Best Stock Picks 2020: March 2014

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Ford boosts CEO pay 11% to $23.2 million

Ford CEO Alan Mulally is credited with turning the company around.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) After posting a strong year, Ford rewarded its CEO Alan Mulally with a pay raise of 11%.

Mulally was paid $23.2 million in 2013, up from about $21 million the previous year, Ford (F, Fortune 500) said in a regulatory filing.

For 2013, the automaker's earnings rose 26% to $7.2 billion. The company also shared its strong performance with its hourly factory workers with a record profit-sharing bonus of about $8,800 each.

Mulally became Ford's CEO in 2006 and is credited with turning the automaker around, allowing it to avoid the bankruptcy and federal bailout that rivals General Motors and Chrysler Group required during the recession.

Mulally is also highly regarded in the corporate world and rumors circulated earlier this year that he would be tapped by Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) to replace retiring CEO Steve Balmer. But Mulally put those rumors to bed in January and said he would stay with Ford at least through 2014.

Ford is paying Mulally more than what GM (GM, Fortune 500) paid former CEO Dan Akerson in 2013. Akerson retired in January and was replaced by Mary Barra, whose pay package totals $14.4 million.

Mulally's base salary remains the same at $2 million. His raise comes from a bigger bonus and increase in stock awards.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Hot Safest Stocks To Own For 2014

Hot Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Lumos Networks Corp (LMOS)

Lumos Networks Corp. is a fiber-based service provider in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Company provides data, broadband, voice and Internet protocol (IP) services over fiber optic network. The Company offers a range of data and voice products supported by approximately 5,800 fiber-route miles in Virginia, West Virginia, and portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Kentucky. Its products and services include metro Ethernet, IP services, business advantage bundle, managed router service, broadband, voice services and Web hosting. On October 14, 2011, NTELOS Holdings Corp. announced a distribution date of October 31, 2011, for the spin-off of Lumos Networks Corp.

The Company's broadband services include Business DSL, Dedicated Business Service, Managed Router Services, Business Broadband XL, Business PC Services and Web Hosting. Its IP services include Integrated Access, IP Trunking, IP Centrex and IP Phones. Its voice service include Business Voice, Busin ess Advantage Bundle, nTouch, Intelligent Messaging, Simultaneous Ring, Conference Calling and Long Distance. Its data services include Metro Ethernet and Quality of Service. Lumos Networks Business DSL provides up to six megabits per second downstream and one megabit per second upstream. Its managed router support service equipment includes staging, installation, configuration, and maintenance while support provides around-the-clock monitoring, management and trouble resolution and direct access to networking experts. Its Business Broadband XL offers a selection of high download speeds. Lumos Networks' Integrated Access solution can integrate local voice, long distance, voicemail, and broadband Internet access. Lumos Networks nTouch brings voicemail linking IP Centrex and nTelos Wireless phone.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lee Jackson]
Lumos Networks Corp! . (NASDAQ: LMOS) is a leading provider of fiber-based bandwidth infrastructure and IP services in key mid-Atlantic markets. It announced last month it had launched its cloud-based hosted call center solution, which provides best-in-class automated call distribution, integrated voice response and call reporting to help organizations manage call volumes more effectively and efficiently. The service operates over Lumos’s carrier-grade, premium optical network, which provides high-speed, resilient access to the call-center cloud service. The consensus price target for the stock is $20.50. Investors are paid a reasonable 2.7% dividend. Lumos closed Thursday at $20.77.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-safest-stocks-to-own-for-2014.html

Thursday, March 27, 2014

4 Stocks Under $10 Triggering Breakouts

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- At Stockpickr, we track daily portfolios of stocks that are the biggest percentage gainers and the biggest percentage losers.

>>3 Hot Stocks to Trade (or Not)

Stocks that are making large moves like these are favorites among short-term traders because they can jump into these names and try to capture some of that massive volatility. Stocks that are making big-percentage moves either up or down are usually in play because their sector is becoming attractive or they have a major fundamental catalyst such as a recent earnings release. Sometimes stocks making big moves have been hit with an analyst upgrade or an analyst downgrade.

Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits. If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making large moves to the upside.

ChinaNet Online

ChinaNet Online (CNET), through its subsidiaries, provides business-to-businesses Internet services for small and medium enterprises sales networks in the People's Republic of China. This stock closed up 7.3% to $1.75 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $1.61-$1.88

52-Week Range: $0.41-$2.75

Tuesday's Volume: 359,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 241,280

From a technical perspective, CNET spiked sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $1.58 with above-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last few weeks, with shares moving between $1.54 on the downside and $1.88 on the upside. Shares of CNET are now quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above the upper-end of its sideways trading chart pattern. That trade will hit if CNET manages to take out resistance at $1.88 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CNET as long as it's trending above support at $1.58 or above $1.54 and then once it sustains a move or close above $1.88 with volume that hits near or above 241,280 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then CENT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.14 or its 52-week high at $2.75.

Verso Paper

Verso Paper (VRS) produces and sells coated papers in the U.S. This stock closed up 4.6% to $2.68 in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $2.52-$2.70

52-Week Range: $0.52-$5.55

Tuesday's Volume: 147,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 817,832

From a technical perspective, VRS trended higher here right off some near-term support at $2.50 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $1.96 to $2. Following that bottom, shares of VRS have started to uptrend and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if VRS manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.84 to $3 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in VRS as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $2.50 or at $2.32 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 817,832 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then VRS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.32 to $3.40. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give VRS a chance to tag $4 to $4.50.

Identive Group

Identive Group (INVE) provides secure identification solutions that allow people to gain access to the buildings, networks, information, systems and services in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. This stock closed up 4.4% to 95 cents per share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $0.89-$0.99

52-Week Range: $0.49-$1.55

Tuesday's Volume: 841,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 625,033

From a technical perspective, INVE bounced notably higher here right off its 50-day moving average of 90 cents per share with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of 73 cents per share to its recent high of $1.05. During that uptrend, shares of INVE have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of INVE are now starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if INVE manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.05 to $1.10 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in INVE as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of 89 cents per share or above more support at 85 cents per share and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 625,033 shares. If that breakout kicks off soon, then INVE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.30 to $1.60.

Pampa Energia SA

Pampa Energia SA (PAM), together with its subsidiaries, generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Argentina. This stock closed up 2.6% to $5.09 a share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $4.88-$5.10

52-Week Range: $2.85-$6.93

Tuesday's Volume: 96,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 131,568

From a technical perspective, PAM jumped higher here and broke out above some near-term overhead resistance at $5 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is starting to push shares of PAM within range of triggering another breakout trade. That trade will hit if PAM manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $5.20 to $5.35 and then once it clears some past resistance at $5.55 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PAM as long as it's trending above its 200-day moving average of $4.60 or above more near-term support at$4.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 131,568 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PAM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $6 to $6.32, or even $6.80.

To see more stocks that are making notable moves higher, check out the Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Avoiding the Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax on Life Insurance Proceeds

As part of ThinkAdvisor’s Special Report, 21 Days of Tax Planning Advice for 2014, throughout the month of March, we are partnering with our Summit Professional Networks sister service, Tax Facts Online, to take a deeper dive into certain tax planning issues in a convenient Q&A format.

Can arrangements for payment of the proceeds of life insurance and annuity contracts attract the generation-skipping transfer tax?

Yes. Regardless of what form an arrangement may take (whether, for example, the arrangement is a life insurance trust, an agreement with the insurer for payment of proceeds under settlement options, or an outright payment to a beneficiary), if an insured (or annuitant) transfers benefits to a “skip person,” generally, the insured has made a generation-skipping transfer.

For purposes of the generation-skipping transfer tax, the term “trust” includes any arrangement (such as life estates, estates for years, and insurance and annuity contracts) other than an estate that, although not a trust, has substantially the same effect as a trust. In the case of an arrangement that is not a trust but that is treated as a trust, the term “trustee” means the person in actual or constructive possession of the property subject to such arrangement.

The IRS has been given authority to issue regulations that may modify the generation-skipping rules when applied to trust equivalents, such as life estates and remainders, estates for years, and insurance and annuity contracts. The committee report states that such authority, for example, might be used to provide that the beneficiary of an annuity or insurance contract be required to pay any GST tax.

Regulations provide that the executor is responsible for filing and paying the GST tax if (1) a direct skip occurs at death, (2) the property is held in a trust arrangement, which includes arrangements having the same effect as an explicit trust, and (3) the total value of property subject to the direct skip is less than $250,000. The executor is entitled to recover the GST tax attributable to the transfer from the trustee (if the property continues to be held in trust) or from the recipient of the trust property (if transferred from the trust arrangement).

Regulations provide a number of examples that treat insurance proceeds as a trust arrangement. Where insurance proceeds held by an insurance company are to be paid to skip persons in a direct skip at death (a direct skip can occur whether proceeds are paid in a lump sum or over a period of time) and the aggregate value of such proceeds held by the insurer is less than $250,000, the executor is responsible for filing and paying the GST tax. Consequently, the insurance company can pay out the proceeds without regard to the GST tax (apparently, the insurance company could not do so if the executor attempts to recover the GST tax while the company still holds proceeds). When the value of the proceeds in the aggregate equals or exceeds $250,000, however, the insurance company is responsible for filing and paying the GST tax.

Can the transfer to an irrevocable life insurance trust of an amount used to make premium payments qualify for the generation-skipping transfer tax annual exclusion?

Yes.

If certain requirements are met, a transfer to an irrevocable life insurance trust can qualify for the annual exclusion (and thus avoid the generation-skipping transfer tax). A nontaxable gift, which is a direct skip, has an inclusion ratio of zero (i.e., it is not subject to GST tax). Nontaxable gifts are defined as gifts eligible for the annual exclusion (doubled if gifts are split between spouses), as well as certain transfers for educational or medical expenses. However, with respect to transfers after March 31, 1988, the nontaxable gift that is a direct skip to a trust for the benefit of an individual has an inclusion ratio of zero only if (1) during the life of such individual no portion of the trust corpus or income may be distributed to or for the benefit of any other person, and (2) the trust would be included in such individual’s estate if the trust did not terminate before such individual died. Thus, separate shares or separate trusts, as described in the preceding sentence, must be created for each such individual if premium payments are to be covered by the annual exclusion for GST tax purposes

How can the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption be leveraged using an irrevocable life insurance trust?

Leveraging of the GST tax exemption can be accomplished by allocating the exemption against the discounted dollars that the premiums represent when compared with the ultimate value of the insurance proceeds. However, in the case of inter vivos transfers in trust, allocation of the GST exemption is postponed until the end of an estate tax inclusion period (ETIP). In general, an ETIP would not end until the termination of the last interest held by either the transferor or the spouse of the transferor during the period in which the property being transferred would have been included in either spouse’s estate if that spouse died.

Of course, the transferor should be given no interest that would cause the trust property to be included in the transferor’s estate. Furthermore, the transferor’s spouse should be given no interest that would cause the trust property to be included in the transferor spouse’s estate if the transferor spouse were to die.

The property is not considered as includable in the estate of the spouse of the transferor by reason of a withdrawal power limited to the greater of $5,000 or 5 percent of the trust corpus if the withdrawal power terminates no later than sixty days after the transfer to the trust. Also, the property is not considered as includable in the estate of the transferor or the spouse of the transferor if the possibility of inclusion is so remote as to be negligible (i.e., less than a 5 percent actuarial probability). Furthermore, the ETIP rules do not apply if a reverse qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) election is made. Otherwise, if proceeds are received during the ETIP, the allocation of the GST exemption must be made against proceeds rather than premiums and the advantage of leveraging is lost.

Example 1. G creates a trust for the benefit of his children and grandchildren. Each year he transfers to the trust $50,000 (to be used to make premium payments on a $2 million insurance policy on his life) and allocates $50,000 of his GST exemption to each transfer. Assuming G makes no other allocations of his GST exemption, the trust will have a zero inclusion ratio (i.e., it is not subject to GST tax) during its first twenty years. At the end of twenty years, G will have used up his GST exemption and the trust’s inclusion ratio will increase slowly with each additional transfer of $50,000 to the trust. If G died during the twenty-year period, the insurance proceeds of $2 million would not be subject to GST tax. Part of the $2 million proceeds may be subject to GST tax if G died in a later year. To ensure that the trust has a zero inclusion ratio, use of a policy that becomes paid-up before the transfers to trust exceed the GST exemption may be indicated.

Top Performing Companies To Buy Right Now

Example 2. Same facts as in Example 1, except that the trust is created for G’s spouse, S, during her lifetime, and then, to benefit children and grandchildren. If the trust is intended to qualify for the marital deduction (apparently, other than if a reverse QTIP election is used), the valuation of property for purpose of the ETIP rule is generally delayed until G or S dies because the property would have been included in S’s estate if she died during the ETIP. Consequently, if the $2 million insurance proceeds are received during the wife’s lifetime, the GST exemption is allocated against the $2 million proceeds, and a substantial amount of GST tax may be due upon subsequent taxable distributions and taxable terminations from the trust. Because allocation of the exemption must be made against the proceeds if they are received during the ETIP, the advantage of leveraging enjoyed in Example 1 is lost.

---

For more tax planing stories, check out our Special Repiort 21 Days of Tax Planning Advice for 2014 home page.

Monday, March 24, 2014

10 Best Tech Stocks To Invest In 2014

10 Best Tech Stocks To Invest In 2014: Lpath Inc (LPTN)

Lpath, Inc. (Lpath), incorporated on September 18, 2002, is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of bio-active lipid-targeted monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics. The Company has three product candidates, iSONEP, ASONEP and Lpathomab. The Company's program, iSONEP, is a mAb against Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P). As of December 31, 2012, it was in phase-II clinical trials for wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration. The Company is also advancing ASONEP, the systemic formulation of the mAb to S1P. ASONEP has completed a phase-I clinical trial and is entering phase-II clinical trials in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Lpath's third product candidate, Lpathomab, is a mAb to the bioactive lipid, Lysophosphatidic Acid (LPA). The Company also applies its technology platform, ImmuneY2, to discovering mAbs to new bioactive lipid targets.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lauren Pollock]
Lpath Inc.(LPTN) said it is no longer actively seeking to reacquire exclusive rights to its leading product candidate from Pfizer Inc.(PFE), saying the pharmaceutical giant informed the company that its offers weren’t competitive. The biotechnology company in October had warned that Pfizer might may divest itself of its exclusive option to co-develop the smaller firm’s leading product candidate–known as iSONEP.
[By Lauren Pollock]
Biotechnology company Lpath Inc.(LPTN) warned Pfizer Inc.(PFE) may divest itself of its exclusive option to co-develop the smaller firm’s leading product candidate. Lpath’s stock fell.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-tech-stocks-to-invest-in-2014.html

Sunday, March 23, 2014

FedEx Corporation (FDX) Q3 Earnings Preview: E-Commerce To Boost Bottom and Top Lines

FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) plans to release its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2014 on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 before the market opens The Company plans to host a webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET the same day to review the results and management's outlook.

Wall Street anticipates that the delivery company will earn $1.51 per share for the quarter, which is $0.28 more than last year's profit of $1.23 per share. iStock expects FDX to miss Wall Street's consensus number. The iEstimate is $1.47, a bearish surprise of $0.04; although, we could be lowballing the Dow Transportation Index member's actual results.

[Related -FedEx Corporation (FDX): George Soros And John Paulson Own This Stock. Should You?]

Along with EPS rising an expected 22.76%, sales are forecasted to increase 4.6%. The consensus revenue estimate for Q3 is $11.46 billion, up from last year's $10.95 billion.

FedEx Corporation provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services in the United States and internationally. It operates in four segments: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services.

Bullish or bearish surprises have been a flip of the coin for the Dow Jones member. In the last 13 quarters, FedEx delivered seven bullish and six bearish surprises. When topping the street's view, the average beat was 5.37% more than estimates. Meanwhile, the bottom line fell short by an average of -5.08% when profits didn't live up to hopes.

[Related -Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG): Can FedEx Deliver $10 for PLUG?]

EPS-driven price sensitivity favored bulls with eight green and five red responses. The eight price hikes averaged 3.72% with a range of 0.43% to 9.83%. The handful of red reactions spread from -2.67% to -9.36% with a typical loss of -5.34%.

According to Google Trends, search volume intensity (SVI) for the keyword "FedEx" is flat year-over-year (YoY), which could mean revenue might come in light. However, e-commerce sales for the holiday shopping season could make up any shortfall. According to emarketer.com, "e-commerce holiday sales saw an even sharper growth rate of 9.3%, with sales totaling $95.7 billion."

The story added, "E-commerce analytics company Custora also reported significant e-commerce growth over the 2013 holiday shopping season. Revenues over the two-month period from the beginning of November to the end of December climbed 12% year over year, according to the company. Black Friday and Cyber Monday both also saw impressive increases in revenues, climbing 16% and 18%, respectively. In addition, the number of total orders increased during all three of these time periods compared with the previous year."

Change the keyword to "FedEx Tracking." Which we think is a better proxy for expected deliveries; YoY SVI increased 10.6%, which hints at a potential revenue surprise, especially when you consider the strength of e-commerce.

Now, if sales to top expectations, then we'd expect to see extra EPS on the bottom line based on our review of FDX's most recent 10-Q. Revenue and cost increased at essentially the same rates, so margins should hold quarter-to-quarter.

Overall: Although the iEstimate suggests a bearish surprise for FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX), Google Tends and e-commerce holiday strength could translates into sales that exceed the consensus, which could make the iEstimate too conservative.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Why Electric Vehicles Need Global Warming and Other News (TSLA, KNDI & GACR)

Best Energy Companies To Invest In Right Now

The electric vehicle industry and stocks like Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Kandi Technologies Group Inc (NASDAQ: KNDI) and Green Automotive Co (OTCMKTS: GACR) continue to produce a steady flow of interesting and relevant news for investors and traders alike with the following news being worth paying close attention to:

Cold Weather Reduces Electric Vehicle Range. According to new AAA research conducted with the AAA Automotive Research Center in Southern California, electric vehicle range can be reduced by an average of 57% based on the temperature outside. The average EV battery range in AAA's test was 105 miles at 75°F, but this range dropped 57% to 43 miles when the temperature was held steady at 20°F. Warm temperatures were less stressful on battery range, but electric vehicles still delivered a lower average of 69 miles per full charge at 95°F. However, the Christian Science Monitor was critical of the tests, namely because of the limited sample set and the lack of real world testing.

Why Car Dealers Hate Electric Cars. If you are wondering why car dealers hate Tesla and electric cars in general, Mashable has a great article that explains the logic behind the hatred. Mike Kelly, a car dealer in Erie, Pa. who also happens to be Republican member of Congress, was quoted as saying:

"When you look at this, it makes absolutely no sense. I can stock a Chevy Cruze, which is about a $17,500 car and turns every 30 to 40 days out of inventory … or I can have a [$45,763] Volt, which never turns and creates nothing for me on the lot except interest costs."

David Kiley, an analyst with New Roads Media, was also quoted as saying:

"You'll find that many dealers are Republicans, and so have joined the bandwagon of [electric vehicle] naysayers, which is a popular theme among Republicans. That's a real phenomenon… Dealers want to move metal, plain and simple. There is more education and selling required for EVs than gasoline cars. As long as gasoline remains under $4 a gallon in most of the country, sales of EVs and plug-ins like the Chevy Volt and Ford C-max Energi are going to have steep hills to climb — because the infrastructure to support them is still lagging."

Those realities led to stories of dealers steering customers away from EVs according to a Tesla forum.

Kandi Technologies Group Reports Earnings. On Monday, China based Kandi Technologies Group, which makes specialized electric vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles, reported fourth quarter and year end earnings. Electric vehicle sales achieved a 193.7% fourth quarter gain while fourth quarter revenues increased 92.2% year over year to $50.6 million and full year revenue grew 46.5% year over year to $94.5 million. Fourth quarter Non-GAAP net income rose 259% to $4.6 million while Non-GAAP net income increased 23.9% to $5.2 million. However, it should be noted that Kandi Technologies Group's Form 10-K revealed the following:

In November 2013, the SEC Denver office informed the Company that it was conducting an investigation of the Company and made a request for the production of documents and information. The Company is cooperating fully with the SEC in this matter. The Company is unable to predict what action, if any, might be taken in the future by the SEC as a result of the matters that are the subject of the investigation or what impact, if any, the cost of responding to the investigation might have on the Company's financial condition or results of operations.

Kandi Technologies Group is up 57.8% since the start of the year, up 408.9% over the past year and up 2,426.7% over the past five years.

Kandi Technologies Group Also Does a Share Placement. Last Wednesday, Kandi Technologies Group announced that it had entered into a securities purchase agreement with two institutional investors for a registered direct placement of approximately $11,053,440 worth common stock at a price of $18.24 per share. The company will issue a total of 606,000 shares to the institutional investors plus issue warrants for the purchase of up to 90,900 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $22.80 per share. The warrants have a term of 18 months from the date of issuance.

Green Automotive Co to Build a Silent Safari Vehicle. Small cap Green Automotive Company, a state-of-the-art niche vehicle design, engineering, manufacturing and sales company based in Riverside California, recently announced that it had entered into a partnership with the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, one of the largest wildlife reserves in the world, and the Royal College of Art in London to create the all electric Safari Vehicle of the Future. The goal of the project is to create an all-electric vehicle solution that will allow silent safaris with zero emissions and which can travel off-road with a minimum foot-print. Ol Pejeta is using Crowdfunding (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/be-part-of-developing-the-safari-vehicle-of-the-future) to finance the project with the first tranche of $50,000 guaranteeing the design of the vehicle while the second tranche of $100,000 will allow the creation of the first prototype.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Ask Matt: Don't rush in on individual stocks

USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com.

Q: What's the most I could have lost in stocks the past three years?

A: Investors like to think they can't do all that much damage. Many investors are blinded by the fact that the market tends to rise. So even if they choose poorly, how bad can the losses really be?

But that's not really the case.

Investors who don't do their research, pick stocks about to crash or are just plain unlucky can cause tremendous damage to their portfolios. Bad stock picking doesn't just hurt your returns, but has the potential of destroying your portfolio. Investors who picked the worst stock in the current Standard & Poor's 500 in 2011, 2012 and 2013 would have suffered a 93% loss over the three years. That means an initial investment of $10,000 in 2011 would be worth a mere $651 at the end of three years. That's a loss few investors can ever recover from.

It's not as hard as it seems. Investors chasing alternative energy and solar during the craze of 2011 might have jumped into First Solar. Those shares, though, fell 74.1% in 2011. Hoping to score from the mobile gadget craze, these investors might have seen Best Buy as a winner. But shares of the retailer fell 49.3% in 2012. And then investors hoping for a commodity bounce, who jumped into Newmont Mining, lost 50.4%.

Top 5 Penny Stocks For 2014

These numbers are a big reminder to investors that trying to pick individual stocks is risky and the losses can be enormous when you're wrong. Don't think the market's general upward trend will bail you out.

TRACK YOUR STOCKS: Get real-time quotes with our free Portfolio Tracker

Follow Matt Krantz on Twitter: @mattkrantz.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Time to Bet Against the Majority With IsoRay (ISR)

Ugh. It's fun to be right about a stock, but it's exhausting to be too right, too fast. Case in Point? IsoRay, Inc. (NYSE: ISR). Yours truly posted some bullish comments on ISR just a couple of days ago, explaining how that day's move above a key ceiling meant a new bull trend was underway, and more gains from that price would be far easier to muster. Well, good news for those who heeded the advice - IsoRay shares are up 44% today.

That's not necessarily a good thing though... or not necessarily something we were prepared to contend with so soon anyway. Now that ISR is trading around $1.60, many investors are being forced to make a decision - sell it here and lock in a nice gain, or hold onto it and hope IsoRay, Inc. can find a floor around here (and not pull back) in anticipation of another round of bullishness soon.

My opinion? Take the money and run.

While the news that came out this morning - the news that drove the stock to where it is now - was deemed as a surprise, it shouldn't have been surprising to anybody who was watching the stock as of Monday. The apparent strength then was quite likely the response to knowledge (from someone, somewhere) that something big was going to be unveiled soon. See, there are never any actual surprises with stocks ... someone always knows something. It just didn't become official until today, and when it did, the rest of investors who didn't sense something was coming then piled in today. Problem: That bid-up most likely pushed IsoRay shares up to their best value they're going to see for a while.

How's that? The weekly chart of ISR below tells the tale. With today's high of $1.74, ISR has matched its third-best high since 2009. Worse, the stock peeled back immediately after hitting that peak, and at $1.54 is struggling to even hold at the lower end of the range of all its major peaks hit since 2009. And that point can't be made enough - the last eight times IsoRay managed to hurl itself above the $1.47 level, all eight times it's bee! n unable to stave off a significant pullback. It's unlikely this ninth time is going to be any different.

The moral of the story? While it's certainly going to be an unpopular premise, while everyone else is buying today, the smart-money move for any who took the advice two days ago is to use this buying spree as an opportunity to lock in profits while the 27% profit (since the 17th) can be locked in.

For more trading ideas and insights like these, be sure to sign up for the free SmallCap Network newsletter. You'll get stock picks, market calls, and more, every day. Here's what you've missed recently.

Russia's U.S. debt not a threat

Billions at stake in Russia standoff NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Russia and the United States have levers to pull in their diplomatic showdown over Ukraine, but the amount of U.S. debt held by Russia won't be one of them.

For one, Russia owns a fairly modest amount of U.S. Treasuries -- and that figure is shrinking. So even if Russia dumped its holdings, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

Figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Treasury Department show Russia owned $132 billion worth of Treasuries at the end of January, down 5% from December.

That might seem like a lot, but it's just a little more than 10% of what China or Japan hold -- more than $1 trillion each. And it places it just behind tiny Luxembourg, which owns $135 billion.

Furthermore, even if the U.S. imposes further sanctions on Russia, it might have trouble freezing its Treasury holdings. That's because Russia might have just moved a large chunk out of an account at the U.S. Federal Reserve.

A report released by the Fed last week showed that the total amount of Treasuries held by the U.S. central bank for foreign governments fell by more than $100 billion, marking the biggest weekly decline on record.

The Fed does not break out who it's holding the Treasuries for, but the amount of the decline, combined with earlier data on Russia's holdings, led bond traders and experts to assume Russia had decided to move its holdings instead of selling.

"It's speculation but it appears that the Russians decided to move some Treasuries to some place a little farther removed from Treasury's reach," said Lou Crandall at Wrightson ICAP. "If that much had been dumped in outright sales, it would have been noticed by the market. So the odds are that they were changing custody of! the holdings."

Can the U.S. really squeeze Putin?

But Crandall said that even if Russia did decide to liquidate, rather than simply move, its Treasuries, it wouldn't be enough to rattle a market that includes foreign holdings of $5.8 trillion, and the Fed's $2.3 trillion.

"There would be an initial impact while people try to figure out what was happening," said Crandall. "But once it became clear, given that the limited magnitude of the Russian holdings, even concentrated selling would have only transitory impact."

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Top 10 Penny Companies To Invest In 2014

Top 10 Penny Companies To Invest In 2014: Computer Sciences Corporation(CSC)

Computer Sciences Corporation provides information technology (IT) and professional services to governments and commercial enterprises. The company?s IT outsourcing services comprise operating customer?s technology infrastructure, including systems analysis, applications development, network operations, desktop computing, and data center management services; business process outsourcing; managing transactional business functions for clients, such as procurement and supply chain, call centers and customer relationship management, credit services, claims processing and logistics. It also offers cloud computing and cyber security protection services. In addition, the company provides range of services in the areas of infrastructure as a service, software as a service (SaaS), business process as a service, platform as a service, and other technologies. Further, its IT and professional services consist of systems integration, including designing, developing, implementing, and i ntegrating information systems; and management consulting, technology consulting, and other professional services, consist of advising clients on the strategic acquisition and utilization of IT and on business strategy, security, modeling, simulation, engineering, operations, change management, and business process reengineering. Additionally, the company licenses software systems, including SaaS offerings for the financial services and other industry-specific markets; and provides a range of end-to-end business solutions. It has its operations primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company was founded in 1959 and is based in Falls Church, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Tom Taulli]
Innovation: Innovation is a major priority at AT&T. And so far, it looks like the company is making savvy moves, par! ticularly with its push into the cloud. To this end, AT&T has rolled out NetBond, which involves alliances with top providers like IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), CSC (CSC) and Equinix (EQIX). But perhaps the most interesting growth initiative is Digital Life, which allows customers to use their smartphones as remote control devices with homes and cars. All in all, the opportunity could be huge, adding another nice revenue stream — AT&T already has agreements with companies like GM (GM), Ford (F), Nissan, Audi, BMW and Tesla (TSLA)
[By Jonas Elmerraji]
$7.6 billion IT services firm Computer Sciences (CSC) has been doing some consolidating of its own for the last few months. Shares have been stuck trading between resistance at $54 a share and support down at $50 a share since mid-July. But despite its sideways bent, there's a trade to be made in CSC right now.

Right now, CSC is forming a rectangle pattern, a consolidation setup that's formed by a pair of horizontal resistance and support level at those $54 and $50 price levels. The rectangle pattern gets its name because it basically "boxes in" shares between those two levels. The signal to watch is the break outside of that box. Support at $50 has some extra strength because it's a level that was previously a ceiling for shares back in March and again in May. That's not uncommon for a round number like $50, but it makes an upside breakout a lot more likely from here.

Momentum, measured by 14-day RSI, has moved into neutral mode in the last week, clearing the way for upside without the risk of shares becoming overbought. If shares of CSC can hold a bid above $54, it's time to buy.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-penny-companies-to-invest-in-2014.html

Monday, March 17, 2014

Best Insurance Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Best Insurance Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cincinnati Financial Corporation(CINF)

Cincinnati Financial Corporation engages in the property casualty insurance business in the United States. Its Commercial Lines Property Casualty Insurance segment provides coverage for commercial casualty, commercial property, commercial auto, and workers? compensation. It also offers specialty packages, including coverages for property, liability, and business interruption for specific industry classes, such as artisan contractors, dentists, or street businesses. In addition, this segment provides contract and commercial surety bonds, fidelity bonds, and director and officer liability insurance, as well as machinery and equipment coverage. The company?s Personal Lines Property Casualty Insurance segment offers coverage for personal auto and homeowners, as well as other insurance products, such as dwelling fire, inland marine, personal umbrella liability, and watercraft coverages to individuals. Cincinnati Financial?s Excess and Surplus Lines Property Casualty Insurance s egment offers commercial casualty insurance that covers businesses for third-party liability from accidents occurring on their premises or arising out of their operations, including products and completed operations; and commercial property insurance, which insures loss or damage to buildings, inventory, equipment, and business income from causes of loss, such as fire, wind, hail, water, theft, and vandalism. The company?s Life Insurance segment provides term insurance; universal life insurance; whole life insurance; and worksite products, which include term, whole life, universal life, and disability insurance offered to employees through their employer. This segment also markets disability income insurance, deferred annuities, and immediate annuities. Its Investment segment invests in fixed-maturity investments, equity investments, and short-ter! m investments. Cincinnati also offers commercial leasing and financing services. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquart e red in Fairfield, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Dividends4Life]
Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis: Company Description: Cincinnati Financial Corp. is an insurance holding company that primarily markets property and casualty coverage. It also conducts life insurance and asset management operations.
[By Dividends4Life]
According to a Gabelli Funds report, managed distribution policies offer several advantages, including:1. Lower difference between the fund's market price and its NAV per share.2. Provides support during periods when the stock market is in a decline.3. Provides a measurable performance target for the investment adviser.Below are several high-yield funds from CEFA that have a managed distribution policy (yields as of December 16):Aberdeen Australia Eqty (IAF)- Distribution Yield: 10.4%- Income Yield: 346%Bexil Advisers LLC (DNI)- Distribution Yield: 11.1%- Income Yield: 3.56%BlackRock En Capital&Inc (CII)- Distribution Yield: 8.78%- Income Yield: 2.34%Cornerstone Strat Value (CLM)- Distribution Yield: 18.77%- Income Yield: 1.83%Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)- Distribution Yield: 19.10%- Income Yield: 0.85%Delaware Inv Div & Inc (DDF)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 5.26%Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB)- Distribution Yield: 7.58%- Income Yield: 1.54%Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT)- Distribution Yield: 9.45%- Income Yield: 2.84%MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)- Distribution Yield: 9.60%- Income Yield: 5.73%Nuveen Tx-Adv TR Strat (JTA)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 3.12%TCW Strategic Income (TSI)- Distribution Yield: 10.54%- Income Yield: 7.88%Zweig Total Return (ZTR)- Distribution Yield: 7.27%- Income Yield: 1.95%As noted in the Gabelli report, a managed distribution policy! may crea! te confusion regarding the true current yield since the reported yield includes the return of capital portion. You can see the disparity above between the income yield and the distribution (reported) yield.If you are looking for a sustainable and growing dividend, you may want to consider some blue-chip dividend stocks such as these with a Free Cash Flow Payout less than 50%, 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases and a 2%+ yield:3M Co. (MMM) is a diversified global company provides enhanced product functionality in electronics, health care, industrial, consumer

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-insurance-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Top Undervalued Stocks For 2014

Top Undervalued Stocks For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory manag! ement services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas .

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jim Jubak]
But it just doesn't seem to matter for Schlumberger (SLB). Schlumberger is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.

On January 17, the oil services and technology company reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.35 a share, beating Wall Street estimates by two cents a share. Earnings grew by 29.8% year over year.
[By Editor , DividendChannel.com]
ENB operates in the Oil & Gas Equipment & Services sector, among companies like Schlumberger (SLB), and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD).

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-undervalued-stocks-for-2014-2.html

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Hot Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014

Hot Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Australian Dollar(AU)

AngloGold Ashanti Limited primarily engages in the exploration and production of gold. It also produces silver, uranium oxide, and sulfuric acid. The company conducts gold-mining operations in South Africa; continental Africa, including Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania; Australia; and the Americas, which include Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. It also has mining or exploration operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Colombia. As of December 31, 2010, the company had proved and probable gold reserves of 71.2 million ounces. The company has a strategic alliance with Thani Dubai Mining Limited to explore, develop, and operate mines across the Middle East and parts of North Africa. AngloGold Ashanti Limited, formerly known as Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company Limited, was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jim Powell]
In addition to holding Goldcorp and Barrick Gold, the fund tracks the performance of Newmont Mining (NEM), Newcrest Mining (NCMGY), AngloGold Ashanti (AU), and several other industry leaders.
[By Patricio Kehoe] stion arises: Why is First Eagle bullish regarding such a company? The answer might lie in the huge discount at which the third-largest gold producer by output is trading, along with a certain degree of long-term optimism.
Huge Holdings Point to Long-Term Commitment
Since First Eagle recently increased its stake in Anglogold by more than 20%, bringing his total holding to over 32.5 million shares, I believe we are looking at a long-term investment. I am keen on pointing this out, since the stock is currently performing very poorly, and has already lost around 275% of its value year to date. Above average production costs and plummeting gold prices have put a huge dea! l of pressure on the gold miner, leading to very poor results. In addition, since many of its operations are in geopolitically risky countries such as Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo, shareholders have been shedding this stock in large volumes.
Although Anglogold had a very rough year, and will continue to face elevated cash costs and reduced margins going into 2014, there are some positive signals looking forward. One of the most promising features, are the firm's operations in South America and Australia, which are enjoying solid organic growth. Although investors will have to wait some years for assets in these regions to reach full production, large profits should be achieved in the long-term. In other words, First Eagle surely has its eyes set on the company's new projects, and their future growth potential.
Projected Growth and Low Price
Another attractive feature investors must keep in mind is a stock's growth potential. When looking at Anglogold, this becomes especially relevant, as a comparison to Barrick Gold Corp (ABX) will demonstrate. Anglogold currently offers 13.6% returns on invested capital, compared to Barrick's -2.8%, and has an EBITDA growth rate of 465.7%, the highest in the industry. Thus, whereas the Canadian mine r has a negative EPS
[By Jim Woods]
A day earlier, Kinross Gold (KGC) suspended its semiannual dividend, and it also announced a delay in its decision on future expansion of the mill at the Tasiast mine in Africa. Finally, about a week later, AngloGold Ashanti (AU) — the third-largest producer of the yellow metal — suspended its dividend on poor earnings due to declining gold prices.
[By Daniel Putnam]
First, and most important, earnings estimates are stabilizing. In the past sixty days, 2013 estimates for the major gold miners have begun to tick up. In most cases, the increase is very modest. For instance, Goldcorp‘s (GG) EPS estimates have climbed from $0.91 to $0.95,! while Ba! rrick Gold‘s (ABX) have inched up from $2.57 to $2.64. Newmont Mining (NEM), Anglogold Ashanti (AU), and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) have shown similar gains. This positive rate of change marks a significant departure from the steady stream of bad news investors have had to endure in recent years.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-gold-stocks-to-buy-for-2014.html

Friday, March 14, 2014

Hot Stocks To Buy For 2014

Hot Stocks To Buy For 2014: The Finish Line Inc.(FINL)

The Finish Line, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mall-based specialty retailer in the United States. It operates Finish Line stores that offer performance and athletic casual footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and kids. The company also sells merchandise through its Web site, finishline.com. As of September 22, 2011, it operated 646 stores in the United States. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Marc Bastow]
Mall-based specialty retailer Finish Line (FINL) raised its quarterly dividend 14% to 8 cents per share, payable March 17 to shareholders of record Feb. 28.
FINL Dividend Yield: 1.19%
[By Ben Levisohn]
In our opinion, this was a fine quarter with no surprises; however, as we expected expenses are accelerating resulting in guidance that implies a meaningful reduction to Q3 and Q4 estimates. Also, gross margin headwinds are mounting as the favorability from raw materials has turned and supply chain disruptions in Mexico will persist for two Q's. Given NKE's premium 25x multiple, we prefer to play its strength through its retail partners ([Foot Locker (FL) and Finish Line (FINL)]).
[By Lauren Pollock]
Finish Line Inc.(FINL) swung to a fiscal third-quarter profit that easily beat expectations as the athletic-gear retailer posted strong same-store sales growth. Finish Line raised its earnings outlook for the year, pushing shares up 7.5% to $28.11.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-stocks-to-buy-for-2014-2.html

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Top Sliver Stocks To Watch For 2014

Top Sliver Stocks To Watch For 2014: Labor Smart Inc (LTNC)

Labor Smart, Inc., incorporated in May 31, 2011, provides temporary blue-collar staffing services. The Company supplies general laborers on demand to the light industries, including manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing, skilled trades' people, and general laborers to commercial construction industries. It provides unskilled and semi-skilled temporary workers to its customers. It pays its workers the same day they perform the job. In May 2013, the Company acquired Qwik Staffing Solutions Inc.

The Company is a provider of temporary employees to the construction, manufacturing, hospitality, restoration and retail industries. At March 31, 2012, the Company operated four branches located in two states.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jonathan Yates]
For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
[By Jonathan Yates]
When looking at small cap stocks, it is useful to compare the company with others that have expanded in both share price and size. For those considering investing in the $100 billion staffing industry, the growth of TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) shows what could be the potential path for Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC), as both operate in the $29 billion demand labor sector. Other firms have done well in the staffing industry include Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) and ManPower Group (NYSE: MAN).
[By Jonathan Yates]
Even though the stock market rallied on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks with ! the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) and Standard & Poor's 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) surging, the long term winners will be stocks in the staffing industry such as Paychex(NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Robert Half (NYSE: RHI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).
[By idahansen]
Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC) is proving my pick right as it booked record revenues for August.

The entire demand labor industry should do well as the US Department of Labor just reported that 169,000 more jobs were added to the American economy. The more work there is, the more demand there is for the services of staffing solutions firms such as Labor SMART, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), and Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI).

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-sliver-stocks-to-watch-for-2014.html

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Top 5 Low Price Stocks For 2014

Top 5 Low Price Stocks For 2014: Gyrodyne Company of America Inc.(GYRO)

Gyrodyne Company of America, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the investment, acquisition, ownership, and management of a portfolio of medical office and industrial properties in the northeast region of the United States. The company also involves in the development of industrial and residential properties. It focuses on acquiring, developing, owning, leasing, and managing medical, commercial, and industrial real estate. The company has elected to be taxed as REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax purposes, provided that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in St. James, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lisa Levin]
Gyrodyne Co. of America (NASDAQ: GYRO) shares dipped 8.66% to reach a new 52-week low of $10.86. Gyrodyne Co. of America's trailing-twelve-month ROA is -5.29%.
[By Sally Jones]
Highlight: Gyrodyne Company of America (GYRO)
The GYRO share price is currently $73.85 or 35.7% off the 52-week high of $114.80. The company does not pay a dividend.
[By Geoff Gannon] >Syms (SYMSQ) where at some point the company's entire value really depended on its balance sheet.
Obviously when looking at things like real estate you don't go by what it says on the balance sheet. You try to find a note on depreciation that breaks out land, buildings, etc. And gives information about how the company depreciates its property.
And – of course – you look at the "Properties" item in the 10-K. In the U.S., you then use the information you've gathered to check county land records and things like that for more information about the property.
Generally, you want to:
· Find ou! t when the company bought the property

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-low-price-stocks-for-2014.html

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Best Casino Stocks To Invest In 2015

Best Casino Stocks To In vest In 2015: Penn National Gaming Inc.(PENN)

Penn National Gaming, Inc. and its subsidiaries own and manage gaming and pari-mutuel properties in the United States. It operates approximately 27,000 gaming machines; 500 table games; and 2,000 hotel rooms in 23 facilities in 16 jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. The company was formerly known as PNRC Corp. and changed its name to Penn National Gaming, Inc. in 1994. Penn National Gaming, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Patricio Kehoe] the measures taken to balance out revenue in case of headwinds.

Valuation and Contracts

One factor that plays in this firm's favor is NASCAR's long-term contracts with major TV networks and radio stations. The most recent deal is set to launch in 2015, and will bind the motorsport brand for 10 years to NBC and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (FOX), for a total of $8.2 billion (45% annual increase over the current contract). Although a more stable economic scenario may reignite concessionary spending among customers, and cause the motorsport segment to gain popularity again, the non-existent switching costs and alternative leisure choices could be detrimental to this company. Also, ISCA's current $87.9 million cash flow will likely be stagnated by the new Daytona Ring Project, which is expected to cost $400 million over the next five years.

Furthermore, concerns remain regarding the company's growth metrics, especially given their downward trend. For the fourth quarter in 2013, revenue showed negative growth of 0.5%, a downfall which ISCA has not been able to stall since 2007. Operating margins have also fallen by 9% in the past ! two years (currently at 12.8%), in addition to the below average (2.02%) dividend yield of 0.70%. Added to a premium P/E value of 33.00x trailing earnings, compared to the industry average of 22.40x, I feel bearish about this motorsports giant's near-term profitability and see some uncertainty in the long-term future.

Disclosure: Patricio Kehoe holds no position in any stocks mentioned.
About the author:Patricio KehoeA fundamental analyst at Lone Tree Analytics
[By Lisa Levin]
Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ: PENN) shares fell 1.71% to reach a new 52-week low of $12.05. Penn National Gaming is expected to report its Q4 results on February 6.
[By Paul Ausick]
Stocks on the Move: BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) is down 16.4% at $6.50 after announcing that no buyout bid will be forthcoming. Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) is down 76.7% at $13.75 after spinning-off its real-estate holdings into a REIT. Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is up 15.5% at $1.53 following the acquisition of its major operations in Wuxi.
[By Paul Ausick]
Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) completed on Monday the spin-off of its real-estate holdings into a new REIT, Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. (G&LP) (NASDAQ: GLPI). The spin-off was first announced a year ago. Shares in GLPI are trading at around $46.51 after opening at $45.76 this morning.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-casino-stocks-to-invest-in-2015.html

Cliffs Natural Resources ‘Living on a Prayer’ as Iron Ore Plunges, Axiom Capital Says

Today’s been a lousy day for Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF).

Reuters

It’s shares have dropped 4.7% to $17.78 at 2:31 p.m. today, joining a selloff that has caused Rio Tinto (RIO) to fall 2.4% to $52.11, BHP Billiton (BHP) to decline 2.8% to $64.82 and Vale (VALE) to drop 3.2% to $12.62.

The reason: China’s export data was tres terrible and commodity prices have dropped across the board–especially iron ore. And the one thing Cliffs Natural resources can’t afford is lower prices for iron ore.

Axiom Capital’s Gordon Johnson and James Bardowski explain why:

In summary, given our view on 2014 iron ore prices, we believe [Cliffs Natural Resources] will likely blow through its debt covenants in 2014, further cut its dividend, and likely need to do a very large dilutive equity deal (if the company is not able to execute these options, we see acute liquidity risk in the offing). While we recognize [Cliffs Natural Resources] has recently replaced its senior management team (CEO/Chairman & CFO), providing a new, more risk-averse approach to allocating capital, given our view on iron ore prices (anchored by what we see as structurally slower growth in China), we view the issues plaguing the company currently as structural. While we see a turnaround as possible, $114 iron ore suggests bankruptcy is a growing reality, inspiring our report's title "Living On A Prayer".

Hot Growth Stocks To Buy For 2015

The sad thing is that it didn’t have to be this way, Johnson and Bardowski say. Cliffs Natural Resources once had a steady business selling iron to non-coastal companies but wanted to get in on the China play. So it purchased other mines, culminating in the acquisition of Consolidated Thompson. Now it’s paying for it.

Shares of Cliffs Natural Resources have plunged 32% so far this year, while Rio Tinto has fallen 7.7%, BHP Billiton has dropped 4.9% and Vale has declined 17%.

Friday, March 7, 2014

3 Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- At Stockpickr, we track daily portfolios of stocks that are the biggest percentage gainers and the biggest percentage losers.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

>>5 Stock Charts to Buy for Gains in March

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making large moves to the upside.

Pozen (POZN), a pharmaceutical company, develops products for the treatment of acute and chronic pain and pain-related conditions in the U.S. This stock closed up 2.6% to $8.21 in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $8.00-$8.26

52-Week Range: $4.26-$9.90

Thursday's Volume: 403,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 355,687

>>5 Bargain Bin Stocks to Buy in March

From a technical perspective, POZN spiked notably higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $8.12 with above-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways for the last month, with shares moving between $7.37 on the downside and $8.35 on the upside. This spike on Thursday is quickly pushing shares of POZN within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if POZN manages to clear some near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.31 to $8.35 and then once it takes out more near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.65 to $8.99 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in POZN as long as it's trending above key near-term support levels at $7.85 to $7.71 or above $7.37 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 355,687 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then POZN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10 to $12.

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics (IMUC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing immune-based therapies for the treatment of brain, ovarian and other solid tumors. This stock closed up 2.24% to $1.37 a share in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $1.33-$1.42

52-Week Range: $0.65-$4.00

Thursday's Volume: 2.49 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 3.39 million

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy in March

From a technical perspective, IMUC trended modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $1.25 with decent upside volume. This spike is quickly pushing shares of IMUC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if IMUC manages to take out Thursday's high of $1.42 to some more key overhead resistance levels at $1.52 to $1.58 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in IMUC as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $1.25 or at $1.20 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 3.39 million shares. If that breakout starts soon, then IMUC will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from last December that started around $2.75.

U.S. Auto Parts Network (PRTS), together with its subsidiaries, operates as an online retailer of automotive aftermarket parts and accessories primarily in the U.S., Canada and the Philippines. This stock closed up 6.9% to $2.47 a share in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $2.15-$2.47

52-Week Range: $0.19-$3.18

Thursday's Volume: 66,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 63,575

>>5 Hated Stocks You Should Love

From a technical perspective, PRTS spike higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $2.31 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PRTS within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PRTS manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $2.65 to $2.69 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PRTS as long as it's trending above Thursday's low of $2.15 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 63,575 shares. If that breakout materializes soon, then PRTS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3 to its 52-week high at $3.18. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give PRTS a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to $3.75.

To see more stocks that are making notable moves higher, check out the Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Prosecutor: Evidence shows Madoff staff guilty

NEW YORK — Months of trial evidence proves that five former Bernard Madoff employees knowingly participated in and profited from their boss's massive Ponzi scheme, a federal prosecutor argued Tuesday as closing arguments in the fraud trial began.

"Day after day, year after year, these defendants told an avalanche of different lies that allowed Madoff to steal billions from investors," said Assistant U.S. Attorney John Zach, adding that each of the five played a "crucial role" and told a "staggering" number of lies that enabled the investment advisory business fraud to run for decades.

The former co-workers acted out of "greed," argued Zach, who highlighted prosecution evidence showing they collectively received tens of millions of dollars in salaries, bonuses, purported trading profits and other unmerited perks.

Defense lawyers were scheduled to start their closing arguments Wednesday. They have argued that the ex-Madoff staffers were unknowingly hoodwinked by a dishonest and manipulative boss who masterminded a record-setting fraud that bilked as much as $20 billion from thousands of clients worldwide.

The Manhattan federal court conspiracy and securities fraud case is the first criminal proceeding to be considered by a jury because Madoff pleaded guilty without standing trial after the scam collapsed in December 2008. He's now serving a 150-year prison term.

The former co-workers face long prison terms of their own if convicted at the close of the trial that began in October. They are: Daniel Bonventre, 67, Madoff's former operations manager; Annette Bongiorno, 65, the longtime employee who allegedly helped manage the bogus trading operation; JoAnn Crupi, 52, who had day-to-day oversight of the business' bank account; and ex-Madoff computer programmers Jerome O'Hara, 50, and George Perez, 48.

Zach outlined details of government evidence against each of the five as he began a closing statement scheduled to conclude Wednesday.

Bonventre "cooked the books of Mad! off Securities for decades," keeping the bank account of the Manhattan-based business' investment advisory division hidden off the general ledger and concealing the truth from regulators, auditors that tried to check on the investment business, said Zach.

"When he was asked about it, he lied about it," the prosecutor argued.

Bonventre received nearly $15 million during his Madoff tenure, using the money to fund vacations, pay private-school tuition for his son and other personal expenses, said Zach. He argued that that the former manager lied about his role in the scam when he took the witness stand in his own defense.

Bongiorno, the only other defendant who testified, told jurors she revered Madoff and carried out his instructions without knowing the tasks he assigned her could be illegal. But Zach termed Bongiorno's testimony "not credible."

Prosecution evidence showed she helped craft years of phony trading records and falsify documents sought by auditors and regulators, argued Zach, who noted Bongiorno collected more than $18 million that helped pay for posh New York and Florida homes and a Bentley luxury auto.

Crupi had a key role in crafting falsified trading records that fooled Securities and Exchange Commission regulators and auditing firms, argued Zach. Prosecution evidence also showed she directed that fake trades be placed in her own investment account and tried to get one final payout as the scam imploded, he said.

Perez and O'Hara wrote dozens of computer programs that enabled Madoff to falsify investor statements, backdate trades and produce radically different sets of records presented to auditors and regulators, said Zach.

"They essentially were the oil that made the fraud work," the prosecutor said of the computer programs.

When the programmers said they were uncomfortable about continuing, Zach said evidence showed they sought more money — once seeking payment in diamonds — but stayed in their jobs.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Go with a 'Recession Proof' Player

Sometimes, obvious is best: go with a "recession-proof" player.

Are you worried about slowing economic growth, or worse, looming on the horizon? If so, it might be good to play with a company that managed to show EPS growth during both of America's most recent official recessionary periods, in 2001 and 2008 to 2009.

What company managed to grow earnings even when the economy was tanking? It was the much-despised low price champion, Wal-Mart (WMT).

When recession struck in 2001 its EPS grew from $1.40 to $1.50. The more recent "Great Recession" barely slowed this juggernaut. EPS ticked up 7% to $3.66 in the year ended January 2009, then kept right on going, registering $4.07 the next year while the country hunkered down.

There has been no letup since. Wal-Mart's board was smart enough to massively increase their share buyback activity during 2010 to 2013 while the stock was trading at only 11 to 13 times earnings.

You might not shop there yourself or like Wal-Mart's style, but the company's statistics are impressive. Financial strength, share price stability and earnings predictability garner Value Line's highest possible ratings. The only reason WMT's long-term stock performance was about average was the premium P/E of around 40 that it commanded a decade ago.

A relatively well known value investor saw fit to make Wal-Mart his seventh largest holding.

Option-savvy investors can either lock in cash profits, or a great entry point, by selling WMT January 2016, $70 puts.

Late on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 4, 2014, these options last traded at $7.00 per share with the underlying shares at $72.54. Sellers of these long-term puts collect $700 per contract for each 100 share commitment to buy, if exercised, at a net price of just $63.00 ($70 strike price - $7 put premium).

Wal-Mart hasn't been available to buy at that low an absolute price since just after it gapped higher, 21 months ago, in May of 2012. Trailing earnings at that time were $4.57 versus about $5.20 today. Quarterly dividends have risen by 26.4% since then.

Stop worrying about trying to call the bottom of the sell-off. Write a few long term WMT puts. That represents nothing more complicated than agreeing to buy shares of a outstanding company at a great price, if exercised.

Anyone willing to buy WMT at a net cost of $66.80 per share could consider writing the slightly more aggressive WMT Jan. 2016, $80 put at $13.20. That higher strike price trades away a little margin of safety, compared with the $70 strike, for an extra $6.20 per share in upside if WMT rebounds to $80 or better by expiration date.

Top 5 Forestry Companies To Invest In Right Now

Disclosure: Short WMT Jan. 2016, $70 puts

About the author:Dr. Paul Pricehttp://www.RealMoneyPro.com
http://www.MarketShadows.com
http://www.TalkMarkets.com

Visit Dr. Paul Price's Website

Currently 4.33/512345

Rating: 4.3/5 (3 votes)

Subscribe via Email RSS Feeds

Subscribe RSS Comments Please leave your comment:
More GuruFocus Links

Latest Guru Picks	Value Strategies
Warren Buffett Portfolio	Ben Graham Net-Net
Real Time Picks	Buffett-Munger Screener
Aggregated Portfolio	Undervalued Predictable
ETFs, Options	Low P/S Companies
Insider Trends	10-Year Financials
52-Week Lows	Interactive Charts
Model Portfolios	DCF Calculator
RSS Feed	Monthly Newsletters
The All-In-One Screener	Portfolio Tracking Tool

Sunday, March 2, 2014

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015

Canadian stocks rose, closing at the highest level in five months, as gold producers surged after a plunge in U.S. new-home sales boosted speculation the Federal Reserve will maintain stimulus.

Alacer Gold Corp. and Iamgold Corp. rallied at least 5.9 percent as the metal traded at its highest in 11 weeks. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (MFI) jumped 7.8 percent as it agreed to sell a unit for C$645 million ($614 million). Penn West Petroleum (PWT) Ltd. added 1.7 percent after cutting 25 percent of its workforce to reduce costs.

The Standard & Poor��/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) rose 87.95 points, or 0.7 percent, to 12,762.30 at 4 p.m. in Toronto, the highest level since March 20. The index erased losses from earlier in the week to finish the five-day period 0.2 higher.

��e��e seeing a lot more volatility creep in, especially in the U.S., and that�� pushing people back to gold as a safe haven,��said Andrew Pyle, a fund manager with ScotiaMcLeod Inc. in Peterborough, Ontario. He manages about C$210 million. ��hen we look forward, we��e still talking about the Fed tapering, that�� why you��e seeing the gold producers in Canada mount a gradual recovery.��

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: Celsion Corporation(CLSN)

Celsion Corporation, an oncology drug development company, develops and commercializes targeted chemotherapeutic oncology drugs based on its proprietary heat-activated liposomal technology. The company is developing its lead product, ThermoDox that is in Phase III clinical trial for primary liver cancer; and in phase II clinical trial for treatment of recurrent chest wall breast cancer. It has a license agreement with Yakult Honsha to commercialize and market ThermoDox for the Japanese market. The company also has a license agreement with Duke University under which it received exclusive rights to commercialize and use Duke's thermo-liposome technology. In addition, Celsion Corporation has a joint research agreement with Royal Phillips Electronics to evaluate the combination of Phillips' high intensity focused ultrasound with its ThermoDox to determine the potential of this combination to treat a range of cancers. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Columbia, M aryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By EquityOptionsGuru]
The Prolieve Thermodilatation System was actually developed by the current management of Medifocus while employed at Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ:CLSN). The system was also jointly developed with Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) before being acquired by Medifocus in July 2012. Prolieve has already received FDA approval, is currently generating revenue, and is the only in office alternative to drug therapy. The system essentially uses microwave energy to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), which is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that typically affects men over the age of 50. The Prolieve device works by compressing and heating prostatic tissue that may be blocking the flow of urine. This particular treatment option offers patients several benefits including the following:
[By Paul Ausick]
Stocks on the Move: NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ) is up 26% at $11.09 as the company fights back against a short-seller report. Celsion Corp. (NASDAQ: CLSN) is up 339.3% at $5.14 following a reverse 1:4.5 stock split. Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) is up 4.7% at $17.50.

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: China Mobile(Hong Kong)

China Mobile Limited, an investment holding company, provides mobile telecommunications and related services primarily in the Mainland China. It offers various services comprising local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, domestic roaming, and international roaming. The company also provides voice value-added services, including caller identity display, caller restrictions, call waiting, call forwarding, call holding, voice mail, and conference calls; customer-to-customer messages and corporate short message services; and mobile Internet access services. In addition, it engages in other data businesses, which primarily include multimedia messaging services; color ring services that enable users to customize the answer ring tone from various selection of songs, melodies, sound effects, or voice recordings; and mobile reading, mobile gaming, mobile video, mobile payment/wallet, mobile TV, mobile market, and Internet data center services. F urther, the company offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance services; technology platform development and maintenance services; and mobile data solutions, and system integration and development services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. Additionally, China Mobile Limited sells mobile phone handsets and devices. As of March 31, 2011, it served approximately 600.8 million customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. China Mobile was founded in 1997. The company is based in Central, Hong Kong, and is considered a Red Chip company due to its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By GuruFocus]
China Mobile Ltd. was incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong on Sept. 3, 1997, as a limited liability company under the name China Telecom (Hong Kong) Limited. China Mobile Ltd. has a market cap of $194.9 billion; its shares were traded at around $48.48 with a P/E ratio of 9.70 and P/S ratio of 2.20. The dividend yield of China Mobile Ltd. stocks is 4.20%. China Mobile Ltd. had an annual average earnings growth of 16.60% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated China Mobile Ltd.�the business predictability rank of 3.5-star.

Top Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: NetSpend Holdings Inc.(NTSP)

Netspend Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides general purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid debit and payroll cards, and alternative financial service solutions to underbanked and other consumers in the United States. Its GPR cards offer access to FDIC-insured depository accounts with a menu of pricing and features tailored to underbanked consumers needs; and serves as access devices to an FDIC-insured depository account with a bank. The company also provides various products and services to its cardholders, such as direct deposit, interest-bearing savings accounts, bill pay functionality, card-to-card transfer capability, personal financial management tools, and online and mobile phone card account access, as well as overdraft protection through its issuing Banks, and complimentary insurance coverage services. Netspend Holdings, Inc. markets its cards through various distribution channels, including retail distributors, direct-to-consumer and online marketi ng programs, and contractual relationships with corporate employers. As of December 31, 2011, it offered approximately 2.1 million active cards through approximately 600 retail distributors at approximately 40,000 locations; and reload services through approximately 450 retailers at approximately 130,000 locations. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jane Edmondson]
One additional item of note: the stock has been a rumored take-out candidate since another large competitor, NetSpend (NTSP), received an offer to be acquired in February by global payment solutions provider TSYS (TSS).

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: National Instruments Corporation(NATI)

National Instruments Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells measurement and automation products to create virtual instrumentation systems for general, commercial, industrial, and scientific applications worldwide. The company sells or licenses application software and modular hardware that combines with industry-standard computers, networks, and third party devices to create measurement, automation, and embedded systems. Its system design software products include LabVIEW to design custom virtual instruments for scientists and engineers and provide data analysis, visualization, and sharing features; LabVIEW Real-Time and LabVIEW FPGA, which are modular software add-ons enabling users to configure their application programs and to build custom hardware devices for measurement or control protocols. The company also offers LabWindows/CVI programming environment for creating test and control applications; and Measurement Studio, which consists of measurement and automati on add-on libraries and additional tools for programmers. Its application software products include NI TestStand, a test management environment; NI VeriStand, a ready-to-use software environment; NI DIAdem that offers configuration-based technical data management, analysis, and report generation tools; and NI Multisim, which offers circuit design technology. In addition, the company provides hardware products and related driver software comprising data acquisition hardware/driver software, PXI modular instrumentation platform, modular instruments, machine vision/image acquisition, motion control, NI RIO hardware platform, industrial communications interfaces, GPIB interfaces/driver software, and VXI controllers/driver software. Further, it offers system configuration and deployment, calibration, warranty and repair, and customer training services, as well as software maintenance and technical support. National Instruments Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of scientific tools manufacturer National Instruments (NASDAQ: NATI ) sank 13% today after its quarterly results and guidance missed Wall Street expectations. �
[By Eric Volkman]
National Instruments (NASDAQ: NATI ) has elected to maintain its dividend. The company declared a distribution of $0.14 per share, to be paid on Sept. 3 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 12. That amount matches each of the company's previous six distributions, the most recent of which was paid at the beginning of June. Before that, National Instruments handed out $0.10 per share.

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: Apollo Group Inc.(APOL)

Apollo Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides online and on-campus educational programs and services at the undergraduate, master?s, and doctoral levels. The company offers various degree programs in arts and sciences, business and management, criminal justice and security, education, health care, human services, nursing, psychology, and technology through its campus locations and learning centers in 40 states and the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as through its online education delivery system. It also provides various degree programs in Chile and Mexico, and through online; financial services education programs, including Master of Science in three majors, as well as certification programs in retirement, asset management, and other financial planning areas; and training and education to professionals in the legal and finance industries through its schools in the United Kingdom and a network of offices in Europe. In addition, the company offers p rogram development, administration, and management consulting services comprising degree program design, curriculum development, market research, student admissions, and accounting and administrative services to private colleges and universities for their working learners? programs; and sells books and other publications. Apollo Group, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Shres of Corinthian have dropped 4.2% to $1.96 but don’t seem to be hitting other for profit universities. ITT Educational Services (ESI) has gained 2.2% to $31, Apollo Group (APOL) has risen 0.7% to $20.44 and Devry (DV) is up 0.9% at $31.95.
[By Bill Smith]
Competition
ESI competes with many other for-profit ventures, including:
Other for-profit educators, such as: Strayer (STRA), Apollo (APOL), DeVry (DV), Capella (CPLA), Corinthian Colleges (COCO), and Career Education Corporation (CECO)Traditional colleges/universitiesCommunity colleges
Sales, EBITDA and Earnings
ESI has steadily increased revenue and earnings. In the last decade they've grown revenue at 20.8%; EBITDA at 34.4%; FCF at 22.5%, and Book Value at 8.5%.
[By Dan Caplinger]
Finally, outside the Dow, Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL ) has soared nearly 8% after its University of Phoenix had its accreditation renewed. With accreditation concerns having weighed on other stocks in the for-profit education industry, the positive news helped bolster shares throughout the sector. The industry still faces scrutiny from regulators over delinquent student loans and poor graduation rates, but today's moves give Apollo and its peers a shot in the arm following their terrible stock performance in the past few years.
[By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of Apollo Education Group Inc. (APOL) , operator of the for-profit University of Phoenix, rose 3.6% to $27.91 on moderate volume after the company reported adjusted fiscal-first-quarter earnings of $1.04 a share on revenue of $856.3 million. Apollo was expected to report a quarterly profit of 90 cents a share on revenue of $861.6 million.

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: Ishares Msci Usa Index Fund (EUSA)

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]
Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): iShares Utilities ETF (NYSE: IDU), First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSE: FXU), iShares MSCI Germany Small Cap ETF (NYSE: EWGS), iShares MSCI USA ETF (NYSE: EUSA), SPDR S&P Emerging Europe ETF (NYSE: GUR), PowerShares Water Resources (NYSE: PHO) and the Vanguard Industrials ETF (NYSE: VIS).

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: Titan Machinery Inc (TITN)

Titan Machinery Inc., incorporated in 1980, owns and operates a network of agricultural and construction equipment stores in the United States and Europe. The Company is a retail dealer of Case IH Agriculture equipment and a retail dealer of New Holland Agriculture, Case Construction and New Holland Construction equipment in the United States. It operates in two segments: Agriculture and Construction. The agricultural equipment, which it sells and services includes machinery and attachments for uses ranging from large-scale farming to home and garden use. The construction equipment it sells and services includes heavy construction and light industrial machinery for commercial and residential construction, road and highway construction and mining. On February 28, 2011, it acquired certain assets of Tri-State Implement, Inc. On March 31, 2011, the Company acquired interest in Schoffman's Inc. In July 2012, the Company acquired Curly Olney��, Inc. and opened two Case IH dealerships in Cluj and Roman, Romania. In November 2012, the Company acquired Falcon Power Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired VAIT D.o.o. In February 2013, it acquired Tucson Tractor Company. In March 2013, it acquired Adobe CE, LLC, consisting of one Case Construction equipment dealership located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On April 1, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of ABC Rental & Equipment Sales. On May 13, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Carlson Tractor & Equipment, Inc. On May 31, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of St. Joseph Equipment Inc. On September 2, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Virgl Implement Inc. On September 2, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Victors Inc. On November 1, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Van Der Werff Implement, Inc. On December 1, 2011, the Company acquired certain assets of Jewell Implement Company, Inc. On December 23, 2011, the Company, through a newly formed subsidiary, Titan Machinery Romania, S.R.L., ac! quired certain assets of AgroExpert Capital S.R.L. On February 27, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of the Colorado division of Adobe Truck & Equipment, LLC. On March 5, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of Rimex 1-Holding EAD. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of Haberer's Implement, Inc. On April 2, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of East Helena Rental, LLC.

Equipment Sales

The Company sells agricultural and construction equipment manufactured under the CNH family of brands, as well as equipment from a variety of other manufacturers. The used equipment it sells is from inventory acquired through trade-ins from its customers and selective purchases. The agricultural equipment, which it sells and services includes application equipment and sprayers, combines and attachments, hay and forage equipment, planting and seeding equipment, precision farming technology, tillage equipment and tractors. The construction equipment, which the Company sells and services includes articulated trucks, compact track loaders, compaction equipment, cranes, crawler dozers, excavators, forklifts, loader/backhoes, loader/tool carriers, motor graders, skid steer loaders, telehandlers and wheel loaders. The Company also sells used equipment through its outlet stores.

Parts Sales

The Company sells a range of maintenance and replacement parts on equipment that it sells, as well as other types of equipment. It maintains an in-house parts inventory to provide parts, and repair and maintenance support to its customers.

Repair and Maintenance Services

The Company provides repair and maintenance services, including warranty repairs, for its customers equipment. In addition, the Company provides customer service by maintaining service histories for each piece of equipment owned by its customers, maintaining around-the-clock service hours, providing on-site repair services, scheduling off-season maintenance acti! vities wi! th customers, notifying customers of periodic service requirements and providing training programs to customers.

Equipment Rental and Other Business Activities

The Company rents equipment to its customers on a short-term basis for periods ranging from a few days to a few months. In addition, the Company provides ancillary equipment support activities, such as equipment transportation, global positioning system (GPS) signal subscriptions in connection with precision farming and reselling CNH Capital finance and insurance products.

The Company competes with RDO Equipment Co., Butler Machinery, Ziegler Inc. and Brandt Holdings Co.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Roberto Pedone]
Titan Machinery (TITN) owns and operates a network of service agricultural and construction equipment stores in the U.S. and Europe. This stock closed up 3.1% to $17.65 in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Volume: 1.71 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 366,688

Volume % Change: 377%

From a technical perspective, TITN ripped higher off its intraday low of $15.89 with heavy upside volume. Shares of TITN are now starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if TITN manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $18.60 and then once it takes out its 50-day at $18.91 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TITN as long as it's trending above that low at $15.89 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 366,688 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then TITN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $21 to its 200-day moving average at $23.43 a share.
[By Mike the PhD]
Historically the stock prices of Deere (DE) and other agricultural equipment firms and retailers like Case-New Holland (CNH), Titan Machinery (TITN), AGCO (AGCO), Tractor Supply (TSCO), Valmont (VAL), and Lindsay (LNN) have tended to closely track the price of corn. When corn prices go up, farmers tend to make more money, and they spend that money on new equipment from Deere and other firms. This relationship is especially strong for Deere and Corn, but it holds true for all of the stocks above to some extent. (Correlation coefficients between all of the stock prices above and corn are statistically significant to at least the 5% level, see my blog here for more details.)

10 Best Sliver Stocks For 2015: Western Asset Global Partners Income Fund Inc. (GDF)

Western Asset Global Partners Income Fund Inc. operates as a close-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC. The fund is sub-advised by Western Asset Management Company. It primarily invests in the fixed income markets across the globe. The fund invests in high-yield U.S. and non-U.S. corporate debt securities and high-yield foreign sovereign debt securities. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Lehman Brothers U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index and the JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global Index. The fund was formerly known as Salomon Brothers Global Partners Income Fund Inc. Western Asset Global Partners Income Fund was founded in 1993 and is based in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Chuck Carnevale]
Our first example looks at Vectren Corp.�� historical earnings, a utility with a 15-year historical earnings growth rate that is below our 3% threshold established in Part 1. Note that fair valuation is calculated using Graham Dodd�� Formula (GDF) deriving a fair value PE of 13.8 (slightly below, but close to our PE 15 standard). However, a normal PE of 16 has been historically applied by Mr. Market. Therefore, valuation falls between a PE of 13.8 to 16, or well within a range of normalcy.