Saturday, February 28, 2015

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now

It takes money to make money. Most investors know that, but with business media so focused on the "how much," very few investors bother to ask, "How fast?"

When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR  ) .

Let's break this down
In this series, we measure how swiftly a company turns cash into goods or services and back into cash. We'll use a quick, relatively foolproof tool known as the cash conversion cycle, or CCC for short.

Why does the CCC matter? The less time it takes a firm to convert outgoing cash into incoming cash, the more powerful and flexible its profit engine is. The less money tied up in inventory and accounts receivable, the more available to grow the company, pay investors, or both.

Hot Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Thursday

    Earnings Expected From: Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM), McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK), ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA (NYSE: BUD), DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV), AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) Economic Releases Expected: Japanese manufacturing PMI, eurozone CPI, Spanish current account, eurozone unemployment rate, Italian CPI, French PPI, German retail sales

    Friday

  • [By Adam Levy]

    But "TV Everywhere" that fulfills its promise could become a reality in the near future, thanks to several companies working with content owners to provide Internet-delivered television. Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) plans to launch its service by the end of the year, and Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) is aiming for mid-2015. Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) already has at least one content deal in the works, and rival DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV  ) isn't far behind. Internet-delivered television could finally deliver on the promise of TV Everywhere.

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Harold L. Vogel]

    *Includes AMC (AMCX), Cablevision (CVC), Charter, Comcast Cable (CMCSA) and networks, Discovery (DISCA), Disney (DIS) cable networks, Time Warner Cable (TWC) and cable networks, Viacom (VIAB) networks.

  • [By Tom Reese]

    Regional cable TV and Internet provider Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC) on Friday announced better-than-expected third quarter earnings results, reversing a year-ago loss.

    Cablevision’s Q3 Earnings in Brief
    - Net income totaled $294.6 million, or $1.10 per share, reversing last year’s loss of $3.79 million, or -1 penny per share.
    - Revenue rose 1.8% from last year to $1.57 billion.
    - Analysts expected much lower earnings of just 11 cents per share, on matching revenue.

    Latest Dividend Reiterated; Yield Surpasses Peers
    In its earnings release, Cablevision announced it would continue its dividend payout of 15 cents per share. The latest dividend will be paid on Dec. 13 with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20. The company has not raised its dividend payout since May of 2011.

    Despite the lack of dividend raise, CVC’s dividend yield of 3.84% compares favorably with other stocks in its industry. Time Warner Cable (TWC) offers a yield of 2.2%, while Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) yields just 1.65%. The average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies is around 2.5%, so Cablevision’s yield is well above both its industry average as well as the wider market average. Still, its lofty yield has come more as a result of poor price performance, rather than dividend increases.

    Shares Rise, but Still Tail Indexes
    Cablevision shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Friday, but the company’s stock performance has lagged the wider markets for quite some time. Year-to-date, CVC has gained about 6%, compared with a 24% gain in the benchmark S&P 500 index. The stock was trading around the $38 level as recently as early 2011, so its dividend yield has risen significantly as its stock price plunged to around $16.

  • [By Teresa Rivas]

    On the flip side, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) takes the dubious honor of most overbought: It has 40.3% to fall, based on its Goldman �target price. �The top five includes Cablevision Systems (CVC) Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Intel (INTC) and U.S. Steel (X). Other big players on the list are Microsoft (MSFT), Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF), and Staples (SPLS).

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Beyers]

    I'll not spoil Iron Man 3 for you if you haven't yet seen it. Instead, I'll say that I think the ratings drop from 94% to about 80% at Rotten Tomatoes is probably justified. I also find myself wondering if Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) Superman reboot, Man of Steel, will outdo IM3 to claim the box office crown among this year's crop of comic book films.

  • [By Tim Beyers]

    But investing is also a game best played in context. How does Disney stock compare to peers Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) and News Corp. (NASDAQ: FOXA  ) ? Here's what the numbers say:

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    It's another instance of the new economy meeting the old. Sprint (NYSE: S  ) and Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) Time unit have signed a collaboration accord. The deal will cover numerous aspects of content provision, advertising, and retail sales.

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Then we have a catalyst that has yet to play out. Hemlock Grove -- the latest show that will be exclusively available on Netflix for the time being -- begins streaming next weekend. After February's wildly successful House of Cards, if Netflix can nab another magnetic property, it will be that much harder for folks to cancel subscriptions between programming lulls. Netflix will have proved itself worthy of scoring magnetic content, and the comparison's with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) HBO will be even more apropos.

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Will Ashworth]

    If other cable companies — like Charter Communications (CHTR), Cablevision (CVC) and Cox Communications — decide to merge in order to keep pace with Comcast, content providers could be under the gun once more.

  • [By Michael Lewis]

    In case you haven't noticed, there are some serious consolidation efforts going around the cable and telecom industries. On one end, there are satellite TV providers chasing spectrum as if it's the gold rush of 1849. Now, it appears that Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) may be courting Liberty Media (NASDAQ: LMCA  ) for a merger in an attempt to leverage Charter Communications' (NASDAQ: CHTR  ) �highly coveted network. Let's determine who is the biggest winner in this latest media M&A dance, and where you should be putting your funds.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Seeing how its initial bid of $132.50 per share ($37.3 billion) for Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) produced an immediate rejection, cable operator Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is reported to be considering sweetening its offer to somewhere in the low $140s.

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    Charter Communications (CHTR) and Comcast (CMCSA) are each also contemplating bids. The WSJ reported late�today that Charter is arranging $25 billionin debt to fund its bid.

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)

Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Alyce Lomax]

    An hour is the amount of time Americans might allot for watching an episode of, say, Dirty Jobs in their free time. Speaking of jobs, dirty or otherwise, Discovery Communications' (NASDAQ: DISCA  ) CEO David Zaslav's pay calculation came to $24,000 per hour.

  • [By Julianne Pepitone]

    At $45 a share, Wieser pointed out, Twitter's valuation isn't too far below more established media companies like CBS (CBS, Fortune 500), Discovery Communications (DISCA) and Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500).

  • [By Vera Yuan]

    Dear Fellow Shareholder: The U.S. economy continues to gradually expand, building on the 5+ year recovery from the Great Recession. Employment levels are improving, though progress has been slower than expected. Inflation, for now, remains subdued. As signaled and on cue, the Fed has been weaning the economy (and investors) off of the extraordinary ��uantitative easing��stimulus. Investors have generally shrugged off world events that might otherwise cause high anxiety (ISIS and the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, etc.). As attention now turns to when the Fed will raise short-term interest rates, it seems plausible that volatility may intensify as the stimulus security blanket is removed. In the meantime, companies are taking advantage of the artificially low interest rate environment and sanguine investor sentiment. Merger activity remains robust, fueled by cheap and readily available credit. The IPO market has been very active, headlined by the successful Alibaba offering in September. Corporate treasurers continue to issue loads of debt on attractive terms, locking in generationally low interest rates for long terms. While these conditions will not last forever, they have helped opportunistic managers accelerate equity value growth at many companies.Investment Commentary and Outlook After three years of seemingly non-stop gains, the stock market took a pause in the third quarter. While most large cap indices eked out modest positive returns, the broader investing waters were far less placid. Small cap stocks sold off as the Russell 2000 declined more than 7% during the quarter. Energy stocks, both large and small, fell materially as investors worried about too much oil and gas supply coming online in North America (what a difference a decade makes). High yield bonds wobbled briefly in July, then again in September. Increasingly, investors are not treating all securities the same, and as stock pickers we welcome this development. Our equity funds��resu

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Discovery Communications (DISCA) has gained 4.9% to $88.48 after the company reported a profit of 80 cents a share, beating forecasts for 72 cents.

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CBS Corporation(CBS)

CBS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mass media company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Entertainment segment distributes a schedule of news and public affairs broadcasts, sports, and entertainment programming; produces, acquires, and distributes programming, including series, specials, news, and public affairs; produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures across various genres; and operates online content networks for information and entertainment. Its Cable Networks segment owns and operates multiplexed channels that offers subscription program services, including recently released theatrical feature films, original series, documentaries, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports-related programming, and special events; and CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour cable program service related to college sports. This segment also owns and manages Smithsonian Networks, which operates Smithsonian Channel, a basic cab le service in the United States. The company?s Publishing segment publishes and distributes adult and children?s consumer books in printed, audio, and digital formats. Its Local Broadcasting segment owns 29 broadcast television stations; owns and operates 130 radio stations in 28 U.S. markets and related online properties; and owns local Websites that combine television and radio local media brands online to provide the latest news, traffic, weather, and sports information, as well as local discounts, directories, and reviews. The company?s Outdoor segment sells advertising space on various media, including billboards, transit shelters and other street furniture, buses, rail systems, mall kiosks, stadium signage, and in retail stores. CBS Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Chris Katje]

    Starz is the leading premium movie company with over 56 million subscribers. The company's Starz brand increased its subscribers 8% in 2012 to 21.2 million. Encore, Starz's other corporate brand, increased subscribers 5% to 34.8 million. In comparison, HBO owned by Time Warner (TWX) has 39.5 million subscribers, and Showtime, owned by CBS (CBS), has 21.3 million subscribers.

  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    CBS is one of the largest nationwide providers of entertainment and mass media services. The company�� dispute with Time Warner Cable is now settled, to the benefit of CBS. The stock has been rising higher over the last few years and is now trading near all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been increasing which have resulted in upbeat investors. Relative to its peers and sector, CBS has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for CBS to OUTPERFORM.

  • [By Jake Mann]

    This is evident in an array of statistics. Last season, NFL regular-season viewership on CBS� (NYSE: CBS  ) and�Fox (NASDAQ: FOX  ) �grew an average of 7% from 2012, and�NBC Sunday Night Football was prime time's top show for the fourth straight year. Beyond TV, the usage of fantasy football apps also rose 15% in 2013, Nielsen reports.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Lions Gate has more going for it than just the Hunger Games movies. It produces both movies and television productions, with a stable of television series including the popular Mad Men and Anger Management. The company also owns a 50% stake in the TV Guide cable channel and website, with a new agreement in March with CBS (NYSE: CBS  ) in which Lions Gate gave up its former majority control of the TV Guide joint venture. Both companies expect to push TV Guide in new directions to try to boost its appeal and revenue-generating capacity.

Hot Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Comcast Corporation(CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and phone services to residential and business customers. As of June 30, 2011, its cable systems served approximately 22.5 million video customers, 17.5 million high-speed Internet customers, and 9.1 million phone customers. The company?s Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, and Universal HD; news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and VERSUS; regional sports and news networks; international entertainment, and news and information networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and Universal Networks International portfolio of networks; cable television production oper ations; and digital media properties consisting primarily of brand-aligned Websites and other Websites, such as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. Its Broadcast Television segment operates the U.S. broadcast networks, NBC and Telemundo; 10 NBC and 15 Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television productions; and related digital media properties. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. Its Theme Parks segment operates Universal Studios Hollywood park and Wet ?n Wild water park, as well as licenses intellectual properties and provides services to third parties that own and operate Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore. Comcast Corporation was founded in 1963 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Vetal/Shutterstock Single-day admissions to some of the country's most popular theme parks hit $99 this summer. Tack on transportation, lodging and in-park purchases, and costs quickly add up. By the time the coasters have been conquered and your thrills have been chronicled on Facebook's (FB) Instagram, you're going to be out a lot of money. Let's dive into how to save some at the park this season. 1. Find the Local Discounter Amusement park chains and most theme park operators realize that you can't succeed without having a steady flow of locals. They often team up with area supermarkets or restaurants to offer discounted tickets. If you're heading to a local park, you probably know the area businesses offering discount admissions as either coupons you present at the gate or prepaid entrances. If you're heading out to a park while you're traveling, find the name of the grocery store or burger haven offering deals through the park's website, social media page or park forum. 2. Do the Math on a Season Pass For essentially the price of a one-day ticket, SeaWorld's (SEAS) "Fun Card" tickets are good for unlimited admissions through the end of the year at many of its parks. There are some blackout dates, and some annual pass holder perks like complimentary parking aren't included, but it's too cheap to ignore. Six Flags (SIX) and Cedar Fair (FUN) have annual passes that typically pay for themselves after the second or third visit. It will take longer to offset the purchase of Disney (DIS) or Comcast's (CMCSA) Universal annual passes. 3. Head Out With a Pass Holder If you and your family decide that a becoming an annual pass holder isn't the right call -- or it isn't in your budget -- see if you know anyone who's an annual pass holder and join them at the park. Attractions are always more fun with more people, and your pocketbook will probably thank you for this tip. Annual passes typically include free parking, and many premium varieties come discounts o

  • [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

    For that reason alone, the most logical choice to replace Ballmer might be Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA). Prior to his current job, Burke ran the cable division of Comcast, the largest wired broadband distribution system in the country.

  • [By Tim Beyers]

    I've mixed feelings about the matchup, both as a film fan and as an investor. Personally, I found 2010's Despicable Me to be a delight, with the impossibly cute minions softening Steve Carell's hardened supervillain, Gru. Audiences agreed as the film grossed $543.1 million worldwide on a $69 million production budget. Despicable Me 2, which cost Comcast's (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) Universal Pictures $76 million, could earn that much or more.

  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Evan Agostini, Invision/APCBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves ranked No. 2 on a list of highest paid CEOs. LOS ANGELES -- Once again, media company CEOs are among the highest paid executives in the nation, occupying six of the top 10 earning spots, according to an Associated Press/Equilar study. Compensation experts say a variety of factors are at play, including the gain in media stocks, the intangible value of talent in a hit-or-miss business, the control of shareholder power in very few hands, and the decline of the financial sector. Stock Outperformers Outsized stock growth boosts the value of stock and option grants. Media companies' shares have rebounded strongly since the 2008 recession, mainly because advertising spending grows in tandem with a growing economy. That means higher-priced ads and higher-priced execs. Stocks of the six media companies on the list all outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC), which grew 128 percent in the five years through December 2013, according to FactSet. CBS (CBS) shares grew a whopping 699 percent in that period; Discovery Communications (DISCA) went up 539 percent; Viacom (VIA) rose 377 percent; Walt Disney (DIS) rose 250 percent; Time Warner (TWX) climbed 259 percent and Comcast (CMCSA) grew 223 percent. "If shareholders are happy they don't care how much a person makes," said Paul Dorf, managing director of consulting firm Compensation Resources. "When they complain most is when the market doesn't do well and their stock is going down the tubes." Talent Quotient Making it big in media means generating hits. And while top executives may not be hands-on with every decision, they are where the buck stops. Take Disney's animated blockbuster "Frozen," which grossed $1.2 billion at box offices worldwide. While Disney CEO Bob Iger didn't make the movie, he did orchestrate Disney's $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar in 2006, which brought in talented executives to help reform Disney's faltering a

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014

Profitability is one of the main factors one must look at when analyzing a company. It is not only the reason behind a company�� existence, but also a key element when determining whether to invest in a company or not. Thus, in this article I will look into Symantec Corp (SYMC)麓s earnings and earnings growth (which came in better than expected on the last reported quarter), profit margins and other profitability ratios.

Additionally, I will evaluate which institutional investors bought the stock in the recent quarters (institutional backup can tell a lot about a stock), and the initiatives that the company is putting in motion in order to ameliorate its sales and margins.

Earnings

The first step is analyzing Symantec Corp�� earnings growth. I am looking for companies that are able to expand both their quarterly and annual earnings by more than 15% a year. Last quarter the company generated 13% quarterly EPS growth when compared to the same quarter last year. Thus, I am not encouraged by SYMC�� numbers. Past growth winners (Apple, Baidu, etc.) generated consistent quarterly EPS growth above 15% and I am certainly looking for that level before investing.

10 Best Energy Stocks To Own For 2015: AmREIT Inc (AMRE)

AmREIT, Inc. (AmREIT) is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates, acquires and selectively develops and redevelops primarily neighborhood and community shopping centers located in high-traffic, densely populated, affluent areas with high barriers to entry. The Company seeks to own properties in cities in the United States that contain submarkets with characteristics comparable to its existing markets. The Company's shopping centers are anchored by national and local retailers, including supermarket chains, drug stores and other necessity-based retailers. The Company's tenant consists primarily of specialty retailers and local restaurants. The Company has acquired, owned and operated retail properties across 19 states. On December 12, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of the Preston Royal Village Shopping Center, a retail shopping center, containing approximately 230,000 square feet of GLA. In June 2013, AmREIT Inc announced that it has completed the acquisition of Fountain Oaks Shopping Center, a 160,600 square foot Kroger-anchored shopping center in the north Buckhead submarket of Atlanta, Georgia. Effective September 24, 2013, AmREIT Inc, through its AmREIT Realty Investment Corp subsidiary, acquired Woodlake Square Shopping Center, an owner and operator of shopping centers.

The Company and its affiliates and predecessors acquired and developed mainly single-tenant retail properties across the United States, including in markets in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's single tenant properties only comprised 9.6% of its total GLA and 8.1% of its annualized base rent. The Company's investment focus is predominantly concentrated in the affluent, high-growth submarkets of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Atlanta (collectively! , the Company's Core Markets), which represent five of the top population and job growth markets in the United States. The Company carefully review potential acquisitions that meet its investment criteria, performing rigorous and detailed analyses, including analyses of submarket demographics, location, tenants, retail sales, rental rates and projected returns.

The Company's redevelopment and expansion initiatives also may include expanding or reconfiguring existing retail space, developing pad sites or building other property types adjacent to the Company's existing shopping centers, thereby creating mixed-use properties that augment its retail operations and generate revenue enhancing opportunities for such properties. The Company sponsored and managed 20 advised funds targeting third-party equity capital, 13 of which have since been fully liquidated. With respect to the remaining seven Advised Funds, as of December 31, 2012, the Company managed three institutional joint ventures and four high net worth Advised Funds, which owned an aggregate of 2.2 million square feet of retail shopping center space. The Company's institutional partners in the joint ventures are J.P. Morgan Investment Management and AEW Capital.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company's portfolio consisted of 32 wholly-owned properties with approximately 1.5 million square feet of GLA, which were 96.7% leased and occupied with a weighted average remaining lease term of 5.2 years. The Company's neighborhood and community shopping centers accounted for 90.4% of the Company's GLA and 91.9% of its annualized base rent as of December 31, 2012. The Company's single-tenant retail properties comprised 9.6% of the Company's GLA and 8.1% of its annualized base rent.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company's Advised Funds included four high net worth investment funds, one institutional joint venture with J.P. Morgan Investment Management, one institutional joint venture with AEW Capital and one joint venture wi! th two of! its high net worth investment funds, MIG III and MIG IV. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's Advised Funds held all or a portion of the ownership interests in 17 properties with approximately 2.2 million square feet of GLA.

The Company's real estate operating and development business focuses on acquiring, managing, leasing and providing development and redevelopment services for its wholly-owned properties as well as the properties held by its Advised Funds. By employing the Company's own real estate team, the Company is able to provide all services to its properties in-house and maintain secure relationships with its tenants. The Company's real estate operating and development business is held under the Company's taxable REIT subsidiary, ARIC. ARIC generates brokerage, leasing, construction management, development and property management fee income.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Anna Prior]

    Shopping-center owner AmREIT Inc.(AMRE) said it is evaluating a $433 million unsolicited takeover bid from Regency Centers Corp.(REG) AmREIT’s Class B shares slipped 8.7% to $20.50 premarket after jumping some 17% in Thursday trading.

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Fresnillo PLC (FRES)

Fresnillo plc is a silver and gold mining company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the mining and beneficiation of non-ferrous minerals, and the sale of related production. The primary contents of this production include silver, gold, lead and zinc. The Company has six operating mines: the Fresnillo mine, located in the State of Zacatecas, which is primary silver mine; the Saucito mine, located in the State of Zacatecas, an underground silver mine; the Cienega mine, located in the State of Durango, an underground gold mine, including the San Ramon satellite mine; the Herradura mine, located in the State of Sonora, an open pit gold mine; the Soledad-Dipolos mine, located in the State of Sonora, an open pit gold mine, and the Noche Buena mine, located in State of Sonora, an open pit gold mine. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Alexis Xydias]

    The FTSE All-Share Mining Index rose 3 percent. Randgold, a producer of the metal in Africa, advanced 6.8 percent to 4,722 pence. Fresnillo Plc (FRES), which operates silver and gold mines in Mexico, rallied 8.2 percent to 1,035 pence.

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA (ELET6)

Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA (Eletrobras) is a Brazil-based holding company engaged in the electric power generation, transmission and distribution. The Company operates and maintains hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants and wind/solar power plants. The Company acts as an agent for managing and investing government funds related to the energy sector, such as the Global Reversion Reserve (RGR), Fuel Consumption Account (CCC) and Energy Development Account (CDE). The Company also manages government programs, such as the National Electric Energy Conservation Program (Procel), the National Program for the Universalization of Access and Use of Electricity (Luz Para Todos) and the Alternative Energy Sources Incentive Program (Proninfa). In October, 2013, the Company acquired a 50% stake in the share capital of Rouar SA, held by Administracion Nacional de Usinas y Transmisiones Electricas UTE. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Patricia Lara]

    Tractebel leapfrogged Cia. Energetica de Minas Gerais, CPFL Energia SA (CPFE3) and Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA (ELET6) in the fourth quarter to become the biggest utility after sidestepping pressure to cut rates because its contracts don�� expire for at least 14 years. Florianopolis, Brazil-based Tractebel has gained 11 percent in the past year, less than Sabesp�� 36 percent rally, which is the most of any utility on the Bovespa index.

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Hancock Holding Company(HBHC)

Hancock Holding Company, a financial holding company, provides various banking and financial services in south Mississippi, Louisiana, South Alabama, and Florida. The company accepts various deposit products that include non-interest bearing demand deposits, NOW account deposits, money market deposits, savings deposits, and time deposits. Its loan portfolio comprises provision of commercial, consumer, commercial leasing, and real estate loans to consumers and small and middle market businesses. Hancock also offers various trust services that include operating as an executor, administrator, or guardian in administering estates; provision of investment custodial services for individuals, businesses, and charitable and religious organizations, as well as investment management services on an agency basis; and trustee services for pension plans, profit sharing plans, corporate and municipal bond issues, living trusts, life insurance trusts, and various other types of trusts cre ated for individuals, businesses, and charitable and religious organizations. In addition, it provides consumer financing services; owns, manages, and maintains real property; offers general insurance agency services; holds investment securities; markets credit life insurance; and engages in discount investment brokerage services, as well as owns approximately 3,700 acres of timber land in Hancock County, Mississippi. The company operates 182 banking and financial services offices and 161 automated teller machines. Hancock Holding Company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Hancock Holding (NASDAQ: HBHC  ) is resolutely sticking to its longtime dividend policy. Matching the same common stock payout it's distributed since September 2006, the financial services concern has declared a distribution of $0.24 per share. This is to be paid on September 16 to shareholders of record as of September 5.

  • [By Dividends4Life]

    Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:

    1. Avg. High Yield Price
    2. 20-Year DCF Price
    3. Avg. P/E Price
    4. Graham Number

    CTBI is trading at a premium to all four valuations above. The stock is trading at a 53.5% premium to its calculated fair value of $29.43. CTBI did not earn any Stars in this section.

    Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:

    1. Free Cash Flow Payout
    2. Debt To Total Capital
    3. Key Metrics
    4. Dividend Growth Rate
    5. Years of Div. Growth
    6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%

    CTBI earned one Star in this section for 1.) above. A Star was earned since the Free Cash Flow payout ratio was less than 60% and there were no negative Free Cash Flows over the last 10 years. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1988 and has increased its dividend payments for 33 consecutive years.

    Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:

    1. NPV MMA Diff.
    2. Years to > MMA

    The negative NPV MMA Diff. means that on a NPV basis the dividend earnings from an investment in CTBI would be less than a similar amount invested in MMA earning a 20-year average rate of 3.41%. If CTBI grows its dividend at 1.5% per year, it will never equal a MMA yielding an estimated 20-year average rate of 3.41%.

    Memberships and Peers: CTBI is, a member of the Broad Dividend Achieve

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Biodel Inc (BIOD)

Biodel Inc. (Biodel), incorporated on December 3, 2003, is a development-stage speciality biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of treatments for diabetes. The Company develops its product candidates by applying its formulation technologies to existing drugs. Its advanced program involves developing formulations of injectable recombinant human insulin (RHI). In addition to its ultra-rapid-acting insulin formulations, the Company has developed prototype formulations of a liquid glucagon, a basal insulin and a glucose responsive insulin, in each case for use by patients with diabetes. RHI-based formulation known as Linjeta was the subject of a New Drug Application (NDA).

The Company has two pivotal Phase III clinical trials with its preferred commercial formulation of Linjeta prior to re-submitting the NDA. In August 2011, it completed patient visits and analyzed top-line data from the first Phase 1 clinical trial of two RHI-based formulations. The trial was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, three-period crossover trial in 18 subjects with Type 1 diabetes. The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics and injection site toleration of BIOD-105 and BIOD-107, as compared to the insulin analog marketed as Humalog. The Company conducted Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials comparing the performance of its Linjeta formulation of RHI to either Humulin, which is a branded formulation of RHI or Humalog. Its pivotal Phase III clinical trials were open-label, parallel group, randomized trials conducted at centers in the United States, Germany and India.

The Company competes with Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. and MannKind Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 specialty biopharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Biodel (BIOD), which is focused on the development and commercialization of innovative treatments for diabetes. This stock has been hit hard by the bears over the last three months, with shares down by 24%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Biodel, you'll notice that this stock is ripping higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $2.32 a share with strong upside volume. Volume on Thursday has so far registered over 750,000 shares, which is well above its three-month average action of 445,084 shares. This move is quickly pushing shares of BIOD within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BIOD if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.52 to $2.60 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 445,084 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BIOD will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $3 to its 200-day moving average of $3.39 a share. Any high-volume move above $3.39 will then give BIOD a chance to tag $4 a share.

    Traders can look to buy BIOD off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $2.10 a share. One can also buy BIOD off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Biodel (NASDAQ: BIOD) is expected to post a Q1 loss at $0.24 per share.

    First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG) is estimated to post its Q1 earnings at $0.10 per share on revenue of $63.35 million.

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: HMS Holdings Corp (HMSY)

HMS Holdings Corp. provides cost containment, coordination of benefits, and program integrity services. The company?s services enable clients to recover amounts due from liable third parties, reduce fraud, and ensure regulatory compliance. Its coordination of benefits services route claims paid by a government program to the liable third party, which reimburses the government payor; cost avoidance services provide validated insurance coverage information that is used by government payors to reject claims that are the responsibility of a third party; and program integrity services are designed to identify payment errors and recover the erroneous payments. The company also offers audit programs, program design, benefit management, and general and pharmacy systems consulting services. It serves state Medicaid agencies, Medicaid and Medicare managed care plans, government and private self-funded employers, pharmacy benefit managers, child support agencies, the Veterans Health Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, commercial plans, healthcare payors and sponsors, business outsourcing and technology firms, and government. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    HMS Holdings (Nasdaq: HMSY  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 26. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

    The 10-second takeaway
    Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict HMS Holdings's revenues will increase 3.0% and EPS will shrink -8.7%.

Hot Dow Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Delcath Systems Inc.(DCTH)

Delcath Systems, Inc., a development stage company, operates as a specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company. It focuses on cancers in the liver. The company involves in the development and clinical study of the Delcath chemosaturation system. Its clinical trial include a Phase III multi-center study for patients with unresectable metastatic ocular or cutaneous melanoma exclusively or predominantly in the liver; and a multi-arm Phase II clinical trial of the Delcath chemosaturation system with melphalan in patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer, which comprise neuroendocrine tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma, ocular or cutaneous melanoma, and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Delcath Systems, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Biotech in general has been one of the market�� hottest sectors this year thanks to plenty of mostly good news�along with�new IPOs while small cap biotech stocks Delcath Systems (NASDAQ: DCTH), ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc (NASDAQ: ZIOP), Recro Pharma (NASDAQ: REPH), TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TLOG)�and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) have also produced their share of news�this week or in recent weeks. Just consider the following:

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Delcath Systems (NASDAQ: DCTH) is expected to post a Q4 loss at $0.05 per share on revenue of $100.00 thousand.

    Emerald Oil (NYSE: EOX) is projected to post a Q4 loss at $0.02 per share on revenue of $18.04 million.

Top Penny Companies For 2014

Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) will "officially" start the first quarter earnings season when they hold a conference call on Tuesday, April 8 beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT to discuss first quarter 2014 results and business developments. The conference call will be webcast live via Alcoa's website, with presentation materials available online.

Wall Street anticipates that the aluminum maker will earn $0.05 per share for the quarter, which is $0.06 less than last year's profit of $0.11 per share. iStock expects AA �to top Wall Street's consensus number. The iEstimate is $0.06, a bullish surprise of a penny.

[Related -Do Earnings Mean Anything Anymore?]

Sales, like earnings, are expected to fall, slipping 4.2% year-over-year. Alcoa's consensus revenue estimate for Q1 is $5.59 billion, down from last year's $5.83 billion.

Top 10 Building Product Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Midway Gold Corporation(MDW)

Midway Gold Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in North America. Its principal properties include the Spring Valley, Midway, Pan, and Gold Rock gold and silver mineral properties located in Nevada; and the Golden Eagle gold mineral property located in Washington. The company was formerly known as Red Emerald Resource Corp. and changed its name to Midway Gold Corp. in July 2002. Midway Gold Corp. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Midway Gold (NYSE: MDW) shares fell 3.90% to reach a new 52-week low of $0.74. Midway Gold's trailing-twelve-month ROA is -11.16%.

    Posted-In: 52-Week LowsNews Movers & Shakers Intraday Update Markets

Top Penny Companies For 2014: Cedar Shopping Centers Inc (CDR)

Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc., real estate investment trust, engages in the ownership, operation, development and redevelopment of supermarket-anchored community shopping centers and drug store-anchored convenience centers in the United States. As of December 31, 2007, it owned 118 properties, aggregating approximately 12.0 million square feet of gross leasable area primarily in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, and New York. Cedar Shopping has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to federal income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Port Washington, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bill Smith]

    Valuation
    Lastly, because of the negative perception the entire industry has received, prices in this sector have been absolutely pummeled. ESI now trades at the lower end of all of its historical valuation bands: P/E, P/B, and P/S.

    Bullish Points
    Guru ownership and avg price: ESI owned by Hussman ($76.15), Weitz ($75.32), and Greenblatt ($73.29)Over 35% of shares are short, potential short squeezeStock buyback plan: ESI reduced outstanding shares by 19% yoy at the end of the 4th quarter. They repurchased 370K shares in 3Q11.The business model is scalable; the incremental cost to educate each additional student is low, leading to high marginsESI acquired Daniel Webster College, giving them a regional accreditation which they can use to broaden their reach in online classes
    Bearish Points
    High costs of education, in general, rightly or wrongly attract government intervention and could squeeze margins over time. Total student debt surpassed credit card balances, and sits at $1 Trillion as of the end of 2011.Subject to compliance with Dept of Education's 90/10 rules, which states a college can't collect more than 90% of revenue from students participating in federal loan programs.Cohort Default Rate (CDR): for-profit colleges must monitor the federal loan default rates of students who graduate or leave the school. If a school's CDR exceeds 25% for 3 consecutive years, or 40% in any one year, its students won't be eligible for federal financial aid.ESI competes on quality of product which is measured by graduation rates and ability to secure employment. For 2010, 70% of ESI graduates got employment in positions using skills taught in their program of study within 1 year. As of Oct 2011, this rate was 600 bp higher. The average annual salary reported by employed 2011 grads was $32K, compared to $32.4K for 2010 grads.With an improving economy, there's a potential ESI would see declining new student enrollmentsOver 35% of shares are short
    Summary

Top Penny Companies For 2014: Full House Resorts Inc.(FLL)

Full House Resorts, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manages, invests in, and owns gaming-related enterprises. The company holds interest in Gaming Entertainment (Delaware), LLC, a joint venture with Harrington Raceway, Inc., which has a management contract with Harrington Raceway and Casino that has approximately 1,800 slot machines and 40 table games, a 450-seat buffet, a dining restaurant, a 50-seat diner, and an entertainment lounge area located in Harrington, Delaware. It also owns and operates Stockman?s Casino, which has approximately 264 slot machines, 4 table games, and keno, as well as a bar, a dining restaurant, and a coffee shop situated in Fallon, Nevada. In addition, the company holds interests in Gaming Entertainment Michigan, LLC that has a joint venture with RAM Entertainment, LLC, which has a management agreement with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians for the development and management of the FireKeepers Casino in Battle Cre ek, Michigan. Full House Resorts, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Full House Resorts (NASDAQ: FLL) is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.06 per share on revenue of $33.24 million.

    Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.55 per share on revenue of $927.86 million.

  • [By reports.droy]

    Recently, the resort giant Full House Resorts (FLL) declared their quarter results which do not look very encouraging from the investor�� point of view. Let us delve a little deeper and find out more about its number mix.

Top Penny Companies For 2014: L&L Energy Inc.(LLEN)

L&L Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the coal mining, clean coal washing, coal coking, and coal wholesaling businesses in the People?s Republic of China. It involves in producing, processing, and selling metallurgical coke used primarily for steel manufacturing; and crushing coal and washing out soluble sulfur compounds with water or other solvents. The company has four coal mines comprising the DaPuAn, SuTsong, Ping Yi, and DaPing mines; three coal washing plants; one coking facility; and coal wholesale and distribution facilities. It also has a financial interest in the Bowie mine, a thermal coal mine located in Paonia, Colorado. The company provides its products to customers in the steel and the electrical/utility industries, as well as to cement factories. L&L Energy, Inc. sells its products directly and through third-party wholesalers. The company was formerly known as L & L International Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to L&L Energy, Inc. in Jan uary 2010. L&L Energy, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Well, as it turns out, the snake that bit L&L Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:LLEN) and Sovereign Lithium Inc. (OTCMKTS:SLCO) didn't end up biting Makism 3D Corp. (OTCMKTS:MDDD). And in retrospect, that's probably how it should be. Indeed, the fact that MDDD didn't even come close to suffering the same fate as SLCO or LLEN did may be the biggest assurance Makism 3D fans could hope for that the company is everything it says it is.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Despite every fiber of my being telling me to not get involved in the schoolyard fight between L&L Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:LLEN) and apparently one of its enemies (that just so happens to have a short/bearish position in LLEN), I find myself unable to not sound off. A sane and unbiased observation has to be injected into the mix here.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Breaking news

    Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is investing US$13 million to expand its wheel manufacturing plant in Europe, to meet growing demand for its lightweight, durable, low-maintenance aluminum truck wheels. To read the full news, click here. L & L Energy (NASDAQ: LLEN) announced today that its Special Independent Committee has appointed Mr. Nicholas Chen, Managing Partner at Pamir Law Group, to replace Mr. Mark Bartlett. To read the full news, click here. Five Prime Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FPRX) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) announced today that they have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of immuno-oncology therapies directed toward targets identified in two undisclosed immune checkpoint pathways using Five Prime's proprietary target discovery platform. To read the full news, click here. First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) on Sunday announced the completion of the 1.3MW(DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at Kitakyushu-shi. Powered by First Solar FS Series 3 Black PV modules, the plant will generate approximately 1,400 MWh of clean and safe solar electricity per year. To read the full news, click here.

    Posted-In: Credit Suisse US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

Top Penny Companies For 2014: Terra Nova Royalty Corporation(TTT)

Terra Nova Royalty Corporation operates as a mineral royalty company in Canada. It owns a royalty stream on the Wabush iron ore mine located in Labrador Newfoundland. The company was formerly known as KHD Humboldt Wedag International Ltd. and changed its name in March 2010 to Terra Nova Royalty Corporation as a result of spin off of KHD Humboldt Wedag International Ltd. Terra Nova Royalty Corporation is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Donald van Deventer]

    Long-duration Treasury Exchange-Traded Funds: (TLH), , (IEF), (DTYL), (DLBL), (ILTB), (TENZ), (ITE), (TLO), (EDV), (VGIT), (VGLT), (TMF), (TYD), (LBND), (UBT), (UST), (TMV), (TYO), (DSTJ), (DSXJ), (SBND), (PST), (DTYS), (DLBS), (TBF), (TTT), (TYNS), (TYBS), (TBX).

Top Penny Companies For 2014: Telestone Technologies Corp.(TSTC)

Telestone Technologies Corporation offers wireless local-access network technologies and solutions primarily in the People?s Republic of China. Its access-network solutions include the research and development, and application of access network technology. The company designs and sells electronic equipments, such as wireless fiber-optic distribution system products, RFPA products, passive components, repeaters, radio frequency peripherals, and base station antennas used to provide access network solutions for 2G, 3G, broadband access, and CATV networks. It also offers project design, project management, installation, maintenance, and other after-sales services. In addition, Telestone provides various solutions to the telecommunications industry, which cover indoor and outdoor environments comprising hotels, residential estates, office buildings, airports, exhibition centers, underground stations, and highways and tunnels. Further, the company engages in the design, develop ment, production and installation, and trading of wireless telecommunication coverage system equipment. It also markets its products to 29 countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By insider]

    The valuation box will also clearly indicate it if a company is traded at below its net current asset value (NCAV). Please see the valuation box for Telestone (TSTC) below.

Friday, February 27, 2015

5 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Watch Right Now

Activist investors are no stranger to the health-care sector, an industry known for binary events and buyouts. In this video, health-care analyst David Williamson discusses two recent news items catching the attention of investors following the moves of these heavyweight activists.

The first is�Forest Labs CEO Howard Solomon's announcement he will call it a career as the head of the company.�Legendary investor Carl Icahn, who is a major Forest shareholder and has a board seat, has shown misgivings in the past toward management. He has no comment on this news, but he may use the�opportunity�to exert his influence on Forest's direction.

Obesity-drug maker VIVUS has found itself in the activist investor crosshairs as well. First Manhattan, which controls 9.9% of the company, has been critical of its unpartnered launch of Qsymia and has�recruited Icahn disciple Alex Denner, nominating him for the board of directors along with eight others.�If successful on July 15, expect First Manhattan to try to shake up VIVUS by�aggressively pursuing a partnership or possibly even a sale.

Top 5 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2015: Constellation Brands Inc (STZ)

Constellation Brands, Inc. produces and markets alcoholic beverages primarily in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. It offers wine, spirits, and imported beer. The company?s Constellation Wines North America segment produces, markets, and exports wine, as well as sells various wine brands across various categories, including table wine, sparkling wine, and dessert wine. It offers wine under various brands, which include Robert Mondavi Brands, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Arbor Mist, Toasted Head, Simi, Black Box, Ravenswood, Rex Goliath, Kim Crawford, Franciscan Estate, Wild Horse, Ruffino, Nobilo, Mount Veeder, Inniskillin, and Jackson-Triggs; and spirits under various brands, including SVEDKA Vodka, Black Velvet Canadian Whisky, and Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy. This segment also produces and markets wine kits and beverage alcohol refreshment drinks in Canada. The company?s Crown Imports segment imports, markets, and sells beer under the Modelo Brands, which include Corona Extra, Corona Light, Coronita, Modelo Especial, Pacifico, Negra Modelo, and Victoria, as well as the St. Pauli Girl and Tsingtao brands in the United States. The company sells its products through wholesale distributors, as well as state and provincial alcoholic beverage control agencies in North America; and directly to retailers or through wholesalers and importers in New Zealand. Constellation Brands, Inc. was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Victor, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Next week, investors will be waiting for several key earnings reports including Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) and Unifirst (NYSE: UNF)

5 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Watch Right Now: American Airlines Group Inc (AAL)

American Airlines Group Inc., formerly AMR Corporation, incorporated in October 1982, operates in the airline industry. The Company's principal subsidiary is American Airlines, Inc. (American). As of December 31, 2011, American provided scheduled jet service to approximately 160 destinations throughout North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and Asia. AMR Eagle Holding Corporation (AMR Eagle), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, owns two regional airlines, which do business as American Eagle-American Eagle Airlines, Inc. and Executive Airlines, Inc. (collectively, the American Eagle carriers). American also contracts with an independently owned regional airline, which does business as AmericanConnection (the AmericanConnection carrier). As of December 31, 2011, AMR Eagle operated approximately 1,500 daily departures, offering scheduled passenger service to over 175 destinations in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

American, AMR Eagle and the AmericanConnection airline served more than 250 cities in approximately 50 countries with, on average, 3,400 daily flights and the combined network fleet numbered approximately 900 aircraft as of December 31, 2011. American Airlines is also a founding member of the oneworld alliance, which includes British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, LAN Airlines, Iberia, Qantas, JAL, Malev Hungarian, Mexicana, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines. Together, oneworld members serve 750 destinations in approximately 150 countries, with about 8,500 daily departures. American is also one of the scheduled air freight carriers in the world, providing a range of freight and mail services to shippers throughout its system onboard American's passenger fleet.

To improve access to each other's markets, American has established marketing relationships with other airlines and rail companies. As of December 31, 2011, American had marketing relationships with Air Berlin, Air Pacific, Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cape Air, C! athay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, Dragonair, Deutsche Bahn German Rail, EL AL, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, GOL, Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines (JAL), Jet Airways, JetStar Airways, LAN (includes LAN Airlines, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru), Niki Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines.

American has established the AAdvantage frequent flyer program (AAdvantage). AAdvantage members earn mileage credits by flying on American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection carrier or by using services of other participants in the AAdvantage program. Mileage credits can be redeemed for free, discounted or upgraded travel on American, American Eagle or other participating airlines, or for other awards. American sells mileage credits and related services to other participants in the AAdvantage program. There are over 1,000 program participants, including a credit card issuer, hotels, car rental companies, and other products and services companies in the AAdvantage program. As of December 31, 2011, AAdvantage had approximately 69 million total members.

The Company competes with Alaska Airlines (Alaska), Delta Air Lines (Delta), Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways (JetBlue), Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines (Southwest) and AirTran Airways (Air Tran), Spirit Airlines, United Airlines (United) and Continental Airlines (Continental), US Airways and Virgin America Airlines.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    August was the third straight month of underwhelming PRASM results from Delta Air Lines. Perhaps not coincidentally Alaska Air and JetBlue (JBLU) have been underperforming industry PRASM lately as well, two airlines defending themselves against Delta Air Lines. To be sure, Delta Air Lines��PRASM is still growing faster than its CASM, which means margins are expanding y/y, but the rate of margin change is likely to be ��ess good��relative to United Continental (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) due to Delta Air Lines’ capacity choices. We like Delta Air Lines, just not as much as most other Outperform-rated airlines.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    There’s been a lot of talk that investors are ready to shed their pessimistic views on airline stocks like Alaska Air (ALK) Delta Air Lines (DAL), United Continental Holdings (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) and embrace them for the long term. The only problem: There’s no sign that they actually are.

  • [By Charles Riley]

    3. Stock market movers: Airline shares were heading higher after American Airlines (AAL) and United Continental (UAL) provided upbeat forecasts.

    Shares of Tractor Supply Co. (TSCO) dropped 5% before the open after the company posted disappointing earnings on Wednesday.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Morgan Stanley’s John Godyn and team still aren’t worried about the continued selloff in airline stocks including Delta Air Lines (DAL), American Airlines (AAL) and United Continental (UAL):

5 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Watch Right Now: Etablissements Delhaize Freres et Cie le Lion SA (DEG)

Delhaize Group is Belgium-based food retailer, which operates in six countries and on three continents. The principal activity of the Company is the operation of food supermarkets in the United States, Belgium and Greece, with operations in Romania and Indonesia. The Company�� retail operations are conducted by its consolidated subsidiary, Delhaize America, LLC (Delhaize America); its businesses in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Delhaize Belgium), and the business of Alfa Beta Vassilopoulos S.A. (Alfa Beta) in Greece. On May 12, 2010, Delhaize The Lion Nederland B.V. (Delned) acquired approximately 90.83% interest in Alfa Beta. On July 7, 2009, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Mega Image closed the acquisition of four supermarkets in Romania previously operated under the Prodas name. On November 23, 2009, the Company, through Alfa Beta acquired the Greek retailer Koryfi, which operated 11 stores and a distribution center in the Northeast of Greece. On January 2, 2009, the Company completed the acquisition of Knauf Center Schmett SA and Knauf Center Pommerlach SA.

The store format consists of retail food supermarkets. The sales network also includes other store formats such as proximity stores and specialty stores. In addition to food retailing, the Company is engaged in food wholesaling and non-food retailing of products, such as pet products and prescription drugs. Delhaize Group SA is the parent company of a number of direct and indirect subsidiaries.

United States

The Company is engaged in one line of business in the United States, the operation of food supermarkets in the southeastern, mid-Atlantic and northeastern regions of the United States under the banners Food Lion, Hannaford, Sweetbay Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Reid�� and Harveys. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company opened 30 new stores in the United States, closed and relocated seven stores, and decided to close 17 other stores. As of De! cember 31, 2009, the Company operated 1,607 supermarkets in 16 states in the eastern United States. In 2009, it re-opened 53 supermarkets in the United States. It included 35 Food Lion renewals in the Columbia, South Carolina market and five in the Daytona Beach, Florida market.

The Company�� United States-based supermarkets sell a range of groceries, produce, meats, dairy products, seafood, frozen food, deli/bakery products and non-food items, such as prescriptions, health and beauty care and other household and personal products. The stores offered nationally and regionally advertised brand name merchandise as well as products manufactured and packaged under private brands. Food Lion offers between 15,000 and 20,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) in its supermarkets, Harveys between 15,000 and 20,000 SKUs, Bloom between 21,000 and 25,000 SKUs, Bottom Dollar Food between 6,500 and 8,000 SKUs, Sweetbay between 28,000 and 40,000 SKUs and Hannaford between 31,000 and 45,000 SKUs.

Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

In Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the sales network consists of several banners, depending on the specialty, the store size and whether the store is company-operated, franchised or affiliated. At December 31, 2009, the sales network consisted of 792 stores in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The network included 369 supermarkets under the Delhaize Le Lion, AD Delhaize and Red Market banners, 287 stores primarily under the Proxy Delhaize, Delhaize City and Shop �� Go banners. It also included 136 pet food and products stores operated under the Tom & Co. banner. At December 31, 2009, the Company operated 41 stores in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In 2009, the Company divested its German operations, which consisted of four stores.

The supermarkets operated by the Company in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg carry the Delhaize Le Lion banner. At December 31, 2009, there were 144 company-operated supermarket! s of whic! h 14 supermarkets were remodeled. The AD Delhaize supermarkets have an average size of 1,142 square meters and offer approximately 12,000 SKUs.

In 2009, the Company opened the first two Red Market stores. At December 31, 2009, the Company�� network of proximity stores in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg consisted of 287 stores under the Delhaize City, Proxy Delhaize and Shop �� Go banners. Proxy Delhaize stores have an average selling area of approximately 500 square meters and offer approximately 6,500 SKUs.

Caddy-Home, the food products home delivery banner in Belgium, sells food products to customers for which orders can be placed by the Internet, telephone or fax. As of December 31, 2009, Caddy-Home delivered in 17 cities throughout Belgium, offering approximately 5,500 SKUs to customers. In 2009, Delhaize Belgium launched Delhaize Direct, allowing customers to order their groceries through the Internet and pick them up at their local store.

Tom & Co. is a specialty chain focusing on food and accessories for pets. At December 31, 2009, the stores were operated under franchise agreements with independent operators.

The supermarkets in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg sell a range of groceries, produce, meats, dairy products, seafood, frozen food, deli/bakery products and nonfood items, such as health and beauty care and other household and personal products. Delhaize Belgium is also selling a basic offering of lottery and postal products in part of its network.

Greece

In 2009, the Company operated a total of 216 stores in Greece. As of December 31, 2009, Alfa Beta directly operated 142 supermarkets under the Alfa Beta banner, 10 cash and carry stores under the ENA banner, 13 AB City stores and served 39 affiliated stores operated under the AB Food Market and AB Shop & Go banners and 10 Koryfi stores.

Rest of the World

As of December 31, 2009, Mega Image operated 51 super! markets i! n Romania. The stores offer private brand ranges, including 365, Care and the house brands available at Delhaize Belgium and Alfa Beta. In 2009, Mega Image introduced a private brand for Romanian products called Gusturi Romanesti. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 66 stores in Indonesia.

The Company competes with Wal-Mart, Kroger, Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Lowes Food, Save-A-Lot, Supervalu, Price Chopper, DeMoulas, Royal Ahold, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Carrefour, Louis Delhaize-Cora, Aldi, Makro-Metro, Lidl, Intermarche, Colruyt and Mestdagh.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By patokehoe]

    Traditional grocers such as Kroger Co (KR) and Delhaize Group SA (DEG) are having an increasingly hard time dealing with competition from nontraditional grocers. Both of these firms have tried to adapt to the pressure stemming from rival discounters, with varying degrees of success. Whereas Kroger has been able to utilize its scale to leverage fixed costs, Delhaize has struggled to maintain margins, and is being forced to lower prices.
    Fending off competitors Investment gurus John Hussman of Hussman Economtrics Advisors and Joel Greenblatt of Gotham Capital own considerable positions in Kroger, one of the largest retailers in the U.S. The firm currently operates over 2,400 supermarkets, 750 convenience stores, and 325 jewellery stores across 31 states. Shareholders have reason to be optimistic, as the company recently acquired Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc (HTSI). The $2.44 billion deal means Kroger will be looking at an 8% increase in its store base and a 4% boost in revenue.

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of Brussels-based supermarket operator Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG  ) climbed 10% today after its preliminary quarterly results and outlook topped Wall Street expectations.

5 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Watch Right Now: Shaw Communications Inc.(SJR)

Shaw Communications Inc., a diversified communications company, provides broadband cable television, Internet, digital phone, telecommunications, and satellite direct-to-home (DTH) services primarily in Canada and the United States. It offers cable television services, including analog and digital video services with access to HD channels, premium and VOD channels, music channels, and an interactive program guide. The company provides high speed Internet access services to residential and small business subscribers, as well as various Internet services for small and medium sized business customers. Its digital phone services include local and long distance calling, as well as calling features. The company also manages fiber network that serves as the primary Internet backbone for its broadband Internet customers, and provides Internet, data, and voice connectivity services to large and medium businesses, and other organizations. In addition, it distributes digital video an d audio signals to residences and businesses; and redistributes television and radio signals via satellite to cable and other operators, as well as provides uplink and network management services for conventional, specialty, and pay broadcasters on a contract basis. Further, the company provides satellite tracking and messaging services to the trucking industry, as well as integrates and manages satellite data networks with land-based telecommunications; and owns and leases satellite transponders that receive and amplify digital signals and transmit them to receiving dishes located within the footprint covered by the satellite. It serves approximately 3 million customers. The company was formerly known as Capital Cable Television Co. Ltd. Shaw Communications was founded in 1966 and is based in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Victor Selva]

    The company has a current ratio of 13.45% which is higher than the one registered by Liberty Interactive Corp (LINTA). But for investors looking for a higher ROE, Time Warner Cable, DISH Network Corp (DISH), Rogers Communications, Inc. (RCI), Shaw Communications, Inc. (SJR) and Tivo, Inc. (TIVO) could be better options.

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Earnings Expected From: Family Dollar Stores, Inc (NYSE: FDO), Pier 1 Imports, Inc (NYSE: PIR), Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD), Shaw Communications Inc (NYSE: SJR)

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2015

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2015: Empire State Realty Trust Inc (ESRT)

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., incorporated on July 29, 2011, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), which owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area. The Company operates in two segments: real estate and construction contracting. As of June 30, 2013, the Company owned 12 office properties (including one long-term ground leasehold interest) encompassing approximately 7.7 million rentable square feet of office space, which were approximately 83.5% leased (or 86.2% giving effect to leases signed but not yet commenced as of that date). Seven of these properties are located in the midtown Manhattan market and encompass in the aggregate approximately 5.9 million rentable square feet of office space, including the Empire State Building. Its Manhattan office properties also contain an aggregate of 440,615 rentable square feet of retail space on their ground floor and/or lower levels. Its remaining five office properties are located in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, encompassing in the aggregate approximately 1.8 million rentable square feet.

The Company has entitled land at the Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Connecticut, adjacent to one of its office properties, that supports the development of an approximately 380,000 rentable square foot office building and garage, which refers to herein as Metro Tower. As of June 30, 2013, its portfolio also included four standalone retail properties located in Manhattan and two standalone retail properties located in the city center of Westport, Connecticut, encompassing 204,452 rentable square feet in the aggregate. As of June 30, 2013, its standalone retail properties were 100% leased in the aggregate. In addition, the Company has an option to acquire from affiliates of its predecessor two addi! tional Manhattan office prop erties encompassing approximately 1.5 million rentable square feet of office space and 153,209 rentable square feet of retail space at the base of the buildings.

The Empire State Building is the Companys flagship property. The 102-story building consists of 2,701,938 rentable square feet of office space and 167,788 rentable square feet of retail space. The building also includes its observatory and broadcasting operations. The Companys portfolio includes retail properties located in retail corridors in Manhattan and Westport, Connecticut. Tenants at 10 Union Square in Manhattan include Best Buy Mobile, Starbucks, A&P, Panera Bread, FedEx/Kinkos, Au Bon Pain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and GameStop. In the greater New York metropolitan area, its portfolio includes high quality suburban office properties in densely populated metropolitan communities in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. tenants of the greater New York metropolita n area flagship Metro Center (at the Transportation Center in Stamford, Connecticut) include Thomson Reuters, Jefferies Group, Columbus Circle Investors, Torm Shipping, Olympus Partners, BP Energy, Tweedy, Browne Company and Susquehanna International.

The Company approximately has 242 million square feet of rentable space, which are contained within Midtowns multi-tenant office buildings. Downtown Chicago and the Washington, D.C. CBD combine has a total of 230 million square feet of office space. Three-quarters 75.3% of Midtowns office stock is classified as Class A with total square footage of 182 million square feet. The Company approximately has 43.9 million square feet of Midtown office space is counted as Class B stock, accounting for 18.2% of the total market. The remaining 6.5% of Midtown office space (15.8 million square feet) is categorized as Class C space. The Grand Central submarket is a office submarket in Midtown Manhattan with 44 million squ are feet and is located on the east side ! of Midtow! n Manhattan, to the north of Murray Hill and to the south of the Park Avenue corridor.

The West Side office submarket, located to the south and west of Central Park and including the area around Columbus Circle, consists of 25.8 million square feet of office space. Westchester County contains approximately 28.9 million square feet of office space and is split into six submarkets: White Plains CBD and non-CBD, Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern. The White Plains CBD is situated in south central Westchester County, along the Cross-Westchester Expressway (Interstate 287) corridor between the Sprain Brook Parkway and the Hutchinson River Parkway. The submarket consists of approximately 6.3 million square feet of office space and is defined to include the area south of Barker Avenue, north of Quinby Avenue, east of the Bronx River Parkway and west of South Broadway/Post Road. Westchesters Eastern office subma rket consists of 6.5 million square feet of space and is located to the east of White Plains, between New Rochelle and the Connecticut state border.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Reuters]

    John Moore/Getty Images NEW YORK -- Investors in the Empire State Building have filed a lawsuit accusing the real estate magnates who took it public of short-changing them $300 million by refusing to sell the iconic skyscraper at a premium price. According to a complaint filed Tuesday in a New York state court in Manhattan, Peter Malkin and his son Anthony put their own interests ahead of the building's investors by spurning all-cash offers of as much as $2.3 billion for the building and $1.4 billion for Empire State Building Associates, which held the title and master lease. Instead, the Malkins put the landmark building and 17 other properties into Empire State Realty Trust Inc., whose Oct. 1 IPO valued the property at just $1.89 billion and ESBA at just $1.1 billion, according to the complaint. The lawsuit by plaintiff Marc Postelnek seeks class-action status on behal! f of more! than 2,800 investors who hold shares in ESBA, which was created in 1961 and was supervised by a Malkin company, Malkin Holdings. It claimed the Malkins acted in bad faith by aborting a "bidding war" for the building, and instead enriched themselves by hundreds of millions of dollars through an IPO. "Given their positions of control and authority over the fate of the Empire State Building, the Malkins had a duty to act in the best interests of their investors," the plaintiffs' lawyer, John Rizio-Hamilton, a partner at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann, representing Postelnek, told Reuters. "By failing to properly consider offers to maximize the building's value, the Malkins breached that duty." The lawsuit seeks to recover profit that building investors allegedly lost because of the Malkins' refusal to sell. Empire State Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust, is a successor to Malkin Holdings. "These claims are wholly without merit and we will respond to them in court," a spokeswoman for the REIT said Thursday. ESBA had been created by Lawrence Wien, the father

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

     

     

    We're seeing a similar setup in shares of Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT), the $1.5 billion commercial landlord that counts Manhattan's Empire State Building among its 7.7 million leasable square feet of office space. ESRT is a relative newcomer to the public markets, trading for the first time back in October.

     

    But just like PEB, Empire State is forming an ascending triangle setup -- in this case, with the resistance level to watch at $15.50. In fact, that $15.50 level has acted like a ceiling for shares five times now since last December; each of those times, shares have gotten swatted lower. That means that a breakout above $15.50 is a materially significant buy trigger.

     

    When $15.50 does get taken out, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop at the 50-day moving average. That level has been a good pr! oxy for E! SRT's support line over the course of the whole pattern.

     

  • source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-high-tech-stocks-to-own-for-2015-3.html

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) was losing 1.5% to $18.61 in after-hours trading Monday due to low fourth-quarter guidance, despite third-quarter results that beat revenue estimates with record earnings.

Revenue rose 90% to $767.7 million in the game publisher's fiscal third quarter that ended in December, up from $405 million in the year-ago quarter. The publisher posted record earnings of $1.70 a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters estimated revenue of $704.4 million and earnings of $1.37 a share for the quarter.

Sales of games such as Grand Theft Auto V and NBA 2K14 contributed to the company's high revenue. Take-Two sold 3.25 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V to retailers across the globe in the quarter.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Rite Aid Corp (RAD)

Rite Aid Corporation, incorporated in 1968, is a retail drugstore chain in the United States. As of March 3, 2012, the Company operated drugstores in 31 states across the country and in the District of Columbia. As of March 3, 2012, it operated 4,667 stores. In the Company�� stores, it sells prescription drugs and a range of other merchandise, which it calls front end products. During the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012 (fiscal 2012), prescription drug sales accounted for 68.1% of its total sales. The Company carries a range of front end products, which accounted for 31.9% of its total sales in fiscal 2012. Front end products include over-the-counter medications, health and beauty aids, personal care items, cosmetics, household items, beverages, convenience foods, greeting cards, seasonal merchandise and other everyday and convenience products, as well as photo processing. It offers a variety of products under its private brands, which contributed approximately 17% of its front end sales in the categories where private brand products were offered in fiscal 2012. As of March 3, 2012, the Company had opened over 2,100 GNC stores-within-Rite Aid-stores. During fiscal 2012, the Company sold two owned operating stores to independent third parties.

During fiscal 2012, its stores filled approximately 295 million prescriptions and served an average of 2.1 million customers per day. The overall average size of each store in its chain is approximately 12,600 square feet. As of March 3, 2012, 60% of its stores were freestanding; 51% of its stores included a drive-thru pharmacy; 24% included one-hour photo shops, and 46% included a GNC store-within-Rite Aid-store. The Company�� customers may also order prescription refills over the Internet through www.riteaid.com, or over the phone through its telephonic automated refill systems for pick up at a Rite Aid store. It has a strategic alliance with GNC, a retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD  )
    If there weren't already plenty of reasons to dislike drugstore Rite Aid, allow me to add one more: an accumulated deficit of $7.77 billion as of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. To put it another way, Rite Aid's accumulated deficit is nearly three times its current market value.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Advance Auto Parts Inc(AAP)

Advance Auto Parts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items. It operates in two segments, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and Autopart International (AI). The AAP segment operates stores, which primarily offer auto parts, including alternators, batteries, chassis parts, clutches, engines and engine parts, radiators, starters, transmissions, and water pumps; accessories comprising floor mats, mirrors, vent shades, MP3 and cell phone accessories, and seat and steering wheel covers; chemicals consisting of antifreeze, freon, fuel additives, and car washes and waxes; and oil and other automotive petroleum products. This segment also provides battery and wiper installation, battery charging, check engine light reading, electrical system testing, video clinics and project brochures, loaner tool programs, and oil and battery recycling services; and sells its products through online. The AI segm ent operates stores that offer replacement parts for domestic and imported cars, and light trucks to customers in northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, as well as to warehouse distributors and jobbers in North America. As of January 1, 2011, the company operated 3,369 AAP stores, including 3,343 stores located in the northeastern, southeastern, and Midwestern regions of the United States under the Advance Auto Parts and Advance Discount Auto Parts trade names; 26 stores situated in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the Advance Auto Parts and Western Auto trade names; and 194 stores under the Autopart International trade name in the United States. It serves do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me, or commercial customers. The company was founded in 1929 and is based in Roanoke, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Investors really like Advance Auto Parts (AAP) deal to buy a chain of repair shops–so much so that a stock that finished yesterday in the low 80s is now trading in the mid-90s.

    Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

    Reuters has the details on the deal:

    Advance Auto Parts Inc will buy 1,418 outlets of the Carquest chain to boost its auto repair operations to complement its car parts business, sending its shares up as much as 20 percent to a record high.

    Advance Auto, which sells products such as batteries, air fresheners and engine parts, said it would buy General Parts International Inc for just over $2 billion, creating the largest North American retailer of auto parts.

    General Parts is the biggest operator of the Carquest chain, which runs auto repair shops and car parts stores. General Parts also owns Worldpac, the No.1 supplier of replacement parts for imported car and truck brands.

    Reuters notes that the finished product will be the largest supplier of auto parts by sales, just beating out Autozone (AZN).

    Credit Suisse analyst Simeon Gutman and team call the deal a “smart strategic acquisition.” They write:

    The acquisition would solve two important issues for AAP. First, it has struggled in the DIFM segment, primarily due to a weaker and less accessible distribution network. General Parts has one of the most established distribution networks in the country (~40 DCs vs. AAP’s 10) and long standing relationships with mechanics nationwide. More importantly, WORLDPAC (estimated $1 billion in sales) is the leader in foreign parts with AAP owning the number three player and we see synergies from AI flooding into WORLDPAC.

    A meaningfully positive aspect of the transaction is targeted annual cost savings of roughly $160 million within three years (~6.1% of acquired sales). This seems relatively consistent with previous DIY Auto deals. The deal is expected to be 20%+ accretive to FY 14 ca

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Heading into last night’s earnings report, O’Reilly had returned 50% this year including reinvested dividends, easily besting peers Autozone (AZO), which had returned 22%, Genuine Parts (GPC), which has returned 26%, and Advance Auto Parts (AAP), which had returned 38%,� thanks in large part to a 25% gain in the last month due to its purchase of General Parts International. Clearly, investors thought O’Reilly had something going for it its competitors did not.

  • [By Peter Graham]

    The fiscal Q3 2014 earnings report for auto parts retailer stock AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO), a peer of Advance Auto Parts, Inc (NYSE: AAP), O'Reilly Automotive Inc (NASDAQ: ORLY) and The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY), is scheduled for before the market opens on Tuesday. Aside from the AutoZone earnings report, it should be said that Advance Auto Parts, Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 15th (results were better than expected and they upped guidance); O'Reilly Automotive Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on April 24th (results topped expectations); and The Pep Boys reported Q4 2013 earnings on April 15th and will report Q1 2014 earnings on June 10th (PBY reported a surprise loss as tire pricing negatively hit revenue). However and given the current uncertain economy that is keeping most consumers in their old cars, you would think that auto parts retailers in general would all be doing well.

Hot Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Target Corporation(TGT)

Target Corporation operates general merchandise stores in the United States. The company offers household essentials, including pharmacy, beauty, personal care, baby care, cleaning, and paper products; hardlines comprising music, movies, books, computer software, sporting goods, and toys, as well as electronics that comprise video game hardware and software; apparel and accessories consisting of apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, infants, and newborns; and intimate apparel, jewelry, accessories, and shoes. It also provides food and pet supplies, including dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, produce, and pet supplies; and home furnishings and d�or, such as furniture, lighting, kitchenware, small appliances, home d�or, bed and bath, home improvement, and automotive products, as well as seasonal merchandise, which include patio furniture and holiday d�or. The company sells its merchandise products under private-labe l and exclusive licensed brands. In addition, it provides in-store amenities. As of January 28, 2012, Target Corporation operated 1,763 stores in 49 states and the District of Columbia under Target and SuperTarget names. Further, it offers general merchandise through its Website, Target.com. The company distributes its merchandise through a network of distribution centers, as well as third parties and direct shipping from vendors. Additionally, it offers credit to guests through its branded proprietary credit cards, the Target Visa Credit Card and the Target Credit Card, as well as through its branded proprietary Target Debit Card. Target Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Hank Coleman]

    Getty Images I don't mean to throw away coupons. It just happens. I stick them in my pocket, wait in line, go to the register and forget to use them. I also don't return to the store and ask for my missed discount. You might think that it's not such a big deal. What's a dollar here or there? But, like most small things, these missing savings can add up over time. Have you ever looked at the savings printed on the bottom of your grocery receipt? What if you forget your loyalty card and coupons more often than not? We're talking about some serious money if this keeps happening for a year. Most stores offer to give you the difference if you bring your receipt in with your loyalty card or coupons at a later date. But I'm too lazy to go back to the store and get the credits I deserve. I think to myself that I'll go home, get the coupon, and come back. Or I tell myself that I'll bring it and my receipt back with me next time I visit this store. But I'm just fooling myself. I'm just telling my subconscious that to make me feel better about wasting the money. I Forget to Ask for Discounts I Qualify For I constantly leave my loyalty cards at home. I join one or two new ones a month depending on which retailers I'm shopping at for deals, and cards fill up my wallet. Keychain cards can also get cumbersome. So, what are you supposed to do? How can I stop forgetting my loyalty cards? One way is to clean out your wallet. Do you have loyalty cards for stores that you'll never visit again? I've lived in a lot of states over the past few years. In a recent sterilization of my wallet, I found loyalty cards for grocery stores that don't even have locations in the state where I live now. I forget to ask for a military discount almost everywhere I go. Many wonderful businesses give discounts to active duty service members -- plus veterans, teachers, senior citizens, emergency responders and others. These discounts won't do any good if you don't remember to ask for them. A F

  • [By DAILYFINANCE]

    Joe Raedle/Getty Images NEW YORK -- It doesn't surprise experts that some debit and credit card numbers stolen from Target's computer systems may have surfaced among nearly 100 fake credit cards seized by police in Texas this week. Even so, they say the bust is unlikely to lead authorities directly to the hackers behind the breach, given the vast, labyrinthine nature of the global market for stolen data. According to police in McAllen, Texas, two Mexican citizens arrested at the border used account information stolen during the pre- Christmas Target breach to buy tens of thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise. But the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday its investigation into the possibility of a link between the Target data theft and the arrests remains ongoing. Target (TGT) says hackers stole about 40 million debit and credit card numbers from cards swiped at its stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. The thieves also took personal information -- including email addresses, phone numbers, names and home addresses -- for another 70 million people. In the aftermath of the breach, millions of Americans have been left to wonder what's become of their precious personal information. Chester Wisniewski, senior security adviser for the computer security firm Sophos, says in cases where such a massive amount of information is stolen, criminals generally divide the data into chunks and sell the parcels in online black markets. In many ways, those markets behave much like any legitimate marketplace ruled by the forces of supply and demand. Groups of higher-end cards are worth significantly more than those with lower credit limits and so are cards tied to additional personal information, such as names, addresses and zip codes, which make them easier to use. After thieves purchase the numbers, they can encode the data onto new, blank cards with an inexpensive, easy-to-use gadget. Or they can skip the card-writing process and simply use the card numbers online. Croo

  • [By Marshall Hargrave]

    Other big blunders include Target (NYSE: TGT) and the now-bankrupt bookstore Borders. Ackman lost some 90% of his fund's Target investment after the financial crisis hit, sending Target's shares into freefall. Ackman was hoping to persuade Target to spin off the vast amount of property it owned into a real estate investment trust (REIT). Borders slipped into bankruptcy after Ackman was unable to find a buyer and his attempt to merge Borders with Barnes & Noble failed.

  • [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

    Target (NYSE: TGT  ) stock wasn't immune to those pressures. The retailer posted a 0.6% drop in comparable sales vs. a 5.3% rise a year ago. Target called the results "disappointing," while slicing its sales and earnings guidance for the rest of the year.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images NEW YORK -- McDonald's said that its profit slipped in the first quarter as global sales remained weak for the world's biggest hamburger chain. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company said global sales edged up 0.5 percent at established restaurants. In the flagship U.S. market, the figure fell 1.7 percent as customer traffic declined. The company cited "challenging industry dynamics and severe winter weather." It said global sales for April are expected to be modestly positive. April would reflect the first full month that Taco Bell has offered its national breakfast menu, which it has pitched a challenge to McDonald's dominance in the morning hours. The decline in sales and customer traffic in the U.S. reflects the struggles McDonald's (MCD) is facing as eating habits change and competition intensifies. After a decade of growth, annual sales at established U.S. locations fell for the first time last year. The continued decline in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2014 is in stark contrast to Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), which last week said sales at established locations rose 13.4 percent. McDonald's CEO Don Thompson has noted in the past there seemed to be a split in the fast-food industry, with people who have more spending money heading off the chains that charge more. He said McDonald's will focus on underscoring value for its more cash-strapped customers, but the chain is also offering more premium offerings such as its new Bacon Clubhouse Burger. In a statement Tuesday, Thompson said McDonald's is focusing "creating the best overall experience for our customers." To adapt to shifting trends, for instance, the chain has been rolling out new prep tables in its U.S. kitchens that can hold more sauces and toppings. The idea is to eventually offer greater customization on its menu while keeping orders easy to assemble for workers. Speed and accuracy have been an issue for McDonald's as it stepped up the pace

  • [By Matt Thalman]

    We'll hear from a number of the Dow's components this week. First up is McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) , which is scheduled to release results on Monday before the opening bell rings. Wall Street's estimate for earnings per share is $1.40, which will be important for the company to beat, though perhaps it's not the most important detail of the report. This has been a rough year for the fast-food restaurant, which has struggled with beating same-store sales figures. For most investors, that will be what they want to see in the report.

  • [By Dan Burrows]

    Eventually global economic growth should pick up enough to help boost energy prices. Until then, investors can pick up CVX for about 11 times forward earnings and sit on the dividend and share repurchase program. Indeed, CVX bought back more than $1 billion in the third quarter alone.

    #5: McDonald’s (MCD)

    Dividend Yield: 3.3%
    YTD Performance: +12%

  • [By Patrick Gillespie]

    It could certainly be a big day for Wayne Davis, who earns $8.25 an hour at McDonald's (MCD) in Tampa, Florida. Davis earns 20 cents more than Florida's new minimum wage of $8.05. But workers across the board are likely see a pay bump, labor experts say.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Radioshack Corporation(RSH)

RadioShack Corporation engages in the retail sale of consumer electronic goods and services through its RadioShack store chain and kiosk operations. Its products include postpaid and prepaid wireless handsets and communication devices, such as scanners and global positioning system (GPS) products; home entertainment, wireless, music, computer, video game, and GPS accessories; media storage, power adapters, digital imaging products, and headphones; home audio and video end-products, personal computing products, residential telephones, and voice over Internet protocol products; digital cameras, digital music players, toys, satellite radios, video gaming hardware, camcorders, and general radios; general and special purpose batteries and battery chargers; and wires and cables, connectivity products, components and tools, and hobby products. The company also provides consumers access to third-party services, such as prepaid wireless airtime and extended service plans in its ser vice platform. In addition, it manufactures various products, including telephones, antennas, wires, and cable products, as well as various hard-to-find parts and accessories for consumer electronics products; and provides repair services. As of March 31, 2011, the company operated 4,467 company-operated retail stores under the RadioShack brand name in the United States; and 1,304 kiosks located in Target and Sam?s Club stores. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 211 company-operated stores under the RadioShack brand, 9 dealers, and 1 distribution center in Mexico; a network of 1,207 RadioShack dealer outlets, including 34 located outside of North America; and 4 distribution centers in the United States. Further, the company sells its products through its Website, radioshack.com. RadioShack Corporation was founded in 1899 and is based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Wall Street had another rising day, with the Dow Industrials and the S&P 500 reaching new record highs. But one tech stock tanked and the momentum took a bunch of others in the sector down with it. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) closed 25 points higher, the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) added 8 points, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) was up 3 points. One of the top gainers on the S&P 500 was used car giant CarMax (KMX). Its share price zoomed higher by 16.5 percent with revenue and profits hitting record levels. The still lackluster economic recovery is causing many to drive off lots in used cars instead of new vehicles. And the hottest model over the past two years? The Nissan Altima. Automotive retailer AutoNation (AN), which runs new and used dealerships, also got a boost, rising more than 5 percent. It was a different story for software giant Oracle (ORCL), which was one of the S&P 500's biggest losers. Its stock fell 4 percent on sagging earnings. Social media stocks fell too. Pandora (P) was down 1.5 percent as was Groupon (GRPN), LinkedIn (LNKD) lost almost 1 percent and Amazon (AMZN) fell less than 1 percent two days after unveiling its first smartphone. But poor Radioshack (RSH). Its stock hit a new low, trading below a dollar a share for the first time after falling almost 10 percent. Since the beginning of the year the stock is down 64 percent. One analyst has a price target of zero on the stock. Ouch. (We hope you don't have that one in your portfolio.) And Darden's (DRI) earnings weren't very appetizing. Profits came in much lower than expected and guidance was weak. The stock fell 4 percent. It is selling its Red Lobster chain and trying to focus on revamping Olive Garden. Solar stocks had a bright day, though. Shares of SunEdison (SUNE) shone brightly rising 1.5 percent on news it was acquiring some solar farms in Massachusetts. Other solar stocks also basked on the day. Canadian Solar gained 6 percent, and

  • [By Luke Jacobi]

    RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) reported that discussions with creditors and a major vendor to modify a “commercial relationship” have been unproductive. This comes shortly after the company suggested it may have to declare bankruptcy, a course of action Wall Street has speculated on for years.

  • [By Steven Russolillo]

    RadioShack Corp (RSH). just tumbled below the stock market’s version of the Mendoza Line.

    Shares dropped under $1 Friday morning for the first time ever, as the beleaguered electronics retailer continues to struggle and bankruptcy rumors swirl. Early this month the company reported ugly quarterly numbers that sparked some dire outlooks from Wall Street analysts, including one who slashed his price target to $0 and said the shares were worthless.

  • [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]

    Considering the ads reportedly cost up to $4 million for a 30-second spot, these companies doubtlessly expect to get a healthy return on their investments. Let's take a look at RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) – which won over viewers with its commercial “The Phone Call” and General Mills (NYSE: GIS), which produced fan favorite “Gracie”.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Shoe Carnival Inc (SCVL)

Shoe Carnival, Inc. is a family footwear retailer. The Company offers customers an assortment of dress, casual and athletic footwear for men, women and children with emphasis on national and regional name brands. The Company�� stores averaged approximately 10,800 square feet, ranging in size from 6,000 to 26,500 square feet. As of January 28, 2012, the Company operated 327 stores located across 32 states and offered online shopping at www.shoecarnival.com. Its average store carries approximately 28,500 pairs of shoes in four general categories, such as men��, women��, children�� and athletics. In addition to footwear, its stores carry selected accessory items complementary to the sale of footwear.

The Company operates a single 410,000 square foot distribution center located in Evansville, Indiana. Women��, men�� and children�� non-athletic footwear categories are further divided into dress, casual, sport, sandals and boots. It classifies athletic shoes by functionality, such as running, basketball or fitness shoes. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), athletic styles, including children�� sizes, have represented approximately 50% of its footwear sales.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Monday

    Earnings Releases Expected: FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX), Goldmans Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMAN), Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE, THO), Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD), Shoe Carnival, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCVL) Economic Releases Expected: Spanish manufacturing PMI, French manufacturing PMI, German manufacturing PMI, eurozone manufacturing PMI, British manufacturing PMI, US ISM manufacturing PMI, Reserve Bank of Australia interest rate decision.

    Tuesday

  • [By Sue Chang]

    Shoe Carnival (SCVL) �is forecast to post earnings of 52 cents a share in the third quarter.

  • [By DailyFinance Staff]

    Job creation last month was shockingly weak, but analysts couldn't really explain why –- other than to blame the weather -- which left investors unsure how to react Friday. Many analysts say the numbers are likely to be revised higher next month, and in the end, market reaction was muted. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) lost ground for a third straight day, declining nearly 8 points, but the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 4, and the Nasdaq composite index (^IXIC) rose 18 points. Target (TGT) lost more than a point after saying the data breach that began on Black Friday was much worse than previously thought. The company now says as many as 70 million customers had personal information stolen. Target also lowered its fourth quarter outlook, partly because sales slumped after the data breach was first revealed. Sears (SHLD) tumbled by around 13.5 percent. It expects a big quarterly loss as sales fell during the holiday shopping season. Several smaller, specialty retailers also fell: Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) slid 16 percent, Five Below (FIVE) fell 7 percent, Shoe Carnival (SCVL) lost 5 percent, and Conn's (CONN) lost 2 percent. But Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) jumped 12 percent. It raised its earnings forecast as sales were not as bad as expected. Elsewhere, Alcoa (AA) fell about 5.5 percent. It's not quite the economic bellwether it used to be, but the aluminum giant still matters, and its net came in a bit shy of expectations. YRC Worldwide (YRCW) tumbled 13 percent after workers rejected a contract offer. That has raised fears the trucking company could be forced into bankruptcy. On the upside, the weak jobs report could keep mortgage rates from rising, and that boosted housing stocks. KB Homes (KBH) rose 3 percent, William Lyons up 4 percent, and Lennar (LEN) was up 2 percent. And on Thursday we reported that shares of Intercept Pharmaceuticals nearly quadrupled in price on news of a positive clinical study for its liver dr

  • [By Jeroen Jongbloed]

    Foot Locker (FL) is a retailer of athletic shoes and apparel which operates 3369 stores in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New-Zealand. On July 10th 2013, it completed its acquisition of Runners Point Group. In today's article, I will be looking at FL's revenue, net income, dividend and valuation. At certain points, I will use DSW, Inc. (DSW) and Shoe Carnival, Inc. (SCVL) for comparison.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Arch Therapeutics Inc (ARTH)

Arch Therapeutics, Inc. (Arch), formerly Almah, Inc., incorporated on September 16, 2009, operates as a life science company developing polymers containing peptides intended to form gel-like barriers over wounds to stop or control bleeding. Arch is a medical device company offering an approach to the rapid cessation of bleeding (hemostasis) and control of fluid leakage (sealant) during surgery and trauma care. Arch�� products are in preclinical development. The first product, AC5, is designed for hemostasis in minimally invasive (laparoscopic) and open surgical procedures.

AC5

AC5 is a synthetic peptide consisting of naturally occurring amino acids. When squirted or sprayed onto a wound, AC5 intercalates into the nooks and crannies of the connective tissue where it builds itself into a physical, mechanical structure. That structure provides a barrier to leaking substances, including blood and other bodily fluids, regardless of type of surgery or, based on early data, clotting ability.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    With each passing day, the opportunity Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH) is presenting to investors gets a little bit clearer... as clear as AC5. What's AC5? It's a hemostasis agent. In other words, it stops post-surgical bleeding. It doesn't do the job quite like anything else out there, though, and that's a good thing for current and/or future ARTH shareholders.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL)

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, L-3 Communications Corporation, provides command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems; aircraft modernization and maintenance; and government services in the United States and internationally. Its C3ISR segment offers fleet management sustainment and support, such as procurement, systems integration, sensor development, modifications, and periodic depot maintenance for signals intelligence and communications intelligence systems; strategic and tactical signals intelligence systems; secure data links; secure terminal and communication network equipment and encryption management; and communication systems. The company?s Government Services segment provides communication software support, information technology services, and various engineering development services and integration support; engineering and information systems support services; teaching and training; h uman intelligence support services; command and control systems and software services; and technical and management services. Its Aircraft Modernization and Maintenance segment offers modernization and refurbishments, upgrades and sustainment, maintenance, and logistics support services, as well as turnkey aviation life cycle management services for military and various government and commercial customers. The company?s Electronic Systems segment provides components, products, subsystems, systems, and related services across various business areas, including power and control systems, electro-optic/infrared, microwave, simulation and training, precision engagement, warrior systems, security and detection, propulsion systems, avionics and displays, telemetry and advanced technology, undersea warfare, and marine services. L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jayson Derrick]

    Level-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) revised its second quarter numbers in a 10-Q filling and stated that it identified weaknesses in internal controls over its financial reporting. The company showed a total pretax income revisions of $140 million and sales revision to $73 million. Shares gained 6.51 percent, closing at $115.15.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Yum! Brands Inc.(YUM)

YUM! Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It develops, operates, franchises, and licenses a system of restaurants, which prepare, package, and sell various food items, as well as operates Chinese casual dining concept restaurants. The company?s restaurants specialize in chicken, pizza, and Mexican-style food categories. It operates approximately 37,000 restaurants in 110 countries and territories under the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands, as well as approximately 450 casual dining concept restaurants in China. The company was formerly known as TRICON Global Restaurants, Inc. and changed its name to YUM! Brands, Inc. in May 2002. YUM! Brands, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James Brumley]

    If tacos are good, and if Doritos chips are good, then the combination of the two should make for a great flavor, right? That was the theory anyway, when Yum Brands (YUM) debuted a Doritos-flavored taco shell in early 2012. Since then, the company has introduced two more flavors of taco shells that Frito-Lay — the company that makes Doritos chips — first made popular in snack chip form.

  • [By Alanna Petroff]

    Later in the week, we'll hear from Yum! Brands (YUM), which has been struggling after a tainted food scare in China.

    5. Friday recap: U.S. stocks rebounded Friday on the strong jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 208 points, although it still had a down week. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both rose more than 1%.

  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    Yum! Brands is a quick service restaurant company that is most notably known for its KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell food chains. The stock has been consolidating over the last year after experiencing several powerful moves higher over the last few years. Over the last four quarters, Yum! Brands has seen mixed earnings and revenue figures that have generally kept investors pleased. Relative to its peers and sector, Yum! Brands has been a poor year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Yum! Brands does in coming quarters.

Top Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cato Corp (CATO)

The Cato Corporation (Cato) is a women�� fashion specialty retailer. As of January 28, 2012, the Company operated 1,288 fashion specialty stores in 31 states, principally in the southeastern United States, under the names Cato, Cato Fashions, Cato Plus, It�� Fashion, It�� Fashion Metro and Versona Accessories. It operates in two segments: stores and Credit. The Company�� stores offer a assortment of on-trend apparel and accessory items in primarily junior/missy, plus sizes, girls sizes 7 to 16, men�� and kids sizes newborn to seven. Its merchandise lines include dressy, career, and casual sportswear, dresses, coats, shoes, lingerie, costume jewelry, handbags, men�� wear and lines for kids and newborns. Its merchandise is sold under its private label and is produced by various vendors in accordance with the Company�� specifications.

The Company offers its own credit card and a layaway plan to make the purchase of its merchandise convenient for its customers. The Company�� stores are located in the southeastern United States in a variety of markets ranging from small towns to metropolitan areas with trade area populations of 20,000 or more. Stores average approximately 4,500 square feet in size. The Company offers its own credit card, which accounted for 4.8% of retail sales during the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2012).

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Discount fashion retailer Cato� (NYSE: CATO  ) �reported this morning that May sales wilted.

    For the four weeks ending June 1, total sales were $81.7 million, a 3% drop from the $84.3 million it recorded in the year-ago period.�That translated into a same-store sales decline of 2% for May.