GMOs: Why Consumers Are So Confused

Best Construction Material Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Sebastian Remme/Alamy Live News WASHINGTON -- Genetically modified foods have been around for years, but most Americans have no idea if they are eating them. The Food and Drug Administration says they don't need to be labeled, so the state of Vermont has moved forward on its own. On Thursday, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed legislation making his state the first to require labeling of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. What about the rest of the country? And does labeling matter? There's a lot of confusion about genetically modified foods and their safety. Some people feel very strongly about GMOs. Opponents, who at times have protested in the streets, say consumers have the right to know whether their food contains GMOs. The Vermont law is their first major victory. The food industry and companies that genetically engineer seeds have pushed back against the labeling laws, saying GMOs are safe and labels would be misleading. "It's really polarizing," says New York University's Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and food studies. "There's no middle ground." A look at the debate and some of the facts about genetically modified foods: What They Are GMOs aren't really a "thing," Nestle says, and that's hard for the average consumer to grasp. You can't touch or feel a GMO. Genetically modified foods are plants or animals that have had genes copied from other plants or animals inserted into their DNA. It's not a new idea -- humans have been tinkering with genes for centuries through selective breeding. Think dogs bred to be more docile pets, cattle bred to be beefier or tomatoes bred to be sweeter. Turkeys were bred to have bigger breasts -- better for Thanksgiving dinner. What's different about genetically modified or engineered foods is that the manipulation is done in a lab. Engineers don't need to wait for nature to produce a desired gene; they speed up the process by transferring a gene from one plant or animal to another. What are the desired traits? Most of the nation's corn and soybeans are genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides. A papaya in Hawaii is modified to resist a virus. The FDA is considering an application from a Massachusetts company to approve a genetically engineered salmon that would grow faster than traditional salmon. In Your Grocery Cart Most of the genetically modified corn and soybeans are used in cattle feed, or are made into ingredients like corn oil, corn starch, high fructose corn syrup or soybean oil. Even in some of those products, the manufacturing process itself may eventually remove some of the modified genes. A few fruits and vegetables are engineered -- the Hawaiian papaya and some squash and zucchini, for example. Only a small amount of sweet corn, the corn we eat, is genetically modified. But there's no genetically modified meat or fish, like the fast-growing salmon, currently in the market for human consumption; the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any. The Risks The vast majority of scientific research has found genetically engineered foods to be generally safe. An Italian scientist's review of 10 years of research, published in 2013, concluded that the scientific research conducted so far has not detected "any significant hazard directly connected with the use of GM crops." One French research team raised safety questions, but their much-criticized 2012 study linking genetically modified corn to rat tumors was retracted in 2013 by the scientific publisher, who cited weak evidence supporting the conclusions. Even the food police say they are safe: The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a well-known critic of food companies and artificial and unhealthy ingredients in foods, has not opposed genetically modified foods, on the basis that there's no evidence they are harmful. Though what we are eating now appears safe, the main concerns for the future would be new genetically engineered foods -- from the United States or abroad -- that somehow become allergenic or toxic through the engineering process. The FDA says the foods they have evaluated to this point have not been any more likely to cause an allergic or toxic reaction than foods from traditionally bred plants. Unlike animals, the FDA is not required to approve genetically engineered crops for consumption. However, most companies will go through a voluntary safety review process with FDA before they put them on the market. The Benefits There are clear benefits for the agricultural industry -- the crops that are engineered to ward off pests or to tolerate herbicides, for example. And companies such as Monsanto (MON) that produce modified seeds say their technologies will be needed to feed a rising world population as they engineer crops to adapt to certain climates and terrains. While most modified foods have so far been grown to resist chemicals, pests or disease, advocates envision engineering crops to make them more nutritious as well. Food animals have been engineered to be bred to be free of diseases, be cleaner in their environments or grow more efficiently, though none has yet been approved in the United States. The Politics There is an escalating political fight between the labeling advocates and the food industry, which has dug in against labeling. In the absence of a federal labeling standard, GMO opponents have gone to the states to try to get a patchwork of labeling laws approved -- a move that could eventually force a national standard. Ballot measures in California and Washington state failed, but the legislative effort prevailed in Vermont. Maine and Connecticut also have passed laws requiring labels, but they don't take effect unless other states follow suit. The food industry is widely expected to challenge the Vermont law in court. The state efforts aren't slowing down. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there are 85 pending GMO labeling bills in 29 states. In Congress, the food industry is pushing a House bill that would head off efforts to enact mandatory labeling of genetically modified ingredients by proposing new voluntary labels nationwide -- an attempted end run around the state-by-state laws. Currently, the FDA says labeling of genetically modified foods isn't needed because the nutritional content is the same as non-GMO varieties. The Future Safe or not, consumers are increasingly interested in what is in their food, including GMOs. "There's so much confusing speech on food packaging and food advertising that consumers are often buying things they think are GMO free when they are not," says Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group, which is pushing for the labels. Faber and other labeling proponents say it's about transparency, not technology. They say there is precedent, like orange juice labels that say whether the juice is from concentrate. David Ropeik, the author of the book "How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don't Always Match the Facts," says he thinks the food industry should endorse labeling so it can move past the debate. "By supporting labeling, companies would say, 'There's no risk, we have nothing to hide,' " he says. He says people rightly or wrongly fear GMOs because they are more concerned about man-made risks than natural ones and the food industry's control over what we eat. "It's a surrogate for a values war they have against big companies," he says.

Top 10 Biggest Investment Failures Ever

Ann Summa/Time Life Pictures/Getty ImagesThe Pets.com sock puppet has become synonymous with the dot-com bust. As an investor, you need to be smart about where you're putting your money to work. Investing your hard-earned cash in companies that won't use it well -- or in products that haven't proven themselves -- can quickly come around to bite you. Case in point? These 10 famous examples of investment gone horribly wrong: 1. DeLorean Motor Marty McFly's time-traveling adventures weren't the only juicy story featuring the futuristic DeLorean. The inventor of the car with cool side-opening doors from "Back to the Future was caught on tape during an FBI sting declaring the suitcase of cocaine he planned to sell was as "good as gold." The cocaine, worth $24 million, was John DeLorean's last-ditch attempt to save his floundering company from financial ruin. This (combined with charges of defrauding his partners) lost all trust he had with investors. The firm filed for bankruptcy in 1982. (An unrelated company using the same name services the 9,000 cars made.) 2. The Dutch Tulip Craze In the 1630s, the Dutch were flying high on the flowers recently introduced from Turkey. Tulip bulbs became a highly sought-after commodity, with one bulb going for the equivalent of an entire estate. Many investors got so excited that they sold everything they had to get in on the deal. But, like any craze, tulip mania came to an end. As more people started to grow tulips and prices began to lower, investors raced to sell, resulting in an economic depression that still serves as a warning today. 3. Charles Ponzi The famous swindler, whose name is now synonymous with scams, did his dirty dealings back in the 1920s. Cashing in on people's desire to get rich quick, Charles Ponzi wasn't the first to run a pyramid scheme, but he was the first to get so good at it people took notice. His racket involved enticing investors to buy discounted foreign postal reply coupons, which they could redeem at face value for U.S. postage stamps. Using money from new investors to pay existing investors, Ponzi pocketed millions for himself before the whole thing collapsed, costing investors around $20 million. 4. Bernie Madoff Speaking of Ponzi schemes, former Wall Street stockbroker Bernie Madoff was behind one of the biggest in U.S. history. For decades, his investment firm defrauded its clients, fudged the numbers and cost an estimated $20 billion to investors. Pleading guilty to 11 federal felonies -- including securities fraud, investment fraud and money laundering -- Madoff is the prime example of investing gone horribly wrong. 5. Washington Mutual The biggest bank failure in history, according to assets, Washington Mutual won its spot in the list of infamy when it went out of business and was purchased by JPMorgan Chase (JPM) in 2008. Once the sixth-largest bank in America, it fell the furthest during the subprime lending fiasco, resulting in its seizure by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and bankruptcy. Total lost assets? Around $300 billion. 6. Enron Energy, commodities and services company Enron seemed to be on top of the world. With (claimed) revenue in the hundreds of billions, it was consistently named "America's most innovative company" by Fortuneuntil it came to light that its success was based on fraudulent reporting. It hid massive debts from its balance sheets. Now one of the best-known examples of corporate fraud, greed and corruption, Enron lost its shareholders their retirement accounts, their jobs and $74 billion. ​7. Lehman Brothers Global financial services firm Lehman Brothers is another example of shaky reporting (to put it kindly). It hid more than $50 billion in toxic assets in the Cayman Islands from its balance sheets by disguising them as sales, making them look instead like $50 billion in cash. When the subprime mortgage crisis hit in 2007, Lehman Brothers was forced into bankruptcy and acquired by Barclays (BCS) and Nomura Holdings (NMR). 8. Premier Smokeless Cigarettes Long before today's e-cigarette trend, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RAI) attempted to eliminate some nasty side effects of smoking with its Premier smokeless cigarette. This "nicotine delivery device," made to look like a cigarette, flopped when it was found to have a horrible charcoal aftertaste and to be a convenient method of delivering substances other than nicotine to smokers. Less than a year after its 1988 release, it was pulled from the market -- after costing nearly $1 billion to develop. 9. Pets.com It had an adorable sock spokes-puppet and a ton of high-profile commercials, but Pets.com didn't manage to cash in on the dot-com bubble. The online pet supplies retailer rapidly gained attention with spots on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Super Bowl, but with no solid market to purchase the products it advertised, it quickly found itself losing money. In spite of $300 million in investment capital (largely spent on advertising), it failed after two years. 10. WorldCom Once the second-biggest long distance phone company in the U.S., WorldCom (also known as MCI WorldCom) was once seen as one of the great telecom success stories of the '90s. But when it tried to continue its growth-by-merger strategy by joining with Sprint (S), it was blocked by regulators as an attempt at monopolization. When it came to light that CEO Bernie Ebbers was financing his other businesses with personal loans from his WorldCom stock (to the tune of $360 million), things unraveled further. WorldCom filed for bankruptcy in 2002, resulting in an $11 billion loss to investors. ​

Top Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now: BCE Inc. (BCE)

BCE Inc. provides communications solutions to residential, business, and wholesale customers primarily in Canada. The company offers local and long distance telephone services under the Bell Home Phone brand; direct-to-home satellite television (TV) services under the Bell TV name; Internet protocol TV services under the Bell Fibe TV brand; and personal video recorders and online access services. It also provides data services, including Internet access services under the Bell Internet name; Internet protocol based services; and information and communications technology solutions. In addition, the company engages in the rental, sale, and maintenance of business terminal equipment; sale of TV set-top boxes; and provision of network installation and maintenance services for third parties. Further, it offers wireless voice and data communications products and services, such as call display and voicemail, e-mail, Web browsing, social networking, text, picture and video messagi ng, music downloads, ring tunes, ringtones, games and applications, video streaming, live TV, mobile Internet, roaming, and global positioning system navigation services under the Bell and Virgin Mobile brands. Additionally, the company provides media services comprising TV programming services to broadcast distributors. It operates approximately 28 conventional over-the-air stations and 30 English and French-language specialty TV channels; 33 FM and AM radio stations and their related Websites; and Theloop.ca Website. As of December 31, 2012, the company served approximately 2.1 million high-speed Internet access customers through fiber-optic, digital subscriber line, or wireless broadband technology; and 7.7 million wireless customers. BCE Inc. offers its services through call centre representatives, independent dealer stores, and value-added resellers, as well as through its Websites. The company was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Verdun, Cana! da.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Taulli]

  BCE (BCE) is the largest telecom operator in Canada … and sports one whopper of a dividend.

  As should be no surprise, the traditional wired voice services segment continues to be weak for BCE, and that’s something we can expect in perpetuity. However, BCE has diversified into other businesses, such as broadband, IPTV, satellite television, radio and mobile, which is helping to smooth its transition.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  As mobile commerce continues to grow worldwide, Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY  ) this week announced itscustomers will be able to securely purchase goods and services with debit or credit using smartphones compatible with Bell Canada's (NYSE: BCE  ) wireless network as part of a newmobile payment system the two are launching.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Dalios next largest purchase was Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B), and three new buys: BCE Inc. (BCE), The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), and Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU).

• [By Gerrit De Vynck]

  Nadir Mohamed has been overshadowed for much of his tenure as head of Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B) by the dealmaking of his main rival, George Cope at BCE Inc. (BCE)

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

Top Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: athenahealth Inc.(ATHN)

athenahealth, Inc., a business services company, provides ongoing billing, clinical-related, and other related services to medical group practices primarily in the United States. It provides services through the athenaNet, a proprietary Internet-based practice management application. The company primarily offers athenaCollector, a revenue cycle management service that automates and manages billing-related functions for physician practices, and includes a practice management platform. The athenaCollector assists its physician clients with the handling of claims and billing processes to help manage reimbursement. The company also provides Anodyne Analytics, a business intelligence application, which provides physicians and practice managers with insight into practice performance. In addition, it offers athenaClinicals, an electronic health record service that automates and manages medical-record-management-related functions for physician practices, as well as assists medical groups with the handling of physician documentation, orders, and related inbound and outbound communications. Further, the company provides athenaCommunicator that allows practices to manage patient communication tasks electronically, including the use of automated reminder calls; the creation of a self-service patient portal for registration, appointment requests, bill payments, and general communication; automatic generation of emails to patients; and patient education tools. It sells its products through a direct sales force, as well as through channel partners. The company was formerly known as athenahealth.com, Inc. and changed its name to athenahealth, Inc. in November 2000. athenahealth, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Athenahealth (Nasdaq: ATHN  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 2. Here's what Wall Street ! wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Athenahealth's revenues will increase 25.4% and EPS will grow 64.3%.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-shipping-companies-to-invest-in-right-now-4.html

4 Ways for Couples to Reach Financial Harmony

Alamy Romantic partners rarely relish talking about money, but if you want a lasting relationship, you need to explore your financial compatibility, says Paul Nourigat, a senior wealth strategist, relationship coach and author of "No Time to Wander: The Financial Compass for Young Americans." We talked to Nourigat about creating harmony in your relationship and tips for keeping money fights to a minimum, even if you have different ideas about finances to begin with. "The need for financial harmony applies not only across all age groups, but also across the wealth spectrum," he says. "When it comes to creating a long-lasting relationship, you need to make sure you've got financial harmony." An important element is to keep expectations in check. Expecting perfection from your partner is not the goal, Nourigat tells couples that he advises. Instead, understand that behavior such as overspending can take some time to change. However, anything one partner sees as nonnegotiable -- such as the desire to buy a home or have college funds in place for kids within a particular time -- should be discussed in advance of getting married. Nourigat's approach requires a four-step process. 4 Steps Toward Financial Harmony 1. Honesty. "It's hard to move forward in a relationship without honesty," says Nourigat. "I've advised young couples and elderly couples who range from complete transparency to those who hide their financial affairs from their partners. I've found that's it's ineffective and unhealthy to hide anything." For example, Nourigat says one husband was anxious about the money his wife was spending on clothing, but she had a bad impression of the money he spent on cars. "Neither one was wrong. They just had to have an open conversation and come to an agreement on how they would handle spending," he says. "Many couples segregate their financial affairs, and as long as they're honest about that, that's fine, too." 2. Dialogue. Nourigat acknowledges that most people are insecure about money and uncomfortable talking about it, so it's important to build and maintain an ongoing dialogue with your partner and not be intimidated by the subject or by your partner's attitude toward money. "The healthiest financial relationships I've seen involved couples who had an open two-way discussion, and, as a result, they could work through uncomfortable and difficult times," he says. "If one partner isn't interested in a dialogue about money, the early engagement of a professional adviser, financial planner, or accountant can help." 3. Alignment. The result of a healthy dialogue should be defining and agreeing on big-picture objectives and priorities, says Nourigat. "I recommend creating a one-page life plan with the top three things you want to accomplish," he says. "It's too easy to get caught up in other people's problems and to avoid trying to understand your partner and to reach an agreement on shared plans." A plan on paper gives you both something to refer to that shows where you, as a couple, have common goals and aspirations. 4. Planning. Often one partner is stronger than the other when it comes to financial matters, but both partners need to have a role and discuss the plans that will lead to accomplishing the couple's objectives, says Nourigat. The planning stage should be practical and focused on a savings plan and how to spend money. "If you want to retire by a certain age that's a mathematical issue that will drive every other decision," he says. "If it's a priority to go to Europe every year or to drive a particular type of car, then you need to figure out where you won't spend money in order to achieve your goals." Review and Revise Nourigat says every couple needs to have a periodic assessment of their plans and go through the steps again of honesty, dialogue, alignment and planning to continue their financial harmony. "Young couples have time to make modifications in their financial behavior. But even for older couples, it's important to communicate about money to reduce angst," says Nourigat. "You need to be proactive because the trickle-down effect of financial angst can be significant. Becoming more financially compatible up front reduces discord in the future."

5 Best Valued Stocks To Invest In Right Now

5 Best Valued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar ! Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Credit Suisse maintained an Outperform rating on Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) with a price target raised to $109 from a previous $110. Analysts at Citigroup maintained a Neutral rating with a price target lowered to $110 from a previous $115. Shares gained 0.17 percent, closing at $99.44.

• [By reports.droy]

  The heavy machinery honcho, Caterpillar (CAT), posted its third quarter results on October 23. The company was able to post much better earnings than was predicted, and the report card was completely in the green for the company. The stock market also reacted positively to the news and sent the Caterpillar stock soaring higher with the share price opening 3.3% higher at $97.69 on Thursday morning. Let's find out the details of the third quarter earnings. 

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-valued-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-3.html

5 Best Transportation Stocks For 2015

The federal Department of Transportation's inspector general's office will conduct an official audit of the performance of DOT's National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in the General Motors switch recall.

NHTSA has been the target of criticism from safety activists and some members of Congress for its handling of the GM recall. In particular, it has been questioned for having investigated early crashes and, according to GM's timelime, meeting with GM in 2007 on the results, but not forcing a recall at that time.

Earlier this month, safety activist and former NHTSA head Joan Claybrook charged that the safety agency "failed to carry out the law" when it didn't force GM to fix the problem back then.

Claybrook asked in letters to the Secretary of Transportation and to the Department of Transportation inspector general that they launch an an investigation of "the failure of" NHTSA "to require the recall" earlier.

Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Buy Right Now: J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.(JBHT)

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a surface transportation, delivery, and logistics company in North America. It operates in four segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Full-Load Dry-Van (JBT), and Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS). The JBI segment provides intermodal freight solutions, including origin and destination pickup and delivery services in the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. This segment operates 45,666 pieces of company-controlled trailing equipment; and manages a fleet of 2,592 company-owned tractors. The DCS segment involves in the design, development, and execution of supply chain solutions, which support various transportation networks. This segment offers final mile delivery, replenishment, and specialized services supporting private fleet conversion, fleet creation, and transportation system augmentation. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 4,259 company-owned trucks, 357 customer-owned trucks, and 23 independent contractor trucks. The JBT segment provides full-load, dry-van freight services by utilizing tractors operating over roads and highways. It operated 1,697 company-owned tractors. The ICS segment provides non-asset, asset-light, and transportation logistics solutions. It offers flatbed, refrigerated, expedited, and less-than-truckload, as well as various dry-van and intermodal solutions. The company transports a range of freight, including general merchandise, specialty consumer items, appliances, forest and paper products, building materials, soaps and cosmetics, automotive parts, electronics, and chemicals. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Hill]

  In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts explain why they're watching J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ: JBHT  ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) .

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  JB Hunt (NASDAQ: JBHT  ) will release its quarterly report next Monday, and the trucking and logistics company has performed impressively in recent months as economic activity within the U.S. has picked up. Even though its competitors tend to draw more attention, JB Hunt's stock has climbed to all-time record highs as investors see the long-term importance of transport to the health of the overall economy and believe that JB Hunt earnings will rise in tandem with economic growth.

• [By Sue Chang]

  J.B. Hunt Transport (JBHT) is projected to report third-quarter earnings of 78 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by Thomson Reuters.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  JB Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ: JBHT) is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $0.78 per share on revenue of $1.45 billion.

  KMG Chemicals (NYSE: KMG) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.27 per share on revenue of $79.00 million.

5 Best Transportation Stocks For 2015: United Parcel Service Inc.(UPS)

United Parcel Service, Inc., a package delivery company, provides transportation, logistics, and financial services in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: U.S. Domestic Package, International Package, and Supply Chain & Freight. The U.S. Domestic Package segment engages in the time-definite delivery of letters, documents, and packages in the United States. The International Package segment offers air and ground delivery of small packages and letters to approximately 220 countries and territories, including shipments outside the United States, as well as shipments with either origin or distribution outside the United States; export services; and domestic services move shipments within a country?s borders. The Supply Chain & Freight segment provides forwarding and logistics services, such as supply chain design and management, freight distribution, customs brokerage, mail, and consulting services in approximately 195 countries and territorie s; and less-than-truckload and truckload services to customers in North America. In addition, the company offers various technology solutions for automated shipping, visibility, and billing; information technology systems and distribution facilities to various industries comprising healthcare, technology, and consumer/retail; and a portfolio of financial services that provides customers with short-term working capital, government guaranteed lending, global trade financing, credit cards, and export financing. It operates a fleet of approximately 99,800 package cars, vans, tractors, and motorcycles; an air fleet of 527 aircraft; and 33,800 containers used to transport cargo in its aircraft. The company was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The express-delivery company has gained 28% during the past three months, trumping the 18% return from�United Parcel Service�(UPS), the 4.6% gain in J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) and the 0.2% rise in Expeditors International of Washington�(EXPD).

• [By Matt Egan]

  Thanks to the cheaper fuel costs, industrials should be another bright spot. The group is expected to grow profits nearly 10% as transportation companies like UPS (UPS) and Southwest Airlines (LUV) enjoy cheaper expenses and cash in on strong economic growth.

5 Best Transportation Stocks For 2015: Nordic American Tanker Ltd (NAT)

Nordic American Tankers Limited is an international tanker company. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 20 Suezmax tankers. The Company�� vessels include Nordic Harrier, Nordic Hawk, Nordic Hunter, Nordic Voyager, Nordic Freedom, Nordic Fighter, Nordic Discovery, Nordic Saturn, Nordic Jupiter, Nordic Apollo and Nordic Moon. Its vessels also include Nordic Cosmos, Nordic Sprite, Nordic Grace, Nordic Mistral, Nordic Passat, Nordic Vega, Nordic Breeze, Nordic Aurora and Nordic Zenith. In September 2011, the Company acquired the vessel, Nordic Aurora. It chartered all of its vessels in the spot market pursuant to a cooperative arrangement with Gemini Tankers LLC until November 24, 2011. In November 2011, the Orion Tankers pool was established with Orion Tankers Ltd. as pool manager and its vessels were transferred from the Gemini Tankers LLC arrangement to the Orion Tankers pool. On December 17, 2012, the Company acquired 100% interest in Scandic American Shipping Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Shipping magnate�Nordic American Tankers (NYSE: NAT  ) announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.16 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past two quarters after slashing the payout 47% from $0.30 per share. Even so, it marks the 64th consecutive quarterly dividend payment the tanker operator has made.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Nordic American Tanker (NYSE: NAT) is a Bermuda-based tanker company that acquires and charters double-hull tankers. Its fleet consists of 20 double-hull Suezmax tankers. Besides the factor you mention about more ships coming onto the market, NAT has underperformed — period. Shares have lost two-thirds of their value over the past five years, and the dividend has been cut multiple times.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Nordic American Tankers (NYSE: NAT  ) has decided to pull up anchor on a $55 million Suezmax tanker it had agreed to buy in March, saying the seller wouldn't be able to deliver the ship on time.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Nordic American Tankers (NASDAQ: NAT) was also up, gaining 10.05 percent to $8.87 after the Dow Jones Global Shipping Index showed strength throughout the session on Wednesday.

5 Best Transportation Stocks For 2015: MPLX LP (MPLX)

MPLX LP, incorporated on March 27, 2012, is a fee-based limited partnership formed by Marathon Petroleum Corporation to own, operate, develop and acquire crude oil, refined product and other hydrocarbon-based product pipelines and other midstream assets. The Company�� assets consist of a 51% indirect interest in a network of common carrier crude oil and product pipeline systems and associated storage assets in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions of the United States.

The Company generates revenue by charging tariffs for transporting crude oil, refined products and other hydrocarbon-based products through its pipelines and at its barge dock and fees for storing crude oil and products at its storage facilities. The Company is also the operator of additional crude oil and product pipelines owned by Marathon Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries (MPC) and third parties, for which it is paid operating fees.

The Company�� assets consist of a 51% partner interest in Pipe Line Holdings, an entity which owns a 100.0% interest in Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) and Ohio River Pipe Line LLC (ORPL), which in turn own: a network of pipeline systems, which includes approximately 962 miles of common carrier crude oil pipelines and approximately 1,819 miles of common carrier product pipelines extending across nine states. This network includes approximately 153 miles of common carrier crude oil and product pipelines, which it operates under long-term leases with third parties; a barge dock located on the Mississippi River near Wood River, Illinois, and crude oil and product tank farms located in Patoka, Wood River and Martinsville, Illinois and Lebanon, Indiana; and a 100.0% interest in a butane cavern located in Neal, West Virginia, which serves MPC�� Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery.

Crude Oil Pipeline Systems

The Company�� crude oil pipeline systems and related assets are positioned to support crude oil supply options for MPC�� Midwest refineries, whic! h receive imported and domestic crude oil through a range of sources. Imported and domestic crude oil is transported to supply hubs in Wood River and Patoka, Illinois from a range of regions, including Cushing, Oklahoma on the Ozark pipeline system; Western Canada, Wyoming and North Dakota on the Keystone, Platte, Mustang and Enbridge pipeline systems, and the Gulf Coast on the Capline crude oil pipeline system.

The Company�� Patoka to Lima crude system is comprised of approximately 76 miles of 20-inch pipeline extending from Patoka, Illinois to Martinsville, Illinois, and approximately 226 miles of 22-inch pipeline extending from Martinsville to Lima, Ohio. This system also includes associated breakout tankage. Crude oil delivered on this system to MPC�� tank farm in Lima can then be shipped to MPC�� Canton, Ohio refinery through MPC�� Lima to Canton pipeline, to MPC�� Detroit refinery through MPC�� undivided joint interest portion of the Maumee pipeline, and its Samaria to Detroit pipeline, or to other third-party refineries owned by BP, Husky Energy, and PBF Energy in Lima and Toledo, Ohio.

The Company�� Catlettsburg and Robinson crude system is consisted of the pipelines: Patoka to Robinson and Patoka to Catlettsburg. Its Patoka to Robinson pipeline consists of approximately 78 miles of 20-inch pipeline, which delivers crude oil from Patoka, Illinois to MPC�� Robinson, Illinois refinery. Its Patoka to Catlettsburg pipeline consists of approximately 140 miles of 20-inch pipeline extending from Patoka, Illinois to Owensboro, Kentucky, and approximately 266 miles of 24-inch pipeline extending from Owensboro to MPC�� Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery. Crude oil can enter this pipeline at Patoka, and into the Owensboro to Catlettsburg portion of the pipelines at Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, from the third-party Mid-Valley system.

The Company�� Detroit crude system is consisted of Samaria to Detroit and Romulus to Detroit. Its Samaria to Detroit pi! peline co! nsists of approximately 44 miles of 16-inch pipeline that delivers crude oil from Samaria, Michigan to MPC�� Detroit, Michigan refinery. This pipeline includes a tank farm and crude oil truck offloading facility located at Samaria.

The Company�� Romulus to Detroit pipeline consists of approximately 17 miles of 16-inch pipeline extending from Romulus, Michigan to MPC�� Detroit, Michigan refinery. Its Wood River to Patoka crude system is consisted of two pipelines: Wood River to Patoka and Roxanna to Patoka. Its Wood River to Patoka pipeline consists of approximately 57 miles of 22-inch pipeline, which delivers crude oil received in Wood River, Illinois from the third-party Platte and Ozark pipeline systems to Patoka, Illinois.

The Company�� Roxanna to Patoka pipeline consists of approximately 58 miles of 12-inch pipeline, which transports crude oil received in Roxanna, Illinois from the Ozark pipeline system to its tank farm in Patoka, Illinois.

Product Pipeline Systems

The Company�� product pipeline systems are positioned to transport products from five of MPC�� refineries to MPC�� marketing operations, as well as those of third parties. These pipeline systems also supply feedstocks to MPC�� Midwest refineries. These product pipeline systems are integrated with MPC�� expansive network of refined product marketing terminals, which support MPC�� integrated midstream business.

The Company�� Gulf Coast product pipeline systems include Garyville products system and Texas City products system. The Company�� Garyville products system is consisted of approximately 70 miles of 20-inch pipeline, which delivers refined products from MPC�� Garyville, Louisiana refinery to either the Plantation Pipeline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana or the MPC Zachary breakout tank farm in Zachary, Louisiana, and approximately two miles of 36-inch pipeline that delivers refined products from the MPC tank farm to Colonial Pipeline in Zachary.

The Company�� Texas City products system is comprised of approximately 39 miles of 16-inch pipeline that delivers refined products from refineries owned by MPC, BP and Valero in Texas City, Texas to MPC�� Pasadena breakout tank farm and third-party terminals in Pasadena, Texas. The system also includes approximately three miles of 30- and 36-inch pipeline that delivers refined products from MPC�� Pasadena breakout tank farm to the third-party TEPPCO and Centennial pipeline systems.

The Company�� Midwest product pipeline systems include Ohio River Pipe Line (ORPL) products system, Robinson products system and Louisville Airport products system. The Company�� ORPL products system is consisted of Kenova to Columbus, Canton to East Sparta, East Sparta to Heath, East Sparta to Midland, Heath to Dayton, and Heath to Findlay.

The Company�� Kenova to Columbus pipeline consists of approximately 150 miles of 14-inch pipeline that delivers refined products from MPC�� Catlettsburg refinery to MPC�� Columbus, Ohio area terminals. Its Canton to East Sparta pipeline consists of two parallel pipelines, which connect MPC�� Canton, Ohio refinery with its East Sparta, Ohio breakout tankage and station. The first pipeline consists of approximately 8.5 miles of six-inch pipeline that delivers products (distillates) from Canton to East Sparta. The second pipeline consists of approximately 8.5 miles of six-inch bi-directional pipeline, which can deliver products (gasoline) from Canton to East Sparta or light petroleum-based feedstocks from East Sparta to Canton.

The Company�� East Sparta to Heath pipeline consists of approximately 81 miles of eight-inch pipeline that delivers products from its East Sparta, Ohio breakout tankage and station to MPC�� terminal in Heath, Ohio. The Company�� East Sparta to Midland pipeline consists of approximately 62 miles of eight-inch bi-directional pipeline, which can deliver products and light petroleum-based feedstocks betwe! en its br! eak-out tankage and station in East Sparta, Ohio and MPC�� terminal in Midland, Pennsylvania. MPC�� Midland terminal has a marketing load rack and is able to connect to other Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area terminals through a pipeline owned by Buckeye Pipe Line Company, L.P. and a river loading/unloading dock for products and petroleum feedstocks. This pipeline can also transport products to MPC�� terminals in Steubenville and Youngstown, Ohio through a connection at West Point, Ohio with a pipeline owned by MPC.

The Company�� Heath to Dayton pipeline consists of approximately 108 miles of six-inch pipeline, which delivers products from MPC�� terminals in Heath, Ohio and Columbus, Ohio to terminals owned by CITGO and Sunoco Logistics Partners, L.P. in Dayton, Ohio. This pipeline is bi-directional between Heath and Columbus for product deliveries. Its Heath to Findlay consists of approximately 100 miles of eight- and 10-inch pipeline, which delivers products from MPC�� terminal in Heath, Ohio to MPC�� pipeline break-out tankage and terminal in Findlay, Ohio. Robinson products system is consisted of Robinson to Lima, Robinson to Louisville, Robinson to Mt. Vernon, Wood River to Clermont, Dieterich to Martinsville and Wabash Pipeline System.

The Company�� Robinson to Lima pipeline consists of approximately 250 miles of 10-inch pipeline, which delivers products from MPC�� Robinson, Illinois refinery to MPC terminals in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as to MPC terminals in Muncie, Indiana and Lima, Ohio. Its Robinson to Louisville pipeline consists of approximately 129 miles of 16-inch pipeline, which delivers products from MPC�� Robinson, Illinois refinery to two MPC and multiple third-party terminals in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition, these products can supply MPC and Valero terminals in Lexington, Kentucky through the Louisville to Lexington pipeline system owned by MPC and Valero.

The Company�� Robinson to Mt. Vernon pipeline consists of ap! proximate! ly 79 miles of 10-inch pipeline that delivers products from MPC�� Robinson, Illinois refinery to a MPC terminal located on the Ohio River in Mt. Vernon, Indiana. It leases this pipeline from a third party under a long-term lease. The Company�� Wood River to Clermont pipeline consists of approximately 153 miles of 10-inch pipeline extending from MPC�� terminal in Wood River, Illinois to Martinsville, Illinois, and approximately 156 miles of 10-inch pipeline extending from Martinsville, Illinois to Clermont, Indiana. This pipeline also includes approximately 9.5 miles of pipelines utilized for the local movement of products in and around Wood River, Illinois, and Clermont, Indiana.

The Company�� Dieterich to Martinsville pipeline consists of approximately 40 miles of 10-inch pipeline, which delivers products from the termination point of Centennial Pipeline to Martinsville, Illinois. From Martinsville, these products (including refinery feedstocks) can be distributed to MPC�� Robinson, Illinois refinery or to other destinations through our other pipeline systems. Its Wabash Pipeline System consists of three interconnected pipeline pipelines: approximately 130 miles of 12-inch pipeline extending from MPC�� terminal in Wood River, Illinois to Champaign, Illinois (the West leg); approximately 86 miles of 12-inch pipeline extending from MPC�� Robinson, Illinois refinery to Champaign (the East leg), and approximately 140 miles of 12- and 16-inch pipeline extending from the junction with the East and West legs in Champaign to MPC�� terminals in Griffith, Indiana and Hammond, Indiana. This pipeline system delivers products to MPC�� tanks at Martinsville, Champaign, Griffith and Hammond. This pipeline system also delivers products to tanks owned by Meier Oil Company at Ashkum, Illinois. The Wabash Pipeline System connects to other pipeline systems in the Chicago area through a portion of the system located beyond MPC�� Griffith terminal. The Company�� Louisville airport product! s system ! consists of approximately 14 miles of eight- and six-inch pipeline, which delivers jet fuel from MPC�� Louisville, Kentucky refined product terminals to customers at the Louisville International Airport.

Other Major Midstream Assets

The Company�� butane cavern is located in Neal, West Virginia, across the Big Sandy River from MPC�� Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery. This storage cavern has approximately 1.0 million barrels of storage capacity and is connected to MPC�� Catlettsburg refinery. Rail access to the storage cavern is also available through connections with the refinery.

The Company�� barge dock is located on the Mississippi River in Wood River, Illinois and is used both for crude oil barge loading and products barge unloading. The barge dock is connected to its Wood River tank farm by approximately two miles of 14-inch pipeline, which transfers crude oil from the tank farm to the dock, and two 10-inch pipelines, which are each approximately two miles long and transfer products and feedstocks from the dock to the tank farm. This dock generates revenue through a FERC tariff, which is collected for the transfer and loading/unloading of crude oil and products. It also owns tank farms located in Patoka, Martinsville and Wood River, Illinois and Lebanon, Indiana, which it uses for storing both crude oil and products. These storage assets are integral to the operation of its pipeline systems in those areas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX  ) and its master limited partnership Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP  ) have made the headlines recently, because of how high PSXP climbed during its first day of trading. It isn't the first refiner to find success with an MLP spinoff -- Marathon Petroleum's (NYSE: MPC  ) spinoff�MPLX (NYSE: MPLX  ) is up more than 16% year to date -- and it doesn't look as if it will be the last. In this video, Fool.com contributor Aimee Duffy looks at Valero's (NYSE: VLO  ) recent affirmation of its plan to convert its logistics assets into an MLP.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In Marathon's quarterly report, watch for how the refiner's relationship with spun-off midstream pipeline operator MPLX (NYSE: MPLX  ) is faring. With Marathon holding a majority stake in MPLX, its pipeline assets will play an increasingly important role in bringing midcontinent energy products to its refineries.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Two things PSXP has going for it are that it has no debt, and is likely to be able to grow future distributions. But there are other midstream MLPs that have little or no debt and are also in position to grow distributions, but with a higher yield than PSXP. Marathon Petroleum’s (NYSE: MPC) midstream affiliate MPLX (NYSE: MPLX) also has essentially no debt, but a slightly higher yield of 2.9 percent.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now

Panasonic's (NASDAQOTH: PCRFY  ) not the first company you may think of in the health-care field, but this Japanese electronics maker's a player in blood glucose monitors and other fields. With Panasonic's sales under fire across the board, however, this company's looking to sell off its health-care business to refocus on its core segments. Toshiba (NASDAQOTH: TOSBF  ) reportedly has expressed interest in a buy, and private equity-firms are also in the hunt to get on board with Asia's health-care rise.

Buying into the Asian health-care scene isn't anything new. Stryker (NYSE: SYK  ) made waves earlier this year by purchasing Chinese spine and trauma firm Trauson for $764 million, and with China's health-care industry still in a state of transition, this is a potent grow opportunity for device firms. But is Panasonic's business worth all that much to buyers? Motley Fool contributor Dan Carroll and health-care analyst Max Macaluso discuss what you need to know in the following video.

Top 10 Transportation Companies For 2016: TeleNav Inc.(TNAV)

TeleNav, Inc. provides personalized navigation and location based services (LBS) in the United States and internationally. It offers GPS Navigator, a voice guided, real time, turn by turn mobile navigation service on a white label basis, such as Sprint Navigation and AT&T Navigator, as well as under the TeleNav brand. The company also provides mobile resource management solutions that allow enterprises to monitor and manage mobile workforces and assets by using its LBS platform to track job status and the location of workers, field assets, and equipment. Its enterprise solutions include TeleNav Track service, as well as TeleNav Vehicle Manager, TeleNav Vehicle Tracker, and TeleNav Asset Tracker. In addition, the company offers mobile navigation services through on-board and connected systems. Further, it focuses on developing LBS to new device platforms, such as tablet devices, as well as new LBS for mobile phones, including location based mobile advertising, commerce, and social networking. The company distributes its services to consumers, wireless carriers, enterprises and automobile manufacturers, and original equipment manufacturers through its wireless carrier partners, as well as through its Web site and mobile phone application stores. TeleNav, Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Telenav (Nasdaq: TNAV  ) reported earnings on April 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q3), Telenav beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Lately, FleetCor has been on a buying spree. This spring, FLT agreed to buy out Telenav’s (TNAV) mobile business — an operation that serves 8,000 business clients by tracking the location of mobile workers in field-based businesses. FleetCor aims to adopt the business to add value to its ongoing fuel card programs.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Aerospace & Defense Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the aerospace and defense sector of the United States equity market. Aerospace companies include manufacturers, assemblers and distributors of aircraft and aircraft parts. Defense companies include producers of components and equipment for the defense industry, such as military aircraft, radar equipment and weapons.

The Fund will concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent as the Index is so concentrated. Since all of the securities included in the Index are issued by companies in the aerospace and defense sector, the Fund will be concentrated in the aerospace and defense industry. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mark Salzinger]

  This industry's two largest ETFs��Shares Aerospace and Defense (ITA) and PowerShares Aerospace and Defense (PPA)��ained more than 50% last year.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Revive Therapeutics Ltd (RVV)

Revive Therapeutics Ltd., formerly Mercury Capital II Limited, is focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing treatments for major market opportunities such as sleep apnea, gout and rare diseases. The Company is focused on underserved medical needs such as opioid-induced respiratory depression in high risk patients with sleep apnea, gout, and Rett Syndrome. The Company is also developing a next generation analog of REV-001, which is an improvement of the original compound and it will have the potential to treat new diseases that would otherwise remain untreated with the original compound, such as rare diseases, breathing disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Whitney George is Director of Investments, Managing Director, and a Portfolio Manager of Royce & Associates, LLC, investment advisor to The Royce Funds. He serves as portfolio manager for Royce Premier Fund (RPR), Royce Low-Priced Stock Fund (RLP), Royce Global Value Fund (RGV), Royce SMid-Cap Value Fund (RSV), and Royce Focus Trust (FUND). He also serves as assistant portfolio manager for Royce Micro-Cap Fund (RMC), Royce Value Fund (RVV), Royce Value Plus Fund (RVP), Royce Focus Value Fund (RFV), and Royce Capital Fund ��Micro-Cap Portfolio (RCM). Mr. George's thoughts in this interview concerning the stock market are solely his own and, of course, there can be no assurance with regard to future market movements.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: PHH Corp (PHH)

PHH Corporation (PHH), incorporated in 1953, is an outsource provider of mortgage and fleet management services. PHH operates in three segments: Mortgage Production, Mortgage Servicing and Fleet Management Services. The Company provides mortgage banking services to a range of clients, including financial institutions and real estate brokers, throughout the United States. The Company�� mortgage banking activities include originating, purchasing, selling and servicing mortgage loans through its wholly owned subsidiary, PHH Mortgage Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively PHH Mortgage). It provides commercial fleet management services to corporate clients and government agencies throughout the United States and Canada through its wholly owned subsidiary, PHH Vehicle Management Services Group LLC (PHH VMS). PHH VMS is a fully integrated provider of fleet management services with a range of product offerings, including managing and leasing vehicle fleets and providing other fee-based services for its clients��vehicle fleets.

Mortgage Production Segment

The Mortgage Production segment provides mortgage services, including private-label mortgage services, to financial institutions and real estate brokers through PHH Mortgage. The Mortgage Production segment generates revenue through fee-based mortgage loan origination services and the origination and sale of mortgage loans into the secondary market. PHH Mortgage generally sells all mortgage loans that it originates to secondary market investors, which include a variety of institutional investors, and typically retains the servicing rights on mortgage loans sold. During the year ended December 31, 2011, 92% of its mortgage loans were sold to, or were sold pursuant to, programs sponsored by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae and the remaining 8% were sold to private investors. The Mortgage Production segment includes PHH Home Loans, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, PHH Home Loans), which is a joint venture that the C! ompany maintains with Realogy Corporation. The Company owns 50.1% of PHH Home Loans through its subsidiaries and Realogy owns the remaining 49.9% through their affiliates. PHH has rights to use the Century 21, Coldwell Banker and ERA brand names in marketing its mortgage loan products through PHH Home Loans and other arrangements that it has with Realogy.

The Mortgage Production segment also includes its interest in Speedy Title & Appraisal Review Services LLC (STARS), which provides appraisal services utilizing a network of professional licensed firms offering local coverage throughout the United States and also provides credit research, flood certification and tax services. On March 31, 2011, it sold 50.1% of the interests in STARS to CoreLogic, Inc. The Company operates through two principal business channels: private label services and real estate.

The retail platform consists of private label services and real estate channels. The Company is a provider of private-label mortgage loan originations for financial institutions and other entities throughout the United States. In this channel, the Company offers a complete outsourcing solution, from processing applications through funding, for clients that wish to offer mortgage services to their customers but are not equipped to handle all aspects of the process cost-effectively. The Company also purchases closed mortgage loans from financial institutions.

The Company works with real estate brokers to provide their customers with mortgage loans. Through its affiliations with real estate brokers, it has access to home buyers at the time of purchase. It works with brokers associated with NRT Incorporated, Realogy�� owned real estate brokerage business, brokers associated with Realogy�� franchised brokerages (Realogy Franchisees) and third-party brokers that are not affiliated with Realogy. During 2011, approximately 22% of the Company�� mortgage loan originations were derived from its relationship with Realogy ! and its a! ffiliates. In this channel, it also works with Cartus Corporation, Realogy�� relocation business, to provide mortgage loans to employees of Cartus��clients. Cartus provides outsourced corporate relocation services in the United States. Realogy has agreed that the real estate brokerage business owned and operated by NRT Incorporated and the title and settlement services business owned and operated by Title Resource Group LLC will recommend PHH Home Loans as provider of mortgage loans to the independent sales associates affiliated with Realogy, excluding the independent sales associates of any Realogy Franchisee, and all customers of Realogy Services Group LLC and Realogy Services Venture Partner, Inc., excluding Realogy Franchisees. Certain Realogy Franchisees have agreed to recommend PHH Mortgage as provider of mortgage loans to their respective independent sales associates. As of 2011, it has entered into exclusive marketing service agreements with 5% of Realogy Franchisees. In the Relocation Channel, the Company works with Cartus Corporation, Realogy�� relocation business, to provide mortgage loans to employees of Cartus��clients.

During 2011, the Company originated mortgage loans for approximately 17% of the transactions in which real estate brokerages owned by Realogy represented the home buyer. And approximately 8% of the transactions in which real estate brokerages franchised by Realogy where it had exclusive marketing service agreements, represented the home buyer.

Mortgage Servicing Segment

The Company principally generates revenue in its Mortgage Servicing segment through fees earned from its servicing rights or from its subservicing agreements. Mortgage servicing rights are the rights to receive a portion of the interest coupon and fees collected from the mortgagors for performing specified mortgage servicing activities, which consist of collecting loan payments, remitting principal and interest payments to investors, managing escrow funds for th! e payment! of mortgage-related expenses, such as taxes and insurance, performing loss mitigation activities on behalf of investors, and otherwise administering its mortgage loan servicing portfolio. Mortgage servicing rights for sold loans are initially recorded at fair value in its Mortgage Production Segment�� results of operations. Changes in fair value subsequent to the initial capitalization are recorded in its Mortgage Servicing Segment�� results of operations. The Company�� Mortgage Servicing segment also includes the results of its reinsurance activities from its wholly owned subsidiary, Atrium Reinsurance Corporation.

The Company provides mortgage reinsurance to certain third-party insurance companies that provide primary mortgage insurance on loans originated in its Mortgage Production segment. While it does not underwrite primary mortgage insurance directly, it provides reinsurance that covers losses in excess of a specified percentage of the principal balance of a given pool of mortgage loans, subject to a contractual limit. In exchange for assuming a portion of the risk of loss related to the reinsured loans, Atrium Reinsurance Corporation, its wholly owned subsidiary, receives a portion of borrower�� premiums from the third-party insurance companies.

Fleet Management Services Segment

The Company provides fleet management services to corporate clients and government agencies throughout the United States and Canada. It is an integrated provider of these services with a range of product offerings. The Company primarily focuses on clients with fleets of greater than 75 vehicles. As of 2011, it had approximately 270,000 vehicles leased, primarily consisting of cars and light-duty trucks and, to a lesser extent, medium and heavy-duty trucks, trailers and equipment, and approximately 300,000 additional vehicles serviced under fuel cards, maintenance cards, accident management services arrangements and/or similar arrangements. During 2011, the Company purchas! ed approx! imately 61,000 vehicles.

The Company provides corporate clients and government agencies with services and products, such as Fleet Leasing and Fleet Management Services, Maintenance Services, Accident Management Services, and Fuel Card Services. The Fleet Leasing and Fleet management services include vehicle leasing, fleet policy analysis and recommendations, benchmarking, vehicle recommendations, ordering and purchasing vehicles, arranging for vehicle delivery and administration of the title and registration process, as well as tax and insurance requirements, pursuing warranty claims and remarketing used vehicles. It leases vehicles to its clients under both open-end and closed-end leases. Open-end leases represent 97% of its lease portfolio, and are a form of lease in which the client bears substantially all of the vehicle�� residual value risk. These leases typically have a minimum term of 12 months, and can be continued after that at the lessee�� election for successive monthly renewals. Upon return of the vehicle by the lessee, it typically sells the vehicle into the secondary market, and the client receives a credit or pays the difference between the sale proceeds and the vehicle�� book value.

Open-end leases may be classified as operating or direct financing depending upon the nature of the residual guarantee. Revenues for operating leases contain a depreciation component, an interest component and a management fee component, and are recognized over the lease term. For direct financing leases, revenues contain an interest component and a management fee component, and are recognized over the lease term. Closed-end leases represent 3% of its lease portfolio, and are a form of lease in which it retains the residual risk of the value of the vehicle at the end of the lease term. Closed-end leases may be classified as operating or direct financing based on the terms of the individual contracts.

The Company offers clients vehicle maintenance service cards that! are used! to facilitate payment for repairs and maintenance. It maintains a network of third-party service providers in the United States and Canada to ensure ease of use by the clients drivers. The vehicle maintenance service cards provide clients with negotiated discounts off of full retail prices through its supplier network, access to its in-house team of certified maintenance experts that monitor transactions for policy compliance, reasonability and cost-effectiveness, and inclusion of vehicle maintenance transactions in a consolidated information and billing database, which assists clients with the evaluation of overall fleet performance and costs. During 2011, the Company averaged 324,000 maintenance service cards in the United States and Canada. It receives a fixed monthly fee for these services from its clients, as well as additional fees from service providers in its third-party network for individual maintenance services.

PHH provides its clients with accident management services, such as immediate assistance upon receiving the initial accident report from the driver, an organized vehicle appraisal and repair process through a network of third-party preferred repair and body shops and coordination and negotiation of potential accident claims. The Company�� accident management services provide its clients with convenient, coordinated 24-hour assistance from its call center, access to its relationships with the repair and body shops included in its preferred supplier network, which typically provide clients with favorable terms, and expertise of its damage specialists, who ensure that vehicle appraisals and repairs are appropriate, cost-efficient and in accordance with each client�� specific repair policy. During 2011, it averaged 298,000 vehicles that were participating in accident management programs. The Company receives fees from its clients for these services, as well as additional fees from service providers in its third-party network for individual incident services.

It prov! ides its clients with fuel card programs that facilitate the payment, monitoring and control of fuel purchases. Fuel is typically the single fleet-related operating expense. Its fuel cards provide its clients with access to more fuel brands and outlets than other private-label corporate fuel cards, point-of-sale processing technology for fuel card transactions that enhances clients��ability to monitor purchases and consolidated billing, and access to other information on fuel card transactions, which assists clients with the evaluation of overall fleet performance and costs. Its fuel cards are offered through relationships with third parties in the United States, and a card in Canada, which offer expanded fuel management capabilities on one service card. During 2011, it averaged 295,000 fuel cards in the United States and Canada. PHH receives both monthly fees from its fuel card clients and additional fees from fuel partners and providers.

The Company competes with Bank of America, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Chase Home Finance, CitiMortgage, GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services, Wheels, Inc., Automotive Resources International and Lease Plan International.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  PHH Corp. (NYSE: PHH) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

  T-Mobile US Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) was started as Outperform at Cowen & Co.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Gentherm Inc (THRM)

Gentherm Inc, formerly Amerigon Incorporated, doing business as Gentherm, incorporated in 1991, is a global developer and marketer of thermal management technologies for a range of heating and cooling and temperature control applications. Automotive products include actively heated and cooled seat systems and cup holders, heated and ventilated seat systems, thermal storage bins, heated seat and steering wheel systems, cable systems and other electronic devices. The Company is developing materials for thermoelectrics and systems for waste heat recovery and electrical power generation for the automotive market that may have applications for consumer products, as well as industrial and technology markets. Gentherm has facilities in the United States, Germany, Mexico, China, Canada, Japan, England, Korea, Malta, Hungary and the Ukraine. In February 2013, it announced the closing of the acquisition of W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG (W.E.T.).

The Company designs, develops and markets products based on its thermoelectric device (TED) technologies for a range of global markets and heating and cooling applications. As of December 31, 2011, its principal product was its Climate Control Seat (CCS), which it sells to automobile and light truck original equipment manufacturers or their tier one suppliers. The Company�� CCS product is offered as an optional or standard feature on automobile models produced by Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan, Tata Motors, Ltd. and Hyundai. On May 16, 2011 the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Amerigon Europe, GmbH (Amerigon Europe), acquired a majority interest in W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG. (W.E.T.).

Thermoelectric device

The Company�� products are primarily based upon its TED technology. A TED is a solid state circuit that has the capability to produce both a hot and cold thermal condition. TEDs also have a capability known as the Seebeck effect that is reciprocal to the Peltier effect.

Climate Control Seat

The Company�� CCS product uses one or more TEDs, which generate heating or cooling depending upon the direction of the current applied to the device. If a manufacturer wishes to integrate its CCS product into a seat, it provides the Company with automotive seats to be modified so that it can install a unit in a prototype. The seat is then returned to the manufacturer for evaluation and testing. If a manufacturer accepts the Company�� CCS product, a program can then be launched for a particular model on a production basis.

Heated and Ventilated Seat

The Company sells a heated and ventilated only variant of the CCS. This product works in a similar fashion to its CCS, only there is no active cooling capability and no TED. In the cooling mode, the vent only system will use the ambient cabin air to provide a degree of cooling comfort to the seat occupant. In the heating mode, the vent only system is supplemented with more traditional resistive heating elements. Similarly, W.E.T.�� core seat comfort product uses a resistive element heater mat to generate heat when the seat is in heating mode and ambient cabin air for cooling.

Heated and Cooled Cup Holder

The heated and cooled cup holder represents an adaptation of the technology found in its CCS, including the use of a TED and other key elements. The dual cup holder provides separate temperature settings in each holder allowing the driver and passenger to individually maintain a heated or cooled beverage. The vehicles that feature the heated and cooled cup holder was the 2011 Dodge Charger and 2011 Chrysler 300 during the year ended December 31, 2011.

Heated and Cooled Mattress

The Company�� heated and cooled mattress incorporates its Climate Control Sleep System (CCSS) technology. The mattress is sold in the United States by its retail partner, Mattress Firm, under its YuMe brand. Mattress Firm has over 800 retail stores located a! cross 26 ! states. There are five available settings in each of the heat and cool modes, as well as an ambient setting. The bed can be controlled using either the Master Control Unit (MCU) or one of two remotes provided for each zone.

Automotive Cable Systems

W.E.T. produces automotive cable systems to be used to connect automotive components to sources of power. W.E.T.�� cable systems include both ready-made individual cables and ready-to-install cable networks.

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 Gentherm (Nasdaq: THRM  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sarepta Therapeutics Inc (SRPT)

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., formerly AVI BioPharma, Inc., incorporated on July 22, 1980, biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based therapeutics for the treatment of rare and infectious diseases. The Company�� product candidates include Eteplirsen, AVI-6002, AVI-6003, and AVI-7100. As of December 31, 2011, the Company primarily focused on advancing the development of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug candidates, including its lead product candidate, eteplirsen, which is in a Phase IIb trial. The Company is also focused on developing therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases, including its lead infectious disease programs aimed at the development of drug candidates for the Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever viruses. The Company's program focuses on the development of disease-modifying therapeutic candidates for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The Company initiated a Phase IIb trial for eteplirsen in August 2011 with an objective of initiating a pivotal trial subsequent to 2011.

The Company is also leveraging the capabilities of its RNA-based technology platforms to develop therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases. The Company's RNA-based drug programs are clinically evaluated for the treatment of DMD and have also demonstrated anti-viral activity in infectious diseases such as Ebola, Marburg and H1N1 influenza in certain animal models. The Company's lead product candidates are at various stages of development.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Program

The Company's lead program is designed to address specific gene mutations that result in DMD by forcing the genetic machinery to skip over an adjacent contiguous piece of RNA and, thus, restore the ability of the cell to express a new, truncated but functional, dystrophin protein.

Eteplirsen is an antisense PMO-based therapeutic in clinical development for the treatment of individuals with DMD who have an error in the gene codi! ng for dystrophin that can be treated by skipping exon 51. Eteplirsen targets the frequent series of mutations that cause DMD. Eteplirsen has been granted orphan drug designation in the United States and European Union. In addition to the Company's lead product candidate, eteplirsen, the Company is actively pursues development of a product candidate that skips exon 45 through an IND-enabling collaboration.

Anti-Viral Programs

The Company is implementing its RNA-based technology platforms in its anti-viral programs for the development of therapeutics to treat viruses, such as Ebola, Marburg and influenza. The Company's arrangement with DoD supporting the development of the Company's Ebola and Marburg virus drug candidates provides funding for all clinical and licensure activities necessary to obtain approval of a New Drug Application (NDA), by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if DoD exercises all of its options under the arrangement. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company paused its clinical development efforts on AVI-7100 and is exploring funding opportunities or partnerships with DHHS and industry collaborators to advance its development.

The Company's anti-viral therapeutic programs use the Company's translation suppression technology and applies its PMOplus chemistry backbone, an advanced generation of its base PMO chemistry backbone that selectively introduces positive backbone charges to improve selective interaction between the drug and its target. The Company's translation suppressing technology is based on Translation Suppressing Oligomers (TSOs), which are PMO-based compounds that stop or suppress the translation of a specific protein by binding to their specific target sequence in mRNA.

The Company is pursuing development and regulatory approval of its Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever virus product candidates under the FDA's Animal Rule. The Company's lead product candidate against the Ebola virus infec! tion is A! VI-6002. For Marburg virus infection, the Company's lead product candidate has been AVI-6003. In February 2012, the Company announced that the Company received approval from the FDA to remove one of the two oligomers composing AVI-6003 and proceed with a single oligomer approach, AVI-7288, given that efficacy in non-human primates has been demonstrated to be attributable to this single oligomer. The Company is exploring the feasibility of alternate routes of administration of its Ebola and Marburg drug candidates, and at DoD's invitation, the Company is developing a proposal to be submitted for a study to demonstrates feasibility of the intramuscular route.

AVI-6002, which is a combination of AVI-7537 and AVI-7539, is designed for post-exposure prophylaxis after documented or suspected exposure to the Ebola virus. The Company is evaluating the feasibility of developing AVI-7537 as a single agent for the post-exposure prophylaxis after documented or suspected exposure to Ebola virus. AVI-6003, which is a combination of AVI-7287 and AVI-7288, is designed for post-exposure prophylaxis after documented or suspected exposure to Marburg virus. In February 2012, the Company announced that the Company received approval from the FDA to proceed with AVI-7288 as a single agent against Marburg virus infection. The Company intends to proceed with dosing AVI-7288 in the Phase I multiple ascending dose studies and in non-human primate studies.

Influenza Program

The Company's anti-viral therapeutic programs are also focused on the development of the Company's product candidates designed to treat pandemic influenza viruses. AVI-7100 is the Company's lead product candidate for the treatment of influenza and employs its PMOplus technology. In June 2011, the Company initiated dosing of AVI-7100 through intravenous infusion in single-ascending doses in up to 48 healthy adult volunteers. As of December 31, 2011, the Company paused its clinical development efforts on AVI-7100 and are exp! loring fu! nding opportunities or partnerships to advance its development.

The Company has developed three new phosphorodiamidate-linked morpholino oligomers (PMO)-based chemistry platforms in addition to its original PMO-based technology. The Company's PMO-based molecules are designed to sterically block the access of cellular machinery to pre-mRNA and mRNA without degrading the RNA. Through this selective targeting, two distinct biologic mechanisms of action can be initiated: modulation of pre-mRNA splicing and inhibition of mRNA translation.

The Company competes with GlaxoSmithKline plc, Toyama Chemical, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp., Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Prosensa, and Santaris Pharma A/S.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ernie Tremblay, Biosciences Specialist, Money Morning | January 17, 2014 · ]

  When I'm setting out in search of a lucrative bioscience stock, here are some qualities I find really attractive:

  Market cap. $250M-$2.5B. This is the sweet spot for growth. Less than $250M can mean low volume trading, which can be a problem if you need to sell. More than $2.5B makes a company less responsive to catalysts. Single product pipeline. These companies can yield high returns because they carry high risk. If their drug succeeds, their investors can get rich rapidly. A failure, however, can mean doom, so you need to know what you're doing in evaluating the drug's potential to be effective, safe, convincing to the FDA, and marketable. Some of my recommendations, of course, are for companies that have richer pipelines. They yield less return, but they're safer bets for a balanced portfolio. An upcoming catalyst. A catalyst, such as an AdCom, FDA approval date (called a PDUFA), or even results from a clinical trial, can make you a whole lot richer overnight. Last year, Sarepta Therapeutics (Nasdaq: SRPT) tripled its stock price overnight when the company announced positive results for a study of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug. Orphan drug status. As I explained above, these drug candidates have real advantages over traditional "blockbuster" entries. An extreme need. Everyone born with HoFH would eventually die from it, and before Aegerion's Juxtapid (lomitapide), no effective treatment existed. Patients were longing for it. Little or no competition. ISIS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS), in partnership with Genzyme Pharmaceuticals, was developing a drug, mimoperson, to compete with Juxtapid, but it was inferior in several ways (injectable rather than oral, more severe side effects). It also passed its AdCom, but barely, garnering a vote of 9 to 6. Juxtapid had a nearly clear field to play in. The Profits Ahead

  Next, of course, comes the tricky part. You've got to be able to read studies on exper

• [By Keith Speights]

  On the other hand
  The good news is that biotech investors who don't meet the above criteria can often see solid returns. I think Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT  ) offers a nice opportunity right now.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) saw its director Anthony Chase buy 10,000 shares for $385,000. Sarepta saw a slight uptick in share price around this time after it announced positive results in a Phase 2b extension study involving the use of eteplirsen as a treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT) tumbled 11.94 percent to $18.00 after Citigroup downgraded the stock from Neutral to Sell.

  First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) was down, falling 9.45 percent to $51.38 after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock from Buy to Sell.

10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV (FOMC)

Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV (FEMSA) is a Mexico-based holding company engaged in the beverages industry. Through its subsidiary Coca-Cola FEMSA SAB de CV, the Company is active in the production and distribution of a variety of non-alcoholic beverages, bottled water and still beverages such brands as Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Powerade, Delaware Punch and other trademark beverages of The Coca-Cola Company in Mexico. Through FEMSA Comercio SA de CV, it operates the OXXO convenience-store chain in Latin America. The Company operates in a number of Latinamerican countries and in Philippines. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Canadian Value]

  Also interesting is that the duration of rising rate environments is distinctly shorter after 1982. The average duration declines to 14 months from 40 months prior to 1982. A possible explanation could be changes in the monetary mechanism influencing interest rates. In 1982, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) first referenced a targeted federal funds rate.7

Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In 2016

Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In 2016: Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR)

Juniper Networks, Inc. (Juniper Networks), incorporated on September 10, 1996, designs, develops, and sells products and services that together provide its customers with network infrastructure. It operates in two segments: Infrastructure and Service Layer Technologies (SLT). The Company's Infrastructure segment primarily offers routing and switching products that are used to control and direct network traffic from the core, through the edge, aggregation, and the customer premise equipment level. Infrastructure products include its Internet protocol (IP) routing, carrier Ethernet routing portfolio, and Ethernet switching portfolio. In addition, the Infrastructure segment offers a complete wireless local area network (WLAN) solution. Its SLT segment offers solutions that meet a range of its customers' priorities, from protecting the users, applications and data on the network itself to providing network services across a distributed infrastructure. Effective September 13, 2013, Juniper Networks, Inc. acquired Contrail Networks Inc.

Brilliant is a supplier of packet-based, network synchronization equipment and monitoring solutions. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company introduced its network architecture and fabric technology for the data center, QFabric. It serves the high-performance networking requirements of global service providers, enterprises, and public sector organizations. The Company's open cross-network software platform includes the Junos operating system (Junos OS), Junos Space network application platform, and Junos Pulse integrated network client. The Company offers a product portfolio that spans routing, switching, security, application access, and mobility device security.

Infrastructure Products

The Company's T Series core routers! are primarily designed for core IP infrastructures and are also being sold into the multi-service environment. Its PTX Series is a large c apacity (8 and 16 tera-bits per second) MPLS-optimized packe! t transport switch for the core networks, of content service providers and Tier 1 service providers, with high throughout of packet traffic. The Company's E Series products are a full featured platform designed for the network edge with support for carrier-class routing, broadband subscriber management services, and a set of IP services. The MX Series is a product family developed to address emerging Ethernet network architectures and services in service provider and enterprise networks. The Company's EX Series family extends its product portfolio running its Junos OS to address the Ethernet switch market. Ethernet is a used technology, which is used to transport information in enterprise networks. Infrastructure Products also includes QFabric Products and WLAN product.

SLT Products

SLT Products include Services Gateway, Integrated Firewall, and VPN Solutions, Secure Access Appliances, Secure Access Appliances, IDP Series Appliances and Identity and Policy Control Solutions. The Company's SRX Series of dynamic services gateways, running its Junos software, provides firewall/VPN and combines routing, switching, and security functionality. The series is designed to meet network and security requirements for data center consolidation, rapid managed services deployments, and aggregation of security services. Its firewall and VPN systems and appliances are designed to provide integrated firewall, VPN, and denial of service protection capabilities for both enterprise environments and service provider network infrastructures. These products range from its SSG product series, which combines LAN/WAN routing capabilities with threat management features, such as antivirus, anti-spam, and Web filtering technologies, to its ISG and NetScreen Series firewall and VPN systems, which ar! e designe! d to deliver security in medium/large enterprises, carrier networks, and data centers.

The Company's Junos Pulse, Junos Pu lse Mobile Security Suite, and SA Series SSL VPN appliances,! designed! for use in companies of all sizes, are used to provide secure access to corporate resources for remote and mobile users from any Web-enabled device, regardless of location. Its portfolio of identity and policy control solutions integrates subscriber privileges, application requirements, and business policies with the IP network infrastructure.

The Company competes with Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco), Alcatel-Lucent, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade), Extreme Networks, Inc., Hewlett Packard Company (HP), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei), Check Point Software Technologies, F5 Networks, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc., and Riverbed Technology, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) issued downside third quarter guidance last night and expects its third quarter revenue to be $1.11 billion to $1.12 billion, lower than the company's prior guidance of $1.15 billion to $1.28 billion. The company also lowered its earnings per share guidance to $0.34 from $0.36 from a previous range of $0.35 to $0.40. The company blamed its downside guidance on a “lower-than-anticipated demand from service providers, particularly in the U.S.” Shares lost 9.07 percent, closing at $19.04.

• [By RHPanalysts]

  Network equipment-maker Juniper Networks (JNPR) posted higher-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2014 on the back of healthy demand. Its results were driven by various strategic initiatives such as cost cutting and restructuring efforts that are driving its operational efficiency, leading to an increase of 150 basis points in its margins during the quarter. Juniper also managed to reduce its expenses by $160 million.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-communications-equipment-stocks-to-invest-in-2016.html

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) is the largest fast-food restaurant company in the world, with nearly 34,500 restaurants in 119 countries. McDonald's success was built on an idea of consistency. Consistency in food preparation, quality, and value. This consistency has been the model for other restaurant franchises for many years now. It has also led to a consistency of reliable and increasing dividend payments for the company's shareholders.

Utilizing our Dividend Safety scoring system, let's take a look at just how secure McDonald's current dividend payment is.

[ Enlarge Image ]

The only real concern that shows up is McDonald's most recent free cash flow payout ratio of 75%. This is considerably higher than its five-year average payout ratio of 60%. The increasing payout ratio is likely why investors received a 5% dividend increase this year versus the double digit increases they enjoyed in previous years. McDonald's cash position is also less than we like to see when compared to its annual dividend obligation, but it appears that management prefers the lower level of cash on hand as the current amount is typical when compared to historical levels.

Top 5 Food Companies To Watch In Right Now: Cintas Corp (CTAS)

Cintas Corporation (Cintas), incorporated November 13, 1986, provides specialized products and services to businesses of all types throughout the North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The Company operates in four segments: Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products, Uniform Direct Sales, First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services, and Document Management Services. As of May 31, 2013, the Company provided products and services to over one million businesses. As of May 31, 2013, Cintas had approximately 8,200 local delivery routes, 446 operational facilities and eight distribution centers.

The Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment consists of the rental and servicing of uniforms and other garments including flame resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels and other ancillary items. In addition to these rental items, restroom cleaning services and supplies and carpet and tile cleaning services are also provided within this operating segment. The Uniform Direct Sales operating segment consists of the direct sale of uniforms and related items and branded promotional products. The First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segment consists of first aid, safety and fire protection products and services. The Document Management Services operating segment consists of document destruction, document imaging and document retention services.

Within the Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment, Cintas provides its products and services to customers via local delivery routes originating from rental processing plants and branches. Within the Uniform Direct Sales and First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segments, Cintas provides its products and services via its distribution network and local delivery routes or local representatives. Within the Document Management Services operating segment, Cintas provides its services via local service routes originating from document management branches and document retent! ion facilities. The Company operates five manufacturing facilities, which provide for standard uniform needs.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is business support services player Cintas (CTAS), which is set to release numbers on Thursday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Cintas to report revenue of $1.10 billion on earnings of 63 cents per share.

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Cintas stands at 5.6%. That means that out of the 102.38 million shares in the tradable float, 5.70 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 2.5%, or by about 136,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of CTAS could move up sharply higher post-earnings as the bears move to cover some of those bets.

  From a technical perspective, CTAS is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last six months, with shares moving higher from its low of $42.35 to its recent high of $50.80 a share. During that uptrend, shares of CTAS have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of CTAS within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

  If you're bullish on CTAS, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $61 to $62.27 a share and then once it takes its 52-week high at $50.80 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 458,136 shares. If that breakout hits, then CTAS will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $60 to $65 a share.

  I would simply avoid CTAS or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigge

• [By Damian Illia]

  As we can see, the firm has a higher ROE than Amrep Corporation (AXR) but is well below the one registered by US Ecology Inc. (ECOL) and Cintas Corporation (CTAS).

• [By Mike Deane]

  After the closing bell on Monday, business services company Cintas Corporation (CTAS) released its fiscal 2015 first quarter results, with revenues coming in basically flat compared to last year’s Q1, while adjusted EPS came in higher.
  

  CTAS’s�Earnings in Brief

  Cintas�reported second quarter revenues of $1.102 billion, up 0.2% over last year’s Q1 revenues of $1.100 billion. Adjusted�earnings for the quarter came in at $92.4 million, or 78 cents per share, a significant gain over last year’s Q1 figures of $76.5 million, or 62 cents per share. The company�� results met analysts’ revenue expectations of $1.1 billion and EPS beat the 75 cent estimate. Looking ahead, Cintas sees FY2015 earnings in the range of $3.20-$3.29 on revenue in the range of $4.4 billion to $4.75 billion. Analysts are expecting EPS of $3.09 on revenue of $4.50 billion.

  CEO Commentary

  Cintas CEO Scott D. Farmer released the following comments: “Our first quarter results reflect the continued good execution by our employees, who we call partners. We have focused on selling good, profitable business over the past few years, as well as managing our cost structure and continuously improving the efficiency of our processes. This focus has resulted in improved margins and better customer retention.��/p>

  CTAS’s Dividend

  Cintas made no mention of its annual dividend, which was to be expected as the company normally declares a dividend raise in mid-to-late October. CTAS paid its most recent annual dividend of 77 cents on December 11, 2013. We expect the company to announce a higher dividend within the coming weeks.

  Stock Performance

  CTAS stock was up 55 cents, or 0.83%, in after hours trading. YTD, the stock is up 12.21%.

  CTAS Dividend Snapshot

  As of Market Close on September 29, 2014

  Click here to see the complete history of CTAS dividends.

• [By Saibus Research]

  WY and the majority of the timber, forest and paper products companies have a track record of unimpressive returns on capital, cyclical revenue and profit trends, heavy use of capital expenditures, and significant environmental regulation. We also think that WY's conversion to a REIT was a mistake. Morningstar Investment Research's Timber, Forest and Paper Products analyst Dan Rohr said it best when he rated WY and its Timber REIT peers Rayonier (RYN), Potlatch (PCH) and Plum Creek (PCL) as not possessing any economic moat. That probably explains why we only have an ancillary exposure to this industry for our proprietary portfolio based on our holdings in Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP) and Cintas (CTAS). Brookfield's Timber segment only accounts for 5% of its Fund Flows from operations and Cintas's document management business is suffering from reduced prices on recycled paper. At least Cintas Document Management only accounts for 8% of Cintas's revenue.

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015: Globe Specialty Metals Inc.(GSM)

Globe Specialty Metals, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells silicon metal and silicon-based alloys in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. The company primarily offers silicon metal that is used as a raw material for silicone compounds, aluminum, and polysilicon. It also produces silicon-based alloys, such as ferrosilicon; magnesium-ferrosilicon-based alloys known as nodularizers; ferrosilicon-based alloys known as inoculants; calcium silicon alloys; and cored-wire silicon-based alloy products, as well as carbon electrodes, silica fume, and fines. The silicon-based alloy products are used as raw materials for steel, automotive components, and ductile iron. In addition, the company processes and supplies specialty metallurgical coal to other silicon and silicon-based alloy producers. Its customers include silicone chemical, aluminum, and steel manufacturers; auto companies and their suppliers; ductile iron foundries; manufacturers of photovol taic solar cells and computer chips; and concrete producers. The company was formerly known as International Metal Enterprises, Inc. and changed its name to Globe Specialty Metals, Inc. in November 2006. Globe Specialty Metals, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Silicon metals and alloys producer Globe Specialty Metals (GSM) raised its quarterly dividend 7.1% to 7.5 cents per share, payable March 12 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 26.
  GSM Dividend Yield: 1.65%

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015: Constellation Brands Inc (STZ)

Constellation Brands, Inc. produces and markets alcoholic beverages primarily in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. It offers wine, spirits, and imported beer. The company?s Constellation Wines North America segment produces, markets, and exports wine, as well as sells various wine brands across various categories, including table wine, sparkling wine, and dessert wine. It offers wine under various brands, which include Robert Mondavi Brands, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Arbor Mist, Toasted Head, Simi, Black Box, Ravenswood, Rex Goliath, Kim Crawford, Franciscan Estate, Wild Horse, Ruffino, Nobilo, Mount Veeder, Inniskillin, and Jackson-Triggs; and spirits under various brands, including SVEDKA Vodka, Black Velvet Canadian Whisky, and Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy. This segment also produces and markets wine kits and beverage alcohol refreshment drinks in Canada. The company?s Crown Imports segment imports, markets, and sells beer under the Modelo Brands, which include Corona Extra, Corona Light, Coronita, Modelo Especial, Pacifico, Negra Modelo, and Victoria, as well as the St. Pauli Girl and Tsingtao brands in the United States. The company sells its products through wholesale distributors, as well as state and provincial alcoholic beverage control agencies in North America; and directly to retailers or through wholesalers and importers in New Zealand. Constellation Brands, Inc. was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Victor, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.93 per share on revenue of $1.43 billion.

  The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $571.07 million.

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  Lately, liquor company Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ  ) has been reaching for the stars to try to expand its brand, specifically into the beer market. In its most recent earnings release, the company saw its share of misses, but as CEO Rob Sands notes, the acquisition of beer distributor Grupo Modelo's U.S. branch was definitely a bright spot.

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015: NanoViricides Inc (NNVC)

NanoViricides, Inc., incorporated on April 1, 2005, is a development-stage company. The Company is a nano-biopharmaceutical (nanomedicine) company whose business goals are to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutics to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening viral infections. The Company has several drugs in various stages of early development. The Company�� drugs are based on several patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications, and other property held by TheraCour Pharma, Inc. (TheraCou), to which the Company has exclusive licenses in perpetuity for the treatment of human viral diseases: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS), Influenza including Asian Bird Flu Virus (INF), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and Rabies. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had six drug development programs: Oral FluCideTM, against all Influenzas; a Piggy-back version of Flucide for hospitalized patients; nanoviricide eye drops against adenoviral EKC and herpes keratitis; HIVCide - I against HIV/AIDS; HerpeCide - I skin cream formulation for herpes cold sores and genital warts, and DengueCide, a broad spectrum nanoviricide designed to attack all types of dengue viruses and expected to be effective in the Severe Dengue Disease syndromes including Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHS) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). As of June 30, 2012, it had engaged in organizational activities, sourcing compounds and materials, developing novel compounds and nanomaterials, and experimentation with studies on cell cultures and animals. In September 2011, NanoViricides Inc's Inno-Haven LLC acquired a light industrial building.

The Company's product development programs are divided into three sectors: commercially important diseases, neglected tropical diseases (NTD��) and biosecurity/biodefense, and advanced technologies. The Company has collaborations with KARD Scientific, Inc., MA. and Southern Research Institute, AL for influenza viruse! s; National (Central) Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) (Vietnam), for H5N1 avian flu; The Long Island Jewish Medical System, Feinstein Institute of Medical Research (LIJMS), NY and TheVac, LLC. for viral diseases of the eye (adenoviruses, herpesviruses - epidemic kerato-conjunctivitis (EKC), Herpes Keratitis); TheVac, LLC and Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) for herpes virus infections; University of California at Berkeley for dengue hemorrhagic fever viruses; Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National (Central) Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for rabies virus. The Company has developed lead drug candidates against a number of viral diseases.

The Company had consolidated all of its influenza drug programs into a single pan-influenza FluCide program. It is developing a single drug for all influenzas, whether pandemic, epidemic, seasonal, novel, emerging, human, swine, or avian. It is developing a nanoviricide against adenoviral EKC. The nanoviricide eye drug candidate is formulated as simple eye drops. It is developing an anti-HSV nanoviricide skin cream formulation for direct application to the lesions. It has designed the anti-HIV nanoviricides using rational drug design principles. The ligands it has designed in the case of HIV-1 are thought to be broadly neutralizing. In-silico modeling indicates that its ligands dock to the conserved CD4 binding site of gp120 of HIV-1. The Company is working on developing anti-Dengue therapeutics. Dengue is an important NTD. Its RabiCide program has resulted in candidates that have enabled survival of 20% to 30% of infected animals after disease has set in, using a particular animal model.

The Company competes with Roche, Glaxo SmithKline, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS), Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck), Valeant, Schering, Pharmassett, Vertex, Intermune, Achillion and Novartis.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  
  

  One under-$10 nano-biopharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Nanoviricides (NNVC), which engages in the discovery, development and commercialization of anti-viral therapeutics primarily in the U.S. This stock has been ripping to the upside so far in 2013, with share up big by 198%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Nanoviricides, you'll notice that this stock has recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $4.55 to $4.52 a share. Following that bottom, shares of NNVC have now started to uptrend and move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if NNVC manages to take out the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern, which has seen NNVC trend between $4.55 and $5.74 a share.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in NNVC if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at Friday's high of $4.94 a share to its 50-day moving average of $5.28 a share, and then once it takes out some more key overhead resistance levels at $5.72 to $5.74 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 234,994 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then NNVC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.50 to its 52-week high at $7.59 a share.

  Traders can look to buy NNVC off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.55 to $4.52 a share. One can also buy NNVC off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015: Auxilio Inc (AUXO)

Auxilio, Inc. (Auxilio), incorporated on August 29, 1995, is engaged in the business of providing fully outsourced print management services to the healthcare industry. The Company is engaged in the business of providing fully-outsourced managed print services to the healthcare industry, working exclusively with hospitals throughout the United States. It provides solutions, a program and savings. It helps hospitals and health systems reduce expenses and create manageable, dependable document image management programs by managing their back-office processes. The process is initiated through a detailed assessment. The assessment is a strategic, operational and financial analysis that is performed at the customer�� premises using a combination of processes and technology for data collection and report generation. The Company�� customers include hospitals and integrated health delivery networks (IDN). Its subsidiaries include Auxilio Solutions, Inc. and e-Perception Technologies, Inc.

The Company helps hospitals and health systems to create image management programs by managing their back-office processes. The process is initiated through a detailed Image Management Assessment (IMA). The IMA is a strategic, operational and financial analysis that is performed at the customer�� premises using a combination of processes and Web-based technology for data collection and report generation. After the assessment and upon engagement, it charged the customer on a per print basis.

The Company competes with Xerox, Canon, Konica Minolta, Ricoh and Sharp.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, AUXO surged (+3.26%) up +0.030 at $.950 with�200 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:30AM EDT August 23, 2013).

  AUXILIO, Inc. previously reported financial results for its quarter ended June 30, 2013.

  For the three months ended June 30, 2013, AUXILIO reported that recurring service revenues increased by $1.4 million from new contracts closed between May 2012 and April 2013; however revenues were $9.8 million, a decrease of 8% when compared to revenues of $10.7 million in the same period of 2012, due to a drop in equipment revenue. Equipment sales were $800,000 as compared to $3.1 million for the same period in 2012. Cost of revenues were $8.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013, as compared to $9.3 million for the same period in 2012. This drop was due to the drop in equipment sales offset by additional staffing and service costs from the higher recurring service revenue. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2013 was $1.6 million, or 17% of sales, compared to $1.4 million, or 13% of sales, for the same period of 2012. This improvement is a direct result of the large growth in new facilities that we added in 2012 coupled with the reduction in costs as AUXILIO�� program matures within these new accounts.

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015: DexCom Inc.(DXCM)

DexCom, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on the design, development, and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring systems for ambulatory use by people with diabetes, and for use by healthcare providers in the hospital for the treatment of both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The company offers FDA approved SEVEN, which includes a disposable sensor that can be inserted by a patient and used continuously for up to seven days; a transmitter; and a small handheld receiver. Its SEVEN system also received CE Mark approval for commercialization in the European Union and the countries in Asia and Latin America that recognize the CE Mark. The company also provides the SEVEN PLUS, which incorporates additional user interface and algorithm enhancements that are intended to make its glucose monitoring function customizable. Its SEVEN PLUS has FDA and CE Mark approvals. DexCom has a collaboration agreement with Edwards Lifesciences LLC to develop products for conti nuously monitoring blood glucose levels in patients hospitalized for various conditions. It also has development agreement with Insulet Corporation to integrate its continuous glucose monitoring technology into Insulet?s wireless, handheld OmniPod System Personal Diabetes Manager; and a joint development agreement with Animas Corporation to integrate its continuous glucose monitoring technology into Animas insulin pumps. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  If we hope to halt or reverse those numbers, we'll need to approach patient care more holistically, and that could mean looking beyond drug therapies toward Dexcom's� (NASDAQ: DXCM  ) continuous glucose monitoring sensors. Those sensors track and trend glucose levels, and alert patients when levels reach certain levels. By more accurately monitoring and treating these levels, patients might delay disease progression. That, in fact, could already be happening. Dexcom's sales jumped 60% in the past year to $68 million in the third quarter. But there's much work still to be done. Industry watchers estimate less than half of type 1 diabetics�and an even smaller percentage of type 2 patients�use monitors or insulin pumps to manage their disease.�

• [By Sean Williams]

  Where's the beef, DexCom?
  Sometimes a company's products make a lot of sense on paper, but the practical application doesn't go nearly as smoothly. This is how I'd describe medical monitoring device maker DexCom (NASDAQ: DXCM  ) , which has an array of glucose monitoring devices to help diabetes patients better manage their disease. Make no mistake about it; the number of diabetes diagnoses in this country is rising in accord with our obesity rate. Therefore, a company like DexCom, which makes the DexCom G4 System monitor, could be a big hit, and certainly has a wide enough audience to cater to.

Top Quality Stocks To Watch For 2015: Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc.(SOMX)

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the in-licensing, development, and commercialization of proprietary branded products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment medical conditions in the central nervous system therapeutic area. Its product includes Silenor for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors in the United States. Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, will release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 after the close of the U.S. financial markets.