Hot Regional Bank Stocks For 2015

Hot Regional Bank Stocks For 2015: Skyworks Solutions Inc.(SWKS)

Skyworks Solutions, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, offers analog and mixed signal semiconductors worldwide. The company provides power amplifiers and front-end solutions for cellular devices from entry level to multimedia platforms and smart phones. Its product portfolio consists of amplifiers, attenuators, detectors, diodes, directional couplers, front-end modules, hybrids, infrastructure RF subsystems, mixers/demodulators, phase shifters, PLLs/synthesizers/VCOs, power dividers/combiners, receivers, switches, and technical ceramics. Skyworks also offers MIS silicon chip capacitors, transceivers, and modulators. The company markets its products to automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, energy management, industrial, medical, military, and cellular handset applications. Skyworks sells its products primarily through its direct sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers? representatives and distribution partners. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell]

  Skyworks Solutions Inc.(SWKS) said its fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 42%, as the wireless-chip supplier continued to benefit from strong demand across its wide range of markets. Adjusted earnings and revenue exceeded expectations and the company’s fiscal second-quarter guidance beat analysts’ estimates. Shares climbed 10% to $31.53 premarket.

• [By jaggom]

  Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) manufactures chips that enable wireless connectivity, therefore, the company has got huge market to be addressed in the future as the consumption of data is expected to multiply. Skyworks is performing brilliantly this year with shares appreciating more than 45%. The company has also gained smartly from its supplier relationships with Apple (AAPL) and Samsung. So, despite handsome gains in the current year so far, Skyworks stil! l has room to gear up.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But another part of the equation could have come from Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM  ) , which announced an RF-module for LTE mobile devices that includes an integrated power amplifier. That poses a big threat to competitors Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ: SWKS  ) and RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD  ) as well as Avago, because if Qualcomm is able to integrate components that Skyworks, RF, and Avago currently sell separately, then it could lead to a huge loss in revenue for all three component-makers.

• [By Stephen Quickel]

  We are also adding two previously successful technology picks: Skyworks Solutions (SWKS), a supplier of analog and mixed signal semiconductors, and OSI Systems (OSIS), a specialist in mission-critical electronic systems and components.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-regional-bank-stocks-for-2015.html

Top 5 Retail Companies To Own In Right Now

In the latest installment of "Ask a Fool," Austin Smith responds to the question, "Is L Brands as overpriced as it seems?" In a word, no. Consider the company's flagship brand, Victoria's Secret. Same-store sales increased 3% in the past quarter, and that was on top of a previous year of excellent same-store-sales growth. The company earns 20% on invested capital and enjoys enviable sales per square foot in the retailing business. While the company sells at 20 times earnings, given that there's no real competition in sight and that L Brands has a big moat, Austin says that earnings multiple isn't all that bad.

See more in the following video.

The retail space is in the midst of the biggest paradigm shift since mail order took off at the turn of last century. Only the most forward-looking and capable companies will survive, and they'll handsomely reward 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.

Top 5 Machinery Stocks To Buy For 2015: Puget Technologies Inc (PUGE)

PUGET TECHNOLOGIES, INC., incorporated on March 17, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the distribution of luxury wool bedding sets produced in Germany. The Company�� product includes Lama Wool, Camel Wool, Cashmere Wool and Merino Wool.

The Company�� Lama Wool is consists of 50% Lama Wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Camel wool is consists of 50% Camel wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Cashmere wool is blended with Merino wool.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Inscor, Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA), Puget Technologies Inc (OTCBB: PUGE) and PTA Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: PTAH) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters or investor alerts. However, two of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions while the third is getting attention largely because its in the growing marijuana or cannabis business. With that in mind, are these stocks really all that hot or not? Here is a quick reality check:

Top 5 Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Burberry Group PLC (BRBY)

Burberry Group plc (Burberry) is a holding company. The Company designs and sources luxury apparel and accessories, selling through a diversified network of retail (including digital), wholesale and licensing channels worldwide. The Company�� Retail/wholesale channel is engaged in the sale of luxury goods through Burberry mainline stores, concessions, outlets and digital commerce, as well as Burberry franchisees, prestige department stores globally and multi-brand specialty accounts. The Company�� retail channel includes approximately 206 mainline stores, 214 concessions within department stores, digital commerce and 49 outlets. The Company�� wholesale channel includes sales to department stores, multi-brand specialty accounts, Travel Retail and franchisees who operates approximately 65 Burberry stores. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Commodity producers slid as the release fueled concern about the slowdown in the world�� second-biggest economy. Burberry Group Plc (BRBY) gained 4.8 percent after the company�� spring-summer collection helped increase retail sales in its fiscal first quarter by more than analysts had estimated. Tryg A/S (TRYG) added 3.3 percent after posting better-than-forecast pretax profit as cost cuts offset increased weather-related claims.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Burberry (BRBY) added 1.8 percent to 1,488 pence. Revenue climbed 17 percent to 1.03 billion pounds, while adjusted pretax profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 rose to 174 million pounds from 173 million pounds a year earlier, the London-based trenchcoat maker said in a statement.

Top 5 Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Family Dollar Stores Inc.(FDO)

Family Dollar Stores, Inc. operates a chain of self-service retail discount stores primarily for low and middle income consumers in the United States. The company offers consumables, including household chemicals, paper products, candy and snack products, health and beauty aids, hardware and automotive supplies, and pet food products and supplies; and home products, which comprise domestics, housewares, giftware products, and home decor products. It also provides apparel products and accessories consisting of men?s and women?s clothing products, boys? and girls? clothing products, infants? clothing products, shoes, and fashion accessories; and seasonal products and electronics, such as toys, stationery and school supplies, seasonal goods, and personal electronics. As of August 11, 2011, the company operated approximately 7,000 stores in rural and urban settings across 44 states. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Roberts]

  The other dollar store stocks were also seen somewhat lower after the news.�Dollar General (DG) opened down 1.9 % while Family Dollar Outlet (FDO) was lower by 1.4%.

Top 5 Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: CSS Industries Inc (CSS)

CSS Industries, Inc. (CSS), incorporated on November 5, 1923, is a company primarily engaged in the design, manufacture, procurement, distribution and sale of seasonal and all occasion social expression products, principally to mass market retailers. These seasonal and all occasion products include gift wrap, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, decorative tissue paper, decorations, classroom exchange Valentines, decorative ribbons and bows, floral accessories, Halloween masks, costumes, make-up and novelties, Easter egg dyes and novelties, craft and educational products, stickers, memory books, stationery, journals, notecards, infant and wedding photo albums, scrapbooks, and other gift items that commemorate life�� celebrations. In September 5, 2012, it sold the Halloween portion of its Paper Magic business to Gemmy Industries (HK) Limited.

CSS��product provides its retail customers the opportunity to use a single vendor for much of their seasonal product requirements. A substantial portion of CSS��products are manufactured, packaged and/or warehoused in 10 facilities located in the United States, with the remainder purchased primarily from manufacturers in Asia and Mexico. The Company�� products are sold to its customers by national and regional account sales managers, sales representatives, product specialists and by a network of independent manufacturers��representatives. The Company�� principal operating subsidiaries include Paper Magic Group, Inc. (Paper Magic), Berwick Offray LLC (Berwick Offray) and C.R. Gibson, LLC (C.R. Gibson). CSS designs, manufactures, procures, distributes and sells a range of seasonal consumer products primarily through the mass market distribution channel. Christmas products include gift wrap, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, decorative tissue paper and decorations. CSS��Valentine product offerings include classroom exchange Valentine cards and other related Valen! tine products, while its Easter product offerings include Dudley�� brand of Easter egg dyes and related Easter seasonal products. CSS also designs and markets decorative ribbons and bows, all occasion boxed greeting cards, gift wrap, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, decorative and waxed tissue, decorative films and foils, stickers, memory books, stationery, journals, notecards, infant and wedding photo albums, scrapbooks, floral accessories and other gift and craft items to its mass market, craft, specialty and floral retail and wholesale distribution customers, and teachers' aids and other learning oriented products to the education market through mass market retailers, school supply distributors and teachers' stores. Key brands include Paper Magic, Berwick, Offray, C.R. Gibson, Markings, Creative Papers, Tapestry, Dudley��, Don Post Studios, Eureka, Learning Playground, Stickerfitti and iota. Key brands include Paper Magic, Berwick, Offray, C.R. Gibson, Markings, Creative Papers, Tapestry, Seastone, Dudley��, Eureka, Learning Playground and Stickerfitti.

CSS operates 10 manufacturing and/or distribution facilities located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Its boxed greeting cards are produced by Asian manufacturers to the Company�� specifications. Halloween make-up and Easter egg dye products are manufactured in Asia to specific formulae by contract manufacturers who meet regulatory requirements for the formularization and packaging of such products. Ribbons and bows are primarily manufactured and warehoused in seven facilities located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas. Memory books, stationery, journals and notecards, infant and wedding photo albums, scrapbooks, and other gift items are imported from Asian manufacturers and warehoused and distributed from a distribution facility in Florence, Alabama. Floral accessories, including pot covers, foil, waxed tissue, shred, aisle runners, corsage bags and other paper! and film! products, are manufactured in a facility located in Milford, New Hampshire and Juarez, Mexico. Manufacturing includes gravure and flexo printing, waxing and converting. Products are warehoused and distributed from a distribution facility in Berwick, Pennsylvania. Other products including, but not limited to, decorative tissue paper, all occasion gift wrap, gift tags, gift bags, gift boxes, gift card holders, classroom exchange Valentine products, Halloween masks, costumes and novelties, Easter products, decorations and school products are designed to the specifications of CSS and are imported primarily from Asian manufacturers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Gifts maker�CSS Industries� (NYSE: CSS  ) �announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.15 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2008.

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014

Rita Gunther McGrath, an��Associate Professor��at the Columbia University Business School, knows a thing or two about numbers and performance. When she didn't like the numbers and performance she was seeing from her financial advisor, she took a simple, direct step ��she fired her advisor.

"It was really all about poor performance," McGrath says. "I was with them for seven years and ended up with less money than I had sent to them. Honestly, I'd have been better off leaving it sitting in a bank account."

McGrath said her advisor had a poor understanding of her needs. "I'd go to these meetings with them and it was all pie charts and mumbo jumbo about portfolio diversification, investment horizons and technical stuff."

"What I needed (and eventually found) was someone to relate the financial side of life to ... well, life! Things like what our goals are, what are the big decisions that need to be made, have you taken care of your estate plans, can you get my husband and I in a room to have sometimes-difficult conversations, that sort of thing."

Hot Dow Dividend Stocks For 2015: Ascena Retail Group Inc.(ASNA)

Ascena Retail Group, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of apparel for women and tween girls in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The company operates its stores under the dressbarn, maurices, and Justice brand names. Its dressbarn and maurices stores offer casual and career fashion apparel and accessories; and Justice stores provide apparel, accessories, footwear, and intimates, as well as lifestyle products, such as bedroom furnishings and electronics primarily for tween girls. As of March 01, 2012, Ascena Retail Group operated approximately 2,500 stores. The company was formerly known as Dress Barn, Inc. and changed its name to Ascena Retail Group, Inc. in January 2011. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is based in Suffern, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Ascena Retail Group (ASNA) has gained 13% to $19.65 after the retailer reported a profit of 34 cents a share, trouncing analyst forecasts of 21 cents.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Ascena Retail Group (NASDAQ: ASNA  ) were down as much as 11% today after the clothing retailer posted disappointing results in its third-quarter earnings report. ��

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Endocyte Inc.(ECYT)

Endocyte, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company uses its proprietary technology to create novel small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging diagnostics. Its SMDCs target receptors that are over-expressed on diseased cells, relative to healthy cells. The company?s principal SMDC product candidate, EC145, has been evaluated in a randomized Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and it also completed a Phase II single-arm clinical trial for pre-treated non-small cell lung cancer. Its preclinical development products include EC0489 and EC0225, which are in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid cancer tumors; EC17 that has completed Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid cancer tumors; EC0531, a tubulysin conjugate to treat solid tumors; and EC0746 and EC0565 foliate receptors for the reduction o f inflammation. The company?s products under development also comprise EC20, a proprietary companion imaging diagnostic product for the identification of folate receptor in cancer patients; EC1069 for prostate cancer therapy; and EC0652 that is in early clinical trials for use as a companion imaging diagnostic for SMDCs. Endocyte, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  ��

  An under-$10 biopharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Endocyte (ECYT), which develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases in the U.S. This stock is off to a nasty start in 2014, with shares down sharply by 35%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Endocyte, you'll see that this stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last month and change, with shares moving between $6.01 on the downside and right around $7.30 on the upside. This consolidation pattern is coming after shares of ECYT gapped down sharply in May from over $17.50 to $6.50 a share with heavy downside volume. Shares of ECYT are now starting to trend higher off its recent low of $6.05 and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in ECYT if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $7.30 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that registers near or above its three-month average action of 1.90 million shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then ECYT will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from early May that started at just above $17.50 a share. Some possible upside targets if ECYT gets into that gap with volume are $9 to $10 a share, or even its 50-day moving average of $12.10 a share.

  Traders can look to buy ECYT off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its recent 52-week low of $6.01 a share. One can also buy ECYT off strength once it starts to take out $7.30 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Benjamin Paluch]

  Endocyte (ECYT) is a drug development company that seeks to develop small molecule drug candidates (SMDCs) for cancer and other diseases. SMDCs like vintafolide (EC145) are drugs linked to targeting ligands. Targeting ligands are like keys. When they are inserted into the proper lock on a tumor cell, they selectively deliver antitumor compounds. Interestingly, ECYT also develops companion diagnostics in which it links an imaging agent to the same ligand to identify patients likely to respond its therapy. The imaging agent is like a flashlight. It illuminates the lock (tumor cell) to identify the patient as a candidate for drug therapy.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Endocyte Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) is trading like the company is being acquired. This is proof that any biotech with great cancer drug news can run, regardless of market conditions. It and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) have announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given a positive opinion for conditional marketing approval of Vynfinit (or vintafolide) and companion imaging components, imaging agent Folcepri (or etarfolatide), and Neocepri (intravenous folic acid), for the treatment of adult patients with ovarian cancer in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD).

• [By Roberto Pedone]

   

  Endocyte (ECYT), a biopharmaceutical company, develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases in the U.S. This stock closed up 2.2% to $6.45 a share in Thursday's trading session.

   

  Thursday's Range: $6.14-$6.48
  
  52-Week Range: $6.01-$33.70
  
  Thursday's Volume: 893,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 1.91 million

   

  From a technical perspective, ECYT jumped higher here right above its recent 52-week low of $6.01 with lighter-than-average volume. This move higher on Thursday is starting to push shares of ECYT within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if ECYT manages to clear some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.82 to $7.30 with high volume.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ECYT as long as it's trending above its 52-week low of $6.01 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 1.91 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ECYT will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from earlier this month that started above $17.50.

   

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Forum Energy Technologies Inc (FET)

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. incorporated on May 10, 2005, is an oilfield products company, serving the subsea, drilling, completion, production and infrastructure sectors of the oil and natural gas industry. The Company designs and manufactures products, and engage in aftermarket services, parts supply and related services that complement its product offering. It operates in two segments: Drilling and Subsea Segment and Production and Infrastructure Segment. In December 2012, the Company acquired Merrimac Manufacturing, Inc. (Merrimac). In May 2013, the Company acquired Blohm + Voss Oil Tools from STAR Capital Partners Limited. In July 2013, Forum Energy Technologies Inc acquired Moffat 2000 Ltd.

Drilling and Subsea Segment

The Company designs and manufactures products and provides related services to the drilling, well construction, completion, intervention and subsea construction and services markets. Through this segment, it offers Subsea Technologies, including robotic vehicles and other capital equipment, specialty components and tooling, a range of complementary subsea technical services and rental items, and applied products for subsea pipelines. It offers Drilling Technologies which include capital equipment and a range of products consumed in the drilling and well intervention process. It offers Downhole Technologies, including cementing and casing tools, completion products, and a range of downhole protection solutions.

The Company designs and manufactures subsea capital equipment; specialty components and tooling; and applied products for subsea pipelines; and it also provides a suite of complementary subsea technical services and rental items. It has a core focus on the design and manufacture of unmanned submarines, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), as well as other specialty subsea vehicles. The Company�� brands include its Perry and Sub-Atlantic vehicle brands. Its related technical services complement its vehicle offering by providing the m! arket with a selection of critical product solutions and rental items that enhance its customers��ability to operate in harsh subsea environments. The market for subsea ROVs can be segmented into three classes of vehicles based on size and category of operations: large work-class vehicles for subsea construction activities; drilling-class vehicles for use around an offshore rig, and observation-class vehicles for inspection and light manipulation. The Company is a provider of work-class and observation-class vehicles.

The Company manufactures ROV components, such as a range of Sub-Atlantic branded ROV thrusters. It designs and manufactures thrusters for incorporation into its own vehicles, as well for sale to other ROV manufacturers. It also designs and manufactures a tether management system (TMS). It also provides a suite of subsea tooling, both industry standard and custom designed for subsea applications. Industry standard tooling includes hot stabs, cable cutters, torque tools and indicators.

The vehicle-related subsea products, its Offshore Joint Services (OJS) brand is a provider of applied protective coatings on rigid subsea pipeline field joints, spools, and structures. Its VisualSoft product line provides another related technical product that reinforces in subsea vehicles and products. It sells or rents VisualWorks and VisualDVR Digital Video Systems that provide a solution for digital video capture, playback, processing and reporting of pipeline, structural or other inspection survey data. These products are often used in conjunction with the operation of inspection class ROVs or diving personnel when conducting survey work.

Geoscience Earth and Marine Science (GEMS) is its geophysical and geotechnical engineering group that provides consulting services to the oil and gas, and marine industries. It provides an interpretation service based on the analysis of third party subsea data provided by clients. The business has broadened into managing every p! hase of p! roject development, including scope of work, liaising with data acquirers, interpretation and analysis. Its primary customer base consists of oil and gas operator producers.

The Company provides both drilling consumables and capital equipment, including powered and manual tubular handling equipment, specialized torque equipment, customized offline crane systems, drilling data acquisition management systems, pumps, valves, manifolds, drilling fluid-end components, pressure control equipment for both coiled tubing and wireline well intervention operations and a broad line of items consumed in the drilling process. The Company has a core focus on products that enhance its customers��handling of tubulars on the drilling rig.

The Company designs and manufactures specialized torque equipment and related control systems for tubular connections, including high torque stroking, or bucking, units, fully rotational torque units, portable torque units for field deployment. In addition the Company designs and manufactures a range of rig-based offline activity cranes, multi-purpose cranes and personnel transfer solutions.

The Company�� pressure control products used for well intervention operations are sold directly to oilfield service companies and equipment rental companies. These products include both coiled tubing and wireline blowout preventers and their accessories. It also conduct aftermarket refurbishment and recertification services for pressure control equipment. The Company also designs and manufactures a range of consumable parts for pumps on drilling rigs, well servicing rigs, pressure pumping units, and hydraulic fracturing systems, along with top drive parts. The Company also manufacture data acquisition products that include integrated drill floor instrumentation and monitoring systems. These systems provide real-time monitoring and logging of drilling data to drilling contractors and oil and gas producers on the rig and at remote locations.

! The Compa! ny manufacture a broad line of downhole products that are consumed during the well construction, completion and production enhancement process. Through its Davis-Lynch downhole well construction and completion tools product line, it designs and manufactures products used in the construction of oil and gas wells. It designs and manufactures a range of centralizers, float equipment, stage cementing tools, inflatable packers, flotation collars, cementing plugs, fill and circulation tools for running casing, casing hangers and surge reduction equipment.

The Company manufactures a line of downhole completion tools, including composite plugs and wireline flow-control products. Its composite plugs are primarily used for zonal isolation during multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in horizontal and vertical wells. It offers l range of downhole protection solutions.

Production and Infrastructure Segment

The Company designs and manufactures products and provide related equipment and services to the well stimulation, completion, production and infrastructure markets. Through this segment, the Company suppllies Flow Equipment, including well stimulation consumable products and related recertification and refurbishment services; Production Equipment, including well site production equipment, process equipment and specialty pipeline construction equipment; and Valve Solutions, which includes a range of industrial and process valves.

The Company provides a range of high pressure flow equipment used by well stimulation, or pressure pumping, companies during the stimulation, intervention and flowback process. It focuses on consumable products that experience high rates of wear and replacement. The Company designs and manufactures pressure control plug, choke and relief valves, swivel joints, pup joints and integral fittings, manifolds and manifold trailers, as well as triplex and quintuplex fluid-end assemblies.

The Company surface Production Equipment product line p! rovides e! ngineered process systems and field services for capital equipment used at the wellsite, for production processing, and at the refinery. It serves the upstream, midstream and downstream segments in oil and gas production equipment and services. The Company engineers fabricates and installs tanks, separators, packaged production systems and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American Petroleum Institute (API) coded and non-coded pressure vessels, skidded vessels with gas measurement, modular process plants, header and manifold skids, process and flow control equipment and separators to help clean and process oil or gas as it travels from the wellhead and along the transmission line to the refinery.

The Company design, manufacture and provide a wide range of industrial valves that principally serve the upstream, midstream and downstream markets of the oil and gas industry. In addition its valve solutions serve general industrial, power and process industry customers as well as the mining industry. It also provides ball, gate, globe, check and butterfly valves across a range of sizes and applications.

The Company competes with Cameron International Corporation and FMC Technologies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Another issue that Varco has to face is the specter of increasing competition. Cameron International (NYSE: CAM  ) has arisen as a big player in the drilling and production systems space, with a particular emphasis on subsea applications like blowout preventers. With Cameron sporting a recent partnership with Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , the combination will have both the expertise and the financial resources to challenge Varco in that niche. More broadly, up-and-coming Forum Energy (NYSE: FET  ) has sought to emulate Varco's broad-based services menu, offering remotely operated vehicles for deepwater inspection and construction as well as pipe and cementing materials and a range of subsea systems and equipment. Forum has posted solid results in its brief history, taking steps to continue its fast growth trajectory.

• [By Wax]

  Posted-In: Markets Trading Ideas

    Most Popular Top Stocks Under $5 For 2014 Earnings Expectations For The Week Of January 6: Alcoa And More Barron's Recap: Market Beaters #PreMarket Primer: Monday, January 6: Asia Plunges Apple Purchases SnappyLabs For Undisclosed Sum Stocks To Watch For January 6, 2014 Related Articles (FET) Forum Enegy Technologies - Leaning on the Lectern Around the Web, We're Loving...
• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Forum Energy Technologies (NYSE: FET  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By David Smith]

  I'm speaking of Forum Energy Technologies (NYSE: FET  ) . The company, now with a $2.72 billion market capitalization, was formed in August 2010 through the roll-up of five more specialized members of the services sector. Its initial public offering occurred in the second quarter of 2012, and its shares have risen by 60% in the past year.

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: SPDR DB International Government Inflation-Protected Bond ETF (WIP)

SPDR DB International Government Inflation-Protected Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the DB Global Government ex-US Inflation-Linked Bond Capped Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the inflation-linked government bond markets of developed and emerging market countries outside of the United States. Inflation protected public obligations of the inflation-linked government bond markets of developed and emerging market countries, commonly known in the United States as treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS), are securities issued by such governments that are designed to provide inflation protection to investors. The Fund uses a passive management strategy to track the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is SSgA Funds Management, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Richard Stavros]

  With respect to inflation protected bonds, though TIPS should be a part of every portfolio. However, we believe the SPDR DB International Government Inflation-Protected Bond (WIP) offers greater protection than TIPS.

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Avalon Rare Metals Inc (AVL)

Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (Avalon) is a Canada-based mineral exploration and development company. The Company�� primary focus is on rare metals and minerals, including tin, lithium, tantalum, niobium, cesium, indium, gallium, zirconium and calcium feldspar. It is in the process of exploring or developing three of its six mineral resource properties. The Company�� active projects (Thor Lake Rare Metals Project (Thor Lake), Separation Rapids and East Kemptville) are rare minerals or rare metals properties that are at an advanced stage with identified mineral resources. Thor Lake is the Company�� leading project. The Thor Lake is located in the Mackenzie Mining District of the Northwest Territories, approximately five kilometers north of the Hearne Channel of Great Slave Lake and approximately 100 kilometers southeast of the city of Yellowknife. It comprises five contiguous mining leases totalling 10,449 acres (4,249 hectares) and three claims totalling 4,597 acres (1,869 hectares). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Back on September 24th I pointed out how Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (NYSEMKT:AVL) was a superior stock pick to Rare Element Resources Ltd (NYSEMKT:REE), even if only for short-term technical reasons. Either way, however, the rebound in the prices of most rare earth metals was going to be good for both REE and AVL. The one name conspicuously missing from the bunch, of course, was Molycorp Inc. (NYSE:MCP). Well, you can finally add MCP to the buy list as well. In fact, the different path it took to technical soundness may well make Molycorp the best pick of the bunch right now.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 rare earth metals player that's trending very close to triggering a major breakout trade is Avalon Rare Metals (AVL), which is a Canadian mineral exploration and development stage company with its focus on the rare metals and minerals. This stock has been hit hard by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off by 40%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Avalon Rare Metals, you'll notice that this stock recently pulled back after a monster run to the upside, with shares selling off from its high of 90 cents to its low of 71 cents per share. Shares of AVL are now starting to bounce off that low and trend back above its 50-day moving average at 74 cents per share. That move is quickly pushing this stock within range of triggering a major breakout trade above a key descending trendline and above some near-term overhead resistance levels.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AVL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at 82 to 90 cents per share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 447,084 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then AVL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.14 to $1.22 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then put its next major overhead resistance levels at 41.34 to $1.64 within range for shares of AVL.

  Traders can look to buy AVL off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at 71 cents to 65 cents per share. One can also buy AVL off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Not the time to bet on rare-earth materials
  There's no question that the rare-earth mineral space has peaked, and that it has a lot of questions to surmount. Despite Wall Street's euphoria over the stock, I'd be cautious about Molycorp and would definitely stay away from speculative rare-earth plays Rare Element Resources (NYSEMKT: REE  ) and Avalon Rare Metals (NYSEMKT: AVL  ) , who don't even have the revenue Molycorp is generating.

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation(PVH)

PVH Corp. designs and markets branded dress shirts, neckwear, sportswear, footwear, and other related products worldwide. The company?s Calvin Klein Licensing segment licenses Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, and Calvin Klein brands for sportswear, jeanswear, underwear, fragrances, eyewear, men?s tailored clothing, women?s suits and dresses, hosiery, socks, footwear, swimwear, jewelry, watches, outerwear, handbags, leather goods, home furnishings, and accessories; and to operate retail stores. Its Wholesale Dress Furnishings segment markets dress shirts and neckwear principally under the ARROW, Calvin Klein, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Collection, IZOD, Eagle, Sean John, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, JOE Joseph Abboud, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Elie Tahari, J. Garcia, and MICHAEL Michael Kors brands. The company?s Wholesale Sportswear and Related Products segment offers sportswear, including men?s knit and w oven sport shirts, sweaters, bottoms, swimwear, boxers, and outerwear principally under the IZOD, Van Heusen, ARROW, Geoffrey Beene, Timberland, and Calvin Klein brands; and women?s sportswear, including knit and woven sport shirts, sweaters, bottoms, and outerwear under the IZOD brand. Its Retail Apparel and Related Products segment provides men?s dress shirts; neckwear and underwear; men?s and women?s suit separates; men?s and women?s sportswear, including woven and knit shirts, sweaters, bottoms, and outerwear; men?s and women?s accessories; sportswear; and men?s fragrance. The company?s Retail Footwear and Related Products segment offers casual and dress shoes for men, women, and children; and apparel and accessories. The company was formerly known as Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation and changed its name to PVH Corp. in June, 2011. The company was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adem Tahiri]

  Yet with strong competitors like PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH  ) and Ralph Lauren� (NYSE: RL  ) for its signature menswear lines, this stock may be stuck in neutral for a bit. Let's take a closer look at both the quarter and the competitive landscape for Perry Ellis International.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Ralph Lauren have gained 5.2% to $180.07 at 3:33 p.m. today, and they’ve even boosted other apparel companies. PVH (PVH) has gained 0.7% to $125.75, Hanesbrands (HBI) has advanced 1.3% to $68.25 and VF Corp. (VFC) is up 0.9% to $2221.78.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Over at the S&P 500, HCP (HCP) has dropped 2.8% $40.62, making it the biggest loser in the benchmark, after the healthcare REIT fired its CEO. PVH (PVH), meanwhile, has gained 5.7% to $124.06, making it the S&P 500′s biggest winner at 9:48 a.m., after the company said it would sell its GH Bass division.

• [By Mike Deane]

  PVH Corp. (PVH) announced its Q2 earnings after the bell on Monday, posting non-GAAP figures that showed an increase from last year’s Q2 EPS and revenues.

  The New York, NY-based clothing company announced non-GAAP EPS of $1.39, which was up from last year’s Q2 EPS figure of $1.28, and above the analysts’ estimate of $1.37. GAAP results came in at a 20 cent loss per share due to acquisition, integration and restructuring costs associated with the company’s acquisition of Warnaco Group.

  On the revenues front, PVH posted quarterly results of $1.965 billion, a 47% increase from last year’s Q2 figure, and above the analysts’ estimate of $1.89 billion. The uptick in revenues was primarily due to the revenues from the newly acquired Warnaco.

  PVH shares were up $2.14, or 1.62%, at the end of trading on Monday. The company’s stock is up 16.25% YTD.

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now

We received one last earnings report over the weekend, and it came from our single largest position, which happens to be the holding company for Warren Buffett, explains Matt Coffina, editor of Morningstar Stock Investor.

It was a strong finish to an all-around solid year for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B). The high-level takeaway is that book value per share advanced 18%.

CEO Warren Buffett focuses on book value per share as an objective��hough significantly understated��roxy for intrinsic value.

Under Buffett's leadership over the past 49 years, Berkshire's book value per share has compounded at an incredible 19.7% annual rate.

However, over the last ten years, book value per share has grown roughly 10% annually, reflecting the challenges of growing from such a large base. I suspect 10% annual book value growth is about what we can expect from Berkshire going forward.

Assuming the price/book multiple stays at the current level��hich I think is likely, if not conservative��hen we can expect similar total returns from Berkshire's stock over the long run.

Top 5 US Stocks To Own Right Now: Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. (UBP)

Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of commercial real estate properties in the United States. Its properties primarily consist of neighborhood and community shopping centers, office buildings, and industrial properties in Fairfield County, Connecticut; Westchester and Putnam Counties, New York; and Bergen County, New Jersey. As of October 31, 2007, the company owned or had an equity interest in 39 properties containing approximately 3.7 million square feet of gross leasable area. As a REIT, it is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Urstadt Biddle Properties (NYSE: UBP  ) (NYSE: UBA  ) -- the real estate investment trust with two tickers -- now has two separate executives at the top of its corporate structure, as well.

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now: Encore Wire Corp (WIRE)

Encore Wire Corporation (Encore), incorporated on April 5, 1989, is a manufacturer of electrical building wire and cable. The Company is a supplier of building wire for interior electrical wiring in commercial and industrial buildings, homes, apartments, and manufactured housing. Encore offers an electric building wire product line that consists of nonmetallic-building ( NM-B) cable, underground feeder-building (UF-B) cable, thermoplastic high heat resistant nylon coated/thermoplastic heat and water resistant nylon coated (THHN/THWN)-2 and other types of wire products, including metal clad and armored cable. All of these products are manufactured with copper or aluminum as the conductor. The principal customers for Encore�� wire are wholesale electrical distributors, who sell building wire and a variety of other products to electrical contractors. The Company sells its products primarily through 31 manufacturers��representatives located throughout the United States. The Company also purchases small quantities of other types of wire to re-sell to customers that buy products that the Company manufactures. The manufacturing process for the Company�� various products involves multiple steps, including: casting, drawing, stranding, compounding, insulating, jacketing and armoring.

The Company�� non-metallic sheathed cable is used primarily as interior wiring in homes, apartments and manufactured housing. NM-B cable is composed of either two or three insulated copper wire conductors, with an un-insulated ground wire, all sheathed in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) jacket. UF-B cable is an underground feeder cable is used to conduct power underground to outside lighting and other applications remote from buildings. UF-B cable is composed of two or three PVC insulated copper wire conductors, with an un-insulated ground wire, all jacketed in PVC. THHN/THWN-2 cable is used primarily as feeder, circuit and branch wiring in commercial and industrial buildings. It is composed of a copper or aluminu! m single conductor, either stranded or solid, and insulated with PVC, which is further coated with nylon.

Cross-linked high heat water resistant insulated wire (XHHW)-2 Cable is a XHHW-2 wire used for general purpose applications utilized in conduit or other recognized raceways for service, feeders, and branch-circuit wiring. It�� composed of a copper or aluminum single conductor, either stranded or solid, and with a single layer of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation. Underground service entrance (USE)-2 Cable. USE-2 or rubber high heat-resistant (RHH) or RHW-2 wire is used for general purpose applications utilized in conduit or installed in underground applications or in recognized raceways for service, feeders, and branch-circuit wiring. It�� composed of a copper or aluminum single conductor, either stranded or solid, and with a single layer of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation suitable for wet locations.

Metal clad and armored cable is used primarily as feeder, circuit and branch wiring, primarily in commercial and industrial buildings. It is composed of multiple conductors, either stranded or solid, and insulated with PVC, which are further coated with nylon and then fully encased in a flexible aluminum or steel armored protective sheath that eliminates the need to pull the wire through pipe or conduit. The Company�� photovoltaic style cables are designed to meet the different needs of the emerging solar industry by providing connections between photovoltaic (PV) panels, collector boxes and inverters; and where also allowed by the National Electric Code (NEC). Its bare copper conductors are used in overhead electrical transmission and distribution systems for grounding electrical systems and circuit grounding.

The Company competes with Southwire Company, Cerro Wire LLC, United Copper Industries, BICC General and AFC Cable Systems, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  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 Encore Wire (Nasdaq: WIRE  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Encore Wire doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, not so great. Trailing-12-month revenue decreased 9.2%, and inventory increased 0.3%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue grew 3.9%, and inventory expanded 0.3%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks healthy. Revenue dropped 4.1%, and inventory dropped 5.1%.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Encore Wire (NASDAQ: WIRE  ) , like a strip of its namesake product, seems to believe in keeping its shareholder payouts long and straight. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share, to be paid on July 19 to shareholders of record as of July 5. That amount is in line with every one of the firm's previous distributions stretching back to early 2007.�

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now: Morgans Hotel Group Co.(MHGC)

Morgans Hotel Group Co., a hospitality company, engages in the acquisition, ownership, operation, development, and redevelopment boutique hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and other food and beverage venues. It has operations primarily in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Morgans Hotel Group (MHGC) operates, owns, acquires, develops and redevelops boutique hotels, primarily in gateway cities and select resort markets in the U.S., Europe and other international locations and nightclubs, restaurants. This stock closed up 3.8% to $6.99 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $6.73-$7.06
  
  52-Week Range: $4.66-$8.15
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 388,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 196,219

  From a technical perspective, MHGC spiked higher here right above its 200-day moving average of $6.45 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of MHGC within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if MHGC manages to take out Tuesday's high of $7.06 and then once it takes out more near-term resistance at $7.20 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in MHGC as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $6.41 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 196,219 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then MHGC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $8 to its 52-week high at $8.15. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give MHGC a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $9 to $10.

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now: Hasbro Inc.(HAS)

Hasbro, Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of games and toys. The company principally provides children?s and family leisure time and entertainment products and services. It offers various games, including traditional board, card, hand-held electronic, trading card, roleplaying, and DVD games, as well as electronic learning aids and puzzles. Hasbro?s toy products include boy?s action figures, vehicles and playsets, girl?s toys, electronic toys, plush products, preschool toys and infant products, electronic interactive products, creative play products, and toy related specialty products. The company also licenses certain of its trademarks, characters, and other property rights to third parties for use in connection with consumer promotions and for the sale of noncompeting toys and games, and non-toy products. It offers its products primarily under PLAYSKOOL, TRANSFORMERS, NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, LITTLEST PET SHOP, TONKA, G.I. JOE, SUPER SOAKER, MILTON BRAD LEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM, AVALON HILL, TIGER, FURREAL FRIENDS, BABY ALIVE, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brand names. The company markets its products to various customers, including wholesalers, distributors, chain stores, discount stores, mail order houses, catalog stores, department stores, and other retailers, as well as Internet-based e-tailers. It has a strategic licensing agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), which provides EA with the worldwide rights to create digital games for various platforms, including mobile phones, personal computers, and game consoles, as well as; and a strategic relationship with Universal Pictures to produce approximately three motion pictures based on certain of company?s brands. Hasbro sells its products through its own sales force and distributors primarily in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and South America. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Paw tucket, Rhode Island.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS  ) is making a bet on social gaming, and it probably couldn't have happened without Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) .

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.29 per share on revenue of $1.34 billion.

  Gannett Co (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $1.27 billion.

• [By Sue Chang]

  Hasbro Inc. (HAS) �is forecast to post earnings of $1.29 a share in the third quarter.

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now: Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.(JOSB)

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. engages in designing, manufacturing, retailing, and direct marketing men?s tailored and casual clothing and accessories in the United States. The company?s product offerings include tuxedos, suits, shirts, vests, ties, sport coats, pants, sportswear, overcoats, sweaters, belts and braces, socks, and underwear. It sells its products primarily under the Jos. A. Bank label through its own and franchised stores, and catalogs, as well as the Internet at josbank.com. The company also sells branded shoes from various vendors. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 515 retail stores, which consists of 489 company-owned full-line stores, 12 company-owned outlet and factory stores, and 14 stores owned and operated by franchisees in 42 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1905 and is based in Hampstead, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Would anyone care to sell a fine asset to a network of gentlemen's clothing stores? Jos. A. Bank (NASDAQ: JOSB  ) is trying to find out the answer to that question. In a press release, the company revealed that it "has been and is considering strategic opportunities to enhance shareholder value, including seeking potential acquisitions."

• [By Chris Hill]

  In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts explain why they're watching Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) and Jos. A. Bank (NASDAQ: JOSB  ) .

• [By Jacob Meredith]

  The Men's Wearhouse (NYSE: MW  ) and Jos. A. Bank Clothiers� (NASDAQ: JOSB  ) have been caught up in a hostile takeover battle for nearly six months. It all started on Oct. 8 when Jos. A Bank made a bid to acquire its much larger rival, Men's Wearhouse.

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now: Rossi Residencial SA (RSID3)

Rossi Residencial SA is a Brazil-based company involved in the real estate sector. The Company is principally engaged in the development, construction and sale of residential and commercial real estate properties. In addition, it is involved in the subdivision of land and provision of civil engineering services. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had four subsidiaries, including Astir Assessoria Tecnica Imobiliaria e Participacoes Ltda, RCI Consultoria de Imoveis Ltda, Rossi Consultoria de Imoveis Ltda and Rossi Industria de Artefatos de Concreto Ltda, as well as a number of joint ventures, such as Argentea Empreendimentos SA, Damacena Empreendimentos SA, Minulo Empreendimentos SA and Nicandra Empreendimentos SA, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  MMX Mineracao & Metalicos SA rose to a one-week high after saying it is seeking partners to expand a mining project. Rossi Residencial SA (RSID3) led gains among homebuilders as traders reduced bets on higher borrowing costs. EDP-Energias do Brasil SA advanced after selling a stake in some of its power plants in Brazil to China Three Gorges Corp. Car-rental company Localiza Rent a Car SA climbed after Fitch Ratings increased its credit rating.

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  Rossi Residencial SA (RSID3) climbed 2.1 percent today to 2.98 reais, leading homebuilders higher, as traders pared bets for higher borrowing costs in Brazil following the inflation report. The BM&FBovespa Real Estate Index added 0.5 percent.

Top 10 Prefered Companies To Buy Right Now: Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation(BKBK)

Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation operates as the holding company for Britton & Koontz Bank, National Association that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Adams and Warren Counties, Mississippi, and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, as well as in the adjoining counties and parishes in Mississippi and Louisiana. The company offers various deposit products, including personal and commercial checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, non-interest bearing deposits, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; real estate construction, residential, and other loans; installment loans; consumer loans; and overdrafts. In addition, the company provides automated clearinghouse services; safe deposit box facilities; brokerage services; automated teller machines; cash management services, including remote deposit, money transfer, direct de posit payroll, and sweep accounts; VISA credit cards; and letters of credit. As of May 17, 2011, it operated three full service offices in Natchez, two in Vicksburg, Mississippi; three in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and a loan production office in Central, Louisiana. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Natchez, Mississippi.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  HBCP recently announced a deal to buy Britton & Koontz Capital Corporation (BKBK) in a deal that will add eight branches and more than $300 million of assets to the bank. It also gains access to the Mississippi marketplace and increases Home Bancorp’s deposit base in Baton Rouge.

Top 5 Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch For 2014

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its preliminary report on August farm prices on Friday afternoon. The August all-products price index dropped by 12 points (6%) to 188 month-over-month, with the crop index down 7.4% and the livestock index down 1%. The preliminary all-products index is down 5% year-over-year. The index uses prices from 1990-1992 as its base value (100).

The USDA noted that increased sales of cattle, barley, and calves offset lower sales of wheat, corn, and soybeans.

Farm costs, measured by the prices paid index rose 1% month-over-month to 221, and that�� 5% higher than August of 2012. Higher prices for feeder cattle and LP gas, among other things, offset lower prices for nitrogen fertilizer, feed grains, and other fertilizers.

Prices received by farmers rose the most for commercial vegetables (up 13% from July) and fruits and nuts (up 1.6%). Oilseeds, cotton, feed grains and hay, and food grains were all lower month-over-month. Compared with August 2012, commercial vegetables prices are a whopping 30% higher than a year ago.

Hot Sliver Companies To Own For 2015: Cleveland BioLabs Inc.(CBLI)

Cleveland BioLabs, Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of products for cancer treatment, and protection of normal tissues from radiation and other acute stresses. Its products include Protectan CBLB502, a radioprotectant molecule with multiple medical and defense applications for reducing injury from acute stresses, such as radiation and chemotherapy by mobilizing various natural cell protecting mechanisms, including inhibition of apoptosis, reduction of oxidative damage, and induction of factors that induce protection and regeneration of stem cells in bone marrow and the intestines; Protectan CBLB612, a modified lipopeptide mycoplasma that acts as a stimulator and mobilizer of hematopoietic stem cells to peripheral blood, providing hematopoietic recovery during chemotherapy and during donor preparation for bone marrow transplantation; and Curaxins, which are small molecules intended to destroy tumor cells by simultan eously targeting two regulators of apoptosis. The company has a strategic research partnership with Roswell Park Cancer Institute to develop its anticancer and radioprotectant drug candidates; a strategic partnership with ChemBridge Corporation to access a chemical library of 214,000 compounds; and a strategic alliance with The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF). It also has a cooperative research and development agreement with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.; and CCF to evaluate its radioprotective drug candidates and their effects on intracellular and extracellular signaling pathways. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Buffalo, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Cleveland BioLabs (NASDAQ: CBLI) shares tumbled 34.67% to touch a new 52-week low of $0.74 as the company reported that BARDA has terminated negotiations related to its proposal for further development of Entolimod.

Top 5 Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch For 2014: Builders FirstSource Inc.(BLDR)

Builders FirstSource, Inc. engages in the manufacture and supply of structural and related building products for residential new construction primarily in the southern and eastern United States. The company offers prefabricated components, including floor trusses, roof trusses, wall panels, stairs, and engineered wood; and window and door products, such as aluminum and vinyl windows, and pre-hung interior and exterior doors, as well as assembles and distributes interior and exterior door units. It also provides lumber and lumber sheet products comprising dimensional lumber, plywood, and oriented strand board products; millwork products, including interior trim, exterior trim, columns, and posts, as well as custom exterior featured products; and other building products, such as cabinets, gypsum, hardware, composite materials, roofing, and insulation. In addition, the company offers turn-key framing, shell construction, design assistance, and professional installation servic es for products spanning its product categories, as well as provides a range of construction services. It serves customers ranging from production homebuilders to small custom homebuilders. The company was formerly known as BSL Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Builders FirstSource, Inc. in October 1999. Builders FirstSource, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Moore]

  The annual Value Investor Conference is one of the premier events surrounding Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting in Omaha. The Motley Fool's Michael Olsen and Rex Moore were in attendance and talked to several value investors.�In today's video, Michael asks Bob Robotti, founder of Robotti & Co., about his investment in Builders FirstSource (NASDAQ: BLDR  ) .

Top 5 Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch For 2014: Hickory Tech Corporation (HTCO)

Hickory Tech Corporation provides integrated communications services to business and residential customers in the Midwest. The company operates in two segments, Business Sector and Telecom Sector. The Business Sector segment offers integrated data services, such as fiber, data and Internet, voice and voice over Internet protocol, managed and hosted, data center, equipment, and total care support services. This segment also distributes telecommunications and data processing equipment, as well as provides network and equipment monitoring, maintenance, and equipment consulting services; and offers fiber-based transport for regional and national telecommunications carriers, wireless carriers, and other providers. It serves businesses primarily in the upper Midwest. The Telecom Sector segment offers network access services; and broadband services, such as residential and business DSL access, high-speed Internet, digital TV, and business Ethernet services. It also provides local telephone, long distance, and calling features services; and directory assistance, operator service, and long distance private lines. In addition, this segment offers directory publishing, customer premise equipment sales, bill processing, and add/move/change services. It owns and operates approximately 900 mile fiber optic network and facilities in Minnesota. Hickory Tech Corporation was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Hickory Tech (HTCO), a communications provider in several Midwest states, announced a 3% dividend increase to 15 cents per share, payable Dec. 5 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 15.
  HTCO Dividend Yield: 5.5%

Top 5 Industrial Disributor Companies To Watch For 2014: Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc.(INFI)

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. engages in the discovery and development of medicines for difficult-to-treat diseases. The company?s lead product candidates include saridegib (IPI-926), an oral molecule with the potential to treat a range of cancers by disrupting malignant activation of the Hedgehog pathway; and Retaspimycin HCl (IPI-504), a heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitor. Its Saridegib is in a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic or inoperable chondrosarcoma and a Phase II exploratory trial in patients with myelofibrosis. The company?s Retaspimycin HCl is in a Phase II trial in combination with docetaxel to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and in a Phase Ib/II trial in combination with everolimus, known as Afinitor, in approximately 45 NSCLC patients with a KRAS mutation. Its pipeline also includes IPI-145, an inhibitor of the delta and gamma isoforms of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) in Phase I development to treat in flammation and hematologic malignancies. Infinity Pharmaceuticals has a strategic alliance with Purdue Pharmaceutical Products L.P. and Mundipharma International Corporation Limited to develop and commercialize pharmaceutical products; and a development and license agreement with Millennium to discover, develop, and commercialize pharmaceutical products targeting the delta and/or gamma isoforms of PI3K, including IPI-145. Purdue Pharmaceutical Products is planning to conduct Phase II studies of IPI-940 in pain. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Somaiya and team named Gilead and�Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) their top picks, hile putting Buy ratings on Celgene, Biogen Idec, Alexion (ALXN), Incyte (INCY), Pharmacyclics (PCYC) and Synageva (GEVA). BioMarin (BMRN), Infinity Pharmaceuticals (INFI) and Amgen (AMGN) earned Neutral ratings.

• [By Keith Speights]

  No win for the spin
  Another biotech, Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: INFI  ) , also announced clinical results this week. The company's press release trumpeted "encouraging" findings for its experimental leukemia drug. Mr. Market didn't appear to buy the spin. Infinity shares tanked nearly 33% for the week.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Knapp and Slover were also kind enough to provide a screen of stocks that could outperform. They started with the Russell 2000, removed the smallest 40% based on market cap (the aforementioned liquidity issues), then selected the 5% worst performers from among the 30% cheapest stocks based on book-to-price. The result is a bunch of names you never heard of, including Infinity Pharmaceuticals (INFI), Fusion-IO (FIO), Walter Energy (WLT), Hecla Mining (HL) and Molycorp�(MCP).

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  When investors think of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma stocks, big names like Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) and Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) come to mind. Both GILD and CELG are making prolific progress in the war on NHL, and both are fine, well-positioned companies. It's little Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:INFI) that may end up making the proverbial quantum leap in the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma stocks arena, however, and better still, it's INFI shares that may well end up doling out a much bigger reward than Gilead or Celgene could to newcomers.

Best Information Technology Companies To Watch For 2014

This year has shaped out to be quite kind for equity investors as bullish price action remains the dominant theme on Wall Street. iShares is looking to take advantage of all the euphoria with their latest product launch aimed at investors in search of �a ��ore��holding to fill out their portfolio�� equity component; the latest addition to the issuer�� towering lineup of nearly 300 exchange-traded products is the MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) .�

What Is ��uality��The newly launched QUAL is actually a twist on an existing benchmark, the broad MSCI USA Index.��The iShares fund takes a factor-based approach in trimming down the starting universe by employing a series of fundamental metrics screens to narrow down only the highest-quality of companies. The methodology behind QUAL is based on three metrics of quality: high return on equity, stable year-over-year EPS growth, as well as low debt-to-equity .

The result is a portfolio comprised of roughly 125 U.S. large and mid-cap securities with a tilt towards the consumer discretionary, energy, and information technology sectors. QUAL is expected to be seeded with Arizona State Retirement System funds, similar to the three other factor-based ETFs that the firm rolled out this past April which are also based around the MSCI USA Index. QUAL is also expected to charge 0.15% in annual expense fees, similar to the previously mentioned sister ETFs which are:

Hot Insurance Companies To Watch For 2015: Buckeye Partners L.P. (BPL)

Buckeye Partners, L.P. owns and operates refined petroleum products pipeline systems in the United States. Its Pipelines & Terminals segment transports refined petroleum products; and provides bulk storage and terminal throughput services in the continental United States. This segment owns and operates approximately 6,000 miles of pipeline serving approximately 110 delivery locations; and has 100 active products terminals with aggregate storage capacity of approximately 40 million barrels. The company’s International Operations segment provides marine terminal throughput, marine bulk storage, and other related services. This segment operates through two petroleum product terminals located on Grand Bahama Island, in The Bahamas and in Puerto Rico with an aggregate storage capacity of approximately 30 million barrels. Its Natural Gas Storage segment provides natural gas storage services through a facility with approximately 30 billion cubic feet of working natural gas storage capacity located in Northern California. The company’s Energy Services segment engages in the wholesale distribution of refined petroleum products, including gasoline; propane; ethanol; biodiesel; and petroleum distillates, such as heating oil, diesel fuel, and kerosene to wholesalers and commercial users. Its Development and Logistics segment provides contract operations, construction management, and asset development services to third-party pipeline and energy assets, and energy companies in the United States. This segment owns and operates 2 underground propane storage caverns with approximately 800,000 barrels of throughput and storage capability in Indiana and Illinois; and a 30-mile ammonia pipeline and 25 miles of pipeline in Texas. Buckeye GP LLC serves as the general partner of the company. Buckeye Partners, L.P. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Buckeye Partners (NYSE: BPL  )
  Earlier this month I participated in a Motley Fool roundtable discussion and made Buckeye my top pick. Needless to say, my reputation is at risk if Buckeye turns out to be a quick bust. While a poor earnings report could make that happen, that's not what has my attention.

Best Information Technology Companies To Watch For 2014: AutoCanada Inc (ACQ)

AutoCanada Inc. (AutoCanada) is a multi-location automobile dealership groups. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 24 franchised dealerships in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its dealerships sold approximately 28,000 vehicles and processed approximately 300,000 service and collision repair orders in its 333 service bays. As of December 31, 2011, it was authorized to sell through its dealerships the vehicle brands, which include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Hyundai, Nissan, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Subaru. In addition, it sells a range of used vehicles. In November 2011, the Company acquired assets of two dealerships. In January 2013, the Company purchased the assets of a Volkswagen dealership known as People's Automotive Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Greg Quinn]

  AutoCanada Inc. (ACQ), the country�� largest publicly traded chain of car dealerships, is using sales of trucks to Alberta oil workers to fund higher dividends and buy out competitors.

Best Information Technology Companies To Watch For 2014: HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC)

HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property & Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident & Health, U.S. Surety & Credit, and International. The U.S. Property & Casualty segment provides aviation, small account errors and omissions liability (E&O), public risk, contingency, disability, residual value, employment practices liability (EPLI), technical property, primary and excess casualty, and brown water marine insurance products, as well as title and mortgage reinsurance products in the United States. The Professional Liability segment offers directors� and officers� (D&O) liability, large account E&O liability, fiduciary liability, fidelity and bankers blanket bonds, and EPLI for the United States and International-based policyholders. The Accident & Health segment provides medical stop-loss, short-term domestic and international medical, HMO reinsurance, and medical excess coverages in the United States. The U.S. Surety & Credit segment offers contract surety bonds, commercial surety bonds, and bail bonds; credit insurance policies for export trade transactions and structured trade transactions; and political risk and letters of credit insurance products. The International segment provides energy, property treaty, liability, surety, credit, direct and facultative property, ocean marine, accident and health, and other smaller product lines for international customers. The company markets its products directly to consumers, as well as through a network of independent agents and brokers, producers, and managing general agents. HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC) underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property and Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident and Health, U.S. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 36% to $0.225 per share. The dividend is payable October 1, 2013 and will be paid on or about Oct. 15, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.1%.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of American International Group have dropped 1.7% to $49.67 at 1:19 p.m. today, while American Financial Group (AFG) has, dropped 0.2% to $57.23, HCC Insurance (HCC) is little changed at $45.12,�Travelers (TRV) has dipped 0.1% to $83.52 and Chubb (CB) is off 0.1% at $86.58.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.

Best Information Technology Companies To Watch For 2014: Medical Marijuana Inc (MJNA)

Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA), incorporated on May 23, 2005, is the publicly held company vested in the medical marijuana and industrial hemp markets. The Company is comprised of a diversified portfolio of products, services, technology and businesses solely focused on the cannabis and hemp industries. These products range from patented based cannabinoid products, to whole plant or isolated high value extracts specifically manufactured and formulated for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries. In March 2013, it sold certain equipment and inventory, web domain names, phone numbers, and all existing and pending agreements with hemp production and processing facilities to CannaVEST Corp.

The Company�� services are varied, ranging from medical clinic management to the capitalization and development of existing industry business and product leaders. Services include development of cannabinoid based health and wellness products, and the development of medical grade compounds. MJNA provides over 50 and patented cannabinoid delivery methods that are more socially and medically acceptable than smoking.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA) is up just under 100% so far this year and — get this — MJNA stock is actually the big-time laggard in the group. Next up comes Growlife (PHOT), as PHOT stock has gained “only” 150%. Indeed, when it comes to medical marijuana stock, anything less than a three-fold gain is small beer.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  A week and a half ago when I suggested Latteno Food Corp. (OTCMKTS:LATF) was an effective way of getting into the medical marijuana craze for anyone who missed the big runups (the first or the second time) from names like Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA) or Hemp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:HEMP), not many people agreed with my assessment. That's the nice way of saying I received some "colorful counter-opinions" to my bullishness on LATF. Indeed, some readers were downright enraged I would dare compare the company to stocks like MJNA or HEMP, citing reasons ranging from the possibility that it's a complete scam to the possibility that the capital structure as amazingly unfair to current shareholders.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  The last few days have been nothing less than incredible for stocks like Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCMKTS:CBIS), Medbox Inc. (OTCMKTS:MDBX), Growlife Inc. (OTCBB:PHOT), and Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA). MJNA shares have jumped 90% since last Friday. PHOT is up 51% for the same timeframe. CBIS has grown 150%, while MDBX is up 112%. The reason? It's largely the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado - a law that went into effect as of January 1st. The legalization of medical marijuana in Illinois on the same day didn't hurt either. And truth be told, the event-based rally from the likes of Medbox and Cannabis Science makes basic sense - it's a landmark shift in the way this country views and treats marijuana. On the flipside, before wading any deeper into stocks like Medical Marijuana or Growlife, current and would-be owners might want to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

• [By John Udovich]

  One almost has to feel sorry for old school small cap marijuana stocks like Medical Marijuana Inc (OTCMKTS: MJNA), Cannabis Science Inc (OTCMKTS: CBIS) and�Hemp Inc�(OTCMKTS: HEMP) which have been around awhile and increasingly have to contend with the marijuana newswires getting flooded with news from every small cap OTC stock along with�your mother�� uncle�� fifth cousin trying to grab a piece of the marijuana�hype. We alone had two specific articles (Small Cap Marijuana Stocks Aiming for a High With News: MCIG, FRTD & SKTO�and Four Marijuana Small Caps Giving Investors Highs or Lows: ENRT, VMGI, NVLX & RTXBQ) covering about half a dozen different wannabe marijuana stocks with news for�just this week along with another article (Putting My Call on Latteno Food in Perspective, Take-Two (LATF, MJNA, ERBB)) about another small cap that�� infusing food with weed.�

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014

With shares of�Corning Inc.�(NYSE:GLW) trading at around $16.35, is GLW an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock�� Movement

Corning has been making new 52-week highs as of late, but is this trend sustainable? In this stock market environment, anything is possible. However, that doesn�� mean all moves are justifiable.

Corning Incorporated produces and sells specialty glasses, ceramics, and related materials worldwide. It operates through five segments: Display Technologies, Telecommunications, Environmental Technologies, Specialty Materials, and Life Sciences.

Corning has a diverse revenue base. There is currently high demand for tablets and smartphones, Gorilla Glass has received many positive reviews, Q1 estimates were recently beat, there have been cost and efficiency improvements, revenue has increased for three consecutive years, and the stock is at a good valuation, trading at 14 times earnings, while the industry trades at 19 times earnings. However, when you look at the breakdown for the last quarter, there is good reason for caution. The only segment that showed improvement was Life Sciences. Corning is confident in future growth, but that doesn�� mean confidence will lead to actual results.

Top 10 Industrial Conglomerate Companies To Own For 2015: Legal & General Group PLC (LGEN)

Legal & General Group Plc is a provider of risk, savings and investment management products in the United Kingdom. The Company's operating segments include Protection and Annuities segment consisting of individual and group protection, individual and bulk purchase annuities, longevity and general insurance; Savings segment consisting of non-profit investment bonds, non-profit pensions (including self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs)), individual savings account (ISAs), retail unit trusts and retail platform businesses; Investment management segment consisting of institutional fund management and LGIM America (LGIMA); US Protection segment consisting of individual protection and universal life contracts, and Group capital and financing consists of shareholders��equity supporting the non profit Protection and Annuities and Savings businesses. In August 2013, Legal & General Group Plc announced the acquisition of Lucida Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rupert Hargreaves]

  Unfortunately, Prudential only offers a dividend yield of 2.4% at present, below that of its peers, such as Aviva (AV) and Legal & General (LGEN). Moreover, city analysts only expect Prudential to increase its payout by 10% this year and 5% during 2014.

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Iliad SA (ILIAF.PK)

Iliad SA is a France-based holding company active in the integrated telecommunications sector. The Company provides Internet access services, hosting services and others. Iliad SA is also focused on fixed-line telephony services and the provision of wireless fidelity (WiFi) cards, among several others. In addition, Iliad SA sells via Internet a range of insurance policies. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a number of subsidiaries, which include Free SAS, Centrapel SAS, Freebox SAS, Telecom Academy SARL, Free Frequences SAS, Iliad 1 SAS, Iliad 2 SAS, Protelco SAS, IFW SAS, IRE SAS, Management Centre De Relation Abonne (MCRA), F Distribution SAS, and Centrapel SAS, among others. Its Fixe subsidiary is a landline business-provider of broadband Internet services. As of year-end 2012, the Company was active as a operator in more than 35 countries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mike Arnold]

  I normally don't look at charts much, but comparing Orange to its competitors in the French telecommunications market is quite fascinating. As one can see, incumbents Bouygues (BOUYF.PK) and Vivendi (VIVHY.PK) (owner of SFR) saw similar price declines. The market, on the other hand, rapidly bid up the price of new entrant Iliad SA (ILIAF.PK), as a result of forecasts for Iliad to capture significant mobile market share (which it did, around 10%). The wide divergence in price relative to changes in underlying value favor going long the incumbents, including Orange. Because this time it's different.

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Taubman Centers Inc (TCO)

Taubman Centers, Inc. (TCO), incorporated November 21, 1973, operates as a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Taubman Realty Group Limited Partnership (TRG) is a subsidiary of TCO that owns direct or indirect interests in all of its real estate properties. The Company owns, leases, acquires, disposes of, develops, expands and manages regional and super-regional shopping centers and interests therein. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned a portfolio of 24 urban and suburban shopping centers in 12 states. The consolidated Businesses consist of shopping centers and entities that are controlled by ownership or contractual agreements, The Taubman Company LLC (Manager), and Taubman Properties Asia LLC and its subsidiaries (Taubman Asia). In December 2012, it acquired additional 49.9% (100% in total) interest in International Plaza, located in Tampa, Florida. Also in December 2012, it acquired additional 25% (50% in total) interest in Waterside Shops. In January 2014, Taubman Centers Inc announced the completion of the sale of land owned by Taubman in Syosset, New York, and Taubman's interest in Arizona Mills to Simon Property Group.

The Company�� centers are located in metropolitan areas, including Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. The centers range in size between 236,000 and 1.6 million square feet of gross leasable area (GLA) and between 186,000 and 646,000 square feet of Mall GLA. Of the 24 centers, 18 are super-regional shopping centers. The Company�� centers have approximately 3,000 stores operated by their mall tenants under approximately 850 trade names. The centers have 65 anchors, operating under 14 trade names. The centers lease over 95% of leased Mall GLA to national chains, including subsidiaries or divisions of Forever 21 (Forever 21, For Love 21, XXI Forever, and others), The Gap (Gap, Gap Kids, Baby Gap, Banana Republic, ! Old Navy, and others), and Limited Brands (Bath & Body Works/White Barn Candle, Pink, Victoria's Secret, and others).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Super-regional shopping center real estate investment trust (REIT) Taubman Centers (TCO) raised its quarterly dividend 8% to 54 cents per share, payable March 31 to shareholders of record as of March 17.
  TCO Dividend Yield: 3.12%

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: TRI Pointe Homes Inc (TPH)

Tri Pointe Homes, Inc., formerly TRI Pointe Homes, LLC, incorporated on August 5, 2010, is engaged in the design, construction and sale of single-family homes in planned communities in metropolitan areas located throughout Southern and Northern California. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company�� operations consist of 13 communities, eight of which are actively selling, containing 695 lots under various stages of development in Southern and Northern California. In June 2013, TRI Pointe Homes Inc announced that the acquisition of 202 lots in two California locations- Irvine (Orange County) and Vacaville (Solano County).

The Company�� business focused primarily on fee building projects in Southern California, in which it built, marketed and sold homes for independent third-party property owners, marketed under the TRI Pointe Homes brand name. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company has sold over 350 homes (including fee building projects).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Fink]

  One small-cap name in the housing sector is TRI Pointe Homes. That's a New York Stock Exchange stock, ticker symbol (TPH). It's controlled by Barry Sternlicht, who's a very wildly successful real estate entrepreneur.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Tri Pointe Homes Inc. (NYSE: TPH) has a market cap of $564.3 million and the stock is down about 5% over the past 12 months. Shares have traded in a 52-week range of $13.43 to $21.25 and closed Friday at $17.51. The consensus price target is $19.60, yielding an implied gain of 12%. Tri Pointe has beaten EPS estimates in each of the past four quarters, and the shares were trading nearly 2% higher early Monday morning. Tri Pointe is expected to post EPS of $0.25 on revenues of $100.04 million when it reports results in late March.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of TRI Pointe Homes (NYSE: TPH  ) jumped as much as 15.7% today after announcing the acquisition of Weyerhaeuser's (NYSE: WY  ) residential real estate unit.

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: PFSweb Inc.(PFSW)

PFSweb, Inc. provides business process outsourcing and ecommerce solutions in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It offers digital marketing services comprising search engine optimization, pay-per-click, affiliate marketing, comparison shopping engines, merchandising, Web analytics, customer experience, email marketing, and social media; and ecommerce technology services, including End2End eCommerce solution for the direct-to-consumer (DTC) and business-to-business (B2B) online channels. The company also provides order management services consisting of order management interfaces, collaboration technologies, and information management services; customer care services, including customer relationship management, customer order assistance, quality monitoring, and interactive voice response; and logistics and fulfillment services comprising distribution facilities and infrastructure, facility operations and management, kitting and assembly, and product management and insp ection. In addition, it offers financial management services consisting of billing, credit, collection, and cash application services for B2B clients, as well as fraud review, chargeback management, and processing and settlement credit card services for DTC clients; and professional consulting services in the areas of interactive marketing ecommerce, supply chain management, distribution and fulfillment, technology interfacing, logistics, and customer support. Further, the company provides seller services financial models, including enablement financial, agent or flash financial, and retail financial models. It serves fashion apparel and accessories, fragrance and beauty products, consumer packaged goods, home furnishings and housewares, consumer electronics, office technology and network connectivity products, and aviation spare parts industries. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Allen, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology stocks gained Thursday, with Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) leading advancers. Meanwhile, gainers in the sector included LiveDeal (NASDAQ: LIVE), with shares up 5.5 percent, and PFSweb (NASDAQ: PFSW), with shares up 5.4 percent.

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: AAON Inc.(AAON)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

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

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

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

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

Hot Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Bayer AG (BAYRY.PK)

Bayer AG is a management holding company. The Company�� business operations are organized into three subgroups: HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience, supported by the service companies Bayer Business Services, Bayer Technology Services and Currenta. Bayer HealthCare is involved in the research, development and manufacture of health products for people and animals. Bayer CropScience is engaged in the crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. Bayer MaterialScience supplies polymers, and develops solution for a range of applications. In November 2009, Bayer MaterialScience acquired the polymer coatings business from Lombard Medical Technologies PLC. On November 2, 2009, it acquired Athenix Corporation. On October 1, 2009, it acquired two dermatology product lines from SkinMedica, Inc., Carlsbad, California, United States. On June 25, 2009, it acquired the remaining 10% interest in Bayer Polymers (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., China. In May 2009, it acquired the remaining 49% interest in Berlimed, s.a., Spain, from Juste s.a. Quimica Farmac茅utica (Juste), and in return sold its 51% interest of Justesa Imagen, s.a., Spain, to Juste. In May 2009, it also sold the Thermoplastics Testing Center, Krefeld, Germany, to Underwriters Laboratories Inc. In March 2010, the Company announced that its Bayer MaterialScience LLC has acquired Artificial Muscle, Inc, a company active in electroactive polymers for the consumer electronics industry.

Bayer HealthCare

The Company researches, develops, manufactures pharmaceutical and medical products. Bayer HealthCare operates in four operating divisions: Animal Health, which is engaged in manufacture of veterinary medicines and grooming products; Bayer Schering Pharma, which is engaged in manufacture of prescription medicines; Consumer Care, which is engaged in the manufacture of over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, and Medical Care, which is engaged in manufacture of blood glucose monitoring devices and contrast agent injecti! on systems. Its products for farm animals include Baytril. Its products for companion animals include Advantage/Advantix and Baytril. Its drug discovery in the pharmaceuticals segment focuses on the areas of cardiology, oncology,

women�� healthcare and diagnostic imaging.

Bayer CropScience

CropScience maintains a global network of research and development facilities. In the Crop Protection segment it identifies and develops safe and economically sustainable insecticides, fungicides and herbicides and carries its research projects in areas, such as plant health or stress tolerance. As of December 31, 2009, its active ingredient pipeline of Crop Protection contained 20 development projects, of which 10 was at an advanced stage and 10 at an early stage of development, and an additional 45 projects was undergoing early-stage research. Its operations are structured into six business operations units: four regional Crop Protection units plus the Environmental Science and BioScience units. Its insecticides include Confidor/ Admire, Calypso, Decis, Temik and Oberon. Its fungicides include Antracol, Fandango, Flint/Stratego/Sphere/Twist, Folicur and Previcur Energy. Its herbicides include Atlantis, Basta, Betanal, Fenikan, Hoestar, Husar, MaisTer, Puma. Its seed treatment products include Bariton, Gaucho, Lamarador, Poncho and Raxil.

Bayer MaterialScience

The Company supplies materials, such as polycarbonates and polyurethanes and system solutions for a range of everyday uses. It operates in three business units: Polyurethanes, Polycarbonates, and Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties. Its Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties producst include Desmodur, Bayhydur, Dispercoll and Artwalk. Its Polycarbonates include Makrolon, Makrofol / Bayfol, Fantasia and Bayblend. Its Polyurethanes include Multitec, Baydur, Bayflex, Baypreg and Vulkollan. Its Thermoplastic Polyurethanes include Desmopan / Texin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Henry Kawabe]

  In June, Seattle Genetics announced it entered into a collaboration with Bayer HealthCare (BAYRY.PK) for access to its Seattle Genetics' auristatin-based ADC technology to create cancer drugs that home in on tumors and then deliver a toxic dose to their cells. The collaboration will generate upfront and option exercise fees of up to $20 million. Seattle Genetics is also eligible to receive up to approximately $500 million in potential milestone payments, as well as royalties on worldwide net sales of any resulting products under the multi-target collaboration.

• [By Bioassociate Consulting]

  KYTH holds a collaboration agreement with Bayer's (BAYRY.PK) dermatology division to develop and commercialize ATX-101 outside the United States and Canada, and is eligible to receive up to $297m in additional regulatory and commercialization milestones, as well as escalating sales royalties in mid to high-teens. Bayer completed two pivotal Phase III trials of ATX-101 in Europe for the reduction of submental fat. During June 2012, Kythera released results from these studies, in which ATX-101 achieved a statistically significant reduction in submental fat based on clinician, patient and objective ratings.