Monday, February 24, 2014

Is Vale's Brazilian Potash Project Just a Pipe Dream?

After disastrous monetary policy caused Vale (NYSE: VALE  ) to abandon its $6 billion potash project in Argentina last year, the mining giant looked to its Brazilian Carnalita potash mine to make up some of the lost volume. The country itself is hoping the operation can help alleviate some of its import demands for the fertilizer component as it currently imports 90% of its potash needs from Russia, Canada, and the Middle East. Carnalita is expected to meet some15% to 20% of the demand.

Potash operations. Source: Vale.

However, two local municipalities greedily eyeing the tax revenues the project will throw off may very well doom the project as Vale now considers selling the mine if a resolution can't be reached.

A tale of two cities
Carnalita straddles the towns of Capela and Japaratuba in the state of Sergipe, and the location of a processing plant has set the two municipalities against one another. The vast majority of the potash deposit, around 70% of it, lays in Capela, but Vale wants to locate the plant in Japaratuba because of "technical criteria," according to an emailed statement from the miner to The Wall Street Journal. If the plant was located on the other side of the border, it's estimated Capela would receive in excess of $80 million in tax revenue, a fivefold increase of its current budget .

Vale is willing to toss the municipality a bone by locating a distribution center in the town, and sell the output from the Capela mine from there, thus giving it sales tax revenues, but that's not enough for the politicians who want more.

The seeds of dissent
As the world's largest coffee, ethanol, orange juice, and sugar producer, Brazil's farms place heavy demand on global fertilizer producers. Vale was looking to replace lost Rio Colorado volume with 2 million tonnes of potash production annually from Carnalita and an additional 3 million to 5 million tonnes annually from its Kronau project in Saskatchewan.

The potash industry was thrown into confusion last year when the Belarusian cartel split apart causing the price of the fertilizer ingredient -- and the producers themselves -- to crater. However, there's been some stabilization in the market as China set a floor of $305 per tonne and Uralkali, one-half of the cartel, seeking a $40 increase to $350 for granular prices for Brazil beginning in March. Many analysts also suspect the cartel will get back together, possibly as early as this year.

Canpotex, the cartel's rival North American potash marketing association, comprised of Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) , PotashCorp (NYSE: POT  ) , and Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) , is a major supplier of potash to Brazil, with some analysts estimating it owns 38% of the market. In years past, Latin America -- primarily the Brazilian market -- has comprised as much as 26% of Canpotex's potash sales.

Fertile fields
Carnalita could be producing by 2017 if the miner reaches an agreement with the municipalities, with the first phase being a $2 billion start-up to produce 1.2 million tonnes annually, followed by an additional second $2 billion phase that raises production to 2.4 million tonnes a year.

That Vale is willing to walk away from yet another project and shed its interest in it shows the level of frustration being experienced. Certainly, it's also part negotiating tactic, since the Brazilian government places just as much importance on the project as the miner does. It just approved low-cost financing to Verde Potash, a Canadian-traded producer, to build a mine in Brazil's Minas Gerais state. Even so, the money-hungry politicos shouldn't dismiss Vale's determination out of hand as it has shown resolve in similar situations before.

Roots of a solution
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Friday, February 21, 2014

Video: How Honda pulled off amazing Fit debut

DETROIT -- It took two moving belts, three days of rehearsals and five actors to pull off one of the most elaborate introductions at the North American International Auto Show this year.

Honda turned the North American debut of its new Fit into a fanciful drive to nowhere. The background moved, but for the most part, the car didn't -- with a wonderful result.

"We wanted to unveil the all-new 2015 Honda Fit in a way that tells the story of the car: youthful, innovative, exciting and fun-to-drive with incredible packaging," says Honda spokeswoman Robyn Eagles.

The Fit is the smallest car in Honda's line, with the new Fit being even an inch shorter than the last. So the goal was to showcase the flexibility that takes advantage of the fact that it has more space inside than the current version.

A creative firm call Spinifex from Sydney came up the idea of using the conveyor belts.

"This reveal literally had 1,000 moving parts and a general sheet pull was ust not going to cut it for this car," she says. The whole production required a team of 25 and some split second timing "between the audio, multiple video screens, speaker support, the five actors, executives, teleprompters, the cars, and most importantly, the two moving belts."

Lots could have gone wrong, but nothing did. "Working hard to convey a story about the car paid off in spades. We were really pleased with the outcome," she adds.

Judge for yourself. It's quite a show.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now

LONDON (MarketWatch) ��European stock markets fell for a second straight day on Thursday, as worries about the U.S. government shutdown offset upbeat economic data from China and Europe.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index (XX:SXXP) �dropped 0.4% to close at 309.55, after closing with the biggest one-day loss in more than a month on Wednesday.

Click to Play Why this shutdown is different, and more

Former Senator Byron Dorgan explains why this shutdown is different. WSJ's David Wessel asks, "What if Obamacare Works?" Middle Seat columnist Scott McCartney on superstitious travelers and airlines, and more. Photo: Getty Images

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: Telefonica SA(TEF)

Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile telephony services primarily in Spain, rest of Europe, and Latin America. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone; local, domestic, and international long distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; video telephony; supplementary and business-oriented value-added services; network services; leasing and sale of handset equipment; and telephony information services. The company?s Internet and broadband multimedia services comprise Internet service provider service; portal and network services; retail and wholesale broadband access; narrowband switched access to Internet; naked ADSL, a broadband connection; residential-oriented value-added services; companies-oriented value-added services; television services, such as IPTV, cable television, and satellite television; and Fiber to the Home, a service for high speed Internet access and digital video recording. Its data and business-solutions services principally include leased lines; virtual private network services; fiber optics services; the provision of hosting and application; outsourcing and consultancy services; desktop services; and system integration and professional services. The company?s wholesale services for telecommunication operators primarily comprise domestic interconnection services; international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators? network deployment; local loop leasing under the unbundled local loop regulation framework; and bit stream services. It also offers various mobile and related services and products that include mobile voice services, value added services, mobile data and Internet services, wholesale services, corporate services, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. The company has a strategic alliance with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited. Telefonica, S.A. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spai n.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Selena Maranjian]

    Other companies didn't do quite as well last year, but could see their fortunes change in the coming years. Spanish telecom concern Telefonica (NYSE: TEF  ) gained 5%. The company is saddled with a lot of debt, and some see it as a possible acquisition target. Meanwhile, Telefonica is pushing Windows phones in Europe, and it has sold its Irish subsidiary.

  • [By Roger Conrad, Founder and Chief Editor, Capitalist Times]

    Roger Conrad: Well, one that I read about actually in the very first issue of Conrad's Utility Investor is a company called Telefonica (TEF). This one is a company that has had a pretty tough several years.

  • [By Dan Radovsky]

    No go as yet for AT&T
    As for U.S. No. 2 wireless company AT&T, last week Bloomberg reported knowledgeable people saying it has been holding talks with Telefonica (NYSE: TEF  ) to buy a significant part of the Spanish telecom, or some of its other foreign assets.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    You can see the same trends among many individual European stocks. Telecom giant Telefonica (NYSE: TEF  ) has big exposure to Latin America, but investors focus on its home country of Spain in limiting its gains. The same trend has affected French oil giant Total (NYSE: TOT  ) , which shares the same exposure to energy projects around the world yet has been tarnished by its proximity to the crisis-ridden continent. By focusing on value rather than perception, you can get some great values when others are being irrational.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: Flamel Technologies S.A.(FLML)

Flamel Technologies S.A., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of controlled-release therapeutic products based on its proprietary polymer based technology in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, France, and Europe. The company develops nanogel Medusa technology, which is intended to provide controlled release following injection of therapeutic proteins, peptides, and other molecules; a microparticle adaptation of the Medusa platform that is intended for use in the delivery of smaller proteins and peptides; and Micropump technology, a microparticle technology for oral administration of small molecule drugs with applications in controlled-release, taste-masking, and bioavailability enhancement; and Trigger-Lock technology, an adaptation based on Micropump technology, which is intended to minimize the misuse and abuse of medications subject to abuse. Its principal product based on Micropump technology is Coreg CR, which is intended for the treatment of moderate to severe heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction. The company?s products under development based upon Medusa technology include Interferon-alpha, a naturally occurring protein that the body uses for the treatment of Hepatitis C virus and as a immune response; and FT-105, an injectable insulin formulation for diabetic patients. Its products based on its Micropump technology comprise LiquiTime for the elderly and pediatric patient patients, or others who have difficulty swallowing. The company has strategic alliance with Baxter International, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Merck Serono; and Pfizer Inc, as well as has a joint development agreement with Digna Biotech, S.L. Flamel Technologies S.A. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Venissieux, France.

Hot Penny Companies To Own For 2015: TotalFinaElf S.A.(TOT)

TOTAL S.A., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated oil and gas company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemicals. The Upstream segment engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It also involves in the transportation, trade, and marketing of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as in LNG re-gasification and natural gas storage operations. In addition, this segment engages in the shipping and trade of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); power generation from gas-fired power plants, nuclear, or renewable energies; production, trade, and marketing of coal, as well as in solar power systems and technology operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had combined proved reserves of 10,695 Mboe of oil and gas. The Downstream segment involves in refining, marketing, trading, and shipping crude oil and petroleum products. It also produces a range of specialty products, s uch as lubricants, LPG, jet fuel, special fluids, bitumen, marine fuels, and petrochemical feedstock. This segment holds interests in 24 refineries located in Europe, the United States, the French West Indies, Africa, and China, as well as operates a network of 17,490 service stations. The Chemicals segment produces base chemicals, including petrochemicals and fertilizers, as well as engages in rubber processing, resins, adhesives, and electroplating activities. TOTAL S.A. was founded in 1924 and is based in Paris, France.

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

    Total S.A. (NYSE: TOT) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.

    Webster Financial Corp. (NYSE: WBS) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a new $28 price target at Sterne Agee.

  • [By Tyler Crowe]

    But as each process is implemented, so too does the cost to extract oil increase. Today, every country in the Middle East is implementing some form of EOR to their oil fields. For some of the smaller countires, it has been in practice for years. Total (NYSE: TOT  ) has been using gas flooding in Abu Dhabi for more than 20 years. This is a telltale sign that the cost of extracting oil is getting more expensive for all players in the region.�

  • [By Arjun Sreekumar]

    For instance, Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) reported a reserve replacement ratio of just 85% last year, while Total's (NYSE: TOT  ) came in at 93%. A ratio that is consistently under 100% generally indicates trouble further down the line. As the majors continue to struggle to boost their oil and gas production, future growth will increasingly come from unconventional sources, such as offshore Africa and Brazil, U.S. shale, and Canada's oil sands.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nuveen Select Tax Free Income Portfolio(NXP)

Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio is an exchange traded fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. It is managed by Nuveen Asset Management Inc. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It primarily invests in long-term municipal obligations with investment-grade ratings (Baa and BBB or better). Nuveen Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio was formed on March 19, 1992 and is domiciled in United States.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: Aegon NV(AEG)

AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marketing. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: British American Tobacco Industries p.l.c.(BTI)

British American Tobacco p.l.c., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of tobacco products. The company offers cigars, cigarettes, smokeless snus, roll-your-own, and pipe tobacco products under the Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Rothmans, Peter Stuyvesant, Benson & Hedges, and State Express 555 brand names. It has operations in the Asia-Pacific, the Americas, eastern and western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. British American Tobacco p.l.c. operates independently of Remgro Ltd. as of November 03, 2008.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tony Reading]

    In this series I'm subjecting companies to scrutiny under five headings: prospects, performance, management, safety, and valuation. How does�British American Tobacco� (LSE: BATS  ) (NYSEMKT: BTI  ) measure up?

  • [By Roland Head]

    LONDON -- Tobacco giants�British American Tobacco� (LSE: BATS  ) (NYSEMKT: BTI  ) and�Imperial Tobacco Group� (LSE: IMT  ) (NASDAQOTH: ITYBY  ) sell more than 1 trillion cigarettes every year.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    How bad has performance of Phillip Morris been? Its shares have dropped 1.9% during the past 12 months, while American-focused Altria Group (MO) has gained 15%. British American Tobacco (BTI) has gained 3%, Reynolds American (RAI) has advanced 14%, and Lorillard (LO) has jumped 26%.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: STMicroelectronics N.V.(STM)

STMicroelectronics N.V., an independent semiconductor company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of a range of semiconductor integrated circuits and discrete devices. Its products include discrete and standard commodity components, application-specific integrated circuits, custom devices and semi-custom devices, and application-specific standard products for analog, digital, and mixed-signal applications. The company also offers subsystems and modules for the telecommunications, automotive, and industrial markets comprising mobile phone accessories, battery chargers, ISDN power supplies, and in-vehicle equipment for electronic toll payment, as well as provides Smartcard products. Its products are used in various microelectronic applications consisting of automotive products, computer peripherals, telecommunications systems, consumer products, industrial automation, and control systems. The company sells its products through distributors and ret ailers. STMicroelectronics N.V. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By ICRAOnline]

    Revenue for the last quarter stood at $73.4 million, up 27.9% from the year-ago quarter. This was primarily driven by the growth in memory technology licensing, coupled with impressive performance of its security technology licensing business. During the quarter, Rambus also signed new licensing agreements with tech giant Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology (MU), STMicroelectronics (STM), LSI Semiconductor (LSI) and SK Hynix. However, the company�� LED lighting business failed to make any significant contribution.

  • [By Evan Niu, CFA]

    STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM  ) and OmniVision (NASDAQ: OVTI  ) are the two camera suppliers, and HTC is reportedly no longer considered a "tier one" manufacturer so it doesn't get priority any more. That implies that one of these image sensor specialists was giving HTC the cold shoulder in favor of bigger names.

  • [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

    In 2009, Ericsson hooked up with STMicroelectronics NV (NYSE ADR: STM) - Europe's No. 1 chipmaker - to produce semiconductors for the wireless market. Launched in 2009, this also was ill-fated.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: BP p.l.c.(BP)

BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; midstream transportation, and storage and processing; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power and natural gas liquids (NGL). This segment has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in Asia, Australasia, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing facilities and export terminals; and LNG processing and transportation, as well as NGL extraction facilities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans-Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission sys tem pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment involves in the supply and trading, refining, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers primarily under the BP, Castrol, ARCO, and Aral brands. Its Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources; and engages in shipping activities. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tom Taulli]

    Efficient operator:�CVX stock has benefited from huge scale, with operations that span mining, chemicals and power generation. Yet, among its peers, the company is standout in its efforts to find cost savings. Its earnings per barrel come to about $23.33, which is $5 ahead of companies like BP (BP), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), Total (TOT) and ExxonMobil (XOM).�But CVX the company is also one of the world�� largest producers of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which has benefited from strong growth in places like Asia and Europe. Besides, LNG has massive barriers of entry because of the substantial requirements for infrastructure, logistics and technology.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: Fresenius Medical Care Corporation (FMS)

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, a dialysis company, provides products and services for patients with chronic kidney diseases. As of May 12, 2011, it provided dialysis care services to 216,942 patients through its network of 2,769 dialysis clinics primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa. The company also develops and manufactures various dialysis products, including hemodialysis machines, dialyzers, hemofilters, dialysis fluid filters, tubing systems, fistula needles, dialysis related equipment, acute hemodialysis machines, plasma filters, acute tubing systems and cassettes, catheters, and related disposable products for chronic hemodialysis, acute therapy, home therapy, and therapeutic apheresis, as well as dialysis drugs. In addition, it provides laboratory services. Fresenius Medical sells its products through distributors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    Dialysis provider DaVita Healthcare Partners (DVA) soared almost 8.9% to close at $61.55 after the market learned that Medicare funding cuts would come in lower than expected. Rival Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) rose 7.2% on the same news.

  • [By Charles Carlson, CEO and Portfolio Manager, Horizon Investment Services]

    For investors looking for growth but also income, I especially like three health-care related stocks��resenius Medical (FMS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), and Smith & Nephew (SNN).

  • [By Louie Grint]

    Still unaffected
    First, Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS  ) is the No. 1 global provider of dialysis equipment. It enjoys leading market share of almost 33% in its home country.

Top 10 European Stocks To Buy Right Now: Aercap Holdings N.V. (AER)

AerCap Holdings N.V., through its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated aviation company worldwide. It engages in leasing and trading aircraft and engines; and selling parts. The company also provides aircraft management services, as well as aircraft and limited engine MRO services, and aircraft disassembly services through its repair stations. In addition, it offers aircraft services, including remarketing aircraft; collecting rental and maintenance payments, monitoring aircraft maintenance, monitoring and enforcing contract compliance, and accepting delivery and redelivery of aircraft; conducting ongoing lessee financial performance reviews; inspecting the leased aircraft; coordinating technical modifications to aircraft to meet new lessee requirements; conducting restructurings negotiations in connection with lease defaults; repossessing aircraft; arranging and monitoring insurance coverage; registering and de-registering aircraft; arranging for aircraft and aircraft engine valuations; and providing market research. The company?s management services include leasing and remarketing, cash management and treasury, technical advisory, and accounting and administrative services. As of March 31, 2011, it owned 272 aircraft and 95 engines, which it leased under operating leases to 118 lessees in 53 countries. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Schiphol, the Netherlands.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Yesterday around midday,�Netherlands based aviation leasing stock�AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER) began surging on rumors and closed up 11.6%, meaning its probably time to take a closer look at those rumors along with aviation leasing peers like small caps or mid caps�Aircastle Limited (NYSE: AYR), Air Lease Corp (NYSE: AL), Fly Leasing Ltd (NYSE: FLY) and AeroCentury Corp (NYSEMKT: ACY).

  • [By Tess Stynes]

    AIG confirmed it will sell its stake in International Lease Finance Corp to aircraft-leasing company AerCap Holdings N.V(AER). for $5.4 billion in cash and stock.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    More than two years ago, American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering (IPO) in its aircraft leasing group, International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC). That filing came to nothing, and AIG found little interest from buyers for ILFC, until Monday morning when it announced that AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER) will buy the leasing operation for $3 billion in cash and 97.56 million shares of new AerCap stock. The total value of the deal is approximately $5.4 billion.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Viacom Looks to Squeeze Profits out of New SpongeBob Movie

SpongeBob SquarePantsGetty Images He might be a humble yellow cleaning accessory, but one Hollywood studio expects to extract big silver-screen profits from SpongeBob SquarePants. The upcoming feature-film sequel "SpongeBob SquarePants 2" will be the first effort from Viacom's (VIA) (VIAB) Paramount Animation unit. The division's debut movie will feature an unusual slant -- it will be a relatively rare blend of animation and live action. Drawing Its Own Future Viacom has been at this for a while. It launched Paramount Animation in mid-2011, on the back of its go-it-alone success "Rango" (which was branded under the umbrella Paramount name). The out-there Western was not only a box office hit, raking in $246 million in global ticket sales against an estimated production budget of $135 million. It also collected an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The following year, the studio's distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation (DWA) expired, leaving it without a steady flow of cartoon titles. Bringing animation in-house was a natural move to stay in the game. But apparently not an easy one. Less than six months after being born, Paramount Animation lost its top executive when the division's president, David Stainton, resigned for "personal reasons." Still, the company was clearly determined to push ahead, and development of the "SpongeBob" sequel rolled along. Cleaning Up at the Box Office Mr. SquarePants is an obvious choice for a debut. Paramount Animation doesn't have to worry about pricey licensing fees, because parent Viacom already holds the rights. SpongeBob has been a longtime staple of the company's Nickelodeon TV network, where it's one of the highest-rated kid shows on basic cable. And Paramount knows the franchise can succeed on the big screen. "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (like "Rango," made under the Paramount name) sold more than $140 million worth of tickets worldwide during its 2004 theatrical release -- nearly five times its estimated production budget. It's also a good time to be in the animated feature business just now. There's a dearth of releases for the under-teen set these days, so the market's rather open, and it's large. Of the top six features by domestic gross last year, half -- "Despicable Me 2" from Comcast (CMCSA), and "Frozen" and "Monsters University," created by different units of the Disney (DIS) empire -- were animated. Combined, the trio took in just over $920 million. And those are just the domestic figures. Kid flicks translate well and easily in foreign markets, and each movie did strong business abroad. "Despicable Me 2" topped its U.S. take by almost $150 million, grossing $551 million overseas. Nearly 54 percent of the ticket sales from "Frozen" came from international box offices, while that ratio was even higher (64 percent) in favor of foreign for "Monsters University." What Works for "Mary Poppins"... The first SpongeBob film had a few live-action sequences, most notably one set on a beach featuring "Baywatch" actor David Hasselhoff in a funny, self-mocking cameo. Paramount is going to expand on this mix considerably in the sequel, which looks set to blend even more live action into the mix. The film will have two directors: one (Mike Mitchell) to handle the live action, and the other (Paul Tibbitt) to oversee animation. "SpongeBob Squarepants 2" will hardly be the first or only movie combining the two media. In 1964, "Mary Poppins" graced the screen and became a near-instant classic. Disney's 1988 offering "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" was the second-highest grossing film of 1988. "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" tried in 2000, and lost money. But the two CGI-powered "Smurfs" movies released by Sony (SNE) earlier this decade both performed well at the box office. "SpongeBob SquarePants 2" is, however, likely to be the only such release when it hits the multiplex in February 2015, as hybrids are few and far between. Over the past year, "Smurfs 2" has been the one true mixed-media film in general release. This uniqueness should help the new SpongeBob feature distinguish itself from rival animated offerings. It'll also attract publicity through the inevitable appearances of celebrity actors in the live-action sequences -- a stronger publicity point than when famous thespians merely provide voices for a character. "Monster Trucks" Cruising to a Theater Near You It's still a bit early to tell, but indications are that Paramount Animation might be trying to differentiate itself from its rivals by being "the hybrid studio." The other major project the unit has copped to developing is "Monster Trucks," another mixed-media movie. That film is slated for release in May 2015. Sticking to one, fairly specialized movie format is a smart move, assuming that's the strategy the division is following. It's an effective way to separate from the rest of the animation pack in Hollywood. "SpongeBob SquarePants 2" should do robust business, and place Paramount Animation high on the list of top specialty units in Hollywood. Its challenge, starting with "Monster Trucks," will be to stay there.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Profiting From the Golden Saucer Chart

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- We had a very strong week in the markets, and many leading stocks jumped this past week. In fact, it was the best week this year by a long shot. But I don't think it will end up being our best week of the year in the end.

This bull market we are in is very strong and has years to run from what I'm seeing. There are a lot of bears and underinvested funds out there, as we basically are climbing the proverbial wall of worry.

We had huge outflows from funds two weeks ago, so that money will be coming back in, pushing markets and stocks higher soon.

Gold and silver continue to move nicely higher, but they are moving a bit too quickly here and are definitely due for a little consolidation period now.

Miners are really coming off these historic lows well and remain a great buy for a long-term hold. Let's move right into the charts and see why we need a consolidation or rest, and where we can expect support to come in. Gold rose 4.10% this past week and did so in style. I've been saying the slower this move is as we come off these major lows, the better.   We did begin to accelerate into the end of the week and we really moved well past the important resistance level at the 200-day moving average on increasing volume. We do need to consolidate here, as such a move above the 200-day average is designed to suck in the last of the bulls. The buy point for gold was back near $1,270, not a break of the 200-day average at $1,310. A week or so of falling back to $1,300 or to $1,280 would give us a very nice handle in this large cup or saucer pattern here. There is no major panic here to buy, and I've been saying that gold isn't so much for trading here yet, rather accumulating physical gold off these major lows. I really like this base. The action out of it is textbook so far.

Stock quotes in this article: GLD, PALL, PLAT, SILVER 

Silver had a huge week, rising 7.37% in the end.

Silver moved to well off the lower end of its flat channel, where I said there was a very low-risk entry point here two weekends ago. A great $2.50 move so far from that buy point. We could run to $22 here, but we do need some rest and I'm looking to $20.50 for support.

Just a fantastic move and behavior here off major lows. Not much needs to be said when silver is behaving so well and predictably. Silver is still following gold, but, as always, it moves more on a percentage basis. Platinum followed gold higher this week and ended up 3.13% on the week. Last weekend I pointed out the continuation pattern that was a little wedge. It pointed to a move lower. But I mentioned that with gold looking ready to move higher, the chances that platinum reversed and moved higher following gold were quite likely. Gold leads the rest of the precious metals, so no matter what patterns we may see here or in palladium, if gold moves decisively one way or another this metal will often follow. Now platinum is butting up against its 200-day average and could see a few days of rest here. But I think we continue higher to resistance at $1,440 first. All in all, platinum is great and I'd consider buying pullbacks here. Next stops are $1,440 and then $1,480 once again, where we should see some more consolidation before a larger breakout. Having platinum move higher only confirms a gold move. Where the Down theory needs the transports to move along with industrials, I suppose we could coin this the precious metals theory, whereby gold, silver, platinum and palladium need to be moving in sync to confirm. We could say this is a precious metals theory buy signal here.

Stock quotes in this article: GLD, PALL, PLAT, SILVER 

Palladium is also confirming the move and moved up 3.74% for the week.

$745 looks like a good resistance area here, where we should see some consolidation now. Great action here and all around in the precious metals this past week.

My thoughts remain that we are coming off history and huge lows for gold and silver. They need to move slowly and build support levels along the way this time, unlike how they moved back in 2011 when they spiked higher for months on end. Those types of moves are never sustainable but sure are fun. We need years now to slowly build nice charts back up near highs and then we can look for a breakout higher that will be a really fun time. It's exactly like the S&P 500 now, which rested and slowly built back up to highs before breaking into new all-time highs and is now running. It's not rocket science, it's just how it goes. It happens over and over in stocks, markets, commodities, treasuries or anything else you can chart. There is always a strong market somewhere and right now it's in leading stocks. In a few years once this huge bull market ends, perhaps it will be gold's turn. Thank you for reading. Enjoy your well deserved long weekend. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. This article represents the opinion of a contributor and not necessarily that of TheStreet or its editorial staff.

Stock quotes in this article: GLD, PALL, PLAT, SILVER 

Friday, February 14, 2014

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014

Pre-market ��Monday 12-30-2013

��he just price is the price established by the ��ommon estimation��[17] of buyers and sellers.��

Saint Thomas Aquinas

1225 -1274

Dr. John L. Faessel

ON THE MARKET

Commentary and Insights

Quote of the day

There�� a reason why in New York Harbor we have the Statue of Liberty, not the Statue of Equality.��

Charles Krauthammer

***

MARKET

To the sky and beyond BUT the AD line shows dwindling participation

Price highs for the indices are being made with dwindling participation, and that is not generally good news. A-D data are perhaps the best way of finding out the state of the liquidity available to the stock market.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: WaterFurnace Renewable Energy Inc (WFIFF)

WaterFurnace Renewable Energy, Inc. specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of geothermal and water-source systems. It�� the United States subsidiary companies are WaterFurnace International, Inc. (WaterFurnace) and LoopMaster International, Inc. (LoopMaster). In December 2010, it incorporated two Australian subsidiaries: WaterFurnace International Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd. (WaterFurnace Asia Pacific) and Hyper WFI Pty. Ltd. (Hyper WFI). WaterFurnace designs, manufactures and distributes geothermal water source heating and cooling systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. LoopMaster installs geothermal loops for residential applications, does commercial conductivity testing and provides design and installation assistance. Hyper WFI designs, develops and builds devices that limit the inrush current, which electric motors draw upon start up. On January 21, 2011, the Company acquired inventory and fixed assets from Binary Engineering Pty. Ltd.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Liberte Investors Inc. (FAC)

First Acceptance Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in retailing, servicing, and underwriting non-standard personal automobile insurance and related products. Its primary business involves issuing automobile insurance policies to individuals who are categorized as non-standard based primarily on their inability or unwillingness to obtain insurance coverage from standard carriers due to various factors, including their payment history or need for monthly payment plans, and failure to maintain continuous insurance coverage or driving record. The company also offers optional products that provide ancillary reimbursements and benefits in the event of an automobile accident; and underwrites a tenant homeowner policy that provides contents and liability coverage to renters. In addition, it engages in activities related to the disposition of real estate held for sale. The company distributes its products through retail locations. As of March 31, 2012, it leased and op erated 378 retail locations. First Acceptance Corporation was founded in 1969 and is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Auto sales continue to rise and that is good news for small cap auto insurers Infinity Property and Casualty Corp (NASDAQ: IPCC), First Acceptance Corporation (NYSE: FAC) and Atlas Financial Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: AFH) which are focused on niche auto insurance markets.�A Yahoo! Autos blog post�recently noted that in August, automakers sold 1.5 million new vehicles for the highest rate in years. Moreover,�most industry forecasters expect sales to�return to the level they hit before the 2008 recession of 16 million vehicles a year. The blog post then went on to note the three forces driving auto sales:

Hot Penny Stocks For 2015: Exone Co (XONE.W)

The ExOne Company, incorporated on December 21, 2012, is engaged in manufacturing and selling three-dimensional (3D) printing machines and printing products to specification for its customers using its in-house 3D printing machines. The Company provides 3D printing machines, 3D printed products and related services to industrial customers in the aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, energy/oil/gas and other industries. It offers pre-production collaboration and print products for customers through its production service centers (PSCs), which are located in the United States, Germany and Japan. On January 1, 2013, the Company merged its predecessor company, The Ex One Company, LLC, with and into EXO Acquisitions Inc., which changed its name to The ExOne Company.

The Company produces an array of materialization systems to support a range of customer needs and facility requirements. It offers two printers on the world market for 3D printing of sand and metal materials, offering build sizes as large as 1800 x 1000 x 700 mm (70 x 39 x 27 in.) for sand and 780 x 400 x 400 mm (30.7 x 15.75 x 15.75 in.) for metal. It also offers Orion short pulse laser systems, utilizing a five-axis machine tool with four additional axes available on the trepanning head. The Company builds 3D printing machines at its facilities in the United States and Germany. The Company also supplies the associated products, including consumables and replacement parts, and services, including training and technical support, necessary for purchasers of its machines to print products. The Company�� 3D printing machines are able to manufacture casting molds and cores from specialty silica sand and ceramics, which are the traditional materials for these casting products.

The Company competes with 3D Systems Corporation, Stratasys Inc., Solidscape, Inc. and Objet Ltd., EOS Optronics GmbH, EnvisionTEC GmbH, and Solid Model Ltd.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Tomra Systems ASA (TOM.OL)

Tomra Systems ASA (TOMRA) is a Norway-based company that produces sensor-based solutions for optimal resource productivity. The Company operates within two business segments: Collection Solutions, which offers reverse vending solutions, pick-up, transportation and processing of empty beverage containers, and Sorting Solutions, which provides optical sorting systems. The Company�� principal product groups include reverse vending systems, sensor-based sorting solutions, compaction and baling solutions, ore and mineral sorting solutions, as well as processing solutions for the food industry. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was active in over 50 countries around the world thorugh such subsidiaries, as Tomra Europe AS, Tomra Butikksystemer AS, Retail Services GmbH, Tomra Sorting Solutions Sro and Odenberg Engineering Ltd, among others. As of May 21, 2012, the Company's largest shareholder was Investment AB Latour, which held 15.5% shares.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Armstrong Industrial Corp Ltd (A14.SI)

Armstrong Industrial Corporation Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of foam and rubber components focusing on noise, vibration, and heat management for use in the automotive and electronics industries. The company offers rubber parts and components of electronic and other instruments; rubber products, hardware, industrial parts, and components; and precision die-cutting, die fabrication, rubber molding, stamping, vacuum forming, heat press molding, and EPP molding components, as well as provides related product�s tooling fabrication, processing, and sale services. It also provides automotive products; gasket connectors, crash stops/latch bumpers, insulators, and damper adhesives for the data storage industry; rubber/ foam rollers, insulation films/foams, dampers, rubber feet products, cushion pads, panel acoustics, reflectors/ scanner foam assemblies, and labels and separator pads used in the office automation industry; and acousti c foams, dust sealants, filter foams, foots, heat sink gaskets, lens film spacers, microphone holders, insulator films, motor gaskets, O-rings, and silicon plugs for the consumer electronics industry. The company�s solutions are used for dampening, insulation, sealing, cushioning, sound absorption, and related applications. In addition, it produces noise and vibration reduction components, silkscreen nameplates, labels, and stickers; provides architectural, engineering, and related technical consultancy services; and trades in various materials and machineries, as well as adhesive and foam products. The company primarily operates in the People's Republic of China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It has a strategic partnership with Odenwald-Chemie GmbH. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Singapore.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Entree Gold Inc (ETG.TO)

Entr茅e Gold Inc., an exploration stage resource company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties primarily in Mongolia and the United States. The company holds interests in three key copper porphyry deposits, including the Hugo North Extension and the Heruga deposits in Mongolia; and the Ann Mason deposit, located near Yerington, Nevada. It is also exploring for porphyry-related copper systems in Nevada and New Mexico. The company was formerly known as Entr茅e Resources Inc. and changed its name to Entr茅e Gold Inc. on October 9, 2002. Entr茅e Gold Inc. was founded 1995 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Penske Automotive Group Inc.(PAG)

Penske Automotive Group, Inc. operates as an automotive retailer. It sells new and used vehicles of approximately 40 vehicle brands; offers vehicle maintenance and repair services; and engages in the sale and placement of third-party finance and insurance products, third-party extended service contracts, and replacement and aftermarket automotive products. As of December 31, 2011, the company operated 320 retail automotive franchises, of which 166 franchises were located in the United States and 154 franchises are located outside of the United States primarily in the United Kingdom. It also has operations in Puerto Rico and Germany. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lawrence Meyers]

    However, the company just reported that retail sales were flat with last year. AN stock is sitting in a better position than KMX, with 18.65% long term growth. On FY14 EPS of $3.38, it suggests fair value is upwards of $60, and currently trades at $49. The company isn’t heavily leveraged, and it has positive FCF. So far, AN stock is looking like the best buy among these used car stocks.

    Penske Automotive Group (PAG)

    Penske Automotive Group (PAG) could almost be an identical twin to AutoNation as far as what it provides, outside of the luxury market.

  • [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 Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG  ) .

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    AutoNation (NYSE: AN  )
    Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG  )

    Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG  ) reported earnings on April 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Penske Automotive Group missed estimates on revenues and beat slightly on earnings per share.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (the Fund) is an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. It seeks to track the performance of an index that measures the investment return of common stocks of companies that have a record of increasing dividends over time. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund (the Fund), which employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Dividend Achievers Select Index (the Index).

The Index is a subset of the Broad Dividend Achievers Index and is administered for Vanguard by Mergent, Inc. The Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    But you can see in several places the consequences of the stampede toward high yield. Here are just a few:

    Closed-end funds Cornerstone Progressive (NYSEMKT: CFP  ) and Pimco High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) both make fixed payments back to fund shareholders on a monthly basis, and their distribution yields are truly extraordinary, at about 17% and 12%, respectively. Those dividends have enticed shareholders to pay $1.30 to $1.40 or more for each $1 of assets in the funds. Yet during most months, a substantial portion of those distribution payments has simply been a return of investor capital rather than true income from the funds' investments. A recent study discussed in The Wall Street Journal found that returns on a portfolio with a combined value and dividend-income strategy outperformed a strategy focused more exclusively on maximizing dividends by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year, a huge edge in long-run returns. In the dividend ETF arena, most funds tend to focus on maximizing yield. Although the popular Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) ETF bucks the trend by screening first for consistent dividend growth and only then looking at yield as a factor, many rival ETFs start with high-yielding stocks as their baseline and only then consider other desirable traits. Others focus solely on high-dividend niches of the market, such as iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage-Plus (NYSEMKT: REM  ) and its concentration on high-yield mortgage REITs.

    When dividend stocks get too popular, their prices get out of line with both their dividend income and the fundamentals of the businesses that underlie those stocks. In simpler terms, when dividend stocks become bad values, it's time to consider looking elsewhere for a margin of safety.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Investing in dividend stocks is easy. Exchange-traded funds Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) , iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend (NYSEMKT: DVY  ) , and SPDR S&P Dividend (NYSEMKT: SDY  ) give you low-cost access to dozens or even hundreds of dividend-paying stocks, all within a single investment vehicle. If you prefer, you can also buy individual stocks, either through a broker or through direct investment plans. Blue-chip companies General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) are just two of the hundreds of stocks that offer shares through direct plans and allow you to reinvest dividends automatically in additional shares at no fee.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Novadaq Technologi Com Npv (NDQ.TO)

Novadaq Technologies Inc. develops, manufactures, and commercializes fluorescence imaging products and therapeutic devices for surgeons in the operating room and other clinical settings primarily in the United States, Japan, and internationally. The company�s proprietary imaging platform is used to visualize blood vessels, nerves, and the lymphatic system during surgical procedures. Its SPY�inpatient open surgical imaging system, including SPY and SPY Elite are used in coronary artery bypass graft surgery, cardiovascular surgery, plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery, microsurgery, organ transplant, and gastrointestinal surgery. The company�s LUNA � diagnostic outpatient imaging system enables physicians treating chronic wounds for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, pressure sores, and other serious wounds. Its FIREFLY�robotic surgical imaging system is used for robotic surgery; and PINPOINT�endoscopic fluorescence imaging system is used for traditional endosco pe and to obtain fluorescence images on demand or in a simultaneous imaging mode during minimally invasive surgery. The company also offers SPY analysis toolkit, a post-processing software that allows surgeons to apply objective analysis tools to SPY, SPY Elite, and LUNA images; CO2 heart laser systems for transmyocardial revascularization; and Trapper technology system, a surgical lymphoscintigraphy gamma camera system. Novadaq Technologies Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Smithfield Foods Inc.(SFD)

Smithfield Foods, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and marketing of fresh meat and packaged meats products in the United States and internationally. The company involves in the production of hog; and produces various fresh pork, beef, poultry, and packaged meats products. It sells fresh pork to retail customers as unprocessed and trimmed cuts, such as butts, loins, picnics, and ribs; packaged meats products, including smoked and boiled hams, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and deli and luncheon meats; specialty products, such as pepperoni and dry meat products; and ready-to-eat prepared foods comprising pre-cooked entrees, and pre-cooked bacon and sausages. The company offers its products to supermarket chains; wholesale distributors; the foodservice industry, including fast food, restaurant and hotel chains, hospitals, and other institutional customers; export markets; and other further processors. It sells its products through its salespersons an d independent commission brokers. Smithfield Foods, Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Michael Lewis]

    Earlier this year, the world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Farms (NYSE: SFD  ) , received an appealing buyout offer from a China-based meat processor-- Shuanghui The board agreed to the $7.1 billion takeover (debt included) -- the largest Chinese buyout of a U.S. firm in history. Now, though, it appears that U.S. regulators may block the deal as a matter of national security. If the deal fails, investors may have to worry, as the company is struggling�to grow amid rising feed costs and tepid international demand. Here's why federal regulators are concerned.

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Paula Deen has seen her future earnings prospects dim after her admission of using a racial slur. She lost her show. Several retailers have stopped stocking the celebrity chef's products. However, Deen has also lost lucrative endorsements with casino operator Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR  ) and packaged pork products producer Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD  ) .

  • [By Victor Mora]

    Smithfield Foods is a provider of fresh and packaged meat products that are seen as a staple food item for many consumers and growing populations worldwide. A takeover of the company is believed to be going through after a shareholder vote scheduled for Tuesday. The stock has been moving higher in recent years and is now trading slightly below all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, investors have had mixed feelings about the company, as earnings have been decreasing and revenues have been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, Smithfield Foods has been a year-to-date performance leader. WAIT AND SEE if a vote to acquire Smithfield Foods goes through.

  • [By Michael Lewis]

    Virginia-based pork producer Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD  ) recently released a less-than-stellar earnings announcement, largely due to increasing feed prices coupled with heavy pricing pressure at the grocery store. But the earnings have been far from the headlines as the company looks to close out on its sale to China's largest meat processing company. To add to the fray, 6% activist owner Starboard Value believes that the buyout offer undervalues Smithfield, and that a breakup of the company offers shareholders a better alternative. Let's take a look at both options, and try to determine where the cards are stacked.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Superior Energy Services Inc.(SPN)

Superior Energy Services, Inc. provides specialized oilfield services and equipments to serve the production and drilling-related needs of oil and gas companies. It operates through three segments: Subsea and Well Enhancement; Drilling Products and Services; and Marine. The Subsea and Well Enhancement segment provides integrated subsea and engineering services, coiled tubing, electric line, pumping and stimulation, gas lift, well control, hydraulic workover and snubbing, recompletion, stimulation and sand control equipment and services, well evaluation, offshore oil and gas tank, vessel cleaning, decommissioning, plug and abandonment, and mechanical wireline services. This segment also manufactures and sells drilling rig instrumentation equipments; and involves in the production and sale of oil and gas from its properties in the Gulf of Mexico. The Drilling Products and Services segment manufactures, sells, and rents equipments for use with offshore and onshore oil and gas well drilling, completion, production, and workover activities. This segment?s products and services include pressure control equipment, drill pipe and landing strings, connecting iron, handling tools, stabilizers, drill collars, and on-site accommodations. The Marine segment owns and operates a fleet of liftboats in the Gulf of Mexico. The company operates 25 rental liftboats with leg lengths ranging from 145 feet to 265 feet. Superior Energy Services, Inc. sells its products and services in Latin America, North America, North Sea and Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, and the Asia Pacific region. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By David Smith]

    Superior Energy Services (NYSE: SPN  )
    The largest of the three "smaller" oil-field services companies for this discussion carries an approximately $4.4 billion market cap. The Houston-based company has been accorded a rating of 1.6 by the analysts, with no single rating below a buy. (All three of the companies discussed here are headquartered in Houston. But that's a coincidence, not a requirement.)

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Africa Oil Corp (AOI.V)

Africa Oil Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas. The company holds interests in approximately 300,000 square kilometers (gross) of exploration property in various African rift basins, focusing primarily on east Africa. It owns interests in exploration licenses in Kenya, Ethiopia, the Republic of Mali, and Somalia. The company was formerly known as Canmex Minerals Corporation and changed its name to Africa Oil Corp. in August 2007. Africa Oil Corp. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Yale Resources Ltd. (YLL.V)

Yale Resources Ltd., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead. It also has interests in oil and gas properties in the United States. The company was founded in 1987 is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Transpac Industrial Hldgs Ltd (T55.SI)

Transpac Industrial Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, provides venture capital to companies with capital appreciation potential in Asia. It invests in the securities of growing private companies principally located in China/Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The company is based in Singapore.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: Banco Santiago S.A.(SAN)

Banco Santander-Chile provides commercial and retail banking services to corporate and individual customers in Chile. The company offers time and demand deposits, checking accounts, and debit card accounts, as well as savings products; and peso and foreign currency denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines. Its loan portfolio comprises consumer loans, auto loans, residential mortgage loans, mutual funds, foreign trade financing, mortgage loans, and commercial loans. The company also provides factoring, credit cards, cash management, treasury services, short?term financing and funding, interest rate and foreign currency derivatives, and securitization services. Further, it offers various financial services, including leasing, financial leasing, financial advisory, mutual fund management, securities brokerage, insurance brokerage, and investment management services. As of December 31, 2010, the company had a branch network of 504 branches. Banco Santander-Chile was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Carroll]

    That doesn't make either of these nations a safe bet for investors -- and especially not Spain, with its skyrocketing unemployment rate and bleak prospects for real economic growth in the near future. Still, that doesn't mean there aren't deals to be found among the best companies in these countries. Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN  ) has lost more than 11% year to date, but this financial firm has diversified well away from Europe's fiscal mess and toward developing Latin America, making the bank stock an intriguing emerging-markets play. With a massive 10.8% dividend yield and an optimistic earnings projection for the year, Santander isn't without appeal for investors. Still, Spain's risky economic situation makes nearly any stock from the country -- even a geographically diversified one -- a tough call.

  • [By Alanna Petroff]

    The police linked the theft at Barclays (BCS) to another attempt to steal money from a Santander (SAN) branch in London, which led to the arrest of 12 men last week.

  • [By Carlton Delfeld]

    Carl Delfeld: Sure. Well, one company that we recommended in the third quarter of last year was a bank, Banco Santander. (SAN) is the New York Stock Exchange ticker.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Own For 2014: U.S. Physical Therapy Inc.(USPH)

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates outpatient physical and occupational therapy clinics in the United States. Its clinics provide pre-and-post operative care and treatment for orthopedic-related disorders, sports-related injuries, preventative care, rehabilitation of injured workers, and neurological-related injuries. The company also offers physician services to third parties; and operates clinics, which specialize in the outpatient, non-surgical treatment of osteo arthritis degenerative joint disease and other musculoskeletal conditions. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 416 clinics in 42 states; and managed 15 physical therapy facilities for third parties, including physicians. The company focuses its marketing efforts on physicians comprising orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, internal medicine physicians, podiatrists, occupational medicine physicians, and general practitioners. U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. was founded in 1 990 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

Monday, February 10, 2014

Nissan's big gains still leave it behind Toyota,…

Nissan Motor, the Japan parent company, said its latest quarterly earnings were 84.3 billion Japanese yen, or about $848.1 million using Nissan's conversion rate of 99.4 yen per dollar.

That's up a hefty $301.8 million from a year earlier on strong sales in the U.S. and China, the company's main markets, and a weaker yen than a year earlier, which makes export sales more profitable.

The period was the third quarter of the Japan fiscal year, which ends March 31.

Nissan's results make it the least-profitable of Japan's three top car companies,

Nissan said net income for the nine-month period that ended Dec. 31 was $2.76 billion on revenue of $79.8 billion.

Top 5 Cheap Companies To Watch In Right Now

The strong increases were typical of Japan's big names, all benefiting from a weaker yen, and from increasing sales in key markets such as the U.S. and China.

Toyota Motor said Feb. 4 in Japan that its quarterly net was about $5.2 billion, more than five times the year-ago figure.

Honda Motor said in January that its third quarter net more than doubled, to $1.53 billion.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Contributing to a Health Savings Account in 2014

I signed up for a high-deductible health insurance policy for 2014. Am I eligible to contribute to a health savings account? And if so, where can I open the account?

SEE ALSO: How Employees Can Save Money on Health Care Costs

To make tax-deductible (or pre-tax) contributions to a health savings account in 2014, your health insurance policy must have a deductible of at least $1,250 for individual coverage and $2,500 for family coverage. Plus, all covered benefits (except for preventive care) must be subject to the deductible; some plans, for example, don't meet the requirements because they don't have a deductible for drug benefits. Ask your health insurer whether your policy qualifies. Some providers clearly mark their HSA-eligible policies (Cigna, for example, calls its policies "myCigna Health Savings"), but others do not.

You may purchase an HSA-eligible policy through your employer, through the health insurance exchanges, or directly from an insurer or agent. Research firm HSA Consulting Services found that 42% of the bronze policies, 15% of the silver policies and 9% of the gold plans sold on the 36 federally run exchanges are HSA-eligible. "If you're going to take a high deductible, you might as well take the HSA to pay for those expenses on a tax-free basis," says president Todd Berkley. If you're buying directly, eHealthInsurance.com makes it easy to search for HSA-eligible policies and find a health savings account administrator.

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Own For 2015

You can contribute up to $3,300 to a health savings account if you have individual coverage, or up to $6,550 for family coverage in 2014. Your contributions are tax-deductible (or pre-tax if through an employer plan), and the money may be used tax-free in any year to pay for your deductible and other out-of-pocket medical expenses.

You may open an HSA at many banks and brokerage firms. Your employer or insurer may pair your policy with a particular HSA, but you aren't required to get the account through that administrator. Be careful, however, that you don't give up any matching contributions; employers offering Fidelity HSAs, for example, contribute a median of $600 for singles and $1,200 for family coverage to employees' accounts.

Eric Remjeske, president of consulting firm Devenir, identifies two types of HSA users: short-term saver/spenders and longer-term saver/investors. Short-term savers are looking to deposit money into an HSA and use it for medical expenses in the next six to 12 months. If you're a short-term saver, look for a low-cost provider that links your bank account or other funding source to the HSA so that the funds are conveniently available. But you'll get the biggest tax benefits if you use the HSA as a longer-term investing vehicle (see Strategies for Your Health Savings Account). That means using other money for current medical bills and keeping HSA money growing tax-free for future medical expenses. Remjeske recommends that longer-term saver/investors look for an HSA that offers investments in mutual funds from a variety of fund companies and investment styles. "Also consider the total fees for the features you want as some of them can add up," he says. You can search for HSA administrators using Devenir's HSA search tool.

Some HSA providers give you a variety of investing choices. HSA Bank, for example, lets you invest in mutual funds, stocks and other investments through a TD Ameritrade brokerage account (including about 2,600 no-transaction-fee mutual funds and more than 100 commission-free ETFs). It pays to keep a high balance in the account; the $2.50 monthly account maintenance fee and $3 monthly investing fee are waived if you have at least $4,925 in your account in 2014.

Health Savings Administrators offers 22 Vanguard funds with an average expense ratio of 0.21%. The firm charges a $45 annual fee and a custodial fee of 80 cents per $1,000 invested (capped at $16 per fund per year).

Cigna pairs its high-deductible accounts with Chase HSAs, which offer 36 no-load mutual funds managed by 12 different investment managers. The firm was charging a $2.50 monthly fee to participate in the investment account, but the fee will be waived starting on January 1, 2014.

For more information about HSAs, see FAQs About Health Savings Accounts.

Got a question? Ask Kim at askkim@kiplinger.com.



Thursday, February 6, 2014

Banks, regulators moving to thwart cyberattacks

WASHINGTON — Financial regulators and industry officials said Monday they have made progress in efforts to safeguard financial institutions from the kind of cyberattacks that disrupted large-bank websites last year but much work remains.

The government is sharing intelligence with financial institutions and the industry is spending millions of dollars to better protect their networks, officials said at a meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

"Our experience over the last couple of years shows that cyberthreats to financial institutions and markets are growing in both frequency and sophistication," Assistant Treasury Secretary Cyrus Amir-Mokri told the council. The inter-agency panel was formed after the 2008 financial crisis to improve oversight of banks and better monitor risks to the financial system.

Financial institutions have faced a growing number of network-based threats in recent years, including denial-of-service attacks last fall that slowed the websites of banks such as Chase and Bank of America.

Last year, President Obama issued an executive order directing agencies to better share information with the private sector to head off those and more serious ones that could disrupt the financial system.

Over the past year, Amir-Mokri said, Treasury has set up detailed briefings for financial companies and regulators, some of which were classified, to share best practices with the industry. Treasury also has declassified certain information to inform the industry of potential threats.

BB&T CEO Kelly King said the threat to the industry has expanded "from fraudsters committing financial theft" to "hacktivists … causing disruption to nation states" and "threatening serious data manipulation and destruction."

Among other things, he said, the financial industry is:

• Investing money to create more secure "cloud" networks so credit and debit card transactions will be more secure.

• Trying to obtain the rights to two new top-! level domains — dotbank and dotinsurance — that would keep out fraudsters more effectively than the widely used dotcom domain.

• Automating the sharing of threat information to make it faster and more efficient.

• Conducting elaborate simulations of multiple cyberattacks from both outside entities and "malicious insiders. "

"The world has changed and it's not going back," King said. "We've made progress but we have a long way to go."

The meeting was likely the last for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a member of the council who plans to step down as Fed chair next month. It was also the final meeting of FSOC member Gary Gensler, who is stepping down as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who chairs the council, said Bernanke's "boldness and creativity (during the financial crisis) were critical in avoiding another Great Depression."

Bernanke said the council "has served its purpose of working together better. We can't look (at the financial system) piece by piece. We have to look at it together as a whole."

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): How Verizon Addresses Competition From T-Mobile US Inc

Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is facing severe wireless competition, especially from T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS). But, the wireless carrier's strategy of keeping its cool and focusing on network quality has shielded it from competitors.

The US wireless market has always been competitive, and what Verizon is seeing now isn't new. While they acknowledge that T-Mobile has gained traction, management reminded investors that this is not the first time that Verizon has faced a new and emerging competitive threat.

[Related -T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS): AT&T Inc.(NYSE:T) Could Suffer In Wireless War]

For example, in the 1990s the PCS (1900 MHz) spectrum auctions created a large number of new entrants (including T-Mobile and Sprint) that were viewed as material threats to incumbent 'cellular' operators such as Verizon.

Later, the industry saw the emergence of prepaid carriers like MetroPCS and Leap Wireless. This isn't even the first time that Verizon has seen competitors offer to buy-out customers' early termination fees (ETFs).

Deutsche Bank analyst Brett Feldman said Verizon retained a leadership position by being rational and measured in how it reacted, and management does not view the current environment as warranting a different approach. So far, management believes its 'keep calm and carry on' strategy is working.

[Related -Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL): China Mobile On Board, But Challenges Remain]

Despite three strong quarters of post-paid subscriber growth at T-Mobile, Verizon has put up good results itself including a modest improvement in post-paid churn in the fourth quarter. Verizon also added 1.6 million subscribers in the quarter.

Meanwhile, the key reason that most customers choose and stay with Verizon is network quality. While Verizon had some bad press in the fourth quarter related to network issues in a few large markets, such as New York, the company believes that these isolated hot spots have been fixed and that the carrier retains a meaningful network advantage.

To drive this point home with consumers it has resumed an ad strategy that focuses on its network coverage and speeds. A key example is its recent LTE map ads which compare Verizon's LTE coverage with its competitors.

Feldman noted that the goal is to cut through the various claims about who has the best coverage by simply showing consumers a map highlighting that Verizon has nearly 3 times the LTE coverage of its closest competitor AT&T.

To date, T-Mobile's Un-carrier offers have only appealed to a small portion of Verizon's post-paid base (mostly young, price sensitive individuals). So, the best way for Verizon to address isolated pressures is with targeted promos.

A key example is the recent launch of a $60/month plan that includes unlimited voice and messaging plus 250 MB of data. Management views this plan as both a lure that can attract new customers (who are likely to buy-up to larger data buckets down the road) and a retention tool for existing customers with limited data needs that may consider switching.

Feldman said another weapon is Edge, which is Verizon's version of a handset installation plan. Initial traction here has been strong with 20% of eligible gross adds selecting an Edge plan in the fourth quarter. However, the financial impact to date remains modest with Edge driving only 1 percent of Verizon's wireless EBITDA last quarter.

The analyst adds that it is too early to know whether T-Mobile's ETF buy-out offer will have a material impact on Verizon. Management's initial view is that the offer is not as attractive as it initially looks, with most customers receiving far less value than the headline claim of $650 per line.

Verizon believes that the T-Mobile offer has some logistical hurdles such as the need for families to replace all of their devices, and long delays in receiving a check for the value of the ETF. But, the company is watching to see what happens and will make adjustments if necessary.

Verizon is investing in converged services in order to remain differentiated over the longer term. The carrier is not quite at the point where converged services are at the core of its wireless product offering. But, it is increasingly in a position to leverage investments it has made in its other segments to add differentiated twists to its current plans.

Content will be a key part of Verizon's converged services strategy. Verizon says that it has agreed to purchase intellectual property rights and other assets that enable Intel's OnCue Cloud TV platform. These assets primarily provide the user interface for IP video services that Verizon can offer across both its wireless and wireline networks.

Feldman said several of Verizon's recent acquisitions and investments support a strategy of building-out new content capabilities and services. A potential example is integrating some the security capabilities housed in its enterprise segment into its wireless services.

Verizon would launch differentiated services like this in the near-term. So, Verizon can sustain solid growth in 2014 even as the competitive landscape shifts.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

[video] Quick Take: Bonds Prepare for Hard Landing

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stocks are taking a break and declining on Tuesday, albeit, slightly. According to TheStreet's Debra Borchardt, investors might be feeling slightly anxious over a possible tapering decision from the Federal Reserve this month. 

While it may seem unlikely, the positive economic data isn't helping those who think the tapering may be on its way. 

As a result, Treasury bonds have been in decline, and there have been some very notable sellers. 

She pointed out that Citigroup (C) sold 10% of its Treasury holdings, which are now down to $82.6 billion.

The cut at Bank of America (BAC) was even more dramatic. Borchardt said the bank sold 88% of its Treasury bond positions, now down to a paltry $2.97 billion.  It's the first time banks have been selling their Treasury positions in six years and now have the lowest ownership levels since the data began compiling in 1973.  Borchardt also said an analyst from J.P. Morgan (JPM) suggested the technical setup favors the bear side.  Furthermore, 10-year Treasury rates, currently near 2.75%, could push up to 3.15% depending on how the move plays out, she concluded. -- Written by Bret Kenwell in Petoskey, Mich. Follow @BretKenwell

Saturday, February 1, 2014

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now

Earlier this month, I outlined a few reasons Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A  ) (NYSE: BRK-B  ) CEO Warren Buffett might be compelled to spend some of his $15 billion war chest to acquire "mini-Berkshire" Markel (NYSE: MKL  ) .

First, I noted Buffett looks for top-notch management in the companies he buys, which is something of which Markel�certainly has no shortage.

What's more, Markel's insurance operations could not only complement Berkshire Hathaway's existing businesses, but could also provide new investment money for Buffett to put to work in the form of additional insurance float dollars.

Finally, Markel takes pride in its ability to grow by identifying and acquiring fantastic smaller businesses. As it so happens, Buffett is also fond of buying such businesses, especially considering Berkshire forked out $2.3 billion for small bolt-on acquisitions last year alone.

With that in mind, it certainly doesn't hurt to look at the other side of the coin.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (FOXA)

News Corporation, incorporated on October 23, 1979, is a diversified global media company. The Company operates in six segments: Cable Network Programming; Filmed Entertainment; Television; Direct Broadcast Satellite Television; Publishing, and Other. Cable Network Programming produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators in the United States and internationally. Filmed Entertainment engages in the production and acquisition of live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in all formats in all entertainment media worldwide, and the production and licensing of television programming worldwide. Television is engaged in the operation of broadcast television stations and the broadcasting of network programming in the United States. It engages in the direct broadcast satellite business through its subsidiary, SKY Italia. It also owns significant equity interests in BSkyB and Sky Deutschland AG (Sky Deutschland), which are engaged in the DBS business. The Company is engaged in the publishing business, primarily through its subsidiaries News International, News Limited, Dow Jones, The New York Post, The Daily, Harper Collins Publishers and News America Marketing Group. Its digital media businesses include IGN Entertainment, Inc. (IGN), and other Internet properties. In November 2012, News Corporation, through a wholly owned subsidiary, completed acquisition of ESPN's partnership interest in ESPN STAR Sports.

During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), it acquired an additional interest in Asianet Communications Limited (Asianet), acquired Wireless Generation. In June 2010, the Company acquired Skiff, LLC. In November 2010, the Company formed a joint venture with China Media Capital (CMC). In December 2010, the Company disposed of the Fox Mobile Group (Fox Mobile), and acquired Making Fun, Inc. (Making Fun). In April 2! 011, the Company acquired Shine Limited (Shine). In July 2011, the Company sold its 79% stake in News Outdoor Russia and News Outdoor Romania. On June 29, 2011, the Company sold Myspace, including its stake in Myspace Music, LLC, to Specific Media, a digital media company, and received a minority equity stake in Specific Media in connection with the sale. In July 2011, the Company sold its majority interest in its outdoor advertising businesses in Russia and Romania. In May 2011, IGN acquired UGO Entertainment, Inc., which owns the ugo.com and 1up.com men�� lifestyle and video gaming sites, from Hearst Corporation in exchange for a minority ownership stake in IGN. Also in May 2011, IGN sold its Direct2Drive digital distribution site to GameFly, Inc. (GameFly).

Cable Network Programming

FOX News owns and operates the FOX News Channel, as well as the FOX Business Network. FOX News also produces a weekend political commentary show, FOX News Sunday, for broadcast on local FOX television stations throughout the United States. FOX News, through its FOX News Edge service, licenses news feeds to FOX Affiliates and other subscribers to use as part of local news broadcasts throughout the United States and abroad. FOX News also produces and runs the Websites, FOXNews.com and FOXBusiness.com, and owns and produces the national FOX News Radio Network, which licenses news updates, long form programs and the FOX News Talk Channel to local radio stations and to satellite radio providers. Fox Sports Net, Inc. (FSN, Inc.) is a regional sports network (RSN) programmer in the United States, focusing on live professional and collegiate home team sports events. FSN, Inc.�� sports programming business consists primarily of ownership interests in 12 RSNs, including numerous sub-regional feeds (the FSN RSNs) and National Sports Programming, which operates FSN (FSN), a national sports programming service. FSN, Inc. also is affiliated with, through FSN, an additional nine RSNs that are not owned by F! SN, Inc. ! (the FSN Affiliated RSNs). FSN provides the FSN RSNs and the FSN Affiliated RSNs with national sports programming, featuring original and licensed sports-related programming, as well as live and replay sporting events.

As of June 30, 2011, reaching more than 78 million households in the United States, SPEED brings viewers season-long coverage of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) races, events and original programming, including exclusive coverage of the annual NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and NASCAR Hall of Fame ceremonies. In addition, SPEED delivers programming from other top racing series, such as Formula One, Grand American Road Racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, World of Outlaws, AMA Pro Racing, AMA Supercross, AMA Motocross, Monster Jam, World Superbike and MotoGP. The Company also produces and distributes SPEED HD, a 24-hour national programming service produced and distributed in high definition. SPEED�� new broadband network includes SPEED2.

FUEL TV is a domestic 24-hour programming service dedicated to action sports and the lifestyle surrounding it. FUEL TV covers both competitive and performance action in the arenas of skateboarding, surfing, BMX, freestyle motocross, snowboarding and wakeboarding. Programming includes the United States and international action sports events and competitions, as well as original series and specials about top action sports athletes and their music, art and culture from a global perspective. Fox College Sports consists of three regionally-aligned networks, FCS Pacific, FCS Central and FCS Atlantic. Fox College Sports provides live and delayed collegiate events from the collegiate conferences, coaches��shows and collegiate highlight and magazine-format programming from the FSN RSNs and certain of the FSN Affiliated RSNs across the country. Fox Movie Channel (FMC) was Hollywood�� studio-based movie network. FMC airs Twentieth Century Fox films, as well as documentaries and original series that explore the movi! emaking p! rocess from script to screen. Fox Soccer Channel is an English-language programming service offering coverage soccer. Properties include the UEFA Champions League, England�� Barclays Premier League, Italian Serie A, FA Cup and 2011 Major League Soccer, along with daily soccer news programs, magazine shows and in depth coverage on the sport. The Company also produces and distributes Fox Soccer Channel HD, a 24-hour national programming service produced and distributed in high definition.

The Company has an approximate 33% equity interest in Fox Pan American Sports LLC (FPAS). FPAS owns and operates Spanish-language sports businesses, including the Fox Sports Latin America network (a Spanish-language sports network distributed to subscribers in certain Caribbean and Central and South American nations outside of Brazil). Through the Company�� interest in FPAS and an additional direct ownership interest, the Company has a 53% interest in Fox Deportes (the first Spanish-language sports programming service to be distributed in the United States). The Company owns an approximate 51% interest in the Big Ten Network, a 24-hour national programming service dedicated to the Big Ten Conference and Big Ten athletics, academics and related programming, and Big Ten Network HD, a 24-hour national programming service produced and distributed in HD. The Company holds an approximate 70% interest in NGC Network US LLC (NGC Network), which produces and distributes the National Geographic Channel and National Geographic Channel HD, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Wild HD in the United States, with NGHT, LLC, a subsidiary of the National Geographic Society (NGHT), holding the remaining interest.

Fox International Channels (FIC) operates, develops and distributes primarily factual and general entertainment channels in various countries in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, including the Fox Channel, Fox Life, FX, SPEED, Utilisima, which is also distributed in the United States, Fox Cr! ime, NEXT! , FOX History & Entertainment, the Voyage Channel, FOX Sports, STAR World and STAR Movies. FIC also owns a 52.2% interest in NGC Network International LLC and NGC Network Latin America LLC (collectively NGC International), with NGHT holding a 26.8% interest and a subsidiary of BSkyB holding a 21% interest. NGC International produces and distributes the National Geographic Channel in various international markets. NGC International also produces and distributes the National Geographic Channel HD, the Nat Geo Adventure channel (in both HD and SD), the Nat Geo Wild channel (in both HD and SD) and the Nat Geo Music channel in international markets. FIC owns a 55% equity interest in LAPTV, a partnership that distributes six pay television channels (Movie City, Movie City HD, City Mix, City Family, City Stars and City Vibe and their multiplexes) and two basic television channels (The Film Zone East and West and Cinecanal) in Latin America (excluding Brazil).

FIC also owns a majority equity interest in Elite Sports Limited, a company that owns and distributes BabyTV. FIC also manages Channel [V] Thailand in which the Company owns a 49% interest. Channel [V] Thailand owns a Thai language music channel. FIC licenses its Channel [V] brand to a third party in Australia to operate a music channel. In addition, FIC has a joint venture with CJ Media, a Korean media conglomerate for the distribution of the tvN channel, a 24-hour general entertainment channel featuring Korean content, such as original dramas, variety shows, reality and lifestyle programs. STAR India develops, produces and broadcasts 28 channels in eight languages, which are distributed primarily via satellite to local cable, Internet protocol television (IPTV) and direct-to-home (DTH) operators for distribution throughout Asia, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and North America to their subscribers. STAR India�� channels include the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel STAR Plus, the Bengali general entertainment channel ST! AR Jalsha! and the Marathi general entertainment channel STAR Pravah.

Asianet Communications Limited, which is a joint venture with Asianet TV Holdings Private Limited, was formed to provide television services for South Indian audiences. The joint venture consists of the Company�� approximate 81% interest in the Tamil language channel Vijay and the Company�� approximate 75% interest in the Malayalam language channels Asianet and Asianet Plus, the Kannada language channel Suvarna and the Telugu language channel Sitara. The Company also owns an approximate 26% stake in Balaji Telefilms Limited (Balaji), which is a television content production company in India. Balaji produces serials broadcast on general entertainment channels in India. The Company also holds an approximate 30% interest in Tata Sky Limited, which owns and operates a DTH platform in India. The Company has a 50/50 joint venture with Den Networks Limited (Star Den) to operate a television channel distribution business in India, Nepal and Bhutan that exclusively distributes STAR India�� owned and affiliated channels in these territories. The Company has expanded into television home shopping in India through a 50/50 joint venture with CJ O Shopping Co. Ltd., a home shopping company in South Korea and China.

STAR Taiwan develops and broadcasts Chinese language television programming focused at Chinese-speaking audiences in Taiwan and the rest of Asia on a pay television basis. STAR Taiwan�� television services are distributed primarily via satellite to local cable, IPTV and DTH operators in Asia and North America. STAR Taiwan�� channels include STAR Chinese Channel, STAR Chinese Movies, STAR Chinese Movies 2, STAR Chinese Movies HD and Channel [V] Taiwan. The Company has an approximate 15% interest in Rotana Holding FZ-LLC (Rotana), which operates a diversified film, television, audio, advertising and entertainment business across the Middle East and North Africa. The Company also has a 50% interest in Broadcast Mid! dle East ! FZ-LLC (BME). The Company owns a 50% interest in ESPN STAR Sports. ESPN STAR Sports is a sports broadcaster in Asia and operates 22 channels in different languages. The Company owns an approximate 18% interest in Phoenix.

Filmed Entertainment

Fox Filmed Entertainment (FFE) produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures worldwide under a variety of arrangements. The motion pictures of FFE are produced and/or distributed by the units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox and Fox 2000, which produce and acquire motion pictures for mainstream audiences; Fox Searchlight Pictures, which produces and acquires specialized motion pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation, which produces feature length animated motion pictures. In addition, Fox International Productions, Inc. co-produces, co-finances and acquires local-language motion pictures for distribution outside the United States. Pursuant to an agreement with Monarchy Enterprises Holdings B.V. (MEH), the parent company of New Regency in which the Company has a 20% interest, and certain of MEH�� subsidiaries, FFE distributes certain New Regency films and all films co-financed by FFE and New Regency in all media worldwide, excluding a number of international territories with respect to television rights. Motion picture companies, such as FFE, seek to generate revenues from various distribution channels. FFE derives its worldwide motion picture revenues primarily from four basic sources: distribution of motion pictures for theatrical exhibition in the United States and Canada and markets outside of the United States and Canada (international markets); distribution of motion pictures in various home media formats; distribution of motion pictures for exhibition on pay-per-view, video-on-demand and premium pay television programming services, and distribution of motion pictures for exhibition on free television networks, other broadcast program services, independent television stations and basic cable programming services, including c! ertain se! rvices, which are affiliates of the Company. Through Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LCC, the Company distributes motion pictures and other programming produced by units of FFE, its affiliates and other producers in the United States, Canada and international markets in all home media formats, including the sale and rental of DVDs and Blu-rays.

Units of FFE license motion pictures and other programs in the United States, Canada and international markets to various third party and certain affiliated subscription pay television, subscription video-on-demand, pay-per-view, video-on-demand and electronic sell-through services. Units of FFE also license motion pictures in the United States to direct broadcast satellite (DBS) pay-per-view services operated by EchoStar Communications Corporation, as well as to pay-per-view and video-on-demand services operated by The DIRECTV Group, Inc. and iN Demand L.L.C. In addition, units of FFE license motion pictures and other programs to third parties, including Apple Inc. (Apple) and Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon), for electronic sell-through over the Internet, enabling consumers in the United States to acquire the right to retain permanently such programs.

Twentieth Television licenses both television programming and feature films for domestic syndication to television stations and basic cable services in the United States. Twentieth Television distributes a program portfolio that includes the Company�� library of television and film assets, and first-run programming produced by its production companies for sales to local stations, including stations owned and operated by the Company, as well as to basic cable networks. First-run programs distributed by Twentieth Television include the game shows Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? and Don�� Forget the Lyrics!, and the court shows Divorce Court and Judge Alex. Twentieth Television derives revenue from off-network, theatrical and first-run program sales from both broadcast and cable lice! nsees, an! d from the sales of national advertising units retained by Twentieth Television in its programs. Twentieth Television licenses such shows as Modern Family, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, It�� Always Sunny in Philadelphia, My Name Is Earl, Family Guy, American Dad, M*A*S*H, Bones, and The Simpsons to cable and broadcast networks. Twentieth Television also manages and distributes the long running series, COPS and America�� Most Wanted, and sells national advertising on behalf of other third party syndicators.

Fox Television Studios (FtvS) is a program supplier to the United States and international broadcast and cable networks. FtvS is producing the series Burn Notice and White Collar for USA Network, The Glades for A&E, The Killing for AMC, Kendra and Holly�� World for E! and In the Flow with Affion Crockett for FOX. Shine Limited (Shine) is an international television production and distribution group with 26 production companies across 12 countries creating and exploiting scripted and non-scripted content in the global marketplace. The Company�� motion picture and television library (the Fox Library) consists of varying rights to several thousand previously released motion pictures and many television programs.

Television

Fox Television Stations, Inc. (Fox Television Stations) owns and operates 27 full power stations. Fox Television Stations owns and operates two stations in nine designated market areas (DMAs), including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Of the 27 full power stations, 17 stations are affiliates of FOX (FOX Affiliates). In addition, Fox Television Stations owns and operates 10 stations affiliated with Master Distribution Service, Inc. (MyNetworkTV). FOX has 203 FOX Affiliates, including the 17 stations owned and operated by the Company. FOX�� prime-time programming features such series as House, The Simpsons, Bones, Fringe and Glee; unscripted series, such as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance; and various specials. As of June 30! , 2011, M! yNetworkTV had 181 affiliates, including 10 stations owned and operated by the Company, reaching approximately 97% of the United States households.

Direct Broadcast Satellite Television

SKY Italia distributes more than 175 channels of basic, premium and pay-per-view programming services through satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. This programming includes exclusive rights to sporting events, newly-released movies and SKY Italia�� original programming, such as SKY TG 24, a 24-hour news channel.

Publishing

News International publishes The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun. On July 7, 2011, News International announced that July 10, 2011 would be the last issue of News of the World. News International also publishes The Times Literary Supplement. News Limited is a newspaper publisher in Australia, owning approximately 146 daily, Sunday, weekly, bi-weekly and tri-weekly newspapers, of which three are free commuter titles and 102 are suburban publications (including 16 of which News Limited has a 50% interest). News Limited publishes a nationally distributed newspaper in Australia, a metropolitan newspaper in each of the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin and a suburban newspaper in the suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. News Limited�� principal daily newspapers in Australia are: The Australian; The Daily Telegraph, published in Sydney; the Herald Sun, published in Melbourne; The Courier-Mail, published in Brisbane; The Advertiser, published in Adelaide; The Mercury, published in Hobart, and the Northern Territory News, published in Darwin. News Limited�� principal Sunday newspapers in Australia are: The Sunday Telegraph, published in Sydney; the Sunday Herald Sun, published in Melbourne; The Sunday Mail, published in Brisbane; the Sunday Mail, published in Adelaide; The Sunday Times, published in Perth; the Sunday Tasmanian, published in Hobart, and the! Sunday T! erritorian, published in Darwin.

Dow Jones is a global provider of news and business information, with newspaper, newswire, Website, newsletter, magazine, database, conference, radio and video businesses. Dow Jones offers products targeting both individual consumer and business and institutional customers, including The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Factiva, Barron��, MarketWatch, SmartMoney and other products. Products targeting business and institutional customers, including Dow Jones Newswires and Factiva, combine news and information with technology and tools designed to inform decisions and to aid awareness, research and understanding. The Dow Jones Local Media business publishes community newspapers, Websites and other products in seven United States states. The Wall Street Journal is available in print, online at WSJ.com, and on mobile devices, such as smart phones, e-readers and tablets. The Wall Street Journal also publishes a regional edition for the New York City area called Greater New York. Barron�� is available in print, online at Barrons.com, and on mobile devices. Barron�� caters to financial professionals, individual investors and others interested in financial markets. Its print edition is published weekly. SmartMoney publishes news and information focusing on personal finance, and is available in print, online at SmartMoney.com, and on mobile devices. The print edition of SmartMoney is published monthly. The Wall Street Journal Digital Network (WSJDN) consists of business and financial news Websites and mobile applications. In addition to WSJ.com, Barrons.com and SmartMoney.com, WSJDN includes MarketWatch, AllThingsD.com and related sites.

The Wall Street Journal Europe print edition is headquartered in London and printed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The Wall Street Journal Asia print edition is headquartered in Hong Kong and printed in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philip! pines, Si! ngapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Regional coverage from The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Asia is also available online at WSJ.com. Dow Jones also publishes The Wall Street Journal Special Editions. Factiva provides news and business information with search and discovery technology and tools to assist business and institutional customers with research, awareness and decision-making. Dow Jones Newswires is a provider of business news and information to financial professionals and online investors worldwide via terminals, portals and intranet sites with hundreds of thousands of financial professionals and millions of online investors relying on this information each trading day.

The Dow Jones Local Media business publishes local media print publications, including eight general interest dailies in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, and related local Websites. The Dow Jones Local Media business also publishes 13 weekly newspapers, performs commercial printing at its five printing locations and offers other products and services. Dow Jones VentureSource is a database for venture capital and private equity markets tracking key developments. Dow Jones Watchlist helps compliance professionals identify high-risk clients and business associates. The eFinancialNews business, based in London, serves the European financial services industry with print, online, training and events businesses. The Wall Street Journal Professional Edition provides business and professional readers with specialized and targeted news and information. Dow Jones also distributes news and information to individual consumers through other channels of content distribution, including television, radio/audio, online video, consumer electronic licensing, The Wall Street Journal classroom, campus and Sunday editions, and WSJ.Magazine. Dow Jones also owns an interest in Vedomosti, which publishes a Russian language business daily.

The New! York Pos! t (the Post) is a mass circulation, metropolitan morning newspaper published seven days a week and primarily distributed in the New York metropolitan area, the Northeast, Florida and California. The Company prints the Post in a printing facility in the Bronx, New York and uses third party printers in its other markets in the United States. The Company�� Community Newspaper Group also owns several local newspapers and other publications distributed in the New York metropolitan area. The Daily is a daily national news publication built as an application for tablet computing. HarperCollins Publishers (HarperCollins) is engaged in English language book publishing on a worldwide basis and is an English language book publisher. HarperCollins��principal businesses are HarperCollins Publishers LLC (HarperCollins U.S.), HarperCollins Publishers Limited and The Zondervan Corporation LLC. HarperCollins primarily publishes fiction and non-fiction, including religious books, for the general consumer. In the United Kingdom, HarperCollins publishes some titles for the educational market as well.

News America Marketing Group (NAMG) publishes free-standing insert publications and provides in-store marketing products and services. NAMG is a publisher of free-standing inserts in the United States. Free-standing inserts are multiple-page marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates and other consumer offers, which are distributed to consumers through insertion primarily into local Sunday newspapers. Advertisers, primarily packaged goods companies, pay NAMG to produce free-standing inserts, and NAMG contracts with and pays newspapers to include the free-standing inserts primarily into the newspapers��Sunday editions. SmartSource is the brand name that is linked with NAMG�� assortment of marketing products, including, among others, free-standing inserts, NAMG�� instant coupon machines and various shelf advertising products. The SmartSource iGroup manages NAMG�� portfolio of database and electronic ! marketing! solutions. The database marketing business, branded SmartSource Direct, provides direct mail solutions via its national network of retailer frequent shopper card databases. The SmartSource Savings Network, which includes SmartSource.com, encompasses all of NAMG�� electronic couponing and sampling solutions accessed through the Web, mobile and tablet-based programming.

Other

These businesses develop and promote content and experiences for Internet audiences and generate revenue through Internet advertising, sponsorships, subscriptions and e-commerce. IGN�� network of video game, lifestyle and entertainment-related Internet properties represent many of the Web properties in their respective categories across the Internet. IGN�� Games sites (IGN.com, 1UP, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox and others) is a gaming information network on the Internet. IGN�� GameSpy Technology group provides technology for online game play in video games. IGN also owns and operates a men�� lifestyle Websites, AskMen.com. Making Fun is a social games developer and publisher acquired. Making Fun makes games for various platforms, including Facebook, Android, and iOS, and has launched its first games with additional ones in development. The Company has interests in FOX TV in Turkey and Channel 10 in Israel, which are free-to-air, general entertainment television stations.

News Digital Media is the Company�� Australian online division. In addition to maintaining the Company�� Australian websites, News Digital Media is responsible for online advertising and transactions in Australia. News Digital Media sites include carsguide.com.au, news.com.au, MOSHTIX.com.au, GetPrice.com.au and truelocal.com.au. News Digital Media also has a 50% stake in CareerOne.com.au. The Company holds an approximate 39% interest in BSkyB. BSkyB operates a pay television broadcast service in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as broadband and telephony services. BSkyB acquires and commissions programmin! g to broa! dcast on its own channels and supplies certain of those channels to cable operators for retransmission by the cable operators to their subscribers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. BSkyB also retails channels (both its own and those of third parties) to DTH subscribers and to certain of its own channels to a limited number of DSL subscribers. It holds an approximate 49% interest in NDS. NDS creates technologies and applications that enable pay television operators to deliver digital content to televisions, set-top boxes, DVRs, personal computers, portable media players, removable media and other mobile devices securely.

The Company, Telstra Corporation Limited, an Australian telecommunications company, and Consolidated Media Holdings, an Australian media and entertainment company, own and operate FOXTEL, a cable and satellite television service in Australia with 25%, 50% and 25% interests, respectively. As of June 30, 2011, FOXTEL had approximately 1.65 million managed subscribers (including subscribers to Optus, an Australian telecommunications company). As of June 30, 2011, 100% of the FOXTEL managed subscriber base was connected to FOXTEL�� digital service, which delivers over 180 channels on cable and satellite. The Company owns an approximate 44% interest in Sky Network Television Limited, a land-linked UHF network and digital DBS service in New Zealand. The Company has an approximate 32% equity interest in Hulu, LLC (Hulu).

The Company owns a 49.9% equity interest in Sky Deutschland, a pay television operator in Germany and Austria. The core business of Sky Deutschland is subscription pay-tv and it offers a range of programming in Germany and Austria and can be received via Teleclub in Switzerland. Sky Deutschland�� program offering includes current feature films, new series, children�� channels, documentaries and live sports, such as the German Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League.

The Company competes with ABC, NBC, CBS, The CW Television Network, CN! N, MSNBC,! CNN Headline News, Bloomberg Television, ESPN, ESPN2, Versus, USA, TNT, Spike TV, Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), Showtime Networks Inc. (Showtime), Discovery Channel, History Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Science Channel, History International, Military Channel, Biography, Tru TV, FT.com, New York Times Digital, TheStreet.com, Bloomberg, Forbes.com, CNET, CNN Money, MSNMoney/CNBC, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg L.P., LexisNexis, Hoover��, OneSource, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Random House, Penguin Group, Simon & Schuster and Hachette Livre.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

    21st Century Fox is a cable, broadcast, film, and pay television provider around the world. In recent news, the company�� newest channel, Fox Sports 1, comes to life Saturday. Investors in the company have voted to separate the roles of Chairman and CEO as they believe that the Murdoch family has too much influence. The stock has been trending higher since its IPO and is now at all time highs. Over the last four quarters, earnings, and revenues have been mixed which has left investors to expect more from the company. Relative to its peers and sector, 21st Century Fox has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for 21st Century Fox to continue to OUTPERFORM.

  • [By Tim Beyers]

    Reuters reports that former News Corp. (NASDAQ: FOXA  ) President Peter Chernin has bid just $500 million for Hulu, which helped to create in 2007. Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) and News Corp. control Hulu as of this writing. Comcast also has a non-voting ownership interest.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Golden Alliance Resources Corp (GLL.V)

Orovero Resources Corp., a junior mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of natural resource properties. The company focuses on the exploration for gold, copper, and silver deposits. It has a portfolio of 100%-owned projects covering an area of 25,000 hectares in Peru. The company�s properties include the Rio Tabaconas project is comprised of 19 concessions covering 8,710 hectares and is located in to the north-northwest of Lima in the District of Tabaconas; the Cocha project covering an area of 7,060 hectares and is located in Huancayo district, Huancay province; and the Acero project, which covers an area of 1,700 hectares and is located in Chumbivilcas province, department of Cuzco. It also has interests in the Fuyani project that covers an area of 1,000 hectares and is located in Santo Tomas Porphyry Copper Belt; and the Mitu project, which covers an area of 5,000 hectares and is located in Junin Department. The company wa s formerly known as Golden Alliances Resources Corp. and changed its name to Orovero Resources Corp. in February 2013. Orovero Resources Corp. was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Hot High Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: PrimeEnergy Corporation(PNRG)

PrimeEnergy Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Its principal properties are located in Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, the Gulf of Mexico, New Mexico, Colorado, and Louisiana. The company operates 1,600 oil and gas wells, as well as owns non-operating interests in approximately 800 additional wells. It also provides well-servicing support operations, site-preparation, and construction services for oil and gas drilling and reworking operations, as well as contract services for third parties. In addition, the company involves in the acquisition of producing oil and gas properties through joint ventures with industry partners. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved reserves of 101 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc (CPIX)

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Cumberland), incorporated on January 6, 1999, is specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of branded prescription products. Cumberland is focused on acquiring rights to, developing and commercializing prescription products for the hospital care and gastroenterology markets. Its product portfolio includes Acetadote (acetylcysteine), Caldolor (ibuprofen), Kristalose (lactulose) and Hepatoren (ifetroban). As of December 31, 2011, Hepatoren was in Phase II clinical development. The Company markets and sells its products through its hospital and gastroenterology sales forces in the United States. Its pre-clinical product candidates are being developed through its 85% owned subsidiary Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. In November 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of the remaining rights associated with the Kristalose brand, including the United Sates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registration and trademark. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it acquired rights to a late-stage product candidate that it develops under the brand name Hepatoren.

Acetadote

Acetadote is an intravenous formulation of N-acetylcysteine, or NAC, indicated for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning. Acetadote is used in hospital emergency departments. In January 2011, the Company received the United Sates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and commenced the United Sates launch activities for this Acetadote formulation.

The Company competes with Geneva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ben Venue Laboratories, Inc., Roxane Laboratories, Inc. and Hospira Inc.

Caldolor

Caldolor, Cumberland�� intravenous formulation of ibuprofen, is the injectable product approved in the United States for the treatment of both pain and fever. The product is indicated for use in adults for the management of mild to moderate pain, for the management of moderate to severe pain as ! an adjunct to opioid analgesics, and for the reduction of fever. As of December 31, 2011, it was enrolling patients in four clinical studies designed to support marketing of Caldolor. Two of these clinical trials are designed to support pediatric use, including a pediatric fever study to evaluate safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of Caldolor in hospitalized children ,as well as a pediatric pain study. Two registry studies with Caldolor are also underway and are designed to gather additional safety and efficacy data on use of the product in adults. As of December 31, 2011, Caldolor was available in 800 milligram vials.

The Company competes with EKR Therapeutics, Inc.

Kristalose

Kristalose is a prescription laxative administered orally for the treatment of constipation. Kristalose is a dry powder crystalline formulation of lactulose. Kristalose is manufactured under a contract with Inalco S.p.A. and Inalco Biochemicals, Inc. (collectively Inalco). Constipation treatments are sold in both the over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription segments.

The Company competes with Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Braintree Laboratories, Inc.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Neonode Inc (NEON)

Neonode Inc., incorporated on September 4, 1997, develops and licenses the next generation of optical multi touch solutions and user interface solutions to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) and Original Design Manufacturer (ODMs) who embeds the Company's MultiSensing technology into handheld devices and touch screens that they develop and sell. The Company�� MultiSensing touch technology is suited for consumer and industrial electronic devices and supports unlimited gestures, multi-touch and sweep navigation. The Company's MultiSensing technology, rivaling the capacitive touch solutions, is being integrated into a range of products, including mobile phones, tablets and e-readers, toys and gaming consoles, household appliances, printers and office equipment, and automotive Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and infotainment systems. All control hardware is integrated into the Company's single optical controller chip NN1001, developed in collaboration. In January 2013, it established a subsidiary, Neonode Japan Inc. in Tokyo.

The Company has developed a range of touch features and functions to suit a multitude of industries and devices. All control hardware is integrated into the Company's single optical controller chip NN1001, developed in collaboration. The Company offers zForce touch technology to its customer based on infrared light.

The Company competes with 3M, Synaptics, ATMEL, Cypress, Maxim, Nextwindow, Zytronic, Tyco Electronics, Touch International, Mass Multimedia Inc., Young Fast and TPK.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Anixter International Inc. (AXE)

Anixter International Inc., together with its subsidiaries, distributes enterprise cabling and security solutions, electrical and electronic wire and cable products, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supply fasteners, and other small parts. The company operates in Enterprise Cabling and Security Solutions; Electrical and Electronic Wire and Cable segment; and OEM Supply segments. The Enterprise Cabling and Security Solutions segment offers copper and fiber optic cable and connectivity, access control, video surveillance, cabinets, power, cable management, voice and networking switches, and other ancillary products to finance, transportation, education, government, healthcare, and retail industries. The Electrical and Electronic Wire and Cable segment provides electrical and electronic wire and cable, shipboard cable, support and supply products, low-voltage cable, instrumentation cable, industrial communication and control products, security cable, connectors, industri al Ethernet switches, and voice and data cable to the industrial and OEM markets. The OEM Supply segment product offers nuts, bolts, screws, washers, clips, gaskets, brackets, and rivets, as well as other fasteners and small components to OEM. The company�s customers include manufacturing, resource extraction, telecommunications, internet service providers, finance, education, healthcare, transportation, utilities, aerospace and defense, and government as well as contractors, installers, system integrators, value-added resellers, architects, engineers, and wholesale distributors. It distributes its products primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as Itel Corporation. Anixter International Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: iSoftStone Holdings Limited(ISS)

iSoftStone Holdings Limited provides various information technology (IT) services and solutions in the Greater China and internationally. It offers an integrated suite of IT services and solutions, including consulting and solution services, IT services, and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. The company provides a range of consulting services for an overall engagement or discrete consulting services in conjunction with other services. It also develops industry-specific solutions, including treasury management, cash management, property and casualty insurance core, financial holding company business analysis, trust company core, and banking risk management solutions for banking, financial services, and insurance industries; supply chain management, enterprise information portals, business intelligence, business process integration, and management and e-commerce solutions for energy, transportation, and public sectors; mobile and embedded technology, next generati on platforms, business intelligence functionality, and network security products for the communications industry. In addition, the company offers various IT services consisting of application development and maintenance, research and development, and infrastructure and software services. Further, it provides a range of BPO services, such as securities trade processing services for the investment banking industry; digitization and archiving of policyholder information, as well as account processing and customer service for insurance industry; and cross-industry BPO services comprising finance and accounting, customer care, and human resources. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    iSoftStone Holdings (NYSE: ISS  ) reported earnings on May 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), iSoftStone Holdings beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Dynatronics Corporation(DYNT)

Dynatronics Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, distribution, and marketing of physical medicine and aesthetic products in the United States. The company offers physical medicine products, including electrotherapy, therapeutic ultrasound, infrared light therapy, oscillation therapy, iontophoresis, and vibration therapy; medical supply and soft goods products, including hot packs, cold packs, exercise balls, therapy wraps, wrist splints, ankle weights, lumbar supports, cervical collars, slings, cervical pillows, back cushions, weight racks, and parallel bars. It also distributes products, such as hot and cold therapy products, lotions and gels, paper products, athletic tape, canes and crutches, reflex hammers, stethoscopes, splints, elastic wraps, exercise weights, tubing, walkers, treadmills, stair climbers, heating units for hot packs, whirlpools, gloves, and electrodes. In addition, the company provides exercise equipment, massage therapy products, chiropract ic tables, hand therapy products, pilates and yoga equipment, nutritional supplements, emergency care products, and portable electrotherapy products, as well as treatment tables and rehabilitation equipment. Further, it offers aesthetic products under the Synergie brand name, including Synergie the Elite Aesthetic Massage System; the Elite microdermabrasion device; and the Elite LT device, a skin care product, as well as provides warranty services. The company offers its products to physical therapists, chiropractors, podiatrists, sports medicine specialists, medical doctors, hospitals and clinics, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and aestheticians through direct sales representatives, independent dealers, e-commerce Website, and product catalog. The company exports its products to approximately 30 countries. Dynatronics Corporation was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Flexsteel Industries Inc.(FLXS)

Flexsteel Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, import, and market of residential and commercial upholstered and wooden furniture products in the United States. Its upholstered and wooden furniture products include sofas, loveseats, chairs, reclining and rocker-reclining chairs, swivel rockers, sofa beds, convertible bedding units, occasional tables, desks, dining tables and chairs, and bedroom furniture. The company distributes its products for use in home, office, hotel, and other commercial applications through its sales force and various independent representatives, as well as to various national and regional chains. Flexsteel Industries, Inc. was founded in 1929 and is based in Dubuque, Iowa.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

10 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now: Trelawney Resources Inc(TRR.V)

Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold and copper properties in Canada. It primarily focuses on the exploration and development of the Chester property consisting of 2 leased mining claims covering approximately 151 hectares located in Chester Township, Ontario. The company was formerly known as Trelawney Resources Inc. and changed its name to Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. in April 2009. Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. is based in Toronto, Canada.