Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: Cree Inc.(CREE)

Cree, Inc. develops and manufactures light emitting diodes (LEDs), LED lighting, and semiconductor solutions for wireless and power applications. Its LED products include blue and green LED chips that are used in various applications, including video screens, gaming displays, function indicator lights, and automotive backlighting; LED components comprising a range of packaged LED products and LED modules for lighting applications; LED lighting products, such as LED downlights, LED troffers, and LED lamps or bulbs for construction, retrofit, and renovation projects in commercial, governmental, and residential applications; and silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, which are used in the manufacture of optoelectronics, microwave, power switching, and other applications. The company also provides semiconductor materials and devices primarily based on silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and related compounds. Its power and radio frequency (RF) products include SiC-based power products comprising 600, 1,200, and 1,700-volt Schottky diodes, as well as 1,200-volt SiC metal semiconductor field-effect transistor switches that are used in power factor correction circuits for power supplies in computer servers and other applications, such as solar inverters; and RF devices, including a range of GaN high electron mobility transistors and monolithic microwave integrated circuits for military or commercial applications, as well as 10 watt and 60 watt SiC transistors and metal semiconductor field effect transistor products. The company primarily operates in China, the United States, Europe, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Cree, Inc. was formerly known as Cree Research, Inc. and changed its name in January 2000. Cree, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Durham, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Samaha]

  S! hareholders in lighting company Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI  ) were given a rude reminder of the risk of holding a highly rated stock recently. The company's third quarter results missed estimates and the stock plunged more than 15%. But it might not all be so bad. Acuity's management doesn't give earnings guidance, so Fools should expect some volatility around the results. In addition, the company is attractive for a host of reasons, many of which also apply to Cree (NASDAQ: CREE  ) and Hubbell  (NYSE: HUB-B  ) . Is this a good buying opportunity in Acuity Brands?

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Cree (NASDAQ: CREE) shares were also up, gaining 3.94 percent to $52.29. Oppenheimer upgraded Cree from Market Perform to Outperform.

  Equities Trading DOWN

• [By FinanceGuru]

  LED lighting specialist Cree (CREE) was identified as one of 2014's 50 Smartest Companies in MIT Technology Review's annual list of the world's most innovative technology companies. The company has been growing via breakthrough innovations and improving gross margin, however, the stock price has been inconsistent. Cree's earnings have climbed 54% in each of the last two quarters, but the stock price hasn't reflected this growth and is down almost 23% since August 2013. The drop may be frustrating for Cree investors, but the company's prospects look very strong.

• [By rusticnomad]

  After more than a year when an outperformance rating was given on Cree (CREE), it has turned out to be an overachiever with 112% returns. Cree is a LED lighting company which has always focused on delivering the best performance at the lowest cost.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-shipping-companies-to-buy-right-now-3.html

Once Burned, Short Sellers Are Again Targeting This Stock

When it comes to shorting a stock, one of two outcomes emerge: You were correct, and shares plunge as anticipated. Or you were wrong, and shares rally higher, causing considerable pain. 

But for short sellers in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR), there's another outcome: They've been badly burned as shares have surged, but they insist they've been right all along, and it's only a matter of time before the stock crashes and burns.

When I first laid out the thesis in place by short seller David Einhorn roughly two years ago, I concluded: "Einhorn scores some strong points, most notably that the company has failed to generate real cash out of this business and may fail to do so once the key patents expire in 11 months. Even assuming that Einhorn is too bearish, this stock still looks expensive."

The stock quickly fell out of bed, as I noted a month later and by the summer of 2012, shares were universally loathed. Yet in the past 12 months, shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters have mounted a stunning comeback.

Short sellers must have assumed this stock was dead in the water, but after this sharp recent rebound, they're back at it: The short interest rose to a 12-month high of 32 million shares at the end of August, representing 26% of the stock's float and the equivalent of six days of trading volume.

The Real Numbers?
On the face of it, you'd think short sellers are focusing on Green Mountain's rapid deceleration in sales growth. Revenue rose at least 39% every year from fiscal years 2006 through 2012, but the top line is expected to rise just 10% in fiscal 2013 and 2014. (A big spike in profit margins will enable net income to grow at a much faster pace.)  

Shares trade for less than 25 times projected 2014 profits, which isn't especially alarming either, considering the brand's seemingly strong resonance with customers.

But some short sellers think the company's numbers are a work of fiction. They claim that management is erroneously identifying products shipped to distributors as end-user sales. The New York Times raised these concerns earlier this month.

I have some qualms about the Times' analysis. My main concern: Green Mountain has a lot to lose -- and little to gain -- by artificially inflating sales figures, other than to cause pain to short sellers. And that seems like an unlikely motivation. Why would the company risk its reputation on such moves, especially after it endured a costly investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) less than two years ago?

Dubious Plans For Growth 
During a meeting with analysts Sept. 10, management ran through a series of new niches the company may pursue. One such rumored move: Products that mimic SodaStream's (Nasdaq: SODA) carbonated beverage dispensers. 

	© Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
	Regardless of the success of other initiatives, the main driver of this business will still be the K-cups.

This is a management team has shown a deft touch in terms of cultivating the single-serve Keurig K-cup phenomenon. So when management hints at new growth initiatives, you have to assume they'll meet with a degree of success. 

My concerns instead stem from the brutal nature of food packaging and retailing. Private-label K-cup suppliers are gaining traction, forcing Green Mountain to lower its prices for these "razor blades" in the process.

Regardless of the success of other initiatives, the main driver of this business will still be the K-cups. And management's moves to protect that business are underwhelming. As an example, Merrill Lynch analysts say the (soon-to-be-launched) Keurig 2.0 platform "is intended to provide an enhanced (and proprietary) brewing process, which, if successful, will discourage additional development of unlicensed production."

Really? The response to growing private label competition is to make sure that new machines won't work with private-label K-cups? That seems absurd. 

Consumers will migrate to other machines that work with the growing proliferation of K-cup options, all of which are cheaper than Green Mountain's offerings. The effort to design an "enhanced brewing process" also seems curious. Few consumers seem to feel that current K-cup offerings are disappointing. It's akin to Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) saying, "Our coffee used to be good, but we're making it better." That's not what a Starbucks customer is looking to hear.

Green Mountain aims to aggressively roll out new products over the next 12 months, which explains why some investors have been pushing this stock back up. Yet as Merrill's analysts conclude, "Most of this will come down to how consumers respond."

Short sellers expect these new growth initiatives will be underwhelming -- and not robust enough to mask a slowdown in the core K-cup business. 

Risks to Consider: As an upside risk, Green Mountain's international penetration is fairly low, and entry into new large markets could invigorate K-cup growth. 

Action To Take --> It's unwise to ignore the accounting allegations raised by The New York Times. But that shouldn't be the sole pillar of your investment thesis. Instead, it's the likelihood that this company is not the growth company it once was. Merrill Lynch, for example, sees free cash flow rising from $425 million in fiscal 2013 to just $453 million two years from now. That doesn't seem to justify the company's $13 billion valuation. 

P.S. Did you know SodaStream is increasing its profits 12 times faster than Coca-Cola and 60 times faster than Pepsi? That kind of growth has us predicting it will capture major shares of Coke's and Pepsi's market share next year. If you think that's a bold call, might be interested to know that our previous predictions have given investors 89%... 92%... 293%... and even 310% gains in a year. To hear our latest, click here.

Investing in TIPS with Less Risk

Funds that invest in Treasury inflation-protected securities, or TIPS, were supposed to be insulated from big bond market selloffs. At least that's what a lot of investors thought. Even in 2008, a miserable year for most investment categories, the Barclays U.S. TIPS index lost only 2.4%.

See Also: Floating-Rate Notes Are Treasury's New Option for Savers

Then came the bond market's recent mini-meltdown. The TIPS index tumbled 7.1% in the second quarter. That was almost five percentage points worse than the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond index, a measure of the overall investment-grade portion of the market. A lot of investors have responded to that unexpected drubbing by yanking money out of what they mistakenly thought was a low-risk investment.

But instead of giving up on TIPS, they should consider a new index fund launched last October. Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index (VTAPX) offers inflation protection but comes with relatively little of the interest-rate risk of longer-term TIPS funds. The new Vanguard index fund invests in TIPS with maturities of up to five years. (Vanguard also launched an exchange-traded version of this fund; its symbol is VTIP.)

Why worry about inflation now? After all, inflation is currently running at less than 2% annually —below its long-term average of 3%, much less the double-digit rates it reached in the 1970s. But history tells us that inflation can surge at any time. And the time to buy inflation protection, as with any investment, is when it's dirt cheap. That's the case today, with the prices of ten-year TIPS assuming annual inflation of about 2% over the next decade. If inflation is higher, TIPS will rise in value.

Let's back up a bit. What are TIPS, anyway? They are Treasury-issued securities designed to protect against inflation. Like ordinary Treasury bonds, they make regular interest payments to investors. But the coupons on TIPS are lower than those on ordinary Treasuries because the government promises to pay you more in the end based on what happens with inflation. Every six months, the value of TIPS goes up by the increase in the consumer price index. So if you buy TIPS at $100 and the CPI rises by 1.5% over the next six months, Uncle Sam adjusts the value of your TIPS principal to $101.50. Because TIPS's principal rises, you also receive slightly higher semi-annual interest payments. TIPS are issued in maturities of five, ten and 30 years, with a minimum initial purchase of $100, but many investors purchase them through funds, such as Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities (VIPSX).

The problem is that TIPS march to two different drummers. Not only do their prices rise along with expectations for inflation, but they also rise and fall along with bond yields. When yields spike, as they did in May and June, TIPS crater. "Investors should take it for granted that TIPS have interest-rate risk," says Michelle Canavan, who covers TIPS funds for Morningstar.

When Treasury yields were declining — as they had virtually without pause since TIPS were first issued in 1997 — TIPS funds did just fine. Over the past ten years, Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities returned an annualized 5.3%, beating the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond index by an average of 0.5 percentage point per year. What many investors doubtless didn't realize was that they were making money, in part, because bond yields, including TIPS yields, were plummeting. (All results in this article are through July 24.)

Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. So when bond yields rose sharply between May 2 and July 5, TIPS nosedived in price. What's more, TIPS were hammered even worse than ordinary Treasuries with similar maturities. Why? Because the market drove Treasury yields higher but continued to foresee benign inflation. That was the worst of both worlds for TIPS investors.

Like most bond funds, the short-term Vanguard TIPS fund is subject to interest-rate risk. But the short maturities of the TIPS it owns limits that risk. If short-term TIPS yields were to rise one percentage point, the price of the short-term TIPS fund would be expected to fall about 2%. In contrast, if long-term TIPS yields were to rise one percentage point, the long-term Vanguard TIPS fund would probably plunge more than 8%. The long-term fund has lost 6.3% over the past 12 months. In the second quarter, the long-term fund plunged 7.3%, but the short-term fund lost just 2.4%.

In a normal bond environment, TIPS, as well as regular Treasuries, would boast much higher yields and, consequently, much lower sensitivity to changes in interest rates. But these are not normal times — with the Federal Reserve keeping short-term interest rates near zero and buying $85 billion a month in government-backed bonds to keep long-term yields low. (Indeed, some shorter-term TIPS now sport negative yields. That doesn't mean the Treasury is going to take money from you for owning TIPS. It means your return for owning a TIPS will be less than the inflation rate. For example, if you invest in a TIPS with a negative 0.5% yield and inflation runs at a 2% annual rate for the time you hold the bond, your annual return will be 1.5%.)

Best European Companies To Watch For 2016

We've had a 30-year bull market in bonds. I think it's probably over given the selloff in May and June. But thanks to Vanguard, there's still a way to get inflation protection without getting killed in what I think will be a protracted period of rising interest rates.

One last point: Unless inflation soars as it did in the 1970s, TIPS aren't going to make you rich. Short-term TIPS are good, conservative instruments. But assuming normal inflation of, say, 2% to 4%, I think stocks will provide much more generous returns.

Steve Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C., area.

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Buy For 2016

Hot Industrial Disributor Companies To Buy For 2016: MasTec Inc. (MTZ)

MasTec, Inc., an infrastructure construction company, engages in the engineering, building, installation, maintenance, and upgrade of energy, utility, and communications infrastructure primarily in North America. The company builds natural gas, crude oil, and refined product transport pipelines; underground and overhead distribution systems, including trenches, conduits, and cable and power lines, which provide wireless and wireline communications; electrical power generation, transmission, and distribution systems; renewable energy infrastructure comprising wind and solar farms; and compressor and pump stations, and treatment and heavy industrial plants. It also installs electrical and other energy distribution and transmission systems, power generation facilities, buried and aerial fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, copper lines, and satellite dishes in various environments. In addition, the company provides maintenance and upgrade support services, such as the maintena nce of distribution facilities; and networks and infrastructure, including natural gas and petroleum pipelines, wireless, power generation, and electrical distribution and transmission infrastructure, as well as routine replacements and upgrades, and overhauls. Further, it offers emergency services for accidents or storm damage. The company's customers include public and private energy providers, pipeline operators, wireless service providers, satellite and broadband operators, local and long distance carriers, and government entities. MasTec, Inc. was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Last week, the headlines reporting the U.S. Census Bureau's construction numbers for November were a little alarming. Overall construction spending  fell 03% -- a bi! g deal for this particular industry -- suggesting heavy construction stocks like MasTec, Inc. (NYSE:MTZ) and Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE:GVA) were in big trouble after a lackluster 2014. The headlines were a little (perhaps more than a little) misleading, though.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Despite its recent troubles, KBR is still one of the better stocks to buy if you want to play the prospective infrastructure boom.

  MasTec (MTZ)

  While it isn't as big as KBR or CBI, MasTec (MTZ) is quickly becoming of the best energy stocks to buy. Shares of the construction firm recently hit 10-year highs.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-industrial-disributor-companies-to-buy-for-2016.html

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Companies To Invest In 2016

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Companies To Invest In 2016: Chromadex Corp (CDXC)

Chromadex Corporation, incorporated on June 19, 2008, is a provider of research and quality-control products and services to the natural products industry. The Company's products are used by customers worldwide in the dietary supplement, food and beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The Company together with its subsidiaries supplies phytochemical reference standards, which are small quantities of plant-based compounds used to research an array of potential attributes, and reference materials, related contract services, technical consulting and ingredients. On December 3, 2012, ChromaDex Inc. acquired Spherix Consulting Inc. The Company's principal subsidiaries include ChromaDex, Inc., Chromadex Analytics, Inc. and Spherix Consulting, Inc (Spherix).

The Company provides its clients in the food, supplement and pharmaceutical industries with solutions to manage potential health and regulatory risks. Its science-based solutions are for both new and existing products that may be subject to product liability and/or exposed to changing scientific standards or public perceptions; literature evaluations, and design and assessment of pre-clinical and clinical safety testing. It specializes in regulatory submissions for food and dietary supplement ingredients. For its clients involved in drug development within the pharmaceutical industry, the Company provides similar services, as well as risk-based strategies, including intellectual property data and compliance gap identification, due diligence assessments and investigational new drug writing.

Products and Services

The Company offers bulk raw materials for inclusion in dietary supplements, food, beverage and cosmetic products. Through its catalog, it supplies a range of products necessary to conduct quality con! trol of raw materials and consumer products. The Company through Chromadex Analytics, provides a range of contract services ranging from routine contract analysis for the production of dietary sup! plements, cosmetics, foods and other natural products to elaborate contract research for clients in these industries. The Company provides a range of consulting services in the areas of regulatory support, new ingredient or product development, risk management and litigation support. With an addition of Spherix, it provides regulatory approval and scientific advisory services.

The Company competes with Sigma-Aldrich, Phytolab, US Pharmacopoeia, Extrasynthese, Covance, Eurofins, and Silliker Canada Co.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Chromadex Corp (OTCMKTS: CDXC) and 22nd Century Group Inc (OTCBB: XXII) are, one way or the other, focused on natural products and have been getting some extra attention lately. Moreover, one of these stocks have been the subject of a disclosed investor awareness campaign. Keeping that in mind, are these two small cap stocks natural winners for investors? Here is a quick look:

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-healthcare-technology-companies-to-invest-in-2016.html

Vornado Exiting J.C. Penney

Hot Performing Companies To Buy Right Now

NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) said Friday it plans to sell its shares of embattled department store J.C. Penney (JCP).

Vornado Realty and its affiliates own 13.4 million shares, or 6.1% of J.C. Penney's stock, worth about $185 million, according to Bloomberg data.

Vornado, in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday, said that Steven Roth, its chairman and CEO, has resigned from J.C. Penney's board of directors.

At a recent conference, Vornado's Chief Administrative Officer Joseph Macnow said that the company expects to exit its investment in J.C. Penney "in the not-too-distant future," according to the filing. Vornado intends to "review their investments in the Issuer on a continuing basis," the filing said. "Depending on various factors, including, without limitation, the Issuer's financial position and strategic direction, actions taken by the board, price levels of Common Shares, other investment opportunities available to the Reporting Persons, market conditions and general economic and industry conditions, the Reporting Persons may take such actions with respect to their investments in the Issuer as they deem appropriate." Shares of Vornado were up 0.30% to $84.57, while J.C. Penney's stock fell 0.72% to $13.81 on Friday. VNO out of JCP does not help the "JCP as REIT" thesis very much— zerohedge (@zerohedge) September 13, 2013 In March, Vornado sold about 10 million shares, or 40% of its J.C. Penney stake, in an attempt to become more of a pure-play REIT. Last month, the department store reported a worse-than-expected net loss of $586 million, or $2.66 a share, in a second quarter chock full of extraordinary charges that pulled the number down. Net sales slumped 12% year over year and gross margin fell to 29.6% in the quarter. The company said it plans to end the year with $1.5 billion of cash. The dismal earnings results followed a very public battle with Pershing Square's Bill Ackman, who sought to shake things up at board and executive level to speed up J.C. Penney's turnaround. Ultimately, Ackman lost that battle and resigned his board seat. Ackman announced on Aug. 27 plans to sell his entire 18% stake in J.C. Penney. In the wake of the activist investor headache, J.C. Penney recently adopted a stockholder rights plan in hopes to make it more difficult for anyone to acquire or own more than 10% of the company -- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York. Follow @LKulikowski To contact Laurie Kulikowski, send an email to: Laurie.Kulikowski@thestreet.com. >To submit a news tip, email: tips@thestreet.com. Follow TheStreet on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own For 2016

Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own For 2016: Compania de Transporte de Energia Electrica en Alta Tension Transener Sa (TRAN)

Compania de Transporte de Energia Electrica en Alta Tension Transener SA (Transener) is an Argentina-based company primarily engaged in the provision and distribution of high-voltage electric power, through its own transmission network of approximately 8,800 kilometers of transmission lines. The Company also offers such professional services as lines and substations maintenance, lines and substations operation, supervision and inspection of transmission works, as well as engineering and consulting services, among others. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had majority owned subsidaries Empresa de Transporte de Energia Electrica por Distribucion Troncal de la Provincia de Buenos Aires SA (Transba SA) and Transener Internacional Ltda. In addition, Compania Inversora en Transmision Electrica Citelec SA was its majority shareholder. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nikolaj Gammeltoft]

  U.S. stocks climbed, extending the longest winning streak for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (TRAN) since July, as data showed China's economy is improving amid signs of easing tensions over Syria.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-healthcare-technology-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

5 Best Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII  ) were rising with the tide today, gaining as much as 10% after delivering a strong quarter and a healthy dividend hike.

So what: The offshore oil and gas supplier said earnings per share jumped 47% to $0.69 on 21% revenue growth to $718 million. Both numbers topped estimates as analysts had expected a per-share profit of just $0.60, and profits came in ahead of company guidance as well. CEO Kevin McEvoy said "all business segments performed well," and said much of the earnings growth was due to accelerated work in its Asset Integrity and Advanced Technologies businesses. Management also bumped up full-year guidance EPS to $3.10-$3.30 from a previous range of $3.00-$3.25 and $0.81-$0.86 for the current quarter. The company also raised its quarterly dividend 22% to $0.22 from $0.18.

Top 10 Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Buy For 2016: 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]

  Master limited partnerships are not like other stocks, and the metrics we use to compare an MLP to its peers differ from the metrics we use to compare regular companies. For example, instead of the traditional P/E ratio, we emphasize MLP-specific metrics like distribution coverage ratio, and today's focus: price to distributable cash flow (P/DCF). I'll use MPLX (NYSE: MPLX  ) , Tesoro Logistics (NYSE: TLLP  ) , and Holly Energy Partners (NYSE: HEP  ) as our three examples.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Refiners that have spun off midstream assets have done very well over the past years.�Valero Energy Partners�(NYSE: VLP) is up nearly 60 percent since its December IPO,�Phillips 66 Partners�(NYSE: PSXP) has more than doubled since its July IPO (and is the biggest gainer among MLPs year-to-date), and�MPLX�(NYSE: MPLX) — formed from�Marathon Petroleum�(NYSE: MPC) — is up 110 percent since its November 2012 IPO.

• [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.

5 Best Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now: Alston Energy Inc (ALO)

Alston Energy Inc. (Alston) is a Canada-based petroleum and natural gas company. The Company is engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas reserves in Western Canada�� sedimentary basins. The Company�� projects include Alexander, Pembina and Chauvin. Alexander assets include a 14.0% average working interest in 10 proved producing gas/oil wells, three proved development locations, related production facilities and pipelines and 6,560 gross acres of mineral leases. Pembina assets include a 3.5% interest in 19 producing oil wells, one coal bed methane gas well, four standing or suspended wells, two oil batteries, related production facilities and pipelines and 5,690 gross acres of land in the Pembina/Cardium Pool. Alston has oil assets in the emerging Chauvin area resource play. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  HSBC, Europe�� biggest bank, Societe Generale SA (GLE), France�� second-largest lender, and Germany�� Commerzbank AG each climbed at least 2.6 percent after posting results. Allianz gained 3.6 percent after Europe�� largest insurer reported a jump in profit. Alstom SA (ALO) sank 12 percent after the power-equipment maker cut its profit forecast.

• [By victorselva]

  Furthermore, yesterday we found on the news that General Electric will buy Alstom SA (ALO), the French builder of power plants and transmission gear. The deal could consist on the separation of Alstom�� transport business, which manufactures high-speed TGV trains, to make easier the approval of the French government. A potential value for Alstom at about $13 billion would be about 25 percent more than its current market value. As a consequence, stock price surged as much as 18 percent in Paris, the biggest jump in the last nine years. General Electric will gain control of Alstom�� technology for power transmission and power plant maintenance.

5 Best Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now: Laclede Group Inc (LG)

The Laclede Group, Inc. (Laclede Group), incorporated on October 18, 2000, is a utility holding company. The Company operates in two segments: Regulated Gas Utility and Gas Marketing. The Gas Utility segment includes the regulated operations of Laclede Gas Company (Laclede Gas or the Utility), Laclede Group's subsidiary and core business unit. Laclede Gas is a public utility engaged in the retail distribution and sale of natural gas. Laclede Gas is the natural gas distribution utility in Missouri, serving more than 1.13 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The Gas Marketing segment includes Laclede Energy Resources, Inc. (LER), a wholly owned subsidiary is engaged in the marketing of natural gas and related activities on a non-regulated basis. Effective September1, 2013, Laclede Group Inc through its newly formed subsidiary acquired Missouri Gas Energy, a provider of natural gas distribution services.

Gas Utility

The Utility focuses its gas supply portfolio around a number of natural gas suppliers with equity ownership or control of assets strategically situated to complement its regionally diverse firm transportation arrangements. During fiscal year ended September 30, 2013 (fiscal 2013), the Utility purchased natural gas from 35 different suppliers to meet current gas sales and storage injection requirements. Natural gas purchased by the Laclede Gas for delivery to its service area through the Enable Mississippi River Transmission LLC (MRT) system totaled 55.0 billion cubic feet (Bcf). Laclede Gase also holds firm transportation on several other interstate pipeline systems that provide access to gas supplies upstream of MRT. In addition to deliveries from MRT, 8.6 Bcf of gas was purchased on MO Gas, 13.4 Bcf on the Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. (Southern Star Central), 0.03 Bcf on the Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company system, and 0.1 BCF on the Postrock system. Some of the Utility�� commercial and industrial customers purchased their own! gas with the Utility transporting 17.0 Bcf to them through the Utility�� distribution system.

The Utility has a contractual right to store 23.1 Bcf of gas in MRT�� storage facility located in Unionville, Louisiana, 16.3 Bcf of gas storage in Southern Star Central system storage facilities located in Kansas and Oklahoma, and 1.4 Bcf of firm storage on Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company�� system storage. In addition, the Utility supplements flowing pipeline gas with natural gas withdrawn from its own underground storage field located in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties in Missouri.

Gas Marketing

LER is engaged in the marketing of natural gas and providing energy services to both on-system utility transportation customers and customers outside of the Utility�� traditional service area. During fiscal year 2013, LER utilized 12 interstate pipelines and 93 suppliers to market natural gas to its customers primarily in the Midwest. LER served more than 205 retail customers and 100 wholesale customers. Through its retail operations, LER offers natural gas marketing services to large industrial customers, while its wholesale business consists of buying and selling natural gas to other marketers, producers, utilities, power generators, pipelines, and municipalities. LER also serves power plants that use natural gas to generate electricity.

OTHER

Laclede Pipeline Company, a wholly owned subsidiary, operates a propane pipeline under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction. This pipeline connects the propane storage and vaporization facilities of the Utility to third-party propane supply terminal facilities located in Illinois, which allows the Utility to receive propane that is vaporized to supplement its natural gas supply and meet peak demands on its distribution system. Laclede Pipeline Company also provides transportation services to third parties. Other also includes Laclede Group�� subsidiaries that are engaged in,! among ot! her activities, oil production, real estate development, compression of natural gas, and financial investments in other enterprises. These operations are conducted through seven subsidiaries.

The Other category also includes the Utility�� non-regulated propane services business which involves providing propane-related services and storage to third parties and its affiliate, Laclede Pipeline Company. Beginning July 1, 2013, propane-related services are included within Gas Utility operations pursuant to the Utility's new rate case.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Lafarge SA (LG) rose 4.4 percent to 51.04 euros. The world�� biggest cement maker reiterated its full-year forecast as cold weather, stinted Algerian and Egyptian production and fewer working days constricted first-quarter sales.

• [By Ahmed A. Namatalla]

  Egypt�� biggest publicly traded company agreed to pay about 7 billion Egyptian pounds ($1 billion) over five years to settle the tax dispute on the sale of its cement unit to Lafarge SA (LG) in 2007, Amsterdam-based parent OCI NV said yesterday. The payments will start in May and end in 2017. OCI NV shares had the biggest increase since the company�� Dutch public offering in January.

5 Best Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now: InterOil Corp (IOC)

InterOil Corporation (InterOil), incorporated on August 24, 2007, is an integrated energy company operating in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding Southwest Pacific region. InterOil operates in four segments: upstream, midstream, downstream and corporate. The upstream segment explores, appraises and develops crude oil and natural gas structures in Papua New Guinea. This segment also manages its construction business, which services the development projects underway in Papua New Guinea. The midstream segment produces refined petroleum products at Napa Napa in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea for the domestic market and for export. It is developing liquefaction and associated facilities in Papua New Guinea for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The downstream segment markets and distributes refined products domestically in Papua New Guinea on a wholesale and retail basis.

During 2012, it sold approximately 13% of its refined petroleum products to Pacific Energy Aviation (PNG) Ltd for aviation refueling at Papua New Guinea�� international airport in Port Moresby. The corporate segment provides support to the other business segments by engaging in business development and improvement activities and providing general and administrative services and management, undertakes financing and treasury activities, and is responsible for government and investor relations. This segment also manages the Company�� shipping business, which operates two vessels transporting petroleum products for it�� and external customers, both within PNG and for export in the South Pacific region.

Upstream - Exploration and Production

InterOil�� upstream business segment focuses on the development program for the Elk, Antelope and Triceratops fields. The Elk and Antelope fields are onshore gas fields with contingent resources. As at December 31, 2012, it had interests in three PPLs and one PRL in Papua New Guinea covering 3,996,453 gross acres, all of which were operated by the Co! mpany. PPLs 236, 237 and 238 and PRL 15 are located onshore in the Eastern Papuan Basin, northwest of Port Moresby. It undertook exploration activities in its three exploration licenses, PPL 236, PPL 237 and PPL 238. These exploration activities involved a regional airborne geophysical survey, various seismic surveys across a number of prospects and preparation for drilling of its next appraisal well, Triceratops 2, which was spudded in mid-January 2012.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 236. The license consists of 53 graticular blocks covering an area of 4,502 square kilometers or 1,112,464 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 237. The license consists of 34 graticular blocks covering an area of 3,238 square kilometers or 715,648 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 238. The license consists of 94 graticular blocks covering an area of 7,922 square kilometers or 1,978,565 acres.

Midstream

The Company�� refinery is located across the harbor from Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea. Its refinery is the sole refiner of hydrocarbons located in Papua New Guinea. Jet fuel, diesel and gasoline are the primary products that the Company produces for the domestic market. The refining process also results in the production of two Naphtha grades and low sulfur waxy residue. Papua New Guinea is its principal market for the products its refinery produces, other than Naphtha and LSWR. Its refinery is fully certified to manufacture and market Jet A-1 fuel to international specifications and markets this product to both domestic Papua New Guinea and overseas airlines.

Downstream - Wholesale and Retail Distribution

The Company has the wholesale and retail petroleum product distribution base in Papua New Guinea. This business includes bulk storage, transportation distribution, aviation, wholesale and retail facilities! for refi! ned petroleum products. Its downstream business supplies petroleum products nationally in Papua New Guinea through a portfolio of retail service stations and commercial customers. As of December 31, 2012, InterOil provided petroleum products to 53 retail service stations with 43 operating under the InterOil brand name and the remaining 10 operating under their own independent brand. Of the 53 service stations that the Company supplies, 16 are either owned by or head leased to it, which it then sublease to company-approved operators. The remaining 37 service stations are independently owned and operated. It also provides fuel pumps and related infrastructure to the operators of the majority of these retail service stations that are not owned or leased by the Company under cover of equipment loan agreement. Its retail business accounted for approximately 15% of its total downstream sales during 2012. Its retail and wholesale distribution business distributes diesel, jet fuel, avgas, gasoline, kerosene and fuel oil, as well as branded commercial and industrial lubricants, such as engine and hydraulic oils.

The Company competes with ExxonMobil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Next Monday, InterOil (NYSE: IOC  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  InterOil (NYSE: IOC  ) : In many ways, the issue with investing in InterOil over the next year or so is very similar to investing in Cheniere Energy. Both of these companies are plays on assets that have not yet generated any revenue from those assets that makes it an attractive investment.�

Investment Ideas From Day 1 of the NY Value Investing Congress

5 Best Food Stocks To Watch For 2016

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- I'm in New York this week, attending the 9th Annual New York Value Investing Congress, which I consider to be a can't miss event. As usual, I walked away from day 1 with a few interesting ideas, and some homework.

John Mirshekari, co-portfolio manager of Fidelity Low-Priced Stock (FLPSX), who specializes in industrial names, made an interesting case for engineering name URS (URS). The company has made some rather expensive acquisitions over the years, but Mirshekari believes that there is change in the air at URS. Last Friday, the company pledged to return at least $500 million to shareholders in 2014 and 2015, which he sees as a positive. Mirshekari believes that URS could be worth $98 a share in two years, more than 80% above current levels.

Clifton Robbins of Blue Harbour Group, presented the bullish case for women's retailer Chico's FAS (CHS). Retailers, and especially women's retailers are not my typical cup of tea, but Robbins presentation was compelling enough that I'll at least be doing some additional digging on this name.

Robbins believes that the chain which currently has 1427 locations could grow to 2,200. He points to the stores smaller size, and considerably higher sales per square foot than competitors such as Ann Taylor (ANN), Coldwater Creek (CWTR) and Talbot's as another positive. Of Chico's brands, Robbins is especially bullish on the company's Soma stores, which he likened to Victoria's Secret for women over age 30. Chico's currently trades for 13 times 2015 consensus analyst estimates. The balance sheet is solid with $302 million, or nearly $2 per share and no debt. CHS data by YCharts Legendary value investor Mark Boyar presented the case for Madison Square Garden (MSG), an asset rich name which owns among other assets, The New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Madison Square Property and associated air rights. The stock has pulled back recently from the $62 range to $55, and Boyar was critical of the $125 million deal the company recently announced for a 50% stake in the artist management business of Eagles manager Irving Azoff. Boyar believes that MSG could be taken private by the Dolan family, which controls nearly 70% of the company's voting rights. MSG data by YCharts

Joe Altman and Chris Kyriopoulos of Compound Capital made the case for Covanta (CVA) which is in the waste disposal business. But interestingly, the company converts waste into energy at its 40 state of the art facilities providing electricity to one million homes in North America. Last month, the company signed a 20 year agreement with New York City to dispose of 800,000 tons of municipal waste per year.

Covanta is not exactly cheap at 38 times 2014 consensus earnings estimates, but given the fact that the landfills are filling up quickly, waste to energy may be the future of waste disposal. It is estimated that the replacement cost of the company's tangible assets would be between $6 and $9 billion, and with a current enterprise value of $5 billion, Covanta may also be an asset play. Finally, the company has reduced shares outstanding by more than 15% since 2010, which in my view is another positive. CVA data by YCharts

Day two of the 9th New York Value Investing Congress kicks off this morning.

At the time of publication the author held no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. Follow @JonMHellerCFA This article is commentary by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.

Jonathan Heller, CFA, is president of KEJ Financial Advisors, his fee-only financial planning company. Jon spent 17 years at Bloomberg Financial Markets in various roles, from 1989 until 2005. He ran Bloomberg's Equity Fundamental Research Department from 1994 until 1998, when he assumed responsibility for Bloomberg's Equity Data Research Department. In 2001, he joined Bloomberg's Publishing group as senior markets editor and writer for Bloomberg Personal Finance Magazine, and an associate editor and contributor for Bloomberg Markets Magazine. In 2005, he joined SEI Investments as director of investment communications within SEI's Investment Management Unit. Jon is also the founder of the Cheap Stocks Web site, a site dedicated to deep-value investing. He has an undergraduate degree from Grove City College and an MBA from Rider University, where he has also served on the adjunct faculty; he is also a CFA charter holder.

Hot Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2016

Hot Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2016: Oleo e Gas Participacoes SA (OGXP3)

Oleo e Gas Participacoes SA, formerly Centennial Asset Participacao Corumba SA, is a Brazil-based company involved in the oil and natural gas industry. The Company and its subsidiaries are primarily engaged in the research, mining, refining, processing, trade and transportation of oil and natural gas. The Company's subsidiaries participated in a number of concessions in the Brazil and Colombia. On November 21, 2013, processing of judicial recovery was approved for the Company and OGX Petroleo e Gas SA, following decision of the Corporate Court of Capital of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rajhkumar K Shaaw]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index retreated 0.3 percent to 1,027.27, extending its weekly slump to 1.4 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) slid to the lowest level in seven weeks as Great Wall Motor Co. (601633) tumbled 10 percent after earnings missed analysts' estimates. Oil company OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA (OGXP3) sank 19 percent, pacing losses in Brazil's Ibovespa. The rupiah strengthened the most since Sept. 19.

• [By Harry Suhartono]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.3 percent to 1,004.66. OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA (OGXP3) plunged to a record low in Sao Paulo as two people with knowledge of the matter said the oil producer is considering filing for bankruptcy protection within a month. India's rupee snapped a three-day gain. Polish yields sank to an eight-week low on bets Zyta Gilowska's successor on the central bank's rate-setting panel will be reluctant to tighten monetary policy in 2014.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-healthcare-equipment-stocks-to-own-for-2016.html

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Invest In Right Now: Primo Water Corporation(PRMW)

Primo Water Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides three- and five-gallon purified bottled water, self-serve filtered drinking water, water dispensers, and carbonating beverage appliances in the United States and Canada. The company?s Primo Water segment sells multi-gallon purified bottled water and self-serve filtered drinking water vending service through retailers in the United States and Canada. It offers its services through point of purchase display racks or self-serve filtered water vending displays, and recycling centers. Its Primo Dispensers segment sells water dispensers that are designed to dispense Primo and other dispenser-compatible bottled water. This segment engages in dispensers sales primarily through retailers. The company also offers home beverage appliances, flavor concentrates, carbon dioxide cylinders, and accessories used with the appliances to make various cold beverages. As of December 31, 2011, its exchange and refill services wer e offered in each of the contiguous United States and in Canada at approximately 23,600 combined retail locations. Primo Water Corporation was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  SodaStream bears pointed to Primo Water's (NASDAQ: PRMW  ) FlavorStation as a potential SodaStream slayer two years ago. The bottled water distributor had plenty of retail connections for its flagship H2O but it only managed to get one major retailer -- a home-improvement superstore chain, at that -- to sell FlavorStation carbonators and flavors.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Primo Water (PRMW) is a provider of multi-gallon purified bottled water, self-serve filtered drinking water, water dispensers and carbonating bev! erage appliances sold through major retailers in the U.S. and Canada. This stock closed up 9.6% to $2.16 in Thursday's trading session.

  Thursday's Range: $1.97-$2.20
  
  52-Week Range: $0.69-$2.20
  
  Thursday's Volume: 329,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 145,397

  From a technical perspective, PRMW ripped higher here right above some near-term support at $1.85 with heavy upside volume. This stock broke out above some near-term overhead resistance at $2.14 and into new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PRMW as long as it's trending Thursday's low of $1.97 and then once it sustains a move or close above its new 52-week high at $2.20 and above some past resistance at $2.28 with volume that hits near or above 145,397 shares. If we get that move soon, then PRMW will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are its next major overhead resistance levels at $3 to $3.11.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-healthcare-equipment-companies-to-invest-in-right-now-2.html

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks To Own Right Now

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks To Own Right Now: Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TARO)

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., incorporated in 1959, is a science-based pharmaceutical company. The Company develops manufactures, and markets prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products, primarily in the United States, Canada and Israel. The Company also develops and manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), primarily for use in its finished dosage form products. The Company's primary areas of focus include pediatric creams and ointments, liquids, capsules and tablets, mainly in the dermatological and topical, cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric and anti-inflammatory therapeutic categories. The Company operates through three companies: Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Taro Israel), and two of its subsidiaries (including indirect), Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Taro Canada) and Taro U.S.A. The Company markets more than 180 pharmaceutical products in over 25 countries.

Taro Israel manufactures more than 160 finished dosage form pharmaceutical products for sale in Israel and for export. It produces APIs used in the manufacture of finished dosage form pharmaceutical products. It markets and distributes generic products in the local Israeli market. Taro Israel's primary product lines include dermatology, prescription and OTC semi-solid products (creams, ointments and gels) and liquids; cardiology and neurology, prescription oral dosage products; oral analgesics, both prescription and OTC, and OTC oral and nasal sprays and ophthalmic products.

Taro Canada manufactures more than 70 finished dosage form pharmaceutical products for sale in Canada and for export. It markets and distributes generic products in the local Canadian market. Its product line includes dermatology: prescription and OTC semi-solid products (creams, ointments and ge! ls) and liquids, cardiology, oncology, gastrointestinal and neurology: prescription oral and injects able dosage products, and allergy (antihistamine ): OTC oral dosage products.

Taro U.S.A markets! and distributes generic products in the United States market. Its primary product lines include dermatology: prescription and OTC semi-solid products (creams, ointments and gels) and liquids, cardiology and neurology: prescription oral dosage products, and other prescription and OTC products.

The Company competes with Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer/Wyeth, Valeant, Galderma, Merck/Schering-Plough, Teva Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Mylan Laboratories, Perrigo Company, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Merck Canada Inc., Pfizer Canada Inc., Janssen Inc., Schering-Plough Canada, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Inc., Bayer Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Apotex Inc., Teva Canada Limited, Mylan Pharmaceuticals ULC, Sandoz Canada Incorporated, Pharmascience Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Perrigo Israel Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Dexxon Ltd., Rafa Laboratories Ltd., Bayer AG, Eli Lilly and C ompany, Merck & Co., Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Teva has dropped 7.7% to $37.85 today at 3:23 p.m. but doesn’t seem to be spreading though the generic drug space. Taro Pharmaceuticals (TARO) ha gained 1.1% to $79, while Actavis (ACT) has gained 1.2% to $156.25 and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (RDY) has advanced 1% to $40.24. Mylan (MYL) has dropped 0.7% to $38.40.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Israeli drugmaker Taro Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE: TARO  ) has a new CEO -- and a new Chairman of the Board, as well.

  On Thursday, Taro announced the imminent retirement of Interim Chief Executive Officer Mr. James Kedrowsk, who will be replaced August 1 by new permanent CEO Mr. Kalyanasundaram Subramanian ("Kal Sundaram"). Addit! ionally, ! the company said that Dilip Shanghvi has been appointed Chairman of its Board of Directors.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-industrial-disributor-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

Best Dow Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now

Best Dow Dividend Stocks To Own Right Now: Shenandoah Telecommunications Co(SHEN)

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company, a diversified telecommunications company, provides regulated and unregulated telecommunications services to end-user customers and other communications providers in the southeastern United States. It offers a suite of voice, video, and data communications services; and sells telecommunications equipment. The company?s Wireless segment provides digital wireless service to a portion of a four-state area covering the region from Harrisburg, York, and Altoona, Pennsylvania to Harrisonburg, Virginia. It owns 149 towers and leases tower space to other wireless communications providers in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This segment also offers personal communications services through a digital wireless telephone and data network. Its Wireline segment provides regulated and unregulated telephone services and leases fiber optic facilities primarily in the northern Shenandoah Valley. This segment also offers information s ervices and Internet access to customers in the northern Shenandoah Valley and surrounding areas. In addition, it is involved in the resale of long distance service for calls placed to locations outside the regulated telephone service area by telephone customers. As of December 31, 2011, this segment had approximately 1,410 dial-up customers and 12,351 digital subscriber line customers, as well as served approximately 10,483 long distance customers. The company?s Cable Television segment provides coaxial cable-based television service in the portions of Shenandoah County, Virginia, as well as in communities in West Virginia, southern and southwestern Virginia, and western Maryland. It had approximately 137,238 cable revenue generating units. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Edinburg, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jake L'Ecuyer]

Leading and Lagging Sectors
Wednesday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ: HZNP) and Pernix Therapeutics Holdings (NASDAQ: PTX). In trading on Wednesday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.39 percent. Top decliners in the sector included Shenandoah Telecommunications Co (NASDAQ: SHEN), off 3.3 percent, and CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP), down around 2.4 percent.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-dow-dividend-stocks-to-own-right-now-5.html

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Own In Right Now

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Own In Right Now: ModusLink Global Solutions Inc(MLNK)

ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides supply chain business process management solutions worldwide. Its services and solutions cover forward supply chain, aftermarket service requirements, and e-business processes. The company?s services include sourcing and supply base management, manufacturing and product configuration, fulfillment and distribution, e-business, and aftermarket services, such as returns management and asset disposition; and consumer-electronics repair and reverse logistics services. Its clients include hardware manufacturers, software publishers, telecommunications carriers, broadband and wireless service providers, and consumer electronics companies. In addition, the company, through its venture capital business, invests in early-stage technology companies. ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc., formerly known as CMGI, Inc., was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  ModusLink Global Solutions (NASDAQ: MLNK) fell 6.95% to $4.55 in pre-market trading after the company announced a proposed $75 million convertible senior notes offering.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-up-and-coming-companies-to-own-in-right-now-5.html

Top Net Payout Yield Stocks To Buy For 2016

Top Net Payout Yield Stocks To Buy For 2016: Jabil Circuit Inc.(JBL)

Jabil Circuit, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides electronic manufacturing services and solutions worldwide. The company offers electronics and mechanical design, production, product management, and after-market services to companies in the aerospace, automotive, computing, consumer, defense, industrial, instrumentation, medical, networking, peripherals, solar, storage, and telecommunications industries. Its services comprise integrated design and engineering; component selection, sourcing, and procurement; automated assembly; design and implementation of product testing; parallel global production; enclosure services; and systems assembly, direct-order fulfillment, and configure-to-order services. The company also provides set-top boxes, mobility products, and display products, as well as peripheral products, such as printers and point of sale terminals; and aftermarket services consisting of warranty and repair services. Jabil Circuit, Inc. was founded in 196 6 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE: JBL) reported upbeat first-quarter results and issued a strong outlook. Jabil Circuit shares climbed 5.58% to $21.19 in the after-hours trading session.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  [Related -Jabil Circuit, Inc. (JBL) Analyst Day Preview: All Eyes On Blackberry Ltd (BBRY) Update]

  Jabil is a provider of worldwide electronic manufacturing services and solutions. Jabil provides electronics design, production and product management services to companies in the aerospace, automotive, computing, consumer, defense, industrial, instrumentation, medical, networking, peripherals, solar, storage and telecommunications industries. The Company operates in three segments: Diversified Manufacturing Service! s (DMS), Enterprise & Infrastructure (E&I) and High Velocity Systems (HVS).

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-net-payout-yield-stocks-to-buy-for-2016.html

Best Value Stocks To Watch Right Now

AT&T (NYSE: T  ) added 566,000 postpaid customers in the fourth quarter. That was good enough to best Sprint (NYSE: S  ) , but trailed Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) and T-Mobile (NYSE: TMUS  ) . A huge number of those net new customers were tablet owners -- 440,000.

Now, T-Mobile is attempting to put the hurt on AT&T even more, by attracting those important tablet owners to its wireless network. The Un-Carrier announced "Operation Tablet Freedom" Thursday, offering wireless customers free data and less-expensive tablets.

The value of tablet owners
Tablets using cellular connections in the U.S. increased 46% in 2013, according to NPD. Meanwhile, total U.S. mobile subscribers are increasing only marginally.

For AT&T, in particular, tablet subscribers are a large part of what's buoying subscriber numbers. T-Mobile continues to gain share in handsets, but AT&T and Verizon are both attracting high-end tablet customers. As mentioned, 440,000 of AT&T's net new postpaid subscribes in the fourth quarter were on tablets. Verizon added 625,000 tablet subscribers, but nearly one million more handset subscribers in the fourth quarter.

5 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Own For 2016: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Corporate earnings took a back seat today to the Fed�� latest policy decision. Still, quarterly financial results, and other news sent shares of McCormick & Co. (MKC) and Tupperware (TUP), falling during regular market hours�Here�� a rundown of several of today�� moves:

• [By John Udovich]

  Everyone is familiar with�the Tupperware brand from�consumer products stock Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) and you are probably familiar with the brands�of mid cap stock Jarden Corp (NYSE: JAH) along with small cap stocks Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT); but what about the stocks themselves? Chances are, their brands or products are right under your nose at home and you probably don�� know anything about the mid cap or small cap stock behind them.

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Herbalife have gained 0.9% to $79.51 this morning in pre-open trading. Its shares have gained 139% this year, a nice gain, but lagging Nu Skin Enterprises 271% rise. Avon Products�(AVP), another multi-level marketer, has gained 21% so far this year, while Tupperware Brands�(TUP) has risen 49%.

Best Value Stocks To Watch 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 Blake Bos]

  In this video, Motley Fool industrials analyst Blake Bos outlines three areas investors need to watch at Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) . First, the integration of acquisitions: Caterpillar has made some historically large acquisitions. How these acquisitions are integrated into the company and how synergies are achieved will be important. Second, commodity prices: One of Caterpillar's acquisitions was Bucyrus, a mining equipment company. While this expanded Caterpillar's presence in the mining industry, that same business is highly sensitive to commodity prices. If commodities fall, so will revenues from this segment. Lastly, Caterpillar is looking to roll out a new manufacturing system to help reduce costs. This could be important for its future growth in China where Caterpillar competes with Komatsu. Right now, Komatsu has the largest market share in China -- Caterpillar will need all the help it can get to successfully compete.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Clearly, investors see the jobs report as evidence that the economy has turned the corner. The fact that cyclical giants Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) and General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) are among the Dow's biggest winners today -- they have gained 3.1% and 1.8%, respectively -- shows the extent to which people are banking on an economic recovery, not only in the U.S. but also in harder-hit areas of the world such as Europe. Both Caterpillar and GE need a marked improvement in global conditions to support their stock prices. Given the importance of the U.S. in the overall global economy -- especially on the consumer front, which is arguably most directly tied to employment conditions -- it's reasonable to conclude that better domestic jobs numbers will support economies worldwide.

Best Value Stocks To Watch Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) saw short interest rise 12.5% to 14 million shares, about 1% of Schlumberger�� float. The largest oilfield services company reported fourth-quarter results last week and posted higher EPS and revenues than it did a year ago.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Industry ties
  The company's management team has deep roots in the energy industry, specifically in oilfield services. President and CEO Gary Kolstad spent 21 years at Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) before joining CARBO, while Don Conkle, vice president of marketing and sales, spent 26 years at the same firm. No wonder Schlumberger is one of the top two customers for this proppant manufacturer. Both served in various roles at the company and are well versed in the ebbs and flows of the energy industry, which should serve investors well through the rocky environment of falling natural gas drilling activity.

Best Value Stocks To Watch Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  As a convenience store, it doesn’t have direct competition from�Dollar Tree (DLTR) or Family Dollar (FDO) because these dollar stores aren�� exclusively focused on food (and they have no gasoline or cigarette sales), and they��e targeted at the folks who are trying to save money over convenience, not vice versa. The convenience angle is another reason why�Walmart (WMT) and Costco (COST)�aren’t competitors, since those behemoths are about a total shopping experience.

Domtar's Prelim Shows Loss in 2Q - Analyst Blog

Domtar Corporation (UFS) recently provided a sneak peek into its second quarter 2013 financial performance when it announced its preliminary results for the quarter. The company is scheduled to report its detailed quarterly results on Jul 25.

For the second quarter, Domtar expects an operating loss in the range of $30 million to $35 million on revenues of $1,312 million. The operating loss is primarily due to low pulp productivity owing to planned maintenance shutdowns of manufacturing plants and delayed starts of pulp mills. This resulted in lower paper and pulp shipments of 801,000 tons and 344,000 metric tons, respectively.

Operating loss for the soon-to-be reported quarter includes a litigation settlement charge of $49 million, closure and restructuring costs of $18 million, $5 million impairment charge, and depreciation and amortization of $93 million. EBITDA is expected to be between $130 million and $135 million.

By quarter-end, Domtar made a significant headway to address its production issues and expects to return to normalcy by the end of the third quarter. In the meantime, the company expects to remain moderately affected by these operational issues.

Domtar manufactures and distributes a wide array of fiber-based products including communication papers, specialty and packaging papers and adult incontinence products. The company is the largest integrated marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America with established brands such as Cougar, Lynx Opaque Ultra, Husky Opaque Offset, First Choice and Domtar EarthChoice. Domtar also owns and operates an extensive network of strategically located paper and printing supplies distribution facilities.

Domtar currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Other companies in the industry that are worth mentioning include Resolute Forest Products Inc. (RFP), Orchids Paper Products Company (TIS) and Rock-Tenn Company (RKT), each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

10 Best Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now

10 Best Food Stocks To Invest In Right Now: McCormick & Company Inc (MKC)

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (McCormick) manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the food industry, retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. The Companys sales, distribution and production facilities are located in North America and Europe. Additional facilities are based in China, Australia, Mexico, India, Singapore, Central America, Thailand and South Africa. The Company operates in two business segments: consumer and industrial. During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2011, the Companys consumer business contributed 59% of sales and 79% of operating income and the industrial business contributed 41% of sales and 21% of operating income.

McCormicks products are sold directly to customers and also through brokers, wholesalers, and distributors. In the consumer segment, products are resold to consumers through a range of retail outlets, including grocery, ma ss merchandise, warehouse clubs, discount, and drug stores under a range of brands. In the industrial segment, products are used by food and beverage manufacturers as ingredients for their finished goods and by food service customers as ingredients for menu items to enhance the flavor of their foods. Customers for the industrial segment include food manufacturers and the foodservice industry supplied both directly and indirectly through distributors.

Consumer Business

The Companys brands in the Americas include McCormick, Lawrys and Club House. The Company also markets brands, such as Zatarains, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) its brands include the Ducros, Schwartz and Kamis brands of spices, herbs and seasonings and a line of Vahine brand dessert items. In the Asia/Pacific region its primary brand is McCormick, with the exception of India where its joint venture owns and trades under the ! Kohinoor brand. The Companys customers span a variety of retail o! utlets that include grocery, mass merchandise, warehouse clubs, discount and drug stores, served directly and indirectly through distributors or wholesalers. In addition to marketing its products to these customers, the Company is also a supplier of private label items, also known as store brands. More than 250 other brands are sold in the United States with additional brands in international markets.

Industrial Business

In its industrial business, the Company provides a range of products to multinational food manufacturers and foodservice customers. The foodservice customers are supplied both directly and indirectly through distributors. Its range of products include seasoning blends, natural spices and herbs, wet flavors, coating systems and compound flavors. In addition to a broad range of flavor solutions, we strive to achieve customer intimacy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  Other reasons besides irregular earnings growth that caused a Dividend Champion to be rejected include one of my all-time favorites, valuation. Or to be more precise overvaluation. The following example, McCormick & Co. (MKC), represents one of my favorite Dividend Champions based on a very consistent above-average record of earnings growth that produced its impressive dividend streak. The only reason that this Dividend Champion was rejected was because of current overvaluation.

• [By Bruce Kennedy]

  (c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Thursday, McCormick (NYSE: MKC  ) will release its latest quarterly results. With a solid history of delivering regular dividend growth, McCormick shares got very popular during the bull market, but the rise in interest rates have caused some to question whether the stock has gotten ahead of its fundamentals.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  McCormick & Company (MKC) is the world's biggest spice, extract, and seasoning company, selling its food additives through retail grocery chains, food processing companies, and restaurants. The firm's brands include its namesake McCormick line, as well as Zatarain's, Lawry's, and Old Bay.

  Right now, McCormick's stock has a short interest ratio of 11.9, implying that more than two weeks of buying pressure would be needed for short sellers to cover their bets.

  McCormick owns the spice aisle at your local grocery store -- that's significant because those little containers of cinnamon and t! urmeric a! re expensive (and they come built-in with fat margins). As a result, the firm has been able to consistently book net margins in the low double-digits. McCormick's expertise gives it an economic moat; because industrial food companies often need to turn to the firm for help in developing new flavors, MKC has a Rolodex of sticky high-volume businesses.

  International sales have quietly been gaining steam at McCormick. Today, the firm earns 40 cents out of every sales dollar overseas, a proportion that should continue to climb, especially as developing markets develop a taste for pre-mixed seasoning that earn bigger profit margins. The firm's next earnings call in January could provide a squeeze catalyst for this stock.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/10-best-food-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-5.html