Top 5 European Stocks For 2014

Lately, whenever stock markets have appeared on edge, the solution has involved central bank intervention. Today, it was the Bank of Japan's turn to add some stimulus to the global economy, with an ambitious program of asset purchases and monetary expansion in an attempt to stem the decades-long negative impact of deflation on the island nation's economy. The greatest impact from the move came in Tokyo, where the Nikkei reversed an early slump to rise more than 2%. But even as European stocks slumped, the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) managed to take the BOJ's move and build on it, climbing more than 55 points.

IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) , though, fell 0.6%, which made it the biggest loser in the Dow on a percentage basis. As numerous Fool contributors have noted earlier today, Oracle scored a big win in its challenge to IBM's strategy of dominating the Big Data market, when a study showed that Oracle's technology performed better than IBM's. As troubling as that is for Big Blue, it ordinarily wouldn't have a big impact on the broader stock market. But because IBM's share price is so high, it has a disproportionately heavy weighting in the price-weighted Dow. As a result, if IBM can't resolve its problems, a stock decline could make it very hard for the Dow to advance overall.

Top Net Payout Yield Companies For 2015: STMicroelectronics N.V.(STM)

STMicroelectronics N.V., an independent semiconductor company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of a range of semiconductor integrated circuits and discrete devices. Its products include discrete and standard commodity components, application-specific integrated circuits, custom devices and semi-custom devices, and application-specific standard products for analog, digital, and mixed-signal applications. The company also offers subsystems and modules for the telecommunications, automotive, and industrial markets comprising mobile phone accessories, battery chargers, ISDN power supplies, and in-vehicle equipment for electronic toll payment, as well as provides Smartcard products. Its products are used in various microelectronic applications consisting of automotive products, computer peripherals, telecommunications systems, consumer products, industrial automation, and control systems. The company sells its products through distributors and ret ailers. STMicroelectronics N.V. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM  ) and OmniVision (NASDAQ: OVTI  ) are the two camera suppliers, and HTC is reportedly no longer considered a "tier one" manufacturer so it doesn't get priority any more. That implies that one of these image sensor specialists was giving HTC the cold shoulder in favor of bigger names.

• [By Tyler Laundon]

  Analog Devices (ADI) is one of the largest semiconductor companies in the motion-sensing space, with a market cap of $15.87 billion. STM Electronics (STM) is a slightly smaller manufacturer; its market cap is $7.6 billion.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Additionally, Wendy’s can use some of the cash freed up by the franchise model to invest in advertising and marketing, and that should boost customer traffic.

  Cheap Dividend Stocks #2: STMicroelectronics (STM)

  Share Price as of 4/4: $9.14
  YTD Stock Performance: 14%
  Dividend Yield: 4.4%

• [By ICRAOnline]

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

Top 5 European Stocks For 2014: Telefonica SA(TEF)

Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile telephony services primarily in Spain, rest of Europe, and Latin America. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone; local, domestic, and international long distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; video telephony; supplementary and business-oriented value-added services; network services; leasing and sale of handset equipment; and telephony information services. The company?s Internet and broadband multimedia services comprise Internet service provider service; portal and network services; retail and wholesale broadband access; narrowband switched access to Internet; naked ADSL, a broadband connection; residential-oriented value-added services; companies-oriented value-added services; television services, such as IPTV, cable television, and satellite television; and Fiber to the Home, a service for high speed Internet access and digital video recording. Its data and business-solutions services principally include leased lines; virtual private network services; fiber optics services; the provision of hosting and application; outsourcing and consultancy services; desktop services; and system integration and professional services. The company?s wholesale services for telecommunication operators primarily comprise domestic interconnection services; international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators? network deployment; local loop leasing under the unbundled local loop regulation framework; and bit stream services. It also offers various mobile and related services and products that include mobile voice services, value added services, mobile data and Internet services, wholesale services, corporate services, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. The company has a strategic alliance with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited. Telefonica, S.A. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spai n.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roger Conrad, Founder and Chief Editor, Capitalist Times]

  Roger Conrad: Well, one that I read about actually in the very first issue of Conrad's Utility Investor is a company called Telefonica (TEF). This one is a company that has had a pretty tough several years.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) announced it is in talks to acquire an un-named Mexican rival for as much as 3 billion euros. Shares gained 1.22 percent, closing at $16.63.

Top 5 European Stocks For 2014: Aegon NV(AEG)

AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marketing. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Assuming it delivers on its outlook for 2014, its current free cash flow yield is a very enticing 20%. This isn�� a growth stock, but its brands still possess hidden value. As cheap stocks go, it�� very attractive.

  Cheap Stocks to Buy: Aegon (AEG)

  It�� not often that you can buy a $19 billion market cap for under 10 bucks. Aegon�� a Dutch insurance company that�� had a rough ride over the past few years, and its stock�� suffered as a result. In the late ’90s AEG stock traded around $60 — it hasn�� been anywhere close since. However, it�� got some good assets that should bear fruit in the years to come. Aegon has 12,000 employees in the Americas doing business primarily under the Transamerica brand, which has been a part of AEG since 1999.

Top 5 European Stocks For 2014: Fresenius Medical Care Corporation (FMS)

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, a dialysis company, provides products and services for patients with chronic kidney diseases. As of May 12, 2011, it provided dialysis care services to 216,942 patients through its network of 2,769 dialysis clinics primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa. The company also develops and manufactures various dialysis products, including hemodialysis machines, dialyzers, hemofilters, dialysis fluid filters, tubing systems, fistula needles, dialysis related equipment, acute hemodialysis machines, plasma filters, acute tubing systems and cassettes, catheters, and related disposable products for chronic hemodialysis, acute therapy, home therapy, and therapeutic apheresis, as well as dialysis drugs. In addition, it provides laboratory services. Fresenius Medical sells its products through distributors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Carlson, CEO and Portfolio Manager, Horizon Investment Services]

  For investors looking for growth but also income, I especially like three health-care related stocks��resenius Medical (FMS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), and Smith & Nephew (SNN).

• [By Ben Eisen]

  DaVita (DVA) �gained 8.9% and Fresenius (FMS) �rose 7.2%.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap dialysis stock Rockwell Medical Inc (NASDAQ: RMTI) looks set to decline when the market opens after Brean Capital initiated coverage with a sell rating and a price target of $4.00, meaning it might be time to take a closer look at what is going on with the stock along with�the performance of large cap dialysis stocks DaVita Healthcare Partners (NYSE: DVA)�and Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS) along with small cap dialysis stocks NxStage Medical, Inc (NASDAQ: NXTM).�

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid decided today to cut government payment to dialysis clinics. So why did share prices for DaVita HealthCare Partners (DVA) and rival Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) rise so steeply today?

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now

SunTrust Banks (NYSE: STI  ) is the holding company and publicly traded side of SunTrust Bank, one of the country's biggest regional banks. SunTrust primarily does three kinds of banking: consumer banking and private-wealth management; wholesale banking; and mortgage banking.

SunTrust puts up some impressive numbers, but there is at least one thing to watch out for. Thinking about investing in SunTrust? Here are seven things you need to know:

1. SunTrust is bigger than you think
Go out to the Federal Reserve's National Information Center, and you'll see that SunTrust is the country's 17th biggest bank-holding company, ahead of both American Express and Deutsche Bank. Size doesn't mean anything in and of itself, but used skillfully, size can help generate revenue and profit far beyond that of a smaller rival.

2. Great share-price performance over the past year
Since June 12 of 2012, SunTrust has returned 49.24% to its shareholders. It's true, investor darling Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) has returned 83.79% over the past year, but that outsized return comes at the cost of greater balance-sheet and share-price volatility.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2015: Raven Industries Inc.(RAVN)

Raven Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures various products for industrial, agricultural, energy, construction, and military/aerospace markets primarily in North America. It operates in four segments: Applied Technology, Engineered Films, Aerostar, and Electronic Systems. The Applied Technology segment designs, manufactures, sells, and services precision agriculture products and information management tools enabling growers to enhance farm yields. Its products include field computers, application controls, GPS-guidance and assisted-steering systems, automatic boom controls, and yield monitoring planter controls, as well as an integrated real time kinematic and information platform called Slingshot. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, as well as through after market distributors. The Engineered Films segment produces rugged reinforced plastic sheeting for industrial, construction, geomembrane, and agricultural appli cations. It sells plastic sheeting to independent third-party distributors through its sales force. The Aerostar segment sells high-altitude research balloons and tethered aerostats for government and commercial research. It produces military parachutes, uniforms, and protective wear for the U.S. government agencies as a subcontractor; and other sewn and sealed products on a contract basis. The Electronic Systems segment provides electronics manufacturing services for commercial customers. It manufactures assemblies, including avionics, communication, environmental controls, and other products. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Raven Industries (NASDAQ: RAVN) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $97.14 million.

  Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) is expected to post its Q2 earnings at $1.87 per share on revenue of $471.16 million.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: MMM is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: General Electric Co. (GE) with a 3.1% yield, Raven Industries Inc. (RAVN) with a 1.6% yield and Carlisle Companies Inc. (CSL) with a 1.2% yield.

• [By victorselva]

  General Electric has a current ratio of 10% which is lower than all the comps: 3M Company (MMM), Danaher Corp. (DHR), Carlisle Companies Incorporated (CSL), Koninklijke Philips N.V (PHG) and Raven Industries Inc. (RAVN).

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now: Senesco Technologies Inc (SNTI)

Senesco Technologies, Inc., incorporated on September 30. 1999, is engaged in utilize its eukaryotic translation initiation Factor 5A, or Factor 5A, and deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS), and related technologies for human therapeutic applications to develop approaches to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases. In agricultural applications, the Company has licensed applications of the Factor 5A, DHS and Lipase platforms to develop the productivity of fruits, flowers, vegetables, agronomic and biofuel feedstock crops through the control of cell death and growth in plants.

Human Therapeutic Applications

The Company has developed a therapeutic candidate, SNS01-T, an improved formulation of SNS01, for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin B-cell lymplomas. SNS01-T utilizes the Company's Factor 5A technology and consists of two components, which include a DNA plasmid (pDNA), expressing human eIF5A containing a lysine to arginine substitution at amino acid position 50, (eIF5AK50R), and a small inhibitory RNA (siRNA). These two components are combined in a fixed ratio with a polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI), which enables self-assembly of the DNA and RNA into nanoparticles with demonstrated enhanced delivery to tissues and protection from degradation in the blood stream. The Company has also demonstrated that the combination of lenalidomide and SNS 01-T performs better than either treatment alone in mouses xenograft models of human mantle cell lymphoma. The Company's human therapeutic research program, which consists of pre-clinical in-vitro and in-vivo experiments designed to assess the role and mode of action of Factor 5A in human diseases and a phase 1a/2b clinical trial.

The Company competes with Celgene, Inc., Takeda/Millennium, ONYX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Amgen Inc., Janssen Biotech, Inc., Novartis AG, and Pharmacyclics, Inc.

Agricultural Applications

The Company's agricultural research focuses on the discovery and develo! pment of certain gene technologies, which are designed to confer positive traits on fruits, flowers, vegetables, forestry species and agronomic crops. The Company's research and development initiatives for agriculture include develop and implement the DHS and Factor 5A gene technology in banana, canola, cotton, turfgrass, rice, alfalfa, corn, soybean and trees; and test the resultant crops for new beneficial traits such as increased yield, increased tolerance to environmental stress, disease resistance and more efficient use of fertilizer.

The Company competes with Mendel Biotechnology, Renessen LLC, Exelixis Plant Sciences, Inc., and Syngenta International AG.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, SNTI has shed (-2.44%) down -0.0010 at $.0400 with�723,673 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:58PM EDT October 7, 2013).

  Senesco Technologies, Inc. previously reported it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain investors to raise $1.725 million in gross proceeds through the sale of 69,000,000 shares of its common stock. The common stock was priced at $0.025 per share.

  The offering is expected to close on or about October 2, 2013, subject to customary closing conditions. The net proceeds of the financing will be used primarily for working capital, research and development and general corporate purposes.

• [By Peter Graham]

  At the end of last week, small cap stocks Senesco Technologies, Inc (OTCBB: SNTI), VolitionRX Ltd (OTCMKTS: VNRX) and Micromem Technologies Inc (OTCBB: MMTIF) were all trending upwards ��ending up 13.65%, 8.73% and 7.61%, respectively, on Friday. However, it�� a new trading week with the last two trading days for the year. So what direction will these three small caps head in for the end of this year and into next year? Here is a quick look to help you decide on a trading or investment strategy:

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now: Five Prime Therapeutics Inc (FPRX)

Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on December 20, 2001, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing protein therapeutics. Protein therapeutics is antibodies or drugs developed from extracellular proteins or protein fragments that block disease processes, including cancer and inflammatory diseases. The Company�� advanced product candidates include FP-1039/GSK3052230 (FP-1039), FPA008 and FPA144. FP-1039 is a protein therapeutic that traps and neutralizes cancer-promoting fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), involved in cancer cell proliferation and new blood vessel formation. FPA008 is an antibody that inhibits colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R), and is being developed to treat patients with inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). FPA144 is an antibody that inhibits FGF receptor 2b (FGFR2b), and is being developed to treat patients with gastric cancer and potentially other solid tumors.

FP-1039

FP-1039 is a protein therapeutic, which includes the extracellular part of FGFR1. FP-1039 acts as an inhibitor of FGFs, because the FGFR1 portion of the molecule binds to FGFs and prevents them from binding to FGFR1 on tumor and blood vessel cells. Because FGF proteins circulating in the blood are called ligands, FP-1039 is called a ligand trap. FP-1039 also includes a portion of an antibody called the Fc region. In preclinical testing, it observed inhibition of tumor growth with single-agent FP-1039, particularly in tumors withFGFR1 gene amplification, including squamous NSCLC and SCLC.

FPA008

FPA008 is an antibody that inhibits CSF1R and is being developed to treat patients with RA. FPA008 also has the potential to treat patients with other inflammatory diseases, including lupus nephritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. These are chronic, incurable disorders with serious medical complications and disability for ! which better therapies with novel mechanisms of action are needed. FPA008 is an anti-CSF1R antibody, which it designed to block the ability of IL-34 and CSF1 to bind to and activate CSF1R. FPA008 reduces the numbers and activity of monocytes and macrophages that cause disease, and prevents the production and release of inflammatory factors. The Company and others has demonstrated that both IL-34 and CSF1 are present at increased levels in the inflamed joints of patients with RA.

FPA144

FPA144 is a monoclonal antibody directed against a form of FGFR2, or FGFR2b. When the FGFR2 gene is amplified by cancer cells, the FGFR2b protein is expressed at abnormally high levels on the tumor�� surface. This occurs in some patients with gastric and lower esophageal cancers. The tumor cells that have too much FGFR2b protein on their surface can be identified by special staining tests performed on the tumor. Because FGFR2b is the target for FPA144, patients��tumors can be screened for this protein, helping to identify the patients most likely to respond to FPA144 treatment.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FPRX) shares dropped 1.13% to $22.68 in pre-market trading after the company priced 3.41 million share offering at $22.00 per share.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is investing US$13 million to expand its wheel manufacturing plant in Europe, to meet growing demand for its lightweight, durable, low-maintenance aluminum truck wheels. To read the full news, click here. L & L Energy (NASDAQ: LLEN) announced today that its Special Independent Committee has appointed Mr. Nicholas Chen, Managing Partner at Pamir Law Group, to replace Mr. Mark Bartlett. To read the full news, click here. Five Prime Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FPRX) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) announced today that they have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of immuno-oncology therapies directed toward targets identified in two undisclosed immune checkpoint pathways using Five Prime's proprietary target discovery platform. To read the full news, click here. First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) on Sunday announced the completion of the 1.3MW(DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at Kitakyushu-shi. Powered by First Solar FS Series 3 Black PV modules, the plant will generate approximately 1,400 MWh of clean and safe solar electricity per year. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Credit Suisse US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By John Kell and Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); p]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Keurig Green Mountain Inc.(GMCR), JA Solar Holdings Co.(JASO) and Five Prime Therapeutics Inc.(FPRX)

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now: SABMiller PLC (SBMRY)

SABMiller plc, incorporated on March 17, 1998, is a holding company, which has brewing and beverage interests across six continents. The Company together with its subsidiaries is engaged in the manufacture, distribution and sale of beverages. The Company is a brewer with more than 200 beer brands. The Company�� portfolio of brands includes international beers, such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch, as well as local brands, such as Aguila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow, Tyskie and Victoria Bitter. It is a bottler for the Coca-Cola Company in Africa and Central America. It operates in Latin America, Europe, North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, and South Africa.

Latin America

The Company�� primary brewing and beverage operations cover six countries across South and Central America (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Peru). The Company is brewer in Argentina, and it exports to Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay. It bottles soft drinks for The Coca-Cola Company in El Salvador and Honduras, and for Pepsico International in Panama.

Europe

The Company�� primary brewing operations cover eight countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain (Canary Islands) and the Netherlands. A further 16 countries, including Russia, Turkey and the Ukraine are covered in a strategic alliance with Anadolu Efes through brewing, soft drinks or export operations. The Company exports volumes to a further seven European markets, of which the largest are the United Kingdom and Germany.

North America

The Company�� North America segment includes its 58% owned MillerCoors and 100% of Miller Brewing International and the its North American holding companies. The Company�� wholly owned Miller Brewing International business is based in Milwaukee, the United States and exports its brands to Canada and Mexico and throughout the Americas.

Africa

The Compa! ny�� brewing and beverage operations in Africa cover 15 countries. A further 21 are covered through a strategic alliance with the Castel group and it also has an associated undertaking in Zimbabwe. The Company bottles soft drinks for The Coca-Cola Company in 20 of its African markets (in alliance with Castel in 14 of these markets).

Asia Pacific

The Company�� partners with China Resources Enterprise, Limited in China. The Company is engaged in brewing business in India. The Company has operation in Vietnam and it exports to various markets, including South Korea and Singapore.

South Africa

The Company�� South African Breweries (Pty) Ltd (SAB) is South Africa�� producer and distributor of lager and soft drinks. It also exports brands for distribution across Namibia. Its soft drinks division is bottler of products for The Coca-Cola Company. The Company has hotel and gaming interests through its associate, Tsogo Sun Holdings Ltd, a hotel and gaming group in South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Recently, Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD  ) introduced in the U.S. its Stella Artois Cidre brand of cider as a means of siphoning off wine drinkers but also trying to steal some of Boston Beer's thunder. According to GuestMetrics, hard cider sales soared 70% in the first quarter, and it was largely on the back of Angry Orchard. Notably, MillerCoors, the joint venture between SABMiller (NASDAQOTH: SBMRY  ) and Molson Coors (NYSE: TAP  ) , also acquired cider maker Crispin last year.

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2014

Jon Elswick/AP WASHINGTON -- The government churns out tons of numbers, but here's one you won't see: 0.0002. That's the percentage of estimated online visitors to HealthCare.gov who actually signed up for coverage the first day. Altogether, that's six people out of just over 3 million. Not all the figures associated with the rollout of President Barack Obama's health care law are so ridiculously dreary. Three million tells a happier tale, too. That's how many young adults have been able to get coverage under their parents' plan thanks to the law's rule that people up to age 26 can do so. A look at the heath care law's early going, by the numbers:

Top 10 International Stocks To Invest In 2015: Synopsys Inc (SNPS)

Synopsys, Inc., incorporated in 1986, is engaged in providing technology solutions used to develop electronics and electronic systems. It supplies the electronic design automation (EDA) software that engineers use to design, create prototypes for and test integrated circuits, also known as chips. It also supplies software and hardware used to develop the systems that incorporate integrated circuits and the software that runs on those integrated circuits. Its intellectual property (IP) products are pre-designed circuits that engineers use as components of larger chip designs rather than redesigning those circuits themselves. It also provides technical services to support its solutions and it help its customers develop chips and electronic systems. Its products and services are organized into four groups: Core EDA (which includes the Galaxy Design Platform, the Discovery Verification Platform and its Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) design products); IP and System-Level Solutions; Manufacturing Solutions and Professional Services. In July 2012, it acquired Ciranova. In October 2012, it acquired EVE. On November 30, 2012, the Company acquired SpringSoft. In February 2014, Synopsys Inc completed the acquisition of Target Compiler Technologies.

On September 2, 2010, the Company acquired Virage Logic Corporation. In October 2010, the Company acquired Optical Research Associates. In September 2011, the Company acquired nSys Design Systems Private Limited (nSys). In October 2011, the Company acquired Extreme DA. In January 2012, the Company acquired ExpertIO, Inc. In February 2012, the Company acquired Magma Design Automation Inc.

Core EDA products

The Company offers a number of Core EDA products to address the process. Its Core EDA products fall into the suites, which included the Galaxy Design Platform, which includes tools to design an integrated circuit; the Discovery Verification Platform, which includes tools to verify that an integrated circuit behaves! as intended, and the FPGA design products. Its Galaxy Design Platform provides its customers with a single, integrated chip design solution, which includes individual products and incorporates common libraries and consistent timing, delay calculation and constraints throughout the design process. The platform allows designers the flexibility to integrate internally-developed and third-party tools. With this advanced functionality, common foundation and flexibility, its Galaxy Design Platform reduces design times; decrease integration costs and minimize the risks inherent in advanced, integrated circuit designs. Its products span both digital and analog/mixed-signal designs.

The products included in the Galaxy Design Platform are the IC Compiler physical design solution, Design Compiler logic synthesis product, Galaxy Custom Designer physical design solution for analog/mixed-signal designs, PrimeTime/PrimeTime SI timing analysis products, StarRC product for extraction, and the Hercules and IC Validator physical verification product family. The Lynx Design System is a production-ready chip implementation environment that combines a Galaxy-based design flow, graphical user interface (GUI)-based runtime automation, design metrics capture and reporting, and utilities that automate the configuration of pre-validated foundry data. The Lynx Design System helps customers improve their productivity and optimally deploy Synopsys tools and methodologies.

The Company�� Discovery Verification Platform is an integrated portfolio of functional, analog/mixed-signal, formal and low-power verification products. The platform includes its simulation and verification products and design-for-verification methodologies, and provides a consistent control environment to help improve the speed, breadth and accuracy of its customers��verification efforts. The Discovery Verification Platform�� components support industry standards and span both digital and analog/mixed-signal designs. The principa! l product! s included in the Discovery Verification Platform are the VCS comprehensive RTL verification solution, Formality formal verification sign-off solution, NanoSim FastSPICE circuit simulation and analysis product, high-speed interface module (HSIM) hierarchical FastSPICE circuit simulation and analysis product, HSPICE circuit simulator, and CustomSim circuit simulation solution. FPGAs are chips that can be customized or programmed to perform a specific function after they are manufactured.

Intellectual Property (IP) and System-Level Solutions

Synopsys is a provider of high-quality, silicon-proven IP solutions for system-on-chip (SoC) designs. The broad DesignWare IP portfolio includes high quality solutions for widely used interfaces such as universal serial bus (USB), PCI Express, double data rate (DDR), Ethernet, serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). In addition, Synopsys offers analog IP for high-definition video, analog-to-digital data conversion and audio. With its recent acquisition of Virage Logic Corporation, we added embedded memories, including static random access memory (SRAMs) and non-volatile memory, logic libraries, embedded test and repair IP and configurable processor cores, to its IP portfolio.

Synopsys has a portfolio of tools, models and services for the system-level design of SoCs. Primary system-level products include Platform Architect for architectural optimization, SPW and System Studio for algorithm design, Processor Designer for custom processor design, and Synphony Model and C Compiler for High Level Synthesis. In addition to these tools for the system-level design of SoCs, its portfolio includes prototyping tools for hardware verification, software development and hardware-software integration. With FPGA-based prototyping systems (HAPS), designers can speed embedded software development by three to six months with near real runtime speeds and real world interfaces, such as its pre-t! ested Des! ignWare IP components. The HAPS hardware systems are a modular, scalable and accurate way to model a chip. Its virtual prototyping solutions enable software engineers to start SoC and application software up to twelve months before traditional methods.

Manufacturing Solutions

The Company�� Manufacturing Solutions products and technologies address this problem by introducing manufacturability and yield considerations early in the design process, thereby improving yields. Some of its Manufacturing Solutions address mask-making and yield enhancement of very small-geometry integrated circuits, as well as high-level modeling of physical effects within the integrated circuit. Its Manufacturing Solutions include the Technology-CAD (TCAD) device modeling products, Proteus OPC optical proximity correction (OPC) products, CATS mask data preparation product and yield management solutions, including odyssey and recipe manager and editor (RME), and yield explorer.

Professional Services and Training

Synopsys provides consulting and design services that address all phases of the SoC development process. These services assist Synopsys customers with new tool and methodology adoption, chip architecture and specification development, functional and low power design and verification, and physical implementation and signoff. It also provides a range of expert training and workshops on its latest tools and methodologies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Synopsys Inc.'s(SNPS) fiscal fourth-quarter profit nearly doubled on a top-line increase driven by growth in the company’s time-based license revenue. However, the company’s guidance for the current quarter came in below Wall Street expectations.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Synopsys (Nasdaq: SNPS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2014: Flagstar Bancorp Inc (FBC)

Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. incorporated on October 28, 1993, is a savings and loan holding company. The Company�� business is primarily conducted through its principal subsidiary, Flagstar Bank, FSB (the Bank), a federally chartered stock savings bank. At December 31, 2012, its total assets were $ $14.1 billion. The Bank�� wholly owned subsidiary is Flagstar Capital Markets Corporation (FCMC). The Company operates in two segments: Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers a line of financial products and services to individuals, small and middle market businesses, and mortgage lenders. Its Mortgage Banking segment originates, acquires, sells and services residential first mortgage loans on one-to-four family residences. The Bank�� Other segment include corporate treasury, tax benefits not assigned to specific operating segments, and miscellaneous other expenses of a corporate nature.

Community Banking

Community Banking segment includes Branch Banking, Commercial and Business Banking, Government Banking, and Warehouse Lending. Community Banking segment originates loans and deposits to consumer, business and mortgage lending customers through its Branch Banking, Business and Commercial Banking, Government Banking, and Warehouse Lending groups. Products offered include checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer loans, commercial loans and warehouse lines of credit. Other financial services available to consumer and commercial customers include lines of credit, revolving credit, customized treasury management solutions, equipment leasing, inventory and accounts receivable lending and capital markets services such as interest rate risk protection products. At December 31, 2012, Branch Banking included 111 banking centers located throughout Michigan. As of December 31, 2012, the commercial loans held-for-investment totaled $0.7 billion, and consisted of commercial real estate, commercial and in! dustrial and commercial lease financing. At December 31, 2012, its commercial real estate loans held-for-investment totaled $640.3 million.

Commercial and industrial held-for-investment loan facilities include lines of credit to its small or middle market businesses for use in normal business operations to finance working capital needs, equipment purchases and expansion projects. At December 31, 2012 its commercial and industrial held-for-investment loans totaled $90.6 million. Its commercial lease financing held-for-investment loan portfolio is comprised of equipment leased to customers in a direct financing lease. At December 31, 2012 its commercial lease financing held-for-investment loans totaled $6.3 million. The Company offers warehouse lines of credit to other mortgage lenders. As of December 31, 2012, there were 311 warehouse lines of credit to other mortgage lenders with an average size of $7.5 million.

Mortgage Banking

The Company�� Mortgage Banking segment originates, acquires, sells and services one-to-four family residential first mortgage loans. Mortgage loans are originated through home lending centers, national call centers, the Internet, unaffiliated banks and mortgage brokerage companies. Also, the Mortgage Banking segment services mortgage loans for others and sells MSRs into the secondary market.

In a home lending center transaction, loans are originated through a network of its loan origination centers, as well as referrals from its Banking segment and the national call center. At December 31, 2012, the Company maintained 31 loan origination centers. In a broker transaction, an unaffiliated bank or mortgage brokerage company completes the loan paperwork, but the loans are underwritten on a loan-level basis to its underwriting standards and it supplies the funding for the loan at closing thereby becoming the lender of record. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had active broker relationships with over 1,700 banks, credit unions! , and mor! tgage brokerage companies. In a correspondent transaction, an unaffiliated bank or mortgage company completes the loan paperwork and also supplies the funding for the loan at closing. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank had active correspondent relationships with over 1,300 companies, including banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of mortgage insurer MBIA (NYSE: MBI) climbed 10% today after settling its lawsuit against Flagstar Bancorp (NYSE: FBC), in which it accused the bank of misrepresenting the loan quality underlying $1.1 billion in mortgage-backed securities. �

• [By Jessica Alling]

  Outside the Dow, insurer MBIA (NYSE: MBI  ) is up 11.3% after settling a legal case with lender Flagstar Bancorp (NYSE: FBC  ) over two mortgage-backed securities transactions. MBIA alleged that Flagstar misrepresented the securities, resulting in the insurer's payout of $165 million on the policies. Flagstar has agreed to pay MBIA $110 million to settle the case. This legal dispute is similar to the current battle between MBIA and Bank of America. The insurer recently lost its bid for a pretrial ruling on the case, driving the stock lower.

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2014: Great Plains Energy Inc (GXP)

Great Plains Energy Incorporated (Great Plains Energy), incorporated on February 26, 2001, is a public utility holding company. The Company does not own or operate any assets other than the stock of its subsidiaries. Great Plains Energy�� wholly owned direct subsidiaries with operations or active subsidiaries includes Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L), and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company (GMO). The Company is engaged in the business segment of electric utility. The electric utility segment consists of KCP&L, a regulated utility, and GMO�� regulated utility operations, which include its Missouri Public Service and St. Joseph Light & Power (L&P) divisions. Electric utility serves approximately 825,300 customers located in western Missouri and eastern Kansas.

KCP&L is an integrated, regulated electric utility that provides electricity to customers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. KCP&L has one active wholly owned subsidiary, Kansas City Power & Light Receivables Company (Receivables Company). GMO is an integrated, regulated electric utility that provides electricity to customers in the state of Missouri. GMO also provides regulated steam service to certain customers in the St. Joseph, Missouri area. GMO wholly owns MPS Merchant Services, Inc. (MPS Merchant), which has certain long-term natural gas contracts remaining from its former non-regulated trading operations.

Customers include approximately 726,100 residences, 96,600 commercial firms, and 2,600 industrials, municipalities and other electric utilities. During the year ended December 31, 2012, electric utility�� retail revenues averaged approximately 90% of its total operating revenues. Wholesale firm power, bulk power sales and miscellaneous electric revenues accounted for the remainder of electric utility�� revenues. During 2012, electric utility�� total electric revenues were 100% of Great Plains Energy�� revenues. During 2012, electric utility�� net income accounted for approximately! 108%, of Great Plains Energy�� income from continuing operations, respectively.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP  ) is keeping its dividend as level as the geographical feature in its company name. The company will distribute $0.2175 per share of its common stock on June 20 to shareholders of record as of May 20.� This amount matches the company's previous two disbursements, the most recent of which was paid in March. Before that, Great Plains handed out $0.2125.

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2014: Under Armour Inc.(UA)

Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Nike have dropped 1.2% to $77.33 today at 3:19 p.m., even as Under Armour (UA) has risen 1.3% to $87.16 and Skechers U.S.A. (SKX) has gained 1.9% to $33.06. Even Lululemon Athletica (LULU), which has dropped 16% in December, has ticked up today–it’s gained 0.1% to $58.83.

• [By Joe Tenebruso and Richard Engdahl]

  As much as I love an underdog, Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) is still the king of the roost -- and for a reason. While I've picked Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) as a Tier 1 investment, that doesn't mean that Nike's broken. In fact, you may do well buying both.

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2014: Sensient Technologies Corp (SXT)

Sensient Technologies Corporation, incorporated on December 07, 1882, is a global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors and fragrances. Sensient uses advanced technologies at facilities around the world to develop specialty food and beverage systems, cosmetic and pharmaceutical systems, inkjet and specialty inks and colors, and other specialty and chemicals. The Company�� customers include international manufacturers representing some of the Known brands. The Company operates in two segments: Flavors & Fragrances Group and the Color Group. The Asia Pacific and the China Groups are included in the Corporate & Other category, along with the Company�� corporate expenses. The Company's principal products include: flavors, flavor enhancers and bionutrients; fragrances and aroma chemicals; dehydrated vegetables and other food ingredients; natural and synthetic food and beverage colors; cosmetic and pharmaceutical colors and additives; and technical colors, inkjet colors and inks, and specialty dyes and pigments.

Flavors & Fragrances Group

The Company is a developer, manufacturer and supplier of flavor and fragrance systems for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care and household-products industries. The Company�� flavor formulations are used in consumer products. Under the unified brand names of Sensient Flavors, Sensient Dehydrated Flavors and Sensient Fragrances, the Company is a supplier to multinational companies. The Flavors & Fragrances Group produces flavor and fragrance products, which impart a taste, texture, aroma and/or other characteristics to a range of consumer and other products. It includes the Company�� dehydrated flavors business, which produces ingredients for food processors. The products are systems products, including flavor-delivery systems, and compounded and blended products. In addition, the Company is engaged in selected ingredient products, such as essential oils, natural and synthetic flavors, and aroma chemicals. The Company ! serves food and non-food industries. In food industries, markets include savory, beverage, dairy, confectionery and bakery flavors. In non-food industries, the Company supplies fragrance products to the personal and home-care markets and supplies flavor products to the pharmaceuticals market.

Operating through the Company�� Sensient Dehydrated Flavors business, the Company is produces dehydrated onion and garlic products in the United States. The Company is also producers and distributors of chili powder, paprika, chili pepper and dehydrated vegetables, such as parsley, celery and spinach. Domestically, the Company sells dehydrated products to food manufacturers for use as ingredients and also for repackaging under private labels for sale to the retail market and to the food service industry. In addition, Sensient Dehydrated Flavors is dehydrators of specialty vegetables in Europe. The Flavors & Fragrances Group operates through the Company's subsidiaries Sensient Flavors LLC and Sensient Dehydrated Flavors LLC. The Company�� principal manufacturing plants are located in California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Belgium, Canada, the People�� Republic of China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Color Group

The Company is a developer, manufacturer and supplier of colors for businesses globally. The Company provides natural and synthetic color systems for use in foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals; colors and other ingredients for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and technical colors for industrial applications and digital imaging. The Company sells its synthetic and natural colors to domestic and international producers of beverages, bakery products, processed foods, confections, pet foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The Company also makes inkjet inks and other dyes and pigments used in a variety of non-food applications.

The Color Group operates through the Company's subsidiary Sensient Col! ors LLC. ! Its principal manufacturing plants are located in California, Missouri, New Jersey, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The Color Group operates under trade names of Sensient Food Colors (food and beverage colors); Sensient Pharmaceutical Coating Systems (pharmaceutical colors and coatings); Sensient Cosmetic Technologies (cosmetic colors and ingredients and systems). and Sensient Industrial Colors (including paper colors; industrial colors for plastics, leather, wood stains, antifreeze and other uses; inkjet colors and inks; specialty inks, and display imaging).

Asia Pacific and China Groups

The Asia Pacific Group and the China Group focus on marketing the Company�� diverse product line in the Pacific Rim under the Sensient name. Through these operations, the Company offers a range of products from its Flavors & Fragrances Group and Color Group, as well as products developed by regional technical teams to appeal to local preferences. Sales, marketing and technical functions are managed through the Asia Pacific Group's headquarters in Australia. Manufacturing operations are located in Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Philippines. The Asia Pacific Group maintains offices for research and development, as well as sales, in India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Sensient Technologies (NYSE: SXT  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best High Tech Stocks To Own For 2014: Endocyte Inc.(ECYT)

Endocyte, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company uses its proprietary technology to create novel small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging diagnostics. Its SMDCs target receptors that are over-expressed on diseased cells, relative to healthy cells. The company?s principal SMDC product candidate, EC145, has been evaluated in a randomized Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and it also completed a Phase II single-arm clinical trial for pre-treated non-small cell lung cancer. Its preclinical development products include EC0489 and EC0225, which are in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid cancer tumors; EC17 that has completed Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid cancer tumors; EC0531, a tubulysin conjugate to treat solid tumors; and EC0746 and EC0565 foliate receptors for the reduction o f inflammation. The company?s products under development also comprise EC20, a proprietary companion imaging diagnostic product for the identification of folate receptor in cancer patients; EC1069 for prostate cancer therapy; and EC0652 that is in early clinical trials for use as a companion imaging diagnostic for SMDCs. Endocyte, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  At the end of this week,�congressional scrutiny was weighting down large cap biotech Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD) and dragging down much of the biotech sector, but there was still good news surrounding small cap biotech stocks like Endocyte, Inc (NASDAQ: ECYT), Aastrom Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: ASTM)�and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) plus there were more biotech IPOs which debuted:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Endocyte (NASDAQ: ECYT) lead the way on the downside Friday, plummeting 61.13 percent to $6.76 after the company received a recommendation to halt its Vintafolide trial.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Endocyte (NASDAQ: ECYT) shares shot up 95.36 percent to $28.60 after Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) and Endocyte announced the European CHMP positive opinions for VYNFINIT and the companion agents FOLCEPRI and NEOCEPRI.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Endocyte Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) is trading like the company is being acquired. This is proof that any biotech with great cancer drug news can run, regardless of market conditions. It and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) have announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given a positive opinion for conditional marketing approval of Vynfinit (or vintafolide) and companion imaging components, imaging agent Folcepri (or etarfolatide), and Neocepri (intravenous folic acid), for the treatment of adult patients with ovarian cancer in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD).

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch Right Now

10 Best Freight Stocks To Watch Right Now: Werner Enterprises Inc (WERN)

Werner Enterprises, Inc., incorporated on September 14, 1982, is a transportation and logistics company engaged primarily in hauling truckload shipments of general commodities in both interstate and intrastate commerce. The Company also provides logistics services through its value added services (VAS) division. As of the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company had a fleet of 7,150 trucks, of which 6,505 were Company-operated and 645 were owned and operated by independent contractors. The Company operates in two segments: Truckload Transportation Services (Truckload) and VAS.

Truckload segment

The Company's Truckload segment consists of the One-Way Truckload and Specialized Services units. One-Way Truckload includes the operating fleets: the regional short-haul (Regional) fleet transports a variety of consumer nondurable products and other commodities in truckload quantities within geographic regions across the United States using dry van trai lers; the medium-to-long-haul van (Van) fleet provides comparable truckload van service over irregular routes, and the expedited (Expedited) fleet provides time-sensitive truckload services utilizing driver teams.

Specialized Services provides truckload services dedicated to a specific customer, generally for a retail distribution center or manufacturing facility, including services for products requiring specialized trailers such as flatbed or temperature-controlled trailers. The Company's Truckload fleets operate throughout the 48 contiguous United States, both common and contract, granted by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The Company also has authority to operate in several provinces of Canada and to provide through-trailer service into and out of Mexico. The principal types of freight the Company transports include retail store merchandise, consumer products, grocery products and manufactured products. The Com! pany focuses on transport ing consumer nondurable products that generally ship.

VAS segment

The Company's VAS segment is a non-asset-based transportation and logistics provider. VAS is consists of four operating units that provide non-trucking services to the Company's customers: truck brokerage (Brokerage) uses contracted carriers to complete customer shipments; freight management (Freight Management) offers a range of single-source logistics management services and solutions; the intermodal (Intermodal) unit offers rail transportation through alliances with rail and drayage providers as an alternative to truck transportation, and Werner Global Logistics international (WGL) provides complete management of global shipments from origin to destination using a combination of air, ocean, truck and rail transportation modes. The Company's Brokerage unit had transportation services contracts with approximately 9,400 carriers as of December 31, 2012.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Werner Enterprises (Nasdaq: WERN  ) reported earnings on July 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Werner Enterprises missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/10-best-freight-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

Top 5 Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 5 Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Medical Properties Trust Inc (MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc., incorporated on August 27, 2003, is a self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on investing in and owning net-leased healthcare facilities. The Company conducts substantially all of its business through MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. The Company acquires and develops healthcare facilities and leases the facilities to healthcare operating companies under long-term net leases, which require the tenant to bear the costs associated with the property. The Company also makes mortgage loans to healthcare operators collateralized by their real estate assets. In addition, the Company selectively makes loans to certain of its operators through its taxable REIT subsidiaries. In September 2013, Medical Properties Trust Inc completed the acquisition of the real estate of three acute care hospitals operated by IASIS Healthcare LLC.

As of February 18, 2013, the Company's portfolio consists of 82 properties: 69 facilities (of the 74 facilities that the Company owns) are leased to 23 tenants, five are under development, and the remainder are in the form of mortgage loans to three operators. The Company's owned facilities consist of 27 general acute care hospitals, 24 long-term acute care hospitals, 15 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, two medical office buildings, and six wellness centers. The non-owned facilities on which the Company has made mortgage loans consist of three general acute care facilities, two long-term acute care hospitals, and three inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. At December 31, 2012, no one property accounted for more than 5% of the Company's total assets.

At December 31, 2012, the Company had leases with 22 hospital operating companies, eight mortgaged loans, six under development, and one property under re-development covering 82 facilities. E! rnest leased 12 of these facilities pursuant to a master lease agreement. The master lease agreement has a 20-year t erm with three five-year extension options and provides for ! an initial rental rate of 9%, with consumer price-indexed increases, limited to a 2% floor and 5% ceiling annually thereafter. At December 31, 2012, these facilities had an average remaining lease term of approximately 19 years. In addition to the master lease, the Company holds a mortgage loan on four facilities owned by affiliates of Ernest.

Affiliates of Prime Healthcare Services, Inc. (Prime) leased 11 facilities pursuant to master lease agreements. The master leases are for 10 years commencing July 3, 2012 and contain two renewal options of five years each. The initial lease rate is generally consistent with the blended average rate of the prior lease agreements. However, the annual escalators, which in the prior leases were limited, have been increased to reflect 100% of CPI increases, along with a 2% minimum floor. The master leases include repurchase options substantially similar to those in the prior leases, including provisions establishing minimum rep urchase prices equal to the Company's total investment. In addition to leases, the Company holds mortgage loans on three facilities owned by affiliates of Prime.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brad Thomas]

  A Bank of America (BOA) downgrade sends Medical Properties Trust (MPW) tumbling. The bank cut the shares to Underperform from Neutral citing the REIT's YTD outperformance relative to the sector overall (it has outpaced healthcare REITs two to one). Put simply, funds from operations "multiple expansion has exceeded fundamental trends." SA contributor Brad Thomas claims MPW is an example of mispriced risk.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  It was an impressive quarter for Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW  ) . In its Q1 report, revenues amounted to $58 million, up 42% from the $41 million in ! the same ! period the previous year. Attributable net profit advanced much more strongly, growing 148% to $26 million ($0.18 per diluted share) from Q1 2012's figure of $11 million ($0.08). Funds from operations -- a key metric for real estate investment trusts -- came in at $35 million ($0.25 per diluted share) on a normalized basis, compared with $22 million ($0.18) in the year-ago quarter.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Real estate investment trust Medical Properties Trust  (NYSE: MPW  )  announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.20 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2008.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-defensive-stocks-to-own-right-now-4.html

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG)

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Gallagher), along with its subsidiaries, provides insurance brokerage and third-party claims settlement, and administration services to entities in the United States and abroad. It operates in three segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate. The Brokerage segment primarily consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations. The Company's risk management segment provides contract claim settlement and administration services for enterprises that choose to self-insure some or all of their property/casualty coverages and for insurance companies that choose to outsource some or all of their property/casualty claims departments. Majority of its international brokerage operations are in Australia, Bermuda, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its international risk management operations are principally in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Company operates in Australia and Canada primarily as a retail commercial property and casualty broker. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Barmore Insurance Agency, Inc. In December 2013, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired McIntyre Risk Management, LLC. In December 2013, the Company acquired Cleaveland Insurance Group and Jenkins and Associates. Effective December 26, 2013, Arthur J Gallagher & Co acquired Rock Island-based Cleaveland Insurance Group. In February 2014, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co acquired Benefit Development Group of Selma, Alabama. In February 2014, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co announced the acquisition of Kent, Kent & Tingle in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Brokerage Segment

The Company's retail brokerage operations negotiate and place property/casualty, employer-provided health and welfare insurance and retirement solutions principally for middle-market comme! rcial, industrial, public entity, religious and not-for-profit entities. Many of the Company's retail brokera ge customers choose to place their insurance with insurance ! underwriters, while others choose to use alternative vehicles, such as self-insurance pools, risk retention groups or captive insurance companies. Its wholesale brokerage operations assist its brokers and other unaffiliated brokers and agents in the placement of specialized, and hard-to-place insurance programs.

The Company's primary sources of compensation for its retail brokerage services are commissions paid by insurance carriers. It operates its brokerage operations through a network of more than 300 sales and service offices located throughout the United States and in 16 other countries. In addition, the Company offers client-service capabilities in more than 110 countries worldwide through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. The Company's retail brokerage operations place all lines of commercial property/casualty and health and welfare insurance coverage. Its retail brokerage operations are organized in more than 190 geographical center s located in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom and operate within certain key niche/practice groups, which account for approximately 67% of its retail brokerage revenues.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company's wholesale insurance brokerage operations accounted for 22% of its brokerage segment revenues. Its wholesale brokers assist its retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance. These brokers operate through over 65 geographical centers located across the United States, Bermuda and through its approved Lloyd's of London brokerage operation. In certain cases, it acts as a brokerage wholesaler, and in other cases, it acts as a managing general agent or managing general underwriter distributing specialized insurance coverages for insurance c! arriers. ! Over 75% of the Company's wholesale brokerage revenues come from non-affiliated brokerage customers.

Risk Management Segment

The Company's ! risk mana! gement segment provides contract claim settlement and administration services for enterprises that choose to self-insure some or all of their property/casualty coverages and for insurance companies that choose to outsource some or all of their property/casualty claims departments. During 2011, approximately 67% of its risk management segment's revenues were from workers compensation related claims, 26% were from general and commercial auto liability related claims and 7% were from property related claims. In addition, it generate revenues from integrated disability management (employee absence management) programs, information services, risk control consulting (loss control) services and appraisal services, either individually or in combination with arising claims. The Company manages its third-party claims adjusting operations through a network of approximately 110 offices located throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

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The Company competes with Aon Corporation, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Inc., Brown & Brown Inc., Hub International Ltd., Lockton Companies, Inc., USI Holdings Corporation, Aon Hewitt, Towers Watson & Co., Crump Group, Inc., CRC Insurance Services, Inc., RT Specialty, AmWINS Group, Inc., Swett & Crawford Group, Inc., Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc., Crawford & Company, ACE Limited, AIG Insurance and Zurich Insurance.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Insurance brokerage and third-party claims settlement claims company Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) raised its quarterly dividend 3% to 36 cents per share, payable on Mar. 20 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 4.
  AJG Dividend Yield: 3.00%

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Abbvie (! ABBV)
  ! Ameren Corp. (AEE)
  Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG)
  E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD)
  ENSCO (ESV)
  Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)
  General Mills (GIS)
  H&R Block (HRB)
  Hancock Holding (HBHC)
  Kraft Foods Group (KRFT)
  Lorillard (LO)
  Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP)
  MarkWest Energy Partners L P (MWE)
  McDonald’s (MCD)
  Microchip Technology (MCHP)
  NextEra Energy (NEE)
  Regency Centers (REG)
  TELUS Corp. (TU)
  West Corp. (WSTC)
  Williams Companies (WMB)

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Expanding its presence in the United Kingdom, insurance provider Arthur J. Gallagher (NYSE: AJG  ) will acquire the U.K.-based Property & Commercial Limited from Barbon Insurance Group, the country's largest provider of tenant references, the largest provider of rent guarantee, and one of the largest brokers to the social housing sector.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  We're seeing the same exact price setup in shares of mid-cap insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) -- just in the shorter-term. AJG has been forming an ascending triangle setup of its own since the beginning of May, hitting its head on resistance at $45.50. That's the breakout level to watch in shares this week.

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

  That resistance line at $45.50 is a price where there's an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to take recent gains and sell their shares than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes the move above it so significant -- a breakout indicates that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level! . Wait fo! r that signal to happen before you jump into this stock.

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

Oil Stocks BP & OXY Lead The Way This Earnings Season

We're in the thick of earnings season for the energy sector and BP (BP) and Occidental Petroleum (OXY) were the latest oil stocks to report earnings.

And both oil stocks did so with gusto.

On the backs of higher production and prices per barrel, the oil stocks showed why the majors are in a league of their own. And more importantly for BP and OXY specifically, the earnings show just how far the duo are into their respective transformations

For OXY and BP stock investors, the earnings reports for both oil stocks could be a precursor to greater things down the road.

BP Stock Sweetens Its Dividend

For beaten-down and beleaguered BP stock, the latest earnings report could be a sign of more positive things from one of the most well-known oil stocks. Ultimately, BP showed a 34% decrease in net profits vs. a year ago. But while at first blush that may seem bad, the truth is that number isn’t as terrible as it may seem.

The key for the oil stock is that BP managed to beat analysts' projections by a wide margin.

British Petroleum reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.17 per share on a replacement cost basis, excluding non-operating items. The oil stock's results surpassed the analyst consensus estimates of just 97 cents. Much of that increase was due to higher average price of oil throughout the quarter.

BP sold oil for an average of $100.66 per barrel and natural gas for $5.01 per thousand cubic feet for the quarter. That's versus $99 and $4.77, respectively for the previous quarter. Overall price realization rose 3.5% to $62.80 per barrel of oil equivalent. On the whole, the oil stock saw an 1.3% increase in profits from its upstream, as production at BP for the third quarter was 3.17 million barrels of oil equivalents a day.

These profits and gains managed to outweigh issues at its refining sector, which posted lower margins. BP was also encouraged by its progress on the production front and legal battle resulting from its Deep Horizon rig disaster/oil spill.

That prompted BP to raise its quarterly dividend by 5.6% to 57 cents a share. That gives BP stock a forward yield of just under 5%.

OXY Sees U.S. Production Growth

Like BP, oil stock rival Occidental Petroleum succeeded on the earnings front, built on the back of higher production and oil prices.

Gains for OXY came from higher oil production in the U.S. production, which was the equivalent of 476,000 barrels of oil per day. That was up about 7,000 barrels per day for the year ago quarter as well as also higher than the previous quarter's production. That increase here at home helped offset lower production in the Middle East and North Africa — traditionally the bread-n-butter for OXY. Total production for the oil stock was 767,000 barrels per day.

The fourth largest U.S. oil stock OXY also saw higher prices for that higher production.

Beating BP on average cost per barrel, Occidental was paid $103.95 per barrel for crude. That's a jump of nearly 8% versus last year's numbers. OXY also saw a 32% gain in its average selling price for more for natural gas.

Adding in OXY's 22% reduction in drilling costs and the oil stock produced a third-quarter profit of $1.58 billion — 15% more than a year ago. Adjusted profits per share came in at $1.96. That beat analyst estimates for the oil stock by roughly 6 cents. Meanwhile, OXY revenue rose 8% to $6.45 billion, also beating analysts' projections.

While Occidental didn't reward shareholders with a dividend increase, OXY stock has rallied this year about 27% based on the oil stock’s improving condition.

These Oil Stocks Set The Pace

Given that both BP and OXY reported better numbers based on higher average energy prices, odds are the rest of the oil stocks will do the same. That could make the overall sector a big buy in the weeks ahead.

For investors, oil stocks are certainly shining this earnings season. OXY and BP, as well previous reports by Schlumberger (SLB) and Halliburton (HAL), are proving that fact.

As of this writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Mortgage Rates Fall to Lowest Level in 4 Months

Jonathan Alcorn/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages dropped this week to their lowest levels in four months, a positive sign for the housing recovery. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average rate on the 30-year loan fell to 4.13 percent. That's down from 4.28 percent. The average on the 15-year fixed loan declined to 3.24 percent from 3.33 percent. Both averages are the lowest since June 20. Mortgage rates have been falling since September, when the Federal Reserve held off slowing its $85-billion-a-month in bond purchases. The bond buys are intended to keep longer-term interest rates low, including mortgage rates. And a slowdown in hiring in September makes it more likely that the Fed will continue its stimulus into next year. Mortgage rates tend to follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. The 10-year note traded at 2.50 percent Wednesday, down sharply from 2.61 percent last Thursday.

Top 10 Defense Companies To Watch For 2015

Top 10 Defense Companies To Watch For 2015: S afran SA (SAFRY.PK)

Safran SA is a France-based high-technology company which produces aircraft and rocket engines and propulsion systems. It divides its work into three segments: Aerospace, Aircraft, Defense and Security. The Aerospace Propulsion division provides engines, turbines and parts for aircraft, and rocket boosters for civil, military and spatial markets through several subsidiaries, including Snecma, among others. The Aircraft Equipment division produces landing gear, wheels and carbon brakes, aircraft engine nacelles and airborne power electronics through its subsidiaries, including Aircelle, among others. The Defense division includes the subsidiary, Sagem, and makes systems and equipment for inertial navigation and other defense applications to be used on military transport and combat aircraft, helicopters, warships, armored vehicles and artillery systems. In October 2013, the Company completed the sale of its United States-based subsidiary, Global Motors Inc to Allied Motion Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Lauchheimer]

  Currently, three main companies supply security equipment to the TSA - Safran (SAFRY.PK), Smiths (SMGKF.PK), and Level-3 Holdings (LLL). All three of these companies sell the whole range of their products to the TSA, with an ETD offering included. Recently, however, a new company, Implant Sciences Corporation (IMSC.PK) received approval from the TSA to begin selling their ETD equipment to airport security professionals. This approval has opened the door for IMSC to begin taking some market share away from the more established players in the US and beyond.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-defense-companies-to-watch-for-2015.html

Top Oil Stocks To Own For 2014

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This week, the overall grades of 15 oil and gas stocks are lower, according to the Portfolio Grader database. Each of these rates a “D” (“sell”) or “F” overall (“strong sell”).

Top Promising Companies To Own For 2015: CVR Refining LP (CVRR)

CVR Refining, LP, incorporated on September 17, 2012, is an energy limited partnership with refining and related logistics assets that operates in the mid-continent region. As of January 8, 2013, the Company owned two of only seven refineries in the underserved Group 3 of the PADD II region of the United States. It owns and operates a 115,000 barrels per day (bpd) coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas and a 70,000 bpd medium complexity crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma capable of processing 20,000 bpd of light sour crude oils (within its 70,000 bpd capacity). In addition, it also controls and operates supporting logistics assets, including approximately 350 miles of owned pipelines, over 125 owned crude oil transports, a network of strategically located crude oil gathering tank farms, and over six million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity. On December 15, 2011, the Company�� subsidiary Coffeyville Resources, LLC (Coffeyville Resources) acquired Wynnewood Energy Company, LLC, formerly Gary-Williams Energy Corporation.

The Company�� Coffeyville and Wynnewood refineries are located approximately 100 miles and 130 miles from the crude oil hub at Cushing, Oklahoma. As of January 8, 2013, the Company gathered approximately 50,000 bpd of price-advantaged crudes from its gathering area, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. The Company also has 35,000 bpd of contracted capacity on the Keystone and Spearhead pipelines that allows it to supply price-advantaged Canadian and Bakken crudes to its refineries. As of January 8, 2013, the Company had 145,000 bpd pipeline system that transports crude oil from its Broome Station tank farm to its Coffeyville refinery, as well as a total of 6 million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity, including approximately 6% of the total crude oil storage capacity at Cushing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  But this too is starting to shift. If you look at the most-recent IPOs on the New York Stock Exchange, you'll find many corners of the energy industry represented:

  Tallgrass Energy Partners�-- Natural gas midstream, debuted May 14 KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  ) -- Shuttle tankers, debuted April 10 SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP  ) -- Coal/coke making, debuted Jan. 18 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- Mid-continent refining, debuted Jan. 17

  There have also been a few MLP-related funds to hit the market this year, including Global X Junior MLP ETF�and Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  For refiners, though, that spread in price led to very lucrative refining margins. As that spread has narrowed, so too has margins for refiners.

  Refining Margins Q4 2012� Q2 2013 Valero (NYSE: VLO  ) $12.27 $9.26 Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX  ) � $13.67 $9.88 HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC  ) $24.00 $20.28 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) $28.08 $20.30

  Source: Company Earnings releases

• [By Robert Rapier] In last week’s issue I discussed the basics of the refining sector. Today I will provide an overview of four MLPs that hold refining assets.
  
  To review, the refining sector was very profitable in 2012 thanks to unusually high crack spreads, which for many US refiners are approximated by the price differential between Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oils. For a more thorough explanation of this phenomenon, please refer to last week’s issue.
  
  After years of trading at a $1 to $3 per barrel discount to WTI, Brent began fetching a premium a few years ago as a glut of crude developed in the mid-continent area of the US. In 2011 the Brent-WTI price differential increased to more than $25/bbl, and it remained historically high in 2012.
  
  But pipeline capacity started to catch up this year, and the share prices of refiners retreated as the glut began to dissipate and the Brent-WTI differential shrank. In Q3 2012, the Brent-WTI differential averaged $17.43/bbl, but by Q3 of this year, the differential had fallen to $4.43/bbl. This promises bad news for refiners about to report Q3 earnings.
  
  Many analysts downgraded the refining sector in Q3, but as the differential fell below $5/bbl it was hard to imagine that the news could get much worse. With poor Q3 results largely priced in, the differential subsequently rose back above $10/bbl, signaling better refining margins moving into Q4.
  
  Refiners began to post earnings this past week, and as expected they were weak. Valero (NYSE: VLO) reported slightly higher revenues year-over-year, but net earnings fell more than 50 percent from a year ago. Nevertheless, they beat the extremely pessimistic expectations of analysts, and Valero shares rose on the news.
  
  Phillips 66’s (NYSE: PSX) refining unit actually posted a loss, but its chemical business turned in a solid quarter which more than compensated for the disappointing refining results.
  
  The rest of the refine
• [By Robert Rapier]

  Icahn Enterprises (NASDAQ: IEP) led all MLPs in 2013 with a capital gain of 136 percent. IEP is an unconventional MLP involved in nine primary business segments: Investment, Automotive, Energy, Gaming, Railcar, Food Packaging, Metals, Real Estate and Home Fashion. IEP invests in energy-related companies such as CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) and American Railcar Industries (Nasdaq: ARII), but nearly 60 percent of its assets are invested in the automotive sector and in investment funds. Since 2000, IEP has achieved an average annual return of 23.8 percent, and units currently yield 4.4 percent. MLP Profits subscribers had a chance at a 58 percent capital gain between the Sept. 9 Buy recommendation for IEP and its Dec. 16 liquidation from the Aggressive Portfolio.

Top Oil Stocks To Own For 2014: World Point Terminals LP (WPT)

World Point Terminals, LP, incorporated on April 19, 2013, is a fee-based Delaware limited partnership formed to own, operate, develop and acquire terminals and other assets relating to the storage of light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil. WPT GP, LLC is the general partner of the Company. It operates in a single reportable segment consists primarily of the fee-based storage and terminaling services it performs under contracts with its customers. The Company�� storage terminals are located in the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States and, as of May 31, 2013, had a combined available storage capacity of 12.4 million barrels. The Company provides terminaling and storage of light refined products, such as gasoline, distillates and jet fuels; heavy refined products, such as residual fuel oils and liquid asphalt, and crude oil. Most of its terminal facilities are located on waterways, and have truck racks. Several of its terminal facilities also have rail or pipeline access. As of May 31, 2013, approximately 93% of its available storage capacity was under contract.

The Company generates revenue from Storage Services Fees, Ancillary Services Fees and Additive Services Fees. Storage Services Fees are its customers pay base storage services fees, which are fixed monthly fees paid at the beginning of each month to reserve storage capacity in its tanks and to compensate it for receiving up to a base product volume on their behalf. The Company charges ancillary services fees to its customers for providing services, such as heating, mixing and blending its customers��products that are stored in its tanks; transferring its customers��products between its tanks; at its Granite City terminal, adding polymer to liquid asphalt, and rail car loading and dock operations. The Company generates revenue from fees for injecting generic gasoline, gasoline, lubricity, red dye and cold flow additives to its customers��products.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  World Point Terminals L.P. (NYSE: WPT) was initiated as Outperform with a $23 price target at Credit Suisse.

  See also more analyst upgrades and downgrades for Tuesday.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  World Point Terminals (NYSE: WPT) owns and operates terminals and other assets for the storage of light refined products, heavy refined products and crude oil. World Point’s storage terminals are located in the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the US. The partnership debuted on Aug. 9, and units have gained 2 percent since. The partnership agreement provides for a minimum quarterly distribution of $1.20 per unit on an annualized basis. At the recent closing price of $19.64/unit, this equates to a minimum annualized yield of 6.1 percent.
  

Top Oil Stocks To Own For 2014: Pacific Drilling SA (PACD)

Pacific Drilling S.A., incorporated on March 22, 2011, is an international offshore drilling Company. The Company is a provider of ultra-deepwater drilling services to the oil and natural gas industry through the use of high-specification drilling rigs. The Company�� primary business is to contract its ultra-deepwater drilling rigs, related equipment and work crews, primarily on a dayrate basis, to drill wells for its customers. The Company is primarily focused on the ultra-deepwater market. The Company generally consider ultra-deepwater to begin at water depths of more than 7,500 feet and to extend to the maximum water depths, in which rigs are capable of drilling, which is approximately 12,000 feet.

The Company operates four drillships and has four drillships under construction, two of which are under customer contract. In connection with the Restructuring, the Company�� Predecessor was contributed to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company by a subsidiary of Quantum Pacific International Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Pacific Drilling (PACD) is an international offshore drilling contractor committed to becoming the preferred provider of ultra-deepwater drilling services to the oil and natural gas industry through the use of high-specification rigs. This stock closed up 1% to $9.94 in Thursday's trading session.

  Thursday's Range: $9.87-$10.00
  
  52-Week Range: $8.63-$10.99
  
  Thursday's Volume: 450,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 308,772

  From a technical perspective, PACD bounced modestly higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $9.67 with above-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last five months, with shares moving between $8.89 on the downside and $10.23 on the upside. Shares of PACD are now starting to trend within range of triggering a breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern. That trade will hit if PACD manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $10.14 to $10.23 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PACD as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $9.81 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 308,772 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PACD will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10.71 to its 52-week high at $10.99. Any high-volume move above $10.99 will then put its all-time high at $11.47 within range for shares of PACD.

Top Oil Stocks To Own For 2014: Cameron International Corp (CAM)

Cameron International Corporation (Cameron), incorporated on November 10, 1994, provides flow equipment products, systems and services to worldwide oil, gas and process industries. Cameron operates in three business segments: Drilling and Production Systems (DPS), Valves & Measurement (V&M) and Process & Compression Systems (PCS). The DPS segment includes businesses, which provides systems and equipment used to control pressures and direct flows of oil and gas wells. The V&M segment includes businesses, which provides valves and measurement systems used to control, direct and measure the flow of oil and gas as they are moved from individual wellheads through flow lines, gathering lines and transmission systems to refineries, petrochemical plants and industrial centers for processing. The PCS segment includes businesses, which provides standard and custom-engineered process packages for separation and treatment of impurities within oil and gas and compression equipment and aftermarket parts and services to the oil, gas and process industries. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it acquired LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. (LeTourneau) from Joy Global Inc. During 2011, it acquired Vescon Equipamentos Industrias Ltda. During 2011, it acquired 51% interest in Newmans Valves. In September 2012, TTS Group ASA sold its drilling equipment business to the Company. Effective August 5, 2013, Cameron International Corp acquired a 75% interest in Douglas Chero SpA, from Consilium SGR SpA.

Drilling & Production Systems Segment

Cameron�� products are employed in a range of operating environments, including basic onshore fields, complex onshore and offshore environments, deepwater subsea applications and ultra-high temperature geothermal operations. The products within this segment include surface and subsea production systems, blowout preventers (BOPs), drilling and production control systems, block valves, gate valves, actuators, chokes, wellheads, manifolds, drilling risers, top drive! s, mud pumps, other rig products and aftermarket parts and services. In addition, the DPS segment designs and manufactures structural components for land and offshore drilling rigs. The segment�� businesses also manufacture elastomers, which are used in pressure and flow control equipment and other petroleum industry applications, as well as in the petroleum, petrochemical, rubber molding and plastics industries. The businesses within this segment market their products directly to end-users through a worldwide network of sales and marketing employees, supported by agents in some international locations. Customers include oil and gas majors, national oil companies, independent producers, engineering and construction companies, drilling contractors, rental companies and geothermal energy producers. The businesses included in this segment are Drilling Systems, Surface Systems, Subsea Systems and Flow Control.

Drilling Systems is a global supplier of integrated drilling systems for onshore and offshore applications. Drilling equipment designed and manufactured includes ram and annular BOPs, control systems, drilling risers, drilling valves, choke and kill manifolds, diverter systems, top drives, draw works, mud pumps, other rig products and aftermarket parts and services. The products are marketed under the Cameron, Guiberson, H&H CUSTOM, H&H, Melco, LeTourneau, Lewco, OEM and Townsend brand names. Surface Systems is a global market in supplying surface production equipment, from conventional to high-pressure, high temperature (HPHT) wellheads, production systems and controls, block valves, gate valves, mudline systems, dry completion systems and aftermarket parts and services. The products are marketed under the Cameron, Camrod, IC, McEvoy, Precision, SBS, Tundra, Willis and WKM brand names. Cameron, which has a global base of installed equipment and an aftermarket presence in hydrocarbon-producing region worldwide, is the provider of surface production equipment. Surface Systems added new s! ales and ! aftermarket facilities in the Marcellus, Eagle Ford and Haynesville shale regions.

Subsea Systems is a provider of subsea wellheads, production systems and controls, manifolds and aftermarket parts and services to customers worldwide, from basic subsea tree orders to integrated solutions, as well as installation and aftermarket support. These products are marketed under the Cameron, Mars, McEvoy and Willis brand names. Flow Control provides chokes, actuators, gears, valve accessories and automation solutions to other Cameron businesses, as well as to other industry manufacturers and directly to end users under such brand names as Cameron, Dynatorque, Ledeen, Maxtorque, Test and Willis. Flow Control has expanded its subsea chemical injection metering valve (CIMV) product line, introducing a high-flow CIMV.

Valves & Measurement Segment

Cameron�� products include gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, Orbit valves, double block & bleed valves, plug valves, globe valves, check valves, actuators, chokes and aftermarket parts and services, as well as measurement products such as totalizers, turbine meters, flow computers, chart recorders, ultrasonic flow meters and sampling systems. This equipment and the related services are marketed through a worldwide network of combined sales and marketing employees, as well as distributors and agents in selected international locations. Customers include oil and gas majors, independent producers, engineering and construction companies, pipeline operators, drilling contractors and major chemical, petrochemical and refining companies. The businesses included in this segment are Distributed Valves, Engineered Valves, Process Valves, Measurement Systems and Aftermarket Services.

Distributed Valves provides a range of valves used in the exploration, production and transportation of oil and gas, with products sold through a network of wholesalers and distributors, primarily in North America and to upstream markets in A! sia-Pacif! ic and the Middle East. These valves are marketed under the brand names Cooper, Demco, Navco, Newco, Nutron, OIC, Techno, Texstream, Thornhill Craver, Wheatley and WKM. Engineered Valves provides a range of customized ball, gate and check valves serving the oil and gas production, pipeline, subsea and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets. Products are marketed under the brand names Cameron, Entech, Grove, Ring-O, TK and Tom Wheatley.

Process Valves provides valves under the brand names of General Valve, Orbit, TBV and WKM for use in critical service applications that are often subject to extreme temperature conditions, particularly in refinery, power generation, including nuclear, chemical, petrochemical, gas processing and liquid storage terminal markets, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). Measurement Systems designs, manufactures and distributes measurement products, systems and solutions to the global oil and gas, process and power industries. The Company�� main product brand names include Barton, Caldon, Clif Mock, Jiskoot, Linco, Nuflo and PAAI. Aftermarket Services provides preventative maintenance, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) spare parts, repair, field service, asset management and remanufactured products for valves and actuators.

Process & Compression Systems Segment

Integrally geared centrifugal compressors are used by customers worldwide in a range of industries, including air separation, petrochemical, chemical and process gas. Products include oil and gas separation equipment, heaters, dehydration and desalting units, gas conditioning units, membrane separation systems, water processing systems, integral engine-compressors, separable reciprocating compressors, two and four-stroke cycle gas engines, turbochargers, integrally-geared centrifugal compressors, compressor systems and controls. Aftermarket services include spare parts, technical services, repairs, overhauls and upgrades. The businesses included in this segment are Process System! s, Recipr! ocating Compression and Centrifugal Compression.

The process systems businesses provide custom-engineered process packages to oil and gas majors, national oil companies, independent operators and engineering, procurement and construction companies worldwide for separation and treatment of oil, gas, water and solids. Products offered include separators, heaters, dehydration and desalting units, gas conditioning units, membrane separation systems, water processing systems and aftermarket parts and services. PCS markets its process systems products under the Cameron, Consept, Cynara, Hydromation, KCC, Metrol, Mozley, NATCO, Petreco, Porta-test, Unicel, Vortoil and Wemco brand names.

Reciprocating Compression equipment is used throughout the energy industry by gas transmission companies, compression leasing companies, oil and gas producers and independent power producers. Reciprocating Compression products and services are marketed under the Ajax, Cooper-Bessemer, CSI, Enterprise, Superior, Texcentric and TSI brand names. Ajax integral engine-compressors, which combine the engine and compressor on a single drive shaft, are used for gas re-injection and storage, as well as on smaller gathering and transmission lines. Superior-brand separable compressors are used for natural gas applications, including production, storage, withdrawal, processing and transmission, as well as petrochemical processing. These high-speed separable compressor units can be matched with either natural gas engine drivers or electric motors. Reciprocating Compression also provides global support for its products and maintains sales and service offices in key international locations. During 2011, approximately 60% of the Reciprocating Compression revenues were generated by sales of aftermarket parts and services in support of the Company�� worldwide installed base of compression equipment. Customers for Reciprocating Compression products include oil and gas majors, national oil companies, petrochemical and re! fining co! mpanies, midstream natural gas companies, independent power producers and compressed natural gas distribution companies.

Centrifugal Compression manufactures and supplies integrally geared centrifugal compressors and provides aftermarket services to customers worldwide. Centrifugal air compressors, used in manufacturing processes (plant air), are sold under the Turbo-Air. Engineered compressors are used in the process air and gas industries and are identified by the MSG. The process and plant air centrifugal compressors deliver oil-free compressed air and other gases to customers, thus preventing oil contamination of the finished products. Centrifugal Compression also provides installation and maintenance services, parts, repairs, overhauls and upgrades to its worldwide customers for plant air and process gas compressors. It also provides aftermarket service and repairs on all equipment it produces through a worldwide network of distributors, service centers and field service technicians utilizing an extensive inventory of parts marketed under the Joy brand name. Centrifugal Compression customers include oil and gas majors, national oil companies, air separation companies, independent power producers, petrochemical and refining companies, midstream natural gas companies and durable goods manufacturers.

The Company competes with Aker Solutions, Balon Corporation, Circor International, Inc., Dover Corporation, Dril-Quip, Inc., Emerson Process Management, FlowServ Corp., FMC Technologies, Inc., GE Oil & Gas Group, Stream-Flo Industries Ltd., National Oilwell Varco Inc., Zy-Tech Global Industries company, Flotek Industries, Inc., Pibiviese, Robbins & Myers Fluid Management Group, SPX Corporation�� Flow Technology Segment, Tyco International Ltd., Weatherford, Ltd., Ariel Corporation, Compressor Engineering Corporation, Demag, Dresser-Rand Company, FS-Elliott Company LLC, Endyn Energy Dynamics, Hoerbiger Group and IR Air Solutions.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Isac Simon]

  The muscles behind the brains
  Who helps in developing these resources? This is where the technological expertise of oilfield-services companies is required. And the best among them are Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) and Cameron International (NYSE: CAM  ) . Halliburton's well-construction and drilling teams seem to have a definite edge over other players in the industry. The services extend from well-bore evaluation to well-completion methods. The entire gamut of services is on offer. Cameron's well-surface equipment, as well as services for high-pressure, high-fluid volume fracturing, flowback operations and well testing, are industry standards.

• [By David Smith]

  I recently described to Fools why I believe National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV  ) , Cameron International (NYSE: CAM  ) , and Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII  ) all stand to benefit from the steady march of the global oil industry into progressively deeper waters.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  It wasn’t all good news, however. Healthways�(HWY) plunged 30% to $11.41, making it the S&P 1500′s biggest loser, while�Cameron International (CAM) fell 18% to $53.25, making it the S&P 500′s weakest stock. Both released disappointing earnings reports this week.