Top 5 Semiconductor Companies To Own For 2015

Top 5 Semiconductor Companies To Own For 2015: Intel Corporation(INTC)

Intel Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of integrated circuits for computing and communications industries worldwide. It offers microprocessor products used in notebooks, netbooks, desktops, servers, workstations, storage products, embedded applications, communications products, consumer electronics devices, and handhelds. The company also provides system on chip products that integrate its core processing functionalities with other system components, such as graphics, audio, and video, onto a single chip. In addition, it offers chipset products that send data between the microprocessor and input, display, and storage devices, including keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, and CD, DVD, or Blu-ray drives; motherboards designed for desktop, server, and workstation platforms, and that has connectors for attaching devices to the bus; and wired and wireless connectivity products consisting of network adapters and embedded wireless cards used to translate and transmit data across networks. Further, the company provides NAND flash memory products primarily used in portable memory storage devices, digital camera memory cards, and solid-state drives; software products comprising operating systems, middleware, and tools used to develop, run, and manage various enterprise, consumer, embedded, and handheld devices; and software development tools that enable the creation of applications. Additionally, it develops computing platforms, which are integrated hardware and software computing technologies designed to offer an optimized solution. The company sells its products principally to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, PC components and other products users, and other manufacturers of industrial and communications equipment. It has a strategic alliance with Scientific Conservation Inc. Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 and is based in Santa Clara, California.

Adviso! rs' Opinion:

• [By Steve Heller]

  As the world continues to embrace the mobile computing revolution, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) remains entrenched in the PC world. In the coming years, Intel hopes it can gain a foothold in the smartphone and tablet space with the help of its technologically superior foundries. Given the market conditions within the mobile computing industry, Intel may be up against revenue pressures in the future. In this video, Fool contributor Steve Heller weighs in on if Intel needs to cannibalize itself to survive and what that could that mean for investors longer term.

• [By Steve Symington]

  It's been more than 40 years since Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) invented the first microprocessor in 1971, and today, the company has grown into a $124 billion tech giant largely by providing powerful central processing units -- the brains of traditional computers, if you will -- to the ever-growing PC industry.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Instead, devices are predominantly running on Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC  ) latest Haswell chips, which mostly negate Windows RT's whole purpose to begin with. Haswell's strong power efficiency gains in Windows 8 devices give consumers one less reason to consider Windows RT tablets.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC  ) traded sluggishly on Wednesday after the chip gorilla posted in-line Q2 results and received a buy-to-neutral downgrade from B. Riley & Co.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-semiconductor-companies-to-own-for-2015.html

Madison Square Garden: Rangers’ Win, Clippers Sale Really, Really Good News

If you’re not a sports fan, two things happened yesterday that it are really great news for Madison Square Garden (MSG), the owner of the legendary arena, as well as the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks.

The first is that Steve Ballmer appears to have a deal in place to buy the LA Clippers from owner and notorious racist Donald Sterling and his wife Shelly Sterling. The second is that the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens to advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first times since 1994. Both should enhance the value of Madison Square Gardens, says Albert Fried & Company’s Rich Tullo. He explains why:

We think the real benefit for MSG [from the Rangers heading to the Stanley Cup Finals] is derived from enhanced reputation….The Rangers validate the idea that a Jim Dolan controlled team can win at the very highest level in sports. We think this Rangers success build momentum for Knicks recruitment as MSG may be putting the organizational pieces in place necessary to get the NY Knicks to the next level over the next 3 to 5 years if not sooner.

Wow, the Clippers are sold for $2 billion to Steve Ballmer….We argue the Knicks are intrinsically worth 40% to 50% more than the Clippers. Madison Square Garden owns the arena, and MSG owns a regional sports network which generates FCF on the core sports asset which is otherwise cyclical in its FCF generation.

In fact, Tullo believes Madison Square Garden’s hard assets could fetch $6 billion on their own, while Madison Square Garden has a market cap of $4.2 billion. That’s like “buying the assets at a 50% discount to market value with an option on all future cash flow generation which we expect to be strong,” he says.

Shares of Madison Square Garden have gained 3.1% to $54.72 at 3:52 p.m.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Peoples Bancorp Inc.(PEBO)

Peoples Bancorp Inc. operates as a holding company for Peoples Bank, National Association that provides financial products and services. It offers commercial and retail banking, insurance, brokerage, and trust services. The company accepts various deposit products, including demand deposit accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit; and provides commercial, consumer, and real estate mortgage loans, as well as lines of credit. It also offers debit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards; corporate and personal trust services; safe deposit rental facilities; travelers checks, money orders, and cashier?s checks; and telephone and Internet-based banking services. In addition, the company provides a range of life, health, and property and casualty insurance products; and fiduciary and wealth management services. Further, it offers brokerage services through an unaffiliated registered broker-dealer; and credit cards to consumers and business es, as well as provides merchant credit card processing services through joint marketing arrangements with third parties. The company offers its financial products and services through 47 financial service locations and 40 ATMs in southeastern Ohio, northwestern West Virginia, and northeastern Kentucky. Peoples Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1902 and is based in Marietta, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Marietta, Ohio-based bank holding company Peoples Bancorp (PEBO) raised its quarterly dividend 7% to 15 cents per share, payable on Feb. 18 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 3.
  PEBO Dividend Yield: 2.60%

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-warren-buffett-stocks-to-own-right-now.html

Top 5 High Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 High Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Methode Electronics Inc (MEI)

Methode Electronics, Inc., incorporated on April 27, 1966, is a manufacturer of component and subsystem devices with manufacturing, designs and testing facilities in China, Egypt, Germany, India, Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Company operates in four segments: automotive, interconnect, power products, and other. The Company designs, manufactures and markets devices employing electrical, radio remote controls, electronic, wireless and sensing technologies. The Company's components are found in the primary end markets of the aerospace, appliance, automotive, construction, consumer and industrial equipment, communications, including information processing and storage, networking equipment, wireless and terrestrial voice/data systems, rail and other transportation industries.

Automotive

The Companys automotive segment supplies electronic and electro-mechanical device s and related products to automobile original equipment manufacturers, (OEMs), either directly or through their tiered suppliers. The Company's products include control switches for electrical power and signals, connectors for electrical devices, integrated control components, switches and sensors that monitor the operation or status of a component or system, and packaging of electrical components.

Interconnect

The interconnect segment provides a variety of copper and fiber-optic interconnect and interface solutions for the aerospace, appliance, commercial, computer, construction, consumer, material handling, medical, military, mining, networking, storage, and telecommunications markets. Solutions include conductive polymers, connectors, custom cable assemblies, industrial safety radio remote controls, optical and copper transceivers, personal computer and express card packaging and terminators, solid-state field effec! t interface panels, and thick film inks. Services include the design and installation of f! iber optic and copper infrastructure systems, and manufacturing active and passive optical components.

Power products

The power products segment manufactures braided flexible cables, current-carrying laminated bus devices, custom power-product assemblies, high-current low voltage flexible power cabling systems and powder coated bus bars that are used in various markets and applications, including aerospace, computers, industrial and power conversion, inverters and battery systems, insulated gate bipolar transistor solutions, military, telecommunications, and transportation.

Other

The other segment includes a designer and manufacturer of magnetic torque sensing products, and independent laboratories that provide services for qualification testing and certification, and analysis of electronic and optical components.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Can you discuss three stocks that have been successful this year? What did you initially like about them and what helped them turn around?Methode Electronics (MEI) is an automotive component supplier, with automotive customers accounting for about 60% of its revenues. The company classifies the other 40% of its revenues as non-auto, which includes home appliance touch screens and sensors.

• [By John Udovich]

  On Thursday, small cap electronics stock Methode Electronics Inc (NYSE: MEI) soared 43.07% after beating earnings expectations and boasting its guidance. However, the stock sank around 10.5% the day before the Thursday morning earnings report came out. So was the earnings report and guidance the start of a rally or just a dead cat bounce for investors?

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Methode Electronics (MEI) has gained 33% to 23.43 today after the company reported better revenue and profit numbers than even the most positive analyst had expected! . It also! raised its guidance well above previously announced levels.

  AFP/Getty Images

  The component maker reported a profit of 36 cents a share, above forecasts for 21 cents, and sales of $167.3 million dollars, beating forecasts for $148.5 million. It also said that it expected full-year earnings to fall in a range of $1.40 to $1.60, well above analyst forecasts for $1.05.

  Baird’s David Leiker and Joseph Vruwink call it a “breakout quarter.” They write:

  Upside across all segments and all line items with 41% revenue surge coming in 10% above expectations. One-half of the beat from revenue with balance split among gross margin, SGA and lower tax rate. Launches going very well, continuing the performance seen in April quarter.

  Automotive results accounted for two-thirds of the upside at the pre-tax line. The upside was spread between stronger revenues ($0.03), gross profits ($0.03) and expense control ($0.02). While North American sales improved 86% on the K2XX launch (we assumed 56% growth), international revenues also contributed favorably with 26% growth in Europe (new business and Fords (F) recovery) and 22% growth in Asia.

  Competitor AVX Corp. (AVX) has gained 1.1% to $12.96, while Molex (MOLX) has dropped 0.2% to $29.28 and Amphenol (APH) has ticked up 0.3% to $76.32.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-high-dividend-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Best Up And Coming Companies To Watch In Right Now

Best Up And Coming Companies To Watch In Right Now: New Residential Investment Corp (NRZ)

New Residential Investment Corp., incorporated on September 26, 2013, is a real estate investment trust. The Company focuses on investing in, and actively managing, investments related to residential real estate. On May 15, 2013, Newcastle Investment Corp. announced that the spin-off of New Residential Investment Corp.

The Company is managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, a global investment management. The Company primarily target investments in excess mortgage servicing rights, residential mortgage backed securities, residential mortgage loans and other related investments.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  New Residential Investment Corp.(NRZ) and other investors agreed to buy about $3.2 billion of servicing advances from Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.(NSM), part of Nationstar’s plan to reconfigure its acquisition structure. The advances relate to nonagency residential mortgage loans with an unpaid principal balance of about $58 billion. Nationstar shares rose 4.1% to $42.50 in light premarket trading.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-up-and-coming-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

5 Best Promising Stocks To Invest In Right Now

The technology sector is cheap, trading at only about, roughly 13 times forward estimates. This is a significant discount to the sector's 15-year forward and 20-year trailing averages of 23 and 26, respectively, observes Stephen Leeb in The Cash Cow.

Meanwhile, the fundamental picture for the technology sector looks very promising. The improving economic picture is likely to accelerate capital spending in this sector, something that has been sorely needed since the crisis.

Corporate investment in technology, as a percentage of GDP, has fallen to a nearly 15-year low, and the average age of tech equipment at companies is particularly high. As the economy improves and corporate leaders conclusively exhale, this will undoubtedly change.

Meanwhile, the industry is lean, margins are strong, pricing pressure has largely abated, and tech companies are financially sound, precisely when a new capital spending upcycle is about to begin.

The fourth quarter has historically been good for tech stocks and equities in general. The S&P 500 (SPX) has averaged a 4.26% gain since 1980, with all ten sectors also averaging positive returns over that same time span.

5 Best Promising Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Oxford Industries Inc.(OXM)

Oxford Industries, Inc. engages in designing, sourcing, and marketing apparel products primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company?s apparel products comprise a portfolio of company-owned lifestyle brands, as well as company-owned and licensed brands of tailored clothing and golf apparel. Its owned and licensed brands include Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Ben Sherman, Billy London, Oxford Golf, Nickelson, and Arnold Brant. The company also holds licenses to produce and sell various categories of apparel products under the Kenneth Cole, Dockers, and Geoffrey Beene brand names. Its primary product line includes the Tommy Bahama brand men's and women's sportswear and related products for affluent men and women with age of 35 and older; the Lilly Pulitzer brand women's and girl's dresses, sportswear, and other products for young women, young mothers and their daughters, and women; the Ben Sherman brand men's sportswear and related products for men ages 25 to 40; and branded and private label men's suits, sport coats, suit separates, and dress slacks. In addition, the company licenses its Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, and Ben Sherman brand names for various products categories, including apparel, accessories, footwear, watches, jewelry, luggage, rugs, wall coverings, fragrances and toiletries, shampoos and soaps, gift products, furniture, ceiling fans, stationery, bedding and home fashions, and table top accessories. Further, it operates restaurants under the Tommy Bahama brand name. It distributes company-owned lifestyle branded products through department stores, specialty stores, company-owned and licensed retail stores, and its e-commerce Websites; and branded and private label tailored clothing products through department stores, specialty stores, national chains, specialty catalogs, mass merchants, and Internet retailers. Oxford Industries, Inc. was founded in 1942 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Oxford Industries (NYSE: OXM  ) will release its quarterly report on Tuesday, and investors have stayed optimistic about the apparel company's prospects, bidding the shares to all-time record highs in the past few months. With expectations for growth in Oxford earnings so high, though, investors need to be careful not to let the company's stock price get ahead of its fundamental business prospects.

5 Best Promising Stocks To Invest In Right Now: General American Investors Inc. (GAM)

General American Investors Company, Inc. is a self management investment trust. The firm invests in the public equity markets across the globe. It employs a fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach. General American Investors Company, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  General American Investors Co. Inc. (GAM): President & CEO Jeffrey W Priest Bought 14,000 Shares

  President & CEO of General American Investors Co. Inc. (GAM) Jeffrey W Priest bought 14,000 shares on 01/29/2014 at an average price of $33.53. General American Investors Co. Inc. has a market cap of $932.500 million.

Top 10 Chemical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Well]

  Analysts��Consensus Position on Pfizer
  
  Thirteen analysts including those at TheStreet, Thomson Reuters/Verus, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley and Argus Research are optimistic about the performance of Pfizer going forward and, hence, reiterated a consensus buy recommendation at an average target price of $31.78 per share. Last Wednesday, analysts at Goldman Sachs removed Pfizer from Goldman�� conviction buy list (CL) where Pfizer has been since Aug. 9, 2011, and placed it on the buy list but raised its price target from $34 to $35 per share. Jami Rubin, an analyst with Goldman Sachs, claimed that Pfizer has gone up by 82.5% since being added to the CL as against 53.9% for the S&P 500 during the period and, therefore, there was the need to replace Pfizer with AbbVie at a price target of $60 because they claimed AbbVie has greater upside at this time.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: KMB is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: The company's peer group includes: Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) with a 3.1% yield, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) with a 2.3% yield, and Clorox Corporation (CLX) with a 3.4% yield.

5 Best Promising Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sun Communities Inc (SUI)

Sun Communities, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company leases individual parcels of land (sites) with utility access for placement of manufactured homes and recreational vehicles (RV) to its customers. It operates in two segments: Real Property Operations, and Home Sales and Rentals. The Real Property Operations segment owns, operates, and develops manufactured housing communities concentrated in the Midwestern, southern, and south-eastern United States and is in the business of acquiring, operating, and expanding manufactured housing communities. The Home Sales and Rentals segment offers manufactured home sales and leasing services to tenants and prospective tenants of its communities. In May 2011, it acquired Orange City RV Resort, a Florida RV community comprised of 525 developed sites. In February 2012, it acquired three additional Florida RV communities, Three Lakes RV resort, Blueberry Hill RV resort and Grand Lake Estates.

As of December 31, 2011, it owned and operated a portfolio of 159 properties located in 18 states, including 141 manufactured housing communities, eight RV communities, and 10 properties containing both manufactured housing and RV sites. As of December 31, 2011, the Properties contained an aggregate of 54,811 developed sites consisted of 47,935 developed manufactured home sites, 3,867 permanent RV sites, 3,009 seasonal RV sites, and approximately 6,400 additional manufactured home sites suitable for development. Most of the Properties include amenities oriented toward family and retirement living. Of the 159 Properties, 73 have more than 300 developed manufactured home sites, with the having 1,003 developed manufactured home sites. As of December 31, 2011, the Properties had an occupancy rate of 85.3 % excluding seasonal RV sites.

The Company�� properties contain improvements similar to garden-style residential developments, including centralized entrances, paved streets, curbs and gutters, an! d parkways. In addition, these communities also often provide a number of amenities, such as a clubhouse, a swimming pool, shuffleboard courts, tennis courts and laundry facilities. The owner of each home on its Properties leases the site, on which the home is located. The Company owns the underlying land, utility connections, streets, lighting, driveways, common area amenities and other capital improvements. Some of the properties provide water and sewer service through public or private utilities, while others provide these services to residents from onsite facilities. Each owner within its properties is responsible for the maintenance of the home and leased site.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bill Stoller]

  After a banner 2013, the overall market has had a challenging start to 2014. However, these four companies have been crushing it: Alexander Real Estate (NYSE: ARE  ) , BioMed Realty Trust (NYSE: BMR  ) , CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH  ) , and Sun Communities (NYSE: SUI  ) early on in 2014 vs. the S&P 500. Their relative out-performance can also be seen when compared to the Vanguard REIT Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VNQ  ) a good yardstick to measure sector performance.

• [By Anna Prior]

  Sun Communities Inc.(SUI) said it has launched a public offering of 4.2 million shares and intends to use the proceeds to repay borrowings� under its credit facility. The real-estate investment trust also said it plans to use any remaining proceeds to fund possible future acquisitions of properties.

• [By John Udovich]

  Trailer parks may have a bad reputation, but Yahoo! Finance�� Breakout segment was recently touting trailer parks as a hot new investment area���meaning its time for retail investors who don�� want to invest in physical parks to start taking a closer look at trailer park stocks Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc (NYSE: ELS), Sun Communities Inc (NYSE: SUI) and UMH Properties, Inc (NYSE: UMH). According to the segment, roughly 6% of Americans lived in trailer homes as of 2012 with the�supply of designated trailer parks being quite low because no one wants one in their backyard. Anthony Effinger, the author of another article about trailer parks for Bloomberg, was quoted as saying:

5 Best Promising Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Arctic Cat Inc.(ACAT)

Arctic Cat Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) under the Arctic Cat brand name in the United States and internationally. It also offers related parts, garments, and accessories. The company provides replacement parts and accessory items, such as electric start and reverse kits, luggage racks and bags, backrests, machine covers, windshields, and colored accessories; and maintenance supplies consisting of oil and fuel additives, track studs, and carbide runners for snow mobiles. It also provides ATV parts and accessories, including winch kits, snow plow kits, MRP Speedrack accessories, portable lights, utility bags, track kits, Speedpoint attachments, and maintenance supplies. In addition, the company offers snowmobile and ATV garments for adults and children under the Arcticwear and Arcticwear ATV Gear label. Its garment portfolio includes suits, jackets, pants, accessory garments, pull-overs, riding gloves, hats, b oots, gear bags, sweatshirts, t-shirts, caps, and helmets. The company markets its products through a network of independent dealers in the United States, Canada, and Europe; and through distributors representing dealers in the Middle East, Asia, and other international markets. Arctic Cat Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Investors lost confidence in the stock market on Thursday, as many market commentators started to consider the possibility that the long-awaited correction in the major market benchmarks could finally be happening. With small-cap stocks having already fallen substantially from their highs earlier this year, those bearish arguments took on more weight. But company-specific issues weighed on E-Commerce China Dangdang (NYSE: DANG  ) , ExOne (NASDAQ: XONE  ) , and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT  ) today, leading to much more dramatic losses for those stocks.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Shares of Winnebago have gained 4.4% to $28.47 today at 3pm. Thor Industries (THO), which also makes recreational vehicles, has ticked up 0.1% to $57.56, Drew Industries (DW) has risen 0.3% to $48.74, Arctic Cat (ACAT) has advanced 1% to $59.87 and Polaris Industries (PII) has fallen 0.3% to $132.08.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN  ) will release its quarterly report on Monday, and already, investors are celebrating an early cold snap in the American West by sending the resort company's stock toward yearly highs. To an even greater extent than winter-equipment makers Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII  ) and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT  ) , Vail Resorts relies on a solid snow season in order to get visitors to come to its ski properties and stay at its resorts.

3 Convincing Reasons Why Apple Is a Great Buy

Apple traded stagnantly in the short term, but is up 25.6% over the last 12 months, while continuing to pay a dividend to shareholders. When I read over some Apple news last night and got myself caught up on the current events of the company, my perma-bullishness towards the company remained intact, as I found three other specific angles as to why it would be a good time to be an Apple shareholder right now.

Aside from continuing to be the most rock-solid company arguably in existence today, here's three niche reasons that I think Apple still remains a good fundamental buy.

1. Apple TV Will Handle Amazon Fire, Roku and Google (GOOG) Chrome

I'm predicting that Apple TV is going to handily take care of Amazon's new offering in the area. Already, comparisons are being made.

Mashable, which is awesome at doing these comps, was the first to put out an article yesterday comparing the different players — you can read the entire article here.

So, while we can see that Amazon is certainly going to be a competitor, there isn't really much that sets it apart from the others, aside from its direct connection with Amazon users and those passionate about the Amazon brand.

Apple is talking about gaming controller support coming on its new Apple TV model, as I've already reported:

Game controller support is going to be crucial if Apple wants to even begin to think about going after Xbox. Not that the games will all be ported over, or even available at first - but, it's definitely the very beginnings of a foray into video games, the key to what is keeping Microsoft in my, and many other, living rooms.

The good thing is that Apple has a head start. The success that the company has had over the years with tablet and mobile has created a loyalty and familiarity for the brand name. When Apple launches its new set-top box (expected in the first half of 2014), it's likely to do exceptionally well and be the de facto choice for many consumers that are already part of the growing constituency of customers that have catalyzed Apple's meteoric rise.

I'm predicting that Apple handles Amazon and company for a couple of reasons. Number 1, I think that Apple's recent comments about Apple TV "not being a hobby" anymore are likely alluding to a bigger, better Apple TV coming down the line this year.

"It's a little more difficult to call [Apple TV] a hobby these days."

-Apple CEO Tim Cook

Further, Apple already has the advantage of having its ecosystem in homes everywhere. There aren't too many people that have a house full of Windows PCs that will go out and buy an Apple TV. Conversely, those already hooked on the Apple brand are more likely to choose Apple simply for the simplicity and brand loyalty.

2. There Are Likely More Buybacks Coming

Since Apple released its first enormous buyback, shareholder incentives have been in the headlines non-stop for the past year for Apple. Catalyzed by one Carl "I'm a shareholder so give me everything" Icahn, the buzz around unlocking more cash continues to haunt Apple. Eventually, it's looking like they're going to have to do something about it. That, in turn, will likely be lucrative for Apple shareholders and continue to boost the stock's price.

AppleInsider reported:

Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors on Wednesday that he expects Apple to announce an increase for its share repurchase program, as well as its quarterly dividend, in its next earnings report on April 23. Munster said most buy-side investors agree with this line of thinking, representing Wall Street's expectations going into the announcement of March quarter results.

According to Munster, this belief is likely already priced into shares of AAPL, so any announcements come April 23 may not have a significant effect on the company's stock price.

Apple has been under investor scrutiny for sitting on a pile of cash that was at one point near $160 billion. Facing pressure from Wall Street, the company responded by buying back billions of dollars worth of its own shares, and also paying out a quarterly dividend that is currently at $3.05 per common share.

3. A Wide Array of New Products Coming

In addition to the system for vehicles that Apple has just laid out, we're seeing the tip of the iceberg of a new catalogue of Apple products that will be coming down the pipeline this year.

Aside from that, those who read me know that I'm predicting Apple's iTunes Radio to be the only streaming music service that people will give a damn about in a couple years' time. With an expanded catalogue and instant reach to everyone who religiously follows the cult of Mac, it's a shoo-in to knock out Pandora (P) — with others like Spotify likely to follow.

Remember, Apple already dominates the entire music industry with iTunes. Its hostile takeover of streaming radio is next.

Finally, let us not forget about Apple's coming foray into biometrics and watches. I've often argued that the reason that Apple is taking so long for a watch offering is due to the fact that when they do release it, I expect it to be worlds better and worlds more functional than the offerings that we currently have. Its obvious competitor would be the Galaxy Gear smartwatch from Samsung (OTC:SSNLF). I'm predicting Apple's offering — similar to how the iPhone was when it came out - will blow the doors off of anything we've seen so far, in true — old school — Apple fashion.

I continue to contend that Apple is one of the best long-term investments you can put your money in and these three reasons should account for reason to keep your money in the company for quarters to come. The company still has massive growth potential, namely through Mac and ecosystem, and it dominates the music business. With the addition of a Spotify-like service that is being rumored, Apple has nothing but continued room for growth and innovation ahead of it. Apple is going to easily handle Amazon's TV offering, will likely continue to buy back stock, and will make an innovative impact with the new products they have coming down the line. I am bullish long term on Apple.

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Summer Trading Plan

Leadership from the S&P 500 continues, leaving the broad-based index poised to own the previously insurmountable 1900. There seems to be little in the S&P 500's way except, perhaps, a bit of market inertia.

With few profit reports scheduled in the days ahead and a light economic calendar until the second half of the week (see figure 3 at the end of this post), it will take select asset classes to rise up to lead the market heading into the summer months. Which will it be? After all, low volatility has not extended to all stock sectors.

For now, nearly all members of the S&P 500, or 98% of the index's total market capitalization, have reported Q1 earnings. Total results were up 1.3% from a year ago on a 2.7% increase in revenues, according to Zacks Investment Research. Nearly 70% of reporting companies beat Street expectations, but a slimmer 52% had positive revenue surprises – a fact not lost on investors already looking ahead to the Q2 reporting season.

As the latest round wraps up, homebuilder Toll Brothers (TOL) is among a handful of companies to report Wednesday. Retailers are back in focus Thursday as Costco (COST), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), and PacSun (PSUN) are due to report. Ann Taylor (ANN) issues its latest results Friday morning.

The relatively orderly earnings reporting season is one possible reason for the quiet trading of the past few weeks. Keep in mind that the CBOE's Volatility Index (VIX) has dropped to levels not seen in over a year, at 11.36, and is now a far cry from its 2014 high of 21.48 hit February 3.

VIX tracks the implied volatility priced into S&P 500 Index options and typically falls to low levels when market participants feel confident (sometimes overly confident!) about the outlook for the stock market. VIX is sometimes called the "fear gauge" due to its tendency to spike during periods of market turmoil and heightened investor anxiety.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Indeed, implied volatility eased across much of the listed options market, but the size of the decline has varied from one asset class to the next. For instance, the CBOE NASDAQ-100 Volatility Index (VXN) fell below 14 but is still above the mid-November lows of 12.17. VXN is computed using the same VIX methodology, but applied to NASDAQ 100 (NDX) options contracts—an index largely made up of technology shares and some of the momentum-stock darlings that have yanked the stock market in two directions in 2014.

At current levels, VXN is 20% higher than the CBOE Volatility Index. There were times in 2013 when the VXN actually dipped below VIX. However, when the large-cap tech names that dominate the NASDAQ 100 were under pressure in April, VXN hit a high of 22.65 while VIX stayed in the mid-teens (figure 1). At its most extreme, VXN was 40% higher than VIX—the largest difference since before the financial crisis.

Figure 1: Chart showing the percentage difference between the S&P 500–tracking VIX and the NASDAQ 100–tracking VXN, with VXN running well above VIX. Data source: CBOE. For illustrative purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Picking on the Little Guy

Small-cap stocks have underperformed the S&P 500 over the past few months as well. Consequently, the CBOE Russell 2000 Volatility Index (RVX) has not seen the same dramatic decline as VIX. RVX uses the same VIX methodology applied to options on the small-cap Russell 2000 Index (RUT). While VIX is dropping below 12, RVX is north of 18. The percentage difference between the two recently increased to 62%—the greatest difference since 2006 (figure 2).

Figure 2: Chart showing the percentage difference between the S&P 500–tracking VIX and the Russell 2000 small cap–tracking RVX, currently at 62% or the greatest difference since 2006. Data source: CBOE. For illustrative purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

The S&P 500 is making another stab at record highs and VIX is falling to its lowest levels in over a year. Yet, the NASDAQ Composite is 2.1% below its March highs and the Russell 2000 is still 7.6% from 2014 highs. With the decline in volatility jagged across asset classes, it will be interesting to see whether some groups, such as the NASDAQ big-tech names or the Russell small caps, will grab the flag and charge in the weeks ahead. Or, will volatility in the large-cap names dominating the S&P 500 begin to catch up?

Welcome Back

There's no question that volume has been paper thin and in this holiday-shortened week, there's little reason to believe volume will increase significantly. I know you may be tired of the lectures that have been this blog's recurring theme: "Be vigilant." "Watch the downside." How about if I frame it in the form of that well-worn market mantra: The market goes up using the stairs and down by jumping out the window.

Follow Peter Lynch's Advice With This Soaring Stock

Sometimes the profound truths are the easiest to understand. 

This is particularly true when it comes to investing. Many investors make the process much more difficult than it needs to be. At its core, investing is a simple process governed by a few irrefutable axioms. 

Choosing investments based on what you already know is one of these simple yet profound truths. I first heard this rule articulated by Peter Lynch, the superstar manager of Fidelity's Magellan Fund. Lynch wrote one of the best books on the stock market, "One Up On Wall Street," in which he stresses this simple investing rule.  

Leading commodity trader Jim Rogers also repeats this mantra whenever he is asked what to invest in. I learned this several years ago when I interviewed Rogers while he was running on a treadmill -- an interviewing first for me -- in his home gym. When I asked if he cared to share any investing tips, he replied, "Look around you -- what do you see?" 

I saw racks of dumbbells and a pitcher of orange juice, among many other things. I must have had a perplexed look on my face because he said, "Invest in items you use every day, because if you use them, it is very likely everyone else does." 

I was hoping for specific tips to pass along, so I was disappointed he wasn't willing to share any insider-type information -- but after further consideration, his suggestion struck me as profound. I remembered it was the same advice Lynch offered in his best-selling book.

Since then, I have integrated this idea into my investment choices. Recently, I took an extreme look at the concept. Drilling down, I asked myself: What single item do I and nearly everyone else on the planet use on a daily basis? 

My first and obvious answers were air and water. Aside from a few niche hedge fund making a market in water rights and the water company utilities, there wasn't much exciting news there. No one has figured out how to commoditize the air we breathe, so that option hit the skids, too. 

Finally, I thought of toilet paper as being the single item used by most everyone on a daily basis. Everyone from the wealthiest people in the world to the most downtrodden use this product at least once per day. The average person uses 20,805 sheets of toilet paper a year, according to online retailer ToiletPaperWorld.com.

My next step was to locate stocks in this industry. One company stood out above the rest as a top performer with plenty of upside. That company is Orchids Paper Products Co. (NYSE: TIS).

	© 2013 Orchids Paper Products
	Orchids Paper markets directly to consumers under a variety of names, such as Colortex bathroom tissue.

Founded in 1976, Orchids Paper's product line consists of bathroom tissue, paper towels and paper napkins. The company markets directly to consumers under a variety of names through assorted types of stores. It also sells "parent rolls" wholesale to firms that label and market under their own brand names.

Orchids boasts a market cap of just over $216 million, annual revenue of nearly $101 million and gross profit of $22.6 million. Shares of TIS have risen 55% over the past 52 weeks, which compares with the S&P 500's gain of just less than 16%. Orchids' other appealing metrics include the more than 28% of outstanding shares held by insiders, and the forward annual dividend yield isn't shabby at 5%.

The company reported record net sales of $29 million in the second quarter, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) climbed 27% to over $6 million. Guidance was solid, with CEO Robert Snyder estimating that converted product shipments in the second half of 2013 would be at an annualized run rate of between 8.6 million and 9.1 million cases.

What really attracted me to this company is the technical picture. Shares have been in a solid uptrend since April 15. The stock has recently hit resistance in the $28 area and is building a base.

Risks to Consider: This company certainly fits the "buy what you know" axiom. However, like all other stock investments, it is not without risk. Always be certain to diversify and use stop-losses when investing.

Action to Take --> I love this stock on a breakout close above $28. My nine-month target price is $33, and the initial stop level should be just below $26.

P.S. -- A stock like TIS is perfect for what we call a "Dividend Trifecta" strategy. Simply put, it's a three-part approach to dividends that multiplies the effectiveness of every dollar you invest. The result? 43% safer returns than traditional investing, yields as high as 7% and gains of more than 127%. Click here to learn more...

4 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

>>5 Stocks Ready to Break Out

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume today.

ChipMOS Technologies

ChipMOS Technologies (IMOS) is a provider of semiconductor testing and assembly services. This stock closed up 6.5% at $17.33 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 453,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 337,888

Volume % Change: 85%

>>5 Stocks Warren Buffett Is Buying in 2013

From a technical perspective, IMOS jumped sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $15.85 with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of IMOS within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if IMOS manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at its 50-day moving average of $17.48 to more resistance at $17.84 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in IMOS as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $15.85 or $15 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 337,888 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then IMOS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $19.28 to its 52-week high at $20.69.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) is a specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries and dietary supplements. This stock closed up 6.6% at $37.66 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 170,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 122,962

Volume % Change: 75%

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Hedge Funds Love

From a technical perspective, NGVC soared higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $34.66 with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of NGVC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if NGVC manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $37.99 to its all-time high at $39.46 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in NGVC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $34.66 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 122,962 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then NGVC will set up to enter new all-time high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $45 to $50.

Perfect World

Perfect World (PWRD) is an online game developer and operator in China. This stock closed up 6.4% at $20.23 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 918,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 857,339

Volume % Change: 60%

>>5 Big Trades You Can't Miss

From a technical perspective, PWRD spiked sharply higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $19.33 and right above some near-term support at $18.50 with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PWRD within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PWRD manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $21.41 to its 52-week high at $22.82 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PWRD as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $19.33 or above more near-term support at $18.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 857,339 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PWRD will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are its next major overhead resistance levels at $26.01 to $27.93.

Dominion Resources

Dominion Resources (D) is a producer and transporter of energy. This stock closed up 1.9% at $58.86 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 7.67 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 3.05 million

Volume % Change: 182%

>>5 Toxic Stocks You Should Sell

From a technical perspective, D jumped modestly higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $58.11 with strong upside volume. This stock recently formed a near-term double top at $60.38 to $60.44 and then sold off to its recent low of $57.03. That pullback was met with strong upside volume flows as shares of D are now trending back above its 50-day at $58.11.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in D as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $58.11 or above that recent low of $57.03 and then once it sustains a move or close above Friday's high of $58.99 with volume that's near or above 3.05 million shares. If we get that move soon, then D will set up to re-test or possibly take out its double top area at $60.44. Any high-volume move above that level will then give D a chance to re-test its 52-week high at $61.85. Shares of D could easily trend toward $63 to $65 if we see a move above its 52-week high soon.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>5 High-Yield Tech Stocks Poised to Boost Dividends

>>4 Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher

>>The Icahn Effect: Is Apple the Next Netflix?

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015

Air Lease

The dynamic duo who turned International Lease Finance Corp. into an airplane-leasing giant in the 1980s, Steven Udvar-H谩zy and John Plueger, came out of semi-retirement to launch Air Lease (AL) in 2010. Since then, the company has built a fleet of 174 jets, which are leased to more than 75 airlines. Air Lease also helps manage air fleets, so when customers lease its new planes, it also brokers the sale of their old ones. Analysts expect profits to increase 30% in 2014, but the stock sells for only 16 times estimated earnings. (All prices and related data are as of November.)

SLIDE SHOW: 24 Stocks for 2014

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015: Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA (GOL)

Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (GoL) is a low-cost, low-fare airline in the world providing service on routes connecting all of Brazil�� cities and from Brazil to cities in South America and select touristic destinations in the Caribbean. As of March 31, 2010, GoL offered approximately 800 daily flights per day to 61 destinations connecting cities in Brazil, as well as destinations in Argentina, Bolivia, Curacao, Aruba, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. GoL is a holding company, which owns directly or indirectly shares of five subsidiaries: VRG Linhas Aereas S.A. (VRG) and four offshore finance subsidiaries, Gol Finance Cayman and GAC Inc., which owns Sky Finance and Sky Finance II. VRG is the Company�� operating subsidiary, under which it conducts its business. Gol Finance, GAC Inc., Sky Finance and Sky Finance II are off-shore companies established for the purpose of facilitating cross-border general and aircraft financing transactions.

GoL�� passenger transportation services include ticketless travel; online sales, check-in, seat assignment and flight change and cancellation services; online flight status service; Web-enabled cell phone ticket sales and check-in; self check-in at kiosks at designated airports; designated female lavatories; friendly and efficient in-flight service; modern aircraft interiors; quick turnaround times at airport gates; free or discounted shuttle services between airports and drop-off zones on certain routes; buy on board services on certain flights; mobile check-in and boarding pass (100% paperless boarding), and iPhone application for check-in, electronic boarding pass and Smiles account management. On December 31, 2009, the Company had an operational fleet of 108 operational aircraft and a total fleet of 127. As of March 31, 2010, one of its Boeing 767 aircrafts was subleased to a charter company in the United States, one is under final formalization process for a wet lease to a Brazilian company for flights connecting Brazil to! Angola and three are under final stages of negotiation to be chartered to operate intercontinental flights. At December 31, 2009, GoL had a total of 127 aircraft, 94 of which were under operating leases and 33 were under finance leases.

The Company competes with TAM Linhas Aereas S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Gol Linhas A茅reas Inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL) is a Brazilian airline carrier, as well as a mail and cargo carrier. At $4.65, the 52-week trading range is $2.74 to $7.67.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One airline player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes (GOL), through its subsidiaries, engages in the air transportation of passengers, cargo, and mailbags in Latin America. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off by 42%.

  If you look at the chart for Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $2.74 to its recent high of $3.83 a share. During that uptrend, shares of GOL have been mostly making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of GOL just recently formed a double bottom above its 50-day moving average at $3.57 to $3.55 a share. Shares of GOL are now starting to spike higher above those support levels and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GOL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.83 to $4.14 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.19 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then GOL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 200-day moving average of $5.30 a share to $6 a share.

  Traders can look to buy GOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $3.46 a share. One can also buy GOL off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes (NYSE: GOL) was down, falling 6.31 percent to $4.0850 after the company posted a loss in the third quarter.

  Commodities
  In commodity news, oil traded up 1.33 percent to $94.28, while gold traded up 0.28 percent to $1,274.70.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  One place to look for it this week has been in the ADRs, the New York traded ADRs, American Depository Receipts of GOL. One of the two big Brazilian airlines is the only one that is not owned by somebody else. The symbol is (GOL). It went up like 9.5% on October 21; it went up about 4.5% on October 22, pulled back a tiny little bit on October 23, but still a major, major move. This is basically on the effect of a weaker dollar versus the Brazilian real, since GOL is basically a domestic airline and almost all their revenue is denominated in real, which means that when the real gets cheap against the dollar, it hurts their revenue, especially because most of their costs, a lot of their costs, probably about 80% of their costs are denominated in dollars. A strong dollar means what they pay for oil, kerosene, jet fuel, what they pay for debt service, what they pay on airplane leases, all denominated in dollars, goes up, so GOL has been getting hammered on this. The reversal of this is a big deal for the stock.

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015: Allegiant Travel Co (ALGT)

Allegiant Travel Company, incorporated on April 4, 2006, is a leisure travel company focused on providing travel services and products to residents of small, underserved cities in the United States. The Company operates a passenger airline marketed primarily to leisure travelers in small cities, allowing it to sell air transportation both on a stand-alone basis and bundled with the sale of air-related and third party services and products. In addition, it provides air transportation under fixed fee flying arrangements. The Company provides scheduled air transportation on limited frequency nonstop flights between small city markets and leisure destinations. As of February 1, 2013, its operating fleet consisted of 58 MD-80 aircraft and six Boeing 757-200 aircraft providing service on 191 routes to 85 cities including 13 leisure destinations and 72 small cities and including cities served seasonally. In January 2012, the Company took ownership of two MD-80 aircraft. In October 2012, the Company announced the formation of Allegiant Systems, a joint venture with AvIntel and Lixar IT.

The Company provides unbundled air-related services and products in conjunction with air transportation for an additional cost to customers. These optional air-related services and products include use of its Website for purchases, use of its call center for purchases, advance seat assignment, baggage fees, priority boarding, its own travel protection product, change fees, food and beverage purchases on board and other air-related services. The Company offers third party travel products, such as hotel rooms, ground transportation (rental cars and hotel shuttle products) and attractions (show tickets) bundled with the purchase of its air transportation.

The Company provides air transportation through fixed fee agreements and charter service on a seasonal and ad-hoc basis for other customers. As of February 1, 2013, its operating aircraft consisted of 58 MD-80 aircraft and six Boeing 757-200 aircraft. D! uring the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company has entered into purchase agreements to acquire seven Airbus A320 aircraft and operating lease agreements for an additional nine Airbus A319 aircraft.

The Company competes with AirTran, Frontier, Spirit, Southwest, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, Delta, Xtra, United and American.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Another key point to Southwest's success has been its constant focus on giving the customer top value among domestic carriers. You'll certainly find a cheaper upfront ticket price if you look around for domestic flights from a small regional carrier like Allegiant Travel (NASDAQ: ALGT  ) or Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE  ) . Then again, Southwest doesn't charge for the first two checked bags, whereas Allegiant and Spirit charge for both each checked bag as well as carry-on bags! Southwest's keep-it-simple approach and easy-to-understand pricing have been instrumental in winning over passengers.

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  However, there are still good stocks to buy in the airline sector, if you look a little further afield. Allegiant Travel (NASDAQ: ALGT  ) and Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE  ) are the two pioneers of the "ultra-low-cost carrier" concept. By keeping costs and base fares low, but charging fees for things like checked bags, carry-on bags, seat assignments, and onboard snacks and drinks, these companies have consistently achieved industry-leading margins. This positions Allegiant and Spirit for long-term earnings growth.

Best Defense Companies To Watch In Right Now: Singapore Airlines Ltd (SINGY)

Singapore Airlines Limited is a passenger air transportation company. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, is engaged in passenger and cargo air transportation, engineering services, training of pilots, air charters and tour wholesaling and related activities. The Company consists of 101 aircrafts. The Company operates in four segments: airline operations, cargo operations, engineering services and others. The Company's subsidiaries are SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC), SIA Cargo and SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited (SilkAir). Effective December 24, 2013, Singapore Airlines Ltd, a unit of Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd, raised its interest to 40.004% from 32.67% by acquiring a 7.334% interest in Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd from Dahlia Investments Ptye Ltd and Aranda Investments Pte Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bruce Kennedy]

  Business travel columnist Joe Brancatelli reports the world's longest non-stop commercial route, the Singapore Airlines (OTC: SINGY) 18-hour, business class-only flight between Newark, N.J. and Singapore, will end on Saturday. The airline also retired the world's second-longest non-stop flight, Los Angeles-to-Singapore, last month.

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015: US Airways Group Inc (LCC)

US Airways Group, Inc. (US Airways Group) is a holding company whose primary business activity is the operation of a network air carrier through its wholly owned subsidiaries, US Airways, Piedmont Airlines, Inc. (Piedmont), PSA Airlines, Inc. (PSA), Material Services Company, Inc. (MSC) and Airways Assurance Limited (AAL). MSC and AAL operate in support of the Company�� airline subsidiaries in areas, such as the procurement of aviation fuel and insurance. It has hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington National). During the year ended December 31, 2011, it offered scheduled passenger service on more than 3,100 flights daily to more than 200 communities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It also has an East Coast route network, including the US Airways Shuttle service.

The Company had approximately 53 million passengers boarding its mainline flights in 2011. During 2011, the Company�� mainline operation provided scheduled service or seasonal service at 133 airports, while the US Airways Express network served 156 airports in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including 78 airports also served by its mainline operation. US Airways Express air carriers had approximately 28 million passengers boarding their planes in 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 340 mainline jets and was supported by its regional airline subsidiaries and affiliates operating as US Airways Express under capacity purchase agreements, which operated 233 regional jets and 50 turboprops. The Company�� prorate carriers operated seven turboprops and seven regional jets at December 31, 2011.

In May 2011, US Airways Group and US Airways entered into an Amended and Restated Mutual Asset Purchase and Sale Agreement (the Mutual APA) with Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta). Pursuant to the Mutual APA, Delta agreed to acquire 132 slot pa! irs at LaGuardia from US Airways and US Airways agreed to acquire from Delta 42 slot pairs at Washington National and the rights to operate additional daily service to Sao Paulo, Brazil. On December 13, 2011, the transaction contemplated by the Mutual APA closed and ownership of the respective slots was transferred between the airlines. During 2011, the US Airways Express network served 156 airports in the continental United States, Canada and Mexico, including 78 airports also served by its mainline operation. During 2011, approximately 28 million passengers boarded US Airways Express air carriers��planes, approximately 44% of whom connected to or from its mainline flights.

The Company competes with Southwest, JetBlue, Allegiant, Frontier, Virgin America and Spirit.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Blake Bos]

  In the following video, Motley Fool industrials analyst Blake Bos takes a question from a Motley Fool reader on Facebook, who asks, "What's your Foolish take on US Airways Group, (NYSE: LCC  ) and the airlines in general ... buy, sell, hold?" Blake references an article by Fool.com contributor Adam Levine-Weinberg on US Airways' spiraling labor costs in connection with its proposed merger with American Airlines.

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015: Southwest Airlines Co (LUV)

Southwest Airlines Co., incorporated on March 9, 1967, operates Southwest Airlines, a passenger airline, which provides scheduled air transportation in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was serving 72 cities in 37 states throughout the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company added addition services in two new states and three new cities: Charleston, South Carolina; Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Newark, New Jersey. Southwest provides point-to-point. On May 2, 2011, the Company acquired AirTran Holdings, Inc. (AirTran).

AirTran�� route system provides hub-and-spoke, rather than point-to-point, service, with approximately half of AirTran�� flights originating or terminating at its hub in Atlanta, Georgia. AirTran also serves a range of markets with non-stop service from bases of operation in Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Orlando, Florida. As of December 31, 2011, AirTran was serving 68 United States and near-international destinations, including San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cancun, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, The Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Bermuda. As of January 31, 2012, AirTran served 65 destinations. During 2011, approximately 71% of Southwest�� customers flew non-stop, and Southwest�� average aircraft trip stage length was 664 miles with an average duration of approximately 1.8 hours.

As of December 31, 2011, Southwest offered 25 weekday roundtrips from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby, 13 weekday roundtrips from Phoenix to Las Vegas, 13 weekday roundtrips from Burbank to Oakland, and 12 weekday roundtrips from Los Angeles International to Oakland. Southwest offers connecting service opportunities from over 60 Southwest cities to different Volaris airports in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Mexico City (MEX), Mexico City-Toluca (TLC), Morelia, and Zacatecas. The Company�� International Connect portal conducts two separate transac! tions: one with Southwest�� reservation system and one with Volaris�� reservation system.

Southwest bundles fares into three categories: Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select. Wanna Get Away fares are lowest fares. Business Select fares are refundable and changeable, and funds may be applied toward future travel on Southwest. Business Select fares also include additional perks, such as priority boarding, a frequent flyer point multiplier, priority security and ticket counter access in select airports, and one complimentary adult beverage coupon for the day of travel. The Company�� Internet Website, southwest.com, is the avenue for Southwest Customers to purchase tickets online. During 2011, southwest.com accounted for approximately 78% of all Southwest bookings. During 2011, approximately 84% of Southwest�� Passenger revenues came through its Website, including revenues from SWABIZ, the Company�� business travel reservation Web page.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.33 per share on revenue of $4.53 billion.

  Raytheon Co (NYSE: RTN) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.33 per share on revenue of $5.81 billion.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) : up 100%
  Southwest doubled its dividend last June, but dividend investors shouldn't get too excited about it. The move only raised Southwest's puny payout by half a penny, and the dividend yield on the stock is just 0.3%. Still, with other major airlines being too stingy to pay dividends at all, even Southwest's token payout reveals its long history of stable profitability even in the face of massive bankruptcies and reorganizations elsewhere in the industry.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  “… taken off over the past year as the industry’s ‘rationalization’ has meant higher fares, reduced capacity, and fewer amenities for passengers. Some measure of competition still comes from discounters such as Southwest (LUV), JetBlue (JBLU), and Spirit (SAVE). What’s left of antitrust enforcement ought to prevent these cut-rate carriers being scooped up by the big three of the skies, although Jack Hough noted … that Alaska Air (ALK) could draw takeover interest over the long haul (“Merger Mania May Soon Be on the Way,” Nov. 21) (subscription required).

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015: Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYA)

Ryanair Holdings plc (Ryanair Holdings), is a holding company for Ryanair Limited (Ryanair). Ryanair operates a low-cost, scheduled-passenger airline serving short-haul, point-to-point routes between Ireland, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and Morocco. As of June 30, 2012, the Company offered approximately over 1,500 scheduled short-haul flights per day serving approximately 160 airports largely throughout Europe with an operating fleet of 294 aircraft flying approximately 1,500 routes. Ryanair sells seats on a one-way basis. The Company also holds a 29.8% interest in Aer Lingus Group plc. As of June 30, 2012, Ryanair�� operating fleet was composed of 294 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, each having 189 seats. Ryanair�� fleet totaled 294 Boeing 737-800s at March 31, 2012. As of June 30, 2012, Ryanair owned and operated four Boeing 737-800 full flight simulators for pilot training. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA), the discount airline operator that�� the second-biggest stock in Ireland�� ISEQ index, declined 1.7 percent to 7.23 euros in Dublin. Kerry Group, a supplier of food ingredients, sank 1.4 percent to 45.24 euros.

Hot Airline Stocks For 2015: Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV (VLRS)

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV (Volaris Aviation Holding Company) is a Mexico-based company principally engaged in the airline passenger transportation industry. The Company is a law-cost carrier airline. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV offers direct, point-to-point flights. The Company serves through secondary, lower cost airports and provides a single class of service. The Company utilizes such aircraft as the Airbus A319 and A320 families, among others. The Company has such subsidiaries as Comercializadora Volaris SA de CV, Servicios Corporativos Volaris SA de CV, Concesionaria Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAPI de CV, Deutsche Bank Mexico SA Trust 1484, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  When most American investors think of discount airline stocks, they probably think of relatively large capped Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV)�or sort of small cap�JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) rather than�small cap Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV (NYSE: VLRS) which owns Volaris���a discount airline serving the�Mexican market. However, any investor who has read Benjamin Graham�� Intelligent Investor might want to remember his sage advice about avoiding airline stocks���mainly because airlines were such a new and unproven sector that had yet to make money. But could Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV actually be an airline stock worth owning?

Thomas Giachetti, Stark & Stark’s Legal Celebrity: The 2014 IA 25

Tim Welsh of Nexus Strategy likes to call Tom Giachetti the only “celebrity securities attorney,” but Giachetti himself said he “never wanted to be a lawyer. Instead, he said he “wanted to be in the investment business.” So armed with a law degree and a master’s in economics, he first clerked for a federal judge for a year before going into investment banking in the mid-1980s. That’s where he had a client who lost $1 million at a large wirehouse. He contacted that brokerage firm on behalf of that New Jersey-based client and, without resorting to arbitration, Giachetti “got all his money back,” before he “started suing the wirehouses.”

Having some success, he found that many broker-dealers, including some wirehouses, “started calling on me” for their legal business, but Giachetti’s true entrée into becoming the most well-respected securities attorney in the advisory business, which more than qualifies him to be honored as a member of the IA 25 for 2014, began after Schwab Advisor Services asked him to review a legal matter for a Schwab client. That request led to a speech he presented at a Schwab Impact conference in San Francisco in 1991. Coming into prominence as the RIA industry began to grow in the late 1980s, Giachetti said his career focus on advisors “just ballooned; I was the right person in the right place at the right time,” taking his “background and knowledge to grow a business.”

Best Recreation Companies To Own In Right Now

As the chair of the securities practice at the law firm Stark & Stark, Giachetti has parlayed his combination of skills—“I’m very comfortable speaking in front of people, and I love to write”—to become a sought-after speaker who translates in blunt language, and with a Jersey verve, what regulators are looking for when they examine advisors. He not only tells advisors and broker-dealers what they should focus on to stay compliant, but also what they should avoid doing. His intent is to get advisors and reps to stay compliant—“Why risk your franchise?”—but also to put compliance efforts in their proper place. It’s important, he said, for advisors to not “spend a disproportionate amount of time on compliance issues that have no relevance to their practice and provide no value to clients.”

So what should SEC-regulated advisors worry about, and what should they ignore? “In this day and age, what they’re not worried about but should” is to think that “‘the SEC can’t be concerned about a small firm like mine.’” In fact, the SEC is concerned about smaller firms, since “they’re looking to send a very aggressive, punitive message to advisors.” While Giachetti normally doesn’t get political, he said that current SEC Chairman Mary Jo White “was brought in by the president to clean up Wall Street, and advisors have become part of Wall Street.” While White is “very capable,” he worries that she and current and past SEC commissioners may know much about the law, but fail to have adequate knowledge of the Advisers Act. Instead, White has “hired a lot of prosecutors, and what do prosecutors do? They prosecute.”

What White and the SEC fail to understand as well is that “advisors did not blow up the markets in ‘08 and ‘09; advisors are on the buy side, not the sell side.” So “the prosecutorial attitude taken by examiners,” he said, “is misplaced.” Moreover, he said actual SEC exams “are fraught with mistakes” and that the commission is using exams “to make laws that don’t exist, couching them in recommendations.” One example of misplaced exam items that Giachetti said he’s had a hand in eradicating is the anti-money laundering (AML) requirement, which he argued does not apply to RIAs.

Another example arose last year, when SEC examiners “brought in a valuation expert” during an exam of a large RIA firm to assess the value of the stocks held in a mutual fund that the advisor used. “How is that an advisor’s responsibility?” he wondered.

“In the past, the SEC was not that aggressive” and instead was “there to help, to give recommendations.” While he said there “are good people at the SEC,” it’s now taken a “different posture.”

Advisors should recall that the SEC has two primary mandates when it comes to exams: “that the [client’s] money is where it’s supposed to be” and to ensure that the advisor isn’t “doing anything to jeopardize the client’s underlying data, their personal information.” It’s not the SEC’s mandate to “figure out if you’re a good money manager.” He said that there is a way to resolve the current situation where SEC commissioners and examiners “don’t know anything about the ‘40 Act,” jokingly promising that if he were put on the commission, “I just want six months as commissioner, and I can fix it.”

On the broker-dealer side, he said it’s “clear that the commission and/or FINRA does not want all these small broker-dealers” around to regulate. “It’s very difficult to be a small BD” considering the amount of supervision required, especially when it comes to “monitoring reps who are not part of your office.” However, he still believes that “the smaller broker-dealer and the independent BDs will be around for a long time to come,” and that being an advisor is “still the greatest business in the world; you actually help people.” As for the onerous regulations faced by both BDs and RIAs, he philosophically noted that “there will always be individuals and entities engaging in corrupt practices; the ability of regulators to address them is minimal.” While over-regulation springing from “catastrophic events” like the Bernie Madoff scandal is a “natural reaction,” the problem is that “they punish the law abiders and don’t prevent another catastrophic event.”

(Check out Investment Advisor's full IA 25 for 2014 list on ThinkAdvisor.)

Chrysler Fiat CEO: Please DON'T buy this car

The CEO of the newly combined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is urging people not to buy his company's electric car.

It's a strange request from a world in which automotive CEOs are usually doing everything they can to hype their product lines, lure customers to showrooms and as they say in the trade, "put butts in seats."

But Reuters reported that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne told a Washington, D.C., conference this week that he would prefer no one buy the $32,650 Fiat 500e, a beautifully done, practical electric car.

"I hope you don't buy it because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000," he is quoted as having said.

The 500e was created to meet mandates of states like California that require automakers to offer zero-emissions cars for sale. For the moment, electric cars are the easiest way to meet the mandate -- and automakers approach the challenge with varying amounts of enthusiasm.

Stock market wonder Tesla Motors, for instance, sells only full-electric cars.

It's not the first time that plain-speaking Marchionne has decried the costs of electric cars. But the price since the last time he sounded the alarm. Previously, he pegged the losses at $10,000 a car. Lucky for him, electric cars are still generally a tough sell with consumers because of their limited range. The Fiat 500e goes 87 miles between charges.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) Q3 Earnings Preview: Something U-G-L-Y on the Horizon

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is scheduled to report third quarter fiscal year (FY) 2014 earnings after the close of the market on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Management has scheduled a conference call at 1:30 PM (PT) to discuss financial results for the period.

Wall Street anticipates that the Networking & Communication Devices maker will earn $0.48 per share for the quarter, which is $0.03 less than last year's profit of $0.51 per share. iStock expects CSCO to top Wall Street's consensus number, the iEstimate is $0.49, a penny more than expected.

Sales, like earnings, are expected to decline, slipping 6.8% year-over-year (YoY). Cisco's consensus revenue estimate for Q3 is $11.38 billion, almost a bill lower than last year's $12.22 billion.

[Related -Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Why Weakness In Cisco Shares Is A Buying Opportunity?]

Cisco Systems designs, manufactures and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology (IT) industry and provide services associated with these products and their use. Its products are installed at enterprise businesses, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences.

Surpassing the street's consensus is the norm for Cisco as the company posted 22 consecutive bullish earnings surprises. That's quite a streak. However, reported earnings tend to hug the consensus. Eleven of the last 22 positive surprises were $0.01 or $0.02 more than forecasted with a nickel as the max. The last four were split between $0.01 and $0.02.

[Related -On Finding Neglected Companies]

Although CSCO's May earnings were better than expected in the last four years (obviously), the share price hasn't fared as well in the emerald month. The stock price lost ground three of the last four May announcements, losing -10.15%, -4.83%, and -1.66% in the day surrounding earnings news. However, last May, Cisco shares broke the Q3 losing streak with a gain of 12.3%.

With sales expected to fall and revenue growth declining quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), moving the bullish surprise streak to 23 in a row will depend on margins and, frankly, iStock doesn't like what it see in the networking company's Q2 income statement.

Revenue fell 7.7% in Q2 relative to Q1, which could be a seasonal thing, but total operating expenses plus total costs or revenue grew to 85% of the top line in the second quarter compared to 79.69% in the first three months of the fiscal year. Rising cost and slower sales, no thank-you, that's a toxic mix for the bottom line.

What makes it even worse is that the biggest contributor was cost of revenue for product rising 12.08% while the segment's sales decreased by 10.74% YoY. They are crisscrossing in the wrong directions.

We also don't like to see inventory on the balance sheet building 4.88% compared to the previous year while total revenue is down -7.79%; again, two line-items driving down one-way streets in the wrong directions.

Overall: the iEstimate and Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) history suggest another small, bullish surprise is likely; however, the streak is in serious jeopardy if sales continue to head south with costs head north. Add in more product than demand as evidenced by increasing inventory as sales fall, and the pieces are in place for ugly quarter with timing the only question. 

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015

Billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Ackman have helped make investors serious money in the railroad industry over the past couple of years. If you missed these opportunities while trying to navigate the financial crisis, never fear: There's still time to get in on the next great railroad investment.  

Back in 2010, Buffett took market leader BNSF private at a roughly 30% premium. Ackman went into activist mode at Canadian Pacific Railway in 2011 after Canada's No. 2 rail company had grossly underperformed top peer Canadian National for a number of years. For the three years prior to Ackman's Canadian Pacific stake, the stock was down 5%, while Canadian National was up nearly 70%.

Since Ackman got involved during mid-2011, Canadian Pacific has outperformed Canadian National four times. There's definitely still money to be made in railways.

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Naturalnano Inc (NNAN)

NaturalNano, Inc. (NaturalNano), incorporated on February 18, 2000, is engaged in the development and commercialization of material science technologies with an emphasis on additives to polymers and other industrial and consumer products by taking advantage of technology advances developed in-house. During the year ended December 31, 2011,the Company�� activities are directed toward research, development, production and marketing of its technologies relating to the treatment and separation of nanotubes from halloysite clay and the development of related commercial applications for cosmetics, health and beauty products, and polymers, plastics and composites.

The company�� halloysite natural tube (HNT) products involve filling HNTs with active agents for use in the polymer composites, health and beauty, household product, and agrichemical industries. The filled tube product contains a material of interest within the tubes, such as an antimicrobial compound to provide antimicrobial properties to the resulting polymer composite material. The filled-tube products will focus on the utilization of the tubular nature of the halloysite nanotubes, by filling or adsorbing the tubes with active agents for the polymer nanocomposites, household products, cosmetics, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries. The Company designs, manufactures and sells custom designed error prevention/safety checklist boards.

The Company competes with Air Products and Chemicals, BASF, Dow, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Applied Minerals, Davis International and Imagexpress.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Naturalnano Inc (OTCMKTS: NNAN), Global Payout, Inc (OTCMKTS: GOHE) and Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) were either jumping higher or diving lower yesterday. To complicate matters for investors, two of these small cap stocks have been subjects of disclosures about paid promotion or investor relation campaigns. So what will these three small caps do for the rest of this week? Here is a closer look to help you decide on a trading or investing strategy:

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Home Bancorp Inc.(HBCP)

Home Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Home Bank that provides various banking services in Louisiana. The company offers various deposit products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts; and demand deposit and certificates of deposit. It also provides various loan products, such as single-family residential first mortgage loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans, commercial loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, construction and land loans, and other loans. In addition, the company offers online banking, bank cards, and ATM services. As of December 31, 2010, it had 18 full-service banking offices in the Greater Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Northshore regions of south Louisiana. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The credit crisis slowed the pace of deals temporarily, but there are plenty of former thrifts trading at low valuations that have the potential for large long-term returns.

  Home Bancorp (HBCP)

  Home Bancorp (HBCP) is a 22-branch bank located in Lafayette, La. The bank has almost $1 billion in assets and the balance sheet is in excellent condition. Also, its equity-to-asset ratio is 14.5 — well above my preferred minimum of 10. Meanwhile, Home Bancorp’s nonperforming assets are just 2.09% of the total.

5 Best Transportation Stocks To Own For 2015: Euromedis Groupe SA (EMG)

Euromedis Groupe SA is a France-based company that specializes in the design, manufacture, distribution, rental and export of medical and surgical equipment and products, and services for medical home care for hospitals, clinics, retirement homes, physicians, pharmacies, and individuals. The Company's product portfolio include products, such as syringes and needles; surgical equipment, such as catheters, instrumentation and compresses; gloves; hygiene products, comprising disposable clothing, masks and paper towel products, and pharmaceutical equipment, offering cotton wool and thermometers. Euromedis Groupe SA exports its products to Europe and Africa. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Man Group Plc (EMG) advanced 3.6 percent to 85.85 pence. The world�� largest publicly traded hedge-fund manager posted its first quarterly net inflows in two years as clients added money to funds at its GLG Partners unit. Sales of Man Group�� funds totaled $4.1 billion in the third quarter, exceeding $3.4 billion of redemptions.

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Man Group Plc (EMG) jumped 6.8 percent to 104.3 pence. The world�� largest publicly traded hedge-fund manager said it no longer needs to hold a $300 million capital buffer after it confirmed with the U.K.�� Financial Conduct Authority a change in the company�� regulatory status.

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Commodity producers increased as base metals rallied, with BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), the largest mining company, climbing 3.7 percent. Man Group (EMG) Plc soared 13 percent on a plan to redeem debt. Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc dropped by the most in two months after Britain�� biggest state-owned lender reported operating profit that fell short of analysts��estimates.

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND)

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated operates as a biotechnology company. It principally engages in the development and acquisition of royalty revenue generating assets. The company engages in the research, milestone, and royalty revenue activities resulting from its collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. The collaborations primarily include ongoing clinical programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck & Co., Cephalon, Inc, and Celgene. These partnered product candidates are being studied for the treatment of indications, such as thrombocytopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, and Alzheimer?s disease. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated receives royalties principally on sales of Avinza from Pfizer, Promacta from GlaxoSmithKline, and Viviant /Conbriza from Pfizer. The company through its subsidiary, CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., offers four marketed products, as well as has one approved product, a portfolio of partnered drug development programs, an internal pipeline of proprietary drugs, and the Captisol drug formulation platform technology. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated was formerly known as Progenx Inc. and changed its name in 1989. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in La Jolla, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  3. Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LGND  )
  Ligand hasn't had quite the banner year that Isis has had in 2013, but its year-to-date gains of almost 90% are still impressive. This strong performance stems largely from plenty of royalties and milestone payments for drugs initially developed by Ligand, particularly Kyprolis.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  QCOR is a strong buy at the current price.

  Biotech Stocks to Buy: Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND)

  Ligand Pharmacuticals (LGND) is a biotech company that focuses on acquisition and development of royalty revenue generating assets in the United States. Ligand has relationships with most of the leading drug companies including GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Merck (MRK), Bristol-Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY) and others.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Workday Inc. (WDAY) jumped 9.3 percent in early New York trading after predicting quarterly revenue that surpassed estimates. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (LGND) advanced 3 percent after the market close yesterday as S&P said the company will replace SHFL Entertainment Inc. in its index tracking smaller companies. Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN) tumbled 7.5 percent in Germany after forecasting full-year sales that missed analysts��projections.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  For the second stock that looks interesting, Jim Jubak agrees with Jim Oberweis, Jr., editor of The Oberweis Report. Oberweis thinks that the healthcare sector, in particular, Ligand (LGND), is set to boom in the coming year.

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Navios Maritime Partners LP (NMM)

Navios Maritime Partners L.P. (Navios Partners) is an international owner and operator of dry cargo vessels formed by Navios Holdings. Navios GP L.L.C. (the General Partner), a wholly owned subsidiary of Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. (Navios Holdings) acts as the general partner of Navios Partners and received a 2% general partner interest in Navios Partners. Navios Partners is engaged in the seaborne transportation services of a range of drybulk commodities, including iron ore, coal, grain and fertilizer, chartering its vessels under medium to long-term charters. On May 19, 2011, Navios Partners acquired from Navios Holdings the Navios Orbiter, a 76,602 deadweight Panamax vessel. On May 19, 2011, Navios Partners acquired from Navios Holdings the Navios Luz. In June 2012, the Company purchased the Navios Buena Ventura, a 2010 South-Korean-built Capesize vessel of 179,259 dwt from Navios Maritime Holdings Inc.

The Company is an international owner and operator of drybulk carriers formed by Navios Maritime Holdings Inc., a vertically integrated seaborne shipping company. Its vessels are chartered-out under medium to long-term time charters with an average remaining term of approximately four years to a group of counterparties, consisting of Cosco Bulk Carrier Co. Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., Samsun Logix, STX Panocean, Sanko Steamship Co. Ltd., Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha, Augustea Imprese Maritime, Rio Tinto, Constellation Energy Group and Mansel.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� fleet consisted of 11 Panamax vessels, six Capesize vessels and one Ultra-Handymax vessel. Its fleet of dry cargo vessels has an average age of approximately 5.6 years. Panamax vessels are flexible vessels capable of carrying a range of drybulk commodities, including iron ore, coal, grain and fertilizer. All of its vessels operate under medium to long-term time charters of three or more years at inception with counterparties. It also operates vessels in the spot market until the vessels have! been fixed under appropriate medium to long-term charters.

The Company competes with China Ocean Shipping, China Shipping Group, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Kawasaki Kisen, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Cargill, Pacific Basin Shipping, Bocimar, Zodiac Maritime, Louis Dreyfus/Cetragpa, Cobelfret and Torvald Klaveness.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nickey Friedman]

  It seems like everybody these days universally agrees that the dry bulk shipping market will get better at least in the short term. Executives from DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) , Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE: NMM  ) , Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX  ) , and other carriers have voiced optimism about increased demand for 2014. Even if that optimism is realized, there is another very important factor to watch that could ruin the whole thing.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  As far as unitholder payouts are concerned, the seas for Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE: NMM  ) are calm and smooth. The company has declared its latest quarterly distribution, which is to be $0.4425 per unit paid on Aug. 13 to holders of record as of Aug. 8. That amount matches each of Navios' previous four disbursements, the most recent of which was paid in mid-May. Previous to that, the company handed out a quarter-cent less, at $0.44 per share.

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: IBERIABANK Corporation (IBKC)

IBERIABANK Corporation operates as the holding company for IBERIABANK that provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It offers a range of commercial, consumer, mortgage, and private banking products and services; cash management services; deposit and annuity products; and investment brokerage services. The company, through its subsidiaries, also engages in financial services-related activities, including brokerage services and sales of variable annuities, life, health, dental, and accident insurance products. In addition, it offers various title insurance and loan closing services for residential and commercial customers; family residential mortgage loans; equity research, institutional sales and trading, and corporate finance services; and wealth management and trust services to high net worth individuals, pension funds, corporations, and trusts, as well as invests in an aircraft and purchased tax credits. As of February 25, 2013, the company had 278 combined offices, including 184 bank branch offices in Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas; 21 title insurance offices in Arkansas and Louisiana; and mortgage representatives in 62 locations in 12 states. IBERIABANK Corporation was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
  
  1. Avg. High Yield Price
  2. 20-Year DCF Price
  3. Avg. P/E Price
  4. Graham Number
  
  CTBI is trading at a premium to all four valuations above. The stock is trading at a 53.5% premium to its calculated fair value of $29.43. CTBI did not earn any Stars in this section.
  
  Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
  
  1. Free Cash Flow Payout
  2. Debt To Total Capital
  3. Key Metrics
  4. Dividend Growth Rate
  5. Years of Div. Growth
  6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%
  
  CTBI earned one Star in this section for 1.) above. A Star was earned since the Free Cash Flow payout ratio was less than 60% and there were no negative Free Cash Flows over the last 10 years. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1988 and has increased its dividend payments for 33 consecutive years.
  
  Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
  
  1. NPV MMA Diff.
  2. Years to > MMA
  
  The negative NPV MMA Diff. means that on a NPV basis the dividend earnings from an investment in CTBI would be less than a similar amount invested in MMA earning a 20-year average rate of 3.41%. If CTBI grows its dividend at 1.5% per year, it will never equal a MMA yielding an estimated 20-year average rate of 3.41%.
  
  Memberships and Peers: CTBI is, a member of the Broad Dividend Achieve

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Eyes on The Go Inc (AXCG)

Eyes on the Go, Inc., incorporated on August 26, 2010, designs, implements, and provides services for the remote real-time monitoring of, and the control of equipment and devices located at, businesses and other facilities via computers, wireless handheld devices and television equipment using the Internet, through its Website, www.eyesonthego.com, or internal communications. As of May 1, 2011, the Company entered into a Plan and Agreement of Merger by and among the Company, Eyes Enterprises, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, and EOTG, under which Enterprises was merged with and into EOTG, with EOTG being the surviving entity. As a result of this merger, the Company changed its name to Eyes on the Go, Inc. and EOTG changed its corporate name to Eyes Enterprises, Inc. On May 11, 2011 the Company completed a Plan and Agreement of Merger with Mutual Exchange Corp. The Company was considered to be the accounting acquirer, and the merger was accounted for as a reverse merger, whereby the Company being the accounting survivor.

Users of the Company�� services can view monitored facilities from video cameras, as well as receive temperature and other data; can remotely control devices, such as thermostats, lights and locks, and can receive e-mail-based alerts of door entries and other events with video clips and of equipment failures and deviations from temperature and other parameters. Its system can also store images and data for review. The Company markets primarily to business owners and managers in the hospitality industry.

The Company competes with Control4 Corporation, SVAT Electronics, Motorola, Inc., iControl Networks, Inc., Mi Casa Verde, Inc. and ADT Security Services, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Eyes on The Go Inc (OTCMKTS: AXCG), Quadrant 4 Systems Corp (OTCMKTS: QFOR) and Cloud Security Corp (OTCMKTS: CLDS) were getting attention last week, but all three stocks trended downward on Monday. It should be mentioned that none of these stocks have been overly or heavily paid promotions. So what will these three small cap stocks do on the last trading day of the year and for the rest of this week? Here is a closer look:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Last Friday, small cap stocks Kiwibox.com Inc (OTCMKTS: KIWB), Eyes on The Go Inc (OTCMKTS: AXCG) and Green Endeavors Inc (OTCMKTS: GRNE) were sinking 37.5%, 28.57% and 23.9%, respectively. Moreover, it should be mentioned that all three small cap stocks have been the subject of recent paid promotions or investor relation campaigns which have gotten them mentions in various investment newsletters or investor alerts. So are the promotional or investor relation campaigns over with for these three small caps? Here is a quick look to help you decide:

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: AptarGroup Inc. (ATR)

AptarGroup, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of consumer product dispensing systems in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. The company operates in three segments: Beauty + Home, Pharma, and Food + Beverage. The Beauty + Home segment primarily sells pumps, closures, aerosol valves, and accessories to the personal care and household markets, as well as pumps and decorative components to the fragrance/cosmetic market; and fragrance/cosmetic and personal care fine mist spray pumps, personal care lotion pumps, and continuous spray aerosol valves. The Pharma segment provides pumps for nasal allergy treatments; and metered dose inhaler valves for respiratory ailments in pharmaceutical market. The Food + Beverage segment offers dispensing and non-dispensing closures, spray pumps, and aerosol valves to the food and beverage markets. AptarGroup, Inc. sells its products through sales force, independent representatives, and distributors. The c ompany was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR  ) .

• [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 AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Escalade Incorporated (ESCA)

Escalade, Incorporated engages in the manufacture and sale of sporting goods, and information security and print finishing products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Sporting Goods, and Information Security and Print Finishing. The Sporting Goods segment manufactures, imports, and distributes family recreation, fitness, training, and hunting products. It offers archery products under the Bear Archery, Trophy Ridge, and Whisker Biscuit brands; table tennis under the STIGA and Ping-Pong brands; basketball backboards and goals under the Goalrilla, Goaliath, and Silverback brands; play systems under the Woodplay and Childlife brands; fitness products under The STEP and USWeight brands; hockey and soccer game tables under the Harvard Game, Atomic, and Accudart brands; and pool tables and accessories under the Mosconi and Mizerak brands. This segment offers its products through traditional department stores, mass merchandise retailers, and sporting goods specific retailers . The Information Security and Print Finishing segment offers shredders, disintegrators, degaussers, paper folders, letter openers, and paper cutters/trimmers under the martin yale, intimus, and papermonster brands. It offers products and services directly to end-users, as well as through retailers, wholesalers, catalogs, specialty dealers, and business partners. This segment focuses on corporate customers, governments, and strategic business partners. Escalade, Incorporated was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Escalade (NASDAQ: ESCA) shares gained 1.51% to reach a new 52-week high of $14.80. Escalade shares have jumped 140.20% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.64% in the same period.

Top 10 Railroad Companies For 2015: Arctic Gold Publ AB (ARCT)

Arctic Gold Publ AB, formerly known as Alcaston Exploration AB, is a Sweden-based exploration and mine development company. Its main focus is on the Bidjovagge gold and copper ore field in northern Norway. The project is located in the municipality of Kautokenio. Apart from that, the Company�� portfolio comprises gold and base metal projects in the Norrbotten and Vasterbotten in northern Sweden. As of December 31, 2011, the Company held 78 exploration permits in Norway, comprising a total of 23.1 square kilometers. In Sweden the Company has 12 exploration permits comprising 17.4 square kilometers. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had one wholly owned subsidiary, namely Arctic Gold Operations AB. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� largest shareholder was M.Elsasser & CIE AG (12.06%). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brad Thomas]

  He has undeniably delivered for his investors. In the space of 18 months, Mr. Schorsch has executed three transactions. He helped with the roadshow for Healthcare Trust of America (HTA), a non-traded REIT for which he served as broker-dealer and raised nearly $1 billion. He also listed American Realty Capital Trust (ARCT) for public trading and merged ARCT III with his own American Realty Capital Properties (ARCP). The three deals netted investors internal rates of return of 11%, 14% and 33%, respectively, according to company data. In the meantime, publicly traded shares of ARCP have increased 60% - to $16, from $10 - since last July.