Tag Archives: Healthcare

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017

BMO Capital Markets analysts Kenneth Zaslow and Patrick Chen took a look at the valuations of Tyson Foods (TSN) and Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC) and decided they were afraid of heights. They explain why they cut Tyson Foods to Market Perform from Outperform…

Scott Sinklier/AgStock Images/Corbis

We are downgradingTyson shares to Market Perform. Our overarching view onTyson remains unchanged. We continue to believe thatTyson deserves a premium-multiple to its history, asTyson and its management team have made one of the greatest transformations across our coverage group in terms of structural operational improvements, balance sheet strength, and capital allocation. However, our case for aggressively investing inTyson is less persuasive at current valuations and as expectations continue to build despite a surge in feed costs particularly soybean meal. Notwithstanding upside to near-term earnings, we would not be surprised if further valuation expansion were to be limited asTyson likely will generate the majority of its 2017 EPS growth from non-operating items (e.g., interest expense, share repurchases). Tysons stock outperformed the S&P by 5,000 basis points over the last year, as Tyson is currently trading at 8-9x forward 12-month EV/EBITDA estim ates relative to its five-year historical average of 5x.

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: PulteGroup, Inc.(PHM)

 

PulteGroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages primarily in the homebuilding business in the United States. The company is involved in the acquisition and development of land primarily for residential purposes; and the construction of housing on land. It offers various home designs, including single-family detached houses, townhouses, condominiums, and duplexes under the Pulte Homes, Del Webb, Centex, DiVosta Homes, John Wieland Homes, and Neighborhoods brand names. As of December 31, 2015, the company controlled 138,079 lots, which included 95,919 company owned lots and 42,160 lots under land option agreements. It also arranges financing through the origination of mortgage loans, principally for homebuyers; sells the servicing rights for the originated loans; and provides title insurance policies, and examination and closing services to homebuyers. The company was formerly known as Pulte Homes, Inc. and changed its name to PulteGroup, Inc. in March 2010. PulteGroup, Inc. was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Morgan Housel]

    2. Homebuilders adding to supply. Homebuilders recently discovered something that’s been elusive for years: the ability to raise prices. The balance they now need to strike is how much to ramp up supply versus holding back supply to maximize prices. PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM  ) CEO Richard Dugas said earlier this year: “In a number of communities across the country, demand has been so strong that we have taken action to slow the overall pace of sales.”

  • [By CNNMoney Staff]

    Housing stocks were among the biggest winners, with shares of Pulte Group (PHM), DR Horton (DHI), and Lennar (LEN) all up sharply.

    Traders on StockTwits said investors may be betting on the group as Summers’ decision to drop out from the Fed chief race could be good for the housing market. With Treasury yields falling, the hope is that mortgages rates might do the same.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Lee offers 22 stocks that could benefit from the correlation trade: Western Digital (WDC), Xerox (XRX), First Solar, Ford Motor, Best Buy (BBY), PulteGroup (PHM), AutoNation (AN), Textron (TXT), Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC), Mosaic, BB&T (BBT), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB),Loews (L), Regions Financial (RF), KeyCorp (KEY), Comerica (CMA), Leucadia National (LUK), Zions Bancorp (ZION), Valero Energy (VLO), Marathon Oil, Cardinal Health (CAH), and Pepco Holdings (POM).

  • [By Eileen Rojas]

    PulteGroup has high growth expectations
    PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM  ) reported $36 million, or $0.09 per share, of net income for its second quarter ended June 30. Net income included charges for several events that took place in the quarter. In the prior year’s quarter, the company reported net income of $42 million, or $0.11 per share. CEO Richard J. Dugas Jr. believes the housing market is on track to a long-term recovery. He finds that consumers see good value in the market, despite a limited supply of housing inventory, rising prices, and higher interest rates.

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Helmerich & Payne, Inc.(HP)

 

Helmerich & Payne, Inc. engages in the contract drilling of oil and gas wells. It provides drilling rigs, equipment, personnel, and camps on a contract basis to explore for and develop oil and gas from onshore areas and from fixed platforms, tension-leg platforms, and spars in offshore areas. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Land, Offshore, and International Land. The U.S. Land segment drills primarily in Oklahoma, California, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Nevada. The Offshore segment has drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Equatorial Guinea. The International Land segment conducts drilling operations in Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Mozambique. As of November 12, 2015, the company operated a fleet of 344 land rigs in the United States; 38 international land rigs; and 9 offshore platform rigs. The company also owns, develops, and operates commercial real estate properties; and researches and develops rotary steerable technology. Its real estate investments include a shopping center comprising approximately 441,000 leasable square feet; multi-tenant industrial warehouse properties covering approximately one million leasable square feet; and approximately 210 acres of undeveloped real estate located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Richard Moroney, Editor, Dow Theory Forecasts]

    Helmerich & Payne (HP) has paid a dividend without interruption since 1959 and raised the distribution in 40 straight years.

    Following a pair of hikes in less than 12 months, Helmerich’s quarterly dividend stands at $0.50 per share, compared to $0.07 per share a year ago.

10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own Right Now: comScore Inc.(SCOR)

comScore, Inc. provides a range of digital analytics solutions primarily in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company offers its customers with information regarding usage of their online properties and those of their competitors, coupled with information on consumer demographic characteristics, attitudes, lifestyles, and offline behavior solutions through its digital media measurement platforms. Its digital media measurement platforms consist of proprietary databases and a computational infrastructure that measures, analyzes, and reports on digital activity. The company also provides audience analytics tools that measure the size, behavior, and characteristics of Internet users on PCs, mobile devices, and tablets, as well as insight into online advertising; and advertising analytics products, such as AdEffx, Media Planner 2.0, and Campaign Essentials, which provide solutions for developing, executing, and evaluating online advertising campaigns, as well as valida ted campaign essentials that provide intelligence regarding validated impressions. In addition, it offers Web analytics products and solutions, as well as Web analytics platform that integrates data from multiple sources, including Web, mobile, video, and social media interactions; and mobile and network analytics products, such as comprehensive market intelligence and network solutions to mobile carriers with information on network optimization and capacity planning, customer experience, and market intelligence. The company serves Internet service providers, investment banks, media and digital agencies, consumer banks, wireless carriers, pharmaceutical makers, credit card issuers, and consumer packaged goods companies. comScore, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Cyclical consumer goods & services shares gained by 0.25 percent in trading on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG), Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA), and COMSCORE, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR).

  • [By Frank Pallotta]

    “As counter-intuitive as it seems, opening a movie over Super Bowl weekend can actually be a smart move for studios,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore (SCOR). “They can take advantage of the fact that audiences may want to strike a balance between staying home all afternoon on Sunday and wanting to get out of the house earlier in the weekend.”

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Franco-Nevada Corporation(FNV)

 

Franco-Nevada Corporation operates as a gold-focused royalty and stream company in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Africa. It also has interests in silver ores; platinum group metals, including palladium; other minerals comprising base metals, iron ore, coal, and industrial and miscellaneous minerals; and oil and gas properties. As of March 10, 2016, the company had 262 mineral assets and 78 oil and gas assets. Franco-Nevada Corporation was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Deutsche Bank’s Jorge Beristain and Chris Terry released their earnings preview for the gold miners–including Barrick Gold (ABX), Goldcorp (GG), Franco-Nevada (FNV), and Coeur Mining (CDE)–and conclude that only one gold miner deserves a Buy rating: Newmont Mining (NEM). They explain why:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Given revised commodity deck forecasts (particularly for Steel and Gold) and improved Balance Sheet health (Steels, Precious and Industrials Metals) we are upgrading our ratings on several stocks in our coverage. We generally favor companies that have already initiated specific self-help, have low-cost assets and are less exposed to China supply and demand dynamics. In Steels, we have increased our rating from Hold to Buy on Nucor (NUE) and from Sell to Hold on US Steel. We have also upgraded Kinross Gold (KGC) to a Hold on valuation…On higher-than-peer valuations, we reiterate Sell-rated Coeur Mining (CDE), Franco-Nevada (FNV), Goldcorp (GG), Teck Resources (TCK) and highly leveraged AK Steel given preference to issue further equity if possible.

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Nustar Energy L.P.(NS)

NuStar Energy L.P. engages in the terminalling, storage, and transportation of petroleum products primarily in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, St. Eustatius in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. The company operates in three segments: Storage, Transportation, and Asphalt and Fuels Marketing. The Storage segment operates terminal and storage facilities for petroleum products, specialty chemicals, crude oil, and other liquids; and crude oil storage tanks. Its terminals also offer pilotage, tug assistance, line handling, launch, emergency response, and other ship services. The Transportation segment transports refined petroleum products, crude oil, and anhydrous ammonia. This segment operates refined product pipelines in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota; and owns anhydrous ammonia pipelines located in Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska. The Asphalt and Fuels Marketing segment refines crude oil to produce asphalt and other refined products. This segment also purchases gasoline and other refined petroleum products for resale. As of December 31, 2010, the company had 65 terminal and storage facilities providing approximately 80.4 million barrels of storage capacity; 5,605 miles of refined product pipelines with 21 associated terminals that offer storage capacity of 4.6 million barrels, as well as 2 tank farms providing storage capacity of 1.2 million barrels; 2,000 miles of anhydrous ammonia pipelines; 812 miles of crude oil pipelines with 16 associated storage tanks comprising storage capacity of 1.9 million barrels; and 2 asphalt refineries with a combined capacity of 104,000 barrels per day, as well as 2 associated terminal facilities with a combined storage capacity of 5.0 million barrels. Riverwalk Logistics, L.P. serves as the general partner of the company. NuStar Energy L.P. was founded in 1999 and is based in Sa n Antonio, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One technology player that insiders are active in here is Jive Software (NS), which provides a social business software platform to businesses, government agencies, and other enterprises. Insiders are buying this stock into massive weakness, since shares are down sharply by 43% so far in 2014.

     

    Jive Software has a market cap of $446 million and an enterprise value of $365 million. This stock trades at a fair valuation, with a price-to-sales of 2.68 and a price-to-book of 5.67. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 45.5%, and for next year it’s pegged at 30%. This is a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $98.18 million and its total debt is $6.60 million.

     

    A director just bought 260,819 shares, or about $1.71 million worth of stock, at $6.53 to $6.60 per share.

     

    From a technical perspective, JIVE is currently trending just above its 50-day moving average and below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock recently pulled back off its short-term high of $7.14 a share with heavy downside volume flows. That drop has now pushed the stock to right above its 50-day moving average at $6.10 a share.

    If you’re bullish on JIVE, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 50-day at $6.10 a share and then once it breaks out above some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $7.14 a share to its 200-day moving average of $7.43 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 557,678 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then JIVE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $8.50 to $9 a share, or even $9.50 to $10 a share.

    Must Read: 10 Stocks George Soros Is Buying

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Icahn Enterprises L.P.(IEP)

 

Icahn Enterprises L.P., through its subsidiaries, operates in investment, automotive, energy, metals, railcar, gaming, food packaging, real estate, and home fashion businesses in the United States, Germany, and Internationally. Its Investment segment operates various private investment funds. The companys Automotive segment supplies a range of components, accessories, and systems to the automotive, small engine, heavy-duty, marine, railroad, agricultural, off-road, aerospace and energy, industrial, and transport markets; and distributes automotive parts. Its Energy segment refines and markets transportation fuels; and manufactures nitrogen fertilizer. The companys Metals segment collects and processes industrial and obsolete scrap metal into reusable forms; and operates steel products business. Its Railcar segment manufactures and sells railcars, custom and standard designed railcar components, and other industrial product s; and provides railcar repair services, as well as leases railcars. The companys Gaming segment owns and operates casino gaming properties, including 8 casino facilities with 8,035 slot machines, 304 table games, and 5,525 hotel rooms. Its Food Packaging segment produces and sells cellulosic, fibrous, and plastic casings for the processed meat and poultry industry. The companys Real Estate segment is involved in the rental of real estate properties; construction and sale of single-family and multi-family homes, lots in subdivisions and planned communities, and raw land for residential development; and golf and resort operations. Its Home Fashion segment sources, designs, manufactures, distributes, markets, and sells home fashion consumer products, such as bed, bath, basic bedding, and other textile products. Icahn Enterprises G.P. Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Icahn Enterprises L.P. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Robert Rapier]

    CVR Partners’ fertilizer plant is located in Coffeyville, Kansas, adjacent to the refinery owned by CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR). CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), majority-owned by Carl Icahn via Icahn Enterprises (NYSE: IEP), is the general partner and owns most of the units for both CVR Partners and CVR Refining.

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as an independent clinical laboratory company in the United States. The company offers a range of testing services used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis, and in the monitoring and treatment of disease, as well as specialty testing services. Its routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid tests, Pap tests, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. The company?s specialty tests and related services comprise viral load measurements, genotyping and phenotyping, and host genetic factors for managing and treating HIV infections; cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular genetic tests for diagnostic genetics; oncology tests for diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and treatments; clinical trials testing for pharmaceutical companies, which conducts clinical research trials on diag nostic assays; forensic identity testing used in criminal proceedings and parentage evaluation services, as well as testing services in reconstruction cases; allergy testing; and occupational testing for the detection of drug and alcohol abuse. Its customers include independent physicians and physician groups, hospitals, managed care organizations, governmental agencies, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and other independent clinical laboratories. The company operates a network of 51 primary laboratories and approximately 1,700 patient service centers. In addition, it delivers a co-branded electronic health records Lite solution for physician practices. The company works with university, hospital, and academic institutions, such as Duke University, The Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, and Yale University to license and commercialize new diagnostic tests. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Burlingt o n, North Carolina.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion.

    Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE: ROP) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.46 per share on revenue of $895.87 million.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Analysts expect Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion. Laboratory Corp shares rose 0.64 percent to close at $121.77 on Friday.

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Sotheby's(BID)

 

Sothebys operates as an auctioneer of authenticated fine art, decorative art, jewelry, wine, and collectibles in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Switzerland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Agency and Finance. The Agency segment accepts property on consignment; and matches buyers and sellers of authenticated fine art, decorative art, jewelry, wine, and collectibles through the auction or private sale process. It is also involved in the sale of artworks; and operation of an auction house for investment-quality automobiles. The Finance segment offers art-related financing services to various collectors and art dealers. This segment provides secured loans, including advances secured by consigned property to borrowers who are contractually committed to sell the property in the near term; and general purpose term loans secured by property not presently intended for sale. The c ompany is also involve d in the retail wine operations; licensing Sothebys International Realty and related trademarks; and licensing its Sothebys brand name for use in connection with the art auction business in Australia, and art education n services in the United States and the United Kingdom. Sothebys was founded in 1744 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Marshall Hargrave]

    Now Loeb's looking to put that capital to work in other markets, with the art market being a perfect candidate. Loeb and his Third Point hedge fund have started their latest activist campaign with leading auction house Sotheby's (NYSE: BID). Loeb joins fellow activist investor Marcato Capital in the stock.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Sotheby’s (BID) has climbed 5.3% to $34 after the auction house’s earnings and revenue topped Street estimates.

    Tyson Foods (TSN) has gained 3.5% to $76.20 after beating earnings forecasts and raising its full-year guidance.

Top 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: 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 10 Valued Companies To Own For 2017: Alon USA Partners, LP(ALDW)

 

Alon USA Partners, LP refines and markets petroleum products in the United States. The company owns and operates a crude oil refinery in Big Spring, Texas with crude oil throughput capacity of 73,000 barrels per day. It refines oil into petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, petrochemicals, petrochemical feed stocks, asphalts, and other petroleum products. The company sells its products through its wholesale distribution network to retail convenience stores and other third-party distributors primarily in Central and West Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona. Alon USA Partners GP, LLC serves as a general partner of the company. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Dallas, Texas. Alon USA Partners, LP is a subsidiary of Alon USA Energy, Inc.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Tom Dorsey]

    Over a several day period, I submitted questions and Mr. Eisman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Alon USA Energy Inc. (ALJ) and the parent company of Alon USA Partners LP Inc. (ALDW) responded. He provided some key insights to some challenges the company faces, where the company is going, and the opportunities available in the future. This insight should provide investors with additional information to understand the value of the company and the opportunity as an investor in the company.

Top European Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Related IYF Banking Ain't Easy But It's Necessary Small Bank Earnings Is Here: What To Watch Related EUFN Take The Dividends, Leave The Banks With This ETF: International Edition A Bearish Bank ETF European Banks And Brexit, How Will This Play Out? (Seeking Alpha)

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:

Best Insurance Stocks To Invest In Right Now

September Cocoa is trading at 2975, down 23 $/MT. December Cocoa is trading at 2972, down 22 $/MT.

Cocoa futures are trading lower after showing some gains early in the session.

Market talk chatter about global cocoa demand and West African weather is making the rounds.

In other New York Soft commodities;

September Coffee is trading at 147.70, up 1.15 cents/lb.

October Sugar is trading at 19.37, down 0.09 cents/lb.

December Cotton is trading at 72.36, down 0.91 cents/lb.

September Orange Juice is trading at 182.25, down 0.60 cents/lb.

Posted-In: cocoa futuresFutures Commodities Markets

© 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Best Insurance Stocks To Invest In Right Now: BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.(BMRN)

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. develops and commercializes biopharmaceuticals for serious diseases and medical conditions in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and rest of the world. The company?s commercial products include Naglazyme, a recombinant form of N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase enzyme used for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) VI; Kuvan, a proprietary synthetic oral form of 6R-BH4 used to treat patients with phenylketonuria (PKU), a metabolic disease; Aldurazyme used for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis I, a genetic disease; and Firdapse used to treat Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. It develops GALNS, an enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of MPS IVA, a lysosomal storage disorder; PEG-PAL, an enzyme substitution therapy that is under Phase II clinical trial to treat PKU; BMN-673, a Phase I/II clinical trial product for the treatment of cancer; BMN-701, an enzyme replacement therapy, which is under Phase I/II clinical trials for Pompe disease, a glycogen storage disorder; and BMN-111, a peptide therapeutic that is under Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of achondroplasia. The company sells its Naglazyme, Kuvan, and Firdapse products to specialty pharmacies and end-users, such as hospitals and foreign government agencies, which act as retailers; and Naglazyme products to distributors and pharmaceutical wholesalers. It has a collaboration agreement with Genzyme Corporation for the manufacture of Aldurazyme; and an agreement with Merck Serono S.A. for the further development and commercialization of Kuvan and other products containing 6R-BH4 and PEG-PAL for PKU. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Novato, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Evercore ISI’s Mark Schoenebaum contends thatBioMarin Pharmaceutical’s (BMRN) 4% drop today thanks to reports that recruitment for a drug trial had been suspended is “an overreaction.” He explains why:

    This morning, an update was posted to clinicaltrials.gov showing that patient recruitment for BioMarins BMN270 (hemophilia A gene therapy) p1 trial was suspended. Bottom line this news is not new and we believe the stock move is an overreaction.

    We spoke with the company, who confirmed that todays news on clinicaltrials.gov is not new and that the posting of this update to the website just took a few weeks. Recall,BioMarin has said that they will need to speak with EU regulators prior to dosing the last 3 gene therapy patients in the trial (expected by around August) because one patient (#3) had an ALT elevation slightly above his ULN (47 vs ULN of 41). This discussion with regulators prior to dosing the last patients was meant to be an early safety precaution and was self-imposed as part of BioMarins protocol for a first-in-human hemophilia A gene therapy.

    BioMarin confirmed that they are in the process of these discussions with EU regulators, but they have not been finalized.BioMarin also reiterated prior communications regarding dosing the final 3 patients by August and sharing the full 16 week data for all 12 patients by year-end.

    Shares of BioMarin Pharmaceutical have dropped 3.9% to $80.77 at 1:00 p.m. today.

Best Insurance Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ePlus Inc.(PLUS)

ePlus inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in selling, leasing, financing, and managing information technology (IT) and other assets in the United States. Its Technology Sales segment involves in the direct marketing of IT equipment and third-party software solutions of Cisco Systems, HP, VMWare, NetApp, IBM, and Microsoft; and the provision of proprietary software for enterprise supply management, including order-entry and order-management, procurement, spend management, asset management, document management, distribution, and electronic catalog content management software and services. This segment also provides professional technology services in the areas of data center, storage, security, cloud enablement, and IT infrastructure that cover Internet telephony and communications, collaboration, cloud computing, virtual desktop infrastructure, network design and implementation, storage, security, virtualization, business continuity, visual communications, audio/visual technologies, maintenance, and implementation services. The company?s Financing segment offers a range of leasing and financing options for IT and capital assets, such as computers, associated accessories and software, communication-related equipment, medical equipment, industrial machinery and equipment, office furniture and general office equipment, transportation equipment, and other general business equipment. It also leases and finances equipment, as well as supplies software and services directly and through relationships with vendors and equipment manufacturers. ePlus sells its products primarily through direct sales force, inside sales representatives, and business development associates to commercial customers; federal, state, and local governments; K-12 schools; and higher education institutions. The company was formerly known as MLC Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to ePlus inc. in 1999. ePlus was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    ePlus Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUS) is estimated to post its quarterly earnings at $1.21 per share on revenue of $284.62 million.

    Tilly’s Inc (NYSE: TLYS) is expected to post a quarterly loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $119.93 million.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In 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)

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now

Dillards (DDS) fell more than 5% during after-hours trading, joining the list of retailers being done in by disappointing fiscal first quarter financial results.

At $2.17 a share, first quarter earnings fell more than expected, coming in 40 cents below the Capital IQ consensus of $2.57. Net revenue (which includes Dillards construction business) fell 4.5% to $1.5 billion, just missing the $1.55 billion consensus.

Merchandise sales declined 5% to just below $1.45 billion with same-store sales falling a like amount. Dillards operates 272 Dillard’s locations and 24 clearance centers spanning 29 states.

Heres what CEO William T. Dillard, II had to say:

Our disappointing sales pressured our gross margin and net income performance, although inventory was relatively flat at quarter end. While we controlled expenses, sales leverage was difficult to achieve. We continued to return value to shareholders by purchasing $58.4 million of our Class A Common Stock during the quarter.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Toll Brothers Inc.(TOL)

Toll Brothers, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, and arranges finance for single-family detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities. It is also involved in building or converting existing rental apartment buildings into high-, mid-, and low-rise luxury homes. In addition, the company develops, owns, and operates golf courses and country clubs associated with various planned communities, as well as individual communities. It serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, age-qualified, and second-home buyers in 19 states in the United States. Toll Brothers, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Jim Powell]

    Steve Halpern: You mentioned home builders and one that you’ve been bullish on is Toll Brothers (TOL). Do you still like that stock?

    Jim Powell: I certainly do. It’s in there for the long haul. They’ve made some really good strategic decisions. One of the trends that I’ve been following is the millennial generation and what their habits are and what their preferences are.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: URS Corporation(URS)

URS Corporation provides engineering, construction, and technical services to the power, infrastructure, federal, and industrial and commercial market sectors in the United States and internationally. Its services for power sector include planning, designing, engineering, constructing, retrofitting, and maintaining a range of power-generating facilities; and the systems that transmit and distribute electricity, as well as the development and installation of clean air technologies that reduce emissions at fossil fuel power plants. The company?s services for infrastructure sector comprise program management, planning, architect, engineering, general contracting, construction, and construction management for surface, air, and rail transportation networks; ports and harbors; and water supply, and treatment and conveyance systems. Its services for federal sector consist of program management; planning, design, and engineering; systems engineering and technical assistance to con struction and construction management; operations and maintenance; and decommissioning and closure primarily for the United States federal government and national governments of other countries. URS Corporation?s services for industrial and commercial sector include front-end studies, engineering and process design, procurement, construction and construction management, facility management, and operations and maintenance, as well as due diligence, permitting, compliance, environmental management, pollution control, health and safety, waste management, and hazardous waste remediation. The company was formerly known as Broadview Research Corporation and changed its name to URS Corporation in 1976. URS Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Fidelty’s John Mirshekaritook a look at URS(URS) today at the Value Investing Congress.His takeaway: The stock could double in two years.

    Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

    His analysis started with URS’s use of its free cash. During the past, it hasn’t been pretty. They spent 6.3 billion on eight acquisitions, they’ve bought companies at valuations higher than own stock and return-on-equity has dropped from high teens to just 6%.

    The problem hasn’t been its business: Its return on tangible capital is 17%. Instead, the problem is that its management hasn’t maximized value through capital allocation. URS has lowest valuation: 9x 2013 cash earnings in its industry.

    Part of the problem: Management incentives are based on net income. This year, however, relative total shareholder return was added., something Mirshekari calls”a step in the right direction.” In May, URS filed an amended proxy which says it will look to change incentives from net income to return on equity and earnings per share. More importantly, it said acquisitions would end.

    If all goes right, URS could double in two years,Mirshekari says, comparing it to AECOM Technology (ACM).

    Looks a lot like AECOMM, which did something similar and rallied.

  • [By Ian Wyatt, Publisher & Chief Investment Strategist, Wyatt Investment Research]

    Fund manager John Mirshekari, of the Fidelity Low-Priced Stock Fund, recommended shares of URS (URS), an engineering and construction contractor.

Hot Defense Companies To Invest In 2016: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as an independent clinical laboratory company in the United States. The company offers a range of testing services used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis, and in the monitoring and treatment of disease, as well as specialty testing services. Its routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid tests, Pap tests, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. The company?s specialty tests and related services comprise viral load measurements, genotyping and phenotyping, and host genetic factors for managing and treating HIV infections; cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular genetic tests for diagnostic genetics; oncology tests for diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and treatments; clinical trials testing for pharmaceutical companies, which conducts clinical research trials on diag nostic assays; forensic identity testing used in criminal proceedings and parentage evaluation services, as well as testing services in reconstruction cases; allergy testing; and occupational testing for the detection of drug and alcohol abuse. Its customers include independent physicians and physician groups, hospitals, managed care organizations, governmental agencies, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and other independent clinical laboratories. The company operates a network of 51 primary laboratories and approximately 1,700 patient service centers. In addition, it delivers a co-branded electronic health records Lite solution for physician practices. The company works with university, hospital, and academic institutions, such as Duke University, The Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, and Yale University to license and commercialize new diagnostic tests. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Burlingt o n, North Carolina.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Analysts expect Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion. Laboratory Corp shares rose 0.64 percent to close at $121.77 on Friday.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion.

    Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE: ROP) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.46 per share on revenue of $895.87 million.

Hot Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Plains All American Pipeline L.P.(PAA)

Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation, storage, terminalling, and marketing of crude oil, refined products, and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) products in the United States and Canada. The company operates in three segments: Transportation, Facilities, and Supply and Logistics. The Transportation segment transports crude oil and refined products on pipelines, gathering systems, trucks, and barges. As of December 31, 2011, this segment owned and leased 16,000 miles of active crude oil and refined products pipelines and gathering systems; 23 million barrels of above-ground tank capacity used primarily to facilitate pipeline throughput; 67 trucks and 382 trailers; and 82 transport and storage barges, and 44 transport tugs. The Facilities segment provides storage, terminalling, and throughput services for crude oil, refined products, and LPG and natural gas, as well as offers LPG fractionation and isomerization, and natural gas processing services. The Supply and Logistics segment purchases crude oil at the wellhead, and pipeline and terminal facilities; waterborne cargoes at their load port and various other locations in transit; and LPG from producers, refiners, and other marketers. This segment also resells or exchanges crude oil and LPG; and transports oil and LPG on trucks, barges, railcars, pipelines, and ocean-going vessels to various delivery points. It has 622 trucks and 731 trailers, and 2,453 railcars. The company also owns and operates natural gas storage facilities. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Callum Turcan]

    All American crude
    Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE: PAA  ) is also investing in Texas, and it recently snatched up some of Chesapeake’sassets in the Eagle Ford for $125 million . Plains bought 40 miles of pipelines, 15,000 barrels of existing storage capacity, 300,000 barrels of storage under construction and a truck unloadingterminal.

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies For 2016

SpaceX launched a satellite toward distant orbit on Friday after multiple delays.

The private space exploration company, headed by Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:35 pm ET.

SpaceX has set five different launch dates, the first of which was on February 25 — and it has halted six countdowns due to problems with the rocket fuel, weather, and even interference from a nearby boat.

But on Friday, SpaceX employees and onlookers cheered as the Falcon 9 rocket hurtled toward the sky without issue.

The mission was to deliver a massive satellite that could provide broadband internet to remote areas of the Asia-Pacific into geosynchronous orbit.

That’s no small feat. More than 22,000 miles into space, geosynchronous orbit is 100 times further than where the International Space Station orbits.

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies For 2016: GTx Inc.(GTXI)

GTx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecules for the treatment of cancer, cancer supportive care, and other serious medical conditions. The company markets FARESTON (toremifene citrate) 60 mg tablets for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women primarily through wholesale drug distributors in the United States. It is developing selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), including Ostarine (GTx-024), which has completed Phase II clinical trial for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with non-small cell lung cancer; and CapesarisTM (GTx-758), a selective estrogen receptor alpha agonist that has completed Phase IIa clinical trial for the first line treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In addition, the company is developing estrogen receptor beta agonists and other novel compounds that are in preclinical development stage for the treatment of metabo lic diseases, ophthalmic diseases, cancer, psoriasis, and/or pain. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered Memphis, Tennessee.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One biopharmaceutical player that’s rapidly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade is GTx (GTXI), which is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules that selectively target hormone pathways to treat cancer, osteoporosis and bone loss, muscle loss and other serious medical condition. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 53%.

    If you look at the chart for GTx, you’ll notice that this stock recently gapped down sharply from over $4 to below $1.50 a share with heavy downside volume. Following that gap down, shares of GTXI have rebounded sharply and started to uptrend, with the stock moving higher from its low of $1.31 to its recent high of $1.96 a share. During that move, shares of GTXI have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of GTXI within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GTXI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $1.96 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.35 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then GTXI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from August that started just above $4 a share. Some possible upside targets if GTXI gets into that gap with volume are $2.50 to $3 a share, or possibly even $3.50 a share.

    Traders can look to buy GTXI off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $1.50 a share. One can also buy GTXI off strength once it takes out $1.96 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies For 2016: Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc.(UEPS)

 

Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. provides payment solutions and transaction processing services for various industries in South Africa, South Korea, and internationally. The company develops and markets transaction processing solutions that comprise its smart card-based alternative payment system for the unbanked and under-banked populations of developing economies, and for mobile transaction channels. It operates through three segments: South African Transaction Processing, International Transaction Processing, and Financial Inclusion and Applied Technologies. The South African Transaction Processing segment provides welfare benefit distribution services to the South African government and transaction processing for retailers, utilities, medical-related claim service customers, and banks. The International Transaction Processing segment offers payment processing services to merchants and card issuers through its value-added netw ork. The Financial Inclusion and Applied Technologies segment provides short-term loans; and smart card accounts, as a fixed monthly fee per card. This segment also sells prepaid products comprising electricity and airtime, as well as hardware and software products; and offers life insurance products. Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Javier Hasse]

    Friday’s after-hours trading session did not see many stocks on the move. Shares of Net 1 UEPS Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: UEPS) were down almost 2.5 percent in what seemed like a correction of the 1.83 percent surge seen during the day.

Top International Stocks For 2016: National Steel Corporation(SID)

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional primarily operates as an integrated steel producer in Brazil and Latin America. The company principally produces carbon steel and various steel products. Its products include slabs, which are semi-finished products used for processing hot-rolled, cold-rolled, or coated coils and sheet products; hot-rolled products that comprise heavy-gauge hot-rolled coils and sheets, and light-gauge hot-rolled coils and sheets; cold-rolled products, including cold-rolled coils and sheets; and galvanized products consisting of flat-rolled steel coated with zinc or a zinc-based alloy. The company also offers tin mill products, which consist of flat-rolled low-carbon steel coils or sheets, such as tin plate, tin free steel,low tin coated steel, and black plate products. In addition, it engages in mining business by owning iron ore, limestone, dolomite, and tin mines comprising the Namisa property, Casa de Pedra mine, Arcos mine, and Santa Barbara mine; and invo lves in logistics business that includes railway and port facilities. Further, the company produces and sells cement; and engages in the generation of power plants. It sells its steel products as a raw material for various manufacturing industries, including the automotive, home appliance, packaging, construction, and steel processing industries. The company offers its products to customers directly through its sales force, as well as through distributors for subsequent resale. It also exports its products to Europe, Latin America, Asia, and North America. Companhia Siderurgica Nacional was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    On Thursday, basic materials shares rose by 3.08 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (NYSE: CLF), Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (ADR) (NYSE: SID), and Teck Resources Ltd (USA) (NYSE: TCK).

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    In trading on Thursday, basic materials shares fell by 0.45 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (ADR) (NYSE: SID), down 13 percent, and Dominion Diamond Corp (NYSE: DDC), down 9 percent.

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies For 2016: (VIAB)

Viacom Inc. operates as an entertainment content company in the United States and internationally. The company connects with audiences through compelling content on television, motion picture, Internet, and mobile platforms through various entertainment brands. It operates in two segments, Media Networks and Filmed Entertainment. The Media Networks segment provides entertainment content and related branded products to advertisers, content distributors, and retailers across various distribution platforms, such as television, Internet, and mobile devices; and through various consumer products. Its MTV Networks operates approximately 160 channels and multiplatform properties, which include MTV, VH1, CMT, PalladiaHD, Logo, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, Atom, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land, Spike TV, Tr3s, BET, and CENTRIC, as well as a casual games business that includes Web sites, such as AddictingGames.com and Shockwave.com. This segment also op erates BET Networks, which provide entertainment, music, news, and public affairs programming to the African-American audience and consumers of Black culture; and BET channel, CENTRIC, BET Gospel, and BET Hip Hop. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces, finances, and distributes motion pictures and other entertainment content under the Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies brands. This segment also acquires films for distribution and has a presence in the games business; and also distributes motion pictures and other entertainment content on DVD and Blu-ray, video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, pay and basic cable television, broadcast television, and syndicated television platforms. It has a library of approximately 3,300 motion pictures and television programs. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    What a difference one word makes. Cowen’s Doug Creutz and Stephen Glagola could have said that it’s not time to panic after Viacom (VIAB) said its negotiations with Dish Network (DISH) have been going nowhere. Instead, they inserted the word “necessarily,” changing the complexion of things. They explain:

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies For 2016: Pharmerica Corporation(PMC)

Pharmerica Corporation operates as an institutional pharmacy services company in the United States. It offers services to healthcare facilities and provides management pharmacy services to hospitals. The company purchases, repackages, and dispenses prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals in accordance with physician orders and delivers such medication to healthcare facilities for administration to individual patients and residents. It also provides consultant pharmacist services for customers to comply with the federal and state regulations applicable to nursing homes; and medical records services. In addition, the company offers various ancillary services, such as infusion therapy products and services; and hospital pharmacy management services, including hospital pharmacy operations, regulatory and financial management services, and clinical pharmacy programs to various hospitals. PharMerica Corporation operates approximately 95 institutional pharmacies in 44 s tates and provides pharmacy management services to 91 hospitals. Its customers primarily include institutional healthcare providers, such as skilled nursing facilities, nursing centers, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and other long-term alternative care settings. The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    PharMerica Corporation (NYSE: PMC) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.43 per share on revenue of $509.45 million.

    United States Cellular Corp (NYSE: USM) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.26 per share on revenue of $975.54 million.

Hot Services Companies To Buy For 2016

Related HOT R.F. Lafferty Says China Consortium Bid For Starwood Trumps Marriott Offer By 15% The Market In 5 Minutes: Monday, March 14, 2016 Stocks Edge Lower In Early Trade; Starwood, Fresh Market Soar (Investor’s Business Daily) Related KNDI Mid-Day Market Update: GW Pharma Jumps On Positive Epidiolex Results; Harte Hanks Shares Decline 10 Stocks Moving In Monday's Pre-Market Session

Toward the end of trading Monday, the Dow traded up 0.30 percent to 17,265.33 while the NASDAQ gained 0.21 percent to 4,758.56. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.05 percent to 2,023.11.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

On Monday, cyclical consumer goods & services shares gained by 0.41 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Kandi Technologies Group Inc (NASDAQ: KNDI), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc (NYSE: HOT), and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT).

Hot Services Companies To Buy For 2016: The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.(HAIN)

 

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells organic and natural products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Europe. Its grocery products include infant formula; infant, toddler, and kids foods; diapers and wipes; rice and grain-based products; flour and baking mixes; breads, hot and cold cereals, pasta, condiments, cooking and culinary oils, granolas, granola bars, and cereal bars; canned, chilled fresh, aseptic, and instant soups; Greek-style yogurt; chilies and packaged grains; and chocolates and nut butters, as well as plant-based beverages and frozen desserts, such as soy, rice, almond, and coconut. The companys grocery products also comprise juices, hot-eating, chilled and frozen desserts, cookies, crackers, gluten-free frozen entrees and bars, frozen pastas and ethnic meals, frozen fruits and vegetables, cut fresh fruits, refrigerated and frozen soy protein meat-alter native products, tofu, seitan and tempeh products, jams, fruit spreads and jelly, honey, marmalade, and other food products. In addition, it provides snack products, such as potato, root vegetable, and other vegetable chips, as well as straws, tortilla chips, whole grain chips, pita chips, puffs, and popcorn; specialty teas, including herbal, green, black, wellness, rooibos, and chai tea lattes; ready-to-drink beverages comprising organic kombucha and chai tea lattes; personal care products consisting of skin, hair and oral care, deodorants, baby care items, acne treatment, body washes, and sunscreens; and poultry and protein products, such as turkey and chicken products. The company sells its products through specialty and natural food distributors, supermarkets, natural food stores, mass-market and e-commerce retailers, food service channels and club, and drug and convenience stores in approximately 70 countries worldwide. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Lake Success, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Motif Investing]

    The motif also has received some help from component Hain Celestial Group Inc (NASDAQ: HAIN), which has seen its stock rise 3.2 percent in the past month following the company’s earnings report last month, which underperformed profit expectations but no doubt helped prompt the company to announce a renewed focus on the bottom line.

Hot Services Companies To Buy For 2016: Rockwell Medical Technologies Inc.(RMTI)

Rockwell Medical Technologies, Inc. manufactures, sells, and distributes hemodialysis concentrate solutions and dialysis kits primarily in the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. The company?s hemodialysis product duplicates kidney function in patients with failing kidneys, known as end stage renal disease, an advanced stage of chronic kidney disease; and dialysis solutions are used to maintain life, remove toxins, and replace nutrients in the dialysis patient?s bloodstream. Its products include Renal Pure and CitraPure liquid acid concentrate, Dri-Sate dry acid concentrate and mixing systems, RenalPure powder bicarbonate concentrate, and SteriLyte liquid bicarbonate concentrates; and various ancillary products comprising blood tubing, fistula needles, specialized custom kits, dressings, cleaning agents, filtration salts, and other supplies. The company also has a license to manufacture and sell soluble ferric pyrophosphate (SFP), a Phase III clinical trial p r oduct to improve the treatment of dialysis patients with iron deficiency. Rockwell Medical Technologies sells its products to domestic hemodialysis providers through direct sales people and independent sales representation companies, as well as through independent sales agents and distributors internationally. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Wixom, Michigan.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Thursday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KERX) and Rockwell Medical Inc (NASDAQ: RMTI).

10 Best Cheapest Stocks To Invest In 2016: Fossil Inc.(FOSL)

Fossil, Inc. designs, develops, markets, and distributes fashion accessories worldwide. It offers a line of fashion watches under its proprietary brands, such as FOSSIL, MICHELE, RELIC, and ZODIAC; and through licensed brands, including ADIDAS, BURBERRY, DIESEL, DKNY, EMPORIO ARMANI, MARC BY MARC JACOBS, and MICHAEL KORS. The company designs, markets, and arranges for the manufacture of watches and accessories on behalf of certain mass market retailers, companies, and organizations as private label products or as premium and incentive items for use in various corporate events. It also provides various fashion accessories for men and women, including handbags, belts, small leather goods, jewelry, and sunglasses through company owned retail stores, department stores, and specialty retail stores, as well as over the Internet and through catalogs. In addition, the company sells a line of soft accessories, such as hats, gloves, and scarves, as well as a handbag collection. Furt her, it offers apparel comprising jeans, outerwear, fashion tops and bottoms, and tee shirts for men and women through company-owned stores, as well as over the Internet and through catalogs. Additionally, the company provides footwear products, including sport court sneakers, authentic casuals, dress classics, and boots for men, as well as fashionable flats, heels, wedges, and boots for women. Fossil, Inc., through a license agreement with the Safilo Group, manufactures, markets, and sells optical frames under the FOSSIL and RELIC brand names in the United States and Canada. As of August 9, 2011, it had approximately 360 company-owned and operated retail stores. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Richardson, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Fossil Group Inc (NASDAQ: FOSL) is estimated to post its quarterly earnings at $0.15 per share on revenue of $666.60 million.

    Nokia Corp (ADR) (NYSE: NOK) is expected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.04 per share on revenue of $6.24 billion.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Fossil Group Inc (NASDAQ: FOSL) reported downbeat results for its first quarter and issued a weak earnings forecast for the current quarter. Fossil shares tumbled 30.92 percent to $27.70 in pre-market trading.

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    It could be painful watching Fossil Group (FOSL) tomorrow. The share price plunged almost 30% during after hour market action after the fashion watch maker posted disappointing 1Q financial results, warned of a weak 2Q and slashed its full-year forecasts.

    Fossil now expects sales in 2016 to drop between 1.5% and 5% compared to its former range of an 1% increase to a 3.5% decline. Full-year EPS estimates also dropped, with Fossil expecting to earn between $1.80 and $2.80, down from the old guidance of $2.80 to $3.60.

    Currency headwinds seem to have played havoc with 1Q results, impacting net sales by $16.4 billion and reducing EPS by 8 cents. Fossil earned 12 cents a share on revenue of $659.8 million, which missed the Streets forecast of 15 cents a share on revenue of $667 million. The strength of the U.S. dollar was to blame,.

    During the current quarter, Fossil expects per share earnings to range from break even to 15 cents a share, as net sales drop between 8% and 10%.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016

Susquehannas Pablo Zuanic takes a look at consumer food companies in the wake of Brexit, and writes that Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Mondelez (MDLZ) and SodaStream (SODA) have the most exposure to the British pound and euro, which are falling today.

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

For bargain hunters, he recommends Mondelez over CCE, given soda taxes and the fact that Cokes (KO) 48% stake means it wont be acquired. But overall he says that M&A in Europe is not more likely, as companies with plenty of U.S. dollar assets will have fertile hunting ground for acquisitions.

In general, he writes that consumers have to be selective, with an eye toward how this vote could impact the U.S. election:

Self-help and NA exposure now even more attractive. We think our guiding thesis of buying self-help stories with mainly NA exposure becomes even more relevant in this new context. Our top picks are, not coincidentally, Kraft Heinz (KHC), Treehouse Foods (THS), and Molson Coors (TAP). Re our other Positive-rated stock BUD, we remind investors after the SAB deal NA is less than 30% of EBITDA pro forma. Even taking the aggressive guidance of 16% synergies and cost savings (of target company revenues) the EPS accretion may be in the mid/high teens.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: Roper Technologies, Inc.(ROP)

 

Roper Technologies, Inc., a diversified technology company, designs and develops license and software-as-a-service software, and engineered products and solutions. The companys Medical and Scientific Imaging segment offers diagnostic and laboratory software solutions; patient positioning devices and related software, 3-D measurement technology, and diagnostic and therapeutic disposable products; non-invasive instruments and video laryngoscopes; and a cloud-based financial analytics and performance software platform. This segment also provides electron filters; charged couple device; and complementary metal oxide semiconductor cameras, detectors, and related software. Its RF Technology segment offers radio frequency identification communication technology and software solutions that are used primarily in toll and traffic systems, security and access controls, campus card systems, card readers, software-as-a-service in the fre ight matching and food industries, and metering and remote monitoring applications, as well as management software for legal and construction firms. The companys Industrial Technology segment offers fluid handling pumps, materials analysis equipment and consumables, leak testing equipment, flow measurement and metering equipment, and water meter and automatic meter reading products and systems. Its Energy Systems and Controls segment provides control systems, fluid properties testing equipment, industrial valves and controls, vibration sensors and controls, and non-destructive inspection and measurement products and solutions. Roper Technologies, Inc. serves healthcare, transportation, food, energy, water, education, and academic research markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Roper Industries, Inc. and changed its name to Roper Technologies, Inc. in April 2015. Roper Technologies, Inc. wa s founded in 1981 and is based in Sarasota, Florida.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Aside from Outperform-rated Roper Technologies (ROP) SaaS platforms, which account for over +50% of earnings today, GEs Digital business strategy is the most ambitious ramp within the industrials sector. GE has made a bold bet on its game-changing Predix operating system for the Industrial IoT, which was launched in Feb-2016

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Analysts are expecting Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE: ROP) to have earned $1.46 per share on revenue of $895.87 million in the latest quarter. Roper Technologies shares declined 0.05 percent to close at $178.63 on Friday.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated(RGA)

 

Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated engages in reinsurance business. It offers individual and group life and health insurance products, including term life, credit life, universal life, whole life, group life and health, joint and last survivor insurance, critical illness, disability, and longevity products, as well as asset-intensive and financial reinsurance products. The company also provides reinsurance for mortality, morbidity, and lapse risk associated with products; and reinsurance for investment-related risks, as well as develops and markets technology solutions for the insurance industry. It serves life insurance companies in the United States, Latin America, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By David Sterman]

    My favorite insurers: AIG (NYSE: AIG) (which I discussed a few months ago), Protective Life (NYSE: PL) and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA).

  • [By Benzinga News Desk]

    Morgan Stanley downgraded Chipotle (NYSE: CMG) to Equal-Weight.
    UBS downgraded AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX) to Sell.
    Citi upgraded Sealed Air (NYSE: SEE) to Buy.
    Goldman Sachs upgraded Reinsurance Group (NYSE: RGA) to Buy.

Best Safest Companies For 2016: L Brands, Inc.(LB)

 

L Brands, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of womens intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products, and accessories. The company operates in three segments: Victorias Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works International. Its products include loungewear, bras, panties, swimwear, athletic attire, fragrances, shower gels and lotions, aromatherapy, soaps and sanitizers, home fragrances, handbags, jewelry, and personal care accessories. The company offers its products under the Victorias Secret, Pink, Bath & Body Works, La Senza, Henri Bendel, C.O. Bigelow, White Barn Candle Company, and other brand names. L Brands, Inc. sells its merchandise through company-owned specialty retail stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which are primarily mall-based; through its Websites; and through franchises, licenses, and wholesale partners. As of January 31, 2016, the company operated 2,721 retail stores in the United States; 270 retail stores in Canada; and 14 retail stores in the United Kingdom. It also operated 221 La Senza stores in 29 countries; 125 Bath & Body Works stores in 30 countries; 19 Victoria’s Secret stores in 7 Middle Eastern countries; and 373 Victorias Secret Beauty and Accessories stores, and various small-format locations in approximately 75 countries. The company was formerly known as Limited Brands, Inc. and changed its name to L Brands, Inc. in March 2013. L Brands, Inc. was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    L Brands Inc (NYSE: LB) shares fell 5.02 percent to $60.53 in pre-market trading. L Brands reported upbeat quarterly earnings, but missed analysts' sales estimates. The company also lowered its full-year earnings guidance.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: National Steel Corporation(SID)

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional primarily operates as an integrated steel producer in Brazil and Latin America. The company principally produces carbon steel and various steel products. Its products include slabs, which are semi-finished products used for processing hot-rolled, cold-rolled, or coated coils and sheet products; hot-rolled products that comprise heavy-gauge hot-rolled coils and sheets, and light-gauge hot-rolled coils and sheets; cold-rolled products, including cold-rolled coils and sheets; and galvanized products consisting of flat-rolled steel coated with zinc or a zinc-based alloy. The company also offers tin mill products, which consist of flat-rolled low-carbon steel coils or sheets, such as tin plate, tin free steel,low tin coated steel, and black plate products. In addition, it engages in mining business by owning iron ore, limestone, dolomite, and tin mines comprising the Namisa property, Casa de Pedra mine, Arcos mine, and Santa Barbara mine; and invo lves in logistics business that includes railway and port facilities. Further, the company produces and sells cement; and engages in the generation of power plants. It sells its steel products as a raw material for various manufacturing industries, including the automotive, home appliance, packaging, construction, and steel processing industries. The company offers its products to customers directly through its sales force, as well as through distributors for subsequent resale. It also exports its products to Europe, Latin America, Asia, and North America. Companhia Siderurgica Nacional was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    In trading on Thursday, basic materials shares fell by 0.45 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (ADR) (NYSE: SID), down 13 percent, and Dominion Diamond Corp (NYSE: DDC), down 9 percent.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    On Thursday, basic materials shares rose by 3.08 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (NYSE: CLF), Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (ADR) (NYSE: SID), and Teck Resources Ltd (USA) (NYSE: TCK).

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: Prestige Brand Holdings Inc.(PBH)

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, selling, and distributing over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products primarily in North America. The company?s Over-The-Counter Healthcare segment offers a portfolio of OTC products under nine core OTC brands, including Chloraseptic sore throat remedies, Clear Eyes eye drops, Compound W wart removers, Dramamine motion sickness products, Efferdent and Effergrip denture products, Little Remedies pediatric healthcare products, Luden’s cough drops, PediaCare pediatric healthcare products, and The Doctor?s brand of oral care products. This segment also provides other significant brands that include Dermoplast first-aid products, Murine eye and ear care products, NasalCrom allergy relief product, New-Skin liquid bandage, and Wartner wart removers. Its Household Cleaning segment markets household cleaning products, such as abrasive and non-abrasive tub and tile cleaner, scrubb i ng pads and sponges, dilutables, anti-bacterial hard surface spray for counter tops, and glass cleaners under the Comet, Chore Boy, and Spic and Span brands. Prestige Brands Holdings distributes its products through various retail channels, including drug, food, dollar, and club stores, as well as supermarkets and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Irvington, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Castor believes the cash has disappeared into working capital, which has grown from 23% to more than 50% since 2008. Comparable company PrestigeBrand (PBH) uses 11%; Unilever(UL) and Colgate-Palmolive(CL) far less.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: Sun Life Financial Inc.(SLF)

 

Sun Life Financial Inc., a financial services organization, provides protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers worldwide. It operates through five segments: Sun Life Financial Canada, Sun Life Financial United States, Sun Life Financial Asset Management, Sun Life Financial Asia, and Corporate. The company offers life and health, long-term and short-term disability, medical stop-loss and dental, and accidental death insurance services; long-term care, medical coverage, and guaranteed income and death reinsurance services; and investment funds, as well as third-party mutual funds. It also provides life, dental, drug, extended health care, disability, and critical illness benefits programs; and voluntary benefits solutions directly to individual plan members, including post-employment life and health plans to plan members. In addition, the company offers group retirement products and servi ces, including investment-only segregated funds and fixed rate annuities, stock plans, group life annuities, and pensioner payroll services, as well as solutions for de-risking defined benefit pension plans. Further, it provides asset management services for retail and institutional investors through mutual and commingled funds, separately managed accounts, institutional products, and retirement strategies; and customized fixed income solutions, including liability-driven investment products, as well as alternative asset classes, such as private fixed income, real estate, and commercial mortgages. The company markets and distributes its products through independent insurance and mutual fund licensed brokers, broker-dealers, benefits consultants, and sales representatives. Sun Life Financial Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Sun Life Financial Inc (NYSE: SLF) is expected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.91 per share on revenue of $4.56 billion.

    ScanSource, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCSC) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $871.06 million.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: Starz(STRZA)

 

Starz, through its subsidiaries, operates as a media and entertainment company. It operates through Starz Networks, Starz Distribution, and Starz Animation segments. The Starz Networks segment provides premium subscription video programming to U.S. multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. Its networks include Starz and Encore, which air film content, as well as original series and specials without advertisements; and MoviePlex that offers various art house, independent films, and classic movie library content. This segment also provides online access to the content that air on their linear networks through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. The Starz Distribution segment sells or rents DVDs under the ANCHOR BAY brand; and acquires and licenses various titles from third parties and also develops and produces certai n of its content. This segment also distributes content on pay-per-view, video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, electronic sell-through, and other digital formats to MVPDs, online/mobile distributors, game developers/publishers, and consumer electronics companies; and distributes movies, television series, documentaries, childrens programming, and other video content. The Starz Animation segment develops and produces two-dimensional animated content for various third party entertainment companies. Starz was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Starz (STRZA) has jumped 14% to$32.16 after agreeing to be purchased by Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) in a deal that values Starz at about $4.4 billion. Lions Gate has climbed 9.4% to $22.90.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: The Michaels Companies, Inc.(MIK)

 

The Michaels Companies, Inc. owns and operates a chain of arts and crafts specialty retail stores under the Michaels and Aaron Brothers names in North America. Its Michaels stores offer approximately 35,000 stock-keeping units in crafts, home d茅cor and seasonal, framing, and paper crafting. The companys Aaron Brothers stores offer approximately 6,000 stock-keeping units, including photo frames, a line of ready-made frames, art prints, framed art, art supplies, and custom framing. It also provides private brands, including Recollections, Studio Decor, Bead Landing, Creatology, Ashland, Celebrate It, Art Minds, Artists Loft, Craft Smart, and Loops & Threads. In addition, the company manufactures custom and specialty framing merchandise; and distributes gifts and decor products. As of March 17, 2016, it operated approximately 1,340 stores under the Michaels, Aaron Brothers, and Pat Catans brands in 49 states and Canada. Th e company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Michaels Companies Inc (NASDAQ: MIK) reported better-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter.

    Michaels Companies posted quarterly earnings of $183.7 million, or $0.87 per share, compared to $146.4 million, or $0.75 per share, in the year-ago period.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: American Capital, Ltd.(ACAS)

 

American Capital, Ltd. is a business development company specializing in management and employee buyouts, subordinated debt, leveraged finance, mezzanine, acquisition, recapitalization, middle market, early venture, mature, industry consolidation, and growth capital investments. The firm seeks to invest in senior debt mezzanine, unitranche, and equity financing for buyouts of private equity firms and direct in private and public companies. It also invests in special situations and in government. In special situations, the firm invests in troubled situations and in distressed situations. The firm also considers smaller investments as add-on acquisitions for existing portfolio companies. In this area, it invests in acquisitions of true turnarounds, 363 auctions, portfolio add-on acquisitions, operationally challenged companies; financings in exit, ABL loans, second lien refinance, and direct lending to distressed companies. The firm invests in manufacturing, services, and distribution companies with a special focus on energy sector. The firm also invests in infrastructure and structured products. The firm also invests in business services, consumer products and services, industrial, healthcare and food companies. The firm prefers to invest in Information Technology focusing on Custom information technology solutions, Technology and software enabling headcount reduction, and Technology and software enabling cost reductions in conducting transactions with or within government. The firm also invests in digital media and entertainment, internet and consumer related, communications, mobile and wireless, security and data center infrastructure, software and services, semiconductor, and other innovative technologies. The firm also invests in a variety of industry sectors, including life science services, medical device, medical tools and equipment, and healthcare services, among others. In energy producti on sector, the firm invests in lower risk oil and gas explor! ation, production and development; natural gas liquids; coal mining and coal-fired generation; uranium mining and nuclear-fired generation; wind-powered generation; and solar-powered generation. In energy transmission sector, the firm invests in oil and gas pipelines; LNG tankers and regasification facilities; and power transmission. In energy distribution sector, it targets propane distribution; gas distribution; electricity distribution. In energy services sector, the firm invests in oil and gas services and utility services. The firm also targets investments in companies that provide services or products to federal, state or local governments. It seeks to invest in human resources/benefit administration, outsourcing, transaction processing, engineering and construction, logistics, original equipment manufacturers homeland security and component, aftermarket parts and supplies, and technology. It also invests in real estate and insurance. It invests as lead or participa tive investor and also makes equity co-investments. The firm seeks to invest globally focusing on Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Mid-Atlantic, New England, North East Unites States, Canada, Central America & Mexico, and Caribbean. The firm and its affiliates invest between $10 million to $750 million per company in North America and 10 ($13.34 million) to 400 million ($533.99 million) per company in Europe. The firms investment range is between $5 million and $25 million and higher depending on the opportunity. The firm targets new investments with at least $10 million in EBITDA and enterprise values of typical transaction from $20 million and $500 million. The firm invests senior debt, subordinated debt and equity allows us to provide one-stop financing up to $500 million. The firm also has the resources to deploy over $100 million into high growth later stage companies. In special situations group, the firm invests between $20 million and $750 million per tra nsaction in a variety of investments, including: buyouts ope! rational ! turnarounds, corporate orphans and carve-outs, complex management buyouts, financings dip financings, exit financings, and mezzanine financings for sponsored buyouts. In buyouts, the firm invests in companies having Enterprise Value of up to $1600 million. In federal, state and local government, the firm invests between $10 million and $500 million in a single transaction. The firm prefers to be a majority or minority investor and makes direct minority investments of subordinated debt, senior debt and equity in middle market private and public companies. The firm prefers to take minority ownership position of up to 49%. American Capital, Ltd., formerly known as American Capital Strategies, Ltd., was founded in 1986 and is based in Bethesda, Maryland with additional offices in United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    American Capital Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACAS) shares rose 5.63 percent to $16.50 in the pre-market trading session as Ares Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCC) reported the purchase of American Capital at $3.4 billion in cash and stock.

10 Best Chemical Stocks To Buy For 2016: GTx Inc.(GTXI)

GTx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecules for the treatment of cancer, cancer supportive care, and other serious medical conditions. The company markets FARESTON (toremifene citrate) 60 mg tablets for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women primarily through wholesale drug distributors in the United States. It is developing selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), including Ostarine (GTx-024), which has completed Phase II clinical trial for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with non-small cell lung cancer; and CapesarisTM (GTx-758), a selective estrogen receptor alpha agonist that has completed Phase IIa clinical trial for the first line treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In addition, the company is developing estrogen receptor beta agonists and other novel compounds that are in preclinical development stage for the treatment of metabo lic diseases, ophthalmic diseases, cancer, psoriasis, and/or pain. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered Memphis, Tennessee.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One biopharmaceutical player that’s rapidly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade is GTx (GTXI), which is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules that selectively target hormone pathways to treat cancer, osteoporosis and bone loss, muscle loss and other serious medical condition. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 53%.

    If you look at the chart for GTx, you’ll notice that this stock recently gapped down sharply from over $4 to below $1.50 a share with heavy downside volume. Following that gap down, shares of GTXI have rebounded sharply and started to uptrend, with the stock moving higher from its low of $1.31 to its recent high of $1.96 a share. During that move, shares of GTXI have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of GTXI within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GTXI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $1.96 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.35 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then GTXI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from August that started just above $4 a share. Some possible upside targets if GTXI gets into that gap with volume are $2.50 to $3 a share, or possibly even $3.50 a share.

    Traders can look to buy GTXI off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $1.50 a share. One can also buy GTXI off strength once it takes out $1.96 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2016

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

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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

Hot Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now

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Broadly speaking, retail stocks and the corresponding exchange traded funds have been duds this year. Strip out the retail ETFs with heavy exposure to Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and the performances look even worse.

Hot Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: Gerdau S.A.(GGB)

 

Gerdau S.A. produces and commercializes steel products worldwide. It operates through Brazil, North America, Latin America, Special Steel, and Iron Ore segments. The company provides semi-finished products, which include billets that are bars from square sections of long steel that serve as inputs for the production of wire rod, rebars, and merchant bars; blooms for use in the manufacture of springs, forged parts, heavy structural shapes and seamless tubes; and slabs, which are used in the steel industry for the rolling of various flat rolled products, as well as to produce hot and cold rolled coils, heavy slabs, and profiles. It also offers long rolled products comprising rebars, merchant bars, and profiles, which are primarily used in the construction and manufacturing industries; and drawn products, such as barbed and barbless fence wires, galvanized wires, fences, concrete reinforcing wire mesh, nails, and clamps for manuf acturing, construction, and agricultural industries. In addition, the company offers special and stainless steel products used in tools and machinery, chains, fasteners, railroad spikes, and special coil steel, as well as special sections comprising grader blades, smelter bars, light rails, super light I-beams, elevator guide rails, and other products. Further, it provides flat products, including hot-and cold-rolled steel coils, heavy plates, and profiles; and resells flat steel products. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Gerdau S.A. is a subsidiary of Metal煤rgica Gerdau S.A.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Manikandan Raman]

    On the news, Freeport-McMoRan surged 12 percent to $10.20 and Lundin Mining climbed 12 percent to $3.33. Gerdau SA (ADR) (NYSE: GGB) rose 19 percent to $1.23, Vale SA (ADR) (NYSE: VALE) advanced 18 percent to $4.85 and Banco Bradesco SA (ADR) (NYSE: BBD) gained 11 percent to $7.15.

Hot Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: American Express Company(AXP)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company?s product portfolio consists of charge and credit card products; expense management products and services; consumer and business travel services; stored value cards, including travelers cheques and other prepaid products; network services; merchant acquisition and processing, point-of-sale, servicing and settlement, and marketing and information products and services for merchants; and fee services comprising market and trend analyses and related consulting services, fraud prevention services, and the design of customer loyalty and rewards programs. In addition, it publishes luxury lifestyle magazines; business and travel resources; general interest, cooking, travel, wine, cocktail, financial, and time management books; and international and electronic editions. The company sells its products and services to consumer s, small businesses, mid-sized companies, and large corporations through direct mail, on-line applications, targeted direct and third-party sales forces, and direct response advertising worldwide. American Express Company was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Shares of American Express (AXP) opened up 3% this morning after reporting a big earnings beat but have since given back a big chunk of those gains. Credit Suisse analyst Moshe Orenbuch and Serena Hong explain why its earnings weren’t necessarily as good as they looked:

    Reuters

    American Expressreported 1Q16 EPS of $1.45 ($1.50 excluding restructuring charge), beating our forecast of $1.27 and consensus estimates of $1.33…

    Billed business growth accelerated on an FX adjusted basis, we believe, as a result of the extra day in the quarter as well as faster new account growth since mid-2015. However, the company indicated that a significant percentage of the ~2 million excess new accounts were converted Costco cardmembers who could switch to the Citi Costco card which carries higher rewards when those cards are mailed in June.

    Revenues and expenses helped: Revenues were up 2% y/y and up 4% y/y on an FX adjusted basis and was helped by the leap year as well as spending from new accounts. Expenses were up 5% y/y, including the $84MM of restructuring charges, and the $127mm JetBlue sale gain. Management noted that there would be less “excess spending” than previously guided and 2Q operating expenses are expected to be down significantly as Amex books its gain from the US Costco sale. Long-term, revenue growth will still be negatively impacted by discount rate pressure, and credit costs will be rising.

    Shares of American Express have gained 1% to $65.69 at $11:37 a.m. today, while Costco Wholesale (COST) has dropped 0.9% to $151.40, and JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is off 2.4% at $20.48.

  • [By Javier Hasse] Related AAPL 6 High-Quality Tech Stocks To Buy On The Dip Dr. Dre TV Show 'Vital Signs' Coming To Apple Review Of PostCapitalism By Paul Mason And The Winning Of The Carbon War By Jeremy Leggett (Seeking Alpha) Related WMT Your Recession Playbook: Avoid These Stocks, Buy Ross Stores Wal-Mart's Troubles Extend Beyond Brazil: Beware The U.K. Plug Power: Home Depot Gains Anchor Traction As Plans For A Second DC Emerge (Seeking Alpha) The Dow Jones Industrial Average(INDEXDJX:.DJI) tracks the performance of 30 major U.S. companies, from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) to UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT). The index has lost more than 8.5 percent since the beginning of the year. But, is there a way to capitalize from future declines or surges? Well, there always are binary options.

    2016 has been quite volatile for the Dow. So, a few questions arise. Where will the index go next? Will it continue to surge? Or, will it fall once again? And, is there a way to bet on its performance over the short term without being exposed to high risks and collateral?

  • [By Alex Planes]

    Visa’s long wait to go public — its IPO took place in 2008 — meant that it would not be the first credit card issuer added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) . That honor went to American Express (NYSE: AXP  ) , which earned its spot in 1982 by owning the “premium” credit card market — its 52.5 million card members spent far more in 2012 per card ($8,100 on average!) than either Visa’s ($3,500) or MasterCard’s ($3,000) card members. However, there was a certain irony in the fact that Visa, on its induction to the Dow in 2013, became one of the few companies ever added to directly replace the company that first spun it off.

Best Valued Companies To Buy For 2016: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as an independent clinical laboratory company in the United States. The company offers a range of testing services used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis, and in the monitoring and treatment of disease, as well as specialty testing services. Its routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid tests, Pap tests, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. The company?s specialty tests and related services comprise viral load measurements, genotyping and phenotyping, and host genetic factors for managing and treating HIV infections; cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular genetic tests for diagnostic genetics; oncology tests for diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and treatments; clinical trials testing for pharmaceutical companies, which conducts clinical research trials on diag nostic assays; forensic identity testing used in criminal proceedings and parentage evaluation services, as well as testing services in reconstruction cases; allergy testing; and occupational testing for the detection of drug and alcohol abuse. Its customers include independent physicians and physician groups, hospitals, managed care organizations, governmental agencies, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and other independent clinical laboratories. The company operates a network of 51 primary laboratories and approximately 1,700 patient service centers. In addition, it delivers a co-branded electronic health records Lite solution for physician practices. The company works with university, hospital, and academic institutions, such as Duke University, The Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, and Yale University to license and commercialize new diagnostic tests. Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Burlingt o n, North Carolina.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Analysts expect Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion. Laboratory Corp shares rose 0.64 percent to close at $121.77 on Friday.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion.

    Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE: ROP) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.46 per share on revenue of $895.87 million.

Hot Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: Liquidity Services Inc.(LQDT)

Liquidity Services, Inc. operates various online auction marketplaces for surplus and salvage assets in the United States. Its auction marketplaces include liquidation.com, which enables corporations and selected government agencies located in the United States to sell surplus and salvage consumer goods and capital assets; govliquidation.com that enables government agencies to sell surplus and scrap assets; govdeals.com, which enables local and state government entities, including city, county, and state agencies, as well as school boards and public utilities located in the United States to sell surplus and salvage assets. The company also operates secondipity.com that provides consumers a source of products and a socially conscious online experience through donating a portion of the proceeds of every sale to charity; and truckcenter.com, a marketplace for the sale of idle, surplus, and used fleet and transportation equipment. Its marketplaces provide professional buyers a ccess to supply of surplus and salvage assets presented with customer focused information, including digital images and other relevant product information along with services to complete the transaction; and enable corporate and government sellers to enhance their financial return on excess assets by providing liquid marketplaces and value-added services that integrate sales and marketing, logistics, and transaction settlement. The company offers approximately 500 products organized into various categories, including consumer electronics, general merchandise, apparel, scientific equipment, aerospace parts and equipment, technology hardware, energy equipment, industrial capital assets, fleet and transportation equipment, and specialty equipment. Liquidity Services, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Liquidity Services Inc. (NASDAQ: LQDT) was raised to Buy from Underperform, and the price target was raised up to $45 from $28.50, at Merrill Lynch.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Liquidity Service (LQDT) is an online auction marketplace for surplus and salvage assets. This stock closed up 14.9% at $34.44 in Monday’s trading session.

    Monday’s Volume: 1.60 million

    Three-Month Average Volume: 402,622

    Volume % Change: 336%

    From a technical perspective, LQDT skyrocketed higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $30.94 with strong upside volume. This move briefly saw shares of LQDT trend back above its 200-day moving average at $34.60, before it closed just below that level at $34.44. Shares of LQDT are now quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if LQDT manages to take out Monday’s intraday high of $35.21 and then once it clears some more near-term overhead resistance at $35.71 with high volume.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in LQDT as long as it’s trending above $32.67 or above $31.60 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 402,622 shares. If we get that breakout soon, then LQDT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $38 to $40.90.

Top 10 Food Stocks For 2016

Related EMLC Things Are Getting Junky For Brazil ETFs Nigeria Gets A Bond Index Demotion Emerging Markets Local Currency Bonds: A Market To Revisit (Seeking Alpha)

Rebounding commodities prices and a weaker dollar have been cited as driving factors for several well-known asset classes and sectors this year. Previously downtrodden emerging markets currencies are soaring this year with plenty of help from the two aforementioned catalysts.

As a result, emerging markets bond denominated on local currencies have some tailwinds after being viewed as one of the most vulnerable asset classes to a stronger dollar and higher U.S. interest rates. Some fixed incomes are likely happy with the returns safe U.S. government bond exchange-traded funds are sporting this year.

Top 10 Food Stocks For 2016: Terra Nitrogen Company L.P.(TNH)

Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. engages in the production and sale of nitrogen fertilizer products for agricultural and industrial applications. The company primarily offers anhydrous ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate solutions. Its customers for fertilizer products include dealers, national farm retail chains, and distributors. Terra Nitrogen GP Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. was founded in 1991 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois. Terra Nitrogen Company, LP. operates as a subsidiary of Terra Industries Inc.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Robert Rapier] While the MLP space is dominated by the oil and gas sector, in last week’s article we began to explore some of the more exotic master limited partnership offerings. This week we continue our exploration of nontraditional MLPs by looking at the partnerships supplying fertilizer.

    Rentech (Nasdaq: RTK) has been around for more than a decade, and it has shifted strategies several times. Full disclosure: Rentech’s Chief Technology Officer Harold Wright is a former manager of mine when we were both at ConocoPhillips, and I have visited Rentech’s facility in Commerce City, Colorado.

    For most of Rentech’s existence, the company has sought to commercialize alternative fuels. At one time it had ambitions to build a large coal-to-liquids (CTL) plant, but federal legislation ultimately nudged it instead into the biomass-to-liquids (BTL) space. The company did build a BTL demonstration plant, but ultimately shut it down and has now refocused its effor ts on becoming “one of the largest wood processing companies in the world.”

    During its interesting journey as a company, Rentech acquired two ammonia nitrogen fertilizer facilities, which turned out to be a profit center that funded the alternative energy research. In November 2011, Rentech spun off this fertilizer business into an MLP called Rentech Nitrogen Partners LP (NYSE: RNF).

    In the months leading to the spin-off, RTK’s market capitalization was about $200 million. Rentech maintained 60 percent ownership of RNF, and three months after the spin-off RTK’s market cap had risen to $400 million, while investors had bid RNF up to $1 billion. Interestingly, RTK’s share of RNF was worth more than RTK’s entire market cap, a situation that persists. The market currently values Rentech at $482 million, while the valuation of Rentech Nitrogen Partners makes RTK’s 60 percent stake in RNF worth slightly more than $600 million — another illu

Top 10 Food Stocks For 2016: 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 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 Matthew Smith]

    In our article on September 16th (located here) we said we were still bullish the grocers and thought that Safeway (SWY) would continue to be a winner along with the industry. Apparently, we were not alone in that thinking as the company announced yesterday that they were putting in place a poison pill which will be good for one year in order to keep anyone from building a stake larger than 10% in the company. The move was prompted by Jana Partners taking a 6.2% stake in the company and the hope of management is that this one-year period will either cool the heels of Jana or allow the two parties to work together rather than going hostile. We personally dislike poison pills, but in this case, it should not be seen as a negative as we doubt anyone was considering assembling a stake at or above that 10% level. Investors cheered the news and sent shares higher by $2.75 (9.74%) to close at $30.99/share on extremely heavy volume of 29.8 million shares.

  • [By Aubrey Pringle]

    Safeway (SWY) surged 11 percent to $30.99 for the biggest rise in the S&P 500. The grocery store chain adopted a shareholder rights plan to thwart any unfriendly takeovers, saying an undisclosed purchaser has accumulated a significant amount of stock.

  • [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 Companies To Watch For 2016: CVR Partners LP(UAN)

CVR Partners, LP engages in the production of nitrogen fertilizers including ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Sugar Land, Texas. CVR Partners, LP operates as a subsidiary of CVR Energy, Inc.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Cameron Swinehart]

    Going forward I will be looking to add investments on my watchlist and trim other positions. It will be interesting to see how an overweight commodity portfolio will perform relative to the rest of the market.

     Cost Basis# SharesCurrent Price% of PortfolioCurrent ValueReturnMetal/Miners      Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS)$12.4985$11.043.75%$938.40-13.13%Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV)$7.95125$8.744.37%$1,092.509.04%FreePort-McMoran (FCX)$31.6731$33.874.20%$1,049.976.50%Ishares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING)$13.0695$10.644.04%$1,010.80-22.74%Energy      Statoil ASA(STO)$21.7940$22.683.63%$907.203.92%Vanguard Natural Resources LLC (VNR)$27.5636$27.874.01%$1,003.321.11%ConocoPhillips (COP)$63.6822.43$71.006.37%$1,592.5310.31%Agriculture      CVR Partner LP (UAN)$26.3630.9$18.932.34%$584.94-39.25%Adecoagro$6.78125$7.443.72%$930.008.87%Archer-Daniels Midland (ADM)$34.80 30$37.244.47%$1,117.206.55%Mixed Commodity      Powershares DB Commodity Index (DBC)$26.3540$25.954.15%$1,038.00-1.54%Sprott Resource Corp$3.34400$2.714.34%$1,084.00-23.25%    Total % of portfolio49.40%               Cost Basis12,666.00      Current Value12,348.86      Return-2.50%  Source: Investing For The Future Surge In Commodity Prices

    Disclosure: I am long ADM, FCX, UAN, AGRO, RING, VNR, SCPZF.PK, COP, DBC, PHYS, PSLV. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More…)

  • [By Robert Rapier]

    Enter CVR Partners LP (NYSE: UAN), the only company in the US to produce fertilizer from petroleum coke (petcoke). Petcoke is a byproduct of petroleum refining, and prices are usually set off coal prices, since these two products compete in the same niche. Thus the same dynamics that currently threaten the distributions of Rentech Nitrogen Partners and Terra Nitrogen Company play in CVR Partners’ favor.

Top 10 Food Stocks For 2016: Prestige Brand Holdings Inc.(PBH)

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, selling, and distributing over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products primarily in North America. The company?s Over-The-Counter Healthcare segment offers a portfolio of OTC products under nine core OTC brands, including Chloraseptic sore throat remedies, Clear Eyes eye drops, Compound W wart removers, Dramamine motion sickness products, Efferdent and Effergrip denture products, Little Remedies pediatric healthcare products, Luden’s cough drops, PediaCare pediatric healthcare products, and The Doctor?s brand of oral care products. This segment also provides other significant brands that include Dermoplast first-aid products, Murine eye and ear care products, NasalCrom allergy relief product, New-Skin liquid bandage, and Wartner wart removers. Its Household Cleaning segment markets household cleaning products, such as abrasive and non-abrasive tub and tile cleaner, scrubb i ng pads and sponges, dilutables, anti-bacterial hard surface spray for counter tops, and glass cleaners under the Comet, Chore Boy, and Spic and Span brands. Prestige Brands Holdings distributes its products through various retail channels, including drug, food, dollar, and club stores, as well as supermarkets and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Irvington, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Castor believes the cash has disappeared into working capital, which has grown from 23% to more than 50% since 2008. Comparable company PrestigeBrand (PBH) uses 11%; Unilever(UL) and Colgate-Palmolive(CL) far less.

Top 10 Food Stocks For 2016: 1-800 FLOWERS.COM Inc.(FLWS)

1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. together with its subsidiaries, operates as a florist and gift retailer in the United States. The company offers a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral arrangements and plants, gifts, popcorn, gourmet foods and gift baskets, cookies, chocolates, candy, and wine through its telephonic and online sales channels, company-owned and operated retail floral stores, and franchised stores. It provides gourmet gifts, such as popcorn and specialty treats through thepopcornfactory.com; cookies and baked gifts through cheryls.com; chocolates and confections through fanniemay.com and harrylondon.com; gift baskets and towers through 1800baskets.com; Celebrations brand party ideas and planning tips through celebrations.com; and customizable invitations, announcements, and greeting cards through finestationery.com. As of July 3, 2011, the company operated 2 floral retail stores, 1 fulfillment center, and approximately 100 franchised stores located within the United States. It has strategic online relationships with Facebook, Google, AOL, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Carle Place, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Wayne Duggan]

    U.S. retailers performed poorly during the Christmas holiday season, but companies in the Valentine’s Day business are hoping that Americans will spend generously in the name of love this year. These names include flower delivery company 1-800-Flowers.Com Inc (NASDAQ: FLWS), L Brands Inc (NYSE: LB) (owner of both Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works), Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE: CHD) (owner of Trojan brand condoms), candy giant Hershey Co (NYSE: HSY) and luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF).

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016

50 Cent has posted lots of photos surrounded by cash — while he’s in bankruptcy court. The rapper “50 Cent” is heading to court to explain why he’s declaring bankruptcy — while posting pictures of himself surrounded by cash on Instagram.

Curtis J. Jackson III filed for bankruptcy in July. He claims that he still makes millions, but that a flood of expensive lawsuits is killing him.

The guy who got famous for his 2003 album called “Get Rich or Die Tryin” has poked a lot of fun at his financial situation. But now U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ann M. Nevins is worried the rapper is being outright dishonest.

Since October, 50 Cent has posted several photographs on Instagram of him playing with cash. In one, he’s in bed surrounded by dozens of stacks of $100 bills — easily $50,000 in that picture alone.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: Hooker Furniture Corporation(HOFT)

Hooker Furniture Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, imports, and markets residential wood, metal, and upholstered furniture products in North America. The company offers wood furniture products, including home entertainment, home office, accent, dining, bedroom, and bath furniture in the upper-medium price points sold under the Hooker Furniture brand, and sold at moderate price points under the Envision Lifestyle Collections by Hooker Furniture brand. It also provides youth bedroom furniture under the Opus Designs by Hooker brand; and motion and stationary leather furniture. In addition, the company offers various residential leather and fabric upholstered furniture under the Bradington-Young and Seven Seas upholstery brand; specializes in leather reclining and motion chairs, sofas, club chairs, and executive desk chairs; and offers upscale occasional chairs and other seating under the Sam Moore upholstery brand. It serves retailers of resident ial home furnishings, including independent furniture stores, specialty retailers, department stores, catalog and Internet merchants, interior designers, and national and regional retail chains. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Hooker Furniture Corporation (NASDAQ: HOFT) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.40 per share on revenue of $62.20 million.

    SeaChange International (NASDAQ: SEAC) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $30.49 million.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Transocean Ltd. provides offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells worldwide. It offers deepwater and harsh environment drilling, oil and gas drilling management, and drilling engineering and drilling project management services. The company also offers well and logistics services. In addition, it engages in oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities primarily in the United States offshore Louisiana and Texas, and in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. As of February 10, 2011, the company owned, had partial ownership interests in, and operated 138 mobile offshore drilling units, including 47 high-specification floaters, 25 midwater floaters, 9 high-specification jackups, 54 standard jackups, and 3 other rigs, as well as 1 ultra-deepwater floater and 3 high-specification jackups under construction. Transocean Ltd. was founded in 1953 and is based in Zug, Switzerland.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Goldman Sachs analystWaqar Syed and team see “green shoots [appearing] in the distance” for oil-field-services sector…just not offshore drillers. They explain why they cut Atwood Oceanics (ATW) and Noble (NE) to sell, where they join Transocean (RIG):

Hot Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2016: Signet Jewelers Limited(SIG)

 

Signet Jewelers Limited engages in the retail sale of jewelry and watches in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Channel Islands. Its Sterling Jewelers division operates stores in malls and off-mall locations under the Kay Jewelers, Kay Jewelers Outlet, Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry, Jared VaultTM, Jared Jewelry BoutiqueTM, Jared Vivid, JB Robinson Jewelers, Marks & Morgan Jewelers, Every kiss begins with Kay, He went to Jared, Celebrate Life. Express Love., the Leo Diamond, Hearts Desire, Artistry Diamonds, Charmed Memories, Diamonds in Rhythm, and Open Hearts by Jane Seymour names. As at January 31, 2015, it operated 1,504 stores in 50 states. The companys Zale division operates jewelry stores and mall-based kiosks in shopping malls under the Zales, Zales JewelersTM, Zales the Diamond Store, Zales the Online Diamond StoreTM, Zales Outlet, Gordon’s Jewelers, Peoples Jewellers, Peoples the Diamond Store, Peoples Outlet the Diamond Store, Mappins, Piercing Pagoda, Arctic Brilliance Canadian DiamondsTM, Candy Colored Diamonds and Gemstones, Celebration Diamond, The Celebration Diamond Collection, and Unstoppable LoveT names. As of January 31, 2015, it operated 972 jewelry stores and 605 mall-based kiosks. Its UK Jewelry division operates stores in shopping malls and prime High Street locations under the H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Ernest Jones Outlet Collection, Leslie Davis, and Forever Diamonds names. As at January 31, 2015, this division operated 498 stores. The company also operates a diamond polishing factory, which is involved in diamond sourcing and manufacturing activities. Signet Jewelers Limited was founded in 1950 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Cowen’s Oliver Chen and team cut their rating on Tiffany (TIF) to Market Perform from Outperform, citing “uncontrollable risks,” and stating a preference forSignet Jewelers (SIG). They explain:

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: Unifirst Corporation(UNF)

UniFirst Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides workplace uniforms and protective work wear clothing in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The company designs, manufactures, personalizes, rents, cleans, delivers, and sells a range of uniforms and protective clothing, including shirts, pants, jackets, coveralls, lab coats, smocks, and aprons; and specialized protective wear, such as flame resistant and high visibility garments. It also rents industrial wiping products, floor mats, facility service products, and restroom supplies comprising air fresheners, paper products, and hand soaps, as well as other non-garment items. In addition, the company provides first aid cabinet services and other safety supplies; decontaminates and cleans work clothes that may have been exposed to radioactive materials; and services special clean room protective wear. Further, it offers a range of garment service options, including full-service rental programs in which garment s are cleaned and serviced; lease programs in which garments are cleaned and maintained by individual employees; and purchase programs to buy garments and related items directly. The company serves automobile service centers and dealers, delivery services, food and general merchandise retailers, food processors and service operations, light manufacturers, maintenance facilities, restaurants, service companies, soft and durable goods wholesalers, transportation companies, and others who require employee clothing for image, identification, protection, or utility purposes, as well as government agencies, research and development laboratories, high technology companies, and utilities operating nuclear reactors. The UniFirst Corporation was founded in 1936 and is based in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    UniFirst Corp (NYSE: UNF) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.26 per share on revenue of $362.62 million.

    Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $0.29 per share on revenue of $93.15 million.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: GTx Inc.(GTXI)

GTx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecules for the treatment of cancer, cancer supportive care, and other serious medical conditions. The company markets FARESTON (toremifene citrate) 60 mg tablets for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women primarily through wholesale drug distributors in the United States. It is developing selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), including Ostarine (GTx-024), which has completed Phase II clinical trial for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with non-small cell lung cancer; and CapesarisTM (GTx-758), a selective estrogen receptor alpha agonist that has completed Phase IIa clinical trial for the first line treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In addition, the company is developing estrogen receptor beta agonists and other novel compounds that are in preclinical development stage for the treatment of metabo lic diseases, ophthalmic diseases, cancer, psoriasis, and/or pain. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered Memphis, Tennessee.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One biopharmaceutical player that’s rapidly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade is GTx (GTXI), which is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecules that selectively target hormone pathways to treat cancer, osteoporosis and bone loss, muscle loss and other serious medical condition. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 53%.

    If you look at the chart for GTx, you’ll notice that this stock recently gapped down sharply from over $4 to below $1.50 a share with heavy downside volume. Following that gap down, shares of GTXI have rebounded sharply and started to uptrend, with the stock moving higher from its low of $1.31 to its recent high of $1.96 a share. During that move, shares of GTXI have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of GTXI within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GTXI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $1.96 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.35 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then GTXI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from August that started just above $4 a share. Some possible upside targets if GTXI gets into that gap with volume are $2.50 to $3 a share, or possibly even $3.50 a share.

    Traders can look to buy GTXI off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $1.50 a share. One can also buy GTXI off strength once it takes out $1.96 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: 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.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: Hercules Offshore Inc.(HERO)

Hercules Offshore, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides shallow-water drilling and marine services to the oil and natural gas exploration and production industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and internationally. Its services comprise oil and gas exploration and development drilling, well services, platform inspection, and maintenance and decommissioning services in various water provinces. As of May 10, 2011, the company owned and operated a fleet of 50 jackup rigs, 17 barge rigs, 65 liftboats, 3 submersible rigs, and 1 platform rig. It serves national oil and gas companies, integrated energy companies, and independent oil and natural gas operators. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Hercules Offshore, Inc. (NASDAQ: HERO) is estimated to post a quarterly loss at $1.79 per share on revenue of $68.65 million.

    You On Demand Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: YOD) is expected to report its quarterly earnings.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: T-Mobile US, Inc.(TMUS)

 

T-Mobile US, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile communications services in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company offers voice, messaging, and data services in the postpaid, prepaid, and wholesale markets. It also provides wireless devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and other mobile communication devices, as well as accessories, which are manufactured by various suppliers. It offers services, devices, and accessories through its owned and operated retail stores, as well as through its Websites. T-Mobile US, Inc. also sells its devices and accessories to dealers and other third party distributors for resale through independent third-party retail outlets and various third-party Websites. The company provides its services under the T-Mobile and MetroPCS brands. As of December 31, 2014, it provided services to approximately 55 million customers. T-Mobile US, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. T-Mobile US, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Andrea Tse]

    Despite Verizon consistently being able to keep churn rates at very low levels over the last decade, rates have edged up compared to five years ago. The company’s churn rate for retail postpaid customers came in at 0.93% and 0.97% for the three months and six months ended June 30. Five years ago during the same period, the figures were at 0.83% and 0.88%, respectively. The latest wireless churn rate data on other telecom companies show T-Mobile USA (TMUS) coming in at 1.6% and 1.8% during those same periods, and AT&T’s arriving at 1.02% and 1.03% and almost rivaling Verizon’s during those respective time frames. In any case, Verizon still has the chance to prove that it’s able to beat its own churn rate lows again in the coming years. [Read: Blackberry Fails at the ‘Vision Thing’]

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: Bruker Corporation(BRKR)

Bruker Corporation designs, manufactures, services, and sells proprietary life science and materials research systems worldwide. The company?s Scientific Instruments segment offers advanced instrumentation and automated solutions based on magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, X-ray, spark-optical emission spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, stylus and optical metrology, and infrared and Raman molecular spectroscopy technologies. This segment serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and molecular diagnostic companies; academic institutions, medical schools, and other non-profit organizations; clinical microbiology laboratories; government departments and agencies; nanotechnology, semiconductor, chemical, cement, metals, and petroleum companies; and food, beverage, and agricultural analysis companies and laboratories. Its Energy & Supercon Technologies segment provides superconducting materials, including metallic low temperature superconductors for use in magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance, fusion energy research, and other applications; and ceramic high temperature superconductors primarily for fusion energy research applications, as well as non-superconducting Cuponal materials and wires based on co-extruded copper and aluminum, and non-superconducting high technology tools. Its customers include companies in the medical industry; private and public research and development laboratories in the fields of fundamental and applied sciences, and energy research; academic institutions; and government agencies. This segment is also involved in the development of superconductors and superconducting-enabled devices for applications in power and energy, as well as industrial processing industries. The company markets its products through direct sales force; and distributors, independent sales representatives, and other representatives. Bruker Corporation was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Billerica, M assachusetts.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Javier Hasse]

    Yet another stock experiencing a correction after the bell was Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR), which lost 2.75 percent in after-hours, after having gained 4.5 percent during the day.

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Own For 2016: AAON Inc.(AAON)

AAON, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of air conditioning and heating equipment primarily in the United States and Canada. The company offers rooftop units, chillers, air-handling units, make-up air units, heat recovery units, condensing units, commercial self contained units, and coils. It serves the commercial and industrial new construction and replacement markets. AAON, Inc. sells its products through manufacturers representatives and internal sales force. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

    We’re seeing the exact same setup in shares of small-cap HVAC firm Aaon (AAON). The biggest difference is that in AAON’s case, the ascending triangle pattern is coming in at the top of this stock’s recent price action, not at the bottom. That makes this a more textbook trade for September.

    Another important difference is the fact that AAON hasn’t triggered yet. Shares have been coiling below $26 resistance since the middle of the summer; a breakout above that $26 level is the indicator that it’s time to buy. Whenever you’re looking at any technical price pattern, it’s critical to think in terms of buyers and sellers. Triangles and other price pattern names are a good quick way to explain what’s going on in this stock, but they’re not the reason it’s tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

    That resistance line at $26 is a price where there’s an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it’s a place where sellers have been more eager to take recent gains and sell their shares than buyers have been to buy. That’s what makes the move above it so significant — a breakout indicates that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

    Wait for that to happen before you put your money on this trade.

Hot Value Stocks To Own 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.

Hot Value Stocks To Own Right Now: Durect Corporation(DRRX)

DURECT Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company, develops pharmaceutical products and therapies based on its proprietary drug formulations and delivery platform technologies. The company sells ALZET osmotic pumps for animal research use; LACTEL biodegradable polymers, which are used as raw materials in pharmaceutical and medical products; and excipients for pharmaceutical and medical device clients for use as raw materials in their products. Its product pipeline consists of Remoxy, an oral oxycodone gelatin capsule for the treatment of chronic pain under approval stage with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; POSIDUR, a Phase III clinical stage sustained-release formulation of bupivacaine for the treatment of post-surgical pain; ELADUR, a Phase II clinical stage transdermal bupivacaine patch intended to provide continuous delivery of bupivacaine for up to three days from a single application for pain; and TRANSDUR, a Phase II clinical stage transdermal sufentanil patch intended to provide continuous delivery of sufentanil for up to seven days from a single application for chronic pain. The company?s Phase II clinical stage products comprise ORADUR-based opioid for the treatment of pain; and ORADUR-ADHD for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It also conducts various research programs covering diseases and medical conditions of the central nervous system, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The company has strategic agreement with Hospira, Inc.; Alpharma Ireland Limited; Nycomed Danmark ApS; Pain Therapeutics, Inc.; Pfizer Inc; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and EpiCept Corporation. DURECT Corporation was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 name that’s starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Durect (DRRX), which develops pharmaceutical products based on its proprietary drug delivery technology platforms. This stock is off to a hot start in 2013, with shares up sharply by 41%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Durect, you’ll notice that this stock has been trending sideways for the last two months and change, with shares moving between $1 on the downside and $1.34 on the upside. Shares of DRRX have now started to flirt with that $1.34 major resistance level on Thursday, since the stock has hit an intraday high of $1.35 a share with strong upside volume flows. This could be signaling that shares of DRRX are ready to break out above the upper-end of its recent range and trend substantially higher.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in DRRX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.34 to $1.35 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 679,480 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then DRRX will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from May that started near $1.80 a share. If DRRX gets into that gap with volume, then this stock could easily trend north of $2 a share.

    Traders can look to buy DRRX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at its 50-day moving average of $1.16 a share or its 200-day moving average at $1.11 a share. One can also buy DRRX 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.

Hot Value Stocks To Own Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

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

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By CNBC]

    Tony Tribble, Invision/AP Forget about Bloomin’ Onions or boneless wings, for many consumers, the choice of where to dine often comes down to a different factor: which restaurant has the best booze. “Alcoholic beverages can be a key driver of traffic, differentiation, and loyalty,” said David Decker, president of Consumer Edge Insight. According to the firm, two factors that keep customers coming back are “selection” and “pricing.” Consumer Edge Insight recently surveyed restaurant customers to find out which casual-dining spots generated the most loyalty with their alcoholic beverages. Taking the top spot for “selection” was Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), with 29 percent of those surveyed saying they were “most likely to visit it most often due to its good selection of alcoholic beverages.” Applebee’s (DIN) took the second spot, with 24 percent, and Outback Steakhouse (BLMN) and T.G.I. Friday’s tied for third place with 22 percent each. Prices also keep customers coming back to Buffalo Wild Wings. When asked which casual-dining brand they were “most likely to visit most often due to its good prices of alcoholic beverages,” Buffalo Wild Wings came out on top with 30 percent. Chili’s (EAT) was No. 2 at 23 percent, and Ruby Tuesday (RT) was third with 22 percent. Buffalo Wild Wings has always made alcohol a part of its experience, even making it part of its tagline: “Wings.Beer.Sports.” The chain is the No. 1 account for more than 50 different beer brands and recently launched Game Changer, a new beer in a partnership with Redhook Brewery. Priced between cheaper domestic lagers and pricier craft beers, Game Changer became the fourth-most-popular draft beer at company-owned locations within two weeks of its release. “Among casual-dining restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings is seeing the greatest positive effect in terms of building customer loyalty with its alcohol offerings,” Decker said. “There are many steps other restaurants can take to improve their alcoho

  • [By AnnaLisa Kraft]

    A chicken-wing upstart
    But with success comes competition.McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD  ) is debuting its own Mighty Wings nationally, chicken wings seasoned similarly to Popeye’s New Orleans style with cayenne and chili pepper. The huge quantity of wings that McDonald’s will need likely driving up prices from $1.44 a pound most recently will of course, affect the entire space including Yum! Brands, AFCE, and chicken focused Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  )

Top High Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: 3M Company(MMM)

3M Company, together with subsidiaries, operates as a diversified technology company worldwide. The company?s Industrial and Transportation segment offers tapes, coated and non-woven abrasives, adhesives, specialty materials, filtration products, energy control products, closure systems for personal hygiene products, acoustic systems products, and components and products that are used in the manufacture, repair, and maintenance of automotive, marine, aircraft, and specialty vehicles. Its Health Care segment provides medical and surgical supplies, skin health and infection prevention products, inhalation and transdermal drug delivery systems, dental and orthodontic products, health information systems, and food safety products. The company?s Display and Graphics offers optical film solutions for LCD electronic displays; computer screen filters; reflective sheeting for transportation safety; commercial graphics sheeting and systems; and mobile interactive solutions, includin g mobile display technology, visual systems products, and computer privacy filters. The company?s Consumer and Office segment provides office supply products, stationery products, construction and home improvement products, home care products, protective material products, certain consumer retail personal safety products, and consumer health care products. Its Safety, Security and Protection Services segment offers personal protection products, safety and security products, cleaning and protection products for commercial establishments, track and trace solutions, and roofing granules for asphalt shingles. The company?s Electro and Communications segment provides packaging and interconnection devices; fluids that are used in the manufacture of computer chips, and for cooling electronics and lubricating computer hard disk drives; high-temperature and display tapes; insulating materials, including tapes and resins; and related items. The company was founded in 1902 and is base d in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Dividends4Life]

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  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    3M (MMM) has gained 1.8% to $150.50 after announcing that it would keep and reinvest in its health information systems unit. 3M also said it would increase its dividend.

Hot Value Stocks To Own Right Now: HD Supply Holdings, Inc.(HDS)

 

HD Supply Holdings, Inc. operates as an industrial distributor in North America. The companys Facilities Maintenance segment offers electrical and lighting items, plumbing, appliances, janitorial supplies, hardware, kitchen and bath cabinets, window coverings, textiles and guest amenities, healthcare maintenance, and water and wastewater treatment products, as well as heating, ventilating, and air conditioning products. Its Waterworks segment provides pipes, fittings, valves, hydrants, and meters for use in the construction, maintenance, and repair of water and waste-water systems, as well as fire-protection systems; and smart meters, fusible piping solutions, and engineered treatment plant products and services. The companys Power Solutions segment distributes electrical transmission and distribution products, and power plant maintenance, repair, and operations supplies and smart-grid products; and arranges materials mana gement and procurement outsourcing for the power generation and distribution industries. Its Construction & IndustrialWhite Cap segment offers tilt-up brace systems, forming and shoring systems, concrete chemicals, hand and power tools, rebar, ladders, safety and fall arrest equipment, screws and fasteners, sealants and adhesives, drainage pipes, geo-synthetics, erosion and sediment control equipment, and other engineered materials. The company also provides floorings, cabinets, countertops, and window coverings, as well as design center services; and light remodeling and construction supplies, kitchen and bath cabinets, windows, plumbing materials, electrical equipment, and other products. It serves contractors, maintenance professionals, home builders, industrial businesses, and government entities. The company was formerly known as HDS Investment Holding, Inc. and changed its name to HD Supply Holdings, Inc. in April 2013. HD Supply Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in At lanta, Georgia.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    HD Supply Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: HDS) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $1.63 billion.

    JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ: JASO) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $0.68 per share on revenue of $683.29 million.

Hot Value Stocks To Own Right Now: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Transocean Ltd. provides offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells worldwide. It offers deepwater and harsh environment drilling, oil and gas drilling management, and drilling engineering and drilling project management services. The company also offers well and logistics services. In addition, it engages in oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities primarily in the United States offshore Louisiana and Texas, and in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. As of February 10, 2011, the company owned, had partial ownership interests in, and operated 138 mobile offshore drilling units, including 47 high-specification floaters, 25 midwater floaters, 9 high-specification jackups, 54 standard jackups, and 3 other rigs, as well as 1 ultra-deepwater floater and 3 high-specification jackups under construction. Transocean Ltd. was founded in 1953 and is based in Zug, Switzerland.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Following a November 2011 leak of about 3,600 barrels of oil from a rig offshore of Brazil, Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) and driller Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) were slapped with a penalty of $17.5 billion by the governments public prosecutors office. That payment reportedly hasbeen reduced to less than $42 million as the company and the government have agreed on a settlement.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Goldman Sachs analystWaqar Syed and team see “green shoots [appearing] in the distance” for oil-field-services sector…just not offshore drillers. They explain why they cut Atwood Oceanics (ATW) and Noble (NE) to sell, where they join Transocean (RIG):

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Fleet updates from Noble (NE) and Transocean (RIG) demonstrated that there is, indeed, work to be had at the right price.Raymond James analystPraveen Narra and team like what they saw in Transocean’s fleet update:

  • [By Teresa Rivas]

    Chevron and Transocean (RIG) were named in the $20 billion lawsuit over a 2011 oil spill off the southeast coast of the country, and both parties are expected to sign off on the deal today, reports The Wall Street Journal. Criminal charges against executives have already been dropped.

Top Cheap Companies For 2016

In the lunar calendar that started February 8, this is the Year of the Red Monkey. I found this description of the Red Monkey quite apt:

“According to Chinese Five Elements Horoscopes, Monkey contains Metal and Water. Metal is connected to gold. Water is connected to wisdom and danger. Therefore, we will deal with more financial events in the year of the Monkey. Monkey is a smart, naughty, wily and vigilant animal. If you want to have good return for your money investment, then you need to outsmart the Monkey. Metal is also connected to the Wind. That implies the status of events will be changing very quickly. Think twice before you leap when making changes for your finance, career, business relationship and people relationship.”

Top Cheap Companies For 2016: Kohl’s Corporation(KSS)

Kohl?s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. The company?s stores offer private and exclusive, as well as national branded apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and children; soft home products, such as sheets and pillows; and housewares primarily to middle-income customers. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 1,089 stores in 49 states. The company also offers on-line shopping on its Web site at Kohls.com. Kohl?s Corporation was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Credit Suisse analysts Michael Exstein and Anjani Vedula call Kohl’s (KSS) the “canary in the coal mine” for mall retailers. They explain why:

    Rarely does a sector see a secular shift as dramatic as the one now occurring in retail in general and the mall anchors specifically. After last year’s poor operating and stock performance, many retail investors are now expecting a significant cyclical recovery in margins. However, we do not think this is a realistic expectation because mall anchors’ expense structures have fundamentally changed for two reasons: 1) sales mix has shifted towards the lower margin e-commerce channel; 2) brick & mortar operating margins are increasingly pressured (on both an absolute dollar basis as well as % of sales basis), leading to lower operating margins in aggregate.

    Using Kohl’s 10-K disclosure to illustrate this shift. We illustrate this secular shift in mall anchors’ expense structures by modelling the breakout in operating income for Kohl’s brick & mortar business (B&M) versus their e-commerce business. Kohl’s gives more details on the shift in SG&A than its peers, making it easier to illustrate the pressures the industry is under. In fact, in spite of the pressures, Kohl’s has maintained relatively constant sales as well as gross margins, no small feat considering they are absorbing shipping & handling charges associated with e-commerce. In effect, we are using Kohl’s as the “canary in the coal mine”, as a preview of a larger secular issue facing the mall anchor sector…

    While all retailers with an e-commerce business are exposed to these secular changes to some degree, those with a higher e-commerce penetration are more exposed, sooner. On the brick & mortar operations side, those retailers with the lowest wage rates are likely to be most impact by the essentially industry-wide wage increases brought on b

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Shares of Kohl’s (KSS) are getting killed today after the retailer cut its full-year guidance as profit margins shrank. Citigroup’s Paul Lejuez and Tracy Kogan have the details:

    Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor/Associated Press

    Not unlike its department store peers, Kohl’s had a tough 4Q. Though comps were up slightly (+0.4%), it was below consensus of +1.7% (though inline with our flat forecast) and margins were significantly below plan as the company needed promotions to drive sales. As we indicated in our 1/4/16 report An Object In Motion(Retail Physics Hold True For Holiday), we believe elevated inventories at dept stores will pressure GM in 1Q (and we believe this will hold true for Kohl’s). Given the tough landscape, and with 1,000+ stores across the country, we believe Kohl’s will continue to be challenged to drive sales and earnings higher, despite its many in-store initiatives. We reiterate our Neutral rating…We are lowering our 2015E/2016E from $4.25/$4.29 to $4.00/$3.91. For 2016 we model comps 0-(1)% and op margin of 7.4% (down 80bps). We are lowering our TP from $49 to $46 to reflect our forecast reduction.

    Shares of Kohl’s have tumbled 16% to $43.04 at 11:28 a.m. today, while Macy’s (M) has dropped 2.6% to $40.56, and Nordstrom (JWN) has fallen 5.7% to $47.64.

     

Top Cheap Companies For 2016: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is base d in Armonk, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Stoyan Bojinov]

    On Tuesday, New York-based “Big Blue” bellwether IBM Corp. (IBM) announced its commitment to developing and investing in open source software, namely Linux.

    IBM re-affirmed its dedication to work more closely with the Linux OS in light of the LinuxCon event taking place this week. The company is reportedly setting aside roughly $1 billion over the course of the next four to five years to invest in the development of Linux-based technologies and platforms. Sources say the money will likely go into building a “cloud” based on IBM Power servers running Linux; the company did not disclose whether it was financing Linux developments internally or through third-party projects.

    IBM shares sank lower on Tuesday, shedding 0.51% on the day. The stock is flat YTD.

Hot Electric Utility Stocks To Watch For 2016: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Emerson Electric Co. operates as a diversified manufacturing and technology company. The company engages in appliance solutions, climate technologies, industrial automation, motor technology, network power, process management, professional tools, and storage solutions businesses. Its appliance solutions business provides appliance controls, appliance motors, heating products, and white-rodgers; climate technology business provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) solutions for residential, industrial, and commercial applications; and industrial automation business offers bearings and power transmission products, electrical power generation products, electric motors, variable speed drives and servos, electrical products, material joining solutions, fluid automation products, and wind turbine systems. The company?s motor technology business provides appliance motors, HVACR motors, DC motors, fractional horsepower motors, integral horsepower a nd larger motors, and drives; network power business provides power, precision cooling, connectivity, and embedded solutions; and process management business provides various wireless related products from self-organizing field networks to wireless asset and people tracking. Its professional tools business offers pipe working and threading equipment, pressing technology, utility locating and visual diagnostics systems, drain maintenance tools, power tools, air tools, general purpose hand tools, wet/dry vacs, job site storage equipment, truck tool boxes and equipment, and van storage equipment; and storage solutions business provides shelving and storage products for residential, commercial, and foodservice needs, as well as offers specialized carts, mobile computer workstations, and cabinet fixtures. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Rising Dividend Investing]

    Pent Up Demand Pushing Cyclical Stocks

    We are coming out of a lengthy period of decreased spending in the wake of 2008-09, which has built pent up demand for automobiles, housing and capital expenditures. The average age of vehicles on the road has reached a record high of 11.4 years. Demand for new houses fell off dramatically since the Great Recession. The average U.S. home was built in 1974 and continues to age.
    As people have chosen to fix rather than replace their vehicles and homes, we’ve seen the replacement-type industries do very well. Auto Retail’s second quarter sales and earnings per share were up 14.7% and 18.6%, respectively. Home improvement retail grew sales nearly 10% with earnings up 20% from second quarter 2012.
    Adding to the pent up demand for housing is the number of young people living with their parents rather than buying or renting on their own. According to real-estate marketplace Trulia, the number of “missing hou seholds” (Americans who would currently be owning or renting a home if pre-recession economic trends had continued) was up to 2.4 million in March. More than half of these missing households are 18 to 34-year-olds.
    This pent up demand extends beyond just the immediate products being bought by consumers. Businesses have held off replacing durable goods since the recession. All of this excess demand will have to be released at some point. Eventually, these homes and vehicles will exceed their useful life and need to be replaced. To meet the need for the excess demand, companies will not be able to hold off re-investing in new plant equipment.
    We’ve seen the beginning of this demand in 2013 and believe there is more to come. The market is buying into this as well, as more growth and manufacturing oriented sectors – such as Consumer Discretionary and Industrials – have performed well over the near-term.
    Share prices for stocks in the Indu strial sectors are mo

Top Cheap Companies For 2016: S&P GSCI(GD)

General Dynamics Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; military and commercial shipbuilding; and communications and information technology products and services worldwide. Its Aerospace group designs, manufactures, and outfits various large and mid-cabin business-jet aircraft; provides maintenance, repair work, fixed-based operations, and aircraft management services; and performs aircraft completions for aircraft. The company?s Combat Systems group offers tracked and wheeled military vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions. Its product lines include wheeled combat and tactical vehicles; battle tanks and infantry vehicles; munitions and propellant; rockets and gun systems; and axle and drivetrain components and aftermarket parts. This group also manufactures and supplies engineered axles, suspensions, and brakes for heavy-load vehicles for military and commercial customers. The company Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Deutsche Bank’s Myles Walton and Louis Raffetto explain why the cut General Dynamics (GD) to Hold from Buy:

    [Gulfstream] G650 inventory and price trends quickly becoming a problem: With the bizjet malaise & the unique contribution that the G650 has to General Dynamics, weve kept a particular eye on that product as downside risk. Over the last five months, weve seen the available for sale G650s move from 9 to 22 currently (vs. 4 in Mar 15). Additionally, the continued downward asking price will start to impede on new G650 ordersif not cancellation activity (average ask ~$66M with negotiating flexibility of about $5M). With realized prices for new aircraft at $67M, we havent seen much cancellation activity and perhaps wont given sizable customer deposits; however, the inventory climb implies OEM production may be 20-30% above actual demand over the medium-term…

    We remain positive onGeneral Dynamics’ defense biz (60% of ’16E seg EBIT) & while we’ve historically seen Gulfstream as a plus despite softening bizjet trends, the alarming G650 available-for-sale trends in the last few months has moved our opinion. While risks related to the G450/550 transition to the G500/600 are well known, it is the G650 that drives 2/3rds of the unit’s profit and with 2-3 G650/mo hitting the market for every 5/mo delivered, we struggle with sustainability and accordingly lower ourGeneral Dynamics EPS estimates 5% and 10% for 2017 & 2018, respectively. Downgrade to Hold on preference for select peers.

    Of the 21 stocks Walton covers, he Buy ratings on eight, including Boeing (BA), Northrop Grumman (NOC), and Rockwell Collins (COL).

    Shares of General Dynamics have dropped 4% to $129 at 2:34 p.m. today, while Boeing has fallen 1.1% to $131.43, Northrop Grumman has declined 0.6% to $193.89, and Rockwell Collins has 0.9% $90.83.

     

Top Cheap Companies For 2016: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minn e tonka, Minnesota.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Javier Hasse] Related AAPL 6 High-Quality Tech Stocks To Buy On The Dip Dr. Dre TV Show 'Vital Signs' Coming To Apple Review Of PostCapitalism By Paul Mason And The Winning Of The Carbon War By Jeremy Leggett (Seeking Alpha) Related WMT Your Recession Playbook: Avoid These Stocks, Buy Ross Stores Wal-Mart's Troubles Extend Beyond Brazil: Beware The U.K. Plug Power: Home Depot Gains Anchor Traction As Plans For A Second DC Emerge (Seeking Alpha) The Dow Jones Industrial Average(INDEXDJX:.DJI) tracks the performance of 30 major U.S. companies, from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) to UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT). The index has lost more than 8.5 percent since the beginning of the year. But, is there a way to capitalize from future declines or surges? Well, there always are binary options.

    2016 has been quite volatile for the Dow. So, a few questions arise. Where will the index go next? Will it continue to surge? Or, will it fall once again? And, is there a way to bet on its performance over the short term without being exposed to high risks and collateral?

  • [By Reuters]

    Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images NEW YORK — Walgreen is moving 120,000 employees to a private health insurance exchange from coverage provided directly from carriers, the company will announce Wednesday. The pharmacy chain will join 17 other large employers on the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange as part of a growing movement to offer employees fixed dollar amounts to purchase their own plans on such exchanges. The end-cost to employees depends on the plan chosen, but they typically get more options than under traditional arrangements. Private exchanges mimic the coverage mandated as part of the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in the public exchanges starts Oct. 1. “What happens to employer contributions over time? Will they put in as much as they put in the past? These are unanswered questions but potential negatives,” says Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The benefit to Walgreen and other employers is unknown at this point, as their cost-savings aren’t clear. Of the 180,000 Walgreen (WAG) employees eligible for health care insurance, 120,000 opted for coverage for themselves and 40,000 family members. Another 60,000 employees, many of them working part-time, weren’t eligible for health insurance. Aon Hewitt (AON) says other participants in its program include retailer Sears Holding (SHLD) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). These new additions raise enrollment to 330,000 from 100,000 last year, and Aon Hewitt estimates enrollment will jump to 600,000 next year, a fivefold increase from 2012. By 2017, nearly 20 percent of employees nationwide could get their health insurance through a private exchange, according to Accenture Research (ACN). A recent report by the National Business Group on Health said that 30 percent of large employers are considering moving active employees to exchanges by 2015. Other major providers of private exchanges include Mercer, a division of Marsh & Mc

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now

The S&P 500 this week suffered its biggest drop in two months as investors fretted about the strength of the economy as earnings season approaches.

Associated Press

The S&P 500 fell 1.2% to2,047.60 this week–its worst decline since the week ending Fe. 5–after rising 0.3% today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.2% to17,576.96 this week after advancing 35 points, or 0.2%, today. The Nasdaq Composite declined 1.3% to 4,850.69 this week after finishing little changed today.

Gluskin Sheff’s David Rosenberg worries that the market is headed for another correction:

It looks very likely that we are entering into another corrective phase for the equity markets. The bounce off the February 11th low has played out and the various factors that propelled risk appetite at the time are now fully priced in and then some.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: CA Inc.(CA)

CA Technologies, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, markets, delivers, licenses, and supports information technology (IT) management software products that operate on a range of hardware platforms and operating systems. It offers enterprise IT management software for organizations that addresses components of the computing environment, including people, information, processes, systems, networks, applications, and databases. The company provides a portfolio of mainframe and distributed software products with a focus on mainframe, service assurance, security (identity and access management), project and portfolio management, service management, virtualization and service automation, and cloud computing. It serves banks, insurance companies, other financial services providers, government agencies, manufacturers, technology companies, retailers, educational organizations, and health care institutions worldwide. CA Technologies offers its solutions through its d irect sales force and indirectly through global systems integrators, technology partners, managed service providers, solution providers, distributors and volume partners, and exclusive representatives. The company was formerly known as CA, Inc. and changed its name to CA Technologies in May 2010. CA Technologies was founded in 1974 and is based in Islandia, New York.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

    The chart of CA (CA) doesn’t need much introduction — it’s about as simple as a technical pattern gets. CA is currently bouncing higher in an uptrending channel, a setup that gives us a very high probability range for shares of CA to remain within. Here’s how to trade it.

    Trendline support is the price level to watch right now in CA — it’s been the floor that’s kept CA bouncing higher each of the last five times it’s been tested. Even though it generally makes sense to be a buyer anywhere in an uptrend, the ideal time to buy comes on a bounce off of support.

    Buying off a support bounce makes sense for two big reasons: It’s the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it’s the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you’re wrong). With little room between the trendline support line and CA’s most recent price, this week looks like as good a time as any to start building a position.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.(BCRX)

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, designs, optimizes, and develops small-molecule pharmaceuticals that block key enzymes involved in infectious diseases, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. It uses structure-based drug design, which incorporates multiple scientific disciplines, including biology, crystallography, medicinal chemistry, and computer to develop new therapeutic candidates. The company has three novel late-stage compounds in development, which include Peramivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor for the potential treatment of influenza; BCX4208, a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor for gout; and Forodesine, a PNP inhibitor for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Peramivir is being developed under a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Forodesine has been granted orphan drug status by the FDA for thr ee indications, which include T-cell non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma, including CTCL; CLL and related leukemias, including T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, adult T-cell leukemia, and hairy cell leukemia; and for treatment of B-ALL. The FDA has also granted fast track status to the development of forodesine for the treatment of relapsed or refractory T-cell leukemia, and special protocol assessment from the FDA for forodesine to conduct a pivotal clinical trial in CTCL with an oral formulation. The company announced the initiation of a Phase 2b study of BCX4208 as add-on therapy in gout patients who have not responded to allopurinol therapy alone. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals utilizes crystallography and structure-based drug design to discover additional compounds and to progress others through pre-clinical and early development to address the unmet medical needs of patients and physicians. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX) shares gained 5.98% to $6.91 in the pre-market session after the company has been awarded contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop BCX4430 for the treatment of Marburg virus disease.

Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Own Right Now: Intrexon Corporation(XON)

 

Intrexon Corporation, a biotechnology company, operates in the synthetic biology field in the United States. The company, through a suite of proprietary and complementary technologies, designs, builds, and regulates gene programs, which are DNA sequences that consist of key genetic components. Its technologies include UltraVector gene design and fabrication platform, and its associated library of modular DNA components; cell systems informatics; RheoSwitch inducible gene switch; AttSite Recombinases; protein engineering; mAbLogix; and laser-enabled analysis and processing. Intrexon Corporation has collaboration agreements with ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc.; Synthetic Biologics, Inc.; Oragenics, Inc.; Fibrocell Science, Inc.; Genopaver, LLC; AquaBounty Technologies, Inc.; S & I Ophthalmic, LLC; Biological & Popular Culture, Inc.; OvaXon, LLC; Intrexon Energy Partners, LLC; Persea Bio, LLC; Janssen Pharmaceutica NV; and strategic coll aboration and licensing agreement with Merck Serono S.A. The company was formerly known as Genomatix Ltd. and changed its name to Intrexon Corporation in 2005. Intrexon Corporation was founded in 1998 and is based in Germantown, Maryland.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Overvalued companies include MWI Veterinary (MWIV) andStericycle (SRCL), while companies with attractive valuations include Cardinal Health (CAH), Selected Medical (SEM). He’s not a fan of Intrexon (XON) but callsAratana (PETX) a “hidden gem.”

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In 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 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Frontier Communications Corporation(FTR)

 

Frontier Communications Corporation, a communications company, provides regulated and unregulated voice, data, and video services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in the United States. The company offers residential services, such as fiber-to-the-home and fiber-to-the-node broadband, video, and voice over Internet protocol products, as well as traditional copper-based broadband products; and commercial services, including Ethernet, dedicated Internet, multiprotocol label switching, time division multiplexing, data transport services, and optical transport services. It also provides Frontier Secure suite of products for computer security, cloud backup and sharing, identity protection, equipment insurance, and technical support; unified messaging services comprising call forwarding, conference calling, caller identification, voicemail, and call waiting services; long distance network services; and packages of co mmunications services. In addition, the company offers switched access services that facilitate other carriers to use the companys facilities to originate and terminate their local and long distance voice traffic; satellite TV video services; a range of third-party communications equipment to small, medium, and enterprise business customers; and directories. As of December 31, 2014, it had approximately 3,214,800 residential customers; approximately 304,700 business customers; 2,373,900 broadband subscribers; and 586,600 video subscribers. The company was formerly known as Citizens Communications Company and changed its name to Frontier Communications Corporation in July 2008. Frontier Communications Corporation was founded in 1927 and is based in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By WilliamBriat]

    Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR) provides phone, Internet, and satellite TV (through a partnership with DISH Network) services to more than 25 states. The company provides an annual dividend of 9.3% and reaffirmed its full-year guidance.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Oaktree Capital Group, LLC(OAK)

 

Oaktree Capital Group, LLC operates as a global investment management firm that focuses on alternative markets. It manage investments in a number of strategies within six asset classes, including distressed debt; corporate debt, including high yield debt and senior loans; control investing; convertible securities; real estate; and listed equities. The company pursues these strategies through closed-end, open-end, and evergreen funds. Oaktree Capital Group, LLC was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Igor Greenwald, Financial Columnist, The Energy Strategist]

    Oaktree Capital Group (OAK) raises most of the funds it invests in companies, credit, and real estate from institutional investorsincluding public pension fundsand charges them hedge-like fees for the privilege.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Credit Suisse Group(CS)

Credit Suisse Group AG, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a financial services company. The company operates in three segments: Private Banking, Investment Banking, and Asset Management. The Private Banking segment offers advisory services and a range of wealth management solutions, including pension planning, life insurance products, tax planning, and wealth and inheritance advice for the high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. This segment also supplies banking products and services to affluent, high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, and corporates and institutions. The Investment Banking segment provides investment banking and securities products and services to corporations, governments, pension funds, and institutions. Its products and services include debt and equity underwriting, sales and trading, mergers and acquisitions advice, divestitures, corporate sales, restructuring, and investment research. The Asset Management segment offe rs integrated investment solutions and services to institutions, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations, and individuals. It provides access to a range of investment classes across alternative investment, asset allocation, and traditional investment strategies. The company operates in Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. Credit Suisse Group AG was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Wayne Duggan] Related DB Deutsche Bank In The Tank Mike Khouw Sees Unusual Options Activity In Deutsche Bank 33 Large Banks On The Federal Reserve's Radar In 2016 (Seeking Alpha) Related CS Earnings Scheduled For February 4, 2016 Blockchain Moves Forward In The Financial Industry Credit Suisse Group AG (CS) Tidjane Thiam on Q4 2015 Results – Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha)

    The latest credit default swap (CDS) data from BMO Capital Markets indicate a number of investors are growing increasingly concerned about the one-year outlook for capital markets. In a new report, analyst Mark Steele discussed the recent surge in one-year CDS activity, and what it means for the market.

  • [By Paul R. La Monica]

    European banks worse off than 2008? Lamensdorf is concerned about the exposure to bad loans (especially energy company debt) held by big banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Credit Suisse (CS) and Deutsche Bank (DB). He’s shorting all three.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Williams-Sonoma Inc.(WSM)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home products. It offers culinary and serving equipment, including cookware, cookbooks, cutlery, informal dinnerware, glassware, table linens, specialty foods, and cooking ingredients; and bridal and gift items under the Williams-Sonoma brand name. The company also provides home furnishing categories, including furniture, textiles, decorative accessories, lighting, and tabletop items under the West Elm brand name; bed and bath products under the Pottery Barn brand name; and children?s furnishings and accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand name. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. sells its home products through four retail store concepts, which include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and West Elm; six direct-mail catalogs that comprise Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed and Bath, PBteen, and West Elm; and six e-commerce Websites, which consist of williams-sonoma.com, potte rybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, pbteen.com, westelm.com, and wshome.com. As of January 30, 2011, it operated 592 stores, including 260 Williams-Sonoma, 193 Pottery Barn, 85 Pottery Barn Kids, 36 West Elm, and 18 outlet stores located in 44 states of the United States; Washington, D.C.; Canada; and Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Wall Street expects Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) to post its quarterly earnings at $1.58 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion. Williams-Sonoma shares declined 0.14 percent to $58.13 in after-hours trading.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) is projected to post its quarterly earnings at $1.58 per share on revenue of $1.62 billion.

    CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) is estimated to post its quarterly earnings at $0.40 per share on revenue of $310.87 million.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc.(WEN)

The Wendy’s Company operates as a quick-service hamburger company in the United States. The company, through its subsidiary, Wendy’s International, Inc., operates as a franchisor of the Wendy’s restaurant system. As of December 26, 2011, the Wendy’s system comprised approximately 6,500 franchise and company restaurants in the United States and the United States territories, as well as in 26 other countries worldwide. The company was formerly known as Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. and changed its name to The Wendy’s Company in July 2011. The Wendy’s Company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Jim Jubak, Senior Markets Editor, MoneyShow.com]

    It’s hard for any company to raise prices in the current non-inflationary environment. But it’s especially hard right now for operators of fast food restaurants, given the intense price competition in a very crowded marketplace. McDonald’s sales growth in recent quarters has been driven by the success of its Dollar Menu, so raising prices in that segment are a big deal for the company. In addition, pushback from franchisees who say they can’t afford to refurbish their stores, given higher charges from McDonald’s hits at one of McDonald’s key advantages in its market—it’s ability to refresh stores more frequently than competitors. A McDonald’s refresh at $600,000 on average, according to the company, costs substantially more than a remodel at Burger King (BKW) at $300,000 or Wendy’s (WEN) at $375,000 for the least expensive version. McDonald’s restaurants average $2.5 million in annual sales.

  • [By Michael Flannelly]

    Argus Research upgraded fast food restaurant operator The Wendy’s Co (WEN) on Thursday, noting that the company’s store remodeling and new menus should help drive higher sales.

    The analysts upgraded WEN from “Hold” to “Buy” and see shares reaching $10. This price target suggests a 21% upside to the stock’s Wednesday closing price of $8.25.

    Wendy’s shares were up 24 cents, or 2.91%, during early morning trading on Thursday. The stock is up 54.19% year-to-date.

Top 10 Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Nu Skin Enterprises Inc.(NUS)

Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. develops and distributes anti-aging personal care products and nutritional supplements worldwide. The company sells its personal care products under the Nu Skin brand; and nutritional supplements under the Pharmanex brand. Its personal care product line includes core systems, targeted treatments, total care, cosmetic, and Epoch, a product formulated with botanical ingredients. The company?s nutritional supplements product line comprises micronutrient supplements, targeted solution supplements, and weight management products. It also sells Vitameal, which are nutritious meal products for starving children or purchased for personal food storage. In addition, the company offers other products and services consisting of digital content storage, water purifiers, and other household products. It sells its products primarily through a network of independent distributors in north Asia, the Americas, Greater China, Europe, and the south Asia/Pacific. The c ompany also operates retail stores to sell its products in China. As of December 31, 2010, Nu Skin Enterprises operated 40 stores throughout China. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Provo, Utah.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Citigroup’s Beth Kite calls Nu Skin Enterprises’ (NUS) earnings and guidance “awfully disappointing.” She explains why:

    “Frustrating” Describes 4Q15 & 2016 Guidance:Nu Skin (i) reported 4Q15 EPS of $0.62, 11 cents below consensus and us, and (ii) lowered 2016 EPS guidance, from $3.25-$3.40 to $2.40-$2.60.Nu Skin had three LTO’s in 4Q152 succeeded and 1 failed. The failure had far less to do with the product than with the sales strategy…

    Is Guidance Too Conservative or Is It Really This Bad? We get that Me failed to sell well in South Korea with the 12-month cartridge commitment. But given the strength in reps globally, the strength of Youth from its two LTOs in 2H15, and good results from Me when sold in Japan without the 12-month commitment, we wonder if guidance is aggressive to the downside. Indeed, the word “conservative” was said a lot by mgmt on the brief earnings call when describing guidance revisions.

    Maintaining Buy: While we now have less confidence in mgmt, from an external perspective, to forecast its results accurately, and from an internal perspective, to course correct quicklyi.e., why didn’t they drop the 12-month plan for Me in South Korea when it so obviously wasn’t workingwe are still confident in Youth & Me. The rep growth in South Asia/Pacific from Youth in 3Q led to better 4Q sales than we’d expected, Youth’s Americas LTO in 4Q drove lc sales up 26% YoY, and Me not only sold through in Japan in 4Q but also drove reps higher. We imagine that investors may have little patience or confidence in Nu Skin for a while, understandably. But the bar seems set fairly low now, so we are cautiously optimistic that Nu Skin can dig itself out of this hole as we go through 2016 and Me & Youth roll out more fully.

    Shares of Nu Skin have tumbled 13% to $27.31 at 2:11 p.m. today.

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016

Related OII Earnings Scheduled For February 10, 2016 Oceaneering Announces Vessel Services Agreement, Expected To Commence In Nov 2015, Contract Provides 4-Option Periods Of 6-months Each Related WG Earnings Scheduled For March 9, 2016 Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Netflix Drops Following Baird Downgrade; Lululemon Shares Rise Willbros misses by $0.19, misses on revenue (Seeking Alpha)

Toward the end of trading Friday, the Dow traded up 1.20 percent to 17,199.62 while the NASDAQ climbed 1.47 percent to 4,730.73. The S&P also rose, gaining 1.38 percent to 2,017.11.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

On Friday, energy shares surged by 2.60 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII), Willbros Group Inc (NYSE: WG), and Cobalt International Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CIE).

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Gilead Sciences, Inc.(GILD)

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc., a research-based biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines in areas of unmet medical needs in North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. The companys products include Genvoya, Stribild, Complera/Eviplera, Atripla, Truvada, Viread, Emtriva, Tybost, and Vitekta for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in adults; and Harvoni, Sovaldi, Viread, and Hepsera products for the treatment of liver diseases. It also offers Zydelig, a PI3K delta inhibitor, in combination with rituximab, for the treatment of certain blood cancers; Letairis, an endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension; Ranexa, a tablet used for the treatment of chronic angina; Lexiscan/Rapiscan injection for use as a pharmacologic stress agent in radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging; Cayston, an inhaled antibiotic for the treat ment of respiratory systems in cystic fibrosis patients; and Tamiflu, an oral antiviral capsule for the treatment and prevention of influenza A and B. In addition, the company provides other products, such as AmBisome, an antifungal agent to treat serious invasive fungal infections; and Macugen, an anti-angiogenic oligonucleotide to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Further, it has product candidates in various stages of development for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and liver diseases, such as hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus; inflammation/oncology; serious cardiovascular; and respiratory conditions, as well as diabetic nephropathy and ebola. The company markets its products through its commercial teams and/or in conjunction with third-party distributors and corporate partners. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has collaboration agreements with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Janssen R&D Ireland, Japan Tobacco Inc., and Galapagos NV. The company was founded in 1987 an d is headquartered in Foster City, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Citigroup’s Robyn Karnauskas and Mohit Bansal have the latest update on Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) hepatitis-c treatment prescriptions:

    Gilead Sciences

    IMS released data for the week ending 3/11/2016 this AM. Gilead HCV continues to hold ground at 94% share…

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minn e tonka, Minnesota.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Javier Hasse] Related AAPL 6 High-Quality Tech Stocks To Buy On The Dip Dr. Dre TV Show 'Vital Signs' Coming To Apple Review Of PostCapitalism By Paul Mason And The Winning Of The Carbon War By Jeremy Leggett (Seeking Alpha) Related WMT Your Recession Playbook: Avoid These Stocks, Buy Ross Stores Wal-Mart's Troubles Extend Beyond Brazil: Beware The U.K. Plug Power: Home Depot Gains Anchor Traction As Plans For A Second DC Emerge (Seeking Alpha) The Dow Jones Industrial Average(INDEXDJX:.DJI) tracks the performance of 30 major U.S. companies, from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) to UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT). The index has lost more than 8.5 percent since the beginning of the year. But, is there a way to capitalize from future declines or surges? Well, there always are binary options.

    2016 has been quite volatile for the Dow. So, a few questions arise. Where will the index go next? Will it continue to surge? Or, will it fall once again? And, is there a way to bet on its performance over the short term without being exposed to high risks and collateral?

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Exelon Corporation(EXC)

 

Exelon Corporation, a utility services holding company, engages in the energy generation and delivery businesses in the United States. It owns electric generating facilities, such as nuclear, fossil, and hydroelectric generation facilities, as well as wind and solar photovoltaic facilities. The company also sells renewable energy and other energy-related products and services; and engages in the natural gas and oil exploration and production activities, as well as sells electricity and natural gas to wholesale and retail customers. In addition, it engages in the purchase and regulated retail sale of electricity, and the provision of electricity transmission and distribution services to retail customers in northern Illinois, southeastern Pennsylvania, and central Maryland. Further, the company is involved in the purchase and regulated retail sale of natural gas, and the provision of gas distribution services to retail customers in the Pennsylvania counties surrounding the City of Philadelphia, as well as in central Maryland, including the City of Baltimore. It serves distribution utilities, municipalities, cooperatives, and financial institutions, as well as commercial, industrial, governmental, and residential customers. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Horizon Investments]

    For the past year, Exelon Corp. (EXC) has had a roller coaster ride, with the stock having plummeted 15% since September 2012 – the company had announced a dividend cut of 41%, which led to a drop in the share price. Separately, the recent weak PJM auction prices did not bode well for the company. However, I believe the worst is priced in the stock price, and the company’s management is committed to improving its financial flexibility and cost structure in order to strengthen its financial performance. Also, the company is planning to incur capital expenditure (CAPEX) in the upcoming years, which will result in rate base growth for Exelon.

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: SVB Financial Group(SIVB)

SVB Financial Group, a diversified financial services company, provides various banking and financial products and services. The company offers deposit products, such as traditional deposit and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and sweep accounts, as well as lockbox and merchant services; and lending products and services, including traditional term loans, equipment loans, asset-based loans, revolving lines of credit, accounts-receivable-based lines of credits, capital call lines of credits, and credit cards. It also provides cash management products and services comprising wire transfer and automated clearing house payment services, collection services, disbursement services, electronic funds transfers, and online banking services. In addition, the company offers foreign exchange services; letters of credit, including export, import, and standby letters of credit; investment services and solutions; brokerage; asset management; investment a dvisory services, such as outsourced treasury services; and non-banking products and services, such as funds management, venture capital/private equity investment, and equity valuation services. Further, it provides private banking services comprising mortgages, home equity lines of credit, restricted stock purchase loans, and other secured and unsecured lending services. As of March 09, 2012, the company operated 26 offices in the United States and 7 offices internationally. It serves customers in the technology, venture capital/private equity, life science, wine, and clean tech industries. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    The twenty stocks in Worth’s basket are: Ameriprise Financial (AMP) Bank of America, Banner (BANR), Citigroup, Citizens Financial Group (CFG), East West Bancorp (EWBC), First NBC Bank Holding (FNBC), HFF (HF), KeyCorp(KEY), Legacy Texas Financial Group (LTXB), Lincoln National (LNC), Morgan Stanley, Old National Bancorp (ONB), PacWest Bancorp (PACW), PNC Financial Services Group (PNC), Principal Financial Group (PFG), Stifel Financial (SF), SVB Financial Group (SIVB), TCF Financial (TCB), and Wells Fargo.

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Move Inc.(MOVE)

Move, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates an online network of Websites for real estate search, finance, and moving and home enthusiasts in North America. The company operates REALTOR.com, a Web site that offers property listings and neighborhood profiles; and consumers information and tools designed to assist the customers in understanding the value of their home, preparing the home for sale, listing and advertising the home, home affordability, the offer process, applying for a loan, understand the mortgage options available, closing the purchase, and planning the move. REALTOR.com provides showcase listing enhancements; display ad products; and a series of template Websites primarily for agents and brokers. The company also offers 8i solution, a Web-based customer relationship management software application for real estate agents. In addition, it provides Market Snapshot and Market Builder products that allow real estate professionals to offer real-time mult iple listing services market updates and trend analysis to their online prospects and clients; and Move Rentals that displays rental listings. Further, the company provides graphical display advertisements, text links, sponsorships, and directories for advertisers for mortgage companies, home improvement retailers, moving service providers, and other consumer product and service companies. Additionally, it offers quotes from moving companies, truck rental companies, and self-storage facilities, as well as other move-related information on Moving.com Website. Move, Inc. also operates as an online real estate listing syndicator and provider of performance reporting solutions for the purpose of helping to drive an online advertising program for brokers, real estate franchises, and individual agents. The company was formerly known as Homestore, Inc. and changed its name to Move, Inc. in June 2006. Move, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Westlake Village, Californ i a.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Renu Singh]

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

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Toll Brothers Inc.(TOL)

Toll Brothers, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, and arranges finance for single-family detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities. It is also involved in building or converting existing rental apartment buildings into high-, mid-, and low-rise luxury homes. In addition, the company develops, owns, and operates golf courses and country clubs associated with various planned communities, as well as individual communities. It serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, age-qualified, and second-home buyers in 19 states in the United States. Toll Brothers, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Eileen Rojas]

    Toll Brothers has rising sales volume and unit prices
    For the third quarter ended on July 31, Toll Brothers’ (NYSE: TOL  ) net income was $46.6 million, or $0.26 per share. The latest income figures were down 24% from last year’s third-quarter results of $61.6 million, or $0.36 per share. The company’s total quarterly revenues were $689.2 million, up 24% over last year, and homebuilding deliveries were 1,059 units, up 10% compared to the same period last year.

  • [By George Putnam, Editor, New Generation Research, Inc.]

    Steve Halpern: Now, another company that you talk about is Toll Brothers (TOL), which focuses on the higher-end of the home market, as well as condominiums. Do you think there’s still opportunity with TOL?

  • [By Jim Powell]

    Steve Halpern: You mentioned home builders and one that you’ve been bullish on is Toll Brothers (TOL). Do you still like that stock?

    Jim Powell: I certainly do. It’s in there for the long haul. They’ve made some really good strategic decisions. One of the trends that I’ve been following is the millennial generation and what their habits are and what their preferences are.

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Emerson Electric Co. operates as a diversified manufacturing and technology company. The company engages in appliance solutions, climate technologies, industrial automation, motor technology, network power, process management, professional tools, and storage solutions businesses. Its appliance solutions business provides appliance controls, appliance motors, heating products, and white-rodgers; climate technology business provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) solutions for residential, industrial, and commercial applications; and industrial automation business offers bearings and power transmission products, electrical power generation products, electric motors, variable speed drives and servos, electrical products, material joining solutions, fluid automation products, and wind turbine systems. The company?s motor technology business provides appliance motors, HVACR motors, DC motors, fractional horsepower motors, integral horsepower a nd larger motors, and drives; network power business provides power, precision cooling, connectivity, and embedded solutions; and process management business provides various wireless related products from self-organizing field networks to wireless asset and people tracking. Its professional tools business offers pipe working and threading equipment, pressing technology, utility locating and visual diagnostics systems, drain maintenance tools, power tools, air tools, general purpose hand tools, wet/dry vacs, job site storage equipment, truck tool boxes and equipment, and van storage equipment; and storage solutions business provides shelving and storage products for residential, commercial, and foodservice needs, as well as offers specialized carts, mobile computer workstations, and cabinet fixtures. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Rising Dividend Investing]

    Pent Up Demand Pushing Cyclical Stocks

    We are coming out of a lengthy period of decreased spending in the wake of 2008-09, which has built pent up demand for automobiles, housing and capital expenditures. The average age of vehicles on the road has reached a record high of 11.4 years. Demand for new houses fell off dramatically since the Great Recession. The average U.S. home was built in 1974 and continues to age.
    As people have chosen to fix rather than replace their vehicles and homes, we’ve seen the replacement-type industries do very well. Auto Retail’s second quarter sales and earnings per share were up 14.7% and 18.6%, respectively. Home improvement retail grew sales nearly 10% with earnings up 20% from second quarter 2012.
    Adding to the pent up demand for housing is the number of young people living with their parents rather than buying or renting on their own. According to real-estate marketplace Trulia, the number of “missing hou seholds” (Americans who would currently be owning or renting a home if pre-recession economic trends had continued) was up to 2.4 million in March. More than half of these missing households are 18 to 34-year-olds.
    This pent up demand extends beyond just the immediate products being bought by consumers. Businesses have held off replacing durable goods since the recession. All of this excess demand will have to be released at some point. Eventually, these homes and vehicles will exceed their useful life and need to be replaced. To meet the need for the excess demand, companies will not be able to hold off re-investing in new plant equipment.
    We’ve seen the beginning of this demand in 2013 and believe there is more to come. The market is buying into this as well, as more growth and manufacturing oriented sectors – such as Consumer Discretionary and Industrials – have performed well over the near-term.
    Share prices for stocks in the Indu strial sectors are mo

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Apache Corporation(APA)

Apache Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. The company has exploration and production interests in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast, east Texas, the Permian basin, the Anadarko basin, and the Western Sedimentary basin of Canada; and onshore Egypt, offshore Western Australia, offshore the United Kingdom in the North Sea, and onshore Argentina, as well as on the Chilean side of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Apache Corporation sells its natural gas to local distribution companies, utilities, end-users, integrated oil and gas companies, and marketers; and crude oil to integrated oil companies, marketing and transportation companies, and refiners. As of December 31, 2009, it had total estimated proved reserves of 1,067 million barrels of crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids, as well as 7.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Shauna O’Brien]

    On Wednesday, oil and gas company Apache Corporation (APA) announced that it has agreed to sell some of its gas producing properties in Canada for $112 million.

    The company will sell its Hatton, St. Lina, Marten Hills, Snipe Lake, Valhalla and a part of its Hawkeye properties. These properties are primarily located in Saskatchewan and Alberta and total approximatly 4,000 operating wells and 1,300 non-operating wells. The average daily production for these locations is about 38 million cubic feet of natural gas and 750 barrels of oil.

    The sales will be made in two separate deals. Both of these deals are expected to close in the fourth quarter.

    Apache shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Wednesday. The stock is up 12% YTD.

  • [By Matt Egan]

    Before Tuesday, Big Oil’s credit ratings had been left largely intact by S&P. But with oil sinking back to $30 a barrel, the ratings firm took action by downgrading Chevron (CVX), EOG Resources (EOG), Apache (APA), Devon Energy (DVN), Hess (HES), Marathon Oil (MRO), Murphy Oil (MUR), Continental Resources (CLR) and Southwestern Energy (SWN).

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Lennar Corp.(LEN)

The third largest U.S. homebuilder by revenue reported exceptional Q3 results, as its earnings more than quadrupled, primarily as a result of an increase in new-home demand. The reported net income of 40c was well ahead of last year’s 11c, and the forecasted 28c.

According to the company’s CEO, Stuart Miller, "The homebuilding business is beginning to revert to normal, and that’s a positive for the U.S. economy in general, which is in turn good for sustained recovery in the housing market. Overall demand has been improving and we’ve seen a consistent sales pace at improving prices."

LEN’s contract backlog, which is an indicator of future sales, rose by a whopping 79% on a YoY basis. Its average selling price of delivered homes also increased to $258,000 from last year’s $247,000.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Morgan Housel]

    Homebuilding CEOs have been clear in recent conference calls: There are far too few homes given demographic demand. As Lennar (NYSE: LEN  ) CEO Stuart Miller put it, “The bottom line is that there are too few dwellings for a growing population and for normalized household formation.”

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) reported better-than-expected earnings for its fiscal first quarter on Tuesday.

    Lennar reported quarterly earnings of $0.63 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.52 per share on revenue of $1.86 billion.

  • [By Eileen Rojas]

    Lennar reports demand in its markets outpacing supply
    Lennar’s (NYSE: LEN  ) second-quarter net earnings for the period ended May 31 were $137.4 million, or $0.61 per diluted share. Earnings were hurt by the partial reversal of a deferred tax asset worth $41.3 million, or $0.18 per diluted share. Note that a deferred tax asset is used to decrease the company’s tax expense in future periods.Earnings for the second quarter dropped about 70% from $452.7 million, or $2.06 per diluted shares in the previous year.

  • [By CNNMoney Staff]

    Housing stocks were among the biggest winners, with shares of Pulte Group (PHM), DR Horton (DHI), and Lennar (LEN) all up sharply.

    Traders on StockTwits said investors may be betting on the group as Summers’ decision to drop out from the Fed chief race could be good for the housing market. With Treasury yields falling, the hope is that mortgages rates might do the same.

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2016: Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc.(WEN)

The Wendy’s Company operates as a quick-service hamburger company in the United States. The company, through its subsidiary, Wendy’s International, Inc., operates as a franchisor of the Wendy’s restaurant system. As of December 26, 2011, the Wendy’s system comprised approximately 6,500 franchise and company restaurants in the United States and the United States territories, as well as in 26 other countries worldwide. The company was formerly known as Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. and changed its name to The Wendy’s Company in July 2011. The Wendy’s Company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Advisors’ Opinion:

  • [By Jim Jubak, Senior Markets Editor, MoneyShow.com]

    It’s hard for any company to raise prices in the current non-inflationary environment. But it’s especially hard right now for operators of fast food restaurants, given the intense price competition in a very crowded marketplace. McDonald’s sales growth in recent quarters has been driven by the success of its Dollar Menu, so raising prices in that segment are a big deal for the company. In addition, pushback from franchisees who say they can’t afford to refurbish their stores, given higher charges from McDonald’s hits at one of McDonald’s key advantages in its market—it’s ability to refresh stores more frequently than competitors. A McDonald’s refresh at $600,000 on average, according to the company, costs substantially more than a remodel at Burger King (BKW) at $300,000 or Wendy’s (WEN) at $375,000 for the least expensive version. McDonald’s restaurants average $2.5 million in annual sales.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Upgrades had a big impact on stocks today. Wendy’s (WEN), for instance, gained 4.5% to $8.62 after being upgraded to Buy at Argus, while Cash America (CSH) advanced 3.7% to $44.32 after being upgraded to Market Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities. Walgreen (WAG) proved the big winner in the S&P 500 afterGoldman Sachs called the stock a Conviction Buy.