Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now

In commemoration of Earth Day, retailer ANN INC (NYSE: ANN  ) , the parent company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, says that not only has it already met its goal two years early of reducing its "carbon footprint" by 9% by 2015 but it's doubled it. And ANN isn't done "greening" yet.

ANN announced yesterday that an analysis of its year-end 2012 results shows that it has already reduced carbon emissions by 20% compared to what it was emitting in 2008. The company explained that introduction of more energy efficient LED lighting in its nearly 400 stores, plus changing energy usage "behavior" among its associates, helped it to meet (and exceed) its goal ahead of schedule.

What's more, rather than rest on its laurels, ANN says it's doubling down on its success by setting a new 2015 goal: 30% shrinkage in its carbon footprint in comparison to 2008. In other words, that's even more than its original 8% goal and on top of the 20% improvement it's already achieved.

Investors, however, weren't particularly impressed. ANN shares traded mostly flat on Monday, losing a penny in value to close at $28.03.

Top High Tech Companies To Watch For 2015: Citi Trends Inc (CTRN)

Citi Trends, Inc., incorporate on March 3, 1999, is a retailer of urban fashion apparel and accessories for the entire family. The Company offers branded apparel from national brands, as well as private label apparel, accessories and a limited assortment of home decor items. As of February 2, 2013, the Company operated 513 stores in both urban and rural markets in 29 states. The Company�� stores average approximately 10,700 square feet of selling space and are located in neighborhood shopping centers. The Company also offers products under its brands, such as Diva Blue, Red Ape, Vintage Harlem and Lil Ms Hollywood. The Company�� store offers a variety of products for men and women, as well as children. During the fiscal years ended February 2, 2013 (fiscal 2012), the Company opened four new stores.

The Company's merchandise includes apparel, accessories and home decor. Within apparel, the Company offers fashion sportswear for men, women and children, including offerings for newborns, infants, toddlers, boys and girls. Accessories include handbags, jewelry, footwear, belts, intimate apparel and sleepwear. All merchandise sold in the Company's stores is shipped directly from its distribution centers in Darlington, South Carolina and Roland, Oklahoma.

The Company competes with TJX Companies, Inc., Ross Stores, Inc., The Cato Corporation, Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp., Rainbow, Dots, It's Fashion!, Simply Fashions, Wal-Mart and Target, Kmart.

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 Citi Trends (Nasdaq: CTRN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Kohl?s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. The company?s stores offer private and exclusive, as well as national branded apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and children; soft home products, such as sheets and pillows; and housewares primarily to middle-income customers. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 1,089 stores in 49 states. The company also offers on-line shopping on its Web site at Kohls.com. Kohl?s Corporation was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of JC Penney have dropped 8.1% to $7.23 at 12:07 p.m. today, the lowest price since 1982. Macy���(M) is little changed at $42.57, Sears�(SHLD) has gained d0.9% to $55.23, Kohl’s (KSS) has ticked down 0.1% to $51.43.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at JPMorgan maintained a Neutral rating on Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) with a price target lowered to $50 from a previous $55. Shares lost 6.64 percent, closing at $54.66.

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Vipshop Holdings Ltd (VIPS)

Vipshop Holdings Limited (Vipshop Holdings), incorporated on August 27, 2010, is a holding company. Vipshop Holdings conducts its business through its subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entity in the People's Republic of China. The Company is engaged in the online discount retailer for various brands. It offers branded products to consumers in China through flash sales on its vipshop.com Website. As of February 17, 2012, it had the rights to sell selective products from over 360 brands. As of December 31, 2011, it had offered diversified product offerings from over 1,900 popular domestic and international brands on its Website, including Aimer, A-life, Bossini, Disney, FOX, Harry Potter, Kappa, KUHLE, Lily, Limi, Mentholatum, Metersbonwe, MEXICAN, Ochirly and Pepsi. As of December 31, 2011, it owned seven registered trademarks, copyrights to six software programs developed by the Company, and four registered domain names, such as vipshop.com, vipshop.com.cn, vipshop.cn and vipshop.net.

In February 2014, the Company announced that it has acquired a 75 % interest in Lefeng.com Limited from Ovation Entertainment Limited.

The Company�� business model provides an online shopping for its customers. It offers new sales events with a selection of popular branded products at discounted prices in limited quantities during limited time periods. As of February 17, 2012, its total number of customers were 0.9 million, representing 60.6% of the total number of its customers. The Company offers a curated selection of apparel, fashion goods, cosmetics, home goods and lifestyle products from popular domestic and international brands. Its Product Category include womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, handbags, children, sportswear and sporting goods, cosmetics, home goods and other, lifestyle products, luxury goods and gifts and miscellaneous.

The Company competes with B2C e-commerce, Taobao Mall, 360Buy and Dangdang.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Vipshop Holdings (NYSE: VIPS  ) were going for a discount today, falling as much as 16% after the Chinese online discount retailer responded to recent allegations of fraud.

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Axxess Unlimited Inc (AXXU)

Axxess Unlimited, Inc., incorporated on June 8, 2000, is the holding company for the Axxess family of companies. The Axxess family of companies includes both vertically-integrated operating businesses and horizontally-integrated companies with each supported by a common software technology - the Axxess RISE Platform. The Company provides next-generation business intelligence for a range of businesses and organizations. It provides information-driven business solutions through interactive marketing, interactive technologies, application and product development, customer relationship management, business intelligence, portals and collaboration, and infrastructure solutions. Its companies include Axxess Digital (AxxuD), Axxess Apps (AxxuA) and Axxess Brands (AxxuB).

Axxess Digital

AxxuD is an interactive digital agency company. The Company relies on the core logic of the Axxess Unlimited RISE platform.

Axxess Apps

AxxuA is a software development company. The focus of AxxuA includes: enterprise applications, custom applications, cloud applications and mobile applications. The Company has software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions and custom and mobile products available in the government services, automobile dealership, medical and consumer goods sectors.

Axxess Brands

AxxuB is a marketer and manufacturer of specialty brands in better-for-you and indulgent categories under a variety of Company owned and licensed brand names. AxxuB licenses brands and provides outsource management.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  If the names Axxess Unlimited Inc. (OTCMKTS:AXXU) and MagneGas Corporation (NASDAQ:MNGA) ring a bell, it might be because yours truly posted some bullish thoughts on both names earlier this week. Although neither small cap stock had done everything they needed to do in order become a fully bullish trade at the time, both MNGA and AXXU have cleared those hurdles in the meantime. So, in case you forgot (or in case you missed the first look), an updated review of Axxess Unlimited and MagneGas is merited.

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, WIZD remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $.200 at the close (ref. google finance August 23, 2013 ��Close).

  Axxess Unlimited, Inc. previously reported the second quarter 2013 financial results for the period ending June 30, 2013.

  Second quarter 2013 compared to second quarter 2012 results included:

  Total Revenues up 330% to $272,775 compared to $63,392
  Gross Profit grew 1076% to $193,961 compared to loss of $19,876
  Operating Expenses were up 97% as the company continued to invest in R&D and channel rollout for Axxess products and technology.
  Operating Net Income increased 103% to $3,118 compared to loss of $116,773
  Six-month period 2013 compared to six-month period 2012 results included:

  Total Revenues up 305% to $518,485 compared to $128,161
  Gross Profit grew 1212% to $352,532 compared to $26,868
  Operating Expenses were up 80%
  Operating Net Income increased 96% to a loss of $6,551 compared to a loss of $172,982

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Five Below Inc (FIVE)

Five Below, Inc. (Five Below), incorporated on January 30, 2002, is a retailer offering a range of merchandise for teen and pre-teen customer. The Company offers products, including select brands and licensed merchandise across a number of categories, which it refer to as worlds-Style, Room, Sports, Media, Crafts, Party, Candy and Seasonal (which it refer to as Now). As of October 27, 2012, The Company operated 243 stores throughout the eastern half of the United States. Its Style consists primarily of accessories such as novelty socks, sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, gloves, hair accessories and attitude t-shirts. Its beauty offering includes products such as nail polish, lip gloss, fragrance and branded cosmetics. Its Room consists of items used to complete and personalize its customer�� living space, including glitter lamps, posters, frames, fleece blankets, pillows, candles, incense and related items. The Company also offers storage options for the customer�� room and locker.

The Company�� Sports consists of an assortment of sport balls, team sports merchandise and fitness accessories, including hand weights, jump ropes and gym balls. It also offers a variety of games, including name brand board games, puzzles, toys and plush items. In the summer season, its sports offering also include pool, beach and outdoor toys, games and accessories. Its Media consists of a selection of accessories for personal computers (PCs), cell phones, Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 Audio (MP3) players and tablet computers. The offering includes cases, chargers, headphones and other related items. It also carries a range of media products including books, video games and Digital Versatile Disc (DVDs). It offers an assortment of craft activity kits, as well as arts and crafts supplies, such as crayons, markers and stickers. It also offer trend-right items for school, such as backpacks, fashion notebooks and journals, novelty pens and pencils, as well as everyday name brand items.

The C! ompany�� Party consists of party goods, decorations and greeting cards, as well as everyday and special occasion merchandise. Its Candy consists of branded items that appeal to teens and pre-teens. This category includes an assortment of classic and novelty candy bars and movie-size box candy, as well as gum and snack food. It also sells chilled drinks through coolers. Its Seasonal consists of seasonally-specific items used to celebrate and decorate for events such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and St. Patrick�� Day.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  But who care about that right? You’re here for the stocks, so without further ado: AK Steel (AKS), teen-retailer Five Below (FIVE), FireEye (FEYE), GameStop (GME), Lululemon Athletica (LULU), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MBIA (MBI), Peabody Energy (BTU), PulteGroup (PHM), Twitter (TWTR).

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Business Wire/Getty Images From an iconic auto parts retailer hoping to shift into reverse after a streak of negative quarters to the world's most valuable consumer tech giant showing off its new gadgetry, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Pep Rally The new trading week kicks off with Pep Boys (PBY) reporting quarterly results. The auto-parts retailer and provider of car maintenance and repair services has 800 locations across the country. This has historically been an all-weather niche for investors. When the economy's smoking, drivers spruce up their rides. When the economy's in the tank, drivers hold on to their cars longer, requiring more money invested in maintaining and repairing their vehicles. This doesn't mean that investors should be expecting a strong report. Analysts see flattish earnings and sales growth. Making matters worse, Pep Boys has fallen short of Wall Street's profit targets in each of the four previous quarters. The trend suggests that Pep Boys may earn less than the 17 cents a share that the pros are forecasting. Tuesday -- The Big Apple We will finally get our first look at the iPhone 6 on Tuesday. Apple (AAPL) has scheduled a media event for Tuesday, and this is the time of year when the world's most valuable consumer tech company refreshes its smartphone line. Everything is pointing to a larger device. Sources have been telling tech blogs that we're also looking at a scratch-resistant screen and a chip-based transaction platform. We may get more than just a shiny new smartphone out of Apple. Some have suggested that Apple will finally make its big splash into wearable computing. Apple could also update some of its other product lines or shock the world in a good way by entering into a brand-new product category. Wednesday -- Retailers on Parade A handful of retail chains will be updating the market with fresh quarterly reports. Wet Seal (WTSL), Five Below (F

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Lowe's Companies Inc.(LOW)

Lowe's Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company offers a range of products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating, and property maintenance. It provides home improvement products in the categories of appliances, lumber, paint, millwork, building materials, lawn and landscape products, flooring, rough plumbing, seasonal living, tools, hardware, fashion plumbing, lighting, nursery, outdoor power equipment, cabinets and countertops, home organization, rough electrical, and home fashion, as well as boards, panel products, irrigation pipes, vinyl sidings, and ladders. The company also offers installation services through independent contractors in various product categories. Lowe's Companies serves homeowners and renters primarily consisting of do-it-yourself customers and do-it-for-me customers; and commercial business customers, who work in the construction, rep air/remodel, commercial and residential property management, or business maintenance professions. As of August 15, 2011, it operated approximately 1,725 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company also offers its products through electronic product catalogs and Lowes.com. Lowe's Companies, Inc. was founded in 1952 and is based in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bloomberg]

  Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images Housing starts in the U.S. were little changed in February after declining less than previously estimated a month earlier, indicating the home-building industry is stabilizing after bad winter weather curbed construction. The 0.2 percent decrease to 907,000 homes at an annualized rate last month followed a revised 909,000 pace in January, figures from the Commerce Department in Washington showed Tuesday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey called for a 910,000 rate after a previously reported 880,000 in January. Warmer temperatures, a pickup in demand during the spring selling season and limited housing supply may help fuel further gains in new residential construction. The outlook for the industry later this year depends on whether hiring picks up enough to overcome higher mortgage rates and home prices. "We will see improvement as the year goes on and weather improves," said David Sloan, a senior economist at 4cast in New York and the top-ranked forecaster of starts in the last two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. "The pace of increase will be fairly moderate. It suggests we're going to get respectable economic growth, but maybe not a strong acceleration." Estimates of 82 economists surveyed by Bloomberg ranged from 792,000 to 986,000. The February pace was the slowest in four months. Another report showed consumer prices rose 0.1 percent in February for a second month, according to the Labor Department. More than half the increase was due to higher food costs. Stock-index futures held earlier gains after the figures, with the contract on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index maturing in June rising 0.4 percent to 1,857.4 at 8:43 a.m. in New York. Building Permits Permits filed for future projects increased 7.7 percent to a 1.02 million pace in February, the most since October and reflecting a surge in applications for apartment-building construction. One-family home-building permits

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Furthermore, rival Lowe's (NYSE: LOW  ) missed expectations for its quarterly sales in today's earnings report, indicating that Home Depot still has the lead on its closest competitor. While Lowe's CEO Robert Niblock said recent sales after the first quarter's end should make up for the revenue miss, the company's same-store sales dipped 0.7% for the first quarter, falling further behind Home Depot, whose same-store sales rose. Although Lowe's will similarly benefit from the housing rebound, Home Depot is clearly holding the advantage in this industry.

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  It's a sad fact that a shareholder friendly company is hard to come by these days. Fortunately, one company that not only continues to deliver financial rewards also happens to almost always act in the best interests of its owners. That company? National home improvement retailer�Home Depot (NYSE: HD  ) �. Not only is Home Depot extremely shareholder friendly, but it also appears to be even more so than arch-rival�Lowe's (NYSE: LOW  ) which also happens to be among the best of breed when it comes to putting itself in its owners shoes.�

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Inchcape PLC (INCH)

Inchcape plc is a global premium automotive distributor and retailer. The Company provides a professional and financed route to market for automotive manufacturers across five continents. Inchcape acts as a vehicle and parts distributor in 22 of its 26 markets. In these markets, the Company has responsibility for managing the value chain on behalf of a focused portfolio of premium and luxury brand partners. The Company�� responsibilities as a distributor include specifying vehicles to meet local market requirements, organizing logistics from the factory gate through to the retail center, appointing and performance managing the retail network and acting as the national marketer of the brand. The Company derives over two third of its profit from Asia Pacific and emerging markets. Its markets include Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Chile, Ethiopia, Australia and the United Kingdom. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Inchcape Plc (INCH) surged 9.9 percent to 645 pence, the highest level since June 2008. The largest publicly traded U.K. car retailer and wholesaler reported first-half adjusted pretax earnings increased 11 percent. The company also announced share buybacks of 100 million pounds in the next year.

Best Sliver Companies To Own For 2015

Best Sliver Companies To Own For 2015: Diatreme Resources Ltd (DRX)

Diatreme Resources Limited is engaged in exploration for heavy mineral sands, copper, gold and base metals in Australia. The Company's flagship asset, the Cyclone Zircon Project located in Western Australia. The Company's Eucla Basin is a sedimentary basin located in the central part of the southern region of Australia. The Company's Clermont Gold Project is situated to the south, west and northwest of the town of Clermont in central Queensland. Its Gilbert River Base Metals Project located in north Queensland, the Gilbert River Project consists of both granted exploration permits and exploration permit application areas. The Tick Hill Gold Project is comprised of three granted mining leases (ML7094, 7096 & 7097) each with an area of 130 hectares for a total area of 390 hectares. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Lloyds Banking Group Plc climbed 2.7 percent on a report it will pay as much as 70 percent of profit as dividend. Thomas Cook Group Plc, Mediaset SpA and Drax (DRX) Group Plc advanced more than 2.5 percent as analysts upgraded the shares. HSBC, Europe's largest bank, sank the most in 20 months. PostNL NV, the biggest Dutch postal operator, plunged the most in six months after sales missed estimates.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-sliver-companies-to-own-for-2015.html

Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Watch Right Now

Over the past few days, hedge funds have been filing their form 13-F, which is a quarterly report of equity holdings filed by institutional investment managers with at least $100 million in equity assets under management, as required by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In this article, let麓s concentrate in one particular hedge fund and try to see the principal holdings in its portfolio. I will look into Blackhill Capital Inc., a financial investment advisory firm headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey.

Recently, the fund reported its equity portfolio ended September. The total value of the portfolio amounted to $733.6 million, down from $730.9 million disclosed at the end of the previous quarter. Consequently, the fund's equity market change value was negative 2.6 million in the last quarter. The filing revealed that at the end of September, the fund added one new position to its equity portfolio and sold out one position. The top ten portfolio holdings as of the end of the quarter represented 70.70%. The largest changes from previous 13-F麓s fillings are in the energy and consumer discretionary sectors.

Hot Valued Companies For 2015: Alliance One International Inc (AOI)

Alliance One International, Inc., incorporated on October 19, 1994, is a leaf tobacco merchant. The Company is engaged in purchasing, processing, packing, storing and shipping tobacco to manufacturers of cigarettes and other consumer tobacco products globally. The Company deals primarily in flue-cured, burley, and oriental tobaccos that is used in international brand cigarettes. The Company�� revenues are primarily comprised of sales of processed tobacco and fees charged for processing and related services to these manufacturers of tobacco products. The Company does not manufacture cigarettes or other consumer tobacco products.

Tobacco is primarily purchased directly from suppliers with small quantities still sold at auction. In non-auction markets, the Company purchases tobacco directly from suppliers and the Company assumes the risk of matching the quantities and grades required by its customers to the entire crop it must purchase under contract. The Company purchases tobacco in more than 35 countries. During the year ended March 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013), approximately 30% of the Company�� purchases of tobacco were from the South America operating segment, approximately 5% were from the Value Added Services operating segment and approximately 65% from the Other Regions operating segment.

The Company processes tobacco to meet each customer's specifications as to quality, yield, chemistry, particle size, moisture content and other characteristics. Unprocessed tobacco is a semi-perishable commodity that generally must be processed within a relatively short period of time to prevent fermentation or deterioration in quality. The Company processes tobacco in more than 35 owned and third-party facilities around the world including Argentina, Brazil, China, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Guatemala, India, Tanzania, the United States, Malawi, Thailand, Germany, Indonesia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. These facilities encompass all export locations of flue-cured, burley and oriental tobaccos! . In addition, the Company has entered into contracts, joint ventures and other arrangements for the purchase of tobacco grown in substantially all other countries that produce export-quality flue-cured and burley tobacco. The Company also sells a small amount of processed but unthreshed flue-cured and burley tobacco in loose-leaf and bundle form to certain customers. In 2013, Alliance One delivered approximately 41% of its tobacco sales to customers in Europe and approximately 19% to customers in the United States. In 2013, these Belgium sales accounted for 20% of sales to customers in Europe. The Company ships tobacco to manufacturers of cigarettes and other consumer tobacco products located in approximately 90 countries around the world as designated by these manufacturers.

The Company competes with Japan Tobacco, Inc. (JTI), Philip Morris International, Inc. (PMI), and Imperial Tobacco Group PLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Camtek was an automated optical inspection (AOI) company that designed and manufactured inspection systems for printed circuit boards (PCB). Further, they were in the process of designing systems to inspect semiconductors as well. The logic for investing in AOI companies was simple: Many circuit boards still employed visual inspection and circuits were getting smaller every year.

• [By John Emerson]

  As noted previously, I rode the elevator up and then back down on Camtek (CAMT), a tiny Israeli automated optical inspection (AOI) company. By late 2008 the company had fallen to below $1 per share. Both of Camtek�� larger rivals, RTEC and ORBK, had dropped to absurdly low levels by November 2008. I used the opportunity to switch out of CAMT and some of my other losing propositions in favor of these superior companies. In the process, I created a large amount of tax loss carry-forwards which would allow me to minimize my future taxation when I decided to sell these cyclical entities.

• [By Sally Jones] ng>Predictability: 1 out of 5 Stars

  Down 12% over 12 months, Alliance One International Inc. has a market cap of $251.53 million; its shares were traded at around $2.86, which is 2.4% above its 52-week low. The P/E ratio is 65.10, and the P/B ratio is 0.80.

  Alliance One is a tobacco leaf supplier serving the world's largest cigarette manufacturers. The company purchases, processes, packs, stores and ships tobacco to manufacturers of cigarettes and other consumer tobacco products throughout the world. Alliance One deals mainly in tobacco types used in international brand cigarettes. As a tobacco leaf merchant, Alliance One purchases tobacco grown in over 45 countries and serves cigarette manufacturers in over 90 countries.

  The company reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, with a net loss of $36.9 million, down further from a net loss in the same quarter last year of 30.7 million. The net loss translates to $(0.42) per basic share for the reporting quarter.

  Historical share pricing, revenue and net income:

  [ Enlarge Image ]

  Guru Action: As of June 30, 2013, Seth Klarman holds 7,669,969 shares, valued at $29.14 million, and weighting his portfolio at 0.72%. In the second quarter, he sold 461,625 shares at an average price of $3.74 for a loss of 23.5%.

  In six quarters of double-digit losses, Klarman has averaged a loss of 31% on 5,800,000 shares bought at an average price of $4.17 per share. He has averaged a loss of 38% on 1,798,473 shares sold at an average price of $4.59 per share.

  Seth Klarman is one of six gurus holding AOI as of June 30, 2013, and there is recent insider trading.

  Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC)

  Predictability: 1 out of 5 Stars

  Down 54% over 12 months, Kinross Gold Corporation has a market cap of $5.32 billion; its shares were traded at around $4.66, 2.8% above its 52-week low. The P/B ratio is 0.80. The dividend yield is 3.44%.

  Kinross Gold Corporati

Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Watch Right Now: Outerwall Inc (OUTR)

Outerwall Inc, formerly Coinstar, Inc., incorporated on October 12, 1993, is a provider of automated retail solutions, which offers convenient products and services. the Company's offerings in automated retail include its Redbox business, where consumers can rent or purchase movies and video games from self-service kiosks (Redbox segment), and its Coin business, where consumers can convert their coin to cash or stored value products at self-service coin counting kiosks (Coin segment). Its New Ventures business (New Ventures segment) is focused on identifying, evaluating, building, and developing self-service concepts in the marketplace. On June 9, 2011, the Company completed the sale transaction of the Money Transfer Business to Sigue Corporation (Sigue). In June 2012, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, acquired certain assets of NCR Corp's self-service entertainment DVD kiosk business. In October 2013, Jana Partners LLC acquired a 13.5% stake in Outerwall Inc.

Redbox

Within the Company�� Redbox segment, it operates 35,400 Redbox kiosks, in 29,300 locations, where consumers can rent or purchase movies and video games. Its Redbox kiosks are available in every state, as well as Puerto Rico and are installed at grocery stores, mass retailers, drug stores, restaurants and convenience stores, including Walgreens, Walmart and McDonalds. Its Redbox kiosks supply the functionality of a traditional video rental store, which occupy an area of less than 10 square feet. Consumers use a touch screen to select their titles, swipe a valid credit or debit card, and receive their movie or video game. The daily rental fee at a Redbox kiosk is a flat fee plus tax for one daily rental and, if the consumer chooses to keep the movie or video game for additional days, the consumer is charged for each additional day at the same daily rental fee. Its consumers can rent a movie or video game from one location and return their rental to any of its Redbox locations.! In addition, its consumers may reserve a movie or video game online or through a smart phone application and pick it up at the selected Redbox location.

The Company generates revenue through fees charged to rent or purchase a movie or video game, and it pays retailers a percentage of its revenue. Its content library consists of movies and video games available for rent or purchase. It obtains its movie and video game content through revenue sharing agreements and license agreements with studios and game publishers, as well as through distributors and other suppliers.

Coin

As of December 31, 2011, within the Company�� Coin segment, it owned and operated approximately 20,200 coin-counting kiosks (approximately 17,200, of which offer a range of stored value products to consumers) in 19,900 locations, where consumers feed loose change into the kiosks, which count the change and then dispense vouchers or, in some cases, issue stored value products, at the consumer�� election. Its Coin kiosks are available across the United States, where they provide service to retailers, such as Kroger and Walmart, and in Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It generates revenue through transaction fees from its consumers and product partners. Each voucher lists the dollar value of coins counted, less its transaction fee. When consumers elect to have a stored value product issued, the transaction fee normally charged to the consumer is charged instead to the card issuers for the coin-counting services.

New Ventures

Within the Company�� New Ventures segment, it identifies, evaluates, builds and develops self-service concepts in the automated retail space. Its New Ventures segment consists of its coffee, refurbished electronics and photo self-service concepts. It generates revenue through fees charged for products and services offered to consumers in select test markets where it is testing business concepts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Bleeker, CFA]

  The Motley Fool is on the road in Seattle! Recently, we visited Coinstar -- now officially renamed�Outerwall� (NASDAQ: OUTR  ) -- to speak with CFO-turned-CEO Scott Di Valerio about the 22-year-old company's well-known coin-cashing machines, as well as its more recent acquisition of Redbox, and future initiatives to expand into other aspects of the automated retail market.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  The kiosk operator began trading as Outerwall (NASDAQ: OUTR  ) today, ringing the exchange's opening bell and announcing a significant acquisition.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Outerwall (NASDAQ: OUTR) dipped 19.33% to $45.15 in the pre-market session after the company lowered its forecast for the third quarter and full year.

Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Watch Right Now: S&W Seed Company(SANW)

S&W Seed Company engages in contracting the production of alfalfa seed varieties, processing the seeds, and marketing the certified seed to agribusiness firms and farmers worldwide. It also involves in the production of stevia leaf. The company primarily offers high fall dormancy (FD) alfalfa seed varieties, as well as markets and sells other varieties, including FD 7, 6, and 4 varieties. It sells the seed primarily to dealers and distributors who, in turn, sell primarily to hay and dairy farmers who grow hay for dairy cattle and other livestock; and through brokers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Five Points, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Glenwoods]

  �PureCircle does not grow its own product, but is more of a holding company as it contracts farms scattered around the globe to grow stevia to certain specifications.� One such farm is the S&W SEED Co. (NASDAQ:SANW).� Toward the end of 2011, PureCircle, with a goal of developing stevia in the U.S. for the U.S market, entered into a five-year agreementwith the California-based grower of high-yield alfalfa seeds, to grow stevia to the company�� specifications.� Unfortunately the results have not matched expectationsas reported by S&W Seed:

Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Watch 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 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.

• [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.

Top 5 Income Companies For 2014

Popular Posts: The 4 Most Important Income ETFs to Own3 Short Sells with Huge Profit PotentialAMC Stock: You Won’t Find a Safer Dividend Recent Posts: 3 ETFs Paying 14% That Are Safe��or Now 3 Covered Calls to Cash In on Internet Stocks The Student Loan Bubble: How We Got Here and How to Profit View All Posts 3 ETFs Paying 14% That Are Safe��or Now

High-yield ETFs that have mega-high yields are very tempting. Anything offering a dividend yield above 10% always gives me pause, because there�� got to be a reason that the payout is so high. In cases like BDCs or mREITs, it�� because they are leveraging really low interest rates to lend out or sell securities at higher yields. In other cases, the stocks have been beaten down to the point that the yield has risen to a level that may be unsustainable.

Best China Companies To Invest In Right Now: Westell Technologies Inc.(WSTL)

Westell Technologies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, distribution, marketing, and servicing a range of broadband, digital transmission, remote monitoring, power distribution, and demarcation products used by telephone companies and other telecommunications service providers. It operates in three segments: Customer Networking Systems (CNS) equipment, Outside Plant Systems (OSP) equipment, and ConferencePlus services. The CNS equipment segment provides networking and high-speed transmissions products, such as modems, routers, versatile gateway devices, and wireless broadband home routers that allow service providers to deliver broadband services over existing copper, fiber, coax, or wireless infrastructures. The OSP segment offers next generation outdoor cabinets; enclosures; power distribution; fiber, Ethernet, and coax edge connectors; remote monitoring equipment; and DS1 and DS3 transmission plugs. This segment also markets and sells power distribu tion and remote monitoring solutions. The ConferencePlus services segment provides audio, Web, and video conferencing services to businesses and individuals. This segment sells its services directly to Fortune 1000 companies, and indirectly through its private reseller programs. The company offers its products through field sales organizations and selected distributors in the United States, as well as in Canada and Europe. Westell Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Friday, the diversified manufacturer named Brian S. Cooper�to replace interim CFO Braden Waverley on May 28. Waverly will remain acting CFO until Cooper joins the company next month. Cooper comes to Federal Signal by way of smaller telecommunications equipment maker Westell Technologies (NASDAQ: WSTL  ) , where he has served as CFO since 2009.

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  1. Steel Excel (SXCL)
  2. FormFactor (FORM)
  3. Imation (IMN)
  4. Tuesday Morning (TUES)
  5. Pacific Biosciences (PACB)
  6. Maxygen (MAXY)
  7. Westell (WSTL)
  8. Volt Information Sciences (VISI)
  9. Yasheng Group (YHGG)

• [By Rich Smith]

  Late last month, the networking equipment maker had to scramble when its acting chief financial officer, Tom Minichiello, announced plans to retire on July 12 to become the new CFO at Westell Technologies (NASDAQ: WSTL  ) . On Friday, though, just as the deadline was happening, Tellabs announced that it has found a replacement.

Top 5 Income Companies For 2014: Ark Restaurants Corp. (ARKR)

Ark Restaurants Corp., through its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of restaurants and bars, fast food concepts, and catering operations. As of October 2, 2010, it owned and operated 22 restaurants and bars, including 9 facilities located in New York City; 4 in Washington, D.C.; 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada; 2 in Atlantic City, New Jersey; 1 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut; and 1 in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as had 29 fast food concepts and catering operations. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bram de Haas]

  Ark Restaurants Corp (ARKR) owns and operates 19 restaurants and bars, 22 fast food concepts and catering operations in the USA. This is a short article outlining why they are an interesting company to put on the buy list. It needs to be said, this is not a chain that can roll out their concept or brand nationwide and enjoy terrific growth of their franchise. They chose not to build up brands and instead operate under trade names that suit the unique locations they prefer. The reason that I want to highlight this small company is that in recent years they have faced numerous challenges and adversity (aside from those posed by the general economy) and it's possible they have dealt with the majority, and free cash flow will enjoy a significant uptick in the next two years.

• [By Geoff Gannon] ght them - and even now - I think their return on buyback would be high and I'd be in favor of it. However, the stocks are illiquid and their free cash flow relative to the dollar value of freely traded shares is not high. As a result, I'm always in favor of RSKIA and ARKR buying back stock. But, I understand it's very hard for them to do in practice unless there is a meaningful holder who signals he wants out of the stock.

  My approach to buybacks is pretty simple. One, I prefer them. Two, I look at the share count history over the last 10 to 20 years as my guide to what the company might do in the future - I want a pattern of predictable behavior. Generally, that means a continuously shrinking share count that shrinks in bull markets and bear markets, panics and recessions and booms and busts and so on. Three, if I'm a buyer of the stock - then the company should be a buyer of its own stock. No questions asked on that one. If the stock is good enough for me to buy it's clearly good enough for the company to buy. Finally, I look for the return on buyback. I tend to focus on the earning power the company is buying relative to the net cash it is spending. If a company has cash on its balance sheet, the amount of net cash consumed by a buyback will be less than it appears because I will end up with a greater percentage ownership of the resulting balance sheet as well as the income statement.

  I want the return on buyback to always be at least 10%. As a rule, the average company will only get returns on its buybacks of 10% or higher if it pays less than 15 times normal earnings. In special cases - fast growing companies, companies where free cash flow vastly exceeds reported income, etc. - it is possible that buybacks above 15 times earnings will return more than 10%. It almost never makes sense for a company to buy back stock at over 25 times earnings. So, for most companies, under 15 times earnings is the green zone for buybacks - 15 to 25 times earnings is

Top 5 Income Companies For 2014: Exide Technologies (XIDEQ)

Exide Technologies, incorporated on November 23, 1966, is engaged in stored electrical energy solutions, and is a manufacturer and supplier of lead-acid batteries for transportation and industrial applications in the worldwide. Exide operates in four business segments: Transportation Americas, Transportation Europe and ROW, Industrial Energy Americas, and Industrial Energy Europe and ROW. The Company�� operations in the Americas as well as Europe and Rest of World (ROW) represented approximately 42% and 58%, respectively, during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013), net sales.

Transportation

The Company�� transportation batteries include starting lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries for cars, trucks, off-road vehicles, agricultural and construction vehicles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, marine, and other applications including Micro-hybrids. The Company�� principal batteries sold in the transportation markets are represented by brands: Exide, Exide Extreme, Exide NASCAR Select, Centra, DETA, Orbital, Fulmen, and Tudor, as well as other brands under various private labels. The market for transportation batteries is divided between sales to aftermarket customers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Transportation segments represented approximately 61% of the Company�� net sales in fiscal 2013. Within the transportation segments, aftermarket and OEM net sales, including original equipment service (OES) represented approximately 72.1% and 27.9% of fiscal 2013 net sales, respectively.

Some of the Company�� aftermarket customers include Pep Boys, Bosch, Tractor Supply, Canadian Tire, ADI, ATR International, and GroupAuto International. In addition, the Company is also a supplier of authorized replacement batteries for OEMs including the BMW Group, Fiat Group, Honda, Iveco, John Deere, PSA Group, Scania, Volvo Trucks, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, Renault-Nissan, PACCAR, and many others. Some of the Company�� OEM customers include t! he BMW Group, Fiat Group, International Truck & Engine, the PSA group (Peugeot S.A./Citroen), Case/New Holland, John Deere, Renault, Nissan, Scania, Volvo Trucks, Volkswagen Group, Chrysler, Toyota, Jaguar, Land Rover, among others.

In the Americas, the Company sells aftermarket transportation products through various distribution channels, including mass merchandisers, auto parts outlets, wholesale distributors, and battery specialists. The Company sells its OEM transportation replacement products principally through dealer networks. The Company�� Americas operations include a network of 74 branches which sell and distribute batteries and other products to the Company�� distributor channel customers, battery specialists, national account customers, retail stores, and OEM dealers. In addition, these branches collect spent batteries for the Company�� recycling facilities. These operations supply recycled lead for approximately 75 to 80% of Exide�� Transportation and Industrial Energy products manufactured in North America. The recycling facilities also recover and recycle battery acid as well as plastic materials that are used to produce new battery covers and cases.

In Europe and ROW, the Company sells OEM batteries to the light vehicle, light commercial vehicle and commercial vehicle industries. The commercial vehicle industry includes truck manufacturers as well as construction and agriculture vehicle manufacturers. Exide supplies its OEM batteries directly to the assembly plants of its customers. The Company also delivers service and replacement batteries into this segment. Those are either distributed by the OEM customers themselves or delivered directly to the service points through the Exide logistics network. The Company also supplies advanced lead-acid batteries for microhybrid vehicles equipped with carbon dioxide reducing technologies such as Start & Stop with and without regenerative braking systems. It sells Europe and ROW aftermarket batteries primarily th! rough aut! omotive parts and battery wholesalers, mass-merchandisers, auto centers, service installers, and oil companies. Battery specialists sell and distribute batteries to a network of automotive parts retailers, service stations, independent retailers, and garages throughout Europe.

The Company competes with Johnson Controls, Inc. and East Penn Manufacturing.

Industrial Energy

The Company�� Industrial Energy segments supply both motive power and network power applications. Motive power batteries are used in the material handling industry for electric forklift trucks, and in other industries, including floor cleaning machinery, powered wheelchairs, railroad locomotives, mining, and the electric road vehicles market. The battery technologies for the motive power markets include flooded flat plate products, tubular plate products, absorbed glass mat (AGM) products, and gel electrolyte products. The Company also offers a complete range of battery chargers and related equipment for the operation and maintenance of battery-powered vehicles. Network power batteries are used to provide back-up power for use with telecommunications systems, computer installations or data centers, hospitals, air traffic control systems, security systems, utilities, railway and military applications. Telecommunications applications include central and local switching systems, satellite stations, wireless base stations and mobile switches, optical fiber repeating boxes, cable television transmission boxes, and radio transmission stations. The Company�� strongest network power battery brands, Absolyte and Sonnenschein, offer customers the choice of AGM or gel electrolyte valve regulated battery technologies and deliver among the highest energy and power densities in their class.

In the Americas, the Company distributes motive power products and services through multiple channels. These include sales and service locations owned by the Company that are augmented by a network of indep! endent ma! nufacturers��representatives. The Company serves a wide range of customers including OEM suppliers of lift trucks, industrial companies, retail distributors, warehousing companies, and manufacturers. Motive power customers in the Americas include Toyota, MCFA, NACCO, Sears, Toyota, Walmart, and Target. The Company distributes network power products and services through sales and service locations owned by the Company augmented by a network of independent manufacturers��representatives. The Company�� primary network power customers in the Americas include AT&T, APC, Emerson Electric, and Verizon Wireless.

The Company distributes motive power products and services in Europe through in-house sales and service organizations and utilizes distributors and agents for the export of products from Europe to ROW countries. Motive power products in Europe are also sold to a wide range of customers in the aftermarket, ranging from industrial companies and retail distributors to small warehousing and manufacturing operations. Motive power batteries are also sold in complete packages, including batteries, chargers, and increasingly through on-site service. The Company�� OEM motive power customers include Toyota Material Handling, the KION Group, and Jungheinrich. The Company distributes network power products and services in Europe and batteries and chargers in Australia and New Zealand through in-house sales and service organizations. In Asia, products are distributed through independent distributors. The Company utilizes distributors, agents, and direct sales to export products from Europe and North America to ROW. The Company�� primary Network Power customers in Europe and ROW include Deutsche Telecom, Alcatel, Emerson Electric, Ericsson and Siemens Nokia Networks.

The Company competes with EnerSys Inc., East Penn Manufacturing, Hoppecke, MIDAC, GS/Yuasa, Shinkobe and C&D Technologies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  A real car wreck on the horizon
  Already crashing and burning was lead-acid battery maker Exide Technologies (NASDAQOTH: XIDEQ  ) , which confirmed it had hired a restructuring specialist to help it cope with is financial situation ahead of some of its debt maturing this fall. It's shares fell almost 48% on the news.

Top 5 Income Companies For 2014: Oshkosh Truck Corporation(OSK)

Oshkosh Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets a range of specialty vehicles, and vehicle bodies worldwide. Its Defense segment manufactures severe-duty, heavy, and medium-payload tactical trucks for the Department of Defense, including hauling tanks, missile systems, ammunition, fuel, and troops and cargo for combat units. The company?s Access Equipment segment offers aerial work platforms and telehandlers used in a range of construction, agricultural, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications. This segment also manufactures towing and recovery equipment and related parts; and leases equipments for short-term to rental companies. The company?s Fire and Emergency segment provides custom and commercial fire apparatus, and emergency vehicles, including pumpers, aerial and ladder trucks, tankers, rescue vehicles, wildland rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicl es, and other emergency response vehicles. This segment also offers snow removal vehicles in airports; custom ambulances for private and public transporters, and fire departments; mobile medical trailers for medical centers and service providers; mobile command and control centers and simulation units; and vehicles for broadcasters, TV stations, broadcast production, and radio stations. Oshkosh Corporation?s Commercial segment manufactures refuse collection vehicles for the waste services industry; front and rear discharge concrete mixers, and portable and stationary concrete batch plants for the concrete ready-mix industry; and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service, and mining industries. The company was formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation and changed its name to Oshkosh Corporation in February 2008. Oshkosh Corporation was founded in 1917 and is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Shares of Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK) got a boost, shooting up 7.96 percent to $55.55 after the companyposted upbeat fiscal first-quarter earnings and lifted its full-year forecast.

Hot Up And Coming Companies For 2014

We reaffirmed our Neutral stance on specialty retailer, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY), based on the company�� strong quarterly performance, impressive outlook and store growth initiatives. However, company�� margin performance is a cause of concern, given the soft trends witnessed of late.

Why Reiterate?

Bed Bath & Beyond ��a leading operator of merchandise and home furnishing stores in the U.S. ��enjoys a strong countrywide network of more than 1,100 stores and has a focus on offering merchandise to suit consumer preferences.

We remain impressed by the company�� initiatives of expanding and renovating stores, boosting online presence, incorporating technological advancements and revivifying its merchandise mix to enhance productivity. Such measures bode well for future sales.

Bed Bath & Beyond�� efforts are paying off well, as evinced by its first-quarter fiscal 2013 earnings that rose 4.5% to 93 cents per share, benefiting from the performances of World Market (Cost Plus Inc.) and Linen Holdings. Moreover, the company�� earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Best Mid Cap Companies For 2015: Family Dollar Stores Inc.(FDO)

Family Dollar Stores, Inc. operates a chain of self-service retail discount stores primarily for low and middle income consumers in the United States. The company offers consumables, including household chemicals, paper products, candy and snack products, health and beauty aids, hardware and automotive supplies, and pet food products and supplies; and home products, which comprise domestics, housewares, giftware products, and home decor products. It also provides apparel products and accessories consisting of men?s and women?s clothing products, boys? and girls? clothing products, infants? clothing products, shoes, and fashion accessories; and seasonal products and electronics, such as toys, stationery and school supplies, seasonal goods, and personal electronics. As of August 11, 2011, the company operated approximately 7,000 stores in rural and urban settings across 44 states. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mani]

  [Related -Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (FDO): More Headwinds For Stock In Fiscal 2014]

  In addition, management believes it needs to refresh or further optimize its merchandise mix in key consumables categories like food, household, and HBA after taking a breather in fiscal 2013 following significant resets and change in fiscal 2012.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-305703{display:none}.cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-305703,#postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-305703{width:570px;height:411px;display:block} NEW YORK -- The fight for penny pinchers is intensifying. Dollar Tree (DLTR) said Monday it is buying rival discounter Family Dollar (FDO) for $8.5 billion, significantly broadening its reach as it looks to fend off Walmart, which has been stepping up its courtship of lower-income customers The deal makes Dollar Tree the biggest player in the dollar store segment, with its more than 13,000 combined locations eclipsing current leader Dollar General (DG), which has about 11,300. Dollar stores grew during the recession as people across income groups searched for cheaper options. To attract a broader array of customers, they also expanded their offerings to include more groceries and brand-name products, instead of just the party favors and other knickknacks people often associated with them. More recently, however, sales at dollar stores have been suffering because the lower-income customers who go to them are facing persistent job instability and slow wage growth in the aftermath of the recession. Walmart Stores (WMT) and Kroger (KR) also have been opening smaller store formats to directly compete with dollar stores. During its current fiscal year, Walmart plans to open 270 to 300 smaller outlets designed to cater to shoppers looking for more convenience. Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors, said because the Dollar Tree deal will allow the company to lower expenses by merging its operations, it will ultimately be able to lower prices to better compete with Walmart. "Now they're going to take the fight back to Walmart," Sozzi said. The deal also gives Dollar Tree more flexibility. Dollar Tree is true to its name, with everything in its stores costing just a buck. The fixed pricing has helped attract more customer

• [By Reuters]

  Julio Cortez/AP NEW YORK -- Many U.S. retailers had to ramp up promotions last month as shoppers continued to watch their spending during the holiday season, hitting profits at several chains. L Brands (LB) cut its earnings forecast for the holiday quarter Thursday after reporting disappointing December sales at its Victoria Secret and La Senza chains. The company said it had to offer more deals than expected, the second month in a row it has had to do so. Family Dollar Stores (FDO) and teen retailer Zumiez (ZUMZ), which both reported sales declines for December, also slashed their profit forecasts. Even retailers that saw big sales gains, such as Kay Jewelers parent Signet Jewelers (SIG), weren't spared. "Additional discounting was necessary in a highly promotional retail environment," Signet Chief Executive Officer Mike Barnes said in a statement. A group of nine U.S. retailers in the Thomson Reuters same-store sales index are expected Thursday to report a sales rise of 1.9 percent in December at stores open at least a year, well below the 7.2 percent increase of a year earlier. Including drugstore chains Walgreen (WAG) and Rite Aid (RAD), analysts estimate the rise at 2.7 percent. Gap (GPS) will report after the markets close Thursday. Faced with reticent shoppers worried about their job prospects and modest economic growth, retailers offered more discounts during the holiday season than a year earlier. Between Nov. 3 and Jan. 4, eight retailers, including Walmart Stores (WMT), Target (T) and Macy's (M) , increased the number of circulars published by 6 percent and sent 57 percent more promotional emails, according to data prepared for Reuters by MarketTrack. Retailers also had to deal with shoppers who were less willing to go into stores: Data firm ShopperTrak this week said foot traffic had dropped 14.6 percent this holiday season. Walgreen, whose comparable sales of general merchandise rose 2.5 percent in December, said fewer shoppers had com

Hot Up And Coming Companies For 2014: Neogen Corporation(NEOG)

Neogen Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets various products for food and animal safety worldwide. The company?s Food Safety segment offers diagnostic test kits and complementary products to detect dangerous and/or unintended substances in human food and animal feed, such as foodborne pathogens, spoilage organisms, natural toxins, food allergens, genetic modifications, ruminant by-products, drug residues, pesticide residues, and general sanitation concerns. Its products also comprise bioluminescence-based diagnostic technology for adenosine triphosphate, a chemical found in living cells. This segment offers its products primarily to food and feed producers, meat and poultry processors, seafood processors, fruit and vegetable producers, grain producers and processors, food and beverage processors, and dairies; laboratories and producers of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, veterinary vaccines, and nutraceutical products; and various re gulatory agencies. The company?s Animal safety segment provides pharmaceuticals, rodenticides, disinfectants, vaccines, veterinary instruments, topicals and diagnostic products, and genetic testing services to the animal safety market. Its drug detection immunoassay test kits are used for the detection of abused and therapeutic drugs in farm animals and racing animals, such as horses, greyhounds, and camels; detection of drug residues in meat and meat products; and human forensic toxicology drug screening applications. This segment?s products are also used to maintain sanitary conditions and limit the potential hazards of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In addition, it offers various products for researchers to detect biologically-active substances; and proprietary substrates for other diagnostic test kit manufacturers. The company sells its products directly, as well as through distributors and retail chains. Neogen Corporation was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in La nsing, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  And with very quick gains of 9% in BRF SA (NYSE ADR: BRFS), 5.2% in South American agricultural play Adecoagro SA (NYSE: AGRO) and 1.6% in high-tech agribusiness player Neogen Corp. (Nasdaq: NEOG), we're doing well with our plays on (pockets of) accelerating U.S. inflation.

Hot Up And Coming Companies For 2014: Altra Holdings Inc.(AIMC)

Altra Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, Altra Industrial Motion, Inc., designs, produces, and markets a range of mechanical power transmission and motion control products worldwide. The company provides industrial clutches and brakes for elevators, forklifts, lawn mowers, oil well draw works, punch presses, and conveyors; open and enclosed gearing products for conveyors, ethanol mixers, packaging machinery, and metal processing equipment; and engineered couplings for extruders, turbines, steel strip mills, and pumps. It also offers engineered bearing assemblies for cargo rollers, seat storage systems, and conveyors; power transmission components for conveyors, lawn mowers, and machine tools; and engineered belted drives for pumps, sand and gravel conveyors, and industrial fans. The company sells its products under the Warner Electric, Boston Gear, TB Wood?s, Kilian, Nuttall Gear, Ameridrives, Wichita Clutch, Formsprag Clutch, Bibby Transmissions, Stieber, Matrix, In ertia Dynamics, Twiflex, Industrial Clutch, Huco Dynatork, Marland Clutch, Delroyd, Warner Linear, and Bauer Gear Motor brands through its sales force, industrial distributors, and independent sales representatives. It serves aerospace, energy, food processing, general industrial, material handling, mining, petrochemical, transportation, and turf and garden markets. The company is headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Altra Holdings (Nasdaq: AIMC  ) .

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of power transmission products maker Altra Holdings (NASDAQ: AIMC  ) plummeted 17% today after its quarterly results and outlook disappointed Wall Street.�

Hot Up And Coming Companies For 2014: Two Harbors Investment Corp (TWO)

Two Harbors Investment Corp. (Two Harbors), incorporated on May 21, 2009, operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is focused on investing in, financing and managing residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), residential mortgage loans, residential real properties, and other financial assets. The Company focuses on security selection and implements a relative value investment approach across various sectors within the residential mortgage market. Its target assets include Agency RMBS, Non-Agency RMBS, residential mortgage loans, residential real properties and other financial assets comprising approximately 5% to 10% of the portfolio. The Company has designated certain of its subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (TRSs). Capitol Acquisition Corp. (Capitol) is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Two Harbors. The Company is externally managed and advised by PRCM Advisers LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pine River Capital Management L.P. (Pine River).

The Company invests primarily in mortgage pass-through certificates, collateralized mortgage obligations and other residential mortgage-backed securities representing interests in or obligations backed by pools of mortgage loans issued by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), and Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) (collectively GSEs). The Company also invests in residential mortgage-backed securities that are not issued by the GSEs (non-Agency RMBS) and United States Treasuries. At December 31, 2011, the Company had total assets of approximately $8.1 billion, of which $6.2 billion, or 77.1%, represented its RMBS portfolio. At December 31, 2011, $5.1 billion, or 80.9%, of its RMBS portfolio was comprised of Agency RMBS, $0.9 billion, or 14.9%, of its RMBS portfolio was comprised of senior non-Agency RMBS, and the remaining $0.2 billion, or 4.2%, was comprised of other non-Agency RMBS. The remaining $1.9 billion of assets consisted p! rimarily of United States Treasuries classified as trading instruments, cash, restricted cash, mortgage loans held-for-sale, receivables, derivative assets and prepaid assets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Hanson]

  This week at the Barclays Capital Global Financials Conference, droves of CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs trotted on stage to address a room full of eager analysts. One of the lone mREITs represented was Two Harbors (NYSE: TWO  ) . CEO Tom Siering and CIO Bill Roth weighed in on the current environment.�

• [By Robert Hsu]

  Two of the worst mortgage REITs to own right now also happen to be two of the most widely held ones, and they are Annaly Capital Management Inc (NYSE: NLY-C) and Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE: TWO).

Hot Up And Coming Companies For 2014: Investors Title Company(ITIC)

Investors Title Company, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance to residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial properties. It underwrites land title insurance for owners and mortgagees as a primary insurer; and offers the reinsurance of title insurance risks to other title insurance companies. The company also provides tax-deferred real property exchange services, as well as serves as an exchange accommodation titleholder and holds property for exchangers in reverse exchange transactions; offers investment management and trust services to individuals, companies, banks, and trusts; and provides consulting services to title insurance agencies. Investors Title Company serves various customers in the residential and commercial market sectors of the real estate industry. It issues title insurance policies primarily through approved attorneys from underwriting offices, as well as through independent issuing agents in 24 states and the District of Columbia, the United States. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Investors Title Company (NASDAQ:ITIC), reported its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012. Net income increased 110.0% to $3,349,488, or $1.57 per diluted share, compared with $1,594,805, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the prior year quarter.

Hot Up And Coming Companies For 2014: StealthGas Inc.(GASS)

StealthGas Inc., a ship-owning company, through its subsidiaries, provides international seaborne transportation services worldwide. The company transports petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer. It also transports refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, crude oil, fuel oil, jet fuel, edible oils, and chemicals. As of January 9, 2012, the company had a fleet of 33 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers with a total capacity of 153,088 cubic meters, 3 medium range product tankers, and 1 Aframax oil tanker. It serves LPG producers comprising national and independent energy companies, energy traders, and industrial users. StealthGas Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  StealthGas Inc. (GASS) - Yield 0.00%

  StealthGas Inc. is up 38% over 12 months. The current share price is around $9.40, down 11% since John Keeley made a new buy as of June 30, 2013.

Top Supermarket Stocks For 2014

LONDON -- Shares that are relatively unaffected by extreme market moves are what market statisticians call "low beta" shares.�Here are the 10 FTSE 100 shares with the lowest beta.

Company Price (pence) Beta P/E Yield % Market Cap (Million Pounds) Severn Trent� (LSE: SVT  ) 1,614 0.22 17.8 5.0 3,855 Reckitt Benckiser 4,654 0.30 17.3 3.0 33,399 National Grid 729 0.32 13.4 5.8 26,718 Randgold Resources� (LSE: RRS  ) 4,208 0.32 17.1 0.8 3,879 Wm. Morrison Supermarkets 260 0.33 10.0 4.9 6,046 United Utilities� (LSE: UU  ) 649 0.33 15.2 5.5 4,425 AstraZeneca� (LSE: AZN  ) 3,112 0.35 9.1 5.8 38,959 SSE 1,489 0.39 12.7 5.9 14,359 Imperial Tobacco 2,295 0.41 10.9 5.1 22,343 RSA Insurance� (LSE: RSA  ) 119 0.41 9.6 5.7 4,491

My thoughts on five of these are as follows.

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: BP p.l.c.(BP)

BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; midstream transportation, and storage and processing; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power and natural gas liquids (NGL). This segment has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in Asia, Australasia, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing facilities and export terminals; and LNG processing and transportation, as well as NGL extraction facilities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans-Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission sys tem pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment involves in the supply and trading, refining, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers primarily under the BP, Castrol, ARCO, and Aral brands. Its Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources; and engages in shipping activities. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alanna Petroff]

  Shares in BP (BP) were down 1% after the oil giant reported its latest set of results. BP, which owns a big stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft, has warned that it could suffer if Western nations slap more sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Another major risk is equipment failure, which could lead to major fines, as well as jeopardize the company's reputation. For instance, rig provider Transocean (NYSE: RIG  ) came under attack for its involvement in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident, in which a BP (NYSE: BP  ) well blew out, leading to a fire and subsequent explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig that discharged nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. �

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Seadrill Partners is presently the only offshore drilling services company structured as a partnership, although international offshore drilling contractor�Ocean Rig�(Nasdaq: ORIG) has plans to drop down assets into an MLP this year. The Seadrill Partners IPO involved a drop down of four drilling rigs from the parent — two semi-submersibles (the West Aquarius and the West Capricorn), one tender rig (the West Vencedor), and one ultra-deepwater drillship (the West Capella). These drilling rigs are under long-term contracts with major oil companies such as�Chevron�(NYSE: CVX),�Total�(NYSE:TOT),�BP�(NYSE: BP) and�ExxonMobil�(NYSE: XOM).

Top Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF (SMB)

Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the Barclays Capital AMT-Free Short Continuous Municipal Index (the Index). The Index provides broad exposure to investment-grade municipal bonds with a nominal maturity of 1 to 6 years. To be included in the Index, bonds must be rated investment-grade (Baa3/BBB- or higher) by at least two ratings agencies: Moody��, S&P, Fitch. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, the lower rating is used to determine index eligibility. If only one of the three agencies rates a security, the rating must be investment grade. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issued as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date within the last five years, and must be at least 1 year but less than 6 years from their maturity date. Its investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Rosenbluth]

  Two others are iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Municipal Bond ETF (SUB) and Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF (SMB).

  The Market Vectors fund, not surprisingly, has more A bond exposure and less AA exposure than the iShares fund. However, both have lower average durations than iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond and thus might appeal to investors concerned about the impact of higher rates.

Top Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Intelligent Living Inc (ILIV)

Intelligent Living Inc., formerly Feel Golf Co., Inc., incorporated on February 14, 2000, is a developer of healthy aging software tracking systems and wellness centers, which will provide integrated services promoting optimal health and wellness programs. The services to be offered by the Company are personalized programs and regimens developed by nutritionists, fitness specialists and hormone replacement therapists. The Company focuses to offer the benefits of tailored nutritional programs and its products, combined with healthy-aging bio-identical hormone replacement therapies (BHRT). The Company provides services, such as Age Management Medicine, Excercise & Nutrition, MIND360.COM, Nutraceuticals, Hormone Therapy, and Business Solutions.

Age Management Medicine

The Company's Age Management Medicine is a proactive and preventative approach to healthcare for an aging population. The basic tenets of Age Management Medicine include medical history examination of the patient, a thorough lifestyle assessment, and physical and laboratory evaluations, which are used to establish personalized treatment plans.

Business Solutions

The Company is in the development stages of launching its own Electronic Medical Records software. The product will be a Web-based clinical application for the management of patients with hormone and other chronic conditions.

Excercise & Nutrition

The Company has on-site fitness specialists and nutritionists to help one attain goals. Depending on personal goals, personalized consultations are available at their request.

Hormone Therapy

The Company works directly with a pharmacy that compounds products for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It serves both men and women.

MIND360.COM

Mind360 enhances and maintains people�� mental fitness through an online cognitive training platform. Its engaging brain training games are designed to help strengthen ke! y cognitive functions, including memory, attention, executive functions, thinking and reasoning, and visual perception. Mind360 has over 10,000 users in every continent with more than 40 games.

Nutraceuticals

The Company is focused on optimizing health goals through proper nutrition and dietary supplementation. Its Nutraceutical products support this proactive approach to healthy aging and helps reduce the negative effects of aging and improve quality of life. The Company's Nutraceutical line of products are formulated by both pharmacists and physicians.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap healthcare and lifestyle stocks Axxess Pharma Inc (OTCMKTS: AXXE), Medefile International Inc (OTCMKTS: MDFI) and Intelligent Living Inc (OTCMKTS: ILIV) have all been getting some extra attention lately thanks in part to a few disclosed paid promotions or investor relations type of activities. But just how healthy are these small cap stocks for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

Top Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Bank Of Montreal (BMO)

Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of retail banking, wealth management, and investment banking products and solutions in North America and internationally. It offers personal banking products and services to consumers and small businesses, including deposit and investment services, mortgages, consumer credit, small business lending, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services to small business, medium-sized enterprise, and mid-market banking clients comprising lending, deposits, treasury management, and risk management services. The company also offers cards and payments services; investment and wealth advisory services; self-directed investing services; private banking services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients; investment fund solutions across a range of channels; pension plans; investment management services; and creditor insurance, and life insurance and annuity products and services. In add ition, it provides capital markets products and services, including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and recapitalizations, balance sheet management, liquidity management, merchant banking, securitization, foreign exchange, derivatives, debt and equity research, and institutional sales and trading to corporate, institutional, and government clients. As of October 31, 2010, Bank of Montreal operated and maintained approximately 1,230 bank branches in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Bank of Montreal� (NYSE: BMO  ) �announced yesterday�its third-quarter dividend of $0.74 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter.

Top Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Societe B I C SA (BB)

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

• [By Eric Lam]

  Bankers Petroleum Ltd. (BNK) climbed a fourth day to the highest level in a year. Endeavour Silver Corp. rose 2.1 percent as silver prices rallied for a seventh straight day, the longest streak since January. BlackBerry Ltd. (BB) fell 3.9 percent.

• [By Eric Lam]

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

• [By Eric Lam]

  Canadian stocks fell for a second day as BlackBerry (BB) Ltd. plunged the most in three months and gold producers slumped after a Federal Reserve policy maker said a small tapering of bond buying is possible next month.

• [By Eric Lam]

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

Top Supermarket Stocks For 2014: Eco Depot Inc (ECDP)

Eco Depot, Inc. (Eco Depot), incorporated on November 2, 2004, is a development-stage company. The Company is in the business of developing an Internet e-commerce Website that will sell a range of environmentally friendly goods, energy efficient building and construction materials and sustainable home products. Eco Depot will not manufacture any equipment or goods, but will resell green products from various manufacturers. In July 2010, Eco Depot Inc acquired CS Tech (America).

Eco Depot, Inc. plans to develop and market an e-commerce enabled Website, which would attract prospective industrial clientele, businesses, municipalities and individual customers seeking cleaner technologies and products. The Company plans to market and sell through its Website goods and products that are defined as green. These green products include recycled paper counter tops, environmentally friendly paints, and recycled glass tiles. Eco Depot began the initial development of its Website (www.ecodepotinc.com.) where these products are listed.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap green stocks Eco Depot Inc (OTCMKTS: ECDP), Eco Building Products Inc (OTCMKTS: ECOB) and Profire Energy, Inc (OTCBB: PFIE) has been getting some extra attention lately in various investment newsletters thanks to paid promotions or investor relation campaigns. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed promotions and investor relations campaigns, but small cap green stocks tend to be extra volatile when compared with other stocks. So how in greenbacks will these three small cap green stocks produce for investors? Here is a quick reality check:

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own For 2014

Technology licensing company Rambus (RMBS) displayed good momentum in its fourth-quarter results. However, uncertainty looms as the company forecasted a growth rate of just 6.5% ��significantly lower than last year�� 14.0%. This could reflect uncertainty in the company�� LED business and the semiconductor industry as a whole. Let�� take a brief look at the highlights for the quarter.

The Quarter in Brief

Rambus��fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) doubled year over year to $0.14, but was slightly down sequentially. The year- over-year improvement was largely driven by a 27.8% growth in revenue.

Revenue for the last quarter stood at $73.4 million, up 27.9% from the year-ago quarter. This was primarily driven by the growth in memory technology licensing, coupled with impressive performance of its security technology licensing business. During the quarter, Rambus also signed new licensing agreements with tech giant Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology (MU), STMicroelectronics (STM), LSI Semiconductor (LSI) and SK Hynix. However, the company�� LED lighting business failed to make any significant contribution.

Top Small Cap Companies To Own In Right Now: Dialog Semiconductor PLC (DLG)

Dialog Semiconductor Plc creates integrated, mixed signal integrated circuits (ICs), optimized for personal portable, short-range wireless, lighting, display and automotive applications. The Company operates in three business segments: Mobile Systems, Automotive and Industrial, and Connectivity. The Mobile Systems segment includes its power management and audio chips especially designed to meet the needs of the wireless systems markets and a range of advanced driver technologies for low power display applications - from Passive Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes (PMOLEDs), to electronic paper and Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) displays. The Automotive and Industrial segment consists of products, which address the safety, management and control of electronic systems in cars and for industrial applications. The Connectivity segment includes activities, such as short-range wireless, digital cordless and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Colruyt SA jumped the most in almost a year after reporting earnings that beat estimates. Direct Line Insurance Group Plc (DLG), the U.K.�� biggest home and motor insurer, rallied 3.8 percent after saying it will cut jobs. GSW Immobilien AG, Berlin�� largest residential landlord by market value, advanced 3.8 percent after saying both its chairman and chief executive officer will leave. Mining companies declined as metals fell.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Dialog Semiconductor Plc (DLG) surged 6.5 percent to 12.55 euros, its highest price in two months, after Apple Inc. (AAPL), the company�� biggest customer, reported fiscal third-quarter revenue and iPhone sales that beat analysts��estimates.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Direct Line (DLG) dropped 2.5 percent to 212.6 pence. RBS sold 300 million shares at 210 pence apiece in its third sale of a stake in the insurance company, according to a statement. The bank, which is majority owned by the U.K. government, reduced its holding in Direct Line by 20 percent to 28.5 percent. RBS slipped 1.3 percent to 364.1 pence.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own For 2014: Micron Technology Inc.(MU)

Micron Technology, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and marketing of semiconductor devices worldwide. Its products include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products that provide data storage and retrieval, which include DDR2 and DDR3; and other specialty DRAM memory products, including DDR, SDRAM, DDR and DDR2 mobile low power DRAM, pseudo-static RAM, and reduced latency DRAM. The company also offers NAND flash memory products, which are electrically re-writeable and non-volatile semiconductor devices that retain content when power is turned off. In addition, it provides NOR flash memory products that are electrically re-writeable and non-volatile semiconductor memory devices; phase change memory products; and image sensor products. Micron Technology?s products are used in a range of electronic applications, including personal computers, workstations, network servers, mobile phones, flash memory cards, USB storage devices, digital still c ameras, MP3/4 players, and in automotive applications. It sells its products to original equipment manufacturers and retailers through internal sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors, as well as through a Web-based customer direct sales channel. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  In an amazing year for the S&P 500, some stocks stood out for their incredible performance. Choose your own superlative when considering the gains in Netflix (NFLX), Micron Technology (MU), Best Buy (BBY), Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Pitney Bowes (PBI).

• [By Sean Williams]

  Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU  )
  If you're looking for an intriguing short-sale idea where you just might beat everyone else to the punch, consider digging a bit deeper into memory chip specialist Micron Technologies.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own For 2014: ARM Holdings PLC (ARMH)

ARM Holdings plc (ARM), incorporated on October 16, 1990, designs microprocessors, physical intellectual property (IP) and related technology and software, and sells development tools. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated in three business segments: the Processor Division (PD), the Physical IP Division (PIPD) and the System Design Division (SDD). ARM licenses and sells its technology and products to international electronics companies, which in turn manufacture, markets and sells microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and application-specific standard processors (ASSPs) based on ARM�� technology to systems companies for incorporation into a range of end products. It also licenses and sells development tools directly to systems companies and provides support services to its licensees, systems companies and other systems designers.

ARM processor architecture and physical IP is used in embedded microprocessor applications, including cellular phones, digital televisions, mobile computers and personal computer peripherals, smart cards and microcontrollers. ARM�� principal geographic markets are Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific. ARM�� product offering includes microprocessor Cores: RISC microprocessor cores, including specific functions, such as video and graphics IP and on-chip fabric IP; embedded software; physical IP; development tools, and support and maintenance services.

Processor Division

The PD encompasses those resources that are centered on microprocessor cores, including specific functions, such as graphics IP, fabric IP, embedded software IP and configurable digital signal processing (DSP) IP. Service revenues consist of design consulting services and revenues from support, maintenance and training.

Physical IP Division

The PIPD is focused on building blocks for translation of a circuit design into actual silicon. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company�� total av! erage PIPD headcount was 557. ARM is a provider of physical IP components for the design and manufacture of integrated circuits, including systems-on-chip (SoCs). ARM Artisan physical IP products include embedded memory, standard cell and input/output components. Artisan physical IP also includes a limited portfolio of analog and mixed-signal products. ARM�� physical IP components are developed for a range of process geometries ranging from 20 nanometer - 250 nanometer. ARM licenses its products to customers for the design and manufacture of integrated circuits used in complex, high-volume applications, such as portable computing devices, communication systems, cellular phones, microcontrollers, consumer multimedia products, automotive electronics, personal computers and workstations and many others.

ARM�� embedded memory components include random access memories, read only memories and register files. These memories are provided in the form of a configurable memory compiler, which allows the customer to generate the appropriate configuration for the given application. ARM�� memory components include many configurable features, such as power-down modes, low-voltage data retention and fully static operation, as well as different transistor options to trade off performance and power. In addition, ARM�� memory components include built-in test interfaces that support the industry test methodologies and tools. ARM memory components also offer redundant storage elements.

ARM�� memory components are designed to enable the chip designer maximum flexibility to achieve the optimum power, performance, and density trade-off. ARM offers standard cell components that are optimized for high performance, high density or ultra high density. ARM logic products deliver optimal performance, power and area when building ARM Processors, Graphics, Video and Fabric IP along with general SoC subsystem implementation. ARM delivers physical interface for a range of DDR SDRAM (double-data rate s! ynchronou! s dynamic random-access memory) applications ranging from mission critical applications to low-power memory sub-systems. Silicon on Insulator (SOI) products is an alternative methodology to traditional semiconductor fabrication techniques.

System Design Division

The SDD is focused on the tools and models used to create and debug software and system-on-chip (SoC) designs. ARM�� software development tools help a software design engineer deliver products right the first time. Engineers use these tools in the design and deployment of code, from applications running on open operating systems right through to low-level firmware. The ARM Development Studio is a hardware components that allow the software designer to connect to a real target system and control the system for the purposes of finding errors in the software. The ARM DSTREAM unit allows the software developer to control the software running on the prototype product and examine the internal state of the prototype product. ARM Development Boards are ideal systems for prototyping ARM-based products. The ARM Microcontroller Development Kit supports ARM-based microcontrollers and 8051-based microcontrollers from companies, such as Analog Devices, Atmel, Freescale, Fujitsu, NXP, Samsung, Sharp, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Toshiba. The ARM Microcontroller Development Kit is used by developers who are building products and writing software using standard off-the-shelf microcontrollers.

The ARM Microprocessor Families

ARM architecture processors offers a range of performance options in the ARM7 family, ARM9 family, ARM11 family, ARM Cortex family and ARM SecurCore family. The ARM architecture gives systems designers a choice of processor cores at different performance/price points. The ARM7 offers 32-bit architecture capable of operating from 8/16-bit memory on an 8/16-bit bus through the implementation of the Thumb instruction set. The ARM9 family consists of a range of microprocessors in ! the 150-2! 50MHz range. Each processor has been designed for a specific application or function, such as an application processor for a feature phone or running a wireless fidelity (WiFi) protocol stack. The ARM9 family consists of a range of microprocessors in the 150-250 megahertz range. The ARM11 family consists of a range of microprocessors in the 300-600 megahertz range. ARM Cortex family is ARM�� family of processor cores based on version 7 of the ARM Architecture. The family is split into three series: A Series, A Series and M Series.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon Wallis]

  A 23-fold return
  The share price of�ARM Holdings� (LSE: ARM  ) (NASDAQ: ARMH  ) shot up nearly 14% last week after the company announced that its first-quarter profits had soared 58%, and that the number of ARM-based chips shipped by its customers had increased by 35% to 2.6 billion.

• [By Steve Heller]

  Filling the void
  When Intel developed its x86 architecture, raw computing power was the primary objective. You can think of Intel's x86 architecture as the equivalent of an American-made muscle car of the 1960s -- a powerful, yet inefficient gas guzzler. This is contrary to chips based on ARM Holdings' (NASDAQ: ARMH  ) architecture, which are more like your eco-friendly fuel-efficient vehicles.

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own For 2014: NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA)

NVIDIA Corporation provides visual computing, high performance computing, and mobile computing solutions that generate interactive graphics on various devices ranging from tablets and smart phones to notebooks and workstations. It operates in three segments: Graphic Processing Unit (GPU), Professional Solutions Business (PSB), and Consumer Products Business (CPB). The GPU segment offers GeForce discrete and chipset products, which support desktop and notebook personal computers plus memory products. The PSB segment provides its Quadro professional workstation products and other professional graphics products, including its NVIDIA Tesla high-performance computing products used in the manufacturing, entertainment, medical, science, and aerospace industries. The CPB segment offers Tegra mobile products, which support tablets, smartphones, personal media players, Internet television, automotive navigation, and other similar devices. This segment also licenses video game consol es and other digital consumer electronics devices. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, add-in-card manufacturers, consumer electronics companies, and system builders worldwide that utilize its processors as a core component of their entertainment, business, and professional solutions. NVIDIA Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Mobile gaming arrives
  Mobile games are obviously not as good as console video games or PC games. However, for many casual gamers, mobile games will be "good enough." The widespread penetration of smartphones and tablets means that most people now have a mobile gaming device. Moreover, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) is betting that the shift to mobile gaming will go beyond casual gamers. The company recently launched "Project Shield": an Android-powered mobile gaming device that includes a console-quality controller.

• [By John Udovich]

  Late last week, chip stock Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NYSE: AMD) announced a surprise restructuring initiative�that�� worth taking a closer look at now that some of the dust has settled that might also be relevant for investors in chip making competitors like Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA). Firstly, I should mention that we had an open position in Advanced Micro Devices in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio from last summer up until late January when we locked in a small loss because our SCN EO is a trading portfolio rather than a long term buy and hold portfolio. Moreover,�AMD shares had sunk yet again after the company reported earnings ��a repeat performance of what happened after the last three previous earnings reports. However, we have recently re-added Advanced Micro Devices to our SCN EO portfolio because the company�continues to perform and with the�technological advances in the gaming space, they should be�well positioned for forward growth in the quarters ahead. With that in mind, here is a look at the recent news about AMD and especially the just announced restructuring:

Hot Semiconductor Stocks To Own For 2014: Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd (MPI)

Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad (MPI) is an investment holding company. The principal activities of MPI, through its subsidiaries are manufacturing, assembling, testing and sale of integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, electronic components and lead frames to customers globally. The Company�� operating geographical segments include Asia, The United States of America, and Europe. The Company's subsidiaries include Carsem (M) Sdn Bhd, Recams Sdn Bhd, Carsem Holdings Limited, Carsem Semiconductor (Suzhou) Co., Ltd, Dynacraft Industries Sdn Bhd, Carter Realty Sdn Bhd, Carter Realty Sdn Bhd and Carsem Holdings (HK) Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Michael Page International Plc (MPI) increased 1.1 percent to 490.2 pence after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, saying the recruitment firm will benefit from a pick-up in the European economy.