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Top European Stocks To Invest In Right Now

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In a note out Thursday, Mint Partners analyst Bill Blain discusses the ECB decision to cut its primary interest rate to 0 percent. According to Blain, the rate cut and further easing will continue to work wonders for European financial markets while doing very little to support the real underlying economy.

“I am absolutely sure M. Draghi is well aware of the gapping difference between the real European economy and the ECB’s make-believe financial economy. Hope is not a strategy. Problem is, the structures and strictures of the Euro and the ECB political masters don’t allow him to acknowledge the inherent contradictions and likely failure of the current set up and policies,” Blain writes.

Top European Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Silver Wheaton Corp(SLW)

Silver Wheaton Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a silver streaming company worldwide. The company has 14 long-term silver purchase agreements and 2 long-term precious metal purchase agreements whereby it acquires silver and gold production from the counterparties located in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Greece, Sweden, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Portugal. Silver Wheaton Corp. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) (NYSE: SLW) is estimated to post its quarterly earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $178.33 million.

    eLong, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ: LONG) is projected to post a quarterly loss at $0.60 per share on revenue of $38.31 million.

Top European Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CytRx Corporation(CYTR)

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical research and development company, engages in the development of human therapeutics, specializing in oncology. Its drug development pipeline includes INNO-206, which is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas and is in Phase Ib/2 clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors; and tamibarotene that is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer and acute promyelocytic leukemia. The company also develops Bafetinib, which is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and advanced prostate cancer, as well as in pharmacokinetic clinical trial for brain cancer. CytRx Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Another under-$10 biotechnology player that’s starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade is CytRx (CYTR), which has an oncology pipeline that includes two programs in clinical development for cancer indications: aldoxorubicin and tamibarotene. This stock has been moving to the upside during the last three months, with shares up by 21%.

    If you take a look at the chart for CytRx, you’ll notice that this stock has been trending sideways inside of a consolidation chart pattern for the last two months, with shares moving between $2.27 on the downside and $2.68 on the upside. That consolidation pattern has occurred right above this stock’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Shares of CYTR have now started to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $2.49 a share. That move is quickly pushing CYTR within range of triggering an even bigger breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.

    Market players should now look for long-biased trades in CYTR if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.68 to $2.80 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average action of 154,838 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CYTR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.20 to $4 a share.

    Traders can look to buy CYTR off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 200-day at $2.33 a share or below more support at $2.27 a share. One can also buy CYTR off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2016: Mastercard Incorporated(MA)

MasterCard Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides transaction processing and related services to customers principally in support of their credit, deposit access, electronic cash and automated teller machine payment card programs, and travelers? cheque programs. Its payment solutions include payment programs, marketing, product development, technology, processing, and consulting and information services. The company provides transaction processing services comprising transaction switching, which include authorization, clearing, and settlement; connectivity services, such as network access, equipment, and the transmission of authorization and settlement messages; and other payment-related services consisting of products used to prevent or detect fraudulent transactions, cardholder services, professional consulting and research services, compliance and penalty, account and transaction enhancement services, holograms, and publication services. MasterCard Incor porated manages and licenses payment card brands, including MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus. The company?s payment programs, which are facilitated through its brands, include consumer credit, debit and prepaid programs, commercial payment solutions, and contactless payment solutions. It serves approximately 22,000 financial institutions. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Alex Planes]

    It was from these humble beginnings that Visa (NYSE: V  ) was born. BankAmericard became an independent corporation in 1970 and later changed its name to Visa in 1976 as a way to broaden its appeal internationally. By this point the Master Charge had been established as a competing credit card network, and it had actually grown larger than the former BankAmericard: In the first quarter of 1976, BankAmericard/Visa claimed 31.8 million cardholders and $2.3 billion in sales volume, while the Master Charge had 37.4 million cardholders and processed $2.9 billion in sales. Master Charge, of course, is the forerunner to MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) , but it hasn’t maintained its early lead over Visa. In 2012, Visa’s total U.S. purchase volume clocked in at $981 billion compared to $534 billion for MasterCard, and Visa’s 278 million American cardholders far outweigh MasterCard’s 180 million American cardholders.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Mastercard Inc (NYSE: MA) is said to have made an approach to the Board of Directors of Vocalink, according to sources as reported by Sky News on Friday. A deal for the salary and benefits processor could be worth more than 拢1 billion, the sources said. Mastercard shares slipped 0.07 percent to close at $97.47 on Friday.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    …given that V will equal ~7.6% of the DJIA priceweighted index (a higher absolute stock price = greater index weighting), the stock should trade up as about 2 days of ADV need to be purchased by index funds. Specifically, we estimate that around 6.5 mm shares of V need to be purchased, which is equal to two days of their average daily trading volume. Note that Vs weighting in the S&P500 is 61 bps as a comparison. Obviously, there is a prestige factor that comes along with DJIA inclusion as well. Also keep in mind that [MasterCard’s (MA)] investor day is tomorrow, so some hedge funds may have had a pair on (overweight MA/underweight V), that could arguably be a factor as well.

Top European Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Intuit Inc.(INTU)

 

Intuit Inc. provides business and financial management solutions for small businesses, consumers, and accounting professionals primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Singapore. The companys Small Business segment provides QuickBooks financial and business management online services and desktop software; QuickBooks technical support services; financial supplies; and QuickBooks Accountant, QuickBooks Accountant Plus, and QuickBooks Online Accountant, as well as the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program for the accounting professionals. This segment also offers small business payroll products and services, including online payroll offerings, such as Quickbooks Online Payroll and Intuit Online Payroll; desktop payroll offerings comprising QuickBooks Basic Payroll and QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll; and full service payroll offerings, such as Intuit Full Service Payroll and QuickBooks Assisted Payr oll. In addition, it provides merchant services, including credit and debit card processing; Web-based transaction processing services for online merchants; online payment services; GoPayment mobile payment processing services; and QuickBooks point of sale solutions. Its Consumer segment provides TurboTax income tax preparation products and services; and electronic tax filing services. The companys Professional Tax segment offers Lacerte, ProSeries, ProFile, and Intuit Tax Online professional tax products and services; and electronic tax filing services, bank product transmission services, and training services. The company sells its products and services through various sales and distribution channels, including Websites, promotions, call centers, retail locations, and online mobile application stores, as well as through alliance partners, such as banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. Intuit Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Alex Jordon]

    A variety of acquisitions ramps up Oracle’s presence in cloud computing, like deals with RightNow, Taleo, and Eloqua. The annual run-rate of their cloud business is already over $1 billion, larger than Workday (WDAY) and SAP (SAP) combined. New customers include British Telecom (BT), BMC Software (BMC), Siemens (SI), Yahoo (YHOO), and Intuit (INTU).

  • [By Shauna O’Brien]

    Morgan Stanley reported on Wednesday that it has downgraded financial management solution provider Intuit Inc. (INTU).

    The firm has cut its rating on INTU to “Underweight,” and has given the company a $62 price target. This price target suggests a 6% decline from the stock’s current price of $66.30. This downgrade reflects the company’s slowing growth of its tax business.

    Intuit shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Wednesday. The stock is up 11% YTD.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) reported upbeat results for its third quarter and raised its FY16 guidance. Intuit shares dropped 2.15 percent to $105.00 in the after-hours trading session.

Top European Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Gulfport Energy Corporation(GPOR)

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties. Its principal properties are located in the Louisiana Gulf Coast, in west Texas in the Permian Basin and in western Colorado in the Niobrara Formation. The company also holds acreage position in the Alberta oil sands in Canada; and interests in entities that operate in southeast Asia, including the Phu Horm gas field in Thailand, as well as leasehold interests in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio. As of December 31, 2011, it had 19.4 million barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Wells Fargo’s David Tameron and team note that oil exploration & production stocks are “trading well ahead of historical levels” but they find some stocks–includingApache (APA), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), and Gulfport Energy (GPOR)–that still trade at attractive valuations. They explain:

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now

Wells Fargo’s Bonnie Herzog and team argue that Starbucks’ (SBUX) partnership withAnheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) to bottle and sell tea will “transform the tea market much like Starbucks did with coffee.” They explain:

Zuma Press

StarbucksTo Enter Fast Growing, Premium Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Category withAnheuser Busch Inbev Partnership Starbucks announced late yesterday that it expects to finalize a definitive agreement with Anheuser-Busch by 2H16 to jointly produce, bottle, distribute and market the first RTD version of Teavana in the U.S. with an initial launch expected in the 1H17. We view this as a significant opportunity forStarbucks to extend its reach into one of the fastest growing RTD segments, the premium RTD tea category, which while a small part of the $125B global tea industry, is growing in the mid-teens with annual sales at $1.1B. GivenStarbucks’ expertise in teas and the sheer reach of Anheuser-Buschs distribution network, we estimateStarbucks could take ~25-30% share of the RTD premium tea segment within the first full year (FY18E), driving an incremental $200-250M in revenue and approximately $0.03-0.04 of EPS, or ~1-2% of incremental growth. Bottom line We believeAnheuser-Busch will make an exceptional DSD partner that will expand a valuable route-to-market forStarbucks and transform the tea market much likeStarbucks did with coffee.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Transcananda Pipelines Ltd.(TRP)

Transcanada Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. The company operates in three segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, Oil Pipelines, and Energy. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment develops and operates energy infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines and regulated gas storage facilities. Its network of natural gas pipelines extends approximately 60,000 km tapping into gas supply basins in North America. The Oil Pipelines segment operates Keystone crude oil pipeline system, which includes completed 3,467 km Wood River/Patoka and Cushing Extension phases, and the proposed 2,673 km U.S. Gulf Coast Expansion. The Energy segment engages in the acquisition, development, construction, ownership, and operation of electrical power generation plants; the purchase and marketing of electricity; the provision of electricity account services to energy and industrial customers; and the development, construction, ownership, and operation of non-regulat ed natural gas storage in Alberta. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Chad Tracy]

    The most obvious is TransCanada (NYSE: TRP), the company that has submitted the proposal for the expansion. 

    TransCanada's cash flow is derived from natural gas (62%), oil/liquids (16%), and energy (22%), which includes natural gas storage.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Newfield Exploration Company(NFX)

 

Newfield Exploration Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. Its principal areas of operation include the Anadarko and Arkoma basins of Oklahoma, the Williston Basin of North Dakota, the Uinta Basin of Utah, and the Maverick and Gulf Coast basins of Texas. The company also holds offshore oil developments in China. As of December 31, 2015, it had proved reserves of approximately 509 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    The large cap E&Ps we cover raised ~ $6.5 billion of equity in 2015 and are likely to consider additional issuance in 2016. Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) raised $1.3 billion on January 5th and Hess Corp. (HES) raised $1.5 billion of equity/equity-linked earlier this month. We think highly leveraged companies such as Devon Energy,Encana andRange Resources (RRC) and companies with a large deficit (before asset sales), such asAnadarko Petroleum and Devon Energy, are most likely to consider raising equity. Additionally, we believe companies such as WPX Energy (WPX), Southwestern Energy (SWN), Marathon Oil, Continental Resources (CLR),Noble Energy and Newfield Exploration (NFX) could issue equity while several levered companies may be unwilling or unable to access equity markets. We do not think Apache, Canadian Natural Resource, EOG Resources (EOG), Occidental Petroleum orPioneer Natural Resources are likely to issue equity this year.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Lear also sees strong “upside potential” forConcho Resources (CXO), Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and Newfield Exploration (NFX) as well performance improves in the Permian/STACK, and also writes positively on Devon Energy (DVN).

Top Paper Stocks To Buy For 2016: American Tower Corporation (REIT)(AMT)

 

American Tower Corporation is a real estate investment trust. It invests in the real estate markets across the globe. The firm engages in leasing of space on multi-tenant communications sites to wireless service providers, radio and television broadcast companies, wireless data and data providers, government agencies and municipalities and tenants in a number of other industries. American Tower Corporation was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Matthew Smith]

    The two names which come to mind as potential buyers are American Tower (AMT) and Crown Castle International (CCI) as the assets would be natural for them to purchase. It would be a large transaction though which would be about 1/6th the current market cap of American Tower and 1/4th the size of Crown Castle’s market cap. Another possible buyer could be a hedge fund, and although there are few names out there specializing in this industry, at the end of the day it is a real estate game and all about the leverage and cash flows. Readers should watch this story because if AT&T does in fact sell its towers, it might be set to make a move on the chess board.

  • [By Michael Flannelly]

    Before the bell on Monday, analysts at Nomura Securities upgraded telecommunication tower site operator American Tower Corp (AMT) due to an industry wide upgrade of telecom tower operators, including the non-dividend paying companies SAB Comm (SBAC) and Crown Castle (CCI).

    The analysts upgraded AMT from “Neutral” to “Buy” and now see shares reaching $90, up from the previous price target of $85. This new price target suggests a 22% upside to the stock’s Friday closing price of $73.71.

    “Tower industry revenue grew over 20% in 1H13, helped by strong carrier network spending and tower acquisitions,” Nomura analyst Adam Ilkowitz noted. “On an organic basis, we believe site rental revenue growth of ~11% for the tower operators is a sign of the health of the U.S. wireless industry and elevated capital spending. After 30% portfolio growth in 2012 across the three tower operators, profitability is recovering from diluted levels. Despite a still-tepid global economy, carriers are investing in their networks to respond to consumer demands and traffic growth. With our positive outlook and upwardly revised estimates, we are increasing our target prices for AMT and SBAC both from $85 to $90 and raising AMT to a Buy. We are raising our 2014 AFFO estimates for all three operators given strong activity levels and announced acquisitions.”

    Furthermore, the analysts at Nomura lowered AMT’s fiscal 2013 adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) estimates from $3.69 to $3.65, but raised its fiscal 2014 AFFO estimates from $4.25 to $4.50.

    American Tower Corp shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Monday. The stock is up 22.83% year-to-date.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nuance Communications Inc.(NUAN)

Nuance Communications, Inc. provides voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. It offers dictation and transcription solutions and services, which automate the input and management of medical information; and speech recognition solutions for radiology, cardiology, pathology, and related specialties that help healthcare providers dictate, edit, and sign reports without manual transcription. The company also offers mobile and consumer solutions and services comprising an integrated suite of voice control and text-to-speech solutions, desktop and portable computer dictation applications, predictive text technologies, mobile messaging services, and emerging services, such as dictation, Web search, and voicemail-to-text for manufacturers and suppliers of mobile phones, automotive products, personal navigation devices, computers, and other consumer electronics. In addition, it provides customer service business intelligence and authentication solutions for enterprises in the telecommunications, financial services, travel, entertainment, and government sectors to support, understand, and communicate with their customers. Further, the company offers document imaging, print management, and PDF solutions to multifunction printer manufacturers, home offices, small businesses, and enterprise customers; software development toolkits for independent software vendors; and licenses its software to multifunction printer manufacturers. Nuance Communications, Inc. markets and sells its products through direct sales force; its e-commerce Web site; and a network of resellers, including system integrators, independent software vendors, value-added resellers, hardware vendors, telecommunications carriers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as ScanSoft, Inc. and changed its name to Nuance Communications, Inc. in November 2005. Nuance Communications, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) is the company that brought you the Siri application that you can talk to on your iPhone. The stock also got crushed after an earnings miss this year. Mega-investor Carl Icahn has accumulated a 16.9% share of the company and may be looking for more. The consensus target for the stock sits at $22.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.35 per share on revenue of $491.14 million.

    Zebra Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: ZBRA) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.22 per share on revenue of $878.67 million.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Mastercard Incorporated(MA)

MasterCard Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides transaction processing and related services to customers principally in support of their credit, deposit access, electronic cash and automated teller machine payment card programs, and travelers? cheque programs. Its payment solutions include payment programs, marketing, product development, technology, processing, and consulting and information services. The company provides transaction processing services comprising transaction switching, which include authorization, clearing, and settlement; connectivity services, such as network access, equipment, and the transmission of authorization and settlement messages; and other payment-related services consisting of products used to prevent or detect fraudulent transactions, cardholder services, professional consulting and research services, compliance and penalty, account and transaction enhancement services, holograms, and publication services. MasterCard Incor porated manages and licenses payment card brands, including MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus. The company?s payment programs, which are facilitated through its brands, include consumer credit, debit and prepaid programs, commercial payment solutions, and contactless payment solutions. It serves approximately 22,000 financial institutions. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Alex Planes]

    It was from these humble beginnings that Visa (NYSE: V  ) was born. BankAmericard became an independent corporation in 1970 and later changed its name to Visa in 1976 as a way to broaden its appeal internationally. By this point the Master Charge had been established as a competing credit card network, and it had actually grown larger than the former BankAmericard: In the first quarter of 1976, BankAmericard/Visa claimed 31.8 million cardholders and $2.3 billion in sales volume, while the Master Charge had 37.4 million cardholders and processed $2.9 billion in sales. Master Charge, of course, is the forerunner to MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) , but it hasn’t maintained its early lead over Visa. In 2012, Visa’s total U.S. purchase volume clocked in at $981 billion compared to $534 billion for MasterCard, and Visa’s 278 million American cardholders far outweigh MasterCard’s 180 million American cardholders.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nabors Industries Ltd.(NBR)

 

Nabors Industries Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides drilling and rig services. It offers equipment manufacturing, rig instrumentation, optimization software, and directional drilling services; and patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems, including ROCKIT directional drilling system that provides data collection services to oil and gas exploration and service companies, and RIGWATCH software, which monitors a rigs real-time performance and daily reporting for drilling operations. The company also manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, draw works, and other drilling related equipment; and offers well-site services, such as engineering, transportation and disposal, construction, maintenance, well logging, directional drilling, data collection, and other support services. As of December 31, 2015, it marketed approximately 430 rigs for land-based drilling operations in the U nited States, Canada, and approximately 20 other countries worldwide; and 42 rigs for offshore drilling operations in the United States and internationally; and 6 jackup units. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE: NBR) is expected to post a quarterly loss at $0.33 per share on revenue of $630.85 million.

    Sohu.com Inc (NASDAQ: SOHU) is projected to report a quarterly loss at $0.57 per share on revenue of $406.50 million.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: TSR Inc.(TSRI)

TSR, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides contract computer programming services to commercial customers, and state and local government agencies in the metropolitan New York area, New England, and the mid-Atlantic region. It offers technical computer personnel to supplement in-house information technology capabilities. The company provides its staffing services in the areas of mainframe and mid-range computer operations, personal computers and client-server support, Internet and e-commerce operations, voice and data communications, and help desk support capabilities. TSR, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is based in Hauppauge, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    TSR Inc (NASDAQ: TSRI) shares shot up 35 percent to $5.15 following Q4 results. TSR reported Q4 earnings of $0.09 per share on revenue of $15.5 million.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Safeway Inc.(SWY)

Safeway Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a food and drug retailer in North America. The company operates stores that provide an array of grocery items, food, and general merchandise, as well as features specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral, and pharmacy, as well as coffee shops and fuel centers. It also offers SELECT line of products that include baked goods, sparkling ciders and lemonades, salsas, whole bean coffees, frozen pizzas and entrees, and fresh and dry pastas and sauces, as well as an array of ice creams, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts; O ORGANICS line, which comprises milk, chicken, salads, juices, and entrees; Lucerne line of dairy products; Eating Right line of better-for-you products; Bright Green line of home care products; Total Pet Care line of pet foods and pet care products; and Value Red line of value-priced paper goods. As of December 31, 2009, Safeway operated approximately 1,725 stores in California, Oregon, Wash ington, Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba/Saskatchewan. In addition, the company owns and operates GroceryWorks.com Operating Company, LLC, an online grocery channel, doing business under the names Safeway.com, Vons.com, and Genuardis.com; and Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc., which provides third-party gift cards, prepaid cards, telecom cards, and sports and entertainment cards to North American retailers for sale to retail customers. Additionally, it engages in gift card businesses in the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, and Australia. Further, the company, through a 49% ownership interest in Casa Ley, S.A. de C.V. operates 156 food and general merchandise stores in Western Mexico. The company was formerly known as Safeway Stores, Incorporated and changed its name to Safeway Inc. in February 1990. Safeway was founded in 1915 and is based in Pleasanton, California. Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Shauna O’Brien]

    On Friday, Credit Suisse announced that it has upgraded food and drug retailer Safeway Inc. (SWY).

    The firm has raised its rating on SWY from “Underperform” to “Outperform” due a a valuation call. Analysts currently have a $34 price target on SWY, which suggests a 17% increase from the stock’s current price of $28.20.

    Safeway shares were up $1.65, or 6.21%, during Friday morning trading. The stock is up 56% YTD.

  • [By Lu Wang]

    Safeway Inc. (SWY) advanced 6.1 percent after Credit Suisse Group AG raised its recommendation for the shares. Intel Corp. gained 3.6 percent after Jefferies Group LLC upgraded the stock. GameStop Corp. surged 6.1 percent as U.S. video-game sales saw the first monthly rise 2011, a research group said. Peabody Energy Corp. dropped 3.2 percent as the Environmental Protection Agency revises proposed rules for new power plants.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Stocks on the move: Galena Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: GALE) is down 15.4% at $1.93 after pricing a secondary offering of 17.5 million units at $2.00. Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) is up 6.1% at $28.21, after an analysts upgrade which sent shares to a new 52-week high of $28.88 earlier. Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNR) is down 18.2% at $4.08.

  • [By Vanina Egea]

    Low customer confidence due to an adverse economic environment has affected supermarket operators, and tighter market competition over pricing has further eroded margins. However, as the economy slowly recovers, grocery stores are presented with an opportunity to improve performance and deliver profits. Let us look at the Safeway (SWY) and Kroger (KR), two supermarket operators, in order to discern which one offers better investment prospects.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Markel Corporation(MKL)

 

Markel Corporation markets and underwrites specialty insurance products in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Insurance, International Insurance, and Reinsurance. The U.S. Insurance segment writes general liability, professional liability, property, personal line, program, workers’ compensation, and other insurance product lines. The International Insurance segment provides professional liability, marine and energy, general liability, property, and other insurance product lines, such as accident and health coverage insurance. The Reinsurance segment offers various treaty reinsurance products, such as property, casualty, auto, and others. Markel Corporation was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Michael Hooper]

    When compared with similar companies, Berkshire Hathaway carries a premium over Markel (NYSE: MKL  ) , valued at 1.15 times book value and a 20 forward P/E ratio; and Leucadia National (NYSE: LUK  ) , valued at 1.10 times book value and a 7.16 trailing P/E.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

 

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Turner, Home Box Office, and Warner Bros. The Turner segment owns and operates a portfolio of cable television networks and related properties that offer entertainment, sports, kids, and news programming on television and digital platforms for consumers. It operates approximately 165 channels in 200 countries. The Turner networks and related properties include TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Turner Sports, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, CNN, and HLN. This segment also manages and operates various digital media properties primarily consisting of bleacherreport.com, cartoonnetwork.com, CNN Go, CNN.com, CNNMoney.com, NBA.com, NBA Digital, and NCAA.com; and licenses original programming to subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) services, and its brands and characters for consume r products. This segment serves cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors. The Home Box Office segment provides premium pay and basic tier television services comprising HBO and Cinemax; and sells its original programming through DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and electronic sell-through, as well as licenses home entertainment and content to international television networks and SVOD services. As of December 31, 2014, this segment had approximately 46 million subscribers worldwide. The Warner Bros. segment produces, distributes, and licenses television programming and feature films; distributes digital and physical home entertainment products; and produces and distributes videogames, as well as licenses consumer products and brands. The company was formerly known as AOL Time Warner, Inc. and changed its name to Time Warner Inc. in 2003. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Drexel Hamilton’sTony Wible contends that Walt Disney (DIS) and Time Warner (TWX) are oversold on fears of cord cutting. They explain why:

    We believe cord cutting is more probable in single occupant home as the diversity of viewing needs in larger homes favors the economies of scale seen in larger traditional MVPD bundles. By exploring the affiliate fees and ratings across eight diverse MVPD and VMVPD packages, we conclude that 3% to 15% of pre-tax earnings is exposed. However, a gradual loss of subs and recapture of revenue on VMVPDs may allow TV networks to offset headwinds and minimize a vicious cycle. Disney and Time Warner(both Buy rated) have the least exposure and appear to be oversold on the fears.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2016

Stocks edged higher again today as the S&P 500 continued to flirt with its record high.

Getty Images

The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 67 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%. The S&P 500 is just 0.55% away from its record close of 2,130.82.

Deutsche Bank’s Alan Ruskin offers some reasons to “participate in the ‘risk bleed up’” in global markets:

i) Global risk appetite was trading very well even into the elevated expectations of a Fed rate hike (post April FOMC minutes, pre-May NFP) so the soft payroll data, delaying a Fed rate hike, fell on a receptive market, sympathetic to a positive risk scenario.

ii) Participation is low because the risk bleed up involves trading events that are not happening (no Fed rate hike and no China FX instability), which is normally less actively embraced than trading events that do happen (Fed rate hike, China FX instability). This reduced participation only gives the move more scope to run.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2016: Mastercard Incorporated(MA)

MasterCard Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides transaction processing and related services to customers principally in support of their credit, deposit access, electronic cash and automated teller machine payment card programs, and travelers? cheque programs. Its payment solutions include payment programs, marketing, product development, technology, processing, and consulting and information services. The company provides transaction processing services comprising transaction switching, which include authorization, clearing, and settlement; connectivity services, such as network access, equipment, and the transmission of authorization and settlement messages; and other payment-related services consisting of products used to prevent or detect fraudulent transactions, cardholder services, professional consulting and research services, compliance and penalty, account and transaction enhancement services, holograms, and publication services. MasterCard Incor porated manages and licenses payment card brands, including MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus. The company?s payment programs, which are facilitated through its brands, include consumer credit, debit and prepaid programs, commercial payment solutions, and contactless payment solutions. It serves approximately 22,000 financial institutions. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Alex Planes]

    It was from these humble beginnings that Visa (NYSE: V  ) was born. BankAmericard became an independent corporation in 1970 and later changed its name to Visa in 1976 as a way to broaden its appeal internationally. By this point the Master Charge had been established as a competing credit card network, and it had actually grown larger than the former BankAmericard: In the first quarter of 1976, BankAmericard/Visa claimed 31.8 million cardholders and $2.3 billion in sales volume, while the Master Charge had 37.4 million cardholders and processed $2.9 billion in sales. Master Charge, of course, is the forerunner to MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) , but it hasn’t maintained its early lead over Visa. In 2012, Visa’s total U.S. purchase volume clocked in at $981 billion compared to $534 billion for MasterCard, and Visa’s 278 million American cardholders far outweigh MasterCard’s 180 million American cardholders.

  • [By Rupert Hargreaves]

    Even so, thanks to its checkered past, many companies such as Visa (NYSE: V  ) andMasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) have been late to the party.However, astute companies, such asDeutsche Bank (NYSE: DB  ) have been active in the market since the mid 1970s.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2016: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited(TEVA)

 

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines and a portfolio of specialty medicines worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Generic Medicines and Specialty Medicines. The Generic Medicines segment offers generic medicines, such as sterile products, hormones, narcotics, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, ointments, and creams. This segment also develops, manufactures, and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients. The Specialty Medicines segment provides branded specialty medicines for use in central nervous system and respiratory indications, as well as the womens health, oncology, and other specialty businesses. Its products in the central nervous system area comprise Copaxone for multiple sclerosis; Azilect for the treatment of Parkinsons disease; Nuvigil for the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy and certain other disorders; Fentora庐/Effentora for the treatment of breakthrough pain in opioid-tolerant adult patients with cancer; and Zecuity, a prescription transdermal system for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. This segments products in the respiratory market include ProAir, ProAir Respiclick, QVAR, and Duoresp Spiromax for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as Treanda, Granix, Trisenox, Synribo, Lonquex, Myocet, Eporatio, Tevagrastim/Ratiograstim, and Trisenox products in the oncology market. This segment also offers a portfolio of products in the womens health category, which includes ParaGard, Plan B One-Step, OTC/Rx, Zoely, Seasonique, and Ovaleap, as well as other products. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has alliances and other arrangements with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Procter & Gamble Company. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Petach ! Tikva, Israel.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Allerganmgmt is considering a range of capital deployment alternatives. The focus on the conference call was around future capital deployment. Mgmt remains highly optimistic the Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) deal will close by late 1H16, noting both mgmt teams are absolutely aligned on getting the deal done and the deal proceeds will be after-tax net cash/equity of ~$36B. Mgmts is currently looking at a broad range of capital deployment options including debt pay down, share buyback and M&A. In our view,Allergan will likely put the TEVA proceeds to work through a mix of these options. The company has ~$6B of debt maturing in the next 2-years which it could look to repay and there are a few small to mid-size M&A targets thatAllergan could look to acquire. In terms of timing, mgmt commented that it would not hesitate for the right opportunity which suggests to us smaller bolt-on transactions arent gated by the completion of TEVA dea l.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) now has a market cap of $308 billion dollars, just a smidgen less than that of Gilead Sciences (GILD), Biogen (BIIB), Mylan (MYL), Celgene (CELG) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) combined. It’s time to sell, says Standpoint Research’s Ronnie Moas:

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    UBSs Marc Goodman weighed in today on Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) following yesterdays run by the stocks on the heels of the better-than-expected 1Q financial results by the drug maker.

    Offered up these highlight from the conference call with management, proclaiming that there are four things we believe investors need to hear.

    [Management sounds] confident in the AGN deal going through and has identified buyers for the majority of products to be divested. While divestitures are higher than expected, management will cut more costs to maintain the previously expected bottom line accretion. The U.S. generic drug pricing environment has not changed, and management still sees about 4% impact in 2016, which is similar to levels last year. The underlying base business for Teva is performing as expected, and it still expects sustainable growth in the global generics business of more than 5%. That includes a 10% gain from new products offset by a 5% hit from price/volume.

    Still, Goodman encourages investors to wait and see before buying the stock.

    Mgt sounded confident that the AGN generics deal should move forward, and Teva needs the cost synergies to help offset the potential Copaxone generic impact. But also Teva is significantly increasing its exposure to generics, as investors are incrementally more skeptical of the sector, so we would expect investors to take a wait and see attitude on numbers. In addition to the deal, the focus is on the generic challenges to Copaxone (IPR process/Sept trial), which we think will remain an overhang on the stock.

    Teva climbed more than 5% Monday and inched a bit higher today to trade at $52.85 in recent marker action. The shares have fallen 19.5% since the start of the year.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Shares of Endo International (ENDP) have tumbled 40% today after it said profits would fall well short of analyst expectations thanks, in part, to plunging generic drug prices. Leerink’s Jason Gerberry and team look for specialty pharmaceutical companies that have similar business models–and find Akorn (AKRX), Perrigo (PRGO), and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA). They explain:

Best Defense Companies To Buy For 2016: JAKKS Pacific, Inc.(JAKK)

 

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. designs, develops, produces, and markets consumer products in the United States and internationally. The companys Traditional Toys and Electronics segment offers action figures and accessories based on Batman, Star Wars, and Nintendo franchises; toy vehicles and accessories under the Road Champs, Fly Wheels, and MXS names; electronics products, such as video games under the Spy Net, Plug It In & Play TV Games, Disney, and Duck Commander brands names; fashion and baby dolls, and accessories under Disney Frozen, Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Graco licenses, as well as plush, infant, and pre-school toys based on PBSs Daniel Tigers Neighborhood name; private label products; foot-to-floor ride-on toys, and tents and wagons based on Fisher Price, Kawasaki, and DC Comics; and pet products, including toys, consumables, and accessories under the JAKKS Pets and American Classics brand names. Its Role Play, Novelty and Seasonal Toys segment offers role and pretend play, dress-up, and novelty products for boys and girls based on Disney Frozen, Black & Decker, McDonalds, Dirt Devil, Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, and Dora the Explorer licenses; indoor and outdoor kids furniture, activity trays and tables, room d茅cor, kiddie pools, and seasonal products based on Crayola and Disney names, as well as pool floats under the Funnoodle name; Halloween and everyday costumes, and accessories under Spiderman, Iron Man, Toy Story, Sesame Street, Power Rangers, and Hasbro, Disneys Frozen, and Disney Princess brands; and balls and sport sets, and toy hoops under the Skyball, Wave Hoops, and Maui Toys brand names. The company sells its products through in-house sales staff and independent sales representatives to toy and mass-market retail chain, department, office supply, club, and toy specialty stores; and drug and grocery store chains and wholesalers. JAKKS P acific, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is based in Malibu, Cal! ifornia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 toy player that’s trending very close to triggering a major breakout trade is Jakks Pacific (JAKK), which is a producer and marketer of children’s toys and other consumer products. This stock has been destroyed by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 60%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Jakks Pacific, you’ll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months and change, with shares plunging from its high of $11.75 to its recent low of $4.82 a share. During that downtrend, shares of JAKK have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of JAKK look like they might be ready to see an end to its downside volatility in the short-term if the recent lows can hold. I believe this due to the fact that JAKK has started to move sideways and trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in JAKK if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $5.08 to $5.27 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 695,817 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then JAKK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.68 to its 50-day moving average at $6.07 a share. Any high-volume move above its 50-day will then put $7 to $8 into range for shares of JAKK.

    Traders can look to buy JAKK off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.87 to $4.82 a share. One can also buy JAKK off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2016: Stamps.com Inc.(STMP)

 

Stamps.com Inc. provides Internet-based postage solutions in the United States. It offers solutions for mailing and shipping various mail pieces, such as postcards, envelopes, flats, and packages using a range of United States Postal Service (USPS) mail classes, including First Class Mail, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Media Mail, Parcel Select, and others. The companys products and services comprise USPS approved PC Postage service that enables users to print electronic stamps directly onto envelopes, plain paper, or labels using personal computer, printer, and Internet connection. It also provides multi carrier shipping solutions under the ShipStation and ShipWorks brands; mailing and shipping integrations solutions comprising electronic postage for transactions to partners who manage the front-end process; sells NetStamps labels, DYMO Stamp labels, shipping labels, other mailing labels, dedicated postage printers, scales, and other mailing and shipping-focused office supplies through its mailing and shipping supplies store; and Stamps.com branded insurance to insure mails or packages. In addition, the company offers PhotoStamps, a patented form of postage service, which allows consumers to turn digital photos, designs, or images into USPS-approved postages. It serves individuals, small businesses, home offices, medium-size businesses, and large enterprises. The company was formerly known as StampMaster, Inc. and changed its name to Stamps.com Inc. in December 1998. Stamps.com Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Segundo, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Javier Hasse]

    Other stocks moving in Friday’s after-hours session included:

    A. O. Smith Corp (NYSE: AOS), down 2.5 percent Pan American Silver Corp. (USA) (NASDAQ: PAAS), down 2.1 percent Stamps.com Inc. (NASDAQ: STMP), up 1.87 percent

    Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no positions in any of the securities mentioned above.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2016: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ALNY)

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in discovering, developing, and commercializing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi). Its core product programs under clinical or pre-clinical development include ALN-TTR, a Phase I clinical trial program for the treatment of transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis; ALN-APC, a Phase I clinical trial program for the treatment of hemophilia; ALN-PCS for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia; ALN-HPN, a pre-clinical development for the treatment of refractory anemia; and ALN-TMP, a pre-clinical development for the treatment of hemoglobinopathies, including beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. The company?s partner-based programs comprise ALN-RSV01, a Phase II clinical trial program for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus infection; ALN-VSP, a Phase I clinical trial completed program for the treatment of liver cancers; and ALN-HTT, a pre-clinical development for the treatment of H untington?s disease. It has strategic alliances with Novartis Pharma AG; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Medtronic Inc.; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd.; and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Benzinga's newsdesk monitors options activity to notice unusual patterns. These large volume (and often out of the money) trades were initially published intraday in Benzinga Professional . These trades were placed during Friday's regular session.

    Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) Jan17 77.5 Calls Sweep: 1022 @ ASK $4.45: 1066 traded vs 2466 OI: Earnings 7/28 $75.88 Ref Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ANAC) Jan17 110 Calls: 500 @ Above Ask! $0.40: 509 traded vs 1860 OI: $99.22 Ref Ctrip.com International, Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ: CTRP) Jun16 41.25 Calls Sweep: 577 @ ASK $1.75: 649 traded vs 1927 OI: Earnings 6/15 After Close $40.54 Ref Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNY) Jun16 65.0 Calls Sweep: 749 @ ASK $1.85: 813 traded vs 370 OI: $63.08 Ref WhiteWave Foods Co (NYSE: WWAV) Oct16 50.0 Calls: 600 @ ASK $1.60: 601 traded vs 430 OI: $45.16 Ref

    Posted-In: Unusual Put OptionsNews Options Markets

Best Companies To Own For 2016

Guggenheim’s Louise Chen and team argue that oral Relistor, which helps relieve constipation caused by the use of opioids, could be a $1 billion opportunity for Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX):

REUTERS

After meeting with the senior management team of Progenics (PGNX) , Valeant’s partner for oral Relistor, we continue to think that this drug would be a good addition to Valeant’s GI (gastrointestinal) franchise. The PDUFA date for oral Relistor is 7/19/16. AlthoughValeant is leading interactions with the FDA, Progenics is highly confident regarding an approval in July based on its discussions with Valeant. Progenics believes that oral Relistor could be a $1B+ opportunity for Valeant, even with the recent decrease in opioid usage. For context, we estimate ’16 sales of $9.9B for Valeant. An approval for oral Relistor would also help remind the Street that Valeant’s brand drug pipeline is underappreciated, in our view. We think pipeline advancements for brand drugs could drive multiple expansion forValeant shares (on P/E).

Best Companies To Own For 2016: GlaxoSmithKline PLC(GSK)

 

GlaxoSmithKline plc creates, discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products worldwide. The company offers pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas, including respiratory, anti-virals, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterials, and emesis, dermatology, rare diseases, immuno-inflammation, vaccines, and HIV. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health areas. The companys wellness products include Panadol and Panadol Cold & Flu for headache, joint pain, fever, and cold symptoms; ENO and Tums that are immediate relief antacids; and Nicorette (US), Nicoderm, NiQuitin CQ, and Nicabate for the treatment of nicotine withdrawal as an aid to smoking reduction and cessation. Its oral health products comprise Sensodyne to treat and prevent dental sensitivity and acid erosion; Polident, Poligrip, and Corega to enhance comfort of fitted dentures and to clean dentures; and Aquafresh for the prevention of caries, gum disease, and bad breath. The companys nutrition products include Horlicks, a nutritional beverages and food; and skin health products comprise Physiogel, a face and body care product for dry, sensitive, and irritated skin, as well as Zovirax and Abreva to treat and prevent the onset of cold sores. GlaxoSmithKline plc has a collaboration agreements with Universit茅 de Sherbrooke and Pfizer Inc.; development agreement, and R and D collaboration with Propeller Health; and collaboration and license agreement with Idera pharmaceuticals, Inc. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By James Brumley]

    Ditto for the gene-mapping mania that was sparked by the Roche (RHHBY) acquisition of Illumina and the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) purchase of Human Genome Sciences. By the time the gene-mapping M&A trend became obviously hot, the trend was over.

Best Companies To Own For 2016: United Natural Foods, Inc.(UNFI)

 

United Natural Foods, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, distributes and retails natural, organic, and specialty foods and non-food products in the United States and Canada. The company offers grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, nutritional supplements and sports nutrition, bulk and foodservice products, and personal care products. It is also involved in importing, roasting, packaging, and distribution of nuts, dried fruit, seeds, trail mixes, granola, natural and organic snack items, and confections. In addition, the company offers Blue Marble Brands products on wholesale basis through third-party distributors in organic, natural, and specialty food brands, as well as directly to retailers. Further, it provides Field Day brand products primarily to customers in its independent natural products retailer channel. The company serves independently owned natural products retailers, supernatur al chains, conventional supermarkets, and mass market chains, as well as foodservice and international customers outside Canada. It operates 13 natural products retail stores primarily in Florida. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin] Related UNFI United Natural Foods Just Posted A 6-Month High Off Strong Earnings Report 4 Stocks Moving In Monday's After-Hours Session United Natural Foods' (UNFI) CEO Steve Spinner on Q3 2016 Results – Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha) Related BBRY Tesla's Gigafactory: Are Other Auto Manufacturers About To Experience Their 'Blackberry Moment?' BlackBerry Just Has 'Too Many Headwinds'; Macquarie Starts Coverage At Underperform The Vetr community has upgraded $BBRY to 5-Stars. (Vetr)

    Benzinga's newsdesk monitors options activity to notice unusual patterns. These large volume (and often out of the money) trades were initially published intraday in Benzinga Professional . These trades were placed during Monday's regular session.

Top 5 Japanese Stocks To Buy Right Now: Kelly Services Inc.(KELYA)

Kelly Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides workforce solutions to various industries worldwide. The company offers trained employees who work in word processing, data entry, and as administrative support staff; staff for contact centers, technical support hotlines, and telemarketing units; substitute teachers; support staff for seminars, sales, and trade shows; technicians for the technology, aerospace, and pharmaceutical industries; maintenance workers, material handlers, and assemblers; and temporary and full-time placement services, as well as direct-hire placement and vendor on-site management services. It also provides scientific and clinical research workforce solutions; chefs, porters, and hospitality representatives; manual workers to semi-skilled professionals in trade, non-trade, and operational positions; engineering professionals for various disciplines, such as aeronautical, chemical, civil/structural, electrical/instrumentation, environmen tal, industrial, mechanical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, quality, and telecommunications; and employees for creative services positions. In addition, the company offers professionals for corporate finance departments, accounting firms, and financial institutions; talent management solutions; healthcare specialists and professionals for hospitals, ambulatory care centers, HMOs, and other health insurance companies; information technology specialists; legal professionals, such as attorneys, paralegals, contract administrators, compliance specialists, and legal administrators; and mid- to senior-level search and selection services, as well as consulting services. Further, it provides recruitment process and contingent workforce outsourcing, independent contractor solutions, payroll and business process outsourcing, career transition and organizational effectiveness, and executive search services. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By David Milstead]

    One such outfit is Kelly Services (KELYA). The Troy, Mich., company places temporary employees in a variety of fields, such as law, health care, computing and finance. Although recent job reports have been strong, S&P Capital IQ analyst Michael Jaffe sees employers remaining cautious in their hiring practices and using the kind of temporary workers Kelly specializes in. Jaffe says Kelly is his top pick in the staffing sector, and he rates the stock a strong buy.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $1.35 billion.

    Silver Standard Resources Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ: SSRI) is expected to post a quarterly loss at $0.02 per share on revenue of $96.25 million.

Best Companies To Own For 2016: Brown(n)

N Brown Group plc operates as an Internet and catalogue home shopping company in the United Kingdom. The company principally offers womenswear, menswear, footwear, household, and electrical products, as well as provides insurance services. It also operates in the Republic of Ireland, Germany, and the United States. The company was founded in 1859 and is based in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Alex Jordon]

    He already owns a good chunk of NetSuite (N), whose revenue grew 35% last quarter, beating earnings estimates by $0.03 a share. Ellison’s been profiting from the cloud while dismissing its significance. With the Salesforce agreement his company is, too. (Fool)

Top 5 Construction Companies To Own In Right Now

Loading the player… What is ‘Internal Rate Of Return – IRR’

Internal rate of return (IRR) is a metric used in capital budgeting measuring the profitability of potential investments. Internal rate of return is a discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of all cash flows from a particular project equal to zero. IRR calculations rely on the same formula as NPV does.

The following is the formula for calculating NPV:

where:

Ct= net cash inflow during the period t

Co= total initial investment costs

r = discount rate, and

t = number of time periods

To calculate IRR using the formula, one would set NPV equal to zero and solve for the discount rate r, which is here the IRR. Because of the nature of the formula, however, IRR cannot be calculated analytically, and must instead be calculated either through trial-and-error or using software programmed to calculate IRR.

Top 5 Construction Companies To Own In Right Now: lululemon athletica inc.(LULU)

Lululemon Athletica Inc., together with its subsidiaries engages in the design, manufacture, and distribution of athletic apparel and accessories for women, men, and female youth primarily in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Its apparel assortments include fitness pants, shorts, tops, and jackets for healthy lifestyle activities, such as yoga, running, and general fitness. The company?s fitness-related accessories comprise bags, socks, underwear, yoga mats, instructional yoga DVDs, and water bottles. It sells its products through its retail stores; independent franchises; and a network of wholesale accounts, such as yoga studios, health clubs, and fitness centers, as well as directly to consumers through e-commerce. As of May 1, 2011, the company had 142 corporate-owned and franchise stores under the lululemon athletica and ivivva athletica brand names. Lululemon Athletica Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.80 per share on revenue of $693.38 million.

    Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) is projected to post a quarterly loss at $0.08 per share on revenue of $3.05 billion.

  • [By Aubrey Pringle]

    Barrick Gold Corp. dropped 5.5 percent as the precious metal slumped the most since July. Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM), the largest U.S. gold producer, lost 4.2 percent. Lululemon Athletica Inc. (LULU) tumbled 5.4 percent after cutting its earnings forecast. Walt Disney Co. rallied 2.4 percent after saying it would buy back as much as $8 billion in shares. Pandora Media Inc. jumped 12 percent to a record after naming digital-advertising veteran Brian McAndrews as its new chief executive officer.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Ladenburg Thalmann’s Adolfo Rueda explains why he’s feeling bullish about shares of Lululemon Athletica (LULU):

    We highlight the daily chart for LULU and rate the stock Outperform. We would add/buy at current levels as well as on slight weakness. We are using a technical target of $72.00 while using a stop of $58.75.

  • [By Teresa Rivas]

    In athletic apparel, lululemon (LULU) gained 4.7% and Under Armour (UA) lost 2.6% as Credit Suisse upgraded the former and downgraded the latter.

    Disney (DIS) also ended strong, building on yesterdays gains on news it will meaningfully increase its share repurchase plan.

Top 5 Construction Companies To Own In Right Now: Mastercard Incorporated(MA)

MasterCard Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides transaction processing and related services to customers principally in support of their credit, deposit access, electronic cash and automated teller machine payment card programs, and travelers? cheque programs. Its payment solutions include payment programs, marketing, product development, technology, processing, and consulting and information services. The company provides transaction processing services comprising transaction switching, which include authorization, clearing, and settlement; connectivity services, such as network access, equipment, and the transmission of authorization and settlement messages; and other payment-related services consisting of products used to prevent or detect fraudulent transactions, cardholder services, professional consulting and research services, compliance and penalty, account and transaction enhancement services, holograms, and publication services. MasterCard Incor porated manages and licenses payment card brands, including MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus. The company?s payment programs, which are facilitated through its brands, include consumer credit, debit and prepaid programs, commercial payment solutions, and contactless payment solutions. It serves approximately 22,000 financial institutions. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Rupert Hargreaves]

    Even so, thanks to its checkered past, many companies such as Visa (NYSE: V  ) andMasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) have been late to the party.However, astute companies, such asDeutsche Bank (NYSE: DB  ) have been active in the market since the mid 1970s.

  • [By Alex Planes]

    It was from these humble beginnings that Visa (NYSE: V  ) was born. BankAmericard became an independent corporation in 1970 and later changed its name to Visa in 1976 as a way to broaden its appeal internationally. By this point the Master Charge had been established as a competing credit card network, and it had actually grown larger than the former BankAmericard: In the first quarter of 1976, BankAmericard/Visa claimed 31.8 million cardholders and $2.3 billion in sales volume, while the Master Charge had 37.4 million cardholders and processed $2.9 billion in sales. Master Charge, of course, is the forerunner to MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) , but it hasn’t maintained its early lead over Visa. In 2012, Visa’s total U.S. purchase volume clocked in at $981 billion compared to $534 billion for MasterCard, and Visa’s 278 million American cardholders far outweigh MasterCard’s 180 million American cardholders.

Top Logistics Companies To Buy Right Now: Formula Systems (1985) Ltd.(FORTY)

 

Formula Systems (1985) Ltd. provides a range of information technology (IT) solutions and services, and develops and markets proprietary software solutions. It offers software solutions and services, such as outsourcing and developing customized software; computer systems management infrastructures, Web world content management, database and data warehouse mining, application integration, database and systems, data management, and software development tools; computer and telecommunication infrastructure solutions; and professional training courses and advanced professional studies. The company also sells personal computers, portable computers, Intel servers, peripheral equipment, operating systems, servers, and workstations; provides computer and peripheral equipment maintenance services, lab, and helpdesk services; and sells and markets cloud based solutions. In addition, it offers Sapiens ALIS, an L&P software solution for i ndividual, group, and worksite insurance products; Sapiens Retirement Services for record-keeping management; Sapiens Closed Books, a solution to administer policies and claims relating to closed books of business; and Sapiens TOPAZ to handle L&P activities and regulations. Further, the company provides Sapiens IDIT for general insurance carriers; Sapiens Insight for business demands at the insurer level and regulatory needs at the state level; Sapiens Reinsurance that enables property and casualty/general insurance carriers and brokers to handle reinsurance activities on a single platform; and Sapiens DECISION, a business decision management solution. Additionally, it supplies professionals in the areas of accounting and finance, administrative, customer service, clinical, scientific and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing and operations, human resources, IT technology, LI/MFG, and marketing and sales. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Or Yehuda, Is rael.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    On Friday, technology shares rose by 0.26 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), up 9 percent, and Formula Systems (1985) Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ: FORTY) up 19 percent.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    In trading on Thursday, technology shares fell by 0.32 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Mitek Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MITK), down 13 percent, and Formula Systems (1985) Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ: FORTY), down 8 percent.

Top 5 Construction Companies To Own In Right Now: Fortinet, Inc.(FTNT)

 

Fortinet, Inc. provides cyber security solutions for enterprises, service providers, and government organizations worldwide. The company offers FortiGate physical and virtual appliances products that provide various security and networking functions, including firewall, intrusion prevention, anti-malware, virtual private network, application control, Web filtering, anti-spam, and wide area network acceleration; FortiManager product family to provide a central management solution for FortiGate products comprising software updates, configuration, policy settings, and security updates; and the FortiAnalyzer product family, which provides a single point of network log data collection. It also offers FortiAP secure wireless access points; FortiWeb, a Web application firewall; FortiMail email security; FortiDB database security appliances; FortiClient, an endpoint security software; and FortiSwitch secure switch connectivity product s. In addition, the company provides FortiSandbox advanced threat protection solutions; and FortiDDos and FortiDB database security appliances. Further, it offers security subscription, technical support, training, and professional services. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Deutsche Bank also listed Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT) and Informatica Corp. (NASDAQ: INFA) as the three most controversial stocks. These three literally generated the most hallway, and probably bar-stool, debates at the conference.

Top 5 Construction Companies To Own In Right Now: Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The)(IPG)

 

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates through two segments, Integrated Agency Networks and Constituency Management Group. The company offers consumer advertising, digital marketing, communications planning and media buying, public relations, and specialized communications disciplines. It also provides various diversified services, including public relations, meeting and event production, sports and entertainment marketing, corporate and brand identity, and strategic marketing consulting. The companys brands comprise McCann, MullenLowe, IPG Mediabrands, Carmichael Lynch, Deutsch, Hill Holliday, and The Martin Agency, as well as Foote, Cone & Belding. The company was formerly known as McCann-Erickson Incorporated and changed its name to The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. in January 1961. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Michael Flannelly]

    Jefferies analysts noted that Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (IPG) offers some upside, but certain factors will continue to weigh down the stock. As such, the analysts upgraded the marketing and advertising company on Wednesday, but only with a tepid rating.

    The analysts upgraded IPG from “Underperform” to “Hold” and now see shares reaching $17.20, up from the previous target of $11. This new price target suggests a slight upside to the stock’s Tuesday closing price of $16.92.

    Jefferies analyst David Reynolds commented, “There’s a lot to be said for IPG, robust earnings growth profile, plays well into a ‘growth’ ad spend market and perhaps it remains the key beneficiary of all things POG. Yet, issues around North American profitability and developing economy scale continue to weigh. Richly valued and thus only c.2% upside to the ‘old normal’ and demonstrably bullish 16.7x forward earnings, we think warrants a HOLD. We set our new PT at US$17.20, 16.7x FY14 earnings.”

    Interpublic Group shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Wednesday. The stock is up 53.54% year-to-date.