Chicago Bridge & Iron: A Strong Buy - Analyst Blog

On July 11, Zacks Investment Research upgraded Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Why the Upgrade?

Strong order activity coupled with rising demand for energy infrastructure, especially in the liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas processing and oil sands markets across the world, are expected to lead to a positive earnings surprise in the upcoming quarter.

The surge in shale gas revolution in North America and the recent approval from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the export of LNG has created a strong opportunity and thereby a good market for Chicago Bridge & Iron. The company is benefiting from this potential in LNG market and has been receiving a steady inflow of orders from the world's largest refineries and oil & gas facilities. The company's order pipeline primarily comprises front-end engineering and design (FEED) analysis of key projects.

In addition, CBI is already an established niche player in the LNG market, supported by its ability to participate in multiple stages of development and strong base for investments. Given the potential surge in the manufacturing and export of LNG worldwide, CBI expects strong demand specifically for LNG/low temperature storage systems (petrochemicals), an area where Chicago Bridge & Iron plans to aggressively capture market share.

On May 6, 2013, CBI reported first quarter fiscal 2013 results, with earnings per share of 82 cents, down 20.4% from the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.03. However, earnings were up 36.7% year over year driven by strong project activities and robust backlog during the reported quarter.

Revenues for the quarter jumped 87.4% year over year to $2.3 billion, driven by the rising demand for energy infrastructure.

In the reported quarter, new awards totaled $1.95 billion (up 14.8% year over year), which increased the company's backlog to $25.5 billion with a good mix of reimbursable and lump sum contracts.

On the hee! ls of the strong first quarter results, earnings estimates trended higher in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2014 climbed 0.4% to $5.17 per share. This represents year-over-year growth of 23.7%.

Other Stocks to Consider

Apart from Chicago Bridge & Iron, other stocks in the energy and construction sector that are currently performing well include Dycom Industries (DY) and Emcor Group Inc. (EME), both having a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Pernix Group (PRXG) is another stock worth considering and it carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Daily ETF Roundup: Markets Come Down, PBW And IYZ Rise

10 Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now

U.S. equities took a step back from the recent euphoric highs for a slow day on the market following less than amazing earnings reports and economic data. Friday's weaker than expected jobs data took it's toll on investor stamina and have lead to heightened hopes that the Federal Reserve may reconsider withdrawing stimulus this fall. With earnings season drawing to a close, the remaining companies left to report will have to pull in some earth shaking results to drag investors out of their current underwhelmed attitude  .



Global Market Overview: Markets Come Down, PBW and IYZ RiseFollowing the slow day of trading, only one major U.S. equity index managed to close in positive territory. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ETF rose 0.08% briefly hitting hitting a fresh new 13 year high earlier today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF fell 0.26%, while the S&P 500 ETF finished 0.15% below.

In Europe, markets started the day strong after better than expected growth data came in for the UK; the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.2%. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 1.4% once again due to a stronger yen, and China's Shanghai Composite gained 1% as investors anticipate a strong economic update for July at the end of the week.

Bond ETF Roundup

U.S. Treasuries continue to rise following the Federal Reserve's policy-setting committee statement last week and after a strong service sector actively report in July. Yields on baseline 10-year notes rose 4 basis points, while 30-year bonds and 5-year note yields rose 4.5 and 3 basis point, respectively .

Commodity Roundup

Crude oil futures traded lower today, settling above $106 a barrel with conflicting feelings in the Middle East. Terrorist threats on US embassies in the region have led to the mass evacuation and investor fear, but a number of strong economic repo! rts are set to come out on the region. Natural gas and gasoline futures also slipped this Monday. Meanwhile, gold futures fell 0.63% to settle at $1,302.40 a troy ounce.

ETF Chart Of The Day #1: The WilderHill Clean Energy ETF was one of the best performers today, gaining 1.88% during the session. Top holding, Canadian Solar (CSIQ), agreed to selling five projects today, valued at $279 million and rose 12% before the Monday close .

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ETF Chart Of The Day #2: The iShares U.S. Telecommunications ETF also posted a strong performance, gaining 1.14% during the session, riding on the exceptional returns the fund saw in July .

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ETF Fun Fact Of The DayThe best-performing regional strategy year-to-date has been the Global Titans ETFdb Portfolio, which has gained 8.95%.



Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.

Nasdaq Shutdown Forces SEC’s White Into Fight With Market Perils

A three-hour shutdown of the Nasdaq Stock Market marks the first test of Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Jo White's ability to push through stronger technology safeguards for electronic trading.

White, a former prosecutor who lacks a background in market regulation, responded to the failure by vowing to finish a rule proposed in March to require exchanges to test the reliability of their technology. Exchanges want to limit the number of systems covered by the rule and how much information they have to report about glitches.

The SEC has grappled with how to improve market stability since the May 2010 flash crash, when $862 billion in equity value was erased in 20 minutes before share prices recovered.

Hot Tech Stocks To Buy Right Now

"White needs to be convinced these guys, all of them, take this with the utmost seriousness," said Andrew M. Klein, a former director of trading and markets at the SEC and now a partner at Schiff Hardin LLP. "Nasdaq is starting to look like you can't be stopped from having these problems, and it needs to stop."

White signaled in her Senate confirmation hearing in March that she would scrutinize the "high-speed, high-tech and dispersed marketplace, so that it can be wisely and optimally regulated."

The regulator has invoked new rules, improved its data-mining abilities, and fined exchanges such as Nasdaq for faulty systems in connection with the botched initial public offering of Facebook Inc. (FB) in May 2012. The SEC said it accelerated drafting the rule White cited after automated trading errors by Knight Capital Group Inc. cost the firm more than $450 million and led to its sale to Getco LLC.

'Connectivity Issue'

Nasdaq said its failure this week stemmed from "a connectivity issue between an exchange participant" and the network, called a securities information processor, that provides data about quotes and prices.

Such systems, or SIPs, are owned by the two major exchange operators -- The Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ) and NYSE Euronext. (NYX)

The SEC's rule proposal, known as Regulation SCI, would require exchanges, SIPs and clearing firms to adopt policies to prevent failures, stress test their systems to ensure trading continues through a disruption, such as a software glitch or natural disaster, and report the disruptions to the SEC. The rule also would cover exchange competitors known as alternative trading systems, including dark pools. The SEC has said 10 dark pools are large enough to be subject to the regulation, based on data from 2012.

'No Competition'

The SEC warned in its March proposal that SIPs could be vulnerable to glitches because "there is virtually no competition" among market-data feeds provided to the public, which "could lead to little incentive in ensuring a high-quality product with minimal disruptions," the SEC wrote.

"If you are thinking about investing in your budget for technology, you are going to invest in things that bring in revenue, not necessarily things that are infrastructure or shared services across the industry," David Easthope, a San Francisco-based research director for the securities and investment group at consulting firm Celent, said in a phone interview. "It's not necessarily Nasdaq's chief concern as a publicly traded company."

Software failures have mounted as stock trading becomes more dispersed across 13 U.S. equity exchanges and multiple alternative trading venues. The demand for faster dissemination of market data has forced exchanges to accelerate the movement of the information through high-speed proprietary data feeds and the SIPs, said Larry Tabb, chief executive officer of Westborough, Massachusetts-based financial-market consultant Tabb Group LLC.

Faster Systems

"The way you wind up getting software to speed up is you take out all the protection," Tabb said in a phone interview. "In the attempt to go faster, they continuously remove every bit of non-critical software."

Exchanges are resisting Regulation SCI because they worry it will be used to fine them for software glitches that are impossible to eliminate, Tabb said. The rule would replace a voluntary program created after the stock market crash of 1987 and would expand the SEC's oversight to more systems, including those that support regulatory compliance and surveillance.

"Reg SCI basically gives the SEC the ability to ding any exchange for any problem," said James J. Angel, a finance professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in Washington.

White's Response

White said on Aug. 22 that she would work to advance the proposal, which passed the SEC unanimously on March 7. She also said she would convene a meeting of exchange executives and other market participants to "accelerate ongoing efforts to further strengthen our markets."

SEC Commissioner Michael Piwowar, who joined the agency this month, yesterday advised caution on advancing the regulation. He said that while recent market disruptions, including errant options trades involving Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), demand attention, the commission should should ensure that any new rule fits the facts learned from recent failures.

"Regulation SCI may or may not have contemplated what ultimately caused these disruptions," Piwowar, a Republican economist, said in a phone interview. "Therefore, we should re-evaluate the assumptions underlying the Regulation SCI proposal before moving forward with further rulemaking."

Exchanges said last month the SEC "significantly underestimated" the cost of compliance with the proposal. The agency calculated initial costs could be as much as $242 million for organizations subject to the regulation, with another $191 million in annual costs.

Limiting Reports

The exchanges also want the SEC to limit the rule to systems that support trading, clearance, settlement, order routing and market data in real time. They also say the commission should adopt a "materiality threshold" to limit the number of compliance failures or system intrusions that must be reported to the regulator.

Some of the rule's critics have questioned whether the SEC's oversight authority allows it to impose technology standards on self-regulatory bodies, which enjoy a special status under federal law.

"Striking to me has been the kind of collective resistance by the self-regulatory organizations to much of what is in the release," Klein said. "The problem is finding a device to prevent this and recognize the the truth of what the industry-based message is, that you can't have this kind of technology-based elaborate system and expect no failures."

Great American Group Kicked Off Liquidation Sales at Eight Orchard Supply Hardware Stores in California (OTCBB:GAMR, OTCMKTS:CRWE)

Great American Group, Inc. (GAMR)

Today, GAMR has shed (-9.46%) down -0.035 at $.335 with 160 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:31AM EDT July 8, 2013), but don't let this get you down.

Great American Group, Inc. has been selected to handle store closing sales at eight Orchard Supply Hardware locations, offering significant product discounts in the Citrus Heights, Fairfield, Huntington Beach, Lone Tree, Long Beach, Midtown, Newark and Vacaville stores

Orchard previously reported on June 17, 2013, that it had reached an agreement through which Lowe's Companies, Inc. will acquire the majority of its assets but will allow Orchard to continue day-to-day operations as a separate, standalone business with its brand, strategy and management team intact. To facilitate the acquisition agreement and restructure its balance sheet, Orchard filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The agreement with Lowe's comprises the initial stalking horse bid in the Court-supervised auction process under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Great American Group, Inc. (GAMR) 5 day chart:

Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (CRWE)

Together with their digital network of Websites, Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (OTCMKTS:CRWE) (www.crownequityholdings.com ) offers advertising branding and marketing services as a worldwide online multi-media publisher. The company focuses on the distribution of information for the purpose of bringing together a targeted audience and the advertisers that want to reach them.

Today, (July 8) The Company remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.02 with 395,500 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:36PM EDT July 8, 2013).

CRWE's daily range thus far is at ($.03 – $.015) currently at $.02 would be considered a (+1233.33%) gain above the 52 wk low of $.0015. The stock is up +566.67% since the concerning dates of January 15, 2013 – July 8, 2013. +566.67% is the 6 month high and rightly so.

Recently (June 26), CRWE Files 10-Q. To view click URL http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=9371051

Recently (June 26), CRWE Files 10-K. To view click URL http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=9371048

Crown Equity Holdings Inc. 5 day chart:

Wall Street Fees Bleeding Pension Funds, Report Says

States struggling with unfunded pension liabilities could come up with tens of billions fairly quickly by simply cutting Wall Street out of their fat pension management contracts.

That is the oft-stated conclusion of a new study by the Maryland Public Policy Institute which, though filled with unflattering statistical comparisons between actively managed portfolios and passively managed index funds, reads at times like a personal feud with Wall Street professionals.

The paper’s authors, affiliated with the free-enterprise-oriented state policy nonprofit and also the Maryland Tax Education Foundation, bemoan their state’s “opportunity cost” of $2 billion to $3 billion as a result of Maryland pension system’s 10-year underperformance despite their previous written reports and public testimony.

“The response of the system to these facts has been to 'shoot the messenger' rather than to acknowledge the problem, admit a mistake and institute reforms," write report authors Jeff Hooke and John J. Walters. "The response of the governor and Legislature has been to do nothing. This ‘head in the sand’ tactic is mirrored by Maryland’s underperforming peers despite the huge dollars involved.”

The authors analyze 46 of the 50 states, excluding four states whose data lacked comparability. They found that, net of fees, the top 10 states paying the highest pension management fees to Wall Street (averaging 0.6%%) had five-year returns (ending June 30, 2012) of 0.34%, compared with a 2.38% return for the 10 states paying the lowest fees (averaging 0.22%) over the same time period.

“State pension funds should consider indexing,” the report advises. “Indexing fees cost a state pension fund about 3 basis points yearly on invested capital vs. 39 basis points for active management fees (or 92% less).”

That difference could save the surveyed 46 funds $6 billion in fees annually while delivering similar or superior returns. Comparing 5-year median pension performance to a benchmark that mimics the asset allocation of state pension funds, the authors find a 0.69% annualized return advantage to the index fund.

“Although 0.69% doesn’t sound like much, on a $30 billion portfolio, it represents $207 million per year, or over $2 billion for ten years, when compounding is used,” the authors write.

They add that were states to expand the small proportion of their pensions that are passively managed to 80% or 90% of their portfolios, “the annual savings, at a seven percent liability discount rate, reduces unfunded pension liability by $80 billion,” thereby improving results for both taxpayers and public sector employees.

The paper’s authors argue that state pension systems routinely fall for a Wall Street “sales pitch” that says fund professionals can outperform the market with their investment savvy. Yet they cite S&P Dow Jones data to show that over the five years ended December 31, 69% of domestic equity funds failed to beat the S&P benchmark while fully 13 out of 14 bond benchmarks beat actively managed fixed-income funds.

They decry what they view as a lack of accountability on the part of state pension system managers, who fall for the “sales pitch,” add to costs by monitoring performance with the help of outside “Wall Street-type” investment consultants, yet take no action in response to underperformance.

Maryland, for example, has seen little money manager turnover. “In fiscal 2009,” the authors write,” “the market crash caused the system to lose billions. None of the high-priced money managers saw the crash coming, yet they kept their system contracts. This non-accountability is not specific to Maryland, but endemic to the public pension fund sector.”

10 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014

Hooke and Walters’ solution — noting the classic investment exposé “Where are the Customers’ Yachts?” — is to fire Wall Street, which they argue should not be politically difficult to accomplish:

“Fee cuts will impact principally the incomes of public stock and bond money managers, hedge fund managers, and private equity fund managers, who are concentrated in just a few states.”

The authors are vocal in their encouragement of a transition to indexing, going through details of the process:

“Indexing is easy for states to implement, as index firms respond to state requests for proposals (RFPs) just like active managers. A state can liquidate most of its active manager portfolios within a few months, and provide the cash to index firms, which can then invest the money in the underlying securities of an index within a few weeks.”

The authors also reserve some choice words for Wall Street trends such as alternative investments, which they call “old wine in a new bottle,” and private equity funds, whose portfolio valuations by independent CPAs they describe as “less than rigorous.”

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Check out Will Indexing Kill the Market? on AdvisorOne.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now

The massive supply of natural gas that has resulted from new drilling technologies applied to U.S. shale fields over the past few years has been a boon not only to consumers who use gas for heating their homes, but also to a variety of companies, including chemical, steel and fertilizer manufacturers, for whom energy costs are substantial.

The U.S. has been inundated with so much cheap natural gas, in fact, that trucking companies are increasingly switching over to gas-powered engines for their fleets, while auto manufactures are offering hybrid vehicles that have the ability to burn both compressed natural gas and gasoline.

And now, the next logical step of the natural gas-fueled transformation of the transport industry -- gas-powered locomotives -- looks to be in its early stages.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: SMTC Corporation(SMTX)

SMTC Corporation provides advanced electronics manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide. The company?s services include product design and engineering services, printed circuit board assembly production, enclosure fabrication, systems integration, testing, and configuration services. It also provides enclosure and precision metal fabrication, cable assembly, interconnect, and engineering design services. The company offers its integrated contract manufacturing services to OEMs and technology companies primarily in the industrial, computing and networking, communications, consumer, and medical market segments. SMTC Corporation was founded in 1985 and is based in Markham, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul]

  SMTC Corp. (NASDAQ: SMTX) is a Canadian company that provides contract electronics manufacturing services, such as surface-mount and through-hole circuit board assembly, product design, testing, packaging and supply chain management. Manufacturers use products built or assembled by SMTC in their computer servers, networking devices or communications products.

  In its most recent earnings report, the company said Q3 sales rose 48% in the quarter to $65.4 million, and earnings per share were 16 cents, up from 3 cents in the same quarter of 2009. Eight of its top 10 customers increased orders as a result of strong market demand for electronics manufacturing. The addition of five new clients added $10 million to the company’s sales in the quarter. SMTX’s year-over-year gross profit more than doubled to $7.9 million, as a result. Generated cash flow reached $4.6 million and the company used much of this extra cash to pay down debt. That’s why SMTX’s debt was just $18 million at the end of the quarter, the lowest level in the company’s history.

  SMTX is in an excellent position to profit from increasing electronics and technology demand, which will continue to climb next year. Buy SMTX below $4.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)

Rent-A-Center, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, primarily engages in leasing household durable goods to customers on a rent-to-own basis. The company?s stores offer durable products, such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, and furniture and accessories under flexible rental purchase agreements that allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed upon rental period. It also provides merchandise on an installment sales basis in its stores. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 3,008 company-owned stores in the United States, and in Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, including 42 retail installment sales stores under the names ?Get It Now? and ?Home Choice?; and 18 rent-to-own stores located in Canada under the ?Rent-A-Centre? name. It also operates 209 franchised rent-to-own stores in 32 states under the ColorTyme trade name; and 384 kiosk locations under the ?RAC Acceptance? model. In addition, the company, th rough its ColorTyme?s franchised stores, offers custom rims and tires for sale or rental under the trade names ?RimTyme? or ?ColorTyme Custom Wheels?. Rent-A-Center, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Stuart]

  Rent-A-Center(RCII), the largest rent-to-own operator in the U.S., rents furniture and electronics to low- to middle-income customers.

  The company has struggled in the past three months, underperforming its closest competitor, Aaron's Rents(AAN), by over 25%. While Aaron's has executed flawlessly, Rent-A-Center has not, as the company missed earnings estimates. Management blamed the first-quarter fallout on poor weather conditions in February and limited availability of refund-anticipation loans for consumers. Despite the hiccup, management has stuck to its 2011 guidance of $2.90 to $3.10 in EPS, equating to revenue growth of 5% to 7% and earnings-per-share growth of 3% to 10%.

  Key initiatives to boost growth, such as RAC Acceptance (kiosks in third-party stores that arrange rent-to-own programs) are in place. Management has done a good job of managing its debt position and recently boosted the dividend by 167% (now at a 2.2% yield). If management can achieve $3 in EPS for the full year, the stock looks cheap, trading at just 9.7 times earnings (a discount to 15 times P/E for Aaron's). TheStreet Ratings has a $41 price target on shares of Rent-A-Center.

Hot Performing Companies To Invest In 2014: Alliance Holdings GP L.P.(AHGP)

Alliance Holdings GP, L.P., through its subsidiaries, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. It produces a range of steam coal with varying sulfur and heat contents. The company operates nine underground mining complexes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, and West Virginia. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 697.4 million tons of proven and probable coal reserves in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In addition, the company leases land; and operates a coal loading terminal, with a capacity of 8.0 million tons with ground storage of approximately 60,000 to 70,000 tons, on the Ohio River at Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Further, it engages in purchasing and selling coal; and providing services, including ash and scrubber sludge removal, coal yard maintenance, and arranging alternate transportation services. Alliance GP, LLC, serves as the general partner of the company. Allian ce Holdings GP, L.P. is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Stuart]

  Alliance Holding(AHGP) is a diversified coal producer with mining operations in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and Maryland.

  The stock has slumped 18% in the past three months due to a secondary offering of 2.75 million shares, which was released in April for $52 a share. Shares are now trading $6 below the offering price.

  Management has stepped up and put its own money to work with CEO Joe Craft buying $3 million worth of stock last week. The company pays a dividend of $2.22 a share, with a yield of 5%. Alliance trades at a discount to other coal competitors at a P/E of 15. With expectations calling for 20% growth, the shares look attractive. TheStreet Ratings has a $61 price target on Alliance.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sirius XM Radio Inc.(SIRI)

Sirius XM Radio Inc. provides satellite radio services in the United States and Canada. It broadcasts a programming lineup of approximately 135 channels of commercial-free music, sports, news and information, talk and entertainment, traffic, and weather on subscription fee basis through two satellite radio systems in the United States; and holds an interest in the satellite radio services offered in Canada. The company also simulcasts music and selected non-music channels over the Internet; and offers applications to allow consumers to access its Internet services on mobile devices. As of December 31, 2010, it had 20,190,964 subscribers. In addition, the company designs, establishes specifications, sources or specifies parts and components, and manages various aspects of the logistics and production of satellite radios; licenses its technology to various electronics manufacturers to develop, manufacture, and distribute radios under various brands; and imports radios distri buted through its Websites. The company?s satellite radios are primarily distributed through automakers, retailers, and its Websites. Further, it provides music services for commercial establishments; a satellite television service to offer music channels as part of certain programming packages on the DISH Network satellite television service; music and comedy channels to mobile phone users through mobile phone carriers; Backseat TV, a service offering television content designed primarily for children in the backseat of vehicles; Travel Link, a suite of data services that include graphical weather, fuel prices, sports schedules and scores, and movie listings; and real-time traffic and weather services. The company was formerly known as Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and changed its name to Sirius XM Radio Inc. in August 2008. Sirius XM Radio Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Brush]

  Howard Stern lemmings piled into Sirius stock years ago when the shock jock moved his circus to satellite radio. Many lost almost all their money, as the company's stock fell under $1 from above $8.

  But with a 2008 buyout of XM Radio and a bankruptcy scare under its belt, Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) is now a dominant force on the comeback trail.

  Skeptics believe iPods and free Web radio services like Pandora will jam the signal at Sirius, which charges $12.95 a month. But satellite radio offers content that listeners can't find elsewhere on the radio -- not only Stern, but also Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Jamie Foxx, Barbara Walters and a Playboy channel, to name a few.

  And recent trends confirm that drivers are willing to pay for that content. Sirius XM Radio's subscriber base grew last year by 8%, to 20.2 million. That helped drive revenue up 14%, to $2.82 billion. "It's kind of like the original cable TV, when everyone thought people wouldn't pay for TV because it's free," says Robert Routh, a media analyst at Phoenix Partners. "Sirius XM Radio has lot of stuff you can't get elsewhere." The reason: While terrestrial radio companies lack the funds to buy the big talent, Sirius XM Radio can buy wh atever it wants to fill its 135 channels, says John Tinker, an analyst with Maxim Group.

  Two other keys to growth: Sirius XM Radio is available for free for a few months in 60% of all new cars. As car sales rise in an improving economy, subscriber growth should increase. A Sirius 2.0 upgrade and a possible rate increase later this year will also drive gains. All-important cash flow could hit $1 billion a year by 2015, predicts Morgan Stanley analyst David Gober. He says Sirius XM Radio will be announcing dividends and share buybacks -- music to investors' ears

• [By Michael Brush]

  Howard Stern lemmings piled into Sirius stock years ago when the shock jock moved his circus to satellite radio. Many lost almost all their money, as the company's stock fell under $1 from above $8.

  But with a 2008 buyout of XM Radio and a bankruptcy scare under its belt, Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) is now a dominant force on the comeback trail.

  Skeptics believe iPods and free Web radio services like Pandora will jam the signal at Sirius, which charges $12.95 a month. But satellite radio offers content that listeners can't find elsewhere on the radio -- not only Stern, but also Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Jamie Foxx, Barbara Walters and a Playboy channel, to name a few.

  And recent trends confirm that drivers are willing to pay for that content. Sirius XM Radio's subscriber base grew last year by 8%, to 20.2 million. That helped drive revenue up 14%, to $2.82 billion. "It's kind of like the original cable TV, when everyone thought people wouldn't pay for TV because it's free," says Robert Routh, a media analyst at Phoenix Partners. "Sirius XM Radio has lot of stuff you can't get elsewhere." The reason: While terrestrial radio companies lack the funds to buy the big talent, Sirius XM Radio can buy whatever it wants to fill its 135 channels, says John Tinker, an analyst with Maxim Group.

  Two other keys to growth: Sirius XM Radio is available for free for a few months in 60% of all new cars. As car sales rise in an improving economy, subscriber growth should increase. A Sirius 2.0 upgrade and a possible rate increase later this year will also drive gains. All-important cash flow could hit $1 billion a year by 2015, predicts Morgan Stanley analyst David Gober. He says Sirius XM Radio will be announcing dividends and share buybacks -- music to investors' ears.

• [By Victor Mora]

  Sirius XM Radio provides audio entertainment and information via subscription services to a growing listener base. The company recently released an earnings report that has investors happy. The stock has been steadily rising and is now trading at highs for the year. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenue figures have been rising which has led to upbeat investors. Relative to its very strong peers and sector, Sirius XM Radio has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Sirius XM Radio to OUTPERFORM.

Top 5 Cheap Stocks To Buy Right Now: Compass Minerals Intl Inc(CMP)

Compass Minerals International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces and markets inorganic mineral products primarily in North America and the United Kingdom. The company operates in two segments, Salt and Specialty Fertilizer. The Salt segment produces salt and magnesium chloride for use in road deicing and dust control, food processing, water softeners, pool salt, and agricultural and industrial applications. This segment also purchases potassium chloride and sells as a finished product. The Specialty Fertilizer segment produces and markets sulphate of potash crop nutrients and industrial grade sulfate of potash for use in the production of specialty fertilizers for vegetables, fruits, potatoes, nuts, tobacco, and turf grass. The company also produces and markets consumer deicing and water conditioning products, ingredients used in consumer and commercial food preparation, and other mineral-based products for consumer, agricultural, and industrial applications. In ad dition, Compass Minerals provides records management services to businesses located in the U.K. The company operates rock salt mines in Goderich, Ontario, Canada; and Winsford, Chesire, the United Kingdom. It primarily serves producers of intermediate chemical products used in the production of vinyls and other chemicals, and pulp and paper, as well as water treatment and other industrial uses. The company markets its products through direct sales personnel, contract personnel, and a network of brokers or manufacturers? representatives. Compass Minerals International, Inc., formerly known as Salt Holdings Corporation, was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Compass Minerals (CMP) is a producer of minerals, including salt, sulfate of potash specialty fertilizer and magnesium chloride. This stock closed up 3.4% at $75.60 in Wednesday's trading session.

  Wednesday's Volume: 913,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 212,481
  
  Volume % Change: 315%

  From a technical perspective, CMP gapped higher here off its recent low of $64.24 with heavy upside volume. This stock recently gapped down sharply from around $90 to $64.24 with heavy downside volume. That move pushed shares of CMP into extremely oversold territory, since the stock's current relative strength index reading is 25.78. Oversold can always get more oversold, but it's also an area where a stock can experience a powerful bounce higher from. Shares of CMP are now starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if CMP manages to take out its gap down day high of $78.20 and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $79.14 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CMP as long as it's trending above Wednesday's low of $73.07 or $72.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 212,481 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CMP will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone that started near $90.

• [By Chris Stuart]

  Compass Minerals International(CMP) is a provider of highway de-icing salt and specialty fertilizer. The salt segment for Compass currently comprises about 80% of the overall business and is stable, yet slow-growing. The specialty potash segment (20% of sales) produces sulfate of potash (SOP), which is used primarily as a specialty fertilizer for vegetables, fruits, tea, tobacco and grass. The SOP business has much better upside and should fuel growth for the company.

  With margins expected to improve in 2011 and management investing to take advantage of improved potash pricing, the stock looks like a solid investment. TheStreet Ratings has a $115 price target on Compass Minerals.

5 Best Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now

Valmont Industries (NYSE: VMI  ) reported impressive first-quarter earnings recently, with operating income rising 43% on strong sales and increasing margins. The growth in sales was largely due to the company's Utility Support Structures and Irrigation segments, which each had 25% sales growth.

Utility Support Structures was helped by an expansion of the electric grid in the United States. Valmont is one of the biggest manufacturers of utility poles in the U.S., and because of increasing power usage, utility companies are investing heavily in building infrastructure to handle it. Southern (NYSE: SO  ) increased its capital expenditures by 20% from 2008 to 2012, and Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK  ) beat that in just the last year.

Irrigation was helped along by the continuing drought in the United States. Last summer was one of the worst droughts on record, and according to the United States Drought Monitor, almost the entire western half of the U.S. is still experiencing some kind of drought, with much of the Corn Belt and Great Plains regions experiencing "extreme" or "exceptional" drought conditions.

5 Best Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: IHS Inc. (IHS)

IHS Inc. (IHS), incorporated on May 5, 1994, is a source of information and insight in areas, such as energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk, and security; environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting, and commodities, pricing, and cost. The Company is organized by geographies into three business segments: Americas, which includes the United States, Canada, and Latin America; EMEA, which includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and APAC (Asia Pacific). IHS sources data and transforms it into information and insight that businesses, Governments, and others use every day to make decisions. Its product development teams have also created Web services and application interfaces. These services allow its customers to integrate the Company�� information with other data, business processes and applications (computer-aided design, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, and product data/lifecycle management). The Company develops its offerings based on its customers' workflows, and it sells and delivers them into the industries in which IHS�� customers operate. As of November 30, 2011, HIS focused on five customer workflows: strategy, planning, and analysis; energy technical; product engineering; supply chain, and EHS & sustainability. As of November 30, 2011, it was focused on six verticals: energy and natural resources; Government, defense and security; chemicals; transportation; manufacturing, and technology, media, and telecommunications. In March 2012, the Company acquired Displaybank, a global authority in market research and consulting for the display industry; the Computer Assisted Product Selection (CAPSTM) electronic components database and tools business, including CAPS Expert, from PartMiner Worldwide, and the digital oil and gas pipeline and infrastructure information business from Hild Technology Services. In March 2012, the Company acquired IMS Research. In March 2012, the Company acquired BDW Automotive GmbH. I! n May 2012, it acquired Xedar Corporation, a developer and provider of geospatial information products and services. In July 2012, the Company acquired CyberRegs business from Citation Technologies, Inc. In July 2012, the Company acquired GlobalSpec, Inc. On April 16, 2011, IHS acquired ODS-Petrodata (Holdings) Ltd. ODS-Petrodata is a provider of data, information, and market intelligence to the offshore energy industry. On April 26, 2011, it acquired Dyadem International, Ltd. (Dyadem). Dyadem offers operational risk management and quality risk management solutions. On May 2, 2011, the Company acquired Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI). CMAI is a leading provider of market and business advisory services for the worldwide petrochemical, specialty chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, fibers, and chlor-alkali industries. On August 10, 2011, the Company acquired Seismic Micro-Technology (SMT). SMT offers Windows-based exploration and production software, and its solutions are used by geoscientists worldwide to evaluate potential reservoirs and plan field development. On November 10, 2011, it acquired Purvin & Gertz. Purvin & Gertz is a global advisory and market research firm that provides technical, commercial, and strategic advice to international clients in the petroleum refining, natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and petrochemical industries. Energy and Power IHS covers the technical and economic spectrum of energy and power. Detailed records and forecasts on oil, gas and coal supplies, combined with insights on traditional and emerging energy markets, help enable its customers to make decisions. Its offerings include production information on more than 90 % of the world's oil and gas production in more than 100 countries; oil and gas well data that includes geological information on more than four million current and historic wells worldwide; energy activity data that includes current and future seismic, drilling and development activities in more than 180 countries and 335 hydrocarbon-producing regions worldwide; information and research to develop unconventional hydrocarbon resources-shale gas, coal bed methane and heavy oil; knowledge of energy markets, strategies, industry trends, and companies; information and research summits, such as IHS CERAWeek and the IHS Herold Pacesetters Energy Conference, which offer decision makers the opportunity to interact with its experts, and critical information about analysis of coal, nuclear and renewables, including wind, solar, and hydro power. The Company competes with DrillingInfo, Inc., TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, Accenture, Deloitte, Wood Mackenzie, Ltd., Schlumberger Limited, Halliburton, LMKR and Paradigm Ltd. Design and Supply Chain IHS Design and Supply Chain solutions provide information for customers that allow them to manage a product from conception to research and development to production, maintenance and disposal. It also provides companies access to specifications and standards. The Company�� offerings include market and technology research and analysis; standards management solutions, including more than 370 commercial and military standards and specification publishing organizations; advanced product design and process engineering; strategic product content and supply chain management; environmentally compliant product design; counterfeit part risk mitigation; product performance and cost optimization, and indirect parts and maintenance, repair, and operations logistics, inventory and cash flow optimization tables, including wind, solar, and hydro power. The Company competes with SAI Global and Thomson Reuters Corporation. Defense, Risk and Security IHS delivers open source intelligence in the areas of global defense, risk, and security, including maritime domain awareness. IHS offers open source intelligence solutions for military planners, national security analysts, and defense and maritime industry strategy and planning professionals. The Company�� offerings include military and national security assessments; defense equipment and technology information; defense budgets and procurement forecasting; defense industry trends and analysis; terrorism and insurgency analysis; global commercial ship identification and specifications; live tracking of commercial ship movements; shipping and shipbuilding markets and forecasts, and ports and port security information. The Company competes with McGraw-Hill, Gannett, Forecast International and Control Risks Group. EHS and Sustainability IHS EHS and Sustainability solutions support critical decisions around environmental, health and safety, operational risk, greenhouse gas and energy, product stewardship and corporate responsibility. The Company�� offerings include global and local software implementations; material compliance and lifecycle information content; strategic planning services in greenhouse gas management and cap-and-trade; compliance and verification expertise for local, regional, national, and international EHS and sustainability management system responsibilities, and risk management assessment across a range of industries. The Company competes with SAP and Verisk. Country and Industry Forecasting IHS delivers detailed forecasts and analysis of economic conditions within political, economic, legal, tax, operational, and security environments worldwide. Additionally, IHS provides forecasts, market-sizing, and risk assessments for a number of industries worldwide, including aerospace and defense, agriculture, automotive, chemicals, construction, consumer and retail, energy, finance, government, healthcare and pharmaceutical, military and security, mining and metals, commerce and transport, and telecommunications. Its offerings include in-depth analysis of the business conditions, economic prospects, and risks in more than 200 countries and more than 170 industries; security risk analysis and daily updates on both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and sovereign risk ratings in more than 200 countries; event-driven updates of its risk analysis and ratings; short-, medium- and long-term forecasts for business planning and decision making; historical information since 1970; Deep market intelligence for the automotive, agriculture, chemicals, construction, consumer goods, commerce and transport, energy, financial, healthcare and pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and steel industries; and scenario explorations examining alternative outcomes to the questions impacting global business. The Company competes with Economist Intelligence Unit and Moody's Corporation. Commodities, Pricing and Cost IHS offers information, forecasts, and analysis to help its customers understand the how, when, and what of commodity prices and labor costs. IHS analysts monitor and forecast more than 1,300 global price, wage, and manufacturing costs across the regions for sectors, including energy products, chemicals, steel, nonferrous metals, industrial machinery and equipment, electronic components, paper and packaging, transportation, and building materials. Its offerings include analysis and forecasts for more than 1,300 global price, wage, and manufacturing costs; market intelligence of drivers, assumptions, and risks relating to commodity and service prices; cost and price data with actionable insights; forecasts covering global spot market prices, wages, and material costs; advisory forums to assist in monitoring, forecasting, and managing power and energy portfolio project costs, and consulting capabilities that enable clients to source materials. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca Lipman]

   Provides critical information and insight products and services. Market cap of $5.53B. EPS growth (5-year CAGR) at 22%. According to Morgan Stanley: "Almost 80% of the business is subscription-based, providing high revenue visibility. Customers operate their businesses more effectively with the data and analytics that IHS supplies, and the company has vast databases that would likely be cost-prohibitive and extremely difficult for competitors to reconstruct."

5 Best Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Gran Tierra Energy Inc (GTE)

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (Gran Tierra) is an independent international energy company engaged in oil and gas acquisition, exploration, development and production. Gran Tierra owns oil and gas properties in Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Brazil. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company focused on development of producing fields and generation of exploration prospects in Colombia, including the acquisition of three blocks in the Petrolifera acquisition and the acquisition of a working interest in the Llanos 22 Block. It delivers its oil to Ecopetrol S.A. (Ecopetrol) through its transportation facilities, which include pipelines, gathering systems and trucking. On March 18, 2011, the Company acquired of all the issued and outstanding common shares and warrants of Petrolifera Petroleum Limited (Petrolifera).

Best Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: GMX Resources Inc.(GMXR)

GMX Resources Inc. operates as an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company primarily in the United States. It has interests in two oil shale resources, including the Williston Basin that targets the Bakken/Sanish-Three Forks in North Dakota/Montana; and the DJ Basin, which targets the Niobrara Formation in Wyoming. The company also holds interests in natural gas resources comprising the Haynesville/Bossier Formation and the Cotton Valley Sand Formation in the East Texas Basin. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved reserves of 319.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent; and 264 net producing wells in east Texas. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Putnam]

  GMX Resources Inc. is a pure play independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company. The Company is focused on the development of Haynesville/Bossier Shale and Cotton Valley Sands in the Sabine Uplift of the Carthage, North Field of Harrison and Panola counties of East Texas. Its EPS forecast for the current year is 0.19 and next year is 0.55. According to consensus estimates, its topline is expected to grow 43.52% current year and 41.52% next year. It is trading at a forward P/E of 11.04. Out of 15 analysts covering the company, six are positive and have buy recommendations, two have sell ratings and seven have hold ratings.

5 Best Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Halliburton Company provides various products and services to the energy industry for the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services, completion tools and services, cementing services, and Boots & Coots. Its production enhancement services include stimulation and sand control services; completion tools and services comprise subsurface safety valves and flow control equipment, surface safety systems, packers and specialty completion equipment, intelligent completion systems, expandable liner hanger systems, sand control systems, well servicing tools, and reservoir performance services; cementing services consist of bonding the well and well casing, while isolating fluid zones and maximizing wellbore stability, and casing equipment; and Boots & Coots include well intervention services , pressure control, equipment rental tools and services, and pipeline and process services. The Drilling and Evaluation segment provides field and reservoir modeling, drilling, evaluation, and wellbore placement solutions that enable customers to model, measure, and optimize their well construction activities. Its services comprise fluid services, drilling services, drill bits, wireline and perforating services, testing and subsea services, software and asset solutions, and integrated project management and consulting services. The company serves independent, integrated, and national oil companies. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nathan_Slaughter]

  Halliburton is ranked among the top oilfield services companies in America. It has global operations aiding oil companies in the exploration and drilling of wells. Ever since the introduction of the new horizontal drilling technology, Halliburton has been able to boost its productive capacity exponentially from 500 billion barrels about 5 years ago to nearly 4.5 trillion as of date. Revenue through overseas operations has increased nearly 20% since the third quarter of 2011. Also, the company is expected to expand its field of operations significantly in the coming years seeing that power-houses China and Argentina seek assistance from Halliburton for the development of their national oil and gas fields. The current market capitalization of the company is massive at a staggering $30 billion with total recorded revenue of $25 billion in 2011. At a current trading price of around $36, Halliburton has a price-to -earnings ratio of around 11 and earnings per share of almost $3. A positive dividend yield of nearly 1% has helped the company earn the trust of loyal investors. In my view, the company will continue to grow at a steady pace, opening new frontiers for investment such as the massive market of China. Therefore, I rank Halliburton among the safer stock investments for 2012.

5 Best Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: WaterFurnace Renewable Energy Inc (WFIFF.PK)

WaterFurnace Renewable Energy, Inc. specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of geothermal and water-source systems. It�� the United States subsidiary companies are WaterFurnace International, Inc. (WaterFurnace) and LoopMaster International, Inc. (LoopMaster). In December 2010, it incorporated two Australian subsidiaries: WaterFurnace International Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd. (WaterFurnace Asia Pacific) and Hyper WFI Pty. Ltd. (Hyper WFI). WaterFurnace designs, manufactures and distributes geothermal water source heating and cooling systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. LoopMaster installs geothermal loops for residential applications, does commercial conductivity testing and provides design and installation assistance. Hyper WFI designs, develops and builds devices that limit the inrush current, which electric motors draw upon start up. On January 21, 2011, the Company acquired inventory and fixed assets from Binary Engineering Pty. Ltd.

Daily ETF Roundup: XLE Drops As Crude Retreats, IYW Pops ...

The summer slump continued on Wall Street, as investors weighed a slew of mixed earnings reports against strong housing data. New home sales for June were reported to have risen 8.3% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 497,000; analysts were expecting a rate of 485,000. In earnings news, tech giant Apple (AAPL) easily beat Q3 earnings and revenue forecasts, while auto maker Ford (F) also exceeded analyst expectations. Construction equipment maker Caterpillar (CAT) and telecom giant AT&T (T), however, both missed Wall Street's earnings expectations .



Global Market Overview: XLE Drops As Crude Retreats, IYW Pops On Apple EarningsFollowing today's earnings and economic reports, only one major U.S. equity indexes managed to close in positive territory. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ETF rose 0.32%, lifted by stronger-than-expected results from Apple. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF slipped 0.17%, while the S&P 500 ETF traded 0.37% lower.

In Europe, markets were broadly higher following a positive reading on Markit's preliminary composite purchasing-manager's index; the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.6%. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average slipped 0.3%, and China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.5% after HSCB's preliminary China PMI for July fell to an 11-month low of 47.7 (readings below 50 indicated contraction).

Bond ETF Roundup

U.S. Treasuries fell once again today after a mixed government auction. Yields on 10-year notes rose 8 basis points, while 30-year bonds and 5-year note yields rose 7 and 6 basis points, respectively .

Commodity Roundup

Crude oil futures traded lower today, settling below $106 a barrel, as investors weighed a slight decline in crude supplies against Caterpillar's weak earnings and a disappointing Chinese manufacturing report. In other energy trading, gasoline and natural gas futures also traded lower. Meanwhile, gold futures shed 1.1% to settle at $1,319.90 a troy ounce.

ETF Chart Of The Day #! 1: The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF was one of the worst performers today, shedding 1.11% during the session. As crude oil and energy stocks retreated, this ETF took a steep hit during the morning hours. XLE slid lower throughout the day, eventually settling at $82.66 a share .

Click To Enlarge

ETF Chart Of The Day #2: The U.S. Technology ETF was one of the best performers today, gaining 0.86% during the session. After Apple (AAPL) beat earnings and revenue forecasts, this ETF gapped significantly higher at the open. IYW eventually settled at $76.61 a share .

Click To Enlarge

ETF Fun Fact Of The DayThe best-performing regional strategy over the trailing 13-week period has been the Global Titans ETFdb Portfolio, which has gained 2.70%.



Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.

Legg Mason Down to Underperform - Analyst Blog

Top 10 Bank Companies To Buy For 2014

On Jul 10, 2013, we downgraded our recommendation on Legg Mason Inc. (LM) to Underperform from Outperform. Our decision was based on the company's high level of net asset outflows.

Why the Downgrade?

Legg Mason is scheduled to announce fiscal first-quarter 2014 results on Jul 25. Notably, the company's activities during the quarter did not win analysts' confidence. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter has moved down 3.6% to 80 cents over the last 30 days. Additionally, the earnings ESP (Read:Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method) for the quarter is -2.50%. This, along with its Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), reduces the company's chances of a positive earnings surprise.

Further, the likelihood of a downward estimate revision was more obvious for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The Zacks Consensus Estimate went down 1.4% to $3.42 per share for 2014 and 0.5% to $3.93 per share for 2015 over the same time frame.

Moreover, Legg Mason's fiscal fourth-quarter 2013 adjusted earnings lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate.The earnings miss was primarily due to higher expenses.

The company's initiatives to improve profitability through adding innovative product solutions to client bases, tapping potential investment capacities, expanding distribution relationships and undertaking cost-saving measures are commendable. However, a sluggish economic recovery and net asset outflows remain plausible concerns. Hence, an improvement in the overall profitability might be limited in the near term.

Other Stocks to Consider

Even though we are not optimistic about Legg Mason's earnings, there are many financial companies that are likely to beat earnings this quarter. Here are some stocks that are worth a look as our model shows them to have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarte! r:

Prosperity Bancshares Inc. (PB), with earnings ESP of 1.14% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

First Horizon National Corporation (FHN), with earnings ESP of 5.26% and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), with earnings ESP of 2.27% and a Zacks Rank #3.

First time tax payer? Here are some investment tips

Today morning while going to office, I met one of my school friends in train after five long years, who is a Computer Engineer and had just got his first job. After recollecting and cherishing the memories of our school days and everything, he asked me, "Yaar, tell me one thing; how to make money, earn highest possible returns on investments with minimum risk? In short, I want to become a SMART investor". I told him that you couldn't get everything in one basket; you should consider these factors for becoming SMART investor.

Safety: First thing an investor considers before making any investment is the safety of the investment instrument. Safety is nothing but the risk in the investment. The risk can be loss of principal amount invested or risk of negative returns. As you know the thumb rule, higher the risk, higher will be the returns and vice-versa. Risk taking capability differs from person-to-person and the investment time horizon. Some people are conservative while some are very aggressive with their investments. For short-term goals, you cannot afford to take high amount of risk, by investing in equity mutual fund.
 
Maturity: Maturity is nothing but the holding period of the investment i.e. how long do you wish to stay invested in any instrument. You must first decide the time horizon of your investment and then select the investment instrument. If you have time horizon of say 2 to 3 years, then you should invest only in debt instruments like Income Funds, bank fixed deposit or conservative MIP fund only. Similarly, if you have medium term time horizon of around 5 to 7 years; then you can invest some portion in equity (70% - 80%) and balance in debt (30% - 20%). For long-term investment (10 years or more), you can consider investing 80% to 90% in equity mutual fund and balance in debt fund and /or gold fund.

Asset allocation and asset selection: You should never go overboard on any asset class and never put all your eggs in one basket. You must always diversify your portfolio by investing in various asset classes in different proportions. You cannot bet on a single asset class. Your asset allocation should be rebalanced periodically and reviewing the same. You should not have exposure to gold more than 10% - 15% of your portfolio. Real estate can be a part of investment only for wealth creation and should not be considered as a goal based investment.
 
Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) in mutual fund is one of the best ways of investing in equity. You should avoid investing in direct equity (shares) since it requires in-depth research of the company, sector and the market. For investing debt, you can choose income funds, Fixed Maturity Plans (FMPs) or Public Provident Fund (PPF). You can invest in gold by buying E-Gold, gold fund or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
 
Return: Return is the most important factor of any investment because the reason you are investing is to earn return. All investments are a risk and return game! Recalling the thumb rule, higher the risk; higher the return. You cannot expect high return from low risk investment instrument. For example, you cannot expect a bank fixed deposit to give you double-digit returns. So for earning high returns, you need to bear the risk attached to the instrument.
 
Taxability: After considering risk, return, tenor of the investment instrument, you must also consider the taxability of the investment instrument. Taxability of the instrument with respect to tax on dividend or the interest paid, capital gains and deduction on initial investment. So, in case you want to invest in a debt investment, you should consider debt mutual funds income fund or FMPs, instead of fixed deposit; since you get indexation benefit for holding debt fund more than one year whereas in fixed deposit the interest is taxable (added to! your income, and is taxed as per your tax-slab rate). The capital gains on equity mutual funds are tax free if you hold it for more than one year, also the dividends paid on equity mutual funds are tax-free.
 
That's it, I reached my station and I had to get down. My friend was very happy after learning how and where to invest and said, "I hope, when we meet next time, I will proudly say, now I am a SMART investor!" This was our journey with few discussing moments of our school days and a bit of sharing few healthy investment tips. You should always keep in mind these factors before making any investment.

ApnaPaisa is India's leading Online market place for financial products such as loans, credit cards and  insurance plans . Author can be reached at www.facebook.com/apnapaisa

Why Should You Invest Only in High-Quality Companies?

How did Warren Buffett make most of his money? For those of us who have followed Warren Buffett for years, the answer is simple. Warren Buffett made most of his money by buying good companies at fair prices.

We have published tons of articles about different aspects of investing. But is investing really that complex philosophically? Actually no. Philosophically, value investing ought to be simple.

Seth Klarman divides value investing into three categories:

1. Buying "cigar butts" at good prices
2. Buying great companies at great prices
3. Buying great companies at so-so prices.

Mr. Klarman said that he is still in the first stage. We can clearly see that from his recent purchase of Taracept (TRGT) and PDL Biopharma (PDLI). Most of the stocks in our Ben Graham Net-Net screener are cigar butts.

The problems with investing in cigar butts are:

1. You need to require a very large margin of safety with them. Therefore the risk premium must be high enough.
2. The timing of both buying and selling is important.
3. It is much more stressful.

Warren Buffett was once a cigar-butt investor. Under the influence of Phil Fisher and Charlie Munger, he invests more in high-quality companies. He made most of his money by buying companies like See's Candy, Geico, American Express (AXP), Coca-Cola (KO) and Procter & Gamble (PG). The advantages with buying great companies are:

1. The entry point is not that important. Warren Buffett buys great companies at great prices and fair prices. Time is on your side with growing high-quality companies. If you did not do a good job with the valuation and the margin of safety is not enough, the growth of the company will gradually compensate for the premium you have paid.

2. You don't have to make a sell decision. Buy and hold works well in this case.
3. You sleep well.

As pointed out by Charlie Munger is his speech, Art of Stock Picking:

There are huge advantages for an! individual to get into a position where you make a few great investments and just sit back and wait: You're paying less to brokers. You're listening to less nonsense. And if it works, the governmental tax system gives you an extra 1, 2 or 3 percentage points per annum compounded.

If you can find some fairly-priced great company and buy it and sit, that tends to work out very, very well indeed especially for an individual…

The idea of buying high-quality companies at fair prices is at work in the universe of GuruFocus Value Strategies. The Buffett-Munger Model Portfolio is our live proof that buying great companies at fair prices works. Since inception in January 2009, this model portfolio consisting of 25 high-quality companies has outperformed the market EVERY year. We only rebalance it once a year at the beginning of each year. The current list of the stocks is in the Buffett-Munger screener (Premium Access only).

It is worth noting that the quality of companies tends to be quite lasting. You don't need to worry too much about the deterioration of business quality. Those who have made a lot of money for a long time tend to continue that way, as pointed out by the research of GMO in Profits for the Long Run: Affirming the Case for Quality.

Considering this, GuruFocus will publish a Quality Rank of businesses. We will also calculate the risk premium of low-quality companies vs. high-quality companies. The rank of quality will be based on these factors:

1. Profitability
a. Operating margin
b. The consistency of operating margin
c. The stability of operating margin

2. Financial Strength
a. Debt to equity ratio
b. Interest coverage

3. F-score
4. Z-score

We will create several model portfolios to track the performances of stocks with different quality ranks. In the meantime, we believe that the stocks in Buffett-Munger screener are a subset of high-quality companies that are traded at reasonable prices.

If y! ou are no! t a Premium Member, we invite you for a 7-day Free Trial.

5 Best Growth Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Related links:Warren BuffettSeth KlarmanDivides value investing into three categoriesBen Graham Net-Net screenerArt of Stock PickingGuruFocus Value StrategiesBuffett-Munger Model PortfolioBuffett-Munger screenerProfits for the Long Run Affirming the Case for Quality7-day Free Trial

Why Integra LifeSciences Holdings May Be About to Take Off

Here at The Motley Fool, I've long cautioned investors to keep a close eye on inventory levels. It's a part of my standard diligence when searching for the market's best stocks. I think a quarterly checkup can help you spot potential problems. For many companies, products that sit on the shelves too long can become big trouble. Stale inventory may be sold for lower prices, hurting profitability. In extreme cases, it may be written off completely and sent to the shredder.

Basic guidelines
In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Integra LifeSciences Holdings (Nasdaq: IART  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Integra LifeSciences Holdings doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, OK, it seems. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 4.5%, and inventory increased 4.1%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue expanded 0.2%, and inventory increased 4.1%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 8.3%, and inventory grew 4.5%.

Advanced inventory
I don't stop my checkup there, because the type of inventory can matter even more than the overall quantity. There's even one type of inventory bulge we sometimes like to see. You can check for it by examining the quarterly filings to evaluate the different kinds of inventory: raw materials, work-in-progress inventory, and finished goods. (Some companies report the first two types as a single category.)

A company ramping up for increased demand may increase raw materials and work-in-progress inventory at a faster rate when it expects robust future growth. As such, we might consider oversized growth in those categories to offer a clue to a brighter future, and a clue that most other investors will miss. We call it "positive inventory divergence."

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Watch In Right Now

On the other hand, if we see a big increase in finished goods, that often means product isn't moving as well as expected, and it's time to hunker down with the filings and conference calls to find out why.

What's going on with the inventory at Integra LifeSciences Holdings? I chart the details below for both quarterly and 12-month periods.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of latest fully reported quarter. Dollar amounts in millions. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of latest fully reported quarter. Dollar amounts in millions. FQ = fiscal quarter.

Let's dig into the inventory specifics. On a trailing-12-month basis, raw materials inventory was the fastest-growing segment, up 9.1%. On a sequential-quarter basis, work-in-progress inventory was the fastest-growing segment, up 6.4%. Integra LifeSciences Holdings may display positive inventory divergence, suggesting that management sees increased demand on the horizon.

Foolish bottom line
When you're doing your research, remember that aggregate numbers such as inventory balances often mask situations that are more complex than they appear. Even the detailed numbers don't give us the final word. When in doubt, listen to the conference call, or contact investor relations. What at first looks like a problem may actually signal a stock that will provide great returns. And what might look hunky-dory at first glance could actually be warning you to cut your losses before the rest of the Street wises up.

Is Integra LifeSciences Holdings the best health care stock for you? Learn how to maximize your investment income and "Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks," including one above-average health care logistics company. Click here for instant access to this free report.

Add Integra LifeSciences Holdings  to My Watchlist.

The 7 Rules of Using Options Foolishly

We're delighted that more and more Foolish investors are becoming familiar with options. These powerful portfolio tools can be used to generate steady income, get better buy and sell prices on stocks, protect profits, leverage upside, profit on falling prices, and much more. Used simply and consistently, the right mix of options strategies can enhance a portfolio's returns, and make money in any market.

Both of us have been using options for years to accomplish these things and more. Since 2009, we've been doing so as co-advisors in Motley Fool Options, where more than 90% of our closed positions have made members money. To show you how we do it -- and how you can use options at home to earn steady returns -- we've put together a short dialogue on our seven core tenets.

No. 1: Valuation first, options second.
Jim: I've long believed in the power of overlaying carefully conceived and constructed options strategies on top of my stock portfolio. The intelligent and profitable use of options is rooted in business-focused investment analysis and valuation, a core Foolish principle. Remember, options are derivatives -- that is, they derive their value from something else (the underlying stock). It would seem prudent, then, to understand that "something else."

Jeff: That's right. We're not options "traders." If you're trying to simply buy and sell options as a trader, hoping to make money on price movements, you're destined to fail. The costs of trading are high, prices move rapidly, and options are designed to lose value steadily for the owner unless the underlying stock moves in a big way. When we use options, we have a clear thesis about the underlying stock, a desired outcome, a predicted time frame, and a back-up plan or exit strategy. Finally, we write options most of the time, selling them for income. We're the "house," and someone else is the gambler.

No. 2: We think long-term, even as we use short-term strategies.
Jim: A common perception is that options are exclusively short-term vehicles. Not necessarily so, dear Fools.

Jeff: Because we're stock-based investors, our options strategies have the long term in mind. For example, if we write puts that expire in just three months, we're prepared to own the stock for the long haul if those options are exercised. And if we buy an option, it usually doesn't expire for a few years. This is what sets Motley Fool Options apart: We keep stocks involved in our service if that's the best strategy, and we think long term. We consider every company -- and its valuation -- before we implement an options position on it.

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Jim: Sometimes we do like short-term strategies. Other times, we specifically seek to profit from more complex option strategies that take shape over several years (and may evolve over time). In a world where so-called long-term stock ownership can mean as little as three years, some of our strategies easily match that.

No. 3: We're option writers more often than option buyers.
Jeff: As I alluded to, option writers (also called sellers) have many advantages. We're paid the option premium on day one -- and can keep it. We can choose a strike price that grants plenty of leeway for stock movement, while still providing a profit in the end. If we need more time, we can usually roll our strategy forward to a later month. If a trade works against us, the underlying stock can buy us more time (with put writing), or a profitable exit (with covered-call writing).

On the other hand, the odds are stacked against option buyers: They pay the option premium out of pocket, and they must be right about the direction, timing, and velocity of an underlying stock's price movement. If they're not, the option steadily loses value, and they're left staring down a potential 100% loss.

That said, the most money that option writers can earn is the premium payment, while option buyers have unlimited upside, so both strategies have strong benefits. We'll often combine the two, writing options and using the premium to buy other options -- the best of both possible worlds.

When we're option buyers, we usually buy long-dated contracts (some expiring up to 2-1/2 years after they're issued). We want as much time as possible for our thesis to play out, without overpaying or risking too much capital. But when we write options, we tend to choose those that expire in just two to six months. As sellers, we want our contracts to lose value rapidly -- they do so the nearer they get to expiration -- and we want the flexibility to restart our strategy with new contracts every few months. At all times, we're prepared to think and act with an eye on the long term.

No. 4: Diversification if necessary, but not necessarily diversification.
Jim: In my personal option portfolio, I use a mix of long- and short-term, bullish and bearish strategies. I have several favorite underlying stocks -- businesses I understand and believe in that generate lots of cash, and whose management teams I trust. In such cases, I repeatedly use strategies designed to take advantage of my understanding of the company's valuation. I believe in applying disparate strategies overlaid on the same underlying stock, as the situation warrants, with a mix of time frames, market expectations, and goals (income versus capital gain, say). You'll see us outline these goals and intents ahead of time, for each and every position.

No. 5: We stay focused.
Jim: I'm a competitive guy, so I want to be right every single time. (I don't recommend playing Trivial Pursuit with me.) However, we don't have crystal balls. Sometimes, a company does something bizarre, or has a bad quarter. Sometimes, the economy starts sucking wind, taking businesses, fine and foul alike, down with it. Stock prices at such times can move quickly, and option prices (in percentage terms) can move even quicker. So losses will occur.

Jeff: Our disciplined approach keeps us from acting on emotions. Option prices are volatile, and it's easy to get excited or distraught by weekly, or even daily, price moves. But we'll stay focused on the underlying business, and base our decisions on these fundamentals. As long as our initial thesis is in place, and our option strategy is still viable, we'll likely stick with our trade, even if we see extreme volatility in the meantime. This approach gives our options trades a much greater chance for success.

Jim: It's true: How we react to losses is what ultimately drives our success. The time limitations that options impose often suggest that taking a small loss earlier is preferable to taking a total loss at expiration. A bad outcome in one position should be mitigated by good outcomes in other positions. And we'll have a lot of good outcomes. In that context, we also look to harvest gains, where appropriate. The occasional options 10-bagger is wonderful -- but not at a cost of a bunch of losing positions. A series of simple base hits -- singles and doubles -- is equally satisfactory.

No. 6: We go our own way.
Jim: Motley Fool Options picks its underlying stocks from five top Fool newsletters, but our stance may differ from that of the original newsletter. With our options strategies, we may go bearish, and look to profit from a stock's fall. We may be bullish even though a newsletter jettisons a pick. But whatever we do, it's always based on business analysis and valuation.

Even seemingly contradictory recommendations aren't necessarily mutually exclusive; a bearish position on a long-term winner can still make money in the short term. Our aim is to be correct -- defined as making money -- the vast majority of the time. And we place overwhelming importance on achieving absolute gains on each position rather than beating a market benchmark. If we demand gains and accuracy of ourselves, our members' portfolios should ably surpass the market's returns.

No. 7: We believe in the power of community.
These philosophies help guide us as we use options Foolishly -- to make us better stock investors, and increase our profits yearly. As a final note, we'd be remiss not to emphasize the importance of the Foolish community. We're message-board raconteurs, who love being on the boards, answering questions, asking questions, engaging in debate, and simultaneously educating and learning from you, our members. The community discussion boards in Motley Fool Options are a very valuable part of the service, and we hope to see all of you there.

--Jeff Fischer and Jim Gillies, Motley Fool Options co-advisors

If you're interested in hearing more of these strategies, Motley Fool Options and Motley Fool PRO are hosting FREE introductory programs this month, called Options Whiz and PRO Academy. Click here for more details and to sign up!

How To Catch A Falling Safe

How do you catch a falling safe? As a physics student, I was taught that the simplest solution is usually the right one, and I have a simple answer to this question. I'll tell you in a moment, but it's so obvious that it may seem worthless, even though the opposite is true, and critically important during times of extreme market volatility.

Consider the old saying: You can't judge a book by its cover. "Everyone" knows this truth, but people judge books by their covers every day. This is important for investors, because while "everyone" knows something is true, they don't always act accordingly. The fact that so many people will follow the herd rather than think for themselves is what creates opportunities for independent thinkers to make a lot of money.

 

Given that investors in many market sectors are suffering shock from recent volatility and feeling as though they've been trying to catch a falling safe, it's a good time to share my simple but almost universally neglected solution: don't!

If you try, you're almost certain to get flattened. What you do instead is stand by and let it smash while everyone else runs away -- then be first to pick up the cash.

Understand that the reality behind the metaphorical question is really about timing the market. What investors mean when they say they feel like they tried to catch a falling safe is that they bought while prices were still falling and got creamed, realizing painful losses. So, when someone asks how to catch a falling safe or knife without getting hurt, what they are really asking is how to time a market bottom -- even though "everyone" knows that's impossible.

Or they should. Remember what the pros say:

"I can't recall ever once having seen the name of a market timer on Forbes' annual list of the richest people in the world. If it were truly possible to predict corrections, you'd think somebody would have made billions by doing it." -- Peter Lynch

"If I have noticed anything over these 60 years on Wall Street, it is that people do not succeed in forecasting what's going to happen to the stock market." -- Benjamin Graham

This is why we at Casey Research do not use 12-month price targets and the like. Such numbers, no matter how thick the research reports backing them, are just guesses. Educated guesses, one hopes, but so full of assumptions, they remain guesses -- as often wrong and as frequently revised as government GDP stats. Instead, we look for trends and then build positions to ride them out, both averaging down and taking profits along the way to mitigate risk.

Back to the falling safe. You stand by (that is, hold cash) so as not to get squashed, and watch the safe smash (i.e., wait for ! moments of market capitulation). The crash tosses bags of money, gold bars, stock certtificates and other assets every which way. You are prepared to act when others are too afraid or too illiquid, setting you up to buy low and sell high.

Critical Point: Don't worry about timing the bottom; just focus on buying great companies while they are deeply undervalued because no one else wants them, thus making volatility your best friend.

Top 5 Cheap Companies To Buy Right Now

To apply this in real life, look for an essential sector that has been beaten up beyond reason, buy the best of the best companies, and wait for the rebound. This is not market timing but making use of predictable market psychology: overreaction. There is still risk in doing so, but far more upside than downside risk.

You could do this when energy is down to prices that threaten supply, or when agriculture is off so much that farmers and ranchers decide to become dot-com entrepreneurs. People won't stop eating, or needing energy, so these sectors are good bets when they near their cyclical lows.

At the moment, the most beat-up essential sector is mining. Unless everyone on earth is willing to go back to living in the Stone Age, demand for all metals can only grow over time, fluctuations aside. But right now, as you can see in the chart below, mining stocks are on sale as though our world no longer needed copper or iron, or as though global markets have become so safe, no one needs the safe haven of gold.

This chart tracks the 20 largest publicly traded mining companies in the world over the last 10 years. You can see how share prices soared above book value with rising mineral prices up until the crash of 2008, recovered somewhat, but now the market has turned bearish, dropping share prices below book value for the first time in ! 10 years.!

Now that's not surprising, given that miners are getting squeezed between rising costs and falling commodity prices at present; some companies deserve the discount. But the market has clearly overreacted, tossing out the good with the bad. The safe has smashed, and few people can see the jewels among the rubble scattered about.

For example, a gold producer we recommended recently is delivering growth to the bottom line even as gold prices have declined. How? The company has the only legal mill in an area of many rich gold veins operated by small miners whose illegal mills were shut down by the government. This allows our company to pick from the highest-grade suppliers, paying less when gold drops and making a hefty profit almost regardless of the price of gold. The company is poised to double production, but has not been immune to the market crash, dropping from $1.64 earlier this year to about $1.15 when we recommended it. (It's now back up over $1.50 but may go on sale again with the next market fluctuation.)

Taking advantage of volatility when few others have the courage to do so -- picking up the pieces when the safe smashes -- is exactly how we make the spectacular gains we are famous for.

The current downturn in precious metals holds the potential for spectacular gains... but only for those who have the fortitude to buy when nearly everyone else is running away. It's also crucial to know which junior miners are best positioned to succeed... and that's where Casey Research excels. Our team travels around the world, checking out promising prospects from rock-kicking to talking politics with the locals and elected officials, so that we have as complete a picture as possible of the variables that impact a mine's prospects. Put our worldwide boots-on-the-ground analysis to work for you, with a risk-free test drive of Casey International Speculator.

Tax Time Pushes March Deficit to April Surplus

When the tax man cometh, the government reporteth a surplus. The Treasury Department today announced (link opens in PDF) a national surplus of $113 billion for April, due primarily to individual tax deposits.

For the month, the government took in $407 billion and spent $294 billion.

While not surprising, the surplus number did clock in slightly above analysts' expectations of a $107.5 billion surplus. For fiscal 2013, the current deficit stands at $488 billion.

Source: fms.treas.gov.

Individual income taxes have proved to be the major boon to fiscal 2013's receipts, up 20% from the year-ago period to $795 billion. For the same period, corporate taxes have increased 21% year-over-year to $136 billion.

On the spending side fiscal year to date, gross interest on Treasury debt securities has managed a 5.4% year-over-year drop to $227.9 billion, followed by a 5% drop to $361 billion in Department of Defense military programs outlays. Social Security spending has increased 6% in the fiscal year to date, to $498 billion, while Department of Agriculture spending has ballooned 15% year-over-year to $103 billion.

Looking ahead, the Treasury Department estimates a fiscal 2013 deficit of $973 billion, with a drop to $744 billion for fiscal 2014.

link

Nokia and SAP Tackle Corporate Car-Sharing Together

Nokia  (NYSE: NOK  ) has announced its support of SAP's  (NYSE: SAP  ) TwoGo car-sharing service with HERE, its mapping service.

With HERE, Nokia is already helping commuters avoid traffic and find public transport routes. Nokia says that SAP selected HERE as a location backbone for its TwoGo car-sharing service because of its scale across multiple screens and operating systems.

As part of SAP's enterprise services, TwoGo lets employees share work commutes in an effort to reduce the costs of corporate fleets, parking, and traveling. Since TwoGo is a cloud-based service, it automatically organizes employees into carpools. Additionally, TwoGo has been designed with large companies in mind. It works with corporate calendar applications so rides are synced with each employee's work schedules.

TwoGo is currently available for companies in Germany and the U.S. The service should expand to more countries soon.

More Expert Advice from The Motley Fool

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Why Badger Meter Shares Took a Dive

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Badger Meter (NYSE: BMI  ) weren't measuring up today, falling as much as 15% after reporting an much lower profits than expected in it first quarter.

So what: The industrial-supplies specialist missed EPS estimates by $0.30, reporting a profit of just $0.20 a share, down from $0.42 a year ago. Revenue dropped 6% to $71.8 million, also below expectations of $80 million, as Badger blamed bad weather and cuts to municipal budgets for the shortfall. The manufacturer of meters and other tools for utility companies did, however, make a small acquisition and signed an exclusive agreement that could give it new contracts with North American water utilities.

Now what: With federal budget cuts continuing and pressure on municipal governments to get out of the red, Badger may continue to see uncertainty in spending on upgrades and other products and services it offers. Management said it expected to see "a return to more normal patterns" in the coming quarters, but we should see a round of cuts in analyst estimates for the year following such a severe earnings miss.

Don't miss the next update on Badger Meter. Add the company to your Watchlist by clicking here.  

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