Retirement investing has different meanings for investors. Some have already retired, some are looking to retire in a few years and others expect to retire in many years, maybe decades. Different time horizons make for varied investment objectives. However one basic fundamental is that a stream of growing income is needed to pay expenses during retirement.
The Queen of England doesn't have to worry about saving for retirement. But at the age of 87, she is in good health and her life expectancy is probably 10-15 years. Active life styles have become common for retirees living longer. Retirement can be enjoyed into the 90s and beyond. Greater spending puts an extra burden on earning high income that needs to grow. Gone are the days when retirees just clipped coupons on bonds. Life style was largely sedentary and life expectancy was not as long.
The low interest rate policy by the Federal Reserve has been hard on retirees. Earning attractive rates on invested funds has become difficult without accepting higher levels of risk. Stocks have risen, partially in pursuit of higher yields. Dividends from quality companies with attractive yields share a bonus, dividends rise over time. Dividend Aristocrats, companies with track records of increasing dividends for 25 to almost 60 years, have the best records of raising dividends.
Top Growth Companies To Watch In Right Now: Bacterin International Holdings Inc (BONE)
Bacterin International Holdings, Inc. (Bacterin), formerly K-Kitz, Inc., develops, manufactures and markets biologics products to domestic and international markets through Bacterin's biologics division. Its products are used in a variety of applications, including enhancing fusion in spine surgery, relief of back pain with a facet joint stabilization, promotion of bone growth in foot and ankle surgery, promotion of skull healing following neurosurgery and subcondral bone defect repair in knee and other joint surgeries. The Company has developed and manufacture and sell several human tissue-based products, primarily allografts, into the medical marketplace through its biologics division. In addition, it also manufactures and sells, directly under its own name and indirectly through distributors, various coating and surgical drain products through its medical devices division.
The Company�� medical devices division develops medical devices intended for use in several diverse clinical areas, including orthopedic, plastic, and cardiovascular surgery. The medical devices division also develops custom surgical instrument kits for use with allografts processed by its biologics division. The medical devices division actively develops intellectual property associated with its devices and coating platforms, for the purposes of protecting its Bacterin-branded devices and for use in alliance projects. The manufacturing and operations of the biologics and medical devices divisions are organized separately while products from both are marketed through several channels, including independent distributors, joint development projects and its direct sales network.
Biologics Division
The Company�� biologics products include OsteoSponge, OsteoSponge SC, OsteoWrap, OsteoLock and BacFast, as well as certain other allograft products, such as OsteoSponge, OsteoWrap, OsteoLock and BacFast and hMatrix. OsteoSponge is a form of demineralized bone matrix made from 100% human bone. Ost! eoSponge provides a natural scaffold for cellular in-growth and exposes bone-forming proteins to the healing environment. The malleable properties of OsteoSponge enable it to conform to, and fill, defects. Upon compressing the allograft, OsteoSponge springs back to completely fill the void. Its mechanical and biological properties make OsteoSponge an bone graft for use in various orthopedic practices, including spine, neurology, cranial/maxillofacial, trauma, plastic/reconstruction and general procedures where new bone growth is needed.
OsteoSponge SC is a form of OsteoSponge designed to be used in joint surgery. Bacterin has shown, in goat studies, the ability to re-generate cartilage in joint repair and believes that this product has the potential to significantly change the standard of care in human joint surgery. OsteoWrap is 100% human cortical bone demineralized through a process to make the graft flexible while maintaining allograft integrity. This product has various applications in orthopedic, neurological, trauma, oral/maxillofacial and reconstructive procedures. OsteoWrap can wrap around non-union fractures to assist with fusion, can act as a biologic plate or can be used in conjunction with a hardware plate system. Additionally, this product provides the surgeon with superior handling characteristics as the allograft can be easily sized using surgical scissors or a scalpel, and will withhold sutures or staples for fixation.
OsteoLock and BacFast are dowels made from human bone. BacFast HD, having the same design as OsteoLock, is optimized through its demineralization technology. OsteoLock and BacFast can be used to augment spinal procedures for mild spinal conditions. hMatrix dermal scaffold is an extension of Bacterin's core biologics technology and its third human acellular biological scaffold. hMatrix is an acellular matrix made from donated human dermal tissue that is used to replace a patient's damaged tissue. hMatrix provides a natural collagen tissue scaffold! that pro! motes cellular ingrowth, tissue vascularization and regeneration. The Company makes and sells sports allografts which are processed specifically for anterior and posterior cruciate ligament repairs, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and meniscal repair; milled allografts, which are consists of cortical bone milled to desired shapes and dimensions, also called milled spinal allografts, and traditional allografts for multi-disciplinary applications, including orthopedics, neurology, podiatry, oral/maxillofacial, genitourinary and plastic/reconstructive.
Medical Device Products
The Company�� medical devices division researches, tests and develops coatings for medical devices, particularly antimicrobial-based coatings. This division produces and distributes OsteoSelect DBM putty, an osteoinductive product used by surgeons as bone void filler in the extremities and pelvis. OsteoSelect DBM putty is engineered with the surgeon in mind. OsteoSelect can be molded into any shape and compressed into bony voids. Its medical devices division also develops custom surgical instrument kits for use with allografts processed by its biologics division. The Company sells a surgical drain series called ViaTM, which is used to drain exudate from a surgical site. Building upon the ViaTM platform, Bacterin plans on releasing a second generation product called the Elutia surgical drains, which will be performance enhanced through an antimicrobial coating to help reduce the incidence of surgical site infection.
The Company competes with Medtronic, DePuy, Synthes, Arthrex, Smith & Nephew, Nuvasive, OrthoFix, Biomet, Osteotech, Orthovita, MTF, Stryker, RTI, AlloSource, Lifenet Health, Integra, ConMed/Linvatec, Wright, Exactech, ArthroCare, Harvest and Arteriocyte.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bryan Murphy]
It may not be as big as NuVasive, Inc. (NASDAQ:NUVA), and it might not be as sexy as MiMedx Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MDXG). But, Bacterin International Holdings Inc. (NYSEMKT:BONE) offers something to investors that MDXG and NUVA don't - can't - right now... a distinct opportunity for a lot of upside in a short amount of time.
- [By James E. Brumley]
Traders may not want to get married for the long haul to any of them, but for speculators looking for a quick, profitable hit, Arca Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:ABIO), Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTI), and Bacterin International Holdings Inc. (NYSEMKT:BONE) may be better-than-average bets. Here's why.
10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Timeless Software Ltd (TLW)
Timeless Software Limited is an investment holding company mainly engaged in the provision of computer consultancy and software maintenance services, software development and sales of computer hardware and software. It operates in four divisions: software development, hardware sales, software sales and e-commerce services. As of March 31, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries included Three Principles Computer Service Company Limited, which is engaged in the provision of computer consultancy services, development and sales of computer software; Encore Trading Limited, which is engaged in the trading of computer software and hardware and provision of information technology consultancy services in Hong Kong; Timeless Northern Software (Beijing) Company Limited, which is engaged in design, development and maintenance of computer software and systems, as well as provision of computer consultancy services, and other subsidiaries. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Namitha Jagadeesh]
IAG, the parent of British Airways, climbed 3 percent to 373.6 pence and Air France advanced 1.5 percent to 7.62 euros. BG Group Plc (BG/), the third-biggest oil and gas producer listed in the U.K., dropped 1.2 percent to 1,245 pence and Tullow Oil Plc (TLW) retreated 1.4 percent to 875 pence.
10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: U.S. Bancorp(USB)
U.S. Bancorp, a financial services holding company, provides various banking and financial services in the United States. It generates various deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market savings, and time certificates of deposit accounts. The company originates a portfolio of loans comprising commercial loans and lease financing; commercial real estate; residential mortgage; and retail loans consisting of credit cards, retail leasing, home equity and second mortgages, and other retail loans. It also offers wholesale lending, equipment finance, small-ticket leasing, depository, treasury management, capital markets, foreign exchange, and international trade services to middle market, large corporate, commercial real estate, and public sector clients. In addition, U.S. Bancorp provides telebanking and automated teller machine (ATM) services, as well as cash management services. The company, through other subsidiaries, provides trust, private banking, financial advisory, investment management, retail brokerage services, insurance, and custody and fund services; and payment services, including consumer and business credit cards, stored-value cards, debit cards, corporate and purchasing card services, consumer lines of credit, and merchant processing. U.S. Bancorp primarily serves individuals, estates, foundations, business corporations, and charitable organizations. It operates a network of approximately 3,031 banking offices and 5,310 ATMs. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jessica Alling]
New York state of mind
B of A just got news that it needs to head back to the New York court system to face an ongoing legal dispute with U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB ) . Though the case involves a small number of loans that Countrywide sold to U.S. Bancorp and will likely be settled, its just one more example of the financial crisis haunting the bank.
10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: QEP Resources Inc (QEP)
QEP Resources, Inc. (QEP), incorporated on May 17, 2010, is a holding company. The Company operates in three lines of business: gas and oil exploration and production, midstream field services, and energy marketing. It conducted through three principal subsidiaries: QEP Energy Company (QEP Energy) acquires, explores for, develops and produces natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGL); QEP Field Services Company (QEP Field Services) provides midstream field services, including natural gas gathering, processing, compression and treating services for affiliates and third parties; andQEP Marketing Company (QEP Marketing) markets affiliate and third-party natural gas and oil, provides risk-management services, and owns and operates an underground gas-storage reservoir. QEP operates in the Northern and Southern Regions of the United States and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Principal offices are located in Denver, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
QEP�� exploration and production business is conducted through QEP Energy in two core regions, the Northern Region (including the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and North Dakota) and the Southern Region (including the states of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana). QEP Energy has approximately 50,800 net acres of Haynesville Shale lease rights in northwest Louisiana and additional lease rights that cover the Hosston and Cotton Valley formations. The depth of the top of the Haynesville Shale ranges from approximately 10,500 feet to 12,500 feet across QEP Energy�� leasehold and is below the Hosston and Cotton Valley formations that QEP Energy has been developing in northwest Louisiana for over a decade. As of December 31, 2011, QEP Energy had three operated rigs drilling in the project area. QEP Energy�� Midcontinent properties cover all properties in the Southern Region except the Haynesville/Cotton Valley area of northwest Louisiana and are distributed over an area, including the ! Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. QEP Energy has approximately 77,000 net acres of Woodford Shale lease rights in western Oklahoma. QEP Energy has approximately 38,700 net acres of Granite Wash/Atoka Wash lease rights in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma and has been drilling vertical Granite Wash/Atoka Wash wells. The Company estimates that up to 1,100 additional wells will be required to fully develop its Pinedale acreage on a combination of 5 and 10-acre density. In addition to QEP Energy�� gross producing wells, QEP Energy had an overriding royalty interest in an additional 21 wells at Pinedale. QEP Energy owns interests in approximately 255,200 net leasehold acres in the Uinta Basin. The remainder of QEP Energy Northern Region leasehold interests, productive wells and proved reserves are distributed over a number of fields and properties managed as the Rockies Legacy division. Exploration and development activity during the year ended December 31, 2011, includes wells in the Powder River and Greater Green River Basins in Wyoming and the Williston Basin in North Dakota. QEP Energy has approximately 90,000 net acres of lease rights in the Williston Basin in western North Dakota, where the Company is targeting the Bakken and Three Forks formations.
QEP Energy Company
QEP Energy is actively involved in several of North America�� hydrocarbon resource plays. QEP�� exploration and production activities are conducted through QEP Energy. P Energy operates in two core regions: the Northern Region (including the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and North Dakota) and the Southern Region (including the states of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana). The Southern Region contributed approximately 56% of 2011 production while the Northern Region contributed the remaining 44%. QEP Energy reported 3,614 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent of estimated proved reserves as of December 31, 2011. Of those estimated proved reserves, approximately 64%! , or 2,31! 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent, were located in the Northern Region at December 31, 2011. The remaining 36%, or 1,302 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent at December 31, 2011, were located in the Southern Region. QEP Energy has an inventory of identified development drilling locations, primarily on the Pinedale Anticline in western Wyoming; the Haynesville/Cotton Valley area in northwestern Louisiana; the Midcontinent area with properties primarily in Oklahoma and Texas; the Uinta Basin in eastern Utah, and the Rockies Legacy, which includes the Bakken/Three Forks area in western North Dakota and other properties in Wyoming.
QEP Field Services Company
QEP invests in midstream (gathering, processing and treating) systems to complement its natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) operations in regions where QEP Energy has production. In addition, QEP�� midstream business also provides midstream services to third-party customers, including independent producers. QEP Field Services owns various natural gas gathering, treating and processing facilities in the Northern and Southern Regions as well as 78% of Rendezvous Gas Services, LLC, (RGS), a partnership that operates gas gathering facilities in western Wyoming. The FERC-regulated Rendezvous Pipeline Co., LLC (Rendezvous Pipeline), a wholly owned subsidiary of QEP Field Services, operates a 21-mile, 20-inch-diameter pipeline between QEP Field Services��Blacks Fork gas-processing plant and the Muddy Creek compressor station owned by Kern River Gas Transmission Co. (Kern River Pipeline). RGS gathers natural gas for Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field producers for delivery to various interstate pipelines. QEP Field Services also owns 38% of Uintah Basin Field Services, LLC (UBFS) and 50% of Three Rivers Gathering, LLC (Three Rivers). These two partnerships operate natural gas gathering facilities in eastern Utah.
QEP Marketing Company
QEP Marketing provides wholesale market! ing and s! ales of affiliate and third-party natural gas, oil and NGL. As a wholesale marketing entity, QEP Marketing concentrates on markets in the Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest and Midcontinent that are either close to affiliate reserves and production or accessible by pipelines. QEP Marketing contracts for firm-transportation capacity on pipelines and firm-storage capacity at Clay Basin, a baseload-storage facility. QEP Marketing, through its subsidiary Clear Creek Storage Company, LLC, owns and operates an underground gas-storage reservoir in southwestern Wyoming. QEP Marketing uses owned and leased storage capacity together with firm-transportation capacity.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Claudia Assis]
Top gainers among energy companies on the S&P 500 index included Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) , with shares up 3.5%. QEP Resources Inc. (QEP) �shares advanced 2.7%.
- [By Eric Volkman]
QEP Resources (NYSE: QEP ) is letting its dividend flow. The company has declared a quarterly payout of $0.02 per share, to be paid on June 22 to shareholders of record as of June 3. That amount is in line with all of the firm's previous distributions stretching back to the first one it handed out in September 2010.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
On a day when other oil & gas companies are rallying, Forest Oil has dropped 5.8% to $5.98 at 11:08 a.m., after opening up 2.4%. QEP Resources (QEP), meanwhile, has gained 1.9% to $28.55, Continental Resources (CLR) has risen 1.7% to $113.36 and EOG Resources (EOG) has gained 1.1% to $173.71.
10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: MYR Group Inc.(MYRG)
MYR Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides electrical construction service in the continental United States. The company operates in two segments, Transmission and Distribution, and Commercial and Industrial. The Transmission and Distribution segment provides design, engineering, procurement, construction, upgrade, maintenance, and repair services. Its services include the construction and maintenance of high voltage transmission lines, substations, and lower voltage underground and overhead distribution systems; and emergency restoration services in response to hurricane, ice, or other storm related damages. This segment?s customers include investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, cooperatives, federally-owned utilities, independent power producers, independent transmission companies, industrial facility owners, and other contractors. The Commercial and Industrial segment provides electrical contracting services for commercial and industrial construction in the western United States. It offers electrical contracting services for airports, hospitals, data centers, hotels, casinos, arenas, convention centers, manufacturing plants, processing facilities, and transportation control and management systems. This segment?s customers include general contractors, commercial and industrial facility owners, local governments, and developers. MYR Group Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
MYR Group Inc. (Nasdaq:MYRG), a leading specialty contractor serving the electrical infrastructure market in the United States, reported that the Company will be attending the 2012 Wedbush Securities Clean Technology & Industrial Growth Management Access Conference. The conference will take place in San Francisco, California, at The Westin Hotel, September 12, 2012.
- [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 MYR Group (Nasdaq: MYRG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Damian Illia]
Finally, I always like to see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the return on equity. The ratio has decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness. Moreover, it is worse than those shown in the table like Aegion Corporation (AEGN), EnerNOC Inc. (ENOC), MYR GroupInc. (MYRG) and Pike Corporation (PIKE).
10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cynosure Inc.(CYNO)
Cynosure, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets aesthetic treatment systems to the dermatology, plastic surgery, and general medical markets. Its aesthetic treatment systems incorporate a range of laser and other light-based energy sources, including Alexandrite, pulse dye, Nd:Yag, and diode lasers, as well as intense pulsed light. The company?s aesthetic treatment systems comprise the Elite product line for hair removal, treatment of facial, and leg veins and pigmentations; the Smartlipo product line for LaserBodySculpting for the removal of unwanted fat; the Cellulaze, SmoothShapes XV, and TriActive product line for the temporary and long-term reduction in the appearance of cellulite; the Affirm/SmartSkin product line for anti-aging applications, such as treatments for wrinkles, skin texture, skin discoloration, and skin tightening; the Cynergy product line for the treatment of vascular lesions; and the Accolade product line for the removal of benign pigmented lesion s, as well as multi-colored tattoos. It sells its products through a direct sales force in North America, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, China, Japan, and Mexico; and through international distributors in 84 other countries. Cynosure, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Westford, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Aesthetic-laser maker Cynosure (NASDAQ: CYNO ) announced yesterday that it had completed the acquisition of rival laser specialist Palomar Medical Technologies for $146 million cash and 6 million shares for a total value of around $294 million.
- [By John Udovich]
On Tuesday, small cap biotech stock Kythera Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: KYTH) surged around 25% after announcing that its ATX-101 REFINE-1 and REFINE-2 Phase III trials met all primary and secondary endpoints for the reduction of so-called double chins; but if investors missed out on that rally, small caps Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc (NASDAQ: ZLTQ), Solta Medical Inc (NASDAQ: SLTM) and Cynosure, Inc (NASDAQ: CYNO) each have a piece of the aesthetic market as well. In the case of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, its ATX-101 can be injected to deal with double chins���meaning its less invasive than liposuction as the drug dissolves fat cells but leaves other tissue alone. JP Morgan has noted:
- [By John Udovich]
Large cap serial acquirer�Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (NYSE: VRX) is teaming up with activist investor�Bill Ackman to pursue large cap Botox maker Allergan, Inc (NYSE: AGN), but stocks like Cutera, Inc (NASDAQ: CUTR), Cynosure, Inc (NASDAQ: CYNO), PhotoMedex Inc (NASDAQ: PHMD) and Syneron Medical Ltd (NASDAQ: ELOS)�actually offer investors more exposure to the growing anti aging and aesthetics market (Note: See my recent article: These Small Caps Seek to Treat Your Crow�� Feet and Double Chin (RVNC & KYTH)). To begin with, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has a wide focus on neurology, dermatology and infectious diseases�but acquiring the maker of Botox won�� be its first foray into the aesthetic market�because earlier this year, the company completed its acquisition of Solta Medical Inc (NASDAQ: SLTM) -�a designer, developer, manufacturer and marketer of�energy-based medical device systems for aesthetic applications.�And while�Allergan, Inc may be most well known for Botox, its actually a pretty big�company focused on a diverse range of areas, including ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, dermatology, neuroscience, urology and cosmetics���meaning the following stocks offer investors better exposure to the aesthetics market:
- [By Seth Jayson]
There's no foolproof way to know the future for Cynosure (Nasdaq: CYNO ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.
10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: First Trust Exchange Traded Fund (FVL)
First Trust Value Line 100 Fund (the Fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Fund seeks to outperform the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index (the S&P 500 Index) by adhering to a strategy of investing in a diversified portfolio of the 100 common stocks ranked number 1 in Value Line's Timeliness Ranking System. The Fund invests 80% of its net assets in the stocks that are ranked number one in the Value Line Timeliness Ranking System. As of March 31, 2006, the Fund had invested in sectors, such as household durables, metals and mining, specialty retail, oil and gas, software, machinery, hotels, restaurants and leisure, computers and peripherals, biotechnology, information technology services, and textiles, apparel and luxury goods.
As of March 31, 2006, the Fund's top 10 holdings were Palm, Inc., United INDL Corp., AAR Corp., Accenture LTD, Citrix Systems, Inc., Cymer Inc., Guess, Inc., Henry Jack & Assoc., Inc., Micrel Inc. and Molecular Devices Corp. The Fund had a large capitalization orientation to its portfolio holdings as of December 31, 2005. As of December 31, 2005, the 100 stocks in the portfolio consisted of large-cap stocks (34), mid-cap stocks (35) and small-cap stocks (31). During the year ended December 31, 2005, the Fund posted a net asset value (NAV) total return of 11.9% and a market value total return of 7.5%. This compared to a gain of 4.8% for the S&P 500 Index. The Fund's investment advisor is First Trust Advisors, L.P.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Trainer]
First Trust Value Line 100 ETF (FVL) is in the Danger Zone this week. FVL is another example of a supposedly "passive" ETF that purportedly tracks an index but actually resembles an actively managed portfolio. FVL's methodology tracks an index, but it is an index in name only.
- [By David Trainer]
First Trust Value Line 100 ETF (FVL) is my worst-rated All Cap Blend ETF and Clarity Fund (CLRTX) is my worst-rated All Cap Blend mutual fund. FVL earns my Dangerous rating, while CLRTX gets my Very Dangerous rating.
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