Hot Long Term Stocks To Own Right Now

Last year’s underperformers should turn into this year’s treasure.

That’s the view Goldman Sachs(GS) analysts offered this week, as they identified 40 stocks — including Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(WMT), Cisco Systems Inc.(CSCO) and Citigroup Inc.(C) — that could outperform the broader market in early 2014.

The firm picked stocks that lagged their peers last year and had attractive valuations relative to their sectors.

“Buying stocks with low valuation is a proven strategy over the long term and especially effective in 1Q,” Goldman says.

For instance, lower valuation stocks have outperformed their peers by an average of 4.2% during the first quarter over the past 35 years, compared to a 1.7% outperformace rate through the rest of the year, according to Goldman’s calculations.

Top Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: National Australia Bank Ltd (NAUBF)

National Australia Bank Limited is a financial services organization providing products, advice and services through its major Australian franchise and businesses. The Company�� segment includes Business Banking, Personal Banking, Wholesale Banking, UK Banking and NZ Banking, MLC and NAB, Great Western Bank (GWB), the Corporate Functions and Other segment. MLC is the wealth management division of the National Australia Bank (NAB). In January 2014, Sandfire Resources NL announced that National Australia Bank Limited and its associated entities have ceased to be the substantial holder of the Company. In January 2014, Commonwealth Property Office Fund announced that National Australia Bank Ltd and its associated entities have ceased to be a substantial shareholder in Commonwealth Property Office Fund. In February 2014, Fairfax Media Ltd announced that National Australia Bank Ltd and its associated entities ceased holding interest in the capital of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Stocks in Australia fell early Thursday, pressured by a drop in the country's currency to a three-month low below 90 U.S. cents, and by losses on Wall Street overnight on concerns about tapering of monetary stimulus. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) fell 28 points, or 0.5%, to 5,246, led by losses in the heavily weighted financial sector. There, shares of Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) lost 1.2%, National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) declined 1%, and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) shed 0.7%. Shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) sank 14% after the company warned it expects to post an underlying loss before tax of $250 million to $300 million for the six months ending Dec. 31. The carrier said trading conditions saw a marked deterioration, particularly in November with both passenger loads and yields "below the already negative trends for the year to date."

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australia stocks enjoyed early Monday gains after an advance for commodities and U.S. stocks since the last session, with a relatively good reception for earnings. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) improved by 0.4% to 5,376.30, with miners tracking gains in gold and copper. Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) added 1.3%, and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) traded 1.1% higher, while gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) rallied 2.2% and 4.7%, respectively. Banks rose after Wall Street shares climbed on Friday, with National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) up 1% and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) adding 0.9%, though Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) dropped 2.4% as it traded without rights to its latest dividend. Coal transport firm Aurizon Holdings Ltd. (AU:AZJ) (QRNNF) tacked on 2.1% as its fiscal first-half underlying profit increased 18%, though net profit f

Hot Long Term Stocks To Own Right Now: Bayer AG (BAYRY.PK)

Bayer AG is a management holding company. The Company�� business operations are organized into three subgroups: HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience, supported by the service companies Bayer Business Services, Bayer Technology Services and Currenta. Bayer HealthCare is involved in the research, development and manufacture of health products for people and animals. Bayer CropScience is engaged in the crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. Bayer MaterialScience supplies polymers, and develops solution for a range of applications. In November 2009, Bayer MaterialScience acquired the polymer coatings business from Lombard Medical Technologies PLC. On November 2, 2009, it acquired Athenix Corporation. On October 1, 2009, it acquired two dermatology product lines from SkinMedica, Inc., Carlsbad, California, United States. On June 25, 2009, it acquired the remaining 10% interest in Bayer Polymers (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., China. In May 2009, it acquired the remaining 49% interest in Berlimed, s.a., Spain, from Juste s.a. Quimica Farmac茅utica (Juste), and in return sold its 51% interest of Justesa Imagen, s.a., Spain, to Juste. In May 2009, it also sold the Thermoplastics Testing Center, Krefeld, Germany, to Underwriters Laboratories Inc. In March 2010, the Company announced that its Bayer MaterialScience LLC has acquired Artificial Muscle, Inc, a company active in electroactive polymers for the consumer electronics industry.

Bayer HealthCare

The Company researches, develops, manufactures pharmaceutical and medical products. Bayer HealthCare operates in four operating divisions: Animal Health, which is engaged in manufacture of veterinary medicines and grooming products; Bayer Schering Pharma, which is engaged in manufacture of prescription medicines; Consumer Care, which is engaged in the manufacture of over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, and Medical Care, which is engaged in manufacture of blood glucose monitoring devices and contrast agent injecti! on systems. Its products for farm animals include Baytril. Its products for companion animals include Advantage/Advantix and Baytril. Its drug discovery in the pharmaceuticals segment focuses on the areas of cardiology, oncology,

women�� healthcare and diagnostic imaging.

Bayer CropScience

CropScience maintains a global network of research and development facilities. In the Crop Protection segment it identifies and develops safe and economically sustainable insecticides, fungicides and herbicides and carries its research projects in areas, such as plant health or stress tolerance. As of December 31, 2009, its active ingredient pipeline of Crop Protection contained 20 development projects, of which 10 was at an advanced stage and 10 at an early stage of development, and an additional 45 projects was undergoing early-stage research. Its operations are structured into six business operations units: four regional Crop Protection units plus the Environmental Science and BioScience units. Its insecticides include Confidor/ Admire, Calypso, Decis, Temik and Oberon. Its fungicides include Antracol, Fandango, Flint/Stratego/Sphere/Twist, Folicur and Previcur Energy. Its herbicides include Atlantis, Basta, Betanal, Fenikan, Hoestar, Husar, MaisTer, Puma. Its seed treatment products include Bariton, Gaucho, Lamarador, Poncho and Raxil.

Bayer MaterialScience

The Company supplies materials, such as polycarbonates and polyurethanes and system solutions for a range of everyday uses. It operates in three business units: Polyurethanes, Polycarbonates, and Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties. Its Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties producst include Desmodur, Bayhydur, Dispercoll and Artwalk. Its Polycarbonates include Makrolon, Makrofol / Bayfol, Fantasia and Bayblend. Its Polyurethanes include Multitec, Baydur, Bayflex, Baypreg and Vulkollan. Its Thermoplastic Polyurethanes include Desmopan / Texin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Henry Kawabe]

  In June, Seattle Genetics announced it entered into a collaboration with Bayer HealthCare (BAYRY.PK) for access to its Seattle Genetics' auristatin-based ADC technology to create cancer drugs that home in on tumors and then deliver a toxic dose to their cells. The collaboration will generate upfront and option exercise fees of up to $20 million. Seattle Genetics is also eligible to receive up to approximately $500 million in potential milestone payments, as well as royalties on worldwide net sales of any resulting products under the multi-target collaboration.

Hot Long Term Stocks To Own Right Now: II-VI Inc (IIVI)

II-VI Incorporated (II-VI), incorporated in 1971, develops, refines, manufactures and markets high-technology materials and derivative precision components and products for precision use in industrial, military, telecommunications, photovoltaic, medical and aerospace applications. The Company�� products are supplied to manufacturers and users in a range of markets, including industrial, military, telecommunications, photovoltaic and medical. II-VI focuses on providing components to its customers��assembly lines for products, such as high-power laser material processing systems, military fire control and missile guidance devices, fiber optics and wireless communication systems, photovoltaic systems, medical diagnostic systems and industrial, commercial and consumer thermal management systems. In November 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of the fiber amplifier and micro-optics business (the Business) of Oclaro, Inc.

Infrared Optics

II-VI supplies a range of precision infrared optical components, such as lenses, output couplers, windows and mirrors for use in carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers. The Company�� precision optical components are used to attenuate the amount of laser energy, improve the properties of the laser beam and focus and direct laser beams to a target work surface. The optical components include both reflective and transmissive optics and are made from materials such as zinc selenide (ZnSe), zinc sulfide (ZnS), copper, silicon, gallium arsenide and germanium. Transmissive optics used with CO2 lasers are made from ZnSe.

One-Micron Laser Components

The supplies an array of tools for laser materials processing, including modular laser processing heads for fiber lasers, YAG lasers and other one-micron laser systems. It also manufactures beam delivery systems, including fiber optic cables and modular beam systems.

Near-Infrared Optics

II-VI manufactures products across a range, inc! luding Ultra Violet (UV), Visible and Near-Infrared. The Company offers a range of standard and custom laser gain materials, optics and assemblies for telecommunications, military, medical, industrial, scientific and research and development laser systems. Laser gain materials are produced to stringent industry specifications and precisely fabricated to customer demands. It manufactures waveplates, polarizers, lenses, prisms and mirrors for visible and near-infrared applications, which are used to control or alter visible or near-infrared energy and its polarization. In addition, it manufactures coated windows used as debris shields in the industrial and medical laser aftermarkets.

The Company offers fiber optics and micro optics and photonic crystal parts for optical communications, optical and photonic crystal parts for instrumentation and laser applications, optical components and functional modules for optical communication networks, and diode pumped solid-state laser devices for optical instruments, display and biotechnology. Its Near-Infrared Optics segment also produces components for UV Filters used in early warning missile detection.

Military Infrared Optics

II-VI offers optics and optical subassemblies for infrared systems, including thermal imaging, night vision, targeting and navigation systems. The Company�� product offering is consists of missile domes, electro-optical windows and subassemblies, imaging lenses and other components. Its precision optical products utilize infrared optical materials, such as Sapphire, Germanium, Zinc Sulfide, Zinc Selenide, Silicon, and Spinel. In addition, its products also include visible and crystalline materials, such as Calcium Fluoride, Barium Fluoride and Fused Silica. Its products are utilized on the F-35 fighter jet, Apache Attack Helicopter, Joint Strike Fighter and ground vehicles, such as the Abrams M-1 Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Material Processing and Refinement

The Comp! any�� p! roduct offering includes selenium and tellurium metals and chemicals in a variety of purity levels and forms. The Company�� product offerings are 6H-SiC (semi-insulating) and 4H-SiC (conducting) poly-types and are available in sizes up to 100 millimeter diameter. SiC substrates are used in wireless infrastructure, radio frequency (RF) electronics, power conversion and power switching industries.

Thermoelectric Modules and Assemblies

II-VI supplies an array of thermoelectric modules and related assemblies to various market segments. In the defense market, Thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are used in guidance systems, smart weapons and night vision systems, as well as soldier cooling. TEMs are also used in products providing temperature stabilization for telecommunication lasers that generate and amplify optical signals for fiber optic communication systems.

The Company also produces and sells a range of solutions from thermoelectric components to complete sub-assemblies used in the medical equipment market and other industrial and commercial applications. Thermoelectric modules, used as power generators are also applied in a range of end-use applications. It offers single-stage TEMs, micro TEMs, multi-stage TEMs, planar multi-stage TEMs, extended life thermocyclers, thermoelectric thermal reference sources, power generators and thermoelectric assemblies.

The Company competes with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Newport Corporation., Optoskand AB , Precitec, Inc, Northrop Grumman Corporation, CVI Melles Griot, O-Net Communications, OPLINK Communication, Axsun, DRS Technologies, Inc., Goodrich Corporation, Umicore, Komatsu, Ltd., Laird Technologies, Ferrotec Corporation, Cree, Inc., Dow Corning Corporation, Nippon Steel, Bridgestone and SiCrystal AG.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of laser optics technologist II-VI (NASDAQ: IIVI  ) sank 12% today after its full-year guidance missed�Wall Street expectations.

• [By riddock57]

  Shares of OCLR surged on Friday's trading session after the company said that it had signed a definitive agreement to sell its Amplifier and Micro-Optics business to II-VI Incorporated (IIVI) for $88.6 million.

Hot Long Term Stocks To Own Right Now: AtriCure Inc.(ATRC)

AtriCure, Inc., a medical device company, develops, manufactures, and sells cardiac surgical ablation systems designed to create precise lesions, or scars, in cardiac tissue. Its primary product line includes isolator synergy bipolar radio-frequency ablation clamps for open-heart procedures and minimally invasive procedures; ablation and sensing unit, a compact power generator that delivers bipolar radio-frequency (RF) energy; AtriCure switch box, a compact switch box providing the technology needed for the dual pulsing electrodes, and the ability to connect and toggle between multiple RF devices; isolator multifunctional pen, a disposable RF device enabling surgeons to toggle back and forth between temporary pacing, sensing, and stimulation and ablation; and coolrail linear ablation device, a disposable linear RF ablation device, which allows physicians to create an expanded cardiac ablation lesion set during minimally invasive procedures. The company also offers cryoabla tion system, which consists of various reusable and disposable devices, including the Frigitronics CCS-200 product line for cardiac ablation; and Cryo1, a disposable cryoablation device, as well as AtriClip system, which is designed to exclude the left atrial appendage by implanting the device during concomitant open surgical procedures from the outside of the heart. In addition, it sells enabling technologies, including Lumitip dissector to separate tissues to provide access to key anatomical structures targeted for ablation; and MicroPace ORLab system, a stimulating, mapping, and recording system enabling physicians to confirm the ablation lines being created are forming electrical barriers or lines of block. The company sells its medical devices to hospitals and medical centers in the United States and internationally. AtriCure, Inc. is headquartered in West Chester, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap heart stocks Sunshine Heart Inc (NASDAQ: SSH), Abiomed, Inc (NASDAQ: ABMD) and AtriCure Inc (NASDAQ: ATRC) each find different ways go to the heart of the problem for cardiac�patients and have all been good performers for investors this year. After all and according to statistics collected by the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women as about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year���accounting�for 1 in every 4 deaths. Moreover, roughly 715,000 Americans have a heart attack every year and�ff these, 525,000 are a first heart attack and 190,000 happen to people who have already had one. In other words, there is a big market for the following small cap heart stocks to address:

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014

Bloomberg/file 2013 Enlarge Image Taco Bell parent Yum Brands is expected to report to earnings per share of 79 cents on revenue of $4.26 billion.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) ��Yum Brands Inc., Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Sysco Corp. are among the stocks expected to see active trading during Monday�� session.

Top 5 Cheap Companies To Watch For 2015: Neogenomics Inc (NEO)

NeoGenomics, Inc. (NeoGenomics) operates a network of cancer-focused testing laboratories. The Company offers testing services, including Cytogenetics testing, which is the study of normal and abnormal chromosomes and their relationship to disease; fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) testing, which is a branch of cancer genetics that focuses on detecting and locating the presence or absence of specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences and genes on chromosomes; flow cytometry testing, which is a way to measure the characteristics of cell populations; immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing, this is the process of identifying cell proteins in a tissue section utilizing the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens, and molecular testing, which is a cancer diagnostic tool focusing on the analysis of DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA), as well as the structure and function of genes at a molecular level.

The cancer testing services, that the Company offers to community-based pathologists are designed to be a natural extension of, and complementary to, the services that they perform within their own practices. In areas where the Company does not provide services to community-based pathology practices, it may directly serve oncology, dermatology, urology and other clinician practices that prefer to have a direct relationship with a laboratory for cancer-related genetic and molecular testing services. NeoGenomics services these types of clients with a global service offering where it performs both the technical and professional components of the tests ordered.

The Company offers tech-only flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry testing services. These types of testing services generally allow the professional interpretation component of a test to be billed separately from the technical component. Its NeoFISH, NeoFLOW and other tech-only service offerings allow properly trained and credentialed community-based pathologists to extend their own practices by performing ! professional interpretations services.

The Company's tech-only services are designed to give pathologists the option to choose, on a case by case basis, whether they want to order just the technical information and images relating to a specific test so they can perform the professional interpretation, or order global services and receive a test report, which includes a NeoGenomics Pathologist�� interpretation of the test results.

The Company also offers a set of global services to meet the needs of those clients who are not credentialed and trained in interpreting genetic tests and who are looking for specialists to interpret the testing results for them. In its global service offerings, its lab performs the technical component of the tests and its doctor of medicine (M.D.s) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) s to provide the interpretation services. Its genetic pathology solutions (GPS) report summarizes all relevant case data from its global services on one summary report.

The Company competes with General Electric Healthcare Services and Novartis, A.G.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  One way or the other, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: MACK), Covidien plc (NYSE: COV), NeoGenomics, Inc (NASDAQ: NEO) and�CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) are targeting Barrett's Esophagus�or�esophageal cancer�(the former often leads to the latter) ��a form of cancer that may not be on the top of your list of cancers but is nevertheless on the rise. Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from Barrett's Esophagus, �a condition that�develops as a result of chronic injury from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) where the�normal esophageal lining is replaced with abnormal cells (known as Barrett�� tissue), putting patients at greater risk of developing cancer of the esophagus. And although less than 1% of these patients develop cancer each year, esophageal carcinoma is frequently not detected until later stages, at which point therapy options are limited, extremely invasive, and often ineffective.�This means that�early detection is important�along with�regular surveillance is recommended.�

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Marathon Oil Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an international energy company with operations in the United States, Canada, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, Oil Sands Mining, and Integrated Gas. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, produces, and markets liquid hydrocarbons and natural gas. The Oil Sands Mining segment mines, extracts, and transports bitumen from oil sands deposits in Alberta, Canada; and upgrades the bitumen to produce and market synthetic crude oil and vacuum gas oil. The Integrated Gas segment markets and transports products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquified natural gas and methanol. The company was formerly known as USX Corporation and changed its name to Marathon Oil Corporation in July 2001. Marathon Oil Corporation was founded in 1887 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  As you can see, Apache trades at a pretty compelling discount to its large-cap E&P peers like Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN  ) and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY  ) , which trade at about 5.5 times estimated 2013 EBITDA. By trading at just four times EBITDA, Apache is in line with ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) , though it's still not nearly as cheap as Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO  ) .

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform by Raymond James.

  Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) was reiterated as Buy but that price target was raised to $90 from $83 at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014: Mitel Networks Corporation(MITL)

Mitel Networks Corporation provides integrated communications solutions to the small-to-medium sized enterprise market in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, Caribbean, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. It offers Internet protocol (IP) telephony platforms, including IP telephony software that performs various functions comprising multi-media call control and communications, which allow business users to reach each other, share information, and collaborate; appliances; and desktop devices, such as IP and digital phones, specialty desktop devices, and peripherals. The company also provides a suite of UCC applications, which consist unified communicator advanced, mobility, customer interaction solution, unified messaging, speech auto attendant, telecollaboration solution, teleworker solution, and business dashboard, as well as audio, video, and Web conferencing for integrating voice, video, and data communications with business applications. In addi tion, it offers network services that include local access services; long distance services; mobile voice and data services; data services, such as Internet access and private networking services; hosted offerings, which comprise network monitoring and management, audio conferencing, Web conferencing, hosted secure Internet access, and Web hosting; and hosted IP telephony services. Further, the company provides managed services, including project management, installation, training, maintenance, professional, consulting, business requirements review, and disaster recovery planning services; support services; and financing of its solutions. It serves education, government, healthcare, hospitality, and retail markets through wholesale distributors, solution providers, system integrators, authorized channel partners, and other technology providers. The company is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Richard Lomas]

  How much impact there will be on the profit margin will depend on the royalty rate set. Virnetx has an established royalty rate structure both published and through agreements with other licensees. Virnetx's published royalty rate is between 1 and 2 percent for customers in good standing. This royalty rate has been validated through licenses with 4 different companies, Siemens (SI), NEC, Mitel (MITL), and Aastra (AATSF.PK). The average rate agreed to by these companies through negotiations is 1.52%, right in the middle of the 1 to 2 percent published rate. Whatever rate is set will further reduce Apple's profit margin.

• [By Michael Robinson]

  Mitel Networks (MITL)

  Small-cap Mitel is known for its advanced contact center platform that includes mobile chat and also helps mid-market firms generate sales leads while lowering expenses.

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014: Edgewater Technology Inc.(EDGW)

Edgewater Technology, Inc. operates as a consulting firm in North America. The company provides business advisory services, such as knowledge monetization; customer transformation, including business-to-business to business-to-customer or the reverse; cloud architecture and on-ramping strategic services; business process rejuvenation with industry practices and cross pollination; mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital advisory; strategic advice, costing, estimates to complete, and failing or failed programs or project initiatives; and independent package selection and request for information or proposal process design and implementation. Its product-based consulting services include business transformation through the use of packaged software solutions; enterprise performance management with oracle budgeting, planning, consolidation, and strategic finance; enterprise resource planning with Microsoft Dynamics AX; discrete and process-based manufacturi ng; customer relationship management with Microsoft CRM; industry specific solutions; and blended solutions, such as Microsoft CRM/XRM and custom. The company also offers technology consulting services comprising technical architecture and roadmaps; technical evaluations and design; custom component design and implementation; Web-centric solutions, including internal, external, and/or collaborative; cloud integration and phasing solutions; on-going support services; and infrastructure optimization and redesign, disaster recovery, and business continuity specialized design and assistance. In addition, it provides information management and analytics services. The company serves consumer packaged goods/manufacturing; discrete and process manufacturing; energy/utilities; healthcare; higher education; hospitality; insurance; retail; travel/entertainment; and various emerging markets. Edgewater Technology, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Magic Diligence]

  Should you buy? That's for you to decide (we have some ideas), but at a glance these certainly look like stocks that warrant additional consideration. Here they are!

  Edgewater Technology Inc (EDGW)

  Edgewater is an organizational consulting firm, offering technical, HR, and other advisory services. Revenues have been steady, but margins have improved sequentially in each of the last few years. Edgewater is also financially strong, with almost $26 million in cash (32% of market cap), and no debt. With an earnings yield approaching 12%, the stock is legitimately cheap, as well.

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014: Brown & Brown Inc. (BRO)

Brown & Brown, Inc., a diversified insurance agency, engages in the marketing and sale of insurance products and services in the United States. Its Retail division provides insurance products and services to commercial, public and quasi-public entity, professional, and individual customers. This division offers property insurance relating to physical damage to property, and resultant interruption of business or extra expense caused by fire, windstorm, or other perils; casualty insurance relating to legal liabilities, workers� compensation, and commercial and private passenger automobile coverage; fidelity and surety bonds; group and individual life, accident, disability, health, hospitalization, medical, and dental insurance, as well as provides risk management and loss control surveys and analysis, and consultation services. The company�s National Programs division offers professional liability and related package insurance products for dentists, lawyers, accountants, o ptometrists, opticians, insurance agents, financial service representatives, benefit administrators, real estate brokers, real estate title agents, and escrow agents. This division also markets its products and services to specific industries, trade groups, public and quasi-public entities, and market niches through independent agents. The company�s Wholesale Brokerage division markets and sells excess and surplus commercial insurance products and services to retail insurance agencies; and reinsurance products and services to insurance companies. Its Services division offers insurance-related services, including third-party claims administration and comprehensive medical utilization management services for the workers� compensation and various liability arenas; medicare set-aside services; and social security disability and medicare benefits advocacy services. Brown & Brown, Inc. was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang]

  Brown & Brown (BRO) �is forecast to report earnings of 40 cents a share in the third quarter. In the second quarter, the insurer and the brokerage reported its profit jumped to 36 cents a share from 29 cents a year earlier.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Brown & Brown (NYSE: BRO) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.40 per share on revenue of $348.85 million.

  Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ: WTFC) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $195.50 million.

Top Stocks To Buy For 2014: Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (GGAL)

Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. operates as a financial services holding company in Argentina. The company offers financial products and services, including collection and payment services, commercial credit cards, direct payroll deposits, capital market alternatives, foreign trade solutions, and corporate e-banking solutions; corporate debt transactions and securitization transactions; and e-collection and payment solutions to various agencies, municipalities, and universities. It also provides a range of financial products and services, such as transactions, loans, and investments; and checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, payroll direct deposits, insurance, and retirement and pension payments. In addition, the company offers mutual funds and in brokerage services; manages positions in foreign currency and government securities; acts as an intermediary and distributes financial instruments for institutional investors, corporate customers, and individuals; and enables customers to buy and sell securities on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. Further, it provides life insurance products, including employee benefit plans and credit related insurance; and property and casualty insurance products, such as home and ATM theft insurance. As of December 31, 2012, the company operated 257 full service banking branches and 1,676 ATMs and self-service terminals. Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. was founded in 1905 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Federico Zaldua]

  Grupo Financiero Galicia (GGAL), which was once owned by Rob Citrone's hedge fund Discovery Capital Management, owns one of Argentina's biggest private banks by deposits and the fastest growing within the banks that count with national presence. As a matter of fact, according to management, "the bank's estimated market share of loans to private sector was 9.10% growing 56 basis points from a year before and the market share of deposits from the private sector was 8.98% growing 28 basis points in the year."

Best Gas Companies For 2014

In February, President Obama called for an increase to the federal minimum wage. Considering minimum wage hasn't been increased in four years, employees working for this minimum are probably thrilled. On the flip side, employers are likely concerned about how this could impact business and profit. Right now, federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and if the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 is passed, it'll increase to at least $9 an hour. �At this point, there's no way to tell if the legislation will be passed. But since we Fools like to invest for the long term, let's assume for a moment that minimum wage is increased. What could this mean for company profit and, consequently, investors?

Do you want fries with that?
Over the past few years, the cost of living has increased -- I know, I'm not happy about it, either. For employees making $7.25 an hour, the increase in things like gas and groceries has probably been especially onerous. So, is it valid to argue that employers should also be keeping up with the cost of living by increasing pay? Some might argue yes, while others might say no.

Top Japanese Stocks To Invest In 2015: Helmerich & Payne Inc (HP)

Helmerich & Payne, Inc., incorporated on February 29, 1944, is engaged in contract drilling of oil and gases wells for others and this business. The Company's contract drilling business is composed of three reportable business segments: U.S. Land, Offshore and International Land. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company's U.S. Land operations drilled in Oklahoma, California, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Utah, Arkansas, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia. Offshore operations were conducted in the Gulf of Mexico, and offshore of California, Trinidad and Equatorial Guinea. During fiscal 2012, the Company's International Land segment operated in six international locations: Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Tunisia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates. The Company is also engaged in the ownership, development and operation of commercial real estate and the research and development of rotary steerable technology. Each of the businesses operates independently of the others through wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company's real estate investments located exclusively within Tulsa, Oklahoma, include a shopping center containing approximately 441,000 leasable square feet, multi-tenant industrial warehouse properties containing approximately one million leasable square feet and approximately 210 acres of undeveloped real estate. The Company's subsidiary, TerraVici Drilling Solutions, Inc. (TerraVici), is developing rotary steerable technology. As of September 30, 2012, it had 176 rigs under fixed-term contracts. During fiscal 2012, the Company leased a 150,000 square foot industrial facility near Tulsa, Oklahoma for the purpose of overhauling/repairing rig equipment and associated component parts.

U.S. Land Drilling

As of September 30, 2012, the Company had 282 of its land rigs available for work in the United States. During fiscal 2012, the Company's U.S. Land operations contributed approximately 85% of the Compan! y's consolidated operating revenues. During fiscal 2012, rig utilization was approximately 89%. During fiscal 2012, the Company's fleet of FlexRigs had an average utilization of approximately 97%, while the Company's conventional and mobile rigs had an average utilization of approximately 11%. As of September 31, 2012, 231 out of an available 282 land rigs were working.

Off Shore Drilling

During fiscal 2012, the Company's Offshore operations contributed approximately 6% of the Company's consolidated operating revenues. During fiscal 2012, rig utilization was approximately 79%. During fiscal 2012, the Company had eight of its nine offshore platform rigs under contract and continued to work under management contracts for four customer-owned rigs. During fiscal 2012, revenues from drilling services performed for the Company's offshore drilling customer totaled approximately 56% of offshore revenues.

International Land Drilling

During fiscal 2012, the Company's International Land operations contributed approximately 9% of the Company's consolidated operating revenues. During fiscal 2012, rig utilization was 77%. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had nine rigs in Argentina. During fiscal 2012, the Company's utilization rate was approximately 52%. During fiscal 2012, revenues generated by Argentine drilling operations contributed approximately 2% of the Company's consolidated operating revenues. The Argentine drilling contracts are with international or national oil companies. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had seven rigs in Colombia. During fiscal 2012, the Company's utilization rate was approximately 79%. During fiscal 2012, revenues generated by Colombian drilling operations contributed approximately 3% of the Company's consolidated operating revenues. During fiscal 2012, revenues from drilling services performed for the Company's customer in Colombia totaled approximately 1% of consolidated operating revenues and approximately 16% of inter! national ! operating revenues. The Colombian drilling contracts are with international or national oil companies. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had five rigs in Ecuador. During fiscal 2012, the utilization rate in Ecuador was 97%. During fiscal 2012, revenues generated by Ecuadorian drilling operations contributed approximately 2% of consolidated operating revenues. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had two rigs in Tunisia, four rigs in Bahrain and two rigs in United Arab Emirates.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (HP), the leading land drilling contractor in the U.S., rose significantly in the first quarter. Over the past three years, Helmerich's market share has increased to 23% from 16%, while generating higher margins and returns than its main competitors. Its share price benefited from growing optimism that U.S. horizontal drilling activity will increase, spurring customer demand for new rigs. Helmerich also signed its biggest international contract in a decade in the first quarter. Helmerich is a best-in-class operator and remains a core position. (James Stone)

Best Gas Companies For 2014: Crestwood Equity Partners LP (CEQP)

Crestwood Equity Partners LP, incorporated on March 7, 2001, is a master limited partnership. The Company owns the general partner interest (including the distribution rights) and an approximate 4% limited partner interest of Crestwood Midstream.

In addition, the Company's operations include a natural gas storage business in Texas and a natural gas liquid (NGL) and crude oil supply and logistics business that serves customers in the United States and Canada. On October 7, 2013, Crestwood Midstream Partners LP merged into Inergy Midstream, L.P.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Tuesday, Inergy (NYSE: CEQP  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Best Gas Companies For 2014: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Halliburton Company provides various products and services to the energy industry for the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services, completion tools and services, cementing services, and Boots & Coots. Its production enhancement services include stimulation and sand control services; completion tools and services comprise subsurface safety valves and flow control equipment, surface safety systems, packers and specialty completion equipment, intelligent completion systems, expandable liner hanger systems, sand control systems, well servicing tools, and reservoir performance services; cementing services consist of bonding the well and well casing, while isolating fluid zones and maximizing wellbore stability, and casing equipment; and Boots & Coots include well intervention services , pressure control, equipment rental tools and services, and pipeline and process services. The Drilling and Evaluation segment provides field and reservoir modeling, drilling, evaluation, and wellbore placement solutions that enable customers to model, measure, and optimize their well construction activities. Its services comprise fluid services, drilling services, drill bits, wireline and perforating services, testing and subsea services, software and asset solutions, and integrated project management and consulting services. The company serves independent, integrated, and national oil companies. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tony Daltorio]

  The biggest oilfield service companies should get a big lift from the boom, Moors said. That includes Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL), Weatherford International Ltd. (NYSE: WFT), and Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI).

• [By ovenerio]

  In this article, let's take a look at Halliburton Company (HAL), a $57.48 billion market cap company, which is a leading oilfield services company which provides products and services to the global energy industry.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  The main reason for this has been the large-scale application of new technologies, such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," that have allowed producers to more easily coax oil and gas from dense rock formations. Though oilfield services firm Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) was the first company to use hydraulic fracturing commercially to recover oil and gas all the way back in 1949, the practice didn't become widespread until just about half a decade ago.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Notable earnings releases expected on Tuesday include:

  Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.20 on revenue of $17.95 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $17.56 billion. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.65 on revenue of $31.04 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.45 on revenue of $30.04 billion. The Travelers Company (NYSE: TRV) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.66 on revenue of $5.79 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $2.22 on revenue of $5.70 billion. Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.63 on revenue of $9.02 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.28 on revenue of $8.60 billion. Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.89 on revenue of $7.56 billion compared to last year�� EPS of $0.63on revenue of $7.29 billion.

  Economics

Best Gas Companies For 2014: Legacy Oil + Gas Inc (LEGPF.PK)

Legacy Oil + Gas Inc. (Legacy) is engaged in exploration, exploitation and development drilling for oil and natural gas reserves. Legacy's wholly owned subsidiary, Legacy Oil & Gas ND, Inc., holds properties and operates in the State of North Dakota. Its Southeast Saskatchewan properties are located in an area ranging from approximately 130 to 290 kilometers southeast of the city of Regina, Saskatchewan. Legacy has an average working interest of approximately 75% in 24,576 gross (18,647 net) acres of undeveloped land at Taylorton. It has an average working interest of approximately 70% in 32,959 gross (22,938 net) acres of undeveloped land in the Viewfield Bakken play with properties at Stoughton, Heward and Star Valley. On January 1, 2011, it amalgamated with its wholly owned subsidiaries Legacy VRI Ltd. and Legacy TV Ltd. In April 2013, it closed the acquisition of Villanova Oil Corp. (Villanova) and the acquisition of light oil assets. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  To open up new Cardium opportunities, Manitok is also expanding to the Southern Alberta Foothills, where it plans to drill the first well of the farm-in with Legacy Oil & Gas (LEGPF.PK) before year end. Legacy Oil has a 99% average working interest in the Farm-in Lands prior to Manitok earning. Manitok will pay 100% of the cost to drill, complete and equip one horizontal Cardium oil well in order to earn 70% of Legacy's working interest, in a small block of land within the Farm-in Lands. If Manitok drills, completes and equips 3 horizontal Cardium oil wells at 100% of the cost, it will earn the entire 70% of working interest in Legacy's Farm-in Lands.

Best Gas Companies For 2014: Sandridge Mississippian Trust II (SDR)

SandRidge Mississippian Trust II is a statutory trust formed to own overriding royalty interests to be conveyed to the trust by SandRidge Energy, Inc. (SandRidge) in 67 producing horizontal wells, including 13 wells, which are awaiting completion (the Producing Wells), in the Mississippian formation in northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, and overriding royalty interests in 206 horizontal development wells (The Development Wells) to be drilled in the Mississippian formation (the Development Wells) on properties within an Area of Mutual Interest (the AMI). SandRidge is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the development and production activities related to the exploitation of its holdings in West Texas and the Mid-Continent area of Oklahoma and Kansas. The AMI, which is limited to the Mississippian formation, consists of approximately 81,200 gross acres (53,000 net acres) held by SandRidge. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. is trustee (the Trustee), and The Corporation Trust Company is a Delaware Trustee (the Delaware Trustee).

The Mississippian formation is encountered at depths between approximately 4,000 feet and 7,000 feet and lies between the Pennsylvanian-aged Morrow formation and the Devonian-aged Woodford Shale formation. Effective as of January 1, 2012, the royalty interests was conveyed from SandRidge's interest in the Producing Wells and the Development Wells. The royalty interest in the Producing Wells (the PDP Royalty Interest) entitles the trust to receive 80% of the proceeds from the sale of production of oil and natural gas attributable to SandRidge's net revenue interest in the Producing Wells. The royalty interest in the Development Wells (the Development Royalty Interest) entitles the trust to receive 70% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to SandRidge's net revenue interest in the Development Wells.

As of December 31, 2011, the total proved reserves estimated to be attributable to t! he trust were 26.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. This amount includes 10.2 million barrels of oil equivalent attributable to the PDP Royalty Interest and 15.9 million barrels of oil equivalent attributable to the Development Royalty Interest. The proved reserves consist of 46.8% oil and 53.2% natural gas. In addition, as of December 31, 2011, there were 9.8 million barrels of oil equivalent of probable reserves estimated to be attributable to the trust, all of which were attributable to the Development Royalty Interest. The probable reserves consist of 46.9% oil and 53.1% natural gas.

SandRidge will retain 20% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas attributable to its net revenue interest in the Producing Wells, as well as 30% of the proceeds from the sale of future production attributable to its net revenue interest in the Development Wells. SandRidge initially will own 48.2% of the trust units. SandRidge operates 79% of the Producing Wells. The completed Producing Wells and 121 other Mississippian wells outside of the AMI that have been completed by SandRidge have an average perforated length of approximately 4,200 feet. SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC (SandRidge E&P), a wholly owned subsidiary of SandRidge, will grant to the trust a lien on its interests in the AMI.

The Underlying Properties are located in Noble, Kay, Alfalfa, Grant and Woods counties in northern Oklahoma and Harper, Comanche, Sumner and Barber counties in southern Kansas in the Mississippian formation, which is an expansive carbonate hydrocarbon system located on the Anadarko Shelf. The Mississippian formation can reach 1,000 feet in gross thickness and the targeted porosity zone is between 50 and 100 feet in thickness. As of December 31, 2011, there were approximately 43 horizontal rigs drilling in the formation, with 19 of those rigs drilling for SandRidge. As of December 31, 2011, SandRidge had approximately 1.5 million net acres leased in the Mississippian formation in north! ern Oklah! oma and Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alexis Xydias]

  Schroders Plc (SDR) rose 1.3 percent to 2,183 pence after BNP raised its recommendation on Europe�� biggest independent money manager to outperform, similar to buy, from neutral. Exane cited Schroders��broad product range and ��trong ability to gain from any rotation into equities��as reasons for the upgrade.

• [By Jim Royal]

  Oscar Wilde once said that experience is the name we give to our mistakes. My investment in Sandridge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) has been the greatest experience of my Special Situations portfolio. But in investing, as in life, to be successful you must make the next right decision, rather than foolishly holding to a past commitment that has been proven wrong. So I've decided to sell my shares in this troubled royalty trust and move on to find a good investment. (I've got a good one here.)

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  The problem here is that SandRidge has been�dependent�on asset sales and its running out of assets to sell. In addition to the Permian sale, SandRidge has now taken three royalty trusts public. One consisting of Permian Basin assets, SandRidge Permian Trust (NYSE: PER  ) and two consisting of Mississippian assets, SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) . While SandRidge still owns a portion of each trust, it likely will continue to sell off its ownership stake in each trust as well as other assets it still owns. At some point SandRidge will need to live within its oil and gas cash flows, otherwise, its not worth owning.�

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  SandRidge has made a huge bet on the Mississippian Lime shale play, especially after selling off its Permian Basin assets late last year. Unfortunately, that bet hasn't paid off well for shareholders, as the company saw its spun-off royalty trusts SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) fail to meet their projections for distribution amounts during the first quarter. The main problem has been that wells in the Mississippian Lime have produced more natural gas than expected, and even with a slight rebound in gas prices, it still doesn't produce adequate margins compared to oil and natural-gas liquids.

Best Gas Companies For 2014: KNOT Offshore Partners LP (KNOP)

KNOT Offshore Partners LP, incorporated on February 21, 2013, is a limited partnership formed to own, operate and acquire shuttle tankers under long-term charters. Its initial fleet of shuttle tankers contribute to the Company by Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS (KNOT), which is jointly owned by TS Shipping Invest AS, (TSSI), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). NYK is a Japanese public company with a fleet of approximately 800 vessels, including bulk carriers, containerships, tankers and specialized vessels. The Company is a holding entity and is conduct its operations and business through subsidiaries KNOT is an independent owner of crude oil shuttle tankers. Its general partner is KNOT Offshore Partners GP LLC. In August 2013, KNOT Offshore Partners LP's wholly owned subsidiary KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS completed its acquisition of all interests in Knutsen Shuttle Tanker 13 AS that owns and operates the Carmen Knutsen from KNOT Offshore Tankers AS.

The Company's initial fleet consists of four shuttle tankers, which are vessels designed to transport crude oil and condensates from offshore oil field installations to onshore terminals and refineries. The shuttle tankers include , Fortaleza Knutsen, Recife Knutsen, Bodil Knutsen and Windsor Knutsen. Its shuttle tankers are equipped with loading systems and dynamic positioning systems that allow the vessels to load cargo safely and reliably from oil field installations, even in harsh weather conditions.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  1. KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  )
  Ever wonder how the oil gets from the offshore rig to the onshore refinery? Sometimes there's a pipeline, and sometimes there are shuttle tankers, like the ones owned and operated by KNOT Offshore.

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  But this too is starting to shift. If you look at the most-recent IPOs on the New York Stock Exchange, you'll find many corners of the energy industry represented:

  Tallgrass Energy Partners�-- Natural gas midstream, debuted May 14 KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  ) -- Shuttle tankers, debuted April 10 SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP  ) -- Coal/coke making, debuted Jan. 18 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- Mid-continent refining, debuted Jan. 17

  There have also been a few MLP-related funds to hit the market this year, including Global X Junior MLP ETF�and Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund.

• [By Robert Rapier] There were a half a dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) by master limited partnerships in the first half of the year, and all but one are now in the green while one has nearly doubled in value.
  
  The first MLP IPO of 2013 debuted on Jan. 15. USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC), which I mentioned in last week’s issue, provides compression services for the oil and gas industry. Units have advanced 36 percent since the IPO, and at the current price yield 7.3 percent.
  
  The day after the USA Compression Partners IPO, CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) made its debut.  CVRR was spun off from CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), and both companies remain majority-owned by Carl Icahn. CVR Refining’s primary assets are two refineries located in Kansas and Oklahoma with a combined processing capacity of approximately 185,000 barrels per day (bpd). These refineries are strategically located near the major Cushing, Oklahoma shipment and storage hub, with easy access to discounted feedstock from the nearby Permian basin, as well as the Bakken shale and Canadian oil sands.
  
  But refiners have struggled with diminished margins in 2013 because of a much lower Brent-WTI differential. After the recently concluded second quarter, CVRR declared a distribution of $1.35 per unit, bringing its per-unit distributions for the first half of the year to $2.93. At the same time, CVR Refining lowered its annual distribution target to a range of $4.10 to $4.80 per unit. This was lower than the outlook issued in March, when it foresaw annual distributions of $5.50 to $6.50. CVRR units slid on the news, and are presently trading slightly below the $25 IPO price. The lower end of the revised forecast implies distributions of $1.17 per unit in the second half of the year, for a forward annualized yield of 10 percent based on the recent $23.50 unit price.
  
  SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP) was the third IPO to debut during a very busy third week of January. SXCP is the first M
• [By Robert Rapier]

  KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP) is organized and headquartered outside the US. Although organized as a partnership, it has elected to be taxed as a corporation in the US and furnishes 1099s rather than K-1s.

Best Gas Companies For 2014: SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (SDT)

SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (The Trust) is a statutory trust. The Trust was created to acquire and hold the Royalty Interests for the benefit of Trust unitholders. SandRidge conveyed to the Trust the Royalty Interests in specified oil and natural gas properties in the Mississippian formation in Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Major and Woods counties in Oklahoma (the Underlying Properties). These Royalty Interests were derived from SandRidge�� interests in a 36 wells and the equivalent of 123 horizontal development wells to be drilled in the Mississippian formation (Trust Development Wells) within an area of mutual interest (AMI), consisting of approximately 49,600 gross acres (42,000 net acres) in the counties where the Underlying Properties are located.

Effective January 1, 2011, the Royalty Interests entitle the Trust to receive 90% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to its net revenue interest in the Initial Wells and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to SandRidge�� net revenue interest in the Trust Development Wells. As of December 31, 2011, the Trust�� properties consisted of Royalty Interests in the Initial Wells, 48 wells (equivalent to approximately 53 Trust Development Wells under the development agreement) and the equivalent of approximately 70 Trust Development Wells to be drilled in the Mississippian formation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Galas]

  As the chart illustrates, SandRidge's other royalty trust,�SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) , which has already had its final wells drilled, has been experiencing a severe decline in distributions, a result of its massive quarterly production declines of 26%, 21%, and 22% immediately after the last well was drilled.�

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  SandRidge has made a huge bet on the Mississippian Lime shale play, especially after selling off its Permian Basin assets late last year. Unfortunately, that bet hasn't paid off well for shareholders, as the company saw its spun-off royalty trusts SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) fail to meet their projections for distribution amounts during the first quarter. The main problem has been that wells in the Mississippian Lime have produced more natural gas than expected, and even with a slight rebound in gas prices, it still doesn't produce adequate margins compared to oil and natural-gas liquids.

5 Best High Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014

Popular Posts: Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks for May2 Solid BDCs to Buy Today2 Best High Dividend Funds to Buy Now – NFJ and CHW Recent Posts: Buy These Solid BDCs ASAP 2 Solid BDCs to Buy Today Trade of the Day: Nokia (NOK) View All Posts Buy These Solid BDCs ASAP

Considering�how difficult the lending environment is for mid-size private companies, it only makes sense to take a hard look at the business development companies (BDCs).

It’s been a catch 22 for the banks. They are awash in cash,� but after getting shell shocked by the recession they aren’t willing to put that cash in the system in the form of new small-business loans as the Fed had intended under its current policy.

Hot Trucking Stocks To Own Right Now: iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY)

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Treasury Bond Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the short-term sector of the United States Treasury market as defined by the Lehman Brothers 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index (the Index). The Index includes all publicly issued United States Treasury securities that have a remaining maturity of between 1 and 3 years, are non-convertible, are denominated in United States dollars, are rated investment grade (Baa3 or better) by Moody�� Investors Service, are fixed rate, and have $250 million or more of outstanding face value. Excluded from the Index are certain special issues, such as flower bonds, targeted investor notes (TINs), and state and local government bonds (SLGs), and coupon issues that have been stripped from assets already included in the Index.

The Index is a market capitalization-weighted index. The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Donald van Deventer]

  Shorter-duration Treasury Exchange-Traded Funds: (SHY), (SHV), (IEI), (BIL), (TUZ), (FIVZ), (DTUL), (VGSH), (DTUS), (DFVS), (DFVL), (SST), (ISTB), (TBZ).

5 Best High Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Numerex Corp.(NMRX)

Numerex Corp. provides business services, technology, and products used in the development and support of machine-to-machine solutions for the enterprise and government markets worldwide. The company offers Numerex DNA that includes hardware and smart devices, cellular and satellite network services, and software applications that are delivered through Numerex FAST (Foundation Application Software Technology). Its customers subscribe to device management, network, and application services through hosted platforms. The company distributes its products through value added resellers, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturers. It serves security, energy and utilities, healthcare, financial services, government, transportation, and supply chain markets. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Machine-to-Machine (M2M) stock CalAmp Corp (NASDAQ: CAMP) has given investors a relatively flat performance since spiking earlier this year but shares are still up some�538.5% over the past five years (according to Google Finance) ��meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of other M2M stocks like Digi International Inc (NASDAQ: DGII), Numerex Corp (NASDAQ: NMRX) and Sierra Wireless, Inc (NASDAQ: SWIR). I should mention that we recently added CalAmp Corp to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio based around�our�ongoing�Internet of Things growth theme plus the company appears well positioned�in the M2M space for the next few years.

5 Best High Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Janus Capital Group Inc (SLS)

Janus Capital Group Inc., and its subsidiaries (JCG), incorporated on January 23, 1998, provide investment management, administration, distribution and related services to financial advisors, individuals and institutional clients through mutual funds, other pooled investment vehicles, separate accounts and sub advised relationships (collectively referred to as investment products) in both domestic and international markets. JCG provides investment management competencies across a range of disciplines, including fundamental the United States and global equities (growth and value), mathematical equities, fixed income and alternatives through its subsidiaries, Janus Capital Management LLC (Janus), INTECH Investment Management LLC (INTECH) and Perkins Investment Management LLC (Perkins). JCG's investment products are distributed through three primary channels: retail intermediary, institutional and international.

The institutional channel serves the United States corporations, endowments, foundations, Taft-Hartley funds and public fund clients and focuses on distribution direct to the plan sponsor and through consultants. As of December 31, 2012, assets in the institutional channel totaled 24% of total Company assets under management. The international channel primarily serves professional retail and institutional investors outside of the United States, including central and local government pension plans, corporate pension plans, multi-managers, insurance companies and private banks. International products are offered through separate accounts, sub advisory relationships and Janus Capital Funds Plc, a mutual fund trust. As of December 31, 2012, assets in the international channel totaled 11% of total Company assets under management. JCG operates international offices in London, Paris, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, The Hague, Dubai, Zurich, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Melbourne and Taipei. The retail intermediary channel serves financial advisors, third-party intermediaries and retirement platf! orms in the United States. In addition, this channel serves existing individual investors who invest in JCG products through a mutual fund supermarket or directly with JCG. As of December 31, 2012, assets in the retail intermediary channel totaled 65% of total Company assets under management.

Janus

Janus manages primarily growth equity portfolios. As of December 31, 2012, Janus managed 63% of total Company assets under management. The Janus Overseas Fund is included in the assets managed by Janus and represented approximately 6% during the year ended December 31, 2012.

INTECH

INTECH has managed institutional portfolios. INTECH's investment process is based on a mathematical theorem that seeks to add value for clients by capitalizing on the volatility in stock price movements. As of December 31, 2012, INTECH managed 26% of total Company assets under management.

Perkins

Perkins has managed value-disciplined investment products. With its fundamental research and careful consideration for downside risk, Perkins has established itself as a value manager. Perkins offers value equity investment products across a range of the United States asset classes and global equity. As of December 31, 2012, Perkins managed 11% of total Company assets under management.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  In addition, leading the solid rocket propellant market should ensure increased annual revenue. The new Space Launch System (SLS), for which ATK is working with the NASA, is expected be as successful as the Space Shuttle program years ago.

5 Best High Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Light SA (LIGT3)

Light SA, formerly TRIAL Participacoes SA, is a Brazil-based holding company primarily involved in the energy sector. Light SA is a parent of the Light Group. The Company operates through four segments, such as Power Distribution, Power Generation, Power Trading and Others, through which the Company is engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and marketing of electric power and other related services. The Company distributes energy to approximately 31 municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the Company is engaged in the manufacture of two-wheeled electric vehicles. The Company operates through subsidiaries, such as Light Servicos de Eletricidade SA, CR Zongshen E Power Fabricadora de Veiculos SA, Light Energia SA, Lightger SA, Itaocara Energia Ltda, Amazonia Energia SA, Light Esco Prestacaoo de Servicos SA, Lightcom Comercializadora de Energia SA, Light Solucoes em Eletricidade Ltda, Axxiom Solucoes Tecnologicas SA and Instituto Light. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  Oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4) contributed the most to the gauge�� advance as crude climbed. BR Properties SA rose the most since July 2012 after saying it will buy back shares. Phone company Tim Participacoes SA rebounded from a five-week low. Power utility Light SA (LIGT3) rallied after posting third-quarter earnings that beat analysts��estimates.

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Watch For 2015

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Watch For 2015: DigitalGlobe Inc (DGI)

DigitalGlobe, Inc. provides commercial earth imagery products and information services worldwide. It collects imagery products and services through its QuickBird, WorldView-1, and WorldView-2 satellites, as well as aerial and satellite imagery from third party suppliers. The company offers a range of online and offline distribution options, including desktop software applications; Web services, which provide direct online access to the company's image library; file transfer protocol; physical media, such as CD, DVD, and hard drive; and direct access program that facilitates certain customers to task and download data from its WorldView-1 and WorldView-2 satellites. Its imagery products and services support various uses, including defense, intelligence and homeland security, mapping and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, and infrastructure management. DigitalGlobe, Inc. serves defense contractors; civil government agencies; providers of location-b ased services; and various companies in energy, telecommunications, utility, forestry, mining, financial services, environmental, and agricultural industries through direct and indirect channels. The company was formerly known as EarthWatch, Incorporated and changed its name to DigitalGlobe, Inc. in August 2002. DigitalGlobe, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Longmont, Colorado. DigitalGlobe, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  DigitalGlobe  (NYSE: DGI  ) just released mixed third-quarter results, and the market is responding by pushing shares down around 3% in Thursday's after-hours trading. But that doesn't mean the satellite image purveyor's results were bad.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Telecommunications services shares droppe! d about 0.48 percent in trading on Friday. Top decliners in the sector included DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI), down 5.7 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 3.6 percent.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-forestry-stocks-to-watch-for-2015-3.html

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014

Investors are hungering for Nurtisystem’s (NTRI) stock. How else to explain Nutrisystems’s huge jump today, following its earnings beat?

Reuters

The Wall Street Journal explains:

For the third quarter, Nutrisystem reported a profit of $356,000, or a penny a share, down from $2.6 million, or nine cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time charges and other items, adjusted profit grew to 15 cents a share from 10 cents…

Looking ahead, Nutrisystem sees fourth quarter per-share results ranging between a two cent profit to a two cent loss, compared to the penny loss forecast by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. The company also expects revenue will rise in the mid-single digits.

Analysts are far less enthusiastic than investors, however, largely because of valuation. Imperial Capital’s Mitchell Pinheiro explains:

Top Warren Buffett Stocks To Watch For 2015: Park Electrochemical Corporation(PKE)

Park Electrochemical Corp., an advanced materials company, engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of high-technology digital and radio frequency/microwave printed circuit materials products principally for the telecommunications, Internet infrastructure, and high-end computing markets. It also provides advanced composite materials, parts, and assemblies for the aerospace markets; and involves in the design and manufacture of composite aircraft and space vehicle parts. The company?s printed circuit materials are used to fabricate complex multilayer printed circuit boards and other electronic interconnect systems, including back-planes, wireless packages, high speed/low-loss multilayers, and high density interconnects. It operates in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Melville, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  You can put American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) and Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE:PKE) on your watchlist, if not in your portfolio. These two stocks are the best of the best among names you've probably not heard of. Just because you haven't heard of a stock, however, doesn't mean it can't dole out nice rewards. Indeed, I'm convinced the more obscure names like PKE and AAT are the market's best trading opportunities specifically because they're picks off the beaten path - the trades aren't crowded yet.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Printed-circuit materials maker�Park Electrochemical (NYSE: PKE  ) announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.10 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2009.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Park Electrochemical Corp. (PKE) �is expected to post third-quarter earnings of 28 cents a share.

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014: ING Groep NV (ING)

ING Groep N.V. (ING), incorporated in 1991, is a global financial institution offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to meet the needs of the customers. The Company�� segments include banking and insurance. Banking segment includes retail Netherlands, retail Belgium, ING direct, retail central Europe (CE), retail Asia, commercial banking (excluding real estate), ING real estate and corporate line banking. Insurance segment includes insurance Benelux, insurance central and rest of Europe (CRE), insurance United States (US), Insurance US closed block VA, insurance Asia/Pacific, ING investment management (IM) and corporate line insurance. In February 2011, the Company divested its real estate investment operation ING Real Estate Investment Management (ING REIM) to CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. In June 2011, the Company sold Clarion Partners. In July 2011, ING announced the completion of the sale of Clarion Real Estate Securities. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company divested its interests in ING Car Lease and ING IM Philippines. In February 2012, Capital One Financial Corp. acquired ING Direct business in the United States from the Company.

In June 2011, ING had completed the sale of its interest in China�� Pacific Antai Life Insurance Company Ltd. In June 2011, ING announced the completion of the sale of real estate investment manager of its United States operations, Clarion Partners, to Clarion Partners management in partnership with Lightyear Capital LLC. In October 2011, ING announced that it had completed the sale of REIM�� Asian and European operations to CBRE Group Inc. In December 2011 ING completed the sale of its Latin American pensions, life insurance and investment management operations.

Retail Netherlands

Retail Banking reaches its individual customers through Internet banking, telephone, call centers, mailings and branches. Using direct marketing methods, it is a provider of current account services an! d payments systems to provide other financial services, such as savings accounts, mortgage loans, consumer loans, credit card services, investment and insurance products. Mortgages are offered through a tied agents sale force and direct and intermediary channels. ING Bank Netherlands operates through a branch network of approximately 280 branches. It offers a range of commercial banking activities and also life and non-life insurance products. It also sells mortgages through the intermediary channel.

Retail Belgium

ING Belgium provides banking, insurance (life, non-life) and asset management products and services to meet the needs of individuals, families, companies and institutions through a network of local head offices, 773 branches and direct banking channels (automated branches, home banking services and call centers). ING Belgium also operates a second network, Record Bank, which provides a range of banking products through independent banking agents and credit products through a multitude of channels (agents, brokers, vendors).

ING Direct

ING Direct offers a range of financial products, such as savings, mortgages, retail investment products, payment accounts and consumer lending products. It operates in Canada, Spain, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom. In June 2011, ING Group announced the sale of ING Direct USA to Capital One Financial Corporation.

Retail Central Europe

Retail Central Europe has a presence in Poland, and Romania and Turkey. ING in Poland is an Internet bank. During 2011, ING Bank Turkey launched the Orange account, the variable savings product. ING in Turkey also launched a mobile phone banking application. ING Bank Romania carried out its Internet banking site, Home��ank. In September 2011, a mobile version of the Home��ank Website was introduced.

Retail Asia

Retail Banking has a presence in Asian markets of India, China and Thailand. As o! f Decembe! r 31, 2011, the Company had 44% interest in ING Vysya and 30% interest in TMB Bank in Thailand. Bank of Beijing (BoB), in which ING has the largest single interest (16.07%) is a commercial bank in China. ING provides principally risk management and retail banking to BoB.

Commercial Banking

ING Commercial Banking supports the banking needs of its corporate and institutional clients to invest both retail and commercial bank customer deposits. It is a commercial bank in its home markets in the Benelux, as well as in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to the banking services of lending, payments and cash management and treasury, it also provides solutions in other areas, including specialized and trade finance, derivatives, corporate finance, debt and equity capital markets, leasing, factoring and supply chain finance. Payments and Cash Management (PCM) and General Lending are its some of the product lines. Structured Finance (SF) is a specialist commercial lending business, providing loans to support capital intensive investments and working capital. It is managed in three groups: the Energy, Transport and Infrastructure Group; the Specialized Financing Group; and International Trade and Export Finance. Leasing and Factoring (L&F) provides financial and operating leasing services for a range of equipment, as well as receivables financing and other factoring solutions for commercial banking clients. The Financial Markets (FM) is the global business unit that manages ING�� financial markets trading and non-trading activities. FM is managed along three business lines: ALCO manages the interest rates exposures arising from the traditional banking activities, Strategic Trading Platform incorporates the primary proprietary risk taking units, and Clients and Products is the primary customer trading facilitation business line.

Real Estate

During 2011, Real Estate Finance (REF) maintained its credit portfolio. Real Estate Development (ING RED) and! Real Est! ate Investment Management (ING REIM) has a controlled wind down of activities.

Insurance Benelux

Duirng 2011, Nationale-Nederlanden introduced bank pension savings products and annuities. ING Life Belgium introduced a new Universal Life product. Nationale-Nederlanden also received a license from the Dutch Central Bank to launch a defined contribution DC company pension product PPI in Europe. NN Services introduced a processing and information technology system (business process management layer) for several legacy lines of retail Life businesses. NN Services IT manages all the closed book business of Nationale-Nederlanden. ING�� life insurance products in the Benelux consist of a range of traditional, unit-linked and variable annuity policies written for both individual and group customers. ING is also a provider of (re-insured) company pension plans in the Netherlands.

NG Benelux��non-life products, mainly in the Netherlands, include coverage for both individual and commercial/group clients for fire, motor, disability, transport and third party liability. Nationale-Nederlanden has also a central product manufacturing service for property and casualty insurance, which has developed products for ING Bank in Belgium and ING Bank in the Netherlands. ING offers a range of disability insurance products and complementary services for employers and self-employed professionals (such as dentists and general practitioners).

Insurance Central and Rest of Europe

Insurance Central and Rest of Europe has life insurance companies in Hungary, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Turkey. It has pension funds in Poland, Hungary, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Bulgaria, Romania and in Turkey. ING offers a range of individual endowment, unit linked, term and whole life insurance policies designed to meet specific customer needs. It also has employee benefits products, as well as pension funds, that manage individu! al retire! ment accounts for individuals. The latter comprise both mandatory and voluntary retirement savings.

Insurance United States (Excluding US Closed Block Va)

ING Insurance US offers retirement services (primarily defined contribution plans), life insurance, fixed annuities, employee benefits, mutual funds, and broker-dealer services in the United States. ING Insurance US operates four businesses: Retirement Plans, Individual Retirement, Individual Life and Employee Benefits. ING Insurance US�� Retirement Plans business is a contribution providers, which offers a range of retirement solutions to all sizes and types of employers, including businesses for-profit ranging from start-ups to large corporations, public and private school systems, higher education institutions, state and local governments, hospitals and healthcare facilities, and not-for-profit organizations. ING Insurance US�� Retirement Plans business is a provider of defined contribution (DC) retirement plans in the United States based on assets under management and administration.

Insurance US Closed Block Va

ING US Closed Block VA consists of variable annuities issued in the United States that are primarily owned by individuals and were designed to address the demand for tax-advantaged savings, retirement planning, and wealth-protection. These annuity contracts were sold in the United States, primarily through independent third party distributors, including wirehouses and securities firms, independent planners and agents and banks.

Insurance Asia/Pacific

ING Insurance Asia/Pacific (IAP) is a provider of life insurance products and services. It is a life insurer in the region, with nine life operations in eight markets. IAP has ip operations in Japan and South Korea, operates a nt business in Malaysia, and is well in China, Hong Kong, Macau, India and Thailand. In April 2011, IAP, together with Public Bank Berhad and Public Islamic Bank Berhad, launched a joint ! venture i! n Malaysia, ING PUBLIC Takaful Ehsan Berhad, which will develop Takaful insurance products. In June 2011, IAP completed the sale of its 50% interest in Pacific-Antai Life Insurance Company Limited (PALIC).

The business units of IAP offer select types of life insurance, wealth management, and retail products and services. These include annuities, endowment, disability/morbidity insurance, unit linked/universal life, whole e, participating life, group life, accident and health, term life and employee benefits. In Hong Kong non-life insurance products (including medical, motor, fire, marine, personal accident and general liability) are also offered.

Insurance Latin America

ING completed the sale of its pensions, life insurance and investment management operations on December 29, 2011. These operations were in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

ING Investment Management

ING IM is an investment manager of ING Group with activities in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. In October 2011, ING IM sold ING IM Australia. ING IM provides a range of actively-managed strategies, investment vehicles and advisory services in all major asset classes and investment styles. It delivers a range of investment strategies and services to ING�� global network of businesses and third-party clients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  More than a handful of foreign companies had solid performances over the past year. Netherlands-based financial giant ING Groep (NYSE: ING  ) surged 50%, as it sold off various assets as part of a multibillion-dollar government bailout agreement. It spun off a stake in its U.S. operations via an IPO earlier this year, with ING U.S.�expected to be rebranded as Voya Financial.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Wednesday

  Earnings Expected From: CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL), Tempur-pedic International Inc. (NYSE: TPX), ING Group, N.V. (NYSE: ING), Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK), Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) Economic Releases Expected: Australian unemployment rate, US CB Leading Index, eurozone retail sales, British Industrial and manufacturing production, eurozone services PMI

  Thursday

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014: Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC)

Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC) is a Spain-based company, which is primarily engaged, together with its subsidiaries in the construction and environmental services sector. The Company�� activities include the collection, treatment and elimination of solid urban waste, street cleaning, sewer system maintenance, green areas and buildings maintenance, urban transport, treatment and elimination of industrial waste, full-service water supply management and cement manufacture. The Company is also active in the real estate development, as well as in the renewable energy industry. In addition, the Company is a parent of Grupo FCC, a group which comprises a number of controlled entities. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Live Investor]

  What does the FCC have to say? The regulator�� reaction is nothing surprising. After Son met the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to convince them about the prospects of the proposed deal, Reuters reported that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler wasn�� quite impressed and had dubious thoughts on it.

• [By Quick Pen]

  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) do not want the number of players in the telecom sector to shrink below four ��Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. To this Sprint�� Son argues that the industry already has four players ��Verizon that purchased Vodafone�� stake in it, AT&T which plans to acquire DirecTV (DTV), and Comcast (CMCSA); Sprint would be the fourth one. But these antitrust issues have been a challenge for Sprint.

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014: Culp Inc (CFI)

Culp, Inc., incorporated on March 16, 1972, manufactures, sources, and markets mattress fabrics used for covering mattresses, box springs, and foundations and upholstery fabrics primarily for use in production of upholstered furniture. The Company operates in two segments: mattress fabrics and upholstery fabrics. The mattress fabric business markets woven and knitted fabrics, and sewn covers made from those fabrics, which are used primarily in the production of bedding products, including mattresses, box springs, and foundations. The upholstery fabric business markets a variety of fabric products that are used in the production of upholstered furniture, such as, sofas, recliners, chairs, loveseats, sectionals, and sofa-beds. The Company markets a variety of fabrics in different categories to its global customer base, including fabrics produced at the Company's manufacturing facilities and fabrics produced by other suppliers.

The Company markets products primarily to manufacturers that operate in two principal markets. The mattress fabrics segment supplies the bedding industry, which produces mattress sets (mattresses, box springs, and foundations). The upholstery fabrics segment supplies the residential furniture industry. As of April 28, 2013, the Company had fourteen active manufacturing plants and distribution facilities, which are located in North and South Carolina; Quebec, Canada; Shanghai, China; and Poznan, Poland. The Company also sources fabrics from other manufacturers, located mostly in China and Turkey, with those fabrics being produced specifically for the Company and created by its designers. The Company operates distribution centers in North Carolina and Shanghai, China to facilitate distribution of its products, and a distribution facility in Poznan, Poland.

Mattress Fabrics

The Company�� mattress fabrics segment, also known as Culp Home Fashions, manufactures and markets mattress fabric to bedding manufacturers. These fabrics encompass woven! jacquard fabrics, knitted fabrics, and some converted fabrics. Culp Home Fashions has manufacturing facilities located in Stokesdale and High Point, North Carolina, and St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada. One Stokesdale plant and the St. Jerome plant both manufacture and finish jacquard (damask) fabric. Its products include woven jacquards, which include various patterns and intricate designs, Converted, which includes suedes, pile and embroidered fabrics, and Knitted Fabric, which includes various patterns and intricate designs produced on special-width circular knit machines utilizing a variety of synthetic and natural yarns.

Upholstery Fabrics

The Company�� upholstery fabrics segment markets fabrics for residential furniture, including synthetic leathers, velvets, woven jacquards, woven dobbies, and suedes. This segment operates fabric manufacturing facilities in Anderson, South Carolina, and Shanghai, China. The Company markets fabrics produced in these two locations, as well as a variety of upholstery fabrics sourced from third party producers, mostly in China. Its products include Synthetic Leathers, which includes composite products which are face finished with polyurethane, either by printing or coating, velvets, woven jacquards, and suedes.

The Company competes with Bekaert Textiles B.V., Global Textile Alliance, Richloom Fabrics, Merrimack Fabrics, Morgan Fabrics, and Specialty Textile, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Culp (NYSE: CFI) is estimated to post its Q1 earnings at $0.35 per share on revenue of $74.39 million.

  Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $1.40 per share on revenue of $516.57 million.

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014: Maximus Inc (MMS)

MAXIMUS, Inc., incorporated on October 18, 2007, provides business process services (BPS) to government health and human services agencies under its mission of Helping Government Serve the People. The Company is primarily focused on operating government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health insurance exchanges and other health care reform initiatives, Medicare, welfare-to-work, child support services and other government programs.

The Company is one of the pure-play health and human services administrative providers to governments in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The Company�� segments include Health Services and Human Services. Effective July 1, 2013, MAXIMUS, Inc. acquired Health Management Ltd.

Health Services Segment

The Company's Health Services segment provides a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services, for state, provincial and federal government programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and Health Insurance BC (British Columbia). In this segment, the Company's BPS and consulting services include government health insurance program administration; Health insurance program eligibility and enrollment services to improve access to health care for citizens and help beneficiaries make the best choice for their health insurance coverage; Eligibility and enrollment modernization for government health benefit programs; Health insurance exchange design and operations; Consumer outreach and education, including multilingual customer contact centers and multi-channel self-service options, such as Web-based portals, for easy enrollment; Application assistance and independent enrollment counseling to beneficiaries; Premium payment processing and administration, such as invoicing and reconciliation; Objective, evidence-based health appeals; Independent medical! reviews; Health plan oversight; eHealth solutions with the Medigent product suite; Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) planning and oversight, and Specialized program consulting services.

Human Services Segment

The Company's Human Services segment provides federal, national, state and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education and K-12 special education programs. The Company's services include welfare-to-work services, including eligibility determination, case management, job-readiness preparation, job search and employer outreach, job retention and career advancement, and selected educational and training services, to help disadvantaged individuals transition from government assistance programs to sustainable employment and economic independence; Full and specialized child support case management services, customer contact center operations, and program and systems consulting services; Management tools and professional consulting services for higher education institutions; K-12 special education case management solutions; Program consulting services, including independent verification and validation, cost allocation plans, repeatable management services and other specialized consulting offerings, and Tax credit and employer services.

The Company competes with Serco, Atos Origin and Ingeus.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Tuesday

  Earnings Expected From: Five Star Quality Care, Inc. (NYSE: FVE), Maximus, Inc. (NYSE: MMS), Nustar Energy (NYSE: NS), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI), DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) Economic Releases Expected: German CPI, British CPI, British PPI, US Redbook, Indian manufacturing output, Indian industrial production

  Wednesday

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Analysts at Jefferies initiated coverage on business process services provider Maximus Inc. (MMS) late on Thursday, giving the stock a bullish rating because it has several competitive advantages and should benefit from the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

  The analysts rate MMS as “Buy” and see shares reaching $47. This price target suggests a 20% upside to the stock’s Thursday closing price of $39.14.

  “MMS is a leading government outsourced contractor that produces consistently strong results,” Jefferies analyst David Styblo commented. “The company has several competitive advantages and is highly focused on health and human service projects. This positions MMS to enjoy multi-year growth from the ACA and other opportunities with limited risk. The company’s predictable business model, solid balance sheet, and EPS visibility into FY2014 also support a Buy and $47 PT.”

  Maximus shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 23.83% year-to-date.

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014: Tribune Co (TRBAA)

Tribune Company, incorporated on March 19, 1968, is a media and entertainment company engaged in newspaper publishing, television and radio broadcasting and entertainment through its subsidiaries. The Company�� operations are divided into two industry segments: publishing and broadcasting and entertainment. In publishing, the Company�� daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel (South Florida), Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, The Morning Call and Daily Press. The company�� broadcasting group operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable and Chicago�� WGN-AM.

Broadcasting

The Company�� broadcasting owns and operates 23 major-market television stations and reaches more than 80% of United States television households. The group is anchored by WGN America, which can be seen in more than 70 million United States households via cable and satellite services. 13 Tribune stations are affiliates of The CW. Seven are FOX affiliates.

Publishing

The Company�� newspapers include the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Tribune Media Services specializes in entertainment listings and syndication, providing news and information for print, broadcast and interactive media.

Tribune Digital

Tribune Digital manages the operations of Tribune�� daily newspapers and their associated Websites, plus all aspects of the Company�� classified advertising operations, as well as Websites for Tribune�� TV stations. Its national classified sites include CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com and Apartments.com.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stelter]

  Last year, when Tribune (TRBAA) was actively considering a sale, The New York Times reported that Murdoch was "weighing whether a bid would be worth the headache and regulatory battles."

• [By Tim Brugger]

  Murray McQueen has been named to the newly created position of president, real estate, to oversee Tribune's (NASDAQOTH: TRBAA  ) "valuable portfolio of more than seven million square feet of real estate assets," the company announced today. McQueen will take over his new role effective immediately.

• [By John Mitchell]

  Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) and the Tribune Co. (NASDAQOTH: TRBAA  ) , two companies that publish daily newspapers, have announced combined layoffs of 1,000 positions (not all in the newsroom). News magazines are feeling the same pinch. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 9% of adults get their news from print sources, with news magazines scoring the lowest. The Pew news study as early as 2010 listed online news as the primary source for 39% of adults. �One of Time's biggest competitors, Newsweek, ended its paper publication in early 2013 in favor of an online edition only.

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Own For 2014: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Outside the Dow, the big news came from Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) , which soared more than 13% after DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) made a competing bid for the company. The $25.5 billion DISH deal would involve Sprint shareholders getting $7 per share in compensation, with more than two-thirds of it coming in cash. Yet Sprint's stock soared above the $7 level, suggesting that investors expect a bidding war between DISH and previous bidder Softbank. Whether such a bidding war will materialize, of course, remains to be seen -- especially if adverse market conditions start to weigh on the overall mergers and acquisitions environment.