Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015

Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall are getting into the logistics business in an effort to reach more customers and save them money.

Last week, China's largest shopping websites, Taobao and Tmall, announced they had partnered with eight Chinese logistics companies to launch the International Parcel Forwarding Service. Aimed at simplifying and lowering the cost of shipping online purchases from mainland China to�Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, shoppers in those areas can now save up to 50% in shipping and handling fees, the companies said.�

Alibaba's new service consolidates multiple purchases into packages bound for the same region. Once they reach the region, the packages are forwarded to the specific address.�

After trying to increase their sales to Asian countries with large Chinese-speaking populations, Alibaba has seen shipping difficulties and rising costs, a natural part, the company says, of cross-border delivery and operations. For example, Alibaba says, most Taobao and Tmall merchants don't offer international shipping or do so at a premium. In instances where they do offer international shipping, customers have sometimes�had to wait weeks, only to find out that their merchandise was lost. The Alibaba shipping service hopes to prevent its customers such headaches.�

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: Cellular Dynamics International Inc (ICEL)

Cellular Dynamics International, Inc., incorporated on November 16, 2007, develops and manufactures fully functioning human cells in industrial quantities to precise specifications. The Company�� iCell Operating System (iCell O/S) includes true human cells in multiple cell types (iCell products), human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and custom iPSCs and iCell products (MyCell products). Customers use its iCell O/S products, among other purposes, for drug discovery and screening; to test the safety and efficacy of their small molecule and biologic drug candidates; for stem cell banking; and in researching cellular therapeutics. The Company�� iCell product line includes four different cell types: cardiomyocytes, neurons, hepatocytes and endothelial cells. The Company is actively developing an additional seven different cell types. iCell products are a consumable designed to be used once and then reordered.

The Company manufactures its iCell products from its iPSCs. An iPSC is a cell that has the ability both to replicate indefinitely and to be transformed into any cell type in the human body. The Company�� iCell O/S consists of six products, which include iCell Cardiomyocytes, iCell Neurons, iCell Endothelial Cells, iCell Hepatocytes and MyCell.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Stem cells may not be in the news much�as the sector has moved beyond the use of embryotic�ones, but small cap stem cell stocks Cellular Dynamics International Inc (NASDAQ: ICEL), International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) have been fairly active over the past several trading days as ICEL went public, ISCO raised additional funding and BRTX grabbed more attention:

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: ENI S.p.A. (E)

Eni SpA, an integrated energy company, engages in the exploration, production, transportation, transformation, and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company also involves in the production and sale of electricity; refining and marketing of petroleum products; and production and sale of petrochemical products and hydrocarbons. In addition, it engages in the offshore and onshore hydrocarbon field construction. Further, the company offers offshore and onshore drilling, and offshore design and engineering services for oil and gas companies. It has a strategic partnership with Gazprom for the joint development of projects in the upstream oil and gas markets. Eni SpA operates in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, and the Americas. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy with an additional office in San Donato Milanese, Italy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  I'm going to sell ENI S.p.A. (E) out of my Dividend Income portfolio today. The dividend portfolio is too energy-heavy for my liking at the moment, given that I think oil prices are likely to be flat to lower in 2014, and given the likelihood of major supply and delivery disruptions this year. ENI—with its exposure to supply problems in Libya, Nigeria, Mozambique, and former (so far at least) Soviet republics such as Kazakhstan, and its exposure on the demand side to the less-than-robustly growing Italian economy—currently offers an unattractive mixture of risk and reward.

• [By GuruFocus] ref="http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Tom+Gayner">Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Eni SpA. His purchase prices were between $40.39 and $48.96, with an estimated average price of $45.85. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. His holdings were 30,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.

  New Purchase: Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST)

  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Ross Stores, Inc.. His purchase prices were between $59.26 and $66.5, with an estimated average price of $64.05. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. His holdings were 18,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.

  New Purchase: Carlyle Group LP (CG)

  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Carlyle Group LP. His purchase prices were between $24.19 and $32.87, with an estimated average price of $29.56. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 20,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.

  Sold Out: EOG Resources (EOG)

  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in EOG Resources. His sale prices were between $113.44 and $137.9, with an estimated average price of $128.22.

  Sold Out: State Street Corp (STT)

  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in State Street Corp. His sale prices were between $56.51 and $67.44, with an estimated average price of $62.2.

  Sold Out: Bunge Ltd (BG)

  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in Bunge Ltd. His sale prices were between $66.4 and $73.51, with an estimated average price of $70.39.

  Added: UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH)

  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in UnitedHealth Group Inc by 45.25%. His purchase prices were between $58.54 and $66.09, with an estimated average price of $62.22. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.4%. His holdings were 569,800 shares as of 06/30/2013.

  Added: Liberty Media Corporation (LMCA)

  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in Liberty Media Corporation by 102.38%. His purchase prices were between $108.75 and $130.01, with an estimated averag

Best Mid Cap Stocks To Own For 2015: NutriSystem Inc(NTRI)

Nutrisystem, Inc. provides weight management products and services in the United States. The company offers nutritionally balanced weight loss programs designed for women, men, and seniors. Its Nutrisystem program consists of approximately 130 portion-controlled items that serve as the foundation of a low Glycemic Index diet. The company?s programs include Nutrisystem D program designed for people with type 2 diabetes for loosing weight and managing their diabetes; SUCCESS program designed to take the weight off and keep it off through portion-controlled, balanced nutrition, and low Glycemic Index eating; and Nutrisystem Select, a program for weight loss and weight management that offers standard shelf-stable food and fresh-frozen foods. It also provides monthly food packages of shelf-stable and frozen foods consisting of 28 days of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts, which are supplemented with dairy, fruits, salads, vegetables, and low-glycemic carbohydrate item s. In addition, the company offers transition and maintenance plans that comprise support tools and desired meal occasions, as well as online and smart phone weight management tools. Nutrisystem, Inc. sells its pre-packaged foods to weight loss program participants directly through the Internet and telephone, as well as through QVC, a television shopping network. The company was founded in 1972 and is based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Last Friday, small cap dieting stock Weight Watchers International, Inc (NYSE: WTW) lost weight for investors when shares tumbled�27.73% to $22.10, meaning its probabaly a good idea to take a closer look�at the stock along with�other small cap weight loss or dieting stocks like NutriSystem Inc (NASDAQ: NTRI), Medifast Inc (NYSE: MED) and Reliv International, Inc (NASDAQ: RELV). Why did Weight Watchers International loose weight last Friday? The company reported its fourth straight quarterly sales decline as fewer people attended meetings and bought its products and also projected earnings that trailed analysts' estimates with the blame being placed on new mobile applications and bracelets that track calories���thus�hurting traditional diet companies.

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp (TRER.PK)

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp., formerly Standard Silver Corporation, incorporated on July 29, 1970. a mining company engaged in the business of the acquisition and development of mineral properties. As of August 31, 2012, it held a nineteen year lease to explore and develop a 950 acre rare earth uranium-beryllium prospect located in Hudspeth County, Texas known as Round Top and prospecting permits covering an adjacent 9,345 acres.

The Company�� principal focus will be on developing a metallurgical process to concentrate or otherwise extract the metals from the Round Top rhyolite. In addition to the Round Top Project, the Company also own title to 12 unpatented mining claims, the Macho group, comprising 240 acres covering the Old Dude Mine, located in Sierra County, New Mexico. Another 18 unpatented mining claims and fractional claims, the HA group, consisting 274 acres cover an andesite hosted vein system similar to and some 10 miles to the southwest of the Macho District.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake Mitchell]

  As a speculative play on the industry, I came across Texas Rare Earth Resources (TRER.PK), which is principally focused on its 950 acre Round Top project. A Preliminary Economic Assessment by an independent third party found that there are an estimated over 1 billion metric tonnes of resources containing over 1 billion pounds of rare earth elements. A revised PEA, which was originally projected to have a capital cost of $2.1 billion is now estimated to be between $150 million to $350 million. A key concern in the exploration of these mines is how expensive it is to ultimately extract the rare earths from the ground. If Texas Rare Earth is able to show evidence that cost has been significantly reduced it will be the target of interested parties globally.

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FSUMF)

Fortescue Metals Group Limited (Fortescue) is an iron ore producer and explorer operating in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Fortescue is engaged in mining of iron ore from its Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mine sites, the operation of an integrated mine, rail and port supply chain and the expansion of iron ore operations. Its Cloudbreak mine site is located in the Chichester Ranges in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 263 kilometers (km) south of Port Hedland and 150km north of Newman. Its Christmas Creek is second mining operation, 50 km to the east of Cloudbreak. The Company has also designed and constructed rail and port facilities to support the development and sale of the Pilbara's stranded iron ore bodies. Its subsidiaries include The Pilbara Infrastructure Pty Limited, FMG Pilbara Pty Limited, Chichester Metals Pty Limited, Pilbara Mining Alliance Pty Limited, and Karribi Developments Pty Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks rose in early Monday trading, helped by Wall Street's gains Friday, with the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) climbing 0.8% to 5,362.40 after closing the previous session at its highest level since before the start of the 2008 financial crisis. Miners were broadly improving, as Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) rose 1.3%, BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) added 0.9% ahead of its quarterly production report Tuesday, and Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) also climbed 0.9% despite a loss for gold at the end of last week. Financials saw gains as well, with many analysts now tipping the U.S. Federal Reserve to maintain its current level of easing through the end of the year. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) advanced 1.1%, while Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) and Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) rose 1.2% each. On the downside, shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) fell 4.2% after the company warned of rough business conditions on Friday.

• [By WWW.MARKETWATCH.COM]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- A soft lead from Wall Street and uncertainty ahead of Australian retail sales data (and U.S. jobs data) aren't slowing the Sydney market, where the S&P/ASX 200 stock benchmark is up 0.5% early Thursday, mainly on a gains for commodities. With copper at a fourth-month high and Chinese spot iron-ore prices moving further off their recent lows, Australia's heavily weighted mining stocks are trading broadly higher: BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) is up 0.7%, Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) is up 0.5%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) is up 2.5%, Mount Gibson Iron Ltd. (AU:MGX) is up 3.7%, Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) is up 1.7%, and Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) is up 1.8%. Casino operator Crown Resorts Ltd. (CWLDF) is up 1.2% as Bell Potter reiterates its buy call on the shares, even as it cuts its target price, according to Dow Jones Newswires. On the downside, David Jones Ltd. (AU:DJS) (DVDJF) is down 0.5% as Australian media reports say the nation's regulators failed to get permission to open an investigation into the retailer's proposed takeover by Woolworths of South Africa.

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: Envivio Inc (ENVI)

Envivio, Inc., incorporated on January 5, 2000, is a provider of Internet protocol (IP) video processing and distribution solutions, which enable the delivery of video to consumers. The Company�� solution is designed to enable service providers and content providers to offer video anytime, anywhere across a range of video formats, networks, consumer devices and operating systems. Its software-based solution runs on industry-standard hardware and includes encoders, transcoders, network media processors all controlled through its network management system. It enables service providers and content providers to deliver linear broadcast and on-demand video services to their customers through multiple screens, such as tablets, mobile handsets, netbooks, laptops, personal computers (PCs) and televisions. Its customers include mobile and wireline telecommunications service providers, cable multiple system operators (MSOs), direct broadcast satellite service providers (DBSs), and content providers, which includes broadcasters and content publishers, owners, aggregators and licensees.

Core Technologies

The Company�� software platform includes core technologies: modular software architecture and multi-core video compression. The Company�� core competencies are in developing advanced media compression and video over IP technologies, where it delivers a carrier grade, multi-screen solution. Its modular software architecture provides a common platform of capabilities and features, which allows its products to perform critical video processing and distribution functions, including ingestion, processing, packaging, protection and encryption, network optimizations and monitoring. In addition, its software-based architecture allows customers to enable features or add capacity through the input of a simple security or license key.

The Company Multi-core video compression has a set of video processing and compression algorithms designed to optimize performance on industry-stan! dard, multi-core hardware chipsets. These algorithms are central to all of its encoder and transcoder products.

Products

The Company�� unified video headend solution and unified delivery infrastructure for live and on-demand multi-screen video delivery are built on its encoding, transcoding and video distribution products. Its suite of products consists of Envivio 4Caster, Muse, Halo and 4Manager. Its 4Caster product delivers video to mobile, PC and television from a single platform. It has designed 4Caster to optimize live and on-demand workflows for video delivery commensurate with the characteristics of both legacy and current network infrastructures by encoding video input in multiple codecs, resolutions, bit rates and formats. 4Caster utilizes pre-processing techniques to clean and optimize video sources before encoding.

Envivio Muse is its new multi-screen software architecture designed for live or file-based video transcoding and distribution to multiple devices. Muse is available on industry-standard blade servers or its 4Caster appliances and enables service providers running large-scale operations to leverage their existing datacenter infrastructure to deliver enhanced video services. Muse also enables advanced functionality, such as ad-insertion and content protection for mobile devices that facilitates service monetization.

The Company�� Halo Network Media Processor performs final content adaptation for consumer devices, including protected adaptive bitrate streams compatible with Apple iOS, Android 3 and Microsoft Smooth Streaming enabled consumer devices. Its 4Manager network management system is specifically engineered to manage next generation video headends for mobile television, over-the-top (OTT) and Internet protocol television (IPTV), while continuing to support traditional broadcast distribution networks. 4Manager allows service providers to monitor and control all headend appliances. 4Manager is designed to maximize video he! adend ava! ilability and reliability by reporting system malfunctions and can automatically switch away from a defective unit, minimizing service disruption.

Services

The Company offers a range of services in support of its products, including on-site project assessment, systems integration, on-site delivery and operational and customer support. On-site project assessment include complete review of content sources, existing systems and middleware to determine the proper interface and adaptation equipment necessary for its customer to deliver an optimized consumer quality of experience. Systems integration configures all the equipment with its solution according to network design and plan. On-site delivery install all equipment and test the operational environment, including redundancy and system monitoring, as well as administer technical training to validate predefined use cases in an operational environment. Operational and customer support provides different grades of service level agreements and support contracts according to requirements.

The Company competes with Harmonic Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Elemental Technologies, RGB Networks, Inc., Google Inc. and Ericsson AB.

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 Envivio (NASDAQ: ENVI), with shares up 2.8 percent, and Adept Technology (NASDAQ: ADEP), with shares up 4.3 percent.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap video technology stocks Envivio Inc (NASDAQ: ENVI), Ku6 Media Co Ltd (NASDAQ: KUTV) and Tremor Video Inc (NYSE: TRMR) made some interesting moves today and in recent days or months���meaning its worth taking a closer look at all three to see if there might be opportunities for traders and investors alike:

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: PowerShares International Dividend Achievers Portfolio (PID)

PowerShares International Dividend Achievers Portfolio (the Fund) seeks to replicate, before fees and expenses, the International Dividend Achievers Index (the Index). The Fund invests in sectors, including financials, utilities, consumer staples, commercial banks, insurance, utilities and information technology. PowerShares Capital Management LLC is the adviser of the Fund.

The Index seeks to identify an international group of American Depository Receipts that have qualified as International Dividend Achievers. The Index is designed to track the performance of dividend paying American Depository Receipts and non-United States common or ordinary stocks trading on the NYSE, NADDAQ or AMEX.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Editor , DividendChannel.com]

  According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Enbridge stock is an underlying holding representing 1.97% of the Powershares International Dividend Achievers ETF (PID), which holds $20,709,837 worth of ENB shares.

• [By Carlton Delfeld]

  Second, add to the mix, one of my long-time favorite ETFs, the PowerShares International Dividend Achievers (PID).

  To get into this exclusive basket, companies have to have a record of increasing dividends for five consecutive years. The United Kingdom and Canada make up 50% of its holdings with the US at only 6%.

Best Logistics Companies To Own For 2015: Sasol Ltd.(SSL)

Sasol Limited operates as an integrated energy and chemicals company worldwide. It mines saleable coal; distributes and markets natural gas and methane-rich gas; owns, operates, and maintains cross-border natural gas pipeline; produces coal-based synfuels; and markets oil products, such as petrol, diesel, jet fuel, illuminating paraffin, naphtha, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oils, bitumen, motor and industrial lubricants, and sulphur to the industrial and licensed wholesalers customers in South Africa. The company also supplies ethylene, propylene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlor-alkali chemicals, and mining reagents; solvents, co-monomers, acrylates, and associated products; surfactants, linear alkylbenzene, surfactant intermediates, n-paraffins, n-olefins, C6-C22 alcohols, ethylene, oleochemicals, and other organic intermediates, as well as provides specialty aluminas, silica aluminas, and hydrotalcites. In addition, it produces and markets var ious chemical products comprising waxes, fertilizers, and mining explosive products; converts natural gas into synthesis gas for use as petrochemical feedstock; and involves in the research and development, alternative energy, and financial activities. Further, the company produces natural gas and condensate from the onshore Pande and Temane fields in Mozambique; oil in Gabon from the offshore Etame, Avouma, and Ebouri oilfield cluster; and shale gas from the Farrell Creek and Cypress A assets in Canada. It operates in South Africa, the other parts of Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia, Australasia, the Middle East, India, and the Far East. Sasol Limited was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  If you want to play stocks directly, one great options is telecom play MTN Group�(MTNOY). Smartphones can provide even remote villages tremendous communications and commerce power to unlock growth, and MTN is a key part of that narrative across Africa. Chemicals and energy company Sasol (SSL) is more of a cyclical play but also headquartered in South Africa.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  However, interest in GTL continues to grow. In December, South African energy firm Sasol (NYSE: SSL  ) said that it would build the first commercial GTL facility in the U.S. The Johannesburg-based company has pinpointed Louisiana as the plant's chosen location due to that state's copious�reserves of natural gas, and said it expects production from the facility to begin in 2018.

• [By Dan Newman]

  Profitable opportunity
  Some may guess that doing business with developing countries wouldn't allow for a very profitable business. However, when South African companies like�Sasol� (NYSE: SSL  ) �-- which estimated 18% of its workforce carried HIV in 2007�-- must dedicate departmental budgets to HIV/AIDS, there are plenty of opportunities for Female Health to cover costs and earn a return. A healthier workforce for Sasol would simply cost less for the company, and Female Health can help companies like Sasol achieve a healthier workforce.