Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2016

Top 10 Sliver Companies To Invest In 2016: iGATE Corporation(IGTE)

iGATE Corporation provides outsourced information technology (IT) and IT-enabled operations solutions and services worldwide. The company offers various services that include development and maintenance of software application; implementation and support of enterprise applications; package evaluation and implementation; re-engineering; data warehousing; business intelligence; analytics; data management and integration; software testing; IT infrastructure management; business and technology consulting; and enterprise software and systems integration, as well as quality assurance services and product engineering services. It also provides business process outsourcing, transaction processing, and customer interaction services. The company serves various industries, including insurance and healthcare, manufacturing, retail and logistics, banking and financial services, communications and utilities, media and entertainment, life sciences, and product engineering. It has India, Canada, the United States, Europe, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, China, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. iGATE Corporation was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Fremont, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Omar Venerio]

    The company has a current ROE of 19.09%, which is higher than the industry median and the ones exhibited by CGI Group (GIB) and Amdocs (DOX). In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. So for investors looking those levels or more, Teradata (TDC) could be the option. For more attractive ROE, Gartner (IT) and Igate (IGTE) have extremely good ratios. It is very important to understand this metric before investing and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over ti! me.

  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Technology shares gained around 1.13 percent in Tuesday’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included iGATE (NASDAQ: IGTE), up 7.7 percent, and Camtek (NASDAQ: CAMT), up 9.8 percent.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    iGATE (Nasdaq: IGTE  ) reported earnings on April 11. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), iGATE beat slightly on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-sliver-companies-to-invest-in-2016.html

Friday, July 31, 2015

Best Semiconductor Companies To Own In Right Now

Best Semiconductor Companies To Own In Right Now: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASX)

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. is principally engaged in the manufacture, assembly, processing, testing and distribution of integrated circuits (ICs). The Company provides semiconductor packaging and testing services, including plastic leaded chip carriers (PLCCs), quad flat packages (QFPs) and flip chip packaging technology, among others, which are applied in the manufacture of household electrical appliances, communication devices, automobile components, personal computers, set top boxes, servers, memory integrated circuits (ICs), mobile phones, digital cameras, game consoles, projectors, high definition (HD) televisions, wireless communication network products and power management ICs, among others. The Company operates its businesses primarily in Taiwan, Europe and the Americas. In August 2010, the Company acquired a 100% interest in EEMS Test Singapore.

The Company is focused on packaging and testing logic semiconductors. The Company offers its customers turnkey services, which consist of packaging, testing and direct shipment of semiconductors to end users designated by its customers. The Company's global base of over 200 customers includes semiconductor companies across a range of end use applications, including Altera Corporation, ATI Technologies, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited and Microsoft Corporation. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company's packaging revenues accounted for 77.7% of its net revenues and its testing revenues accounted for 20.1% of its net revenues.

Packaging Services

The Company offers a range of package types to meet the requirements of its customers, with a focus on packaging solutions. Within its portfolio of package types, the Company focuses on the packaging of semiconduct! ors. These include advanced leadframe-based package types, such as quad flat package, thin quad flat package, bump chip carrier and quad flat no -lead package, and package types based on substrates, such a! s flip-chip ball grid array (BGA) and other BGA types, as well as other packages, such as wafer-bumping products. Leadframe-based packages are packaged by connecting the die, using wire bonders, to the leadframe with gold wire. The Company's leadframe-based packages include quad flat package (QFP)/ thin quad flat package (TQFP), quad flat no-lead package (QFN)/microchip carrier (MCC), advanced quad flat no-lead package (AQFN), bump chip carrier (BCC), small outline plastic package (SOP)/thin small outline plastic package (TSOP), small outline plastic j-bend package (SOJ), plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) and plastic dual in-line package (PDIP). Substrate-based packages employ the BGA design, which utilizes a substrate rather than a leadframe. It also assembles system-in-a-package products, which involve the integration of more than one chip into the same package. The Company's substrate-based packages include Plastic BGA, Cavity Down BGA, Stacked-Die BGA, Flip-Chip BGA and land grid array (LGA).

The Company's wafer-level packaging products include wafer level chip scale package (aCSP) and advanced wafer level package (aWLP). The Company offers module assembly services, which combine one or more packaged semiconductors with other components in an integrated module to enable functionality, typically using surface mount technology (SMT) machines and other machinery and equipment for system-level assembly. End use applications for modules include cellular phones, personal digital assistant (PDAs), wireless local area network (LAN) applications, bluetooth applications, camera modules, automotive applications and toys.

The Company provides module assembly services primarily at its facilities in Korea for radio frequency and power amplifier modules used in wireless com! municatio! ns and automotive applications. Interconnect materials connect the input/output on the semiconductor dies to the printed circuit board. Interc onnect materials include substrate, which is a multi-layer m! iniature ! printed circuit board. The Company produces substrates for use in its packaging operations.

Testing Services

The Company provides a range of semiconductor testing services, including front-end engineering testing, wafer probing, final testing of logic/mixed-signal/radio frequency (RF) and memory semiconductors and other test-related services. The Company provides front-end engineering testing services, including customized software development, electrical design validation, and reliability and failure analysis. The Company provides final testing services for a variety of memory products, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), single-bit erasable programmable read-only memory semiconductors and flash memory semiconductors.

The Company provides a range of additional test-related services, including burn-in testing, module sip testing, dry pack, tape and reel, and electric interface board and mec hanical test tool design. The Company offers drop shipment services for shipment of semiconductors directly to end users designated by its customers.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By STOCKPICKR]

    We're starting things off with Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASX), a Taiwan-based chipmaker. Overwhelmingly, overseas stocks have been lagging the broad market here at home -- but that hasn't been the case at Advanced Semiconductor. In fact, this $10 billion chip stock is up more than 30% since the calendar flipped to January. But investors should think about taking their gains here; ASX is starting to look toxic for your portfolio.

    That's because ASX is currently forming a descending triangle pattern, a bearish price setup that's formed by downtrending resistance above shares, and horizontal! support ! to the downside at $5.80. Basically, as ASX bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer to a breakdown below its $5.80 price floor -- if that line in the sand gets violated, then Advanced Semiconductor is a sell.

    For short sellers, the most recent high at the $6.40 level is a logical place to park a protective stop.

    Must Read: 12 Stocks Warren Buffett Loves in 2014

  • [By Jeff Reeves]

    Next Page

    Best Stocks to Buy for Around $5: Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASX)

    Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASX) builds and distributes integrated circuits and other electronics. While that's not as sexy as other chipmakers that play to mobile, it's still a good business, considering the general demand for microchips in everything from cars to computers to TVs.

  • [By David Dittman]

    Crown Resorts is a buy all the way up to USD16.50 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) using the symbol CWN and on the US over-the-counter (OTC) market using the symbol CWLDF.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-semiconductor-companies-to-own-in-right-now-3.html

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Top Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: Barrett Business Services Inc.(BBSI)

Barrett Business Services, Inc. provides business management solutions in the United States. The company offers human resource management services in areas comprising payroll processing, employee benefits and administration, human resource management, risk management, and workers? compensation coverage areas. It also provides professional employer organization services, which include employee benefits, health insurance, workers? compensation coverage, workplace safety programs, federal and state employment laws compliance, labor and workplace regulatory requirements, and related administrative services; and payroll administrative services, such as payroll processing, payroll taxes, and human resource consulting services. In addition, the company provides staffing services, including on-demand or short-term staffing assignments, contract staffing, long-term or indefinite-term on-site management, direct placement, and human resource administration services. It serves elect r onics manufacturers; various light-manufacturing industries; forest products and agriculture-based companies; transportation and shipping enterprises; food processing; telecommunications; public utilities; general contractors in various construction-related fields; and professional services firms. Barrett Business Services, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    The much smaller Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ: BBSI  ) has done even better, soaring 154% over the last 12 months.

    While that might suggest the opportunity to invest in them has passed, I believe their biggest gains are still ahead. While tentativeness among employers about whether the economy is really improving is helping employers to hire more temp workers, the coming impl! ementation of Obamacare will fuel it further. Even with the employer mandate portion of the law being pushed out past the midterm elections to 2015 instead of going into effect on January 1, that just means more companies will be hiring more temp workers for a longer period of time to get below the thresholds the health-care law imposes.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-supermarket-stocks-to-own-right-now-5.html

Monday, July 27, 2015

Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks For 2016

Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks For 2016: Brinker International Inc (EAT)

Brinker International, Inc. (Brinker), incorporated on September 30, 1983, owns, develops, operates and franchises the Chilis Grill & Bar (Chilis) and Maggianos Little Italy (Maggianos) restaurant brands. As of June 27, 2013 (fiscal 2013), the Company's system of Company-owned and franchised restaurants included 1,591 restaurants located in 50 states, and Washington, D.C. It also has restaurants in the Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

Chilis Grill & Bar

Chilis operates in the Bar and Grill category of casual dining. The Company has operations worldwide, with locations in 32 foreign countries and two United States territories. Chilis menu fea tures items, such as Baby Back Ribs smoked in-house, Big Mouth Burgers, Sizzling Fajitas, hand-battered Chicken Crispers and house-made Chips and Salsa. The all-day menu offers a range of appetizers, entrees and desserts. A special lunch section is available on weekdays. In addition to its flavorful food, Chilis offers a line of alcoholic beverages available from the bar, including Margaritas and draft beer. During fiscal 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage sales constituted approximately 86.1% of Chilis total restaurant revenues, with alcoholic beverage sales accounted for the remaining 13.9%.

Maggianos Little Italy

Maggianos is a full-service, casual dining Italian restaurant brand. Its Maggianos restaurants feature individual and family-style menus, and its restaurants also have banquet facilities designed to host party business or social events. It has lunch and dinner menu offering chef-prepared, classic Italian-American fare i n the form of ! appetizers, entrees with portions of pasta, ch! icken, seafood, veal and prime steaks, and desserts. The Companys Maggianos restaurants also offer a range of alcoholic beverages, including wines. In addition, Maggianos offers a full carryout menu, as well as local delivery services. During fiscal 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage sales constituted approximately 83.0% of Maggianos total restaurant revenues, with alcoholic beverage sales accounted for the remaining 17.0%.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Restaurant operatorBrinker International (NYSE: EAT  ) announced yesterdayits second-quarter dividend of $0.20 per share, the same rate it's paid for the last three quarters when it raised the payout 25% from $0.16 per share.

  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    AP/Jae C. Hong For all the talk about drones replacing parcel carriers or self-driving cars disrupting the taxi industry, there's a bigger tech revolution happening in the restaurant industry right now that may displace workers far sooner than anything futurists foresee in those other industries. The arrival of tablets and smartphone apps that detail menu items, take orders, and let you settle up your tab at the en of the meal will be a big theme among casual dining chains and even a few independent foodie haunts this year. Brinker International's (EAT) Chili's, DineEquity's (DIN) Applebee's, and a handful of San Francisco fine dining establishments are leading the push to add the technology, which will make waiters and waitresses less necessary. None of the chains have said that these tech initiatives will lead them to reduce waitstaff headcount -- but it doesn't take a lot of foresight to connect the dots. If folks are using table-side tablets to place orders and ask for drink refills, or firing up a smartphone app to pay at the end of a meal, that naturally translates into fewer front-of-house employees needed to keep an eatery going. Order Up In fact, some industry leaders o! utright d! eny that mobile tech will displace staff. "This really isn't a labor play," DineEquity CEO Julia Stewart said on CNBC late last year, explaining Applebee's move to deploy 100,000 tablets this year -- one at every table. "It's not about saving labor. This is really about creating an opportunity to talk to our guest, have an interactive conversation with our guest, and give our guest a lot more opportunities." At first, a waitstaff will be instrumental in assisting customers as they use the tablets to place orders or pay their bills. There will also be patrons who are apprehensive about embracing the technology, and Applebee's will still have waiters taking orders the old-fashioned way for people who prefer talking to a person. Chili's is going with a less-comprehensive table

  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    Brinker International Casual dining stocks aren't dead as an investment category. Investors just need to know where the tasty treats can be found on the menu. Chili's Grill & Bar parent Brinker International (EAT) moved higher on Wednesday after reporting better than expected quarterly results. Company sales climbed higher, fueled by a 0.3 percent increase in comparable-restaurant sales. Its international locations fared even better. Some casual dining chains that are bucking the general downward trend and posting positive comps are doing so by discounting aggressively to keep patrons coming. But that's not Chili's game at all. Net margins actually expanded nicely at Brinker, with adjusted earnings per share climbing 18 percent during its fiscal second quarter. The 1,557-unit Chili's chain is doing just fine. But the same can't be said about its competition. Red Ink, Ruby Ink Seeing shares of Brinker open 8 percent higher after posting better than expected quarterly results may be painful for investors in Ruby Tuesday (RT) or Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants (DRI). Those two stocks took a hit the last time they offered up fresh financials. Ruby Tuesday and Red Lob! ster are ! falling out of favor with the hungry, with comps plunging 7.8 percent and 4.5 percent respectively in their latest quarters. Both companies have fallen short of Wall Street profit targets in each of their past three quarters. Brinker, on the other hand, has now surpassed bottom-line expectations in three of the past four quarters. With Ruby Tuesday's profits turning to losses and Darden so disillusioned with Red Lobster that it's looking to sell it or spin it off, it's easy to see why savvy investors looking at the casual dining sector are turning to Brinker. The stock hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday, and this could be just the beginning. Tech is the Secret Ingredient Why is Chili's succeeding at a time when profits at many of its peers are receding? Barron's argued earl

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Equities Trading UP
    Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) shot up 6.40 percent to $49.68 as the company reported upbeat FQ2 earnings.

    Shares of Textron (NYSE: TXT) got a boost, shooting up 7.51 percent to $38.81 after the company reported a 13% rise in its fourth-quarter income.

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-gas-utility-stocks-for-2016.html

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Top Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2016

Top Supermarket Stocks To Own For 2016: MCG Capital Corporation(MCGC)

MCG Capital Corporation is a private equity firm specializing in investments in middle market companies. The firm does not prefer investments in highly cyclical and volatile industry sectors and businesses with significant volatility exposure. It seeks to invest in small to mid sized companies. The firm prefers to invest in acquisitions, growth financings, organic growth, recapitalization, and leveraged buyouts. It invests in companies based in the United States. The firm seeks to invest upto $75 million in debt and equity in companies having revenues between $20 million and $200 million and EBITDA between $3 million and $25 million. It seeks to invest in the form of senior debt, including amortizing, bullet maturity, term loans, and revolving credit facilities; institutional sub debt, including junior capital; second lien debt, that includes term loans on sole source and participant basis; secured and unsecured subordinate loans structured as current interest, deferred in terest, and equity linked components; mezzanine debt and equity that includes minority equity investments. The firm may invest in minority or control equity positions. It was formerly known as MCG Credit Corporation. MCG Capital Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Arlington, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Equities Lab]

    The stocks that currently pass the stock screen in order of market cap are Frontier Communications Corp , Crown Media Holdings (CRWN), Vonage Holding (VG), MCG Capital Corp (MCGC), 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (FLWS), MTR Gaming Corporation (MNTG), Alaska Communications (ALSK), and Enzon Pharmaceuticals (ENZN).

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-supermarket-stocks-to-own-for-2016-2.html

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Hot Railroad Companies To Watch In Right Now

Hot Railroad Companies To Watch In Right Now: Standard Motor Products Inc (SMP)

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (Standard Motor Products) is an independent manufacturer and distributor of replacement parts for motor vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry, with a focus on the original equipment service market. The Company operates in two segments: Engine Management Segment and Temperature Control Segment. The Engine Management Segment manufactures ignition and emission parts, ignition wires, battery cables and fuel system parts. The Temperature Control Segment manufactures and remanufactures air conditioning compressors, air conditioning and heating parts, engine cooling system parts, power window accessories, and windshield washer system parts. In January 2014, the Company acquired the assets of Pensacola Fuel Injection, a privately-held company.

The Companys customers consist of warehouse distributors, such as CARQUEST Corporation and NAPA Auto Parts, as well as auto parts retail chains, such as Advance Auto Parts, Inc., AutoZo ne, Inc., OReilly Automotive, Inc., Canadian Tire Corporation and Pep Boys. Its customers also include national program distribution groups, such as Federated Auto Parts, Inc., All Pro/Bumper to Bumper (Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, Inc.), Automotive Distribution Network and The National Pronto Association, and specialty market distributors. The Company distributes parts under its own brand names, such as Standard, BWD, Intermotor, GP Sorensen, TechSmart, OEM, Four Seasons, Factory Air, EVERCO, ACi, Imperial and Hayden and through private labels, such as CARQUEST, OReilly Import Direct and Master Pro, NAPA Echlin, NAPA Temp Products and NAPA Belden.

Engine Management Segment

The Company manufacture a line of engine management replacement parts including, electronic ignition control modules, fuel injectors, ignition wires, voltage regulators, coils, switches, emission sensors, EGR valves, distributor caps and rotors a! nd other engine managem ent components primarily under its brand names Standard, BWD! , Intermotor, OEM, TechSmart and GP Sorensen, and through private labels, such as CARQUEST, OReilly Import Direct and Master Pro, NAPA Echlin and NAPA Belden. In its Engine Management Segment, replacement parts for ignition, emission control and fuel systems accounted for approximately 60% of the Companys revenues during the year ended December 31, 2011.

Vehicles are factory-equipped with computer-controlled engine management systems to control ignition, emission and fuel injection systems. The on-board computers monitor inputs from many types of sensors located throughout the vehicle, and control a myriad of valves, injectors, switches and motors to manage engine and vehicle performance. Electronic ignition systems enable the engine to operate with improved fuel efficiency and reduced level of hazardous fumes in exhaust gases. Wire and cable parts accounted for approximately 12% of the Companys revenues during 2011. These products include ignition (sp ark plug) wires, battery cables and a range of electrical wire, terminals, connectors and tools for servicing an automobiles electrical system. The component of this product line is the sale of ignition wire sets.

Temperature Control Segment

The Company manufactures, remanufactures and markets a line of replacement parts for automotive temperature control (air conditioning (AC) and heating) systems, engine cooling systems, power window accessories and windshield washer systems, primarily under its brand names of Four Seasons, EVERCO, ACi, Hayden, Factory Air and Imperial, and through private labels, such as CARQUEST, NAPA Temp Products and Murray.

The product groups sold by its Temperature Control Segment are new and remanufactured compressors, clutch assemblies, blower and radiator fan motors, filter dryers, evaporators, accumulators, hose assemblies, expansion valves, heater valves, AC service tools and chemicals! , fan ass! emblies, fan clutches, engine oil coolers, transmission coolers, wind! ow lift m! otors, motor/regulator assemblies and windshield washer pumps. The Companys temperature control products accounted for approximately 27% of the Companys revenues during 2011.''

The Company competes with ACDelco, Delphi Automotive PLC, Denso Corporation, Robert Bosch Corporation, Visteon Corporation, NGK/NTK, General Cable, Prestolite, United Components, Inc, ACDelco, Delphi Automotive PLC, Denso Corporation, Sanden International, Inc., Continental AG and Vista-Pro Automotive, LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By , Zacks Investment Research]

    Standard Motor Products (SMP) makesreplacement parts for motor vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry with an increasing focus on the original equipment service market. It has a market cap of $959 million.

  • [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 Standard Motor Products (NYSE: SMP  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    What: Shares of Standard Motor Products (NYSE: SMP  ) weren't looking up to snuff today, falling as much as 10% today after Goldman Sachs downgraded the entire U.S. auto sector and lowered its rating on Standard form "neutral" to "sell."

  • source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-railroad-companies-to-watch-in-right-now-4.html

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Top Regional Bank Companies For 2016

Top Regional Bank Companies For 2016: Actelion Ltd (ATLN.VX)

Actelion Ltd is a Swiss biopharmaceutical holding company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs. The Company has four approved drugs on the market: Tracleer, an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist; Veletri, a prostanoid vasodilator; Ventavis, an inhaled formulation of iloprost, and Zavesca, an oral treatment for type 1 Gaucher disease. Furthermore, the Company has a number of compounds various stages of development. The Company operates through a number of worldwide subsidiaries, including Actelion Registration Ltd, which holds marketing authorizations for products marketed in the European Union; Actelion Clinical Research, Inc, engaged in clinical development on behalf of the Company's group; Actelion Re SA, providing insurance solutions for the Company's group and Actelion US Holding Company, engaged in the holding activities of the Company's United States-based units. In September 2013, it acquired Ceptaris Therapeuti cs, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Victor Selva]

    Forest Laboratories has a current ratio of 2.69% which is higher than the ones registered by Endo International Plc (ENDP), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST). For investors looking for a higher ROE, Allergan Inc. (AGN) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN.VX) are good options.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-regional-bank-companies-for-2016.html

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Top Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The retail sector has been getting crushed in recent trading weeks. TheStreet's Jim Cramer and Stephanie Link, co-managers of the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio, looked at the sector and believe it can only take so much selling before it begins to look interesting to investors again.

To that end, Link suggested investors look at retailer stocks that are of the highest quality including Costco Wholesale (COST), Macy's (M), TJX Companies (TJX) and Nike (NKE). All but COST are AAP holdings.

She said these companies are not only quality names but are part of a long-term secular trend. TJX benefits from value-conscious and frugal customers while Nike has the health and wellness trend working in its favor. 

Cramer added that TJX is a "winner, not a loser," and its recent big selloff could be a sign of an impending reversal. Nike is seeing solid growth out of China. 

Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Malvern Federal Bancorp Inc.(MLVF)

Malvern Federal Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Malvern Federal Savings Bank, which is a federally chartered savings bank. It provides banking services in Pennsylvania. The company engages in attracting deposits from the general public and using those funds to invest in loans and investment securities. Its deposit products include interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, as well as money market, savings, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company?s loan products principally include one-to four family residential mortgage loans; and consumer loans comprising home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans, unsecured personal loans, and loans secured by deposits. It conducts business from its headquarters and eight full-service branches in Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Paoli, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Melvin]

    Malvern Federal (MLVF) is a great example of a small financial institution at a cheap price with a sound financial condition. The bank has 8 branches in the Chester and Delaware counties of Pennsylvania. The bank has been around since 1897 and currently has about $600 million in assets. MLVF has a great balance sheet, with an equity-to-assets ratio of 10.9 and nonperforming assets that are just 1.98% of total assets.

Top Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Electro Rent Corporation(ELRC)

Electro Rent Corporation engages in the rental, lease, and sale of new and used electronic test and measurement equipment. Its equipment portfolio consists of general purpose test and measurement instruments; personal computers, workstations, and servers; and electrical test equipment and inspection equipment. The company rents or leases its equipment primarily to companies operating in the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, electronics, and semiconductor industries. Electro Rent Corporation serves its customers through sales offices, and calibration and service centers in the United States, Canada, China, and Europe. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Van Nuys, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Electro Rent (NASDAQ: ELRC) shares fell 0.77% to reach a new 52-week low of $15.39. Electro Rent's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is 9.24%.

    Posted-In: 52-Week LowsNews Movers & Shakers Intraday Update Markets

  • [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 Electro Rent (Nasdaq: ELRC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Planar Systems Inc.(PLNR)

Planar Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in developing, manufacturing, and marketing electronic display products and systems. The company provides customized, embedded, and ruggedized displays to original equipment manufacturers and other system suppliers; and active-matrix liquid crystal display panels for use in various applications and industries, including instrumentation, medical equipment, vehicle dashboards, indoor and outdoor digital signage, and military applications. It also offers liquid crystal display (LCD) video walls and rear-projection cube video walls for use in venue digital signage, as well as in various control room installations under the Clarity brand name. In addition, the company provides LCD based displays, including desktop monitors, touch displays, widescreen monitors, and front-projection equipment to the information technology market. Further, it offers home theater front-projection video systems, video processing equipment , large-format thin video displays, ?window wall? video applications, and accessories primarily to custom home installation dealers under the Runco brand name. Planar Systems, Inc. operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, India, Taiwan, and China. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Konrad Kuhn]

    Founded in 1983, Planar Systems (PLNR) is a global leader in display and digital signage technology; retailers, educational institutions, government agencies, utilities, energy firms, and home theater enthusiasts all depend on Planar when image experience is the highest importance.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Shares of small cap stocks VASCO Data Security International, Inc (NASDAQ: VDSI), MGP Ingredients Inc (NASDAQ: MGPI) and Planar Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: PLNR) are up 277.7%, 228.5% and 222%, respectively, since the start of the year with all three stocks being in rather interesting or overlooked sectors e.g. data/cloud security, alcohol/ingredients and display/digital signage technology. Here is what you need to know or be warned about all three small cap stocks:

Top Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Photronics Inc.(PLAB)

Photronics, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of photomasks primarily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Photomasks are high precision photographic quartz plates containing microscopic images of electronic circuits, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors and flat panel displays; and used as masters to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat panel substrates during the fabrication of integrated circuits, various flat panel displays, and other types of electrical and optical components. The company sells its photomasks to semiconductor designers, manufacturers, foundries, and other high performance electronics manufacturers through its sales personnel and customer service representatives. Photronics, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Brookfield, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    My first earnings short-squeeze trade idea is photomasks maker Photronics (PLAB), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Photronics to report revenue of $106.05 million on earnings of 8 cents per share.

    About a month ago, Needham downgraded shares of Photronics to hold from buy following the company's negative preannouncement. Needham anticipates that Photronics will face some near-term challenges and may not generate EPS over 80 cents per share until fiscal year 2015.

    The current short interest as a percentage of the float Photronics is pretty high at 11.9%. That means that out of the 59.69 million shares in the tradable float, 7.38 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a high short interest on a stock with a relatively low float. Any bullish earnings news could easily spark a large short-squeeze for shares of PLAB post-earnings.

    From a technical perspective, PLAB is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending over the last three months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $7.03 to its recent high of $8.89 a share. During that uptrend, shares of PLAB have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of PLAB within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade post-earnings.

    If you're bullish on PLAB, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.74 to its 52-week high at $8.89 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 212,683 shares. If that breakout hits, then PLAB will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move a

  • [By Evan Niu, CFA]

    What: Shares of Photronics (NASDAQ: PLAB  ) have gotten crushed today, down by as much as 11% after the company reported earnings.

    So what: Revenue in the fiscal second quarter totaled $106.7 million, down 9% from a year ago and below the $108.5 million consensus estimate. That also led to a bottom-line miss, with Photronics posting earnings per share of $0.08, near the lower end of guidance and also shy of the $0.09-per-share profit that investors were expecting.

  • [By Ben Axler]

    In the table below, we've listed a sample of small-cap semiconductor capital equipment stocks such as Entegris (ENTG), Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS), ATMI Inc. (ATMI), MKS Instruments (MKSI), Photronics Inc. (PLAB), Rudolph Technologies (RTEC),FormFactor (FORM) and Mattson Technology (MTSN). The peers trade at approximately 1.0x and 15.5x 2014E revenues and EPS, respectively. Furthermore, the average peer trades at 2.1x tangible book value. However, these multiples are based on average 2014E industry revenue and earnings growth of 18% and 119%, respectively. Axcelis is poised to grow at a rate substantially above the industry average.

  • [By James Brumley]

    RDN also is on pace to swing back into the black during the coming year, which could be a huge catalyst.

    Photronics (PLAB)

    12/2 Price: $8.65

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Top 10 Trucking Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Trucking Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Recon Technology Ltd.(RCON)

Recon Technology, Ltd. provides hardware, software, and on-site services to companies in the petroleum mining and extraction industry in the People?s Republic of China. The company offers equipment, tools, and other hardware related to oilfield production and management; and develop and sell industrial automation control and information solutions. Its oil and gas production and transportation equipment comprise heating furnaces, burners, and separators. Recon Technology, Ltd.?s oil and gas development tools and equipment include packers of fracturing, production packers, and water injection packers; and oil and gas production increasing techniques consist of fissure shaper technique to increase perforation depth, sand prevention in oil and water well technique, water locating and plugging technique, fracture acidizing technique, and electronic broken-down service. Its automation systems and services comprise pumping unit controllers that monitors the pumping units and co l lects data for load, pressure, voltage, startup, and shutdown control; RTU for monitoring natural gas wells and collecting gas well pressure data; wireless dynamometer and wireless pressure gauge; electric multi-way valve for oilfield metering station flow control; and natural gas flow computer system to measure the flow. The company?s automation systems and services also consist of Recon SCADA oilfield monitor and data acquisition system for supervision and data collection; EPC service of pipeline SCADA system for pipeline monitoring and data acquisition; EPC service of oil and gas wells SCADA system for monitoring and data acquisition of oil, and natural gas wells; EPC service of oilfield video surveillance and control system to control the oil and gas wellhead area and measure station area; and technique service for digital oilfield transformation. Recon! Technology, Ltd. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Anybody who was lucky enough to get into a Recon Technology, Ltd. (NASDAQ:RCON) position before October 7th, then congratulations - you're up big-time. Now get out. Instead, a better use of that capital is Mitek Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MITK). While RCON is overbought and ripe for a pullback, MITK is itching to stage a breakout.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-trucking-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-6.html

Sunday, June 28, 2015

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now

Instead of the healthy correction that many market watchers have been expecting, several hard-to-see cracks in the market infrastructure could instead give us a full-blown stock market crash in 2014.

A 317-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average July 31 - as well as a 140-point drop Tuesday and 75-point fall yesterday - seemed to confirm that we're on the verge of, if not in the middle of, a market correction.

Money Morning Capital Wave Strategist Shah Gilani is not surprised, as he has been predicting a 20% stock market correction for weeks.

To Gilani, the signs were clear to see.

"Everybody sees the divergence between the market and the economy - the market was trading near its highs, while the economy hasn't been doing nearly as well. That needs to correct at some point," he said.

Hot Retail Companies To Buy For 2016: Thales SA (HO)

Thales SA is a France-based provider of integrated solutions and equipment of security systems primarily to the aerospace and defense markets. The Company operates in numerous countries through its divisions, including Aerospace, specialized in onboard equipment, electronics and systems for the civil and military markets; Space, offering solutions combining space and terrestrial technologies; Defence, which designs and delivers systems for all four environments: air, land, sea and space; Security, which offer the emergence of new types of threats from terrorism and organized crime to drug trafficking, mass immigration and cyber attacks; and Transportation, which offers a range of railways signaling solutions and integrated transportation systems, to ensure safe and secure transportation of operators, freight and passengers. In November 2013, it acquired XPI Simulation Ltd. In February 2014, it created a new business line called Critical Information Systems and Cybersecurity. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By USATODAY 8 a.m. EST February 15]

    Alex Pettyfer about to take the wheel of the Maserati Gran Turismo for a joyride with co-star Dayo Okeniyi.(Photo: HO)

    Pettyfer and Okeniyi's character end up joyriding in the car along with Gabriella Wilde, who plays the rich girl falling in love with Pettyfer.

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Arbor Realty Trust Inc (ABR)

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., incorporated in June 2003, is a specialized real estate finance company. The Company invests in a diversified portfolio of structured finance assets in the multi-family and commercial real estate markets. It invests primarily in real estate-related bridge and mezzanine loans, including junior participating interests in first mortgages, preferred and direct equity, and in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate-related assets (collectively, structured finance investments). The Company also holds investments in mortgage-related securities and real estate property. It conducts all of its operations and investing activities through its operating partnership, Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company serves as the general partner of its operating partnership, and owned a 100% partnership interest in its operating partnership as of December 31, 2011.

Targeted Investments

The Company offers bridge financing products to borrowers who are seeking short-term capital to be used in an acquisition of property. The bridge loans it makes range in size from $1 million to $75 million and are predominantly secured by first mortgage liens on the property. The Company offers junior participation financing in the form of junior participating interest in the senior debt. Junior participation financings have the same obligations, collateral and borrower as the senior debt. Its junior participation loans range in size from $1 million to $60 million and have terms of up to 10 years. The Company offers mezzanine financing in the form of loans that are subordinate to a conventional first mortgage loan and senior to the borrower�� equity in a transaction. The Company holds a majority of its mezzanine loans through subsidiaries of its operating partnership that are pass-through entities for tax purposes or taxable subsidiary corporations. The Company provides financing by making preferred equity investments in entit! ies that directly or indirectly own real property. Its preferred equity investments typically range in size from $1 million to $75 million, and have terms up to 10 years.

Structured Finance Investments

The Company owns a diversified portfolio of structured finance investments consisting primarily of real estate-related bridge, junior participation interests in first mortgages, and mezzanine loans, as well as preferred equity investments and mortgage-related securities. As of December 31, 2011, it had 119 loans and investments in its portfolio, totaling $1.5 billion. These loans and investments were for 72 multi-family properties, 25 office properties, nine land properties, seven hotel properties, three retail properties, two condominium properties and one commercial property.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Arbor Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: ABR) recently increased its cash position with a secondary offering of 6 million shares of stock. The company invests in multifamily and commercial real estate-related bridge loans, junior participating interests in first mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred and direct equity, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate-related assets, as well as holds investments in mortgage-related securities and real estate property. Arbor Realty Trust is rated as a stock to buy at Deutsche Bank with a $9.50 price target. The Thomson/First Call estimate for the stock is $9.25. Investors are paid a very solid 7.2% divided. The stock closed Friday at $6.88.

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Rallye SA (RAL)

Rallye SA is a France-based holding company organized around two sectors of activity: large scale distribution to the food stores and supermarkets and distribution of sports items. The Company is present in France, Latin America, Poland, and Asia through its interests in brands, such as Geant, Monoprix, Leader Price, and United Grocers Cash & Carry, among others. It also has its interst in the Groupe Go Sport. Rallye SA is notably present in France, the United States, Luxembourg, Poland and Colombia, among others. The Company operates through its subsidiaries and affliated companies, such as Cobivia SAS, L��abitation Moderne de Boulogne, Magasins Jean SAS, Matignon Sablons SAS, MFD SA, Parande SAS, Casino Guichaqrd Perrachon DA, Groupe Go Sport, Sivigral SCI and French Develompent Venture SA. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Holly LaFon]

    A risk involved with the company is that its Republic Bank & Trust business derives 78% of its net income from TRS, which offers bank products that help get customers who electronically file their tax returns their payments. RB&T is only of the few financial institutions in the U.S. that provide the service. Under the program, the taxpayer may receive a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL), which has been questioned by various governmental and consumer groups. In May 2011, RB&T received an order to cease and desist which could result in an order by the FDIC to terminate its RAL program. It has a hearing on Feb. 12, 2012 in Kentucky regarding the matter.

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: CSI Compressco LP (CCLP)

CSI Compressco LP, formerly Compressco Partners, L.P., incorporated on October 31, 2008, is a provider of wellhead compression-based production enhancement services (production enhancement services). The Company provides its services to a base of natural gas and oil exploration and production companies operating throughout many of the onshore producing regions of the United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Its production enhancement services primarily consist of wellhead compression, related liquids separation, gas metering, and vapor recovery services. It also provides ongoing well monitoring services, and, in Mexico, automated sand separation services in connection with its primary production enhancement services. It design and manufacture most of the compressor units it use to provide its production enhancement services. Compressco Partners GP, Inc. is the general partner of the Company.

GasJack unit fleet

The Company�� GasJack unit allows it to perform compression, liquids separation and optional gas metering services all from one skid. The Company focuses on the natural gas wells in its operating regions that produce between 30,000 and 300, 000 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (Mcf/d) and less than 50 barrels of water per day.

The Company utilize its natural gas powered GasJack compressors, or GasJack units, to provide wellhead compression services. Its GasJack units increase gas production by reducing surface pressure, which allows wellbore fluids that would normally block gas flow to produce up the well. The 46-horsepower GasJack unit is an integrated power/compressor unit equipped with an industrial 460-cubic inch, V-8 engine that uses natural gas from the well to power one bank of cylinders that, in turn, powers the other bank of cylinders, which provide compression.

VJack unit fleet

The Company utilizes its electric VJack compressors, or VJack units, to provide its production enhancement services on wells loc! ated in larger, mature oil fields, such as the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, and in environmentally sensitive markets, such as California, when electric power is available at the production site. Its VJack unit is designed for vapor recovery applications (to capture natural gas vapors emitting from closed storage tanks after production and to reduce storage tank pressures) and backside pumping applications on oil wells (to reduce pressures caused by casing head gas in oil wells with pumping units). Based on GasJack unit technology, the VJack unit is capable of full wellbore stream production, and can handle up to 50 barrels per day of liquids on a standard skid package.

The Company�� GasJack and VJack compressor units are mounted on steel skids. ePumper system Utilizing its ePumper system, SCADA satellite telemetry-based reporting system, it remotely monitor in real time, whether its services are being continuously provided at each well site. The ePumper system improves the response time of its field personnel.

Well Monitoring and Automated Sand Separation Services

The Company also provides ongoing well monitoring services and, in Mexico, automated sand separation services. Its well monitoring services consist of ongoing testing and evaluation of wells to determine how its wellhead compression services are optimizing the production from a well.

The Company utilizes well-testing equipment to gather well data that its personnel analyze to determine the expected production uplift that may be achieved by the provision of its wellhead compression services on the well, as well as to determine the optimal way to utilize its wellhead compression services to provide for maximum production uplift. These services allow well operators to make informed decisions about how to maximize the production from a well.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Although oil prices ended the year at multi year lows, now would be the time to take a closer look at�small cap gas compression or enhanced oil recovery (EOR) stocks like�Usa Compression Partners LP (NYSE: USAC), CSI Compressco LP (NASDAQ: CCLP) and Propell Technologies Group Inc (OTCBB: PROP) before oil and gas prices inevitably rise again. To begin with, natural gas compression services are used to transport natural gas and specifically to get�natural gas from low-pressure wells into gathering systems, storage and processing facilities�as well as to maintain production as reservoir pressure declines. Compression services�are also used to extract gas from�unconventional natural gas sources like shale plays. Meanwhile,�so-called enhanced oil recovery or EOR is just a generic term for the techniques used for increasing the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil field with potential methods including steam flood and water flood injection�or hydraulic fracturing�(so-called fracking). Naturally, demand for compression services and EOR technologies would be impacted by oil and gas commodity prices.

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Actelion Ltd (ATLN.VX)

Actelion Ltd is a Swiss biopharmaceutical holding company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs. The Company has four approved drugs on the market: Tracleer, an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist; Veletri, a prostanoid vasodilator; Ventavis, an inhaled formulation of iloprost, and Zavesca, an oral treatment for type 1 Gaucher disease. Furthermore, the Company has a number of compounds various stages of development. The Company operates through a number of worldwide subsidiaries, including Actelion Registration Ltd, which holds marketing authorizations for products marketed in the European Union; Actelion Clinical Research, Inc, engaged in clinical development on behalf of the Company's group; Actelion Re SA, providing insurance solutions for the Company's group and Actelion US Holding Company, engaged in the holding activities of the Company's United States-based units. In September 2013, it acquired Ceptaris Therapeutics, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Victor Selva]

    Forest Laboratories has a current ratio of 2.69% which is higher than the ones registered by Endo International Plc (ENDP), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST). For investors looking for a higher ROE, Allergan Inc. (AGN) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN.VX) are good options.

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Frontier Beverage Company Inc (FBEC)

Frontier Beverage Company, Inc., incorporated on November 18, 2002, is in the business of development, marketing and distribution of New Age/Alternative Beverages and snack products. New Age/Alternative Beverages is an industry categorization for a group of products that include energy drinks/infused water, fruit juices and drinks, dairy and dairy substitutes, and bottled/canned teas. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired holding company 22 Social Club Productions Inc. and its subsidiaries Blue 22 Entertainment.

The Company markets, sells and maintain inventories of Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Inc. known as UnWind Ultimate Relaxation (UnWind) in Citrus Orange, Goji Grape and Pom Berry flavors in cases of twelve, 12-ounce slim cans. In addition to 12-ounce cans of UnWind, the Company also developed and test marketed a product line known as Bulldozer, which was a concentrated version of the canned UnWind beverage packaged in three-ounce containers. The Company's point-of-sale line includes posters, statics, info cards, suction racks and suction stickers.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap stocks Beeston Enterprises Ltd (OTCMKTS: BESE) and HD Retail Solutions Inc (OTCMKTS: HDRE) surged 33.33% and 11.54%, respectively, on Black Friday while Frontier Beverage Company Inc (OTCMKTS: FBEC) sank 18.18%. And while Black Friday might be the most important shopping day of the year for retailers, its probably not a day that sees a lot of action from investors and traders still digesting their Thanksgiving meals (or busy looking for deals at their favorite retailers). So what direction will these three small cap stocks do for investors and traders this week? Here is a closer look to help you decide:

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Northwest Pipe Company (NWPX)

Northwest Pipe Company manufactures and markets large-diameter, high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, primarily related to drinking water systems. Its pipeline systems are also used for hydroelectric power systems, wastewater systems, and other applications. The company also manufactures smaller diameter, electric resistance welded steel pipes and other welded steel pipe products for use in a range of applications, including energy, construction, agriculture, industrial, and traffic signpost systems. In addition, it manufactures products for various structural piling applications and in-plant pipeline systems for power plants and other industrial applications. The company sells its water transmission products to public water agencies directly or through installation contractors; and tubular products to distributors and original equipment manufacturers through a network of direct sales force personnel and sales agents in the Unit ed States and Canada. Northwest Pipe Company was founded in 1966 and is based in Vancouver, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Aaron Levitt]

    Enter Northwest Pipe (NWPX).

    NWPX is the leading supplier of high-pressure steel pipe used in wastewater, hydroelectric power and potable drinking water applications. While Northwest�� steel pipes are more expensive to install and use than similar concrete ones, water authorities in dryer climates prefer them as they have zero evaporation rises.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now

FedEx delivered top-notch financial results and its shares are being rewarded for it. There is one reason for pessimism, however: The rising price of oil.

Reuters

Cowen’s Helane Becker and Conor Cunningham explain why oil could be a problem:

FedEx forecasts F2015 EPS to be in the range of $8.50 to $9.00, compared to our estimate of $8.15 and the consensus estimate of $8.76. Management’s F2015 expectations assume a similar fuel environment and modest economic improvement. FedEx F2015 results should benefit from improving results at Express, continued strong results at Ground and Freight and further execution of their share repurchase program. We believe the shares will react favorably to the outlook despite guidance being in line with Street expectations. Forward earnings estimates across the Street have declined, as many were somewhat cautious on the quarter, so a confirmation should be viewed favorably. We are a little concerned about management expecting fuel to be relatively unchanged as crude prices have spiked in the near-term; clearly this could be short lived but it might cause some concern around the outlook.

Top Consumer Service 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 Sean Williams]

    For this week's round of "Better Know a Stock," I'm going to take a closer look at Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD  ) .

    What Heartland Express does
    Heartland Express is a short-to-medium-haul truckload carrier of general commodities within the United States. It primarily is responsible for shipping automotive parts, retail goods, paper products, and packaged food.

  • [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 Ben Levisohn]

    Shares of Heartland Express (HTLD) rose today despite being cut by Stifel Nicolaus for valuation reasons.

    Bloomberg News

    Shares of Heartland Express have gained 50% this year, trumping the 38% rise in Con-Way (CNW) and the 29% advance in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) but lagging Old Dominion Freight Lines (ODFL) and Swift Transportation (SWFT).

    That big gain was enough for Stifel’s John Larkin say no mas and cut his rating on Heartland Express. They explain why:

    Downgrading from Buy to Hold as the company’s shares appear fully and fairly valued. In fact, shares have recently traded through our 12-month fair value estimate of $19 (or 16.0x our 2015 EPS estimate of $1.15 plus ~$0.68 per share NPV of future cash tax benefits).

    Rating change is primarily valuation based as well as from our view that most transportation equities are trading ahead of the still mediocre underlying freight market fundamentals.

    BB&T’s Thomas Albrecht and team, who upgraded Heartland Express to Buy from Hold yesterday, explain why they think the stock will do just fine regardless of the economy:

    Heartland is an intriguing play upon both a slow-growth economy and a rapidly growing one (along with tight capacity). Many carriers are only able to thrive in the latter environment. With HTLD we believe that even in a sluggish economy it has a self-generating EPS story through the integration and growth of Gordon. Q3’13, a very difficult quarter for TL carriers, saw HTLD post a 79.3% OR versus 83.3%.

    The timing of the Gordon deal seems ideal, similar to the Great Coastal acquisition in mid-2002. Back then the TL market was stabilizing, but had yet to really take off, which occurred in the back half of 2003. Those 4-5 quarters allowed HTLD to assess customers, integrate operations, consolidate facilities and get ready for the next cycle. By the time that occurred HTLD was ready to take advantage of the capacity

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Agility Public Warehousing Co KSC (AGLTY)

Agility Public Warehousing Company KSC is a Kuwait-based company engaged, along with its subsidiaries, in the provision of global integrated logistics solutions. The Company is organized into two business segments: the Logistic and Related services segment provides logistics offering to its clients, including freight forwarding, transportation, contract logistics, project logistics and fairs and events logistics, and the Infrastructure segment provides other services, which include industrial real estate airport and airplane ground handling and cleaning services, customs consulting, private equity and waste recycling. The Company operates under the brand name of Agility. The Company�� subsidiaries include Global Express Transport Co. WLL, PWC Transport Company WLL, Agility DGS Logistics Services KSCC and Gulf Catering Company for General, among others. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Fiona MacDonald]

    The Kuwait SE Price Index rose for a sixth day, climbing 0.5 percent to 6,851.17 at the close. Kuwait Real Estate Co. (KRE) climbed to the highest level in a month. Agility (AGLTY) advanced 1.7 percent after winning a $190 million UN contract in Sudan�� Darfur region. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks the biggest 200 companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, fell 0.1 percent.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO)

Canadian National Railway Company (CN), incorporated on August 24, 1995, is engaged in the rail and related transportation business. CN�� network of approximately 20,100 route miles spans Canada and mid-America, connecting three coasts: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert (British Columbia), Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile (Alabama) and metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth (Minnesota)/Superior (Wisconsin), Green Bay (Wisconsin), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis and Jackson (Mississippi), with connections to all points in North America. CN�� network, and its co-production agreements, routing protocols, marketing alliances and interline agreements, provide CN customers access to all three North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) nations. In March 2012, the Company acquired a locomotive program.

Petroleum and chemicals

The petroleum and chemicals commodity group consists of a range of commodities, including chemicals, sulfur, plastics, petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas products. The Company�� petroleum and chemicals shipments originate in the Louisiana petrochemical corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge; in northern Alberta, and in eastern Canadian regional plants.

Metals and minerals

The metals and minerals commodity group consists primarily of non-ferrous base metals and ores, concentrates, iron ore, steel, construction materials, machinery and dimensional loads. The Company provides rail access to aluminum, mining, steel and iron ore producing regions.

Forest products

The forest products commodity group includes range of lumber, panels, paper, wood pulp and other fibers such as logs, recycled paper, wood chips, and wood pellets. The Company has rail access to the western and eastern Canadian fiber-producing regions. In United States, the Company is located to serve both the Midwest and southern United! States corridors with interline connections to other Class I railroads.

Coal

The coal commodity group consists of thermal grades of bituminous coal, metallurgical coal and petroleum coke. Canadian thermal and metallurgical coal is exported through terminals on the west coast of Canada to offshore markets. In United States, thermal coal is transported from mines served in southern Illinois, or from western United States mines through interchange with other railroads, to utilities in the Midwest and southeast United States, as well as offshore markets through terminals in the Gulf and the Port of Prince Rupert.

Grain and fertilizers

The grain and fertilizers commodity group depends primarily on crops grown and fertilizers processed in western Canada and the United States Midwest. The grain segment consists of three primary segments: food grains (mainly wheat, oats and malting barley), feed grains and feed grain products (including feed barley, feed wheat, peas, corn, ethanol and dried distillers grains), and oilseeds and oilseed nproducts (primarily canola seed, oil and meal, and soybeans).

Intermodal

The intermodal commodity group is consists of two segments: domestic and international. The domestic segment transports consumer products and manufactured goods, operating through both retail and wholesale channels, within domestic Canada, domestic United States., Mexico and transborder, while the international segment handles import and export container traffic, directly serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montreal, Halifax and New Orleans.

Automotive

The automotive commodity group moves both finished vehicles and parts throughout North America, providing rail access to certain vehicle assembly plants in Canada, and Michigan and Mississippi in the United States. The Company also serves vehicle distribution facilities in Canada and the United States, as well as parts production facilities in Mi! chigan an! d Ontario. The Company serves shippers of import vehicles via the ports of Halifax and Vancouver, and through interchange with other railroads.

The Company competes with Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roadmap2Retire]

    I am also considering various stocks that are not currently in my portfolio, but the current high valuations do not provide many options.

    Canadian National Railway (CNR.TO) engages in transportation of goods including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, intermodal, and automotive products. The company operates 20,100 route miles of track that spans Canada adn mid-America connecting the three coasts of Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. CNR is a dividend contender that has been raising its dividends for 17 consecutive years and has a 5-yr DGR of 13.9% and a 10-yr DGR of 17.4%. Norfolk Southern (NSC) engages in rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate and finished goods operating approximately 20,000 router miles across the southern and eastern US. NSC and other railroads stand to benefit from the oil boom in continental US, and before permanent pipelines are put in place, railroads are the only option available to transport the huge supplies. NSC is a dividend contender raising its dividends for 12 consecutive years and has a 5-yr DGR of 10.8% and 10-yr DGR of 21.1%. Procter & Gamble (PG) and Unilever plc (UL) are giants in the consumer packaged goods field. PG has five segments - beauty, grooming, healthcare, fabric care and home care. UL has four segments - personal care, foods, refreshment and home care. PG has been raising dividends for 57 years; has a 5-yr DGR of 10.2% and a 10-yr DGR of 10.8%. UL has been raising dividends for 25 years; has a 5-yr 7.07%. Aerospace & Defense Sector: With the global turmoils continuing and the rise of new conflicts across Eastern Europe and Middle East, I am considering adding some exposure to the Aerospace & Defense Sector. I recently posted an article regarding the current valuation of the stocks in the sector here. Index Funds - China ETF, Emerging Markets - I am considering adding a new index fund to my portfolio to track the Chinese marke

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Aurizon Holdings Ltd (QRNNF)

Aurizon Holdings Limited, formerly QR National Limited, is a rail freight operator. It owns and operates a coal network made up of 2,670 kilometers of heavy haul rail infrastructure. It provides specialist services in rail design, engineering, construction, management and maintenance, and offers supply chain solutions to a range of customers in Australia. Its business comprises three product lines. Coal business includes transport of coal from mines in Queensland and New South Wales to end customers and ports. Freight business includes transport of bulk mineral commodities, including iron ore, agricultural products, mining and industrial inputs and general freight throughout Queensland and Western Australia. Network Services business provides access to, and operation and management of the Central Queensland Coal Network. In January 2014 the Company announced that National Australia Bank Limited and its associated entities has ceased to be the substantial holder of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MARKETWATCH]

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

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Forward Air Corp (FWRD)

Forward Air Corporation operates in two segments: Forward Air, Inc. (Forward Air) and Forward Air Solutions, Inc. (FASI). Through the Company's Forward Air segment, it is a provider of time-definite surface transportation and related logistics services to the North American deferred air freight market. It offers its customers local pick-up and delivery (Forward Air Complete) and scheduled surface transportation of cargo. It transports cargo that must be delivered at a specific time but is less time-sensitive than traditional air freight. As of December 31, 2011, it operated its Forward Air segment through a network of terminals located on or near airports in 85 cities in the United States and Canada, including a central sorting facility in Columbus, Ohio and 12 regional hubs serving key markets. It also offers its customers an array of logistics and other services including expedited full truckload (TLX); dedicated fleets; warehousing; customs brokerage; and shipment consolidation, deconsolidation and handling. During the year ended December 31, 2011, approximately 23.9% of the freight it handled was for overnight delivery, approximately 61.3% was for delivery within two to three days and the balance was for delivery in four or more days. Through its FASI segment, it provides pool distribution services throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Southwest continental United States. Pool distribution involves managing high-frequency, last mile handling and distribution of time-sensitive product to destinations in geographic regions. In March 2013, it acquired Total Quality, Inc. In February 2014, Forward Air Corporation acquired Central States Trucking Co. and Central States Logistics, Inc. from Central States Inc.

Forward Air

The Company receives freight from air freight forwarders, integrated air cargo carriers and passenger and cargo airlines at its terminals, which are located on or near airports in the United States and Canada. It also picks up freight from custo! mers at designated locations via our Forward Air Complete service. It transports these shipments by truck through its network to its terminals nearest the destinations of the shipments. It operates scheduled service to and from each of its terminals through its Columbus, Ohio central sorting facility or through one of its 12 regional hubs. It also operates scheduled shuttle service directly between terminals where the volume of freight warrants bypassing the Columbus, Ohio central sorting facility or a regional hub. When a shipment arrives at its terminal nearest its destination, the customer arranges for the shipment to be picked up and delivered to its final destination, or it, in the alternative, through its Forward Air Complete service, deliver the freight for the customer to its final destination. Its airport-to-airport network consists of terminals located in the 85 cities. As of December 31, 2011, independent agents and FASI operate 18 and two of its Forward Air locations.

The Company operates direct terminal-to-terminal services and regional overnight service between terminals where justified by freight volumes. It provides regional overnight service to the markets within its network. Direct shipments also reduce the likelihood of damage because of reduced handling and sorting of the freight. It operates regional hubs in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Newark, Newburgh, Orlando, and Sacramento. During 2011, the average weekly volume of freight moving through its network was approximately 34.0 million pounds per week. During 2011, its average shipment weighed approximately 717 pounds and shipment sizes ranged from small boxes weighing only a few pounds to large shipments of several thousand pounds.

The Company�� logistics and other services allow customers to access services from a single source: expedited full truckload (TLX); dedicated fleets; customs brokerage, such as assistance with the United States C! ustoms an! d Border Protection (U.S. Customs) procedures for both import and export shipments; warehousing, dock and office space; drayage and intermodal; hotshot or ad-hoc ultra expedited services, and shipment consolidation and handling, such as shipment build-up and break-down and reconsolidation of air or ocean pallets or containers.

Forward Air Solutions

Through the Company�� FASI segment, it provides pool distribution services through a network of terminals and service locations in 19 cities throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Southwest continental United States. Pool distribution involves managing high-frequency handling and distribution of time-sensitive product to destinations in specific geographic regions. Its customers for this product are regional and nationwide distributors and retailers, such as mall, strip mall and outlet-based retail chains. Its pool distribution network consists of terminals and service locations in the 19 cities. Its Forward Air wholesale customer base is comprised of freight forwarders, integrated air cargo carriers and passenger and cargo airlines. Its air freight forwarder customers vary in size from independent, single facility companies to international logistics companies, such as SEKO Worldwide, AIT Worldwide Logistics, Expeditors International of Washington, Associated Global, UPS Supply Chain Solutions and Pilot Air Freight. Its FASI pool distribution customers are consisted of national and regional retailers and distributors, such as The Limited, The Marmaxx Group, The GAP, and Aeropostale. The Company also participates in air cargo and retail trade shows and advertise its services through direct mail programs and through the Internet via www.forwardair.com and www.forwardairsolutions.com.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [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 Forward Air (Nasdaq: FWRD  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Universal Truckload Services Inc (UACL)

Universal Truckload Services, Inc., incorporated on December 11, 2001, is engaged in providing transportation services to shippers throughout the United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The Company�� over-the-road trucking services include both flatbed and dry van operations and it provides rail-truck and steamship-truck intermodal support services. It also offers truck brokerage services, as well as full service international freight forwarding and customs house brokerage services. The Company provides truckload transportation and related services for a range of general commodities over irregular routes using dry and specialty vans and un-sided trailers, including flatbed, drop deck, and specialty. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed acquisition of Westport Axle Corporation.

The Company primarily operates through a contractor network of agents and owner-operators who provide the Company with approximately 3,100 tractors and approximately 3,000 trailers. At December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately 565 agents. The Company conducts its operations through its wholly owned operating subsidiaries under the brand names, such as Universal Am-Can, Ltd., Mason & Dixon Lines, Inc., Louisiana Transportation Inc., Mason Dixon Intermodal, Inc., Economy Transport, Inc., Great American Lines, Inc., Universal Logistics Solutions, Inc., Universal Logistics Solutions International, Inc. and Cavalry Transportation, LLC.

The Company provides services in three categories, such as truckload services, brokerage services and intermodal support services. The Company transports a range of general commodities, including machinery, building materials, paper, food, consumer goods, automotive parts, furniture, steel and other metals. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its truckload operations represented 60.5%, of its operating revenues.

The Company provides primarily broker freight to third-party transportation providers th! rough its agent network at times when the Company generates more freight business than it can service with its available owner-operators. The Company offers full service international freight forwarding and customs house brokerage services, as well as third-party logistic services. During 2011, its brokerage services represented 24.8%, of its operating revenues. Its intermodal support services are primarily short-to-medium distance delivery of rail and steamship containers between the railhead or port and the customer and drayage services. During 2011, its intermodal support services represented 14.7% of its operating revenues.

The Company�� agents provide the primary interaction with its shippers. They generate freight shipments and also provide terminal and dispatch services for the owner-operators and are an essential source for recruitment of new owner-operators. The agents use a company-provided software program to list available freight procured by the agent, dispatch owner-operators to haul the freight and provide all administrative information necessary for it to establish the credit arrangements for each shipper. The owner-operators are individuals who own, operate and maintain one or more tractors that they either provide drivers, or drive themselves. The Company�� owner-operators provide it with approximately 3,100 tractors. Owner-operators also may own trailers that they provide the Company in addition to their tractor and driving services. As of December 31, 2011, its owner-operators provided approximately 3,000 trailers, which represent over 50% of the trailers the Company use in its business.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [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 Universal Truckload Services (Nasdaq: UACL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    What: Shares of Universal Truckload Services (NASDAQ: UACL  ) , a North American provider of trucking and logistics solutions, jumped as much as 12% after receiving an upgrade from BB&T�Capital Markets.

10 Best Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Hub Group Inc (HUBG)

Hub Group, Inc., incorporated on March 8, 1995, is an asset-light freight transportation management companies. The Company offers intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. The Company operates distinct business segments: Mode, which includes the acquired Mode business acquired by the Company on April 1, 2011, and Hub, which is all business other than Mode. Both segments offer intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. Hub operates through a network of operating centers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Hub services a diversified customer base in a broad range of industries, including consumer products, retail and durable goods. Mode markets and operates its freight transportation services primarily through its network of independent business owners (IBOs) who enter into contracts with Mode. Mode's company managed operation includes a business arranging for the transportation of raw materials and finished products for a food producer and, to a lesser extent, other highway brokerage, intermodal and logistics operations.

Intermodal

As an intermodal marketing company (IMC), the Company arranges for the movement of its customers freight in containers and trailers, typically over long distances of 750 miles or more. The Company contracts with railroads to provide transportation for the long-haul portions of the shipment and with local trucking companies, known as drayage companies, for pickup and delivery. As part of the Company's intermodal services, the Company negotiates rail and drayage rates, electronically tracks shipments in transit, consolidate billing and handle claims for freight loss or damage on behalf of its customers.

The Company uses its network to access containers and trailers owned by leasing companies, railroads and steamship lines. The Company is able to track trailers and containers entering a service area and reuses that equipment to fulfill the customers' outbound shipping requirements. As of December 31, 2012, ! Hub had access to approximately 9,111 rail-owned containers for the Company's dedicated use on the Union Pacific (UP) and the Norfolk Southern (NS) rails. In addition to these rail-owned containers, as of December 31, 2012, the Company had a total of 14,756 53-inch private containers for use on the UP and NS. The Company financed 6,167 of these containers with operating leases and the Company owns 8,589 containers.

As of December 31, 2012, approximately 66% of the Company's drayage needs were met by its subsidiary, Comtrak Logistics, Inc. (Comtrak), which assists its customers. Comtrak has terminals in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charleston, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Harrisburg, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Memphis, Nashville, Newark, Los Angeles, Perry (FL), Philadelphia, Savannah, Seattle, St. Louis, Stockton, and Titusville (FL). As of December 31, 2012, Comtrak owned 260 tractors, leased or owned 448 trailers, employed 296 drivers and contracted with 2,178 owner-operators.

Truck Brokerage (Highway Services)

The Company is a truck broker in the United States. As part of the truck brokerage services, the Company negotiates rates , track shipments in transit and handle claims for freights loss and damage on behalf of its customers.

Logistics and Other Services

Hub's logistics business operates under the name of Unyson Logistics. Unyson Logistics consists of a network of logistics professionals dedicated to developing, implementing and operating customized logistics solutions. Unyson offers a range of transportation management services and technology solutions, including shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management, load planning and execution and Web-based shipment visibility. Unyson Logistics operates throughout North America, providing operations through its main operating location in St. Louis with additional support locations in Bosto! n, Chicag! o, Cleveland and Minneapolis. Certain Mode agents provide logistics services. The Company's multi-modal transportation capabilities through both the Hub and Mode segments include small parcel, heavyweight, expedited, less-than-truckload, truckload, intermodal and railcar.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Vera Yuan]

    ��reight transportation management company Hub Group, Inc. (HUBG) rose as investors began to focus on margin improvement opportunities due to indications of improving intermodal pricing as well as company-specific cost improvement initiatives.

  • [By cody56]

    During the third quarters these holdering were the worse performers for Diamond Hill Small Cap Fund. Rosseta Resources Inc. (ROSE) , TriMas Corp. (TRS) , Tenneco Inc. (TEN) , Popular Inc. (BPOP) and Hub Group (HUBG).

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Hub Group (NASDAQ: HUBG) surged 3.13% to $44.20. The volume of Hub Group shares traded was 388% higher than normal. Hub Group reported its Q1 earnings of $0.33 per share on revenue of $848.40 million. Longbow Research upgraded Hub Group from Neutral to Buy.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Best Freight Companies To Buy For 2016

Best Freight Companies To Buy For 2016: Agility Public Warehousing Co KSC (AGLTY)

Agility Public Warehousing Company KSC is a Kuwait-based company engaged, along with its subsidiaries, in the provision of global integrated logistics solutions. The Company is organized into two business segments: the Logistic and Related services segment provides logistics offering to its clients, including freight forwarding, transportation, contract logistics, project logistics and fairs and events logistics, and the Infrastructure segment provides other services, which include industrial real estate airport and airplane ground handling and cleaning services, customs consulting, private equity and waste recycling. The Company operates under the brand name of Agility. The Companys subsidiaries include Global Express Transport Co. WLL, PWC Transport Company WLL, Agility DGS Logistics Services KSCC and Gulf Catering Company for General, among others. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Fiona MacDonald]

    The Kuwait SE Price Index rose for a sixth day, climbing 0.5 percent to 6,851.17 at the close. Kuwait Real Estate Co. (KRE) climbed to the highest level in a month. Agility (AGLTY) advanced 1.7 percent after winning a $190 million UN contract in Sudans Darfur region. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks the biggest 200 companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, fell 0.1 percent.

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-freight-companies-to-buy-for-2016.html

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Top 10 Airline Companies To Own For 2016

Top 10 Airline Companies To Own For 2016: Indonesia Transport & Infrastructure Tbk PT (IATA)

PT Indonesia Transport & Infrastructure Tbk, formerly PT Indonesia Air Transport Tbk, is an Indonesia-based air transport service provider. The Company provides air transportation, hiring and/or leasing aircrafts, repairs and maintenance of aircrafts and trading of aviation technical equipment and related spare parts. It also provides medical evacuation services, tourism and scheduled flight services to several routes in central and eastern Indonesia. The Company operates various types of fixed wing aircrafts and helicopters, such as EC 155 B1, AS 365 Dauphin N2 twin turbine helicopter, Beechcraft 1900D, ATR 42-300, ATR 42-500 and Fokker 50. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Shereen El Gazzar]

    The forecast, from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), sees the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region with the strongest international passenger growth, with a compound average growth rate of 6.3% and 5.7% respectively.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-airline-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now

Quanex Building Products (NYSE: NX  ) reported earnings on June 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended April 30 (Q2), Quanex Building Products beat expectations on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew significantly. GAAP loss per share dropped.

Margins increased across the board.

Revenue details
Quanex Building Products reported revenue of $232.5 million. The seven analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $224.8 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 20% higher than the prior-year quarter's $194.4 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at -$0.20. The eight earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted -$0.08 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.20 for Q2 against -$0.34 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Hot Wireless Telecom Companies For 2016: CVR Partners LP(UAN)

CVR Partners, LP engages in the production of nitrogen fertilizers including ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Sugar Land, Texas. CVR Partners, LP operates as a subsidiary of CVR Energy, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Cameron Swinehart]

    Going forward I will be looking to add investments on my watchlist and trim other positions. It will be interesting to see how an overweight commodity portfolio will perform relative to the rest of the market.

     Cost Basis# SharesCurrent Price% of PortfolioCurrent ValueReturnMetal/Miners      Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS)$12.4985$11.043.75%$938.40-13.13%Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV)$7.95125$8.744.37%$1,092.509.04%FreePort-McMoran (FCX)$31.6731$33.874.20%$1,049.976.50%Ishares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING)$13.0695$10.644.04%$1,010.80-22.74%Energy      Statoil ASA(STO)$21.7940$22.683.63%$907.203.92%Vanguard Natural Resources LLC (VNR)$27.5636$27.874.01%$1,003.321.11%ConocoPhillips (COP)$63.6822.43$71.006.37%$1,592.5310.31%Agriculture      CVR Partner LP (UAN)$26.3630.9$18.932.34%$584.94-39.25%Adecoagro$6.78125$7.443.72%$930.008.87%Archer-Daniels Midland (ADM)$34.8030$37.244.47%$1,117.206.55%Mixed Commodity      Powershares DB Commodity Index (DBC)$26.3540$25.954.15%$1,038.00-1.54%Sprott Resource Corp$3.34400$2.714.34%$1,084.00-23.25%    Total % of portfolio49.40%               Cost Basis12,666.00      Current Value12,348.86      Return-2.50%  Source: Investing For The Future Surge In Commodity Prices

    Disclosure: I am long ADM, FCX, UAN, AGRO, RING, VNR, SCPZF.PK, COP, DBC, PHYS, PSLV. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now: Aflac Incorporated(AFL)

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiary, American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac), provides supplemental health and life insurance. The company offers various voluntary supplemental insurance products, including cancer plans, general medical indemnity plans, medical/sickness riders, care plans, living benefit life plans, ordinary life insurance plans, and annuities in Japan. It also provides loss-of-income products, such as life and short-term disability plans; and products designed to protect individuals from depletion of assets, which comprise hospital indemnity, fixed-benefit dental, vision care, accident, cancer, critical illness/critical care, and hospital intensive care plans in the United States. The company sells its products through sales associates and brokers, affiliated corporate agencies, independent corporate agencies, and individual agencies. Aflac Incorporated was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Columbus, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Chuck Saletta]

    Who showed us the money?
    On Monday, supplemental insurance giant AFLAC (NYSE: AFL  ) paid $9.45 in dividends to the IPIG portfolio. This was the company's third consecutive dividend at $0.35 per share. If it follows its previous trends, we can expect another payment at that level before it gets reviewed for potential increase.

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now: Coronado Biosciences Inc (CNDO)

Coronado Biosciences, Inc., incorporated on June 28, 2006, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel immunotherapy biologic agents for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. The Company�� two principal pharmaceutical product candidates in clinical development include Trichuris suis ova or CNDO-201 (TSO) a biologic comprising of the microscopic eggs of the porcine whipworm, for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn�� disease (Crohn��), ulcerative colitis (UC) and multiple sclerosis (MS), and CNDO-109, a compound that activates natural killer (NK) cells of the immune system to seek and destroy cancer cells, for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In January 2011, the Company acquired the OvaMed GmbH License.

TSO

TSO is the microscopic eggs of a parasitic helminth, or worm, that is found in pigs. In September 2011, the Company filed an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it initiated a single dose, dose escalation study in patients with Crohn�� in February 2012. The Phase 1 clinical trial was a multi-center, sequential dose-escalation, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the primary objective of which was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of TSO. The trial enrolled 36 patients with Crohn�� ranging in age from 20 to 54 with an equal distribution of male and female patients in three single dose cohorts of orally administered 500, 2500 and 7500 ova. Each cohort had 12 patients, with nine patients receiving TSO and three receiving placebo.

CNDO-109

CNDO-109 is a lysate (disrupted CTV-1 cells, cell membrane fragments, cell proteins and other cellular components) that activates donor NK cells. CTV-1 is a leukemic cell line recently re-classified as a T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The Company has worldwide rights to develop and commercialize CNDO-109 activated NK cells for the treatment of cancer fro! m UCLB. In February 2012, the Company submitted an IND for the CNDO-109 activated NK cell product in the United States. The treatment of patients with CNDO-109 activated NK cells involves several steps. The activated NK cells are infused into the patient after resting NK cells are incubated with CNDO-109 for at least eight hours. Preparation of CNDO-109 activated NK cells takes about 24 hours from start to finish.

The Company competes with Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.�� Remicade , UCB S.A.�� Cimzia, Abbott Laboratories��Humira, Biogen Idec�� Avonex, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals��Betaseron, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd.�� Copaxone and Novartis AG�� Gilenya.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 biopharmaceutical player that's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Coronado Biosciences (CNDO), which is focused on novel immunotherapy biologic agents for autoimmune diseases and cancer. This stock has been hit hard by the bears in 2013, with shares off by 43%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Coronado Biosciences, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong since it double bottomed in November, with shares moving higher from its low of $1.25 to its intraday high of $2.58 a share. During that uptrend, shares of CNDO have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of CNDO within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CNDO if it manages to break out above some key overhead resistance at $2.70 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.97 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CNDO will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from October that started near $7 a share. Some possible upside targets if CNDO gets into that gap with volume are $4 to $5 a share.

    Traders can look to buy CNDO off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right around some key near-term support at $2 a share. One can also buy CNDO off strength once it takes out $2.70 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Coronado Biosciences (CNDO) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on novel immunotherapy biologic agents for autoimmune diseases and cancer. This stock closed up 4.9% to $8.22 in Thursday's trading session.

    Thursday's Range: $7.84-$8.29

    52-Week Range: $4.00-$12.70

    Thursday's Volume: 323,000

    Three-Month Average Volume: 390,192

    From a technical perspective, CNDO spiked higher here right above its 200-day moving average of $7.63 with decent upside volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months, with shares falling from its high of $12.70 to its recent low of $7.32. During that move, shares of CNDO have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. Shares of CNDO now look ready to reverse that trend and potentially trigger a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if CNDO manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.56 to $8.94 with high volume.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CNDO as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $7.63 or above more support at $7.32 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 390,192 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CNDO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $9.50 to $10.35. Any high-volume move above those levels will then put its next major resistance level at $11 into range for shares of CNDO.

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now: Nektar Therapeutics(NKTR)

Nektar Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in developing a pipeline of drug candidates that utilize its PEGylation and polymer conjugate technology platforms. The company?s product pipeline consists of drug candidates across various therapeutic areas, including oncology, pain, anti-infectives, anti-viral, and immunology. Its research and development activities involve small molecule drugs, peptides, and other potential biologic drug candidates. The company?s proprietary drug candidates in clinical development comprise NKTR-118, a peripheral opioid antagonist, which has completed Phase II clinical trail for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation; BAY41-6551 that has completed Phase II clinical trail to treat gram-negative pneumonias; NKTR-102, a topoisomerase I inhibitor-polymer conjugate, which is in Phase II clinical trail for multiple cancer indications, including breast, ovarian, and colorectal; and NKTR-105 that is in Phase I clinica l trail to treat solid tumors. Its preclinical products consists of NKTR-119 (Opioid/NKTR-118 combinations) for the treatment of pain; NKTR-181 (abuse deterrent, tamper-resistant opioid) to treat pain; NKTR-194 (non-scheduled opioid) for the treatment of mild to moderate pain; NKTR-171 (tricyclic antidepressant) to treat neuropathic pain; and NKTR-140 (protease inhibitor candidate) to treat HIV. The company has collaboration with Bayer Healthcare LLC to develop BAY41-6551 (NKTR-061, Amikacin Inhale), which is an inhaled solution of amikacin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic; and a license agreement with AstraZeneca AB for the development and commercialization of Oral NKTR-118 and NKTR-119. In addition, Nektar Therapeutics has various license, manufacturing, and supply agreements for its technology with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, such as Affymax, Amgen, Baxter, Roche, Merck, Pfizer, and UCB Pharma. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in San Franc isco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR  ) delivered a double-digit gain for shareholders this week after reporting positive top-line data for NKTR-181, its oral chronic pain-treatment drug. NKTR-181 is an opioid-based compound that's designed to enter the brain slower than traditional opiates like oxycodone without sacrificing effectiveness and ultimately reducing addiction-like qualities to the medication. In trials, the data demonstrated that NKTR-181 had a statistically significant lower "drug liking" and "feeling high" score than oxycodone. While I'd certainly exercise caution in getting too excited, as the Food and Drug Administration is very harsh with regard to its regulation of opioid-based drugs, it's nonetheless good news for Nektar.

  • [By Rich Bieglmeier]

    Wednesday, June 11, 2014 could be a happy or sad day for event traders who follow the Food and Drug Association's (FDA) calendar. Two biotechs with considerable potential are slated to hear from the regulatory body regarding their applications for approval.

    Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OREX)

    The duo hopes to see �thumbs up from the FDA in a little more than a week. If all things go well, it could be party time for shareholders too.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    Levadex's approval or rejection could also mean a good or bad day for Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR  ) , which looks to gain from royalty rights based on its contributions to Levadex's development. While impossible to predict, I'm going to go out on a limb and project an approval for Allergan.

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now: Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.(RPTP)

Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. operates as a biotechnology company in the United States. The company is dedicated to speeding the delivery of new treatment options to patients by working to improve existing therapeutics through the application of highly specialized drug targeting platforms and formulation expertise. Its clinical stage development products include DR Cysteamine, which is in phase IIb for the treatment of cystinosis; phase IIa for the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; and phase II for the treatment of Huntington?s disease. Raptor?s clinical-stage products also include Convivia that is in Phase IIa stage for the potential management of acetaldehyde toxicity due to alcohol consumption; and Tezampanel and NGX 426, which completed phase I stage for the treatment of migraine and pain. Its preclinical product candidates comprise HepTide for the treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatitis; WntTide for the treatment of breast cancer; NeuroTrans for the treatmen t of neurodegenerative diseases; and Tezampanel and NGX 426 for the treatment of Thrombosis and Spasticity Disorder. Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. is headquartered in Novato, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Veloci-Raptor time?
    First up is Raptor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RPTP  ) with Procysbi (previously known as RP-103), its oral delayed and extended-release medication to treat nephropathic cystinosis. In trials, Procysbi proved to be non-inferior to the only other FDA-approved treatment for nephropathic cystinosis, known as Cystagon from Mylan (NASDAQ: MYL  ) .

  • [By John Udovich]

    Recent IPO�FibroGen Inc (NASDAQ: FGEN) surged 22.96% today, reportedly after the journal Hepatology published the results of a workshop between the FDA and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) which laid out criteria for a phase three study of a treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of potential small cap or mid cap liver disease stock peers like Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: CNAT), Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ICPT) and Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp (NASDAQ: RPTP) which rose 24.35%, 10.98% and 2.02%, respectively. According to Investors Business Daily, NASH (the more serious version of fatty liver disease) is potentially an enormous market with about 6 million�US patients but the�lack of previous treatments had left it unclear how the FDA would measure success against the disease while FibroGen Inc doesn't yet have a NASH human trial in the works, it has said it hopes to start one for its lead candidate FG-3019 (its in mid-stage trials for pulmonary fibrosis and liver fibrosis due to hepatitis B infection).

  • [By Sean Williams]

    Raptor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RPTP  ) also gave shareholders something to cheer about when, on Tuesday, the company announced that the Food and Drug Administration had granted Procysbi, its nephropathic cystinosis drug, U.S. orphan drug status. Although FDA-approved drugs are protected by patent for a period of 20 years, the U.S. orphan drug status will keep biosimilar competition from competing against Raptor's Procysbi through April 30, 2020. In addition, on Friday Procysbi received a positive opinion from the European Medicine Agency's panel that the drug be recommended for approval in the EU. However, I'd caution calmer heads prevail here as the total market for the drug is only about 2,000 people worldwide and peak sales estimates in the U.S. are a mere $60 million.

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now: Stone Energy Corporation(SGY)

Stone Energy Corporation, an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, exploitation, development, and operation of oil and gas properties in the Gulf of Mexico and the Appalachia region. As of December 31, 2010, it had estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves of approximately 473.9 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana with additional offices in New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; and Morgantown, West Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    While the Bakken formation is already on most investor radars,�few American investors may realize that the formation stretches North into the oil and gas rich Canadian province of Saskatchewan where�stocks like Surge Energy Inc (TSE: SGY), Questerre Energy Corp (TSE: QEC), Crescent Point Energy Corp (TSE: CPG), Keyera Corp (TSE: KEY) and Centor Energy Inc (OTCBB: CNTO) have been pumping out a good flow of newsworthy news in recent weeks. I should mention that Canada�� oil reserves are ranked #3 after to Venezuela and Saudi Arabia with over 95% of these reserves being the oil sands of Alberta while the neighboring province of Saskatchewan (which the Bakken formation stretches into from South Dakota and Montana) along with offshore areas of Newfoundland also contain substantial production and reserves (Note:�Excluding oil sands, Alberta would have 39% of Canada�� remaining conventional oil reserves,�followed by�offshore Newfoundland with�28% and Saskatchewan with 27%).

  • [By Caiman Valores]

    But its reserves are lower than U.S. domiciled small-cap Stone Energy (SGY) and mid-cap Whiting Petroleum (WLL). However, in the case of Stone Energy a larger portion of its proved and probable reserves are lower margin and less profitable natural gas, with natural gas making up 51% of its reserves and oil and NGLs the remaining 49%.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    In trading on Tuesday, energy shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 1.41 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Stone Energy (NYSE: SGY), up 9 percent, and Westmoreland Coal Co (NYSE: WLB), up 7.8 percent. Industrials services shares gained by just 0.02 percent in Tuesday's trading.

Top Building Product Companies To Invest In Right Now: Transocean Ltd (RIGN)

Transocean Ltd. (Transocean) is an international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The Company operates in two segments: contract drilling services and drilling management services. Contract drilling services, the Company�� primary business, involves contracting its mobile offshore drilling fleet, related equipment and work crews primarily on a dayrate basis to drill oil and gas wells. Its drilling management services segment provides oil and gas drilling management services on either a dayrate basis or a completed-project, fixed-price (or turnkey) basis, as well as drilling engineering and drilling project management services. As of February 14, 2012, it owned or had partial ownership interests in and operated 134 mobile offshore drilling units. On October 4, 2011, the Company acquired Aker Drilling ASA (Aker Drilling). In February 2011, it sold the subsidiary that owns the High-Specification Jackup Trident 20.

During the year ended December 31, 2011 (during 2011), the Company completed the sale of its 50% ownership interest in ODL to Siem Offshore Inc. In October 2011, the Company completed the sale of Challenger Minerals (North Sea) Limited. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� fleet consisted of 50 High-Specification Floaters (Ultra-Deepwater, Deepwater and Harsh Environment semisubmersibles and drillships), 25 Midwater Floaters, nine High-Specification Jackups, 49 Standard Jackups and one swamp barge. In addition, it had two Ultra-Deepwater Floaters and four High-Specification Jackups under construction.

Drilling Fleet

The Company engaged in both types of drilling activity: floaters, including drillships and semisubmersibles, and jackups. Also included in its fleet is a swamp barge drilling unit. It categorized the drilling units of its fleet as High-Specification Floaters, consisting of its Ultra-Deepwater Floaters, Deepwater Floaters and Harsh Environment Floaters, Midwater Floaters, High-Specification Jackups, St! andard Jackups and a swamp barge. High-Specification Floaters are specialized offshore drilling units that it categorize into three sub-classifications based on their capabilities. Ultra-Deepwater Floaters are equipped with mud pumps and are capable of drilling in water depths of 7,500 feet or greater. Deepwater Floaters are generally those other semisubmersible rigs and drillships capable of drilling in water depths between 7,500 and 4,500 feet. Harsh Environment Floaters are capable of drilling in harsh environments in water depths between 10,000 and 1,500 feet and have displacement, which offers variable load capacity, more useable deck space and motion characteristics. Midwater Floaters are generally consists of those non-high-specification semisubmersibles that have a water depth capacity of less than 4,500 feet.

As of February 14, 2012, the Company�� fleet was located in the Far East (27 units), Middle East (16 units), West African countries other than Nigeria and Angola (14 units), United States Gulf of Mexico (13 units), United Kingdom North Sea (12 units), India (12 units), Brazil (10 units), Nigeria (10 units), Norway (eight units), Angola (four units), Australia (three units), the Mediterranean (two units), Canada (two units), and Romania (one unit).

Contract Drilling Services

The Company specializes in offshore drilling business with a particular focus on deepwater and harsh environment drilling services. Its contract drilling operations are geographically dispersed in oil and gas exploration and development areas throughout the world.

Drilling Management Services

The Company provides drilling management services primarily on a turnkey basis through Applied Drilling Technology Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, which primarily operates in the United States Gulf of Mexico, and through ADT International, a division of one of its United Kingdom subsidiaries, which primarily operates in the North Sea (together, ADTI). As part o! f its tur! nkey drilling services, the Company provides planning, engineering and management services. Under turnkey arrangements, it designs and executes of a well and delivers a logged or cased hole to an agreed depth. In addition to turnkey drilling services, Transocean participates in project management operations that include providing certain planning, management and engineering services, purchasing equipment and providing personnel and other logistical services to customers.

Integrated Services

Transocean provides well and logistics services in addition to its normal drilling services through third party contractors and the Company�� employees. These other services include integrated services. As of February 10, 2011, it was performing such services in India.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Corinne Gretler]

    Nestle, which makes up 21 percent of the benchmark Swiss Market Index by weight, slid 2.6 percent after reporting the slowest first-half revenue growth in four years. Adecco SA jumped to a two-year high as the biggest provider of temporary workers posted income that exceeded projections. Transocean Ltd. (RIGN), the largest offshore-rig contractor, added 1.1 percent after posting a second-quarter profit.