Saturday, February 28, 2015

Longtime Progressive CEO Peter Lewis dies

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio (AP) — Peter Lewis, who shepherded Progressive from a small-time operation to one of the largest auto insurers in the country and later became the billionaire backer of marijuana legalization, died Saturday. He was 80.

Philanthropic adviser Jennifer Frutchy said Lewis died at his home in Coconut Grove, Fla.

Progressive President and CEO Glenn Renwick said the company owes its growth and its culture of openness to Lewis. He said Lewis' caring and honesty are "bedrock" values of the company.

"The history of Progressive is very much the history that Peter Lewis laid down," Renwick said. A willingness to take risks and constantly learn and grow are principles that can be traced to Lewis, he added.

"He really was a special person, there's no doubt about that," Renwick said.

Lewis became chief executive officer of Progressive in 1965, built from the company his father co-founded in 1937. Lewis held the leadership post for 35 years, during which Progressive — and Lewis' fortune — steadily grew. In 2006, Forbes calculated his net worth at $1.4 billion.

Top European Companies To Watch For 2015

Lewis turned his wealth into support for a number of progressive causes, including strong support for marijuana law reform that began after he used it following a leg amputation. Lewis helped bankroll marijuana-related causes in Ohio, Washington and Massachusetts.

In a 2011 interview with Forbes magazine, Lewis said he first tried marijuana at age 39. He said he found it to be "better than scotch" and later relied on it for pain management.

"I don't believe that laws against things that people do regularly, like safe and responsible use of marijuana, make any sense," he told Forbes. "Everything that has been done to enforce these laws has had a negative effect, with no results."

Lewis also spent time as a trustee of the Guggenheim Museum and step! ped down in 2005, saying he saying disagreed with the institution's focus on international expansion. He had been a leading benefactor of the museum, donating tens of millions of dollars.

For a time Lewis largely stopped giving to local Cleveland-area concerns, saying there was little cooperation among civic leaders or public development. Last year, however, he donated $5 million to the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Plain Dealer reported. At the time, he said he made the donation because a development plan that impressed him in 2004 had met his expectations.

Lewis also gave generously to his alma mater, Princeton University. He donated more than $220 million to the school, where he also served as a trustee.

Friday, February 27, 2015

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Smiths Group PLC (SMGKF.PK)

Smiths Group plc is a technology company. It has five divisions: Smiths Detection, Smiths Medical, John Crane, Smiths Interconnect and Flex-Tek. The Company and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture, sale and support advanced security equipment, including trace detection, millimeter-wave, infrared, biological detection and diagnostics; mechanical seals, seal support systems, engineered bearings, power transmission couplings and specialist filtration systems, and medical devices aligned to specific therapies, principally airway, pain and temperature management, and vascular access. It also develops, manufactures, sells and supports specialized electronic and radio frequency products for the global wireless telecommunications, aerospace, defense, space, medical, rail, test and industrial markets, and engineered components, including ducting, hose assemblies and heating elements. In May 2011, it acquired the entire issued share capital of SDBR Comercio De Equipamentos De Seguanc a LTDA. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Daniel Lauchheimer]

    Currently, three main companies supply security equipment to the TSA - Safran (SAFRY.PK), Smiths (SMGKF.PK), and Level-3 Holdings (LLL). All three of these companies sell the whole range of their products to the TSA, with an ETD offering included. Recently, however, a new company, Implant Sciences Corporation (IMSC.PK) received approval from the TSA to begin selling their ETD equipment to airport security professionals. This approval has opened the door for IMSC to begin taking some market share away from the more established players in the US and beyond.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-industrial-conglomerate-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is down following some mixed economic releases and a poor earnings release from Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) . As of 1:10 p.m. EDT the Dow is down 91 points, or 0.61%, to 14,749. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is down 10 points to 1,587.

There were three U.S. economic releases today.

Report

Period

Result

Previous

ADP private-sector employment

April

119,000

131,000

Institute for Supply Management PMI

April

50.7%

51.3%

Hot Undervalued Stocks For 2015: Mast Therapeutics Inc (MSTX)

Mast Therapeutics, Inc., formerly ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated in December 1995, is a development-stage company biopharmaceutical company focused on developing product candidates. The Company's product candidate is ANX-188, a rheologic, antithrombotic and cytoprotective agent that improves microvascular blood flow and has application in treating a range of diseases and conditions, such as complications arising from sickle cell disease. As of December 31, 2011, the Company also is developing ANX-514, a detergent-free formulation of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. The Company offers ANX-188 (purified poloxamer 188), ANX-514 (docetaxel for injectable emulsion) and Exelbine (vinorelbine injectable emulsion). In April 2011, the Company acquired SynthRx, Inc. In February 2014, Mast Therapeutics Inc completed its acquisition of Aires Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Aires became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mast Therapeutics.

ANX-188 (purified poloxamer 188)

ANX-188 is an aqueous solution of a purified form of poloxamer 188. Poloxamer 188 (P1880, is a nonionic, block copolymer that has been found to improve microvascular blood flow by reducing viscosity, particularly under low shear conditions, and by reducing adhesive frictional forces. The Company�� purified form of P188 (purified P188), which is the active ingredient in ANX-188, was designed to eliminate certain low molecular weight substances present in P188 (non-purified), which is primarily responsible for the moderate to moderately severe elevations in serum creatinine levels (acute renal dysfunction) observed in prior clinical studies of P188 (non-purified). Purified P188 has been evaluated in multiple clinical studies by a prior sponsor, including a 255-patient, phase III study.

ANX-514 (docetaxel for injectable emulsion)

ANX-514 is a detergent-free emulsion formulation of docetaxel, an intravenously-injected chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat solid tumors. Taxotere, a branded form! ulation of docetaxel, is approved to treat breast, non-small cell lung, prostate, gastric, and head and neck cancers. ANX-514 was designed to have clinically comparable release of docetaxel relative to Taxotere while eliminating the presence of polysorbate 80 and ethanol, both of which are used to solubilize docetaxel in the Taxotere formulation. The ANX-514 formulation solubilizes docetaxel using oil droplets consists of a combination of non-toxic excipients. Docetaxel is contained within these oil droplets and can be administered intravenously without using detergents as pharmaceutical vehicles. Once in central circulation, the emulsion is metabolized rapidly, leaving chemically-identical active ingredient to exert its cytotoxic effect. ANX-514 may reduce the incidence and severity of hypersensitivity reactions and delay the onset of fluid retention.

Exelbine (vinorelbine injectable emulsion)

Exelbine is an emulsion formulation of the chemotherapy drug vinorelbine. Navelbine, a branded formulation of vinorelbine, is approved in the United States to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin, and approved in the European Union to treat non-small cell lung cancer and advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

In August 2011, the Company received a complete response letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that it could not approve the Exelbine Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in its present form and that the bioequivalence study would need to be repeated because the authenticity of the drug products used in the bioequivalence trial could not be verified in accordance with FDA standards. However, the Company elected to discontinue independent development of Exelbine and as of December 31, 2011, the Company was seeking a partner or outside investor for the program to complete the necessary bioequivalence study.

The Company competes with GlaxoSmithKline, Provenge and Pfizer.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Mast Therapeutics Inc.(MSTX) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave orphan-drug designation to its MST-188 drug for the treatment of acute limb ischemia, providing a boost for the biopharmaceutical firm. Shares surged.

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc (RHP)

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (Ryman), incorporated on June 21, 2012, is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company�� segments consist of Hospitality, which include its hotel properties and the results of hotel operations, and Opry and Attractions, which includes its Grand Ole Opry assets, WSM-AM and its Nashville attractions. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Ryman�� owned assets included a network of four upscale, meetings-focused resorts totaling 7,795 rooms that were managed by lodging operator Marriott International, Inc. (Marriott) under the Gaylord Hotels brand. These four resorts, Gaylord Hotels properties, consist of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee (Gaylord Opryland), the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center near Orlando, Florida (Gaylord Palms), the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center near Dallas, Texas (Gaylord Texan) and the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center near Washington D.C. (Gaylord National). Other owned assets managed by Marriott include Gaylord Springs Golf Links (Gaylord Springs), the Wildhorse Saloon, the General Jackson Showboat (General Jackson) and the Inn at Opryland, a 303-room overflow hotel adjacent to Gaylord Opryland. It also owns and operates a ranger of media and entertainment assets, including the Grand Ole Opry, the weekly showcase of country music�� performers for nearly 90 years; the Ryman Auditorium, the storied former home of the Grand Ole Opry located in downtown Nashville; and WSM-AM, the Opry�� radio home.

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center - Nashville, Tennessee

Gaylord Opryland is a convention destinations in the United States based upon number of rooms, exhibit space and conventions held. Designed with gardens and expansive atrium areas, the resort is situated on approximately 172 acres in the Opryland complex. As of Gaylord Opryland has a range of themed restaurants, retail outlets, and a full-service spa with 27,000 square feet of sp! ace and 12 treatment rooms. It also serves as a destination resort for vacationers due to its proximity to the Grand Ole Opry, the General Jackson Showboat, the Gaylord Springs Golf Links (Gaylord�� 18-hole championship golf course), and other attractions in the Nashville area. Gaylord Opryland has 2,882 signature guest rooms, four ballrooms with approximately 127,000 square feet, 111 banquet/meeting rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 640,000 square feet.

Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center - Kissimmee, Florida

During 2012, Gaylord Palms had 1,406 signature guest rooms, three ballrooms with approximately 76,000 square feet, 76 banquet/meeting rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 400,000 square feet. The resort is situated on a 65-acre site in Osceola County, Florida. Gaylord Palms has a range of themed restaurants, retail outlets and a full-service spa, with 20,000 square feet of dedicated space and 25 treatment rooms. It also has a resort pool and a 2-story sports bar complex opened at Gaylord Palms. Hotel guests also have golf privileges at Falcon�� Fire Golf Club.

Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center - Grapevine, Texas

Gaylord Texan is situated on approximately 85 acres and is located approximately six minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The hotel features an expansive atrium, 1,511 signature guest rooms, three ballrooms with approximately 85,000 square feet, 70 banquet/meeting rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 400,000 square feet. The property also includes a range of themed restaurants, retail outlets and a full-service spa with 25,000 square feet of dedicated space and 12 treatment rooms. Guests also have access to the adjacent Cowboys Golf Club. The Company has Glass Cactus entertainment complex, an approximately 39,000 square feet venue with a performance stage, dance floor, and a two-story! outdoor ! deck, on land we own adjacent to the hotel.

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center - National Harbor, Maryland

Gaylord National is situated on approximately 42 acres of land located on the Potomac River in Prince George�� County, Maryland, eight miles south of Washington. During 2012, the hotel had 1,996 signature guest rooms, four ballrooms with approximately 103,000 square feet, 82 conference and breakout rooms, and total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space of approximately 470,000 square feet. The hotel complex includes an 18-story glass atrium, a 20,000 square foot spa and fitness center with 12 treatment rooms, and entertainment options, such as restaurants, shops, and a two-story rooftop nightclub.

Inn at Opryland

The Company also owns the Inn at Opryland, which is located across the street from Gaylord Opryland. During 2012, the hotel had 303 rooms and approximately 14,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a platform for country music. The Opry features a live country music show with performances every Friday and Saturday night, as well as additional weekly performances on a seasonal basis. The Opry House, home of the Grand Ole Opry, seats approximately 4,400 and is located in the Opryland complex. Each week, the Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live to millions of country lifestyle consumers on radio via WSM-AM and Sirius/XM Radio and streamed on the Internet. Special episodes of the Grand Ole Opry are also broadcast on television via the Great American Country network. The show has been broadcast since 1925 on WSM-AM, making it the longest running live radio program in the United States. In addition to performances by its members, the Grand Ole Opry presents performances by many other country music artists.

Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium is designated as a National Historic Landmark. The former home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditor! ium re-op! ened for concerts and musical productions.

The General Jackson Showboat

The Company owns the General Jackson Showboat, a 300-foot, four-deck paddle wheel showboat, on the Cumberland River, which flows past the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville. Its Victorian Theatre can seat 600 people for banquets and 1,000 people for theater-style presentations. The showboat stages Broadway-style shows and other theatrical productions. The General Jackson is one of many sources of entertainment that is available to conventions held at Gaylord Opryland. During the day, it operates cruises, primarily serving tourists visiting the Gaylord Opryland complex and the Nashville area.

Gaylord Springs

Gaylord Springs consists of 40,000 square-foot antebellum-style clubhouse offers meeting space for up to 500 guests. Marriott assumed the management of the day-to-day operations of Gaylord Springs.

The Wildhorse Saloon

The Company has owned the Wildhorse Saloon, a country music performance venue on Second Avenue in downtown Nashville. The three-story facility includes a dance floor of approximately 2,000 square feet, as well as a restaurant and banquet facility that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests.

WSM-AM

WSM-AM is broadcast from the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville and has a country music format. WSM-AM station�� signal transmits 50,000 watt transmitter.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jim Royal]

    The latest buy for my Special Situations portfolio is Ryman Hospitality (NYSE: RHP  ) . The company operates four of the top 10 largest convention hotels in the U.S., and it converted to a REIT late last year, making it more likely to trade for a higher multiple. In March, I bought $2,000 of the stock, and it has since done little but go down. But Ryman is a solid company with premier properties that deserves to trade at a premium to peers, rather than a steep discount. So I'm adding another $1,000 to my position.

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: RealNetworks Inc.(RNWK)

RealNetworks, Inc. provides network-delivered digital media products and services to manage, play, and share digital media in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It develops and markets software products and services that enable the creation, distribution, and consumption of digital media, including audio and video. The company?s Core Products segment develops and provides software as a service (SaaS) services, including ring-back tone, music-on-demand, video-on-demand, and messaging services for mobile carriers; and e-commerce services, such as business intelligence, subscriber management, and billing for carrier customers. It also licenses Helix server software that allows companies and institutions to broadcast live and on-demand audio, video, and other multimedia programming to users over the Internet. In addition, this segment provides professional and systems integration services; and SuperPass, a subscription service, which provides consumers with acces s to a range of digital entertainment content. Its Emerging Products segment offers RealPlayer, a media player software, which include features and services that enable consumers to discover, play, download, manage, and edit digital video. The company?s Games segment is involved in developing, publishing, licensing, and distributing casual games, such as board, card, puzzle, word, and hidden-object games for PC?s, social networks, mobile handsets, and smartphones through digital download, online subscription play, third-party portals, social networks, and mobile devices. It distributes games principally in North America, Europe, and Latin America through the company?s own Websites, which are operated under the GameHouse, Zylom, and Atrativa brands, and through Websites owned or managed by third parties. RealNetworks, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Carol Hymowitz]

    CEOs who aren�� comfortable around technology and digital trends will have difficulty setting strategy for the future, said Dawn Lepore, former CEO of Drugstore.com and a director at AOL Inc., TJX Cos. (TJX) and RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK)

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 Ben Levisohn]

    The airports that experienced the largest change in share by a major operator were either: 1) on the endangered hub list (e.g. Cincinnati, Memphis and soon-to-be Cleveland); 2) targeted by a low fare airline (e.g. JetBlue (JBLU) in Boston and Fort Lauderdale, Southwest (LUV) in Baltimore and Denver, among others); or 3) Washington Reagan National and New York LaGuardia which reflected the 2012 slot/gate swap between Delta and US Airways. We are of the view that the majority of these actions were/are margin accretive as US airlines focus on redeploying their assets to airports where they can maximize returns.

  • [By Michele Lerner, The Motley Fool]

    Alan Diaz/APAmerican Airlines did better at staying on schedule last year than it did in 2012, when it accused pilots of a work slowdown. DALLAS -- A big drop in customer complaints helped U.S. airlines post their best ratings ever even though more flights were late and more bags were mishandled, according to a report released Monday by university researchers. Virgin America topped the ratings, and three regional airlines scored at the bottom. Among the four biggest airlines, Delta Air Lines (DAL) ranked best followed by Southwest (LUV), American (AAL) and United (UAL), according to researchers from Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The researchers have graded airlines since 1991 on government figures for on-time performance, mishandled bags, bumping passengers, and complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Their key findings: On-Time Performance: Airlines operated 78.4 percent of their flights on time in 2013, down from 81.8 percent in 2012. Best: Hawaiian Airlines (HA); worst: American Eagle. Only two airlines improved: American Airlines and United. Bag Handling: The rate of lost, stolen or delayed bags rose 5 percent. Best: Virgin America; worst: American Eagle. Bumping: The rate of bumping passengers from flights fell 8 percent. Best: JetBlue Airways (JBLU); worst: SkyWest (SKYW). Complaints: Consumer complaints to the government dropped 15 percent in 2013 after rising 20 percent the year before. Best: Southwest Airlines; worst: Frontier (RJET). One of the report's authors, Wichita State business professor Dean Headley, credited the drop in complaints partly to United Airlines. The company suffered several computer-network outages and grounded hundreds of flights in 2012 when it combined the United and Continental computer networks after a merger, but "got their act together" in 2013, he said. Headley said the drop in complaints might also reflect "a certain amount of resignation" that "it's neve

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Unilever NV (UNA)

Unilever N.V. (NV) is a supplier of fast moving consumer goods. The two parent companies, NV and Unilever PLC (PLC), together with their group companies, operate as the Unilever Group (Unilever). The Company�� four product areas are Personal Care, Foods, Refreshment and Home Care. The Company's personal care, which includes sales of skincare and haircare products, deodorants and oral care products; foods, which includes sales of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads; refreshment, which includes sales of ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products and nutritionally enhanced staples sold in developing markets and home care, which includes sales of home care products, such as laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars and a range of cleaning products. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Inyoung Hwang]

    Unilever (UNA) slipped 2.8 percent to 27.94 euros after saying sales growth slowed as trading in emerging markets deteriorated at a faster rate. Underlying group sales for the three months will rise 3 percent to 3.5 percent, the maker of Lipton tea and Dove soap said late yesterday in a statement. That compares with 5 percent growth in both the first half and second quarter.

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cirrus Logic Inc.(CRUS)

Cirrus Logic, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, develops high-precision analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) for audio and energy markets worldwide. The company offers analog and mixed-signal audio converter and audio digital signal processor (DSP) products, which include analog-to-digital converters (ADCs); digital-to-analog converters (DACs); chips for integrating ADCs and DACs into an IC; digital interface ICs; volume controls; and digital amplifiers, as well as audio DSPs for consumer electronics applications. Its audio products are used in various consumer applications, including portable media players, smartphones, tablets, AVRs, DVD and Blu-ray disc players, home theater systems, set-top boxes, MP3 players, gaming devices, sound cards, and digital televisions; professional applications comprising digital mixing consoles, multitrack digital recorders, and effects processors; automotive applications consisting of amplifiers, satellite radio systems, telematics, and multi-speaker car-audio systems; and networked digital audio applications. The company also provides high-precision analog and mixed-signal ICs for energy control, energy measurement, and energy exploration applications; and ICs, board-level modules, and hybrids under the Apex Precision Power brand name for high-power pulse width modulation (PWM) and power amplifier applications; and proprietary products, which include ADCs, DACs, linear amplifiers, PWM amplifiers, and amplifier ICs; and system reference designs. Its energy products are used in digital utility meters, power supplies, lighting ballasts, motor control, energy exploration, and high-power systems. The company sells its products primarily to through direct sales force, external sales representatives, and distributors. Cirrus Logic, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Beyond the Dow, earnings also had a big impact. Cirrus Logic (NASDAQ: CRUS  ) has plunged nearly 14% after releasing preliminary figures for its just-ended fiscal fourth quarter. The major supplier for Apple cited "a decreased forecast for a high volume product" as justifying its warning for both the previous and current quarters, and a Wall Street analyst followed suit with a downgrade of Cirrus stock. Apple also dropped further, with its 4.7% decline leading the stock to flirt with the $400 level, which it hasn't breached since late 2011.

Top 10 Prefered Stocks To Invest In 2014: Ralcorp Holdings Inc.(RAH)

Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. engages in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing private-brand food products, ready-to-eat cereal products, and other regional and value-brand food products. Its products include ready-to-eat and hot cereals; nutritional and cereal bars; snack mixes, corn-based chips, and extruded corn snack products; crackers and cookies; snack nuts; chocolate candy; salad dressings; mayonnaise; peanut butter; jams and jellies; syrups; sauces; frozen griddle products, including pancakes, waffles, and French toast; frozen biscuits and other frozen pre-baked products, such as breads and rolls; frozen and refrigerated doughs; and dry pasta. The company offers its products under various brands, including Post, Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Post Selects, Great Grains, Spoon Size, Grape-Nuts, Honeycomb, 3 Minute Brand, Ralston, Parco, Lofthouse, Krusteaz, Panne Provincio, Major Peters?, Medallion, Ry Krisp, Champagne, Monet, Rippin? Good, Hoody?s, Linette, JERO, Flavor House, Nutcracker, Pennsylvania Dutch, Heartland, Golden Grain, Anthony?s, Pasta Lensi, Ronco, and Mueller?s. It also develops, manufactures, and markets emulations of various types of branded food products to retailers, mass merchandisers, and drug stores to sell under their own store brands or under value-brands. Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. sells its products to retail chains, mass merchandisers, grocery wholesalers, warehouse club stores, drugstores, restaurant chains, and foodservice distributors in the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe, and southeast Asia. It offers its products through a broker network, internal sales staff, independent sales agency, a network of third party warehouses, and independent truck lines. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Will Ashworth]

    Post’s debt has risen substantially since its separation from Ralcorp (RAH) in February 2012. Including its $370 million acquisition of the Dakota Growers Pasta Company announced Sept. 16, Post has spent $717 million moving into other areas of the food industry beyond cereal.

  • [By Louis Navellier]

    A $15.5 billion business that employs 34,800 worldwide, ConAgra is the fourth largest player in the Processed & Packaged Goods industry. In early 2013, ConAgra completed its buyout of Ralcorp Holdings (RAH) making the combined company one of the largest packaged food players on the continent.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Best Diversified Bank Companies To Invest In Right Now

Best Diversified Bank Companies To Invest In Right Now: Danieli & C Officine Meccaniche SpA (DAS)

Danieli & C Officine Meccaniche SpA is an Italy-based company primarily engaged in industrial sector. The Company designs, manufactures, sales and makes installation of machines and plants for the metallurgical industry. The Company's portfolio includes mines; pellet production plants; blast furnaces; direct reduction equipment; machinery for the treatment of scrap metal; steelworks for production of liquid steel; continuous casting machinery for blooms, billets and slabs; rolling mills for long products, seamless tubes and flat products; production lines for welded tubes and flat products; plants for secondary processing, such as peeling, rolling and drawing; forging presses and manipulators; extrusion presses for ferrous and non-ferrous metals; plants for longitudinal and transversal cutting; automation and control systems, and cranes and lifting equipment. It is also active in the production and sale of special steel for automotive, machine tools and railway industry, amon g others. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By GURUFOCUS]

    EMCs products both hardware and software - are litearlly a geeks wonderland alphabet soup, which include Storage Area Network (SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Virtual SAN, All-Flash XtremIO, Atmos, Avamar, Data Domain, Isilon, Pivotal, ViPR Software Defined Storgae, VMAX, VNX, VNXe, VPLEX, VSPEX (none of these are typos). Information storage makes up 70% of revenues and virtualization 23% of revenues. Products generate 55% of revenues. Services generate 45% of revenues. The Companys gross profit split is approximaltey 67% data storage and 31% virtualization.

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-diversified-bank-companies-to-invest-in-right-now-3.html

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014

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?

What is Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV

Controladora Vuela Co Avcn SA CV first took off in 2003 when the Discovery Americas I and Columbia Equity Partners funds joined with TACA Airlines to create a new low-cost airline to serve the Mexican market to allow a greater number of Mexicans to experience air travel. Volaris launched on March 13, 2006 with an�inaugural flight from Toluca to Tijuana while�on July 12, 2006, the World Bank (through their Latin American financial division) granted the company 40 million dollars in financing, thus consolidating�a 130 million dollar investment. Today, Volaris is Mexico���second largest airline after Aerom茅xico and the airline�has Mexico's youngest fleet, made up of 43 aircraft aircraft averaging 4 years in service from the Airbus A319 and A320 families.

Top 5 Restaurant Companies To Invest In Right Now: OCZ Technology Group Inc(OCZ)

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes computer components for computing devices and systems worldwide. It primarily offers solid state drives, flash memory storage, memory modules, thermal management solutions, AC/DC switching power supply units, and computer gaming solutions. The company?s products are used in industrial equipment and computer systems; computer and computer gaming solutions; mission critical servers and high end workstations; personal computer (PC) upgrades to extend the useable life of existing PCs; high performance computing and scientific computing; video and music editing; home theatre PCs and digital home convergence products; and digital photography and digital image manipulation computers. OCZ Technology Group, Inc. offers its products to retailers, on-line retailers, original equipment manufacturers, systems integrators, and distributors. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in San Jose, Califo rnia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    The not-so-great and wonderful OCZ
    There was no company-specific news that caused solid-state-drive maker OCZ Technology (NASDAQ: OCZ  ) to fall almost 8% Wednesday. But an article that appeared on Seeking Alpha �questioning whether the company had six months or less to live before it filed for bankruptcy seemed to coincide with its fall.

Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited(CNR)

China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the development and operation of agricultural logistics and trade centers in northeast China. It also involves in purchasing, processing, assembling, merchandising, and distributing pearls and jewelry products. The company markets its pearls and jewelry products to wholesale distributors and mass merchandisers in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, and other parts of Asia. In addition, it develops, sells, and leases residential and commercial properties in Hong Kong and the People?s Republic of China. The company is based in Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Katie Brennan]

    Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) added 0.9 percent to C$104.93 and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. rose 1.7 percent to C$131.73.

    Niko Resources surged 3.4 percent to $8.64 after the company entered an agreement for a $60 million loan that will be funded by a group of institutional investors. Net proceeds from the loan will be used to fund working capital requirements.

Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: ATA Inc.(ATAI)

ATA Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides computer-based testing services in the People?s Republic of China. It offers services for the creation and delivery of computer-based tests utilizing its test delivery platform, proprietary testing technologies, and testing services; and provides logistical support services relating to test administration. The company?s computer-based testing services are used for professional licensure and certification tests in various industries, including information technology (IT) services, banking, securities, teaching, and insurance. Its e-testing platform integrates various aspects of the test delivery process for computer-based tests ranging from test form compilation to test scoring, and results analysis. ATA also provides career-oriented educational services, such as single course programs, degree major course programs, and pre-occupational training programs focusing on preparing students to pass IT and other vocational certification tests; test preparation and training programs and services to test candidates preparing to take professional certification tests in securities, futures, banking, insurance and teaching industries; online test preparation and training platform for the securities and banking industries; and test preparation software for the teaching industry. In addition, the company offers HR select employee assessment solution, an online system that utilizes its proprietary software and an inventory of test titles to help employers improve the efficiency and accuracy of their employee recruitment process. As of March 31, 2010, it had contractual relationships with 1,988 ATA authorized test centers. The company serves Chinese governmental agencies, professional associations, IT vendors, and Chinese educational institutions, as well as individual test preparation services. ATA Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    Industrials stocks gained Friday, with ATA (NASDAQ: ATAI) leading advancers. Meanwhile, gainers in the sector included Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG), with shares up 22 percent, and Korn/Ferry International (KFY), with shares up 12 percent. In trading on Friday, basic materials shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.36 percent.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    Industrials stocks gained Friday, with ATA (NASDAQ: ATAI) leading advancers. Meanwhile, gainers in the sector included Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG), with shares up 22 percent, and Korn/Ferry International (KFY), with shares up 12 percent. In trading on Friday, basic materials shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.36 percent.

Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: Texas Instruments Incorporated(TXN)

Texas Instruments Incorporated engages in the design and sale of semiconductors to electronics designers and manufacturers worldwide. The company?s Analog segment offers high-performance analog products comprising standard analog semiconductors, such as amplifiers, data converters, and interface semiconductors; high-volume analog and logic products; and power management semiconductors and line-powered systems. Its Embedded Processing segment includes DSPs that perform mathematical computations to process and enhance digital data; and microcontrollers, which are designed to control a set of specific tasks for electronic equipment. The company?s Wireless segment designs, manufactures, and sells application processors and connectivity products. Its Other segment offers smaller semiconductor products, which include DLP products that are primarily used in projectors to create high-definition images; and application-specific integrated circuits. This segment also provides handhe ld graphing and scientific calculators, as well as licenses technologies to other electronic companies. The company serves the communications, computing, industrial, consumer electronics, automotive, and education sectors. Texas Instruments Incorporated sells its products through a direct sales force, distributors, and third-party sales representatives. It has collaboration agreements with PLX Technology Inc.; Neonode, Inc.; and Ubiquisys Ltd. The company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Chuck Saletta]

    What's working well with dividends?
    The highlight of last week was Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN  ) paying out its $0.28-per-share dividend, which was an $0.08 increase over its previous dividend -- and a raise after only two quarters. The semiconductor giant has been under siege lately as it shuts down its mobile business because of increased competition. That increase was a welcome reminder that the company's business lines extend far beyond just the hot technology gadgets of the day and that its core operations still remain solid.

Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: Sky-mobi Limited(MOBI)

Sky-mobi Limited engages in the operation of a mobile application store in the People?s Republic of China. It works with handset companies to pre-install its Maopao mobile application store on handsets and with content developers to provide users with applications and content titles. The users of its Maopao store could browse, download, and purchase a range of applications and content, such as single-player games, mobile music, and books. The company?s Maopao store enables mobile applications and content to be downloaded and run on various mobile handsets with hardware and operating system configurations. It also operates a mobile social network community, the Maopao Community, where it offers localized mobile social games, as well as applications and content with social network functions to its registered members. The company owns proprietary mobile application technology in the cloud computing, the MRP format, and SDK development environment. As of March 31, 2011, it had entered into cooperation agreements with approximately 523 handset companies to pre-install Maopao. The company was formerly known as Profit Star Limited and changed its name to Sky-Mobi Limited in October 2010. Sky-mobi Limited was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Hangzhou, China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Sky-mobi (NASDAQ: MOBI) is projected to report its Q2 results.

    Perfect World Co (NASDAQ: PWRD) is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $150.56 million.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Another stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Sky-mobi (MOBI), which, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of a mobile application platform embedded on mobile phones to provide mobile application store and services in the People�s Republic of China. This stock has been red hot so far in 2013, with shares up a whopping 88%.

    If you look at the chart for Sky-mobi, you'll notice that this stock recently formed a triple bottom chart pattern at $3.31, $3.28 and $3.40 a share. That bottoming pattern occurred over the last two months. Shares of MOBI have now started to uptrend and flirt with its 50-day moving average of $3.76 a share. That move is quickly pushing MOBI within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in MOBI if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.71 to $3.83 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 145,934 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then MOBI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $4.96 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then give MOBI a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.55 to $6.13 a share.

    Traders can look to buy MOBI off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $3.40 to $3.28 a share. One can also buy MOBI off strength once it takes out that breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Best Small Cap Companies To Own For 2014: Sify Technologies Limited(SIFY)

Sify Technologies Limited provides enterprise and consumer Internet services primarily in India. The company offers various corporate network/data services comprising e-commerce and network connectivity solutions, such as end-to-end services network, application, and security services; voice origination and termination services; co-location and managed hosting services; and system integration services for data centre build, hardware distribution, security solutions, and turnkey projects. It also provides application services, including SLEMS and Microsoft Exchange messaging platforms; I-test for online assessment and LiveWire, which enable management of training processes across the organization; document management system for the management of documents electronically; and Forum, a forward supply chain solution. In addition, the company operates e-Ports that offer browsing, chat, email, gaming, utility bill payment, travel ticketing, hotel booking, mobile recharge, Intern et telephony, and online share trading services; and portals, which provide news, views, reviews, interactions, and services in the areas of movies, sports, finance, food, videos, astrology, online games, shopping, and travel, as well as offers content offerings and broadband services. Further, it provides infrastructure management services, such as network management, datacenter and helpdesk outsourcing, desktop and storage outsourcing, IT security outsourcing, LAN and WAN outsourcing, database and telecom outsourcing, and application monitoring and management services to automotive, chemical, media, and financial enterprises; and virtualization design, integration, and deployment services for servers, storage, networks, and end user clients. Sify has approximately 1,278 e-Ports in 200 towns and cities; and serves 1,06,000 broadband subscribers through 1500 cable TV Operators. The company, formerly known as Sify Limited, was founded in 1995 and is based in Chennai, India. Advisors' Opinion:

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    Technology stocks gained Tuesday, with Ku6 Media Co (NASDAQ: KUTV) leading advancers. Among leading tech stocks, gains came from Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN), Bitauto Holdings (NYSE: BITA) and Sify Technologies (NASDAQ: SIFY). Utilities shares dropped by 0.11 percent in the US market today.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    Technology stocks gained Tuesday, with Ku6 Media Co (NASDAQ: KUTV) leading advancers. Among leading tech stocks, gains came from Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN), Bitauto Holdings (NYSE: BITA) and Sify Technologies (NASDAQ: SIFY).