Hot Stocks To Buy For 2016: May 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Friends With (Discount) Benefits: You Can Save on Almost Everything

Hot Small Cap Companies To Own In Right Now

www.workingadvantage.com Employees of governments and businesses large and small can often get employee discounts, on purchases as diverse as belly dancing classes and home mortgages. Better yet, their friends and family can frequently enjoy some of those discounts, too. In general, the larger the company, the more likely it offers these deals. For instance, Southwest Airlines (LUV) offers free flights to both workers and their families; friends get discounts. Many of the larger telecom companies, like Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T), have discounted service plans for employees of the government and large corporations. If you work for an insurance company or a bank, you might get discounts at Macy's (M) or on Apple (AAPL) or Dell computers. So if you have a friend or family member who works for a large entity, you might want to ask them to inquire with their human resources department about what employee discounts they -- and you -- might be entitled to. Join the Club But for variety and breadth of discounts, plus ease of access, the web is the way to go. Sites like corporateperks.com, workingadvantage.com, workplaceperks.com and corporateshopping.com can best be described as mashups of priceline.com (PCLN) and Groupon (GRPN). They offer discounts to some alumni, some students and members of many special interest clubs, societies and groups, such as AAA, Actors Equity and the Zoological Society of San Diego -- and, in some cases, their friends and family members. After finding out if a program is available to you, using it is fairly straightforward. Sign into the site with whatever identification is required, browse the list of merchants and add your purchases to the shopping cart. For example, CorporatePerks offers a Lenovo thinkpad that retails for $700 for $600; the 15 percent discount is roughly the amount of a Lenovo employee discount. WorkingAdvantage has a two-day ticket to Universal Florida for $165.99, a $30 discount from the standard price. Larger-ticket items can get more complicated, and don't forget shipping and taxes. Why These Deals Abound Companies offer employee discounts as a low-cost (to them) perk that makes workers happy, especially in retail. American Apparel (APP), the Gap (GPS), Best Buy (BBY) and J. Crew offer employees up to 50 percent off their merchandise. For companies outside of retail, an employee discount program is relatively cheap and easy to administer. Partner merchants get exposure to potential customers, so it's a win-win even if they are discounting their merchandise and paying a fee or percentage to the program management companies. Then the discount program managers have the advantage of aggregate buying power to leverage deeper discounts. If you can't find a listed employer, these employee discount managers are eager to bring in more eligible groups since more members gives more power to negotiate with merchants. Just ask your human resources department or an officer of your club, society or organization about signing up. More from Annalisa Kraft-Linder
•10 Strange and Sneaky Supermarket Savings Strategies •Why We Hate to Love Walmart (and Why It Can Still Surprise Us) •What Would It Take to Pay Back Mom for All She Does?

Friday, May 30, 2014

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Thomas Cook G roup plc (TCG)

Thomas Cook Group plc is a United Kingdom-based leisure travel company. The Company operates in 19 source markets and operates under brands, including Thomas Cook, Neckermann, Condor, Jet tours, Ving, Spies and Tja reborg. Thomas Cook directly or indirectly controls a number of subsidiaries. The Company also has investments in other companies. It operates a combined fleet of 87 aircraft. The Companys operating structure comprises four segments which are principally organized according to the location of the customers origin. These are United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Northern Europe and Airlines Germany. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sofia Horta e Costa]
Rio Tinto Group climbed 2.9 percent after saying it will cost $3 billion less than projected to increase iron ore output capacity. Boliden AB (BOL) added 3.1 percent as Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the stock. Thomas Cook Group Plc (TCG) rose 13 percent after the travel operator posted a 49 percent increase in full-year earnings. British tobacco companies slipped following a report that after a U.K. minister announced the review of cigarette packaging.
[By Inyoung Hwang]
Thomas Cook Group Plc (TCG) tumbled 9.9 percent for the biggest drop in five months. UBS AG removed the 172-year-old U.K. tour operator from its list of preferred stocks, citing the high-profile media coverage of the violence in Egypt.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-recreation-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Hot Managed Healthcare Stocks To Buy For 2015

Hot Managed Healthcare Stocks To Buy For 2015: Adams Golf Inc.(ADGF)

Adams Golf, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, assembles, markets, and distributes golf clubs for various skill levels primarily in the United States and internationally. Its products comprise Speedline Fast 12 drivers, Fast 12 LS drivers, Speedline Fast 12 fairway woods, Idea a12 OS irons and hybrids, Idea a12 hybrids, Idea Pro a12 irons and hybrids, Idea Tech V3 irons and hybrids, Redline irons, Idea a7 and a7 OS irons and hybrids, and Speedline 9088 UL drivers. It also develops products under the Yes! Putters, Women's Golf Unlimited, Lady Fairway, and Square 2 brands. In addition, it offers a range of golf bags, hats, and other accessories. The company sells its products to on- and off- course golf shops, sporting goods retailers, and mass merchants, as well as to international distributors. Adams Golf, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Geoff Gannon]
Adams Golf (ADGF) was a net-net. It got bought out by Adidas. By the way, its not the only net-net to get bought out this year. Swank (SNKI) was also a net-net that looks like its going to be bought out. Last I heard, they received an alternative proposal during their go shop period and havent acted on it. The Ben Graham: Net-Net Newsletters model portfolio doesnt own either stock. Though we do own another net-net where a company in the same industry bought a block of shares. Who knows what that means. But clearly net-nets sometimes attract control buyers.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/hot-managed-healthcare-stocks-to-buy-for-2015.html

Thursday, May 29, 2014

10 Best Paper Stocks To Own Right Now

10 Best Paper Stocks To Own Right Now: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)

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

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

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

Americas Division

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

European Division

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

Asia Pacific division

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lauren Pollock]
Crown Holdings Inc.(CCK) cut its third-quarter earnings guidance on lower end-user demand in some of the food-and-beverage packaging company’s markets, including European food ca! ns and No! rth American beverage cans.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-paper-stocks-to-own-right-now.html

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Best Construction Companies To Own In Right Now

Best Construction Companies To Own In Right Now: AECOM Technology Corp (ACM)

AECOM Technology Corporation (AECOM) is a provider of professional technical and management support services for commercial and government clients around the world. The Company provides planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services for a range of projects, including highways, airports, bridges, mass transit systems, government and commercial buildings, water and wastewater facilities, and power transmission and distribution. It also provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics and other support services, for agencies of the United States government. It offers services in two segments: Professional Technical Services and Management Support Services. In June 2011, the Company acquired Spectral Services Consultants Pte. Ltd.

Professional Technical Services (PTS)

The PTS segment delivers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and prog ram and construction management services to commercial and government clients worldwide in end markets, such as transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government markets. It provides program management services through a joint venture for the Second Avenue subway line in New York City, design and contract administration services for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and engineering and environmental management services to support global energy infrastructure development for a number of petroleum and mining companies.

PTS segment contributed 86% of the Companys revenue during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011).

Transit and rail projects include light rail, heavy rail (including high speed, commuter and freight) and multimodal transit projects. The Company provided engineering design services for the new World Trade Center Terminal for PATH and the! Second Avenue Subway (8.5 -mile rail route and 16 stations) in New York City, the Ma O! n Shan Rail (seven-mile elevated railway) in Hong Kong, and Crossrail (74-mile railway) in the United Kingdom. Marine, Ports and Harbors Projects include wharf facilities and container port facilities for private and public port operators. The Company provided marine design and engineering services for container facilities in Hong Kong, the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York and New Jersey. Highways, Bridges and Tunnels Projects include interstate, primary and secondary urban and rural highway systems and bridge projects. Aviation Projects include landside terminal and airside facilities and runways as well as taxiways.

Government Projects include the Companys emergency response services for the Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and engineering and program management services for agencies of the Department of Defense. It also provides architectural and engineering services for national laboratories, inc luding the laboratories at Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico. Industrial Projects include industrial facilities for a variety of end markets, including manufacturing, distribution, aviation, aerospace, communications, media, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, chemical, and food and beverage facilities. Urban Master Planning/Design Projects include design services, landscape architecture, general policy consulting and environmental planning projects for a variety of government, institutional and private sector clients. It provides strategic planning and master planning services for new cities and mixed use developments in the Peoples republic of China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Commercial and Leisure Facilities Projects include corporate headquarters, high-rise office towers, historic buildings, hotels, leisure, sports and entertainment facilities, hospitals! and heal! thcare facilities and corporate campuses. Institutional Projects include engin! eering se! rvices for college and university campuses, including the new Kennedy-King College in Chicago, Illinois. It has also undertaken assignments for Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Pomona College and Loyola Marymount University in California. Healthcare Projects include design services for the Mayo Clinic Gonda Building in Rochester, Minnesota, University Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City and the Samsung Cancer Center in Seoul, Korea. It has also undertaken assignments for the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Orlando, Florida, and the Minneapolis campus of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Correctional Projects include the planning, design, and construction of detention and correction facilities throughout the world.

Water and Wastewater Projects include treatment facilities as well as supply, distribution and collection systems, stormwater management, desalinization, and other water re-use technologies for metropolitan governments. Envir onmental Management Projects include remediation, waste handling, testing and monitoring of environmental conditions and environmental construction management for private sector clients. Water Resources Projects include regional-scale floodplain mapping and analysis for public agencies, along with the analysis and development of protected groundwater resources for companies in the bottled water industry.

Demand Side Management Projects include energy efficient systems for public K-12 schools and universities, health care facilities, and courthouses and other public buildings, as well as energy conservation systems for utilities. Transmission and Distribution Projects include power stations and electric transmissions and distribution and co-generation systems, including enhanced electrical power generation in Stung Treng, Cambodia. These projects utilize a range of services that include consulting, forecasting and surveying t! o detaile! d engineering design and con struction management. Alternative/Renewable Energy Projects ! include p! roduction facilities, such as ethanol plants, wind farms and micro hydropower and geothermal subsections of regional power grids. It provides site selection and permitting, engineering, procurement and construction management and related services. Hydropower/Dams Projects include hydroelectric power stations, dams, spillways, and flood control systems including the Song Ba Ha Hydropower Project in Vietnam, the Pine Brook Dam in Boulder County, Colorado and the Peribonka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Quebec, Canada. Solar Projects include performing environmental work for the solar photovoltaic Brockton Brightfield project in New England, and environmental permitting services for the California Energy Commission to permit the development of a 250 mega watts (MW) solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert of California.

Management Support Services (MSS).

The MSS segment provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logisti cs, consulting, technical assistance and systems integration services, for agencies of the United States government. It also provides organizational and limited direct support services for equipment sent to the United States Army's Corpus Christi Depot in Texas. The MSS segment contributed 14% of the Companys fiscal 2011 revenue.

Installation, Operations and Maintenance Projects include Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations where the Company provides services for the operation and maintenance of complex government installations, including military bases, test ranges and equipment. It also provides services for the operations and maintenance of the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site. Logistics and Field Services Projects include logistics support services for a number of Department of Defense agencies and defense contractors focused on developing and managing integrated supply and distrib! ution net! works. Training Projects include tr aining applications in live, virtual and simulation training! environm! ents. Systems Support Projects cover a set of operational and support systems for the maintenance, operation and modernization of Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations. Its services in this area range from information technology and communications to life cycle optimization and engineering, including environmental management services.

Technical Personnel Placement Projects include the placement of personnel in functional areas of military and other government agencies, as these entities continue to outsource critical services to commercial entities. It provides systems, processes and personnel in support of the Department of Justice's management of forfeited assets recovered by law enforcement agencies. It also supports the Department of State in its enforcement programs by recruiting, training and supporting police officers for international and homeland security missions. Field Services Projects include maintaining, modifying and overha uling ground vehicles, armored carriers and associated support equipment both within and outside of the United States under contracts with the Department of Defense. It also maintains and repairs telecommunications systems for military and civilian entities.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lauren Pollock]
Aecom Technology Corp.(ACM) on Wednesday said its current president, Michael S. Burke, would succeed John M. Dionisio as chief executive, part of a planned succession process at the engineering and infrastructure design firm.
[By Lauren Pollock]
Aecom Technology Corp.(ACM) swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter profit despite continued weakness in the technical and management-support services provider’s Americas and Australia markets. The company forecast per-share earnings for the recently started new fiscal year that were below Street estimates.
[By Rich S! mith]!
Continuing to laze its way through summer, the U.S. Department of Defense announced only nine mostly small new contracts Tuesday, totaling just a bit over $87 million in aggregate value. Winners today included:
[By Rich Smith]
The U.S. Department of Defense announced the award of 10 separate contracts Thursday, worth a bit over $340 million in aggregate value. Boeing and Raytheon claimed about one third of the money on offer, apiece. As for other companies participating in Pentagon funding, these included the following:

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-construction-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Business plan: It's never to late to write one

Hi Gladys, I am not new to business. I have owned a home and gardening center for eight years. I want to expand into other areas in my city. I want to make sure that each move I make in expanding is the right move. So on the advice of a friend I called on a small business development outfit to give me direction. I have been attending regular classroom sessions for the last four months. And up to this point I have spent the last four months writing a business plan. I didn't write a business plan for my business when I started it. And it's been very profitable. Why on earth do I need to spend so much time writing a business plan to expand my company? This is an exercise for a beginning business. It seems like such a waste of time. -- C.W

You wrote that you want to make all the right moves. Writing out a business plan lets you see every little detail of the many elements that go into the making and expansion of a business. You might even learn a few things you didn't know before. This can prove to be a wonderful opportunity for you to even strengthen your business as it is.

Many people think a business plan is something you put together in order to get financing. Sometimes this is true, but not always. A business plan can become the working papers that keep you focused and guided in the right direction.

Top Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now

One of the most important parts of a well-crafted business plan is the market development and implementation section. This section not only helps you to identify your customers and prospective customers it also helps you to strategize on how to communicate to them and get them in the door.

I will never forget the early morning phone call I received from a woman who owned a successful beauty salon and decided to expand to including spa services. She moved to a space that was more than three times the size of her original place and re! modeled to include state-of-the-art spa services. She had borrowed more than one hundred thousand dollars based on her business plan.

She told me that owning a beautiful day spa had always been her dream, but for some strange reason she was losing money. She didn't have the customers she thought the expansion would bring and she was unable to get her salon customers to use the spa services. In addition she was behind in her payments to the bank and in her rent.

When I met with her I asked to see her business plan. After examining both her business and her business plan, I found that the marketing section was not clear. She had not developed that part of her plan. Had she taken the time to identify who her customers were before her expansion she would have known that they weren't interested in spa services. And, with that knowledge she could have put together a strategy to attract the kind of customer who would use her services.

If the business plan sessions are covering every detail of business development it is not a waste of your time. The truth is, it can prove to be beneficial to secure success for your business.

Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. Her column appears Wednesdays. E-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com. An archive of her columns is here. Her website is gladysedmunds.com.

3 High Yielders To Buy First After The 'October Surprise'

They are a rarity on the market today.

Most of the headlines over the summer have been about how the stock market is nearing all-time highs... making it difficult for investors to find a good entry point for many stocks.

But that could be changing. In August, the S&P 500 fell about 4.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 5.4%.

Could the bull market we've experienced over the past few years be coming to an end? It's entirely possible. As I reported last week, it all has to do with the looming Bernanke bond bubble burst or what I'm calling the "October surprise."

But a slow down, or a complete turnaround in the stock market, should not be looked at as a bad thing. It should be viewed as an opportunity.

What if there was a way to invest just 90 cents and get a full dollar's worth of interest-earning power? In other words, what if we could easily buy stocks discounted by 10% or more and boost the dividend yield we collect from them at the same time?

There is a way we can do that. But first, let me explain how we got to this point...

For the past few years, interest rates have been tilted in the borrower's favor, which has allowed companies to borrow cash cheaply and use it to quickly expand. But short-term interest rate hikes could throw a wrench into the works.

This isn't just a distant threat. Rates have already shot higher in recent weeks as traders prepare for a new reality without quantitative intervention from the Federal Reserve.

With historically low interest rates, the playing field is still tilted in the borrower's favor, but it's much tougher for companies to grow than it was just a few months ago. And asset prices have fallen accordingly.

But as stocks fall, there are some that go too low -- to the point of becoming bargains. And one of the easiest ways to find stocks that are trading as bargains is to look at closed-end funds.

Closed-end funds are simply mutual funds that hold stocks. Unlike open-end mutual funds, which most people hold in their 401(k) and offer as many shares as investors are willing to buy, closed-end funds carry a fixed amount of shares that investors can purchase on the market.

I could go through every detail, but basically because closed-end funds can't increase their share count, their market value can fluctuate and be much different than their "net asset value" (NAV), which represents how much the holdings are worth.

And if closed-end funds should sell off along with the rest of the market, it could mean we have an opportunity to buy a basket of quality stocks at discounts of 5%, 10% or more compared with what they're really worth.

Let me give you a real-life example to explain.

Consider the Zweig Fund (NYSE: ZF). It's a closed-end fund that has $340 million in net assets, which are invested in a diverse basket of blue-chip stocks such as PepsiCo, Apple, JPMorgan, Comcast, U.S. Bancorp and Qualcomm.

With 22.8 million shares outstanding, each share of the fund is worth $14.93 (according to the NAV). But here's the good part: You don't have to pay full price. ZF shares have dipped deep below NAV, so you can get $14.93 worth of dividend-paying stocks for just $13.00.

That means we can essentially buy shares in each of those quality companies at a 13% discount. If you bought this fund today, you'd pay just $424 for each share of Apple it holds -- which last traded around $487 per share on the market. You get the same 13% discount for all the other stocks held in the fund, too.

Not to mention you get to collect the dividend income from those stocks. But because you paid less for your shares, you're effectively getting higher yields. So instead of collecting a 2.5% yield from Apple, you're getting 2.87% ($12.20 per share dividend on $424 shares = 2.87% yield).

Now, that doesn't automatically make ZF a buy. If for no other reason, overall total returns have been lackluster over the long haul.

With that in mind, I conducted a screen for funds with lofty 5%-plus yields, no leverage (and no exposure to rising rates) and double-digit discounts to NAV. I also looked for funds with superior performance whose trailing three-year returns outrun their respective benchmarks.

Here's what I found:

The advantages of buying an income-paying fund at a double-digit discount are obvious, particularly when the stocks or bonds inside that portfolio are themselves undervalued.

If a quality fund that typically trades at a slight 1% to 2% discount suddenly slides to a 10% discount in a broad market pullback, there's an opportunity. There's usually a reversion to the mean. But don't automatically assume that a discounted fund will close the NAV gap -- some stay underwater for years, always showing somewhat of a discount. That's why it's more instructive to compare a fund's current discount with its historical average.

But this list is a good starting point to conduct more research on whether one of these funds would make a good investment. And if Bernanke & Co. do indeed decide to taper the Fed's bond purchasing program and the market takes a hit, which is very likely, these funds will be some of the first investments I'll look at to buy on a pullback.

P.S. -- As I mentioned earlier, I'm predicting an "October Surprise" in the market this year, and it's all Ben Bernanke's fault. Thanks to the Fed's reckless monetary policy, this collapse could affect millions of investors -- and anyone not prepared for it could lose a fortune. But I have a plan. To learn how I'm preparing for this collapse, read this special report.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Is that online bargain a deal, or a steal?

Bargain hunters beware: Your online auction purchase might be stolen goods.

Retailers estimate that one-third of auction and blog sites' listings for "new in box" or "new with tags" items are actually goods that were stolen through organized retail theft or otherwise fraudulently obtained, according to a new National Retail Federation report.

Nearly two-thirds — 61.1% — of the 76 retail loss prevention executives surveyed reported seeing an increase in such "e-fencing" over the past year.

"Thieves are preying on people looking for the best price," said Rich Mellor, senior advisor for asset protection at the NRF.

What thieves pick comes down to two attributes: "small box, big value," said Mark Turnage, chief executive of OpSec Security, which has monitored online sites for stolen items on behalf of clients. Commonly stolen items include razor blades, makeup, skincare products, baby formula, over-the-counter medications and tooth-whitening strips. Thieves also lift small gadgets such as disposable cellphones, digital cameras and electric shavers.

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Gift-card buyers may be an unwitting link in the retail-theft chain, too. About three-quarters of retailers told the NRF they see thieves returning stolen merchandise to get store credit, which the thieves then sell on the secondary market. Shoppers would encounter those as secondhand gift cards, probably loaded with an odd dollar amount.

Even if you're not concerned about the long-term, broader effect of organized retail theft on your wallet—retailers may account for such losses when setting prices and determining discount promotions — there are plenty of reasons for shoppers to worry right now about whether they're buying stolen goods.

Health and safety concerns are paramount for inge! sted goods — including over-the-counter meds and baby formula. "You have no idea what the storage conditions have been," said Turnage. Products may be expired, or have been stored at temperatures too high or low, making them less effective and unsafe to consume, he said.

There's also a slim chance of legal consequences for possessing stolen property. "Certainly, theoretically, someone who buys stolen property from an online vendor is just as liable as someone who buys it out of the back of a truck," said Stuart P. Green, a law professor at Rutgers University. Depending on how the local or state law is written, not knowing it was stolen isn't always a defense.

That said, the odds of being arrested are low. "As a matter of enforcement, it's bound to be harder to pursue people who are doing that," said Green, author of Thirteen Ways to Steal a Bicycle: Theft Law in the Information Age. Law enforcement is more likely to go after the thieves themselves, as well as the websites facilitating the transaction.

Spotting a steal

Retailers have been working with law enforcement and various websites to reduce the number of listings involving stolen goods, Mellor said. An eBay spokesman said the company has dedicated teams to mitigate listings of stolen property and other fraud. "We utilize a combination of sophisticated detection tools, enforcement and strong relationships with brand owners, retailers and law enforcement agencies to effectively combat fraudulent activity and present our customers with a safe, trusted shopping experience," he said.

Still, it's worth approaching online purchases from unknown retailers and individuals with caution:

"The very first warning flag that should go off for the consumers is quantity," said Turnage. Someone selling one or two new items might have legit reasons—they were an unwanted (and unreturnable) gift, for example. But thieves tend to list in bulk, something you'd spot looking at that seller's other current and recent listings. "Nobo! dy goes i! nto a store and buys two gross [i.e., two dozen dozen] and says, 'Oh, I bought too much, I'll go home and sell them online,'" he said.

Big discounts of 25% off or better can also be a red flag, said Mellor. There shouldn't be the same price cut on a brand new item as for one that's already been opened or gently used.

It can also help to scrutinize packaging, in photos and (if you do choose to buy) upon arrival. Thieves often blur out existing expiration dates or re-sticker them to make the product look current. But this tactic isn't foolproof. "The thieves are very good about changing labels on product," said Mellor.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Top 10 Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now

Top 10 Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now: YRC Worldwide Inc.(YRCW)

YRC Worldwide Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various transportation services worldwide. The company?s YRC National Transportation unit offers a range of services for the transportation of industrial, commercial, and retail goods, such as apparel, appliances, automotive parts, chemicals, food, furniture, glass, machinery, metal, metal products, non-bulk petroleum products, rubber, textiles, wood, and other manufactured products. It serves manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and government customers. As of December 31, 2009, it had 11704 owned tractors, 1239 leased tractors, 50083 owned trailers, and 3244 leased trailers. Its YRC Regional Transportation unit?s service portfolio includes regional delivery, which comprises next-day local area delivery and second-day services, consolidation/distribution services, protect-from-freezing and hazardous materials handling, and various specialized offerings; expedited delivery, that comprises day-definite, hour-definite, and time definite capabilities; inter-regional delivery; cross-border delivery; and operation of my.yrcregional.com and NewPenn.com, which are e-commerce Websites offering online resources to manage transportation activity. The company?s YRC Logistics units? service portfolio consists of distribution services that include flow through and pool distribution, dedicated warehousing, and value-added services; global services, which comprise international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and value-added services; and transportation services, such as truckload brokerage, domestic freight forwarding, and transportation management. Its YRC Truckload unit provides customized truckload services on regional and national level through the use of company and team-based drivers. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Michael Calia]
Trucking company YRC Worldw! ide Inc.(YRCW) said Friday it had cut its large debt load by about $300 million while offering $250 million in stock, the proceeds of which will be used to retire convertible notes. About $50 million in the principal amount of other convertible notes were swapped or converted to common stock, the company said.

source from USA Best Stocks:http://www.usabeststocks.com/top-10-transportation-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

Saturday, May 24, 2014

A Great Investment Opportunity with This Leading Restaurant Chain

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In Right Now

The restaurant sector is always a hot favorite among people as there are many varieties of restaurants that cater to the demographics of people in the U.S. One player in this industry with a casual dining facility is Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (BWLD).

Founded in 1982, this Minneapolis, Minn.-based company owns, operates and franchises its restaurants. It is usually set in a suburban or rural environment. With a market cap of $2.68 billion, this restaurateur has 1,018 restaurants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico (574 franchised and 444 company-owned). Wings, beer and sports are the three main components of this company as the people of America like them most. Further, it provides customers with Beefy Burgers, Sharables, Thin Crust Flatbreads, Wraps, Buffalitos, Sandwiches and Salads with 21 mouth-watering signature flavors. Buffalo Wild Wings sells on average 21 million traditional and boneless wings each week, and offers a full bar and up to 40 television sets per outlet and is famous for its bar concept and "dine and watch game" facility.

Tracking the Performance

On April 28, Buffalo Wild Wings reported fiscal first-quarter results ended March 30, 2014. Adjusted earnings of $1.49 per share for the first quarter increased 71.3% to $1.49 from $0.87. Net earnings leaped 72.9% to $28.3 million from $16.4 million. Total revenue increased 20.9% year over year to $367.9 million, compared to $304.4 million in the first quarter of 2013. Company-owned restaurant sales for the quarter increased 21.3% over the same period in 2013, to $344.9 million, driven by a company-owned same-store sales increase of 6.6% and 46 additional company-owned restaurants at the end of first quarter 2014 relative to the end of the same period in 2013. Franchise royalties and fees increased 14.9% to $22.9 million for the quarter versus $19.9 million in the first quarter of 2013. This increase is attributed to a franchise same-store sales increase of 5.0% and 55 additional franchised restaurants at the end of the period versus a year ago. A chart has been provided below to show the company's financial summary.

Average weekly sales for company-owned restaurants were $60,966 for the first quarter of 2014 compared to $56,953 for the same quarter last year, a 7.0% increase. Franchised restaurants averaged $63,852 for the period versus $60,050 in the first quarter a year ago, a 6.3% increase. Franchise royalties and fees increased 14.9% year over year to $22.9 million, led by 55 new restaurant openings at quarter-end. The year-over-year increase in franchise royalties and fees also reflects a 5.0% rise in franchise same-store sales, better than a 2.2% rise in the year-ago quarter and a 3.1% rise last quarter. A chart has been provided below to show the company's balance sheet.

What's Next

President and Chief Executive Officer Sally Smith said that earnings will increase 25.0% year over year, higher than prior expectation of 20.0%. She also added that the company's second quarter has started with a great momentum. Same-store sales rose 5.7% at company-owned locations and 4.4% at franchised locations. Excluding the slowing effects of the timing of the Easter holiday, same-store sales rose 6.6% and 5.3% of the company-owned and franchised locations, respectively.

Head to Head

Buffalo Wild Wings faces stiff competition from McDonald's Corp (MCD), Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG). Last year, McDonald's faced chicken wing problem and was left with 10 million pounds of unsold chicken wings. This made Buffalo Wild Wings to secure its position. Further, it was selling wings by the portion instead of by the number. Darden Restaurants is not performing well, and its fiscal second-quarter earnings missed consensus by a large margin. Its key brand Olive Garden also underperformed for the majority of fiscal 2013. Further, the company is planning to spin off its Red Lobster brand. This paved the way for Buffalo Wild Wings to dominate the market.

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Buffalo Wild Wings both have experienced high growth in the past year and they are investing in craft pizza companies. Chipotle invested in the idea of a small Denver fast casual pizzeria, Pizzeria Locale, that can serve a fresh piping hot pizza in less than two minutes. On the other hand, Buffalo Wild Wings invested in a small but growing Southern California pizza chain, PizzaRev. PizzaRev affords customers the ability to build their own custom pizzas from a variety of sauces, cheeses, and toppings displayed in front of them, all for under $10. On May 14, 2014, Buffalo Wild Wings opened its first PizzaRev franchise in Hopkins, Minn., in suburban Minneapolis. Pizza is one of the most popular meals in the U.S. and most of the restaurateurs are making pizza fast and individually tailored to cater to consumers with specific preferences, and therefore both companies are looking for the next brand to propel further growth. Unlike Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings relies heavily on franchises for international growth, and this allows for rapid expansion in a capital-efficient way.

Growth

Buffalo Wild Wings' growth strategy includes continuing development to 1,700 locations in the U.S. and Canada, international growth through franchising, expansion through emerging brands, driving sales through innovation and branding, and sustaining net earnings growth by strong restaurant performance and infrastructure leveraging. The company is currently focusing on international expansions and five franchisees have agreements for 45 restaurants in Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. It is also planning to expand its wings in the lands of India, South Korea and Vietnam.

On March 6, 2014, Buffalo Wild Wings announced its partnership with NTN Buzztime Inc. (NTN) to bring the company's BEOND tablet-based entertainment platform to all of their North America restaurant locations by the end of 2015. Buzztime's BEOND tablet lets Buffalo Wild Wings Guests order food, request songs and television programming, play games (both multi-player and arcade-style), and pay the bill.

To Put the Pieces Together

Over the past three years, Buffalo Wild Wings has been a strong growth story. Between 2011 and 2013, the company saw its revenue increase 61% from $784.5 million to $1.3 billion.

Charts from company website

This leading restaurant chain has created a niche in the hearts of the people as it is a fan-favorite restaurant. As a leader in the sports bar and wings segment, Buffalo Wild Wings has strong long term growth plans. The company has shown great performance in the earlier years, and is well positioned to do so in the future. Further, the company's investment strategy, service strategy, technology platform and emerging brands have made its position well ahead than its peers. Therefore, I believe that this company has a great investment opportunity in the long run.

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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Mid-Day Market Update: Campbell Soup Slides After Weak Forecast; InterMune Shares Spike Higher

Best Consumer Stocks For 2015

Related BZSUM Market Wrap for May 19: Markets Finish Higher On M&A Monday Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Drift Higher Amid A Flurry Of Weekend M&A Activity

Midway through trading Monday, the Dow traded up 0.15 percent to 16,515.49 while the NASDAQ surged 0.83 percent to 4,124.58. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.34 percent to 1,884.17.

Leading and Lagging Sectors
Technology shares gained about 0.68 percent in today's trading. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Intermolecular (NASDAQ: IMI), up 38.3 percent, and Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), up 9.4 percent. In trading on Monday, utilities shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.68 percent.

Top decliners in the sector American Electric Power Co (NYSE: AEP), down 2.5 percent, and FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE), off 2.5 percent.

Top Headline
On Sunday, AT&T (NYSE: T) announced its plans to buy DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share in a combination of stock and cash. The offer price of $95 per DirecTV share represents a 10 percent premium to closing price of $86.18 on Friday. The deal has a total value of $67.1 billion, including DirecTV's net debt.

Equities Trading UP
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) shares shot up 6.55 percent to $54.32 after the company reported full-year results. Ryanair's net profit for the year ended March 31 slipped to 522.8 million euros ($716 million), versus a year-ago profit of EUR569.3 million.

Shares of InterMune (NASDAQ: ITMN) got a boost, shooting up 14.31 percent to $39.22 after the company presented Phase 3 ASCEND study of Pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Leerink upgraded the stock from Market Perform to Outperform.

Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO) shares were also up, gaining 9.06 percent to $14.92. UBS upgraded Gogo from Neutral to Buy.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) were 10.50 percent to $71.85 after the company's board rejected the new $119 billion takeover offer from Pfizer (NYSE: PFE).

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) shares tumbled 3.44 percent to $43.57 after the company reported a rise in its fiscal third-quarter earnings and cut its FY14 forecast.

AT&T (NYSE: T) was down, falling 1.33 percent to $36.25 after the company announced its plans to buy DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) for $48.5 billion, or $95 per share.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded up 0.73 percent to $102.76, while gold traded up 0.26 percent to $1,296.80.

Silver traded up 0.24 percent Monday to $19.38, while copper rose 0.62 percent to $3.17.

Eurozone
European shares were mostly lower today.

The eurozone's STOXX 600 dropped 0.14 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.51 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index tumbled 1.60 percent.

Meanwhile, the German DAX gained 0.31 percent and the French CAC 40 rose 0.30 percent while UK shares slipped 0.12 percent.

Economics
The Treasury is set to auction 3-and 6-month bills.

Posted-In: Earnings News Guidance Eurozone Futures Forex Global Econ #s Economics Intraday Update Markets Movers Tech

Most Popular Weekly Highlights: Apple's Rumored 3D Printer, Apple/Beats Deal And More Surface Mini Rumor Roundup Stocks To Watch For May 19, 2014 #PreMarket Primer: Monday, May 19: DirecTV Rises On Offer From AT&T; AstraZeneca Rejects Pfizer Bid Shares Of Dish Respond To Rumors Of Verizon Soft Talks UPDATE: Raymond James Upgrades AT&T Following Acquisition Announcemnt Related Articles (AEP + AZN) Ligand-AstraZeneca Collaborate - Analyst Blog Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Monday May 19, 2014 Market Wrap for May 19: Markets Finish Higher On M&A Monday Mid-Day Market Movers Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets D

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

First Look: Surface Pro 3 tablet targets laptops

NEW YORK — The burning question facing Satya Nadella during his early — and so far highly praised — reign as Microsoft's chief executive was how he would manage the company's hardware business, notably the Surface tablets that to date haven't posed any meaningful threat against Apple's still-dominant iPad.

With Tuesday's launch of the Surface Pro 3 tablet, we have an answer: a slate that Microsoft insists is a viable replacement for your laptop. On the surface anyway — I need to spend more time testing — it appears that Microsoft might just be able to pull it off.

Microsoft defied some of the speculation leading up to Tuesday's event: that it would go small and compete against the iPad mini — a battle that in all likelihood would leave Microsoft bloodied and beaten. Instead, Microsoft is fighting on a productivity-based playing field. Microsoft still expects to compete against Apple, of course, and not just against the iPad but against the company's popular MacBook Air notebook. Analyst Avi Greengart thinks it will also be competing against Windows-based Ultrabooks.

"Microsoft has rightly decided its future is not at the low end of consumer tablets, where ultra-thin margins and highly competitive vendors from the Far East have and will continue to dominate," says analyst Jack Gold. "Instead, it has concentrated on its key strength, business users who look at tablets as extensions and/or replacements for full laptop capability."

Surface Pro 3, which Microsoft takes preorders on starting Wednesday, will cost $799 on up, with the first units available June 20. The new slate has an impressive-looking 12.1-inch full HD display that is larger than the 10.6-inch display on current Surface Pro models. It runs off Windows 8.1 software and fourth-generation Intel Core processors and appears to have enough oomph to handle powerful third-party software such as Adobe Photoshop. Microsoft says you'll get up to nine hours of battery life while surfing the web.

The magnesium ! machine is light (1.76 pounds) and thin, and it has a single USB 3.0 port, micro SD card slot and a mini HDMI port. There will be an optional docking station available at $199.99 that will add ports and connectors and give you more of a desktop PC experience.

Surface Pro 3 has a more flexible kickstand than prior models, even letting you lower the angle to use as a canvas you might draw on.

Indeed, Microsoft is also putting heavy emphasis on the pressure-sensitive pen that the company claims is as natural and personal as writing with real pen on paper (quickie impression, it is better). As you might imagine, there are close ties to Microsoft's OneNote program, which is free and will be preloaded. You'll have to subscribe to Office 365 for other Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint or purchase them separately.

Plus, you'll have to buy an optional $129.99 Surface Type Cover to add a keyboard and an improved trackpad.

Microsoft executive Panos Panay actually dropped the tablet intentionally on stage, and it came through unscathed, though Microsoft isn't making any formal durability claims.

"You've been told to buy a tablet, but you know you need a laptop," says Panos.

For now, Microsoft is still selling the prior Surface models, including those based on a flavor of Windows called Windows RT that will not run older PC software, though it does come preinstalled with Office. It remains to be seen what kind of future RT continues to have, especially if Microsoft does deliver on a smaller tablet.

In the meantime, stay tuned for a more complete review of Surface Pro 3.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Feds charge alleged 'Blackshades' hackers

Federal prosecutors Monday announced charges against alleged computer hackers linked to an international group called Blackshades that trafficked in malicious software enabling attackers to gain secret control of more than half a million computers worldwide.

Five individuals were accused in court charging documents released by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in New York City.

An affidavit by FBI Special Agent Samad Shahrani filed with the charges alleged that Blackshades has been in operation since at least 2010 and "distributed malicious software to thousands of cybercriminals throughout the world."

The alleged group's program of choice was the Blackshades Remote Access Tool — or RAT — which Shahrani's affidavit described as a "sophisticated piece of malware that enabled cybercriminals to remotely and surreptitiously gain control of a victim's computer."

After installing the RAT on an unsuspecting victim's computer, an attacker could "access and view documents, photographs and other files...record all of the keystrokes entered...steal the passwords to the victim's online accounts and even activate the victim's Web camera to spy on the victim," Shahrani wrote.

The investigation showed that the RAT has been purchased by at least several thousand users in more than 100 countries, the FBI affidavit alleged. Police worldwide said they had recently arrested 97 people in 16 countries suspected of using or distributing the malicious software called Blackshades.

Bharara described the technology as "inexpensive and simple to use," but called its invasiveness "breathtaking."

"As today's case makes clear, we now live in a world where, for just $40, a cybercriminal halfway across the globe can – with just a click of a mouse – unleash a RAT that can spread a computer plague not only on someone's property, but also on their privacy and most personal spaces," said Bharara.

The suspects accused in the case include:

• Alex Yucel, indicted on charges of! conspiracy to commit computer hacking, distribution of malicious software and conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

• Brendan Johnson, charged in a federal complaint with conspiracy to commit computer hacking and transmission of malware.

• Kyle Fedorek, charged in a federal complaint with conspiracy to commit computer hacking, access device fraud and computer hacking.

• Marlen Rippa, charged in a federal complaint with conspiracy to commit computer hacking and computer hacking.

• Michael Hogue, charged in a federal information with conspiracy to commit computer hacking and distribution of malware. Court filings show Hogue, a student at the University of Arizona, has pleaded guilty to the allegations. He was arrested in Arizona last June, the filings show.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Should You Invest in High-Dividend Royalty Trusts?

Popular Posts: MLPs Are Absolutely Killing ItFirst Solar Crushes First-Quarter Earnings. Buy FSLR Stock at Will.The Rise in Coal Stocks Will Burn Up Quickly Recent Posts: Should You Invest in High-Dividend Royalty Trusts? Want to Play Renewable Energy? Focus on the New YieldCos The Rise in Coal Stocks Will Burn Up Quickly View All Posts

Top Solar Companies To Watch In Right Now

There are plenty of ways for investors to make money in the oil patch –from actually drilling wells to moving oil through pipelines to refining and selling energy downstream to end users.

Recently, Canada's largest natural gas producer EnCana (ECA) highlighted one of the most ignored ways to profit from the energy sector; ECA announced that they will place around 5.2 million acres worth of oil and gas reserves/wells in Alberta, Canada into a new subsidy called PrairieSky Royalty. EnCana will sell shares of the firm in order to raise some much needed cash. PrairieSky should IPO by mid-June.

The key for ECA and, ultimately for investors, is that the new shares will actually be a royalty trust.

Often overlooked, royalty trusts offer income seekers a chance to get some pretty high dividends.

So what exactly are royalty trusts, and do they below in your portfolio?

A Royalty Trust Primer

PrairieSky won't actually be drilling for oil or natural gas on its properties, nor will it be transporting it through pipelines. That’s because a royalty trust is an entity that own the production rights on oil wells, natural gas fields or, as in the case of Great Northern Iron Ore Properties (GNI), iron ore mines.

That means other firms do the heavy lifting, and the royalty trust owners sit back and collect fees & mineral rights tied to that production. There’s no growth plan here, since royalty trusts are strictly finance vehicles for the underlying land owners — and as a result, a reliable income stream for investors.

In the case of PrairieSky, its 5.2 million acres are being tapped by such firms as Devon (DVN) and Apache (APA).

For the owners of the royal trust units, they are treated to some hefty dividends. Like master limited partnerships (MLPs) and real estate investment Trusts (REITs), royalty trusts are designed as "pass-through entities" that get preferential tax treatment because of their business model. As such, they kick-back virtually all of what they earn in the form of distributions to shareholders. And because of that fact, these investment vehicles often yield in excess of 7%.

Another added benefit is that due to depreciation and depletion, distributions from most trusts are not considered income in the eyes of the IRS. These non-income distributions are treated as return of capital and are used to reduce an owner’s cost basis in the royalty trust. Owners are taxed once they sell at the lower cost basis or if that basis hits zero.

Now despite the benefits, royalty trust do come with some risks as well.

The first is, obviously, commodity pricing risk. Many of the royalty trusts underlying fees are tied directly to the prices of oil and natural gas pulled from their lands. If natural gas is trading at multi-decade highs, their cash flows and dividends will reflect that with big paydays for investors. Consequently, if it's at lows, you'll see dramatically lower pay-outs. Many trusts monthly dividends fluctuate rapidly based on commodity prices.

Then there is the most important aspect of all: royalty trusts have a finite life span. As finance vehicles, the trusts aren’t allowed to add new acreage or wells to their holdings. That means when the oil and natural gas are gone, they’re gone, too. As the energy is produced and depleted, distributions will fall and eventually hit zero… As will the trusts share price.

Three Top Royalty Trusts

With EnCana only filing the shelf registration for PrairieSky trust, investors looking to add some royalty trust income to their portfolios do have a few options. Here's three high yielding trusts to consider.

BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (BPT): BPT is the largest conventional oil and gas trust in the U.S. and was originally formed in 1989 by BP (BP). The royalty trust collects fees on the first 90,000 barrels of oil collected in the massive Prudhoe Bay oil field located on Alaska’s North Slope. While production in Prudhoe Bay have slipped over the last few years, BPT is expected to continue pumping out dividends for another 15 years. This royalty trust yields a very hefty 11% based on the last four distributions.

San Juan Basin Royalty Trust (SJT): Rising natural gas prices have been a boon to SJT as the royalty trust owns natural gas wells located in New Mexico. Units of trust are up around 30% this year on the back of these higher prices. Also up are SJT's distributions. The royalty trust paid out 4 cents per share per month last year. This May, SJT paid 10 cents- a nice 150% gain in dividends. SJT currently yields over 6% based on the last 12 months of monthly dividend payments.

VOC Energy Trust (VOC): Formed by a private energy firm, VOC owns both oil and gas wells in has wells in Kansas and Texas. The royalty trust owns an 80% net royalty on the wells on its properties. That makes a prime play on rising energy prices- no matter which fuel is doing well. VOC’s royalties will expire at the end of 2031 and yield no terminal value. Meaning shares will go to zero. Yet, VOC features a trailing yield of about 14% based on the last four payments.

As of this writing, Aaron Levitt did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

1 Interesting Reason Facebook Is Set to Grow

This article is a bit forward thinking, but there could potentially be some positive aspect to the recent news about Facebook (FB), and I'll try and explain why I think so.

About two or three years ago in a city that I was temporarily living in, I used to walk to the train station and pass a house where, in a living room, there were about six kids sitting together with laptops every day. There was a giant white board up in the background and it was clear that the living room space they were working out of had been converted to a semi-office. One day, without notice and curious as to what was going on, I randomly walked in.

After asking, they told me that they were a very young startup company who was working on an iPhone app together. I introduced myself to the "boss" and told him that I had a lot of VC connections and that I'd be interested to hear his story. So, he gave me a pitch on the company's app. The sole purpose of the app? To be able to shuffle money around among you and your friends easily. He pitched me on a situation where four friends go to a restaurant and don't feel like divvying up a bill that one guy pays. They then use their accounts to do the math and transfer the appropriate funds to one another with one or two quick clicks, and everyone (including the restaurant) saves time.

Sure, companies like PayPal have looked at online money transfer to corporations and shops, but this was the first time I had heard of something being used on solely a local platform, person to person. Think of all the ways you transfer bits of money to people: parents giving kids allowances, tipping a doorman in the city, paying for a friend's coffee. All of these aren't PayPal-esque in size, but haven't been explored in depth yet by app makers.

Square and Bitcoin have kind of touched on the conveniences of having a mobile wallet, and it's definitely a niche that I think is still in the very early stages of its adoption curve. Thus, when I found out that Facebook was focusing on it, I liked the idea.

It was reported this last month:

Facebook is close to receiving approval from Ireland's central bank to become an "e-money" institution that would enable users to store money on the social network and use it to pay and exchange money with other members, the FT reports. The move would help Facebook boost its presence in emerging markets, as it would provide remittance services in which migrant workers send money home to their families. Facebook has also discussed possible partnerships with TransferWise, Moni Technologies and Azimo, startups that enable online money transfer services. Facebook has a leg up to jump into this niche, as well, for several reasons.

First, Facebook is already a semi-reliable name. We know they're a billion dollar company and that they are established, so the security issue is much smaller with consumers than it would be with a brand new app.

Second, Facebook already has its customer base. It doesn't need to go out and market the app, because people already have it.

Third, the projected growth in the global mobile wallet market is enormous. It's exactly the kind of growth a company like Facebook needs to get out in front of. Zuckerberg may be rich, and he may be getting a bit older, but it still seems that he continues to know what's "trending."

Additionally, I would be wary of companies like Western Union (WU) who specialize in person-to-person money transfer, should it not start to adapt to the way in which this industry could continue to shape.

Though certainly not for a short-term gamble on Facebook, I believe this niche could definitely help Facebook continue its aggressive long-term growth and that the company is on stable footing as an investment for the long term. I'll be watching closely to see what develops with Facebook and the mobile wallet market.

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now

It's no secret that life is good in the auto industry right now: Transaction prices are up, incentives are down, and June's SAAR was at its highest level in years. That makes for more profitable earnings reports, which are due to be released tomorrow for Ford (NYSE: F ) and Thursday for�General Motors. Industry quality is also up much higher both for domestic automakers and the global auto industry in general. One problem is still plaguing many automakers -- designing a quality infotainment system. That's the reason behind a lawsuit against Ford and also why the company ranked so low in J.D. Power & Associates Initial Quality Study 2013.

Lawsuit
Last Monday, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed against Ford claiming the MyFord Touch and the Lincoln infotainment system are defective. The largest complaint being that the system freezes periodically and fails to respond to voice and touch commands.

Ford's attempted to fix the problem but has had little success; apparently, designing an effective infotainment system is like pulling teeth. "I've had companies tell me they would rather develop a new car from the ground up than a new entertainment system," said Tom Mutchler, program manager of vehicle interface at Consumer Reports, according to the CBS Boston affiliate.

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Danieli & C Officine Meccaniche SpA (DAS)

Danieli & C Officine Meccaniche SpA is an Italy-based company primarily engaged in industrial sector. The Company designs, manufactures, sales and makes installation of machines and plants for the metallurgical industry. The Company's portfolio includes mines; pellet production plants; blast furnaces; direct reduction equipment; machinery for the treatment of scrap metal; steelworks for production of liquid steel; continuous casting machinery for blooms, billets and slabs; rolling mills for long products, seamless tubes and flat products; production lines for welded tubes and flat products; plants for secondary processing, such as peeling, rolling and drawing; forging presses and manipulators; extrusion presses for ferrous and non-ferrous metals; plants for longitudinal and transversal cutting; automation and control systems, and cranes and lifting equipment. It is also active in the production and sale of special steel for automotive, machine tools and railway industry, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Damian Illia]
Crown Castle has acquired recently the privately held company NextG Networks Inc., largest provider of outdoor Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), with more than 7,000 DAS plus another 1,500 nodes in the pipeline, and over 4,600 miles fiber-optic cable�� transmission rights. Through this addition, the company has improved greatly its DAS network across 26 United States metropolitan areas. As NextG has only 1.7 tenants per network on an average and thus underutilizing its capacity, Crown Castle will increase customers with no integration and rearrangement costs. Another company�� big move was the acquisition of 9,700 wireless towers from AT&T Inc. (T) Located in the top 100 markets in the U. S. T-Mobile is likely to maintain its infrastructure in these towers for the next 10 years. On top of all, the recent conversion of business into a REIT has represented long term benefits for the company in terms of tax savings and enhancing shareholders��wealth.
[By GURUFOCUS]
EMC�� products ��both hardware and software - are litearlly a geek�� wonderland alphabet soup, which include Storage Area Network (SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Virtual SAN, All-Flash XtremIO, Atmos, Avamar, �Data Domain, Isilon, Pivotal, ViPR Software Defined Storgae, VMAX, VNX, VNXe, VPLEX, VSPEX (none of these are typos).� Information storage makes up 70% of revenues and virtualization 23% of revenues.� Products generate 55% of revenues.� Services generate 45% of revenues.� The Company�� gross profit split is approximaltey 67% data storage and 31% virtualization.

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Vivo Participacoes S.A.(VIV)

Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides fixed-line telecommunications services to residential and commercial customers in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its services include local voice services, such as activation, monthly subscription, measured service, and public telephones; intraregional, interregional, and international long-distance voice services; data services comprising broadband services; pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology and land based wireless technology multichannel multipoint distribution service; and network services, such as interconnection and rental of facilities, as well as other services consisting of extended maintenance, caller identification, voice mail, cell phone blockers, computer support, and antivirus for Internet service subscribers. The company also offers multimedia communication services, such as audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, and texts and other information. In addition, it provides interc onnection services to cellular service providers and other fixed telecommunications companies through the use of its network. Further, the company offers telecommunications solutions and IT support designed to address the needs and requirements of companies operating various types of industries, including retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, and government. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides its products and services through person-to-person sales, telesales, indirect channels, Internet, and door-to-door sales. As of December 31, 2010, its telephone network included 11.3 million fixed lines in service, including residential, commercial, and public telephone lines; 3.3 million broadband clients; and 0.5 million pay TV clients. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP is a subsidiary of Telefonica S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Inyoung Hwang]
Royal Mail (RMG) Group Ltd. jumped the most in a month after the U.K. postal service that listed its shares in October said first-half earnings almost doubled. Vivendi SA (VIV) advanced 1.9 percent after saying it will replace its chairman once it spins off its wireless business. Accor SA dropped 3.9 percent after saying it will separate the operation and ownership of hotels into two businesses.

10 Best Restaurant Stocks To Own Right Now: Synergy Resources Corp (SYRG)

Synergy Resources Corporation, incorporated on May 11, 2005, is an oil and gas operator in Colorado. The Company is focused on the acquisition, development, exploitation, exploration and production of oil and natural gas properties primarily located in the Denver-Julesburg Basin (D-J Basin) in northeast Colorado. Effective November 13, 2013, Synergy Resources Corp acquired 21 undisclosed oil and gas producing wells, located in Wattenberg Field, Colorado.

As of October 31, 2013, the Company has 374,000 gross and 245,000 net acres under lease, substantially all of which are located in the D-J Basin. Of this acreage, 12,550 gross acres are held by production. In addition to the approximately 22,000 net developed and undeveloped acres that the Company hold in the Wattenberg Field, it hold undeveloped acreage positions in the northern extension area of the D-J Basin, in an area around Yuma County that produces dry gas, and in western Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Value Digger]
As peers, I selected Artek Exploration (ARKXF.PK), RMP Energy (OEXFF.PK), Synergy Resources (SYRG) and Magnum Hunter Resources (MHR). The first two firms trade also on the main Toronto board under the tickers RTK.TO and RMP.TO respectively. These peers comply with the following criteria:

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Banro Corp (BAA)

Banro Corporation (Banro) is a Canada-based gold exploration company. The Company holds, through four wholly owned subsidiaries, a 100% interest in four gold properties, which are known as Twangiza, Namoya, Lugushwa and Kamituga. These properties are covered by a total of 13 exploitation permits and are found along the 210 kilometer-long Twangiza-Namoya gold belt in the South Kivu and Maniema Provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Company also holds 14 exploration permits covering an aggregate of 2,638 square kilometers. Its 10 of the permits are located in the vicinity of the Company's Twangiza property and four are located in the vicinity of the Company's Namoya property. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company was engaged in the construction of the Company�� Twangiza Phase I oxide mine, and continued its exploration activities at its Twangiza, Namoya and Lugushwa properties. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Bryan Murphy]
Looking for a couple of long (bullish) trading ideas on a day when the market is dragging pretty much everything lower? There are two names that fit the bill...CombiMatrix Corp. (NASDAQ:CBMX) and Banro Corporation (NYSEMKT:BAA). CBMX is an "almost" small cap stock that deserves a place on your watchlist while we wait for it to do one more thing. Meanwhile, BAA is something worth going ahead and taking a swing on now, not despite the market's tumble, but because of it.

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais Cemig (CIG)

Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais (CEMIG), incorporated on May 22, 1952, is a Brazil-based holding company mainly engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. In the generation segment, CEMIG operates through hydroelectric plants, thermoelectric plants and wind farms. In the transmission segment, as of December 31, 2008, CEMIG�� transmission network was comprised of 38 substations with a total of 94 transformers and an aggregate transformation capacity of 15,583 Megavolt amperes. In the distribution business, as of December 31, 2008, the Company owned and operated 451,539 kilometers of distribution lines, supplying electricity to approximately 10 million customers. CEMIG is also engaged in the natural gas distribution business in Minas Gerais, through its subsidiary Companhia de Gas de Minas Gerais - GASMIG, as well as in the telecommunications business, through its subsidiary Cemig Telecomunicacoes SA - Cemig Telecom, which provides optical fiber and coaxial cable network.

Power Generation and Trading

As of December 31, 2009, the Company generated electricity at 54 hydroelectric plants, three thermoelectric plants and two wind farms, and had a total installed capacity of 6,624 megawatts. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated 3,085 miles of transmission lines and 281,756 miles of distribution lines. It holds concessions to distribute electricity in 96.7% of the territory of Minas Gerais. Eight of CEMIG�� hydroelectric plants accounted for approximately 81% of its installed electric generation capacity during the year ended December 31, 2009. CEMIG operates the Ipatinga thermoelectric plant, through its subsidiary Usina Termica Ipatinga S.A. The plant has an installed capacity of 40 megawatts, generated by two units and that uses blast furnace gas as fuel. The Company operates the Sa Carvalho hydroelectric power plant, located on the Piracicaba River in the municipality of Antonio Dias in the State of Minas Gerais, through its subsid! iary Sa Carvalho S.A. The Company�� Rosal hydroelectric plant has an installed capacity of 55 megawatts. The Rosal plant is located on the Itabapoana River, which runs along the border between the states of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.

Cemig Capim Branco Energia S.A. is engaged in developing the Capim Branco Generating Complex in partnership with Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), a mining company, Comercial e Agricola Paineiras, an agricultural company, and Companhia Mineira de Metais (CMM) a metallurgical company. Horizontes Energia S.A. was formed by the Company to generate and trade electricity, through the commercial operation of its hydroelectric plants: the Machado Mineiro Power Plant (located on the Pardo River in the municipality of Ninheira in the State of Minas Gerais with an installed capacity of 1.72 megawatts); the Salto do Paraopeba Power Plant (located on the Paraopeba River in the town of Jeceaba in the State of Minas Gerais with an installed capacity of 2.37 megawatts); the Salto Voltao Power Plant (located on the Chapecozinho River in the town of Xanxere in the State of Santa Catarina with an installed capacity of 8.2 megawatts), and the Salto do Passo Velho Power Plant (located on the Chapecozinho River in the town of Xanxere in the State of Santa Catarina with an installed capacity of 1.8 megawatts), as well as other generating projects.

Usina Termeletrica Barreiro S.A. holds the assets of the Barreiro thermoelectric power plant. The Irape Hydroelectric Power Plant, which has an installed capacity of 360 megawatts, is located on the Jequitinhonha River, in northern Minas Gerais. The Company�� wind farm, Morro do Camelinho is located in Gouveia, a municipality in northern Minas Gerais. It has a total generation capacity of 1 megawatt, powered by four turbines with a capacity of 250 kilowatts each. Central Eolica Praia do Morgado S.A is located in the county of Acarau, in the State of Ceara. Central Eolica Volta do Rio S.A is located in the county ! of Acarau! , in the State of Ceara.

Transmission

The Company�� transmission business consists of the bulk transfer of electricity from the power plants where it is generated to the distribution system, which carries the electricity to final consumers, and others consumer agents connected directly in the transmission grid. Its transmission system comprises transmission lines and step-down substations with voltages ranging from 230 kilovolt to 500 kilovolt. As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� transmission network in Minas Gerais consisted of 1,352 miles of 500 kilovolt lines, 1,244 miles of 345 kilovolt lines and 485 miles of 230 kilovolt lines, as well as 35 substations with a total of 94 transformers and an aggregate transformation capacity of 15,506 megavolt ampere. The Company transmits the energy that it generates and the energy that it purchases from Itaipu and other sources, as well as the energy for the interconnected power system. On December 31, 2009, the Company also had 13 industrial consumers, to whom it transported 4,103 gigawatt hour directly with high voltage energy, through their connections to its transmission lines. Nine of these industrial consumers accounted for approximately 66.9% of the transported total volume of electricity. The Company also transmits energy to distribution systems, through the south/southeast-linked system of the grid.

Distribution and Purchase of Electric Power

The Company�� distribution operation consists of electricity transfers from distribution substations to final consumers. Its distribution network consists of a network of overhead and underground lines and substations with voltages lower than 230 kilovolts. The Company supplies electricity to industrial consumers at the higher end of the voltage range and residential and commercial consumers at the lower end of the range.

Other Businesses

The Company holds approximately 55% of Gasmig and Petrobras, through its subsidiary, Gaspet! ro-Petrob! ras Gas S.A., holds 40%. In 2009, Gasmig supplied approximately 1.5 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to 276 consumers, including 175 industrial and commercial clients, 93 retail distribution stations for natural gas vehicles, two thermal power plants and six distributors of compressed natural gas (CNG). Gasmig supplied 0.2 million cubic meters of gas per day to thermal power plants and 1.3 million cubic meters of gas per day to retail consumers. In addition to, Gasmig also supplied eight customers with re-gasified liquefied natural gas (LNG). In 2009, Gasmig distributed approximately 4.1% of all natural gas distributed in Brazil.

The Company�� owns a 99.9% interest in Cemig Telecomunicacoes S.A., which has an optical fiber-based long-distance communications backbone installed along the Company�� power grid using optical ground wire cables. This communications backbone is connected to an access network that is based on hybrid fiber-coaxial cable technology and is deployed along its power grid. The telecommunication services provided by Cemig Telecomunicacoes S.A., through its network are signal transportation and access, both for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications, delivered to telecommunications operators and Internet service providers on a channel basis. Cemig Telecomunicacoes S.A. also provides intra-company data transmission services to the Company. CEMIG provides consulting services to governments and public utility companies in the electricity industry. The Company has a 100% interest in Efficientia S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Utilities sector gained 1.12 percent, with Companhia Paranaense de Energia (NYSE: ELP) moving up 4.3 percent to gain the top spot. Among leading sector stocks, gains came from Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo (NYSE: SBS), CPFL Energia SA (NYSE: CPL) and Companhia Energ茅tica de Minas Gerais SA (NYSE: CIG).

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Quality Systems Inc.(QSII)

Quality Systems, Inc. engages in the development and marketing of healthcare information systems in the United States. The company operates through three divisions: QSI Dental, NextGen, and Practice Solutions. The QSI Dental division develops, markets, and supports software suites for dental and medical practices, as well as supports medical clients that utilize its UNIX based medical practice management software product and Software as a Service based NextDDS financial and clinical software. It also develops, markets, and manages electronic data interchange(EDI)/connectivity applications, as well as QSInet application service provider solutions. The NextGen division offers NextGen ambulatory product suite comprising electronic health records and enterprise practice management solutions; and NextGen inpatient products, including NextGen Clinicals for work efficiency and communication, as well as NextGen Financials, a financial and administrative system. It also offers comm unity connectivity solutions, such as health information exchange, patient portal, and health quality measures; and EDI, hosting, data protection, consulting, and physician resources services. The Practice Solutions division provides technology solutions and consulting services in the areas of revenue cycle management services, including billing and collection services for medical practices. The company?s solutions automate various aspects of medical and dental practices, as well as networks of practices, such as physician hospital organizations and management service organizations, ambulatory care centers, community health centers, and medical and dental schools. Quality Systems was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Keith Speights]
Investing in what you best understand is a great way to begin buying stocks. As a personal example, I worked for years in the health care technology sector. One of my best stock picks ever was physician software systems vendor Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII ) . Because of my understanding of the industry, I knew that there was a likelihood that demand would accelerate for technology to help doctors.
[By Ben Levisohn]
In our view, [Athenahealth] possesses the strongest position to harvest opportunities arising from the invariable chaos created by ICD-10 [a revamp of the World Health Organization's disease codes. Ed.] in October. In a recent investor call with the AC Group…CEO Mark Anderson estimated that of the 1.1MM billable healthcare providers (active physicians and nurse practitioners) in the U.S., 20-25% will be transitioned to an outsourced billing service following the implementation of ICD-10 in October 2014. To put his point into perspective, we are modeling for 10,400 new physicians to go live on Collector in 2014. Mr. Anderson was quite vocal about the superiority of athenaCollector to ambulatory RCM services provided by eCW (private), Quality Systems (QSII), and CareCloud (private). We continue to believe Athena has the “mouse trap” technology for outsourced billing services to hospital-owned and independent practices.
[By Keith Speights]
Cerner's recent stock performance trounces that of other publicly traded companies, including Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX ) , Greenway Medical (NYSE: GWAY ) , and Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII ) . Only athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN ) gives Cerner a run for its money over the past year.

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Uranium Resources Inc.(URRE)

Uranium Resources, Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and mining of uranium properties, using the in situ recovery or solution mining process. It owns developed and undeveloped uranium properties in South Texas; and undeveloped uranium properties in New Mexico. The company?s primary customers include utilities who utilize nuclear power to generate electricity. Uranium Resources, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is based in Lewisville, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Udovich]
Since the start of the week, small cap nuclear fuel stock USEC Inc (NYSE: USU) more than doubled for investors, something that has not happened for investors in uranium stocks like Uranium Resources, Inc (NASDAQ: URRE), Denison Mines Corp (NYSEMKT: DNN), Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT: URG) and Uranerz Energy Corp (NYSEMKT: URZ). To recap: USEC Inc closed at the $6 level on Friday, but then it surged to the $15 level on Monday only to open at the $10 level on Tuesday when it ultimately closed at $12.46. So what in the world is going on with USEC Inc and is it time to revisit nuclear fuel and uranium stocks?
[By James E. Brumley]
You know, were it just Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:URRE) or just Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:URG) or just Uranerz Energy Corp. (NYSEMKT:URZ) making a decided bullish move, I might be able to dismiss it. Similarly, if URZ had only been moving higher for one or two days (or only URG or only URRE), it might be easy to not be impressed. Neither of those situations has been the actual case, however. All three stocks have been moving upward for several days now, quite a bit, on noticeably higher volume. There's something "going on", as it were, and if prior group-wide movements are any clue, it's the kind of move worth tapping into.

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Uroplasty Inc (UPI)

Uroplasty, Inc., incorporated in January 1992, is a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for the treatment of voiding dysfunctions. The Company�� primary focus is on two products: the Urgent PC Neuromodulation system and Macroplastique Implants. The Urgent PC system is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved minimally invasive, office-based neuromodulation therapy for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) and associated symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urge incontinence; and Macroplastique Implants a urethral bulking agent for the treatment of adult female stress urinary incontinence primarily due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD). Outside of the United States, the Company�� Urgent PC is also approved for treatment of fecal incontinence, and Macroplastique is also approved for treatment of male stress incontinence and vesicoureteral reflux.

Urgent PC Neuromodulation System

Using a small-gauge needle electrode inserted above the ankle, the Urgent PC System delivers electrical impulses to the tibial nerve that travel to the sacral nerve plexus, a control center for pelvic floor and bladder function. Components of the Urgent PC system include a hair-width needle electrode, a lead set, and an external, handheld, battery-powered stimulator. For each 30-minute, office-based therapy session, the physician or other qualified healthcare provider inserts the needle electrode in the patient�� lower leg and connects the electrode to the stimulator. Typically, a patient undergoes 12 consecutive weekly treatment sessions, with follow-up maintenance treatments as required to sustain the therapeutic effect. The Company has received regulatory clearances for sale of the Urgent PC system in the United States, Canada and Europe. It also has launched its second generation Urgent PC system.

Macroplastique

Macroplastique is designed to restore the patient�� urinary contine! nce immediately following treatment. Macroplastique is a soft-textured, permanent implant injected, under endoscopic visualization, around the urethra distal to the bladder neck. It is a composition of heat vulcanized, solid, soft, irregularly shaped polydimethylsiloxane (solid silicone elastomer) implants suspended in a biocompatible excretable carrier gel. Macroplastique does not degrade, is not absorbed into surrounding tissues and does not migrate from the implant site. The Company has sold Macroplastique for several urological indications in over 40 countries outside the United States.

Other Uroplasty Products

The Company markets outside of the United States minimally invasive products to address fecal incontinence. Its PTQ Implants offer minimally invasive, soft-textured permanent implant for treatment of fecal incontinence. The PTQ Implants are implanted circumferentially into the submucosa of the anal canal, creating a bulking and supportive effect similar to that of Macroplastique injection for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The PTQ is Conformite Europeenne (CE) marked and is sold outside the United States in various international markets. The Urgent PC is also CE marked and sold outside of the United States for the treatment of fecal incontinence. In addition to urological applications, the Company markets its tissue bulking material outside the United States for otolaryngology vocal cord rehabilitation applications under the trade name VOX Implants. In the Netherlands and the United Kingdom only, the Company distributes certain wound care products in accordance with a distributor agreement.

The Company competes with Pfizer Inc., Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Allergan, GlaxoSmithKline, Carbon Medical Technologies, BioForm, Inc., Q-Med AB and Contura.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lisa Levin]
Uroplasty (NASDAQ: UPI) shares reached a new 52-week high of $5.22 after the company reported strong Q3 results.

Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR) shares gained 8.23% to touch a new 52-week high of $28.15 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Barclays upgraded the stock from Equalweight to Overweight and lifted the price target from $29.00 to $34.00.

Hot Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (ECIG)

Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corporation, formerly Teckmine Industries, Inc., incorporated on May 19, 2004, is a development-stage company. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was seeking opportunities with established business entities for the merger or other form of business combination with its company. In April 2013, it acquired Victory Electronic Cigarettes LLC.

The Company may acquire assets and establish wholly owned subsidiaries in various businesses or acquire existing businesses as subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2011, it had not owned any property interests.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By James E. Brumley]
Fans and investors of American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) - not to mention frenemies Vapor Corp. (OTCMKTS:VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (OTCMKTS:ECIG) - can all breathe a sigh of relief today. As it turns out, while the electronic cigarette industry is more than likely be regulated by the FDA, it's going to be regulated in such a way that tends to favor the likes of AHII, ECIG, and VPCO.
[By Bryan Murphy]
Every cigarette company from Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) to Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (OTCMKTS:ECIG) will want to take notice of this morning's news from American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) - the young startup's electronic cigarettes now have something else great going for them. As such, it just got a little easier for smokers to justify dumping traditional tobacco cigarettes like those made by Altria (like Marlboro) in favor of e-cigs....
[By Rupert Hargreaves]
As it turns out, many e-cig start-ups and even tobacco industry giant Lorillard (NYSE: LO ) �have infringed on these patents, possibly due to their rush getting e-cig products to market. So, six months on from closing the deal with Dragonite, Fontem Ventures, backed by Imperial Tobacco, has filed nine lawsuits in a federal court, asking the court to rule that the patents infringed were valid, and the defendants should pay as-of-yet unspecified damages. The companies Imperial is taking to court are Lorillard, NJOY, Vapor Corp., VMR Products LLC, Ballantyne Brands LLC, CB Distributors, Spark Industries LLC, Logic Technology Development LLC, FIN Branding Group LLC, Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (NASDAQOTH: ECIG ) , and DR Distributors LLC. So, it would seem as if Imperial is intending to kill off the majority of its competition before many of them can even get much of a foothold in the market.