Top Sliver Companies To Own In Right Now

With shares of Merck (NYSE:MRK) trading at around $47.56, is MRK an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock�� Movement

An FDA panel recently voted for approval of Suvorexant (insomnia). This doesn�� guarantee FDA approval, but increase the odds of approval. A decision is expected within a few months.�Suvorexant�� potential is high. However, it hasn�� been all good news for Merck.

Singulair (asthma) Q1 sales declined 75 percent year-over-year due to patent expiration and competition from more affordable generic drugs. Maxalt (migraines) has also seen a drop in sales due to the ever-increasing threat of generics, and Temodar (brain cancer) is likely to see competition from generics. Another negative for Merck was that Phase III studies didn�� show enough efficacy for Merck to pursue regulatory filings for Preladenant (Parkinson��). Other negatives include a revenue decline last year, a year-over-year revenue decline of 9 percent last quarter, a year-over-year earnings decline of 8.30 percent�last quarter, and weak guidance.

Best Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Enbridge Energy Management LLC (EEQ)

Enbridge Energy Management, L.L.C. operates as a limited partner of Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. that owns and operates crude oil and liquid petroleum transportation and storage assets in the United States. It also owns and operates natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation, and marketing assets. The company manages and controls the business and affairs of Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. Enbridge Energy Management, L.L.C. was founded in 2002 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Question: What are the differences among Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc (TSX: ENF, OTC: EBGUF), Enbridge Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EEP), Enbridge Inc (TSX: ENB, NYSE: ENB) and Enbridge Energy Management LLC (NYSE: EEQ)?

Top Sliver Companies To Own In Right Now: Cloud Peak Energy Inc(CLD)

Cloud Peak Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in coal mining operations in the Powder River Basin of the United States. It produces sub-bituminous steam coal with low sulfur content for electric utilities and industrial customers. The company owns and operates Antelope surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; the Cordero Rojo surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; and the Spring Creek surface coal mine located in Montana. It also owns a 50% interest in the Decker surface coal mine located in Montana. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 970 million tons of proven and probable reserves. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Gillette, Wyoming.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  As for specific stocks, the Goldman analysts issued five ratings changes:

  Upgrade CONSOL Energy to Buy given strong production growth at its E&P segment, improving cash flow from the coal business and potential for asset sales/restructuring to help realize its SOTP value. Downgrade Arch Coal to Sell due to high leverage, peak valuations and low free cash flow levels. Neutral Ratings on Cloud Peal Energy (CLD), Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) and Walt Energy (WLT): Goldman downgrade Cloud to a Neutral given a lower production outlook and a reduced PRB price forecast. The firm upgraded Alpha and Walt to Neutral from Sell, predicting that met coal prices have bottomed.

  Arch Coal has fallen 5.7% to day to $4.26, followed by Cloud Pearl, down 3.4% to $14.68, and a 3% drop by Walt Energy to $14.10. Alpha Natural dropped 2.8% to $6.10. And CONSOL fell 0.9% to $33.46.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  JPMorgan’s John Bridges and team think it’s time for investors to start looking for entry points in quality coal miners like Cloud Peak Energy (CLD), Consol Energy (CNX) and Peabody Energy (BTU). They explain why:

Top Sliver Companies To Own In Right Now: comScore Inc.(SCOR)

comScore, Inc. provides a range of digital analytics solutions primarily in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company offers its customers with information regarding usage of their online properties and those of their competitors, coupled with information on consumer demographic characteristics, attitudes, lifestyles, and offline behavior solutions through its digital media measurement platforms. Its digital media measurement platforms consist of proprietary databases and a computational infrastructure that measures, analyzes, and reports on digital activity. The company also provides audience analytics tools that measure the size, behavior, and characteristics of Internet users on PCs, mobile devices, and tablets, as well as insight into online advertising; and advertising analytics products, such as AdEffx, Media Planner 2.0, and Campaign Essentials, which provide solutions for developing, executing, and evaluating online advertising campaigns, as well as valida ted campaign essentials that provide intelligence regarding validated impressions. In addition, it offers Web analytics products and solutions, as well as Web analytics platform that integrates data from multiple sources, including Web, mobile, video, and social media interactions; and mobile and network analytics products, such as comprehensive market intelligence and network solutions to mobile carriers with information on network optimization and capacity planning, customer experience, and market intelligence. The company serves Internet service providers, investment banks, media and digital agencies, consumer banks, wireless carriers, pharmaceutical makers, credit card issuers, and consumer packaged goods companies. comScore, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  Ross D. Franklin/APAmazon.com employee Hugh Johnson Jr. packs up a box at an Amazon.com warehouse earlier this month. Americans waited until the last minute to buy holiday gifts, but retailers weren't prepared for the spike in sales. Heavy spending in the final days of the mostly lackluster season sent sales up 3.5 percent between Nov. 1 and Tuesday, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, which tracks payments but doesn't give dollar figures. Online shopping led the uptick, with spending up 10 percent to $38. 91 billion between Nov. 2 and Sunday, research firm ComScore (SCOR) said. "We always have last-minute Charlies, but this year even people who normally complete shopping earlier completed shopping later," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at market research firm NPD Group. The late surge caught companies off guard. UPS (UPS) and FedEx (FDX) failed to deliver some packages by Christmas due to a combination of poor weather and overloaded systems, leaving some unhappy holiday shoppers. Justin Londagin and his wife ordered their 7-year-old son a jersey of Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks from NFL's website on Dec. 19. They paid $12.95 extra for two-day shipping to get it to their Augusta, Kan., home before Christmas, but it didn't arrive in time. "We had to get creative and wrote him a note from Santa to tell him that the jersey fell out of the sleigh and Santa will get it to him as soon as he could," he said. Amazon.com (AMZN) is offering customers with delayed shipments a refund on their shipping charges and $20 toward a future purchase. And other retailers such as Macy's said they are looking into the situation. The last-minute surge this year solidifies the increasing popularity of online shopping, which accounts for about 10 percent of sales during the last three months of the year. It also underscores the challenges that companies face delivering on the experience, particularly during the holiday shopping season that runs

Top Sliver Companies To Own In Right Now: Sanchez Energy Corp (SN)

Sanchez Energy Corporation, incorporated on August 22, 2011, is an independent exploration and production company. The Company is focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources onshore along the United States Gulf Coast, primarily in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. The Company also has a position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had accumulated approximately 95,000 net leasehold acres in the oil and condensate, or black oil and volatile oil, windows of the Eagle Ford Shale in Gonzales, Zavala, Frio, Fayette, Lavaca, Atascosa, Webb and DeWitt Counties of South Texas. The Company's Eagle Ford Shale acreage is consists of approximately 9,700 net acres in Gonzales County, Texas, which the Company refers to as its Palmetto area, approximately 28,400 net acres in Zavala and Frio Counties, Texas, which the Company refers to as its Maverick area, and approximately 57,100 net acres in Fayette, Lavac.

The Company owns all rights and depths on the majority of its Eagle Ford Shale acreage. The Company is evaluating other zones, which may present the Company with additional drilling locations. Several of the Company's existing wells are either producing from or have logged pay in the Buda Limestone and the Austin Chalk formations.

Eagle Ford Shale

The Eagle Ford Shale is one of the unconventional shale trends in North America. In the Eagle Ford Shale, the Company has assembled approximately 95,000 net acres with an average working interest of approximately 87%. Using approximately 120 acre well-spacing for the Company's Maverick and Marquis areas and approximately 80 acre well-spacing for its Palmetto area, the Company believes that there could be up to 973 gross (815 net) locations for potential future drilling on its acreage.

In the Company's Palmetto area, the Company has approximately 9,700 net acres in Gonzales County, Texas with an! average working interest of approximately 48%. The Company has participated in the drilling of 16 gross wells on its acreage that had an average initial 24-hour production rates between 502 and 3,139 barrels of oil equivalent per day . The Company has identified up to 237 gross (113 net) locations based on 80 acre well-spacing for potential future drilling in its Palmetto area. The Company is drilling a five-well pilot program from a single pad to test 40 acre well-spacing in its southern portion of the Palmetto area, and Ryder Scott has given the Company 80 acre well-spaced PUD locations in the same area in its December 31, 2012 reserve report.

In the Company's Maverick area, the Company has approximately 28,400 net operated acres in Zavala and Frio Counties, Texas with an average working interests of approximately 87%. The Company has drilled ten gross horizontal wells that had a range of average initial 24-hour production rates between 214 and 931 barrels of oil equivalent per day . The Company has also drilled four vertical wells that had average initial 24-hour rates between 94 and 264 barrels of oil equivalent per day . The Company tests the feasibility of a vertical well development program and compare horizontal and vertical completion economic returns. The Company has identified up to 264 gross (230 net) locations based on 120 acre well-spacing for potential future drilling on its Maverick acreage.

In the Company's Marquis area, the Company has approximately 57,100 net operated acres, the majority of which are in southwest Fayette and northeast Lavaca Counties, Texas with a 100% working interest. The Company has drilled three horizontal wells that had a range of average initial 24-hour production rates between 1,114 and 1,369 barrels of oil equivalent per day . The Company has identified up to 472 gross and net locations based on 120 acre well-spacing for potential future drilling on its Marquis acreage. The Company is also drilling a 60 acre well-spacing test in the! western ! Prost area of its Marquis area.

Other

The Company has approximately 1,000 net acres in the Haynesville Shale in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, which are operated by Chesapeake Energy Corporation. The majority of the Company's Haynesville leases are held by production, giving the Company and its partners the option to accelerate drilling should natural gas prices increase.

The Company competes with Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Marathon Oil Corporation, EOG Resources, Inc., Halcon Resources Corporation, Penn Virginia Corporation and Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Josh Young]

  The above could have described Sanchez's (SN) acquisition of Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) acreage, announced on August 8th, 2013. Sanchez bought a position in the TMS for approximately $2,000 per acre, giving Sanchez exposure to the play and providing a nice comp for Goodrich Petroleum (GDP), the leading public company in the TMS play. Goodrich had been trading at a lower implied value per TMS acre, net of the value of its other assets. Unsurprisingly, since then Goodrich has traded up substantially (incidentally, so has Sanchez):

• [By Tom Armistead]

  We're attracted to opportunities like Sanchez Energy Corp. (SN) and Bellatrix Exploration Ltd. (TSX:BXE).

  Sanchez went public just a couple years ago. It had a decent-sized position in the Eagle Ford, which it has grown to over 125,000 acres��retty sizeable for a small-cap. Sanchez was producing 600 barrels of oil equivalent per day (600 boe/d); now it's over 12,000 boe/d and should be around 15,000-17,000 by the end of the year.

Hot Forestry Companies To Invest In 2015

Hot Forestry Companies To Invest In 2015: Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW)

Palo Alto Networks, Inc., incorporated in March 2005, offers a network security platform that allows enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure their networks. The core of its platform is the Companys firewall that delivers natively integrated application, user, and content visibility and control through its operating system, hardware, and software architecture. The Company primarily sells its products and services to end-customers through distributors, resellers, and partners, and directly to end-customers (collectively partners), who are supported by its sales and marketing organization, in the Americas, in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and in Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC). Its products and services can address a range of its end-customers network security requirements, from the data center to the network perimeter, as well as the distributed enterprise, which includes branch offices and a number of mobile devices. It introduced PA-5000 Series and GlobalProtect subscription service in March 2011 and the PA-200 and WildFire subscription service in November 2011.

The Companys platform is delivered in an appliance form factor and includes a suite of subscription services, as well as support and maintenance. Its subscription services can be activated on any of its appliances. All of the Companys appliances incorporate its PAN-OS operating system and are based on its identification technologies, App-ID, User-ID, and Content-ID, which allow security policies to be defined within the context of applications, users, and content. It delivers these capabilities through a single-pass parallel processing architecture that simultaneously performs multiple identification, security and networking functions. The Company serves the enterprise network security market, which consists of Firewall/ Virtual Private Network (VPN), Unified Threat Management (UTM), Web Gateway, Intrusion Det! ection and P revention (IDP/IPS), and VPN technologies. The Company derived 62% of its total revenue from the Americas, 27% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and 11% from Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC) as of January 31, 2012.

The Company derives revenue from sales of its products and services, which together comprise its platform. Product revenue is primarily generated from sales of its Firewall. The Companys Threat Prevention, universal resource locator (URL) Filtering, and GlobalProtect subscriptions provide its end-customers with real-time access to the antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, and malware protection capabilities across fixed and mobile devices. The Companys application classification engine, called App-ID, uses multiple identification techniques to determine the exact identity of applications traversing the network. App-ID is the foundational classification engine that provides the core traffic classification to all other funct ions in its platform. The App-ID classification is used to invoke other security functions.

App-ID uses a series of classification techniques to identify an application. App-ID classifies all network traffic, including business applications, consumer applications, and network protocols, across all ports. User-ID integrates its platform with a range of enterprise user directories and technologies, including Active Directory, eDirectory, Open LDAP, Citrix Terminal Server, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Terminal Server, and ZENworks. Content-ID is a collection of technologies that enables its subscription services. Content-ID combines a real-time threat prevention engine, cloud-based analysis service, and a URL categorization database to limit unauthorized data and file transfers, detect and block a range of threats, and control non-work related Web surfing. Its WildFire, cloud-based analysis service provides a real-time analysis engine for detecting previously uns een malware. Its URL filtering database consists! of milli! ons of URLs across many categories and is designed to monitor and control employee Web surfing activities. Single-Pass Parallel Processing Architecture (SP3) has two elements: single-pass software and parallel processing hardware.

The PAN-OS Operating System operating system provides the foundation for its network security platform and contains App-ID, User-ID, and Content-ID. PAN-OS performs the core functions of its platform, while also providing the networking, security, and management functions needed for implementation. The PAN-OS networking functions include dynamic routing, switching, high availability, and VPN support, which enables deployment into a range of networking environments. PAN-OS also includes attack protection capabilities, such as blocking invalid or malformed packets, IP defragmentation, TCP reassembly, and network traffic normalization. The Company also offers, such as application t raffic management, solution design and planning, configuration, and firewall migration. Its education services provide classroom-style training and are primarily delivered through its partners.

The Company competes with Cisco, Juniper, Intel, IBM, HP, Check Point Software, Fortinet and Sourcefire.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Crum]

  Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW) shares rose more than 7%, to close at $49.49 a day after the network-security technology company reported upbeat quarterly results.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) rose 2.5% to $59.30 on moderate volume after the network-security firm announced it had acquired Morta Security for an undisclosed sum.

• [By John Udovich]

  On Tuesday, small cap security software stock Sourcefire, Inc (NASDAQ: FIRE) surged after Cisc! o Systems! , Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced it would acquire the company in a deal worth $2.7 billion, pretty much leaving mid cap stocks Palo Alto Networks Inc (NYSE: PANW) and Fortinet Inc (NASDAQ: FTNT) left for investors or acquirers in the IT or cybersecurity space. Sourcefire itself is a top maker of next-generation intrusion prevention software, firewalls and malware protection for companies and government agencies. The deal puts Cisco even deeper into the key network security field with observers saying it could foreshadow other acquisitions in the space by other large cap IT players. Moreover, Christopher Young, senior vice president of Cisco's security group, was quoted in Investors Business Daily as saying:

• [By Brian Nichols]

  The growth of security
  If Cisco were to make a splash by acquiring Juniper, it would obtain a declining security business, which might have good synergies with Cisco's own security segment. However, Cisco is not losing market share to Juniper in this segment. Instead, tech giant Oracle and smaller rivalPalo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW  ) are hindering Cisco's performance.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-forestry-companies-to-invest-in-2015-2.html

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In 2014

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of chemical maker Zep (NYSE: ZEP  ) plunged 17% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations.

So what: The stock has rallied nicely in 2013 on steadily improving fundamentals, but a wide third-quarter miss -- EPS of $0.28 on revenue of $186 million versus the consensus of $0.42 and $197 million -- is forcing analysts to recalibrate their growth estimates. While management said that its diversification and expansion initiatives are right on track, weak demand and higher costs are weighing heavily on profitability.

Now what: Unfortunately for Zep bulls, management doesn't expect the operating pressure to let up anytime soon. "[W]e are currently experiencing organic revenue declines and expect this to continue over the next twelve months," said Chairman and CEO John Morgan. "We will therefore restructure the business to bring costs in-line with our revenue expectations and improve return on invested capital, while continuing to prudently invest in future growth initiatives." With the stock now off about 20% from its 52-week highs and trading at a forward P/E of 10, it might even be a good time to buy into that turnaround talk.�

Best European Companies To Watch For 2015: Nissan Motor Co Ltd (NSANF.PK)

NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. is an automobile manufacturer. The Company has two business segments. The Automobile segment is engaged in the manufacturing, trading and distribution of various types of automobiles, marine products and accessories, as well as the research, development and sale of lithium-ion secondary batteries. The Sales Financing segment is engaged in the provision of sales financing, as well as property and casualty insurance services, among others. On November 11, 2013, the Company announced that it had established an Indonesia-based subsidiary, which is engaged in the captive finance business to make loans to the customers of Indonesia. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Quoth the Raven]

  Regardless, through July of this year, Fusion was on pace to beat its 2012 numbers significantly.

  RankCarJuly
  2013
  YTD% ChangeJuly
  2013% Change#1Toyota (TM) Camry242,406- 0.6%34,780+ 16.3%#2Honda (HMC) Accord218,367+ 18.8%31,507+ 10.0%#3Nissan (NSANF.PK) Altima197,321+ 7.4%29,534+ 11.0%#4Honda Civic191,120+ 1.9%32,416+ 29.6%#5Toyota Corolla/Matrix183,435+ 4.6%24,463+ 3.5%#6Ford Fusion181,668+ 13.4%20,522

  - 12.0%

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In 2014: China Finance Online Co. Limited(JRJC)

China Finance Online Co. Limited provides integrated financial products and services in the People?s Republic of China. It offers various financial services, including news, data, analytics, and brokerage-related services through Web portals, desktop solutions, and mobile handsets. The company?s Web portals comprise jrj.com and stockstar.com, which offer subscription-based service packages that integrate financial and listed company data, information, and analytics from various sources with features and functions, such as data and information search, retrieval, delivery, storage, and analysis to individual users and institutional customers, including domestic securities and investment firms. It also collects, processes, and provides financial analysis tools, real-time and historical data, news, research reports, and online forums in one integrated information platform that allows its subscribers to make investment decisions with respect to various listed company stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and stock index futures. In addition, the company?s financial analysis tools offer subscribers with the ability to calculate and analyze financial data, such as securities market data analysis tools; technical analysis; and fundamental analysis. Further, it provides securities brokerage and online advertisement services. The company offers its products and services through its Websites, telemarketing, and customer service centers to individual investors managing their own money; professional investors, including institutional investors managing money on behalf of their clients and high net worth individuals; and other financial professionals, such as investment bankers, stock analysts, financial reporters, and middle class individuals. China Finance Online Co. Limited has strategic alliances with China Center for Financial Research of Tsinghua University and China Telecom. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic o f China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  D Dipasupil/FilmMagicJustin Bieber's Someday perfume. Plenty of stocks go up and down in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets. Let's go over some of last week's best and worst performers. China Finance Online (JRJC) -- Up 131 percent last week The market's biggest winner last week was China Finance Online, more than doubling after introducing a new trading platform. The Beijing-based financial website operator announced that the new offering was the country's first integrated, Web-based securities trading service platform. At least one noted worrywart disputed the claim. Citron Research -- a popular publisher of bearish reports on stocks -- tweeted that sloppy reporting and a misleading headline were making it seem as if no other online trading platform existed in the world's most populous nation. The bulls won out. Shares of China Finance Online closed sharply higher in each of last week's five trading days. TrueCar (TRUE) -- Up 33 percent last week Closer to home, another online platform moved nicely higher after striking a deal with Chrysler and auto insurer GEICO (BRK-A). TrueCar operates a negotiation-free car buying and selling platform. It launched a platform that could shake up the insurance industry, where roughly 3 million cars are totaled each year. Insurers have typically just written a settlement check and provided a rental car voucher to cover the incident, but TrueCar's new plan would work with launch partners GEICO and Chrysler -- and other members of its insurance affinity partners in the future -- to work with the insured to directly replace the vehicle. TrueCar went public at $9 just three months ago. The stock has been revving higher, going on to more than double in its brief time on the market. American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) -- Up 26 percent last week Shares of American Eagle Outfitters moved higher after it posted b

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In 2014: PC-Tel Inc.(PCTI)

PCTEL, Inc. provides propagation and optimization solutions for the wireless industry. It designs and develops software-based radios (scanning receivers) for wireless network optimization; and develops and distributes antenna solutions. The company?s scanning receivers, receiver-based products, and interference management solutions are used to measure, monitor, and optimize cellular networks. It offers various antenna products for worldwide interoperability for microwave access antennas, land mobile radio antennas, and precision global positioning systems antennas that serve applications in telemetry, radio frequency identification, WiFi, fleet management, and mesh networks. The company?s antenna solutions address public safety, military, and government applications; supervisory control and data acquisition, health care, energy, smart grid, and agricultural applications; and indoor wireless, wireless backhaul, and cellular applications. PCTEL, Inc. supplies its products to public and private carriers, wireless infrastructure providers, wireless equipment distributors, value added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers through distributors and direct sales force. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]

  I'm perfectly happy recycling past investment ideas, and PCTEL (PCTI) treated me quite well indeed when I owned the stock about a decade ago. Since that time, though, the company has gone through a significant transformation and is really only the same in name only. Different isn't always better, but I do believe that PCTEL now operates a collection of businesses with interesting growth and margin potential. PCTEL does not appear to be tremendously undervalued today on a cash flow basis, but with almost $3 per share in cash on the balance sheet further acquisitions could improve its growth prospects further.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  PCTEL (PCTI) designs and develops software-based radios for wireless network optimization and develops and distributes innovative antenna solutions. This stock closed up 1.1% to $9.83 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $9.70-$9.85
  
  52-Week Range: $5.65-$10.00
  
  Thursday's Volume: 77,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 80,200

  From a technical perspective, PCTI bounced modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $9.50 with decent upside volume. This stock has been trending sideways in a consolidation pattern for the last month, with shares moving between $9.08 on the downside and $10 on the upside. Shares of PCTI are now quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PCTI manages to take out its 52-week high at $10 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PCTI as long as it's trending above near-term support at $9.50 or above $9.08 and then once it sustains a move or close above $10 with volume that hits near or above 80,200 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PCTI will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $12 to $13.

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In 2014: Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOX)

Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., formerly News Corporation, incorporated on October 23, 2003, has a portfolio of cable, broadcast, film, pay television and satellite assets spanning six continents across the globe. The Company is home to a global portfolio of cable and broadcasting networks and properties, including FOX, FX, FXX, FS1, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Sports, Fox Sports Network, National Geographic Channels, Fox Pan American Sports, MundoFox, STAR and 28 local television stations; film studio Twentieth Century Fox Film; and television production studios Twentieth Century Fox Television and Shine Group. The Company also provides content to millions of subscribers through its pay-television services in Europe and Asia, including Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia and its equity interests in BSkyB and Tata Sky.

Cable Network Programming

The Company's Cable Network Programming business includes Fox Networks, Big Ten Network, Big Ten Network, Fox Business Network, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel, Fox International Channels, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Networks, FX Networks and Productions, MundoFox, National Geographic Channels, STAR India and YES Network. Fox Networks is a unit of Fox Networks Group (FNG) and includes 43 domestic programming services in which FNG holds interests. FOX Business Network (FBN) is a financial news channel delivering real-time information. FOX Deportes is a Spanish-language sports media. FOX Deportes features soccer programming with coverage of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, Barclays Premier League, Copa Bridgestone Libertadores, Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana; coverage of the Major League Baseball regular season, All-Star Game, American League Championship Series and World Series; Golden Boy Promotions Boxing, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).

FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to deli! vering breaking news, as well as political and business news. A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the distributed network. FOX International Channels (FIC) is the Company�� international multi-media business. It develops, produces and distributes 300 wholly owned and majority owned entertainment, factual, sports, movie and lifestyle channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 44 languages. FOX Sports 1 is a national 24-hour multi-sport channel. Fox Sports Networks (FSN) is the provider of local sports.

FX Networks and Productions is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. MundoFox is a joint venture between Fox International Channels (FIC),the Company�� international multi-media business, and RCN, the Latin American television network and production company belonging to OrganizaciUn Ardila Llle (OAL). Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic channels the United States are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. Star India is a media and entertainment company operating nearly 40 channels in seven languages, including its flagship Star Plus. The YES Network is a regional sports network.

Filmed Entertainment

Filmed Entertainment business includes Twentieth Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Fox 2000, Fox 21, Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios, Fox Home Entertainment, Fox International Productions, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Television Studios and Shine Group. Twentieth Century Fox is a producers and distributors of motion picture. Twentieth Century Fox Television is a supplier of primetime television programming and entertainment content. Fox 2000 is a division of Twentieth Century Fox and the home of films such as LIFE OF PI, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, among others.

Fox 21 is a production company housed within Twentieth Century Fox Television. Fox Animation and! Blue Sky! Studios are Twentieth Century Fox's animation arm. TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions, as well as all third party distribution partners. Fox International Productions is a division of Twentieth Century Fox that focuses on regional film productions in dozens of local marketplaces around the world. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. Fox Television Studios produces scripted and unscripted programming for the United States broadcast and cable networks, and international broadcasters.

Television

The Company�� Television business includes Fox Broadcasting Network, Fox Sports, Fox Television Stations Group and MyNetworkTV. Fox Broadcasting Network is producers and distributors of motion pictures. FOX Sports is the flagship network of the FOX Sports Media Group. FOX Television Stations is a network broadcast group, consist of 28 stations in 18 markets. MyNetworkTV is a broadcast programming service.

Direct Broadcast and Satellite TV

Direct Broadcast and Satellite TV business consists of BSkyB, Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia. Sky operates the television service in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sky Deutschland AG is a pay television company in Germany and Austria with over 3.4 million subscribers. Sky offers more than 70 channels with live sports, current films, television series, kids programs, and documentaries. Sky Italia is a pay- television platform in Italy, reaching almost five million subscribers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  The company wasn't entirely devoid of news. Netflix just signed an exclusive multiyear deal with News Corp� (NASDAQ: FOX  ) subsidiary 20th Century Fox Television, which brings hit comedy New Girl�to U.S. customers with an unusually short delay. Season 1 is available today; upcoming seasons will run on Netflix as soon as the Fox run ends. Compare and contrast to the usual model, where Netflix has to wait until one year after the season finale.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Hot Railroad Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Paychex Inc.(PAYX)

Paychex Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses in the United States and Germany. It offers payroll processing services, including calculation, preparation, and delivery of employee payroll checks; production of internal accounting records and management reports; preparation of federal, state, and local payroll tax returns; and collection and remittance of clients? payroll obligations. The company also provides payroll tax administration services; employee payment services; and regulatory compliance services, such as new-hire reporting and garnishment processing. Its human resource outsourcing services include payroll, employer compliance, human resource and employee benefits administration, risk management outsourcing, and the on-site availability of a professionally trained human resource representative, as well as provides employee handbooks, management manuals, and r equired regulatory forms. In addition, the company offers retirement services administration; workers? compensation; business-owner policies; commercial auto; and health and benefits coverage, including health, dental, vision, and life. Further, it provides online human resource administration software products for employee benefits management and administration, and time and attendance solutions. As of May 31, 2010, the company served approximately 536,000 clients in the United States; and 1,700 clients in Germany. Paychex, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Rochester, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Hill]

  In this installment, Jason and Matt explain why they're keeping a close watch on shares of Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX  ) and Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) .

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  A handful of companies report earnings this week including Walgreen Co. ! (WAG) , Carnival Corp. (CCL) , Accenture PLC (ACN) , Red Hat Inc. (RHT) , Paychex Inc. (PAYX) , and GameStop Corp. (GME) First-quarter earnings season wont be in full swing until mid-April when J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) reports.

• [By Morgan Housel]

  Martin Mucci, CEO, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX  ) :

  I think when you look at some of the economic indicators, housing starts are up, prices are up on housing. I think housing is a really important measure for us because we have a lot of jobs around that. A lot of contracting roofers, et cetera, around that. All of that is positive. And so we're feeling like we're coming off the end of the year with some momentum, and that will certainly help us.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/hot-railroad-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-4.html

MSO Is Crap, New CEO Unlikely to Help

Popular Posts: Will Microsoft Earnings Power Up MSFT Stock? 3 Things to WatchHarley-Davidson Stock Is Still Riding StrongWhy You Should Stick With Costco Stock Recent Posts: MSO Is Crap, New CEO Unlikely to Help Harley-Davidson Stock Is Still Riding Strong Will Microsoft Earnings Power Up MSFT Stock? 3 Things to Watch View All Posts

If Daniel Dienst is the answer to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s (MSO) problems, the domestic diva’s media empire may be in far worse shape than investors have feared.

Dienst, who joined the board of the New York-based company in August, was the head of Sims Metal Management (SMSMY), North America’s largest scrap metal recycler. His nine-year tenure was not without controversy.

Earlier this year, the company was forced to take a write down of $291.3 million in impairment charges after allegations of fraud surfaced in the company’s U.K. operations. The company restated its earnings for the past three years. At the time,  Dienst, who “retired” from Sims in June and wasn’t accused of wrongdoing, offered a profuse public apology, saying:

“Our announcement of employee misconduct and potential fraud is obviously something no CEO wants to make — it’s extremely disappointing, it’s embarrassing and it’s a situation that should have never occurred in the first place.”

Wall Street doesn’t know what to make of Dienst’s appointment. Give credit to Mike Kupinski, an analyst with Noble Financial Capital Markets, for a trying to put it in context: "It was at first a little shocking, but then completely made sense. He's a restructuring kind of guy. He has a history of coming into companies, fixing them up and selling them."

One problem with this theory is that the biggest impediment reducing costs at MSO might be Stewart herself. The Domestic Diva earned a staggering $5.46 million in compensation, about 260% higher than the $1.5 million Lisa Gersh (Dienst’s predecessor) earned. Stewart’s perks included $2 million in fees and expenses $168,871 for personal fitness, wellness, beauty and wardrobe and $127,955 for personal drivers.

Stewart, though, is doing some belt-tightening. As USA Today noted, she took a 10% cut to her 2013 salary, leaving her with $1.8 million. Her annual licensing fee was slashed to $1.7 million — a decline of  $300,000. No one needs to throw a benefit in Stewart’s honor, though: Forbes estimates her fortune at $970 million. Perhaps Stewart should follow the lead of the Wall Street masters of the universe, many of whom took $1 salaries when the financial crisis hit.

MSO also is a mess financially. The company’s only profitable business in the last quarter was merchandising, and it was hardly a cash generating machine. Revenue at the business jumped 7% to $14.2 million as it benefited from “royalty revenue recognition from the company’s relationship with JCPenney.” Operating income surged about 12% to $9.5 million.

Unfortunately, this bright spot might not last. JCPenney, which has plenty of other problems, recently announced that it was scaling back its relationship its MSO because of the legal challenge leveled by Macy’s (M) to MSO’s alliance with JCP. Silly Macy’s was under the impression that it had an “exclusive” agreement with MSO. Martha Stewart clearly thought otherwise, prompting a legal battle royale.

But MSO’s biggest problem is more fundamental. It is a gnat-sized company in a media industry populated by elephants such as Time Warner (TWX),  Viacom (VIA.B) and Walt Disney (DIS).    Martha Stewart should have sold her company years ago because her brand makes more sense being a part of a larger organization than as a stand-alone company.

That’s the strategy that Stewart’s rival Oprah Winfrey has undertaken. She partnered with Hearst to publish O, the Oprah Magazine and with Discovery Communications (DSCA) for her cable channel OWN, lessening her personal risk. Winfrey’s magazine and broadcast operations are far more successful than anything Stewart has done. Forbes pegs Winfrey’s net worth at $2.9 billion.

Getting back to Dienst, he’s certainly trying to get off on the right foot, saying, ” …I look forward to rolling up my sleeves, getting to work and helping write the next few chapters of this remarkable company’s story.”

Unfortunately, many of the CEOs who have worked with Stewart have also brimmed with optimism at the starts of their tenures, only to give up and quit. I will be shocked if Dienst lasts a year.

The bottom line is that now is not the time to buy MSO.

As of this writing, Jonathan Berr did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Follow him at Berr’s World.

10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now

10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc (PTLA)

Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Portola), incorporated on September 2, 2003, is a biopharmaceutical company developing product candidates that have the potential to represent advances in the fields of thrombosis and hematology. The Company is advancing its three wholly owned programs using biomarker and genetic approaches.

Betrixaban

Portola's compound, betrixaban, is an oral, once-daily Factor Xa inhibitor being evaluated in the only biomarker-based Phase-III study for hospital to home prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in acute medically ill patients. Betrixaban's properties particularly suited to potentially demonstrate efficacy without increasing bleeding in this patient population.

Andexanet Alfa

Portola's second development candidate, andexanet alfa (PRT4445), has the potential to be a reversal agent to directly reverse the effects of Factor Xa inhibitors in patients who suffer a bleeding episode or who req uire emergency surgery. Portola has entered into clinical collaboration agreements with all of the manufacturers of direct Factor Xa inhibitors, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer (Eliquis [apixaban]), Bayer HealthCare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (XARELTO [rivaroxaban]), and Daiichi Sankyo (Savaysa [edoxaban]), while retaining all decision-making and commercial rights to the program.

Cerdulatinib (PRT2070) and PRT2607

Portola's third wholly owned product candidate, cerdulatinib (PRT2070), is an orally available kinase inhibitor that uniquely inhibits two validated tumor proliferation pathways - spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and janus kinase (JAK). It is being studied in patients with leukemias or lymphomas with a focus on genetically-defined subtypes, as well as in patients who have failed therapy due to relapse or acquired mutations. Portola's fourth program is partnered with Biogen Idec and is ! focused on the development of PRT2607, a select ive Syk inhibitor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell]

  That leads me to Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN  ) , Ophthotech (NASDAQ: OPHT  ) , and Portola (NASDAQ: PTLA  ) , three companies with important therapies that may very well be destined to become top sellers.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/10-best-healthcare-equipment-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-2.html

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now

During the height of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy four years ago, I had my graduate students monitor the flow of oil from the sunken platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of their work involved rather straightforward calculations based on undersea camera footage.

But from time to time, flimsy protoplasmic-like structures would float across the screen. The students called them "ghosts."

One student even casually wondered, "What if the ghosts had caused all of this?"

With that, I walked over, checked some figures, and immediately called the U.S. Coast Guard contingent that was overseeing the data from the disaster.

Fast forward to today, and there have been some equally disquieting discoveries in the news of late.

So what do mysterious holes in the Siberian permafrost, hundreds of gas plumes off the East Coast of the United States, and our "ghosts" apparently have in common?

It seems to be icy methane hydrates, touted by some as the fuel of the future...

Top 5 Defense Companies To Invest In Right Now: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Encana Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in the exploration for, development, production, and marketing of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids. The company owns interests in resource plays that primarily include the Greater Sierra, Cutbank Ridge, Bighorn, and Coalbed Methane resource plays located in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Deep Panuke natural gas project offshore Nova Scotia in Canada. It also holds interests in resource plays comprising the Jonah in southwest Wyoming, Piceance in northwest Colorado, Haynesville in Louisiana, and Texas resource play, including east Texas and north Texas. The company serves primarily local distribution companies, industrials, energy marketing companies, and other producers. Encana Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  But now, with gas prices above $4 per Mcf, some producers are either resuming or ramping up operations in gassier plays. For instance, Encana (NYSE: ECA  ) announced in February that it intends to increase its gas rig count in the Haynesville shale by three this year, citing the play's recently improved profitability.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Encana (ECA)

  Manning & Napier�� fifth largest holding is in Ecana. The guru holds on to 27,376,066 shares of Unilever, representing 2.4% of their total holdings and 3.71% of the company�� shares outstanding. Over the past quarter, Manning & Napier increased their position 0.22% by purchasing 60,930 shares. They purchased these shares in the first quarter price range of $17.25 to $21.42, with an estimated average quarterly price of $18.90. Since then the price per share has increased approximately 21.8%.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Recently, Canada�� largest natural gas producer EnCana (ECA) highlighted one of the most ignored ways to profit from the energy sector; ECA announced that they will place around 5.2 million acres worth of oil and gas reserves/wells in Alberta, Canada into a new subsidy called PrairieSky Royalty. EnCana will sell shares of the firm in order to raise some much needed cash. PrairieSky should IPO by mid-June.

• [By David Smith]

  The process, which was first used in Colorado, and has found its way to Pennsylvania, has already been responsible for some amazing statistics: Encana (NYSE: ECA  ) has drilled 51 Piceance shale wells in northwestern Colorado from a single pad. And Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN  ) �has completed 36 wells from a single pad in the Marcellus shale. Obviously, these companies -- among others -- are already benefiting from this staggering advancement.

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: Sandridge Mississippian Trust II (SDR)

SandRidge Mississippian Trust II is a statutory trust formed to own overriding royalty interests to be conveyed to the trust by SandRidge Energy, Inc. (SandRidge) in 67 producing horizontal wells, including 13 wells, which are awaiting completion (the Producing Wells), in the Mississippian formation in northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, and overriding royalty interests in 206 horizontal development wells (The Development Wells) to be drilled in the Mississippian formation (the Development Wells) on properties within an Area of Mutual Interest (the AMI). SandRidge is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the development and production activities related to the exploitation of its holdings in West Texas and the Mid-Continent area of Oklahoma and Kansas. The AMI, which is limited to the Mississippian formation, consists of approximately 81,200 gross acres (53,000 net acres) held by SandRidge. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. is trustee (the Trustee), and The Corporation Trust Company is a Delaware Trustee (the Delaware Trustee).

The Mississippian formation is encountered at depths between approximately 4,000 feet and 7,000 feet and lies between the Pennsylvanian-aged Morrow formation and the Devonian-aged Woodford Shale formation. Effective as of January 1, 2012, the royalty interests was conveyed from SandRidge's interest in the Producing Wells and the Development Wells. The royalty interest in the Producing Wells (the PDP Royalty Interest) entitles the trust to receive 80% of the proceeds from the sale of production of oil and natural gas attributable to SandRidge's net revenue interest in the Producing Wells. The royalty interest in the Development Wells (the Development Royalty Interest) entitles the trust to receive 70% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to SandRidge's net revenue interest in the Development Wells.

As of December 31, 2011, the total proved reserves estimated to be attributable to t! he trust were 26.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. This amount includes 10.2 million barrels of oil equivalent attributable to the PDP Royalty Interest and 15.9 million barrels of oil equivalent attributable to the Development Royalty Interest. The proved reserves consist of 46.8% oil and 53.2% natural gas. In addition, as of December 31, 2011, there were 9.8 million barrels of oil equivalent of probable reserves estimated to be attributable to the trust, all of which were attributable to the Development Royalty Interest. The probable reserves consist of 46.9% oil and 53.1% natural gas.

SandRidge will retain 20% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas attributable to its net revenue interest in the Producing Wells, as well as 30% of the proceeds from the sale of future production attributable to its net revenue interest in the Development Wells. SandRidge initially will own 48.2% of the trust units. SandRidge operates 79% of the Producing Wells. The completed Producing Wells and 121 other Mississippian wells outside of the AMI that have been completed by SandRidge have an average perforated length of approximately 4,200 feet. SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC (SandRidge E&P), a wholly owned subsidiary of SandRidge, will grant to the trust a lien on its interests in the AMI.

The Underlying Properties are located in Noble, Kay, Alfalfa, Grant and Woods counties in northern Oklahoma and Harper, Comanche, Sumner and Barber counties in southern Kansas in the Mississippian formation, which is an expansive carbonate hydrocarbon system located on the Anadarko Shelf. The Mississippian formation can reach 1,000 feet in gross thickness and the targeted porosity zone is between 50 and 100 feet in thickness. As of December 31, 2011, there were approximately 43 horizontal rigs drilling in the formation, with 19 of those rigs drilling for SandRidge. As of December 31, 2011, SandRidge had approximately 1.5 million net acres leased in the Mississippian formation in north! ern Oklah! oma and Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  The problem here is that SandRidge has been�dependent�on asset sales and its running out of assets to sell. In addition to the Permian sale, SandRidge has now taken three royalty trusts public. One consisting of Permian Basin assets, SandRidge Permian Trust (NYSE: PER  ) and two consisting of Mississippian assets, SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) . While SandRidge still owns a portion of each trust, it likely will continue to sell off its ownership stake in each trust as well as other assets it still owns. At some point SandRidge will need to live within its oil and gas cash flows, otherwise, its not worth owning.�

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  SandRidge has made a huge bet on the Mississippian Lime shale play, especially after selling off its Permian Basin assets late last year. Unfortunately, that bet hasn't paid off well for shareholders, as the company saw its spun-off royalty trusts SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) fail to meet their projections for distribution amounts during the first quarter. The main problem has been that wells in the Mississippian Lime have produced more natural gas than expected, and even with a slight rebound in gas prices, it still doesn't produce adequate margins compared to oil and natural-gas liquids.

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: Memorial Production Partners LP (MEMP)

Memorial Production Partners LP incorporated on April 4, 2011, is a limited partnership formed by Memorial Resource to own, acquire and exploit oil natural gas properties in North America. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� total estimated proved reserves were approximately 609 Billions of Cubic Feet Equivalent (Bcfe), of which approximately 62% were natural gas and 59% were classified as proved developed reserves. As of December 31, 2012, the Company produced from 1,671 gross (731 net) producing wells across its properties, with an average working interest of 44%. On April 1, 2012, it acquired oil and natural gas producing properties in East Texas from Memorial Resource Development LLC. In May 2012, it acquired oil and natural gas properties in East Texas and North Louisiana. Effective April 1, 2012, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties in East Texas from Memorial Resource Development LLC. In October 2012, the Company acquired oil and natural gas properties in East Texas from Goodrich Petroleum Corporation. On December 12, 2012, the Company acquired oil and gas producing properties offshore Southern California from Rise Energy Partners, LP. In March 2013, the Company announced that it has closed its acquisition of certain oil and natural gas producing properties in East Texas and North Louisiana from its sponsor, Memorial Resource Development LLC. In September 2013, Memorial Production Partners LP closed two separate transactions to acquire certain oil and natural gas properties from third parties in East Texas and in the Rockies. In October 2013, the Company acquired oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin, East Texas, and the Rockies.

The Company�� properties are located in South and East Texas and consist of mature, legacy onshore oil and natural gas reservoirs. The Partnership Properties consist of operated working interests in producing and undeveloped leasehold acreage and in identified producing wells in South and East Texas, and non-ope! rated working interests in producing and undeveloped leasehold acreage. As of December 31, 2012, approximately 58% of its estimated proved reserves and approximately 53% of its average daily net production were located in the East Texas/North Louisiana region. Its East Texas/Louisiana properties include wells and properties located in Navarro, Anderson, Wood, Upshur, Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, Panola, Leon, Polk, Smith, Tyler and Shelby Counties, Texas and De Soto and Lincoln Parishes, Louisiana. Its East Texas/North Louisiana properties include properties in the Joaquin and Carthage fields in Panola and Shelby Counties, the Willow Springs field located in Gregg County, the East Henderson field located in Rusk County, and the Terryville field located in Lincoln Parish.

As of December 31, 2012, approximately 27% of its estimated proved reserves and approximately 35% of average daily net production were located in the South Texas region. Its South Texas properties include wells and properties in numerous natural gas weighted fields located in McMullen, Live Oak, Duval, Jim Hogg, Webb and Zapata Counties, Texas, including the NE Thompsonville, Laredo and East Seven Sisters fields. The Company�� South Texas properties contained 167 Bcfe of estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2012. The Company�� Beta properties, consist of a 51.75% working interest and a 35.03% average net revenue interest in three Pacific Outer Continental Shelf blocks (P-0300, P-0301 and P-0306); a 4.575% overriding royalty interest in the Beta unit; a 51.75% undivided interest in two wellbore production platforms with permanent drilling equipment systems and one production handling and processing platform, and a 51.75% controlling equity interest in a 17.5-mile pipeline and an onshore tankage and metering facility. The Company�� Beta properties include a 51.75% undivided interest in Ellen and Eureka platforms. The Beta properties include a controlling interest in the San Pedro Bay Pipeline Company, which owns a! nd operat! es a 16-inch diameter oil pipeline.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Memorial Production Partners LP (Nasdaq:MEMP) reported that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire certain oil and natural gas properties in East Texas from Goodrich Petroleum Corporation, for a purchase price of $95 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: MEG Energy Corp (MEGEF.PK)

MEG Energy Corp. is a Canada-based oil sands company focused on in situ development and production in the southern Athabasca oil sands region of Alberta. The Company has identified two steam assisted gravity drainage projects, the Christina Lake project and the Surmont project. The Company owns a 100% interest in over 900 sections of oil sands leases in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta and is primarily engaged in a steam assisted gravity drainage oil sands development at its 80 section Christina Lake Regional Project (Christina Lake Project). The development includes co-ownership of Access Pipeline, a dual pipeline to transport diluent north from the Edmonton area to the Athabasca oil sands area and a blend of bitumen and diluent south from the Christina Lake Project into the Edmonton area. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Dube]

  Athabasca's most notable producers:

  Suncor Energy (SU) (Part 1), see article here.Suncor Energy (Part 2), see article here.Athabasca Oil (ATHOF.PK), see article here.Canadian Natural Resources, see article here.Imperial Oil, see article here.Cenovus Energy (CVE), see article here.MEG Energy (MEGEF.PK), see article here.Devon Energy, see article here.Royal Dutch Shell, see article here.Ivanhoe Energy (IVAN), see article here.Nexen (CNOOC) (CEO), see article here.

  An analysis of the current operations of the company will be examined with the objective to provide the most complete information available to potential investors before deciding to seize the opportunity that the 54,132 square miles of the Carbonate Triangle has to offer. Let's start by introducing Athabasca, a famous and most prolific region in the Canadian oil sands as well as one of the largest reserve in the world.

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: BG Group PLC (BRGYY.PK)

BG Group plc (BG Group), incorporated on December 30, 1998, is a natural gas company. The Company is engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas and oil. he Company operates in two business segments: Exploration and Production (E&P) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The Company manages its business on an integrated basis across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Central and South Asia, and Australia. The Company has interests in more than 20 countries on five continents.

Exploration and Production

E&P consists of exploration, development, production and marketing of hydrocarbons with a focus on natural gas. BG Group�� Upstream segment covers exploration and production activities for gas, oil and liquids, plus liquefaction operations associated with integrated LNG projects.

Liquefied Natural Gas

BG Group�� LNG activities combine liquefaction and regasification facilities with the purchasing, shipping, marketing and sale of LNG. The Company has interest in liquefaction facilities in Egypt and Trinidad and Tobago. BG Group�� LNG Shipping & Marketing segment covers the purchasing, shipping, marketing and sale of LNG, as well as the Group�� interests and capacity in regasification facilities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Heather Ingrassia]

  On Thursday, August 15, GasLog (GLOG) announced that it had ordered two new 174K cbm Tri-Fuel Diesel Electric LNG carriers from Samsung Heavy Industries. These carriers are expected to be delivered in 2016 which is the same year the company will begin seven-year charters with BG Group (BRGYY.PK) (BRGXF.PK).

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: Transdigm Group Incorporated(TDG)

TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies engineered aircraft components for use on commercial and military aircraft principally in the United States. The company?s products include mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, AC/DC electric motors and generators, NiCad batteries and chargers, engineered latching and locking devices, rods and locking devices, engineered connectors and elastomers, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, aircraft audio systems, lavatory components, engineered interior surfaces, and lighting and control technology. Its customers comprise distributors of aerospace components; commercial airlines, including national and regional airlines; commercial transport and regional and business aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); various armed forces of the United States and foreign governments; defense OEMs; system suppliers; and various other industrial customers. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  TransDigm (NYSE: TDG  ) is rewarding its shareholders mightily with an extraordinary payout. The company has declared a special dividend of $22.00 per share, which will be paid on July 25 to shareholders of record as of July 15.

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: Newfield Exploration Co (NFX)

Newfield Exploration Company (Newfield), incorporated on December 5, 1988, is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Company�� domestic areas of operation include the Mid-Continent, the Rocky Mountains and onshore Texas. Internationally, it focuses on offshore oil developments in Malaysia and China. As of December 31, 2011, it was in the process of drilling 16 gross (9.6 net) exploitation wells and 24 gross (19.7 net) development wells domestically. As of December 31, 2011, internationally, it was drilling one gross (0.6 net) exploratory well in Malaysia. In May 2011, the Company acquired assets in the Uinta Basin of Utah.

Resource Plays

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned an interest in approximately 825,000 net acres in the Rocky Mountains area. Its assets are oil. It is an operator in the state of Utah, consisting approximately 30% of the state�� total oil production. It has approximately 230,000 net acres in the Uinta Basin and its operations in the Basin can be divided into two areas: its legacy Monument Butte and its position in the Central Basin, located immediately north and adjacent to Monument Butte. It has approximately 1,800 oil wells in the Green River formation in its Monument Butte field. Its acquisition of acreage north of Monument Butte added approximately 65,000 net acres, including the Uteland Butte and Wasatch formations. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it had drilled approximately 20 wells in these new plays with encouraging results. As of December 31, 2011, its net production from the Uinta Basin was approximately 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The Company has approximately 65,000 net acres under development on the Nesson Anticline of North Dakota and west of the Nesson. In addition, it has about 40,000 net acres in the mature Elm Coulee field, located in Richland County, Montana. As of December 31, 2011, it had! drilled 67 wells in North Dakota with production from the Bakken formation. Its acreage is also prospective for the Sanish/Three Forks formation. As of December 21, 2011, its net production was approximately 7,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It has approximately 340,000 net acres in the Southern Alberta Basin of northern Montana. Its activities in the Mid-Continent have been focused on two natural gas plays - the Arkoma Woodford and the Granite Wash. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 480,000 net acres in the Mid-Continent and its production was approximately 330 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day.

The Company has more than 300,000 net acres in Oklahoma�� Woodford play. Approximately 170,000 net acres are in the Arkoma Woodford Basin. As of December 31, 2011, its net daily production in the Arkoma Woodford was approximately 180 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. As of December 31, 2011, it had more than 125,000 net acres in the Cana Woodford play, located in the Anadarko Basin. The Company has approximately 50,000 net acres in the Granite Wash, located in Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. As of December 31, 2011, its net production from the region was approximately 101 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. Its producing field in the Granite Wash includes Stiles/Britt Ranch, where it operates and owns 17,000 net acres. During 2011, it ran three to four operated rigs in the Granite Wash. It has approximately 317,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford and Pearsall shales in the Maverick Basin, located in Maverick, Dimmit and Zavala counties, Texas. As of December 31, 2011, it completed a total of 54 wells in the basin and its production was approximately 3,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The acreage includes multiple geologic horizons, including the Georgetown, Glen Rose, Pearsall, Austin Chalk and the Eagle Ford.

Conventional Plays

The Company has operations in conventional plays onshore Texas, offshore Malaysia and China and! in the G! ulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2011, it owned an interest in approximately 147,000 net acres in conventional onshore Texas plays with net production of approximately 88 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. Its international activities are focused on offshore oil developments in Southeast Asia and China. It has production and active developments offshore Malaysia and the People�� Republic of China. As of February 21, 2012, its net production from Malaysia was at 29,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It has an interest in approximately 925,000 net acres offshore Malaysia and approximately 290,000 net acres offshore the People�� Republic of China.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned interests in 91 deepwater leases and approximately 275,000 net acres. As of December 31, 2011, its net production from the Gulf of Mexico was approximately 75 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. In February 2012, production commenced from its deepwater Pyrenees development, with net daily production of approximately 3,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Newfield Exploration Co. (NYSE: NFX) is a smaller E&P looking to rise in stature. It was recently listed by Goldman Sachs as one of the 40 cheapest stocks to buy. It is expected to spend $1.5 billion this year in an effort to increase capacity and production. The consensus price target for the stock is set at $32. A move to the target price would be a 35% gain for investors.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Newfield Exploration (NFX) shares are down more than 4% today. Newfield reported earnings that missed analyst expectations�yesterday. In addition, Newfield said it would sell Granite Wash assets worth $588 million, which didn’t fit the “high-return, scalable resource plays” where Newfield has better margins for drilling and well completions. �Newfield produces�oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids in the central U.S. — the so-called “mid-continent,” as well as in the Rocky Mountains and in Texas.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Kodiak has been working hard to get its well costs down, but it still has a long way to go. What's important for Kodiak investors to realize is that it's not an impossible task. For example, over the past year Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX  ) has been able to improve its well costs significantly. While its average well cost in the first quarter of this year was $9.8 million, more recent wells have been drilled for around $8.3 million.

• [By John Divine]

  Oil and gas explorer Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX  ) lost 6.3% Thursday after its quarterly earnings also failed to impress investors. In sharp contrast to PulteGroup, however, profits actually fell by nearly 40% in the quarter due to lower gas volumes. Newfield's profitability has fluctuated wildly over the years: The company lost $542 million in 2009, then made more than $1 billion in the combined years of 2010 and 2011, only to lose nearly $1.2 billion in 2012. It's not a very predictable business, and shareholders suffered for that today.

5 Best US Stocks To Own Right Now

In the last Neostem article we discussed some of the key events coming in 2014 that could significantly impact the share price, and we provided some superficial details on the company's structure and financial situation. This article will elaborate on what we view as the single most important catalyst for Neostem this year - the Phase II data release for AMR-001. We believe that it is excitement over the completed enrollment phase of this trial that has already driven shares of NBS 19% higher YTD (at time of writing).

PreSERVE-AMI

This is the Phase II trial for AMR-001 in ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI.

AMR-001 is a therapy made up of patient cells that are altered to rapidly increase perfusion to damaged tissue. This is a possible way to reduce damage to affected regions of heart muscle during the recovery stage of a heart attack. AMR-001 is quite unique in its therapeutic application, and it does not have a direct competitor. Because of this, the trial is only attempting to prove the efficacy of this autologous cell therapy against placebo.

Hot Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now: Powershares Dynamic Networking Portfolio (PXQ)

PowerShares Dynamic Networking Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Networking Intellidex Index (the Networking Intellidex). The Networking Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States networking companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the development, manufacture, sale or distribution of products, services or technologies that support the flow of electronic information, including voice, data, images and commercial transactions. These companies may include providers of telecommunications and networking equipment, data storage, systems software, Internet hardware, including servers, routers, switches and related equipment, systems for data encryption and security, Internet services, including hosting and commercial exchanges, fiber optics, satellites, cable equipment, and other companies involved in supporting the flow of information. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of networking companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Networking Intellidex. The Networking Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Networking Intellidex. The Fund generally will invest in all of the stocks comprising the Networking Intellidex in proportion to their weightings in the Networking Intellidex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Just before Thanksgiving, small cap networking stock Infoblox Inc (NYSE: BLOX) sank 28.65% on guidance that was below expectations, but the stock has still outperformed the year-to-date�performance of�networking ETF like the PowerShares Dynamic Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: PXQ) and iShares S&P North American Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: IGN). So what went wrong and could investors have just overeacted?

5 Best US Stocks To Own Right Now: WageWorks Inc (WAGE)

WageWorks, Inc., incorporated on January 28, 2000, is an on-demand provider of tax-advantaged programs for consumer-directed health, commuter and other employee spending account benefits (CDBs), in the United States. The Company administers and operates a broad array of CDBs, including spending account management programs such as health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and commuter benefits, such as transit and parking programs. The Company delivers its CDB programs through a scalable delivery model that employer clients and their employee participants may access through a standard Web browser on any Internet-enabled device, including computers, smart phones and other mobile devices such as tablet computers. In January 2013, the Company acquired Benefit Concepts, Inc.

The Company focuses on providing CDB programs to employer clients of any size. It provides marketing programs that are designed to maxmize employee participation in its employer clients��CDB offerings. The Company markets and sells its CDB programs through multiple channels, including direct sales to enterprises, direct sales and through brokers to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and direct sales to industry purchasing and affiliate groups and through channel partners.

Its SMB distribution channel complements its enterprise sales channel and consists of third party advisors, including insurance agents and benefits consultants who typically have two to three enterprise clients and several hundred smaller employer clients, and institutional resellers, including regional and national insurance carriers, health plans, payroll providers, commercial banks and third-party administrators (TPAs). The Company also sells its programs through group purchasing organizations in which the Company negotiate a standard service contract with group purchasing organizations that are formed by industry specific employers to cov! er their members.

The Company competes with TASC, Inc, Aetna, UHC, Aon Hewitt, ADP, Ceridian, CDBs and Bank of America.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Tuesday

  Earnings Expected From: Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR), GSI Group, Inc. (GSIG), Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), WageWorks, Inc. (NYSE: WAGE), DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) Economic Releases Expected: �Australian trade balance, New Zealand�� unemployment rate, Canadian trade balance, eurozone PPI, British services PMI

  Wednesday

5 Best US Stocks To Own Right Now: Energy Recovery Inc (ERII)

Energy Recovery, Inc. incorporated in April 1992, is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling of energy recovery devices and circulation pumps primarily for uses in seawater desalination plants that use reverse osmosis technology. The Company's products are sold under the trademarks AquaBold, AquaSpire, ERITM, PXT, Pressure Exchanger, PX Pressure Exchanger, PEIT, Pump Engineering and Quadribaric. The Company develops and sells two main lines of energy recovery devices: PX pressures Exchanger devices and turbochargers. Each line includes a range of models and sizes to address the breadth of required process flow rates, plant designs and sizes. The company has two wholly owned subsidiaries: Energy Recovery Iberia, S.L. and ERI Energy Recovery Ireland Ltd. During the year ended December 2011, the Company merged three subsidiaries including, Osmotic Power, Inc.; Energy Recovery, Inc. International and Pump Engineering, Inc. into the parent company, Energy Recovery, Inc.

Energy recovery devices

The Company's PX offering includes: the PX-300 and PX-Q300; the 65 series (the PX-260, PX-220 and PX-180); the 4S series (PX-140S, PX-90S, PX-70S, PX-45S and PX-30S) and brackish PX devices (for the desalination of water with a lower concentration of salt than seawater). The Company's turbocharger offering includes: the HTCAT series (HTCAT-1800, HTCAT-2400, HTCAT-3600, HTCAT-4800, HTCAT-7200 and HTCAT-9600); the HALO line (HALO-50, HALO-75, HALO-100, HALO-150, HALO-225, HALO-300, HALO-450, HALO-500, HALO-600, HALO-900 and HALO-1200) and the LPT series for brackish water desalination applications (LPT-63, LPT-125, LPT-250, LPT-500, LPT-1000, LPT-2000 and LPT-3200).

High-pressure and Circulation pumps.

The Company manufactures and sells high-pressure feed, circulation and booster pumps for uses with its energy recovery devices in reverse osmosis desalination plants. The Company's line of pumps includes the AquaBold series (AquaBold 2x3x5, AquaBold 3x4x7 and ! AquaBold 4x6x9); the AquaSpire series (AquaSpire-300, AquaSpire-450, AquaSpire-600, AquaSpire-900, AquaSpire-1200, AquaSpire-1800, AaquaSpire-2400, AquaSpire-3600, AquaSpire-4800, AquaSpire-7200 and AquaSpire-9600) and a line of small circulation pumps.

Technical support and Replacement parts

The Company provides engineering and technical support to customers during product installation and plants commissioning. The Company also offers replacement parts and services for its PX devices and turbochargers. The Company's PX devices and turbochargers are also used to retrofit or replace older energy recovery devices in existing desalination plants.

The Company Competes with Flowserve Corporation (Flowserve) based in Irving, Texas and Fluid Equipment Development Company, Clyde Union Ltd., Duchting Pumpen Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co KG, KSB Aktiengesellschaft, Torishima Pump Mfg. Co., Ltd. and Sulzer Pumps, Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ant贸nio Costa]

  Energy Recovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERII) broke out of a small consolidation area with heavy volume and will likely have the attention of the swing-traders in the next days.

5 Best US Stocks To Own Right Now: Orkla ASA (ORK)

Orkla ASA is a Norway-based company active in various sectors. The Company�� operations are structured into two segments: Branded Consumer Goods and Other Businesses. The Branded Consumer Goods segment is divided into five units: Orkla Foods, which comprises the Company�� food businesses in the Nordic region and the Baltics; Orkla Confectionery, which comprises five branded consumer goods businesses which serve the Nordic region and the Baltics as their home markets; Orkls Home & Personal consists of five branded consumer goods businesses, including Lilleborg, Lilleborg Profesjonell, the Axellus Group, Pierre Robert Group and House Care; Orkla Food Ingredients cover product categories, including margarine, marzipan, bread improvers and mixes, and yeast, and Orkla International includes branded consumer goods companies outside the Nordic region and the Baltics. The Other Businesses segment covers the Company�� operation in aluminum, real estate and hydropower sectors, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Orkla ASA (ORK), the Norwegian industrial conglomerate transforming itself into a consumer-goods producer, slumped 11 percent to 46.78 kroner, the largest drop since November 2011. The company reported second-quarter pretax profit of 514 million kroner ($86 million), missing estimates of 965 million kroner in a Bloomberg survey of analysts.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014

Shares of Heartland Express (HTLD) rose today despite being cut by Stifel Nicolaus for valuation reasons.

Bloomberg News

Shares of Heartland Express have gained 50% this year, trumping the 38% rise in Con-Way (CNW) and the 29% advance in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) but lagging Old Dominion Freight Lines (ODFL) and Swift Transportation (SWFT).

That big gain was enough for Stifel’s John Larkin say no mas and cut his rating on Heartland Express. They explain why:

Downgrading from Buy to Hold as the company’s shares appear fully and fairly valued. In fact, shares have recently traded through our 12-month fair value estimate of $19 (or 16.0x our 2015 EPS estimate of $1.15 plus ~$0.68 per share NPV of future cash tax benefits).

Rating change is primarily valuation based as well as from our view that most transportation equities are trading ahead of the still mediocre underlying freight market fundamentals.

5 Best Undervalued Stocks To Buy Right Now: Hub Group Inc (HUBG)

Hub Group, Inc., incorporated on March 8, 1995, is an asset-light freight transportation management companies. The Company offers intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. The Company operates distinct business segments: Mode, which includes the acquired Mode business acquired by the Company on April 1, 2011, and Hub, which is all business other than Mode. Both segments offer intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. Hub operates through a network of operating centers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Hub services a diversified customer base in a broad range of industries, including consumer products, retail and durable goods. Mode markets and operates its freight transportation services primarily through its network of independent business owners (IBOs) who enter into contracts with Mode. Mode's company managed operation includes a business arranging for the transportation of raw materials and finished products for a food producer and, to a lesser extent, other highway brokerage, intermodal and logistics operations.

Intermodal

As an intermodal marketing company (IMC), the Company arranges for the movement of its customers freight in containers and trailers, typically over long distances of 750 miles or more. The Company contracts with railroads to provide transportation for the long-haul portions of the shipment and with local trucking companies, known as drayage companies, for pickup and delivery. As part of the Company's intermodal services, the Company negotiates rail and drayage rates, electronically tracks shipments in transit, consolidate billing and handle claims for freight loss or damage on behalf of its customers.

The Company uses its network to access containers and trailers owned by leasing companies, railroads and steamship lines. The Company is able to track trailers and containers entering a service area and reuses that equipment to fulfill the customers' outbound shipping requirements. As of December 31, 2012, ! Hub had access to approximately 9,111 rail-owned containers for the Company's dedicated use on the Union Pacific (UP) and the Norfolk Southern (NS) rails. In addition to these rail-owned containers, as of December 31, 2012, the Company had a total of 14,756 53-inch private containers for use on the UP and NS. The Company financed 6,167 of these containers with operating leases and the Company owns 8,589 containers.

As of December 31, 2012, approximately 66% of the Company's drayage needs were met by its subsidiary, Comtrak Logistics, Inc. (Comtrak), which assists its customers. Comtrak has terminals in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charleston, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Harrisburg, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Memphis, Nashville, Newark, Los Angeles, Perry (FL), Philadelphia, Savannah, Seattle, St. Louis, Stockton, and Titusville (FL). As of December 31, 2012, Comtrak owned 260 tractors, leased or owned 448 trailers, employed 296 drivers and contracted with 2,178 owner-operators.

Truck Brokerage (Highway Services)

The Company is a truck broker in the United States. As part of the truck brokerage services, the Company negotiates rates , track shipments in transit and handle claims for freights loss and damage on behalf of its customers.

Logistics and Other Services

Hub's logistics business operates under the name of Unyson Logistics. Unyson Logistics consists of a network of logistics professionals dedicated to developing, implementing and operating customized logistics solutions. Unyson offers a range of transportation management services and technology solutions, including shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management, load planning and execution and Web-based shipment visibility. Unyson Logistics operates throughout North America, providing operations through its main operating location in St. Louis with additional support locations in Bosto! n, Chicag! o, Cleveland and Minneapolis. Certain Mode agents provide logistics services. The Company's multi-modal transportation capabilities through both the Hub and Mode segments include small parcel, heavyweight, expedited, less-than-truckload, truckload, intermodal and railcar.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Hub Group (NASDAQ: HUBG) surged 3.13% to $44.20. The volume of Hub Group shares traded was 388% higher than normal. Hub Group reported its Q1 earnings of $0.33 per share on revenue of $848.40 million. Longbow Research upgraded Hub Group from Neutral to Buy.

• [By Vera Yuan]

  ��reight transportation management company Hub Group, Inc. (HUBG) rose as investors began to focus on margin improvement opportunities due to indications of improving intermodal pricing as well as company-specific cost improvement initiatives.

• [By cody56]

  During the third quarters these holdering were the worse performers for Diamond Hill Small Cap Fund. Rosseta Resources Inc. (ROSE) , TriMas Corp. (TRS) , Tenneco Inc. (TEN) , Popular Inc. (BPOP) and Hub Group (HUBG).

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014: Knight Transportation Inc (KNX)

Knight Transportation, Inc. (Knight), incorporated on August 31, 1989, is a provider of multiple truckload transportation services, which generally involve the movement of full trailer or container loads of freight from origin to destination for a single customer. The Company is a provider of multiple truckload transportation services with a nationwide network of service centers through which it operates one of the tractor fleets. In addition to its own fleet, the Company also partners with third-party equipment providers to provide truckload capacity and a broad range of solutions to truckload shippers. The Company has five operating segments comprised of three asset-based operating segments: dry van truckload, temperature-controlled truckload and port services and two non-asset-based operating segments brokerage and intermodal services. Through its asset-based and non-asset-based capabilities the Company is able to transport, or can arrange for the transportation of, general commodities for customers throughout the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico.

The Company's asset-based businesses generally include dry van truckload, refrigerated truckload, dedicated truckload, and drayage services. Its non-asset-based services generally include rail intermodal and truckload brokerage services. However, within its asset-based services, the use of independent contractors to provide tractors lowers the capital investment in its dry van and refrigerated operations. In addition, drayage operations generally involve less expensive tractors with longer lives and do not require a investment in trailering equipment. As of December 31, 2012, it operated 3,627 company-owned tractors with an average age of 1.9 years. It also had under contract 507 tractors owned and operated by independent contractors. Its trailer fleet consisted of 9,564 53-foot long trailers with an average age of 5.5 years and includes 1,092 temperature-controlled trailers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Nguyen]

  A report released Thursday morning, Citigroup analyst Christian Wetherbee upgrades Knight Transportation (NYSE: KNX) to BUY from NEUTRAL, increasing price target from $17 to $22.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Swift Transportation (NYSE: SWFT  ) , for example, delivered a 4% increase in revenue this past quarter in spite of having fewer trucks in service. The company was able to realize better utilization of its existing fleet and actually saw fuel prices fall from the previous year. The results were even more robust for Knight Transportation (NYSE: KNX  ) , whose shareholders saw revenue rise by 7% as the company grew from the year-ago quarter for the 14th straight time and delivered growth from each of its business segments.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Knight Transportation (NYSE: KNX  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014: Agility Public Warehousing Co KSC (AGLTY)

Agility Public Warehousing Company KSC is a Kuwait-based company engaged, along with its subsidiaries, in the provision of global integrated logistics solutions. The Company is organized into two business segments: the Logistic and Related services segment provides logistics offering to its clients, including freight forwarding, transportation, contract logistics, project logistics and fairs and events logistics, and the Infrastructure segment provides other services, which include industrial real estate airport and airplane ground handling and cleaning services, customs consulting, private equity and waste recycling. The Company operates under the brand name of Agility. The Company�� subsidiaries include Global Express Transport Co. WLL, PWC Transport Company WLL, Agility DGS Logistics Services KSCC and Gulf Catering Company for General, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Fiona MacDonald]

  The Kuwait SE Price Index rose for a sixth day, climbing 0.5 percent to 6,851.17 at the close. Kuwait Real Estate Co. (KRE) climbed to the highest level in a month. Agility (AGLTY) advanced 1.7 percent after winning a $190 million UN contract in Sudan�� Darfur region. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks the biggest 200 companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, fell 0.1 percent.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014: Vitran Corporation Inc (VTNC)

Vitran Corporation Inc. (Vitran), incorporated on April 29, 1981, is a provider of freight surface transportation and related supply chain services throughout Canada 34 states in the eastern, southeastern, central, southwestern, and western United States. The Company�� business consists of Less-than-truckload services (LTL). These services are provided by stand-alone business units within their respective regions. Vitran�� business is carried on through its subsidiaries, which hold the licenses and permits required to carry on business. As of December 31, 2012, Vitran�� principal wholly owned operating subsidiaries included Vitran Express Canada Inc. (Ontario), Can-Am Logistics Inc. (Ontario), Vitran Logistics Ltd. (Ontario), Expediteur T.W. Ltee (Canada), Vitran Corporation (Nevada), Vitran Express Inc. (Pennsylvania), Vitran Logistics Corp. (Delaware), Vitran Logistics Inc. (Indiana), and Las Vegas/L.A. Express, Inc. (California). In March 2013, Vitran Corp Inc completed divestiture of its Supply Chain Operation division to Legacy Supply Chain. In October 2013, Vitran Corporation Inc. completed the sale of its United States LTL business.

LTL Services

Within Canada, the Company provides next-day service within Ontario, Quebec and parts of western Canada, and generates its revenue from the movement of LTL freight within the three- to five-day east-west service lanes. The majority of its trans-Canada freight is shipped intermodally, whereby the Company�� containers are loaded onto rail cars and trans-loaded to Vitran facilities where Vitran�� network of owner operators pick up and deliver the freight to various destinations. During 2012, Vitran�� Canadian LTL business represented approximately 27.6% of total LTL revenues. Vitran�� Transborder Service Solution (inter-regional) provides over-the-road service between its Canadian LTL and United States LTL business units.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Vitran Corporation (NASDAQ: VTNC) announced today that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with TransForce pursuant to which TransForce has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Vitran not already owned by TransForce for US$6.50 in cash per share, in accordance with TransForce's prior proposal. To read the full news, click here. ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) today announced it signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) to sell three utility-scale projects in Western China, with a total capacity of 60MW, to Jiangsu Akcome Solar Science & Technology Co on December 30, 2013. To read the full news, click here. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) today announced it has terminated the merger agreement with Apollo Tyres (NSE:ApolloTYRE). To read the full news, click here. RedHill Biopharma (NASDAQ: RDHL) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with leading healthcare investor OrbiMed Israel Partners Limited Partnership, an affiliate of OrbiMed Advisors LLC, for the sale of RedHill's American Depository Shares and warrants in a private placement transactionor a total sum of $6.0 million. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Guggenheim US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014: Chalmers Ltd (CHR)

Chalmers Limited is an Australia-based company engaged in transport, logistic services, warehousing and container storage, repairs and sales. The Company operated in three segments: Transport, Containers and Property. Transport consists of road transport, predominantly import/export FCL containers and the interface with logistics/ warehousing/hubbing services. Containers represent the empty container park operations concerned with handling, storage, repairs, upgrades, pretrips and so on of empty containers on behalf of shipping and leasing company customers. Property represents the capital investment Chalmers has in freeholds located in Melbourne. The Company�� subsidiaries include Chalmers Industries Pty Ltd, Chalmers (Australia) Pty Ltd and Chalmers Industries (Brisbane) Pty Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Chr. Hansen A/S (CHR) slid 1.7 percent to 186 kroner after Credit Suisse Group AG cut the stock to neutral, the equivalent of hold, from outperform. The brokerage said that profit from its natural-color business remains under pressure. The world�� biggest maker of dairy enzymes cut its full-year sales forecast on July 3 because of lower prices for the red pigment carmine.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014: PostNL NV (PNL)

PostNL NV is a Netherlands-based Company active in delivery sector. The Company is engaged in the delivery of documents, small packages and standard parcels. The Company�� business is organized into three segments: Mail in the Netherlands, responsible for mail services in the Netherland, documents management, direct marketing and fulfillment services, and operating over 2,600 shop-in-shop post offices; Parcels, providing parcel services in the Netherlands and Belgium for both domestic and cross-border parcel distribution, and International, operating in the postal markets of the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, and focusing on domestic addressed mail services. The Company also provides marketing and communication services, fulfillment solutions and e-commerce related solutions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  PostNL (PNL) sank 11 percent to 2.48 euros, the biggest decline since Jan. 14. The Amsterdam-based company said sales in the second-quarter were 1.03 billion euros ($1.37 billion), falling short of the 1.04 billion euros predicted by analysts on average. PostNL forecast addressed mail volume in 2013 will drop as much as 11 percent, greater than its previous forecast of no more than 10 percent.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch For 2014: Universal Truckload Services Inc (UACL)

Universal Truckload Services, Inc., incorporated on December 11, 2001, is engaged in providing transportation services to shippers throughout the United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Company�� over-the-road trucking services include both flatbed and dry van operations and it provides rail-truck and steamship-truck intermodal support services. It also offers truck brokerage services, as well as full service international freight forwarding and customs house brokerage services. The Company provides truckload transportation and related services for a range of general commodities over irregular routes using dry and specialty vans and un-sided trailers, including flatbed, drop deck, and specialty. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed acquisition of Westport Axle Corporation.

The Company primarily operates through a contractor network of agents and owner-operators who provide the Company with approximately 3,100 tractors and approximately 3,000 trailers. At December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately 565 agents. The Company conducts its operations through its wholly owned operating subsidiaries under the brand names, such as Universal Am-Can, Ltd., Mason & Dixon Lines, Inc., Louisiana Transportation Inc., Mason Dixon Intermodal, Inc., Economy Transport, Inc., Great American Lines, Inc., Universal Logistics Solutions, Inc., Universal Logistics Solutions International, Inc. and Cavalry Transportation, LLC.

The Company provides services in three categories, such as truckload services, brokerage services and intermodal support services. The Company transports a range of general commodities, including machinery, building materials, paper, food, consumer goods, automotive parts, furniture, steel and other metals. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its truckload operations represented 60.5%, of its operating revenues.

The Company provides primarily broker freight to third-party transportation providers th! rough its agent network at times when the Company generates more freight business than it can service with its available owner-operators. The Company offers full service international freight forwarding and customs house brokerage services, as well as third-party logistic services. During 2011, its brokerage services represented 24.8%, of its operating revenues. Its intermodal support services are primarily short-to-medium distance delivery of rail and steamship containers between the railhead or port and the customer and drayage services. During 2011, its intermodal support services represented 14.7% of its operating revenues.

The Company�� agents provide the primary interaction with its shippers. They generate freight shipments and also provide terminal and dispatch services for the owner-operators and are an essential source for recruitment of new owner-operators. The agents use a company-provided software program to list available freight procured by the agent, dispatch owner-operators to haul the freight and provide all administrative information necessary for it to establish the credit arrangements for each shipper. The owner-operators are individuals who own, operate and maintain one or more tractors that they either provide drivers, or drive themselves. The Company�� owner-operators provide it with approximately 3,100 tractors. Owner-operators also may own trailers that they provide the Company in addition to their tractor and driving services. As of December 31, 2011, its owner-operators provided approximately 3,000 trailers, which represent over 50% of the trailers the Company use in its business.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Universal Truckload Services (Nasdaq: UACL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Universal Truckload Services (NASDAQ: UACL  ) , a North American provider of trucking and logistics solutions, jumped as much as 12% after receiving an upgrade from BB&T�Capital Markets.