Top 5 Net Payout Yield Companies To Watch In Right Now

Registered investment advisory firms continue to be the most active players in the mergers-and-acquisitions game, according to Pershing Advisor Solutions LLC’s latest analysis of M&A trends in the financial services industry.

RIAs’ buying other RIAs accounted for 58% of deals so far in 2013, up from 37% last year, while aggregator firms were involved in just 25% of deals during the first half, down from 32% in the second half of 2012 and 28.9% for all of last year, according to the report.

The adviser unit of Pershing LLC tracks retail-focused RIA firms with $50 million or more in assets or $500,000 or more in annual revenues.

Best Valued Companies To Invest In Right Now: Oracle Corporation(ORCL)

Oracle Corporation, an enterprise software company, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and services database and middleware software, applications software, and hardware systems worldwide. It licenses of database and middleware software, including database management software, application server software, service-oriented architecture and business process management software, data integration software, business intelligence software, identity and access management software, content management software, portals and user interaction software, development tools, and Java; and applications software comprising enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, enterprise performance management, supply chain management, business intelligence applications, enterprise portfolio project management, Web commerce, and industry-specific applications software. The company also offers customers with rights to unspecified software product upgrades and maintenance releases; Internet access to technical content; and Internet and telephone access to technical support personnel. In addition, its hardware systems products consist of computer server and hardware-related software, including the Oracle Solaris Operating System; and storage products, such as tape, disk and networking solutions for open systems and mainframe server environments. Its hardware systems support solutions include software updates for the software components. Further, the company offers consulting solutions in business and IT strategy alignment, enterprise architecture planning and design, initial product implementation and integration, and ongoing product enhancements and upgrades; cloud services, including Oracle Cloud Services and Advanced Customer Services; and education solutions comprising instructor-led, media-based, and Internet-based training in the use of its software and hardware products. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Redwood Ci ty, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ryan Palmer]

  Shareholder friendly management
  When it comes to returning value to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, no company does it better than IBM. No member of the S&P Information Technology Index, a list that includes rivals�Oracle� (NYSE: ORCL  ) and�Hewlett-Packard� (NYSE: HPQ  ) ,�has consistently paid a dividend longer than IBM. A 45-year streak of dividend payments is something to admire. IBM only pays out 25% of its earnings as a dividend, so that streak won't be broken anytime soon. Dividends from IBM have grown more than sevenfold since the turn of the century. A big factor behind that dividend growth has been the company's huge share repurchases. Big Blue has reduced the number of outstanding shares by over 35% during past decade. The company also has more than $20 billion in planned buybacks, representing a further 10% reduction in outstanding shares at current prices..

• [By Christopher Freeburn]

  Following Gates is Berkshire Hathaway‘s (BRK.A, BRK.B) iconic investor Warren Buffett, who is worth about $58.5 billion. Coming in third is Oracle (ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison with $41 billion. Charles and David Koch tied for fourth place again, each worth an estimated $36 billion.

• [By Kyle Anderson, Associate Editor - November 12th, 2013 Money Morning]

  Here's the list of top 10 "cash-rich" companies in the S&P 500, based on cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, plus how they used the cash they did spend:

  General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reported cash and cash equivalents of $130.3 billion in September 2013, down slightly from $132.4 billion in June and $138 billion in March. Currently, GE offers its shareholders a dividend of $0.76 per year, or 2.8%. Early in 2013, it was reported that GE planned on buying back $10 billion of its stock from investors. The buyback was prompted by GE selling 49% stake in NBC Universal to Comcast Corp in March. In April, GE acquired the Texas-based oil company Lufkin Industries for $3.3 billion. Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) had a total of $80.6 billion in cash and short-term investments at the end of September. This was the fourth consecutive quarter of growth for the company that reported $77 billion in June, $74.4 billion in March, and $68.2 billion in December 2012. MSFT provides its shareholders with a 3% dividend, or $1.12 per year. In September, MSFT made headlines for its $40 billion stock buyback and 22% dividend increase. In the same month, Microsoft completed a $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia Corp.'s (NYSE: NOK) cellphone business. Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) is third with a cash and short-term investment hoard of $56.4 billion as of September. Google is another company that has added to its cash total in recent quarters, reporting $54.3 billion in June and $50.0 billion in March. Despite all that cash, GOOG does not issue a dividend and has never offered a shareholder buyback. The search engine mogul has a long history of acquisitions, and its purchase of Israeli navigation software Waze, for just shy of $1 billion in June 2013, was its largest in several years. Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) had $50.5 billion in its July statement, compared to $47.3 billion and $46.3 billion in the previous two quar
• [By Paul Ausick]

  Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) also lost share and posted lower revenues, while fifth place Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) gained 1.5% of market share and saw revenues rise by 42.6%. Cisco�� total second-quarter revenues, however, amounted to just $537 million.

Top 5 Net Payout Yield Companies To Watch In Right Now: TripAdvisor Inc (TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (TripAdvisor), incorporated on July 20, 2011, is an online travel research company, enabling users to plan and have a trip. TripAdvisor features reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, vacation rentals, vacation packages and travel guides. TripAdvisor�� travel research platform features reviews and opinions from its community of travelers about destinations, accommodations (hotels, bed and breakfasts, specialty lodging and vacation rentals), restaurants and activities worldwide, through its TripAdvisor brand. TripAdvisor Websites include tripadvisor.com in the United States and versions of the Website in 30 countries, including in China under the brand daodao.com. TripAdvisor Websites also include links to the Websites of its travel advertisers allowing travelers to directly book their travel arrangements. In addition to the TripAdvisor brand, TripAdvisor, Inc. manages and operates Websites under 18 other travel media brands, providing travel planning resources across the travel sector. On December 20, 2011, Expedia, Inc. (Expedia) completed the spin-off of TripAdvisor, Inc. (TripAdvisor) to Expedia stockholders. TripAdvisor consists of the domestic and international operations previously associated with Expedia�� TripAdvisor Media Group. In October 2012, it acquired Wanderfly. In March 2013, it acquired Tiny Post (tinypost.co). In April 2013, the Company acquired Jetsetter.com and Gilt Travel Inc. In May 2013, TripAdvisor Inc acquired key technology and talent from CruiseWise Inc. In May 2013, TripAdvisor Inc acquired Guia de Apartamentos Niumba SL. In June 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired GateGuru.

TripAdvisor provides access worldwide to online travel agencies, including Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, hotels.com, Priceline and Booking.com. TripAdvisor Media Group offers travel suppliers graphical advertising and cost-per-click marketing platforms. TripAdvisor operates sites in 30 countries and in 21 languages, including sites in the United S! tates (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the United Kingdom (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se), The Netherlands (http://www.tripadvisor.nl), Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca), Denmark (http://www.tripadvisor.dk), Turkey (http://www.tripadvisor.com.tr), Mexico (http://www.tripadvisor.com.mx), Norway (http://no.tripadvisor.com), Poland (http://pl.tripadvisor.com), Australia (http://www.tripadvisor.com.au), Singapore (http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg), Thailand (http://th.tripadvisor.com), Russia (http://www.tripadvisor.ru), Greece (http://www.tripadvisor.com.gr), Indonesia(http://www.tripadvisor.co.id), Argentina (www.tripadvisor.co.ar), Taiwan (www.tripadvisor.tw),Malaysia(http://www.tripadvisor.com.my), and Egypt (http://www.tripadvisor.com.eg). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michele Lerner]

  Getty Images While some engaged couples devote most of their attention to their wedding day, planning for a honeymoon can be equally important. According to a 2013 survey by TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, 77 percent of U.S. couples who got married the previous year went on a honeymoon. These days, exotic destinations are in high demand for honeymooners, according to Jetsetter.com, a unit of TripAdvisor (TRIP) provides luxury travel services. Based on hotel room bookings made through the site's Personal Travel Planning service, the five most popular international honeymoon destinations are the Caribbean, Italy, French Polynesia, Thailand and China, which represent about 40 percent of all international honeymoon hotel reservations. The most popular U.S. destination for a honeymoon is Hawaii. As far as accommodations and activities, Jetsetter reports that the most popular honeymoon request is for a beach vacation with a dash of adventure travel, such as horseback riding, kayaking or hiking. The most requested add-ons are champagne, rose petals, beach drinks, plunge pools and couples massages. Honeymoon Planning and Spending According to Jetsetter data, couples spend an average of $4,183 on their honeymoon accommodations. (The average wedding budget comes in around $28,000, according to the TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com survey.) Spending can exceed that, with one client of Jetsetter.com booking nine hotels in seven destinations. The most popular times for a honeymoon are April through July. On average, couples book honeymoon accommodations 2.5 months in advance. But there are anomalies. One couple booked 13 months in advance, and another booked the day their honeymoon started, according to Brad Thomas, the company's travel operations coordinator.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  TripAdvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP  ) continues to build its portfolio of Internet travel brands. The company has acquired Jetsetter.com, a Web destination it describes as a "leading members-only private sale site for hotel bookings." The terms of the acquisition were not and will not be disclosed.

Top 5 Net Payout Yield Companies To Watch In Right Now: NetQin Mobile Inc. (NQ)

NetQin Mobile Inc. operates as a software-as-a-service provider of consumer-centric mobile Internet services focusing on security and productivity in the People?s Republic of China and internationally. It provides a suite of mobile Internet services that protect mobile users from security threats and enhance their productivity. It offers mobile security services, including mobile malware scanning, Internet firewall, account and communication safety, anti-theft, performance optimization, hostile software rating and reporting, and other services to protect users from mobile malware threats, data theft, and privacy intrusion. The company also provides mobile productivity services comprising screening incoming calls, filtering unwanted spam, SMS messages, protecting communication privacy, and managing calendar activities, as well as cloud-side synchronization of personal data, including address books, text messages, and calendars to enhance time and relationship management. In addition, it provides personalized intelligent cloud services that utilize synchronized user information to provide tailored user experience and extend the functionalities of its core services. Further, the company offers security forums and download services for third-party mobile applications. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the Move: NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ) is up 11.6% at $12.29 as the company continues to claw its way back from an awful short-seller report. Criteo SA (NASDAQ: CRTO) is up 13.9% at $35.30 following its IPO today. Digital Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: DLR) is down 15.3% at $49.16 on lowered guidance.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Telecommunications services shares fell around 0.65 percent in trading on Monday. Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), down 4 percent, and ORBCOMM (NASDAQ: ORBC), off 5 percent.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Telecommunications services shares fell around 0.65 percent in trading on Monday. Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), down 4 percent, and ORBCOMM (NASDAQ: ORBC), off 5 percent.

Top 5 Net Payout Yield Companies To Watch In Right Now: International Montoro Resources Inc (IMT)

International Montoro Resources Inc. is engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties, focusing on projects in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, Canada. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Malachite Project (New Brunswick). The Company holds a 50% interest in the Red Lake Project (Ontario), the Malachite property consists of 62 claim units comprising 1,352.25 hacteres. The Crackingstone River Project (Saskatchewan) consists of 750 hectare claim block in northern Saskatchewan near Uranium City. The Cup Lake/Donen Claims located in the Greenwood Mining District of B.C. On May 24, 2012, the Company acquired a 100% interest in four mineral claims representing 1,065.10 hactares, which were located in the middle of the west side of the Tacheeda Lake claim block. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  British American Tobacco Plc and Imperial Tobacco Group Plc (IMT) each lost at least 1.5 percent as American peer Philip Morris International Inc. forecast 2014 profit growth below its long-term target. Antofagasta Plc (ANTO) and Vedanta Resources Plc (VED) followed miners lower, sliding at least 2 percent. Johnson Matthey Plc (JMAT) gained 3.9 percent after posting better-than-forecast profit and raising its dividend.