Friday, August 15, 2014

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014

With shares of Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) trading around $20, is CSCO an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Cisco�designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol based networking and other products related to the communications and and provides services associated with these products and their use to�information technology industries worldwide. The company provides a line of products for transporting data, voice, and video within buildings, across campuses, and around the world. Its products are designed to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Cisco operates in five segments: United States and Canada, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan. Through its segments and product offerings, Cisco adds massive networking value to consumers and businesses around the world that require improved technology. As long as business and economies are growing, Cisco will continue to be a leading provider of communication products and services across the globe.

Top Insurance Companies To Buy Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, restaurant operator Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking. �

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014: Graham Holdings Co (GHC)

Graham Holdings Company, formerly The Washington Post Company, incorporated on July 21, 2003, is a diversified education and media company whose principal operations include educational services, television broadcasting, cable television systems, and online, print and local TV news. The Company owns Kaplan, a provider of educational services to individuals, schools and businesses, serving over one million students annually with operations in more than 30 countries. Its programs include higher education, test preparation, language instruction and professional training. Its Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc owns six television stations which include WDIV-Detroit (NBC), KPRC-Houston (NBC),WPLG-Miami (ABC), WKMG-Orlando (CBS), KSAT-San Antonio (ABC) and WJXT-Jacksonville (independent). The stations also broadcast digital channels focusing on classic television and lifestyle programming, in addition to operating websites, mobile sites and mobile apps delivering breaking news, weather and community news. Its Cable ONE, headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, serves small-city subscribers in 19 midwestern, western and southern states. Cable ONE provides digital video, Internet and phone service to homes and businesses. The Company�� Slate Group is a daily online magazine that offers fresh angles on stories in the news and entertainment coverage, all with its signature wit and irreverence, publishing provocative commentary on topics such as politics, culture, business and technology. Slate V is a daily online video magazine offering original video about politics, culture, and business, technology.

The Company divested its interest in Avenue100 Media Solutions Inc., a digital marketing company headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, in 2012. The Company sold its interest in the Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited to the Province of Nova Scotia in 2012. In March 2013, the Company announced it has completed the sale of The Herald, a daily and Sunday newspaper and its other print and online products to Sound Publ! ishing, Inc.

Education

Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, provides a range of education and related services worldwide for students and professionals. Kaplan conducts its operations through three segments: Kaplan Higher Education, Kaplan Test Preparation and Kaplan International. Kaplan Higher Education (KHE) provides a wide array of certificate, diploma and degree programs on campus and online designed to meet the needs of students seeking to advance their education and career goals. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Kaplan�� United States-based KHE division businesses include Kaplan University and KHE Campuses.

Kaplan University specializes in online education, is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and holds other programmatic accreditations. Kaplan University�� programs are offered online, while some are offered in a traditional classroom format at 12 campuses in Iowa, Maine, Maryland and Nebraska, and four Kaplan University Learning Centers in four additional states. Kaplan University also includes Concord Law School, a fully online law school. During 2012, Kaplan University had approximately 38,800 students enrolled in online programs and approximately 5,600 students enrolled in its classroom-based programs.

Also residing within Kaplan University is the School of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). PACE offers a range of education solutions to assist professionals in advancing their careers by obtaining professional licenses, designations and certifications. This includes solutions for insurance, securities, real estate, mortgage and appraisal licensing exams and for advanced designations, such as CFA and CPA exams. PACE serves more than 2,900 business-to-business clients, including more than 70 Fortune 500 companies. In 2012, approximately 510,000 students used PACE's exam preparation offerings. As of December 31, 2012, the KHE Campuses business consis! ts of 59 ! schools in 17 states, which provides classroom-based instruction to approximately 21,100 students.

Kaplan International operates businesses in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. In Europe, Kaplan operates in the businesses, which are all based in the United Kingdom and Ireland: Kaplan UK, Kaplan International Colleges (KIC) and a set of higher education institutions. The Kaplan United Kingdom business in Europe is a provider of training, test preparation services and degrees for accounting and financial services professionals, including those studying for ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW qualifications. In addition, Kaplan United Kingdom provides legal and professional training, including the operation of a United Kingdom law school in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University�� Nottingham Law School. In 2012, Kaplan United Kingdom provided courses to approximately 66,000 students, of whom 49,000 were dedicated to accounting and financial services coursework.

The KIC business consists of university pathways business and an English-language training business. The university pathways business offers academic preparation programs especially designed for international students who wish to study in English-speaking countries. KIC operates university pathways programs in collaboration with nine U.K. universities. As of December 31, 2012, KIC�� university pathways business was serving approximately 2,700 students. The English-language business (previously operated as Kaplan Aspect) provides English-language training, academic preparation programs and test preparation for English proficiency exams, principally for students wishing to study and travel in English-speaking countries. KIC operates a total of 41 English-language schools, with 19 located in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and 22 located in the United States, where they operate under the name Kaplan International Centers. During 2012, the English-language business served approximately 65,000 stud! ents.

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Kaplan also operates three higher education institutions in Europe, located in the United Kingdom and Ireland. These institutions are Dublin Business School, Holborn College and Kaplan Open Learning. As of December 31, 2012, these institutions enrolled an aggregate of approximately 6,500 students. In the Asia Pacific region, Kaplan operates businesses in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and China. In Singapore, Kaplan operates three business units, Higher Education, Financial and Professional, which serve more than 16,700 students from various countries throughout Asia.

Kaplan Singapore�� Higher Education business provides students with the opportunity to earn bachelor�� and postgraduate degrees in various fields on either a part-time or full-time basis. Kaplan Singapore�� students receive degrees from affiliated educational institutions in Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. In addition, this division offers pre-university and diploma programs. Kaplan Singapore�� Financial business provides preparatory courses for professional qualifications in accountancy and finance, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

In Australia, Kaplan delivers a broad range of financial services education and professional development courses. In 2012, this business provided courses to approximately 17,400 students through classroom programs and to more than 44,800 students through distance-learning programs. In 2012, Kaplan Australia underwent operational restructuring and offers its programs through three business units: English Language and Pathways; Vocational Education; and Higher Education.

The Vocational Education business of Kaplan Australia includes Kaplan Professional Education (KPE), Carrick Education Group and Franklyn Scholar. KPE offers financial services education programs and continuing professional development courses primarily to a business-to-business market, including banks and numerous! industry! sectors.. Approximately 43,000 students are taught through KPE each year. Carrick has traditionally offered English-language programs, vocational training and higher education courses in Australia. Kaplan is evaluating various strategic alternatives with respect to the Carrick business lines. As of December 31, 2012, Carrick was providing services to approximately 1,300 students. Franklyn Scholar offers a wide range of custom-developed programs to business clients. More than 16,000 students are taught through Franklyn Scholar each year.

The higher education business of Kaplan Australia comprises Kaplan Online Higher Education (KOHE) and Kaplan Business School (KBS), which offers diploma, bachelor�� and master�� degree programs. As of December 31, 2012, KBS has opened a new school in Brisbane and operates in four states in Australia teaching approximately 700 students each year. KOHE teaches approximately 1,800 students annually in postgraduate courses primarily in the financial services sector.

In Hong Kong, Kaplan offers a comprehensive array of programs, ranging from language education and standardized test preparation to corporate and financial training and higher education degree courses. During 2012, Kaplan�� Hong Kong business provided courses to more than 15,700 students.

In China, Kaplan provides foundation programs to Chinese students through partnerships with prestigious Chinese universities and high schools. Kaplan China offers foundation programs at 11 campuses and had more than 1,100 students enrolled at the end of 2012. Kaplan China also cooperates with several Chinese universities to provide ACCA training programs to the students. Cable ONE offers broadband Internet access service on virtually all of its cable systems and is the sole Internet service provider on those systems.

Kaplan International also includes the Kaplan Global Solutions business unit, which continues to develop partnerships with colleges, universities and non-p! rofit corp! orations and foundations. Kaplan Global Solutions, through its Colloquy business, enables its university partners to develop online educational programs by providing an array of research, marketing and design services. Through its Global Pathways programs, Kaplan Global Solutions enables its partner institutions in the Americas to enhance their brand globally and increase international student enrollments by designing and marketing custom programs aimed at student success.

Cable Television Operations

Through its subsidiary Cable One, Inc. (Cable ONE), the Company owns and operates cable television systems that provide video, Internet and voice service to subscribers in 19 midwestern, western and southern states. At the end of 2012, Cable ONE provided cable service to approximately 593,600 video subscribers, representing about 41% of the 1,439,740 homes passed by the systems, had approximately 459,200 subscriptions to high-speed data (HSD) service and 184,500 subscriptions to VoIP (digital voice) service. The video services offered by Cable ONE include certain premium, cable network and local over-the-air channels in high-definition television (HDTV) format. Cable ONE offers voice over Internet Protocol service, which permits users to make voice calls over broadband communications networks, including the Internet.

Other Activities

WaPo Labs is a digital team focusing on experimenting with emerging technologies. In 2012, WaPo Labs launched several projects in partnership with the Company�� media properties: Personal Post, a feature on washingtonpost.com that delivers personalized article recommendations based on a user�� interests and past reading behavior; The Fold, a video news program available on washingtonpost.com, Google TV and Android tablets, and The Root 100, which comprises 100 Android apps aggregating content about the Root 100 honorees, chosen for their impact and influence within the African-American community. In addition to working clo! sely with! the Company�� news websites, WaPo Labs oversees Washington Post Social Reader (Social Reader) and Trove. Social Reader is a Facebook-connected Website that delivers news articles based on a user�� interests and what their friends are reading. Social Reader aggregates content from the Post, Slate, Foreign Policy, Express, the Root and more than 90 other content partners to create a social stream of articles.

Social Code LLC (Social Code) is a marketing solutions company helping Fortune 500 brands maximize their marketing efforts on social media platforms. Celtic Healthcare, Inc. (Celtic) is a Medicare-certified provider of home health and hospice services headquartered in Mars, PA. Through its subsidiaries, Celtic is licensed to provide home health and hospice services throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland. These services include skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work, nutrition, chaplain and aid services. In addition, Celtic provides virtual care services to patients throughout its service territories. Celtic derives 74% of its revenue from Medicare, with the remaining sources of revenue being Medicaid, commercial insurance and private payors.

The Company competes with Edmunds.com, AutoTrader.com, Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Yelp, OpenTable, Google, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Yahoo!.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Holly LaFon]

    Almost every investment positively contributed to performance in 2013, and the importance of good partners and strong businesses was evident. New leaders quickly improved operations and sold non-core assets to strengthen the balance sheets at Chesapeake, Hochtief , and Level 3. At Philips and Wendy's, managements focused on the most profitable parts of their businesses while implementing successful programs to increase revenues and margins. We had major asset sales at premiums to our appraisals at Vodafone (VOD) (Verizon Wireless stake) and Graham Holdings (GHC) (The Washington Post).

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Kaplan booked more than $2 billion in revenues in 2013, down slightly from 2012. Kaplan is owned by Graham Holdings Co. (NYSE: GHC), which was spun out of the Washington Post Co. when Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) bought the newspaper last year

  • [By Emily Jane Fox]

    In the past year, millennials turned up the heat against low wages at Victoria's Secret, Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500), Wendy's (WEN), KFC (YUM, Fortune 500) and others like Kaplan (GHC), which runs tutoring centers.

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014: G-III Apparel Group Ltd (GIII)

G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. (G-III) designs, manufactures and markets a range of apparel, including outerwear, dresses, sportswear, women�� suits and women�� performance wear, as well as luggage and women�� handbags, small leather goods and cold weather accessories. It operates in three segments: wholesale licensed products, wholesale non-licensed products and retail operations. The wholesale licensed products segment includes sales of products under brands licensed by it from third parties. The wholesale non-licensed products segment includes sales of products under its own brands and private label brands. The retail operations segment consists almost entirely of the operations of its Wilsons outlet stores. The Company sells its products under its own brands, which include Andrew Marc, Marc New York and Marc Moto, licensed brands and private retail labels. In August 2012, the Company acquired Vilebrequin, a provider of swimwear, accessories and resort-wear. Effective November 4, 2013, G-III Apparel Group Ltd acquired GH Bass & Co.

The Company provides apparel under recognized brands to a cross section of retailers, such as Macy��, Bloomingdale��, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, The Bon-Ton Stores, Dillards, JC Penney, Belk and Kohl��. As of January 31, 2012, the Company operated 139 retail stores, of which 135 are outlet stores operated under the Wilsons Leather name and four are outlet stores operated under its Andrew Marc brand. It has licenses to produce branded fashion apparel under the Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Cole Haan, Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi��, Dockers, Jessica Simpson, Ellen Tracy, Kensie, Mac & Jac, Jones New York, Sean John and Nine West brands, among others. It also has sports licenses with the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Touch by Alyssa Milano and over 100 United States colleges and universities. G-III sells outerwear, dresses and handbags under the Company�� own Andrew Marc, Marc ! New York and Marc Moto brands and has licensed these brands to select third parties in certain product categories. Its other owned brands include, among others, Jessica Howard, Eliza J, Black Rivet, G-III, G-III Sports by Carl Banks and Winlit.

The Company works with a group of retailers, such as JC Penney, Kohl�� and Express in developing private label product lines. G-III�� products are sold primarily to department, specialty and mass merchant retail stores in the United States. It sells to approximately 2,400 customers, ranging from national and regional chains to small specialty stores. It also distributes its products through its retail outlet stores. It also markets its products in Canada, Europe and the Far East.

G-III�� branded apparel also consists of both women�� and men�� products. The Andrew Marc line of women�� and men�� luxury apparel is sold to upscale department and specialty retail stores. The Marc New York line of women�� and men�� better priced outerwear is sold to upper tier stores. The Marc Moto line is a men�� denim lifestyle collection of sportswear and accessories. The Jessica Howard label is a moderate price dress line that sells to department stores, specialty stores and catalogs. Eliza J is a better dress line that sells to better department and specialty stores. The Black Rivet line of apparel consists of women�� and men�� outerwear. It sells men�� sports-related apparel under its G-III Sports by Carl Banks label.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap apparel stock G-III Apparel Group, Ltd (NASDAQ: GIII) has been making bullish moves lately plus the stock is up 97.1% since the start of the year, making it the third best performing apparel stock (according to stock screener Finviz)�after small cap�Ever-Glory International Group Inc (NYSEMKT: EVK) and mid cap Fifth & Pacific Companies Inc (NYSE: FNP) followed by mid cap Hanesbrands Inc (NYSE: HBI). But is the G-III Apparel Group dressed for long term success for investors?

  • [By Amal Singh]

    G-III Apparel (NASDAQ: GIII  ) has a strong portfolio of 30 licensed brands, marketing apparel, outerwear, beachwear, luggage, women's handbags, small leather goods, and accessories, to name a few of its products. The company sells its apparel�offerings under popular brand names like Andrew Marc, Jessica Howard, Calvin Klein, Levi's, and Tommy Hilfiger. The company has also announced plans to revive the Starter Statin jacket franchise�. It is also looking at acquisitions and mergers to grow its business moving forward�.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Basic guidelines
    In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at G-III Apparel Group (Nasdaq: GIII  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is G-III Apparel Group doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, pretty well. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 14.2%, and inventory increased 16.0%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue expanded 18.8%, and inventory grew 16.0%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 27.4%, and inventory dropped 13.8%.

  • [By alicet236]

    G-III Apparel Group Ltd. (GIII): CEO, 10% Owner Morris Goldfarb Sold 200,000 Shares

    CEO, 10% Owner of G-III Apparel Group Ltd. (GIII) Morris Goldfarb sold 200,000 shares on 01/14/2014 at an average price of $70.9. G-III Apparel Group Ltd is a Delaware corporation that was formed in 1989. G-III Apparel Group Ltd. has a market cap of $1.46 billion; its shares were traded at around $71.45 with a P/E ratio of 20.60 and P/S ratio of 0.91. G-III Apparel Group Ltd. had an annual average earnings growth of 22.20% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated G-III Apparel Group Ltd. the business predictability rank of 3.5-star.

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014: UniCredit SpA (UCG)

UniCredit SpA is an Italy-based holding company engaged in the financial sector. The Company�� division model is based on four pillars: Customer Centricity, A Multi-Local Approach, Global Product Lines, and Global Service Lines. The Customer Centricity area focuses on the Retail, Corporate & Investment Banking and Private Banking areas. The Centralized Multi-Local Approach takes responsibility for the distribution networks and customer relationships. The Global Products Lines are responsible for developing the products and services across all geographic areas. The Global Service Lines which supply the network coverage functions and product factories with specialized services, including Banking Back Office, Information and Communication Technology, Credit Collection, Procurement Services, Real Estate and Shared Service Centers. On October 28, 2013, the aggregate sale by UniCredit SpA of Fondiaria Sai SpA equal to 6.7% was complied. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sarah Jones]

    Banco Popolare SC led Italian lenders higher as the country�� 10-year bond yields declined. Popolare rallied 7 percent to 1.05 euros in Milan. Banca Popolare di Milano Scrl increased 4.7 percent to 52.4 euro cents. And UniCredit SpA (UCG), Italy�� biggest bank, climbed 3.6 percent to 3.63 euros.

  • [By Alexis Xydias]

    Banks led the rally over the past four months, with Paris-based Societe Generale SA (GLE) and UniCredit SpA (UCG), Italy�� biggest lender, surging more than 45 percent.

  • [By Tom Stoukas]

    UniCredit (UCG), Italy�� largest bank, lost 1.3 percent to 4.71 euros. Intesa Sanpaolo, which appointed Carlo Messina as chief executive officer to replace Enrico Tommaso Cucchiani yesterday, fell 3.5 percent to 1.53 euros. Mediaset SpA, the broadcaster controlled by Berlusconi, dropped 4.5 percent to 3 euros, the lowest price since July 3.

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014: China Auto Logistics Inc.(CALI)

China Auto Logistics Inc. primarily engages in the sale and trading of imported automobiles in the People?s Republic of China. It also offers financing services, including letter of credit issuance, purchase deposit financing, and import duty advances, as well as automobile value-added services, including customs clearance, storage, and nationwide delivery services to automobile dealers and agents. In addition, the company operates Websites that provide subscribers with sales and trading information for imported and domestically manufactured automobiles. Its Websites include cali.com.cn, which provides auto living public with information about auto and auto-related products and services; at188.com that provides sales and trading information about imported automobiles, as well as parts and components information; at160.com, which provides sales and trading information about domestically manufactured automobiles; and goodcar.cn that provides information relating to automoti ve products and services, including discounted gas, car washes, emergency roadside assistance, body-shop repairs, and car maintenance. The company sells automobiles to authorized dealers, free traders or wholesalers, government agencies, and individual customers. China Auto Logistics Inc. is based in Tianjin, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    China Auto Logistic (NASDAQ: CALI) shares dropped 9.06% to $3.17 after the company announced 2013 results. China Auto Logistic posted its net income of $524,260, or $0.14 per share.

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014: BlackRock Inc (BLK)

BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock) is an independent investment management firm. The Company provides a range of investment and risk management services. The Company serves its clients as a fiduciary, and derives all of its revenues from client business. It invests in capital markets globally. Its clients include taxable, tax-exempt and official institutions (including pension funds, endowments, insurance companies, corporations, financial institutions, central banks and sovereign wealth funds) as well as retail investors and high net worth individuals. Its product range includes single- and multi-asset class portfolios investing in equities, fixed income, alternatives and/or money market instruments. It offer its products directly and through intermediaries in a range of vehicles, including open-end and closed-end mutual funds, iShares exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other exchange-traded products ( ETPs), collective investment funds and separate accounts. The Company also offers its BlackRock Solutions (BRS) investment systems, risk management and advisory services to institutional investors. In March 2012, it acquired Claymore Investments, Inc. from Guggenheim Partners, LLC.

Equity and Fixed Income

Equity and fixed income assets under management (AUM) include a range of active and passive strategies. Merger-related outflows in equities and fixed income, respectively, due to manager concentration.

Multi-Asset Class

BlackRock�� multi-asset class team manages a range of bespoke mandates. Investment solutions include a combination of long-only portfolios and alternative investments, as well as tactical asset allocation overlays. As of December 31, 2011, institutional investors represented 63% of multi-asset class AUM, while retail and high net worth investors accounted for 37%. Flows were almost evenly split as well. During the year ended December 31, 2011, with 55% of multi-asset class AUM managed for clients based in the Americas, 38% in Europe, the Mi! ddle East and Africa (EMEA) and 7% in Asia-Pacific. As of December 31, 2011, asset allocation and balanced products represented 56% of multi-asset class AUM. As of December 31, 2011, fiduciary management services accounted for 22% of multi-asset class AUM. As of December 31, 2011, target date and target risk funds is 22% of multi-asset class AUM.

Alternative Investments

As of December 31, 2011, the alternative investment client base was predominantly institutional, representing 73% of alternatives AUM with retail and high net worth investors comprising an additional 9% of AUM. As of December31, 2011, iShares consisted 18% of ending AUM. The geographic mix was well diversified, with 56% of AUM managed for clients in the Americas, 22% for clients in EMEA and 22% for clients in Asia-Pacific. The BlackRock Alternative Investors (BAI) group coordinates its alternative investment efforts, including product management, business development and client service. The products offered under the BAI umbrella are: core, which includes hedge funds, funds of funds and real estate offerings, and currency and commodities. Offerings include high yield debt and core, value-added and opportunistic equity portfolios. It also offers open-end hedge funds and similar products and closed-end funds. These products include a range of active and passive products managed through institutional separate accounts.

Cash Management and Securities Lending

Cash management products include taxable and tax-exempt money market funds and customized separate accounts. Portfolios may be denominated in the United States dollar, euro or pound sterling. As of December 31, 20110, its cash management clientele is institutional, with 84% of cash AUM managed for institutions and 16% for retail and high net worth investors. The investor base was also domestic, with 70% managed for investors in the Americas and 30% for clients in other regions, almost all EMEA-based.

Active Strategies

! The Company offers two types of active strategies: those that rely primarily on fundamental research and those that utilize primarily quantitative models to drive security selection and portfolio construction. As of December 31, 2011, active long-term AUM consisted of 23% equities, 52% fixed income, 18% multi-asset and 7% alternatives.

Active Equity

A range of products are offered, including global and regional portfolios; value, growth and core products; large, mid and small cap strategies, and selected sector funds. BlackRock manages active equity portfolios for a range of institutional and retail and high net worth investors globally. Approximately 48% of its active equity AUM was managed for investors based in the Americas, 38% in EMEA and 14% in Asia-Pacific.

Active Fixed Income

Fixed income mandates are tailored to client-specified liabilities, accounting, regulatory or rating agency requirements, or other investment policies. As of December 31, 2011, of BlackRock�� total active fixed income AUM, 81% was managed on behalf of institutional investors and 19% for retail and high net worth investors. The client base reflects 70% of active fixed income AUM managed for investors in the Americas, 21% for EMEA domiciled clients, and 9% for investors in the Asia-Pacific region.

Multi-Asset and Alternatives

During 2011, 97% of AUM in multi-asset class mandates, and 76% of AUM in alternative investments are managed in active strategies. As of December 31, 2011, equity products consisted 64% of institutional index AUM. Fixed income products represented 35% of institutional index AUM. Less than 1% of institutional index AUM is in alternatives or multi-asset class products.

iShares / ETPs

During 2011, the Company introduced 45 new ETPs, maintaining dual commitment innovation and responsible product structuring. Its product range offers investors the building blocks required to assemble diversified portfolio! s. As of ! December 31, 2011, its iShares product mix included 71%, in equity offerings, and 26%, in fixed income ETPs and 3%, in multi-asset class and alternative investments. In addition, the Company is an ETF manager in Mexico and has products in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan. In addition, the Company is the ETP manager in Latin America.

BlackRock Solutions

BlackRock offers investment systems, risk management, outsourcing and advisory services under the BlackRock Solutions brand name. Its Aladdin operating platform serves as the investment system for BlackRock and institutional investors globally. BRS also offers comprehensive risk reporting through the Green Package and risk management advisory services, interactive fixed income analytics through its Web-based calculator, AnSer, middle and back office outsourcing services and investment accounting. Clients have also retained BRS��Financial Markets Advisory (FMA) group for a range of engagements, such as valuation and risk assessment of illiquid assets, portfolio restructuring, workouts and dispositions of distressed assets and financial and balance sheet strategies.

Transition Management Services

BlackRock also offers transition management services, involving the temporary oversight of a client�� assets as they transition from one manager to another or from one strategy to another. It provides service that includes project management and implementation based on achieving execution consistent with the client�� risk management tolerances. The average transition assignment is executed within three weeks. These portfolios are not included in AUM unless BlackRock has been retained to manage the assets after the transition phase.

Risk & Quantitative Analysis

Across all asset classes, the Risk & Quantitative Analysis (RQA) group at BlackRock provides risk management advice and independent risk oversight of the investment management processes, identifies and hel! ps manage! counterparty and operational risks, coordinates standards for firm wide investment performance measurement and determines risk management-related analytical and information requirements.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Wallace Witkowski]

    Also 52 S&P 500 components release results with significant reports filling out the tech and financial sectors. Companies include Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) , Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) , Bank of America Corp. (BAC) , Citigroup Inc. (C) , Morgan Stanley (MS) , and BlackRock Inc. (BLK)

  • [By John Grgurich]

    Angling for more money, AIG and company got the case back into in a New York State courtroom at the start of June. But when presiding judge Barbara Kapnick had to temporarily halt proceedings due to scheduling conflicts, she suggested that all parties involved -- which includes bond giants BlackRock (NYSE: BLK  ) and PIMCO -- try to settle the case in mediation.�

Top 10 Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2014: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASX)

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. is principally engaged in the manufacture, assembly, processing, testing and distribution of integrated circuits (ICs). The Company provides semiconductor packaging and testing services, including plastic leaded chip carriers (PLCCs), quad flat packages (QFPs) and flip chip packaging technology, among others, which are applied in the manufacture of household electrical appliances, communication devices, automobile components, personal computers, set top boxes, servers, memory integrated circuits (ICs), mobile phones, digital cameras, game consoles, projectors, high definition (HD) televisions, wireless communication network products and power management ICs, among others. The Company operates its businesses primarily in Taiwan, Europe and the Americas. In August 2010, the Company acquired a 100% interest in EEMS Test Singapore.

The Company is focused on packaging and testing logic semiconductors. The Company offers its customers turnkey services, which consist of packaging, testing and direct shipment of semiconductors to end users designated by its customers. The Company�� global base of over 200 customers includes semiconductor companies across a range of end use applications, including Altera Corporation, ATI Technologies, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited and Microsoft Corporation. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company�� packaging revenues accounted for 77.7% of its net revenues and its testing revenues accounted for 20.1% of its net revenues.

Packaging Services

The Company offers a range of package types to meet the requirements of its customers, with a focus on packaging solutions. Within its portfolio of package types, the Company focuses on the packaging of semiconductors. These include advanced leadframe-based package types, such as quad flat package, thin quad flat package, bump chip carrier and quad flat no-lead package, and package types based on substrates, such a! s flip-chip ball grid array (BGA) and other BGA types, as well as other packages, such as wafer-bumping products. Leadframe-based packages are packaged by connecting the die, using wire bonders, to the leadframe with gold wire. The Company�� leadframe-based packages include quad flat package (QFP)/ thin quad flat package (TQFP), quad flat no-lead package (QFN)/microchip carrier (MCC), advanced quad flat no-lead package (AQFN), bump chip carrier (BCC), small outline plastic package (SOP)/thin small outline plastic package (TSOP), small outline plastic j-bend package (SOJ), plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) and plastic dual in-line package (PDIP). Substrate-based packages employ the BGA design, which utilizes a substrate rather than a leadframe. It also assembles system-in-a-package products, which involve the integration of more than one chip into the same package. The Company�� substrate-based packages include Plastic BGA, Cavity Down BGA, Stacked-Die BGA, Flip-Chip BGA and land grid array (LGA).

The Company�� wafer-level packaging products include wafer level chip scale package (aCSP) and advanced wafer level package (aWLP). The Company offers module assembly services, which combine one or more packaged semiconductors with other components in an integrated module to enable functionality, typically using surface mount technology (SMT) machines and other machinery and equipment for system-level assembly. End use applications for modules include cellular phones, personal digital assistant (PDAs), wireless local area network (LAN) applications, bluetooth applications, camera modules, automotive applications and toys.

The Company provides module assembly services primarily at its facilities in Korea for radio frequency and power amplifier modules used in wireless communications and automotive applications. Interconnect materials connect the input/output on the semiconductor dies to the printed circuit board. Interconnect materials include substrate, which is a multi-layer m! iniature ! printed circuit board. The Company produces substrates for use in its packaging operations.

Testing Services

The Company provides a range of semiconductor testing services, including front-end engineering testing, wafer probing, final testing of logic/mixed-signal/radio frequency (RF) and memory semiconductors and other test-related services. The Company provides front-end engineering testing services, including customized software development, electrical design validation, and reliability and failure analysis. The Company provides final testing services for a variety of memory products, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), single-bit erasable programmable read-only memory semiconductors and flash memory semiconductors.

The Company provides a range of additional test-related services, including burn-in testing, module sip testing, dry pack, tape and reel, and electric interface board and mechanical test tool design. The Company offers drop shipment services for shipment of semiconductors directly to end users designated by its customers.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By David Dittman]

    Crown Resorts is a buy all the way up to USD16.50 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) using the symbol CWN and on the US over-the-counter (OTC) market using the symbol CWLDF.

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