Top Stocks To Buy 2015: April 2014

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Energy Guru Boone Pickens - Redrawing the World Energy Map

Every modern economy runs on energy. The horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing boom in North America could be a game changer for the future of that energy.

The Milken Institute assembled a panel to discuss all of the current dynamics of the energy market including fracking, OPEC, Russia, nuclear and coal:

Also check out: T. Boone Pickens Undervalued Stocks T. Boone Pickens Top Growth Companies T. Boone Pickens High Yield stocks, and Stocks that T. Boone Pickens keeps buyingAbout the author:Canadian Valuehttp://valueinvestorcanada.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Does The Street Have Level 3 Communications Figured Out?

Level 3 Communications (NYSE: LVLT ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 31. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Level 3 Communications's revenues will expand 0.2% and EPS will remain in the red.

The average estimate for revenue is $1.59 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.07.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Level 3 Communications booked revenue of $1.58 billion. GAAP reported sales were 0.6% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.59 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at -$0.13. GAAP EPS were -$0.36 for Q1 against -$0.66 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 60.1%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.8%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -4.9%, 380 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $6.39 billion. The average EPS estimate is -$0.21.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,815 members out of 1,948 rating the stock outperform, and 133 members rating it underperform. Among 221 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 194 give Level 3 Communications a green thumbs-up, and 27 give it a red thumbs-down.

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Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Level 3 Communications is hold, with an average price target of $24.20.

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Add Level 3 Communications to My Watchlist.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Will Wall Street Remain the World's Financial Capital?

Wall Street sign against New York Stock Exchange, New York City, USA. Getty Images "People think you can just walk right in," the bemused security guard said to his co-worker, who snickered, shook his head and returned to his outpost under the tented area outside the otherwise-regal entrance to the New York Stock Exchange. The dejected tourist walked away after learning that, no, there is no visitors' gallery at the exchange where he could watch what was happening inside 11 Wall Street. He then disappeared into a dense crowd of tourists. Nearby, folks posed in front of the George Washington statue at Federal Hall, across the walkway from the exchange. They aimed their camera phones curiously around Broad and Wall streets, many drawn to the enormous American flag that flies in front of the NYSE, where it has stood since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. And they wondered what was going on inside. This is supposed to be the financial capital of the world. Truth is, there's really not that much to see anymore inside these majestic halls. An exchange that used to house more than 5,000 traders shouting out their business now is a mostly docile habitat in which those still left on the floor quietly tap out orders on hand-held computers and barely make a peep at swift changes in market activity. Things indeed have changed a lot for the exchange over the past 25 years. The next 25 years-well, things could get dicey. The Future of Trading Will the exchange still exist? Will it be a museum? An office complex? An automated emporium run by robots? More importantly, will New York still be the financial capital of the world? Nobody seems quite sure, though the building itself does maintain its nostalgic appeal even if it's lost much of its relevance as a trading center. "Symbols matter," said Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at New York-based brokerage ConvergEx. "It's important to have a symbol that people can relate to, and it's much easier to relate to a physical space. It will be important for the New York Stock Exchange to maintain some relevance with investors." Prospects for the building and what happens inside it hinge on three things: Just how far the trading community pushes automation, how hard regulators push back and how well the 80 or so locations now where stocks are traded can maintain their trust and credibility with the investing public. A Rapidly Changing Ecosystem New York faces a bevy of challenges. Automated trading has taken up about four-fifths of the market's volume. Dark pools -- privately run trading centers away from the NYSE -- are scattered around the metropolitan area. Exchanges around the world -- such as those in Tokyo, London and Shanghai -- are seeing their volumes increase, though they still draw just a fraction of the volume seen in New York at the NYSE and the Nasdaq. The current market is dealing with one whale of a black eye caused by suspicion over high-frequency trading and its stranglehold on market activity. The proliferation of trading aberrations such as 2010's "Flash Crash" and the intense debate over "Flash Boys," Michael Lewis' 2014 HFT-centered book, has underscored the credibility problem, which will have to be rectified -- and soon. Conversations with the folks who help make the market machinery work reveal some interesting-and surprising-thought trends. For instance, there is a pervasive belief that the market will become less fractured and perhaps even a bit slower than the current incomprehensible millisecond-moving speeds. While automation is a fact of life, there is no widely shared dystopian view of a market run by faceless machines without accountability. There's even a bit of whimsy. Look Into a Hypothetical Crystal Ball Market veteran Art Hogan sees two megamergers that could shake Wall Street. One would see Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) take over the NYSE; the other would have Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) wrest control of the Nasdaq, which trades mostly tech stocks. In the Hogan scenario, the two mammoths blow out the rest of the 80 or so exchanges and dark pools where trades currently take place and defragment the market. At the same time, regulators change trading "ticks," or the increments in which stocks can trade, from the current decimalization to nickel sizes, eliminating the benefits that high-frequency traders enjoy from capitalizing on moves of pennies. Hogan is kidding ... sort of, but in a way that indicates the general direction the market needs to trend to win back investor confidence. "You've got a world [in 25 years] where technology, social media and financial markets have come together to increase investor confidence in markets," said Hogan, the chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities. In his future vision, "Wall Street gets to play its role again as the greatest place to form capital for emerging companies, and to research those emerging companies." Don't laugh too loudly. Hogan's scenario of a market that undergoes massive transformation that actually benefits the retail investor and re-establishes some sanity in a market that has lost so much of its trading volume over the years is a widely shared vision. "We're moving faster and faster. The speeds are incredible, but we're going to get to the point where it doesn't go any faster," said Peter Costa, president of Empire Executions and an NYSE governor with 33 years of trading experience. A Quieter Street In the Costa scenario, trading changes completely. In a future world where cash becomes marginalized and digital "credits" take over as a system of payments, companies find stock issuance a trite method of raising funds. Stocks, meanwhile, start to more closely resemble mutual funds, with very little if any price movement during market hours and instead "a final pricing at the end of the day," Costa said. "There will be more financial options for investors," said Todd Schoenberger, managing partner at LandColt Capital. "For example, we now have stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. Look for new products to enter the market, which will be a real hassle for regulators. But, expanded options is what you get when you have too many players transacting business." Whatever form trading takes -- high speed, low speed or no speed -- what will matter most is fairness, and many Wall Street pros expect Washington regulators to continue their pursuit of an equitable environment. "What they're realizing is money managers like myself don't care about getting a sell in half a second," said Michael Cohn, chief market strategist at Atlantis Asset Management. "I don't care about the pennies; I care about the perception and the fairness. It affects my business if people think the market is not fair." If there is a common theme in terms of hopes for the future, it indeed would be some simple fairness. "You can still have automation, but it would be nice to bring back some sort of ecosystem into it," said Joe Saluzzi, co-founder of Themis Trading and an ardent campaigner against the ills of high-frequency trading. He hopes the next 25 years hold a greater emphasis on human involvement, not less. "You like to have someone involved. The investor relations officer, the chief financial officer, really has no idea what's going on in their stock," he said. "There are no specialists involved. They need more information as to what's going on. It's not there anymore." While the amount of bodies on the exchange floor indeed has dimmed considerably over the years, the level of employment in financial services has remained fairly and surprisingly resilient. Financial services jobs peaked out in late 2006 at about 8.4 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While that level certainly has declined, the nearly 6 percent drop to 7.9 million as of March 2014 could have been much worse considering the way Wall Street banks cut jobs en masse during the crisis. A Shift to Markets Abroad Expectations, though, are for even fewer footsteps on the Street. "The amount of employees that will be working on Wall Street, if you want to call it that, is going to continue to go down year after year," said Marc Pfeffer, a former trader at Goldman Sachs (GS) and the defunct Bear Stearns who now works as a portfolio manager at CLS Investments. "I am perplexed till today to understand why there are that many people at these firms. I think they're going to be cut by a huge percentage, if they even exist at all."

"I don't think the NYSE exists anymore period." Dick Bove

So where does that leave the exchange as a physical property? If you close your eyes tightly enough you can almost see the tumbleweeds rolling across the cobblestones past the Wall Street subway station, past the Deutsche Bank (DB) building and gliding on a path to nowhere. After all, what possible use could there be for such a structure in the next age of trading? "I don't think the NYSE exists anymore period," said Dick Bove, the outspoken banking analyst and vice president of equity research at Rafferty Capital Markets. "I think it's a good television set" for appearances in the media. But is it possible the building will serve no function? Bove sees the global financial center shifting from New York to wherever countries are committed to a thriving banking sector and not obsessed with handcuffing "too big to fail" institutions. He also points out that the exchange isn't even owned by a New York firm anymore, and that most of the trading happens at high-frequency nerve centers in New Jersey.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Survey: More employers plan to hire new college…

Congratulations, college graduates. You're in luck: Employers are considering hiring you, a new survey reveals.

About 57% of employers say they plan to hire new college graduates this year, up from 53% last year and 44% in 2010.

Most companies (61%) will be offering grads the same starting pay as they did last year; 56% expect to pay them an annual salary that's less than $40,000.

These findings are based on a survey of 2,138 hiring managers and human resource professionals from different sized employers representing multiple industries. The survey was conducted by Harris Poll in February and early March for CareerBuilder, which is jointly owned by the Tribune Co., The McClatchy Co. and USA TODAY parent Gannett Co.

The fact that more companies are hiring new grads "is positive news," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. It's not surprising that most beginning salaries are about the same as last year, she says. Only 30% of companies expect their initial offers to graduates will be higher this year than last; 9% expect a decrease in starting pay.

Employers say they'll offer these starting salaries:

• 26% say they'll pay new graduates less than $30,000.

• 30%, $30,000 to less than $40,000

• 20%, $40,000 to less than $50,000

• 24%, 50,000 and higher.

If you're a business major, you may have another reason to celebrate: 39% of employers want to hire business majors. That's followed by 28% who want computer and information sciences majors; 18%, engineering; 14%, math and statistics; 14%, health professions and related clinical services; 12%, communications technology; 11%, engineering technologies; 10%, liberal arts and sciences as well as general studies and humanities; 7% education; 7%, science technologies; 7%, communication and journalism.

About 41% of employers don't think recent graduates are adequately prepared for roles in customer service, Haefner says. "A lot of customer service is about t! roubleshooting, problem solving and making sure the experience for the customer is positive, and that may take a lot more skill than new graduates have," she says.

Most employers say new college graduates are ready for the real world, but about a quarter (24%) don't believe colleges and universities have prepared students for positions in their companies.

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Of those employers who have doubts about recent grads, the most common concerns include: 53% say there is too much emphasis on book learning instead of real-world learning; 35% say their company needs a blend of technical skills as well as soft skills from a liberal arts degree; 26% say entry level jobs are more complex today than they used to be; 16% say there is not enough focus on internships and apprenticeships; 16% say technology is changing too quickly for academics to keep up; 10% say not enough students are graduating with the degrees their company needs.

"These companies may think the graduates are academically strong, but they aren't sure they are prepared for the complexity of today's jobs," Haefner says. "Companies are asking these questions about graduates: Are they just book smart? Or will they have street smarts as well? The marketplace is evolving at a faster pace than it did in the past, and academia may not be keeping pace with technology that businesses need."

One of the take-away messages of the survey is that employers are expecting more of their employees in entry-level jobs, says Prasanna Tambe, an assistant professor at the New York University Stern School of Business, and one of the authors of The Talent Equation. Those first jobs are more complex than they used to be, requiring more industry acumen and technical skills, he says.

In fact, for many jobs today, it's important to have a blend of interpersonal and technical skills, Tambe says. It's hard to get all that from class! es in col! lege. A lot comes from hands-on work experience.

Restoration Hardware Announces Follow-On Offering

Corte Madera, Calif.-based Restoration Hardware Holdings (NYSE: RH ) insiders announced a plan to capitalize on its strong share price Friday.

Eight million shares of Restoration Hardware stock will soon go on the market at an offering price of $70 per share. Underwriters may also exercise an overallotment option to sell an additional 1.2 million shares, potentially raising the total value of the offering to as much as $644 million in cash.

Although described in a company press release as a "follow-on" offering, the details of the company's announcement makes clear that this is actually a "secondary" offering of shares -- a sale by existing large stakeholders, cashing out their stock at a profit. As such, Restoration Hardware notes that "the Company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares."

Markets reacted poorly to the proposal, as Restoration Hardware shares dropped 3.8% in Friday trading to close at $68.60, 2% below the secondary offering price.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

General Electric: A Lot to Like, Citigroup Says

Last week, General Electric (GE) gained 3.8%–and drew near-universal kudos from the analyst community–after beating earnings forecasts. Today, Citigroup joined the chorus of praise for General Electric.

Associated Press

Citigroup’s Deane Dray and team explain what they liked about General Electric’s financial results:

There was much to like in Buy-rated GE's 1Q14, nicely distancing itself from the disappointments last quarter and boosting confidence in its 2014 operating framework. Among the feel-goods were a sector-best (so far) 8% organic growth, 50 bps margin expansion, and nice progress in the cost-out Simplification initiative. Looking ahead, mgmt signaled two new capital allocation catalysts: (1) more divestitures are in the works and (2) it is now pursuing acquisitions bigger than the self-imposed $1-$4 bil bolt-on range that it has been operating under for the past two years. We expect this means GE will consider $7-$9 bil deals, but we don't see this flexing up in deal-size impinging on the ongoing investor-friendly capital deployment to dividends and buybacks. We consider GE to be well-positioned as a "Control Your Own Destiny" industrial and as a mostly unloved value story. The record $245 bil backlog gives it nice earnings visibility, and the ongoing mix shift to 70/30 industrial/finance should drive multiple expansion.

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General Electric’s earnings could also be a good sign for Actuant (ATU), United Technologies (UTX) and Honeywell International (HON), Dray says.

Shares of General Electric have gained 0.2% to $26.63 at 2:03 p.m., while Actuant has fallen 0.6% to $34.68, United Technologies has dipped 0.2% to $118.33 and Honeywell International is unchanged at $93.10.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) is undoubtedly seen as the strongest big U.S. bank, but investors should always be reevaluating their positions to see if their investment thesis has changed. Knowing when to sell is always a difficult decision, but shareholders who can anticipate game-changing impacts are rewarded.

In this video, Motley Fool banking analysts David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer discuss potential scenarios that might signal that its time to sell your shares of Well Fargo.�

Wells Fargo's dedication to solid, conservative banking helped it vastly outperform its peers during the financial meltdown. Today, Wells is the same great bank as ever, but with its stock trading at a premium to the rest of the industry, is there still room to buy, or is it time to cash in your gains? To help figure out whether Wells Fargo is a buy today, I invite you to download our premium research report from one of The Motley Fool's top banking analysts. Click here now for instant access to this in-depth take on Wells Fargo.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Powershares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC)

PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (the Fund) and its subsidiary, DB Commodity Index Tracking Master Fund (the Master Fund), were formed as trusts. The Fund is designed to replicate positions in a commodity index.

The PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund is based on the Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index - Optimum Yield Excess Return (Index). The Fund is managed by DB Commodity Services LLC.

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)$34.8030$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 Richard Stavros]
Another futures-based ETF is PowerShares Deutsche Bank Commodity Index (DBC). It is more diversified than DBA. It holds futures contracts in corn and wheat. But it also holds significant positions in gold, heating oil, and crude.
[By Doug Fabian]
PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) is a fund that tracks a basket of commodities, including gold, silver, Brent crude oil, RBOB gasoline, heating oil, sugar, corn, soybeans, and much more.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Powershares Dynamic Food & Beverage Portfolio (PBJ)

PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Food & Beverage Intellidex Index (the Food & Beverage Intellidex). The Food & Beverage Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States food and beverage companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the manufacture, sale or distribution of food and beverage products, agricultural products and products related to the development of new food technologies. These companies may include companies that sell products and services, such as meat and poultry processing, and wholesale and retail distribution and warehousing of food and food-related products, including restaurants, grocery stores, brewers, distillers and vintners, as well as companies that manufacture and distribute products, including soft drinks, packaged food products (such as cereals, pet foods and frozen foods), health food and dietary products. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

The Food & Beverage Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Food & Beverage Intellidex. The Fund generally will invest in all of the stocks comprising the Food & Beverage Intellidex in proportion to their weightings in the Food & Beverage Intellidex. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of food and beverage companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Food & Beverage Intellidex.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Udovich]
Small cap ingredients stock Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ: BCPC) jumped 22.76% yesterday on news about an acquisition, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with potential peers like small cap MGP Ingredients Inc (NASDAQ: MGPI) and the PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage ETF (NYSEARCA: PBJ).

Top 10 Construction Material Companies To Own In Right Now: Powershares Dynamic Networking Portfolio (PXQ)

PowerShares Dynamic Networking Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Networking Intellidex Index (the Networking Intellidex). The Networking Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States networking companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the development, manufacture, sale or distribution of products, services or technologies that support the flow of electronic information, including voice, data, images and commercial transactions. These companies may include providers of telecommunications and networking equipment, data storage, systems software, Internet hardware, including servers, routers, switches and related equipment, systems for data encryption and security, Internet services, including hosting and commercial exchanges, fiber optics, satellites, cable equipment, and other companies involved in supporting the flow of information. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of networking companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Networking Intellidex. The Networking Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Networking Intellidex. The Fund generally will invest in all of the stocks comprising the Networking Intellidex in proportion to their weightings in the Networking Intellidex.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Udovich]
Just before Thanksgiving, small cap networking stock Infoblox Inc (NYSE: BLOX) sank 28.65% on guidance that was below expectations, but the stock has still outperformed the year-to-date�performance of�networking ETF like the PowerShares Dynamic Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: PXQ) and iShares S&P North American Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: IGN). So what went wrong and could investors have just overeacted?

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Twitter (TWTR)

Instantly connect to what's most important to you. Follow your friends, experts, favorite celebrities, and breaking news. TechCrunch is a leading technology media property, dedicated to obsessively profiling startups, reviewing new Internet products, and breaking ... Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Shares of Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) got a boost, shooting up 4.10 percent to $72.83 on a volatile session after gaining for three trading days. Twitter shares surged to a new high today.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) were down 11.59 percent to $64.92 after Macquarie downgraded the stock from Neutral to Underperform. Textura (NYSE: TXTR) tumbled 5.24 percent to $29.66. Textura shares tumbled 17.06 percent yesterday after Citron Research issued a scathing report on the company midway through the morning Thursday.
[By MarketWatch]
Twitter Inc.�� (TWTR) �initial public offering highlighted the strong and growing interest in Internet and social media IPOs. There�� been speculation that other startups, such as Square Inc., the mobile payments firm, and Snapchat, the popular messaging service, and social media site Pinterest are also about to take the plunge, and their reported valuations have raised eyebrows. Also, last week, data storage company Box was reported to be picking bankers for its IPO. But while investor worries about social media have eased in the wake of Facebook�� strong performance, especially in mobile, it is still an evolving industry that analysts and investors are still struggling to figure out. ��t is important to note that because Twitter is so early in its growth, valuation is extremely difficult,��Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter told clients in a note on Twitter. He could very well have been talking about other web startups.
[By Jesse Solomon]
Another tech darling for some hedge funds was Twitter (TWTR), which went public last November. However, ownership was concentrated mainly in two funds, Lansdowne Partners, and Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co. The stock is still up sharply from its IPO price, but it has pulled back in recent weeks following its first earnings report.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Primoris Services Corporation(PRIM)

Primoris Services Corporation, a specialty contractor and infrastructure company, provides a range of construction, fabrication, maintenance, replacement, water and wastewater, and product engineering services in the United States and internationally. It offers construction services, including installation of underground pipeline, cable, and conduits for entities in the petroleum, petrochemical, and water industries; installation and maintenance of industrial facilities for petroleum, petrochemical, and water industries; installation of commercial and industrial cast-in-place structures; and construction of highways, as well as industrial and environmental constructions. The company also engages in designing, supplying, and installing high-performance furnaces, heaters, burner management systems, and related combustion and process technologies for clients in the oil refining, petrochemical, and power generation industries, as well as furnishes turnkey project management se rvices and delivers custom engineering solutions. It serves public utilities, petrochemical companies, energy companies, municipalities, state departments of transportation, and other customers. Primoris Services Corporation is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Holly LaFon] ris is a contractor and infrastructure company founded in 1946. It provides services related to construction fabrication, maintenance, replacement, water and wastewater and engineering to clients that are typically major public utilities, petrochemical companies, energy companies, municipalities and others. It doubled its size in 2009 and 2010 when it purchased the James Construction Group and Rockford Corporation, respectively. Primoris��predecessor company, Rhapsody acquisition Corp., had its IPO in 2006, and Primoris merged with Rhapsody in 2008.
Joel Greenblatt bought 59,076 shares at an average price of $13.56 in the fourth quarter. After being relatively flat since its IPO, Primoris��stock price began to rise dramatically in 2011, and Greenblatt bought on a dip in the fourth quarter. In the last year it has appreciated 87 percent.
Primoris��free cash flow and revenue in 2010 bounced back from a down year in 2009 and EBITDA grew each year in the same span of time. Return on equity and return on assets have both declined over the three years, but in the third quarter of 2011 came back strongly. ROE increased to 29.3 percent from 16.1 at year-end 2010, and ROA has increased to 11.4 percent from 4.8 percent at year-end 2010.
The third quarter was good in other ways. The company reached its highest revenue and net income in its 60-year history. However, fluctuations in revenue and earnings may occur over the next several quarters as it completes several major projects. On November 30, it announced $181 million in new contracts.
Primoris��P/E, P/S and P/B ratios:
PRIM pe,ps,pb Interactive Chart
Caribou Coffee (CBOU)
Caribou Coffee is a gourmet coffee company that owns the second-largest number of coffeehouses in the U.S. After rising significantly in the second quarter of 2011, its stock price dropped in the fourth quarter, when Joel Greenblatt purchased it. He bought 52,794 shares at an average price of $13.27.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ)

iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded securities in the aggregate in the Japanese market, as measured by the MSCI Japan Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Japanese equity market. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Component companies are adjusted for available float and must meet objective criteria for inclusion in the Index. The Index is reviewed quarterly.

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Stephen Leeb, Founder and Research Chairman, Leeb Group]
Despite the 30% plus gains they've enjoyed this year, the stocks that comprise the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) still trade at 14 times depressed earnings.
[By Richard Shaw]
Securities Mentioned: S&P 500 (SPY), Europe (VGK), Japan (EWJ), China (GXC).
Disclosure: QVM has positions in SPY and VGK as of the creation date of this article (July 11, 2013). We certify that except as cited herein, this is our work product. We received no compensation or other inducement from any party to produce this article, and are not compensated by Seeking Alpha in any way relating to this article.
[By Matthew McCall]
iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSE: EWJ)

The first country to open for the week after the news out of Ukraine hit the wires was Japan, and it was an ugly open. The major stock indices fell by over two percent before they were able to rebound and the Nikkei finished the first day of the week lower by 1.3 percent. The Japanese Yen was down 0.5 percent versus the U.S. Dollar, which is good news for Japanese exporters.
[By Mark Hulbert]
The ETFs linked to these respective regions that Mr. Nadig�� firm favors are the iShares MSCI Japan fund (EWJ) �, with a 0.53% expense ratio; the iShares MSCI EMU Index fund (EZJ) �, also with a 0.53% expense ratio; and the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets fund (IEMG) �, with a 0.18% expense ratio.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (SDT)

SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (The Trust) is a statutory trust. The Trust was created to acquire and hold the Royalty Interests for the benefit of Trust unitholders. SandRidge conveyed to the Trust the Royalty Interests in specified oil and natural gas properties in the Mississippian formation in Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Major and Woods counties in Oklahoma (the Underlying Properties). These Royalty Interests were derived from SandRidge�� interests in a 36 wells and the equivalent of 123 horizontal development wells to be drilled in the Mississippian formation (Trust Development Wells) within an area of mutual interest (AMI), consisting of approximately 49,600 gross acres (42,000 net acres) in the counties where the Underlying Properties are located.

Effective January 1, 2011, the Royalty Interests entitle the Trust to receive 90% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to its net revenue interest in the Initial Wells and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to SandRidge�� net revenue interest in the Trust Development Wells. As of December 31, 2011, the Trust�� properties consisted of Royalty Interests in the Initial Wells, 48 wells (equivalent to approximately 53 Trust Development Wells under the development agreement) and the equivalent of approximately 70 Trust Development Wells to be drilled in the Mississippian formation.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Matt DiLallo]
SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT ) and Trust II (NYSE: SDR )
These trusts were created by SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD ) , with the first Mississippian Trust formed in 2010 and the second formed one year later. Both trusts own royalty interests in oil and gas properties targeting the Mississippian formation and have future upside as SandRidge drills wells as part of the areas of mutual interest.
[By Dan Caplinger]
SandRidge has made a huge bet on the Mississippian Lime shale play, especially after selling off its Permian Basin assets late last year. Unfortunately, that bet hasn't paid off well for shareholders, as the company saw its spun-off royalty trusts SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR ) fail to meet their projections for distribution amounts during the first quarter. The main problem has been that wells in the Mississippian Lime have produced more natural gas than expected, and even with a slight rebound in gas prices, it still doesn't produce adequate margins compared to oil and natural-gas liquids.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Altisource Residential Corp (RESI)

Altisource Residential Corporation is a development-stage company engaged in the acquisition and ownership of single-family rental assets. The Company�� primary sourcing strategy to acquire these assets includes purchase of sub-performing and non-performing mortgages, as well as single-family homes at or following the foreclosure sale (REO Properties (REO)).

The Company intends to pursue opportunities to acquire its single-family rental assets throughout the United States. The Company is managed by Altisource Asset Management Corporation (AAMC). On December 21, 2012, Altisource Residential Corporation�� spin-off from Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. (Altisource) was completed.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Amanda Alix]
For Wall Street types, single-family foreclosures can be bought cheaply and in bulk, then fixed up and rented. Companies like the Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX ) and Colony Financial (NYSE: CLNY ) have been very active in this market, with the former purchasing 16,000 homes just last year, and the latter ramping up its own portfolio to approximately 7,000. This new industry has also spawned fresh entrants from the REIT field, Silver Bay Realty (NYSE: SBY ) and Altisource Residential, (NYSE: RESI ) two trusts that were spun off earlier this year from parent companies Two Harbors Investment (NYSE: TWO ) and Altisource Portfolio Solutions (NASDAQ: ASPS ) , specifically to take advantage of the boom in the foreclosure-to-rental market.
[By Mark Holder]
Altisource Residential (NYSE: RESI ) (NYSE: RESI ) (NYSE: RESI ) purchases distressed mortgage loan portfolios with a strategy to work with borrowers to modify and refinance loans to either keep them in their homes or convert the unmodified loans into renovated rental properties.

Hot Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cambridge Heart Inc (CAMH)

Cambridge Heart, Inc., incorporated on January 16, 1990, is engaged in the research, development and commercialization of products for the non-invasive diagnosis of cardiac disease. The Company's products incorporate its technology for the measurement of Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA). The MTWA Test is conducted by elevating the patient's heart rate through exercise as performed on a treadmill similar to a stress test, pharmacologic agents, or pacing with electrical pulses.

The Company's products, including its first generation HearTwave System and second generation HearTwave II System, CH 2000 Cardiac Stress Test System, MTWA original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Module (MTWA Module) and Micro-V Alternans Sensors have received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sale in the United States. The Company's products have also received the Conformite Europeenne (CE) mark for sale in Europe. The Company's first generation HearTwave System, CH 2000 Cardiac Stress Test System and the HearTwave II System have been approved for sale by the Japanese Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare.

The Company's 510(k) clearance allows the Company's MTWA Test to be used to test patients with known, suspected, or at risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmia and/or sudden cardiac arrest, and allows the claim that its MTWA Test is predictive of those events. The MTWA Module is designed to work with existing cardiac stress test platforms distributed by other manufacturers as an add-on module to enable MTWA testing to be performed using the Company's Micro-V Alternans Sensors.

The Company's HearTwave II System, which has replaced the Company's original HearTwave System, is used to perform both MTWA testing and standard cardiac stress testing. In addition to MTWA measurement, the Company's HearTwave II System is a cardiac diagnostic system designed to support a range of customized protocols for the conduct of cardiac exercise stress testing. The Comp! any's Micro-V Alternans Sensors are single patient use, multi-segment electrodes. The Company's CH2000 is a cardiac diagnostic system designed to support a range of customized protocols for the conduct and measurement of cardiac exercise stress testing.

The Company competes with GE Medical Systems.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Peter Graham]
Last Friday, small cap stocks Cambridge Heart, Inc (OTCMKTS: CAMH), Abby Inc (OTCMKTS: ABBY) and Grillit Inc (OTCMKTS: GRLT) surged 176.92%, 71.2% and 24.07%, respectively. Of course, that was last week and today is a new trading week. So what should investors and traders alike be prepared for this week with these three small caps? Here is a closer look to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:
Cambridge Heart, Inc (OTCMKTS: CAMH) Recently Changed Its Board
Small cap Cambridge Heart, Inc is a healthcare company engaged in the research, development and commercialization of products for the non-invasive diagnosis of cardiac disease. On Friday, Cambridge Heart, Inc surged 176.92% to $0.018 for a market cap of $1.80 million plus CAMH is up 20% since the start of the year and down 86.1% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Microsoft Backtracks on Xbox One DRM: Will It Matter?

In a stunning reversal, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT ) Interactive Entertainment president Don Mattrick yesterday announced two key changes to Mr. Softy's plans for the next-generation Xbox One gaming console.

Go ahead, unplug
First, after a one-time setup process is complete, an Internet connection will no longer be required to play Xbox One games offline. Now, Mattrick says, "you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360."

When Microsoft initially unveiled its new console, frustrated gamers were told their flexibility would be hampered as the device would need to be connected to the Internet at least once every 24 hours for validation purposes.

In fact, in an interview filmed just before Microsoft's E3 2013 press briefing last week, Mattrick responded to gamers' criticisms by bluntly stating, "Fortunately, we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity; it's called the Xbox 360. If you have zero access to the Internet, that is an offline device."

Share to your heart's content
Second, Mattrick also stated, "There will be no limitations to using and sharing games. It will work just as it does today on Xbox 360." In other words, you'll still be able to "trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc-based games just like you do today."

That's a big change from Microsoft's previous assertion dictating gamers would be only able to share their games with up to 10 people through a "family" sharing plan, enabling any of those 10 people to access the shared games digitally through their own Xbox live consoles. What's more, while Microsoft was planning to allow people to gift games to friends, they said each game could only be gifted once, and could only be done for people on your friends list for more than 30 days.

That was a smidge too complicated for many gamers' tastes. On the flip side, however, this also means Xbox One will now require disc-based games to remain in the tray during gameplay, and gamers won't be allowed an avenue for sharing downloaded titles as Microsoft had originally planned.

Who wins?
So who gains the most from these decisions?

First, it should come as no surprise that shares of used-game specialist GameStop (NYSE: GME ) climbed more than 6% during Thursday trading. After all, GameStop has struggled the past few years, thanks largely to the rise of mobile and cloud-based gaming devices. As a result, GameStop investors have eagerly awaited a fresh revenue stream from next-gen gaming consoles.

Needless to say, then, Microsoft's original plans had the retailer worried. While Microsoft's change of heart certainly doesn't assure physical media will stick around indefinitely, the move definitely grants GameStop a temporary reprieve.

Of course, Microsoft is also hoping it will be able to win back gamers' affections. And, to be sure, Microsoft's attempt to please gamers is understandable -- if gamers were already annoyed at what they perceived as unpalatable restrictions on content, they were appalled when they learned the console would cost a whopping $499.

Those frustrations boiled over after Sony (NYSE: SNE ) stepped out last week with its Playstation 4 and undercut the Xbox One's price by a full $100. Even worse, Sony confirmed during the conference its new console would not only fully support used games, but also would not require online check-ins. In Microsoft's defense, however, the Xbox One will come with an integrated new Kinect motion sensor, which typically costs more than $100 itself in addition to the current Xbox 360 platform. The $399 Playstation 4, for its part, will not include Sony's respective "Playstation Eye" accessory.

Even so, when Amazon.com decided to run a seven-day Facebook poll during last week's conference to see which console consumers were more interested in, they ended up closing it after only three days when voters overwhelmingly favored Sony's Playstation 4 by a startling 18 to 1 margin.

But the question remains: Is Microsoft's concession too little, too late? After all, just a few days ago Sony told The Wall Street Journal it was increasing its internal sales projections for the PS4 based on strong pre-order activity, at the same time admitting "demand may well outstrip supply."

But what do you think? With both consoles presumably set to go on sale in time for this year's holiday season, do you think there's still time for Microsoft convince consumers the Xbox One is worth their dollars?

More expert advice from The Motley Fool
It's been a frustrating path for Microsoft investors, who've watched the company fail to capitalize on the incredible growth in mobile over the past decade. However, with the release of its own tablet, along with the widely anticipated Windows 8 operating system, the company is looking to make a splash in this booming market. In a new premium report on Microsoft, a Motley Fool analyst explains that while the opportunity is huge, so are the challenges. The report includes regular updates as key events occur, so make sure to claim a copy of this report now by clicking here.

Discover Delivers: 9 Dividend Stocks Increasing Payouts

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Ah, now that’s better. Not only has the weather improved now that spring has (mercifully) arrived, earnings season is bringing out dividend stock increases, too.

IncreasingDividends Discover Delivers: 9 Dividend Stocks Increasing Payouts Leading the way was financial services and payment processor Discover Financial (DFS), which put a solid dividend increase into the wallets of its shareholders. Here’s a look at the new dividends being paid out to DFS stock holders, along with improvements from other dividend stocks this week. (Note: All dividend yields are as of April 17.)

Rail transportation services provider CSX (CSX) raised its quarterly dividend 6.67% to 16 cents per share.
Payout Date: June 13
Ex-Dividend Date: May 23
CSX Dividend Yield: 2.27%

Bank card services and payments company Discover Financial (DFS) raised its quarterly dividend 20% to 24 cents per share.
Payout Date: May 22
Ex-Dividend Date: May 6
DFS Dividend Yield: 1.69%

Diversified energy services company Oneok (OKE) raised its quarterly dividend 40% to 56 cents per share.
Payout Date: May 15
Ex-Dividend Date: April 28
OKE Dividend Yield: 3.67%

Protective and decorative coatings producer PPG (PPG) raised its quarterly dividend 9.83% to 67 cents per share.
Payout Date: June 12
Ex-Dividend Date: May 8
PPG Dividend Yield: 1.34%

Industrial and consumer packaging products manufacturer Sonoco (SON) raised its quarterly dividend 3.22% to 32 cents per share.
Payout Date: June 10
Ex-Dividend Date: May 14
SON Dividend Yield: 3.04%

Midstream natural gas and natural liquid gas partnership Targa Resources Corp. (TRGP) raised its quarterly dividend 6.58% to 64.75 cents per share.
Payout Date: May 16
Ex-Dividend Date: April 24
TRC Dividend Yield: 2.43%

Targa Resources Partners (NGLS) increased its quarterly dividend 2.01% to 76.25 cents per share. With a yield of nearly 5%, NGLS came in with the highest dividend yield for our dividend stocks this week.
Payout Date: May 15
Ex-Dividend Date: April 24
NGLS Dividend Yield: 4.97%

The biggest percentage increase among our dividend stocks this week came from New Jersey-based bank holding company Two Rivers Bancorp (TRCB), which raised its quarterly dividend 50% to 3 cents per share.
Payout Date: May 30
Ex-Dividend Date: May 7
TRCB Dividend Yield: 1.48%

Home appliance manufacturer and distributor Whirlpool (WHR) raised its quarterly dividend 20% to 75 cents per share.
Payout Date: June 15
Ex-Dividend Date: May 14
WHR Dividend Yield: 1.95%

Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor at InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing he is long CSX. For more dividend stocks increasing payouts, see previous weeks' lists of Companies Increasing Dividends.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

5 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Watch Right Now

In what is seemingly becoming a more acrimonious set of negotiations, the Teamsters representing directors and drivers accused management of Service Corp International� (NYSE: SCI ) of trying to force a strike vote by rejecting the union's "last and best" offer.

"It is clear they flew to�Chicago�simply to bargain their way to a strike vote by their employees," said Teamster�Local 727 Secretary-Treasurer�John T. Coli in a statement.�

The union says that after five days of negotiations, management offered only�several tentative agreements on minor issues. The Teamsters, in turn, came back with the best, last, and final offer:

Wage increases of 3% in each year of a five-year contract Retain current pension benefits Retain current health and legal and educational benefits Current contract language on nearly all work rules

SCI rejected the offer and reiterated its demand that�employee pension, health, and educational assistance benefits be eliminated, seniority be eliminated along with the authority of independent arbitration. As compensation, management offered a 4% wage increase, 2% higher than its original offer.

5 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Watch Right Now: Healthcare Services Group Inc. (HCSG)

Healthcare Services Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides housekeeping, laundry, linen, facility maintenance, and food services to nursing homes, retirement complexes, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals in the United States. It operates in two segments, Housekeeping, Laundry, Linen, and Other services (Housekeeping); and Dietary Department Services (Dietary). The Housekeeping segment offers cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing of patient rooms, and areas of client?s facility, as well as laundering and processing of the personal clothing belonging to the facility?s patients. It also engages in laundering and processing bed linens, uniforms, and other assorted linen items utilized by client?s facility, as well as distributes laundry installations. In addition, this segment provides maintenance services that consist of repair and maintenance of laundry equipment, plumbing, and electrical systems, as well as carpentry and painting services. The Dietary segment i nvolves in providing dietician consulting professional services, developing a menu that meets the patient?s dietary needs, and purchasing and preparing the food for delivery to the patients, as well as participates in monitoring the residents? on-going nutritional status through providing dietician consulting professional services. As of December 31, 2009, the company provided services to approximately 2,300 facilities in 47 states. Healthcare Services Group was founded in 1976 and is based in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Seth Jayson]
There's no foolproof way to know the future for Healthcare Services Group (Nasdaq: HCSG ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

5 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Watch Right Now: TruLan Resources Inc (TRLR)

Trulan Resources, Inc. (Trulan), incorporated on March 12, 1971, is a natural resource mineral exploration company. The Company�� focus is to locate and acquire mineral concessions and properties that have experienced various degrees of previous exploratory work where anomalous values of gold, silver and Platinum Group Metals (PGM��) projects in North and South America.

The IGP Project totals 885 Hectares (2,186 Acres) of wide spread mineralization and ore bodies that contain high grades of Iron, Gold, Platinum and high value industrial metals. There are eight known deposits in close proximity which have been tested to the point where an Indicated Ore resource has been delineated. There are four ore bodies with an Indicated Reserve in excess of 247 Million Metric Tons. Its Eureka Placer Claim is located on Eureka Creek in California�� Sierra City Mining District. This district covers a area in Sierra County, extending through Furnier, Loganville, Church Meadows, Gold Valley, and the Sierra City-Buttes areas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Peter Graham]
Small cap mining stocks Brazil Gold Corp (OTCMKTS: BRZG) and Trulan Resources (OTCMKTS: TRLR) were either active on the charts last week (in the case of the former) or recently the subject of paid promotions (in the case of the latter). However, mining is not exactly an easy business for a small and usually undercapitalized small cap mining stock given the amount it can cost to get a mine up and running. On the other hand, they could always be sitting on the next mother lode just waiting to come out of the ground. With that in mind, here is a quick reality check about these two small cap mining stocks:

Hot Solar Stocks To Own Right Now: Enduro Royalty Trust (NDRO)

Enduro Royalty Trust (the Trust) is a statutory trust. On May 13, 2011, the Trust was formed by Enduro Resource Partners LLC (Enduro Sponsor) to own a net profits interest representing the right to receive 80% of the net profits from the sale of oil and natural gas production from certain properties in the states of Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico (the Underlying Properties) held by Enduro Sponsor as of the date of the conveyance of the net profits interest to the trust. The business and affairs of the Trust will be managed by The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the Trustee). In addition, Wilmington Trust Company will act as Delaware trustee (the Delaware Trustee) of the Trust.

The Trust will enter into an administrative services agreement with Enduro pursuant to which Enduro will provide the Trust with certain accounting, bookkeeping, and informational services related to the Net Profits Interest. Enduro Sponsor is a privately-held limited liability company engaged in the production and development of oil and natural gas from properties located in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Duprey]
Statutory trust Enduro Royalty Trust (NYSE: NDRO ) announced yesterday its July monthly distribution of $0.128817�per unit; it has paid a monthly dividend since November 2011. The distribution announced in May was $0.096825 per unit.

5 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Watch Right Now: Expeditors International of Washington Inc.(EXPD)

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. provides logistics services in the United States and internationally. The company?s services include consolidation or forwarding air and ocean freight; distribution management; vendor consolidation; cargo insurance; purchase order management; and customized logistics information. Its airfreight services comprise the procurement of shipments from its customers; determination of the routing; consolidation of shipments bound for a particular airport distribution point; and selection of the airline for transportation to the distribution point. The company also offers breakbulk services that include receiving and breaking down consolidated airfreight lots and arranging for distribution of the individual shipments. Its ocean freight and ocean services include ocean freight consolidation; and handling full container loads. In addition, the company acts as a customs broker, who assists importers to clear shipments through customs by pre paring required documentation, calculating and providing for payment of duties on behalf of the importer, arranging for any required inspections by governmental agencies, and arranging for delivery; and provides other value added services at destination, such as warehousing and product distribution, time definite transportation, and inventory management. Further, it offers custom clearances for goods moving by rail and truck between the United States, Canada, and/or Mexico; and customs consulting services The company?s customers primarily include retailers, distributors of consumer electronics, department store chains, clothing and shoe wholesalers, manufacturers, and catalogue stores. Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Inyoung Hwang]
Graseck�� Morgan Stanley colleague Bill Greene ranks No. 1 in transportation. One of his best calls was a sell in March 2010 on Expeditors International (EXPD) of Washington Inc., which assists companies in shipping goods across international borders. Most of Expeditors��business is on trade routes across the Pacific Ocean, especially between China and the U.S. Greene predicted that the company�� growth would stumble as freight flows shifted to emerging markets -- between China and Vietnam, for example. In addition, companies were increasingly near-shoring, or relocating factories and offices closer to headquarters, resulting in fewer international shipments.
[By Ben Levisohn]
The express-delivery company has gained 28% during the past three months, trumping the 18% return from�United Parcel Service�(UPS), the 4.6% gain in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) and the 0.2% rise in Expeditors International of Washington�(EXPD).
[By Rich Duprey]
Global logistics specialist Expeditors International (NASDAQ: EXPD ) announced yesterday that the company's CEO would retire effective�March 1.�

5 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Watch Right Now: Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX)

Market Vectors Steel ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the NYSE Arca Steel Index (STEEL or the Index) by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates STEEL. STEEL, calculated by the NYSE Alternext, is a modified market capitalization-weighted index consisting of publicly traded companies predominantly involved in the production of steel products or mining and processing of iron ore. The Index includes companies primarily involved in a variety of activities related to steel production, including the operation of manufacturing mills and fabrication of steel products. Companies eligible for inclusion in Index should be engaged in solar power and related products and services, deriving at least 66% of revenues from it with market cap exceeding $100 million, and should have three-month trading volume equal to or greater than $1 million per day. Its investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Udovich]
On Monday, Goldman Sachs upgraded the whole steel sector from Cautious to Neutral and specifically upgraded small cap and mid cap steel stocks AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS), United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) and Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) to Buy with price targets of $6, $30 and $22, respectively, but should you go for one of these individual steel stocks or for the Market Vectors Steel ETF (NYSEARCA: SLX)? To begin with, Goldman Sachs says that the�supply-demand fundamentals for steel are starting to look more appealing as some supply has been taken out plus they have a very bearish view on input costs (as in iron ore)��which bodes well for steel producers in the long run. Moreover, recently filed trade cases could provide some tailwind��if they are successful.�Of course a rising tide can lift all ships, but Goldman Sachs suggests that you go for the following�small cap or mid cap steel stocks:�
[By Ben Levisohn]
In our late October report on X, we noted the Company was “scratching the surface” on operational improvement, and we expected shares to edge higher over the near term. While X shares have appreciated by 16% since that report vs. the S&P 500 of +4% and the [Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX)] of +3%, we believe shares have more room to run based on our positive carbon hot-rolled steel pricing revisions for 2014: meaningful raw material cost tailwinds (coal, scrap, iron ore); low Street EPS and EBITDA expectations for 2014-2015; an ever-increasing interest rate environment (benefits for pension exposure); more evidence of European macro stability; and above-average likelihood of incremental operational efficiency announcements such as a joint venture or tolling agreement with Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI).

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Tuesday’s Analyst Moves: InternationalÂ Business Machines Corp., Morgan Stanley, PetSmart, Inc., More (IBM, MS, PETM, More)

Before Tuesday’s opening bell, a number of big name dividend stocks were the subject of analyst moves. Below, we highlight the important analyst commentary.

Citi Cuts Rating on IBM

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has been downgraded from “Buy” to “Neutral” at Citigroup on a valuation call. IBM has a dividend yield of 1.92%

See Also: Dividends in Focus: The Dow 30

Argus Upgrades Southwest Airlines

Argus reported that it has lifted its rating on Southwest Airlines Co (LUV) from “Hold” to “Buy” and has given the company a $28 price target. This price target suggests a 24% upside from the stock’s current price of $22.51. The firm noted that LUV is increasing revenue and cutting costs. LUV has a dividend yield of 0.71%.

Morgan Stanley Raised to “Buy” at BofA/Merrill

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch has upgraded Morgan Stanley (MS) from “Neutral” to “Buy” as its risk/reward is now attractive after its pullback. The firm has a $35 price target on MS, suggesting a 20% increase from the stock’s current price of $29.06. MS has a divid

Monday, April 14, 2014

Mid-Day Market Update: WebMD Surges On Strong Outlook; Medtronic Shares Slip

Related BZSUM Market Wrap For April 14: Markets Surge on Positive Retail Data, Citi Earnings Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Trade in Mixed Session as Organovo Falls

Midway through trading Monday, the Dow traded up 0.70 percent to 16,139.04 while the NASDAQ surged 0.95 percent to 4,037.75. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.81 percent to 1,830.32.

Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Monday, technology shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 1.18 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from WebMD Health (NASDAQ: WBMD) and 21Vianet Group (NASDAQ: VNET). Telecommunications services shares gained by just 0.35 percent in the US market today.

Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 5.8 percent, and Lumos Networks (NASDAQ: LMOS), down 2.9 percent.

Top Headline
Citigroup (NYSE: C) reported better-than-expected first-quarter results. Citigroup's quarterly profit surged to $3.94 billion, versus a year-ago profit of $3.81 billion. On a per-share basis, it earned $1.23. Excluding one-time items, its earnings rose to $1.30 versus $1.29. Its revenue declined to $20.12 billion. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $1.14 per share on revenue of $19.37 billion.

Equities Trading UP
Aspen Insurance Holdings (NYSE: AHL) shares shot up 11.33 percent to $43.83 after Endurance Specialty Holdings (NYSE: ENH) offered to buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50 per share in a cash and stock deal.

Shares of Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW) got a boost, shooting up 13.77 percent to $83.02 following court ruling preventing Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) from selling CoreValve System in the US.

WebMD Health (NASDAQ: WBMD) shares were also up, gaining 19.22 percent to $44.91 after the company lifted its forecast. The company now expects Q1 results above the high end of its earlier outlook.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Antero Resources (NYSE: AR) were down 3.64 percent to $60.92 after the company announced a 105% y/y gain in its Q1 preliminary gas production.

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) shares tumbled 2.06 percent to $57.98 on Federal District Court ruling preventing the company from selling its CoreValve System in the US as a result of Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW) patent infringement verdict.

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) was down, falling 2.55 percent to $12.80 after the company announced a change in executive leadership team.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded up 0.10 percent to $103.84, while gold traded up 0.62 percent to $1,327.20.

Silver traded up 0.20 percent Monday to $19.99, while copper rose 0.12 percent to $3.05.

Eurozone
European shares were mostly higher today.

The Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.17 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index gained 0.55 percent.

Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 0.26 percent and the French CAC 40 climbed 0.43 percent while U.K. shares gained 0.24 percent.

Economics
US retail sales rose 1.1% to $433.9 billion in March, versus an upwardly revised 0.7% gain in February.

Economists were estimating total sales to increase 0.9%.

US business inventories rose 0.40% in February, versus economists' expectations for a 0.50% gain.

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

Most Popular Earnings Expectations For The Week Of April 14: Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, Google And More Weekly Highlights: iPhone 6 Hype, iPad Air 2 Concepts, Twitch Popularity Skyrockets And More Barron's Recap: The Tech Bust GM Confirms Howell, Bingol Leaving Co., John Quattrone Named as Senior VP, Global Human Resources UPDATE: Endurance Specialty Offeres to Buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50/Share in Cash, Stock GrowLife's Commitment and Dedication to the Market: An Open Letter to Shareholders Related Articles (AHL + AR) Market Wrap For April 14: Markets Surge on Positive Retail Data, Citi Earnings Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Trade in Mixed Session as Organovo Falls Mid-Day Market Update: WebMD Surges On Strong Outlook; Medtronic Shares Slip Benzinga's Volume Movers UPDATE: Aspen Insurance Announces Board Has Rejected Unsolicited Bid from Endurance

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Why Wells Fargo Stock Is Headed Higher

Bank stocks are turning in another good performance today following a rise in mortgage rates and a slight improvement in pending home sales last month. While the biggest beneficiary of these trends is undoubtedly Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) , given its complete domination of the home-lending market, the majority of its competitors are following suit, pushing the KBW Bank Index (DJINDICES: ^BKX ) higher by 1.6% at the time of writing.

Earlier today, the National Association of Realtors released its estimate of pending home sales for the month of April. Its index showed that the number of signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes nudged higher last month by 0.3% compared to March. On a year-over-year basis, meanwhile, the figure shot up by 10.3%.

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"The housing market continues to squeak out gains from already very positive conditions," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. Yun went on to predict that "total existing home sales are expected to rise just over 7% to about 5 million this year."

This trend should come as no surprise if you've been following the news. We learned last week that new and existing-home sales grew in April by 29% and 10%, respectively, compared to the same month in 2012 -- to read more about this, click here. At the same time, moreover, home prices have been slowly gaining momentum while mortgage delinquencies and underwater loans are on the decline.

Suffice it to say, this is music to Wells Fargo's ears, given that it underwrites roughly a third of the nation's mortgages. And making the tune even sweeter is the fact that mortgage rates are beginning to creep back up since the Federal Reserve implemented its third round of quantitative easing -- which, not incidentally, is aimed at driving down long-term interest rates.

As you can see in the chart above, according to Freddie Mac, the rate on a 30-year fixed-rate conventional mortgage came in at 3.81% this week, an increase of 22 basis points from the prior week's 3.59%. While higher rates lower the value of mortgage-backed securities, they push up the net interest margin of lenders that retain mortgages on their balance sheets as opposed to selling them off to private investors or one of the government-sponsored entities. And because Wells Fargo has a recent history of doing more of this than its peers, it could very well be in a position to benefit accordingly.

Does this mean that Wells Fargo is a buy? Maybe. Maybe not. As a general rule, I'm a proponent of passively managed index funds such as the SPDR S&P 500 or the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF. That being said, if you were inclined to buy a bank stock, there are few that are better than Wells Fargo.

Want to learn more about Wells Fargo?
Wells Fargo's dedication to solid, conservative banking helped it vastly outperform its peers during the financial meltdown. Today, Wells is the same great bank as ever, but with its stock trading at a premium to the rest of the industry, is there still room to buy, or is it time to cash in your gains? To help figure out whether Wells Fargo is a buy today, I invite you to download our premium research report from one of The Motley Fool's top banking analysts. Click here now for instant access to this in-depth take on Wells Fargo.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

How Foot Locker Plans to Jump Higher

Tomorrow, Foot Locker (NYSE: FL ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed kneejerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

With its traditional business model of selling name-brand athletic apparel and shoes from a variety of manufacturers, Foot Locker looks like an old-style retailer compared to the direct-to-retail brand-name stores that have popped up in recent years. Yet, despite the challenges of increased competition, the retailer hasn't shied away from making moves to boost its own future prospects. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Foot Locker over the past quarter, and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Stats on Foot Locker

Analyst EPS Estimate	$0.88
Change From Year-Ago EPS	6%
Revenue Estimate	$1.63 billion
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	3.5%
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	3

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Can Foot Locker's earnings run faster this quarter?
Analysts have recently cut back their views on Foot Locker's earnings prospects, reducing their earnings-per-share estimates for the April quarter by $0.02, and cutting $0.03 per share from their consensus for the current fiscal year. The stock, though, has managed to post modest gains of almost 6% since mid-February.

Foot Locker has been riding a wave of strong growth lately, with its previous quarterly report showing earnings gains of 28% on 14% higher revenue, and same-store sales gains of nearly 8%. Even though the stock dropped on the news because expectations were even higher, the retailer's performance is impressive given the amount of competition Foot Locker faces. In particular, Nike's retail stores put the shoe giant in the awkward position of competing with Foot Locker and other traditional retailers, and that's a tough line for both Nike and Foot Locker to walk.

One key to Foot Locker's success has been its emphasis on basketball shoes, which should produce even better results this quarter as the NBA season entered the playoffs. By contrast, Finish Line has struggled to find its own niche, looking to capture more of the running-shoe market, but still largely missing out on other key segments.

Moreover, Foot Locker has made moves to expand its geographical breadth. Earlier this month, it announced the purchase of Germany's Runners Point for $94 million. The purchase might seem questionable, given Europe's weakness, but the low price tag suggests that Foot Locker got a bargain in the deal, and when Europe recovers, Runners Point could really pay off for the company.

In Foot Locker's quarterly report, watch for CEO Ken Hicks to discuss his long-term vision for Europe and the rest of the company. Given the transformative efforts that Hicks has made at the company, investors should feel confident about Foot Locker's prospects going forward.

The retail space is in the midst of the biggest paradigm shift since mail order took off at the turn of last century. Only those most forward-looking and capable companies will survive, and they'll handsomely reward those investors who understand the landscape. You can read about the 3 Companies Ready to Rule Retail in The Motley Fool's special report. Uncovering these top picks is free today; just click here to read more.

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Click here to add Foot Locker to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

Friday, April 11, 2014

How Long Did It Take You to Fill Out Your Tax Forms?

Income Tax Frustration Getty Images According to the Internal Revenue Service, it takes an average of four hours for a taxpayer to fill out their tax return. And that's for those lucky folks who are only required to fill out and file Form 1040EZ. If you have to file Form 1040 (this accounts for about 70 percent of all tax returns), you'll spend an average of 16 hours during the course of a year getting the job done -- the bulk of the time (12 hours) on record-keeping and completing/submitting the proper forms. Believe it or not, this wasn't always the case. A recent article from Business Insider shares a typical tax return from 1948. The return consisted of just one page -- and could probably have been completed in less than 10 minutes! Today's Form 1040 is just slightly longer, comprising a manageable two pages. But it's the set of rules for completing those two pages (along with the slew of additional worksheets many of us must also complete), explained over 206 technical pages, that leaves most of us crying uncle. It's little wonder more than 80 million of us pay $10 billion each year to hire professional tax help (unqualified though they may be) to complete our returns for us. It's Not That Complicated ... If You Live in One of These Countries A handful of countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Chile, and Spain) already use "pre-populated" tax returns. For the most part, this means that the country prepares a tax return (using the wage data received from the citizen's employer), runs the relevant calculations, and then mails the return to the citizen for review. If it's correct, you're done. If a change needs to be made, you make it, mail it back -- and you're done. Simple as that! No waiting by the mailbox for your W-2. No interest deduction forms that your kids can accidentally toss away. Heck, you may not even need a calculator. More than just being a welcome stress relief, this process also results in quicker tax refunds, fewer audits -- and of course fewer employees needed at the tax department (which trickles down into smaller taxes!). Of course, this free, automatic form of filing taxes is possible because those countries have simpler rules surrounding personal income taxes (meaning you may not be able to deduct mortgage interest, student loan interest, or charitable deductions) -- which is a topic for another article entirely. Nevertheless, a simpler method for filing taxes is not only possible, but it's also receiving much praise. Unfortunately, you'd have to move outside of the U.S. to take advantage of it.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Morning Movers: E*Trade Gains on Upgrade; Intuitive Surgical Slides as Sales Slump

Stocks this morning are looking to build on yesterday’s gains.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

S&P 500 futures have gained 0.3%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures have risen 0.4%. Nasdaq Composite futures have advanced 0.5%.

Constellation Brands (STZ) has gained 4% to $84.75 in pre-open trading after the beer and wine purveyor beat earnings forecasts and predicted annual profits above the Street consensus.

Alcoa (AA) has advanced 3.9% to $13.02 after beating earnings forecasts.

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has dropped 9.3% to $489.84 after the maker of surgical robots said it would report first-quarter earnings well below forecasts, as sales of its da Vinci model plunged.

General Motors (GM) has dropped 1.8% to $34.53 after it was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

E*Trade Financial (ETFC) has gained 1.9% to $20.35 after it was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA Merrill Lynch.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

American, US Airways Tweak Fees, Mileage Rules

American Airlines Bag Fees Nam Y. Huh/AP DALLAS -- If you use miles to get a free ticket on American Airlines, you may have to pay to check that suitcase. American and US Airways announced changes Tuesday to their policies on checked-bag fees and redeeming miles for free flights. Passengers traveling on American on miles they earned or who paid full price for an economy seat won't get free checked bags anymore. Some elite-level frequent fliers on both airlines will get one less free bag than before. When it comes to redeeming miles for free flights, US Airways is ending blackout days. American will change the number of miles to get an unrestricted free flight -- more on popular travel days, fewer on less-busy ones. And it's making an array of changes to the miles needed for international trips. Suzanne Rubin, an American Airlines vice president who oversees the AAdvantage loyalty program, said the changes will increase revenue but she declined to give a figure. The two carriers merged in December and formed American Airlines Group (AAL), and Tuesday's changes are designed to bring the policies of the two closer together. Between them, they have 110 million loyalty-program members, Rubin said. Other changes: For U.S. travel on or after June 1, American members can redeem miles for an unrestricted "AAnytime" award at 20,000 miles, 30,000 miles or 50,000 each way instead of the current 25,000-mile flat rate. The less-flexible "MileSAAver" awards will continue to start at 12,500 miles. Mid-tier elite members (platinum on American; gold and platinum on US Airways) will get two free checked bags; a reduction of one for the US Airways' Dividend Miles elites. Lower-level elites (gold on American; silver on US Airways) will get one free checked bag, a reduction from two for the American customers. Removing a charge for second checked bags on trips to South America. Rubin said the company wasn't considering charging a fee for carry-on bags, as Spirit Airlines (SAVE) does.