen of Troy Ltd.(HELE) said it expects to buy back about $246 million of its shares through a Dutch auction tender offer that allowed the personal-care company to repurchase up to $300 million in stock. The company, whose products include OXO kitchen tools and Brut After Shave, said it expects to acquire about 3.7 million shares at $66.50 a share, the high end of its offering range.

Best Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: MicroFinancial Incorporated(MFI)

Microfinancial Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialized commercial finance company that provides microticket equipment leasing and rental, and other financing services in the United States. The company provides financing alternatives, and leases and rents commercial equipment to start-up and established businesses for use in their daily operations. It leases water filtration systems, food service equipment, security equipment, point-of-sale cash registers, salon equipment, health care and fitness equipment, and automotive equipment. The company primarily sources its originations through a network of independent equipment vendors, sales organizations, and other dealer-based origination networks. Microfinancial Incorporated was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Magic Diligence]

  One stock that has been in the official Magic Formula (MFI) screen for the past month or so has piqued my interest: Kraft (KRFT).

  The MFI screens, particularly the $50 million screen, are usually reserved for deep value stocks. Usually you find stocks in here suffering serious adverse business developments (LQDT, NSR, etc.), operate in out-of-favor industries (APOL, STRA, etc.), have volatile and difficult-to-predict future prospects (PDLI comes to mind), or are just simply cheap quantitatively (CSCO, COH, et.al.).

• [By Eric Lam]

  Alacer Gold Corp. and Iamgold Corp. rallied at least 5.9 percent as the metal traded at its highest in 11 weeks. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (MFI) jumped 7.8 percent as it agreed to sell a unit for C$645 million ($614 million). Penn West Petroleum (PWT) Ltd. added 1.7 percent after cutting 25 percent of its workforce to reduce costs.

• [By Gerrit De Vynck]

  Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (MFI), the Canadian producer of foods from hamburgers to frozen pasta, has drawn bids for its bread unit from Grupo Bimbo SAB, Flowers Foods Inc. (FLO) and several private-equity firms, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

Best Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Micrel Incorporated(MCRL)

Micrel Incorporated, doing business as Micrel Semiconductor, designs, develops, manufactures, and markets high-performance analog power, mixed-signal, and digital integrated circuits (ICs) primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. It offers power management products, including cloud, single-board, and enterprise servers; network switches and routers; storage area networks; and wireless base stations for the networking and communications infrastructure markets. The company also provides power management standard products for industrial, consumer, defense, and automotive electronics markets. In addition, it manufactures custom analog and mixed-signal circuits; and provides wafer foundry services for the customers who produce electronic systems for communications, consumer, and military applications. Further, the company offers general linear parts; power analog circuits; high speed physical media devices and interface ICs; and Ethernet products, which comprise physical l ayer transceivers, media access controllers, switches, and system-on-chip devices. Additionally, it provides radio frequency (RF) data communications products, including QwikRadio family of RF receivers and transmitters, which include garage door openers, lighting and fan controls, automotive keyless entry, and remote controls; and RadioWire transceivers for applications, such as remote metering, security systems, and factory automation. The company?s products address a range of end markets, including cellular handsets, portable computing, enterprise and home networking, wide area and metropolitan area networks, digital televisions, and industrial equipment. Micrel Incorporated sells its products through a network of independent sales representatives, independent distributors, and stocking representative firms, as well as through a direct sales staff. The company was founded in 1978 and is based in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By gurujx]

  Micrel (MCRL): CFO/VP Finance/HR Ray Wallin Sold 59,701 Shares

  CFO/VP Finance/HR of Micrel, Inc. (MCRL) Ray Wallin sold 59,701 shares during the past week at an average price of $9.56.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Micrel (NASDAQ: MCRL  ) jumped temporarily this morning, up by as much as 10% before giving back nearly all of those gains, following first-quarter earnings.

Best Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Aruba Networks Inc.(ARUN)

Aruba Networks, Inc. provides next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprises worldwide. Its products include ArubaOS, an operating system software for wired, wireless, and remote access products for integrating user-based security, application-aware radio-frequency services, and wireless LAN access to deliver mobile networking solutions; software modules for ArubaOS; mobility controllers for managing wired and wireless access; access points, which serve as on-ramps that aggregate user traffic onto the enterprise network and direct this traffic to mobility controllers; and mobility access switches that provide secure network access for wired users and devices. The company also offers remote networking products comprising remote access points for securing always-on network access to corporate enterprise networks from remote locations; Aruba Instant; and Virtual Intranet Access client software that provides secure network connectivity for Windows laptops and MacBooks. In addition, it offers outdoor wireless mesh routers to secure Wi-Fi access and backhaul links for transporting voice, video, and data traffic wirelessly. Further, the company provides management and security software products, such as AirWave network management for managing mobile and wired users on multisite networks; and Amigopod access management, which manages secure wireless LAN access for visitors, contractors, employees, and their mobile devices, as well as offers cloud-based content security services for branch offices and teleworkers. It markets its products to construction, general enterprise, education, finance, government, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, media, retail, technology, telecom, transportation, and utility industries through its sales force, value-added resellers, value-added distributors, and original equipment manufacturers. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Renu Singh]

  Aruba Networks (ARUN) is a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for mobile enterprise. The company's Mobile Virtual Enterprise (MOVE) architecture unifies wired and wireless network infrastructures into one seamless access solution for corporate headquarters, mobile business professionals, remote workers and guests. This unified approach to access networks enables IT organizations and users to securely address the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon, dramatically improving productivity and lowering capital and operational costs.

Best Gas Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Tempur-pedic International Inc (TPX)

Tempur-Pedic International Inc. manufactures, markets, and distributes bedding products in North America and internationally. Its products include pillows, mattresses, and adjustable beds, as well as various cushions and other comfort products. The company sells its mattresses and pillows under the TEMPUR and Tempur-Pedic brand names through furniture and bedding, specialty, and department stores; direct response, Internet, and own stores; chiropractors, medical retailers, hospitals, and other healthcare markets; and third party distributors. Tempur-Pedic International Inc. was founded in 1989 and is based in Lexington, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Yoshiaki Nohara]

  The Nikkei 225 gained 0.6 percent to close at 13,926.08 in Tokyo. Volume on the measure was about 15 percent above than the 30-day average. The Topix Index (TPX) rose 0.7 percent to 1,172.78, with twice the number of stocks gaining as falling on the 1,698- member gauge.

• [By Lu Wang]

  Global stocks slumped as rising bond yields pushed Japan�� Topix (TPX) index down 6.9 percent, the most since the aftermath of the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell 2.1 percent.

• [By Anna Kitanaka]

  Japanese shares rose, with the Topix (TPX) index closing at its highest level in almost two months, on optimism about earnings in Japan and the U.S. Profits at Topix companies are projected to almost double this quarter.

• [By Jonathan Burgos]

  Japan�� Topix (TPX) index rose 0.3 percent, reopening after a holiday. South Korea�� Kospi index gained 0.8 percent and New Zealand�� NZX 50 Index added 0.1 percent. Hong Kong�� Hang Index climbed 0.6 percent as it also reopened after a holiday, while China�� Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.2 percent. Markets in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are shut for holidays today.

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014

  Diane Sawyer out as ABC World News anchor NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Diane Sawyer will step down from ABC's flagship nightly newscast, "World News," in August, ABC said Wednesday.

David Muir, the weekend "World News" anchor, will replace her starting September 2.

The announcement ends months of speculation about a transition at ABC's anchor desk.

In a first-of-its-kind arrangement, Muir will not be the main anchor for big breaking news stories or elections -- that spot will go to "Good Morning America" co-host George Stephanopoulos, who will have the title "chief anchor."

Sawyer took over the "World News" chair in 2009, becoming the first woman to solo-anchor the famed newscast.

10 Best Semiconductor Stocks To Watch Right Now: Mindray Medical International Limited (MR)

Mindray Medical International Limited, through its subsidiary, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices worldwide. It operates in three segments: Patient Monitoring and Life Support Products, In-Vitro Diagnostic Products, and Medical Imaging Systems. The Patient Monitoring and Life Support Products segment offers patient monitoring devices that track the physiological parameters of patients, such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and temperature. This segment?s patient monitoring devices are suitable for adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients and are used principally in hospital intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency rooms. This segment provides single and multiple-parameter monitors, mobile and portable multifunction monitors, central stations that could collect and display multiple patient data on a single screen, and an electro-cardiogram monitoring device; veterinary monitoring devi ces; and anesthesia machines, as well as defibrillators, surgical beds, and surgical lights. The In-Vitro Diagnostic Products segment offers data and analysis on blood, urine, and other bodily fluid samples for clinical diagnosis and treatment. This segment also provides semi-automated and fully-automated in-vitro diagnostic products for laboratories, clinics, and hospitals. In addition, this segment offers hematology analyzers and biochemistry analyzers, and reagents. The Medical Imaging Systems segment provides ultrasound systems, which are employed in medical fields consisting of urology, gynecology, obstetrics, and cardiology; digital radiography systems; and a magnetic resonance imaging system. The company serves distributors, original design manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and hospitals and government agencies. Mindray Medical International Limited was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Medical device manufacturer Mindray Medical (NYSE: MR  ) announced this morning that it has appointed a co-CEO for the company.

  Cheng Minghe, who currently serves as�the company's chief strategic officer -- a position he will maintain -- will join company President�Li Xiting in leading the device maker.

• [By John Udovich]

  China is set to ease the one child policy, something that could benefit Chinese stocks in general but be especially beneficial to insurance stocks like China Life Insurance Company Ltd (NYSE: LFC) and CNinsure Inc (NASDAQ: CISG) plus health care stocks like Mindray Medical International Ltd�(NYSE: MR) and Concord Medical Services Hldg Ltd (NYSE: CCM). First, let�� be clear that China is NOT abolishing the one child policy as the changes will merely�allow married couples to have two children if one spouse is an only child plus it will be up to China�� 34 province-level administrations to revise�their laws and put the new policy into effect. Moreover, China�� family-planning bureaucracy employs more than 500,000 full-time workers and six million part-time workers all the way down to the village level to�collect billions of dollars in fines and these bureaucrats have fought for years against policy changes���meaning they could throw up roadblocks if not placated. With that said, the insurance and health care sectors are two sectors with publicly Chinese stocks that look set to�take advantage of the coming changes.

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation(GLDD)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation engages in the business of marine construction, primarily dredging, and commercial and industrial demolition primarily in the east, west, and Gulf Coasts of the United States. The company?s Dredging segment is involved in capital dredging projects consisting of primarily port expansion projects, land reclamations, trench digging for pipelines, tunnels and cables, and other dredging related to the construction of breakwaters, jetties, and canals; beach nourishment projects, which involve moving sand from the ocean floor to shoreline locations; and maintenance dredging that includes the re-dredging of previously deepened waterways and harbors to remove silt, sand, and other accumulated sediments, as well as lake and river dredging, inland levee and construction dredging, environmental restoration, and habitat improvement. Its Demolition segment provides commercial and industrial demolition services. It is involved in exterior demolition that comprises dismantling and demolition of structures and foundations; and interior demolition, which includes removing specific structures within a building. This segment also engages in site development, removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials, and remediation of contaminated demolition materials. The company serves federal, state, and local governments; foreign governments; domestic and foreign private concerns, such as utilities and oil companies; general contractors; corporations that commission projects; nonprofit institutions, such as universities and hospitals; and local government and municipal agencies. It has a fleet of 33 dredges, including 8 deployed internationally; 19 material transportation barges; 2 drill boats; and various other specialized support vessels. The company was formerly known as Lydon & Drews Partnership and changed its name to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation in 1905. The company was founded in 1809 and is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (Nasdaq: GLDD  ) .

• [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 Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (Nasdaq: GLDD  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  There's no foolproof way to know the future for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (Nasdaq: GLDD  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014: Ishares S&P Midcap 400 Index Fund (IJH)

iShares S&P MidCap 400 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poor�� MidCap 400 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization sector of the United States equity market. The Index serves as the underlying index for the S&P 400/Citigroup Growth and Value Index series. The components stocks are weighted according to the total float-adjusted market value of their outstanding shares. The component stocks have a market capitalization between $1 billion and $4 billion (which may fluctuate depending on the overall level of the equity markets), and are selected for liquidity and industry group representation.

The Index is adjusted to reflect changes in capitalization resulting from mergers, acquisitions, stock rights, substitutions and other capital events. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Moreover,�my guess is that the switch will be a wash for investors as funds and ETFs that track the S&P 500 will dump their positions in Advanced Micro Devices and SAIC Inc while those that track the S&P Mid Cap 400 will be obligated to take up positions in both. A quick look at the performance of the iShares S&P 500 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IVV) verses the iShares Core S&P Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA: IJH) reveals the following:

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014: Regus plc (RGV)

Regus plc is a Luxembourg-based provider of global office outsourcing services. Its primary activity and business segment is the provision of global workplace solutions. There are three parts to the Company�� business: Mature, New and Third Place. The Company�� products and services include outsourcing, workplace recovery, business lounges, businessworld, meeting rooms, video communications, offices and virtual offices. It offers bespoke packages for starting a business, home based business, mall and medium business, international business and corporate workspace solutions. It has some 1,203 locations across 550 cities in 94 countries serving more than a million customers. Its principal geographical segments include Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Asia Pacific; and the United Kingdom. In June 2013, Regus plc announced that it has launched its business centre in Nepal. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Whitney George is Director of Investments, Managing Director, and a Portfolio Manager of Royce & Associates, LLC, investment advisor to The Royce Funds. He serves as portfolio manager for Royce Premier Fund (RPR), Royce Low-Priced Stock Fund (RLP), Royce Global Value Fund (RGV), Royce SMid-Cap Value Fund (RSV), and Royce Focus Trust (FUND). He also serves as assistant portfolio manager for Royce Micro-Cap Fund (RMC), Royce Value Fund (RVV), Royce Value Plus Fund (RVP), Royce Focus Value Fund (RFV), and Royce Capital Fund ��Micro-Cap Portfolio (RCM). Mr. George's thoughts in this interview concerning the stock market are solely his own and, of course, there can be no assurance with regard to future market movements.

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014: Fisher Communications Inc.(FSCI)

Fisher Communications, Inc., an integrated media company, through its subsidiaries, engages in television and radio broadcasting businesses. The company owns and operates network-affiliated television stations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California, as well as engages in Internet business; and radio stations and managed radio stations in Washington and Montana. It also owns and operates Fisher Plaza, a commercial building that includes a data center designed to enable companies to distribute analog and digital media content through various distribution channels, including broadcast, satellite, cable, Internet, broadband, and other wired and wireless communication systems, as well as houses various companies, including media and communications companies. The company owns and operates 13 full power television stations, 7 low power television stations, and 10 owned and managed radio stations in the Western United States. Its television stations reach 4.2 million househo lds. The company was formerly known as Fisher Companies, Inc. and changed its name in March 2001. Fisher Communications, Inc. was founded in 1910 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  In the latest of a string of acquisitions, Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI  ) is to buy Fisher Communications (NASDAQ: FSCI  ) . The merger transaction will cost the former roughly $373 million. Fisher stockholders are to receive a cash payout of $41.00 per share, which, according to Sinclair, is a 44% premium to the stock's recent closing price.

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014: Crosstex Energy Inc.(XTXI)

Crosstex Energy, Inc., through its partnership interests in Crosstex Energy, L.P., engages in the gathering, transmission, processing, and marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil in the United States. The company connects the wells of natural gas producers in its market areas to its gathering systems; processes natural gas for the removal of NGLs; fractionates NGLs; and markets and transports natural gas and NGLs. It also purchases natural gas from natural gas producers and other supply sources; and sells that natural gas to utilities, industrial consumers, other marketers, and pipelines. In addition, the company operates processing plants that process gas transported to the plants by interstate pipelines or from its own gathering systems. Further, it purchases natural gas from producers not connected to its gathering systems for resale, as well as sells natural gas on behalf of producers; and through its crude oil terminal facilities in south L ouisiana provides access for crude oil producers. As of February 8, 2012, the company operated approximately 3,300 miles of pipeline, 9 processing plants, and 3 fractionators. Crosstex Energy, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Crosstex Energy�� (XTXI) shares are up 59.4% at $32.84 after posting a new 52-week high of $34.21. Crosstex Energy LP�� (XTEX) shares are up 38% at $28.08 after putting up a new high of $29.50 earlier.

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2014: First Merchants Corporation(FRME)

First Merchants Corporation, a financial holding company, provides financial and banking products and services. Its deposit products include demand deposits, savings deposits, and certificates and other time deposits. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises commercial and industrial loans; agricultural production financing and other loans to farmers; real estate loans, including construction, commercial and farmland, and residential loans; individuals? loans for household and other personal expenditures; tax-exempt loans; lease financing; consumer loans; and other loans. It also rents safe deposit facilities; and provides personal and corporate trust services, brokerage services, and other corporate services, as well as letters of credit and repurchase agreements. The company operates through 79 banking locations in 23 Indiana and 2 Ohio counties, as well as through ATMs, check cards, interactive voice response systems, and Internet technology. In addition, First Merchants Corporation operates as a property, casualty, personal lines, and employee benefit insurance agency; and involves in life reinsurance business. The company was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Muncie, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  We are starting to see bank merger activity accelerate as banks like Huntington Bancorp (HBAN) and� First Merchants (FRME) looking to expand and growth their asset base in the aftermath of the credit crisis. Banks with below-average capital and returns could quickly become buyout targets.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The year ahead should be a great one for the smaller bank stocks. Larger regionals like Huntington Bancorp (HBAN) and Capital Ban Financial (CBF) have made it clear they intend to grow by acquisition in the years ahead. Banks like First Merit (FMER) and First Merchants (FRME) have done deals in the past year and are open to doing more to increase their market share and footprints. This should be the year the floodgates open and we see the first wave of merger activity in small banks.

• [By Sean Williams]

  For this week's round of "Better Know a Stock," I'm going to take a closer look at First Merchants (NASDAQ: FRME  ) .

  What First Merchants does
  First Merchants is a financial holding company that provides community and commercial banking services primarily throughout Indiana, but also in Ohio. As of the first-quarter, First Merchants had $4.3 billion in total assets with total loans outstanding equaling $2.9 billion.