Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), a banking and financial services provider, outperformed after announcing another quarter of improving fundamental results along with several key regulatory settlements. From Diamond Hill Capital (Trades, Portfolio)'s Fourth Quarter 2013 Commentary.
Also check out: Diamond Hill Capital Undervalued Stocks Diamond Hill Capital Top Growth Companies Diamond Hill Capital High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Diamond Hill Capital keeps buying
Currently 0.00/512345

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

Subscribe via Email Subscribe RSS Comments Please leave your comment:

Top 5 Semiconductor Stocks For 2015: Star Scientific Inc (STSI)

Star Scientific, Inc. (Star Scientific), incorporated on June 24, 1985, is engaged in the manufacturing and production of dietary supplements. The Company�� operating subsidiaries manufacture, distribute and sell consumer products and dietary supplements. Its segment includes dietary supplements. Through its Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Rock Creek) subsidiary, the Company is engaged in the manufacture, sale, marketing and development of non-nicotine nutraceutical, dietary supplements: Anatabloc, for anti-inflammatory support; the manufacture, sale and marketing of a cosmetic facial cream, and the development of other nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products. On December 14, 2012, the Company voted to discontinue the manufacturing, distribution and sale of its dissolvable smokeless tobacco products, Ariva and Stonewall Hard Snuff, as of December 31, 2012. With this change it will no longer be manufacturing or selling any tobacco products.

Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals has been engaged in the development of other dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products, particularly products that have a botanical- based component and that are designed to provide nutritional support in a range of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer�� disease, Parkinson�� disease, schizophrenia, depression, and Hashimoto�� thyroiditis. Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals also has been involved in the development of a cosmetic line of products that utilizes its anatabine compound to improve the appearance of the skin. On September 10, 2012, the Company introduced Anatabloc Facial Creme into the market. As of November 9, 2012, Anatabloc was being sold through its interactive Website, a customer service center and on a consignment basis through GNC, which is a retailer of dietary supplements. The Company uses its anatabine citrate compound in its dietary supplements Anatabloc and Anatabloc Unflavored and its anatabine-based cosmetic product, Anatabloc Facial Creme.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    The last time I looked at Star Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:STSI) was in mid-August, when I pointed out how the stock looked like it was finally beginning a breakout via a move above that nagging ceiling at $2.11. I didn't revisit it in the meantime because STSI peeled back under that key resistance level, and even back under its short-term moving lines. It wasn't a dramatic or painful pullback, but it was more than enough to put the breakout idea on the shelf until further notice.

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014: Home Loan Servicing Solutions Ltd (HLSS)

Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd, incorporated on December 1, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is formed to acquire mortgage servicing assets, primarily subprime and Alt-A mortgage servicing rights and associated servicing advances. The Company will engage residential mortgage loan servicers to service the pools of mortgage loans underlying the mortgage servicing rights. The Company acquire and therefore do not intend to develop its own mortgage servicing platform.

The Company is focused to enter into the subservicing agreement to provide for the servicing of the initial mortgage servicing rights for an initial term of seven years. As of December 31, 2010, The Company had neither purchased nor contracted to purchase any mortgage servicing assets, including mortgage servicing rights and related servicing advances.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By David Sterman]

    Although shares of Boulder Brands (Nasdaq: BDBD) are up more than 60% since then, Home Loan Servicing (Nasdaq: HLSS) has merely treaded water while Swift Energy has continued its downward ascent.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Home Loan Servicing Solutions (NASDAQ: HLSS  ) is servicing its capital base with a new share offering that should total nearly $300 million. The company is floating 13 million shares of its stock in an underwritten public issue at a price of $23 per share. All told, the gross proceeds of the offering should amount to roughly $299 million.

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014: CTC Media Inc.(CTCM)

CTC Media, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an independent media company. It operates the CTC, Domashny, and Peretz television networks in Russia. The company also operates Channel 31, a television network in Kazakhstan, as well as a television channel in Moldova offering entertainment programming. In addition, it is involved in in-house production operations that focus on series, sitcoms, and shows. CTC Media, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Moscow, the Russian Federation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Burrows]

    This small-cap media company operates three popular television networks in Russia, but that’s not all CTC Media (CTCM) has going for it. Billionaire owner Yury Kovalchuk is a longtime pal of President Vladimir Putin. That’s important in a country as, er, mercurial as Russia.

  • [By Halia Pavliva]

    The Bloomberg Russia-US gauge slipped 0.4 percent to 104.16, paring its advance this month to 7.7 percent. CTC Media Inc. (CTCM), the Nasdaq-listed Russian television company, rallied 2.6 percent to $12.86, the highest level since April 25. The stock has climbed 22 percent this month, making it the best performer on the Bloomberg-Russia gauge. VimpelCom is the second-biggest gainer on the index this month, followed by OAO Rostelecom (ROSYY), which has increased 17 percent after two months of declines.

  • [By James Brumley]

    If they want in, it might be a lead worth following.

    CTC Media (CTCM)

    CTCM Dividend Yield: 8.2%

    When tensions between Russia and Ukraine first began to develop in early March, most Russian stocks tanked. Russian broadcast television company CTC Media (CTCM) was no exception, with its stock losing 19% of its value in March alone, on top of the 24% dip that had whacked CTCM stock from the beginning of the year through the end of March.

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014: Shutterstock Inc (SSTK)

Shutterstock, Inc. (Shutterstock) operates as a marketplace for commercial digital imagery. Commercial digital imagery consists of licensed photographs, illustrations and videos that companies use in their visual communications, such as Websites, digital and print marketing materials, corporate communications, books, publications and video content. As of April 30, 2012, Shutterstock's image library contained more than 19 million images. It operates in North America, Europe and Rest of the world. The Company offers a range of content types, including photography, illustrations, vector art and video footage. Shutterstock�� brands include Shutterstock and Bigstock. Its online marketplace provides a freely searchable library of commercial digital images that its users can pay to license, download and incorporate into their work. Users can search its library and preview watermarked versions of its content. In November 2011, Shutterstock launched Shutterstock for iPad, an application enabling visitors to search, browse and organize images using an iPad.

The Company�� products consist of Photographs, Illustrations and Vector Art, and Video Footage. The Company offers photographs that cover a range of subjects, including animals/wildlife, the arts, backgrounds/textures, beauty/fashion, buildings/landmarks, business/finance, celebrities, education, food and drink, healthcare/medical, holidays, nature, objects, people, religion, science, sports/recreation, technology and transportation. Its photography collection is made up of images that can be used in both commercial and editorial contexts. Images that are marked as editorial-only, such as photographs of celebrities and newsworthy events, which constitute fewer than 5% of its total images, cannot be used to promote a product or service; instead these images are licensed for use in editorial settings, such as newspapers, blogs and magazines. Photographs are available in a range of sizes, including small files that are appropriate for mobile b! rowsing and large files appropriate for large format prints and high-resolution displays. As of December 31, 2011, photographs made up 69% of its library.

In addition to photographic images, the Company also offers images that have been created using illustration tools and software. These images are made up of two types: illustrations (raster graphics) and vector art (vector graphics). Raster graphics are stored as a fixed set of pixels, whereas vector graphics are stored using geometric modeling. As of December 31, 2011, illustrations an vector art made up 28% of its library. For users engaged in producing video advertisements, commercial motion pictures, television programming, video games, interactive applications and other video-based media, it also provides video footage. Footage clips are available in a range of formats and sizes, including high definition (HD). As of December 31, 2011, its video footage library contained more than 400,000 video clips and made up 3% of its library.

The Company competes with iStockphoto, Fotolia, Dreamstime, Getty Images, Corbis Corporation, Reuters Group PLC, the Associated Press, Thought Equity Motion, Facebook and Flickr.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Why don't you take a picture -- it'll last longer
    Seriously, why don't you take a picture of Shutterstock's (NYSE: SSTK  ) chart, because I'm fairly confident that you'll need a picture to remember when it was this high a year from now.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    Commercial digital image library Shutterstock (NYSE: SSTK  ) looked picture-perfect today with an 18.9% gain after the company announced better-than-expected fourth-quarter results, and an optimistic full-year forecast after the closing bell last night. For the fourth quarter, Shutterstock delivered revenue growth of 38%, to $68 million, as the number of paid downloads increased 31%, to 28 million, and the number of images in its collection vaulted higher by 8.9 million, to 32.2 million. Net income, however, fell by roughly three-quarters, to just $7.9 million, or $0.26 per share in adjusted EPS. Comparatively, Wall Street had only expected Shutterstock to report a $0.21 EPS profit on $65.8 million in revenue. Looking ahead, Shutterstock anticipates full-year revenue will be in the range of $305 million-$310 million, which is modestly higher than the current consensus of $304.5 million. There's little denying that Shutterstock is gaining online acclaim, but at 70 times forward earnings, I'd consider passing on the stock here.

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014: IB Securities Joint Stock Co (VIX)

IB Securities Joint Stock Company, formerly XuanThanh Securities Joint Stock Company is a Vietnam-based company engaged in the provision of investment services. It provides securities brokerage services through multiple forms, such as VOpen, VSHM, VTrade, VPhone, VMobile and VSMS. The Company is also involved in securities trading, as well as the provision of investment advice, custody services and underwriting services. In addition, it provides financial services for corporate events, such as corporate restructurings, equitizations, stock listings, share auctions, mergers and acquisitions, equity offerings and bond offerings. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Aubrey Pringle]

    The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), the gauge of S&P 500 options prices known as the VIX, rose 1 percent to 14.53. The equity volatility gauge has tumbled 15 percent in September after rallying 26 percent in August, the biggest monthly gain since May 2012.

  • [By Nikolaj Gammeltoft]

    The Standard & Poor�� 500 Index (VIX) snapped a four-week advance as investors weighed corporate earnings amid speculation that the Federal Reserve may reduce its asset purchases this year.

  • [By Nick Taborek]

    The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), or VIX, fell 1.9 percent today to 12.73. The equity volatility gauge reached its 2013 peak in June and has since dropped 38 percent.

  • [By Alex Barinka]

    The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), or VIX, slipped 8.1 percent today to 14.89, the lowest level since May 30. The equity volatility gauge, which moves in the opposite direction as the S&P 500 about 80 percent of the time, reached a six-month high in June and has since fallen 27 percent.

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014: Koninklijke Ahold NV (AHONY)

Koninklijke Ahold N.V. (Ahold), incorporated on April 29, 1920, is engaged in the operation of retail food stores in the United States and Europe through subsidiaries and joint ventures. Ahold�� retail operations are presented in four segments: Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover, Giant-Carlisle, Albert Heijn and Albert/Hypernova. During the fiscal year ended January 3, 2010 (fiscal 2009), it operated 2,909 stores. On February 8, 2010, Ahold�� Giant-Carlisle acquired 25 stores from Ukrop�� Super Markets.

Franchisees operated 783 of the Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall stores, 463 of which were either owned by the franchisees or leased independently from Ahold. Of the 2,446 stores, 20% were company-owned and 80% were leased. Ahold�� stores range in size from 20 to over 10,000 square meters. Albert Heijn is a food retailer in the Netherlands. Etos is a health and beauty retailer in the Netherlands. Gall & Gall is a wine and liquor specialist in the Netherlands. Stop & Shop is a supermarket brand, operating in six states in the northeast United States. Giant-Landover is a supermarket brand, operating in four states in the mid-Atlantic United States. Peapod is an online grocery delivery service working in partnership with Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover. It also serves the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, and the northern areas of Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    As mentioned, Kroger is still swallowing Harris Teeter and has said it needs time to make more acquisitions. Royal Ahold (NASDAQOTH: AHONY  ) is also said to be leery about doing large acquisitions these days, while Cerberus recently finished acquiring the Albertsons and Acme chains from SUPERVALU (NYSE: SVU  ) �for $3.3 billion.

Top Services Stocks To Buy For 2014: Bob Evans Farms Inc.(BOBE)

Bob Evans Farms, Inc. owns and operates full-service restaurants under the Bob Evans and Mimi's Cafe brand names in the United States. It also sells retail gifts, food items, and other novelties in its Bob Evans Restaurants, and seven Bob Evans Restaurants & General Stores. As of January 27, 2012, the company owned and operated 564 Bob Evans family restaurants in 18 states; and 145 Mimi's Caf�casual restaurants in 24 states. It also produces and distributes food products under the Bob Evans and Owens brand names. The company?s food products include fresh, smoked, and fully cooked pork sausages; hickory-smoked bacon products; refrigerated and frozen convenience food items, such as mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, microwaveable sandwiches, and slow-roasted main dish entrees. In addition, it owns and operates SWH Custom Foods, a prep kitchen that prepares signature muffin mixes, dressings, sauces, and soups for third-party restaurants in Fullerton, California. The com pany was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By GURUFOCUS]

    Bob Evans Farms Inc. (BOBE) owns and operates full-service restaurants under the Bob Evans brand name in the U.S. Aug. 19, the company increased its quarterly dividend 12.7% to $0.31 per share. The yield based on the new payout is 2.6%.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    Send this stock back to the kitchen
    I admit to already being hyper-critical of the restaurant industry because of cutthroat pricing practices among peers, strained consumer spending because of higher payroll taxes, and the always looming threat that food prices will soar faster than the industry can raise prices. These provide for me more than enough reasons to suggest sending Bob Evans Farms (NASDAQ: BOBE  ) back to the kitchen.

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Investors in Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores (NASDAQ: CBRL  ) and Bob Evans (NASDAQ: BOBE  ) were rewarded last week with gains of 9% and 4%, respectively, after both casual-dining chains posted better-than-expected quarterly results.�

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Tuesday

    Earnings Expected: Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: ADBE), Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: BOBE) Economic Releases Expected: Chinese house prices, Japanese trade balance, US housing starts, US CPI, German ZEW economic sentiment, British RPI, British PPI, British CPI, Hong Kong’s unemployment rate, Italian trade balance

    Wednesday

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014

Consumers' interest in their credit scores, and their credit in general, is yet another hook for those running scams. Whether it's to get you to pay for things you shouldn't, get your personal information or steal your identity, scams involving credit scores and information from the three credit bureaus can easily be avoided.

"The key here is a hefty dose of skepticism," said Jean Chatzky, personal finance expert for NBC's Today show.

Crooked companies seem to prey on people who seek an expedited path to remedying bad credit and low credit scores, she said.

"The only thing that will move your credit history (and therefore your score) in the right direction is a combination of good behavior and time," she said.

Clearly, there are legitimate sites that offer your credit score for free (like�WisePiggy.com) and others that charge a fee that are not scams. It's seeing the difference between the real ones and the slimy ones that's key.

Top Gold Companies For 2015: Hecla Mining Co (HL)

Hecla Mining Company, incorporated on August 7, 2006, is engaged in discovering, acquiring, developing, producing, and marketing silver, gold, lead and zinc. The Company operates in two segments: the Greens Creek unit and the Lucky Friday unit. Its wholly-owned subsidiary is Hecla Alaska LLC. The Company produces zinc, lead and bulk concentrates at its Greens Creek unit and lead and zinc concentrates at its Lucky Friday unit, which it sells to custom smelters on contract, and unrefined gold and silver bullion bars (dore) at Greens Creek, which are sold directly to customers or further refined before sale to precious metals traders. The concentrates produced at its Greens Creek and Lucky Friday units contain payable silver, zinc and lead, and the concentrates produced at Greens Creek also contain payable gold. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company produced 6,394,235 ounces of silver, 55,496 ounces of gold, 21,074 tons of lead and 64,249 tons of Zinc. Effective February 26, 2013, Hecla Mining Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, acquired a 24.73% stake in Brixton Metals Corp. In June 2013, the Company announced that its acquisition of Aurizon Mines Ltd is complete.

The Greens Creek Unit

Greens Creek is located on Admiralty Island, near Juneau, Alaska. The Greens Creek unit is 100% owned. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Greens Creek contributed 100%, of its consolidated revenue.

The Lucky Friday unit

The Lucky Friday unit is located in northern Idaho. Lucky Friday is 100% owned by the company.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    This is helping to boost Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL). 24/7 Wall St. recently named nine stocks that could double in 2014, and Hecla was one of those nine stocks. Hecla is trying to turnaround after a series of unfortunate events. To highlight just how bad this was, Hecla’s stock price started imploding before it became the norm for gold and silver miners to begin imploding. Yet its chart is at a critical inflection point.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Knapp and Slover were also kind enough to provide a screen of stocks that could outperform. They started with the Russell 2000, removed the smallest 40% based on market cap (the aforementioned liquidity issues), then selected the 5% worst performers from among the 30% cheapest stocks based on book-to-price. The result is a bunch of names you never heard of, including Infinity Pharmaceuticals (INFI), Fusion-IO (FIO), Walter Energy (WLT), Hecla Mining (HL) and Molycorp�(MCP).

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Adobe Systems Inc (ADBE)

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe), incorporated on October 5, 1983, is a diversified software company. The Company offers a line of software and services used by professionals, marketers, knowledge workers, application developers, enterprises and consumers for creating, managing, delivering, measuring and engaging with content and experiences across multiple operating systems, devices and media. The Company markets and licenses its software directly to enterprise customers through its sales force and to end users through application stores and its Website at www.adobe.com. Adobe also distributes its products through a network of distributors, value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, independent software vendors (ISVs), retailers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In addition, Adobe licenses its technology to hardware manufacturers, software developers and service providers for use in their products and solutions. It offers some of its products via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model (also known as a hosted model or cloud-based model), as well as through term subscription and pay-per-use models. The Company�� software runs on personal computers (PCs) and server-based computers, as well as on smartphones, tablets and other devices, depending on the product. It has operations in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia. On January 13, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Efficient Frontier. In January 2011, the Company acquired Demdex. In July 2011, the Company acquired EchoSign. In October 2011, the Company acquired Typekit Inc. In November 2011, it acquired Auditude Inc. In January 2012, the Company acquired Efficient Frontier. In December 2012, the Company acquired Behance. In May 2013, Adobe Systems Inc acquired Ideacodes LLC. In July 2013, Adobe Systems Inc announced the completion of acquisition of privately held Neolane.

Digital Media

The Digital Media segment provides tools and solutions that enable individuals, small! businesses and enterprises to create, publish, promote and monetize their content anywhere. Its customers include content creators, Web application developers and digital media professionals, as well as their management in marketing departments and agencies, companies and publishers. The flagship of the Company�� Digital Media business is its Creative Suite family of products. Consisting of 13 individual products and five suites that contain different configurations of these products, the Company focuses on the needs of professional customers, which include graphic designers, production artists, Web designers and developers, user interface designers, writers, videographers, motion graphic artists, prepress professionals, video game developers, mobile application developers, students and administrators. They use and rely on its solutions for publishing, Web design and development, video and animation production, mobile applications and gaming development and, document creation and collaboration. They work in businesses ranging from publishers, media companies and global enterprises, to design agencies, small and medium-sized businesses, and individual freelancers. Its Creative Suite family of products is used by creative professionals to create the printed and online information people see, read and interact with every day, including newspapers, magazines, websites, mobile applications, catalogs, advertisements, brochures, product documentation, books, memos, reports and banners. Its tools are also used to create content, including video, animation and mobile content, that is created by multimedia, film, television, audio and video producers who work in advertising, Web design, music, entertainment, corporate and marketing communications, product design, user interface design, sales training, printing, architecture and fine arts. Knowledge workers, educators and hobbyists also use its creative products to create and deliver content.

Adobe Digital Publishing solution is an online, hosted p! ublishing! solution that enables magazine and newspaper publishers to deliver engaging, reading experiences of their publications to an array of mobile and tablet devices. Its Digital Publishing solution utilizes E-commerce models to sell single issues and subscriptions directly to consumers through mobile marketplaces, and analytics capabilities based on its Adobe Digital Marketing Suite. The Company�� Digital Media-Creative products include Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium, Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard, Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection, Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium, Adobe Creative Suite Web Premium, CS Live Services, Adobe Digital Publishing solution, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Edge, Adobe Encore, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Flash Professional, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InCopy, Adobe InDesign, Adobe InDesign Server, Adobe Muse, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Express, Adobe Photoshop Express Mobile, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Extended, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Premiere Elements, Adobe Premiere Express, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Soundbooth, Adobe Story, Adobe Visual Communicator, Business Catalyst and TypeKit. Its Digital Media-Touch App Products include Adobe Revel, Adobe Collage, Adobe Debut, Adobe Ideas, Adobe Kuler, Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Proto. Its Developer and Platform products include Adobe AIR, Adobe Flash Builder, Adobe Flash Catalyst, Adobe Flash Lite, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Flash Platform Services, Adobe Flex and PhoneGap Build. The Company�� Adobe Media Server products include Adobe Flash Access, Adobe Media Interactive Server, Adobe Media Enterprise Server, Adobe Media Live Encoder, Adobe Media Playback, Adobe Media Streaming Server, Adobe Video Streaming Service, Adobe Pass, Auditude, HTTP Dynamic Streaming, Digital Media, Adobe Acrobat Standard, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe Acrobat Suite, Adobe CreatePDF, Adobe SendNow and EchoSign.

The Company competes with Apple, Aviar! y, Avid, ! Corel, Microsoft, Quark, ACDsee, Mediascape, Xara, Bare Bones Software, FlashDevelop, JetBrains, Panic, MacRabbit, MacroMates, Oracle, Micro Focus, IBM, Amazon, Aquafada, Google, Texterity, Zinio, ACD Systems, AI Soft (Japan), ArcSoft, Corel, i4 (Japan), Kodak, Nova Development, Magix, Microsoft, Rovi, Sony, Canon, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Nikon, Phase One, Autodesk, Broderbund and Grass Valley.

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing segment provides solutions and services for how digital advertising and marketing are created, managed, executed, measured and optimized. Its customers include digital marketers, advertisers, publishers, merchandisers, Web analysts, chief marketing officers and chief revenue officers. The Company�� Digital Marketing Business unit provides solutions that include Web analytics, online business optimization and Web experience management products, solutions and services. It delivers these capabilities through its Digital Marketing Suite, which includes its Day CQ5 WEM offerings, as well as the offerings gained through its acquisition of Efficient Frontier. The Company�� products include Adobe SearchCenter, Adobe AudienceManager, Context Optional Social Marketing Suite, Adobe CQ, Adobe Merchandising, Adobe Publish, Adobe Recommendations, Adobe Scene7 On-Demand, Adobe Search&Promote, Adobe SiteSearch, Adobe Test&Target, Adobe Discover, Adobe SiteCatalyst, Adobe SocialAnalytics, Adobe Survey, Adobe Tag Manager, Adobe Insight, Adobe Insight for Retail, Adobe CRX, Adobe DataWarehouse and Adobe Genesis.

The Company�� Digital Enterprise Products include Adobe Connect, Adobe LiveCycle Collaboration Service, Adobe LiveCycle Connectors for ECM, Adobe LiveCycle Content Services, Adobe LiveCycle Mosaic, Adobe LiveCycle Data Services, Adobe LiveCycle Forms, Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions, Adobe LiveCycle Output, Adobe LiveCycle PDF Generator, Adobe LiveCycle Production Print, Adobe LiveCycle Digital Signatures, Adobe LiveCycle Rights Management, A! dobe Live! Cycle Process Management, Adobe LiveCycle Business Activity Monitoring, Adobe LiveCycle Managed Services, Adobe Central Pro Output Server, Adobe LiveCycle Designer, Adobe Output Designer, Adobe Output Pak for mySAP.com and Adobe Web Output Pak.

The Company competes with Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, HP, salesforce.com, AdXpose, WebTrends, Infor, Nielsen Company, SAS Institute, Microsoft Advertising, WPP, Truviso, Clickfox, QlikTech, Teradata, Accenture, Acxiom Digital, [x + 1], Celebros, SLI Systems, Nextopia Software, Fredhopper. EMC, OpenText, Alfresco, CoreMedia, Percussion, SDL, Cisco WebEx, IBM Lotus Sametime, Citrix GoToMeeting, PegaSystems, Nuance and Ultimus.

Print and Publishing

The Company�� Print and Publishing business segment contains products and services that address market opportunities, including eLearning solutions, technical document publishing, Web application development and high-end printing. Its ColdFusion offering provides ways to build and deploy Internet applications. Developers can extend or integrate ColdFusion with Java or .NET applications, connect to enterprise data and applications, create and interact via Web services, or interface with short messaging service (SMS) on mobile devices or instant messaging clients. Its Print and Publishing products include Adobe Authorware, Adobe Captivate, Adobe ColdFusion, Adobe Contribute, Adobe Director, Adobe eLearning Suite, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe FrameMaker Server, Adobe Font Folio, Adobe JRun, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe PDF Print Engine, Adobe PostScript, Adobe RoboHelp, Adobe Shockwave Player, Adobe Technical Communication Suite, Adobe Type Classics for Learning, Adobe Type Sets and FreeHand MX.

The Company competes with Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Oracle.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    Craig Warga/Bloomberg via Getty Images You can never know in advance all the news that will move the market in a given week, but some things you can see coming. From earnings reports to a new "Hobbit" film, let's take a look at the business news that will break in the week ahead. Monday -- Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow: Ski resorts are open for the season, and we'll get a great early read on how the business is holding up when Vail Resorts (MTN) reports fresh financials after Monday's market close. True to its name, Vail Resorts operates a ski property in Vail as well as nearby slopes in Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado. It also owns resorts in six different snowy states. Don't expect a quarterly profit out of Vail Resorts. The months of August, September, and October are naturally forgettable for ski resorts. Vail expects to generate four times as much revenue during the next three months as it did during the period that ended in October. However, Vail Resorts should be able to offer a glimpse about how the new ski season is starting to shape up. It has enough advance booking information to know what folks are willing to pay this year for a trek out to the slopes. Tuesday -- For Whom the Bell Tolls: It's once again great time to be a real estate developer. Home prices are moving higher, and those increases are moving at a headier clip than the costs to build new digs. We'll get a good snapshot of the housing industry when Toll Brothers (TOL) reports on Tuesday. The builder of upscale properties is typically blunt about its assessment, and naturally the news has been good in recent quarters as home buyers aren't walking away from their contracts, and asking prices keep inching up. Hovnanian (HOV) -- another developer that offers more accessibly priced properties -- reports two days later. Analysts see revenue surging 56 percent at Toll and 19 percent at Hovnanian. It's good to be a builder right now, but that won't remain that way i

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Gold Resource Corporation (GORO)

Gold Resource Corporation engages in the exploration for and production of gold and silver in Mexico. The company also explores for copper, lead, and zinc. It holds interest in the El Aguila project comprising 10 mining concessions aggregating approximately 20,055 hectares located in the State of Oaxaca. The company also holds interests in the El Rey property covering approximately 2,773 hectares; Las Margaritas property that covers an area of approximately 925 hectares; Alta Gracia property comprising approximately 5,175 hectares; El Chamizo property; Solaga property that include 2 mining concessions totaling 618 hectares; and El Fuego property covering approximately 2,554 hectares. Gold Resource Corporation was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Gold and silver miner Gold Resource (NYSEMKT: GORO  ) announced yesterday its June monthly distribution of $0.03 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past two months after it cut the payout in half from $0.06 per share due to precious metal price volatility.�

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    We continue to recommend Newmont, [Coeur Mining (CDE)] and [Gold Resource Corp. (GORO)] as large cap, silver and small cap picks, respectively.

    Sterne Agee’s comments come one day after Ned Davis Research upgraded the gold sector to Neutral from Underweight. “…gold miners look to be finally bottoming,” John Laforge and Waren Pies wrote, though they say it’s too early to know if a new uptrend has begun.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Gold Resource (NYSE: GORO) dropped 20.90% to $6.44. Gold Resource shares have dropped 63.35% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.18% in the same period.

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ctrip.com International Ltd.(CTRP)

Ctrip.com International, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides travel services for hotel accommodations, airline tickets, and packaged tours in the People?s Republic of China. It also sells independent leisure travelers bundled package-tour products, which include transportation and accommodation, as well as guided tours covering various domestic and international destinations. In addition, the company offers Internet-related advertising, aviation casualty insurance, and air-ticket delivery services. Further, it sells Property Management System, a hotel information software; travel guidebooks, which provide information for independent travelers; and VIP membership cards that allow cardholders to receive discounts from various restaurants, clubs, and bars. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of Chinese travel website Ctrip.com International (NASDAQ: CTRP  ) surged 19% today after its quarterly results and outlook topped Wall Street expectations. �

  • [By Shareholders Unite]

    The Chinese travel agency Ctrip (CTRP) has been one of our best performers in the past 12 months. The shares more than tripled since we first suggested a buy at $13.69 almost exactly a year ago.

  • [By GuruFocus]

    George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Walter Energy Inc.(WLT)

Walter Energy, Inc. produces and exports metallurgical coal for the steel industry primarily in the United States. The company also produces thermal and industrial coal, anthracite, metallurgical coke, coal bed methane gas, and other related products. It principally serves electric utility and industrial customers. The company was formerly known as Walter Industries, Inc. and changed its name to Walter Energy, Inc. in April 2009. Walter Energy, Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Heading into the 2Q14 earnings season, we think the coal sector continues to be unloved with met coal prices close to bottom while steam coal prices are slightly cooling off after a strong rally during 1Q14. Similar to 1Q14, the two major challenges for coal producers remain weak met coal pricing and rail service limiting steam coal volume uptick. On the positive side, since 1Q14, we have gotten about 16 MTPA of global met coal production cuts, which are slowly flowing through the system but could take another three months to drive prices higher. On the other hand, rail service (BNSF and CSX) challenges continue, and we do not expect to see any major improvement through 2H14, which is later than expected during 1Q14, when some producers indicated 3Q14 normalization. We expect a majority of earnings calls to be focused on those two themes over and above company-specific issues (asset sales/divestitures, cost control, and balance sheet management). While still in the early days, we will look for any color on the coal industry’s preparedness for eventual implementation of GHG regulation announced by the EPA in early June. Within our coal coverage, we are lowering our 2014 EBITDA estimates by an average of 12% for the group, while our 2015��016 estimates are largely unchanged. In addition, we are adjusting our price targets for Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) to $25 from $26 and Walter Energy (WLT) to $7.50 from $8.50 as we update our coal price deck for 2Q14 actuals and the 3Q14 met coal benchmark settlement, as well as adjust for rail service issues in the Powder River Basin. In terms of our overall coal coverage, we continue to prefer steam coal names and/or low-cost met coal assets with solid balance sheets. Our Outperform rated names include Arch Coal, Peabody Energy, Cloud Peak Energy, and Consol Energy (CNX).

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Amidst the coal slump that has battered the shares of producers like Walter Energy (WLT), Arch Coal (ACI) and Alpha natural Resources (ANR), Peabody Energy (BTU) has held up slightly better thanks to its “relatively more balanced financials.” That didn’t stop Imperial Capital’s Matthew Farwell from taking a sour view of Peabody Energy in a note today:

    Reuters

    We are assigning an Underperform Rating to the common stock and establishing a one-year price target of $5.00. We are assigning SELL ratings to select senior notes…While Peabody has a stellar reputation and a strong management team, in our view, its shares and senior notes likely will remain under pressure from rising leverage and instability in global coal markets. The shares currently are valued at about 12.4x EV/EBITDA, and could rise to 14.0x if coking coal were to settle at $110/t in the short-term, near where current spot prices are indicated. Our Underperform rating factors in a view that coking coal could settle in the $140-150/t range long-term and the shares should trade at 6.0x-7.0x normalized EBITDA. Our SELL rating on the senior notes is a function of high 7.4x net leverage that could rise to 8.4x with a similar short-term drop in coking coal, also causing free cash flow to turn negative, which would necessitate using revolver capacity or secured debt to cover pending maturities. We are most negative on longer-dated notes the market will realize would be layered with secured debt over time. Like more distressed coal producers (Walter Energy, Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal), Peabody�� troubles stem from the debt-financed acquisition of coking coal assets in the 2011 time period when it issued $4bn of debt to purchase Macarthur Coal.

    Shares of Peabody Energy have dropped 5.9% to $10.16 at 9:48 a.m. today, while Arch Coal has fallen 4.8% to $1.60, Alpha Natural Resources has declined 4.7% to $1.74 and Walter Energy is off 1.9% at $1.58.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) fell 4.55% to $7.97 after UBS downgraded the stock from Neutral to Sell.

    Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) shares slipped 4.30% to $4.67 after UBS downgraded the stock from Neutral to Sell.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    When Goldman Sachs talks, people listen. So it’s odd to see Goldman upgrade Consol Energy (CNX) and for the coal miner to fall today. Even odder: Three coal stocks that were on the receiving end of price target cuts–Alpha Natural Resources (ANR), Arch Coal (ACI) and Walter Energy (WLT)–have gained. At least Peabody Energy (BTU), which Goldman cut, is falling.

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: BankUnited Inc (BKU)

BankUnited, Inc. (BKU), incorporated on April 28, 2009, is a bank holding company with three wholly owned subsidiaries: BankUnited, National Association (the Bank) Herald National Bank (Herald), and BankUnited Investment Services, Inc. (BUIS), collectively, the Company. As of December 31, 2012, it provides a range of banking services to individual and corporate customers through 98 branches located in 15 Florida counties. Herald is a national banking association with 2 branch locations in the New York metropolitan area. BUIS is a Florida insurance agency providing wealth management and financial planning services. As of December 31, 2012, its distribution network also includes 97 automated teller machines (ATMs), online banking and a telephone banking service. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had 98 branches in 15 counties. On February 29, 2012, the Company announced the completion of its acquisition of Herald National Bank (Herald).

Lending Activities

The Company�� primary lending focus is to serve consumers, commercial and middle-market businesses and their executives with a range of financial products and services. It offers a range of lending products, including small business loans, residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans, equipment loans and leases, term loans, asset-backed loans, municipal leases, letters of credit and commercial lines of credit. As part of the Company�� loan activities, it also purchases performing residential loans on a national basis.

The Company�� commercial loans, which are generally made to small and middle-market businesses, include equipment loans, lines of credit, acquisition finance credit facilities and an array of Small Business Administration product offerings, and typically have maturities of five years or less. It also offers term financing for the acquisition or refinancing of properties, primarily rental apartments, industrial properties, retail shopping centers and free-standing buildings, office! buildings and hotels located primarily in Florida. Other products that it provides include secured lines of credit, acquisition, development and construction loan facilities and construction financing.

The Company provides one- to four-single family residential real estate loans with terms ranging from 10 to 40 years, with either fixed or adjustable interest rates. Loans are offered to customers primarily in Florida through its branches and loan officers. The majority of its loans are owner occupied, full documentation loans. The Company offers consumer loans to its customers primarily in Florida for personal, family and household purposes, including home equity loans, auto, boat and personal installment loans.

Sources of Funds

The Company offers traditional deposit products, including checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit with a variety of rates. Demand deposits comprised 22% of total deposits as of December 31, 2012. The Company also utilizes Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advances to finance its operations.

Wealth Management

Through financial consultants and bankers, BankUnited Investment Services provides a range of wealth management product offering that includes mutual funds, annuities, life insurance and individual securities. It also provides succession planning, estate planning, and financial planning to individuals and business owners. It uses a third-party financial services company to provide its trading platform, administrative and back office support, and provides its customers with around-the-clock access to account balances and summaries, positions and portfolio views, transaction detail, portfolio view, and online statements.

The Company competes with Bank of America, BankAtlantic, BB&T, JPMorgan Chase, Regions Bank, SunTrust Banks, TD Bank and Wells Fargo.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Breaking news

    Loews (NYSE: L) reported a 59% rise in its third-quarter earnings. Loews posted a quarterly profit of $282 million, or $0.73 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $177 million, or $0.45 per share. To read the full news, click here. BankUnited (NYSE: BKU) announced today the commencement of an underwritten offering of 9,000,000 shares of its common stock by certain of its existing stockholders, subject to market and other conditions. To read the full news, click here. Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA) announced today an agreement to sell substantially all of its international content division Chellomedia to AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX).To read the full news, click here. Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: MYGN) today announced that validation data for the Myriad myPlan Lung Cancer test showed that it significantly predicted patients' risk of death from early-stage lung adenocarcinoma within five years of being diagnosed. To read the full news, click here.

    Posted-In: Bank of America US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

  • [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

    Just last week the investor group, in the last of a series of secondary offerings, said goodbye to BankUnited (NYSE: BKU) and cashed out, having more than doubled their money.

Hot Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE)

Cenovus Energy, Inc. (Cenovus), incorporated on January 1, 2011, is a Canadian integrated oil company. The Company�� operations include oil sands projects in northern Alberta, which use specialized methods to drill and pump the oil to the surface. It also has natural gas and oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It operates in four segments: oil sands, conventional, refining and marketing, and corporate and eliminations. The Company has 50% ownership with Phillips 66 in two United States refineries, which includes Wood River (Illinois) and Borger (Texas) refineries. It has two producing steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) projects in the oil sands-Foster Creek and Christina Lake, as well as several emerging projects which are in various stages of development. Foster Creek and Christina Lake are 50%-owned by ConocoPhillips. It also produces heavy oil from the mobile Wabiskaw formation at its 100%-owned Pelican Lake operation in the Greater Pelican Region, about 300 kilometers north of Edmonton.

Its reserves and production are located in Canada, primarily within the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. As of December 31, 2012, it had a land base of approximately seven million net acres and Company Interest Before Royalties proved reserves of approximately 1,717 million barrels of bitumen, 184 million barrels of heavy crude oil, 115 million barrels of light and medium crude oil and NGLs and 955 billion cubic feet of natural gas. It also had Company Interest Before Royalties probable reserves of approximately 676 million barrels of bitumen, 105 million barrels of heavy crude oil, 56 million barrels of light and medium crude oil and natural gas liquefied (NGLs) and 338 billion cubic feet of natural gas as of December 31, 2012.

Oil Sands

The Oil sands segment includes the development and production of Cenovus�� bitumen assets at Foster Creek, Christina Lake and Narrows Lake, as well as heavy oil assets at Pelican Lake. This segment also includes the Atha! basca natural gas assets and projects in the early stages of development, such as Grand Rapids and Telephone Lake. Certain of the Company�� operated oil sands properties, notably Foster Creek, Christina Lake and Narrows Lake, are jointly owned with ConocoPhillips. As of December 31, 2012, it had bitumen rights of approximately 1,469,000 gross acres (1,097,000 net acres) within the Athabasca and Cold Lake areas, as well as the exclusive rights to lease an additional 478,000 net acres areas on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range on its behalf and/or its assignee�� behalf.

As of December 31, 2012, there were 56 wells producing. It operates an 80 megawatt natural gas-fired cogeneration facility in conjunction with the SAGD operation at Foster Creek. The steam and power generated by the facility is presently being used within the SAGD operation and the excess power generated is being sold into the Alberta Power Pool. It has 50% interest in Christina Lake, an oil sands property in northeast Alberta that uses SAGD technology and produces from the McMurray formation. During 2011, the Company drilled three wells at Christina Lake using its Wedge WellTM technology. As of December 31, 2012, there were six producing wells.

The Company holds 50% interest in Narrows Lake, an oil sands property within the Christina Lake Region in northeast Alberta. The project includes gross production capacity of 130,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) of bitumen to be developed in up to three phases, with the first phase expected to have production capacity of approximately 45,000 barrels per day of bitumen. Using a pattern, horizontal well polymer flood, it produces heavy crude oil from the Cretaceous Wabiskaw formation at its Pelican Lake property, which is located within the Greater Pelican Region in northeast Alberta. During 2012, it drilled 76 heavy oil wells. The Company holds a 38% non-operated interest in 110 kilometers, 20-inch diameter crude oil pipeline, which connects the Pelican Lake area to a pipelin! e that tr! ansports crude oil from northern Alberta to crude oil markets.

The Company�� new resource play assets include oil sands properties. Its Grand Rapids property is located in the Greater Pelican Region in northeast Alberta, where deposits of bitumen have been identified in the Cretaceous Grand Rapids formation. Its Telephone Lake property is located in the Borealis Region in northeast Alberta. The Steepbank and East McMurray properties are also located in the Borealis Region, southwest of Telephone Lake. It produces natural gas from the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range and several surrounding landholdings located in northeast Alberta and hold surface access and natural gas rights for exploration, development and transportation from areas. The majority of its natural gas production in the area is processed through wholly owned and operated compression facilities.

Conventional

Conventional segment includes the development and production of conventional crude oil, NGLs and natural gas in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It includes the carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery project at Weyburn and emerging tight oil opportunities. As of December 31, 2012, it had an established land position of approximately 4.9 million gross acres, of which approximately 3.2 million gross acres are developed. The mineral rights on approximately 59% of its net landholdings are owned in fee title by Cenovus. It leases Crown lands in some areas in Alberta, mainly in the Early Cretaceous geological formations, primarily in the Suffield and Wainwright areas.

The Company holds interests in multiple zones in the Suffield, Brooks North, Langevin, Drumheller, and Wainwright areas in southern Alberta with a mix of medium and heavy crude oil production. Development in these areas focuses on infill drilling, optimization of existing wells and other specialized oil recovery methods. It operates water handling facilities to manage oil production. In the unitized portion of the Weyburn crude oil field ! in southe! ast Saskatchewan, it has 62% working interest. The Weyburn unit produces light and medium sour crude oil from the Mississippian Midale formation and covers 78 sections of land. As of December 31, 2012, approximately 90% of the approved CO2 flood pattern development at the Weyburn unit was completed. It holds interests in multiple zones in the Suffield, Brooks North, Langevin and Drumheller areas in southern Alberta.

Refining and Marketing

Refining and marketing segment is focused on the refining of crude oil products into petroleum and chemical products at two refineries located in the United States. The refineries are jointly owned with and operated by Phillips 66. This segment also markets Cenovus�� crude oil and natural gas, as well as third-party purchases and sales of product that provide operational flexibility for transportation commitments, product type, delivery points and customer diversification.

Through WRB Refining LP (WRB), the Company has 50% ownership interest in both the Wood River and Borger Refineries located in Roxana, Illinois and Borger, Texas respectively. ConocoPhillips is the operator and manager of WRB. As of December 31, 2012, the Wood River refinery had a processing capacity of approximately 306,000 barrels per day of crude oil, including approximately 110,000 barrels per day of heavy crude oil. It processes light low-sulphur and heavy high-sulphur crude oil that it receives from North American crude oil pipelines to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, petrochemical feedstocks and asphalt. As December 31, 2012, the Borger Refinery had a processing capacity of approximately 146,000 barrels per day of crude oil, including approximately 35,000 barrels per day of heavy crude oil, and approximately 45,000 barrels per day of NGLs. It processes crude oil and NGLs that it receives from North American pipeline systems to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel along with NGLs and solvents.

The Company's Marketing group is focused ! on enhanc! ing the netback price of its production. It manages the transportation and marketing of crude oil for its upstream operations. It also manages the marketing of its natural gas, which is primarily sold to industrials, other producers and energy marketing companies.

Corporate and Eliminations

The segment includes inter-segment eliminations that relate to transactions that have been recorded at transfer prices based on current market prices, as well as unrealized intersegment profits in inventory. The Corporate and Eliminations segment also includes Cenovus costs for general and administrative and financing activities.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Robert Rapier]

    Whether KXL is approved is unlikely to have a big impact on any particular company. TransCanada would probably see the most significant share price movement, but the project isn�� a make-or-break for the company. Oil sands producers like Cenovus Energy (NYSE: CVE, TSE: CVE) have signed up to ship on KXL, and could see some share price movement as well. KXL would probably be the low-cost shipping option for Cenovus and other oil sands producers, but during my visit to Fort McMurray in November Cenovus emphasized that whether KXL is approved or not, the outcome would have no effect on its growth plans given the ready availability of alternatives.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Top Recreation Companies For 2015

Top Recreation Companies For 2015: SeaWorld Entertainment Inc (SEAS)

SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., incorporated on October 2, 2009, is a theme park and entertainment company. The Company is engaged in delivering personal, interactive and educational experiences that blend imagination with nature and enable its customers to celebrate, connect with and care for the natural world. The Company own or license a portfolio of globally recognized brands including SeaWorld, Shamu and Busch Gardens. The Company has built a diversified portfolio of 11 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States. Its theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests. In addition to its theme parks, it has recently begun to leverage its brands into media, entertainment and consumer products.

The Company generates revenue primarily from selling admission to its theme parks a nd from purchases of food, merchandise and other spending. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it hosted more than 24 million guests in its theme parks, including approximately 3.5 million international guests from over 55 countries and six continents. In 2012, the Company opened new attractions in seven of its theme parks. In November 2012, the Company acquired Knott's Soak City, a standalone Southern California water park, from an affiliate of Cedar Fair L.P. The Company's products and services include Admission Tickets, Theme Park Operations, Culinary Offerings , Merchandise , Licensing and Consumer Products , Group Events and Conventions and Corporate Sponsorships and Strategic Alliances.

Admission Tickets, which generate most of its revenue from selling admission to its theme parks. The Company also offers a Fun Card at select theme parks that al! lows additional visits throughout that calendar year. In addition, visitors can purchase vacation packa ges with preferred hotels, behind-the-scenes tours, specialt! y dining packages and front of the line access to enhance their experience. Theme Park Operations delivers a level of service, safety and security at its theme parks. It comprised of rides, shows and attractions operations, safety, security, environmental, water park and guest arrival services (including parking, tolls, admissions, guest relations, entry and exit), the theme park operations team manages the planning and execution of the overall theme park experience on a daily basis.

Culinary Offerings delivers a variety of high quality, creative and memorable culinary experiences to its guests. Culinary operations are strategically organized into five key guest-oriented disciplines designed to drive in-park per capita spending: restaurants, catering, carts and kiosks, specialty snacks and vending. The Company's culinary team focuses on providing creative menu offerings that appeal to our diverse guest base. Merchandise offers guests the opportunity to captur e memories through its products and services, including through traditional retail shops, game venues and customized photos and videos. It focuses on effort to leverage the emotional connection of the theme park experiences, capitalize on trends and optimize brand alignment with its merchandise product offerings.

Licensing and Consumer Products capitalize on its brands, it has begun to leverage its intellectual property and content through media and consumer strategic licensing arrangements. It extended the reach of its brands through outbound media licensing in areas such as films, television programs and digital e-books, as well as its first-ever multi-platform mobile app game, TurtleTrek, which launched on iTunes in November 2012. Group Events and Conventions host a variety of different group events, meetings and conventions at its theme parks both du! ring the ! day and at night. Its venues offer indoor and outdoor space for meetings, special events, entertainme nt shows, picnics, teambuilding events, group tours and spec! ial group! ticket packages. Park buy-outs allow groups to enjoy exclusive itineraries, including meetings and shows, up-close encounters with animals and behind the scenes tours. Corporate Sponsorships and Strategic Alliances seek to secure long-term corporate sponsorships and strategic alliances with companies and brands that share its core values, deliver brand marketing value and influence and drive mutual business gains. Its current corporate sponsors include, among others, Southwest Airlines, which has been a sponsor for over 20 years, and The Coca-Cola Company.

SeaWorld.

SeaWorld is recognized as the marine-life theme park brand in the world. Its SeaWorld theme parks, located in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego, each rank among the most highly attended theme parks in the industry and offer up-close interactive experiences and a variety of live performances, including shows featuring Shamu in specially designed amphitheaters. It offers its guests numer ous animal encounters, including the opportunity to work with trainers and feed marine animals, as well as themed thrill rides and theatrical shows that creatively incorporate its animal collection.

Busch Gardens

Its Busch Gardens theme parks are family-oriented destinations designed to immerse guests in foreign geographic settings. They are renowned for their beauty and landscaping and gardens and allow its guests to discover the natural side of fun by offering a family experience featuring a range of attractions and rollercoasters in a richly-themed environment. Busch Gardens Tampa presents its collection of animals from Africa, Asia and Australia.

Aquatica

Its Aquatica branded water parks are premium, family-oriented destinations that are based in a South Seas-themed tropical setting. Aquatica water par! ks build ! on the aquatic theme of its SeaWorld brand and feature high-energy rides, water attractions, white-sand beaches ande entertaining presentation of marine and terrestrial an! imals. Th! e Company positions its Aquatica water parks as companion water parks to its SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando and San Diego and it has an Aquatica water park situated within its SeaWorld San Antonio theme park.

Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove is a reservations only, all-inclusive, marine-life day resort adjacent to SeaWorld Orlando. Discovery Cove offers guests personal, signature experiences, including the opportunity to swim and interact with dolphins, take an underwater walking reef tour and enjoy pristine white-sand beaches and landscaped private cabanas. Discovery Cove presently limits its attendance to approximately 1,300 guests per day and features premium culinary offerings in order to provide guests with a more relaxed, intimate and high-end luxury resort experience.

Sesame Place

Sesame Place is the only United States theme park based entirely on the television show Sesame Street. It is located between Philadelphia an d New York City, Sesame Place is a destination where parents and children can share in the spirit of imagination and experience Sesame Street together through whirling rides, water slides, colorful shows and furry friends. In addition, it has introduced Sesame Street brands in its other theme parks through Sesame Street-themed rides, shows, children's play areas and merchandise.

The Company competes with The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Merlin Entertainments and Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Motley Fool Staff]

    Need a reason to invest in stocks? How about the beginning of a new year. To help you find solid stock ideas we asked Fool.com contributors covering technology and consumer goods stocks to talk about top stocks for 2015. Read o! n to see ! what they had to say about Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM  ) , Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) , SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS  ) , WhiteWave Foods (NYSE: WWAV  ) , Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL  ) , Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM  ) , and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) .

  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego/AP In a move that was probably long overdue, SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS) is making a change at the top. CEO Jim Atchison will step down next month. The board's chairman will be taking the helm, but only until the marine-life theme park operator finds a new leader. He's not the only one moving on. Reports indicate that roughly 300 of its employees were given pink slips on Friday. If SeaWorld's battling the negative publicity stemming from the company's portrayal in the "Blackfish" documentary, it's not going to fare any better after letting hundreds of its workers go just days ahead of the holidays. The layoffs also contrast Atchison's treatment: He will be getting a severance package worth millions. The change at the top isn't a surprise. SeaWorld has been a disaster since going public at $27 last year, and the stock has fallen all the way down to the mid-teens. Something's not right at SeaWorld, but it's something that may require more than simply a new chieftain. Black and Blue Fish Folks just aren't trekking out to SeaWorld these days. The parent company of SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica experienced a 4.1 percent decline in attendance last year, and turnstile clicks are off by another 4.7 percent through the first three quarters of 2014. It's not just an attendance problem. SeaWorld posted an 8 percent year-over-year decline in revenue for its latest quarter as a 5 percent slide in attendance was exacerbated by a 3 percent dip in revenue per guest. In other words, it's not just a matter of customers not showing up: When they do come, they're not spending as! much as ! they used to for a day at the park. SeaWorld doesn't like to talk about "Blackfish," but it's clearly playing a role in keeping potential patrons away. The documentary takes jabs at SeaWorld for keeping killer whales in captivity and performing for guests, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the slip in revenue per guest has something to do with visitors

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS) suffered a whale of an earnings miss today, sending the stock falling 9.78% to $16.78.

    The operator of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens reported a profit of $1.01 a share, down from $1.34 a share a year earlier and below the $1.13 a share expected by the Street. Revenue fell 7.9% to $495.8 million.

    To blame? Continued bad publicity following the 2013 release of the documentary film “Blackfish” and increased competition in the Florida market from the likes of Disney (DIS) and UniversalStudios, owned by Comcast (CMCSA)

    Park attendance fell 5.2% during the quarter, typically the biggest of the year for SeaWorld, compared with a year before. Through the first nine months of the year attendance has fallen 4.7%.

    According to FBR Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett, Disney reported a 4% rise in attendance and a 6% rise in per cap spending at its domestic parks, driven mainly by Disney World in Orlando. Universal reported 17% revenue growth in its parks segment, thanks in part to positive reception for the new Harry Potter Diagon Alley attraction that opened July 8 in Orlando.

    But Crockett notes that SeaWold maintained its full year guidance. He writes:

    …full year guidance was maintained, suggesting a better than anticipated trend in 4Q14, with a YOY EBITDA increase of 5% to 24%, perhaps tied to a better-than-expected cost-cutting initiative generating $50 million of savings versus previous suggestions for at least $40 million.

    SeaWorld, which operates 11 theme parks, said in August it would build new, larger killer-whale facilities! , with th! e first set to open in San Diego in 2018.

    That plan hasn't appeased animal-rights groups opposed to captive breeding of the whales or their use in shows.

    SeaWorld has fallen more than 50% since hitting a 52-week high in March at $35.22 a share.

  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    www.sixflags.com Major market indexes may be hitting new highs, but not everyone is celebrating. Given the lofty stock valuations and slowly expanding economy, many investors are starting to hunt for high-yielding stocks that can provide some steady income to help offset any upcoming market declines. Utility stocks, real estate investment trusts and limited partnerships are magnetic because of their chunky yields, but let's look beyond the obvious high-payers. Let's check out a few investments generating high payouts in some unlikely places. Six Flags (SIX) -- 5.1 percent yield It seems as if you can't run an amusement park chain as a public company without rewarding your stakeholders with some spending money for the next time they hit the park. This can probably be attributed to Cedar Fair (FUN), which as a limited partnership shells out most of its profits as distributions. This translated into a head-turning yield of 5.7 percent. Six Flags isn't too shabby, presently yielding more than 5 percent. Even SeaWorld (SEAS) is now brandishing a yield north of 4 percent, largely the result of losing nearly a third of its value after a poorly received quarterly report a few weeks ago. Running a theme park isn't cheap. It takes frequent sizable investments during the off-seasons to beef up the attractions. However, Six Flags is finding a way to build out its gated attractions while still being able to return money to its shareholders. Mattel (MAT) -- 4.3 percent yield Barbie, Hot Wheels and American Girl are just some of the famous playthings produced by Mattel. Barbie sales have slowed in recent years, plunging 15 percent in Mattel's latest quarter, and having a few more hit toys and games th! is upcomi! ng holiday season wouldn't hurt. The toy-making giant has been struggling lately, missing Wall Street's profit targets in each of the past three quarters. Still, toy makers apparently don't play games when it comes to their payouts. Rival Hasbro (HAS) -- the to

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-recreation-companies-for-2015-3.html

Best Wireless Telecom Companies To Buy Right Now

Best Wireless Telecom Companies To Buy Right Now: Vodafone Group PLC (VOD)

Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone), incorporated in 1984, is a mobile communications company operating across the globe providing a range of communications services. The Company offers a range of products and services, including voice, messaging, data and fixed-line solutions and devices to assist customers in meeting their total communications needs. Vodafone has a global presence, with equity interests in over 30 countries and over 40 partner markets worldwide. It operates in three geographic regions: Europe, Africa and Central Europe; Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and has an investment in Verizon Wireless in the United States. In October 2010, Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone, announced the acquisition of two telecom expense management (TEM) companies, Quickcomm and TnT Expense Management. In November 2011, the Company sold 24.4% interest in Polkomtel in Poland. In March 2012, Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture of Verizon Communications I nc. and Vodafone, purchased the operating assets of Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania from the Company. In April 2012, its Netherlands-based division, Vodafone Libertel BV, acquired Telespectrum-DJ. On October 31, 2012, the Company acquired TelstraClear Limited. In May 2013, Vodafone Group Plc announced launch of its carrier services business unit.

In Europe, the Companys mobile subsidiaries and joint venture operate under the brand name Vodafone. Its associate in France operates as SFR and Neuf Cegetel, and its fixed-line communication businesses operate as Vodafone, Arcor, Tele2 and TeleTu. Vodafones subsidiaries in Africa and Central Europe operate under the Vodafone brand, or in the case of Vodacom and its mobile subsidiaries, the Vodacom and Gateway brands. Its joint venture in Poland operates as Polkomtel and its associate in Kenya operates as Safaricom. The Companys subsidiaries and joint venture in Fiji operate under the ! Vodafone brand, an d its joint venture in Australia operates under the brands V! odafone and 3. The Companys associate in the United States operates under the brand Verizon Wireless.

Vodafone has an international customer base with 370 million mobile customers across the world as of March 31, 2011. Vodafone also caters to all business segments ranging from small-office-home-office (SoHo) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to corporates and multinational corporations. Through its subsidiaries, Vodafone directly owns and manages approximately 2,200 stores around the world. The Company also has around 10,300 Vodafone-branded stores run through franchise and exclusive dealer arrangements.

The Companys range of handsets covers all its customer segments and price points, and is available in a variety of designs. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), 14 new handsets were released under its own brand and it shipped 5.8 million. In addition to handsets, it supplies a range of connected smart devices. It suppl ies the iPhone in 19 markets. During fiscal 2011, the Company launched its USB stick based on 4G/LTE technology in Germany and Verizon Wireless launched in the United States.; Vodafone WebBox; a smartphone roaming data plan that allows the European customers to use their home data plan abroad for only 2 a day to access the Internet, emails and applications; the Android-powered Vodafone 845 and 945 devices; Vodafone TV services; Vodafone 252, which comes pre-loaded with Vodafone M-Pesa for mobile payment services and a prepaid balance indicator that helps customers to keep track of their phone credit to avoid overspending; Vodafone M-Pesa in South Africa, Qatar and Fiji; 3G services in India, and LTE services by acquiring LTE spectrum in Germany.

The Company is a carrier of mobile voice traffic in the world providing domestic, international and roaming voice services to more than 370 million customers. Its networks sent and received over 292 b! illion te! xt, pictur e, music and video messages during fiscal 2011. The Company ! serves mo! re than 75 million customers with data services, which allow access to the Internet, email and applications on their phones, tablets, laptops and netbooks. The Company provides a range of data products, including Machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, which allow devices to communicate with one another via built-in mobile SIM cards; Third party billing; Financial services; Near field communication (NFC), and Mobile advertising. The Company, as of March 31, 2011, served 5.3 million M2M connections around the world. NFC allows communication between devices when they are touched together or brought within a few centimetres of each other. The Company has mobile advertising business in 18 countries with a range of capabilities. Over six million customers use its fixed broadband services in 13 markets to meet their total communications needs. In addition, through Gateway, it provides wholesale carrier services to more than 40 African countries. Other service revenue inc ludes business managed services, such as secure remote network access, and revenue from mobile virtual network operators generated from selling access to its network at the wholesale level. The Companys enterprise customers range from small-office-home-office (SoHo) businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), through to domestic and multinational companies. The Company has 34 million enterprise customers accounting for around 9% of all customers and around 23% of service revenue. The Company focuses on SoHos and SMEs to provide customers with integrated fixed and mobile communications solutions. Vodafone Global Enterprise manages the communication needs of over 560 of the multinational corporate customers. It provides a range of managed services, such as Central Ordering, Device Manager, Spend Manager Solutions, Invoice Manager, Vodafone Neverfail and Telecoms management. The Company offers a range of total communications applications, as well a! s servi! ces for enterprise and consumer customers. Vodafone Alw! ays Best ! Connected software enables customers to stay connected to the Internet on the available connection wherever they are by automatically managing the switching between connection types including mobile broadband, Wi-Fi and LAN. Vodafone PC Backup is an online back-up and restores service that enables users to remotely store data securely and automatically via their Internet connection.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Big Deals: Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) will pay $130 billion for the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless by Vodafone Group plc (NASDAQ: VOD) in one of the three largest acquisitions ever.Vodafone was involved in two of them.

  • [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

    BAT gained 1.2 percent after first-quarter sales surpassed projections. Vodafone (VOD) Group Plc climbed to an 11-year high after a report Verizon Communications Inc. may bid $100 billion for full control of Verizon Wireless. Unilever fell 3 percent after posting sales growth that missed projections.

  • [By Amy Thomson]

    As Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) nears an exit from its 14-year-old U.S. wireless venture with Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), Europes biggest mobile-phone company may have to make a tough choice: buy or be bought.

  • [By Dividend Mantra] nounced the sale of it's 45% stake in the Verizon Wireless (VZW) joint venture it started with Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) back in 2000. It seems almost from the start VZ has been trying to gain 100% control of it's wireless business. And who can blame them? This is a 13-year saga that has finally come to a close.

    I have a fairly substantial position in VOD, as I currently own 150 shares of Vodafone worth $4,801.05based on today's closing value of $32.01 per ADR share. It's important to note that VOD is based in the U.K., and as such I invest in the company through American Depository Receipt shares. Each VOD ADR is w! orth 10 o! rdinary shares.

    I've long been a fan of Vodafone.

    I've been a very happy investor in Vodafone, as it carried less debt than other major telecommunication companies, had much less exposure to legacy costs associated with wireline businesses because they're primarily a wireless company and they had broad geographic exposure to Europ e, India, Africa, Australia and the U.S. (through 45% of VZW). In addition, it's always seemed that the market discounted it's assets, as they were usually cheaper than most of the other options and generally had higher quality assets that had broader exposure throughout the world.

    But I'm not a fan of this sale.

    I'll be completely honest and admit I'm not a huge fan of this transaction. As a value investor, I would have preferred Vodafone stay intact with wonderful telecom assets throughout the world, a healthy balance sheet, broad exposure and a cheap valuation. However, this sale was bound to happen sooner or later and the time seemed right. Interest rates are still low enough to provide VZ an opportunity to finance a good portion of the deal via newly issued debt and VOD had long had issue with not being able to control the dividend payout from the joint venture because it lacked majority control.

    Management should be commended, however.

    Furthe rmore, I believe mana

  • source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-wireless-telecom-companies-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Monday, April 20, 2015

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Monday is the deadline to sign up for private health insurance in the new online markets created by President Barack Obama's health care law. So far, about 4 out of every 5 people enrolling have qualified for tax credits to reduce the cost of their premiums. Here's what you need to know: • The sign-up website stumbled on deadline day. Visitors to HealthCare.gov on Monday morning saw messages that the site was down for maintenance. At times the visitors were also directed to a virtual waiting room -- a feature designed to ease the strain on the site during periods of heavy use. Officials attributed the problem to a software bug. • The deadline is at midnight Eastern Daylight Time for the states where the federal government is running the sign-up website; states running their own exchanges set their own deadlines. • You can sign up online by going to HealthCare.gov or your state insurance exchange. If you don't know what your state marketplace is called, HealthCare.gov will direct you. • You can call 1-800-318-2596 to sign up by phone or get help from an enrollment specialist. • Check online for sign-up centers that may be open locally, offering in-person assistance. • If you started an application by Monday but didn't finish, perhaps because of errors, missing information or website glitches, you can take advantage of a grace period. The government says it will accept paper applications until April 7 and take as much time as necessary to handle unfinished cases on HealthCare.gov. • Be prepared for the possibility of long wait times.

Best International Stocks To Own For 2015: Fibria Celulose SA (FIBR3)

Fibria Celulose SA, formerly Votorantim Celulose e Papel SA, is a Brazil-based company involved in the production and sale of short fiber pulp. The Company operates pulp manufacturing plants in Aracruz (Espirito Santo), Tres Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul), Jacarei (Sao Paulo) and Veracel (Bahia). Additionally, the Company is engaged in the cultivation of eucalyptus. It has plantations in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Espirito Santo. In 2011, the Company sold a business unit active in paper production. The Company has a number of subsidiaries in Brazil and abroad, including Normus Empreendimentos e Participacoes Ltda, Fibria Overseas Finance Ltd and Fibria Celulose (USA) Inc, among others. On October, 2013, the Company announced merger by incorporation of Normus Empreendimentos e Participacoes Ltda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, in order to simplify the corporate structure. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Harry Suhartono]

    The Ibovespa dropped 1.8 percent as iron-ore producer Vale SA (VALE5), whose main export market is China, snapped a two-day gain. Pulp producer Fibria Celulose SA (FIBR3) retreated after posting quarterly earnings that trailed analysts��estimates. Brazil plans to sell dollar bonds due in 2025, creating a new benchmark security in international markets, and buy back notes maturing in as little as four years.

  • [By Julia Leite]

    Fibria Celulose SA (FIBR3), the world�� largest pulp producer, climbed after settling a tax dispute with Brazil over profits at its foreign units. Iron-ore producer Vale SA (VALE5) gained before a report due this weekend forecast to show manufacturing is still expanding in China, the company�� main export market.

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014: UPM-Kymmene Corporation (UPM1V)

UPM-Kymmene Corporation is a Finland-based paper and forest products company. The Company operates, along with its subsidiaries, in three segments: the Energy and Pulp segment is divided into three units: Energy, which includes the Company�� hydropower plant and shares in energy companies; Pulp, which includes the Company�� pulp mills, and Foster and Timber, which includes forests, wood procurement, sawmills and further processing; the Paper segment includes the Company�� paper mills, producing magazine paper, newsprint, fine papers, and specialty papers, and the Engineered materials segment is structured into two units: Label, which includes label-stock factories and slitting, and distribution terminals, and Plywood, which includes plywood mills. The Company�� other operations include the wood plastic composite unit, development units and logistic services. On October 2, 2013, it completed the sale of the wood processing mill in Aigrefeuille d'Aunis, to Groupe FP Bois. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Corinne Gretler]

    UPM-Kymmene Oyj (UPM1V) fell 3.9 percent to 12.18 euros. UBS AG lowered Europe�� second-largest papermaker to sell from neutral. The brokerage said that demand for the company�� product will not recover in Europe and that the industry will probably reduce its capacity next year.

  • [By Tom Stoukas]

    UPM-Kymmene (UPM1V), a rival maker of paper, dropped 1.9 percent to 10.23 euros.

    Aryzta surged 4 percent to 60.45 Swiss francs, the biggest gain since March 28. The owner of bakery brands including Delice de France and Otis Spunkmeyer posted full-year revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($6.1 billion), beating analysts��estimates of 4.43 billion euros. The company also forecast a double-digit percentage gain in 2014 earnings.

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund(CFP)

Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund is a closed-ended equity fund of fund launched and managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. The fund invests funds investing in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund was formed on April 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

    Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

    When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014: Meadwestvaco Corporation (MWV)

MeadWestvaco Corporation (MWV) provides packaging solutions to the healthcare, personal care and beauty, food, beverage, home and garden, tobacco, and commercial print industries worldwide. The company?s Packaging Resources segment produces bleached paperboard, Coated Natural Kraft paperboard, and linerboard. Its Consumer Solutions segment designs and produces multi-pack cartons and packaging systems primarily for the beverage take-home and tobacco market. In addition, it offers a range of converting and consumer packaging solutions, including printed plastic packaging and injection-molded products used for personal care, beauty, and pharmaceutical products; and dispensing and sprayer systems for personal care, beauty, healthcare, fragrance, and home and garden markets. In addition, this segment has a pharmaceutical packaging contract with a mass-merchant, and manufactures equipment that is leased or sold to its beverage and dairy customers to package their products. The c ompany?s Consumer & Office Products segment manufactures, sources, markets, and distributes school and office products, time-management products, and envelopes in North America and Brazil through both retail and commercial channels. Its Specialty Chemicals segment manufactures, markets, and distributes specialty chemicals derived from sawdust and other byproducts of the papermaking process in North America, South America, and Asia. Its products include activated carbon used in emission control systems for automobiles and trucks, as well as for water and food purification applications, and performance chemicals used in printing inks, asphalt paving, adhesives, and lubricants for the agricultural, paper, and petroleum industries. MWV?s Community Development and Land Management segment involves in real estate development, forestry operations, and leasing activities. MeadWestvaco Corporation was founded in 1888 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ray Merola]

    International Paper Co Share Price versus Competitors RockTenn (RKT), MeadWestvaco Corp (MWV), Packaging Corporation of America (PKG), and S&P 500 (March 2009-to-date)

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014: Bemis Company Inc (BMS)

Bemis Company, Inc., incorporated on May 18, 1885, is a manufacturer of packaging products and pressure sensitive materials. The Company's business activities are organized around its three reportable business segments, U.S. Packaging , Global Packaging and Pressure Sensitive Materials. The majority of the Company�� products are sold to customers in the food industry. Other customers include companies businesses, such as chemical, agribusiness, medical, pharmaceutical, personal care, electronics, automotive, construction, graphic industries and other consumer goods. In July 2013, Bemis Company Inc acquired all of the common stock of Foshan New Changsheng Plastics Films Co., LTD.

The Company�� flexible packaging businesses has a technical base in polymer chemistry, film extrusion, coating, laminating, printing, and converting. The Company�� pressure sensitive materials business specializes in adhesive technologies. On August 22, 2012, the Company acquired two flexible packaging businesses in Australia and New Zealand.

U.S. Packaging segment

The U.S. Packaging segment represents all food, consumer, and industrial products packaging-related manufacturing operations located in the United States. This segment manufactures multilayer polymer, blown and cast film structures to produce packaging sold for food and personal care product applications as well as non-food applications. Additional products include custom thermoformed packaging, and multiwall paper bags. Markets for these products include processed and fresh meat, liquids, frozen foods, cereals, snacks, cheese, coffee, condiments, candy, pet food, bakery, seed, lawn and garden, tissue, fresh produce, personal care and hygiene, disposable diapers, agribusiness, and minerals. This segment has 35 manufacturing plants located in 16 states, of which 32 are owned directly by the Company or its subsidiaries and three are leased from outside parties.

Global Packaging segment

The ! Global Packaging segment includes all packaging-related manufacturing operations located outside of the United States as well as global medical device and pharmaceutical packaging manufacturing operations. This segment manufactures multilayer polymer, blown and cast film structures to produce packaging sold for a variety of food, medical, pharmaceutical, personal care, and industrial applications. Additional products include injection molded plastic and folding carton packaging. Markets for these products include processed and fresh meat, liquids, snacks, cheese, coffee, condiments, candy, bakery, tissue, fresh produce, personal care and hygiene, disposable diapers, agribusiness, pharmaceutical, and medical devices. This segment has 32 manufacturing plants located in three United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and ten non-United States countries, of which 26 are owned directly by the Company or its subsidiaries and six are leased from outside parties.

Pressure Sensitive Materials segment

The Pressure Sensitive Materials segment is a global manufacturer of pressure sensitive adhesive coated paper and film substrates sold into label, graphic, and technical product markets. Products for label markets include narrow-Web rolls of pressure sensitive paper, film, and metalized film printing stocks used in high-speed printing and die-cutting. Products for graphic markets include pressure sensitive films used for decorative signage through computer-aided plotters, digital and screen printers, and photographic overlaminate and mounting materials including optically clear films with built-in ultraviolet (UV) inhibitors. Products for technical markets include micro-thin film adhesives used in delicate electronic parts assembly and pressure sensitive applications utilizing foam and tape based stocks to perform fastening and mounting functions. This segment has seven manufacturing plants located in three states and two non-United States countries, all of which are owned directly b! y the Com! pany or its subsidiaries.

The Company competes with Amcor Limited, Berry Plastics Corporation, Bryce Corporation, Exopack Company, Hood Packaging Corporation, Printpack, Inc., Sealed Air Corporation, Sonoco Products Company, Wihuri OY, Winpak ltd, 3M, Acucote, Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation, FLEXcon Corporation, Green Bay Packaging Inc., Ricoh Company, Ltd., Ritrama Inc., Spinnaker Industries, Inc., Technicote Inc., UPM-Kymmene Corporation, and Wausau Coated Products Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jessica Alling]

    Leaders and laggards
    Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) is at the top of the class this morning with a 5.19% gain following some extremely encouraging news about its latest experimental drug,�lambrolizumab. Aimed at unleashing the powers of a patient's own immune system, the drug disables the immune system cells' prevention method that curbs its attack on cancer cells -- a protein called the programmed death 1 receptor, or PD-1. Merck's drug has shown a 38% rate in tumor reduction in patients with advanced melanoma, and up to 52% in patients who received the highest dosage of the drug. Though the patients have not undergone the trial for a long enough period yet, the results are attracting attention for matching the current treatments from two Bristol-Meyers Squibb (NYSE: BMS  ) drugs, Yervoy and nivolumab, with potentially milder side effects. The news is great for Merck investors, as the company has only played a small part in oncology treatments to date.

  • [By The Part-time Investor]

    The following stocks met the criteria in January of 2008 and were put into the initial portfolio:

    Abbot Labs (ABT)Advanced data processing (ADP)Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC)Bank of America (BAC)BB&T Corp. (BBT)Bemis Company (BMS)Anheuser Busch (BUD)The Chubb Corporation (CB)Clorox (CLX)Comerica Inc. (CMA)Diebold Inc. (DBD)Emerson Electronics (EMR)First Dollar Corp. (FDO)First Third BanCorp. (FITB)Gannett Co, Inc. (GCI)General Electric (GE)Hershey (HSY)Illinois Tools Works (ITW)Johnson and Johnson (JNJ)Leggett and Platt (LEG)Eli Lilly (LLY)La-Z-Boy (LZB)McDonald's (MCD)Marsh and Ilsley (MI)M&T Bancorp (MTB)PepsiCo (PEP)Pfizer (PFE)Procter & Gamble (PG)Pentair Ltd. (PNR)Regions Financial Corp. (RF)Rohm and Haas (ROH)RPM International (RPM)Sherwin Williams (SHW)Sysco Corp. (SYY)UDR Inc. (UDR)

    Historical quotes were taken from Yahoo Finance. $10,000 was put into each position, to the nearest whole share, so a total of $349,262.89 was invested. From 1/15/08 through 5/16/13 all dividends were reinvested back into the stock that paid them. If a dividend cut was announced, that stock was sold on the ex-div date of the new, lower dividend.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Looking to increase its presence and market share in Asia, specialty packaging maker Bemis (NYSE: BMS  ) announced today it was acquiring a Chinese manufacturer of specialty films, Foshan New Changsheng Plastics Films.�

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)

Crown Holdings, Inc., incorporated on February 7, 2003, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and sale of packaging products for consumer goods. Its business is organized within three divisions: Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Its segments within the Americas Division are Americas Beverage and North America Food. Its segments within the European Division are European Beverage and European Food. Americas Beverage includes beverage can operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. North America Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in the United States and Canada. European Beverage includes beverage can operations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. European Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in Europe and Africa. Its Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage and non-beverage can operations, primarily food cans and specialty packaging. As of December 31, 2012, it acquired Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd.

The Company supplies beverage cans and ends and other packaging products to a range of beverage and beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Cott Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Heineken, National Beverage and Pepsi-Cola, among others. The Company manufactures a range of food cans and ends, including two-and three-piece cans in numerous shapes and sizes, and sells food cans to food marketers, such as Bonduelle, Cecab, ConAgra, Continentale, Mars, Simmons Foods, Nestle, Princes Group and Stockmeyer, among others.

The Company offers a range of metal vacuum closures and sealing equipment. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procte! r & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others.

Americas Division

The Americas Division includes operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Colombia and Mexico. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The Americas Beverage segment manufactures aluminum beverage cans and ends and steel crowns, referred to as bottle caps. The North America Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends and metal vacuum closures.

European Division

The European Division includes operations in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The European Beverage segment manufactures steel and aluminum beverage cans and ends. The European Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends, and metal vacuum closures.

Asia Pacific division

The Company's Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage can operations in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and non-beverage can operations, primarily including food cans and specialty packaging in China, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As of December 31, 2012, the division operated 32 plants in six countries.

The Company competes with Ardagh Group, Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Can-Pack S.A., Metal Container Corporation, Mivisa Envases S.A.U., Rexam PLC and Silgan Holdings Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Crown Holdings Inc.(CCK) cut its third-quarter earnings guidance on lower end-user demand in some of the food-and-beverage packaging company’s markets, including European food cans and North American beverage cans.

Best Paper Stocks To Watch For 2014: Iberpapel Gestion SA (IBG)

Iberpapel Gestion SA is a Spain-based holding company engaged in the paper industry. The Company operates through three divisions: Forestry, involved in the acquisition and cultivation of eucalyptus plantations in Argentina, Uruguay and Spain; Industrial, focused on the production of bleached pulp and paper products, and Commercial, specialized on the distribution of products such as printing and photocopy paper, offset paper, light-coated paper, laser printing paper, paper bags and envelopes. The Company�� subsidiaries include Distribuidora Papelera SA, Moliner Dominguez y Cia SA, Ibereucaliptos SA, Papelera Guipuzcoana de Zicunaga SA, Central de Suministros de Artes Graficas Papel SA and Copaimex SA, among others. The Company�� major shareholders include ONCHENA, SL and BESTINVER GESTION, SA. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By GURUFOCUS]

    The top contributing stock for the quarter was Saft Groupe (XPAR:SAFT).� The company has two main divisions: the Specialty Battery Group (SBG), which makes lithium batteries for various end markets including satellites, utility meters and military applications; and the Industrial Battery Group (IBG), which produces rechargeable nickel and lithium-ion batteries for industrial back-up power, aviation, rail, telecom and energy storage industries.�

  • [By Holly LaFon]

    The top contributing stock for the quarter was Saft Groupe (XPAR:SAFT).� The company has two main divisions: the Specialty Battery Group (SBG), which makes lithium batteries for various end markets including satellites, utility meters and military applications; and the Industrial Battery Group (IBG), which produces rechargeable nickel and lithium-ion batteries for industrial back-up power, aviation, rail, telecom and energy storage industries.�