Thursday, July 31, 2014

Hot US Companies To Watch In Right Now

In this video, Blake Bos describes three areas investors need to watch with General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) . First, GM's European operations. GM has lost substantial sums in Europe since 1999 and currently has way too much production capacity relative to the market. This needs to be addressed. Second, the U.S. government still holds a pile of GM stock. If the government were to sell its holdings, GM may have to pay a premium for it. Third, GM's latest products have done well, but this product strength needs to continue. GM has a reputation for making so-so cars and more than one good product year is needed to reverse this perception.

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Best Small Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: Highway 50 Gold Corp (HWY)

Highway 50 Gold Corp. is an exploration-stage company. The Company is engaged principally in the acquisition and exploration of exploration and evaluation assets. The Company owns, or has the right to acquire an interest in, two projects located in Nevada (the Golden Brew Property and the Porter Canyon Project). Porter Canyon Project consists of 201 unpatented claims located in Lander County, Nevada that cover the projected north-eastern terminus of the Eastgate volcanic trough under pediment cover outboard of the Quito Mine. The Golden Brew claims (Golden Brew) consists of 153 claims prospective for Carlin-style gold mineralization. The gold mineralization at Golden Brew consists of a zone of gold bearing jasperoid measuring 2,500 feet long and up to 200 feet wide, hosted in thin bedded platey Cambrian-aged carbonates. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    It wasn’t all good news, however. Healthways�(HWY) plunged 30% to $11.41, making it the S&P 1500′s biggest loser, while�Cameron International (CAM) fell 18% to $53.25, making it the S&P 500′s weakest stock. Both released disappointing earnings reports this week.

Hot US Companies To Watch In Right Now: Bank of America Corporation(BAC)

Bank of America Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and nonbanking financial services and products to individuals, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, and governments in the United States and internationally. The company?s Deposits segment generates savings accounts, money market savings accounts, certificate of deposits, and checking accounts; and Global Card Services segment provides the U.S. consumer and business card, consumer lending, international card and debit card services. Its Home Loans & Insurance segment offers consumer real estate products and services, including mortgage loans, reverse mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and home equity loans. It also provides property, disability, and credit insurance. The company?s Global Commercial Banking segment offers lending products, including commercial loans and commitment facilities, real estate lending, leasing, trade finance, short-term credit, asset-based lending, and indirect consumer loans; and capital management and treasury solutions, such as treasury management, foreign exchange, and short-term investing options. Its Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial products, advisory services, settlement, and custody services; debt and equity underwriting and distribution, merger-related advisory services, and risk management products; and integrated working capital management and treasury solutions. The company?s Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and brokerage services, estate management, financial planning services, fiduciary management, credit and banking expertise, and asset management products. Bank of America Corporation serves customers through a network of approximately 5,900 banking centers and 18,000 automated teller machines. It was formerly known as NationsBank Corporation and changed its name on October 1, 1998. Bank of America Corporation was founded in 1874 and is based in Charlott e, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Mani]

    Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) will report its third-quarter 2013 financial results on�Oct. 16, 2013. The results are scheduled to be released at�7 a.m. ET, followed by an investor presentation at�8:30 a.m. ET.

Hot US Companies To Watch In Right Now: Paradigm Resource Management Corp (PRDC)

Paradigm Resource Management Corp., formerly China Digital Ventures Corporation, incorporated on March 26, 2007, is a development-stage company. In April 2012, the Company acquired all of the mineral rights properties of ARNEVUT Resources Inc. (ARNEVUT). ARNEVUT is an exploration and mining company. ARNEVUT has an option to acquire majority control of the Island Mountain property from Gateway Gold Corporation (Gateway). The property consists of 53 unpatented lode mineral claims that consists of an area of 920 acres (372 hectares) situated near the northeast end of the Jerritt Canyon Trend. The East Canyon property is located in Elko County, Nevada and Box Elder County, Utah. Most of the claims are located in Box Elder County, Utah. The Zia Uranium property is nine miles northeast of Grants, New Mexico. The property contains uranium mineralization hosted by the Todilto Limestone and probable uranium mineralization hosted by sandstones of the Morrison Formation. These claims are wholly owned by ARNEVUT.

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company had no revenue and operations. The principal business of the Company was its Web-based telecom and Internet protocol television (IPTV) businesses.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap resource or green stocks Paradigm Resource Management Corp (OTCMKTS: PRDC), Extreme Biodiesel Inc (OTCMKTS: XTRM) and Pan Global Corp (OTCMKTS: PGLO) have all been getting some attention lately thanks in part to a few paid stock promotions. However, two of these small cap appear to be the subject of minimal paid promotion activity, but even a small paid promotion or investor relations campaign can increase a stock�� volatility. So do these three small cap resource or green stocks have what it takes to deliver some Christmas cheer for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

Hot US Companies To Watch In Right Now: Tri-Continental Corp (TY)

Tri-Continental Corporation (the Fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Fund�� portfolio consists primarily of large-capitalization stocks representing a range of industry sectors.

Tri-Continental Corporation invests to produce future growth of both capital and income, while providing reasonable current income. The Fund�� investment manager is J. & W Seligman & Co. Incorporated.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    Alamy What if there was a way to buy Apple (AAPL) -- recently trading near $568 a share -- for just $500? It's not an outlandish scenario. That's essentially what investors buying into Tri-Continental (TY) are doing. Like many closed-end stock funds, Tri-Continental trades for less than the value of its underlying assets. In Tri-Continental's case, its close on Dec. 24 of $20.18 is a 12 percent discount to its net asset value of $22.95 a share. Tri-Continental invests in some of the country's largest companies across various different industries. Apple just happens to be its largest holding at nearly 3 percent of the portfolio, but it's one of the many stocks in Tri-Continental that investors are buying into for pennies on the dollar. If this sounds too good to be true, you would be right. There's a catch -- and a big catch, at that. But let's first explore the largely ignored universe of closed-end funds. Fun with Funds When investors think about mutual funds they are probably referring to the wide universe of open-ended funds. Led by iconic fund families including Vanguard, Fidelity and T. Rowe Price (TROW), these conventional funds sell an unlimited number of shares. They typically are priced just once at the end of every trading day. Buyers invest and sellers cash out at that day's net asset value, or the closing value of all of the stocks and investments in the funds after subtracting any liabilities that is then divided by the number of shares outstanding. Closed-end funds don't play that way. They trade throughout the day on public exchanges. Tri-Continental, for example, trades on the New York Stock Exchange. A closed-end fund doesn't create new shares when investors want to buy or subtract them when those shares are redeemed. There's a set number of shares, and the free markets of supply and demand dictate their price. Tri-Continental isn't new. The fund has been around since 1929, the same year of a historic market crash. It's one of the hund

Hot US Companies To Watch In Right Now: Official Payments Holdings Inc (OPAY)

Official Payments Holdings, Inc., formerly Tier Technologies, Inc., incorporated in 1991, is a provider of biller direct electronic payment solutions, through its primary brand Official Payments. These solutions provide payment services via multiple channels, including the Internet, automated Interactive Voice Response (IVR), call center and point-of-sale (POS), environments. Its solutions include multiple enhanced payment services, including convenience fee payments, absorbed payments, payment reminder and automated payment scheduling. It also offers its clients a range of payment choices, including credit and debit cards, electronic checks, cash and money orders, and emerging payment methods to meet the needs of their customers. Its segments include Electronic Payment Solutions (EPS) and Wind-down operations.

The Company offers its clients a front-end platform designed for the biller direct market with a single source solution that simplifies the management of electronic payments. Its verticals include Federal, State and Local, Property Tax, Utility, Education and Others. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 (fiscal 2010), it also provided services in one business area which is in the process of winding-down.

ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

The business consists of the Company�� biller direct solutions, which is called EPS. It offers services using several pricing options, such as transaction fee, convenience fee, flat fee, or client absorbed fee (fees paid directly by the client, in lieu of those charges being paid by the constituent using the service), which can be billed as a percentage fee, a fixed fee, or some combination of both. It provides services and solutions in several different verticals. Its client base includes the Unites States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 27 states, the District of Columbia and nearly 4,600 additional clients, consisting of local governments and other public sector clients and approximately 100 private sector cli! ents. As of September 30, 2010, it offered nearly 9,200 payment types.

The Company provides businesses and individuals the opportunity to pay certain federal income and business tax obligations electronically via credit or debit cards. Payment options include all credit cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa and all debit cards including some regional automated teller machine (ATM) card networks. Payment channels include Internet, IVR, and agent (a third-party provider who accepts payments on behalf of its client). In fiscal 2010, it provided payment services for 23 types of tax forms for the IRS. Revenues from Federal vertical represented 20.5% of EPS revenues for fiscal year 2010. Its contract with the IRS to provide payment services for federal tax payments contributed 17.1% of EPS revenue for fiscal year 2010.

The Company offers a variety of electronic payment solutions to state and local governments for electronic payments for personal income taxes and business taxes. For fiscal year 2010, this vertical represented 8.5% of EPS revenue.

Within the Utility vertical, the Company allows its customers and constituents of various companies and municipalities to pay their utility obligations electronically using all credit cards, debit card, e-check, cash or money order. The utility company customers can utilize the Internet, IVR, POS, agent, walk-up locations or kiosks to make these payments. For fiscal year 2010, this vertical represented 15.3% of EPS revenue.

The Company�� solutions within the education vertical service post-secondary education institutions. Solutions it provides to these clients include electronic payment options for tuition and fee payments, housing and alumni donations. During fiscal year 2010, this vertical represented 13.6% of EPS revenue.

Other vertical consists of state and local courts and citations, rent payments and insurance payments for various entities, electronic payment options for meal a! nd fee pa! yments for K-12 educational institutions, plus personal property tax payments. During fiscal year 2010, this vertical represented 14.8% of EPS revenues.

WIND-DOWN OPERATIONS

As of September 30, 2010, the Company�� Wind-down operations consisted of its VSA business from its former GBPO segment. In fiscal 2010, it serviced over 100 customers within this business.

The Company competes with Link2Gov, RBS WorldPay, SallieMae Business Office Solutions, TouchNet Information Systems, Inc, CheckFree, Bill Matrix, Oracle and Online Resources.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Official Payments Holdings (NASDAQ: OPAY) shares surged 0.23% to touch a new 52-week high of $8.65. Official Payments shares have jumped 87.61% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.68% in the same period.

Hot US Companies To Watch In Right Now: Atlatsa Resources Corp (ATL)

Atlatsa Resources Corporation is engaged in mining, exploration and development of mineral deposits located in the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC), South Africa. The principal business activity is the mining and exploration of platinum group metals (PGM), through its mineral property interests. The Company�� subsidiaries include N1C Resources Incorporation, Anooraq Minera Mexicana, N2C Resources Incorporation, Plateau Resources Proprietary Limited, Bokoni Holdings Proprietary Limited, Bokoni Mines Proprietary Limited, Boikgantsho Proprietary Limited, Kwanda Proprietary Limited, Ga-Phasha Proprietary Limited, Middlepunt Hill Management Services (Proprietary) Limited and Lebowa Platinum Mine Limited. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Another stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Atlatsa Resources (ATL), which engages in the mining, exploration and development of platinum group metals properties located in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up a whopping 198%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Atlatsa Resources, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months and change, with shares soaring higher from its low of 28 cents per share to its intraday high of 46 cents per share. During that uptrend, shares of ATL have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of ATL have now started to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at 43 cents to 44 cents per share. That move is quickly pushing shares of ATL within range of triggering another big breakout trade.

    Market players should now look for long-biased trades in ATL if it manages to break out above its 52-week high at 50 cents per share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 170,178 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ATL will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at 63 cents to 73 cents per share, or even 80 cents per share.

    Traders can look to buy ATL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of 39 cents per share, or near more support at 37 cents per share. One can also buy ATL off strength once it clears its 52-week high at 50 cents with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now

By almost any measure, Stamps.com Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP) is a solid investment. Revenue and profits are on the rise, and are projected to grow again in 2014. Stamps.com has also developed a penchant for earnings beats. And, at a trailing P/E of 18.3 and a forward-looking P/E ratio of 15.7, it's not like STMP shares cost a relative fortune. Yet, STMP is starting to look like a major liability where it could hurt shareholders the most... on the chart.

Yes, it's an unpopular reality, and the prod for many-a-debate about how you can't predict a stock's future value based on its price history. Of course, you can't actually presume a stock's ever going to reflect a company's fundamentals, nor is there any guarantee a company will continue to produce solid growth in perpetuity... a couple of details the fundamentals crowd tends to gloss over. More than that, the fact is, while a chart history isn't a 100% perfect tool for predicting a chart's future, the fact is, you CAN get a pretty darn good feel for a stock's foreseeable future based on the chart, and it just so happens that Stamps.com shares have dropped a pretty good technical clue that investors may want to note.

Top Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

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

    Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was maintained as a Buy but was removed from the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.

    Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $79 price target at Argus.

  • [By Dan Moskowitz]

    The shiniest dollar
    Many investors and analysts like to debate which dollar store offers the best investment opportunity. The truth is that Dollar General, Dollar Tree Stores (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) , and Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO  ) are all likely to be quality long-term investments.

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now: PowerShares DWA Momentum Portfolio (PDP)

PowerShares DWA Technical Leaders Portfolio (Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and of an equity index called the Dorsey Wright Technical Leaders Index (the Index). The Index consists of stocks of approximately 100 United States companies that are selected pursuant to a selection methodology of Dorsey Wright & Associates (the Index Provider). The Index is designed to identify companies that demonstrate powerful relative strength characteristics. Relative strength characteristics are based upon each security�� market performance. The companies are selected from a broad mid-cap and large-cap universe.

The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Index is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Index. The Fund generally will invest in the stocks comprising the Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Victor Selva]

    Of course, a great bet also involves many risks. Even though LCD technology became very popular in these last few years, both in TV screens and computer monitors, we should never miss the fact that technological markets are often exposed to products becoming obsolete due to the development of new, more efficient technology. Without going any further, it�� easy to recall the plasma display panel (PDP) fiasco, an apparently promising market in the 1990s and early 2000s but quickly replaced by LCDs (by 2008 LCDs sell 21.1 million units, almost 10 times PDP sales on the same year). Even Panasonic Corporation (PCRFF) announced it will interrupt production of PDP on 2014.

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now: Kirby Corp (KEX)

Kirby Corporation, incorporated on January 31, 1969, is a domestic tank barge operator, transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and along all three United States coasts and in Alaska and Hawaii. The Company transports petrochemicals, black oil products, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals by tank barge. The Company, through its subsidiaries, conducts operations in two business segments: marine transportation and diesel engine services. Through the diesel engine services segment, the Company provides after-market service for diesel engines and reduction gears used in marine and power generation applications. The Company also distributes and services diesel engines and transmissions, pumps and compression products, and manufactures oilfield service equipment, including hydraulic fracturing equipment, for land-based pressure pumping and oilfield service markets. The Company, through its marine transportation segment, is a provider of marine transportation services, operating tank barges and towing vessels transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and along all three United States coasts and in Alaska and Hawaii. On December 15, 2011, the Company completed the purchase of the coastal tank barge fleet of Seaboats, Inc. and affiliated companies (Seaboats). On July 1, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. (K-Sea). On April 15, 2011, the Company purchased United Holdings LLC (United), a distributor and service provider of engine and transmission related products for the oil and gas services, power generation and on-highway transportation industries, and manufacturer of oilfield service equipment. On February 24, 2011, the Company acquired 21 inland and offshore tank barges and 15 inland towboats and offshore tugboats from Enterprise Marine Services LLC (Enterprise). On February 9, 2011, the Company acquired from ! Kinder Morgan Petcoke, L.P. (Kinder Morgan).

The Company transports petrochemicals, black oil products, refined petroleum products, and agricultural chemicals by tank barge. The Company also owns and operates fits offshore dry-bulk barges and tugboats engaged in the coastal transportation of dry-bulk cargoes. It is a provider of transportation services for its customers. The Company, through its diesel engine services segment, sells replacement parts, provides service mechanics to overhaul and repair diesel engines, transmissions, reduction gears, pumps and compression products, maintains facilities to rebuild component parts or diesel engines, transmissions and reduction gears, and manufactures oilfield service equipment, including hydraulic fracturing equipment. The Company services the marine, power generation, oilfield service, and land-based oil and gas operator and producer markets.

Marine Transportation

The marine transportation segment is a provider of transportation services by tank barge for the inland and coastal markets. As of February 22, 2012, the equipment owned or operated by the marine transportation segment consisted of 819 inland tank barges, 236 inland towboats, 59 coastal tank barges, 65 coastal tugboats, fits offshore dry-cargo barges, fits offshore tugboats and one docking tugboat. The 236 inland towboats, 65 coastal tugboats, fits offshore tugboats and one docking tugboat provide the power source and the 819 inland tank barges, 59 coastal tank barges and fits offshore dry-cargo barges provide the freight capacity for the marine transportation segment. The Company�� coastal and offshore tows consist of one tugboat and one tank barge or dry-cargo barge.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company�� inland marine transportation operation moved over 50 million tons of liquid cargo on the United States inland waterway system. Products transported for its customers along the inland waterway system consisted of petrochemi! cals, bla! ck oil products, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals. Bulk liquid petrochemicals transported include, such products as benzene, styrene, methanol, acrylonitrile, xylene and caustic soda, all consumed in the production of paper, fibers and plastics. During 2011, the transportation of petrochemical products represented 59% of the segment�� revenues. Customers shipping these products are refining and petrochemical companies. Black oil products transported include products, such as asphalt, residual fuel oil, No. 6 fuel oil, coker feedstock, vacuum gas oil, carbon black feedstock, crude oil and ship bunkers (engine fuel). During 2011, such products represented 20% of the segment�� revenues. During 2011, refined petroleum products transported include the various blends of finished gasoline, gasoline blendstocks, jet fuel, No. 2 oil, naphtha, heating oil and diesel fuel, and represented 16% of the segment�� revenues. The Company also classifies ethanol in the refined petroleum product category. Customers are oil and refining companies, marketers and ethanol producers.

During 2011, agricultural chemicals transported represented 5% of the segment�� revenues. They include anhydrous ammonia and nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer, as well as industrial ammonia. Agricultural chemical customers consist of domestic and foreign producers of such products. As of December 31, 2011, the marine transportation segment operated a fleet of 819 inland tank barges and 236 inland towboats, as well as 59 coastal tank barges and 65 coastal tugboats. The segment also owns and operates fits offshore barge and tug units transporting dry-bulk commodities in coastal trade. As of December 31, 2011, the marine transportation segment operated a fleet of 819 inland tank barges and 236 inland towboats, as well as 59 coastal tank barges and 65 coastal tugboats. The segment also owns and operates fits offshore barge and tug units transporting dry-bulk commodities in coastal trade.

The Canal ! fleet tra! nsports petrochemical feedstocks, processed chemicals, pressurized products, black oil products and refined petroleum products along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the Mississippi River below Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Houston Ship Channel. The Linehaul fleet transports petrochemical feedstocks, chemicals, agricultural chemicals and lube oils along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Mississippi River and the Illinois and Ohio Rivers. Loaded tank barges are staged in the Baton Rouge area from Gulf Coast refineries and petrochemical plants, and are transported from Baton Rouge to waterfront terminals and plants on the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio Rivers, and along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The River fleet transports petrochemical feedstocks, chemicals, refined petroleum products, agricultural chemicals and black oil products along the Mississippi River System above Baton Rouge. Petrochemical feedstocks and processed chemicals are transported to waterfront petrochemical and chemical plants, while black oil products, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals are transported to waterfront terminals.

The marine transportation inland operation moves and handles a range of cargoes. As of December 21, 2011, of the 819 inland tank barges operated, 618 were petrochemical and refined products barges, 123 were black oil barges, 63 were pressure barges, 10 were refrigerated anhydrous ammonia barges and five were specialty barges. Marine transportation services for inland movements are conducted under long-term contracts, ranging from one to five years. Kirby Inland Marine, LP (Kirby Inland Marine) operates commercial tank barge fleeting service (temporary barge storage facilities) in ports, including Houston, Corpus Christi and Freeport, Texas, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana and other locations on the Mississippi River. Included in the fleeting service is a 51% interest and management control of a shifting operation and fleeting service for dry cargo barges and tank barges ! on the Ho! uston Ship Channel. Kirby Inland Marine provides service for its own barges, as well as outside customers, transferring barges within the areas noted, as well as fleeting barges.

Kirby Logistics Management (KLM) is a division of Kirby Inland Marine providing shore-based tankerman and support services to the Company and third parties. Services provided by KLM include barge tankermen, marine terminal, refinery and chemical plant dock operators, and terminal management services. KLM�� services to the Company and third parties cover the Gulf Coast, mid-Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio River Valley. The Company owns a 66% interest in Osprey Line, L.L.C. (Osprey), which transports project cargoes and cargo containers by barge on the United States inland waterway system. The segment�� coastal operations are conducted through wholly owned subsidiaries, K-Sea Transportation Partners LLC and Kirby Ocean Transport Company (Kirby Ocean Transport). K-Sea provides marine transportation of refined petroleum products and black oil products in each coastal region of the United States. The coastal operations consist of the Atlantic, New York, Pacific and Hawaii Divisions. The Atlantic Division operates along the eastern seaboard of the United States and along the Gulf Coast. The Atlantic Division vessels call on coastal states from Maine to Texas, servicing refineries, storage terminals and power plants. The Atlantic Division also operates equipment on the Great Lakes, in the Caribbean, and in Venezuela and the Eastern Canadian provinces.

The New York Division operates in the New York Harbor, close to container terminals, cruise piers, refineries and petroleum storage facilities. The New York Division also performs coastal voyages between Maine and Norfork, Virginia and manages operations in Philadelphia. The New York Division�� fleet consists of tank barges in the 10,000 to 89,000 barrel capacity range and tugboats in the 1800 to 3400 horsepower range, transporting refined petroleum produ! cts for l! ocal and regional customers, black oil products to power generation customers and the delivery of bunker fuel to ships. The Pacific Division operates along the Pacific coast of the United States, servicing refineries and storage terminals from Southern California to Washington State, throughout Alaska, including Dutch Harbor, Cook Inlet and the Alaska River Systems, and from California to Hawaii. The Pacific Division�� fleet consists of tank barges in the 13,000 to 185,000 barrel capacity range and tugboats in the 1000 to 11800 horsepower range, transporting refined petroleum products.

The Hawaii Division services local petroleum retailers and oil companies distributing refined petroleum products and black oil products between the Hawaiian islands and provides other services to the local maritime community. As of December 31, 2011, the Hawaii Division�� fleet consisted of tank barges in the 52,000 to 86,000 barrel capacity range and tugboats in the 1200 to 7200 horsepower range, transporting refined petroleum products for local and regional customers, black oil products to power generation customers, and the delivery of bunker fuel to ships. The Hawaii Division also provides service docking, standby tug assistance and line handling to vessels using the Single Point Mooring installation at Barbers Point, Oahu, a facility for tankers to load and discharge their cargos through an offshore buoy and submerged pipeline without entering the port. As of December 31, 2011, the coastal fleet consisted of 59 tank barges, 56 of which were double hull and three of which were single hull, with 3.8 million barrels of capacity, transporting refined petroleum products and black oil products. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 65 Company-owned coastal tugboats ranging from 1000 to 11800 horsepower. Tugboats in the 1800 to 3400 horsepower classes provide power for barges used in the New York Division. Tugboats in the 1000 to 11800 horsepower classes provide power for barges used in the Atlantic! , Pacific! and Hawaii Divisions. Kirby Ocean Transport owns and operates a fleet of fits offshore dry-bulk barges, fits offshore tugboats and one docking tugboat. Kirby Ocean Transport also has a contract with Holcim (US) Inc. (Holcim) to transport Holcim�� limestone requirements from a facility adjacent to the PEF facility at Crystal River to Holcim�� plant in Theodore, Alabama. Kirby Ocean Transport is also engaged in the transportation of coal, fertilizer and other bulk cargoes on a short-term basis between domestic ports and occasionally the transportation of grain from domestic ports to ports primarily in the Caribbean Basin.

Diesel Engines

The Company, through wholly owned subsidiary Kirby Engines Systems, Inc. (Kirby Engine Systems), is engaged in the overhaul and repair of medium-speed and high-speed diesel engines and reduction gears, and related parts sales used in marine and power generation applications, and distributes and services high-speed diesel engines and transmissions, pumps and compression products, and manufactures oilfield service equipment, including hydraulic fracturing equipment, used in land-based pressure pumping, oilfield service, power generation and transportation applications.

For the marine market, the Company sells Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) replacement parts, provides service mechanics to overhaul and repair engines and reduction gears, and maintains facilities to rebuild component parts or entire engines and reduction gears. For the power generation market, the Company provides service and parts capabilities and safety-related products to power generation operators and to the nuclear industry, and manufactures engine generator and pump sets for the power generation operators and municipalities. The Company expanded its diesel engine services operation with the purchase of United, a manufacturer, diesel engine and transmission distributor and service provider for the land-based oil and gas services market, oil and gas operat! ors and p! roducers, compression companies, power generation companies, on-highway transportation companies and agricultural markets. United�� principal businesses are the distribution and service of diesel engines, pumps and transmissions, the manufacture and remanufacture of oilfield service equipment, including hydraulic fracturing equipment, and the manufacture of compression equipment for natural gas transmission and for natural gas fired power generation plants.

The Company is engaged in the overhaul and repair of medium-speed and high-speed diesel engines and reduction gears, line boring, block welding services and related parts sales for customers in the marine industry. The Company services medium-speed and high-speed diesel engines utilized in the inland and offshore barge industries. It also services marine equipment and offshore drilling equipment used in the offshore petroleum exploration and oil service industry, marine equipment used in the offshore commercial fishing industry and vessels owned by the United States government. The Company has marine operations throughout the United States providing in-house and in-field repair capabilities and related parts sales. The medium-speed operations are located in Houma, Louisiana, Chesapeake, Virginia, Paducah, Kentucky, Seattle, Washington and Tampa, Florida. The operations based in Chesapeake, Virginia and Tampa, Florida are authorized distributors for 17 eastern states and the Caribbean for Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD). The marine operations based in Houma, Louisiana, Paducah, Kentucky and Seattle, Washington are nonexclusive authorized service centers for EMD providing service and related parts sales. The Houma, Louisiana operation concentrates on the inland and offshore barge and oil services industries. The Tampa, Florida operation concentrates on Gulf of Mexico offshore dry-bulk, tank barge and harbor docking operators. The Paducah, Kentucky operation concentrates on the inland river towboat and barge operators and the Great Lake! s carrier! s. The Seattle, Washington operation concentrates on the offshore commercial fishing industry, tugboat and barge industry, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Navy, and other customers in Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Rim. The high-speed operations are located in Houma, Baton Rouge, Belle Chasse and New Iberia, Louisiana, Paducah, Kentucky, Mobile, Alabama and Houston, Texas. The Company serves as a factory-authorized marine dealer for Caterpillar diesel engines in Alabama, Kentucky and Louisiana. The Company also operates factory-authorized full service marine dealerships for Cummins, Detroit Diesel and John Deere diesel engines, as well as Allison transmissions and Twin Disk marine gears.

During 2011, the Company was engaged in the overhaul and repair of diesel engines and reduction gears, line boring, block welding service and related parts sales for power generation customers, which represented 9% of the segment�� revenues. The Company is also engaged in the sale and distribution of parts for diesel engines and governors to the nuclear industry. The Company services users of diesel engines, which provides standby, peak and base load power generation, as well as users of industrial reduction gears, such as the cement, paper and mining industries. The Company provides in-house and in-field repair capabilities and safety-related products to power generation operators from its Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Paducah, Kentucky and Seattle, Washington locations. The Rocky Mount operation is also the distributor of EMD products to the nuclear industry, the global distributor for Woodward Governor products to the nuclear industry, the global distributor of Cooper Energy Services, Inc. products to the nuclear industry, and owns the assets and technology necessary to support the Nordberg medium-speed diesel engines used in nuclear applications. In addition, the Rocky Mount operation is a distributor for Honeywell International Incorporated industrial measurement and control products to the ! nuclear i! ndustry, an distributor for Norlake Manufacturing Company transformer products to the nuclear industry and a non-exclusive distributor of analog Weschler Instruments metering products and distributor of digital Weschler metering products to the nuclear industry. The Paducah, Kentucky operation provides in-house and in-field repair services for Falk industrial reduction gears in the Midwest. The Seattle, Washington operation provides in-house and in-field repair services for Alco engines located on the West Coast and the Pacific Rim.

The Company�� power generation customers are domestic utilities and the global nuclear power industry. The Company is engaged in the distribution and service of diesel engines, pumps and transmissions, the manufacture and remanufacture of oilfield service equipment and the manufacture of compression equipment for natural gas transmission and for natural gas fired power generation plants. The Company offers a range of custom fabricated oilfield service equipment, fully tested and field ready. The Company manufactures products or components that are purchased by a company and marketed under the purchasing company�� brand name. The Company distributes, sells parts and services diesel engines and transmissions for on and off-highway use, and provide in-house and in-field service capabilities. The Company is also the exclusive distributor for Daimler for engines and related equipment in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The Company manufactures and re-manufacturers oilfield service equipment, including hydraulic fracturing equipment, pressure pumping units, nitrogen pumping units, cementers, hydration equipment, mud pumps and blenders. The Company also manufactures and packages custom compressor systems, including electric motor driven systems, natural gas driven systems and industrial air systems, and manufactures natural gas General Motors and Isuzu diesel-powered engines for a range of applications from 40 to 500 horsepower. The Company is a dealer of Thermo K! ing refri! gerated systems for trucks, railroad cars and other land transportation markets in south and central Texas. The Company�� land-based customers include oilfield service providers, oil and gas operators and producers, compression companies, domestic utilities, on-highway transportation companies and companies associated with the agricultural markets.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Aimee Duffy]

    The role of the barge can't be underestimated. Barge receipts increased more than two percentage points year over year, and this is a great place for investors to look for opportunity. Companies with maritime resources benefit from this trend, as well as growth in exports. Three such companies that are worth a look are:

    Kirby Corporation (NYSE: KEX  ) , which operates 30% of the coastal tank barges in the U.S.� Oiltanking Partners (NYSE: OILT  ) , which has storage capacity of 12.1 million barrels and six deepwater docks on the Houston Ship Channel Martin Midstream Partners (NASDAQ: MMLP  ) , which operates a large fleet of inland barges and controls 31 marine terminals�

    These companies won't be the only winners, but they are a good place to start your research.

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now: Cleantech Transit Inc (CLNO)

Cleantech Transit, Inc., incorporated on June 28, 2006, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses to explore opportunities in the development and production of hybrid, electric, alternative fuel and diesel heavy duty transit buses, luxury motor coaches and tour buses. On July 11, 2011, the Company formed Cleantech Energy, Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary. In February 2013, the Company announced that acquired from Crown Equity Holdings Inc., Crown Buy Rite.

On July 25, 2011, the Company formed Cleantech Exploration Corp. as a wholly owned subsidiary. On October 31, 2011, the Company acquired a 40% interest in Ortigalita Power Systems, LLC a waste power generating project in California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Cleantech Transit, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CLNO) (www.cleantechtransit.net ) through its Discovery Carbon subsidiary, develops emissions offset strategies for companies, municipalities, and countries. Today, CLNO has shed (-8.70%) down -0.020 at $.210 with 145,044 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:28PM EDT July 10, 2013), but don�� let this get you down. Earlier this morning (July 10), this company hit as low as $.20 and as high as $.24.

    CLNO previously announced it plans to change its name to EQCO2, Inc. and also the plan for a 1 for 5 forward stock split for its common stock.�Last Friday�(July 5) Cleantech announced that the process for both is underway and is expected to occur before the end of July.

    FYI ��(July 5) Cleantech Transit, Inc. Files SEC form 8-K http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=9389837

    FYI ��(July 3) Cleantech Transit, Inc. Files DEF 14C http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=9386382

  • [By CRWE]

    Cleantech Transit, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CLNO) (www.cleantechtransit.net) through its Discovery Carbon subsidiary, develops emissions offset strategies for companies, municipalities, and countries. CLNO currently has surged (+15.63%) up +0.025 at $.185 with 478,777 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed:� 12:23PM June 25, 2013).�Earlier this�morning (June 25, 2013), this company hit as low as $.16 and as high as $.19. The fact that their is�under a million shares in play thus far only ignites the excitement that CLNO brings to the table.

    Today�(June 25) CLNO�� daily range was at ($.19 – $.16) currently at $.185 would be considered a (+16718.18%) gain above the 52 wk low of $.0011. Eventhough CLNO has surged (+15.63%) up +0.025 at $.185 with 478,777 shares in play� thus far (ref. google finance Delayed:� 12:23PM June 25, 2013), the stock is up +12233.33% since the concerning dates of December 26, 2013 ��June 25, 2013. +12233.33% is the 6 month high and rightly so.

    Earlier this month (June 3), CLNO acquired control of Discovery Carbon Environmental Securities Corporation (��iscovery��. The acquisition advances the strategy of developing significant market share in the alternative clean energy sector. Discovery�� proprietary GreenTrees��for renewable energy, and EvoCert��environmental credits for offsetting business and individual carbon foot prints are some of the exciting products Discovery provides to clients throughout the world.

    CLNO reported last Friday (June 21), that it has acquired 81% of the issued and outstanding shares of Discovery Carbon Environmental Securities Corporation (��iscovery��, a Nevada corporation. The acquisition advances the strategy of developing significant market share in the alternative clean energy sector. Discovery�� proprietary GreenTrees��for renewable energy, and EvoCert��environmental credits for offsetting business and individual carbon foot prints are some of the e

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, CLNO has surged (+0.04%)�0.000 at $.259 with�229,233 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 3:24PM EDT July 9, 2013).

    Cleantech Transit, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CLNO) (www.cleantechtransit.net ) through its Discovery Carbon subsidiary, develops emissions offset strategies for companies, municipalities, and countries. Today, CLNO has surged (+0.04%) 0.000 at $.259 with 229,233 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 3:24PM EDT July 9, 2013). Earlier this morning (July 8), this company hit as low as $.222 and as high as $.265.

    Could it be�because of�CLNO previously announced it plans to change its name to EQCO2, Inc. and also the plan for a 1 for 5 forward stock split for its common stock? (July 5) Cleantech announced that the process for both is underway and is expected to occur before the end of July.

    FYI ��(July 5) Cleantech Transit, Inc. Files SEC form 8-K http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=9389837

    FYI ��(July 3) Cleantech Transit, Inc. Files DEF 14C http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=9386382

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now: Thermon Group Holdings Inc.(THR)

Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. offers heat tracing solutions for process industries worldwide. The company?s solutions provide an external heat source to pipes, vessels, and instruments for the purposes of freeze protection, temperature and flow maintenance, environmental monitoring, and surface snow and ice melting. Its products comprise a range of electric heat tracing cables, steam tracing components, and tubing bundles. The company also offers instrument and control products, including self-regulating and power limiting heating cables; mineral insulated cables; heat traced tube bundles for environmental gas sampling systems; heat transfer compounds and steam tracers for steam tracing solutions; control and monitoring systems for electric tracing of pipes, tanks, hoppers, and instrument sampling systems; and hopper heating modules. In addition, it provides various turnkey solutions for heat tracing, such as design, front-end optimization, product supply, engineering deli verables, system integration, installation, commissioning, and maintenance services. The company offers its solutions to the energy, chemical processing, power generation, and industrial and commercial infrastructure, as well as engineering, procurement, and construction companies. It serves customers through a network of sales and service professionals, and distributors in approximately 30 countries. The company is headquartered in San Marcos, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Thermon Group Holdings (NYSE: THR  ) reported earnings on June 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Thermon Group Holdings missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now: Orbital Sciences Corporation(ORB)

Orbital Sciences Corporation develops and manufactures small and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military, and civil government customers. The company operates in three segments: Launch Vehicles, Satellites and Space Systems, and Advanced Space Programs. The Launch Vehicles segment develops and produces small-class launch vehicles that place satellites into low-Earth orbit; interceptor launch vehicles for missile defense systems, including interceptor boosters; and target launch vehicles, such as suborbital rockets and their principal subsystems, as well as payloads carried by vehicles used in the development and testing of missile defense systems. The Satellites and Space Systems segment develops and produces communications satellites that provide cable and direct-to-home television distribution, business data network connectivity, regional mobile telephony, and other space-based communications services; and science and remote sensing satellites tha t are used to conduct space-related scientific research, collect imagery and other remotely-sensed data about the Earth, carry out interplanetary and other deep-space exploration missions, and demonstrate new space technologies. This segment also provides space systems and subsystems, including satellite command and data handling, and attitude control and structural subsystems; and a range of space-related technical services, including analytical, engineering, and production services for space-related science and defense programs. The Advanced Space Programs segment develops and produces human-rated systems to be used in earth orbit, planetary exploration, and other space missions; and small and medium-class satellites and related systems used primarily for national security space missions and related technology demonstration programs. It operates in the United States, Europe, Mexico, South America, Australia, and east Asia. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquarter ed in Dulles, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Orbital Sciences Corp.‘s (NYSE: ORB) 2013 results and 2014 outlook point to the revenue growth and high free cash flow potential of the franchise. The Jefferies analysts see opportunities for new orders, 7% revenue growth and acceleration of free cash flow, and they expect shares to continue to advance. The company develops and manufactures small and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. Jefferies raises its price target from $27 to $31. The consensus number is $33.17. The stock closed on Friday at $28.27.

  • [By Quick Pen]

    The aerospace sector is increasingly becoming competitive. The acquisition proposal comes at a time when another Dulles-based industry player Orbital Sciences (ORB) plans to combine with the defense segment of Alliant Techsystems��(ATK) and emerge as a stronger new entity named Orbital ATK. The defense space has been vastly dominated by the United Launch Alliance, which is a joint venture between Chicago-based aircraft major Boeing (BA) and Lockheed Martin. However, after the $5 billion merger deal to form Orbital ATK is complete, the industry will grow more competitive.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Shares of Orbital Sciences (NYSE: ORB) got a boost, shooting up 15.38 percent to $30.66 after the company and Allian Techsystems' (NYSE: ATK) Aerospace and Defense Groups agreed to combine to create Orbital ATK.

Top 10 US Companies To Own In Right Now: Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (BRF)

Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap Index (the Index). The Index is a rules-based, modified market capitalization-weighted, float-adjusted index consisting of publicly traded small-capitalization companies that are domiciled and primarily listed on an exchange in Brazil, or that generate at least 50% of their revenues in Brazil. The Index is the exclusive property of 4asset-management GmbH, which has contracted with Standard & Poor��, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. to maintain and calculate the Index. The Fund is passively managed and may not hold each Index component in the same weighting as the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (NYSEArca: BRF) has performed closely with the larger ETF group, with a drop of almost 4% so far in 2014. By its name, you can assume it tracks small-cap stocks. It aims to track the Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap Index. At $28.51, its 52-week trading range is $27.99 to $44.17.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Hot Services Companies To Buy Right Now

With shares of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) trading around $26, is HPQ an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Hewlett-Packard provides products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers, small and medium businesses, and large enterprises worldwide. The company offers commercial notebooks and desktops, consumer notebooks, desktops, software, and services for the commercial and consumer markets. The services segment provides consulting, outsourcing, and technology services to infrastructure, applications, and business process domains. The diverse technological products and services offered by Hewlett-Packard make it a leading provider that sees increased demand through global expansion.

Hewlett-Packard�� filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday showed that Christmas came early for the company�� third CEO in four years, Meg Whitman. After taking the helm at HP in September 2011, Whitman agreed to a salary of $1 for 2012, similar to a handful of other Silicon Valley executives.�However, now that the company is finally enjoying more much-needed stability, HP�� board has decided to up Whitman�� salary �to $1.5 million, effective as of November 1. According to Reuters, the filing says that the board members want to ��ring Whitman�� salary to a competitive level among the salaries of the chief executive officers of HP�� peer companies.��/p>

Hot Services Companies To Buy Right Now: Neogenomics Inc (NEO)

NeoGenomics, Inc. (NeoGenomics) operates a network of cancer-focused testing laboratories. The Company offers testing services, including Cytogenetics testing, which is the study of normal and abnormal chromosomes and their relationship to disease; fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) testing, which is a branch of cancer genetics that focuses on detecting and locating the presence or absence of specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences and genes on chromosomes; flow cytometry testing, which is a way to measure the characteristics of cell populations; immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing, this is the process of identifying cell proteins in a tissue section utilizing the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens, and molecular testing, which is a cancer diagnostic tool focusing on the analysis of DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA), as well as the structure and function of genes at a molecular level.

The cancer testing services, that the Company offers to community-based pathologists are designed to be a natural extension of, and complementary to, the services that they perform within their own practices. In areas where the Company does not provide services to community-based pathology practices, it may directly serve oncology, dermatology, urology and other clinician practices that prefer to have a direct relationship with a laboratory for cancer-related genetic and molecular testing services. NeoGenomics services these types of clients with a global service offering where it performs both the technical and professional components of the tests ordered.

The Company offers tech-only flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry testing services. These types of testing services generally allow the professional interpretation component of a test to be billed separately from the technical component. Its NeoFISH, NeoFLOW and other tech-only service offerings allow properly trained and credentialed community-based pathologists to extend their own practices by performing ! professional interpretations services.

The Company's tech-only services are designed to give pathologists the option to choose, on a case by case basis, whether they want to order just the technical information and images relating to a specific test so they can perform the professional interpretation, or order global services and receive a test report, which includes a NeoGenomics Pathologist�� interpretation of the test results.

The Company also offers a set of global services to meet the needs of those clients who are not credentialed and trained in interpreting genetic tests and who are looking for specialists to interpret the testing results for them. In its global service offerings, its lab performs the technical component of the tests and its doctor of medicine (M.D.s) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) s to provide the interpretation services. Its genetic pathology solutions (GPS) report summarizes all relevant case data from its global services on one summary report.

The Company competes with General Electric Healthcare Services and Novartis, A.G.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    One way or the other, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: MACK), Covidien plc (NYSE: COV), NeoGenomics, Inc (NASDAQ: NEO) and�CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) are targeting Barrett's Esophagus�or�esophageal cancer�(the former often leads to the latter) ��a form of cancer that may not be on the top of your list of cancers but is nevertheless on the rise. Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from Barrett's Esophagus, �a condition that�develops as a result of chronic injury from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) where the�normal esophageal lining is replaced with abnormal cells (known as Barrett�� tissue), putting patients at greater risk of developing cancer of the esophagus. And although less than 1% of these patients develop cancer each year, esophageal carcinoma is frequently not detected until later stages, at which point therapy options are limited, extremely invasive, and often ineffective.�This means that�early detection is important�along with�regular surveillance is recommended.�

Hot Services Companies To Buy Right Now: G&K Services Inc (GK)

G&K Services, Inc., incorporated on December 1, 1934, provides branded uniform and facility services programs. The Company serves a base of approximately 170,000 customers. The Company serves customers in all industries, including automotive, warehousing, distribution, transportation, energy, manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceutical, retail, restaurants, hospitality, government, healthcare and many others. The Company provides service to customers of almost every size, from Fortune 100 companies to small and midsize firms. The Company has one million people within its customer base who wear G&K work apparel every work day. In January 2014, the Company announced that it has sold its direct sale program business.

The Company's customer focused relationships involve customers renting or directly purchasing uniforms and providing facility products and services to meet a variety of critical needs in the workplace, including Image, Organization safety and security, Brand awareness, Employee retention, Employee protection and Product protection. The Company also offers facility services programs that provide a range of dust control, maintenance, hand care and hygiene products and services. They include floor mat offerings (traction control, logo, message, scraper, anti-fatigue), towel products (shop, kitchen, bar, bath, dish, continuous roll, microfiber), mop offerings (dust, microfiber, wet), fender covers, selected linen items and restroom hygiene products. The Company's providing of regularly scheduled weekly service of these products and services helps the Company's customers maintain a clean, safe and attractive environment within their facilities for their employees and customers.

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 G&K Services (Nasdaq: GK  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

5 Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Own Right Now: Home Loan Servicing Solutions Ltd (HLSS)

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

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

  • [By David Sterman]

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

Hot Services Companies To Buy Right Now: Orange SA (ORAN)

Orange SA, formerly France Telecom S.A., incorporated on December 31, 1996, is an European mobile operator, an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) Internet access provider in Europe, and telecommunications services provider for multinational businesses under the Orange Business Services brand. As of December 31, 2010, France Telecom provided services to 209 million customers, of which 150 million were mobile phone customers and 13.7 million were broadband Internet customers, and as of June 30, 2011, provided services to 217.3 million customers. It offers its individual customers, businesses and other telecommunications operators a line of services covering fixed and mobile communications, data transmission, the Internet and multimedia, and other services. The Company�� segments include France, Poland, Spain, Rest of the World, Business Communication Services, International Carriers and Shared Services.

France

The range of services in the Home segment in France is made up of fixed-line telephony services; other consumer services; online, Internet access, and multimedia services; advertising-management and Internet portal business; content-related business, and carrier services. France Telecom�� traditional fixed-line telephony services provide access to the network, local and long-distance telephone communication services throughout France, and international calls. In addition, France Telecom offers its fixed-line telephony subscribers a broad range of value-added services. The France Telecom Group has a number of portals, including Orange.fr, which is either Web- or mobile-accessible. In December 2010, its audience reached 22.5 million, and Voila.fr and Cityvox (entertainment and leisure listing site in France) in its different formats, such as Cityvox.fr, Cinefil.com, Spectacles.fr, Concert.fr and WebCity.fr. The primary revenue source is online advertising sold by the Orange Advertising Network. This advertising management department sells advertising space for ab! out 20 third-party sites, both Web and mobile.

Orange�� offers are built around three product lines: postpaid, prepaid and convergent offers. Orange offers two categories of prepaid offer, to which calls are charged by the second from the first second: The Mobicarte, includes a range of recharges from 5 to 100 euros and Orange Initial, which enables the customer to be billed monthly depending on his or her actual consumption. Orange also has a number of offers that pair mobile use and mobile Internet access with all-in-one offers, including both the hardware and an Internet access plan. The USB 3G+ plans enable connection to the Internet via the mobile broadband network or the Orange public wireless fidelity (WiFi) network from a laptop computer, multimedia mobile phone or a tablet personal computer.

The Company competes with SFR-Neuf Cegetel, Free, Bouygues Telecom, Numericable, Google and Voila.

Poland

Orange (the brand under which the TP Group subsidiary, PTK Centertel trades) had a total of 14.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2010. In April 2010, PTK Centertel introduced segmented postpaid offers for residential customers. Depending on the usage profile, customers can choose from three types of tariff plans: Dolphin tariffs for frequent users of voice services, Pelican for customers focused on text and community Web-services, and Panther for users of mobile data services (Internet, email). The mobile broadband Internet customer base (Edge and 3G data services) reached 547,000 customers during 2010. In 2010, Orange introduced a SIM-only mobile Internet offer and a portfolio of terminals dedicated to the Orange Free offer.

The Company competes with Netia, Multimedia Polska, Aster and Hyperion.

Spain

Orange Espana, operating under Orange, Ya.com and OBS (Enterprise) brands offers fixed and mobile telecommunication services to more than 13 million customers in the residential, professional, business and who! lesale se! gments. Orange Espana�� physical distribution network consists in 2,922 points of presence, including Orange own shops, franchises, specialized shops under the Orange brand, non exclusive specialized shops, and a network of retailers. Orange Espana also distributes its services through distance selling channels, and its own online portal. Orange Espana fixed access infrastructure, based on its own optic fiber network and ADSL roll-out, enables delivery of advanced telecommunication services, including broadband Internet access, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), internet protocol television (IPTV), television (TV) streaming, video on demand (VOD) and advanced business services.

The Company competes with Telefonica, ONO, Vodafone and Jazztel.

Rest of the world

The France Telecom Group is present in Luxembourg via Orange S.A. (formerly VOXmobile), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mobistar. The Luxembourg subsidiary, VOXmobile, was renamed Orange S.A. in October 2009. During the year ended December 31, 2010, Orange S.A. had 88,900 active mobile telephony customers.

The Company competes with Proximus, Mobistar, Base, ex-Mobifon, Telefonica O2, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom, Sunrise, Moldtelecom, Starnet, ECMS, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat U.A.E.

Enterprise Communications Services

The Orange Business Services brand covers both the Enterprise Communication Services (ECS) unit, which supplies communications services to multinational companies and corporate accounts and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in France and Orange subsidiaries Business-to-Business (B2B) activities.

Orange Business Services covers the Company�� business customers in more than 160 countries and regions where it provides local technical and commercial assistance. This business segment includes a number of subsidiaries, including Etrali (trading solutions), Almerys (health), Orange Consulting (project management, telecom consulting), Multimedia Business Se! rvices (m! ultimedia contact centers), Neocles (virtualization solutions), IT&Labs (design and development of embedded Machine-to-Machine applications, vehicle fleet management), Obiane and Telecom System (secure network integration), Alsy (integration services), EGT (equipment and services for video conferences), and GlobeCast (multimedia broadcast systems).

The Company competes with IBM, HP, Microsoft and Cisco.

The Company competes with COLT Telecom, Numericable-Completel, BT Global Services, AT&T Business Services, Verizon Business, T-Systems, Reliance Globalcom, Tata Communications, Belgacom Group, NextiraOne, Spie Communication, NTT Group, IBM Global Services, HP Enterprise Services, Atos Origin, Salesforce and Amazon.

International Carriers and Shared Services

Orange�� International Carriers activity is based on long-distance network infrastructure and offers a range of solutions on the international market. The Company is involved in the design, construction and operation of submarine cables. The Company�� wholesale activity includes a worldwide network with over 120 presence points and 130,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable; a worldwide network of Internet protocol (IP) routes with end users in over 220 countries and connections to over 250 Internet service providers and a hit rate of over 85% for all European net surfers. France Telecom�� network has over 330 direct routes and interconnections with over 359 operators, and coverage in over 900 destinations with around-the-clock technical support. Its range of solutions includes interconnection, interoperability and signaling solutions for messaging, voice and video telephony services and the Orange Roaming Hub (Global eXchange) solution for moving from a bilateral model to a multilateral roaming system.

France Telecom has developed activities related to its core business line, such as content broadcasting, audience and advertising, and also healthcare activities. Orange offers free a! nd paying! content on its own channels, paid program packages, Video On Demand, music and game offers. Orange distributes content provided by third parties (television, games, music) on fixed-line and mobile networks both inside and outside France. Orange also produces its own channels: Orange Sport and Orange Cinema�� five different channels. Studio 37, is a subsidiary for investing in cinematographic rights, through both co-production and the acquisition of catalogue rights. During the year ended December 32, 2010, Studio 37 supported the launch of 15 films, including the Gainsbourg and Fatal. The Viaccess group, a France Telecom subsidiary, offers access solutions to television content. Orange is present in the games market through the games it sells on the orange.fr portal (Casual Games dedicated to family type games, such as breakout clones or riddles). Orange Healthcare, is the Company�� healthcare division, focused on developing service packages for the whole sector within a partnership approach.

The Company competes with Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Telia Sonera and AT&T.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, French telecommunications giant France Telecom (NYSE: ORAN  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

  • [By Anders Bylund]

    France Telcom (NYSE: ORAN  ) is a classic income stock. Its double-digit dividend yield is powered by stable cash flows in a maturing industry.

  • [By Dan Burrows]

    The market also likes the fact that BBVA is rapidly growing the profits it derives from operations in the U.S. and Asia, which will further shelter it from any more tremors in Europe. Always its strong suit, BBVA’s geographical sprawl bodes well for long-term outperformance.

    Orange (ORAN)

    Dividend Yield: 9.5%
    1-Year Total Return: 55%

Hot Services Companies To Buy Right Now: Osage Exploration and Development Inc (OEDV)

Osage Exploration and Development, Inc. (Osage) is an oil and natural gas exploration and production company with reserves and production in the country of Colombia and the state of Oklahoma. The Company�� pipeline is located in Colombia. The Companys focuses on developing its 28,000-acre Horizontal Mississippian block along the Nemaha Ridge in Logan County, Oklahoma, with their partners Slawson Exploration, and U.S. Energy Development Corp. The Company generates oil sales from its production operations in Colombia and in the state of Oklahoma and pipeline revenues from its Cimarrona property in Colombia. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company drilled two salt water disposal wells and commenced drilling the Wolfe#1-29H, the Company�� horizontal Mississippian well in Logan County, Oklahoma. In January 2012, the Company began drilling the Krittenbrink 2-36H, the Company�� second well in Logan County.

The Company�� subsidiary, Cimarrona LLC, owns a 9.4% interest in certain oil and gas assets in the Guaduas field, located in the Dindal and Rio Seco Blocks that consist of 21 wells, of which seven are producing, that covers 30,665-acres in the Middle Magdalena Valley in Colombia, as well as a pipeline with a capacity of approximately 30,000 barrels of oil per day. The Cimarrona property, but not the pipeline, is subject to an Ecopetrol Association Contract (the Association Contract) whereby the Company pays Ecopetrol S.A. (Ecopetrol) royalties of 20% of the oil produced.

The Company has acquired oil and gas leases in Logan County, Oklahoma targeting the Mississippian formation. The Mississippian formation is located on the Anadarko Shelf in northern Oklahoma and south-central Kansas. The top of this expansive carbonate hydrocarbon system is encountered between 4,000 and 6,000 feet and lies stratigraphically between the Pennsylvanian-aged Morrow Sand and the Devonian-aged Woodford Shale formations. The Mississippian formation reach 600 feet in gross thickness a! nd the targeted porosity zone is between 50 and 300 feet in thickness. The Company owns 100% of the working interest in certain producing oil and natural gas leases located in Osage County, Oklahoma (Hopper Property). The Property consists of 23 wells, 10 of which are producing wells, on 480 acres.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Today, OEDV surged (+6.78%) up +0.08 at $1.26 with 39,220 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:56AM EDT August 22, 2013).

    Osage Exploration and Development, Inc. previously reported financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and provided an update on field operations. For the quarter, the Company reported a 75.8% increase in revenues of $2.4 million compared to the same period in 2012, and operating income of $1.2 million versus a loss of $274,563 for the period ending June 30, 2012.

    Osage participated in drilling ten wells during the second quarter, bringing the total number of wells in which Osage has an interest to twenty-nine as of June 30, 2013. Additionally, the Company reported average daily production roughly in-line with first quarter production.

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, OEDV surged (+1.96%) up +0.03 at $1.56 with 178,129 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 12:28PM EDT August 30, 2013).

    Osage Exploration and Development, Inc. previously reported preliminary production results on the Mallard 1-16H Horizontal Mississippian well in Logan County, Oklahoma. The well, located in Section 16-17N-3W, achieved a 24-hour peak initial production rate of 705 barrels of oil plus associated natural gas on an electric submersible pump and a 48/64��choke.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now

The U.S. international trade deficit improved for March, according to a Commerce Department report (link opens in PDF) released today. The total deficit fell 11%, to $38.8 billion, more than double analysts' expectations of a $42.4 billion March deficit. This news also marks the second straight month�of improvements, after February's deficit decrease put 2013 on track for an improved trade balance.

Deficits improve in two ways: (1) exports increase more than imports, or (2) imports decrease more than exports. The first scenario is generally favored over the second, as it more directly shows signs of an internally strengthening economy. March's results show the second, where a 2.8% drop in imports proved more than enough to offset export's 0.9% slump.

Source: census.gov�

While the services surplus rose $0.2 billion to reach $17.3 billion, the goods deficit's $4.6 billion decrease accounted for all of March's improvements. Foods, feeds, and beverages exports fell $1.1 billion, but a $3.4 billion slump in consumer goods imports alone�more than offset a total goods exports decrease of $1.8 billion.

Top 5 Canadian Stocks To Own For 2015: Seaboard Corporation(SEB)

Seaboard Corporation operates as a diversified agribusiness and transportation company worldwide. Its Pork division engages in hog production and pork processing; and the production and sale of fresh and frozen pork products, such as lunchmeat, ham, bacon, sausage, loins, tenderloins, and ribs, as well as further processed pork products, including raw and pre-cooked bacon to further processors, foodservice operators, grocery stores, distributors, and retail outlets under the Prairie Fresh and Daily's brand names. This division also produces and sells biodiesel from pork and other animal fats to third parties. The company?s Commodity Trading and Milling division sources, transports, and markets wheat, corn, soybean meal, rice, and other commodities, as well as operates flour, feed, and maize milling businesses. Its Marine division provides containerized cargo shipping service to 26 countries between the United States, the Caribbean Basin, and central and South America; and operates a terminal at the Port of Miami, an off-dock warehouse for cargo consolidation and temporary storage, and a cargo terminal at the Port of Houston for temporary storage of bagged grains, resins, and other cargo. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 10 owned and approximately 29 chartered vessels; and dry, refrigerated, and specialized containers and other related equipment. The company?s Sugar division produces and refines sugar cane, produces alcohol, and purchases and resells sugar to retailers, soft drink manufacturers, and food manufacturers in Argentina. Its Power division operates as an independent power producer in the Dominican Republic operating 2 floating barges with a system of diesel engines with combined capacity of approximately 112 megawatts of electricity. Seaboard Corporation also purchases and processes jalapeno peppers in the United States. The company was founded in 1928 and is based in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Seaboard Corporation is a subsidiary of Seaboard Flour LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Thanksgiving is around the corner�meaning investors might want to take a closer look at turkey stocks�like Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), Seaboard Corporation (NYSEMKT: SEB) and Industrias Bachoco, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: IBA)���the last major�publicly traded turkey stocks available for investors. Moreover, the Wall Street Journal has pointed out that corn prices are the lowest in more than three years and fewer birds are in production as some producers cut back on their flocks this year due to weaker turkey commodity prices.�Feed prices, which make up about 70% of the cost of a turkey, had soared with the price of corn which hit the $8 a bushel level but a recent�bumper crop has sent corn prices plunging to about the $4 a bushel level.

  • [By Holly LaFon] ard is also an older company founded more than 90 years ago and has focused on grain and agriculturally derived products. In the last 10 years its stock has appreciated 543%, and on Monday one share costs $1,955. It has never split its stock.

    Seaboard is still a growing company. In the last ten years it increased revenue per share at an average rate of 12.5%, EBITDA at 9.8%, and book value at 18.2%. It also has a low P/E of 6.8, its lowest since about 2007.

    Berkshire Hathaway-A (BRK.A)

    Berkshire Hathaway is the multinational conglomerate founded by Warren Buffett and is the eighth largest company in the world. They are the highest priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, partially due to never splitting their stock or paying a dividend. Rather, they reinvest corporate earnings to continue growth.

    In the last 10 years, Berkshire Hathaway stock has increased 67%. On Monday, one share of BRK.A cost $122,115.

    Berkshire management has grown book value at an annual rate of 20.3% for the last 44 years. Growth has been continuing in recent history. In the last 10 years, revenue per share increased at a rate of 11.4%, EBITDA at 7.5% and free cash flow at 3.3%. Its P/E is 17.1.

    These stocks are not necessarily expensive or not expensive based on how much one share costs but are subject to the same valuation as lower-priced companies. To create your own screener to find the exact stocks you are interested in, try GuruFocus��do-it-all screener here.

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Freedom Foods Group Ltd (FNP)

Freedom Foods Group Limited (FNP) is an Australia-based company engaged in providing for specialized Needs in the Global Food Industry. The Company operates in Freedom Foods, operating in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of allergen free cereals and nutritional snacks and other food products under the Freedom Foods brand and dairy alternative beverages under the Australia�� Own and Freedom Foods brands. The Company�� Pactum Australia operates in the manufacture and distribution of Aseptic (long life) beverages and foods. The Company�� Specialty Seafood, operating in the distribution and marketing of canned Herring Sardines and Canned Alaskan Salmon under the Brunswick and Paramount brands. The Company has investment in A2 Corporation, operating in A2 branded dairy milk manufacture, marketing and distribution activities in Australia and International Markets. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Movado has put in place a number of lucrative partnerships, going beyond selling its own line of luxury watches by creating watch lines for other luxury retailers. By latching onto the success of fellow luxury retailers Coach (NYSE: COH  ) and the Juicy Couture division of Fifth & Pacific (NYSE: FNP  ) , Movado ensures that it's able to get customers from multiple sources targeting different demographics.

  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Fifth & Pacific Cos.(FNP) unveiled a plan to change its name to Kate Spade & Co., the second time the clothing maker has changed its moniker since 2012, with the latest move tied to its narrow focus on the designer brand. Shares dropped 8.2% to $29.25 premarket as the company also issued a fiscal-year sales outlook that missed Wall Street expectations.

  • [By Andrew Marder]

    Recent cases
    Just last month, Fifth & Pacific (NYSE: FNP  ) defended itself against infringement accusations regarding its Kate Spade Saturday brand. Another apparel maker, Saturdays Surf NYC, alleged that the Kate Spade spinoff would confuse customers and dilute its brand. The judge overseeing the case decided that the two brands were distinct enough for both to use the word "Saturday."

  • [By Andrew Marder]

    It looks like Juicy Couture and Lucky Brand have become too burdensome for Fifth and Pacific (NYSE: FNP  ) to handle. The company is reportedly looking to sell off the brands, leaving its portfolio centered around the fast-rising Kate Spade brand. Lucky has had some success in the past year, though Juicy has languished, stuck with the velour tracksuits of yesterday. While Fifth and Pacific hasn't confirmed the rumors, the sale would make a lot of sense, and likely leave the company better off.

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Glacier Water Services Inc (GWSV)

Glacier Water Services, Inc. (Glacier) is primarily engaged in the operation of self-service vending machines that dispense drinking water to consumers. The machines are placed at supermarkets and other retail outlets under commission arrangements with the retailers. The Company�� machines are primarily located throughout the Sunbelt and Midwest regions of the United States.

As of January 2, 2011, the Company operated approximately 19, 100 machines in 42 states and Canada. Glacier�� indoor water vending machine was introduced especially for inside the retail store. In addition to having the same multi-stage filtration/treatment system as the outdoor machine, many retailers make available a supply of empty containers near the indoor machine. Glacier also operates a line of PureFill and Water Island equipment.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap OTC drinking water stocks Glacier Water Services, Inc (OTCMKTS: GWSV), AWG International Water Corp (OTCBB: AWGI) and Alkaline Water Company Inc (OTCBB: WTER) all offer a product that many consumer, investors and traders alike might take for granted, but everyone needs to have. However, you can build a better mouse trap when it comes to drinking water or at least that what these three small caps are attempting to do with their own unique strategies:

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: BRF SA (BRFS)

BRF - Brasil Foods S.A. (BRF), incorporated on August 18, 1934, is a food company, which focuses on the production and sale of poultry, pork, beef cuts, milk, dairy products and processed food products under several brands. The Company�� processed products include marinated, frozen, whole and cut Chester rooster and turkey meats, specialty meats, frozen processed meats, frozen prepared entrees, portioned products and sliced products. It also sells margarine, juices, soy products, animal feed, fresh pasta, sweet specialties and sandwiches. During the year ended December 31, 2010, it launched 333 new products, including Meu Menu (My Menu) portfolio, which is targeted at single people.

Poultry

The Company produces frozen whole and cut poultries, partridges and quail. During 2010, it sold 1,895 thousand tons of frozen chicken and other poultry products. During 2010, it produced 1,694 million day-old chicks, including chickens, Chester roosters, turkeys, partridge and quail. It hatches these eggs in its 25 hatcheries. As of December 31, 2010, it had a fully automated slaughtering capacity of 31.2 million heads of poultry per week.

Pork and Beef

The Company produces frozen pork and beef cuts, such as loins and ribs, and whole carcasses. During 2010, it sold 427 thousand tons of pork and beef cuts. Iits sales of pork cuts are to its export markets. As of December 31, 2010, it had a beef slaughtering capacity of 1,797 heads per week.

Milk

The Company produces pasteurized and ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk, which it sells in its domestic market. During 2010, it sold 873 thousand tons of pasteurized and UHT milk. It produces dairy products in 15 plants. It receives milk from a network of over 11,000 milk producers in more than 553 cities.

Processed Food Products

The Company produces processed foods, such as marinated, frozen chicken, Chester rooster and turkey meat, specialty meats, frozen processed foo! ds, frozen prepared entrees, dairy products, portioned products and sliced products. During 2010, it sold 2,472 thousand tons of processed foods. It processes pork to produce specialty meats, such as sausages, ham products, bologna, frankfurters, salamis, bacon and cold meats. It also processes chicken and other poultry to produce specialty meats, such as chicken sausages, chicken hot dogs and chicken bologna. It produces a range of frozen processed poultry, beef and pork products, including hamburgers, steaks, breaded meat products, kibes, meatballs and ready-to-eat snacks. It also produces soy-based vegetarian products, such as hamburgers and breaded products. It produces marinated and seasoned chickens, roosters and turkeys.

The Company produces several varieties of lasagna and pizza. It produces the meat used in these products and buys other raw materials in the domestic market, except for the durum flour used to make the noodles for the lasagna, which it imports. It sells a range of frozen vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, peas, French beans, French fries and cassava fries, through its Escolha Saudavel line of products. It produces a range of pies and pastries, such as chicken and heart-of-palm pies and lime pies. It produces the meat, sauces and toppings used in its pies and pastries, and it purchases other raw materials, such as heart-of-palm, lime and other fillings from third parties.

Other

The Company produces animal feed mainly to feed poultry and hogs raised by it. It also sells a portion of its animal feed production to its integrated outgrowers or to unaffiliated customers. It produces a range of soy-based products, including soy meal and refined soy flour.

The Company competes with Sadia, Aurora, Marfig, Danone, Nestle, Paulista, Frangosul, Plamplona and Aurora.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

    And with very quick gains of 9% in BRF SA (NYSE ADR: BRFS), 5.2% in South American agricultural play Adecoagro SA (NYSE: AGRO) and 1.6% in high-tech agribusiness player Neogen Corp. (Nasdaq: NEOG), we're doing well with our plays on (pockets of) accelerating U.S. inflation.

  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    BRF S.A. (NYSE: BRFS) should be safe on the surface as a meat-producing and dairy giant. Apparently being defensive doesn’t help either. At $18.50, its 52-week range is $18.34 to $26.35. This ADR is down just over 10% so far in 2014.

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Terra Nitrogen Company L.P.(TNH)

Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. engages in the production and sale of nitrogen fertilizer products for agricultural and industrial applications. The company primarily offers anhydrous ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate solutions. Its customers for fertilizer products include dealers, national farm retail chains, and distributors. Terra Nitrogen GP Inc. serves as the general partner of the company. Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. was founded in 1991 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois. Terra Nitrogen Company, LP. operates as a subsidiary of Terra Industries Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Whom it competes against
    There is certainly no shortage of competitors in the fertilizer industry. Rentech is actually somewhat of a small player at a $1.4 billion valuation compared with CVR Partners (NYSE: UAN  ) at $1.9 billion, Terra Nitrogen (NYSE: TNH  ) at $3.8 billion, and Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) at $13.5 billion.

  • [By Robert Rapier] While the MLP space is dominated by the oil and gas sector, in last week’s article we began to explore some of the more exotic master limited partnership offerings. This week we continue our exploration of nontraditional MLPs by looking at the partnerships supplying fertilizer.

    Rentech (Nasdaq: RTK) has been around for more than a decade, and it has shifted strategies several times. Full disclosure: Rentech’s Chief Technology Officer Harold Wright is a former manager of mine when we were both at ConocoPhillips, and I have visited Rentech’s facility in Commerce City, Colorado.

    For most of Rentech’s existence, the company has sought to commercialize alternative fuels. At one time it had ambitions to build a large coal-to-liquids (CTL) plant, but federal legislation ultimately nudged it instead into the biomass-to-liquids (BTL) space. The company did build a BTL demonstration plant, but ultimately shut it down and has now refocused its efforts on becoming “one of the largest wood processing companies in the world.”

    During its interesting journey as a company, Rentech acquired two ammonia nitrogen fertilizer facilities, which turned out to be a profit center that funded the alternative energy research. In November 2011, Rentech spun off this fertilizer business into an MLP called Rentech Nitrogen Partners LP (NYSE: RNF).

    In the months leading to the spin-off, RTK’s market capitalization was about $200 million. Rentech maintained 60 percent ownership of RNF, and three months after the spin-off RTK’s market cap had risen to $400 million, while investors had bid RNF up to $1 billion. Interestingly, RTK’s share of RNF was worth more than RTK’s entire market cap, a situation that persists. The market currently values Rentech at $482 million, while the valuation of Rentech Nitrogen Partners makes RTK’s 60 percent stake in RNF worth slightly more than $600 million — another illu

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Campbell Soup Co (CPB)

Campbell Soup Company (Campbell), incorporated on November 23, 1922, together with its subsidiaries, is a manufacturer and marketer of branded convenience food products. The Company operates in five segments: U.S. Simple Meals; Global Baking and Snacking; International Simple Meals and Beverages; U.S. Beverages; and North America Foodservice. In June 2012, the Company purchased 1300 Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden. On August 6, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of BF Bolthouse Holdco LLC (Bolthouse Farms). In September 2012, Vilmorin & Cie SA acquired the tomato and pepper breeding and sales business of the Company. In June 2013, Campbell Soup Co completed the acquisition of Plum Organics. In August 2013, Campbell Soup Company completed the acquisition of Kelsen Group A/S.

In the United States, Canada and Latin America, the Company�� products are resold to consumers in retail food chains, mass discounters, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience stores, drug stores, dollar stores and other retail, commercial and non-commercial establishments. In Europe, the Company�� products are resold to consumers in retail food chains, mass discounters, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience stores and other retail, commercial and non-commercial establishments. In the Asia Pacific region, the Company�� products are resold to consumers through retail food chains, convenience stores and other retail, commercial and non-commercial establishments.

U.S. Simple Meals

The U.S. Simple Meals segment aggregates the operating segments: U.S. Soup and U.S. Sauces. The U.S. Soup retail business includes the products, such as Campbell�� condensed and ready-to-serve soups, and Swanson broth and stocks. The U.S. Sauces retail business includes Pregopasta sauces, Pace Mexican sauces, Campbell�� canned gravies, pasta, and beans, and Swanson canned poultry.

Global Baking and Snacking

The Global Baking and Snacking segment include Pepperi! dge Farm cookies, crackers, bakery and frozen products in the United States retail. It also includes Arnott�� biscuits in Australia and Asia Pacific.

International Simple Meals and Beverages

The International Simple Meals and Beverages segment aggregates the simple meals and beverages operating segments outside of the United States, including Europe, the retail business in Canada, and the businesses in Asia Pacific, Latin America and China. The segment�� operations include Erasco and Heisse Tasse soups in Germany,Liebig and Royco soups in France, Devos Lemmens mayonnaise and cold sauces and Campbell�� and Royco soups in Belgium, and Bla Band soups and sauces in Sweden. In Canada, operations include Habitant and Campbell�� soups, Prego pasta sauces, Pace Mexican sauces, V8 juices and beverages and certain Pepperidge Farm products. In Asia Pacific, operations include Campbell�� soup and stock, Kimball sauces, V8 juices and beverages, Prego pasta sauce and Swanson broths.

U.S. Beverages

The U.S. Beverages segment represents the United States retail beverages business, including V8 juices and beverages, and Campbell�� tomato juice.

North America Foodservice

The North America Foodservice segment represents the distribution of products, such as soup, specialty entrees, beverage products, other prepared foods and Pepperidge Farm products through food service channels in the United States and Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Next week investors will be waiting for several key earnings reports including�J.C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP), Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), Salesfore.com, Inc. (NYSE: CRM), and Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD).

  • [By Diane Alter]

    Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September

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

    What is it with food stocks this week? Tyson Foods (TSN) releases earnings on Monday and gains 7.5% through today. Campbell Soup (CPB) releases on Tuesday and falls 6.2%. And now JM Smucker (SJM) releases its own results and has experienced a big move of its own–a plunge.

  • [By Sue Chang]

    Campbell Soup (CPB) �is forecast to post third-quarter earnings of 59 cents a share. Analysts at Deutsche Bank on Thursday lowered the stock�� price target to $41 from $42 due to a tough market environment and weakness in certain categories.

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: 1-800 FLOWERS.COM Inc.(FLWS)

1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. together with its subsidiaries, operates as a florist and gift retailer in the United States. The company offers a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral arrangements and plants, gifts, popcorn, gourmet foods and gift baskets, cookies, chocolates, candy, and wine through its telephonic and online sales channels, company-owned and operated retail floral stores, and franchised stores. It provides gourmet gifts, such as popcorn and specialty treats through thepopcornfactory.com; cookies and baked gifts through cheryls.com; chocolates and confections through fanniemay.com and harrylondon.com; gift baskets and towers through 1800baskets.com; Celebrations brand party ideas and planning tips through celebrations.com; and customizable invitations, announcements, and greeting cards through finestationery.com. As of July 3, 2011, the company operated 2 floral retail stores, 1 fulfillment center, and approximately 100 franchised stores located within the United States. It has strategic online relationships with Facebook, Google, AOL, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Carle Place, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    BlueOrange Studio/Shutterstock One day out of 365, we pay homage to our sainted mothers. Those of us who are members of this long-suffering, uncomplaining, self-sacrificing class may get some soggy French toast in bed, (don't worry, kids; mom will clean up the kitchen), a chance to read in peace, or perhaps time to indulge in a long, hot bath. Bringing Home the Bacon If you really want to pay back mom for all she's done, get ready to pony up big. A card and some carnations (the official flower of Mother's Day, who knew?) just won't cut it. The cost of replacing mom as nurturer, nurse, cleaner and cook -- according to Insure.com's 2014 Mother's Day salary index -- would run you $62,985 a year, up from $59,862 in 2013. Breaking down the price of having someone else handle her various duties: Cooking and cleaning, $12,230 Child care, $21,736 Homework help, $7,290 Chauffeur, $5,672 Shopping, yard work, party and activity planning, finances, etc., $15,019 And my personal favorite, finding out what the kids are up to (paid in the equivalent value of a private detective), $1,036. Salary.com placed a higher value on moms in its 2014 Mother's Day salary survey, concluding that stay-at-home moms were worth $118,905 and working moms worth $70,107 (this does not include any paid salary from their job), with both groups putting more than 56 hours of overtime at home. These numbers are all up from last year's survey. Cooking It Up in a Pan Mom helps to pay for other things, too. Thanks to the Department of Agriculture, you can see what it costs to raise a child in the U.S. to 18. As of August 2013, the average cost is $241,080. This does not cover college, and hopefully dear old dad is contributing. In 2012, there were 10.3 million single U.S. mothers with children under 18, and one-third of women who gave birth in 2012 were single moms. By becoming moms, women give up time to do other things, what economists call an "opportunity cost." Particularly if your mother st

  • [By Equities Lab]

    The stocks that currently pass the stock screen in order of market cap are Frontier Communications Corp , Crown Media Holdings (CRWN), Vonage Holding (VG), MCG Capital Corp (MCGC), 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (FLWS), MTR Gaming Corporation (MNTG), Alaska Communications (ALSK), and Enzon Pharmaceuticals (ENZN).

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Earnings Expected From: 1-800 Flowers.com, Inc (NASDAQ: FLWS)

    Economic Releases Expected:�Eurozone unemployment rate, Italian CPI, Greek retail sales, French consumer spending, Canadian GDP.

  • [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 1-800-Flowers.com (Nasdaq: FLWS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.