Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now

In 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which included approximately $19 billion in funding over a 10-year period for health information technology.

Founded in 1979, Computer Programs and Systems (CPSI) is a leading provider of healthcare information solutions for community hospitals with over 650 client hospitals in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

In addition, Medicare and Medicaid incentives encourage doctors, hospitals and other providers to use information technology to electronically maintain and exchange patients��health information through the development of health information exchanges and the adoption of electronic health records.

10 Best High Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Oppenheimer Holdings Inc.(OPY)

Oppenheimer Holdings Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a middle-market investment bank and full service broker-dealer. It offers full-service brokerage services covering various investment alternatives, such as exchange-traded and over-the-counter corporate equity and debt securities, money market instruments, exchange-traded options and futures contracts, municipal bonds, mutual funds, and unit investment trusts. The company also provides financial and wealth planning services; margin lending; securities lending; and online equity investing and discount brokerage services. In addition, it offers asset management services for equity, fixed income, large-cap balanced, and alternative investments offered through vehicles, such as privately managed accounts, and retail and institutional separate accounts. Further, the company provides strategic advisory services and capital markets products; institutional equity sales and trading; equity research; equity options and derivatives; convertible bonds; and event driven sales and trading services. Additionally, it trades in non-investment grade public and private debt securities, mortgage-backed securities, sovereign and corporate debt, and distressed securities; provides fixed income research, public finance, and municipal trading services; and is involved in proprietary trading and investment activities. The company also participates in loan syndications and operates as underwriting agent in financing transactions; trades syndicated corporate loans in the secondary market; offers various trust services; and provides mortgage services to developers of commercial properties. It serves high-net-worth individuals and families, corporate executives, small and mid-sized businesses, endowments and foundations, and institutions in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Hilary Kramer]

  With this news, some Wall Street firms finally ��albeit a bit late ��jumped on the ICPT bandwagon.� Citigroup (C) raised its target to $400, stating that its market cap (at the time $5.4 billion) didn�� reach the opportunity for these liver disease treatments.� They estimated that the OCA could exceed a $5 billion sales level.� Oppenheimer (OPY) also raised its target to $360 while Bank of America/Merrill’s (BAC) target is set at $872, the only one not yet exceeded with the most recent move.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now: Carbonite Inc (CARB)

Carbonite, Inc. (Carbonite), incorporated on February 10, 2005, focuses on the development and marketing of personal computer backup software that enables users to backup, access, and restore data files online. Carbonite is a provider of online backup solutions for consumers and small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). The Company provides secure online backup solutions with anytime, anywhere access to files stored on its servers, which it calls the Carbonite Personal Cloud. In November 2012, the Company acquired Zmanda, Inc.

The Company�� backup solutions works automatically uploading encrypted copies of its customers��files to the Carbonite servers. The Company's customers can browse and share their photos, videos, and documents anytime, anywhere using a Web browser or its free iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android apps. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had subscribers in more than 100 countries, with subscribers based in the United States representing 94% of its total revenue for 2012.

The Company competes with CrashPlan, Mozy, SOS Online Backup, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, DropBox, SugarSync, Box and others.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Carbonite (Nasdaq: CARB  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings around July 12. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Carbonite's revenues will grow 27.5% and EPS will remain in the red.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now: FNB United Corp.(FNBN)

FNB United Corp. operates as the bank holding company for CommunityONE Bank, National Association that provides consumer, mortgage, and business banking services to individual and business customers in North Carolina. Its deposit products include checking accounts, interest checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises commercial and agricultural loans, real estate construction loans, real estate residential loans, and consumer loans. It also offers debit cards, credit cards, online and mobile banking, cash management, investment management, and trust services, as well as operates automated teller machines. In addition, it originates, underwrites, and closes loans for sale into the secondary market. FNB United operates through 45 offices. The company was formerly known as FNB Corp. and changed its name to FNB United Corp. in April 2006. FNB United Cor p. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The second stock, FNB United Corp. (FNBN), is 95.4% off of its three-year high, but it has also had a stock split in that time. It has also seen greater insider activity. Five unique insiders bought shares of the company, for a total number of six insider buy transactions in the past month.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA (MC)

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, (LVMH), is a France-based luxury goods company. It owns a portfolio of luxury brands and its business activities are divided into five segments: Wines and Spirits, Fashion and Leather Goods, Perfumes and Cosmetics, Watches and Jewelry, and Selective Retailing. The activities of the wines and spirits sector include the Champagne and Wines branch, and the Cognac and Spirits branch. The Fashion and Leather Goods group includes Louis Vuitton, Kenzo and Rossimoda among others. LVMH is present in the perfume and cosmetics sector through the French Houses Christian Dior and other brands. Watches and Jewelry sells such products as TAG Heuer, Zenith, Dior Watches, Chaumet and Fred, among others. Selective Retailing businesses operate in two segments: travel retail and the seleLVMH ctive retail concepts represented by Sephora and Le Bon Marche. In September 2013, the Company acquired majority stake in Nicholas Kirkwood, a British shoe designer company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Grocer]

  High-profile offerings from boutique investment bank Moelis(MC) & Co. and travel-technology firm Sabre Corp.(SABR) sold fewer shares at a lower price than both expected lat week. On the day they debuted, shares of the two companies rose 4.6% and 3%, respectively.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (MC) SA rose 2.1 percent to 123.30 euros after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. added the luxury- goods maker to its conviction buy list, saying the stock�� underperformance presented an opportunity to invest. The shares fell 8 percent from April 15 through yesterday after the company reported the slowest growth in sales of fashion and leather products since 2009.

• [By Sue Chang]

  Moelis & Co. (MC) , an independent investment bank, is offering 7.3 million shares and is likely to begin trading in the stock market on Wednesday. The initial public offering is expected to price in a range of $26 to $29.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now: News Corporation(NWS)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspape rs in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CNNMoney Staff]

  News Corp (NWS) shares jumped following quarterly earnings that beat expectations.

  Shares of Outerwall Inc. (OUTR), which produces Redbox and Coinstar dispensers, surged 12% on news that the company plans to buy back $350 million worth of stock.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now: Volcano Corporation(VOLC)

Volcano Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) products used in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular and structural heart disease. It offers multi-modality consoles, which are marketed as stand-alone units that can be integrated into hospital-based interventional surgical suites, such as catheterization laboratories. The company provides IVUS products, including single-procedure disposable phased array and rotational IVUS imaging catheters; and additional functionality options comprising virtual histology tissue characterization, and ChromaFlo stent apposition analysis. It also offers FFR products, such as pressure and flow consoles, and single-procedure disposable pressure and flow guide wires used to measure the pressure and flow characteristics of blood around plaque enabling physicians to gauge the plaque?s physiological impact on blood flow and pressure. In addition, the com pany develops and manufactures optical monitors for the telecommunication industry; laser and non-laser light sources; optical engines used in the medical OCT imaging systems and advanced photonic components; and sub-systems used in spectroscopy and other industrial applications. Its products under development include image-guided therapy device and micro and thrombectomy catheters. The company?s ongoing clinical studies comprise assessment of dual anti-platelet therapy with drug-eluting stents; vascular evaluation for revascularization; fractional flow reserve and intravascular ultrasound relationship study; adensonine vasodilation independent stenosis evaluation; and evaluation of XIENCE PRIME. It sells its products through direct sales force and distributors, as well as through third parties supply and distribution agreements primarily in the United States, Japan, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered i n San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Strategist Andrew Garthwaite and team explain why companies like Sprint (S),� American Water Works (AWK), Volcano (VOLC), Southern (SO) and Level 3 Communications�(LVLT) could get hit by the taper:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Volcano (NASDAQ: VOLC) shares dropped 15.89% to $20.49 in pre-market trading after the company reported Q3 revenue. JP Morgan downgraded the stock from Overweight to Neutral and lowered the price target from $29.00 to $24.00.

• [By alicet236]

  According to GuruFocus list of 5-year lows, these Guru stocks have reached their 5-year lows: Hecla Mining Co, Comstock Resources Inc, Permian Basin Royalty Trust, and Volcano Corp.Hecla Mining Co (HL) Reached $2.18The prices of Hecla Mining Co (HL) shares have declined to $2.18, which is only 3.2% above the 5-year low of $2.11. It is now 81.7% off the 5-year high of $11.56. Hecla Mining Co is owned by 4 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 3 have added to their positions during the past quarter. 3 reduced their positions. Hecla Mining Company, a Delaware corporation was establsihed in 1891. Hecla Mining Co has a market cap of $761.916 million; its shares were traded at around $2.18 with and P/S ratio of 1.63. The dividend yield of Hecla Mining Co stocks is 0.46%.Hecla Mining Co. reported revenues of $117.5 million and net loss of $14.4 million for its 2014 second quarter financial results. GuruFocus Guru Arnold Van Den Berg (Trades, Portfolio) kept his position in Hecla Mining Co unchanged. He owns 3,909,257 shares. Arnold Scheider sold out his holdings of HL.Sr. Vice President & CFO James A Sabala sold 200,000 shares of HL stock in August. VP - Corporate Development Don Poirier and Director Anthony P Taylor sold 64,099 shares of HL stock in July and August.Comstock Resources Inc (CRK) Reached $11.84The prices of Comstock Resources Inc (CRK) shares have declined to $11.84, which is only 9.6% above the 5-year low of $10.70. It is now 76.0% off the 5-year high of $44.52. Comstock Resources Inc is owned by 4 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 1 have added to their positions during the past quarter. 3 reduced their positions. Comstock Resources, Inc. is a Nevada corporation. It is an energy company which acquires, explores, develops and produces oil and natural gas in the United States. Comstock Resources Inc has a market cap of $566.669 million; its shares were traded at around $11.84 with and P/S ratio of 1.07. The dividend yield of Comstock Resources Inc stock

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Watch In Right Now: Kleangas Energy Technologies Inc (KGET)

Kleangas Energy Technologies, Inc., incorporated on January 7, 2008, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in designing, manufacturing and selling oxy-hydrogen systems. These systems function by creating oxygen and hydrogen from distilled water through electrolysis and injecting these gases into the mixture of fuel and air used in gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines. In August 2013, the Company acquired a Patent Pending Oxy-Hydrogen Generator Technology for all types of gas and diesel internal combustion engines. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Green Day Technologies, Inc.

The Company designs, develops and markets a range of technologies, including oxy-hydrogen on-demand generators, reverse fuel cells, hydrogen powered devices, welding and cutting systems and other products to deliver a clean gas. The Company�� technology can separate these two basic life giving elements or recombine them into a clean source of gas that can be implemented in a wide variety of applications

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap green stocks Vision Industries Corp (OTCMKTS: VIIC), Bravo Enterprises Ltd (OTCMKTS: OGNG) and Kleangas Energy Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: KGET) have reported recent news and/or they are being promoted. Of course, it goes without saying that small cap green stocks tend to be more volatile that other types of investments. So will investors and traders alike see some greenbacks from these green stocks? Here is a quick reality check:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap green stocks Essential Innovations Technology Corp (OTCBB: ESIV), Building Turbines Inc (OTCMKTS: BLDW) and Kleangas Energy Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: KGET) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters ��either because they were sinking, because of paid promotions or a combination of both. However, there aren�� many green stocks out there that have actually produced some green for investors in the form of profits. With that in mind, here is a quick reality check about all three green small cap stocks to help you decide whether any have the potential for long-term success:

Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks For 2016

Top 10 Warren Buffett Stocks For 2016: Edp Energias de Portugal SA (EDPFY.PK)

EDP Energias de Portugal SA (EDP), incorporated in 1976, is a Portugal-based company engaged in the electric energy and gas sectors. The Company develops its activities in the business areas of generation, supply and distribution of electricity and supply and distribution of gas. The Company operates through six business units: Electricity Generation, Renewable Energies, Electricity Distribution, Electricity Supply, Gas and Brazil Operations. EDP is also present in electricity generation, supply and distribution in Brazil, Spain and the United States. In April 2008, the Company acquired EDP Renovaveis through Nuevas Energias de Occidente (NEO). In February 2008, Horizon Wind Energy, LLC, EDPs 100%-owned subsidiary for United States wind operations, acquired from Hydra Energy, LLC, a portfolio of six early stage projects in an aggregate of 1,050 megawatts of wind capacity, located in the States of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the United States.

Electricity Generatio n

In Spain, EDP operates through HC Energia. Cogeneration consists of simultaneous production of power and steam using thermal technology, such as in the form of natural gas turbines. Cogenerators are usually attached to an industrial customer or services, to which they supply the electricity and steam they need. Energy generation includes a centralised energy management platform responsible for actively managing the price and volume risks for the EDP Companys portfolio in the Iberian Peninsula.

Renewable Energies

The Companys electricity from renewable energies is generated by its subsidiary NEO, and in the United States of America by its subsidiary Horizon Wind Energy. In July 2007, EDP acquired 100% interest in Horizon, a developer, owner and operator of wind power generation in the United States, from the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. In September 2007, Horizon owned 941 gross megawatt of operating wind projec! ts and has 615 megawa tt of projects under construction, for expected operational capacity of 1.556 gross megawatts (1.324 net megawatts).

Electricity Distribution

EDP develops the regulated electricity distribution activity in mainland Portugal and in Spain in the Asturias region and to a lower extent in Madrid, Valencia and Alicante. Electricity distribution activity is a regulated activity that consists in bringing the electricity, through the distribution network, from the transport network substations to the final consumption points. Within the scope of this activity, EDP builds, operates and maintains the distribution network and other installments aimed at electricity distribution, granting service quality and direct and customized assistance.

EDP Distribuicao Energia, S.A. is EDPs company operating in the regulated distribution and supply businesses in Portugal. EDPs distribution activity is regulated by energy service regulator (ERSE), which defines the tariffs, parameters and prices for electricity and other services in Portugal, controlling and assuring the levels of quality and service demanded by the Direccao Geral de Geologia e Energia (DGGE). EDP Distribuicao is holder of an open-ended binding license for the business of distribution of medium- and high-voltage electricity in mainland Portugal. It is also the concessionaire for almost all the low-voltage distribution network, in accordance with concession contracts with the municipalities. HC Energia operates in the regulated electricity distribution and supply business, with its natural market being the region of Asturias. HC Energias network covers the Asturias, Valencia, Madrid and Alicante regions.

Electricity Supply

EDP's electricity supply offers the services, such as maintenance and assistance services, services aimed at electricity quality, specialized technical services and energy efficiency services. EDP operates in Portugal through EDP Comercial, while in S! pain, its! electricity supply service is obtained from HC Energia or Naturgas, which offers its customers an integrated portfolio of gas and electricity products.

Gas

EDP has a presence in the gas sector in the Iberian Peninsula, through Naturgas in Spain, and through EDP Gas in Portugal. Naturgas market is the Basque Country, and Asturias, and it operates in the Spanish gas sector by providing services, such as transport, distribution and supply of gas; supply of gas in the liberalized market, and sourcing and trading.

Brazil Operations

EDP is present in Brazil through Energias do Brasil, a 62.4%-owned subsidiary. Energias do Brasil operates in the electricity generation, distribution and supply businesses.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Hunkar]

  Current Dividend Yield: 6.43%
  Sector: Telecom
  Country: Australia

  Company: Edp Energias De Portugal SA (EDPFY.PK)

  Current Dividend Yield: 4.68%
  Sector: Electric Utilities
  Country: Portugal

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-warren-buffett-stocks-for-2016.html

Hot Low Price Companies To Buy For 2016

Hot Low Price Companies To Buy For 2016: Optical Cable Corporation (OCC)

Optical Cable Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, and sells fiber optic, and copper data communications cabling and connectivity solutions primarily for the enterprise market in the United States and internationally. The company offers fiber optic cables for military field applications, and indoor and outdoor use; and copper datacom cables, including unshielded and shielded twisted pair for copper network installations. It also provides fiber optic connectivity products, such as fiber optic wall mounts, cabinet mounts and rack mount enclosures, pre-terminated fiber optic enclosures, fiber optic connectors, splice trays, fiber optic jumpers, plug and play cassette modules, pre-terminated fiber optic cable assemblies, adapters, and accessories; and copper connectivity products, including category compliant patch panels, jacks, plugs, patch cords, faceplates, surface mounted boxes, distribution and multi-media boxes, copper rack mount and wall mount enclosures, cable assemblies, cable organizers, and other wiring products for datacenter, telecommunications closet, equipment room, and workstation applications. In addition, the company offers data cabinets, wall-mount enclosures, cable management systems, and open frame relay racks for commercial and residential use; various enclosures, modules, and modular outlets for single dwelling and multiple dwelling residential uses; and cellular distribution system, a distributed antenna system for in-building enhancement of wireless communications signals. Further, it provides applied interconnect systems, such as specialty fiber optic connectors and connectivity components, ruggedized copper datacom connectors, and related systems and solutions for military and harsh environment applications. The company sells its products to distributors, original equipment manufacturers, value-added resellers, and end-users. Optical Cable Corporation was founded in 1983 and is headquarte! red in Roanoke, Virginia .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ning Jia]

  First Security entered into a Consent Order with the Bank's primary regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) during April 2010 and a Written Agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank during September 2010.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-low-price-companies-to-buy-for-2016.html

Top 10 Defense Companies For 2016

Top 10 Defense Companies For 2016: L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL)

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, L-3 Communications Corporation, provides command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems; aircraft modernization and maintenance; and government services in the United States and internationally. Its C3ISR segment offers fleet management sustainment and support, such as procurement, systems integration, sensor development, modifications, and periodic depot maintenance for signals intelligence and communications intelligence systems; strategic and tactical signals intelligence systems; secure data links; secure terminal and communication network equipment and encryption management; and communication systems. The company?s Government Services segment provides communication software support, information technology services, and various engineering development services and integration support; engineering and information systems support services; teaching and training; h uman intelligence support services; command and control systems and software services; and technical and management services. Its Aircraft Modernization and Maintenance segment offers modernization and refurbishments, upgrades and sustainment, maintenance, and logistics support services, as well as turnkey aviation life cycle management services for military and various government and commercial customers. The company?s Electronic Systems segment provides components, products, subsystems, systems, and related services across various business areas, including power and control systems, electro-optic/infrared, microwave, simulation and training, precision engagement, warrior systems, security and detection, propulsion systems, avionics and displays, telemetry and advanced technology, undersea warfare, and marine services. L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Garrett Cook]

Technology sector was the top decliner in the market on Thursday. Top losers in the sector included QuickLogic (NASDAQ: QUIK), Glu Mobile (NASDAQ: GLUU), and L-3 Communications Holdings (NYSE: LLL).

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Level-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) revised its second quarter numbers in a 10-Q filling and stated that it identified weaknesses in internal controls over its financial reporting. The company showed a total pretax income revisions of $140 million and sales revision to $73 million. Shares gained 6.51 percent, closing at $115.15.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-10-defense-companies-for-2016.html

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2015

Small cap security stocks Analogic Corporation (NASDAQ: ALOG), OSI Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: OSIS) and View Systems Inc (OTCBB: VSYM) all aid Big Brother to keep us safe with security inspection systems intended for airports and other public�places rather than equipment to just spy on us. Moreover, the security inspection systems market is global and massive as its not just about detecting potential hijackers at airports as such systems can be used to fight or prevent crime. With that thought in mind, here is a look at three small cap security inspection system stocks:

Analogic Corporation. Many of the largest and best-known medical imaging companies incorporate Analogic Corporation���high-performance imaging subsystems into their products plus the company�� state-of-the-art airport security imaging systems are installed in airports around the world. More specifically, Analogic Corporation's eXaminer庐 Family of Explosives Detection Systems (EDSs) uses 3-D Continuous-Flow CT technology to automatically examine checked baggage for explosives and other potential threats.

Top 5 Media Companies For 2016: EZchip Semiconductor Limited(EZCH)

EZchip, a fabless semiconductor company, engages in the development and marketing of Ethernet network processors for networking equipment. Its products include network processor chips, evaluation boards and network-processor based systems, and development software toolkits. The company offers network processors for use in forming the silicon core of networking equipment, such as switches and routers; and for voice, video and data integration in various applications. Its network processors are single-chip solutions, which enable its customers to design multi-port line cards, such as processing and classification engines, traffic managers, media access controllers, as well as a range of specialized hardware blocks that accelerate various functions. The company offers Evaluation systems which enable customers to test NPU-based systems; and toolkits that assist customers in creating, verifying, and implementing solutions based on its network processors. It provides a library f eaturing data plane code for a range of applications, which include Metro Ethernet protocols, Multi-Protocol Label Switching, IPv4 and IPv6 routing, Access Control Lists, GPON/EPON OLT functionality, Network Address Translation, and Server Load Balancing. The company sells its products directly, and through contract manufacturers and distributors to network equipment vendors. It markets its products in Israel, China, Hong Kong, the Far East, Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company was formerly known as LanOptics Ltd. and changed its name to EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. in July 2008. EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. was founded in 1989 and is based in Yokneam, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of EZchip (NASDAQ: EZCH  ) have jumped today by as much as 13% after the company reported first-quarter earnings.

  So what: Revenue in the first quarter totaled $15.3 million, topping the Street's forecast of $15.1 million. Non-GAAP net income per share came in at $0.23, which was right on target with expectations.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  EZchip Semiconductor (NASDAQ: EZCH) shares climbed 5.80% to $23.53. The volume of EZchip Semiconductor shares traded was 635% higher than normal. EZchip Semiconductor's PEG ratio is 1.57.

• [By Paul McWilliams]

  Paul McWilliams: Oh, absolutely. Another company that most investors probably have never heard of is a tiny little Israeli semiconductor company named EZChip (EZCH).

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  EZchip Semiconductor (NASDAQ: EZCH) was also up, gaining 7.16 percent to $24.11 after a Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced a new product that would not threaten the company as previously thought. Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Cypress Semiconductor (NASDAQ: CY) were down 16.05 percent to $9.91 after the company lowered its Q3 forecast.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2015: bebe stores inc.(BEBE)

bebe stores, inc. engages in the design, development, and production of women?s apparel and accessories. Its products include a range of separates, tops, dresses, active wear, and accessories in career, evening, casual, and active lifestyle categories. The company markets its products under the bebe, BEBE SPORT, bbsp, and 2b bebe brand names targeting 21 to 34-year-old woman. As of July 2, 2011, it operated 252 retail stores, and an online store at bebe.com in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Japan, and Canada, as well as 60 international licensee operated stores in south east Asia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Russia, Mexico, and Turkey. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Brisbane, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maria Armental and Anna Prior]

  Bebe Stores Inc.(BEBE) said Chief Executive Steve Birkhold resigned and the board named Jim Wiggett, who has been advising the struggling retailer, as interim CEO. The women’s apparel and accessories retailer plans to begin the search for a permanent successor.

• [By Anna Prior]

  Bebe Stores Inc.(BEBE) is exiting its value-oriented 2b concept and is cutting jobs as part of a cost-reduction program. The women’s apparel and accessories retailer said Friday that a workforce reduction affected about 9% of its nonstore employees, excluding the distribution center, and less than 1% of its store operations team.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2015: Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ACHN)

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of treatments for infectious diseases. The company focuses on the development of antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C; and the development of antibacterials for the treatment of resistant bacterial infections. Its drug candidates for the treatment of chronic HCV include ACH-1625, a protease inhibitor, which is in phase IIa clinical trial for the treatment of chronic HCV; ACH-2684, a pangenotypic protease inhibitor, which is in phase I clinical trial for the treatment of chronic HCV infection; and NS5A inhibitors for the treatment of chronic HCV infection, including ACH-2928, which is to enter a phase I clinical trial, as well as various additional NS5A inhibitors in preclinical development. Its pipeline of product candidates also includes ACH-702 and ACH-2881 for drug resistant bacterial infections; elvucitabine for HIV infection; and AC H-1095 for HCV infection. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in New Haven, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Since the start of 2014, small cap pharmaceutical stocks�Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: ACHN), Pernix Therapeutics Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PTX) and Amicus Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: FOLD)�are up 286.3%, 262.3% and 248.1%, respectively, making them some of the best performing pharmaceutical stocks for the year. However, a one year share performance, especially for anything in the volatile biotech or pharmaceutical sector, could be just a one time fluke. With that in mind, here is what you need to know or be warned about all three small cap pharmaceutical stocks:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Few biotechs were hit as hard as Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACHN  ) this week, however. Achillion makes up around 2% of the weight of the SPDR Biotech ETF, and its 7.5% loss this week was a major reason for the fund's fall. This stock has failed to capitalize on the markets' surge this year, losing 10% year-to-date. The company only recently named a new CEO, lifting its former R&D head and chief science officer to the top job. Achillion's still in the developmental stage of its life and thus produces no revenue, and the company's cash burn makes it seem likely that more share dilution is on its way as the company looks to advance its hepatitis-C pipeline over the coming years. Until Achillion produces some meaningful results from that pipeline, this stock will remain a risky play in an already risky space.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Bottom line from the Gilead standpoint for us is the�Johnson & Johnson for Alios transaction is particularly interesting for 1) its RSV candidate to watch, 2) longer-term Alios has two nukes going into the clinic. 3) whether this has any read-through into companies that still might be interested in Achillion’s (ACHN) Phase I nuke program which will have data this fall and investors expect that to be acquired too since there were multiple bidders for Idenix Pharmaceuticals (IDIX). 4) This may also suggest if�Johnson & Johnson continues development of these nukes that there is still a long tail for HCV if they want to invest in this for a drug that would be on the market out in 2018.

• [By Sean Williams]

  The latest hepatitis-C nightmare came from Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACHN  ) which plunged 24% on the week after the FDA placed a clinical hold on its lead compound, sovaprevir (previously known as ACH-1625) because of a worrisome drug-to-drug interaction noted in early stage trials. According to Achillion's update, sovaprevir, when studied with atazanavir, was associated with elevated ALT enzymes in the liver, although no serious adverse events were documented. Even though the FDA is allowing Achillion to continue studying sovaprevir in its mid-stage trial with ACH-3102, it's just another setback for Achillion which is miles behind Gilead Sciences�and AbbVie�in terms of time it will take to bring a new hepatitis-C therapy to market.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2015: FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL)

FuelCell Energy, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacturing, and sale of high temperature fuel cells for clean electric power generation primarily in South Korea, the United States, Germany, Canada, and Japan. The company offers proprietary carbonate Direct FuelCell Power Plants that electrochemically produce electricity from hydrocarbon fuels, such as natural gas and biogas. Its fuel cells operate on a range of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas, renewable biogas, propane, methanol, coal gas, and coal mine methane. The company also develops carbonate fuel cells, planar solid oxide fuel cell technology, and other fuel cell technologies. It provides its products to universities; manufacturers; mission critical institutions, such as correction facilities and government installations; hotels; and natural gas letdown stations, as well as to customers who use renewable biogas for fuel, including municipal water treatment facilities, br eweries, and food processors. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  FuelCell Energy Inc.(FCEL) said its fiscal first-quarter loss narrowed as strong gains in product sales drove the power-equipment maker’s overall revenue higher. Shares surged 18% to $4.64 premarket.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Own For 2015: China Metro-Rural Holdings Limited(CNR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Katie Brennan]

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

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

Top 5 Supermarket Companies To Invest In Right Now

LONDON �-- I'm always searching for shares that can help ordinary investors like you make money from the stock market. However, many people have been worried the market could be overheating -- with fears recently being realized.

So right now I'm analyzing some of the most popular companies in the FTSE 100, hoping to establish if they can continue to outperform in today's uncertain economy.

Today I'm looking at�Wm. Morrison Supermarkets� (LSE: MRW  ) (NASDAQOTH: MRWSY  ) to determine whether the shares are still safe to buy at 264 pence.

So, how's business going?
Morrisons has failed to impress the market over the last few months as investors worry about the company's ability to compete with larger peers Tesco�and�Sainsbury's, which dominate the food retail market.

Having said that, Morrisons has been working hard to try and turn its fortunes around, and it appears that the company's plan is starting to gain traction.

Indeed, according to a report released this week by researcher Kantar, Morrisons' sales rose 1.2% in the 12 weeks to June, the company's third consecutive quarter of sales growth, reversing the previous six quarters of declining sales.

Top 10 Industrial Conglomerate Companies To Buy Right Now: AbbVie Inc (ABBV)

AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie), incorporated on April 10, 2012, is a research-based pharmaceuticals company. The Company discovers, develops, and commercializes advanced therapies. AbbVie's portfolio of products include a line of adult and pediatric pharmaceuticals, which includes HUMIRA, metabolics/hormones products, virology products, endocrinology products, dyslipidemia products and other products.

AbbVie products are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cystic fibrosis complications, low testosterone, thyroid disease, Parkinson's disease and complications associated with chronic kidney disease, among other indications. In October 2012, AbbVie initiated a comprehensive Phase III program for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype one.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eddie Staley]

  AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) lifted its offer to buy Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG) to 30.1 billion pounds ($51.3 billion).

  The latest offer for Shire is approximately an 11 percent increase from the previous bid. The new offer stands at £22.44 cash and 0.8568 AbbVie shares for each Shire share, or £51.15 total.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Arch Coal (ACI) climbed 1.7% to close at $4.26 after announcing measures to refinance debt. And drug maker AbbVie (ABBV) rose 3.2% after Goldman Sachs added the stock to its Conviction Buy list.

• [By Valuentum]

  Teva Pharma (TEVA) recently announced that its generic version of AbbVie's (ABBV) Niaspan would hit the U.S. market. The news is particularly noteworthy because Teva was the first-to-file, making the product eligible for 180 days of marketing exclusivity (a large windfall for the company).

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Abbott is only part of what it used to be, with the highly successful AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV  ) pharmaceutical giant having traded as an independent company for a full quarter now. Now on its own, Abbott is free to pursue its own path. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Abbott Labs over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Top 5 Supermarket Companies To Invest In Right Now: Amazon.com Inc (AMZ)

Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon.com), incorporated on May 28, 1996, serves consumers through its retail websites and focus on selection, price, and convenience. The Company offers programs that enables sellers to sell their products on its Websites and their own branded Websites and to fulfill orders through them , and programs that allow authors, musicians, filmmakers, application developers, and others to publish and sell content. The Company operates in two segments: North America and International. The Company serves consumers through its retail websites, and focus on selection, price, and convenience. The Company designs its Websites to enable millions of products to be sold by the Company and by third parties across dozens of product categories. Customers access its Websites directly and through its mobile Websites and apps. It also manufactures and sells Kindle devices. In May 2012, the Company acquired Kiva Systems, Inc. (Kiva). In October 2013, Amazon.com Inc acquired TenMarks Education Inc. Effective February 5, 2014, Amazon.com Inc acquired Double Helix Games LLC. Effective May 6, 2014, the Company acquired Iconology Inc.

The Company offers its customers the lowest prices possible through low everyday product pricing and shipping offers, including through membership in Amazon Prime, and to improve its operating efficiencies so that it can continue to lower prices for its customers. The Company also provides easy-to-use functionality, fast and reliable fulfillment, and timely customer service. It offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its websites and their own branded websites and to fulfill orders through them.

The Company serves developers and enterprises of all sizes through Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides access to technology infrastructure that enables virtually any type of business. The Company serves serve authors and independent publishers with Kindle Direct Publishing. It also offers programs that allow authors, musicians, filmmak! ers, app developers, and others to publish and sell content.

North America

North America segment consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products and subscriptions through North America-focused websites such as www.amazon.com and www.amazon.ca and include amounts earned from AWS. This segment includes export sales from www.amazon.com and www.amazon.ca.

International

The International segment consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products and subscriptions through internationally-focused websites. This segment includes export sales from these internationally based websites , including export sales from these sites to customers in the U.S. and Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  For an asset class once known for stable dividends backed by recurring revenues from long term contracts, MLPs have turned into investment divas ��strong performers with lots of volatility. The Alerian MLP Index (AMZ) outperformed the S&P 500 in 2009, 2010, and 2011 ��and despite the huge move in the broad market last year, came close to matching the S&P 500 in 2013 (27.59% vs. 32.38%). The MLP index is still ahead of the S&P 500 year to date after rebounding from a massive sell-off in October. Still, AMZ is below levels of the late summer and early fall.

Top 5 Supermarket Companies To Invest In Right Now: Vical Incorporated(VICL)

Vical Incorporated engages in the research and development of biopharmaceutical products based on its deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) delivery technologies for the prevention and treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases. Its products include Allovectin, a Phase III clinical trial product to treat metastatic melanoma; CyMVectin prophylactic vaccine for cytomegalovirus, which completed preclinical trial to prevent infection before pregnancy to preclude fetal transmission; and therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines for herpes simplex type 2 virus, which is under preclinical trial to prevent and protect against recurring flare-ups, reduce viral shedding ,and transmission. The company, through corporate collaborations, develops TransVax, which is in Phase III clinical trials to protect against CMV infection after stem cell transplants, as well as in Phase II clinical trial to protect against CMV infection after solid organ transplants; Collategene, an angiogenic therapy enc oding hepatocyte growth factor that is in Phase III clinical trials to induce local growth of blood vessels to restore blood flow to limbs affected by critical limb ischemia; Apex-IHN prophylactic vaccine for infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus for the prevention of infection and disease in farm-raised salmon when exposed to infected wild salmon ; and ONCEPT therapeutic cancer vaccine encoding human tyrosinase for the treatment to increase survival time of dogs with oral melanoma. Vical Incorporated, through government collaboration, develops Prophylactic and/or therapeutic HIV vaccine, a Phase IIb clinical trial product to prevent/treat infection, disease, and/or viral shedding; and Tetravalent dengue vaccine, a Phase I clinical trial product to prevent dengue disease caused by all 4 dengue serotypes. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biopharmaceutical company Vical (NASDAQ: VICL  ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

Top 5 Supermarket Companies To Invest In Right Now: Evolution Petroleum Corporation Inc. (EPM)

Evolution Petroleum Corporation, an independent petroleum company, together with its subsidiaries, acquires, exploits, and develops properties for the production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States. It primarily holds interests in the Holt Bryant Unit in the Delhi Field located in Northeast Louisiana. The company also has interests in the Giddings Field in Central Texas; the Lopez Field in South Texas; and the Woodford shale projects in Southeast Oklahoma. As of June 30, 2013, it had total proved reserves of 13,766 MBOE; and probable reserves of 11,224 MBOE. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  For holders of Evolution Petroleum's (NYSEMKT: EPM  ) �perpetual non-convertible 8.5% Series A cumulative preferred stock, investors will receive�1/12th�of the 8.5% annualized amount, or approximately�$0.177083�per share, based on the�$25.00�per share liquidation preference.

Would Elon Musk Sell Tesla To GM Or Ford In PayPal Redux?

Tesla has been on a remarkable run this year, with the stock up nearly 360% as the company rolled out its award-winning Model S to thousands of new customers. But perhaps that means it's a perfect time to sell out to an established player like Ford or GM.

That's what Yra Harris of Praxis Trading speculated on CNBC this week, predicting that Tesla may be sold to General Motors General Motors in the coming year. Such a move would come as surprise to many, given billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk's rock star status. But Musk has already made such a play before: when he sold PayPal to eBay in 2002.

Back in 2002, PayPal was the upstart disruptor. It had an initial public offering in February 2002 and was quickly valued over $1.2 billion. At the time, eBay was trying to introduce its own e-payments system, but PayPal was already catching on. Why re-invent the wheel? eBay grabbed PayPal for $1.5 billion and has never looked back. PayPal now accounts for roughly 40% of eBay's revenue.

Musk made out well, too. He owned over 11% of PayPal stock at the time of the deal, making him the largest shareholder. Musk pocketed a big financial windfall which helped fund his new endeavors, including Tesla, SpaceX and SolarCity SolarCity.

Why not do that again? General Motors, for example, would have plenty of reason to do a deal. Like eBay struggling to create its own electronic payments system, GM is working on its own electronic-powered cars. Jumping to Tesla's award-winning platform would be a much easier path. Tesla also might like the financial stability and operations know-how of a global automaker. The company's Model S car is largely limited by production capacity, rather than demand, and GM could fix that.

Musk, of course, would also gain. He's again the largest shareholder, with over 27% of Tesla including options. The total could be worth $5 billion or more in a deal. With that kind of windfall, the itinerant entrepreneur could fund SpaceX, his pet Hyperloop project, or other new ventures — just as he did with his PayPal winnings. The question is whether he is interested in continuing his uphill battle in the car space, especially dealing with mundane details like regulators investigating Model S car fires.

The biggest obstacle to such a deal, in reality, is Tesla's sky-high price. Tesla generates barely more than 1% of GM's total revenues, but is trading at a market cap about one-third as large as GM. It's 11x price to sales ratio (ttm) compares to GM's 0.37x and Ford's 0.41x. With that kind of valuation, Tesla may be too expensive for any of the market leaders to make a play.

Follow Brian on Facebook and Twitter.

In Pictures: Elon Musk's Hyperloop

Top Promising Companies To Watch For 2016

Top Promising Companies To Watch For 2016: Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd (FRFHF)

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) is a financial services holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is principally engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and the associated investment management. The Company's segments consist of Insurance, Reinsurance, Insurance and Reinsurance Other, Runoff, and Corporate and Other. On December 22, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of 75% interests in Sporting Life Inc. On August 16, 2011, the Company acquired William Ashley China Corporation. On March 24, 2011, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax completed the acquisition of The Pacific Insurance Berhad. On February 9, 2011, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax completed the acquisition of First Mercury Financial Corporation. In October 2012, its RiverStone runoff subsidiary acquired all the outstanding shares of Brit Insurance Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  BlackBerry (BBRY) has been a value trap that has ensnared more than its share of value hunting investors in recent years — yours truly included. Buying BlackBerry stock will also likely go down in history as the single-worst investing mistake in the otherwise illustrious career of Prem Watsa — the chairman of Fairfax Financial (FRFHF) and the man commonly known as the "Warren Buffett of Canada."

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  That business model has been so successful that other, smaller insurance companies have emulated it. For instance, Fairfax Financial (NASDAQOTH: FRFHF  ) and Markel (NYSE: MKL  ) have used the same investing model to take advantage of their respective core insurance businesses. Both Fairfax and Markel have had substantial success, showing the power of using temporarily available premium res! erves to make higher-return investments.

• [By Tim Brugger]

  Citing the letter of intent to be acquired for $9 a share signed Monday with a consortium led by its largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial (NASDAQOTH: FRFHF  ) , BlackBerry  (NASDAQ: BBRY  )  has opted to cancel its conference call and webcast following the 7 .a.m EST release of Q2 earnings this Friday, the company announced yesterday.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-promising-companies-to-watch-for-2016.html

Top 5 Services Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 5 Services Stocks To Watch Right Now: KDDI Corp (KDDIF)

KDDI CORPORATION is a telecommunications company. The Mobile Telecommunication segment is engaged in the provision of mobile communications services, including voice and data services, and mobile WIMAX services, as well as the sale of mobile communication terminals and the provision of contents. The Fixed-line Telecommunication segment provides broadband services, including fiber to the home (FTTH) and cable television (TV) services, as well as domestic and overseas communication services, data center services and information and communication technology (ICT) solution services. The Others segment is involved in the operation of call centers and the development of research and advanced technology. On December 2, 2013, it transferred all shares of a wholly owned subsidiary, JAPAN CABLE NET LIMITED to another subsidiary. In December 2013, the Company acquired the entire share capital in Yugen Kaisha Cosmos. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks opened sharply higher Monday, with the Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) advancing 1.1% to 14,242.86 after falling 2.8% Friday, as end-of-the-week gains for U.S. shares and some earnings news helped lift the market. The Topix also saw solid gains, up 0.8% in early moves. Major advances included a 2.5% rise for Hitachi Ltd. (JP:6501) (HTHIF) , a 4.1% surge for Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (JP:7211) (MMTOF) , and a 2.6% improvement for KDDI Corp. (JP:9433) (KDDIF) after the Nikkei business daily said the telecom will report a 50% increase for operati! ng profit in the fiscal first half compared to a year earlier. Sony Corp. (JP:6758) (SNE) added 2% after scoring a Credit Suisse upgrade to outperform. Shares of NTT DoCoMo Inc. (JP:9437) (NTDMF) traded 1.1% higher after posting above-forecast quarterly results Friday, while JFE Holdings Inc. (JP:5411) (JFEEF) fell 3.2% after the steel producer also reported earnings.

• [By Daniel Inman]

  In Tokyo, telecoms firm KDDI Corp. (JP:9433) (KDDIF) rose 2% after a Nikkei report said that the firm will likely report a record first-half group operating profit, with a 50% on-year increase. TDK Corp. (JP:6762) (TTDKF) , however, dropped 0.2% after a separate Nikkei report said that the electronics-component producer will report an 8% increase in operating profit over the same period.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- With the yen holding on to its gains and investors cautious as earnings season kicks off, Japanese stocks slid lower Friday after closing the previous day with some late-session gains. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) fell 0.9% to 14,358.28, with the Topix down 0.8%, as the dollar bought 97.36 yen, little changed from 24 hours earlier. The relatively strong yen weighed on some names with high global exposure, as Sharp Corp. ! (JP:6! 753) (SHCAF) lost 1%, Pioneer Corp. (JP:6773) (PNCOF) dropped 1.6%, and Bridgestone Corp. (JP:5108) (BRDCF) fell 1.2%. An outlook cut from Canon Inc. (JP:7751) (CAJ) helped send its shares down 1%, while rival Nikon Corp. (JP:7731) (NINOF) lost 1.8%, though Olympus Corp. (JP:7733) (OCPNF) gained 1%. Telecoms were weak, with Softbank Corp. (JP:9984) (SFTBF) falling 2.5%, KDDI Corp. (JP:9433) (KDDIF) down 1.7%, and NTT DoCoMo Inc. (JP:9437) (NTDMF)

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-services-stocks-to-watch-right-now-3.html

Edmunds: Success in business and relationships

Hello Gladys: I have a question that I am pretty sure you haven't come across in the past. I have been in business for almost 20 years. I am single. I have never been married nor have I had a long-term, truly-committed relationship. I would love to find a really decent guy. Usually when I meet someone we get along just fine until he learns that I own a very successful business. After that the relationship seems to decline at a fairly rapid rate.

I have many girlfriends that are in the same position. They are women who are business owners and high-powered professional women and we often discuss this missing love link in our lives. Why can't women be both successful in business and have love at the same time? I'm getting older and a solid relationship is important to me. But so is the financial security that my business brings. Do I have to give up one in order to have the other? — S. K.

I remember several years ago having dinner with a friend, whom I will call Sue. She owns a nutritional consulting company and was single for many years following the death of her husband. Every time we would get together she would make comments on how lonely she was and how she wished and even prayed to be able to find a good man who wanted to settle down. She even signed up for a number of online dating services and had no luck finding Mr. Right.

Finally, one day I asked her why she hadn't found someone to her liking and she responded by saying, "My business keeps me so busy, I don't have time to play nursemaid to a man. And every guy I meet is either married, a loser, totally boring, or looking for someone to mother him. And when I meet someone that seems like the kind of fellow I could get into he gets intimidated by my business success."

I told her that whether we believe it or not, people can sense where we are coming from before we hardly speak a word. I reminded her of the time that I went with her to buy a car. While we looked under the hood and in the trunk, and got inside and sat beh! ind the wheel, the car salesman gawked at us like we were idiots who knew nothing about buying a car. I reminded Sue how insulted she was at his behavior and how she left the car dealers and purchased her car elsewhere.

We laughed as we recalled the event. I told Sue that the salesman never said anything derogatory or insulting to us but he made us feel uncomfortable. I went on to say that if I met a man who believed that all the women he met were either losers or totally boring. I would be able to feel his thoughts in the same way we felt the negative thoughts of the car salesman. Needless to say I would want nothing to do with that man.

Perhaps you might want to recheck the kind of energy you're putting out there toward men. I have witnessed women putting their bios on the table with the first date. I could be mistaken, but I don't think a man wants that on the first date.

There is a wonderful poem written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer called 'The Invitation'. The opening passage goes like this:

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
And if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing."

You can read the entire poem at www.oriahmountaindreamer.com. After reading the poem, review your thoughts and feelings when dating: pay attention to both your verbal and non-verbal communication when you are out on a date.

You do not have to trade your business for a meaningful relationship. I believe that there is someone for you.

When "Mr. Right" shows up you want to be ready and not make him run away. So check to make certain that you are not harboring thoughts and feelings that will find their way into your body language and words.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Companies For 2016

Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. Her column appears Wedn! esdays. E! -mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com. An archive of her columns is here. Her website is gladysedmunds.com.

Top 5 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now

AbbVie (ABBV) has fallen today after Morgan Stanley downgraded its shares from Overweight to Equal Weight.

Getty Images

Morgan Stanley analyst David Risinger explains the AbbVie cut:

ABBV is close to our $57 price target, and news reported by Gilead (GILD) and Targacept this week lowers the probability of our bull case….

Gilead�� top-line hepatitis-c data was exceptional, and we no longer see upside potential for AbbVie hep-c sales. GILD�� regimen has an efficacy/safety profile and dosing schedule (one pill, once daily, eight weeks treatment duration) that, in our view, leaves
almost no room for upside to our 30% share estimate for ABBV, unless ABBV discounts aggressively.

Also a concern: AbbVie’s pipeline, while strong, is mostly partnered, leaving less upside potential. Elotuzumab, for instance, is partnered with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), while Daclizumab is being developed with Biogen Idec Idex (BIIB).

Top Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Stanley Black & Decker Inc.(SWK)

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. manufactures tools and engineered security solutions worldwide. The company?s Security segment provides a range of mechanical and electronic security products and systems, as well as various security services consisting of security integration systems, software, and related installation, maintenance, monitoring services; automatic doors, door closers, and exit devices; healthcare storage and supply chain solutions; patient protection products; hardware; and locking mechanisms. This segment sells its products to retailers; educational, financial, and healthcare institutions; and commercial, governmental, and industrial customers through direct sales forces and third party distributors. Its Industrial segment offers mechanics tools and storage systems, including wrenches, sockets, electronic diagnostic tools, tool boxes, and industrial storage and retrieval systems; engineered healthcare storage and retrieval systems; hydraulic tools and accessor ies; plumbing, heating, and air conditioning tools; assembly tools and systems; and specialty tools. This segment sells its products to industrial customers through third party distributors and direct sales forces. The company?s Construction & Do-It-Yourself segment manufactures hand tools, including measuring and leveling tools, planes, hammers, demolition tools, knives and blades, saws, chisels, and consumer tackers; consumer mechanics tools; storage units comprising plastic and metal tool boxes; and pneumatic tools and fasteners for use in construction, remodeling, furniture making, pallet and manufacturing applications. This segment sells its products to professional end users and consumers through retailers, including home centers, mass merchants, hardware stores, and retail lumber yards. The company was formerly known as The Stanley Works and changed its name to Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. in March 2010. Stanley Black & Decker was founded in 1843 and is based in New B ritain, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.38 per share on revenue of $2.82 billion.

  Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.18 per share on revenue of $22.03 billion.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Wednesday

  Earnings Expected From: Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK), Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: SWK), US Bancorp (NYSE: USB), Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC), Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) Economic Releases Expected: US Beige Book, Canadian manufacturing sales, US CPI

  Thursday

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Power tools for the handy pop
  As much as I'd love to fill my closet with another dated paisley print tie off the discount rack, what I'd really like are some new tools in the shed and shares of�Stanley Black & Decker� (NYSE: SWK  ) in my portfolio.�

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Mattel Inc.(MAT), Stanley Black & Decker Inc.(SWK) and Advance Auto Parts Inc.(AAP)

Top 5 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV (FOMC)

Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV (FEMSA) is a Mexico-based holding company engaged in the beverages industry. Through its subsidiary Coca-Cola FEMSA SAB de CV, the Company is active in the production and distribution of a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, bottled water and still beverages such brands as Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Powerade, Delaware Punch and other trademark beverages of The Coca-Cola Company in Mexico. Through FEMSA Comercio SA de CV, it operates the OXXO convenience-store chain in Latin America. The Company operates in a number of Latinamerican countries and in Philippines. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Canadian Value]

  Also interesting is that the duration of rising rate environments is distinctly shorter after 1982. The average duration declines to 14 months from 40 months prior to 1982. A possible explanation could be changes in the monetary mechanism influencing interest rates. In 1982, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) first referenced a targeted federal funds rate.7

• [By CanadianValue]

  Former Philadelphia Fed President Edward Boehne elegantly described the approach at a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in late 1989:

  ��ow, sooner or later, we will have a recession. I don�� think anybody around the table wants a recession or is seeking one, but sooner or later we will have one. If in that recession we took advantage of the anti-inflation (impetus) and we got inflation down from 4 1/2 percent to 3 percent, and then in the next expansion we were able to keep inflation from accelerating, sooner or later there will be another recession out there. And so, if we could bring inflation down from cycle to cycle just as we let it build up from cycle to cycle, that would be considerable progress over what we��e done in other periods in history.��/p>

Top 5 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: American Residential Properties Inc (ARPI)

American Residential Properties, Inc., incorporated on March 30, 2012, is a fully integrated and internally managed real estate investment company, which is organized as a real estate investment trust. The Company acquires, renovates, leases and manages single-family properties in select communities nationally. The Company is operating in ten states. American Residential Properties OP, L.P. acts as its operating partnership. American Residential GP, LLC is the wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and the sole general partner of its operating partnership. American Residential Leasing Company, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of its operating partnership. American Residential Properties TRS, LLC (TRS), that is a wholly owned subsidiary of its operating partnership. As of March 31, 2013, it owned 2,531 properties in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas , and it managed an additional 608 properties for Phoenix Fund in Arizona and Nevada. For the period from April 1, 2013 to April 12, 2013, the Company acquired or have contracted to acquire 785 single-family homes, of which 43 homes are in Arizona, four homes are in California, 66 homes are in Florida, 25 homes are in Georgia, 35 homes are in Illinois, 114 homes are in Indiana, 214 homes are in North Carolina, nine homes are in South Carolina and 275 homes are in Texas.

In addition to the Company�� primary business strategy of acquiring, restoring, leasing and managing single-family homes, it has a private mortgage financing strategy. As of March 31, 2013, the Company�� total portfolio of single family homes included 1,045 homes in phoenix, 304 homes in Chicago, 209 homes in Inland Empire, 136 homes in Winston-Salem, 265 homes in Indianapolis, 78 homes in Dallas-Fort Worth, 169 homes in Atlanta, 82 homes in other-California, 63 homes in Las Vegas, 138 homes in Fort Myers, 24 homes in Houston, 6 homes in Raleigh-Cary, 11 homes in Charlotte and one home in Charleston. As! of March 31, 2013, the Company�� portfolio of self-managed single-family homes included 1,521 homes. As of March 31, 2013, the Company�� portfolio of preferred operator program single-family homes included 1,010 homes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Amanda Alix]

  This spring, however, signs of a slowdown began to appear. The number of distressed properties began to diminish, prices began ticking upward, and interest rates started a slow rise. However, two snippets of good news may help float the boats of private equity firm Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX  ) , and single-family REITs Silver Bay (NYSE: SBY  ) and American Residential Properties (NYSE: ARPI  ) : easier credit, and higher foreclosure rates.

• [By Mark Holder]

  After an initial bump in Silver Bay, the stock has had a horrible 2013, now trading close to all-time lows. Recently, a couple of other IPOs in the sector have come to market with weak receptions. Both American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH  ) and American Residential Properties (NYSE: ARPI  ) offer different twists to the general thesis of investing in single-family rental properties to take advantage of the weakness in housing prices and the increased demand for rentals.

Top 5 Rising Stocks To Own Right Now: Workday Inc (WDAY)

Workday, Inc., incorporated in March 2005, is a provider of enterprise cloud-based applications for human capital management (HCM), payroll, financial management, time tracking, procurement and employee expense management. It is focused on the consumer Internet experience and cloud delivery model. Its applications are designed for global enterprises to manage complex and dynamic operating environments. The Company provides its customers the applications to manage critical business functions for their financial and human capital resources. In February 2014, Workday Inc acquired Identified Inc, a provider of online recruitment analytics services.

Multi-Tenant Architecture

The Company�� architecture enables customers to share the same version of its applications while securely partitioning their respective application data. Because customers utilize its information technology (IT) resources and operational infrastructure, this framework reduces the costs of implementation, upgrades, and support.

Object-Oriented Technology Framework

The Company�� applications use objects to represent real-world entities such as employees, benefits, budgets, charts of accounts, and organizations.

In-Memory Data Management

The Company�� use of in-memory processing brings data physically closer to the central processing units and into main memory, eliminating the need to run a disk-seek operation each time a data look-up is performed. This allows for the delivery of embedded business intelligence to facilitate actionable analytics and reporting.

Consumer User Interface (UI)

The Company has built a UI platform that allows it to embrace new UI technologies without needing to rewrite the underlying application logic. It supports all browsers, run natively on Apple�� iOS with applications specifically designed for the iPad and iPhone, and support other mobile platforms such as Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian thro! ugh its HTML5 client.

Configurable Processes

The Company offers a set of tools for configuring, managing, monitoring, and optimizing the business processes that organizations rely on to manage their business. It includes over 270 pre-defined business process definitions to help deployments and provide a starting point for additional configuration.

Web Services-based Integration Platform

By offering an enterprise-class, embedded Web services integration platform and toolset at no additional cost, it relieves customers of many of the burdens associated with legacy systems integration and greatly reduce the risk of implementation failures or delays. In addition to open, standards-based Web services application programming interfaces, it provides a growing portfolio of pre-built, packaged integrations and connectors called Integration Cloud Connect.

Security and Audit

The Company endeavors to adhere to the security standards. It voluntarily obtain third party examinations relating to security and data privacy. It delivers configurable, user-level access control policies as well as a comprehensive, always-on auditing service that captures and documents changes to both data elements and business processes.

The Company competes with Oracle Corporation (Oracle), SAP AG (SAP), Ceridian and NetSuite, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  My first earnings short-squeeze play is enterprise cloud applications player Workday (WDAY), which is set to release numbers on next Monday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Workday to report revenue of $205.11 million on a loss of 10 cents per share.

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Workday is pretty high 9.1%. That means that out of the 98.06 million shares in the tradable float, 8.99 million shares are sold short by the bears. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of WDAY could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

  From a technical perspective, WDAY is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has pulled back recently off its high of $97.40 to its low of $90.08 a share. Shares of WDAY are now starting to bounce a bit higher off that $90.08 low and it's approaching a possible breakout trade that could hit post-earnings.

  If you're bullish on WDAY, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at around $96 to $97.40 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.47 million shares. If that breakout triggers post-earnings, then WDAY will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $105 to $110, or even its 52-week high of $116.47 a share.

  I would simply avoid WDAY or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below both its 50-day at $87.17 and its 200-day at $86.31 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then WDAY will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $72 to around $78 a share.

• [By Alexandra Scaggs]

  When it comes to tech, the bank kept its exposure steady in shares of Google Inc.(GOOGL), Apple Inc.(AAPL), LinkedIn Corp.(LNKD), Hewlett-Packard Co.(HPQ), Workday Inc.(WDAY), and Vmware Inc.(VMW)

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  The deal by the data-analysis software maker follows well-received offerings by software makers Workday Inc.(WDAY) and Cvent Inc.(CVT) last week, suggesting investor interest in cloud computing and ��ig data��analysis remain high. Those deals bucked the broader market�� sluggish tone, with indexes little changed out of the gate this year and many strategists predicting muted returns after 2013�� rally.

• [By Jason Cunningham]

  "Whether it's LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD), Pandora (NYSE: P), Yelp (NYSE: YELP), you go back to Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), Workday (NYSE: WDAY), NetSuite (NYSE: N), I think we've proven to the clients in that industry we're a better partner, and now it's up to us to execute, 'cause Thursday is all about Twitter and the investors. It's not about us."

Best Growth Companies To Own For 2016

Best Growth Companies To Own For 2016: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Omar Venerio]

  The company has a current ROE of -21.54% which is lower than the industry median and the one exhibited by Inter Parfums Inc. (IPAR). In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. So for investors looking those levels or more, Usana Health Sciences (USNA) and Medifast (MED) could be options. It is! very important to understand this metric before investing and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time.

• [By Ali Berri]

  In trading on Friday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.09 percent. Meanwhile, top decliners in the sector included Medifast (NYSE: MED), down 9.6 percent, and Universal (NYSE: UVV), off 3.9 percent.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Weight Watchers have gained 23% to $24.36 at 11:27 a.m., while NutriSystem (NTRI) has gained 2.4% to $15.36 and Medifast (MED) has dropped 1.6% to $31.15.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-growth-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

Stock futures surge amid shutdown saga

U.S. stock futures surged Thursday as investors were encouraged by talk of a deal that may avert a U.S. government default.

President Barack Obama will meet with top House Republicans at the White House to seek a path beyond a confrontation that has left the government shuttered for close to two weeks.

House Republican leaders appear to be ready to advance a short-term debt limit increase that would prevent the first default on U.S. debt next week.

Dow Jones industrial futures are up 0.7% and the S&P futures gained 0.9%. Nasdaq futures are up 0.9%.

All major U.S. averages have taken a beating this month as a partial shutdown of the U.S. government dragged on and the risk of a possible default on its debt increased.

"I think investors are facing what has become an all too familiar but nevertheless difficult task of correctly pricing in the risk of the U.S. reaching its debt ceiling," said Ric Spooner, chief of CMC Markets in Sydney.

FIDELITY: Sheds government bonds

Wall Street rose slightly on Wednesday. The Dow rose 0.2% to close at 14,803. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% at 1,656. The Nasdaq fell 0.5%, to 3,677.

Top 5 Undervalued Stocks To Invest In 2016

WEDNESDAY: Stocks close with small gains; Nasdaq drops

In Asia Thursday, Japan's Nikkei rose 1.1% to 14,194.71. Benchmarks in Europe traded higher. Britain's FTSE 100 index added 0.8% and France's CAC 40 index shot 1.6% higher. German stocks also saw strong gains.

Benchmark crude for November delivery was up 2 cents to $101.63 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.88 to close at $101.61 a barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday.

Contributing: Associated Press

Top 5 Freight Stocks To Buy For 2015

Here are today's top news headlines from�Fool.com. Check back throughout the day as this list is updated, and follow us on Twitter at�TMFBreaking.

Costco Maintains Dividend

Verizon Launches 500 Mbps FiOS Internet Service

Pentagon Awards Only $120 Million in Contracts Monday

Genesis Energy Buys a Fleet

Flowers Foods Completes $355 Million Hostess Acquisitions

Cisco to Acquire Sourcefire in $2.7 Billion Deal

Time Warner Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Lockheed Martin Beats Estimates, Raises Guidance; Stock Jumps

Tata Motors Enters Australian Market

GNC to Open Stores in China

LinkedIn Helps Marketers Connect With Its Members

Alaska Wireless Network Joint Venture Moves Forward

Home Prices Up for 16th Straight Month

Ford Increases U.S. Hiring Goal by 800 Employees

UPS Earnings Drop on Lackluster Freight and International Shipping

NVIDIA Introduces New Flagship GPU

Top 5 Internet Companies To Invest In Right Now: Vitran Corporation Inc (VTNC)

Vitran Corporation Inc. (Vitran), incorporated on April 29, 1981, is a provider of freight surface transportation and related supply chain services throughout Canada 34 states in the eastern, southeastern, central, southwestern, and western United States. The Company�� business consists of Less-than-truckload services (LTL). These services are provided by stand-alone business units within their respective regions. Vitran�� business is carried on through its subsidiaries, which hold the licenses and permits required to carry on business. As of December 31, 2012, Vitran�� principal wholly owned operating subsidiaries included Vitran Express Canada Inc. (Ontario), Can-Am Logistics Inc. (Ontario), Vitran Logistics Ltd. (Ontario), Expediteur T.W. Ltee (Canada), Vitran Corporation (Nevada), Vitran Express Inc. (Pennsylvania), Vitran Logistics Corp. (Delaware), Vitran Logistics Inc. (Indiana), and Las Vegas/L.A. Express, Inc. (California). In March 2013, Vitran Corp Inc completed divestiture of its Supply Chain Operation division to Legacy Supply Chain. In October 2013, Vitran Corporation Inc. completed the sale of its United States LTL business.

LTL Services

Within Canada, the Company provides next-day service within Ontario, Quebec and parts of western Canada, and generates its revenue from the movement of LTL freight within the three- to five-day east-west service lanes. The majority of its trans-Canada freight is shipped intermodally, whereby the Company�� containers are loaded onto rail cars and trans-loaded to Vitran facilities where Vitran�� network of owner operators pick up and deliver the freight to various destinations. During 2012, Vitran�� Canadian LTL business represented approximately 27.6% of total LTL revenues. Vitran�� Transborder Service Solution (inter-regional) provides over-the-road service between its Canadian LTL and United States LTL business units.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Vitran Corporation (NASDAQ: VTNC) announced today that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with TransForce pursuant to which TransForce has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Vitran not already owned by TransForce for US$6.50 in cash per share, in accordance with TransForce's prior proposal. To read the full news, click here. ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) today announced it signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) to sell three utility-scale projects in Western China, with a total capacity of 60MW, to Jiangsu Akcome Solar Science & Technology Co on December 30, 2013. To read the full news, click here. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) today announced it has terminated the merger agreement with Apollo Tyres (NSE:ApolloTYRE). To read the full news, click here. RedHill Biopharma (NASDAQ: RDHL) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with leading healthcare investor OrbiMed Israel Partners Limited Partnership, an affiliate of OrbiMed Advisors LLC, for the sale of RedHill's American Depository Shares and warrants in a private placement transactionor a total sum of $6.0 million. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Guggenheim US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

Top 5 Freight Stocks To Buy For 2015: Heartland Express Inc (HTLD)

Heartland Express, Inc. (Heartland), incorporated on August 8, 1986, is a short-to-medium haul truckload carrier. The Company provides regional dry van truckload services through its regional terminals plus its corporate headquarters. The Company transports freight for shippers and generally earns revenue based on the number of miles per load delivered. The Company�� primary traffic lanes are between customer locations east of the Rocky Mountains. The Company is a holding company of Heartland Express Inc. of Iowa, Heartland Express Services, Inc., Heartland Express Maintenance Services, Inc. and A & M Express, Inc. Heartland operates nine specialized regional distribution operations in Atlanta, Georgia; Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Chester, Virginia; Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; Kingsport, Tennessee; Olive Branch, Mississippi; Phoenix, Arizona, and Seagoville, Texas. The Company operates maintenance facilities at all regional distribution operating centers along with shop only locations in Fort Smith, Arkansas and O��allon, Missouri. In November 2013, Heartland Express Inc acquired 100% of the stock of Gordon Trucking, Inc.

The Company�� operations department is responsible for maintaining the continuity between the customer�� needs and Heartland�� ability to meet those needs by communicating customer�� expectations to the fleet management group. They are charged with development of customer relationships, ensuring service standards, coordinating proper freight-to-capacity balancing, trailer asset management, and daily tactical decisions pertaining to matching the customer demand with the appropriate capacity within geographical service areas. They assign orders to drivers based on well-defined criteria, such as driver safety and United States Department of Transportation (the DOT) compliance, customer needs and service requirements, on-time service, equipment utilization, driver time at home, operational efficiency, and equipment maintenance needs. Fleet management is r! esponsible for driver management and development. Their responsibilities include meeting the needs of the drivers within the standards that have been set by the organization and communicating the requirements of the customers to the drivers on each order to ensure successful execution. Serving the short-to-medium haul market (500 miles average length of haul in 2012) permits the Company to use primarily single, rather than team drivers and dispatch loads directly from origin to destination without an intermediate equipment change other than for driver scheduling purposes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Heartland Express (HTLD) rose today despite being cut by Stifel Nicolaus for valuation reasons.

  Bloomberg News

  Shares of Heartland Express have gained 50% this year, trumping the 38% rise in Con-Way (CNW) and the 29% advance in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) but lagging Old Dominion Freight Lines (ODFL) and Swift Transportation (SWFT).

  That big gain was enough for Stifel’s John Larkin say no mas and cut his rating on Heartland Express. They explain why:

  Downgrading from Buy to Hold as the company’s shares appear fully and fairly valued. In fact, shares have recently traded through our 12-month fair value estimate of $19 (or 16.0x our 2015 EPS estimate of $1.15 plus ~$0.68 per share NPV of future cash tax benefits).

  Rating change is primarily valuation based as well as from our view that most transportation equities are trading ahead of the still mediocre underlying freight market fundamentals.

  BB&T’s Thomas Albrecht and team, who upgraded Heartland Express to Buy from Hold yesterday, explain why they think the stock will do just fine regardless of the economy:

  Heartland is an intriguing play upon both a slow-growth economy and a rapidly growing one (along with tight capacity). Many carriers are only able to thrive in the latter environment. With HTLD we believe that even in a sluggish economy it has a self-generating EPS story through the integration and growth of Gordon. Q3’13, a very difficult quarter for TL carriers, saw HTLD post a 79.3% OR versus 83.3%.

  The timing of the Gordon deal seems ideal, similar to the Great Coastal acquisition in mid-2002. Back then the TL market was stabilizing, but had yet to really take off, which occurred in the back half of 2003. Those 4-5 quarters allowed HTLD to assess customers, integrate operations, consolidate facilities and get ready for the next cycle. By the time that occurred HTLD was ready to take advantage of the capacity

Top 5 Freight Stocks To Buy For 2015: Marten Transport Ltd (MRTN)

Marten Transport, Ltd. is a temperature-sensitive truckload carrier. The Company specializes in transporting and distributing food and other consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment. It operates throughout the United States and in parts of Canada and Mexico. The Company operates in two segments: Truckload and Logistics. During the year ended December 31, 2011, approximately 81% of its truckload revenue resulted from hauling temperature-sensitive products and 19% from hauling dry freight. Its long-haul traffic lanes are between the Midwest and the West Coast, Southwest, Southeast, and the East Coast, as well as from California to the Pacific Northwest. It provides regional truckload carrier services in the Southeast, West Coast, Midwest, South Central and Northeast regions.

The Company derives truckload revenue from fuel surcharges, loading and unloading activities, equipment detention and other ancillary services. Its operating revenue also includes revenue reported within its Logistics segment, which consists of revenue from its internal brokerage and intermodal operations, and through its 45% interest in MW Logistics, LLC (MWL), a third-party provider of logistics services to the transportation industry. Brokerage services involve arranging for another company to transport freight for the Company�� customers, while it retains the billing, collection and customer management responsibilities. Intermodal services involve the transport of its trailers on railroad flatcars for a portion of a trip, with the balance of the trip using its tractors or, to a lesser extent, contracted carriers. It focuses on large food and consumer-packaged goods companies whose products require temperature-sensitive services and who ship multiple truckloads per week. As of December 31, 2011, its customers were General Mills and Kraft.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated a fleet of 2,281 tractors, including 2,233 company owned tractors and 48 t! ractors supplied by independent contractors. The average age of its company owned tractor fleet at December 31, 2011 was approximately 2.6 years. As of December 31, 2011, it operated a fleet of 4,124 trailers. Most of its trailers are equipped with Thermo-King refrigeration units, air ride suspensions and anti-lock brakes. The average age of its trailer fleet as of December 31, 2011 was approximately 2.4 years.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Marten Transport (Nasdaq: MRTN  ) reported earnings on July 16. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Marten Transport missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Marten Transport (NASDAQ: MRTN) is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $0.23 per share on revenue of $168.28 million.

  CSX (NYSE: CSX) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.43 per share on revenue of $2.95 billion.

Top 5 Freight Stocks To Buy For 2015: Echo Global Logistics Inc (ECHO)

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. (Echo) is a provider of technology enabled transportation and supply chain management services. Its Web-based technology platform compiles and analyzes data from its network of over 24,000 transportation providers to serve its clients' shipping and freight management needs. Its technology platform, composed of Web-based software applications and a database, enables it to identify excess transportation capacity, obtain competitive rates, and execute thousands of shipments every day. It focuses on arranging transportation across truckload (TL) and less than truck load (LTL), and it also offers small parcel, inter-modal (which involves moving a shipment by rail and truck), domestic air, expedited and international transportation services. Its logistics services include rate negotiation, shipment execution and tracking, carrier management, routing compliance, freight bill audit and payment and performance management reporting, including executive dashboard tools. Effective January 1, 2011, the Company acquired Nationwide Traffic Services, LLC. (Nationwide) Effective July 1, 2011, the Company acquired Advantage Transport, Inc. (Advantage). Effective December 1, 2011, the Company acquired the stock of Trailer Transport Systems (TTS). In June 2012, the Company acquired Plum Logistics, LLC. In July 2012, it acquired all of the assets of Shipper Direct Logistics, Inc. In October 2012, the Company acquired Sharp Freight Systems, Inc.

The Company�� clients fall into two categories, enterprise and transactional. Its enterprise clients outsource their transportation management function to Echo. It enters into multi-year contracts with its enterprise clients. As part of its value proposition, it also provides core logistics services to these clients, including the management of both freight expenditures and logistical issues surrounding freight to be transported. It provides transportation and logistics services to its transactional clients on a shipment-by-shipment basis.! It is a non-asset-based provider of technology enabled transportation and logistics services. Through its carrier network, it provides transportation services using a range of modes of transportation.

Transportation Services

The Company provides Truckload (TL) services across all TL segments, including dry vans, temperature-controlled units and flatbeds. Using its LaneIQ technology, it provide advanced dispatch, communication and data collection tools and capacity information to its clients on a real-time basis. The Company provides less than truckload (LTL) services involving the shipment of single or multiple pallets of freight. Using its RateIQ 2.0 technology, it obtains real-time pricing and transit time information for every LTL shipment from its database of LTL carriers. It provides small parcel services for packages of all sizes. Using its EchoPak technology, it delivers cost saving opportunities to its clients. Inter-modal transportation is the shipping of freight by multiple modes, using a container that is transferred between ships, railcars or trucks. It offers inter-modal transportation services for its clients, which utilizes both trucks and rail. The Company provides domestic air and expedited shipment services for its clients when traditional LTL services do not meet delivery requirements. It uses ETM track and trace tools for up to date information to its clients through EchoTrak. The Company provides air and ocean transportation services for its clients, offering a comprehensive international delivery option to its clients.

Logistics Services

In addition to arranging for transportation, the Company provides logistics services, either on-site (in the case of some enterprise clients) or off-site, to manage the flow of those goods from origin to destination. Its core logistics services include rate negotiation; procurement of transportation, both contractually and in the spot market; shipment execution and tracking; carrier management, ! reporting! and compliance; executive dashboard presentations and detailed shipment reports; freight bill audit and payment; claims processing and service refund management; design and management of inbound client freight programs; individually configured Web portals and self-service data warehouses; enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration with transactional shipment data, and integration of shipping applications into client e-commerce sites. Customers communicate their freight needs, typically on a shipment-by-shipment basis, to the individual or team responsible for their account. Customers communicate with it by means of telephone, fax, Internet, e-mail, or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Technology Platform

The Company�� ETM technology platform allows it to analyze its clients' transportation requirements and provide customized shipping recommendations. It collects and store pricing and market capacity data in its ETM database from each interaction with carriers, and its database expands as a result of these interactions. It has also developed data acquisition tools, which retrieve information from both private and public transportation databases, including subscription-based sources and public transportation rate boards, and incorporate that information into the ETM database. Its clients communicate their transportation needs to it electronically through its EchoTrak web portal, other computer protocols, or by phone. ETM generates pricing and carrier information for its clients by accessing pre-negotiated rates with preferred carriers or using present or historical pricing and capacity information contained in its database. If a client enters its own shipment, ETM automatically alerts the appropriate account executive. After the carrier is selected, either by it or the client, its account executives use its ETM technology platform to manage all aspects of the shipping process.

The Company�� FastLane is an Internet-based Web portal, which allows its carriers! to view ! shipments available for tender, update equipment availability and preferred lanes, check on the status of all unpaid invoices, unbilled shipments, shipments in transit and other information used to resolve any billing discrepancies. There is also a mobile FastLane application, which allows carriers to view similar information remotely. eConnect is a set of tools, which allows the Company�� clients and carriers to interact directly with ETM electronically through any of several computer protocols, including EDI, extensible markup language (XML) and file transfer protocol (FTP). The eConnect tools serve as an electronic bridge between the other elements of its ETM technology platform and its clients' enterprise resource planning (ERP), billing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, order management, back office and e-commerce systems. Through eConnect, its clients are able to request shipping services and receive financial and tracking data using their existing systems.

EchoTrak is an Internet-based Web portal, which connects and integrates its clients with ETM. By entering a username and password, its clients are able to enter orders, display historical and active shipments in the ETM system using configurable data entry screens sorted by carrier, price, delivery date, destination and other relevant specifications. EchoTrak also generates automatic alerts to ensure that shipments are moving in accordance with the client specifications and timeline. There is also a mobile EchoTrak application, which allows customers to perform similar functions remotely. RateIQ2.0 is a pricing engine, which manages LTL tariffs and generates rate quotes and transit times for LTL shipments. RateIQ2.0 also provides integrated tools to manage dispatch, communications, data collection and management functions relating to LTL shipments. LaneIQ is a pricing engine, which generates rate quotes for TL shipments. LaneIQ also provides integrated tools to manage dispatch, communications, headhaul and backhaul data col! lection a! nd management functions relating to TL shipments. EchoPak is a small parcel pricing and audit engine. For each small parcel shipped, EchoPak audits carrier compliance with on-time delivery requirements and pricing tariffs. In addition, EchoPak tracks information for each parcel and is able to aggregate and analyze that data for clients. For instance, clients are able to view shipments by date, business unit, product line and location, and clients can access information regarding service levels and pricing.

The Company�� Shipment Tracking stores shipment information en-route and after final delivery. The shipment data is acquired through its carrier EDI integration, allowing its clients to track the location and status of all shipments on one screen, regardless of mode or carrier. Final delivery information is permanently archived, allowing it to provide its clients with carrier performance reporting by comparing actual delivery times with the published transit time standards.

Document Imaging allows the Company to store digital images of all shipping documents, including bills of lading and delivery receipts. CAS (Cost Allocation System) automatically audits carrier invoices against its rating engine and accounts payable accrual system. If the amounts match, the invoice is automatically released for payment. If the amounts do not match, the invoice is sent to various administrative personnel for manual processing and resolution. CAS also integrates to its general ledger, accounts receivable and accounts payable systems. Accounting includes its general ledger, accounts receivable and accounts payable functions. Accounting is integrated with CAS and EchoIQ. EchoIQ stores internally and externally generated data to support its reporting and analytic functions and integrate all of its core applications with ETM. ETM supports its logistics services, which it provides to its clients as part of its value proposition. Its ETM technology platform is able to track individual shipments ! and provi! de customized data and reports throughout the lifecycle of the shipment, allowing it to manage the entire shipping process for its clients. It also market Flex TMS.

The Company competes with C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Total Quality Logistics, UPS, FedEx, Schneider, Conway, JB Hunt and ABF.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Without further adieu, here are my five best stocks for the next 20 years:

  Best Stocks #1 (Small Cap): Echo Global Logistics (ECHO)
  

  Echo Global Logistics (ECHO) uses web-based proprietary technology to provide business process outsourcing to the transportation industry. Founded in 2005, ECHO serves more than 28,500 small- and midsize customers who use its technology to access the best shipping prices from a network of 24,000 carriers in a matter of seconds.

• [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 Echo Global Logistics (Nasdaq: ECHO  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.