Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now

It was a pretty ho-hum day on the markets today without significant economic or earnings news to drive stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) fell just 0.13% off its record close on Friday and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) closed down 0.09% today. The markets didn't make significant moves but a few stocks did make big moves lower.

Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) was the biggest loser on the Dow, falling 1.7%. The FDA released some safety concerns about an experimental insomnia drug including daytime drowsiness, suicidal thinking, and problems driving. The drug will go to a panel of experts on Wednesday and there's likely enough evidence to throw out higher doses so the question comes down to lower dosage levels. If the panel doesn't see enough evidence to approve a lower dose, we could be in for another round of testing or the drug could be nixed altogether. �

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Own Right Now: Terex Corporation(TEX)

Terex Corporation manufactures capital goods machinery products worldwide. Its Aerial Work Platforms segment offers portable material lifts, portable aerial work platforms, trailer-mounted articulating booms and light towers, self-propelled articulating and telescopic booms, scissor lifts, telehandlers, and bridge inspection and utility equipment under the Terex and Genie brands. The company?s Construction segment provides off-highway trucks and material handlers; loader backhoes, compaction equipment, mini and midi excavators, site dumpers, compact track loaders, skid steer loaders, wheel loaders, and tunneling equipment; and asphalt and concrete equipment, and landfill compactors principally under the Terex name. Its Cranes segment offers mobile telescopic and tower cranes, lattice boom crawler and truck cranes, and truck-mounted cranes; and straddle and sprinter carriers, gantry cranes, ship-to-shore cranes, reach stackers, empty and full container handlers, and genera l cargo lift trucks under the Terex brand. The company?s Material Handling and Port Solutions segment provides standard and process cranes, rope and chain hoists, electric motors, and light crane systems; and crane components and port equipment, such as mobile harbor and automated stacking cranes, and automated guided vehicles, as well as terminal automation technology, including software under the Demag and Gottwald names. Its Materials Processing segment offers crushers, washing systems, screens, apron feeders, chippers, and related components and replacement parts under the Terex and Powerscreen brands. The company provides financing solutions to assist customers in the rental, leasing, and acquisition of its products. It serves construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, manufacturing, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, and utility industries through dealers, rental companies, direct sales, and major accounts. The company was founded in 1925 and is based i n Westport, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Joy Global, which competes with the likes of Caterpillar (CAT), Terex (TEX) and Deere (DE), have plunged today after the machinery maker announced disappointing earnings and guidance.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  There are definitely concerns for Phillip Morris, which include decreased market share in many areas and poor debt management. However, up until this point, Phillip Morris has done a good job rewarding its shareholders. While history usually repeats itself, that�� not necessarily an all-positive in this case. Phillip Morris didn�� hold up well in 2008/early 2009. If a similar environment were to present itself again, then Phillip Morris wouldn�� be a top option ��regardless of the impressive yield. In the meantime, Phillip Morris is an OUTPERFORM.

• [By Diane Alter]

  Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September

  Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packaging products in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good
• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Similarly, in 2008, Altria spun off its Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) unit. In that case, Philip Morris represented the larger portion of the business, making up almost 70% of the overall value of the pre-merger company. Again, the dividends that Altria paid after the merger were in line with the domestic segment's previous share of payouts.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Strategic Diagnostics Inc.(SDIX)

Strategic Diagnostics Inc., a biotechnology company, develops, commercializes, and markets proprietary products, services, and solutions for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, food safety, and environmental markets. Its life science portfolio includes products and custom services that supply critical reagents used across the life science research and development markets. These products and services include custom antibodies, in-vitro diagnostic-grade antibodies, proprietary critical reagent products, associated bio-processing services, and custom assay design and development services that are sold to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic companies, as well as to biomedical research centers. The company also provides Kit products, including immunoassays, which represent advanced technology for the detection of food pathogens and soil contaminants. Its detection technologies allow industrial customers to identify the presence of adulterants, such as chem ical toxins, biological pathogens, and other contaminants, which can compromise human or environmental safety, and/or impact efficiencies of production processes. These products are used in various applications, including food and beverage manufacturing, environmental management, and agriculture and agro-science. The company markets and sells its products in the life sciences, and food safety product categories through a direct sales force, Internet, and a network of distributors, as well as through its corporate partners in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Strategic Diagnostics Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Newark, Delaware.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  SDIX (Nasdaq:SDIX) – a leading provider of biotechnology-based products and services for a broad range of life science, biotechnology, diagnostic, and food safety applications, expects to release its second quarter 2012 results at approximately 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 8, 2012.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Stage Stores Inc.(SSI)

Stage Stores, Inc. operates as a specialty department store retailer that offers branded and private label apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and footwear for women, men, and children in the United States. The company also offers sportswear, dresses, intimates, home and gift products, outerwear, swimwear, and other products. It primarily focuses on consumers in small and mid-sized markets. The company operates stores under the names of Bealls, Goody?s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage. Stage Stores, Inc. also sells its products through its Web site. As of March 06, 2012, it operated 819 stores in 40 states. Stage Stores, Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Stage Stores Inc.(SSI) said it agreed to sell its Steele’s retail stores to financial services firm Hilco Global later this year, which contributed to a drop in fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. The top line missed expectations, and the sales view for the year also fell below the consensus view.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: First Trust Ise Global Engineering And Construction Index Fund (FLM)

First Trust ISE Global Engineering and Construction Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the ISE Global Engineering and Construction Index (the Index). The Fund is a series of the First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund II, an investment company and an exchange-traded index fund. The Index is developed and owned by the International Securities Exchange, LLC (ISE or Index Provider), in consultation with Standard & Poor's, a Division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., which calculates and maintains the Index. The Index specifically targets companies that are engaged in civil and capital projects, such as infrastructure, utilities, transportation, telecommunications, commercial, residential and commerce facilities, and whose roles are within the engineering, designing, planning, consulting, project managing and/or constructing of these projects. First Trust Advisors L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap building materials stock NCI Building Systems Inc (NYSE: NCS) fell yesterday after announcing a share offering plus its investors have (so-far) missed out on any ��ecovery��in construction���meaning it might be time to take a closer look at the stock along with potential performance benchmarks like the PowerShares Dynamic Building & Construction ETF (NYSEARCA: PKB) and the First Trust ISE Global Engineering and Construction Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: FLM)���both of which have had decent returns in recent years.

• [By John Udovich]

  Mid cap infrastructure construction stock Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (NYSE: CBI) fell 7.23% after being trashed in an article by an apparent�short seller posted on Seeking Alpha, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of potential benchmarks like Jacobs Engineering Group Inc (NYSE: JEC), KBR, Inc (NYSE: KBR) and First Trust ISE Global Engineering and Construction Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: FLM).

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Baidu Inc.(BIDU)

Baidu, Inc. provides Chinese and Japanese language Internet search services. Its search services enable users to find relevant information online, including Web pages, news, images, multimedia files, and blogs through the links provided on its Websites. The company also offers online community-based products and entertainment platforms; an instant messaging service; and a consumer-oriented e-commerce platform. In addition, it designs and delivers online marketing services and auction-based P4P services that enable its customers to reach users who search for information related to their products or services. The company serves online marketing customers consisting of small and medium sized enterprises, large domestic corporations, and Chinese divisions or subsidiaries of multinational corporations primarily operating in the medical, machinery, education, franchising, electronic products, e-commerce, ticketing, tourism, information technology, consumer products, real estate, entertainment, and financial services industries. It sells its online marketing services directly, as well as through its distribution network. The company was formerly known as Baidu.com, Inc. and changed its name to Baidu, Inc. in December 2008. Baidu, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Rooney]

  Demand for bitcoin has been particularly strong in China, where the leading search engine, Baidu (BIDU), now accepts the currency for certain services.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In Right Now: Intellicheck Mobilisia Inc. (IDN)

Intellicheck Mobilisa, Inc. develops, integrates, and markets wireless technology and identity systems for mobile and handheld access control and security systems. The company offers identity systems products, including commercial identification products, such as IDvCheck SDK for software developers; IDvCheck point of sale, a software application that runs on various VeriFone devices; IDvCheck browser helper object for Internet explorer; ScanInn that speeds up check-in and ID verification at hotels and motels; AssureScan, an application, which assists pharmacies with ID verification and tracking drug related purchases; IDvCheck PC, a software solution; IDvCheck Mobile for hand held devices; software products for data collection devices; and instant credit application kiosk software applications. It also provides government identification products comprising Defense ID systems to read barcodes, magnetic stripes, radio frequency identification, and optical character recognit ion codes printed on current forms of identification cards; Fugitive Finder that scans driver�s licenses, and military IDs or passports; transportation worker identification credential readers; and visitor center, a component of Defense ID or Fugitive Finder systems. In addition, the company offers wireless security products and services, such as Wireless Over Water technology that allow passengers of moving vessels to access the Internet while in motion on water; Floating Area Network for the U.S. Navy; Aegeus wireless security buoy and littoral sensor grid for security monitoring of harbors and waterways; and AIRchitect, a wireless LAN design expert system. Further, it provides wireless services; and design, engineering, and integration services for commercial wireless communications systems. The company serves government, military, and commercial markets through its sales force and distributors. Intellicheck Mobilisa, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Port Townsend, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Just for the record, yes, I was the same guy who two days ago was telling you to bail out of Intellicheck Mobilisa, Inc. (NYSEMKT:IDN), locking in whatever gain you could on the falling stock while there was a gain to be hand. So why am I calling IDN a buy now? Because my bearish worries were from two days ago... a lifetime, in trading terms.

• [By Damian Illia]

  Based in California, VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) is an internet infrastructure services provider, which includes domain name registry services and infrastructure assurance services, responsible for top-level domains such as .com, .net, .tv, .edu, .gov and .name among others. The company also provides Registry services and Network Intelligence and Availability (NIA) services. Working with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the company can register exclusive domain names abiding these entities��terms. The company�� relationships with these entities has been prospering full steam: ICANN approved the renewal of the agreement with VeriSign to serve as the authoritative registry operator for the .com registry, it got exclusive registry for the .tv and .cc country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), and has additionally started providing back-end systems for all .gov, .jobs and .edu domain names, as well as internationalized domain name (IDN) services that enable web-users to access websites in their local language.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  While it may be an overstatement to deem Intellicheck Mobilisa, Inc. (NYSEMKT:IDN) the most underappreciated and underestimated stock out there right now, there's no way of denying IDN is a name that most traders are missing the boat on. Consider this an impartial remedy to that wrong - Intellicheck Mobilisa looks to be on the verge of a strong bullish move, fueled by all the right reasons.