Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014

Jon Stewart just did a very funny piece on "The Daily Show" about a new derivatives dust-up that Bloomberg News broke.

Earlier this year, a big Wall Street firm bought a credit default swap on debt that a private company owed to a third party. So the firm was set up to make money if that company missed any payments.

Then the firm offered the company a multi-million-dollar loan... with the condition that they would miss a payment on the other loan. They did. And the Wall Street firm walked away with a $15 million insurance payment.

Sound less than kosher? Oh, don't worry. It's perfectly legal.

"The Daily Show" team pointed out that this behavior isn't illegal but maybe should be, and that the media didn't cover it at all and maybe should have.

But there's something they missed, and it's even more frightening.

Here are the details...

There's More to the Blackstone-Codere Deal

Last year Spanish gaming company Codere SA was in deep doodoo. They still are. They had a bunch of outstanding bonds (more than 1 billion euros worth) that they were likely going to default on.

Top 10 Valued Stocks To Watch For 2015: Quality Systems Inc.(QSII)

Quality Systems, Inc. engages in the development and marketing of healthcare information systems in the United States. The company operates through three divisions: QSI Dental, NextGen, and Practice Solutions. The QSI Dental division develops, markets, and supports software suites for dental and medical practices, as well as supports medical clients that utilize its UNIX based medical practice management software product and Software as a Service based NextDDS financial and clinical software. It also develops, markets, and manages electronic data interchange(EDI)/connectivity applications, as well as QSInet application service provider solutions. The NextGen division offers NextGen ambulatory product suite comprising electronic health records and enterprise practice management solutions; and NextGen inpatient products, including NextGen Clinicals for work efficiency and communication, as well as NextGen Financials, a financial and administrative system. It also offers comm unity connectivity solutions, such as health information exchange, patient portal, and health quality measures; and EDI, hosting, data protection, consulting, and physician resources services. The Practice Solutions division provides technology solutions and consulting services in the areas of revenue cycle management services, including billing and collection services for medical practices. The company?s solutions automate various aspects of medical and dental practices, as well as networks of practices, such as physician hospital organizations and management service organizations, ambulatory care centers, community health centers, and medical and dental schools. Quality Systems was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Cerner's recent stock performance trounces that of other publicly traded companies, including Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX  ) , Greenway Medical (NYSE: GWAY  ) , and Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII  ) . Only athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN  ) gives Cerner a run for its money over the past year.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Smaller EHR vendors profited from HITECH, also. Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII  ) saw its annual revenue climb from $245 million in mid-2009 to over $460 million in 2012. Cloud-based software company athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN  ) chalked up revenue gains of over 200% since early 2009.

• [By CRWE]

  Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:QSII) reported that its management will host a conference call to review results of its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended September 30, 2012, on Friday, October 26, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET (7:00 AM PT).

• [By Keith Speights]

  Investing in what you best understand is a great way to begin buying stocks. As a personal example, I worked for years in the health care technology sector. One of my best stock picks ever was physician software systems vendor Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII  ) . Because of my understanding of the industry, I knew that there was a likelihood that demand would accelerate for technology to help doctors.

Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Newcastle Investment Corp (NCT)

Newcastle Investment Corp. (Newcastle) is a real estate investment and finance company. Newcastle invests in, and actively manages, a portfolio of, real estate securities, loans, excess mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) and other real estate related assets. The Company segments include unlevered CDOs, which include unlevered investments in deconsolidated Newcastle CDO debt; unlevered excess MSRs; non-recourse other, which includes investments financed with other non-recourse debt; recourse, which includes investments and debt repurchases financed with recourse debt; unlevered other, which includes other unlevered investments, and corporate. In April 2011, Newcastle sold its retained interests in Newcastle CDO VII, a non-consolidated VIE of Newcastle. On May 15, 2013, the Company announced the spin-off of New Residential Investment Corp. In June 2013, Newcastle Investment Corp completed the sale of 100% of the assets in Newcastle CDO IV.

Real Estate Securities

Newcastle underwrite, acquire and manage a portfolio of credit sensitive real estate securities, including commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), senior unsecured real estate investment trust (REIT) debt issued by REITs, real estate related asset backed securities (ABS), including subprime securities, and Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA)/ Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (FHLMC) securities. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� real estate securities represented 47.4% of its assets.

Real Estate Related Loans

Newcastle acquires and originates loans to real estate owners, including B-notes, mezzanine loans, corporate bank loans, and whole loans. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� real estate related loans represented 22.3% of its assets.

Residential Mortgage Loans

Newcastle acquires residential mortgage loans, including manufactured housing loans and subprime mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� residential mortgage loans rep! resented 9.1% of its assets.

Operating Real Estate

Newcastle acquires and manages direct and indirect interests in operating real estate. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� operating real estate represented 0.9% of its assets.

Excess Mortgage Servicing Rights

Newcastle invested in excess MSRs in December 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� interests in these rights represented 1.2% of its assets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out what's going on in shares of Newcastle Investment (NCT) -- a quick glance at the chart will do. NCT has been in an uptrend since the end of December, rallying as it got pushed by tailwinds in the real estate sector and then spun off its residential financing unit into New Residential Investment (NRZ) in May.

  Adjusting shares of NCT for the spinoff gives us the chart above.

  As you might expect, the best time to be a buyer in NCT is on a bounce off of support. Buying off a support bounce makes sense for two big reasons: It's the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it's the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you're wrong).

  The fact that NCT has managed to clear its previous swing high from May speaks volumes about this stock's relative strength right now. Historically, high relative strength tends to continue to outperform the market for another three to 10 months. That puts NCT owners in a good position for the second part of 2013.

• [By Albert Alfonso]

  On April 26, Newcastle Investment Corp. (NCT) finally announced the spin-off date for shares in its wholly owned subsidiary New Residential (NRZ). The distribution is expected to be made on or about May 15, 2013. Below is a helpful timeline from the presentation related to the spin-off of New Residential:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Newcastle Investment (NYSE: NCT  ) shareholders will find a little less money in their pockets following a reduction in the company's common stock dividend. A fresh quarterly payout of $0.17 per share will be handed out on July 31 to shareholders of record as of June 13. That amount is a nickel lower than the firm's previous distribution of $0.22 per share. The upcoming payout, however, will be the first one since Newcastle completed the divestment of onetime subsidiary New Residential Investment.

Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Concurrent Computer Corporation(CCUR)

Concurrent Computer Corporation provides solutions that enable the seamless delivery, management, and monetization of video on any screen. Its screen-independent video delivery and media data solutions create a 360 degree view of the consumer video experience, which is built on video firsts and patented technology. The company provides advanced advertising to customers in the cable, telecommunications, wireless, Web, advertising, and content development industries by harnessing the full potential of video. Its video solutions consist of software, hardware, and services for streaming video and collecting media data based on cross services data aggregation, logistics, and intelligence applications; and real-time products consist of Linux and other real-time operating systems, and software development tools to various companies seeking high-performance, real-time computer solutions in the military, aerospace, financial, and automotive markets around the world. Concurrent Comp uter Corporation was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Magic Diligence]

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

  Concurrent Computer Corp (CCUR)

  Concurrent develops high-performance, real-time, multi-screen video solutions, providing "turn-key" solutions including software, hardware, and services. While the company is not really growing revenues (which have been steady at around $70 million for a decade), operating margins have improved substantially in the last few years, the firm has an outstanding, debt-free balance sheet, and the stock now pays a dividend yield approaching 7%. At just a $65 million market cap, Concurrent also looks like attractive acquisition bait for a larger tech company looking to build out its video offerings. The stock is trading near a 52-week low right now, with an earnings yield exceeding 13%.

Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2014: Seabridge Gold Inc (SA)

Seabridge Gold Inc. (Seabridge) is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition and exploration of gold properties located in North America. As of December 31, 2011, the Company held six properties with gold resources and its material properties are its KSM Project and its Courageous Lake Project. The Company holds a 100% interest in each of its properties. Its projects include KSM (Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell), Courageous Lake, Pacific Intermountain Gold, Grassy Mountain, Red Mountain, Quartz Mountain, Castle Black Rock and Other Nevada projects. The KSM project consists of two contiguous claim blocks in the Iskut-Stikine region in British Columbia, approximately 20 kilometers southeast of the Eskay Creek Mine. The Courageous Lake project is a gold project covering approximately 81,700 acres located in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Seabridge Gold (NYSE: SA  ) also lost 50%. Some of its operations in Canada have been yielding high-grade materials, and its KSM Gold project in British Columbia "contains one of the largest undeveloped gold and copper reserves in the world." The company's strategy explicitly includes trying to avoid share dilution. Like many of its peers, though, it's still operating in the red, so tread carefully.