It's been a bumpy ride for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) this morning, which is down 57 points at 11 a.m. EDT. Following another record close yesterday, the index has been fighting to stay close to those new heights after disappointing economic and international news generated concerns among investors. And with earnings season under way, new records are being set in the financial sector, but shareholders may be looking for quality over quantity.
Economic concerns abound
Retail sales fell 0.4% last month, disappointing analysts and investors, who had expected a flatline trend for March. On top of the weakened retail news, the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to a nine-month low, with many consumers feeling concerned about the economic recovery stalling. The index tumbled from 78.6 down to 72.3,�while analysts had expected a measly 0.1-point drop. While the question remains as to how consumer spending will ramp up in the future, the current news signals a slowing thanks to increased taxes and forced unpaid furloughs for government employees.
Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cynosure Inc.(CYNO)
Cynosure, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets aesthetic treatment systems to the dermatology, plastic surgery, and general medical markets. Its aesthetic treatment systems incorporate a range of laser and other light-based energy sources, including Alexandrite, pulse dye, Nd:Yag, and diode lasers, as well as intense pulsed light. The company?s aesthetic treatment systems comprise the Elite product line for hair removal, treatment of facial, and leg veins and pigmentations; the Smartlipo product line for LaserBodySculpting for the removal of unwanted fat; the Cellulaze, SmoothShapes XV, and TriActive product line for the temporary and long-term reduction in the appearance of cellulite; the Affirm/SmartSkin product line for anti-aging applications, such as treatments for wrinkles, skin texture, skin discoloration, and skin tightening; the Cynergy product line for the treatment of vascular lesions; and the Accolade product line for the removal of benign pigmented lesion s, as well as multi-colored tattoos. It sells its products through a direct sales force in North America, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, China, Japan, and Mexico; and through international distributors in 84 other countries. Cynosure, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Westford, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
On Tuesday, small cap biotech stock Kythera Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: KYTH) surged around 25% after announcing that its ATX-101 REFINE-1 and REFINE-2 Phase III trials met all primary and secondary endpoints for the reduction of so-called double chins; but if investors missed out on that rally, small caps Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc (NASDAQ: ZLTQ), Solta Medical Inc (NASDAQ: SLTM) and Cynosure, Inc (NASDAQ: CYNO) each have a piece of the aesthetic market as well. In the case of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, its ATX-101 can be injected to deal with double chins���meaning its less invasive than liposuction as the drug dissolves fat cells but leaves other tissue alone. JP Morgan has noted:
- [By Seth Jayson]
There's no foolproof way to know the future for Cynosure (Nasdaq: CYNO ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Aesthetic-laser maker Cynosure (NASDAQ: CYNO ) announced yesterday that it had completed the acquisition of rival laser specialist Palomar Medical Technologies for $146 million cash and 6 million shares for a total value of around $294 million.
Hot Quality Stocks To Buy For 2015: JPMorgan Chase & Co (AMJ)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPMorgan Chase), incorporated on October 28, 1968, is a financial holding company. The Company is a global financial services firm and a banking institution in the United States, with global operations. The Company is engaged in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity. JPMorgan Chase�� principal bank subsidiaries are JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.), a national bank with the United States branches in 23 states, and Chase Bank USA, National Association (Chase Bank USA, N.A.), a national bank that is the Company�� credit card-issuing bank. JPMorgan Chase�� non-bank subsidiary is J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (JPMorgan Securities), the Company�� the United States investment banking firm. The bank and non-bank subsidiaries of JPMorgan Chase operate nationally, as well as through overseas branches and subsidiaries, representative offices and subsidiary foreign banks. One of the Company�� principal operating subsidiaries in the United Kingdom is J.P. Morgan Securities plc., a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. JPMorgan Chase�� activities are organized into four business segments, as well as Corporate/Private Equity. The Company�� consumer business is the Consumer & Community Banking segment. The Company�� wholesale businesses consists of Corporate & Investment Bank, Commercial Banking, and Asset Management segments. Effective January 7, 2014, JPMorgan Chase & Co acquired an undisclosed minority stake in Chi-X Global Holdings LLC.
Consumer & Community Banking
Consumer & Community Banking (CCB) serves consumers and businesses through personal service at bank branches and through automated teller machines (ATMs), online mobile and telephone banking.CCB is organized into Consumer & Business banking, Mortgage Banking (including Mortgage Production and Servicing, and Real Estate Portfolios! ) and Card, Merchant Services & Auto (Card). Consumer & Business Banking offers deposit and investment products and services to consumers, and lending, deposit, and cash management and payment solutions to small businesses. Mortgage Banking includes mortgage origination and servicing activities, as well as portfolios comprised of residential mortgages and home equity loans, including the purchased credit impaired (PCI) portfolio acquired in the Washington Mutual transaction. Mortgage origination channels consists of Retail, Wholesale, Correspondent and Correspondent negotiated transactions. Retail includes Borrowers who buy or refinance a home through direct contact with a mortgage banker employed by the Firm using a branch office, the Internet or by phone. Wholesale refers to third-party mortgage brokers loan application packages to the Company. The Company then underwrites and funds the loan. Correspondent includes Banks, thrifts, other mortgage banks and other financial institutions that sell closed loans to the Firm. Correspondent negotiated transactions include mid-to-large-sized mortgage lenders, banks and bank-owned mortgage companies sell servicing to the Firm on an as-originated basis (excluding sales of bulk servicing transactions). Card issues credit cards to consumers and small businesses, provides payment services to corporate and public sector clients through its commercial card products, offers payment processing services to merchants, and provides auto and student loan services.
Corporate & Investment Bank
The Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB) offers a suite of investment banking, market-making, prime brokerage, and treasury and securities products and services to a global client base of corporations, investors, financial institutions, government and municipal entities. Within Banking, the CIB offers a range of investment banking products and services in all major capital markets, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital-raising in equity ! and debt ! markets, as well as loan origination and syndication. The Company also provides Treasury Services, which includes transaction services, comprised primarily of cash management and liquidity solutions, and trade finance products. The Markets & Investor Services segment of the CIB is engaged in cash securities and derivative instruments, and also offers risk management solutions, prime brokerage, and research. Markets & Investor Services also includes the Securities Services business, which holds, values, clears and services securities, cash and alternative investments for investors and broker-dealers, and manages depositary receipt programs globally.
Commercial Banking
Commercial Banking (CB) provides industry knowledge, and service to the United States multinational clients, including corporations, municipalities, financial institutions and non-profit entities with annual revenue generally ranging from $20 million to $2 billion. CB provides financing to real estate investors and owners. CB also provides financial solutions, including lending, treasury services, investment banking and asset management to meet its clients��domestic and international financial needs. Commercial Banking is divided into four client segments: Middle Market Banking, Commercial Term Lending, Corporate Client Banking, and Real Estate Banking. Middle Market Banking covers corporate, municipal, financial institution and not-for-profit clients. Commercial Term Lending provides term financing to real estate investors/owners for multifamily properties, as well as financing office, retail and industrial properties. Real Estate Banking provides full-service banking to investors and developers of institutional-grade real estate properties. Lending and investment activity within the Community Development Banking and Chase Capital segments are included in other.
Asset Management
Asset Management (AM) clients include institutions, high-net-worth individuals and retail investors. AM offe! rs invest! ment management across all major asset classes including equities, fixed income, alternatives and money market funds. AM also offers multi-asset investment management, providing solutions to a broad range of clients��investment needs. For individual investors, AM also provides retirement products and services, brokerage and banking services including trust and estate, loans, mortgages and deposits. The majority of AM�� client assets are in actively managed portfolios. AM�� client segments consists of Private Banking, Institutional and Retail. Private Banking offers investment advice and wealth management services to high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, money managers, business owners and small corporations worldwide, including investment management, capital markets and risk management, tax and estate planning, banking, capital raising and specialty-wealth advisory services. Institutional brings comprehensive global investment services including asset management, pension analytics, asset-liability management and active risk-budgeting strategies to corporate and public institutions.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jon C. Ogg]
The ETFs and funds held up on Monday:
JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSEArca: AMJ) was down only 0.3% at $46.86, versus a 52-week range of $42.18 to $49.31. Volume was 1.1 million shares versus an average of about 628,000. ALPS Alerian MLP ETF (NYSEArca: AMLP) closed down 0.45 at $17.57, versus a 52-week range of $16.75 to $18.36. This ETF traded more than 3.1 million shares, up from an average of about 2.85 million shares. The closed-end fund of Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company (NYSE: KYN) even managed to rise by 0.26% to $38.70 against a 52-week range of $33.11 to $40.22. Its volume was also almost 300,000 shares versus an average volume of closer to 218,000 shares.It still seems more than interesting that the investment community did not pound the rest of the sector in sympathy with Boardwalk. This Boardwalk MLP still has a $3.1 billion market cap, even after getting cut almost in half. Usually investors try to tie in peers when one implosion is seen versus others. It seems as though they are trusting that negative natural gas exposure here is not going to spill over into the rest of the sector, and maybe not even spill over into the price of units in its more direct peers.
- [By Robert Rapier]
The biggest problem with the fund is that while it yields an attractive 7.5 percent annually based on the most recent quarterly distribution, the total expense ratio is presently an astronomical 4.4 percent. This is bound to be a drag on performance over the long run (although it still potentially offers an attractive short-term play). As a result, my preference for a long term investment in and IRA would be to own an exchange-traded note (ETN) based on one of the Alerian indices that I reviewed recently in Navigating the Universe of MLPs. There are several to choose from, including the JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSE: AMJ), which presently yields 5 percent and has an expense ratio of 0.85 percent.
Hot Quality Stocks To Buy For 2015: ADTRAN Inc.(ADTN)
ADTRAN, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, and services communications network solutions that enable voice, data, video, and Internet communications across wireline and wireless networks worldwide. Its Carrier Networks division provides fiber and copper-based solutions for service providers to deliver voice, data, and video services to customers? premises and mobile network cell sites. Its products enable services, such as voice, VoIP, IP television, RF video, high speed Internet access, and data services based upon Ethernet, frame relay, TDM, and ATM networks, connecting the network with user components, such as switches, routers, gateways, integrated access devices (IADs), private branch exchanges (PBXs), and telephone key systems. This division serves local exchange carriers, independent operating companies, competitive local exchange carriers, utilities, municipalities, cable MSOs, international carriers, and wireless service providers. The company?s Enterprise Net works division provides Internetworking solutions for enterprise customers to construct voice, data, and video networks within their sites or among distributed sites. It offers Internetworking solutions, including IP business gateways, optical network terminals, virtual wireless LAN products, multi-service routers, managed Ethernet switches, IP PBX products, IP phone products, unified communications and unified threat management solutions, and carrier Ethernet network terminating equipment, as well as provides IADs. This division serves the retail, food service, healthcare, finance, government, education, manufacturing, military, transportation, hospitality, and energy/utility markets. ADTRAN, Inc. also provides digital data service and integrated services digital network products, high bit-rate digital subscriber line products, T1/E1/T3, channel service units/data service units, and fixed wireless products. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lee Jackson]
ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) is a leading global provider of networking and communications equipment. Its products enable voice, data, video and Internet communications across a variety of network infrastructures. ADTRAN solutions are currently in use by service providers, private enterprises, government organizations and millions of individual users worldwide. The Thomson/First Call price target for the stock is $22, and investors receive a 1.4% dividend.
- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
What: Shares of ADTRAN (NASDAQ: ADTN ) have run higher today by as much as 15% after the company reported first-quarter earnings.
So what: Revenue in the first quarter was $143 million, topping the $139.8 million that the Street was expecting. That top-line beat translated into an even bigger bottom-line beat, with adjusted earnings per share of $0.17 easily besting the $0.08 per share that investors thought was in store.
Hot Quality Stocks To Buy For 2015: ORBCOMM Inc.(ORBC)
ORBCOMM Inc., a wireless data communications company, operates commercial wireless messaging system optimized for narrowband data communications primarily in the United States and Japan. The company?s services enable businesses and government agencies to track, monitor, control, and communicate with fixed and mobile assets. It also provides customers with technology to monitor, manage, and remotely control refrigerated transportation assets. The company provides these services through a constellation of 27 low-Earth orbit or LEO satellites, 2 AIS microsatellites, and accompanying ground infrastructure. In addition, it offers terrestrial-based cellular communication services through reseller agreements with cellular wireless providers. The company markets and sells its products and services directly to original equipment manufacturers, government customers, and end-users, as well as through value-added resellers, international value-added resellers, international licensees , and country representatives. It serves various markets, such as commercial transportation, heavy equipment, fixed asset monitoring, marine vessels, and refrigerated transportation, as well as government and homeland security/Automatic Identification System. As of December 31, 2011, the company had approximately 648,000 billable subscriber communicators. ORBCOMM Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares fell around 0.65 percent in trading on Monday. Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), down 4 percent, and ORBCOMM (NASDAQ: ORBC), off 5 percent.
- [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares fell around 0.65 percent in trading on Monday. Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), down 4 percent, and ORBCOMM (NASDAQ: ORBC), off 5 percent.
Hot Quality Stocks To Buy For 2015: Invesco Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund (VTA)
Van Kampen Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund focuses to invest primarily in loan and debt instruments (and loan-related or debt-related instruments) (collectively, credit securities) of issuers that operate in a variety of industries and geographic regions located throughout the world. The Fund's investment adviser is Van Kampen Asset Management (the Adviser). The Fund's investment subadviser is Avenue Europe International Management, L.P. (the Subadviser).
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (including borrowings for investment purposes) in any combination of credit securities, including senior secured floating rate and fixed-rate loans (Senior Loans); second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed-rate loans or debt, and other debt obligations, including high-yield, high-risk obligations (such as securities that are rated below investment grade by a nationally recognized credit rating organization or unrated securities that are deemed to be of comparable quality). The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in structured products, including collateralized debt and loan obligations (collectively, structured products). The Fund may also invest in swaps, including credit default, total return, index and interest rate swaps. To the extent that the Fund invests in structured products or swaps that adjust exposure to credit securities, such investments will be counted for purposes of the Fund's 80% policy.
The Fund may invest in credit securities of any credit quality, and may invest without limitation in obligations below investment grade. Any of the Fund's investments may be issued by non-stressed, stressed and distressed issuers, including issuers in bankruptcy, provided that with respect to the portion of the Fund's assets to be managed by the Subadviser, the Subadviser will generally not invest in securities that at the time of investment have a total! yield above the applicable Avenue-Credit Thresholds. The Fund may invest in credit securities of any maturity or duration, and although the Fund will not be managed for maturity or duration, given the nature of the Fund's portfolio, the Fund's portfolio will likely have a low average duration (generally, four years or less). In addition, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in equity securities obtained through debt restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings. The Fund may utilize credit securities derivative instruments.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Harry Domash, Publisher, DividendDetective and Winning Investing]
If you're worried about rising interest rates then Invesco Dynamic Credit Opportunities, ticker (VTA), invests in below investment-grade floating rate bank loans. In other words, these are called senior loans.
They're bank loans that adjust their payouts based on prevailing interest rates, so if interest rates go up, these loans will pay higher dividends, so this is a good hedge if you are concerned about rising interest rates.
Another one that's really performed, and it's paying a 6.9% yield right now, Guggenheim Strategic Opportunities, ticker (GOF), that's actually Claymore Guggenheim, holds corporate and government backed, that it's mostly investment-grade and it's paying a 10.1% yield right now, which is pretty high. Those are three that I could recommend right now.
Steven Halpern: Well, we really appreciate you joining us today and sharing your expertise. Thank you.
Harry Domash: You're welcome.
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Hot Quality Stocks To Buy For 2015: Liberty Property Trust (LRY)
Liberty Property Trust is a publicly owned real estate investment holding trust. Through its subsidiary, it provides leasing, property management, development, acquisition, and other tenant-related services for a portfolio of industrial and office properties. The firm invests in industrial properties including various warehouse, distribution, service, assembly, light manufacturing, and research and development facilities. Its office properties include multi-story and single-story office buildings located principally in suburban mixed-use developments or office parks. Liberty Property Trust was founded in 1972 and is based in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brad Thomas]
Other REITs mentioned: (O), (NNN), (STAG), (DCT), (EGP), (PDM), (DRE), (LRY)
Source: Chambers Street: More Liquidity Magic On The Way In REIT-DomDisclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)
Hot Quality Stocks To Buy For 2015: Marquee Energy Ltd (MQL)
Marquee Energy Ltd. (Marquee), formerly Marquee Petroleum Ltd., is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas reserves in Western Canada. The Company is focused on the Cardium play of West Central Alberta in the Wilesden Green, Carrot Creek and South Pembina areas. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a total of approximately 174,420 gross acres (147,875 net acres) of oil and natural gas leases. In December 2013, it acquired all of the Western Canadian assets of Sonde Resources Corp. (Sonde), including all of its Southern Alberta properties. The Assets are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. In March 2014, Marquee Energy Ltd completed the acquisition of strategic assets in its oil focused Michichi core area. Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich] Sonde Resources Corp. An oil and gas exploration and production company based in Calgary, Alberta, Sonde Resources Corp held a global portfolio of high potential energy assets including producing oil and natural gas assets in Western Canada and offshore exploration property in North Africa.�Specifically, Sonde Resources Corp had�226,119 gross undeveloped acres in Western Canada and 750,000 acres in a Libya/Tunisia offshore licence. However and last November,�an agreement between Sonde Resources Corp and�Marquee Energy Ltd (CVE: MQL) was announced whereby�the latter�will acquire substantially all of the former���Western Canadian assets, including all of its Southern Alberta properties. These assets�are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta, immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. Under the deal which concluded at the end of last year, Sonde Resources Corp received 21,182,492 common shares of Marquee Energy Ltd plus $15 million cash with the�shares�being distributed to Sonde Resources Corp's shareholders and Sonde itself retaining the cash�received. In addition, Sonde Resources Corp will retain ownership of about 100,000 net acres of Western Canada exploration assets, split approximately equally between its Eaglesham area Wabamun play and west central Alberta Duvernay play.�Moreover, the company will continue to seek strategic alternatives for this Western Canada exploration acreage, including cash sales, farm-outs, other forms of merger, or other options. Otherwise, Sonde Resources Corp�� business�will focus on�the development of the Zarat field and exploration of the Joint Oil Block in North Africa. On Tuesday, small cap Sonde Resources Corp fell 1.83% to $0.530 (SOQ has a 52 week trading range of $0.51 to $2.11 a share) for a market cap of $29.72 million plus the stock is down 70.5% over the past year and down 55.8% over the past five years.
Jeff Chiu/AP So far, 2014 has been a high-scoring year for initial public stock offerings. The first quarter saw more IPO activity than any other initial quarter since 2000, with 64 companies listing on various U.S. exchanges raising a collective $10.6 billion. That's more than double the number of IPOs that took place in the first quarter of 2013. This is directly related to the health of the overall stock market. Generally speaking, the better shares are performing, the higher the chance of an issuer being successful on IPO day. After all, who's eager to buy anything when the market's in the doldrums? Yet even in a good environment for IPOs, companies occasionally get the jitters and withdraw their listings. Sometimes this is due to the overall atmosphere on the market; sometimes it's because of difficulties with the issuing company itself; sometimes it's both. Whatever the reason(s), the notable examples below scampered away before they could become publicly traded entities. Square One of the top anticipated IPOs of 2014 was for this cutting-edge e-commerce company, which pioneered the use of smartphone and tablet payment card readers. Then there's Square's impeccable geek credentials, thanks in no small part to its founder-CEO Jack Dorsey, who was one of the guiding lights behind Twitter (TWTR). That, apparently, wasn't enough to bring it to market. In late February, media reports had it that the company postponed its planned IPO indefinitely. It seems that it's burning through cash very quickly and doesn't have enough revenue to cover this. Instead of listing on an exchange, the firm is reportedly looking for a deep-pocketed suitor and has allegedly held discussions with Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL) and eBay (EBAY), and possibly even one of its investors, Visa (V), regarding a potential buyout. Square denies it has been in acquisition talks. Trustwave Holdings Another nonstarter in the tech IPO space was Trustwave, which provides on-demand data security solutions. After Target (TGT) suffered a large-scale breach of its credit card data last November, both the retailer and Trustwave were sued by a pair of regional banks that claimed they suffered financial damages from the incident. Trustwave claimed that it didn't outsource data security to Target (it's hard to tell -- such arrangements are usually confidential). Nevertheless, the lawsuit attracted the wrong kind of publicity before the banks dropped it in April. Interestingly, Trustwave's cancellation of the IPO was its second; the first was a flotation planned for August 2011. This time, the company was to sell 6.25 million shares priced at $15 to $17 apiece on the Nasdaq. The underwriting syndicate was led by heavyweights Morgan Stanley (MS), JPMorgan Chase's (JPM) J.P. Morgan unit and Barclays (BCS) Capital. Sundance Energy Australia The world just can't get enough energy; oil and gas markets are thriving these days. Combine that with a strong market for IPOs, and you've got a bunch of new issues in the energy sector listing on stock markets. Sundance Energy Australia had planned to complement the extant listing on its native exchange by floating nearly 7.8 million American depository shares on the Nasdaq. The issue was slated for this past February and was to be lead-underwritten by Wells Fargo (WFC) Securities, Canaccord Genuity and UBS (UBS) Investment Bank. But in April the company pulled the issue due to market conditions. That's a shame, as Sundance likely would have attracted investor interest given that it has a presence in rich U.S. plays such as the Bakken formation in the Midwest. Although the company's net result hasn't always been positive, Sundance almost doubled its top line on a year-over-year basis in the first nine months of 2013. Associated Materials The building materials sector is home to this 67-year-old company, which did not specify a reason for withdrawing its planned IPO this April. Market weakness probably had at least something to do with it; on the same day it bagged its issue, three other stocks coming to market priced below their anticipated per-share ranges. Fundamentals might also have been a factor. Both the current form of the company and its immediate predecessor have generally been unprofitable since 2009, and revenue has dropped in recent times. This is the sort of combination that gives investors pause. Regardless, a trio of busy financials -- Goldman Sachs (GS), Barclays and UBS Investment Bank -- were set to lead-underwrite the issue, which was planned to raise up to $100 million on the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange. 
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