Monday, June 30, 2014

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is unveiling new technology for cloud applications. The semiconductor and processor giant is bringing out new systems-on-chip (SoCs) to optical fiber for cloud-optimized products on network, storage, microservers and rack designs. Most investors know that Intel has missed out on much of the move to mobile processing, but now Intel is trying to rapidly expand other areas outside of its traditional dominance in processors for PCs and servers.

The company’s new portfolio of data center products and technologies is targeted toward cloud service providers, with greater efficiency and flexibility into infrastructure.

The market for servers and network and storage infrastructure is said to be migrating into the microserver, cold storage and entry networking segments. Intel plans to help cloud providers boost their utilization rates while driving down costs.

Intel’s new SoCs are the first Intel products based on the Silvermont micro-architecture and are coming out nine months after the previous generation. Supporting billions of devices and users simultaneously is changing how data centers have to operate. Intel claims to be providing “the key innovations that original equipment manufacturers, telecommunications equipment makers and cloud service providers require to build the data centers of the future.��/p>

Hot Cheap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Envivio Inc (ENVI)

Envivio, Inc., incorporated on January 5, 2000, is a provider of Internet protocol (IP) video processing and distribution solutions, which enable the delivery of video to consumers. The Company�� solution is designed to enable service providers and content providers to offer video anytime, anywhere across a range of video formats, networks, consumer devices and operating systems. Its software-based solution runs on industry-standard hardware and includes encoders, transcoders, network media processors all controlled through its network management system. It enables service providers and content providers to deliver linear broadcast and on-demand video services to their customers through multiple screens, such as tablets, mobile handsets, netbooks, laptops, personal computers (PCs) and televisions. Its customers include mobile and wireline telecommunications service providers, cable multiple system operators (MSOs), direct broadcast satellite service providers (DBSs), and content providers, which includes broadcasters and content publishers, owners, aggregators and licensees.

Core Technologies

The Company�� software platform includes core technologies: modular software architecture and multi-core video compression. The Company�� core competencies are in developing advanced media compression and video over IP technologies, where it delivers a carrier grade, multi-screen solution. Its modular software architecture provides a common platform of capabilities and features, which allows its products to perform critical video processing and distribution functions, including ingestion, processing, packaging, protection and encryption, network optimizations and monitoring. In addition, its software-based architecture allows customers to enable features or add capacity through the input of a simple security or license key.

The Company Multi-core video compression has a set of video processing and compression algorithms designed to optimize performance on industry-stan! dard, multi-core hardware chipsets. These algorithms are central to all of its encoder and transcoder products.

Products

The Company�� unified video headend solution and unified delivery infrastructure for live and on-demand multi-screen video delivery are built on its encoding, transcoding and video distribution products. Its suite of products consists of Envivio 4Caster, Muse, Halo and 4Manager. Its 4Caster product delivers video to mobile, PC and television from a single platform. It has designed 4Caster to optimize live and on-demand workflows for video delivery commensurate with the characteristics of both legacy and current network infrastructures by encoding video input in multiple codecs, resolutions, bit rates and formats. 4Caster utilizes pre-processing techniques to clean and optimize video sources before encoding.

Envivio Muse is its new multi-screen software architecture designed for live or file-based video transcoding and distribution to multiple devices. Muse is available on industry-standard blade servers or its 4Caster appliances and enables service providers running large-scale operations to leverage their existing datacenter infrastructure to deliver enhanced video services. Muse also enables advanced functionality, such as ad-insertion and content protection for mobile devices that facilitates service monetization.

The Company�� Halo Network Media Processor performs final content adaptation for consumer devices, including protected adaptive bitrate streams compatible with Apple iOS, Android 3 and Microsoft Smooth Streaming enabled consumer devices. Its 4Manager network management system is specifically engineered to manage next generation video headends for mobile television, over-the-top (OTT) and Internet protocol television (IPTV), while continuing to support traditional broadcast distribution networks. 4Manager allows service providers to monitor and control all headend appliances. 4Manager is designed to maximize video he! adend ava! ilability and reliability by reporting system malfunctions and can automatically switch away from a defective unit, minimizing service disruption.

Services

The Company offers a range of services in support of its products, including on-site project assessment, systems integration, on-site delivery and operational and customer support. On-site project assessment include complete review of content sources, existing systems and middleware to determine the proper interface and adaptation equipment necessary for its customer to deliver an optimized consumer quality of experience. Systems integration configures all the equipment with its solution according to network design and plan. On-site delivery install all equipment and test the operational environment, including redundancy and system monitoring, as well as administer technical training to validate predefined use cases in an operational environment. Operational and customer support provides different grades of service level agreements and support contracts according to requirements.

The Company competes with Harmonic Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Elemental Technologies, RGB Networks, Inc., Google Inc. and Ericsson AB.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    Technology stocks gained Thursday, with Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) leading advancers. Meanwhile, gainers in the sector included Envivio (NASDAQ: ENVI), with shares up 2.8 percent, and Adept Technology (NASDAQ: ADEP), with shares up 4.3 percent.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap video technology stocks Envivio Inc (NASDAQ: ENVI), Ku6 Media Co Ltd (NASDAQ: KUTV) and Tremor Video Inc (NYSE: TRMR) made some interesting moves today and in recent days or months���meaning its worth taking a closer look at all three to see if there might be opportunities for traders and investors alike:

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: WiLan Inc (WILN)

WiLAN Inc. (WiLAN), incorporated on May 14, 1992, is a licensing company. WiLAN develops, acquires, and licenses a range of intellectual property that drives products in communications and consumer electronics markets. Through both internal research and development and acquisitions from third parties, the Company has acquired intellectual property in the form of patents and patent applications in many countries that it has licensed to more than 255 companies in telecommunications markets around the world. As of December 31, 2011, WiLAN had a portfolio of approximately 3,000 patents, including issued and pending patents and foreign equivalents. WiLAN has five directly wholly-owned subsidiaries, Wi-LAN Capital Inc. (WiLAN Capital), Wi-LAN International Inc. (WiLAN International), Wi-LAN International Hong Kong Inc. (WiLAN Hong Kong), Wi-LAN International Japan Inc. (WiLAN Japan) and Wi-LAN International Taiwan Inc. In July 2012, it acquired a global portfolio of more than 40 patents and applications from Siemens AG related to telecommunication network management and mobile multimedia. In October 2012, the Company acquired a global portfolio of more than 150 patents and patent applications from Alvarion Ltd. In June 2013, WiLan Inc acquired a portfolio of patents from Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. In November 2013, the Company acquired a portfolio of semiconductor patents from IXYS CH GmbH related to microcontroller technology.

In the Company's licensing business, the Company has signed licenses with companies that sell products utilizing technologies, including CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access-a cellular telecommunications specification); Wi-Fi (the underlying technology of wireless local area networks based on various IEEE 802.11 specifications); WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access-a standards-based broadband wireless technology that provides metropolitan area network connectivity based on IEEE 802.16 specifications); LTE (Long Term Evolution-high performance air! interface for cellular mobile communication systems designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks), and ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line-a standards-based access technology that provides broadband Internet access over twisted pair telecommunications wiring). The Company has also signed licenses with companies that sell products utilizing technologies, including DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications-a standards-based access technology that provides broadband Internet access over cable networks); Bluetooth (a wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances between fixed and mobile devices), and V-Chip (a technology that permits the blocking of television programs at a receiver (such as a television, multi-media equipped personal computer or set-top box) by viewers based on ratings information carried on the television signal).

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Often accused of being a patent troll,�non-performing entity�WiLAN� (NASDAQ: WILN  ) wrangled a settlement out of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL  ) with details of the deal remaining confidential.

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Breaking news

    Wi-LAN (NASDAQ: WILN) today announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a process to explore and evaluate a broad range of strategic alternatives for the Company to enhance shareholder value. To read the full news, click here. MannKind (NASDAQ: MNKD) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged the resubmission of a New Drug Application (NDA) for AFREZZA庐 (insulin human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder. To read the full news, click here. lululemon athletica (NASDAQ: LULU) today announced that Tara Poseley has been appointed to its Senior Leadership Team as Chief Product Officer. To read the full news, click here. Nice Systems (NASDAQ: NICE) reported a drop in its third-quarter profit. To read the full news, click here.

    Posted-In: Bank of America FOMC US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Pre-Market Outlook Markets

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: Gigamon Inc (GIMO)

Gigamon Inc., incorporated on January 2, 2009, has developed solution that delivers visibility and control of traffic across networks. Its solution, which it refers to as its traffic visibility fabric, consists of distributed network appliances that provide an advanced level of network traffic intelligence. Its fabric enables information technology (IT) organizations to forward traffic from network infrastructure to management, analysis, compliance and security tools in a manner that is optimized for specific uses or locations. Its flow mapping technology that identifies and directs incoming traffic to single or multiple tools based on user-defined rules implemented from a centralized management console. Its products consist of GigaVUE, GigaSECURE, GigaSMART and GigaTAP products. Its traffic visibility fabric is deployed by enterprises and service providers. Its traffic visibility fabric is built on the GigaVUE family of products.

The Company generates product revenue primarily from sales of perpetual software licenses installed on physical appliances for its traffic visibility fabric solutions to channel partners, including distributors and resellers, as well as directly to end user customers. The Company generates services revenue primarily from the sale of maintenance and support services for its products. As of March 31, 2012, the Company had sold products to over 825 end user customers across many vertical markets, including the United States retailers, United States banks and financial services companies, United States integrated telecommunication service providers, United States managed healthcare providers, United States cable and satellite providers and global securities and commodities exchanges. It offers purpose-built physical appliances that are integrated with its software and enable its end user customers to design traffic visibility fabric architectures optimized for a range of scale and performance requirements from one gigabit appliances to one terabit chassis-based solu! tions.

Its appliances range from a single rack unit appliance to a modular multi-slot chassis that accommodates a range of its line cards. The GigaVUE product family consists of G Series and H Series of products. The GigaVUE G Series consists of a range of purpose-built, small form-factor traffic visibility appliances. Its GigaSECURE products provide in-line packet distribution specifically designed for use with security-based tools, such as intrusion prevention systems (IPS). The GigaSECURE products are designed to support two-way traffic communications and provide bypass protection allowing packets to be distributed to multiple IPS devices where they are screened, and then aggregated back together for entry back to the network. The GigaVUE H Series utilizes a robust Linux-based operating platform enabling configurations. The series includes both large blade-based chassis configurations and a fixed configuration product specifically designed to aggregate 10 gigabit traffic links together.

The Company also offers ongoing technical support with its hardware and software products. Its primary support offering, SupportCARE, provides two-tiered support levels, including premium-level support coverage. It offers end user customers ongoing maintenance services for both hardware and software, which enables them to receive ongoing software updates, upgrades, bug fixes and repairs. It also offers DesignCARE in the North America region, which provides end user customers with professional services that range from the architectural design of a Traffic Visibility Fabric for their customized requirements to the complete implementation and configuration of GigaVUE appliances across multiple locations. Its support personnel are based in Milpitas, California and Reading, United Kingdom.

The Company competes with Cisco Systems, Inc. and Juniper Networks, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading UP
    Gigamon (NYSE: GIMO) shares shot up 6.59 percent to $17.14 after the company announced Q1 results. Gigamon reported a Q1 loss of $0.07 per share on revenue of $31.80 million. Needham upgraded the stock from Buy to Strong Buy.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading UP
    Gigamon (NYSE: GIMO) shares shot up 7.77 percent to $17.33 after the company announced Q1 results. Gigamon reported a Q1 loss of $0.07 per share on revenue of $31.80 million. Needham upgraded the stock from Buy to Strong Buy.

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: Research in Motion Ltd (BBRY)

Research In Motion Limited, incorporated on March 7, 1984, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services, it provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to information, including e-mail, voice, instant messaging, short message service (SMS), Internet and intranet-based applications and browsing. The Company's technology also enables an array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services through software development kits, wireless connectivity to data and third-party support programs.Its portfolio of products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations and millions of consumers around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless solution, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, software development tools and other software and hardware.

On March 25, 2011, the Company purchased 100% of the shares of a company whose technology is being incorporated into the Company�� developer tools. On April 26, 2011, the Company purchased certain assets of a company whose acquired technologies will be incorporated into the Company�� products. In June 2011, the Company acquired Scoreloop. On March 8, 2012, the Company acquired Paratek Microwave Inc. During the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company purchased 100% interests of a company, whose technology will be incorporated into its technology; whose technology offers cloud-based services for storing, sharing, accessing and organizing digital content on mobile devices; whose technology is being incorporated into an application on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet; whose technology offers a customizable and cross-platform social mobile gaming developer tool kit, and whose technology will provide a multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for managing and securing mobile devices for enterpris! es and government organizations.

On April 24, 2012, the Company launched BlackBerry 7 smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve 9220, for customers in Indonesia. April 18, 2012, it launched BlackBerry 7 smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve 9220, for customers in India. On April 17, 2012, it announced availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone in Spain. On April 3, 2012, it launched BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, and launched four BlackBerry smartphones powered by the BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS) in Cambodia, which included BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380. On April 2, 2012, it announced the availability of BlackBerry App World, the official application store for BlackBerry smartphones in Brunei, and it announced availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphones for Cell C customers in South Africa. On March 27, 2012, it launched of the BlackBerry solution in Benin Republic. On March 15, 2012, it launched of BlackBerry services in China. On March 7, 2012, it launched the BlackBerry service in Angola.

The Company's primary revenue stream is generated by the BlackBerry wireless solution, consists of smartphones and tablets, service and software. BlackBerry service is provided through a combination of its global BlackBerry Infrastructure and the wireless networks of its carrier partners. On February 21, 2012, it released the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software. It generates hardware revenues from sales, primarily to carriers and distributors. During fiscal 2012, the Company launched the wireless fidelity (WiFi)-enabled BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in 44 markets around the world. On July 21, 2011, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet received Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification.

BlackBerry Smartphones and Tablets

BlackBerry smartphones uses wireless, push-based technology that delivers data to mobile users��business and consumer applications. BlackBerry s! martphone! s integrate messaging including instant messaging, email and SMS; voice calling; Webkit browser; multimedia capabilities; calendar, and other applications. During fiscal 2012, it introduced 10 new smartphones and launched software updates to both its smartphone and tablet platforms. BlackBerry smartphones are available from hundreds of carriers and indirect channels, through a range of distribution partners, and are designed to operate on a variety of carrier networks, including HSPA/HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA/Ev-DO, and iDEN.

During fiscal 2012, its BlackBerry smartphone and tablet portfolio included BlackBerry Bold series, BlackBerry Torch series, BlackBerry Curve series and The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Its BlackBerry Bold series includes BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 and BlackBerry Bold 9790. The Company�� BlackBerry Torch series include BlackBerry Torch 9810 and All-Touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860. The Company's BlackBerry Curve series include BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 and All-Touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphone. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. The BlackBerry PlayBook offers a seven-inch high definition display, a dual core one gigahertz processor, dual high definition cameras, multitasking and a Web browsing.

BlackBerry Enterprise Solution

BlackBerry Enterprise Server is software that acts as the centralized link between BlackBerry smartphones, enterprise systems, business applications and wireless networks. BlackBerry Enterprise Server integrates with enterprise messaging systems including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise to synchronize with BlackBerry smartphones to provide mobile users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks. It also provides access to business applications and enterprise systems. In addition, it provides security features and offers administrative tools. BlackBerry Enterprise Server is required for certain other enterprise ! solutions! , such as BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (for bringing desk phone functionality to BlackBerry smartphones); BlackBerry Clients for Microsoft Office Communications Server, IBM Lotus Sametime and Novell GroupWise Messenger (for enterprise instant messaging); IBM Lotus Connections (for enterprise social networking); IBM Lotus Quickr (for document sharing and collaboration); and Chalk Pushcast Software (for corporate podcasting).

The Company�� BlackBerry Mobile Fusion provides a Web-based interface that allows enterprises to provision, audit, and protect mobile devices including BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, and devices that use iOS and Android. BlackBerry Balance helps enterprises support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is free server software that synchronizes BlackBerry smartphones with Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express works with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007 and 2003 and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 and 2003 to provide users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks, as well as other business applications and enterprise systems behind the firewall.

BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry MVS) allows organizations to converge office desk phones and BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry MVS is consists of three components: BlackBerry MVS Client, BlackBerry MVS Services, and BlackBerry MVS Server. It unifies fixed and mobile voice communications. Hosted BlackBerry services bring the BlackBerry Enterprise Server features, functionality, and security capabilities in a package that is managed for end users. Hosted BlackBerry services are conveniently handled and supported by a BlackBerry certified partner from the BlackBerry Alliance Program, giving small and medium -sized enterprise (SME) enterprises the support and convenience they need.

Service

The Company generates service rev! enues fro! m billings to RIM's BlackBerry subscriber account base. It generates service revenues primarily from a monthly infrastructure access fee charged to a carrier or reseller, which the carrier or reseller in turn bills the BlackBerry subscriber.

BlackBerry Technical Support Services

BlackBerry Technical Support Services are a suite of annual technical support and software maintenance programs. The programs are designed to meet the customer�� BlackBerry support needs by offering a contact for BlackBerry wireless solution technical support directly from the Company.

Non-Warranty Repairs

The Company generates revenue from its repair and maintenance program for BlackBerry smartphones that are returned to it by the carrier, the reseller, or the customer. It generates revenue for repair after the expiration of the contractual warranty period.

The Company competes with Apple Inc., Microsoft Inc., Nokia Corporation, Dell, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, General Dynamics Corporation, Hitachi America, Ltd., HTC Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, Mitsubishi Corporation, Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc., NEC Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, ZTE Corporation, IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Notify Technology Corporation, Openwave Systems Inc., Seven Networks, Inc., Sybase, Inc. and Good Technologies.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Analysts expect BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) to report a Q1 loss at $0.26 per share on revenue of $963.17 million. BlackBerry shares rose 0.48% to $8.33 in after-hours trading.

  • [By CNNMoney Staff]

    Meanwhile, BlackBerry (BBRY) announced that its largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial, was leading a group to acquire the troubled company for $9 a share. Blackberry shares edged higher in premarket trading but were still just below the $9 mark.

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ubiquiti Networks Inc (UBNT)

Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. (Ubiquiti), incorporated on June 24, 2010, is a communications technology Company. designs, manufactures and sells broadband wireless solutions worldwide. The Company offers a portfolio of wireless networking products and solutions, including systems, high performance radios, antennas and management tools, designed for wireless networking and other applications in the unlicensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum. The Company offers solutions that incorporate its RF technology, antenna design and firmware technologies, which it refers to as AirTechnologies. It offers a portfolio of communications networking products and solutions and it recently introduced products in the video surveillance, wireless backhaul and machine-to-machine communication markets.

The Company�� business is driven by a community of network operators, service providers, distributors, value added resellers (VARs) and system integrators, which it refers to as the Ubiquiti Community. As of June 30, 2013, Ubiquiti�� AirTechnologies included, UBNT, airMAX, UniFi, mFi, EdgeMAX, airVision, airFiber, airOS, NanoStation, airGrid, NanoBridge, and a number of trademark applications and registrations in the United States and other countries. The Company technology enables it to provide end to end wireless networking solutions for network operators and service providers in underserved and underpenetrated markets. It designs its products and solutions using hardware and industry standard chipsets to enable these providers to deliver carrier class wireless broadband access and services to their subscribers.

Enterprise WLAN - UniFi

Unifi hardware utilizes MIMO technology, works with 802.11 standards, and uses a single cable for data transmission and power-over-ethernet. Unlike other enterprise Wi-Fi systems that utilize a hardware Wi-Fi switch, Unifi uses a virtual controller that allows for on-site management or remote management through the cloud. Each UniFi access point a! nd can be managed centrally with the UniFi Controller software. The UniFi Controller enables enterprise WLAN managers to centrally configure and administer a UniFi network and individual access points without any special training and through secure access from any Web browser. The UniFi Controller provides automatic UniFi access point detection, firmware updates, real-time status, map loading and advanced security options.

Video Surveillance - airVision

The H.264 cameras use a single cable for data transmission and power-over-ethernet. AirVision, its management controller software, can be used to manage multiple AirCam H.264 IP cameras as well as manage other digital video recorder devices. AirVision software is available for download at no cost on its Website and only manages Ubiquiti Network camera devices. Similar to its other network management products, airVision can be accessed securely from any Web browser, provides statistical reporting and analytics and provides a management console with camera settings and event recordings.

Machine-To-Machine Communication - mFi

In June 2012, the Company announced mFi, which includes hardware sensors, power devices, and management software that allows devices to be controlled remotely. For example, mFi allows users to manage and monitor their building temperature and power consumption. The management controller software is IP based and can be accessed from any browser locally or through the cloud. MFi software allows management to create rules using if/then statements to control numerous devices.

The Company competes with Motorola, Trango, Cisco Systems, Proxim, Mikrotikls, Senao, Ceragon Networks, DragonWave, Ruckus Wireless, TP-LINK Technologies CO., LTD, Andrew Corporation, PCTEL, Aruba Networks, Inc, Vivotek, Inc., Axis Communications AB , Mobotix Corp, Cambium Networks , SAF Tehnika, EnergyHub, Inc., AlertMe.com Ltd and Radio Waves Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tom Bishop]

    The company I have chosen is Ubiquiti (UBNT). By ��ireless networking,��I mean products that deliver carrier-class wireless networking performance for video, voice, and data.

  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of communications networking technologist Ubiquiti Networks (NASDAQ: UBNT  ) soared 23% today after its quarterly results and outlook topped Wall Street expectations.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Ubiquiti Networks (NASDAQ: UBNT) shares tumbled 25.81 percent to $30.69 on Q3 results. Ubiquiti reported its quarterly earnings of $0.50 per share on revenue of $148.30 million.

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: TomTom NV (OEM)

TomTom NV is a Netherlands-based supplier of location and navigation products and services. The Company�� structure consists of four customer facing business units, namely Consumer, Automotive, Business Solutions and Licensing. The first three business units provide targeted solutions for the Company�� customers, including private consumers, car manufacturers and fleet owners. Licensing sells its content and services to multiple customer groups including portable navigation devices (PNDs) and wireless companies, governments and enterprises. The Company�� business units embed 11 product units, such as digital maps, traffic intelligence, navigation software, PNDs, automotive systems, fleet management services (FMS), smart phone applications, sports watches, points of interest, location based services (LBS) and speedcam intelligence. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was active in 35 countries. In July 2013, it acquired Coordina (Gestion Electronica Logistica, S.L.). Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By victorselva]

    In a macro view, revenues in the electronic equipment and instrument sub-industry will remain strong due to the rise in equipment and instrument manufacturers. Distributors, electronic manufacturing service (EMS) companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are going to increase orders as the economy improves in the future. With this promising outlook, let's take a look at Gabelli麓s last trade and try to explain to investors the reasons of this appealing investment opportunity.

Top Communications Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: LifeLock Inc (LOCK)

LifeLock, Inc., incorporated on April 12, 2005, is a provider of proactive identity theft protection services for consumers and identity risk assessment and fraud protection services for enterprises. It operates in two segments: consumer segment and an enterprise segment. In its consumer segment, the Company offer identity theft protection services to consumers on a monthly or annual subscription basis. In its enterprise segment, it offer identity risk assessment and fraud protection services to enterprise customers who pay the Company based on their monthly volume of transactions with it. It protects its consumer subscribers, whom it refers to as its members, by monitoring identity-related events, such as new account openings and credit-related applications. It also provides remediation services to its members in the event that an identity theft actually occurs. On March 14, 2012, the Company acquired ID Analytics, Inc. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Lemon Inc.

Consumer Business

The Company protects its members by proactively monitoring identity-related events, such as new account openings and credit-related applications, which may present a risk of identity theft. If it detects that a member�� personally identifiable information is being used, the Company sends notifications and alerts, including proactive, near real-time, actionable alerts, to the member via text message, phone call, or e-mail through its LifeLock Identity Alert system that allows the member to confirm valid or unauthorized identity use.

Enterprise Business

The Company delivers on-demand identity risk assessment and authentication information about consumers to its enterprise customers in their daily transaction flows. Its enterprise customers utilize this information in real time to authenticate their customers, assess their risk profile, and enhance the enterprise�� decision making process on which to base account opening, le! nding, credit, and other risk-based decisions. By integrating its services into their business processes, its enterprise customers can reduce potential financial losses from identity fraud. Information generated from the transaction flow at its enterprise customers is transmitted back to its data repositories, which continually enhances the LifeLock ecosystem and helps strengthen the services the Company can provide to its customers in the future.

The Company competes with Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, Affinion, Early Warning Systems, Intersections and LexisNexis.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    LifeLock (NYSE: LOCK  ) has been a beneficiary over the years, as folks turn to the company to monitor potential ID breaches. It scored another strong quarter, with revenue climbing 30% and adjusted profitability more than doubling.�

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    LifeLock (NYSE: LOCK  ) is the leading provider of identity theft monitoring for consumers. This may seem like a finicky model for a subscription service, but LifeLock has come through with 34 consecutive quarters of sequential growth in revenue and members.

  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    AFP/Getty Images/Gabriel Bouys Companies can make brilliant moves, but there are also times when things don't work out quite as planned. From a luxury electric car maker ramping up its production to sandwich makers failing to make dough rise, here's a rundown of the week's smartest moves and biggest blunders in the business world. Tesla Motors (TSLA) -- Winner The Model S isn't cheap, but Tesla is selling enough of them to impress investors. Shares of the maker of plug-in electric vehicles raced to a new high after announcing that it delivered 6,892 cars in its latest quarter. Things will get even better in 2014 as Tesla expects to sell and deliver 35,000 vehicles. Tesla will need to ramp up its production -- currently, roughly 600 cars a week -- to closer to 1,000 Model S and new Model X cars by the end of the year. Conn's (CONN) -- Loser It isn't easy running a consumer electronics store these days. Shares of Conn's plunged 43 percent on Thursday after warning that its holiday quarter results will fall well short of its earlier expectations. If that seems like a significant drop for a mere miss, let's dive a little deeper. Conn's also warned that it's suffering from higher loan delinquencies than usual. Conn's provides in-house consumer credit on its appliances, furniture, mattresses, and consumer electronics, so revealing that 8.8 percent of its loan portfolio hasn't made a payment in more than 60 days is problematic. Conn's, which has stores in the Southwest, blames cold weather for disrupting payments, but things are never as simple as that. Conn's was holding up better than its peers that had imploded earlier this year on reports that the holidays weren't so jolly this time around. Now we know that Conn's is merely mortal, and that way too many of its customers last year aren't current on their payments. Candy Crush Saga -- Winner The company behind "Candy Crush Saga" filed to go public this week. Dublin-based King Digital Entertainment is hoping

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now

Hot Electric Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Calavo Growers Inc (CV GW)

Calavo Growers, Inc. (Calavo), incorporated on January 5, 2001, is a provider of value-added fresh food. The Company is engaged in the marketing and distributing avocados, prepared avocados, and other perishable foods allows them to deliver a wide array of fresh and prepared food products to food distributors, produce wholesalers, supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants on a worldwide basis. The Company procures avocados principally from California, Mexico, and Chile. Through its various operating facilities, it sort, pack, and/or ripen avocados, tomatoes and/or Hawaiian grown papayas. Additionally, it also produces salsa and prepares ready-to-eat produce and deli products. It distributes its products both domestically and internationally and reports its operations in three different business segments: Fresh products, Calavo Foods and Renaissance Food Group, LLC (RFG).

Fresh products

The Companys Fresh products business grades, size s, packs, cools, and ripens (if desired) avocados for delivery to its customers. It operates two packinghouses and three operating and distributing facilities that handle avocados across the United States.Calavo markets California avocados. In California, the growing area stretches from San Diego County to Monterey County, with the majority of the growing areas located approximately 100 miles north and south of Los Angeles County. The storage life of fresh avocados is limited. It generally ranges from one to four weeks, depending upon the maturity of the fruit, the growing methods used, and the handling conditions in the distribution chain. The Company sells avocados to a diverse group of supermarket chains, wholesalers, food service and other distributors, under the Calavo family of brand labels, as well as private labels. From time to time, some of its larger customers seek short-term sales contracts that formalize their pricing and volume re! quirements. California avocados delivered to the Companys packinghouses are graded, size! d, packed, cooled and, frequently, ripened for delivery to customers. The Company imports avocados from Mexico, Chile, Peru, New Zealand and the Dominican Republic. Its diversified avocado sources provide a level of supply stability that may, over time, help solidify the demand for avocados among consumers in all markets it distribute to.

The Company also handles avocados from Chile, Peru and New Zealand, most of which are on a consignment basis with its growers. Pursuant to its joint venture agreement with M5, Calavo de Chile is the primary contact with its Chilean avocado sources. It has invested in the Aweta AFS (acoustic firmness sensor) technology and equipment. It has three Aweta systems in use in the United States, which, it believe, can effectively meet its customers demand for conditioned fruit. It has developed various display techniques and packages that appeal to consumers and, in particular, impulse buyers. Some of its techniques includ e the bagging of avocados and the strategic display of the bags within the produce section of retail stores. The majority of its sales are generated from tomatoes and papayas. Tomatoes are primarily handled on a consigned basis, while papayas are handled on a pooling basis, similar to the California avocado pool previously described.

Calavo Foods

The Companys Calavo Foods business procures avocados, processes avocados into a wide variety of guacamole products, and distributes the processed product to its customers. All of its prepared avocado products shipped to North America are cold pasteurized and include both frozen and fresh guacamole. The Calavo Foods segment was originally conceived as a mechanism to stabilize the price of California avocados by reducing the volume of avocados available to the marketplace.The Company utilizes ultra high pressure machines which are designed to cold pasteurize its guacamole produc! ts. Using! high pressure on ly, this procedure substantially destroys the cells of any b! acteria t! hat could lead to spoilage, food safety, or oxidation issues. Once the procedure is complete, its packaged guacamole is cased and shipped to various retail and food service customers throughout the markets its service. Its IQF line provides food service and retail customers with peeled avocado halves that are ripe and suitable for immediate consumption. These halves were frozen, packaged and shipped out of Mexicali to warehouses located in the United States., and, ultimately, to its customers. The Companys line of salsa will further diversify its product offerings and will be a natural complement to its ultra-high-pressure guacamole, as well as its Calavo tortilla chips.

RFG

The Companys RFG business produces markets and distributes nationally a portfolio of healthy, lifestyle products for consumers via the retail channel. RFG is a fresh-food company that produces, markets, and distributes nationally a portfolio of healthy, products for consu mers via the retail channel.RFG products range from fresh-cut fruit, ready-to-eat vegetables, recipe-ready vegetables and deli meat products. RFG sells under the labels of Garden Highway Fresh Cut, Garden Highway, and Garden Highway Chef Essentials to a wide range of customers. RFG products range from fresh-cut fruit, ready-to-eat vegetables, recipe-ready vegetables and deli meat products. RFG sells under the labels of Garden Highway Fresh Cut, Garden Highway, and Garden Highway Chef Essentials to a range of customers.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Just when you think the global warming (excuse me, climate change)warnings could not get anymore hysterical orgoofier (Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes have frozen over after all), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc (NYSE: CMG) is sounding the alarm (which may rally all of the Sofritas vegan tofu eaters of America)overits potentialthreattoguacamole, but small cap avocad! o stock C! alavo Growers, Inc (NASDAQ: CVGW) continues to grow investor returns no matter what the weather is doing and has outperformed PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund (NYSEARCA: DBA).First and as noted by ThinkProgress.org, Chipotle Mexican Grills latest Annual Form 8-K reported:

  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Monday

    Earnings Releases Expected: Sonic Corp (NASDAQ: SONC), Calavo Growers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVGW), Zep Inc. (NYSE: ZEP) Economic Releases Expected: Spanish services PMI, Italian services PMI, French services PMI, German services PMI, eurozone services PMI, British services PMI, eurozone investor confidence, German CPI, Australian trade balance

    Tuesday

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-electric-utility-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014

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

I predicted that Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD  ) would close higher on the week. I thought the turnaround story at the drugstore chain has been validated with every passing quarter, and even though the stock was already at a five-year high, I believed that Thursday's quarterly report would be enough to push the retailer higher. Rite Aid did come through with better-than -xpected results, but it's hard to impress the market when the Dow is getting slammed. After closing higher on Monday, Rite Aid shares proceeded to head lower every single day after that. I was wrong. 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, the market closed sharply lower this week. The Nasdaq moved 1.9% lower, but the Dow managed to close just 1.8% lower. I was wrong. My final call was for Kroger (NYSE: KR  ) to beat Wall Street's income estimates in its latest quarter. The supermarket operator has been posting blowout quarterly results over the past year, and I was banking on seeing the trend continue. Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.88 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.92 a share. I was right.

One out of three? Bummer! I can do better than that.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc (USAP)

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., incorporated in 1994, manufactures and markets semi-finished and finished specialty steel products, including stainless steel, tool steel and certain other alloyed steels. The Company�� manufacturing process involves melting, re-melting, heat treating, hot and cold rolling, forging, machining and cold drawing of semi-finished and finished specialty steels. The Company�� products are sold to re-rollers, forgers, service centers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and wire re-drawers. The Company�� customers further process its products for use in a range of industries, including the aerospace, power generation, petrochemical and heavy equipment manufacturing industries. The Company also performs conversion services on materials supplied by customers, which lack certain of the Company�� production facilities or that are subject to their own capacity constraints. On August 18, 2011, the Company acquired Patriot Special Metals, Inc. and RSM Real Estate Holding, Inc.

The Company operates in two segments: Universal Stainless & Alloy Products (USAP) and Dunkirk Specialty Steel. The Company�� products are manufactured in a range of grades and melt qualities, including argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) quality, electro-slag remelted (ESR) quality, vacuum induction melting (VIM) quality and vacuum-arc remelted (VAR) quality. At its Bridgeville facility, the Company produces specialty steel products in the form of long products (ingots, blooms, billets and bars) and flat rolled products (slabs and plates). In December 2011, the Company began melting in its new VIM furnace located in North Jackson. The semi-finished long products are used by the Company�� Dunkirk facility and certain customers to produce finished bar, rod and wire products, and the semi-finished flat rolled products are used by customers to produce light-gauge plate, sheet and strip products. The finished bar products manufactured by the Company are used by OEMs and by ser! vice center customers for distribution to a range of end users. The Company also produces customized shapes for OEMs that are cold rolled from purchased coiled strip, flat bar or extruded bar at its Precision Rolled Products department, located at its Titusville facility.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    In trading on Wednesday, basic materials shares dropped by 0.30 percent. Among the sector stocks,Amyris (NASDAQ: AMRS) was down more than 8.5 percent, while Universal Stainless & Alloy Products (NASDAQ: USAP) tumbled around 5 percent.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    In trading on Wednesday, basic materials shares dropped by 0.30 percent. Among the sector stocks, Amyris (NASDAQ: AMRS) was down more than 8.5 percent, while Universal Stainless & Alloy Products (NASDAQ: USAP) tumbled around 5 percent.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Universal Stainless & Alloy Products (Nasdaq: USAP  ) reported earnings on May 1. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Universal Stainless & Alloy Products missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014: MutualFirst Financial Inc.(MFSF)

MutualFirst Financial, Inc. operates as a holding company for MutualBank that provides financial products services to individuals and businesses. It accepts various savings deposit accounts, NOW and demand accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides one- to four-family residential mortgage loans, multi-family and commercial real estate loans, construction and development loans, commercial business loans, and consumer loans, including home equity and lines of credit, home improvement, auto, boat, and recreational vehicle loans, as well as loans secured by savings deposits, and credit card and unsecured loans. In addition, it operates as an insurance agent and sells life insurance, and credit-life and health insurance products. Further, the company provides investment money management and trust services. It operates 33 full service financial centers located in Delaware, Elkhart, Grant, Kosciusko, Randolph, St. Joseph, and Wabash counties, Indiana. The co mpany was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Muncie, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Melvin]

    PL Capital has not filed any 13Ds in a couple of months, but earlier this year it disclosed a 5.99% position in shares of First Advantage Bancorp (FABK). The Clarksville, Tenn.-based bank has seven branches and trades at about 75% of book value. PL Capital also filed a 13D announcing 8% ownership of Mutual First Financial (MFSF) over the summer. The bank has 31 branches and is based in Muncie, Ind. — an area that has seen substantial consolidation in the past few years.

  • [By Tim Melvin]

    MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) makes the list, trading at 80% of book value and yielding 1.61%. The bank has total assets of about $1.4 billion and is located in Muncie, Ind. Like a lot of small banks today, the story here is one of steady credit improvement and compressed net interest margins. It is one of many smaller institutions that I think will eventually be taken over; the current regulatory climate simply does not favor little banks. Insiders own about 10% of the stock, so they are invested in the idea of a much higher stock price.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014: Inter Parfums Inc.(IPAR)

Inter Parfums, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes a range of fragrances and fragrance related products worldwide. It offers fragrance products primarily under license agreements with brand owners; specialty retail and designer products; alternative designer fragrances and personal care products; Aziza line of eye shadow kits, mascara, and pencils; and a line of health and beauty aids comprising shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, and baby oil under its Intimate and Johnson Parker brands. The company offers its products under the Burberry, Van Cleef & Arpels, Jimmy Choo, Montblanc, Boucheron, Balmain, Repetto, Gap, Banana Republic, New York & Company, Brooks Brothers, bebe, Nine West, Betsey Johnson, Lane Bryant, Anna Sui, S.T. Dupont, Paul Smith, and Jordache brands under license agreements, as well as Lanvin, Intimate, Aziza, Nickel, Tristar, Regal Collections, Royal Selections, and Apple brands. Inter Parfums, Inc. distr ibutes its products through independent distribution companies and duty-free operators to department stores, perfumeries, specialty retailers, mass-market retailers, supermarkets, and domestic and international wholesalers and distributors. The company was formerly known as Jean Philippe Fragrances, Inc. and changed its name to Inter Parfums, Inc. in July 1999. Inter Parfums, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Chuck Carnevale]

    Inter Parfums Inc. (IPAR): Develops, Manufactures and Distributes Prestige Perfumes

    Our final example, Inter Parfums Inc., is an above-average growing small-cap that validates our PE 15 standard, but with a twist. Small-cap. companies tend to carry greater risk than larger capitalization companies. As a result, it is not uncommon to see, as we do with Inter Parfums Inc., an earnings and price correlated graphic with wilder price swings.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014: Apricus Biosciences Inc(APRI)

Apricus Biosciences, Inc. engages in the design and development of pharmaceutical products and product candidates based on its patented NexACT drug delivery technology. The NexACT drug delivery technology is designed to enhance the delivery of an active drug to improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce systemic side effects that accompany existing oral and injectable medications. The company?s pipeline includes Vitaros, approved in Canada for the treatment of erectile dysfunction; and Totect approved in the U.S. for the treatment of anthracycline extravasation, as well as compounds in development from pre-clinical through pre-registration, focused on sexual dysfunction, oncology, dermatology, autoimmune, pain, anti-infectives, diabetes, and consumer healthcare. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

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

    Apricus Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: APRI) was initiated with a Hold rating and a $2 price target at Cantor Fitzgerald. Be advised that $2 is almost 10% under the prior close of $2.18, against a 52-week range of $1.89 to $3.49.

  • [By John Udovich]

    On Friday, small cap pharma stock Apricus Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: APRI) jumped just over 10% and not only�did the stock hold onto those gains, it made�another 10% jumps on Monday���meaning its time to take a closer look at the stock along with the performance of other potential benchmarks in the sexual health or reproductive health spaces like The Female Health Company (NASDAQ: FHCO) and Repros Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: RPRX).

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014: Old Republic International Corporation(ORI)

Old Republic International Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various insurance and mortgage guaranty products in North America. The company operates in three segments: General Insurance, Mortgage Guaranty, and Title Insurance. The General Insurance segment provides liability insurance coverages to businesses, government, and other institutions in commercial construction, forest products, energy, general manufacturing, and financial services industries; and transportation, including trucking and general aviation industries. It provides various insurance products, such as automobile extended warranty, aviation, commercial automobile insurance, general liability, home warranty, inland marine, travel accident, and workers? compensation, as well as liability coverage for claims arising from the acts of owners or employees, and protection for the physical assets of businesses. This segment also offers financial indemnity products, such as consumer credit indemnity , errors and omissions/directors and officers, guaranteed asset protection, and surety, as well as bonds that cover the exposures for losses of monies, or debt and equity securities due to acts of employee dishonesty. The Mortgage Guaranty segment insures first mortgage loans, primarily on residential properties incorporating one-to-four family dwelling units to mortgage bankers, brokers, commercial banks, and savings institutions. The Title Insurance segment provides lenders' and owners' title insurance policies to real estate purchasers and investors based upon searches of the public records. It also provides escrow closing and construction disbursement services; and real estate information products, national default management services, and services related to real estate transfers and loan transactions. Old Republic International Corporation markets its products directly, as well as through insurance agents and brokers. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Chi cago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lawrence Meyers]

    The part I like the most is that WGL sells energy credits and carbon offsets to retail customers. The company makes good money on these elements, selling to customers who just like to feel good about how they are ��elping the environment�� WGL has a long history as an energy company and has paid a dividend for 37 years. It currently pays 4.3% annually.

    Old Republic International (ORI)

    The next of our dividend stocks is one you may have heard of: Old Republic International (ORI). Old Republic started back in 1887 and is an insurance company that offers a huge array of products. A lot of insurance products are very high margin, and Old Republic has mastered the art of selling these. Extended Automobile Warranty, Home Warranty an Travel Accident Insurance are great segments to be playing in.

  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Insurance underwriting company Old Republic (ORI) raised its quarterly dividend 5.8% to 18 cents per share, payable on Dec. 16 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 4.
    ORI Dividend Yield: 4.28%

  • [By Holly LaFon]

    Prem Watsa is renowned for his long track record of outstanding returns using Buffett-style value investing through his worldwide insurance and reinsurance company, Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings. His five-year cumulative is 176.4%, compared to 12.2% for the S&P 500. Most recently, he made headlines for making a large contrarian bet on Research In Motion (RIMM) and joining its board in his first activist investing foray. In the fourth quarter, he added to this position. He also added to his positions in Citigroup Inc. (C), Old Republic Corp. (ORI) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and dramatically reduced one of his largest holdings, Dell (DELL). As a Ben Graham devotee, Watsa looks past short-term fluctuations in price to the underlying strength of a business. His stance on the economy, as of September and October 2011, was that he believed the U.S. was showing Depression-level interest rates and deficits, but he still liked some stocks and would hedge his exposure, he told CFA Institute Magazine.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Its big day has also boosted other insurers. Radian Group (RDN) has risen 7.2% to $14.39, while Old Republic International (ORI) has advanced 2.1% to $15.24, Genworth Financial (GNW) is up 3.6% at $13.41 and MBIA Inc. (MBI) has jumped 4.3% to $10.76.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014: MFA Financial Inc (MFA)

MFA Financial, Inc., incorporated on July 24, 1997, is engaged in the business of investing, on a leveraged basis, in residential Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and Non-Agency MBS. Its business objective is to generate net income for distribution to its stockholders resulting from the difference between the interest and other income it earn on its investments and the interest expense it pays on the borrowings, which it uses to finance its leveraged investments and its operating costs. Its operating policies require that at least 50% of its investment portfolio consist of ARM-MBS, which are either Agency MBS or rated in two rating categories by at least one of rating agency, such as Moody�� Investors Services, Inc., Standard & Poor�� Corporation (S&P) or Fitch, Inc. The remainder of its assets may consist of direct or indirect investments in other types of MBS and residential mortgage loans; other mortgage and real estate-related debt and equity; and other yield instruments.

The mortgages collateralizing the Company�� MBS portfolio are Hybrids, ARMs and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. The Hybrids collateralizing its MBS typically have fixed-rate periods ranging from three to 10 years. Interest rates on the mortgage loans collateralizing its ARM-MBS reset based on specific index rates, which include London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or the one-year constant maturity treasury (CMT) rate. The mortgages collateralizing its ARM-MBS have interim and lifetime caps on interest rate adjustments. The Company�� Non-Agency MBS have been at discounts to face/par value.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    After raising its payout last quarter by 10%,�residential mortgage-backed securities REIT�MFA Financial (NYSE: MFA  ) announced today it was keeping its second-quarter dividend steady at $0.22 per share.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Watch For 2014: Black Box Corporation(BBOX)

Black Box Corporation provides network infrastructure services for communications systems worldwide. Its services include design, installation, integration, monitoring, and maintenance of voice, data, and integrated communications systems. The company also offers voice communications solutions, technology product solutions, premises cabling, and other data-related services, as well as provides technical support services for its solutions, which include hotline services, consultation, site surveys, design and engineering, project management, single-site and multi-site installations, remote monitoring, and certification and maintenance of voice, data, and integrated communication solutions. It sells its products and services to small organizations, corporations, and institutions through its catalogs, on-site services offices, and Internet Web site. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Lawrence, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Evan Niu, CFA]

    What: Shares of Black Box (NASDAQ: BBOX  ) have popped today by more than 19% after the company reported earnings and boosted its dividend.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Communications specialist�Black Box (NASDAQ: BBOX  ) announced today its third-quarter dividend of $0.09 per share, the same rate it paid last month after raising the quarterly payout 12.5% from $0.08 per share.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Top losers in the sector included China Unicom (Hong Kong) (NYSE: CHU), off 4.5 percent, and Black Box (NASDAQ: BBOX), down 3 percent.

    Top Headline
    The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) reported better-than-expected first-quarter profit. Boeing's quarterly profit declined to $965 million, or $1.28 per share, from a year-ago profit of $1.11 billion, or $1.44 per share. Its adjusted earnings surged to $1.76 per share compared to $1.73 per share. Its revenue climbed to $20.47 billion versus $18.89 billion. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $1.57 per share on revenue of $20.24 billion. For the full year, Boeing expects adjusted earnings of $7.15 to $7.35 per share.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now

With shares of Federal Express Corporation (NYSE:FDX) trading at around $100.28, is FDX an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock�� Movement

The future performance of FedEx comes down to one simple question: is there worldwide economic growth? With the United States, Japan, and the ECB easing monetary supply, the answer to that question would be yes. Whether this growth is real or artificial is a different question. And whether the growth is sustainable or not is the best question of all. However, these policies greatly increase the odds of stock appreciation around the world. Easy money and low interest rates have a chain reaction in almost every industry.

FedEx has seen steadily increasing revenues on an annual basis. This is a good sign, especially considering many companies saw revenue declines in 2012. FedEx has also seen steadily increasing earnings on an annual basis.

Best Construction Material Stocks To Watch Right Now: Greengro Technologies Inc (GRNH)

GreenGro Technologies Inc., formerly Authoriszor Inc., provides management services for the planning, construction, staffing and operation of medical marijuana dispensaries, and nurseries on behalf of non-profit patient co-operatives. Through long term contracts, the Company operates non-profit centers, returning all unused patient contributions, on a pro-rata basis to each co-op member in the form of additional product. In February 2010, Authoriszor Inc. completed the acquisition of GreenGro Technologies, Inc., and CannovaHealth, a clinic management company. In September 2011, the Company acquired Vertical Hydrogarden, Inc.

Medical marijuana (medical cannabis) is an alternative method to other forms of medication used to manage or alleviate pain without the undo side-effects caused by the prescription medication being used to treat an illness. The Company stands ready to assist in patient care co-operatives throughout the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    But, as the Huffington Post points out, most of the companies that stand to benefit are very small–they make micro caps look big–trade over the counter–good bye liquidity. That includes transaction-processing company MediSwipe (MWIPD), GreenGro Technologies (GRNH) Medbox (MDBX), which makes dispenser for high-risk drugs, and GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPRF).

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now: Market Vectors Poland ETF (PLND)

Market Vectors Poland ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate the price and yield performance of the Market Vectors Poland Index (the Index). The Index is a diversified index consisting of at least 25 companies either headquartered in Poland or deriving at least 50% of their revenues from Poland. It invest in sectors, such as financials, energy, industrials, consumer staples, telecomm services, materials, consumer discretionary, utilities, information technology and healthcare. The Fund�� investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Benjamin Shepherd]

    Market Vectors Poland (NYSE: PLND) is a great exchange traded fund (ETF) play on the continued strength of the Polish economy.

    Financial services figure prominently in the ETF�� holdings at 44 percent of assets, but that�� lower than other competing products and largely reflective of the major role the financial sector plays in Poland�� economy. More than 23 percent of assets are allocated to basic materials and energy due to the country�� resource wealth.

    The ETF is also relatively cheap with an expense ratio of just 0.61 percent. It also offers the added benefit of a nearly 3.2 percent yield, thanks to the tradition of Polish stocks paying stable dividends.

    What�� more, the fund is inexpensive in terms of valuation because it price has been depressed by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Both countries have historically been Russian satellites, but Poland was quick to integrate itself with Western Europe after the country�� communist government fell in 1989. As a result, it enjoys the diplomatic cover of the EU and the military protection of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, making it unlikely that Russia will interfere in the country�� politics.

    Despite those protections, the fund�� price-to-forward-earnings ratio has fallen from about 19 to just 14 over the past few weeks and shares are now trading at book value. Shares are also trading at just 0.58 times sales, a substantial discount to the fund�� historical valuation largely due to regional concerns.

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vanguard Industrials Etf (VIS)

Vanguard Industrials ETF (the Fund), formerly known as Vanguard Industrials VIPERs, is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Industrials Index Fund. The Fund employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) US Investable Market Industrials Index (the Index). The Index is an index of stocks of large, medium and small United States companies in the industrials sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). This GICS sector is made up of companies whose businesses are dominated by activities, such as the manufacture and distribution of capital goods (including aerospace and defense, construction, engineering and building products, electrical equipment, and industrial machinery); the provision of commercial services and supplies (including printing, employment, environmental and office services), or the provision of transportation services (including airlines, couriers, marine, road and rail, and transportation infrastructure).

The Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index. It also may sample its target Index by holding stocks that, in the aggregate, are intended to approximate the Index in terms of key characteristics, such as price/earnings ratio, earnings growth and dividend yield.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

    Viscofan SA (VIS) fell 9.6 percent, its largest weekly drop in more than five years, after saying it may miss its targets for 2013 because of weak currencies. The Spanish maker of sausage casings in July predicted annual net income of 107 million euros to 108 million euros and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of as much as 195 million euros.

  • [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

    Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): iShares Utilities ETF (NYSE: IDU), First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSE: FXU), iShares MSCI Germany Small Cap ETF (NYSE: EWGS), iShares MSCI USA ETF (NYSE: EUSA), SPDR S&P Emerging Europe ETF (NYSE: GUR), PowerShares Water Resources (NYSE: PHO) and the Vanguard Industrials ETF (NYSE: VIS).

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now: Powerdyne International Inc (PWDY)

Powerdyne International, Inc., formerly Greenmark Acquisition Corporation, incorporated on September 13, 2006, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses on manufacturing, installing, maintaining, owning and operating portable electrical power generation equipment (gensets).

The Company's initial product is the PDIGenset, which is a self contained generator that is powered by a modified radial air cooled engine to drive a minimum of a 1-megawatt generator. The entire unit, which runs on natural gas or propane, is compact, lightweight and clean burning. The Company also focuses on the process of building its first prototype of the PDIGenset. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had not generated any revenues.

The Company competes with Caterpillar Corporation, Cummings, Morse Diesel, Kohler, Volvo and Detroit Diesel.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    On Friday, small cap stocks EHouse Global (OTCBB: EHOS), Sanwire Corporation (OTCMKTS: SNWR) and Powerdyne International Inc (OTCBB: PWDY) sank 37.38%, 29.47% and 23.23%, respectively, despite some evidence of paid stock promotions or investor relation campaigns. Of course, volatility is a given for small cap OTC stocks, but paid stock promotions or investor relations campaigns tend to add to that volatility. With that in mind, what will these three small cap stocks do for investors this holiday trading week? Here is a closer look to help you decide on a trading or investment strategy:

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)

Wells Fargo & Company, through its subsidiaries, provides retail, commercial, and corporate banking services primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Community Banking; Wholesale Banking; and Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement. The Community Banking segment offers deposits, including checking, market rate, and individual retirement accounts; savings and time deposits; and debit cards. Its loan products comprise lines of credit, auto floor plans, equity lines and loans, equipment and transportation loans, education loans, residential mortgage loans, health savings accounts, and credit cards. This segment also provides equipment leases, real estate financing, small business administration financing, venture capital financing, cash management, payroll services, retirement plans, loans secured by autos, and merchant payment processing services; purchases sales finance contracts from retail merchants; and a family of funds, and investment managemen t services. The Wholesale Banking segment offers commercial and corporate banking products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, letters of credit, asset-based lending, equipment leasing, international trade facilities, trade financing, collection services, foreign exchange services, treasury and investment management, institutional fixed-income sales, commodity and equity risk management, insurance, corporate trust fiduciary and agency services, and investment banking services. This segment also provides banking products for commercial real estate market, and real estate and mortgage brokerage services. The Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement segment offers financial advisory, brokerage, and institutional retirement and trust services. As of December 31, 2010, the company served its customers through approximately 9,000 banking stores in 39 States and the District of Columbia. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Franci sco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Maxfield]

    And the nation's biggest banks are the worst offenders. In a J.D. Power & Associates survey of customer satisfaction from earlier this year, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) ranked at or near the bottom of the industry in every geographical regional examined. And they were the absolute worst performers in this year's survey of bank reputations by industry publication American Banker.

  • [By Matt Koppenheffer]

    I sorted based on the ratio between the "customer related" terms and the "bottom line" terms. It shouldn't be all that surprising that among the top three banks are two --�Goldman Sachs�and�Wells Fargo� (NYSE: WFC  ) -- that are generally vocal about their customer focus. Front and center in Wells Fargo's annual report, the company states: "Our vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs, help them succeed financially, be recognized as the premier financial services company in our markets and be one of America's great companies." And Goldman's No. 1�business principal is, "Our clients' interests always come first."

  • [By John Maxfield]

    While it remains to be seen what impact this will have on stocks, and bank stocks in particular, we won't have to wait long to find out. This Friday, the nation's two largest mortgage originators, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , report earnings for the second quarter. In the first three months of this year, they underwrote a combined $162 billion in mortgages, the vast majority of which were for refinancing purposes as opposed to buying a home.�

  • [By John Maxfield]

    As avid Buffett followers know, the Oracle of Omaha has a particular place in his heart (and Berkshire's equity portfolio) for bank stocks. While Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) is Berkshire's largest and perhaps best known holding -- the one exception to this being Coca-Cola -- Buffett has also stuffed the conglomerate's coffers full of stock in American Express (NYSE: AXP  ) , US Bancorp, and M&T Bank. And most recently, he staked a $5 billion claim in Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , the nation's second largest bank by assets.

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now: iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (IWV)

iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 3000 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the United States equity market. The Index serves as the underlying index for Russell 3000 Growth and Value Series, and the Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 Indexes, as well as their respective Growth and Value series. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index and consists of the 3000 largest companies domiciled in the United States and its territories.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Maxfield]

    Over the past five years, this ETF has beaten the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) by 23 percentage points. It's outperformed the Russell 3000 (NYSEMKT: IWV  ) by 21 percentage points. And it's done the same to the eponymous S&P 500, exceeding it by 11 percentage points.

10 Best US Stocks To Watch Right Now: Dreyfus Strategic Municipal Bond Fund Inc (DSM)

Dreyfus Strategic Municipal Bond Fund, Inc. (the fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The fund�� investment objective is to maximize current income exempt from federal income tax to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the fund�� investment adviser.

The fund invests at least 80% of its assets in municipal bonds. The fund also issues auction rate preferred stock and invests the proceeds in a manner consistent with its investment objective.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sherine El Madany]

    Dubai�� DFM General Index (DSM) posted the biggest drop in the Middle East, losing 2.3 percent, the most since June 10, to 2,345.47 at the 2 p.m. close in the emirate. Emaar Properties PJSC (EMAAR), developer of the world�� tallest tower in Dubai, registered its biggest decrease since April. The ADX General Index (MSM30) fell 0.9 percent, while the Bloomberg GCC200 Index (BGCC200) was down 0.2 percent.

  • [By Tom Stoukas]

    Royal DSM NV (DSM) slid 5.4 percent to 55.13 euros. The company that spent $3.2 billion on nutrition-ingredient acquisitions said profit this year may fall short of an initial target because of stagnant markets in Europe and lower chemical prices.

  • [By Trista Kelley]

    Cenkos Securities Plc (CNKS) is running the spinoff and the share sale. Royal DSM NV (DSM), the world�� largest maker of vitamins, holds about 9 percent of SiS, while U.K. venture-capital trust Downing LLP owns 16.7 percent, Moon said. Provexis stockholders received one share of Science in Sport for every 100 shares of Provexis.

  • [By Jonathan Morgan]

    Royal DSM NV (DSM) gained 6.4 percent to 56.02 euros. The Dutch chemical company posted second-quarter profit that beat analyst estimates after a $3.1 billion-acquisition spree and as it cut costs. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization jumped 19 percent to 345 million euros. That exceeded the 333 million-euro average estimate of 11 analysts.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now

FreightCar America (NASDAQ: RAIL  ) has found an internal candidate to be its new COO and president. The company named CFO Joseph McNeely to the position, effective immediately.

McNeely, who is to continue in his finance role until a successor is found, has been CFO of the company since 2010. Prior to that, he was vice president of sales and marketing at Mitsui Rail Capital. He also worked at railcar leasing firm GATX.

FreightCar America said that in his new position, McNeely will be responsible for "managing the day-to-day business operations and executing the Company's strategic plan."

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5 Best China Stocks To Buy Right Now: Heartland Express Inc (HTLD)

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Heartland Express (HTLD) has dropped 2.2% to $19.12 after it was cut to Hold from Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

    Allergan (AGN) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading UP
    Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD) shot up 19.72 percent to $17.14 after the company reported that it has acquired Gordon Trucking for $300 million.

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Marten Transport Ltd (MRTN)

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

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

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

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Vitran Corporation Inc (VTNC)

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

LTL Services

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Breaking news

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

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

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Con-way Inc (CNW)

Con-way Inc. (Con-way), incorporated in 1958, provides transportation, logistics and supply-chain management services for a wide range of manufacturing, industrial and retail customers. Con-way�� business units operate in regional and transcontinental less-than-truckload and full-truckload freight transportation, contract logistics and supply-chain management, multimodal freight brokerage, and trailer manufacturing. Con-way is divided into four segments: Freight, Logistics, Truckload, and Other. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Freight operated 286 freight service centers, of which 144 were owned and 142 were leased. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Freight owned and operated approximately 9,200 tractors and 26,400 trailers, including tractors held under capital lease agreements.

Freight

The Freight segment consists of the operating results of the Con-way Freight business unit. Con-way Freight is a less-than-truckload (LTL) motor carrier that utilizes a network of freight service centers to provide day-definite regional, inter-regional and transcontinental less-than-truckload freight services throughout North America. LTL carriers transport shipments from multiple shippers utilizing a network of freight service centers combined with a fleet of line-haul and pickup-and-delivery tractors and trailers. Freight is picked up from customers and consolidated for shipment at the originating service center. Freight is consolidated for transportation to the destination service centers or freight assembly centers. At Freight assembly centers, freight from various service centers can be reconsolidated for transportation to other freight assembly centers or destination service centers. From the destination service center, the freight is delivered to the customer. Typically, LTL shipments weigh between 100 and 15,000 pounds. In 2011, Con-way Freight�� average weight per shipment was 1,305 pounds.

Logistics

The Logistics segment consists of the operating results o! f the Menlo Worldwide Logistics business unit. Menlo Worldwide Logistics develops contract-logistics solutions, which can include managing complex distribution networks, and providing supply-chain engineering and consulting, and multimodal freight brokerage services. Menlo Worldwide Logistics��supply-chain management offerings are primarily related to transportation-management and contract-warehousing services. Transportation management refers to the management of asset-based carriers and third-party transportation providers for customers��inbound and outbound supply-chain needs through the use of logistics management systems to consolidate, book and track shipments. Contract warehousing refers to the optimization and operation of warehouses for customers using technology and warehouse-management systems to reduce inventory carrying costs and supply-chain cycle times. For several customers, contract-warehousing operations include light assembly or kitting operations.

Menlo Worldwide Logistics provides its services using a customer- or project-based approach when the supply-chain solution requires customer-specific transportation management, single-client warehouses, and/or single-customer technological solutions. However, Menlo Worldwide Logistics also utilizes a shared-resource, process-based approach that leverages a centralized transportation-management group, multi-client warehouses and technology to provide scalable solutions to multiple customers. Additionally, Menlo Worldwide Logistics segments its business based on customer type. At December 31, 2011, Menlo Worldwide Logistics operated 76 warehouses in North America, of which 55 were leased by Menlo Worldwide Logistics and 21 were leased or owned by clients of Menlo Worldwide Logistics. Outside of North America, Menlo Worldwide Logistics operated an additional 63 warehouses, of which 48 were leased by Menlo Worldwide Logistics and 15 were leased or owned by clients. Menlo Worldwide Logistics owns and operates a small fleet of tr! actors an! d trailers to support its operations, but primarily utilizes third-party transportation providers for the movement of customer shipments.

Truckload

The Truckload segment consists of the operating results of the Con-way Truckload business unit. Con-way Truckload is a full-truckload motor carrier that utilizes a fleet of tractors and trailers to provide short- and long-haul, asset-based transportation services throughout North America. Con-way Truckload provides dry-van transportation services to manufacturing, industrial and retail customers while using single drivers as well as two-person driver teams over long-haul routes, with each trailer containing only one customer�� goods. This origin-to-destination freight movement limits intermediate handling and is not dependent on the same network of locations utilized by LTL carriers. On average, Con-way Truckload transports shipments more than 800 miles from origin to destination. Under its regional service offering, Con-way Truckload transports truckload shipments of less than 600 miles, including local-area service for truckload shipments of less than 100 miles.

Con-way Truckload offers through-trailer service into and out of Mexico through all major gateways in Texas, Arizona and California. For a shipment with an origin or destination in Mexico, Con-way Truckload provides transportation for the domestic portion of the freight move, and a Mexican carrier provides the pick-up, linehaul and delivery services within Mexico. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Truckload operated five owned terminals with bulk fuel, tractor and trailer parking, and in some cases, equipment maintenance and washing facilities. In addition, Con-way Truckload also utilizes various drop yards for temporary trailer storage throughout the United States. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Truckload owned and operated approximately 2,700 tractors and 8,000 trailers, including tractors held under capital lease agreements.

Other

! The Other! reporting segment consists of the operating results of Road Systems, a trailer manufacturer, and certain corporate activities for which the related income or expense has not been allocated to other reporting segments, including results related to corporate re-insurance activities and corporate properties. Road Systems primarily manufactures and refurbishes trailers for Con-way Freight and Con-way Truckload.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Navistar hasn't been entirely locked out of the trucking market, though. The company won several contracts from the Defense Department in support of its military vehicles, including its MaxxPro mine-resistant, ambush-protected armored vehicle. On the commercial front, Navistar won part of an order in May from trucking company Con-Way (NYSE: CNW  ) , which purchased 200 ProStar vehicles from the company. Still, the fact that rival Paccar (NASDAQ: PCAR  ) got an even bigger portion of the Con-Way order is just one more sign of the ongoing struggles Navistar faces.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Wunderlich’s Nicholas Bender thinks FedEx’s results bode well for Old Dominion (ODFL), Con-way (CNW) and Saia (SAIA):

    We expect all less-than-truckload carriers to benefit in 2Q14 from the same trends that carried FedEx Freight to a banner 4Q14. This includes Hold-rated Old Dominion, which will continue to grow at well above market rates, and Buy-rated Con-way, which we believe can leverage a strong 2Q14 to prime the pump on margin enhancement efforts. Our favorite name in the space remains Saia (SAIA-$42.92, Buy), which will once again see accelerating tonnage growth in 2Q14. Though tonnage growth will moderate in� 2H14 due to steeper comps, there remains considerable potential for the company to boost yield and continue winning incremental business with new accounts.

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Chalmers Ltd (CHR)

Chalmers Limited is an Australia-based company engaged in transport, logistic services, warehousing and container storage, repairs and sales. The Company operated in three segments: Transport, Containers and Property. Transport consists of road transport, predominantly import/export FCL containers and the interface with logistics/ warehousing/hubbing services. Containers represent the empty container park operations concerned with handling, storage, repairs, upgrades, pretrips and so on of empty containers on behalf of shipping and leasing company customers. Property represents the capital investment Chalmers has in freeholds located in Melbourne. The Company�� subsidiaries include Chalmers Industries Pty Ltd, Chalmers (Australia) Pty Ltd and Chalmers Industries (Brisbane) Pty Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Corinne Gretler]

    Chr. Hansen A/S (CHR) slid 1.7 percent to 186 kroner after Credit Suisse Group AG cut the stock to neutral, the equivalent of hold, from outperform. The brokerage said that profit from its natural-color business remains under pressure. The world�� biggest maker of dairy enzymes cut its full-year sales forecast on July 3 because of lower prices for the red pigment carmine.

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: PostNL NV (PNL)

PostNL NV is a Netherlands-based Company active in delivery sector. The Company is engaged in the delivery of documents, small packages and standard parcels. The Company�� business is organized into three segments: Mail in the Netherlands, responsible for mail services in the Netherland, documents management, direct marketing and fulfillment services, and operating over 2,600 shop-in-shop post offices; Parcels, providing parcel services in the Netherlands and Belgium for both domestic and cross-border parcel distribution, and International, operating in the postal markets of the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, and focusing on domestic addressed mail services. The Company also provides marketing and communication services, fulfillment solutions and e-commerce related solutions. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Inyoung Hwang]

    PostNL (PNL) sank 11 percent to 2.48 euros, the biggest decline since Jan. 14. The Amsterdam-based company said sales in the second-quarter were 1.03 billion euros ($1.37 billion), falling short of the 1.04 billion euros predicted by analysts on average. PostNL forecast addressed mail volume in 2013 will drop as much as 11 percent, greater than its previous forecast of no more than 10 percent.

Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Knight Transportation Inc (KNX)

Knight Transportation, Inc. (Knight), incorporated on August 31, 1989, is a provider of multiple truckload transportation services, which generally involve the movement of full trailer or container loads of freight from origin to destination for a single customer. The Company is a provider of multiple truckload transportation services with a nationwide network of service centers through which it operates one of the tractor fleets. In addition to its own fleet, the Company also partners with third-party equipment providers to provide truckload capacity and a broad range of solutions to truckload shippers. The Company has five operating segments comprised of three asset-based operating segments: dry van truckload, temperature-controlled truckload and port services and two non-asset-based operating segments brokerage and intermodal services. Through its asset-based and non-asset-based capabilities the Company is able to transport, or can arrange for the transportation of, general commodities for customers throughout the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico.

The Company's asset-based businesses generally include dry van truckload, refrigerated truckload, dedicated truckload, and drayage services. Its non-asset-based services generally include rail intermodal and truckload brokerage services. However, within its asset-based services, the use of independent contractors to provide tractors lowers the capital investment in its dry van and refrigerated operations. In addition, drayage operations generally involve less expensive tractors with longer lives and do not require a investment in trailering equipment. As of December 31, 2012, it operated 3,627 company-owned tractors with an average age of 1.9 years. It also had under contract 507 tractors owned and operated by independent contractors. Its trailer fleet consisted of 9,564 53-foot long trailers with an average age of 5.5 years and includes 1,092 temperature-controlled trailers.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Swift Transportation (NYSE: SWFT  ) , for example, delivered a 4% increase in revenue this past quarter in spite of having fewer trucks in service. The company was able to realize better utilization of its existing fleet and actually saw fuel prices fall from the previous year. The results were even more robust for Knight Transportation (NYSE: KNX  ) , whose shareholders saw revenue rise by 7% as the company grew from the year-ago quarter for the 14th straight time and delivered growth from each of its business segments.