Top Construction Material Stocks To Own For 2015

Top Construction Material Stocks To Own For 2015: Ply Gem Holdings Inc (PGEM)

Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. (Ply Gem Holdings), incorporated on January 23, 2004, is a manufacturer of residential exterior building products in North America. The Company operates in two segments: Siding, Fencing, and Stone and Windows and Doors. These two segments produce a product line of vinyl siding, designer accents, cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim, vinyl fencing, vinyl and composite railing, stone veneer and vinyl windows and doors used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling in the United States and Western Canada. It also manufactures vinyl and aluminum soffit and siding accessories, aluminum trim coil, wood windows, aluminum windows, vinyl and aluminum-clad windows and steel and fiberglass doors, enabling it to bundle complementary and color-matched products and accessories with its core products. The Companys subsidiaries includes including Ply Gem Industries, MWM Holding, AWC Holding Company, MHE, and Pacific Windows. On July 30, 2012, Ply Gem acquired substantially all of the assets of Greendeck Products, LLC.

Siding, Fencing, and Stone Segment

In the Siding, Fencing, and Stone segment, its principal products include vinyl siding and skirting, vinyl and aluminum soffit, aluminum trim coil, J-channels, wide crown molding, window and door trim, F-channels, H-molds, fascia, undersill trims, outside/inside corner posts, rain removal systems, injection molded designer accents, such as shakes, shingles, scallops, shutters, vents and mounts, vinyl fence, vinyl and composite railing, and stone veneer. It sells its siding and accessories under its Variform, Napco, Mastic Home Exteriors, and Cellwood brand names and under the Georgia-Pacific brand name through a private label program. It also sells its Providence line of vinyl siding and accessories to Lowes under its Durabuilt private label brand name. Its vinyl and vinyl-composite fencing and railing products are s! old under its Kroy and K roy Express brand names. Ply Gem Holdings stone veneer produ! cts are sold under its United Stone Veneer brand name.

The Company sells the siding and accessories to specialty distributors (one-step distribution) and to wholesale distributors (two-step distribution). Its specialty distributors sell directly to remodeling contractors and builders. Its wholesale distributors sell to retail home centers and lumberyards who, in turn, sell to remodeling contractors, builders and consumers. In the specialty channel, it has developed a network of approximately 800 independent distributors, serving over 22,000 contractors and builders nationwide.

Windows and Doors Segment

In the Windows and Doors segment, its principal products include vinyl, aluminum, wood and clad-wood windows and patio doors, and steel, wood, and fiberglass entry doors that serve both the new home construction and the repair and remodeling sectors in the United States and Western Canada. Its products in its Windows and Doors segment are sold under the Ply Gem Windows, Great Lakes Mastic by Ply Gem, and Ply Gem Canada brands.

The Company competes with Alsco, Gentek, U.S. Fence, Homeland, Westech, Bufftech, Royal, Azek., Eldorado Stone, Coronado Stone, Jeld-Wen, Simonton, Pella and Andersen, MI Home Products, Atrium, Weathershield, Milgard, Jeld-Wen, Gienow, All Weather and Loewen.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  Installed Building Products debut follows mixed performance from shares of some newly public building-products companies. Through Tuesday, siding manufacturer Ply Gem Holdings Inc.(PGEM)s shares were down 39% from the offer price in its $381 May debut. Wood-products maker Boise Cascade Co.(BCC) was up 46% from its $284 million February IPO.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-construction-material-stocks-to-own-for-20! 15.html

Top Medical Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Medical Stocks To Own Right Now: Durata Therapeutics Inc (DRTX)

Durata Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on November 4, 2009, is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for patients with infectious diseases and acute illnesses. The Company enroll and dose patients in two global Phase III clinical trials with its product candidate, dalbavancin, for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (abSSSI). Dalbavancin is an intravenous antibiotic product candidate designed for once-weekly dosing. In addition to abSSSI, the Company focuses on the development of dalbavancin for additional indications, including osteomyelitis, diabetic foot infection and pneumonia.

As of December 31, 2011, Dalbavancin had already completed three Phase III clinical trials, in which more than 1,000 patients in total received dalbavancin. Dalbavancin achieved its primary efficacy endpoint of non-inferiority in each of these three completed Phase III clinical trials when compared to linezolid, cefazolin or vancomycin, three of the standard-of-care agents for uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections (uSSSI), and complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). Its two ongoing Phase III clinical trials are designed to compare dalbavancin to vancomycin, with an option to switch to oral linezolid, under the new FDA draft guidance.

The Company competes with Pfizer, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Theravance, Inc., Forest Laboratories, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis Ltd., The Medicines Company, Trius Therapeutics, Inc., Cempra, Inc., Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Nabriva Therapeutics AG, Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bob's Stocks]

  Durata Therapeutics (DRTX) is developing Dalbavancin, a once a week, intravenous antibiotic product candidate, for the treatment of patients with acute bacteria! l skin and skin structure infections, or ABSSSI. The company is expected to file a NDA (New Drug Application) at any moment and MAA (Marketing Authorization Application) at the end of 2013.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-medical-stocks-to-own-right-now.html

Hot Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now

Hot Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.se! ekpennystocks.com/hot-growth-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Hot Freight Companies To Own In Right Now

Hot Freight Companies To Own In 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 Companys 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 primari ly 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 Companys 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 a gent, 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 Companys 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 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&TCapital 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 Universal Truckload Services (Nasdaq: UACL  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/hot-freight-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Best Beverage Companies To Own In Right Now

Best Beverage Companies To Own In Right Now: PureSafe Water Systems Inc (PSWS)

PureSafe Water Systems, Inc., incorporated on March 9, 1987, is engaged in the design and development of its technology to be used in the manufacture and sale of water purification systems both in and outside the United States. The Companys PureSafe First Response Water System (PureSafe FRWS) is self-contained and purifies most types of contaminated fresh or service water, including seawater that may be found at a first response emergency site. This system is mobile, by helicopter or transported by truck.

The PureSafe FRWS utilizes its technology which consists of water extraction boom that extracts water from the ocean, streams, ponds, pools of floodwater or a failed municipal distribution system. The extracted water is then treated by the application of advanced water treatment technologies which employ multiple stage filtration, multiple stage sanitation (including ozone, chlorine and ultraviolet purification techniques), reverse osmosis membranes, mine ralization and final polishing to meet the standard drinking water requirements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA). Its 2nd prototype (FRWS unit) unit can produce EPA compliant drinking from contaminated fresh or surface water at the rate of 30,000 gallons per day, to provide drinking water to 45,000 people. The unit has a built in generator and water bagging capability at the rate of 30,000 and a half liters bags of water per day

The Company competes with GE, Siemens, Severn Trent, Ecospheres Technology, Lenntech, Testa/Viwa, Lifekeeper, Mobile MaxPure, Bi Pure Water, Rodi, Global Water Group, Nirosoft, LifeStream, and Aquapura Tempest.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Sodastream International Ltd (NASDAQ: SODA), an Israeli based developer, manufacturer and marketer ofhome beverage carbonation systems, has attracted its share of hype over both its products and i! ts stock, but could other small cap water stocks like Primo Water Corporation (NASDAQ: PRMW), Puresafe Water Systems Inc (OTCMKTS: PSWS) and Alkaline Water Company Inc (OTCBB: WTER) attract a similar following? After all, Sodastream International has managed to create a significant amount of buzz from consumers, investors and even short sellers because its theworld's largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of home carbonation systems as itsbrands are sold in over 60,000 retail stores in 45 countries. Sodastream International is also up 45.7% since the start of the year, up 70.2% over the past year and up 99.3% since November 2010, but shares did spike up to the $75 level in the middle of 2011 and now trade at the $63 level.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-beverage-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now

As China enters a new phase of economic development, characterized by slower growth, analysts begin to wonder about the future of companies deeply related to state activities. Common knowledge indicates that as the economy�� growth slows down, activities at the industries associated with that growth will slow too. Nonetheless, that simple take on economics can be deceiving and an analysis of Sinopec (SIN) will uncover considerable growth opportunities. The reasoning is the following. First, the Chinese economy will not stop growing. Second, the slowdown is not a product of model exhaustion, but a mere capacity readjustment. Third, the oil and gas industry will remain a key to continue growing for the Chinese economy. And the priority placed upon the oil and gas is where growth opportunities for the industry lie. Gurus are divided over this position, but their trading activities on Sinopec have not ceased.

Rumors About No Growth

For fiscal 2013, Sinopec reported that operating profit was up 9.7% year-on-year, and net profit attributable to equity shareholders was up 5.8% year-on-year. Moreover, the firm saw stable growth in oil and gas production in the upstream business, while achieving an oil reserve replacement ratio of over 100%. Additionally, improvements in the refined oil pricing mechanism returned the business to operating profit, at the same time that retail volume and sales of high value added oil products were increased. Last, the chemical segment adjusted raw material structure and lowered raw material cost.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Nutrisystem have gained 20% to $18.05 at 1:34 p.m., while Weight Watchers (WTW) has risen 3.6% to $39.42. Medifast (MED), however, has dropped 1.9% to $24.94.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of staffing agency TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI  ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.

  So what: Revenue jumped 19%, to $422.3 million, and beat estimates of $420.2 million from Wall Street. Adjusted earnings per share were also up 19%, to $0.31, outpacing estimates by $0.05.�

Best High Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2015: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP  ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Show me the money!
  Starting us off this week is refuse and recycling giant Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) , which on Friday divvied out $0.375 per share to investors, a $0.01 jump from its payout in the previous quarter. Waste Management's business has been hit recently by weaker commodity prices that hurt its recycling margins, along with consolidation in the refuse business which is also pressuring margins. However, as the clear market-share leader in refuse, a necessity-based business, it continues to wield impressive pricing power that can be used to slowly grow its bottom line. Waste Management's 3.6% yield should remain an attractive lure for income-seeking investors.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  It can be good, though, with kids, to add a few individual company stocks to the mix, to keep things more interesting. A solid, dividend-paying blue chip such as Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) can be a smart choice, in part because it's relatively easy to understand. It's reliable because garbage collection is likely to be in great demand for a long time, and the company has become a major recycler, too, even generating energy from some waste.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Waste and environmental services company Waste Management (WM) announced fourth-quarter results and a hefty new stock buyback program. With a 3.3% dividend yield and a firm handhold on the nation’s garbage collection market, could one man’s trash be a treasure in your portfolio?

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  What's more, competitors like Macy's (NYSE: M  ) and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN  ) �seemed to be firing on all cylinders last quarter�by�increasing�same-store sales, boosting dividends, and instituting huge share repurchase programs.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  JC Penney’s gain is all the more surprising consider what’s happened to other retailers today. Macy’s (M) has dropped 0.8% to $43.83, Kohl’s (KSS) has dipped 0.4% to $50.16 , Dillard’s (DDS) has fallen 2% to $76.19 and Nordstrom (JWN) has declined o.6% to $56.98.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Take a look:

  General Motors (GM): In the past three months, estimates have been revised down by 24%. Analysts now forecast a 46.4% drop in sales and a 47.7% plunge in earnings for this quarter. HES is a sell. Goldman Sachs (GS): In the past month, estimates have slipped by 9%. Analysts now see a 12.2% decline in sales and a 15.6% drop in earnings for this quarter. GS is a sell. Hess (HES): In the past three months, the consensus estimate has plummeted by 52%. Analysts now expect just 3.5% annual sales growth and a 25.4% drop in earnings for this quarter. . International Business Machines (IBM): In the past 90 days, analysts have revised their estimates down by 29%. The consensus now calls for a 2% drop in sales and a 15% reduction in earnings. IBM is a sell. Mattel (MAT): In the past 60 days, estimates have fallen by 33%. Analysts now expect a 5.2% year-on-year drop in sales and a 27.3% decline in earnings for this quarter. . Newmont Mining (NEM) In the past 90 days, analysts have slashed their estimates down by 55%. The consensus now calls for a 14.9% drop in sales and a 73.2% dive in earnings. NEM is a strong sell. Nordstrom (JWN): In the past two months, estimates have fallen by 15%. Analysts now expect just 4.3% annual sales growth and a 6.8% decline in earnings for this quarter. . Target (TGT): In the past 90 days, analysts have reduced their estimates down by 28%. The consensus now calls for just 2% sales growth and an 11% decline in earnings. TGT is a strong sell. Tesoro (TSO): In the past 90 days, the consensus estimate has plunged 39%. The consensus now calls for 10% annual sales growth and a 5.5% reduction in earnings. TSO is a sell. Weyerhaeuser (WY): In the past three months, estimates have been reduced by 14%. Analysts now expect just 6.8% annual sales growth and a 3.8% dip in earnings for this quarter. WY is a strong sell.

  As I mentioned, there are two easy ways to check out how your holdings are perceived by the analyst community.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Crocs Inc.(CROX)

Crocs, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company primarily offers casual and athletic shoes, and shoe charms. It also designs and sells a range of footwear and accessories that utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, called Croslite. The company?s footwear products include boots, sandals, sneakers, mules, and flats. In addition, it provides footwear products for the hospital, restaurant, hotel, and hospitality markets, as well as general foot care and diabetic-needs markets. Further, the company offers leather and ethylene vinyl acetate based footwear, sandals, and printed apparels principally for the beach, adventure, and action sports markets; and accessories comprising snap-on charms. The company sells its products through the United States and international retailers and distributors, as well as directly to end-user consumers th rough its company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks, and Web stores primarily under the Crocs Work, Crocs Rx, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 164 retail kiosks located in malls and other high foot traffic areas; 138 retail stores; 76 outlet stores; and 46 Web stores. Crocs, Inc. operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Western Brands, LLC and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in January 2005. Crocs, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Niwot, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX  ) fit the bill? Let's look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Crocs (CROX) has popped 5.8% to $16.15 after the struggling rubber-shoe maker was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.

  Deere (DE) has gained 1.4% to $88.70 after the maker of farm equipment beat earnings forecasts and predicted profits above analyst expectations in 2014.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CNBC]

  Tony Tribble, Invision/AP Forget about Bloomin' Onions or boneless wings, for many consumers, the choice of where to dine often comes down to a different factor: which restaurant has the best booze. "Alcoholic beverages can be a key driver of traffic, differentiation, and loyalty," said David Decker, president of Consumer Edge Insight. According to the firm, two factors that keep customers coming back are "selection" and "pricing." Consumer Edge Insight recently surveyed restaurant customers to find out which casual-dining spots generated the most loyalty with their alcoholic beverages. Taking the top spot for "selection" was Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), with 29 percent of those surveyed saying they were "most likely to visit it most often due to its good selection of alcoholic beverages." Applebee's (DIN) took the second spot, with 24 percent, and Outback Steakhouse (BLMN) and T.G.I. Friday's tied for third place with 22 percent each. Prices also keep customers coming back to Buffalo Wild Wings. When asked which casual-dining brand they were "most likely to visit most often due to its good prices of alcoholic beverages," Buffalo Wild Wings came out on top with 30 percent. Chili's (EAT) was No. 2 at 23 percent, and Ruby Tuesday (RT) was third with 22 percent. Buffalo Wild Wings has always made alcohol a part of its experience, even making it part of its tagline: "Wings.Beer.Sports." The chain is the No. 1 account for more than 50 different beer brands and recently launched Game Changer, a new beer in a partnership with Redhook Brewery. Priced between cheaper domestic lagers and pricier craft beers, Game Changer became the fourth-most-popular draft beer at company-owned locations within two weeks of its release. "Among casual-dining restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings is seeing the greatest positive effect in terms of building customer loyalty with its alcohol offerings," Decker said. "There are many steps other restaurants can take to improve their alcoho

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Competing for heart pump market share
  Abiomed's products provide circulatory support for up to six hours and are designed for use in cardiac cath labs or during heart surgery, but competitors Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) and Heartware (NASDAQ: HTWR  ) target the intermediate- and long-term-use market instead.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations. �

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)

CNO Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. The company markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive and traditional life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care insurance products; Medicare advantage plans through a distribution arrangement with Humana Inc.; and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans through a distribution and reinsurance arrangement with Coventry Health Care. It also markets and distributes supplemental health, including specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance products; and life insurance to middle-income consumers at home and the worksite through independent marketing organizations and insurance agencies. In addition, the company markets primarily graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance products directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, Internet, and telemarketing. It sells its products through career agents, independent producers, direct marketing, and sales managers. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has strategic alliances with Coventry and Humana. The company was formerly known as Conseco, Inc. and changed its name to CNO Financial Group, Inc. in May 2010. CNO Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vanin Aegea]

  I have heard many people comment about the insurance policies for cars, houses, life, assets, etc. The arguments always revolve around the same issue: Is it really necessary? What are the chances to be hit by a Hurricane, or to meet a sudden death? Well, nobody really knows. Some individuals however, sleep better when they know a policy backs their life investments. Here, I will look into three insurance companies that concentrate on different policies, or geographies. These are: China Life (LFC), and Conseco (CNO).

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Up first is CNO Financial Group (CNO), a mid-cap financial stock that's rocketed close to 60% higher since the calendar flipped over to January. Yup, it's been a great year for the market, but it's been a far better one for investors who own CNO. But that strong performance isn't showing any signs of slowing yet. In fact, CNO looks primed for even more upside in the fourth quarter.

  That's because CNO is currently forming a bullish pattern called an ascending triangle. The ascending triangle pattern is formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares -- in this case at $14.75 -- and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as CNO bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above that $14.75 resistance level. When that breakout happens, it's time to become a buyer.

  ACCO's price action isn't exactly textbook. After all, the pattern is coming in at the bottom of a downtrend, not after an uptrend. But ultimately, that doesn't change the trading implications of a move through that $7.50 level.

  Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Ascending triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

  That $7.50 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant. The move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

  Don't be early on this trade.

Top Managed Healthcare Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top Managed Healthcare Companies To Invest In Right Now: Xerium Technologies Inc.(XRM)

Xerium Technologies, Inc. manufactures and supplies consumable products used in the production of paper clothing and roll covers primarily in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Clothing and Roll Covers. The Clothing segment provides various types of industrial textiles used on paper-making machines and other industrial applications. This segment offers forming fabrics, press felts, and dryer fabrics; and fabrics used in other industrial applications, such as pulp, steel, plastics, leather, and textiles manufacturing. The Roll Covers segment manufactures, refurbishes, and replaces roll covers for working rolls, including vacuum rolls and press rolls; calendar rolls; and coater rolls that are used on paper-making machines. This segment also refurbishes previously installed roll covers; provides mechanical maintenance and repair services for the internal mechanisms of rolls used on paper-making machines; and manufactures a nd repairs spreader rolls. The company markets its products through its direct sales force under Huyck Wangner, Weavexx, Stowe Woodward, Mount Hope, Robec, and Xibe brand names. Xerium Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One cyclical consumer goods player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Xerium Technologies (XRM), a manufacturer and supplier of two types of consumable products, clothing and roll covers, used mainly in the production of paper. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 313%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Xerium Technologies, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months! and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $9.94 to its recent high of $12.97 a share. During that uptrend, shares of XRM have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of XRM within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in XRM if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $12.97 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 100,685 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then XRM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $14.04 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then give XRM a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $18 to $20 a share.

  Traders can look to buy XRM off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $12.28, or near its 50-day at $11.35 a share. One can also buy XRM off strength once it takes out $12.97 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [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 Xerium Technologies (NYSE: XRM  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-managed-healthcare-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Are Apache Corporation’s Asset Sales Now Destroying Shareholder Value?

In an effort to reduce debt and focus on its most profitable North American onshore operations, Houston-based Apache (NYSE: APA  ) has divested more than $8 billion worth of assets over the past year, including assets in the Gulf of Mexico shelf, a third of its stake in its Egyptian operations, natural gas assets in Canada, and all of its energy assets in Argentina. But the company is still not satisfied, recently announcing another major sale in the Gulf of Mexico.

While I was initially surprised by Apache's Gulf asset sale announcement, the sale should prove to be an incremental positive for the company. Not only will it raise significant proceeds without reducing the company's current production, but it also fits well with Apache's strategy of focusing on less capital-intensive projects with more immediate payoffs. Let's take a closer look at why Apache's Gulf asset sale is a net positive and why the company's shares could have big upside.

Photo credit: Flickr/Paul Lowry

Apache to sell Gulf of Mexico interests and assets
On May 8, Apache announced that it will sell its nonoperated interests in the Lucius and Heidelberg development projects, two massive Gulf of Mexico deepwater projects operated by Anadarko Petroleum  (NYSE: APC  ) , as well as 11 deepwater exploration blocks to Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX  ) for $1.4 billion. The transaction is expected to close by June 30, 2014.

To be honest, I was surprised by the company's announcement for a couple of reasons. First, Apache has already sold over $8 billion worth of assets over the past year and seems to have accomplished its task of reducing debt, bolstering its balance sheet, and ramping up its share buyback program. I assumed it would now focus overwhelmingly on growing domestic liquids production.

And second, management had indicated that the February Argentina asset sale to state-owned YPF (NYSE: YPF  ) for $800 million in cash marked the end of its asset divestiture program. "[The Argentina] transaction essentially marks the end of a process that Apache began last year to rebalance its portfolio to focus on assets in North America that can grow more predictably combined with international assets that generate substantial free cash flow," said G. Steven Farris, Apache's CEO, in a company news release concerning the sale of its Argentinian assets.

Pros and cons of the Gulf sale
But upon closer review, I think the recently announced Gulf of Mexico sale should actually be an incremental positive for the company. Firstly, the sale won't impact Apache's near-term production at all because it doesn't include any of Apache's producing properties in the deepwater Gulf, which were producing a little over 9,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day as of the fourth quarter.

That's a huge plus since Apache's production has suffered considerably due to the sale of producing properties over the past few quarters. Further, the $1.4 billion in proceeds that the sale will bring in will allow Apache to further reduce its debt, bolster its balance sheet, and buy back more shares without foregoing current production.

But the company is foregoing longer-term production upside. Lucius and Heidelberg, which are operated by Anadarko and are expected to go into service later this year and in 2016, respectively, will each have a maximum production capacity of 80,000 barrels of oil per day. Given Apache's 11.7% and 12.5% interests in the two projects, that means it will be giving up production of nearly 20,000 barrels of oil per day. It is also giving up potential exploration upside by parting with its 11 deepwater exploration blocks. Still, given that the company sees much more attractive opportunities in its North American onshore portfolio, this really isn't a big deal.

Secondly, the asset sale actually fits really well with Apache's new strategy of cutting costs and focusing on high-margin liquids production. By selling its interests in Lucius and Heidelberg and 11 exploration blocks in deeper waters, Apache can focus its efforts on exploration opportunities in shallower water depths of less than 1,000 feet, which feature quicker cycle times, require less capital to develop, and offer more options to bring hydrocarbons to market.  

Investor takeaway
In the long run, I think Apache's portfolio rebalancing will pay off handsomely, allowing it to deliver stronger and more profitable growth in the years ahead. With the company trading at just 12x forward earnings and commanding an EV/EBITDA multiple of less than 4x -- a massive discount to similarly sized North America-focused peers -- I think multiple expansion is imminent and could easily push shares above $100 within the next year or so.

3 stock picks to ride America's energy bonanza
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Chrysler Fiat CEO: Please DON'T buy this car

The CEO of the newly combined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is urging people not to buy his company's electric car.

It's a strange request from a world in which automotive CEOs are usually doing everything they can to hype their product lines, lure customers to showrooms and as they say in the trade, "put butts in seats."

But Reuters reported that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne told a Washington, D.C., conference this week that he would prefer no one buy the $32,650 Fiat 500e, a beautifully done, practical electric car.

"I hope you don't buy it because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000," he is quoted as having said.

The 500e was created to meet mandates of states like California that require automakers to offer zero-emissions cars for sale. For the moment, electric cars are the easiest way to meet the mandate -- and automakers approach the challenge with varying amounts of enthusiasm.

Stock market wonder Tesla Motors, for instance, sells only full-electric cars.

It's not the first time that plain-speaking Marchionne has decried the costs of electric cars. But the price since the last time he sounded the alarm. Previously, he pegged the losses at $10,000 a car. Lucky for him, electric cars are still generally a tough sell with consumers because of their limited range. The Fiat 500e goes 87 miles between charges.

The Dangers of Debt for Offshore Drillers

One potential risk that all investors should pay attention to is the level of debt held by the companies that they are invested in. This is because paying debt is a fixed commitment. Unlike stock buyback programs or dividend payments, a company can't arbitrarily reduce the amount it pays toward debt if its business slows down and causes its free cash flow to decline.

Of course, we can't just compare the debt levels of two companies of dramatically different sizes directly because a much larger company will have much more money coming in to cover this debt. Instead, we need to use measures such as the debt-to-equity ratio.

The debt-to-equity ratio is a method of comparing the relative debt levels of two companies of different sizes on an equal footing. Because a company doesn't have to guarantee a return on its equity the way it does on its debt, equity is often considered to be a much safer way for a company to raise money. 

Illustration
To illustrate this concept and examine how it can be a risk, let's take a look at the debt-to-equity ratios of several offshore drilling companies. The five companies that we will compare are Seadrill (NYSE: SDRL  ) , Transocean (NYSE: RIG  ) , Ensco (NYSE: ESV  ) , Noble, and Diamond Offshore.

Company Name	Total Debt	Total Equity	Debt-to-Equity Ratio
Seadrill	$14.9 billion	$8.2 billion	1.82
Transocean	$10.5 billion	$17.2 billion	0.61
Ensco	$4.8 billion	$12.9 billion	0.37
Noble	$4.4 billion	$7.5 billion	0.59
Diamond Offshore	$2.5 billion	$4.6 billion	0.54

Source: Company Statements

As the chart shows, Ensco has a substantially lower amount of debt relative to its equity than its peer companies do. Meanwhile, Seadrill stands out as having a substantially higher level of debt than its peers. This shows us that the two companies have very different risk profiles.

Exposure to revenue downturns
Seadrill would be much more affected by a downturn in the industry that causes the company's free cash flow to decline than Ensco would. This is because Seadrill has to pay a fixed amount to maintain this debt load (as does Ensco); if a downturn causes its revenues to decline too much, the company could run into financial trouble as it would be unable to afford its interest payments. Ensco also has this same risk, but its earnings would need to decline much further before it runs into trouble.

Rolling over debt
Another potential risk could present itself when it comes to rolling over debt. This is due to the fact that all debt eventually matures, at which point the indebted company must either pay off the loan with cash or take out another loan to pay off the first one. This second option is called "rolling over debt."

The risk has to do with the fact that there are times, particularly when an industry or company is particularly weak, that it may be difficult to get a new loan. If the company doesn't have the money to pay off the loan at that time then it may be forced to resort to other methods of generating cash, including selling off assets. In the case of an offshore drilling company, this could mean selling off income-producing assets such as drilling rigs. This would have an adverse impact on future earnings. If the company can't do this then it would likely be forced into financial insolvency; this typically causes a company's share price to plunge dramatically.

Benefits of leverage
Like anything in finance, there is a risk/reward trade-off associated with the use of leverage. Seadrill, for example, can offer some benefits to investors that a less levered company like Ensco cannot. Foremost among these is faster per-share growth. By using debt to obtain the money to grow instead of issuing stock, Seadrill can ensure that the higher earnings that this growth results in is spread around the same number of shares. This benefits stockholders who may see a higher return than with a company that uses more conservative financing such as Ensco.

In conclusion, it is important to understand both the risks and benefits of high leverage when determining whether an investment is right for you. A highly leveraged company can typically generate more rapid earnings and cash flow growth on a per-share basis, but it is also a strategy that exposes the company to higher risk in the case of a downturn. In the end, we all need to determine what is the right investment for us.

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7 “Triple F” Stocks to Sell

Popular Posts: 13 “Triple A” Stocks to BuyHottest Technology Stocks Now – ASX DDD HIMX CDNS9 Oil and Gas Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 3 Chemicals Stocks to Buy Now 7 “Triple F” Stocks to Sell 3 Chemicals Stocks to Sell Now View All Posts

This week, seven stocks get F’s (“strong sell”) in Portfolio Grader‘s three main grading categories, Total Grade, Overall Fundamental Grade and Quantitative Grade.

These are the worst of the worst in the entire Portfolio Grader database. This week, there are 4,272 stocks and only these seven get failing marks in all categories to make the dreaded “Triple F” stocks list. Here they are:

Aeropostale, Inc. () is a mall-based specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories. The price of ARO is down 47.1% since the first of the year. This is worse than the S&P 500, which has remained flat over the same period. As of May 23, 2014, 26.6% of outstanding Aeropostale, Inc. shares were held short. Trade volume has increased significantly over the past week, up 169.4%. .

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated () produces specialty metals such as titanium alloys and superalloys. The stock’s trailing PE Ratio is 35.30. .

IAMGOLD Corporation () is involved in the exploration for, and development and production of mineral resource properties throughout the world. .

ION Geophysical Corporation () provides geophysical technology, services and solutions for the global oil and gas industry. .

McDermott International, Inc. () is a worldwide energy services company. Shares of MDR have slipped 15.7% since the first of the year. As of May 23, 2014, 23% of outstanding McDermott International, Inc. shares were held short. .

American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp. () invests in, finances, and manages a portfolio of mortgage-related investments, such as agency mortgage investments, non-agency mortgage investments and other mortgage-related investments. .

Newmont Mining Corporation () acquires, explores and develops mineral properties. .

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

Staff Your Portfolio With These Small Cap Staffing Stocks: ASGN, KFRC & STAF

Despite a lukewarm economy and jobs situation, the staffing industry along with small cap staffing stocks like On Assignment, Inc (NYSE: ASGN), Kforce Inc (NASDAQ: KFRC) and up and coming Staffing 360 Solutions Inc (OTCBB: STAF) have actually put in pretty decent performances since the end of the financial crisis. I should mention that globally, staffing companies generate about $280 billion in annual revenue and there are approximately 70,000 private employment services agencies around the world with the top 10 companies accounting for about a third of total industry sales while in the USA there are an estimated 15,000 staffing companies generating less than $20 million in revenues. Overall, Europe is the largest regional staffing services market with 40% of annual revenue, followed by the United States.

With that in mind, here is a look at a couple of interesting small cap staffing stocks:

On Assignment, Inc. A leading global provider of in-demand, skilled professionals in the growing technology, healthcare and life sciences sectors, small cap On Assignment, Inc has a network of branch offices throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium. Back in April, On Assignment, Inc reported a 15.9% revenue increase to $439.3 million (9.8% on a pro forma basis that assumes the acquisitions of Whitaker Medical, LLC and CyberCoders Holdings, Inc in December 2013 occurred at the beginning of 2013) and net income (which is comprised of (i) income from continuing operations of $14.0 million and (ii) the loss from discontinued operations of $0.1 million) of $13.9 million verses $24.6 million in the first quarter of 2013 (Note: Net income for 2013 included a $14.4 million gain on the sale of our Nurse Travel division). The President/CEO commented:

"We reported strong financial results for the quarter despite the effects of the inclement weather. Our IT segments continue to report strong performance led by our Apex Segment, which grew 16 percent year-over-year. Demand for our IT services continues to be robust and we are well positioned to expand our market share."

In addition and back in March, Wells Fargo analyst Ed Caso upgraded the stock from Market Perform to Outperform with a price target of $41 to $43 ($34 to $35) and commented:

"We believe On Assignment is well positioned for above-market growth and gross margin due to its focus on the attractive IT (80-85% of revenue) and healthcare and life sciences (15-20% of revenue) markets. We see the potential for steady EBITDA margin expansion over time given extension of permanent placement work and systems integration."

On Wednesday, On Assignment, Inc rose 1.49% to $35.31 (ASGN has a 52 week trading range of $24.81 to $39.86 a share) for a market cap of $1.92 billion plus the stock is up 3.4% since the start of the year, up 36.4% over the past year and up 127.9% over the past five years.

Kforce Inc. Specializing in the areas of technology, finance & accounting and health information management serving commercial and government organizations, small cap Kforce Inc has more than 60 offices located throughout the United States and one in the Philippines. Near the end of April, Kforce Inc reported a 0.8% sequential and a 14.9% revenue increase to $305.3 million along with a net income increase of 102% to $6.2 million. The Chairman/CEO commented:

"Our first quarter growth was broadly driven by the strong growth rates for our Flex staffing businesses in Tech, FA and HIM, which had year-over-year increases of 18.2%, 14.5% and 25.3%, respectively"

And also stated:

"We believe that professional staffing has entered a new age with growth being driven by clients increasingly utilizing a flexible staffing solution to mitigate employment and regulatory risk, as well as the ubiquitous nature of technology today across our clients' business platforms. Against a backdrop of tempered GDP growth, we continue to see a disproportionate share of job growth coming from the temporary staffing sector. The temporary penetration rate is now at 2.06%, surpassing the prior all time high of 2.03%. Knowledge workers are in high demand as the unemployment rate among college-degreed workers is currently 3.4%, about half of the overall U.S. rate of unemployment, and is substantially lower in several of the skill sets Kforce specializes in, particularly in technology."

On Wednesday, Kforce Inc rose 0.38% to $21.24 (KFRC has a 52 week trading range of $14.04 to $23.80 a share) for a market cap of $715.79 million plus the stock is up 1.7% since the start of the year, up 49.6% over the past year and up 136% over the past five years.

Staffing 360 Solutions Inc. Having a consolidation strategy that is well suited for the highly fragmented temporary staffing industry, small cap Staffing 360 Solutions intends to become a major international publicly-held staffing organization with diversified staffing services by engaging in a targeted accretive acquisition strategy. Staffing 360 Solutions has already developed a significant pipeline of acquisition targets in the IT, financial, accounting, healthcare and banking industries. Moreover, its executive chairman Brendan Flood spent seven years at Hudson Global Inc (NASDAQ: HSON) in various roles in Europe and the United States, culminating with him leading the company's IPO and listing of its common stock on the Nasdaq National Market in 2003. During 2004 and 2005 he was the CFO/COO for Hudson North America (returning the business to profitability after several loss-making years) while prior to the IPO, it should be noted that Hudson was part of what is now Monster Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: MWW). CEO Matt Briand also has 17 years of staffing industry experience from various recruitment, sales, management and executive roles. On Wednesday, Staffing 360 Solutions issued an updated forecast for the next three fiscal quarters is as follows: $24.1 million for the quarter ending May 31, 2014, $30.2 million for the quarter ending August 31, 2014, and $32.1 million for the quarter ending November 30, 2014. Staffing 360 Solutions has also recently completed the acquisition of PeopleSERVE, which provides IT professional and management consultants on a contract and direct hire basis to state and local government, multinational and regional businesses and entrepreneurial firms throughout the greater Boston area. On Wednesday, Staffing 360 Solutions fell 0.50% to $1.99 (STAF has a 52 week trading range of $0.55 to $2.10 a share) for a market cap of $60.98 million plus the stock is down 0.5% since the start of the year, up 20.6% over the past year and up 165.3% over the past five years.

Stocks To Watch For May 21, 2014

Related TGT Earnings Scheduled for Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 Market Wrap For May 20: Markets Sharply Lower On Fed Talk, Disappointing Earnings Target Replaces Head of Canadian Unit (Fox Business) Related LOW Earnings Scheduled for Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 Home Depot Q1 Earnings Surge Y/Y, Miss Ests - Analyst Blog Long Winter Chills Home Depot Quarterly Sales (Fox Business)

Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

Wall Street expects Target (NYSE: TGT) to report its Q1 earnings at $0.71 per share on revenue of $17.01 billion. Target shares fell 0.30% to $56.44 in after-hours trading.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE: LOW) is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.60 per share on revenue of $13.86 billion. Lowe's shares rose 1.05% to $46.00 in the after-hours trading session.

Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) reported stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results and issued an upbeat revenue forecast. Salesforce.com posted its adjusted profit of $0.11 per share on revenue of $1.23 billion. However, analysts were expecting a profit of $0.10 per share on revenue of $1.21 billion. Salesforce.com shares surged 0.72% to $53.27 in the after-hours trading session.

Analysts are expecting Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) to have earned $0.56 per share on revenue of $2.24 billion in the second quarter. Hormel shares surged 0.25% to $48.65 in after-hours trading.

Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) issued downbeat forecast for the fourth quarter. Intuit posted a profit of $984 million, or $3.39 per share on revenue of $2.39 billion in fiscal third quarter. Intuit shares fell 3.88% to $73.86 in the after-hours trading session.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $0.00 per share on revenue of $647.74 million. American Eagle shares declined 1.41% to $11.17 in after-hours trading.

Analysts expect Tiffany & Co (NYSE: TIF) to report its Q1 earnings at $0.78 per share on revenue of $955.05 million. Tiffany shares climbed 0.87% to $89.00 in the after-hours trading session.

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Wave Systems Erases any Lingering Doubt (WAVX)

If there was any lingering doubt that Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ:WAVX) was in the early stages of a rebound, today's 11% pop should wipe those doubts away. This little technology company has lodged itself firmly into a bullish trend today, after hammering out a turnaround effort for the past four months. Translation: WAVX has become a convincing buy.

If the name rings a bell, that may be because WAVX was named as a budding breakout idea back in early March, and then again in early May. In March, it was pointed out that Wave Systems was mounting an attack on a key resistance line at $1.15. Though it didn't hurdle that line until the middle of April (and then only with an aggravating bullish gap), it did make its way above that line.

Just for the sake of safety, a wise investor would have waited for Wave Systems Corp. to either close that gap or fall back, regroup, and then rekindle the uptrend. Although the stock didn't need to close the gap, WAVX did peel back and regroup, and began to move higher again by early May... the last time it was dissected on May 5th. Since then, not only have shares continued to advance, they've visibly accelerated. The daily chart below tells the whole tale pretty well.

The question from here is, just how for could Wave Systems Corp. before hitting a major wall?

As was the case earlier in the month, there's a huge line in the sand at $2.00. That's where WAVX topped out last month following the gap, and it's also where the stock hit a ceiling a couple of times in early 2013. Unlike then, however, this time the stock has some healthy bullish momentum behind it. Translation: While the $2.00 mark is a good checkpoint target, traders may want to be willing to give it a chance to break past $2.00 and then make a run for a former floor at $2.40... a floor from late 2012 and early 2013. If that level doesn't prove to be a line in the sand, then Wave Systems could - and we stress could - make a run for the major ceiling at $4.00. The weekly chart illustrates all of these potential resistance levels.

Whatever's in the cards, one thing's for sure now - WAVX is on the move, and could keep going for a while. The tide's strong enough to take a swing on now, although newcomers may want to wait at least a day or two to let today's overbought condition burn off just a little. The stock should regroup pretty quickly, though, and resume the uptrend that got started earlier in May. The stock shouldn't slide under $1.45 to restart the rally, and if it does, it may then be best to wait for a test of the 20-day moving average line at $1.30 before wading in.

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Q&A: AT&T, DirecTV deal marries different tech

AT&T, known more for its wireless network, is going all-in on the TV business by proposing to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion.

After weeks of negotiation, the companies' executives are now selling it as a tie-up of two companies with complementary lines of products that could be mixed and matched for a wide range of bundled packages.

Like other mergers of this size, the deal poses complex issues to consider for consumers and the regulators who will have to okay or nix the proposal. Here are some questions to ponder.

Q: What will happen to NFL Sunday Ticket?

DirecTV's exclusive contract with the NFL to broadcast all its games live is the company's crown jewel and a big reason why AT&T went hard after it.

The contract expires after the end of the upcoming season. Other content providers, including reportedly Google, are interested in replacing DirecTV. But DirecTV CEO Mike White said Monday he's confident they will have a renewed deal by the end of the year.

AT&T has an option to walk away from the merger if DirecTV can't renew "substantially on the terms discussed between" the two companies, according to a filing AT&T submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday.

AT&T won't say if it'll make NFL Sunday Ticket available to U-Verse customers. But it doesn't seem too far-fetched to speculate that AT&T tries to find a way to deliver NFL games wirelessly -- streaming on Wi-Fi or on the cellular network -- and charge you for the service. Demand for NFL games is no joke.

Q: AT&T and DirecTV seem to be very different from each other. What's the rationale for the merger?

Fast-changing technology and AT&T's need for more customers gained quickly.

AT&T has a lot of good businesses going for it – the nation's second largest wireless carrier and the limited but growing U-Verse unit that offers landline Internet and pay-TV that are delivered mostly through its fiber-optic lines.

U-Verse has about 11 milli! on customers only in 22 states, including 5.7 million who subscribe to pay-TV. Expanding fiber optic lines is expensive, as are all the marketing and sales tactics to woo customers away from competitors.

With this deal, AT&T gains 20 million customers nationwide who pay about $100 a month. With DirecTV's satellites able to reach rural areas, AT&T would no longer face geographical limits in its ability to sell TV.

AT&T is also responding strategically to the new TV revolution, wherein customers are increasingly watching live-TV streamed on their phones and tablets. AT&T is telling Wall Street that it sees DirecTV as the best-in-class TV deliverer with comprehensive programming rights -- especially NFL Sunday Ticket games -- and expertise in licensing and user-experience.

Q: Will my prices rise as cable and satellite TV companies get larger?

The cable (or satellite) bill likely will never drop. So yes, prices will continue to rise. But AT&T -- and Comcast, which is buying Time Warner Cable -- would argue that they will have more negotiation leverage against content providers, ESPN for example, and could help control the rate of increase in programming costs that they say are passed onto consumers.

DirecTV said Sunday the post-merger company will offer DirecTV's TV service on a stand-alone basis at current prices for "at least three years" after closing.

Q: Does this mean AT&T's U-Verse investment will be cut back?

It doesn't look like it. AT&T promises to expand broadband Internet by 15 million homes and offices to reach 70 million within four years of the transaction's closing. It'll use a combination of transmission methods.

In the markets where it's financially viable, AT&T plans to install more fiber optic lines. In more rural areas, it'll use the wireless "local loop" technology, using a direct radio connection between your home and a nearby antenna tower that receives broadband Internet from the local AT&T exchange.