5 Best Undervalued Stocks For 2014

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Top Promising Companies To Buy Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  As for companies with the most upside, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) tops the list, with 63.6%, followed by Autodesk (ADSK), Ventas (VTR), salesforce.com (CRM) and American Tower (AMT). Outside the top five, the list also includes big names like Schlumberger (SLB), Halliburton (HAL), Expedia (EXPE) and General Motors (GM).

• [By David Smith]

  I noted in Part 1 that Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , easily the largest participant in the oilfield services space, is appropriate for subsea investing. The same can be said of seismic. The company's WesternGeco unit leaves its competition in the dust -- or water -- from the perspective of both size and technological sophistication.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Halliburton (HAL), Schlumberger (SLB) and Baker Hughes (BHI). Three oil services firms with three very different responses to news today.

  Bloomberg

  First up, Halliburton. It reported a profit of 93 cents a share, above forecasts for 89 cents, yet Halliburton’s shares have dropped 1.8% to $49.76. Citigroup’s Robin Shoemaker and Mark Brown explain why:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  And a few attractive names are down even more. Schlumberger (SLB), for instance, is down 7.1% from November 11 through December 4, and Middleby (MIDD) is down 8.8% from October 25 through December 4.

5 Best Undervalued Stocks For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, household products company Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

• [By John Kell]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Dow Chemical Co.(DOW), Tupperware Brands Corp.(TUP) and Yahoo Inc.(YHOO)

5 Best Undervalued Stocks For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  If you're anything like me, two things went through your head when you saw this. First, you regret that you missed out on the investment opportunity. Since the end of 2009, shares in all three of these companies, led by Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) , have simply trounced the broader market. Even the worst performer of the bunch, Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO  ) , beat it by nearly a factor of two.

5 Best Undervalued Stocks For 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) traded just a quarter of its daily average volume of 5 million shares. The stock opened up about 0.1%, and its heady share price boosted the price-weighted DJIA by about 7%. The stock closed up 1.07% at $90.92 in a 52-week range of $79.49 to $99.70.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) is up 2.3% a day after announcing a 15% boost to its quarterly dividend. Investors will now be paid a dividend of $0.60 per quarter, with the first installment going to shareholders of record on July 22. Dividends are one of the best ways for companies to provide a return for investors, and an increase like this is an indication that management is confident about the future of the company.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Some easy money from the European Central Bank helped boost stocks today, as Caterpillar (CAT), Joy Global (JOY),�Bio-Reference Laboratories (BRLI) and Amazon.com (AMZN) rose.

  Reuters

  The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 98.58 points, or 0.6%, to 16,836.11–a record high–while the S&P 500�rose 0.7% to 1,940.46, also a record high. For those keeping track, that’s the S&P’s 17th new high this year, while the Dow Jones Industrials it its seventh.

  The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1% to 4,296.23, its highest close since March 20, while the small-company Russell 2000 finished up 2% to 1,153.94.

  Caterpillar gained 2.5% to $106.96, making it the biggest winner in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. At a conference last night, Caterpillar reiterated its full year guidance.

  The S&P 500 got a boost from Joy Global, which rose 6.7% to $61.70. Joy Global, like Caterpillar a maker of machinery for mining, reported better-than-forecast earnings this morning.

  Amazon.com rose 5.5% to $323.57, making it the biggest winner in the Nasdaq 100. Amazon rose on rumors of a 3D phone.

  Bio-Reference Laboratories was the second-biggest winner in the Russell 2000 today after gaining 21% to $32.41. Bio-Reference beat earnings forecasts today.

  The big news, however, was the European Central Bank, which announced a number of measures intended to boost Europe’s economy. The ECB cut its deposit rate to minus 0.1%, while offering European banks access to as much as $542 billion if they will just lend more. Oh, and the ECB is trying to figure out how it could launch full-blown, no-holds-barred quantitative easing. It wasn’t enough to cause the euro to fall today, however. Deutsche Bank’s George Saravelos explains why:

  Over the last few weeks we have been arguing that to push the euro meaningfully weaker, the ECB would have to surprise to the upside in terms of the quantity, quality and

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now

There’s been a lot of talk that investors are ready to shed their pessimistic views on airline stocks like Alaska Air (ALK) Delta Air Lines (DAL), United Continental Holdings (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) and embrace them for the long term. The only problem: There’s no sign that they actually are.

Getty Images

Mutual funds own only 32% of ownership of US airline stocks like American Airlines, United� Continental, Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air, just two percentage points more than in 2009, according to�Wolfe Research’s Hunter Keay. Hedge funds, meanwhile, own just 16%, three percentage points higher than in 2009. That suggests that the “smart money” investors hasn’t been quick to embrace he “new” airlines, Keay says. He explains:

Although it may seem like it�� becoming more popular to invest in airlines, data would show that it�� not. Optimism appears confined to a small group. Multiples are still compressed and the prior stats indicate that there still isn�� a lot of long-term capital invested in the space. We also haven�� seen many major ��hale��investors like Warren Buffett put money to work. But Mr. Buffett was once skeptical of railroads, too, prior to his purchase of BNSF. Imagine what it would mean if he or another similar investor bought an airline?

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015: Tallgrass Energy Partners LP (TEP)

Tallgrass Energy Partners, LP incorporated on February 6, 2013, is a limited partnership company. It provides natural gas transportation and storage services for customers in the Rocky Mountain and Midwest regions of the United States through its Tallgrass Interstate Gas transportation system and processing services for customers in Wyoming through its Midstream Facilities. The Company operates in two segments: Gas Transportation and Storage and Processing. The Gas Transportation and Storage segment is engaged in ownership and operation of interstate natural gas pipelines and related natural gas storage facilities that provide services to third-party natural gas distribution utilities and other shippers. The Processing segment is engaged in ownership and operation of natural gas processing and treating facilities that produce natural gas liquids and residue gas that is sold in local wholesale markets or delivered into pipelines for transportation to additional end markets.

The Company provides processing services for customers in Wyoming through its Casper and Douglas natural gas processing and West Frenchie Draw natural gas treating facilities. The Casper and Douglas plants have combined capacity of 138.5 138.5 MMcf/d. The Company has its operations in Lakewood, Colarado. The Company owns and natural gas processing plants in Casper and Douglas, Wyoming and a natural gas treating facility at West Frenchie Draw, Wyoming through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tallgrass Midstream, LLC.

The Company competes with Kinder Morgan and Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: VizStar Inc (VIZS)

VizStar, Inc. (VizStar), formerly Easy CD Yearbook, Inc., incorporated on June 27, 2006, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses to market software, which enables schools, clubs and organizations to produce their own multimedia yearbook. On June 11, 2010, Celestial Jets, Inc. (Celestial Jets) merged with the Company. Celestial Jets merged (the merger) with and into the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Celestial Acquisition Corp. Upon the merger, the name of Celestial Acquisition Corp. became Celestial Jets, Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Kimberly Parry Corporation.

A multimedia yearbook is a compact disc (CD)/ digital versatile disc (DVD), which contains video, photos, audio and text that is personal computer (PC) and Mac compatible. As of May 31, 2010, the Company had no revenues.

The Company competes with Yeardisk, Digital Journey LLC and Interactive Software Designs.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks VizStar Inc (OTCMKTS: VIZS), SOHM Inc (OTCMKTS: SHMN) and American Soil Technologies, Inc (OTCMKTS: SOYL) have been getting some attention in various investment newsletters with two out of three of these stocks being the subject of paid promotions. However, there is nothing wrong with some paid for attention so long as everything is properly disclosed, but its going to be up to investors and traders alike to ultimately decide whether any of these stocks have what it takes to be the next hot stock. With that in mind, here is a quick reality check about all three small cap stocks:

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Illumina Inc.(ILMN)

Illumina, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and biological function. Its instrumentation products include HiSeq 2000, an instrument for high-throughput (up to 200 Gb per run and up to 25 GB per day) sequencing using sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) technology; Genome Analyzer IIx, an instrument for medium to high-throughput (up to 95 Gb per run) sequencing using SBS technology; Genome Analyzer IIe, an instrument for low to medium throughput (up to 40 Gb per run) sequencing using SBS technology; iScan System, a high-resolution imaging instrument to scan BeadArray based assays; and BeadXpress Reader, a low- to mid-multiplex, high-throughput instrument for readout of assays. The company?s consumables consist of InfiniumHD Whole-Genome BeadChips comprising HumanOmniExpress, HumanOmni1-Quad, Human1M-Duo, and BovineHD, which are multi-sample DNA analysis microarrays; iSelect Custom Genotyping BeadChips that are custome r designable SNP genotyping arrays; GoldenGate Assay Method, a high throughput assay and genotyping system; GoldenGate Universal-32 Sample BeadChip, which are 32 sample GoldenGate genotyping arrays; Paired-End Genomic DNA Sample Prep Kit, a streamlined library preparation kit to generate 200?500 kb insert paired-end reads; VeraCode GoldenGate that are low plex GoldenGate genotyping arrays compatible with the BeadXpress System; Standard Sequencing Kit, reagents used for SBS chemistry on sequencing platforms; and Infinium Assay Kit, reagents used to perform Infinium assays on the iScan platform. It also provides sequencing and genotyping services. The company?s customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics, and consumer products companies, as well as research centers. It sells its products through distributors in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and South Africa. Illumina was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Dieg o, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Heather Long]

  Some of the stocks he likes now include: Illumina (ILMN), Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN), Actavis (ACT), and United Rentals (URI). All of these are up more than 20% this year with Illumina up over 50%.

• [By Vanina Egea]

  Illumina Inc. (ILMN) is a leading developer and distributor of next-generation integrated systems used for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. It applies innovative DNA sequencing as well as an array of technologies to provide information that could be used to improve drugs and therapies, customize diagnostics and treatments, and cure diseases. The firm is developing a wide line of products that "can address the scale of experimentation and the breadth of functional analysis required to achieve the goals of molecular medicine."

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Own Right Now: Meridian Bioscience Inc.(VIVO)

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., a life science company, engages in the development, manufacture, sale, and distribution of diagnostic test kits primarily for gastrointestinal, foodborne, viral, respiratory, and parasitic infectious diseases. The company?s diagnostic products primarily consist of C. difficile for the detection of gastrointestinal diseases; Rotavirus and Adenovirus products for pediatric diarrhea detection; H. pylori for stomach ulcers; Enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection and Campylobacter jejuni used in the detection of foodborne diseases; Varicella-Zoster for viral diseases; and Cytomegalovirus for organ transplant infections. Its products also include transport media that store and preserve specimen samples from patient collection to laboratory testing. The company?s diagnostic test kits utilize immunodiagnostic and molecular technologies, which test samples of stool, blood, urine, and other body fluids or tissue for the presence of specific infectious disea ses. In addition, Meridian Bioscience, Inc. manufactures and distributes bulk antigens, antibodies, PCR/qPCR reagents, nucleotides, competent cells, and bioresearch reagents used by researchers and other diagnostic manufacturers. Further, it involved in the contract development and manufacture of proteins and other biologicals under cGMP conditions for use by biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in research for new drugs and vaccines. The company sells its diagnostic test kits through direct sales force and independent distributors to reference laboratories and hospitals, principally in the United States, Canada, Belgium, France, Holland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Africa, the Middle East, and other European countries. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Meridian Bioscience (Nasdaq: VIVO  ) reported earnings on July 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q3), Meridian Bioscience met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Integrated life sciences company Meridian Biosciences (VIVO) raised its quarterly dividend 5.3% to 20 cents per share, payable on Feb. 14 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 3.
  VIVO Dividend Yield: 3.22%

Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) will offer compensation to Poland's national airline for the months-long grounding of its 787 planes, a Polish government official said Monday.

The world's fleet of 50 Boeing 787s was grounded in January after batteries smoldered on two planes owned by two Japanese airlines. Two of the grounded planes were owned by Poland's LOT airline. They have all resumed flying since Boeing fitted all 787s with redesigned batteries.

Deputy Treasury Minister Rafal Baniak said that the grounding of LOT's planes, which lasted until June, had cost more than 100 million zlotys ($ 30 million) in lost business alone. Among other costs, LOT had to extend the lease on its 767s to carry out scheduled flights.

Talking to Radio PiN, Baniak would not estimate the total cost of the grounding, but said Boeing promised to make a compensation offer in July.

The manufacturer is still trying to identify the root cause of the battery problem.

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Own Right Now: Alliant Energy Corporation (LNT)

Alliant Energy Corporation operates in electric and gas utility businesses in the United States. The company, through its subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light Company, engages in the generation and distribution of electric energy; and the distribution and transportation of natural gas in Iowa and southern Minnesota. As of December 31, 2009, it supplied electric and gas service to approximately 525,334 and 233,841 retail customers. Alliant Energy Corporation also provides steam services, and various other energy-related products and services to customers in Iowa. The company, through its other subsidiary, Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), involves in the generation and distribution of electric energy; and the distribution and transportation of natural gas primarily in south and central Wisconsin markets. As of December 31, 2009, WPL supplied electric and gas service to 453,573 and 177,968 retail customers. In addition, Alliant Energy Corporation has investments in environmental consulting, and engineering and renewable energy services businesses. It also engages in transportation business, which includes a short-line railway for the provision of freight services between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in Iowa; barge terminal and hauling services on the Mississippi River; and other transfer and storage services. The company was founded in 1917 and is based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Alliant Energy (NYSE: LNT  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 3. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Alliant Energy's revenues will contract 0.0% and EPS will grow 24.0%.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Alliant Energy (NYSE: LNT  ) is staying true to form and pumping out its usual reward for shareholders. The company has announced it will distribute a dividend of $0.47 per share of its common stock on May 15 to shareholders of record as of April 30. This matches the firm's previous distribution, which was dispensed at the end of January. Previous to that, Alliant had paid $0.45 per share.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  The lights of Alliant Energy (NYSE: LNT  ) are continuing to burn brightly, at least as far as the utility operator's shareholder payouts are concerned. The company has declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.47 per share, to be paid on Aug. 15 to holders of record as of July 31. That amount matches both of the firm's previous two disbursements, the most recent of which was paid in May. Before that, Alliant Energy handed out 2 cents less at $0.45 per share.

Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Echelon Corporation(ELON)

Echelon Corporation develops, markets, and supports energy control networking solutions worldwide. Its solutions enable everyday devices, such as air conditioners, appliances, electricity meters, light switches, thermostats, and valves to be inter-connected; and energy control networking platform powers energy-savings applications for smart grid, smart cities, and smart buildings. The company?s product portfolio includes twisted pair smart transceivers that can be embedded into building automation devices, such as sensors, thermostats, motion detectors, air handlers, and chillers; SmartServer controller, a system manager and field controller for building networks and smart-energy applications; LonWorks control networks software (LNS) and OpenLNS operating system, which are development and integration tools; and third party energy management or grid analytics software, and apps for the SmartServer in hosted or server-based configurations. It also offers PL/RF Bridge to con nect segments of streetlights to a SmartServer; smart meters that provide load profiling, time-of-use, display of energy consumption, and prepaid metering payment capabilities; edge control nodes that connect smart meters and open smart grid protocol (OGSP) -based grid devices; and networked energy system software to retrieve data from smart meters and other OSGP-based devices. In addition, the company provides Element Manager, a browser based software that provides network analysis, graphed statistics, and automated network management; and control point modules that enable original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to build OSGP compliant smart grid devices. It serves OEMs and systems integrators in the building, industrial, transportation, utility/home, and other automation markets through direct sales organization, electronics representatives, value-added resellers, and distributors. Echelon Corporation was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap cloud stock Opower Inc (NYSE: OPWR), a cloud�solutions provider to the utility sector, IPO�� at $19�on Friday to�close at $23 a share, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock plus�take a look at the performance of smart meter or smart grid�stocks like�Itron, Inc (NASDAQ: ITRI), Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) and EnerNOC, Inc (NASDAQ: ENOC).

• [By John Udovich]

  Although small cap smart metering stock Silver Spring Networks Inc (NYSE: SSNI) recently soared on earnings, it also plunged yesterday�after loosing�out on important contract ��meaning it might be time to take a closer look at it along with other smart metering stocks like Itron, Inc (NASDAQ: ITRI) or Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) to see if they are smart investments.

Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Societe B I C SA (BB)

Societe B I C SA is a France-based company specialized in the manufacturing of stationery products, lighters and shavers. The Company's portfolio of trademark brands belong: BIC, Sheaffer, BIC Kids, Wite-out, Pimaco and Tipp-ex, among others. Channels of distribution include stationery stores, office product companies, mass-merchandisers, convenience stores, wholesalers and cash and carry outlets. It operates worldwide through numerous subsidiaries in Europe, Middle East, Africa Northern America, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. In addition, the Company provides, via BIC Graphic and Norwood PP, advertising and promotional products for marketing purposes to companies around the world, as well as a range of windsurfing boards, kayaks and others, under the brand BIC Sport. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Canadian stocks fell, sending the benchmark index to a three-week low, as BlackBerry Ltd. (BB) slumped and the U.S. government shutdown extended to a third day.

• [By Eric Lam]

  Trilogy Energy Corp. soared 11 percent after providing an update on its operations in Alberta. Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B) slipped at least 1 percent after an analyst with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered his price targets for the nation�� largest wireless carriers due to regulatory risks. BlackBerry (BB) Ltd. increased 0.7 percent to snap three days of losses after reporting second-quarter earnings.

• [By Eric Lam]

  Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B) and Telus Corp. advanced at least 5.5 percent as telephone stocks surged the most in more than four years. Teck Resources Ltd. and First Quantum Minerals Ltd. added more than 1.7 percent as the price of copper climbed on signs of improving growth in China and the U.S. BlackBerry Ltd. (BB), which is weighing a sale, increased 1 percent after Microsoft Corp. agreed to acquire Nokia Oyj�� handset business.

Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Stereotaxis Inc.(STXS)

Stereotaxis, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets cardiology instrument control systems for use in a hospital?s interventional surgical suite or interventional lab for the treatment of arrhythmias and coronary artery diseases in the United States and internationally. The company provides Niobe system, which includes Niobe Magnetic Navigation System that navigates catheters, guidewires, and other delivery devices through complex paths in the blood vessels and chambers of the heart to carry out treatment; Navigant, a user interface or physician control center, which physicians use to visualize and track procedures and to provide instrument control commands that govern the motion of the working tip of the catheter, guidewire, or other interventional device; Cardiodrive, a catheter advancement system to remotely advance and retract the catheter in the patient?s heart. It also offers Odyssey enterprise solutions, which provides information solutions to manage, control, rec ord, and share procedures across networks; acquires remote view of the lab capturing synchronized procedure data for review of important events during cases; and review recorded cases and create snapshots following procedures for clinical reporting, auditing, and presentation. In addition, the company provides disposable interventional devices comprising automated catheters, coronary guidewires, and navigation and ablation systems. It markets its products through its direct sales force, distributors, and sales agents. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Look out Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG), and step aside BioTelemetry Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAT). There's a new cardiac name in town, and its name is Stereotaxis Inc. (NASDAQ:STXS). This small company's stock is soaring today on the heels of encouraging news, though the prompt for the stock's strength has been brewing for quite some time. This nudge for STXS, however, may well mean it has a lot more potential than ISRG or BEAT do for the foreseeable future.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 health care player that looks poised for a potentially large move higher is Stereotaxis (STXS), which designs, manufactures and markets an advanced cardiology instrument control system for use in a hospital's interventional surgical suite to enhance the treatment of arrhythmias and coronary artery disease. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up big by 43%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Stereotaxis, you'll notice that this stock has formed a major bottom pattern over the last three months, since this stock has found buying interest each time it has pulled back towards $3.50 and $3.10 a share. Buyers have stepped in at those levels and have not let the sellers pressure STXS lower. Shares of STXS are now starting to spike higher today right off its 50-day moving average of $3.59 a share. That spike is quickly pushing shares of STXS within range of triggering a big breakout trade above a key downtrend line.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in STXS if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $4 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.98 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then STXS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $5 to $6.24 a share. Any high-volume move above $6.24 a share will then give STXS a chance to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from August that started at $10 a share.

  Traders can look to buy STXS off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below those key support levels at $3.50 to $3.10 a share. One can also buy STXS off strength once it clears $4 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

5 Best Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now

5 Best Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now: Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP)

Phillips 66 Partners LP, incorporated on February 20, 2013, owns, operates, develops and acquires primarily fee-based crude oil, refined petroleum product and natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines and terminals and other transportation and midstream assets. The Company's initial assets consist of the three systems, which include Clifton Ridge crude system, Sweeny to Pasadena products system and Hartford Connector products system. A refined petroleum product pipeline, terminal and storage system extending from Phillips 66's Sweeny refinery in Old Ocean, Texas, to its refined petroleum product terminal in Pasadena, Texas, and ultimately connecting to the Explorer and Colonial refined petroleum product pipeline systems and other third-party pipeline and terminal systems.

A crude oil pipeline, terminal and storage system located in Sulphur, Louisiana, that is the primary source for delivery of crude oil to Phillips 66's Lake Charles refinery. A refined petrol eum product pipeline, terminal and storage system located in Hartford, Illinois, that distributes diesel and gasoline produced at the Wood River refinery (a refinery owned by a joint venture between Phillips 66 and Cenovus Energy Inc.) to third-party pipeline and terminal systems, including the Explorer refined petroleum product pipeline system.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Refiners that have spun off midstream assets have done very well over the past years. Valero Energy Partners (NYSE: VLP) is up nearly 60 percent since its December IPO, Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP) has more than doubled since its July IPO (and is the biggest gainer among MLPs year-to-date), and MPLX (NYSE: MPLX) — formed from Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC) — is up 110 percent since its November 2012 IPO.

[By Robert Rapier]

Performance so far has been consistent with the advances enjoyed by most of the MLP IPOs over the past year. In fact a few of them made major advances. As discussed in last week's article No Letup for Last Year's Top IPO, the best performing MLP of the year so far is Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP), which came public last summer and is up 48 percent year-to-date. Of course, there are some exceptions. Marlin Midstream Partners (Nasdaq: FISH) conducted its IPO three days after Phillips 66 Partners last year, and it has traded below its IPO price since.  

• [By Robert Rapier]

  MLPs have been on a tear lately, and one of the hottest of them all has been Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP). The partnership is comprised of midstream assets dropped down from its sponsor, the refiner Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX).

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-transportation-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014

General Electric has gained 0.3% to $23.18 today after a report that it plans to unload its consumer lending division.

Exxon Mobil

The Wall Street Journal has the details:

The decision to divest the business, amid concerns about the company’s exposure to banking, marks an important moment in the evolution of GE and the country’s three-decade long consumer credit boom. GE Capital expanded to the point that its portfolio of loans and other assets now would rank it as the country’s fifth-largest commercial bank.

Preliminary work to separate the business through an initial public offering is under way, according to people familiar with the matter…An IPO could come early next year, the people said.

S&P Capital IQ’s Eric Hugel�considers what comes next for the U.S. blue chip:

Best Asian Companies To Own For 2015: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend Growth Investor]

  Altria Group (MO) was able to spin-off its Kraft Foods division in 2007. Shareholders in Altria received shares in Kraft for each share of Altria stock they held. In 2008, this was followed by the spin-off of Phillip Morris International (PM), which represented the international tobacco business of Altria Group.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Other large-cap stocks didn't do quite so well over the last year but could see their fortunes change in years to come. Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) , for example, gained 5% and yields 4.1%. With domestic tobacco companies challenged by tightening regulations, rising taxes, and a shrinking smoking base, many have assumed that Philip Morris is the best bet in tobacco. But in the third quarter, it posted the weakest results, with volume taking a sizable drop and a strong dollar reducing its earnings. Bulls like its innovation and share buybacks.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  However, you would be hard-pressed to find any connection between falling smoking prevalence and share performance at Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) , Lorriland (NYSE: LO  ) , Phillip Morris (NYSE: PM  ) , and Altria (NYSE: MO  ) . These companies are some of the best performers in the past decade. In fact, Altria is the best-performing stock of the last half-century!

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Why Altria?
  The company is what's left after international operations were spun off in the form of Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) in 2008. While Philip Morris is favored by many because of lower tobacco taxes and regulations in many parts of the world, as well as the fact that many economies are growing more rapidly than ours, Altria still manages the very valuable Marlboro brand domestically, where it recently held a commanding 43% market share.

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Divine]

  Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) stumbled 2.3% as the tech giant's heavily anticipated event failed to impress Wall Street. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company showed off two new iPhone models, the 5S and the 5C, as well as its new iOS 7 software. The two new phones are dramatically different: The 5S boasts fingerprint-recognition technology and fancy new sensors on its camera, while the 5C is a plastic model priced for the masses. A lot of the information from today's unveiling had been leaked or rumored already, and the failure to surprise may have contributed to the stock's decline.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I went out on a limb last week, and now it's time to see how that decision played out.

  I predicted that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) would close higher on the week. The company behind the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and iEverything Else was out of favor heading into Tuesday afternoon's quarterly report, but that's the kind of pessimism that's rewarded after even a so-so quarter. It was a well-received report, as a surprising surge in iPhones overcame weakness nearly everywhere else. The stock moved 3.8% higher on the week. I was right. I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? Well, this was a good week for tech to bounce back. The Nasdaq moved 0.7% higher, and the Dow managed to close 0.1% higher. I was right. My final call was for RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD  ) to beat Wall Street's income estimates in its latest quarter. The chipmaker's been doing well given its presence in some of the world's hottest smartphones, and it's been posting blowout quarterly results over the past year. I was banking on seeing the trend continue. Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.07 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.09 a share. I was right.

  Three out of three? Awesome!

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  You must be at least "this employed" to participate in our budget
  It all started earlier this week for McDonald's, which insulted the very core of its customer base by teaming up with Visa (NYSE: V  ) to create a budget planning website that it dubbed "Practical Money Skills for Life." The idea is actually a great one as citizens young and old of upper and lower incomes can always use the reminder and education about how to balance their income and spending. The execution, though, left a lot to be desired.

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Howard Weil’s Blake Fernandez�explains why he prefers ConocoPhillips to�other oil companies like Total (TOT) and�Chevron�(CVX):

  After years of portfolio rationalization, concerns re: dividend coverage, etc. the asset base is now poised to deliver 6- 10% cash flow CAGR through ��7 from a combination of 3-5% production growth and 3-5% margin expansion. Additionally, our confidence in the Company�� unconventional prowess is increasing based on the recent analyst day presentation, higher production targets and efficiency gains in the underlying assets…

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Several oil majors have even plowed billions of dollars into prospecting areas offshore Africa, despite the risk of unexpected actions by conflict-ridden governments. For instance, Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) has acquired exploration blocks in Liberia and Sierra Leone, while Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) and Brazilian oil giant Petrobras (NYSE: PBR  ) are jointly exploring deepwater acreage off the coast of Tanzania.

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Crum]

  IBM (IBM) �fell by $6.39 a share, or more than 3%, to close at $190.01 after the company said late Wednesday that it earned $2.38 billion, or $2.29 a share, for its first quarter ended in March. During the same period a year ago, IBM earned $3.03 billion, or $2.70 a share. Revenue declined by 4% to $22.5 billion.

• [By Daniel Sparks and Rex Moore]

  In the following video, Fool contributor Daniel Sparks explains to Motley Fool analyst Rex Moore that whether Apple is a buy ultimately depends on the strength of Apple's competitive advantage. There's no doubt the company is cheap; a look at valuations for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) , IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) , and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) compared with Apple makes that obvious. Even so, is Apple doomed to increasing competition? Or has it carved out its own lasting niche?

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Investors have always been interested in stocks that pay dividends, but lately, low interest rates on bonds and other fixed-income investments have made solid dividend payers even more valuable. Among the most promising dividend stocks in the market is Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) , and one big reason is that it is one of the few exclusive companies to make the list of Dividend Aristocrats. In order to become a member of this elite group, a company must have raised its dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter-century. Only a few dozen stocks manage to make the cut, and those that do tend to stay there for a long time.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Rival Colgate-Palmolive (CL) has different concerns, namely sluggishness in emerging markets where it enjoys commanding market share and derives more than half its revenue.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: KMB is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: The company's peer group includes: Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) with a 3.1% yield, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) with a 2.3% yield, and Clorox Corporation (CLX) with a 3.4% yield.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Moreover, it's starting to appear that Clorox has weathered a tough part of its business cycle. Throughout the industry, Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) , Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) , and Clorox all had to deal with rising costs for the inputs they needed to make their respective products. The companies responded by implementing price-cutting measures and passing on part of their higher costs to their customers. For its part, Clorox was able to expand its gross margins by a full percentage point, with a worse-than-normal flu season contributing to sales. Now that input-cost inflation is easing, P&G and Clorox expect to see better profitability, with growth starting to approach the faster rates that Colgate has enjoyed.

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Competition: Yum certainly has many tough rivals, such as Domino�� (DPZ), Chipotle (CMG), Chick-fil-A and McDonald�� (MCD). And competition in the Chinese market has been heating up as well. Discos, a Taiwan-based fried chicken operator, has been getting lots of traction — with more than 2,000 stores in China. There has also been pressure from Papa John’s (PZZA) and Bellagio Caf茅.

• [By David Goodboy]

  I was pleasantly surprised that a Dunkin' Donuts I recently visited in South Carolina offered free Wi-Fi, a lounge area full of leather chairs, a variety of coffee flavors, sandwiches and, of course, donuts that are vastly superior to Starbucks' offerings. During my travels recently, I have noticed Dunkin' Donuts sprouting up in the same general areas as established Starbucks locations. This strategy resembles Burger King's (NYSE: BKW) pursuit of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) locations.

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 5 Electric Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (CNAT)

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., incorporated on July 13, 2005, is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of medicines to treat liver disease. The Company is developing its lead compound, emricasan, for the treatment of patients in orphan populations with chronic liver disease and acute exacerbations of chronic liver disease. The Company has designed a clinical program to demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of emricasan across the spectrum of fibrotic liver disease. The Company's initial development strategy targets indications for emricasan with high unmet clinical need in orphan patient populations, such as patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), chronic liver failure (CLF), and patients who have developed liver fibrosis post-orthotopic liver transplant due to Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV-POLT).

The Company has completed two placebo-controlled Phase II trials in patients with liver disease showing reductions in ALT levels that occur rapidly, within as little as one day after initiation of therapy, and are maintained throughout the treatment period. In the Company's 204-patient Phase 2b trial, it also measured cCK18, an important biomarker of apoptosis and disease severity. Emricasan has been generally well-tolerated in all of the clinical studies. As of July 23, 2013, the Company had not generated any revenue.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  While Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ICPT) surged earlier this year and Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: ACHN) has surged this week after Merck & Co. Inc (NYSE: MRK) agreed to purchase hepatitis stock Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IDIX) at a 239% premium, it seems the herd has realized that small cap Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: CNAT) is ! also a liver disease stock as shares suddenly surged 56.69% on no apparent company news. But just what is Conatus Pharmaceuticals and is it worth taking a chance on?

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s(CNAT) shares jumped 26% to $7.75 premarket after the biotechnology firm said its treatment for chronic liver disease has been granted a status that could mean quicker approval.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-electric-utility-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Renewable energy has been one of the most complicated market segments in which to invest for many years. The reason for this is perhaps counter-intuitive but can be understood.

In general terms, when the price of oil goes up it creates the sentiment that the world needs more renewable energy sources and infrastructure to offset higher oil or natural gas costs and so prices for wind and solar stocks goes up.

When the price of oil goes down, it creates the perception that there is less need for renewable energy and so the price for wind and solar stocks goes down.

The price of crude oil peaked in the summer of 2008 at $147. Despite being up 15% year to date, it is still down almost one third since that 2008 peak. Since the peak in crude, the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) is down 87% and the First Trust ISE Global Wind Energy Index Fund (FAN) is down 63%. Against the backdrop of crude oil's rally this year, however, TAN is up 92% and FAN is up 44%. The performance dispersion between the two funds has to do with their respective constituencies. TAN is 80% technology stocks and 20% industrial stocks and all of the holdings are pure solar plays. FAN allocates 57% to utilities and some other companies like General Electric (GE) that might be big players in the industry but for whom the industry barely moves the needle. Next Era Energy (NEE) is the old Florida Power & Light, but is heavily involved with transmitting wind power to its customers. NEE is a legitimate holding in the fund but does not capture the production of turbines like Danish company Vestas Wind -- FAN's second largest holding -- does. For five years, Vestas is down 80% but is up 289% year to date while NEE is up 41% for five years and 14% in 2013. Renewable energy is evolving to become more important to business. Both Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) are investing into the space. Google just announced that it bought 240 megawatts from a wind farm near Amarillo, Texas, to help power its data center in Oklahoma starting in 2014. Apple has bought a third-party renewable energy and built a solar farm, both in North Carolina, to help power its data center in that state.

Top 5 Promising Stocks To Watch Right Now: JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited(JKS)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar power products in China and internationally. The company provides solar modules, silicon wafers and ingots, and solar cells, as well as processing services, including silicon wafer tolling services. It sells its products under the JinkoSolar brand name. The company?s customers include distributors, project developers, and system integrators. It trades its products under short-term contracts and by spot market sales. The company also produces accessory materials for solar power products, such as solar aluminum frame, solar junction box, aluminum materials windows, and other metal component parts. JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in 2006 and is based in Shangrao, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  It is not often that a secondary stock offering sends a company�� shares higher, but we are seeing that very phenomenon Friday morning. Chinese solar PV maker JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JKS) and stock image company Shutterstock Inc. (NASDAQ: SSTK) both priced secondary offerings this morning and shares in both companies have risen sharply.

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014: Canadian Solar Inc.(CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of solar power products in Canada and internationally. The company offers solar cell and solar module products that convert sunlight into electricity for various uses. Its products include a range of standard solar modules for use in a range of residential, commercial, and industrial solar power generation systems. The company also designs and produces specialty solar modules and products consisting of customized modules that its customers incorporate into their products, such as solar-powered bus stop lighting; and specialty products, such as portable solar home systems and solar-powered car battery chargers. In addition, it sells solar system kits, a package consisting of solar modules produced by it and third party supplied components, such as inverters, racking system, and other accessories, as well as implements solar power development projects. The company sells its products under the Canad ian Solar brand name. Canadian Solar Inc. offers its standard solar modules through a direct sales force and sales agents primarily to distributors, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturer customers, as well as to solar projects; and specialty solar modules and products to the automotive, telecommunications, and light-emitting diode lighting sectors. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Kitchener, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q1 2014 earnings report for Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ: CSIQ), sort of a peer of other North America based solar stocks like SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ: SCTY), First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR) and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), is scheduled for before the market opens on Friday. Aside from the Canadian Solar's earnings report, it should be said that SunPower Corporation reported Q1 2014 earnings on April 24 (reporting a quarterly profit verses a year ago loss plus they noted ��trong demand��for rooftop solar business); First Solar, Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 6 (they beat expectations and gave a higher guidance); and SolarCity Corp reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 7 (included deeper-than-expected losses with even deeper losses to come but they also gave a higher rooftop installation forecast that sent shares upward).

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Just when the Chinese solar industry is starting to gain some traction the scandals that crushed investor confidence in Chinese stocks are back again. An SEC charge of securities violations against accounting firms Deloitte, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BDO, and Ernst & Young is now in court and "Client A" in exhibits yesterday turns out to be none other than Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) , one of the largest solar manufacturers in the world. �

• [By Mani]

  Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar power companies, is expected to report its fourth quarter and full year 2013 financial results on�March 5, 2014. The company will hold a conference call on the same day at�8:00 a.m.�Eastern Standard Time to discuss the results and its business outlook.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) announced today that it has won a contract to supply Asia-based Soleq Solar with modules totaling 91 MW for solar power for projects in Thailand.

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.(JASO)

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of photovoltaic solar cells and solar products, which convert sunlight into electricity in the People's Republic of China. The company?s principal products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells, as well as various solar modules. It also provides silicon wafer and solar cell processing services. The company sells its products primarily under the JA Solar brand name, as well as produces equipment for original equipment manufacturing customers under their brand names. It sells its solar cell and module products primarily to module manufacturers, system integrators, project developers, and distributors in the Germany, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, Spain, India, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea. The company has strategic partnerships with various solar power companies, such as BP Solar, Solar-Fabrik, and MEMC/SunEdison. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wall Street Strategies]

  Naturally the news is a big positive for the industry, with Chinese solar names like Yingli (YGE), Trina (TSL), Canadian Solar (CSIQ) -- which is actually Chinese despite its name -- JinkoSolar (JKS), JA Solar (JASO), and LDK Solar (LDK) each up more than 10% at midday. The Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN), which tracks several global solar companies, was up 8%, breaking to a new 52-week high.

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014: EMCORE Corporation(EMKR)

EMCORE Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides compound semiconductor-based products for the broadband, fiber optics, satellite, and solar power markets. The company operates in two segments, Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics. The Fiber Optics segment offers broadband products, including cable television, fiber-to-the-premises, satellite communication, video transport, and defense and homeland security products; and digital products comprising telecom optical, enterprise, laser/photodetector component, parallel optical transceiver and cable, and fiber channel transceiver products. This segment?s products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be transmitted, routed, and received in communication systems and networks. The Photovoltaics segment provides gallium arsenide (GaAs) multi-junction solar cells, covered interconnected cells, and solar panels for satellite applications; and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) power systems for commercial and utility scale solar applications, as well as GaAs solar cells and integrated CPV components for use in other solar power concentrator systems. The company markets its products through its direct sales force, external sales representatives and distributors, and application engineers worldwide. EMCORE Corporation was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq:EMKR), a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optic and solar power markets, reported that it is ramping production and shipping the Opticomm-EMCORE NEXTGEN OTP-1DVI2A1SU insert cards for the Optiva platform.

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014: Peabody Energy Corporation(BTU)

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in the mining of coal. It mines, prepares, and sells thermal coal to electric utilities and metallurgical coal to industrial customers. The company owns interests in 30 coal mining operations located in the United States and Australia, as well as owns joint venture interest in a Venezuela mine. It is also involved in marketing, brokering, and trading coal. In addition, the company develops a mine-mouth coal-fueled generating plant; and Btu Conversion projects that are designed to convert coal to natural gas or transportation fuels; and clean coal technologies. As of December 31, 2011, it had 9 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves. The company was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Other impacted stocks include Consol Energy (CNX), Peabody Energy (BTU) and Arch Coal (ACI).

  Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

  UBS analyst Kuni Chen explains the reason for the mass downgrades:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Finally, I always like to see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the return on equity. With a ROE of 13.2%, it is well above the industry mean of 3.7% and competitors such as Alpha Natural Resources�Inc. (ANR), Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) and Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU).

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014: Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd.(HSOL)

Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. The company also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services. It sells its products to solar power system integrators and distributors primarily in Germany, Italy, Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, and China. The company was formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. in December 2010. Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Qidong, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  The tech market's news today includes a plunge in Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: HSOL) shares, which are down 5% in morning trade after its second-quarter loss narrowed to $0.32 per share from a loss of $0.43 in Q1.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  News and notes
  Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL  ) announced another $100 million in financing this week, this time a term loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea. �

Top 10 Solar Companies For 2014: Renesola Ltd.(SOL)

ReneSola Ltd, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar wafers and solar power products. It offers virgin polysilicons, monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar wafers, and photovoltaic cells and modules. The company also provides cell and module processing services. Its products are used in a range of residential, commercial, industrial, and other solar power generation systems. The company sells its solar wafers primarily to solar cell and module manufacturers. It principally operates in Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Jiashan, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big earnings movers: Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) is up 12.5% at $49.11 and posted a new 52-week high of $49.94 today. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is down $15 at $19.74. Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLK) is up 12.8% at $55.18 after posting a new 52-week high of $55.83 earlier today. Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is up 2.3% at $35.42. ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) is up 8% at $4.75.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  
  

  One under-$10 name that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is ReneSola (SOL), a manufacturer of solar wafers and producer of solar power products based in China. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 183%.

  If you take a look at the chart for ReneSola, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending very strong for the last four months and change, with shares soaring higher from its low of $1.25 to its recent high of $4.85 a share. During that uptrend, shares of SOL have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of SOL have pulled back a bit during the last few weeks, with the stock coming off that high of $4.85 to its recent low of $3.52 a share. This stock has now started to bounce off that $3.52 low and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in SOL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.25 to $4.50 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $4.85 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.09 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then SOL will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $7 to $8 a share.

  Traders can look to buy SOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $3.31 a share. One can also buy SOL off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But Trina gave a troubling update to its quarterly guidance a couple weeks ago, saying that it shipped 390-400 megawatts of solar modules during the quarter, down from its original 420-430 megawatt estimate. With gross margins of just 1% to 3%, Trina isn't faring as badly as peer ReneSola (NYSE: SOL  ) , which posted negative gross margins in its quarterly report earlier this month. Yet Trina still isn't making enough money to come close to profitability in the near future.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Photovoltaic module and wafer manufacturer ReneSola (NYSE: SOL  ) has been contracted to�provide 7,200 250-watt high-efficiency polycrystalline solar PV modules for a project in Roswell, N.M.

Best Quality Companies To Own For 2014

It wasn�� long ago when steel stocks were a guaranteed way to lose money in the market. This sector is famously sensitive to the world economy. Steel is the backbone of products that generally fit into the durables space or construction. When the economy stalls, individuals, corporations and governments don�� make investments in this space, thereby hurting worldwide steel demand.

Now add the glut of cheap Chinese steel supply into the equation and the deck is stacked against you. That�� exactly what steelmaker AK Steel (AKS) had to deal with. As a result, last year�� numbers were ugly, very ugly. In fact, last year AK Steel stock lost 24 cents per share.

Well the past is the past and this year AKS� looks like a bona fide turnaround story for the ages. Estimates for this year call for AK to make between 30 cents and $1 per share. Analysts have been so bullish on AK Steel stock that in the last 60 days ten different analysts raised their estimate for the current year, and seven raised estimates for next year.

Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: The Travelers Companies Inc.(TRV)

The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional, and International Insurance; and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers property and casualty products and services, such as commercial multi-peril, property, general liability, commercial auto, and workers? compensation insurance. It operates in six groups: Select Accounts, which serves small businesses; Commercial Accounts that serves mid-sized businesses; National Accounts, which serves large companies; Industry-Focused Underwriting that serves targeted industries; Target Risk Underwriting, which serves commercial businesses requiring specialized product underwriting, claims handling, and risk management services; and Special ized Distribution that offers products to customers through licensed wholesale, general, and program agents. The Financial, Professional, and International Insurance segment provides surety and financial liability coverage, which uses a credit-based underwriting process; and property and casualty products primarily in the United States., the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals. It distributes its products through independent agents, sponsoring organizations, joint marketing arrangements with other insurers, and direct marketing. The company was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jessica Alling]

  Reason to Love No. 3: Improved combined ratio
  In the insurance world, a combined ratio is the tally of losses and costs per $100 of written premiums. Allstate reported an 0.4 improvement in its underlying combined ratio, dropping it from 88.1 to 87.7. So for every $100 in premiums that Allstate brings in, it keeps $12.30. Competitor Traveler's Companies (NYSE: TRV  ) reported improvement with its combined ratio, though its 3.7 point drop keeps it behind Allstate, netting it $11.50 per $100 in premiums.

5 Best Cheap Stocks To Own Right Now: Uranium Resources Inc.(URRE)

Uranium Resources, Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and mining of uranium properties, using the in situ recovery or solution mining process. It owns developed and undeveloped uranium properties in South Texas; and undeveloped uranium properties in New Mexico. The company?s primary customers include utilities who utilize nuclear power to generate electricity. Uranium Resources, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is based in Lewisville, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Since the start of the week, small cap nuclear fuel stock USEC Inc (NYSE: USU) more than doubled for investors, something that has not happened for investors in uranium stocks like Uranium Resources, Inc (NASDAQ: URRE), Denison Mines Corp (NYSEMKT: DNN), Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT: URG) and Uranerz Energy Corp (NYSEMKT: URZ). To recap: USEC Inc closed at the $6 level on Friday, but then it surged to the $15 level on Monday only to open at the $10 level on Tuesday when it ultimately closed at $12.46. So what in the world is going on with USEC Inc and is it time to revisit nuclear fuel and uranium stocks?

• [By James E. Brumley]

  You know, were it just Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:URRE) or just Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:URG) or just Uranerz Energy Corp. (NYSEMKT:URZ) making a decided bullish move, I might be able to dismiss it. Similarly, if URZ had only been moving higher for one or two days (or only URG or only URRE), it might be easy to not be impressed. Neither of those situations has been the actual case, however. All three stocks have been moving upward for several days now, quite a bit, on noticeably higher volume. There's something "going on", as it were, and if prior group-wide movements are any clue, it's the kind of move worth tapping into.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Well, I'll give myself an A for effort, but a C- for timing. But, I can bump that C- up to a B+ if my intuition is right as we head into the last few days of 2013 and the first few of 2014. What I'm talking about is a bullish commentary I penned back on November 26th regarding Uranerz Energy Corp. (NYSEMKT:URZ), Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:URRE), and Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT:URG). All three stocks were perking up, and more than that, the buzz surrounding URG, URRE, and URZ was getting louder. More often than not, when the fervor and bullish action and chatter reaches the levels they had reached a month ago, an explosion is right around the corner.

5 Best Cheap Stocks To Own Right Now: S&P GSCI(GD)

General Dynamics Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; military and commercial shipbuilding; and communications and information technology products and services worldwide. Its Aerospace group designs, manufactures, and outfits various large and mid-cabin business-jet aircraft; provides maintenance, repair work, fixed-based operations, and aircraft management services; and performs aircraft completions for aircraft. The company?s Combat Systems group offers tracked and wheeled military vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions. Its product lines include wheeled combat and tactical vehicles; battle tanks and infantry vehicles; munitions and propellant; rockets and gun systems; and axle and drivetrain components and aftermarket parts. This group also manufactures and supplies engineered axles, suspensions, and brakes for heavy-load vehicles for military and commercial customers. The company Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Department of Defense awarded a round dozen defense contracts Friday, worth just under $7.2 billion in aggregate. The bulk of the contracts -- $7 billion worth -- were split among eight small privately held firms scattered around New Jersey, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia contracted to supply software and systems engineering services in support of the Army's Software Engineering Center. But a handful of better-known -- and, more importantly to investors, publicly traded -- companies won contracts as well. Namely:

5 Best Cheap Stocks To Own Right Now: Ford Motor Credit Company(F)

Ford Motor Company primarily develops, manufactures, distributes, and services vehicles and parts worldwide. It operates in two sectors, Automotive and Financial Services. The Automotive sector offers vehicles primarily under the Ford and Lincoln brand names. This sector markets cars, trucks, and parts through retail dealers in North America, and through distributors and dealers outside of North America. It also sells cars and trucks to dealers for sale to fleet customers, including daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies, and governments. In addition, this sector provides retail customers with a range of after-sale vehicle services and products in the areas, such as maintenance and light repair, heavy repair, collision repair, vehicle accessories, and extended service contracts under the Ford Service, Lincoln Service, Ford Custom Accessories, Ford Extended Service Plan, and Motorcraft brand names. The Financial Services sector offers vari ous automotive financing products to and through automotive dealers. It offers retail financing, which includes retail installment contracts for new and used vehicles; direct financing leases; wholesale financing products that comprise loans to dealers to finance the purchase of vehicle inventory; loans to dealers to finance working capital, purchase real estate dealership, and/or make improvements to dealership facilities; and other financing products, as well as provides insurance services. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 and is based in Dearborn, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Tesla have gained 1.2% to $194.48 today, all the more surprising considering that the S&P 500 has dropped 0.2% today, while General Motors (GM) has fallen 1.1% to $33.87 and Ford Motor (F) has dipped 0.1% to $15.90.

Great-West Financial to acquire J.P. Morgan retirement unit

Robert L. Reynolds president and CEO of Great-West Lifeco U.S. Bloomberg News

Great-West Financial will acquire J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services, further boosting its profile as a retirement plan record keeper.

J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services brings with it some 200 clients, 1.9 million participants and $167 billion in assets, plus more than 1,000 employees in a variety of functions including sales and relationship management, according to an announcement from Great-West.

Once the entities are combined, Great-West Financial's participant base will rise to 6.8 million, and its record-keeping assets will grow to $387 billion, according to the company. Following the deal, Great-West will be the second-largest retirement services provider, based on the number of participants in the defined-contribution market.

“The goal is to build a world-class retirement services company, and that's what we're gunning to do,” said Robert L. Reynolds, chief executive of Great-West Lifeco U.S. and Putnam Investments. “We're gunning to be the best and to have great clients who are satisfied with us.”

Terms of the deal weren't been disclosed, but the transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approval.

David Musto, CEO of J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services, will continue to oversee that block of business and will report to Mr. Reynolds. Together with Charles P. Nelson, president of Great-West Retirement Services, and Ed Murphy, head of defined contribution at Putnam Investments, the three will coordinate with Mr. Reynolds to integrate the businesses and work on segmentation.

“[Mr. Musto] will have a very senior role in the company, but his primary charge is to continue to run the J.P. Morgan business at a very high quality and with high client satisfaction,” Mr. Reynolds said.

Michael Falcon, head of retirement at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, will remain with his firm.

In a statement, he noted that clients of J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services should have a “seamless” transition and will continue to work with the same consultants, specialists and staff members.

“We believe this is a great development for our large-market record-keeping clients and our RPS employees, with Great-West Financial as an ideal acquirer for the business,” Mr. Falcon noted in the statement.

Dan Marchon, a senior equity research associate at Raymond James and Associates, suggested that J.P. Morgan may have decided to spin off the retirement unit because it hasn't yielded many profitable cross-selling opportunities.

“For the past two years or so, they've been trying to deliver the cross-sell across the bank,” he said. “They want to be able to establish one relationship with a customer and from that, offer what they! need in terms of banking services.”

“This is one point of contact that doesn't lead to a much more profitable relationship with the customer,” Mr. Marchon added.

Mr. Falcon disagreed.

“The driving force behind this is our focus on investments, providing investments to the retirement marketplace, and making sure that our clients have access to scale in a provider that can meet their needs going forward,” he said in an interview.

“What's behind the decision is, what's in the best interest for the clients: It's a business that lives off of scale, investment, capability and resources,” Mr. Falcon said. “This combination [with Great-West] provides that.”

Going forward, J.P. Morgan Asset Management will continue to focus on retirement plan investments, where it's a player in the defined-contribution investment-only space and a major provider of target-date funds.

News of the J.P. Morgan deal follows Great-West's decision to combine its retirement business with that of its sister company Putnam Investments.

That deal, announced in late March, diversified Great-West's clientele, as the insurer primarily operated in the 457 retirement plan space. The carrier is also in the 403(b) market and works mostly with small-to-midsize plans on the 401(k) side. Putnam, meanwhile, works mostly with medium to large retirement plans.

“The U.S. retirement market is enormous, and we have a chance and opportunity to be a major part of it,” Mr. Reynolds said. “We're going to take advantage of that opportunity.”

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now

Quick: If asked to name "the most profitable food producers in America," who would you think would win the title?

Based on the prices at Whole Foods Market -- where a recent shopping expedition revealed that a pound of nuts can easily cost you as much as buying a pound of Angus steak -- you you'd probably guess that organic foods are the most profitable. Or if you don't shop there, you might guess it's the companies that grow the expensive fruits and vegetables in your supermarket grocery section.

But a new report out of industry research firm IBISWorld shows that's not the case at all.

Turns out, many of the most profitable food producers in America are candy companies.

Sweetening the pot
We won't keep you in suspense. Here are IBISWorld's findings, showing that out of the top 10 food producers in America, four of the top five are industries that produce sweets:

Now admittedly, this isn't the fact that IBISWorld focuses on in its report. Rather, the researcher emphasizes a growing trend of Americans who are becoming "increasingly concerned about the negative health effects of certain foods," growing more "health conscious," and "seeking out new and healthier versions from their favorite brands."

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: Sibling Group Holdings Inc (SIBE)

Sibling Group Holdings Inc., incorporated on December 28, 1988, is a development-stage company. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company was not engaged in any business operations.

The Company has entered into an Agreement of Acquisition and Plan of Reorganization with Sibling Entertainment Group, Inc. (Sibling) to acquire Sibling�� four wholly owned subsidiaries: Sibling Theatricals, Inc., Sibling Pictures, Inc., Sibling Music Corp., and Sibling Properties, Inc. and their subsidiaries, including Dick Foster Productions, Inc., Adrenaline MMA, Inc., Hats Holdings, Inc. amongst others. The Company was organized primarily for the purpose of importing fruits and vegetables from Latin America.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap holding companies Sibling Group Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: SIBE), Tranzbyte Corp (OTCMKTS: ERBB) and Readen Holding Corp (OTCMKTS: RHCO) are in the business of holding or acquiring other companies. They have also been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and not necessarily because of acquisitions or other news but rather because of a few recent paid promotions. With that in mind, here is a quick look and a reality check about all three:

  Sibling Group Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: SIBE) Has Been Quiet Lately

  Small cap Sibling Group Holdings intends to acquire, on a global basis, advanced technology and education management operations in order to enhance and accelerate the delivery of 21st century learning. On Friday, Sibling Group Holdings closed at $0.05 for a market cap of $39,342 plus SIBE is down 96.7% over the past year and down 80% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: CannaVEST Corp (CANV)

CannaVEST Corp., formerly Foreclosure Solutions, Inc., incorporated on December 9, 2010, is engaged in the business of developing, producing, marketing and selling end consumer products to the nutriceutical industry containing the hemp plant extract, Cannabidoil (CBD). The Company produces raw ingredients for neutraceutical markets. This substance can be used with foods and nutritional supplements for consumer health and wellness benefits, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. On March 4, 2013, the Company acquired KannaLife Sciences, Inc. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of PhytoSPHERE Systems, LLC (PhytoSPHERE). It also secured the license to the name PhytoSPHERE and PhytoSPHERE Systems for use in the development and commercialization of hemp-based products.

The Company focuses to develop applicable raw ingredients, and provide raw ingredients for the production and development of multiple existing and developing product applications. Its focus is to produce, market and distribute hemp-based consumer products, as well as acquire existing businesses involved in the industrial hemp industries.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  The Marijuana Index is Really Getting Stoned. The Marijuana Index, which is the first and only registered equity tracking index for marijuana stocks, cannabis stocks and hemp stocks,�experienced significant volume and price fluctuations throughout the month of February when is started the month at the $25 level only to close the month at $56.21 for a 125% gain as some marijuana stocks experienced all time highs. Notable gainers included Abattis Bioceuticals (OTCMKTS: ATTBF)�being up 194%, Advanced Cannabis Solutions (OTCQB: CANN) being up 132% and CannaVest (OTCMKTS: CANV) being up 116%. You can see all of the�Marijuana Index�� advancers and decliners at http://www.marijuanaindex.org.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  But it doesn’t end there. Investors should run away from all OTC marijuana stocks, including Medical Marijuana (MJNA), Cannabis Science (CBIS), CannaVest (CANV), MediSwipe (MWIP) and GreenGro Technologies (GRNH). As the SEC warns:

Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own For 2015: Buhler Industries Inc (BIIAF.PK)

Buhler Industries Inc. is a manufacturer of a range of agricultural equipment marketed throughout North America under three primary brand names Versatile, Allied, and Farm King. The Company�� principal products are tractors, self-propelled and pull-type sprayers, frontend loaders, grain augers, snow blowers, tillers, finishing mowers, feed processing equipment, seeding and tillage equipment and hay and forage equipment. The Company�� factories include the Winnipeg (Clarence) factory, the Morden, Manitoba factory, the Winnipeg (Regent) factory, the Bradley Steel Processors��factory, the Fargo factory, the Salem factory, the Willmar factory and the Vegreville factory. The Company�� subsidiaries include John Buhler Inc., Progressive Manufacturing Ltd., Amarillo Service & Supply Inc., Haskett Properties Inc., Buhler Versatile Inc, Haskett Investments Ltd., Buhler Finance Inc. and Buhler Ezee-On, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Barkett]

  Buhler Industries Inc. (BIIAF.PK) is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company was established in 1932 as an agricultural equipment manufacturer. It was purchased by John Buhler in 1969 and in 2007, Combine Factory Rostselmash Ltd. acquired 80% of the company's stock. Through steady expansion, new products and distribution channels, and acquisitions, Buhler has experienced impressive growth. With seven manufacturing plants across Canada and the United States as well as a great collection of brands like Farm King, Allied, Inland, and Versatile, this vertically-integrated manufacturer is an excellent way to invest in the global agricultural boom.

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: Nabors Industries Ltd (NBR)

Nabors Industries Ltd. (Nabors), incorporated on December 11, 2001, is the land drilling contractor and land well-servicing and workover contractors in the United States and Canada. The Company markets approximately 474 land drilling rigs for oils and gas land drilling operations in the United States Lower 48 states, Alaska, Canada and over 20 other countries globally. The Company actively markets approximately 442 rigs for land well-servicing and workover work in the United States and approximately 106 rigs for land well-servicing and workover work in Canada. In 2012, the Company sold its remaining wholly-owned oil and gas business in Colombia and sold additional wholly owned assets in the United States. In April 2012, TransForce Inc. acquired through its subsidiary, I.E. Miller Services, Inc, certain assets of Peak USA Energy Services, Ltd., subsidiary of Nabors Industries Ltd. In December 2012, the Company sold its 49.7% ownership interest in NFR Energy LLC (NFR Energy).

The Company is a provider of offshore platform workover and drilling rigs, and actively markets 36 platform, 12 jackup and four barge rigs in the United States, including the Gulf of Mexico, and multiple international markets.The Company provides completion and production services, including hydraulic fracturing, cementing, nitrogen and acid pressures pumping services with over 805,000 hydraulic horsepower in United States and Canada. The Company offers a range of ancillary well-site services, including engineering, transportation and disposal, construction, maintenance, well logging, directional drilling, rigs instrumentation, data collection and other support services in select United States and international markets. The Company manufactures and lease or sell drives for a ranges of drilling applications, directional drilling systems, rig instrumentation and data collection equipment, pipeline handling equipment and rig reporting software. The Company has a 51% ownership interest in a joint venture in Saudi Arabia, w! hich owns and actively markets nine rigs in addition to the rigs the Company leases to the joint venture.

A land-based drilling rig generally consists of engines, a drawworks, a mast (or derrick), pumps to circulate drilling fluid under various pressures, blowout preventers, drill string and related equipment. Special-purpose drilling rigs used to perform workover services consist of a mobile carrier, which includes an engine, drawworks and a mast, together with other standard drilling accessories and specialized equipment for servicing wells. These rigs are specially designed for repairs and modifications of oil and gas wells, including standard drilling functions. Land-based drilling rigs are moved between well sites and among geographic areas using the Company's fleet of cranes, loaders and transport vehicles or those of third-party service providers.

Platform rigs provide offshore workover, drilling and re-entry services. The Company's platform rigs have drilling and/or well-servicing or workover equipment and machinery arranged in modular packages that are transported to, and assembled and installed on, fixed offshore platforms owned by the customer. Jackup rigs are mobile, self-elevating drilling and workover platforms equipped with legs that can be lowered to the ocean floor until a foundation is established to support the hull, which contains the drilling and/or workover equipment, jacking system, crew quarters, loading and unloading facilities, storage areas for bulk and liquid materials, helicopter landing deck and other related equipment. The Company also own two workover inland barge rigs. These barges are designed to perform plugging and abandonment, well-service or workover services in shallow inland, coastal or offshore waters.

The Company provides a range of wellsite solutions to oil and natural gases companies, consisting primarily of technical pumping services, including hydraulic fracturing, a process sometimes used in the completion of oil and g! as wells ! whereby water, sand and chemicals are injected under pressure into subsurface formations to stimulate gas and oil production, and down-hole surveying services. Other technical services include completion, production and rental tool services. In addition, the Company provides fluid logistics services, including those related to the transportation, storage and disposal of fluids that is used in the drilling, development and production of hydrocarbons.

The Company provides maintenance services on the mechanical apparatus used to pump or lift oils from producing wells. These services include, among other activities, repairing and replacing pumps, sucker rods and tubing. They also occasionally include drilling services. The Company provides the rigs, equipment and crews for these tasks, which are performed on both oil and natural gas wells, but which are more commonly required on oil wells. Producing oil and natural gas wells occasionally require repairs or modifications, called workovers. The Company can also provide other specialized services, including onsite temporary fluid storage; the supply, removal and disposal of specialized fluids used during certain completion and workover operations, and the removal and disposal of salt water that often accompanies the production of oil and natural gas.

Through various subsidiaries, the Company manufactures top drives and catwalks, which is installed on both onshore and offshore drilling rigs. The Company provides heavy equipment to move drilling rigs, water, other fluids and construction materials as well as the means to moves such equipment. The Company offers specialized drilling technologies, including patented steering systems and rigs instrumentation software systems, including ROCKITTM directional drilling system, which is used to provide data collection services to oil and gas exploration and service companies, and RIGWATCHTM software, which is computerized software and equipment that monitors a rig's real-time performance and da! ily repor! ting for drilling operations, making this data available through the Internet.

The Company competes with Helmerich and Payne, Inc., Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc., Basic Energy Services, Inc., Key Energy Services, Inc., Superior Energy Services, Inc., Forbes Energy Services Ltd., Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford International Ltd., Schlumberger Limited, FTS International Services LLC, C&J Energy Services, Inc. and RPC, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Hayes M., Joy]

  At Nabors Industries (NYSE: NBR  ) , many shareholders are fed up with this scenario, and are pushing for the right to list alternative director nominees on the company's proxy. A shareholder proposal calling for this change won 56%�shareholder support last year. And while the proposal failed to pass this year, it still gained substantial shareholder support, with 46.7%�of shares voting for the proposal.

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Range Resources Corporation, an independent natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of natural gas properties primarily in the Appalachian and southwestern regions of the United States. The company?s Appalachian region drilling and producing activities include tight-gas, shale, coal bed methane, and conventional natural gas and oil production in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, and West Virginia. It owns 4,969 net producing wells, approximately 2,750 miles of gas gathering lines, and approximately 1.8 million gross acres under lease. The company?s Southwestern drilling and producing activities cover the Barnett Shale of North Texas, the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, the East Texas Basin, the Texas Panhandle, and the Anadarko Basin of Western Oklahoma. It owns 1,954 net producing wells, as well as approximately 886,000 gross acres under lease. As of December 31, 2010, Range Resources Corporation had had 4.4 Tcfe of pr oved reserves. It sells gas to utilities, marketing companies, and industrial users. The company was formerly known as Lomak Petroleum, Inc. and changed its name to Range Resources Corporation in 1998. Range Resources Corporation was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Shares of Goodrich have gained 0.2% to $16.46 at 11:07 a.m. today, while Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) has fallen 0.2% to $38.39, Anadarko Petroleum (APC) has gained 0.4% to $78.50, Range Resources (RRC) is little changed at $83.56 and Pioneer Natural Resources�(PXD) is little changed at$186.36.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Independent oil and gas producer�Range Resources� (NYSE: RRC  ) �announced this morning�its second-quarter dividend of $0.04 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2007.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  When it comes to the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, no one plays it better than natural gas producer Range Resources (RRC).

  That�� surely evident from its latest earnings report. Overall, RRC managed to pump out record production for the third quarter at some pretty high prices. All told, total production increased by 21% vs. a year ago.

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: CME Group Inc.(CME)

CME Group Inc. operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX regulatory exchanges worldwide. The company provides a range of products available across various asset classes, including futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, foreign exchange, weather, and real estate. It offers various products that provide a means of hedging, speculation, and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency, credit risk, and changes in the prices of commodities. CME Group owns and operates clearing house, CME Clearing, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts and counter derivatives transactions; and also engages in real estate operations. Its primary trade execution facilities consist of its CME Globex electronic trading platform and open outcry trading floors, as well as privately negotiated transact ions that are cleared and settled through its clearing house. In addition, the company offers market data services comprising live quotes, delayed quotes, market reports, and historical data services, as well as involves in index services business. CME Group?s customer base includes professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, and governments. It has strategic partnerships with BM&FBOVESPA S.A., Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, Singapore Exchange Limited, Green Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., as well as joint venture agreement with Dow Jones & Company. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. CME Group was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  CME Group Inc (CME) reported on Wednesday that September volume average increased 10% from September 2012, while its third quarter volume average grew 11% from last year.

  For September, volume averaged 13.1 million contracts per day, totaling 261 million for the month. Equity index volume in September averaged 2.9 million contracts per day, a 4% increase from last year. Equity index options volume was up 52% in September.

  Third quarter volume average was 12 million per day, up 11% from a year ago.

  CME Group shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Wednesday. The stock is up 48% YTD.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives trader CME Group (CME) raised its quarterly dividend 4% to 47 cents per share, payable on Mar. 25 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 10.
  CME Dividend Yield: 2.47%

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: Surge Energy Inc (ZPTAF.PK)

Surge Energy Inc. is an oil focused exploration and production (E&P) company. The Company has projects in Southern Saskatchewan/the Williston Basin, SE Alberta and Valhalla/Nipisi. In January 2014, Surge Energy Inc. announced the SE Saskatchewan light oil acquisition. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  In late January 2013, I wrote an article about Surge Energy (ZPTAF.PK), an oil-weighted intermediate producer with operations in Canada and US. It was when the price dropped below $4. Actually, I recommended Surge Energy back then at $3.7, for the reasons mentioned here.